A Contender's Bonds
by Insane Dominator
Summary: Sequel to "The Fairy Contender". With the universe and Arceus saved, Nic can now enjoy his life in Fairy Tail and with Erza, but the adventures he's had are far from over. With Zeref and new threats on the rise, he and his Pokemon will learn that there was more to them than they had thought as they fight vicious battles, and learn more of their true power from within.
1. New Beginnings

**Hello guys, Insane Dominator is here, and proud to finally announce this is the sequel to** _ **The Fairy Contender**_ **. Hope you all enjoy the successor,** _ **A Contender's Bonds**_ **!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Fairy Tail, they belong to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo, and Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

The Fiore capital that was known as Crocus; the location was brimming with life. The calm seashores glistened with the morning sun on the rise. The early morning folks were already up and out doing their regular activities. A handful were still recovering from the events that transpired a few days back with the traumatizing near-death experience the universe almost had. But many others were able to sleep soundly knowing and seeing the stars were glistening from last night on.

In an old inn, labeled the Honey Bone Inn, everyone was starting to pack up their things. The beds were made and the girls' suitcases were closing with all of their proper luggage.

Natsu stretched his arms overhead. "Oh man, last night rocked!"

"Aye! I wanna go to another royal party!" Happy cheered.

Gray turned towards them after putting on an open orange shirt. "Yeah, well, I'm ready to head home." He snickered at the thought of going back to Magnolia. It felt like forever since they've left and got accustomed to Crocus. "It's gonna feel weird when we get back."

"I know what you mean. I wish we could've stayed a little longer." Lucy wished as she applied nail polish to her toenails. They were a sparkling pink. "Of course, I think someone's a little reluctant to even think of moving…"

Erza finished closing her suitcase and looked back around with a smile. Her eyes cascaded down towards the man that was her love. Her smile softened when she saw Nic sleeping peacefully like a baby.

The events of last night's scene made by Nic on the beach had left him with no more burdens to bare. He and his Pokémon lost crucial sleep hours constructing that raft and perfecting those drawing in honor of the future fallen. Anyone could've labeled him lazy for not being at the party last night, or maybe selfish, but the only one there was Erza. She fully understood and thought the most important thing Nic needed right now was nourishment, water, and especially sleep.

"What's the deal with him missin' out on his own party like that?" Natsu questioned.

Gray crossed his arms. "After what's happened, who knows."

Lucy sweat dropped. "Yeah, although I think he looks content not being there." She looked at how completely knocked out Nic was and never saw him so knocked out before. Of course he couldn't hold a candle to Natsu, but that's because unlike Natsu, Nic doesn't snore.

Erza knelt down and nudged Nic. "Nic, wake up." She cooed into his ear softly. Nic moaned and turned over, the front of his face towards the wall. She tried again. "Nic, please, just for a few minutes?" She wanted to chastise herself for knowing better than to disturb Nic's well-earned rest, but it was time to head home. She was aware Nic's Charizard could use Fly, but he was in the same boat as Nic.

Nic moaned irritably and his eyes rolled open. His head throbbed from exhaustion and he could barely sit up. "Mmmm…Erza?" He groaned softly.

"It's time to head back to Magnolia. Come on, I'll help you." She helped supported Nic as he managed to stand. He was able-bodied, but just barely due to all of the stress finally relieved. He lethargically made way down the steps with Erza supporting him; the others being in tow.

Once they made it outside, there was a carriage pulled by horses. At the entrance to the stylish carriage was Wendy, Carla, and Vanessa. All three females smiled and presented the mode of transportation.

"Hey guys, how's this for a ride back to Magnolia?" Wendy said.

"It's cheap, and it can fit all of us." Carla pointed out.

"You have to admit, it is classy." Vanessa grinned.

Everyone had their own way of reacting. Gray seemed amused, as was Lucy as the blonde petted the horses. Natsu was most certainly quivering at the thought of having to ride another deathtrap, and he was immune to Wendy's Troia spell, which was salt to the wound. Erza just made way towards the doorway with Nic, and Vanessa took notice with curiosity.

"Oh, Erza. Where did you go last night? You missed out on the party."

Erza recalled the events of last night on the beach with Nic with a warm and inviting smile towards the mentioned who was supported by her. He too shared the same smile and stare towards Erza, albeit with exhaustion involved. The redhead turned her attention towards Vanessa and spoke. "No party is worth ignoring Nic."

Everyone smiled at her commitment.

"The Master's probably ahead of us by now. We should get going." Gray noted.

Everyone stepped inside the carriage and closed the door, the last one entering being Natsu as his fear would become reality. Lucy, Wendy, Carla, Happy, and Natsu all had one side, while Gray, Vanessa, Nic, and Erza all had the other. Nic laid his head down on Erza's lap and she lovingly ran her warm hands through his very short, spiky black hair. It was soft to the touch, a good indication to health.

As the carriage moved on out, Nic was fast asleep once more with Erza's lap being his bed. The knight watched over him as they began their few-hour-long voyage back home.

* * *

As bustling as Crocus usually was, it was fairly vacant today. Within the open, abandoned streets of an avenue, three cloaked figures walked on through, inspecting the revived city. Crime Sorciere had hung around even after the fall of Lysandre, and continued to remain discrete as they ran an overview on what transpired.

"The Eclipse was destroyed, but was far from the impending doom we've speculated. We were played for fools from the start." Ultear said.

"As shocking as it sounds, you're right." Jellal said.

"Even after all of the carnage, Nic managed to restore the entire universe. There's not a trace of darkness or of Lysandre; it's all been erased from existence forever."

"At least that's one threat disposed of. That we can be grateful of." There was a small silence that proceeded after Jellal, and then Meredy took the ropes.

"Time and space have been put out of control. I thought the dragons of the past would've been revived."

"Atlas Flame was the only dragon who has returned to the past. As for the remaining six, they've been expunged from ever making it back." Jellal said as he looked up to the sky. "The future has been corrected, and the fabric of the disoriented space-time compounds has been adjusted. As for the Rogue of the future, his fate was forever expunged as well…and as for the Nic and Lucy of the future, I'm afraid as we all learned, their fates have been sealed."

Ultear's gaze turned towards a standard building, her gaze not entirely focused. "To think Nic became a god just that once. This brings up the question of what limitations do Pokémon hold."

Crime Sorciere stopped in their tracks when they made it to Mercurius Palace, the center of Crocus. They were standing in the precise spot that was the Eclipse Gate was there a few nights back. Now empty vacancy.

"This concept of Pokémon is what also troubles me." Meredy said.

Jellal nodded. "I can understand, considering they are what was almost our end, and at the same time, our salvation. However, the problem is now with the Magic Council."

"Huh?"

"Because they must certainly be aware of these instances. Acnologia himself was defeated brutally by Pokémon. This crisis for power and domination, these are what wars are established on." He explained.

An unknown pair of footsteps made their mark. Crime Sorciere turned back to confront the unknown person who was walking towards him. It was a shock to say the least, because it was a member of the Magic Council: Doranbolt. He looked serious.

"What does he want?" Jellal wondered.

* * *

Gran Doma was sitting on his chair, his index finger tapping the table that grouped the Magic Council members together. "Hmmmmm!" His huff was followed by a frog racing over and holding a stack of papers.

"Sir, still, we are unable to analyze that dark data." The frog reluctantly informed. "All of our readings showed that with the defeat of that man, the dark energy in whole just…left."

Gran Doma slammed his staff to the ground, startling the frog. "Preposterous!" He retorted. "Matter can't be destroyed, only changed. That defies the laws of physics."

Org gazed at Gran Doma with uncertainty. "Well to be fair, you were aware that Nic Pularis had gone and defied all matter of physics. With these so-called Pokémon creatures, anything is possible."

Gran Doma's hat shadowed his frustration. "As I am aware, Org, but what you fail to understand is that this unknown force was almost our end. They destroyed the Etherion satellite with space – permanently. And they trapped every single living creature on Erath Land in a space shield so strong that no Spatial Magic could penetrate. We were fools that had no knowledge."

Org chuckled.

"Is there something funny you would like to share with us, Org?" Gran Doma challenged.

"Nothing, it's just that it's baffling to find you so hung up over this obsession over Nic Pularis defeating and defying someone of greater power than you, Master Gran Doma." He then looked at the remaining Council members. All of them had the same facial expression. "However…I do agree that the levels of infinite darkness has caught my attention. How it has scarred us for life and can never leave is something I can't understand. I still shiver from the mere thought of that catastrophic battle."

"As we all." Gran Doma huffed. "Alright, dismissed."

The Council got up and departed from the large table, leaving another meeting with no luck on handling the situation that happened with the battle and worldwide epidemic.

* * *

Jellal's eyes widened. "What?"

"You tried erasing everyone's memories, but you couldn't?" Meredy interpreted.

"I recalled you infiltrating Fairy Tail before, but I never had knowledge of you possessing such a power." Ultear speculated.

"Yeah, so much for top-secret." Doranbolt huffed. "I'm still in shock that the battle and Lysandre's infinite evil left people scarred for life. Perhaps that's why my memory manipulation didn't work."

"Because the memory is what scar people for life." Jellal said.

"Yeah, that's it. I don't understand myself. That memory can't leave my own head. The Magic Council certainly is in a frenzy because of that infinite level of evil power." His eyes turned away from the group. They had moved the conversation from the city to the mountains for secrecy and to not give public the wrong impression. "The royal family got off very easy. They were lucky the Eclipse was not even remotely the worries that the world faced. Everyone thought little, and instead got therapy sessions over the events after that."

"I can understand." Jellal said. "We all feel the same."

Meredy looked down at her hand as it shook a little. "It's taking some time…but the bitter thought of that monster and those four ruining our existence made me nauseous sometimes."

"Trust me, you're not alone there sister." Doranbolt said. "Lahar took it much worse than what I did, but he's pulling through." He frowned. "Of course I can't say the same for the worldwide population. This makes Nic Pularis and Pokémon public knowledge. There's no telling how that'll influence others and their lives now."

"This makes the concept of Zeref look like a birthday cake." Ultear said. "But since this dark energy and Lysandre have both been erased permanently, that shouldn't be a problem."

Doranbolt turned away. "Yeah, I'm positive people would rather deal with Zeref and Acnologia than those enemies Nic had to fight. So, business as usual…only with some therapy sessions involved."

Jellal snickered at the small joke. He then remembered another important piece of information. All he needed to say was one name.

"…Cobra."

Doranbolt stopped in his tracks. He frowned and looked dead ahead.

"What became of him?"

"…he walked back to prison and gave himself up."

Ultear's eyes widened. "What?"

"Right after the Pokémon left back for their home world…"

 _Cobra was confined to Magic Cuffs. The item glowed and activated, restraining his usage of Sound or Dragon Slayer Magic. He was surrounded by guards who were aware of being upmost cautious given his status, but all Cobra did was smirk._

" _These cuffs aren't too bad for looks you know, but it's not like I'm here to pick a fuss." He sneered._

" _We appreciate the sentiment, but we must follow our protocols." Lahar noted in a relaxed tone._

" _Right, right. First you let out a Dragon Slayer who can't live up to his name, then these legendry behemoths from another world easily do the job for you, and then you watch in agony as you almost waste away, only to be spared by a single human and his pet. That's a real pat on the shoulder for ya."_

 _Doranbolt crossed his arms. "I get it. Your pride's been hit bad, so you decided to crawl back into your hiding hole."_

 _Cobra lowered his cuffs and kept a sullied grin. "Fresh air was nice while it lasted, and I heard Cubellios out there, watching from the same sky I was. I went deaf from all the despair and evil in the silence that Lysandre brought onto us, I swear." He chuckled then frowned. "Then there's Nic Pularis and his little snake pet who outclassed me. I got no qualms for those seven."_

 _Lahar looked towards Doranbolt and then back to Cobra. "Almost went deaf you say?"_

" _Yeah. Space, hearing, sight; whatever you use, it sure ain't pretty in the end. Although I did get to hear some voices or a few after I got my hearing back before I got here." He then shrugged. "But I think I'll lay low and head back into peace and quiet." He turned away from Lahar and Doranbolt and smirked. 'So I can bust out the Oracion Seis.'_

" _Hold it!" Doranbolt insisted. Cobra complied and turned towards him. "What else did you hear?"_

" _You wanna hear me?" He asked. "Lysandre made the underworld look like a daycare. And the demons dwelling were petrified with fear as well, and they won't lay down much longer." He turned towards the carriage and stepped inside. "Still trying to understand myself, so stay out of my head, would ya?"_

"…those were the last words he spoke of." Doranbolt finished. "While I do agree with Cobra, I question what this so-called 'underworld' will do in retaliation. We can only hope to keep a high guard until we pilfer some more info." He began walking away. "You three be safe now. While I'm in your debt, don't you dare test me."

With those words, Doranbolt teleported away, leaving Crime Sorciere be.

"I get it." Meredy grimaced.

"The underworld, or to be more precise…" Ultear trailed off, only for Jellal to finish.

"Tartaros."

"So the vilest demons were scared of Lysandre. It looks like they might want revenge and prove Zeref is a bigger threat than Lysandre was."

Jellal looked up at the sky, pondering. "I bet even they know that cannot be achieved…"

"So what now?" Meredy asked.

Jellal turned towards the two girls, having a serious look. "Let's head out. We'll need to lay low until we get more data on Tartaros, and what else we can find of Zeref."

Resuming their directives, Crime Sorciere departed from the mountains, heading off towards unknown warrants.

* * *

Hours rolled by, and it was past noon. The trains and modes of transportation carrying Fairy Tail home all arrived at the same time. All of the Fairy Tail members gathered up an walked down Magnolia's main avenue.

What surprised them most of all was the thousands of people on the sides cheering as they paraded down the avenue. Confetti and balloons were flying like crazy. Deafening cheers filled the airs as banners and happy smiles aroused all of Fairy Tail.

"They're here!"

"Welcome back!"

"We've been waiting! And we're so proud!"

Banaboster, the guild master of Twilight Ogre, had on a jolly expression. "Everyone, please welcome back the winners, Fairy Tail!" He announced. "Congratulations! We welcome your return!"

Clapping roared as the entire guild walked down the avenue with overwhelming joy. Nic himself was just as shocked. He managed to shake off his drowsiness just this once using his own willpower; sure he could've gone into Meadow Plate Form and used Worry Seed on himself, but he'd rather save himself the trouble and powered through. It was only for the people that he gave a smile, giving his façade out to them.

"We're back everybody!" Natsu yelled.

"Aye!" Happy announced.

Lucy looked as shocked. "Look at all of these people…"

Vanessa smiled at the audience. "I'm not even sure a lot are even from around here."

"Woooo! We did it!" Makarov cheered as he walked with Asuka on his shoulders.

Lily looked around with wide eyes. "This is too big of a shock for words!"

Gajeel put a fist to his chest and gave a cocky smirk. "Because we became the top dogs now! Fairy Tail's lookin' down on you all!"

Wendy gave a sheepish smile and bowed to the audience on the sidelines. "Thank you all for your support and for cheering us on."

"Speak up, child." Carla chided.

Cana held up her booze bottle she had on hand and looked like she was having a fun time. "Alright, let's drink while we're young!"

Sophie sweat dropped as she despondently looked at Cana. "Cana…you know, I actually expected this from you."

Erza walked side by side with Nic as the two marched on, and of course people were going nuts. They were talking all about Erza and her achievements in Pandemonium, Kagura, and helping Minerva rid of Bellona. Of course the knight had a blush and couldn't take it in stride. Nic saw her blush and chuckled at how cute it really was. It wasn't too often she blushed out of embarrassment, and he could relate. It was reassuring.

Of course his status was a completely different story.

People were practically on their knees begging for him to look at them. When he passed the local available women, they nearly fell over. The people in the back went as far as hitching rides on shoulders and wailing like monkeys. It was no surprise that Nic was this popular. The entire world knew of him and how he saved them all. They were going nuts over their salvation, and Nic took it in stride better than Erza, as he just looked and grinned at the ongoing population, but not wave.

Natsu sat his stuff down and popped open his green backpack. "Check out what I have! You guys are gonna want to feats your eyes on this!" He reached inside and pulled out a jewel-coated crown. "Ta-da!"

Unlike the wowed audience, Fairy Tail was not amused.

"The king's royal crown?!" Macao and Wakaba exclaimed.

"You…stole it?!" Wendy panicked.

Natsu shoved the crown back into his backpack. "No, that ain't it…"

Vanessa sweat dropped. "Ah, so he did steal…"

Natsu instead reached and plucked out a super shiny golden cup, engraved with intricate marks and having their guild's name written on it. "The proof of our victory! A trophy!" He held the trophy high with beaming pride as Fairy Tail members cheered on in praise. The members that were left behind for seven long years were either crying out of joy or were tearing up with great satisfaction. They've been rolling around in mud for seven years, and thanks to the Grand Magic Games, they've finally pulled themselves out of their rut and now stood tall and proud once more. Their grief was no more, and they could look people in the eyes once more. This was their moment.

Banaboster spoke up again. "Attention everyone, the mayor would like to present Fairy Tail with a special prize for this special occasion!" He referred his arms towards the small, stout mayor with a small moustache and a black suit.

Makarov blushed as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "A special prize? R-really, there's no need."

The mayor cleared his throat and smiled as he moved his arm in a direction. "Members of Fairy Tail, allow yourselves to marvel at this…"

All eyes went to what he was referring to, and that's when every eyes popped open. Makarov, Natsu, Lucy, and all eyes widened and huge smiles went around.

Before them was a tremendous guild hall. The intricate guild hall belonged solemnly to Fairy Tail, and it outclassed the one they were forced to abandon so long ago.

"Fairy Tail is but our pride, and to that we have reconstructed your guild hall!" The mayor announced.

Levy, Vanessa, Gajeel, and all of Fairy Tail had enormous smiles cascaded onto their grand guild hall. It was a site worth commemorating. They were overwhelmed to say the least. Makarov's face was frozen with absolute disbelief that the city had given their time and money and volunteering to reconstruct what they had taken away from them. Natsu was looking mighty proud alongside Happy as they were without words themselves.

As Makarov teared up with a sobbing wail, the folk chuckled at how he loves their hard work."

"I love Magnolia!" He yelled.

Erza had a warm smile full of pride at the new guild hall…although Nic only half grinned. He could only stare at the guild hall towering above them. While he chose to say nothing and just smiled away, there was something about it that he's not accustomed to.

As they all celebrated with their own guild hall, they did not notice a small creature overlooking from the rooftops. The creature was the same one that escaped from 'Obra' and his body during the Grand Magic Games. Obra sneered down at the touching scene and turned away. The small creature jumped off the roofing and pounced onto some crates down below. He ran along through the alleyway out of Magnolia and off into the woods.

* * *

Fairy Tail members, new and old, had already navigated the reestablished guild hall and had transferred the materials they salvaged from the old tavern guild hall to their new placement. The place was much like their old one, save the less amusing features like no stage. The job board was off to the side across from the bar. But still, many were content with what they had. It wasn't long until they all got accustomed to the new location after inspection. Gajeel certainly made it home by napping on a table, much to Levy's chagrin and Lily's snickering.

With their status, a flood of people filled the guild hall, becoming mages of Fairy Tail and increasing the members. It was a hysterical day since that was all Makarov and Mira's department to assess the new members. There was more than enough room for them anyways.

Natsu stretched overhead and sat back in his chair. "Yeah~! Now it feels right."

"I forgot how cramped our old guild hall was compared to this one." Gray said.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

Lucy sat next to Natsu, smiling. "So, anyone up for a job? It's been ages since we've had one, right?"

Natsu's eyes popped open. "Say, yeah! Haven't been on a job since the games! This should be fun!" He got up from his seat and beamed. "I'm achin' to get some work in! You all with me?"

Wendy smiled as Carla sat in her lap. "Hey yeah, a job sounds like fun."

"Well of course. We have to earn our keep somehow. It's time we stop dilly-dallying and get back into routine people!" Carla announced.

As the small group was readying for their mission, Erza came in. She carried a wooden crate and carried it over towards the bar. It held some booze and other material needed for Mirajane's case. A few wine glasses in a small pocket in the crate. She sat the crate on the bar. "Here you are, Mira. The last bit of supplies."

Mirajane looked over and peeked inside. She looked back up at Erza and smiled. "Thanks, Erza. I must say, it's quite the hassle hauling all of the necessities from our previous location. Fortunately, this is much more convenient for us now that it's back in the city."

"You can say that again." Erza agreed. She looked around the guild hall with a small grin. Looking at the individual faces of everyone, she saw how lively the place was. "This is most certainly a welcoming change in dynamics…" As she scoped the place, she did notice her team plucking a job, then there was Nab looking at the board, Asuka parented by Bisca and Alzack, and Juvia admiring Gray from behind a pillar. However, something seemed off, and that's what made her frown.

She turned back towards Mirajane. "Mira, have you seen Nic?"

"Nic?" Mirajane's head tilted as she put an index finger to the side of her chin. "Now that I think about it, I haven't seen him since we've been presented our guild hall."

Chugging was heard from the side. On a stool was Cana, and she slammed her mug down and gave a sigh. Her breath had a heavy dose of booze in it. "Bah, I wouldn't worry about him. He's a big boy. He can handle himself."

"While there's a kernel of wisdom, Cana, it's not that I don't disagree." Erza said otherwise. "Perhaps Vanessa knows."

Mira went through the work records and looked on a fresh page. "Sorry, but she and Sophie went on a job earlier and won't be back until the evening." She apologized. "They say they gotta pay Sophie's rent since she's overdue. She's over her grace period and needs money." She put a hand to her cheek. "But it's adorable seeing you worry over Nic when it's only been an hour."

"It's not like that." Erza looked away, huffing. "It's just…"

"Hey, Erza!" Natsu called out to Erza, getting her attention. She turned to see her team holding out a job request to her. "We're going out on a job, ya ready?"

Erza was a little shocked at the sudden request. It's true that she's been aching to go on a job, but her concern for Nic was what's been tearing her apart. It was gonna be a painful answer, but she had to say it.

"I apologize…but I'm gonna sit this one out."

"Eeeh?!" The remnants of Team Natsu exclaimed.

Erza powered through, despite their shock. "I have matters that are still needed to be appointed too. Do hope you accept my apology."

At this point, Cana could've corrected and said that she really wanted to find and look after Nic, but she chose to not say anything and shrugged it off. Either way, they could see as clear as day that Erza was stern and focused on Nic. If that wasn't commitment, then who knows what's what anymore?

Lucy grinned. "It's okay. I'm sure there's more than enough of us for the job anyway."

Gray shrugged. "It's cool. You got priorities."

Natsu raised a brow. "What's the matter, Erza? Getting' worried about Nic? He's fine."

"Exactly what I said." Cana slurred. She hiccupped and sighed. "Geez, you need hearing aids?"

"Shut up! My hearing's fine!" Natsu protested.

Wendy walked up to Erza with Carla in her arms. "Well we understand. After what Nic's been through, some rest is all he needs."

"Agreed." Carla nodded.

Lucy waved to Erza as she and the remaining members decided it was best to leave her be. "Well, be seeing you!" The blonde cheerfully said before the team embarked out of the guild hall and off towards their mission decided without Erza.

After the group embarked, Erza got up and decided the best course of action was to go search for Nic. Naturally he wasn't in the guild hall so he had to be close by elsewhere, but the question was where. So as she stepped out of the guild, she scoped around the city. The redhead looked around as people were taking notice of the infamous Titania of Fairy Tail, but she paid no heed to them. Her priority was set, and after a while of failures after searching through the main avenues of Magnolia, she had to stop in place and think. "Okay, where could he possibly be? I'll have to look in his perspective." She began to slowly trace her steps off towards the ends of an avenue, slowly making way through the market department. "Let's see, if I were Nic…I would most likely be lying down somewhere. Somewhere quiet, somewhere where my Pokémon and I can relax after our tales, a place where…" Her eyes widened and she gasped in the realization dawning upon herself. "Somewhere that is suited to my training life. Close to rickety tables and places that I've slept in all of my life…" Her head turned towards where their former guild hall was before they won. "The second base!" Without a slip in her step, she made way through the heavy market location and crossed through the floral department. She ran through the remainder of Magnolia until she found herself running atop of a small hill up a trail leading to the abandoned second building.

Upon arrival, she went inside. She was as quiet as a Rattata. She turned her head around and looked, but he wasn't there. She went up the staircase towards the attic, which acted as a small room with a nursery bed in it in the cases like what happened to Kinana during the Key to the Starry Heavens incident. Again, she had no luck.

She made way outside and turned the corner. "Then there was only one place left…Nic?" She ran behind the building in search of her final guess. Sure enough she got it right at long last.

As a calm wind blew, lying underneath the shade of trees – more like sprawled – was Nic and all of his Pokémon. The wear on them was evident, as they looked like they've been put through hell. To be fair, they actually were. And yet here they were, all sleeping at peace like little babies. The seven were all sound asleep in the shade of the trees behind the building. Nic was lying on his side while others were on their fronts, back, sides, or awkward positions like Kecleon with her mouth open and sticky tongue hanging out from the side.

Seeing them all present made relief lift from Erza as her smile returned. She made way over towards Nic, careful to maneuver around Arbok and Garchomp as they stirred. She stopped when she towered above the defenseless Nic and knelt down towards him. _'So you've been here all this time. I got so worked up, I guess that's what happens after the experience shared, huh?'_ She chuckled and her soft brown eyes watched over Nic as his chest rose and fell. He was probably gonna be out for quite some time. Still, she smiled and gently reached out towards him. She slid her right hand on his cheek and leaned into him. Her nose was so close to touching his own.

"You've been through a lot, haven't you?" She quietly muttered. "You've finally been lifted of your burden, you fought and won against the greatest threat to ever been created…" She looked up and out to see Greninja lying on his side, sound asleep. Her gaze was then towards Charizard nearby, and then towards Staraptor. All of them were smiling in their sleep. "You all deserved this. You've earned it after everything you've done. It's as Arceus said, you seven are linked for eternity."

She looked down at Nic once more as his sleeping form continued to rest. The stress was gone and all he needed was some rejuvenation.

Erza then got an idea.

She had a new resolve and knelt down towards Nic again. The redhead leaned even closer and she tentatively kissed Nic on the forehead. After she was satisfied, she parted and she began to stand. "I'll be back real soon. I promise."

She left the location and left Nic and his Pokemon to sleep through the shade. All of them continued smiling soundly in their sleep.

As Erza left, Nic moaned in his sleep. "Mmm…Erza…"

* * *

"Let's see…how about a dozen of these…this…yes, I'm sure this should do nicely." Erza was in the local food market, looking for various food of every group. There were a number of assorted fruits, vegetables, grain, dairy products, and meats of all specialties. "I'm sure Nic's Garchomp wouldn't mind this." She pondered about the two-foot-long sirloin in front, and decided that knowing Nic's Pokémon, Nic included, 'being picky' was not in their vocabulary.

She had so many foods to choose from, and she thought it wouldn't hurt to get anything less for them.

She was seen not long after leaving the food market with large brown paper bags. They were all filled with meat, veggies, fruit, and the soft and dairy necessities were on top. "I hope it's worth the jewel I put into it." She looked around the locations, seeing and looking at what else she may be missing. There was no shortage of food on her watch, but it was really more of home necessities.

Her eyes widened upon realization again. Her teeth gritted. "How careless of me…" She growled. "I forgot a cookbook-!"

"Hey, Erza."

Before Erza could turn and march straight back to the market section of town, a familiar voice got the knight's attention. She turned around with surprise to find someone in the same location. It was none other than Lisanna.

"Oh, Lisanna." Erza responded. "What are you doing here?"

"I was actually running errands for my big sis. She says she needs some ingredients for the guild. Elfman's out on a job, so it all evens out." Her blue yes looked to the large bags of groceries in Erza's arms. The assortment of meats and food piqued her interests. "Say, what're you doing with all of that food?"

"This?" Erza looked to the bags she carried. "They're just supplies I need." She smiled at Lisanna with high hopes. "I'm…gonna make Nic dinner."

"You're cooking Nic dinner?" Lisanna's eyes widened. It soon dawned upon her the reasons behind Erza's actions. It made sense that she would do it for Nic. They were together for one reason, and the other being that he's been through enough and deserved some treats. She then sweat dropped. "Although, I don't really think he has that big of an appetite, Erza."

"It's not just Nic."

"Oh?"

"It's also for Greninja, Charizard, and the rest of Nic's Pokémon. If I'm honest with myself, I don't think Nic would enjoy his dinner if his Pokémon didn't get to eat. They worked hard as well to save our lives, they need this just as badly as Nic does."

Lisanna smiled with happiness over Erza's commitment for Nic and his well-being. Who's to say she couldn't be of service?

"Say, you don't mind if I can help in any way, right?" Lisanna asked. "I think it would be a great idea if I could help get anything you need."

Erza nodded. "If that is your wish, I shall accept in kind."

The young Take-Over Strauss clasped her hands together. "Then I say we find something to freshen up the air! I know a candle shop with some scented candles."

"And where Nic is, the bed there will need new sheets. I would imagine he'd want them blue or purple."

"You got it!" Lisanna rushed along with bravado to a nearby market section with the candles she needed. As she was of help, Erza turned back towards the food market and added some pacing into her step. _'Hang on, Nic. We'll make this a meal you won't forget.'_

* * *

It took hours to find everything they needed. Lisanna helped carry the excess supplies in a large bag she had in hand. The candles and sheets she had inside her a bit heavy and fragile, but nothing she couldn't handle. She and Erza both made it to the second building, which was now vacant.

"So this is where Nic is hiding, huh?" She pondered.

Erza nodded. "Yes, it's better for him this way. We'd want a quiet and serene location so as not be bothered. I think it's best to leave him be here."

Lisanna sweat dropped. "Guess I should keep Natsu and everyone from finding out so they don't crash in, huh?"

Erza turned towards the white-haired Strauss girl with a serious and stern look. "I prefer it that they don't intervene, please. Harsh and brash is only gonna make things complicated."

"Gotcha." Lisanna carried the grocery bag inside and placed it on a table. Afterwards she turned towards Erza. "Well I guess I'll leave you to it."

Erza placed her heavy grocery bags down and smiled towards Lisanna. "I am in your debt. Thank you."

"No problem. What are guild mates for?" Lisanna thus made way and departed, leaving Erza be to make do with her job.

The redhead looked at her groceries and every other necessity Lisanna helped her with. There was a lot of work that was needed to be done, and there was no time like the present. Erza didn't waste anymore time and looked around for the pots and pans hidden away in the cupboards. Once she had set them out, she pulled out the cookbook she had purchased and started the first recipe.

" **Requip!** "

She requipped a white apron and her hair was tied back in a ponytail. At her disposal were a few knives and utensils and she had begun with the thought of Nic on the line. With him as motivation, she began cooking.

* * *

Mirajane huffed as someone left the bar, taking an overnight job. After he had left, she gave a sigh with a smile. "Gee, talk about busy. That's the fiftieth job someone's taken today." In her musings, her attention drew towards the guild doors. They were open, revealing the setting sun. The sky was a beautiful orange and red hue blended sultrily. "Oh my, it's that late already?"

Entering the doors of the guild hall were people of sheer coincidence. They were Sophie, Vanessa, and her Braixen.

"Sorry we're back so late." Sophie apologized.

"Oh? It's good to see you three doing well." Mira smiled at them as they came around to the bar. "So, how was the job?"

Vanessa turned towards Braixen. "Some gold smugglers were persistent, but Braixen's Fire Spin had them scared enough."

"In truth, it wasn't a hassle." Braixen said.

Sophie seemed to have lamented with a hand to her own cheek. "Still, we were barely able to pay rent. It looks like we're gonna be short on jewel this month."

Vanessa half grinned. "That's a shame."

Braixen seemed as hollow yet upbeat as her trainer. "And we have so many mouths to feed too."

Following their lead was another person entering. "Hey!" Lisanna walked on in with a carefree smile as she diverted her course towards the guild's bar, where her sister was. "Hi, Mira!"

"Hello, Lisanna." Mira greeted. "You just missed Elfman, he got back a little while ago, but he's making dinner tonight!"

Lisanna looked happy. "Oh hey, that's great! In fact…" She trailed off as she remembered the side note she was to be left alone. With the concept of dinner revolving around everyone's mind, she wanted to talk about how Erza and herself helped shopped for the former's attempt at making dinner. Instead, she watched her wording. "…I, hope it's stew."

Mirajane giggled. "Lucky guess."

"This talk about food is making me quite puckish." Vanessa nervously smiled. "I think we should head home."

Braixen nodded. "I'll say."

Sophie turned away with Vanessa and Braixen and waved back at the Strauss sisters. "See you tomorrow!" After an exchange of goodnights to the Strauss. The trio had departed from the guild hall with a completed job for the day, and stomachs to fill.

Mirajane then turned towards Lisanna with inquiry. "So, Lisanna…where are the groceries?"

Lisanna's eyes widened at the realization. She had all day, and instead of an errand, it turned into something completely different. All Lisanna could do was pale at her forgetfulness. "…oh."

* * *

Nic yawned and stretched his arms and legs out. The cracking of bone and the stretching of muscle was of a unique symphony. He groaned as he sat up groggily. As he lazily looked around, his vision was somewhat blurry. "Guys…?" He groaned.

At the same time, all six had sat up, awoken from their well-earned slumber. They all yawned and roared, leaving nearby birds to fly away. They closed their mouths and hunched either backwards or forwards. They all had awoken just like that, but at the wrong time.

"Sunset?" Nic questioned. His eyes stung and he used his hands to block the last rays of sun beaming on his face. A wing managed to be Nic's relief. He relaxed and sighed. "Thank you, Staraptor."

"We're all still pretty worn out; that's a given we can't ignore." The Predator Pokémon said.

"She'ssss right, Nic-ssssama." Arbok hissed. He opened his mouth and yawned. "Sssstill, what do you want ussss to do?"

Nic looked towards Greninja and vice versa. Both had the same groggy eyes. When Nic and Greninja looked to Charizard and Garchomp, they too had the same worn out expressions. They then looked towards Kecleon, whose head was tilted and her eyes twitched with her tongue hanging out. Her point taken.

Nic took in a deep breath and slowly leaned forward, stretching his spine. "…for our sake, let's take some time off and just rest. It's in our best interest."

Charizard thudded on his front, huffing out. "Somehow I knew you were gonna say that."

"Our stay in dreamland shall be one to relish in…" Kecleon toppled down like a tower, napping hard again.

Garchomp growled low. "I'm all in for that. How am I supposed to fight and break bone if I can barely get my feet underneath?"

Nic smiled as his Pokémon agreed. A small part of him would've thought they'd all object to his plan of rest, but that part barely had a say. His gut and mind were all worn out. They just needed a break from routine was all, and seeing the satisfied looks on the six and vice versa on Nic was all they needed to confirm their resolve. They've earned it.

Charizard's nose twitched. "Say…" He raised his head off the ground and slowly got up. When he stood, he faced the sunset. "Does anybody else smell that?"

Garchomp took a step. "Smells like supper to me."

Arbok hissed. "Who'ssss in there?!"

Staraptor looked on edge as were the rest of them. "Seems the building isn't as vacant as it seems."

Kecleon suddenly straightened up. "I'm hungry, but I'm also thirsty…but we have more than enough punch to go around."

Greninja stood up. "Yeah, but are they…" He sniffed the air. "Well I guess we'll have to see."

Nic led them to the doorway. "Anyone there?" He got no answer, instead it was sizzling grease. "Hello?" He looked back to his Pokémon who all had the same odd expression. They were battle-ready, but at the same time they could barely stand. It was a peculiar meaning of interpretation.

They all silently stepped inside, and immediately their eyes widened. They could've sworn that they were looking at a gift sent by Arceus. Before them was a masterpiece, and that's when they figured out where the delicious aroma was derived from.

All of the tables were joined together into one. Eight chairs, four for each side, were all lined up.

Nic was rendered speechless. "Erza…?"

Placing the last pan of fresh, steaming food on the heat pad, Erza looked up. She was initially shocked at first, but showed a soft smile. She saw Nic's surprise and took off her mittens. Placing them on the bar close to the sink, she then turned and walked up to him.

She requipped herself back into her usual attire and presented the food to Nic. "Nic, dinner is ready."

There was no end to the banquet Erza had made. There was ham and potato soup with green onion diced into it, noodles, rice, curry, sirloin, pork, chicken, salads, fruit salad, and so much more. Nic was without any labels of speech. His eyes turned blankly towards Erza. His shock was casted aside and he pieced it altogether. The love of his life had just spent all day, preparing a rewarding banquet for her love, and she had been cooking with all the love she could give. It really touched Nic's heart and he tenderly smiled at Erza for her gift to him.

"Erza, you did all of this…for us?"

Erza smiled. "Yes." She walked on over and placed the last lit candle on the windowsill. All around the tavern-like base, there were jar candles that were giving a rich, vanilla scent. It was just too much to take, and Nic looked to his six and they all grinned at the same time. If they didn't have a case of coincidental dumb luck before, they did now. They wanted food, and for once they didn't have to work or buy for it.

Erza watched with a smile as Nic sat down across from her and the Pokémon all took their seats. With a last word of thanks to Erza for all that she's done, that had begun digging in. The three pitchers of water were drank up quickly. The noodles bathed in chicken broth were slurped down fast. Garchomp practically ripped the sirloin apart, Arbok swallowed slivers of pork down, Kecleon opened up and chewed on a spoonful of the ham and potato soup, Charizard devoured meats left and right, but he made sure to leave room for nutrients in the dressed salad. Staraptor was no picky eater herself as the food in front of her was gone in a flash, and then seconds. Greninja was eating fruit salad with a satisfied face, and ate just as voraciously as everyone else.

Nic swallowed a piece of chicken leg and savored the flavor. As he ate with equal ecstasy as the other six, Erza was happy and surprised at how fast all of the food was gone. There was literally nothing left when they all finished, they even chewed straight through the bone.

"Erza, we really can't thank you enough." Nic said.

Erza stood up and got all of the dirty dished gathered. "You're welcome. I'm happy you all loved it." She was telling the truth when she meant it. As she turned the faucet water on and poured in the soap, she smiled at how Nic, despite a voracious eater he was, ate all of the food Erza lovingly cared to make for him and his Pokémon.

Nic stood up out of his chair. "Erza, I'll go find a towel to dry the-"

"It's okay, Nic, really." She looked back at him. "I know you wanna help, but I assure you, I'm okay."

Nic frowned, but then grinned at the decision. "…well if you're sure, I won't intrude."

"There's some fresh clothes and sheets on the bed for you to wear. Why don't you all relax?"

It really wasn't much of an option for them. Rest was their priority, so they heeded her words and Nic returned Greninja and the others to their Poke Balls for them to do just that. He went up the steps towards the attic, but not without one last look at Erza. She was smiling; content. Seeing that smile meant Nic had nothing to regret, so he made way up and saw some fresh purchased purple shirt and black pants.

He first went inside the shower that was installed in the attic – much to how oddly misplaced it was – and freshened up. Once the hot shower water hit his face, it was like a relief washed over him. The skin was cleansed of any grass stains and he soon came out fresh as day, despite how the sun had set long ago.

Now in bed, Nic skipped the purple shirt and wore the black pants. They were very snug, like bedwear. The dark blue sheets and blanket were as equally soft. He laid in the bed and had hands behind the back of his head, left to ponder.

Today was nothing but sleep, more sleep, followed by a massive explosion of supper prepared for by Erza. She did it all for him. While he wanted to return her kindness, he knew that she did it in regards to his health.

The creaking from the steps from across the attic got his attention. He saw Erza walk on up the steps and present herself with her attire still on.

"So, how did you like dinner?" She asked, taking a chair and looking at Nic from a few feet away.

Nic turned over and looked at Erza. He kept an inviting smile in kind. "I must say, one of us ever had a meal like that before. It was always whatever we could scrounge around for…thank you, I mean it."

Erza looked happily towards Nic and leaned in a little. "Nic, you've been through a lot, haven't you?" She paused as she and Nic stared at the other. "You really did an amazing job outdoing yourself."

"I could say the same for your deed." Nic praised. Erza looked on as Nic was continuing from that point. "Erza, I know what I did deserves the most genuine praise, but as far as appreciation goes, I was content with us being together last night on that beach. I can't fathom how much effort you put into this for us." His head slowly settled down into the pillow, letting slumber succumb him. "You're…amazing…!"

A heavy weight suppressed his hips and made the mattress bounce. The sudden addition of weight made Nic lose sight of what was in front of him.

"What?" Looking up with surprise, Erza was straddling him. Her red hair hung down from her frame and she leaned down, pressing her breasts against his bare chest. "Erza…" Though he had inquiry, he was unable to say anything as Erza's passionate kiss cut him off. The two were caught up in a moment of sheer bliss as their minds were going into their own worlds.

Erza pulled back a few inches and hushed him. "Sssh…let's just enjoy each other while we still can."

Nic had no objections; in fact, he was all for it. He surprised Erza by pulling her in from the mid-back and kissing her back. It was Erza's turn to be in shock, but she returned in kindness. Her soft lips exploited Nic's own as the two pulled the blanket over themselves. They laughed as the scent of strawberries and vanilla thickened the air. All they could hear from the other was their sweet voices and the clashing of their lips that drew the other in.

That night, Nic and Erza had one of the best sleeps as of yet.

* * *

"Kihihihi." Obra had been running straight into the woods, lost in the dawn of night. The small animal-like creature had one aim, and it was his master calling to him. Ever since the Grand Magic Games, he's been keeping a close eye on Fairy Tail. After he had departed from the guild hall scene, the little creature ran on and came across an open spot in the forest.

Obra saw a lone man sitting on the grass, looking into the norm. Without warning, Obra jumped on the man's shoulder and sat comfortably after the long trail he trekked.

The man that was his master…was Zeref.

The Black Wizard himself had no smile as he saw in a desolate spot amongst the grass. He didn't even notice Obra present at the time. He was too lost as the wildlife around him rustled with the shift of winds that brought a familiar, but far from ordinary nor comforting, feeling. Someone else was there.

"So, you were watching the Grand Magic Games as well. Zeref."

Behind him, with her ethereal form floating in the air, was Master Mavis. She, unlike her usual perky self, had no glee. Her tone was flat.

Zeref gave no heed nor care as to turn around. Rather he just grinned.

"I can neither hear you nor see you, sweet Mavis." He said. "But I know full well that you are in my precense."

"It's been seven years since we've been this close."

"It's been seven years since we've been this close to one another."

Mavis planted her feet on the ground, not making a single sound. "You were there, weren't you? You were no different from anyone else at the hands of that monster Lysandre, Zeref."

Zeref remained silent.

"You were scared, right? His dark wrath almost plunged the universe into a void of eternal darkness…I myself get shivers still of this dark infinity he manifested from pure hatred amongst not nut humans, but everything."

Zeref looked back at her with a half-grin. "I cannot lie when your accusations were spot-on. You were always the smart one, weren't you?" Obra looked confused on his shoulder, but said nothing as the scene unfolded in the thick of night. "Yes, I was scared. He was no different from my status, and yet he had a much larger picture. His concepts, however, were what intrigue me. He spoke to me on that day seven years ago, the day my Black Arts was nothing more than food to him. He scorned humanity, but more so, he scoffed at every living thing that defied him."

The forest life rustled as the winds shifted again.

"This new age Lysandre wanted, it was not but no age at all. It wasn't purgatory at all; he almost succeeded in making the underworld look like a heaven. In my case, I am relieved…Lysandre, in truth, could have easily ended me as he could anyone else. I could've died along with you all at long last, succumbing to the afterlife…but thanks to Nic Pularis, I now have to bear with seeing humanity rise and fall again. I'll have to witness their wickedness, their anguish, desires, and greed take them over, reducing them to savages."

Mavis looked at Zeref's frown, seeing how his tone was dead serious near the end. "So then what do you have in mind?"

Zeref stood up from his dead grassy spot and turned around towards Mavis. Obra jumped off of his shoulder as the grass all around was starting to wither and die. The nearby trees and forest life, leaves, trees, and so on, all succumbed to death. The air thickened into a venomous feeling. With the life around them nothing more than terrible hues laid waste into the night, Zeref clenched his fists.

"Unlike Lysandre, I still want to live in a world, but a world that shall no longer bear witness to suffering. I want to dawn a new era, this one where balance shall be restored…" His eyes showed, revealing them to be a heated red. "This war fought a few nights ago may have been the apocalypse…but unlike that failure, I will make sure this shall be a one-sided massacre. No one shall be spared."

Mavis had her own scary look in her eyes, which contrasted herself completely. "I swear, Fairy Tail will stop you."

"You're wrong. Lysandre was the one truly capable of bringing me to my end. The only ones who shall be at my match, shall be Natsu and Nic Pularis. To them, their time will come."

The two had a long standoff, staring coldly at the other with defiance over their point of views.

* * *

The night was still fresh, and seagulls that were still up on the coastline made but little noise as they snooped away towards their nests. The crabs along the rocky shores snipped their claws and scuttled away as another wave crashed onto the rock. The shoreline was of rock, with near-inland being of grass and shallow bay terrain.

As the sea waves drew seaweed and other material to the shores, something was coming into view. The calm waters swayed around, and yet the raft Nic and his Pokémon made had survived. Every picture, frame, even the earbuds and phone miraculously survived the ocean voyage into the norm.

The raft drifted in a wayward manner soon reaching a small stretch of land that was flat enough for it to finally settle down on.

An unknown figure in a black cloak made no footsteps as they were shrouded by the wispy cuts on the bottom of the cloak, almost like a phantom. He had a conical straw hat with white streamers that obscured his eyes.

Curious, he silently approached the raft. "Well, well…" He sounded like a young male. He crouched down and scrutinized the item that washed up along the shore. As a calm night's wind brewed, the streamers picked up, revealing his right eye with a monocle inside of an eyepiece attached to his face. He looked at the individual pieces such as the phone and the earbuds, but what got his attention were the number of faces made.

Upon seeing the picture of Nic, Erza, and Vanessa, he could be seen smirking in the dead of night. "What do we have here?"

* * *

 **Here's the first chapter of the sequel,** _ **A Contender's Bonds**_ **! There are a few things for me to explain, and I'll start with the plot that I have in store. As far as how I made the first chapter immediately after the events of Nic giving up the Plates back to Arceus, there is no main villain like** _ **The Fairy Contender**_ **'s Lysandre and Dark Legendaries. Instead, the sequel's main plot is really just the rest of Fairy Tail's series. The Plates was another story entirely, literally, and the sequel will focus more solemnly on Nic and Erza's relationship, so there you have it.**

 **As many of you were aware, Nic wasn't as active as you had thought; I intended that. With him resting up for a couple chapters, as I imagined anyone would after what he's been through, Erza will take over for a little bit, but I won't count out the Pokémon yet.**

 **Unlike what I did in the past, the format will be different. There will no longer be a "To Recap" or "Chapter…" or a "Next Time: …" rather it'll be so that I always keep you guys guessing on what'll come next. Also, I won't hardly do any beginning A/N, rather if I have anything to say or answer to, it'll be saved for the end.**

 **Hope you all enjoyed the return of Nic and his Pokémon! As always, review and comment, and thanks for reading and loving NicxErza!**


	2. Let Me Tell You Something!

The morning sun's rays arose the next morning. The woods and the fresh leaves covered in dew radiated the rays, keeping the sun from directly hitting the window of the abandoned base. Inside of the base, in the furnished attic, the bed had a mop of glistening red sprawled atop of another figure. In the peaceful tranquility of the morning was Erza as she opened her eyes, moaning as she shifted her head away from the sun.

She finally looked up and realized that she was awake and it was morning. "It's morning so soon? I didn't realize…"

She did, however, notice that she was atop of something as it rose and fell with soft breathing, quiet yet effective. Erza's attention drew towards Nic, who she was sprawled over. She scanned his naked upper body, and how massively toned it was. Not at all bulky, and not slender, but just…perfect. Overlooking his massive scar on his right waist, she trailed down to where she saw his pants were still on, as to where her upper body was exposed and she was in her underwear. She looked at Nic, still asleep and almost knocked out. He looked so at peace with a half-smile.

Erza smiled down at him and lowered herself so that her chin was on her arms on his chest. All she did was watch him sleep. The events of last night were what dawdled in her brain. Everything was bliss and a big blur. It was a lot of kissing, that's for sure, but everything else was unknown, but she gave no care. She never felt something like that before, and yet it wasn't bad, but…pleasant.

She wanted to watch him sleep and see him get well again, but alas her duties pulled her elsewhere. Relenting, she slowly crept out of the bed and instantly requipped into her fresh armor and clothing beneath. She knelt down and smiled to Nic as he was still sound asleep. "I'll be back soon, I promise." Erza thus backed away from Nic as he turned onto his stomach, adjusting to his new position as Erza walked down the steps. She honestly didn't want to leave him as such, but as a precaution, she did leave something behind.

As she exited the building, there was a little note sitting atop of the bar.

 **Nic, I'll be back soon today. I implore you, please take it easy and rest up. I love you.**

 **Erza**

Of course, the note in her opinion was legible…but it looked heavily illegible as it was scribbles.

* * *

At the same time elsewhere, there was another Pularis sibling snoozing. Vanessa's long black hair and single blonde bang was glistening in the sunlight of that morning. She was covered up by her sheets as she looked as sound as can be.

A sudden yank snapped her awake. The young Pularis sibling tumbled off of her bed and landed with a thud on her face. The blankets then fell atop of her, an overcoat that mimicked her figure's stirring form.

"Alright sleepyhead, get up. It's eight o' clock." Sophie announced.

Vanessa took a deep breath and gasped as she popped from beneath her blanket. She looked up at Sophie and gave a disgruntled huff, blowing away the blonde bang over her left eye. "I'm getting really tired of this." She groaned as she lethargically slumped back up.

"If you had just woken up sooner, then it wouldn't always be like this, now, would it?" Sophie asked patiently.

Sophie rolled her eyes and head away as she sighed. She always gets awoken this way, either that or Sophie yelling into her ear about Krokorok throwing morning craziness around. It was another day for Vanessa as she needed to get up. Finally awake, sadly in Vanessa's case, she got ready for the day that lied ahead. Getting her casual attire on, and making her bed, the Aura Magic user exited for the kitchen downstairs, where Sophie was already making pancakes.

Venusaur yawned as he was in the spacious living room. "Well, morning everyone." He sounded more refreshed compared to the others as the sun's rays went through the window and right onto him, making him feel alive and well.

Sliggoo looked a little shaken, but she stretched her little arms. "Mornin'. Is anyone else famished, or is it just me?"

Mawile's eyes looked heavy as she seemed in a less enthusiastic mood. "You're not alone. Hey, Sophie, whip up some more pancakes, will ya?!" She called out. Mawile was met with silence, and she knew the answer as she heard mixing of pancake batter. A smirk came across her face as she laid back. "That's music to my ears."

Krokorok was already up and pointed at Mawile. "Let me tell you something, Mawile! You being lazy is unproductive to the team!"

"And like you're shouting is not?" She raised a brow.

Braixen sighed. "Well, there's our wakeup call."

Magnezone shifted through the air, already up. "You're rather noisy enough for an alarm clock." He mused.

"The clock's timer's ticking, AND SO ARE MY PANCAKES!" Krokorok yelled.

Vanessa nervously smiled as her Pokémon were as ornery as can be. It wasn't anything new, but it wasn't a bad thing. To her, it was a sign of comfort. It was a sign that there was work to be done if they were to function in the future. Granted, they're all family, but of course there were family feuds, and Krokorok was all the feuding.

As she sat down with eggs and pancakes, with a whole bowl of sliced lemon on the side, Vanessa spoke. "So, what are we doing today?"

Sophie swallowed her pancakes and picked up her napkin. "A job. We need a well-pay job. We barely paid off the rent yesterday and we need to pay extra this month, plus as my memory serves, we're out of food funds."

Mawile factitiously raised her little hands into the air. "Oh don't go pointing fingers at us. We're the innocent victims of this crime."

"Please Mawile, not now." Vanessa asked nicely. Mawile sighed and resumed to eating the food given to her. The Aura Mage looked back at Sophie. "But I agree, we need to head out on a big job."

Sophie nodded as she wiped away the last bit of syrup on her mouth with her napkin. "Then it's settled. We set out after breakfast."

Krokorok swallowed and the sun rays made his eyes sting. "Grrraah!" He clawed at the rays beaming through the window and seemed annoyed. "Let me tell you something, stupid sun that is stinging Krokorok's eyes! Krokorok is gonna show you ultraviolent radiation…FROM MY WRATH!" He lunged for the blinds and reached, his claw grabbing it and bringing it down, blocking out the sun, and of course leaving Krokorok dangling an inch off the ground. "You see that? Krokorok knows what he's doi-!" The blinds suddenly yanked back up, and Krokorok hit his head on the rolled-up blinds and soared backwards, falling onto his back. He groaned as his head felt pain.

Mawile looked despondently at Krokorok. "I give that a 7 out of 10."

Braixen looked towards her. "In hilarity or for theatrics?"

"Hilarity."

Vanessa sighed as she chewed on her lemons. "Yup, that's my team alright."

* * *

The guild doors opened up, revealing Erza entering inside. As usual, she was greeted by Mira and the other guild members. They all had happy smiles as this was their second day back at work. "Good morning, Erza." Mirajane greeted with a smile. "I trust you checked up on Nic."

Erza nodded with a grin. "Yes, he's still sleeping."

Mira put a hand to her cheek. "Awww."

"Yes, I just hope he knows to keep today as another rest day." She had a small hint of worry, as Nic's exhausted condition was still evident. He needed to keep on relaxing, and recovering. He did save all of them from being erased from existence after all.

Mirajane, however, didn't show any signs of worry. "I wouldn't worry about it. Nic's smart enough to know when to stay down…" She sweat dropped. "Of course he never stays down."

Erza sighed. Knowing Nic, he may as well try and get away with a low-pay, nearby job or some exercise. It wasn't unexpected, but if that's what'll happen, then so be it. He can make his own decisions, it's just that she deeply cares for his well-being. Along the way to the guild hall, she decided that after returning today, she'll spend all the time in the world with him. If she was gone too long, who knows how worried she'd get.

"Where's Natsu and the rest of the team?" She asked, looking around the guild hall to find them absent.

"They took a job yesterday. They should be back later on today." Mira informed.

Erza looked at the request board. "…I see." More people entered the guild hall, and Erza took notice that they were Vanessa and Sophie, much to her subtle surprising out of the sheer coincidence of the situation. "Vanessa. Sophie."

Vanessa smiled as she and Sophie walked towards Erza. "Erza, good morning."

"So Natsu and the others are gone today?" Sophie asked. "Well then, how about we all go out on a job? Just the three of us?"

Vanessa looked content. "Yeah, I think it's a great idea."

Erza looked at them both and nodded. "Agreed. I think some time with you two might seem a bit more…relaxing." She couldn't be mean about her own fair share of teamwork with Team Natsu. Natsu was loud and obnoxious, and Gray was stripping and bickering with the former on a constant basis. While she didn't see any ends to them bickering, even with them on a job without her, it was comforting seeing more relaxed figures such as Sophie and Nic's younger sister present. She turned and had the two in tow as she made it to the request board. "So, what job do you recommend, Vanessa?"

"Me?" Vanessa asked, slightly in shock.

Erza glanced at her. "Of course. I wanna see what's on your mind after all. Besides, we haven't had much time interacting as your brother and I do. Isn't that true?"

Vanessa could see Erza's point. It was tough to say, but the Pularis sibling had no qualms with Erza. A smile was on her lips as well. "Sure."

She turned and quickly scanned the board. After a few minutes of scanning, she found a suitable job. "How about this one?" She plucked the job from the board and showed Sophie and Erza the request.

 _Peace conference attendants require help! Insecurities of two families require mages as mediators._

 _Location of conference: Crocus_

 _Family to escort: Lemits_

 _Reward: 800,000 Jewel_

"That's a high-pay. That'll last us for a while." Sophie explained.

"And it seems needed of some capable escorts, meaning they are worth of robbing." Erza contemplated. "Very well, we'll take it."

Vanessa nodded in understanding. "Great, then let's head out."

* * *

The job told them to meet the family in Freesia, and so they took a carriage ride there, which took them only a few hours to accomplish. After paying the driver and getting directions to the Lemits, they soon found themselves in front of the second grand building of the city. The city expanded some since their absence on Tenrou Island, so the mayor's building had been expanded further, and the town seemed prosperous, as was the architecture. The building's intricate appeal was the proof.

"So this is it." Sophie said. She turned left and right, looking at the buildings rather than the entrance. "I've heard awhile back that these buildings were manufactured by an architect in our absence. Whoever did these designs sure knows how to bring out Freesia's appeal."

"Yeah, I'll say." Erza remarked with equal awe. "What interesting features."

Vanessa smiled. "So, let's get going."

Both Erza and Sophie agreed and walked alongside Vanessa as they walked on in and instantly met with a butler at the end of a red carpet.

"A pleasure, and welcome to the home of the Lemits." He greeted. "To what do we owe of your company here today?"

Vanessa presented the job request to the butler. "Greeting. We've come for the acceptance of this job request."

The butler adjusted his thick-framed glasses. "Is that so…" He bowed towards them all and turned away. "Thank you. Please be patient, this shall only take a minute."

The butler walked away with a hurried step into the room over. As he left Erza and Vanessa and Sophie to be, the three girls looked around the entry room. Above were vaulted ceilings with rose petals engraved into the murals. A single marble column stood up on either side. Everything around looked so intricate, meaning they knew that their clients were a tall order kind of people.

"It's pretty classy." Sophie remarked.

The butler soon returned, with three people following him. He stopped and bowed. "May I present the Lemits. Do take their presence in kind if you will."

All three girls turned their attention to the three individuals. The mother, father, and child were all accounted for. The mother was roughly in her mid-thirties with little flaw in her stylish blonde hair with curls. The father had brown hair that was short, and he had glasses. Both had dresses and suites on, and the son was maybe around five, with short blonde hair. He seemed less amused with the whole ordeal.

The father welcomed them with open arms and a grin. "Ah, you must be the Fairy Tail mages. Correct? Welcome!"

The mother's pearls clanked on her wrists as she daintily gestured to herself. "We welcome you to our abode. My name is Julie Lemit, and this is John Lemit. And we'd like you to meet with our son, Joey."

"Hello." Joey said in a flat tone.

John put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Forgive our son. He's less enthusiastic as he seems."

"Shall we guide you to where we shall discuss our terms?" Julie turned and walked the group towards a small area opposite of the room the butler went to get them. Erza and the others found themselves in a smaller room with a small table with teacups. The butler poured out the fresh tea for the adults, and lemonade for the child…and Vanessa.

With themselves comfortable, the meeting had begun.

"So, what is this talk of a peace conference?" Sophie started. "Normally a peace conference refers to war, if I'm not interpreting right."

"In a sense, you're not wrong." John explained. "The Lemits have always been a charitable family who've always stayed out of competition. But this peace conference is at arms with a rival of ours: The Poliens."

Julie continued from that point on. "Unlike us, they're more forceful with clients, and that puts strain on their business. It's really more of an anger management issue, and we should know. We've been to conferences before physically, and we've gotten into a hefty amount of arguments." Her brow furrowed as the grip on her teacup enhanced. "Which led to yelling, and us having to exchange our own threats."

"Of course this news came to a shock, so clients of our own have been staying away. As a result, both of our businesses are targeting the other out." John finished.

Erza took a hand to her chin. "I see, so this peace conference is to end the dispute once and for all."

"Yeah, this is all annoying to me!" Joey huffed.

Vanessa smiled to the child. "If I were you, I think I'd be too."

Sophie looked towards Julie. "So what'll happen at the peace conference?"

"Once there, there'll be an establishment, a room where both parties shall enter. Once the meeting starts, it must never be disturbed." She sounded firm on that remark. "There'll be nothing but us discussing terms, and so at our last violent conference, we allowed mages to be our referee so that we can be fair. If neither of us get what we want out of this conference, we'll both go bankrupt."

Erza nodded in understanding. "We understand. We'll make sure that the conference is guarded and all runs smoothly."

John nodded. "Thanks. We appreciate it."

Joey looked up at his father. "Do I really have to go?"

John frowned, almost grimacing. "Sorry, but yes. Your babysitter's out of town."

"Aw man!"

Vanessa giggled a little, smiling.

* * *

Nic's eyes opened up. His head was feeling a number of things, mainly exhaustion. He woke up with his head facing the window as the sun's beam was on his face. Immediately he shut his eyes and stirred away. He looked at the blank wall instead, his mind light with his head trailing back to the events of last night. In a sense, it felt funny, but at the same time relaxing. He remembered Erza's taste. It was strawberry. The scent was still fresh in his mind, as was the mixture of vanilla from the scented candles she placed out for the supper she cooked up.

Getting on a fresh attire of a plain black t-shirt and casual purple pants rather than his trademark attire, Nic walked downstairs and looked around, seeing the run-down tavern vacant as can be. Just the way he liked it. "Erza?" To be sure, he called out, but no response. His attention drew towards the small note on the bar. "A note…?" Picking up the note, he began to read it, let alone discern to the best he could. His eyes narrowed at the terrible penmanship displayed. "Is that a 'b' or 'lo'?" It took a minute, but once he finally scrutinized the whole thing, he smiled.

"…okay." Nic finally said, acknowledging Erza's request. He then turned away, but had an uneasy frown. "Although I believe she needs some work on her…calligraphy."

* * *

The carriage carried the Lemits on the smooth trail towards Crocus, where their conference was to take place. Everyone was accounted for and the butler stayed behind to await their return. While the family was taking the carriage, Erza and the girls had to take the ankle express.

Sophie huffed, letting one of her many bangs whisk. "Well this is ironic in a sense."

"You leave Crocus only to come back the next day. How…fortunate." Vanessa remarked in a confused tone.

Erza kept the front of the carriage checked, while Vanessa and Sophie had the sides accounted for. The family inside the carriage seemed placid, and yet they dreaded this upcoming conference. Still, nonetheless, they all embarked further with the horses carrying the carriage off.

The redhead knight maintained focus, but in the back of her mind, she wanted to be with Nic. The talk with Mirajane earlier didn't seem to leave her with any levity, but she had to remain faithful and keep herself on the task at hand. _'Nic, I promised that after I return I won't leave you until you're better. I'll stay to that promise.'_

Vanessa walked on the right side of the ongoing carriage, pacing herself as she and the others were almost jogging. She looked inside of the carriage's window, seeing the family in their activities. John was talking on his lacrima with another client, Julie was looking into her pocket mirror and applied makeup to her face, and Joey was looking bored as heck.

Joey leaned on the side of the window, sighing as he watched the landscape go on and on.

"You bored?" Vanessa asked.

"Huh?" Joey took notice of Vanessa's inquiry and his eyes blinked. He gave a small pout. "Yes." He mumbled.

Through his cute pout, Vanessa kept a grin. "So Joey, what do you do for entertainment?"

Joey sat his elbows on the windowsill, resting his hands on his cheeks, scrunching them together. "I never get to have fun."

"Oh?"

"Mommy and Daddy are always busy, and out on work trips. My babysitter just reads Sorcerer's Weekly, going on and on with her friends about the boys in the magazines." His eyes cascaded to the ground as it moved along. "I wanna have a hobby, or a real buddy, but I'm just stuck in this…monkey suit."

Vanessa giggled at the irony of the situation. She seemed relaxed for knowing someone of a seemingly similar style of life.

"You remind me a lot of myself, you know that?" Vanessa said. Joey's head looked towards her, his attention piqued as Vanessa went on while looking up to the road ahead. "I never had much hobbies when I was young. My parents hovered around me, pampering their 'little princess'. I never really got time for myself. It's frustrating." She preferred to not go into detail, and she didn't as it'd be too gruesome for the five-year-old to handle. "In short, I hated it. When it came time, I just stepped up and told them how I felt. I didn't care, despite what they did."

"What did they do?" He asked with wonder.

Vanessa's smile turned hollow as she looked at him. "We'll label it as 'bad influence'. What I'm saying is, if you're forced to do something you don't like, don't hesitate to say or do anything. It's your own life, you'd rather not have people shape it for you."

Joey looked at Vanessa, still as a Nosepass. He blinked once as he stared at her. He then broke into a cheeky smile. "Okay! You're a super fun person to talk to, you know that?"

Vanessa looked content with Joey complimenting her. "Thank you. Tell you what, how about I tell you of some adventures I've had?"

"Story time?" Joey asked energetically. "I love story time!"

Vanessa had her eyes set forward. "Okay, so where do I start? I was fourteen when I embarked for a small town, where I first met-!" Vanessa suddenly cut herself off when her magic was acting up. Her aura was picking up strong traces of others close by, which was not a good thing.

Immediately she took action. "Everyone, stop!" She yelled. The horses of the carriage came to a roaring stop as the driver was settling them down. The Lemits were caught perplexed by this sudden stop, as were Erza and Sophie.

Sophie looked through the other side of the carriage at Sophie. "What is it?"

Erza requipped a fellow sword and gripped it. "An enemy at hand?"

Vanessa scrutinized the tails of bushes and trees on either side. The thick brush meant nothing to her as her aura was able to easily pluck out the individuals. "They got us surrounded. Thirty at most." She analyzed.

Erza took a stance as Sophie took her own as well. "Prepare yourselves!"

The Lemits inside the carriage huddled right by the other as they looked out the windows, seeing bandits jump out of the bushes and shrubs and went right for them. As the family inside was being caught with surprise, in Joey's case fear, the three girls immediately took action.

Erza lunged ahead at three right off the back. She slashed her single sword and cut them down right on the spot. She blocked using her sword against some spears and weaponry pit against her. Sophie was faring the same level. Using her Memory-Make spells, she extended her arm in a swipe and blasted seven away at one time. Vanessa swiped her arm across, creating a translucent teal barrier following the arc and blocked crappy swords. Using an Emanation Beam, she took down three at once.

"Crap! These ladies aren't foolin' around!" A bandit called out.

"Come on! We aren't scared of some chicks!" A bandit pointed a sword ahead. "Charge!"

The bandits all secured a perimeter as they gained ground. Half of their numbers were down as Vanessa was blasting left and right, including Sophie applying her Baryon Lightning Impact, which made many get away or retreat. Erza requipped into her Black Wing Armor, passing four with a slashed pose.

Three bandits closed in on the carriage's rear, where it was open. The dirty bandits closed on in, leaving the Lemits inside to panic.

"The back!" Erza shouted, but she wasn't able at the moment as she was blocking off more bandits coming.

Vanessa fired a large bullet of her aura that exploded upon impact. She pulled out a Poke Ball and tossed it towards the back of the carriage. "Krokorok, we need your help!"

As the bandits were so close to reaching the door, Krokorok emerged from white energy of the Poke Ball. The bandits immediately backed off in shock as Krokorok bared his teeth at them.

"Let me tell you something, dirty bandits who are cowards and sneak up behind girls and families! Hitting behind, IS A DIRTY TRICK!" The Desert Croc Pokémon roared.

Joey looked outside to see Krokorok, and noticed how loud he was. "Whooaa."

A bandit got the guts and went for the attack. He slashed his bisento at Krokorok from the side, and would've dealt some damage if not for Krokorok turning his head and his fangs glowing and elongating. Using Crunch, he snapped down on the bisento, stopping it cold.

"What?!" The bandit nervously exclaimed.

"Back at you!" Krokorok raised his head and swung the weapon and the bandit around in circles. Krokorok let go as the weapon and bisento went soaring off and away. The two other bandits cowered away a step and Krokorok looked towards them, his body flashing a red aura and his Moxie Ability kicked up his power.

" **Shadow Claw!** " His arms and claws were coated in black shadows with purple outlining to make the impression of shadows. The Desert Croc Pokémon slashed at them both, immediately knocking them down.

All of the bandits around were scared, and Krokorok's Moxie Ability activated yet again, amplifying his Attack. Seeing Vanessa, Sophie, and Erza make quick work of them was but of a shocking surprise as they clearly were dumb enough to go and be reckless.

"Whoa! These chicks and their pet are crazy!"

"I ain't stickin' around! I'm getting' out of here!"

"Me too!"

The bandits all retreated back into the woods, jumping over fallen allies and scattering around out of terror. Of course Krokorok stepped forward and raised his clenched claws. "COME ON, I WAS JUST GETTING WARMED UP!"

Erza smiled. "Well, that wasn't so hard."

"A close call if you ask me." Sophie mentioned.

Erza turned towards her. "Perhaps." She turned towards Vanessa. "Vanessa, well done on that call."

Vanessa nodded at Erza turned towards Krokorok. She looked down at him and smiled. "Thanks, Krokorok. That was close."

Krokorok folded his arms, huffing. "Yeah, whatever."

"That was a close one." Julie commented. "Thank you, thank you. We appreciate your protection."

Vanessa looked over her shoulder back at Joey, seeing the awe on his face as he stared at Krokorok. It was a sign alright. He saw how cool Krokorok was. The awe on his face, it was no different from her when she was his age and she was watching the Pokémon League on TV, though she forgot which one it was located. It could've been Sinnoh. Whatever the case, Vanessa smiled. "Krokorok, safeguard the back, okay?"

"Alright, but not because you told me too!" Krokorok pointed out. As the carriage started moving, everyone had begun taking positions and resuming their mission of escort and confrontation. As Krokorok took up the rear, he looked as agitated as ever, but as Joey poked his head out the window, looking at Krokorok, the Ground and Dark-type.

"What?" Krokorok shouted.

Joey looked surprised and retreated behind the windowsill, with Krokorok shaking his head at the annoyance as they trudged on.

* * *

As Nic was laying on his bed, there was silence, but not the dreadful kind of silence; the silence you get when it's lonesome, but placid. Like peace. He acknowledged Erza's request, no matter how atrocious the penmanship. All he did was lay down and nod off on occasion. After a hardy meal yesterday that still rolled around in his stomach, he chose a light brunch revolving around leftover fruit and salad. That was really all he needed, because he elected, along with his Pokémon, to not do anything for the day but lay down and sleep.

As he turned over, Nic felt hot. It was July, and it didn't help that he was right next to the window. He pushed the blanket off of his upper body, letting some hot air escape. As good measure, and no different from how he usually slept, he pulled off his black shirt, leaving him in the spare purple pants. His bare upper body was exposed, but it mattered not as he pulled away from the sun.

As he nodded off again, a soft thought lingered. _'I wonder how Erza and Vanessa are?'_

* * *

The walk was getting longer and longer, and Krokorok was groaning. He growled and finally pointed down at the ongoing trail. "Let me tell you something, trail! Krokorok is sick of you never ending! Your time will come!" He stomped, banging hard on the trail as he went on with the others. As he raged on, Sophie peeked from around the carriage to look at Vanessa.

"Vanessa? Can you explain how Krokorok stops?" She asks.

Vanessa glanced over. "He doesn't." She grinned. "He's powerful and all…along with argumentative, and extremely…"

"Aggressive?"

"Tip of the iceberg. Anything can be solved just by biting it, in his case." Vanessa didn't at all seem discomforted by Krokorok's nature, "But still, he's a good Pokémon."

Krokorok trudged on, and again his eyes caught a whiff of little Joey looking down at him with awe. He's been terrified a few days back from Lysandre's infinite power all across Earth Land, but seeing other creatures than humans fighting was an interesting concept. Krokorok was a prime example of awe that left Joey all the more curious.

His curiosity peaked, and he tried reaching out at Krokorok's snout.

Krokorok notice Joey reaching for him, and he seemed startled as he declined the touchy hand. He noticed the kid looking at him all the time since he's been saved, and it irritated Krokorok greatly. "WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM KID?!"

Joey reeled back again, his head poking out from behind the windowsill.

Krokorok blinked, seeing the startled kid not huddling away. "Er…whatever." He waved the kid off and continued the course onwards with arms crossed. He faced forward and looked despondent and vacant as Joey poked out from the windowsill, again attempting to reach a hand out.

Little Joey smiled as he finally rubbed his hand on Krokorok's snout. It was scaly, but it felt like soft sand. It was funny, but he liked it. He looked to be enjoying himself, and a small grin appeared on Krokorok as well.

The Pokémon chuckled as he felt his snout petted by soft hands. "Hehe, guess you are a little…" His eyes widened and he trailed off. Behind Joey, the parents were giving raised brows, and Sophie and Erza looked behind at Krokorok. Vanessa smirked at Krokorok at the little friend he's starting to make. The Ground and Dark-type retreated away a step out of reach. "WHAT?!"

"We've arrived!" The driver announced. The horses again stopped, and everyone turned their attention towards the last stretch of trail that led to the city of Crocus. The city was as grand as it was yesterday, and they saw the sea sway along the coastline.

Joey immediately looked towards the ocean. "Crocus! The ocean looks so pretty!"

Julie chuckled. "Yes, Joey, I agree."

Erza picked up her pace. "I must say, the location for such a peace conference is most…peaceful."

"You can say that again." Sophie said.

About forty-five minutes later, soon within the streets of Crocus, in an avenue, there was a prestige building, and it seemed pleasant on the outside with all of the windows set around the location. Everyone stood beneath the towering structure, looking straight up.

"So, this is the place, huh?" Vanessa wondered.

"Indeed." John said. "Welcome to the Conference Hall. This is where the top business owners come on weekends and discuss plans, socialize, and negotiate. Between all of them and us, this conference rents out the whole sanctum."

Everyone went inside of the doorway, which was the rotation doors. They all made way through, however, Krokorok was the one who was unlucky.

His tail stuck between the door and wall, he yanked hard to free himself. "Grr! Gaah! Let me tell you something rotation door! Krokorok is not being wedged today! Or next week! Or this month!" He pulled harder and harder, eventually getting to yank violently hard. Of course that yank freed himself, but he went tumbling along the floor and flopped onto his stomach and groaned.

Accustomed to his faults, everyone groaned, save Joey who laughed at the funniness of Krokorok.

They all entered a room with a set of doors. The doors had silver lining and green lacrima on the outside as means of designs. The knob was turned by Erza as she walked inside. Inside of the room, there was yellow lighting compared to the black high roofs. The room was extremely spacious, almost theater-sized. In the center of the room, which also had a massive window view of the outside Crocus below from the second floor, there was a long table with chairs.

Erza looked around while admiring the solidarity of the room. "Well, this is something."

"Very open." Sophie said.

"The Poliens should be here any minute now. Once the conference begins, there is no interruption. No one can leave nor exit the room. This is a very crucial moment for all of us, is everyone aware?"

Erza nodded. "Understood."

Julie looked towards the doorway, hearing solid footsteps. "…our other guests have arrived."

Erza and the others took their positions. The four corners of the table were positioned by them all as they were on watch. They all looked at the opening doors, revealing another man and woman in suit and dress. The dress for long brown-haired woman was brown rather than magenta. The man had brown hair like John, but he had narrowed eyes and a discerning facial expression.

All four sat down, with Joey having to sit on the far end of the conference table, occupied with only a small pout and with only space to look into.

"Seymour." John growled.

"John."

"Daisy."

"Julie."

All four had a vicious venom in their tones, almost acidic to the very syllable. They all had to suppress themselves for the conference that was to unfold. They knew they agreed to not quarrel, as there were mages to spectate and hold them off as watch hounds. They sat comfortably in their seats, readied their inside voices, and begun.

"I'm glad we could come to terms with a settlement, Seymour." John said. "I will say that it'll be a relief knowing we shall be off the others back."

"Indeed." Seymour growled. "But you just called me a parasite, you rich overlord!"

"This can be solved instantly." Daisy said. "We want an apology."

Julie glared at her. "Us? Apologize? You're the ones who came to us, demanding for a profit!"

"That's how business works! You just stay out of everyone's business and let them rise and fall, and then you get the spotlight once the smoke clears!"

"It's called a fair opportunity!"

Erza stepped forward. "Everyone, enough!" She sternly announced. The four individuals stopped their vicious snarling at one another and allowed Erza to talk. "You four, relax, stay calm. Everyone, just use your inside voices, and get along…please."

The four backed off, but their glaring was never ceasing.

"This isn't so different from Natsu and Gray after all." Vanessa muttered.

* * *

"ACHOO!" Both Natsu and Gray sneezed, which resulted in them falling over.

"Oh, bless you." Wendy said.

Natsu rubbed his nose and grinned. "Yeah, thanks."

Gray got up from the grass and wiped his pants. "That was a coincidence."

Lucy nervously smiled. "Maybe someone's talking about you?"

Natsu puffed out his chest. "Ha! Probably how awesome I am!"

Gray turned towards him. "Yeah right. You just burn everything up."

Natsu got into Gray's face, both glaring harshly. "Say what?! At least I don't go picking fights!"

"That's you as well, you hypocrite!"

* * *

The talk was organized and well-mannered for the most part. Everyone looked either formal or bored. There were close calls when they looked like they were gonna break out into tiffs, but Erza took care of them. Everyone powered through the discussion, even Krokorok, no matter how exceedingly bored to death he was.

"So we can agree that section 5-7 through 5-19, that our individual profits will not get mistaken for another's identity." Seymour stated. "And that now brings us to article 6-2…" He scrolled announced the various definitions set in paper, and the more he spoke, the more everyone seemed distressed. The conference seemed well and all, and the terms were being negotiated, but Daisy and Julie were having sayings of their own.

"And on that accord." Daisy intervened. "We want no more than ten percent of your income."

"And why would we do such a thing?" Julie boasted. "Why would we give you our money? Let's make this clear, you are not having our company, and your bargaining shall not suffice."

"If I recall on article 3-5, you said in terms of low income we not watch the other fall. So why not save the trouble in the future and just spare the income while you still can?"

"You greedy little-!"

Seymour stood up, having his negotiations set on paper being pressed on. "I agree."

John raised a brow. "Seymour? Why must you go back on your terms? How would you like it if we asked for twenty-five percent?"

"You dare raise an income on us? This is an outrage!"

All sides were up on their feet, ready to break out in any moment. This was the umpteenth time in over an hour. The conference was set for two hours, but alas they could only go halfway before things looked ugly.

"The economy works by taking out the weak!" Seymour stated, of which John readied a rebuff.

"Last I checked, and that was as we were arriving, our profits are two percent greater! You're a coward!"

Krokorok jumped onto the table, startling everyone. "Let me tell you something, Lemits and Poliens! Krokorok is sick of you not working! I don't know what you're saying, BUT I DON'T LIKE IT!"

"As do I."

Krokorok turned his head. "Huh?" In fact, everyone turned their attention towards the doorway. The door was open, and they saw the Lemits' butler there. To say he was present would be the biggest surprise of them all. Nobody could tell what was going on anymore.

"Jergens, what are you doing here?" John wondered. "No interruptions, sorry, but I'm afraid that whatever business you have, it'll have to wait."

Jergens adjusted his glasses. "So sorry, dear sir, but this can't wait. Do hope that you'll forgive me." He reached into his pocket, pulling out some form of sphere.

Erza's eyes widened. "Everyone, get away now!"

Jergens threw the lacrima onto the ground, causing a tremendous smoke cloud to erupt and everyone was caught up in the growing smoke. The gray field was making everyone cough as the air was hard to breath, and they had to cover their mouths. They all had no time for questions as they heard papers being folded and footsteps retreating. The next thing they all heard, aside from their own coughing, was the sound of bars coming down.

After the smoke arose into the air vents to the outside at long last, they all opened their eyes at long last, with Vanessa's Aura Guard managing to shield Krokorok and little Joey from the smoke. The shield lifted, and everyone saw the table full of documents and articles gone.

"What's the meaning of this, Jergens-?!" John was caught stiff when turning towards the doorway. Instead of doors, there were iron bars, teeming with green lacrima inside and out of it. Jergens was on the other side, out of the room.

Jergens smirked. "So sorry about this, but I believe that there can be a much more – how do I put this? – appropriate way to handle this dilemma." He held up the stack of documents in hand.

"Those are…" Julie trailed doff as her eyes widened.

Erza requipped a sword, heading right for the iron bars. "What's the meaning of this?!" She slashed at the iron bars, and yet they didn't even brake. Her sword actually bounced off. The redhead slid back and saw the lacrima on the iron bars crackling with green static. "What's this?"

Vanessa's hand was in teal aura, and she fired a bullet of aura at the bars. The attack made contact with the iron bars again, and the green static emerged before the bullet was deflected off towards another spot in the room, bursting upon colliding with the table that broke into pieces.

"Do you like my little surprise trap? I had a feeling that you'd call for mages, so I placed an order – anti-magic lacrima. This should keep you all situated until I have things arranged in court. With the current documents signed and negotiated, I can gain power and establish my own fusion of companies, tripling the profits."

"We were tricked!" Sophie exclaimed.

Joey looked around, having little understanding of what the documents were about, but he knew they had to be important because his parents were freaking out. He looked distressed, but Vanessa's words rolled around in his head. He was young, he needed to do something, though he was a child. Krokorok looked up, seeing the air vent. Joey looked up as well, his eyes widening further and getting a plan.

Seymour gripped the bars, furious at Jergens. "Let us out right now! I'll pay you a million jewel!"

"Make that two million!" Daisy added.

Jergens turned away, adjusting his glasses with his index finger. "Your deals and scantling is why nobody wants to buy from you. You naïve fools, Poliens are incompetent and frightened by everyone else's money. You clearly have no self-worth, hence why your money values will never be acknowledged." He smirked as he saw the shocked expressions the Poliens had. "So, I thus make way to court to settle this fusion. Ta-ta~." He made way down the hall, disregarding the shouting transpiring in the conference room. They all fell on deaf ears and watched Jergens turn the corner.

"Damn you!" Erza punched the iron bars out of frustration, but they didn't break.

Julie looked distressed. "Our companies, we put our life's work into them! He's gonna tarnish everything we've built, and all those jobs we've made!"

Vanessa stepped forward. "We can't overreact! We have to stay calm and work on a plan of escape. Krokorok, can you-!" She turned towards Krokorok, but she found the spot right beside her desolate. "Krokorok? Where did you…?"

Erza looked around, shocked as the rest of them. "Joey's gone too."

Sophie looked around, startled. "A fiver-year-old and a talking crocodile with severe anger issues lost? This is far from good." She glanced over, seeing something on the floor. It looked like an air duct cover. The piece of metal looked like it was bit on and removed, and then that's when it all made sense. Sophie's eyes showed her uneasy nerves trembling. "Oh dear."

* * *

Jergens made way down towards the lobby, where he was seen with a straight face. He had the documents tucked away in his pockets, and was making sure they remained safe as long as he made it to court with them. "Well this is a nice turn of events. For Fairy Tail's mightiest, they're pretty worthless when you shut down their magic."

The ducts inside the walls rattled, catching Jergen's attention. "Hm? He heard the ducts rattle harder, almost banging as he heard something moving, and it was sounding brash and rushed. "What on earth could possibly be going on-!"

The air duct cover flew off and clanged on the ground. Jergen's backed away as he watched a crocodile emerge from the ducts. Krokorok stood tall and crossed his arms. Above, Joey dangled from the air duct, trying to get down. The little five-year-old fell and plopped onto Krokorok's head, surprisingly sitting on his non-existent shoulders.

"Master Joey?" Jergens raised a brow.

Joey pointed at Jergens. "Return my parents' papers!"

"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, BUTLER JERGENS OF THE LEMITS HOUSEHOLD! YOU'RE NOT TAKING ANOTHER STEP FORWARD!"

Jergens reached into his pocket inside of his suit. "I can't handle violence with a mere insufficient child like Master Joey, granted, but you on the other hand, sir…" He pulled out what seemed to be a weapon, charged with lacrima all around. It looked like a blaster with a container full of lacrima. "Are expendable."

Joey's eyes widened as Krokorok put him down. He brushed Joey back, keeping the young kid out of range as he turned back to face his adversary.

"You don't know what the Lemits and Poliens do for their companies? They manufacture these finds of lacrima weaponry for self-defense. People who aren't mages can find these tools very convenient if they don't have magic themselves, but I find it a profit if the Magic Council finds a grand price for these contraptions. So, I'm afraid you're at a disadvantage."

"Krokorok, doesn't know the meaning of disadvantage!" Krokorok retorted. He lunged ahead, heading off to attack Jergens. He opened up his mouth, with the teeth glowing and elongating. " **Crunch!** "

He snapped down, but Jergens's leg, hurting the butler's limb. Through his anguish cries, the reluctant butler pointed the blaster down at Krokorok as he still had his jaws snapped down onto him.

"Sorry, but you are denied!" The container flashed a fiery orange, and a beam of fire blasted Krokorok. A heated burst erupted, sending the Ground and Dark-Type sliding backwards on his back.

Krokorok snapped back up and crouched. "Then how about this?! **Dig!** " He jumped and dove into the flooring. He broke through the spotless floors and went underground. Joey and Jergens were shocked to say the least. They had no idea where he ventured off to.

The ground erupted behind Jergens, and Krokorok sprung up and struck him in the back with his tail. The butler fell forward, while Krokorok landed on the ground.

"IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?!" Krokorok yelled. He charged again at Jergens as he tumbled onto his back and aimed the weapon at the Desert Croc Pokémon. The fire changed to a swirling blue. The blaster fired a pressurized beam of water at Krokorok, scoring not only a close-range direct hit, but strong enough to shoot him up the first flight of stairs and crashed right into the wall.

"No!" Joey shouted.

Jergens held the blaster to Krokorok, the tip dripping with water. "Ah. So fire isn't that effective, but you can't suppress water, is that it?" His smirk turned venomous as Krokorok shook his head and stood back up. "This should be fun."

* * *

Erza banged her sword against the iron bars, but no matter what she tried nothing worked. Each blow was repulsed, and she soon backed off. "It's no good. We can't get through." She mentally cursed for being played as a fool, and she relied on her magic all too much.

"This is terrible." Sophie frowned. "If we don't break down those bars, we can't get to Krokorok or Joey before that so-called butler does."

"OH! My sweet little Joey!" Julie wailed.

Daisy looked remorseful, but she never had a child of her own, so she was in no position to say. All she could really do was hope for the very best and that Krokorok will take care of them all…who was she kidding? She was panicking herself, as she did not trust her own life with a walking crocodile.

John turned towards Seymour, seeing his distraught expression. "Hey, you okay?"

Seymour took in a big breath and looked directly into John's eyes. "Look, I'm…sorry we let things get this far. We are at fault for what's happening right now."

John blinked, but he seemed alright for the time being. "I am sorry as well. We should've been aware it's all based on insecurity."

The two shook hands, their feud having been put down.

A blast of water struck the wall, and everyone turned their attention and bodies towards the iron bars. They heard a massive slam and Krokorok hit the floor, groaning as he had sustained a lot of damage as it seems.

"Krokorok!" Vanessa shouted.

Sophie looked at Jergens emerging from around the corner, holding his blaster at Krokorok. "Wait, that blaster, that's an uncertified weapon!"

Erza turned towards her. "What?"

"That is known as a multi-verse lacrima-infused magic blaster. There's no mention of it in the papers, it's only in the prototype stage though, but on the job yesterday, Vanessa and I encounter some goons with those on hand."

"But if they are already out, then who's distributing them?" Vanessa inquired.

John and Julie stared blankly outwards, their shock all but certain. Erza saw the looks on their faces. They got their answer, and it was not a happy one. The redhead's brown eyes pierced into John, Julie, Seymour, and Daisy.

"We're gonna have a word with you all later." Erza's tone was not a pleasing one.

Krokorok stood back up and his body was outlined in gray. " **Rock Tomb!** " Gray rocks materialized and formed overhead and spun in a ring. The ring of rocks went flying at Jergens, and the butler pointed his blaster at the incoming rocks.

"You won't win this time!" He adjusted the nozzle, making the swirling water become yellow static inside, meaning a lightning blast. He fired a blast of lightning at the Rock Tomb. Thunder roared through the halls as the Rock Tomb and lightning collided in the middle, cancelling the other out. Not even gravel fell to the ground.

Jergens adjusted the blaster's settings again, making it set to fire and set it onto Krokorok. "So, burn-!"

A sudden shove from behind caused Jergens to lose balance. He faltered, and as a result the blaster's trail went of course. The blast of fire and time slowed down as it redirected several feet to Krokorok's right, cindering the paint on the smooth wall.

Everyone's mouth gaped, and no amount of shock was paramount compared to Krokorok as he was saved in the nick of time. Everything around them seemed meaningless as Jergen's adjusted his glasses again, his confusion turning towards the small boy who deliberately pushed him. His eyes dilated in anger. "Master Joey?"

Joey panted as he stood behind Jerges, looking up with a beating heart that moved faster than lightning.

"Joey! What do you think you're doing?!" Julie scolded.

"Son, get out of there right now!" John yelled.

Jerges adjusted the blaster, the caliber set on lightning again. "Master Joey, so glad you could join me today. What might this heroic act be about, hm?"

"I can't take it anymore!" Joey barked out. "My mommy and daddy don't pay attention to me, and I have no fun! I don't just wanna hear stories, I wanna make them!"

Vanessa's eyes were fixed on Joey. "Joey."

"If my mommy and daddy won't let me make adventures, I'll start my own. I don't want anything with their stupid company, it's tearing us apart!"

The parents were startled and left shocked at their son's plea. They could not even fabricate what they were feeling right now. Apparently their peachy little life was nothing but washed up messes, at least to Joey. They didn't even know he was there sometimes, they just make sure he's there on site, dawdling around and doing whatever. Apparently his thoughts of a bright future with their money was not what he had in mind.

"Well then, perhaps you can tell a tale of how you survived at the age of five against a lightning blast…or not. Adieu, Master Joey." He aimed the blaster at Joey, the tip charging up a big bolt of lightning. Joey was scared stiff, but he didn't cower away. He stood his ground as everything became yellow.

"JOEY!" Julie and John shouted.

Thunder roared as static filled the air. Erza and Sophie were left speechless, as was everybody else. The burst of lightning crackled and diminished, revealing the damage done.

"Hm?" Jergens raised a brow.

With his back turned to Jergens, Krokorok was still. He hovered over little Joey as the boy was in shock. He was saved by the skin of his teeth, and Krokorok was the savior. His body crackled in static as his nerves tingled.

"Crocodile man?" Joey wondered.

Vanessa smiled with joy. "Krokorok!"

Krokorok backed away from Joey and stood back up. He turned and faced Jergens, his neck cracking. He growled, and there was a pressure emitting from him.

Jergens looked shocked as he looked at his blaster. "What on earth? No effect?"

"Shooting…kids…is so not…" Krokorok's eyes flashed red, and the pressure around him began to increase. " **OKAAAAAAYYY!** "

Krokorok violently screamed up to the ceiling. His cry emitted so loud that it echoed through the whole building. His body glowed and gave off a vibrant blue color. An energy field surrounded him, almost like a veil.

"What's this?!" Jergens exclaimed.

Erza's eyes widened. "What's happening to Krokorok?"

Vanessa's eyes widened in surmounting surprise. Her eyes were perplexed, and at the same time in deep, bewildered awe. "Krokorok…he's evolving!"

"He's what?" Erza asked. "Like what happened to Sliggoo? When she was a Goomy?"

Vanessa smiled. "Yes."

Everyone witnessed Krokorok beginning to undergo a change. His body was significantly growing in size. His legs were getting stubby, but at the same time his tail and claws enlarged and thickened. His snout and jaws had gotten exceedingly huge, and his eyes had a curved shape.

The light exploded, sending blue sparkles in the air. Joey, Vanessa, and everyone bared to witness a monstrous crocodile that was dark red. His snout had a black stripe on it, and the stripes were also along the tail and back, slightly overlapping the milky white underside. He had thick claws and teeth, with an angry look to boot.

The evolved Pokémon curled up a little before releasing an intimidating roar, one that bellowed and reached out through the entire building, rattling the walls. His roar petrified Jergens, leaving him trembling.

"Oh god." Sophie's eyes dilated. "That's Krokorok's evolved form?"

"I've never seen anything like it." Erza said, heavily impressed.

Vanessa reached into her bag. She pulled out her Pokedex and Erza and Sophie saw the device open up, revealing the image of Krokorok's evolved form.

" _Krookodile, the Intimidation Pokémon._ _They never allow prey to escape. Their jaws are so powerful, they can crush the body of an automobile."_

"Krookodile." Vanessa repeated.

Jergens recovered from his shock. "So, you've tried powering up to foil my futures, eh? Well, let's see what happens when I set the blaster…" He adjusted the knob, where the fire and water inside were swirling inside. "When I set it to dual mode."

John gripped the bars. "No you fool! That'll exhaust too much power! That's in the case of dire emergencies!"

But the butler did not listen, and he fired the fusion attack at Krookodile. The intensive blast shot a blast of fire and water side by side as they traveled towards Krookodile. Krookodile, however, made no attempt at moving. Instead, he opened his massive jaws, which were extremely gargantuan. The fangs inside glowed and elongated, meaning Crunch. As the attacks went at him, Krookodile snapped his Crunch down. An explosion of steam erupted that surrounded Krookodile, and Joey looked startled as his savior remained still.

The steam cleared, and Krookodile looked unscathed. He opened his mouth, releasing smoke from inside. "IS THAT ALL?!" He yelled, his voice slightly scruffier since he now was Krookodile. "TREMBLE BEFORE KROOKODILE!" He ran at Jergens, his black eyes dilating. "THIS IF FOR TRYING TO SHOOT JOEY!" He swatted his tail at Jergens, and the butler dodged as the tail swing left an intent in the wall. "THIS IS FOR SHOOTING ME!" He raised his arms overhead and pounded the ground, making it rumble and Jergens barely had hold.

Jergens adjusted his glasses, albeit heavily shaken. He had no aim and the dual blaster was set to lightning. He fired at Krookodile, his focus completely off as he was scared stiff. The lightning blast struck Krookodile, but the static all around him only dispersed.

"Really? YOU WANTED TO TAKE OVER SOME RIGGED PROFITS AND SHOOT SOME STUFF, AND THIS IS HOW YOU ACT?!" Krookodile's eyes flashed red, and a red aura encased him. There was an overwhelming sense of wrath coming from him, and it wasn't looking good. "BLASTING PEOPLE IS ONE THING, BUT BLASTING GOOD PEOPLE, **MAKES ME MAD!** " He let out another violent bellow, and his eyes were glowing bright red, and a bright red aura was around his body.

"Krookodile is angry." Sophie muttered.

"He's more than that, despite his anger being impressive." Vanessa frowned. "That look like Outrage."

Erza looked shocked. "A new move?"

Krookodile lunged after Jergens, his violent assault making him duck as Krookodile stopped in front of the iron bars imprisoning everyone. " **GIVE UP IRON BARS, YOU ALL HOLD THESE!** " He grabbed the bars in his violent rage, completely ripped them off. Erza and everyone saw the bars fly right over their heads, clanging against the ground.

Jergens's eyes widened. "Inconceivable! Those bars are anti-magic efficient!"

Vanessa glared at the stunned butler. "But it doesn't work with Pokémon moves! Go, Krookodile! **Outrage!** "

Krookodile turned and roared out at Jergens once more. He rushed with quick feet, much faster than when he was Krokorok, and brought his claws and knees back. The butler screamed in agony as the weapon was ready to fire, but Krookodile viciously attacked with slashing his claws, ripping the prototype to shreds. "No!" Jergens screamed. Krookodile then t=violently and swiftly unleashed a barrage of kicks and punches, each blow strong enough the numb the muscle, and more powerful ones that could fracture bone. The numerous beatings by the Krookodile finished with a crushing slash across the butler's destroyed suit, blasting the butler into the wall.

The butler was distraught and barely conscious, and Krookodile loomed overhead. All he could do was choke as Krookodile grabbed him by the collar.

" **LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, DISORIENTED EX-BUTLER TURNED BAD! I JUST BROKE YOUR BONES! YOU STEAL PROFITS, AND I WILL DO IT AGAIN! ONLY I'LL BREAK EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!** "

Krookodile backed off, his anger fuming off and he banged his head against a nearby wall. Vanessa didn't see it as a shock, since she did know Outrage's additional effect was confusion. But after that single display, Krookodile's red aura subsided, and he huffed.

"Yay!" Joey cheered. "Crocodile man just saved the day!"

Everyone was left dazed at the display set, even Erza was left with shock as equal as Sophie as they were outdone by a Pokémon with serious anger issues. This was certainly a tale to tell.

* * *

Not long has passed since the incident. The butler, albeit in intensive care, was indeed gonna be pressed serious charges, and was in custody at the time. There was gonna be some questions concerning what'll happen with the documents later on considering that Krookodile reduced them to shreds and all, plus some property damage was going towards the conference building.

"Thank you all for that you have done." Julie thanked with a nod.

Everyone, despite their smiles, only played it off as a façade. They weren't pleased with what their individual companies were selling to make money.

John smiled with glee. "We would like to show your appreciation. We have indeed paid you well as negotiated in the job. It's because o you that the Poliens and us have achieved and understanding of our own community-"

"DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU WERE MANUFACTURING UNCERTIFIED WEAPONS?!" Krookodile said, arms crossed.

The couple blinked, and started stuttering. John cleared his throat. "Er-hem, uh, well, we weren't certain…as to permission with-!" He was cut off again with Krookodile holding a claw towards him. They were caught stiff and silent as Rune Knights and authorities surrounded the couple, and the Poliens.

Krookodile's growling was vibrating harshly. "Don't ever do business with us…ever again." He threatened.

"Sir, ma'am, I'm afraid that you'll have to come with us." A Rune Knight ordered. "There are felonies that prohibit unlicensed self-defense tools. Looks like you and the Poliens are going to have a long time to handle that in court."

Though saddened that they might and most likely will lose a large sum of profit, they put up no fight. The Poliens easily surrendered to the Rune Knights, confessing on the spot. To that they were promised to be let off easier than the more reluctant Lemits, but Joey seemed happy.

The five-year old looked up at the three girls and smiled.

"So what will you do now?" Sophie asked.

Joey smiled. "My mommy and daddy are still a little upset. But they're thinking of having me move with my uncle until they figure stud out."

"Is your uncle nice?"

"Yeah, he loves to fish, and he even showed me a fish the size of me once!" He extended his arms out to exaggerate the length.

Vanessa knelt down and petted the kid's head. "I'm sure you'll have it fun from here on. Be safe."

"Best of luck to you." Erza said.

Joey nodded happily. He then turned towards Krookodile, who had crossed arms and was looking away. Little Joey looked up at him with a big smile. The three girls all looked on as Krookodile glanced down, staring right into Joey's face. "WHAT?!" He barked, his snout in his face.

A sudden warm touch was against Krookodile's snout. His eyes widened and he was left shocked. Little Joey was having a big smile as he was hugging Krookodile's snout. The tender hug from an innocent child left Krookodile with a sense of calm. Through his agitation, it wasn't there. He grinned as Joey was parting with him. The little boy backed away with a wave back to Krookodile.

"Thank you! Bye-bye crocodile man!" Joey thanked before he took off with a Rune Knight to an escort towards his uncle's.

Krookodile gave a small wave back and his grin remained on his face. He looked back at the three girls; they all smirked. A blush came across Krookodile's face and he held his claws up at them. "What are you staring at?!" He barked.

Sophie chuckled at Krookodile's soft spot, and Erza couldn't help but feel a chuckle passing as well. It was like Natsu, only it wasn't.

Vanessa smiled. "Krookodile, I'm proud of you." She praised. "You did well today."

Krookodile looked towards his trainer before raising his head. "…fine, BUT IT'S NOT JUST BECAUSE I EVOLVED AND LEARNED OUTRAGE, ALRIGHT?!"

Vanessa smiled, looking relaxed. "Nope, it was all you."

"Okay! Just being sure!"

* * *

It was a long day full of twists and turns, especially greed. It's times like these that she just wanted to unwind and settle into her bed. Erza instead chose an alternative motif. She progressed to the guild hall to check in with Mirajane, declaring their job a success. She of course had a run-in with her team, to which they told of their tale. They went on a monster hunt on the outskirts of Cedar, but the catch was that it was drawn into the city, and Natsu's explosive demeanor went and wrecked more than a few buildings in whole. Long story short was them only getting paid ten percent of what they were promised, not even enough for transportation home. They were all on their knees and fell over by the time they arrived home the same time as Erza and the others. Vanessa told of Krokorok evolving as well, and how Natsu wanted to get into a scuffle, but backed off due to Erza's insistence - or in Natsu's case threats. It was dusk by the time Erza said goodnight to Vanessa and Sophie, but instead she went to the abandoned second building of Fairy Tail, Nic's run-down hideout.

She went inside and made way upstairs towards the attic. She looked around to find everything as she left it and then some. She smiled as she saw Nic sleeping on his side, the thin blanket covering his sleeping form. She approached the chair that was right across from him, but she was met with something on it.

"Hm?" Curious, she picked up the paper, but it was hard to discern with the poor lighting and the darkness of the room. "A note…or a chore list…?" Given Nic's nature, it wouldn't be all that surprising if he made something as such to remember by. She lurked through the darkness until her forehead hit a thin chain. Realizing she found the switch, she pulled it. The light bulb turned on, illuminating the attic.

The redhead could now see what Nic made, but what she saw was not something she'd expect. What she saw was what pulled at her heart.

It was a drawing. A pencil drawing. A drawing Nic made while Erza was away all day. The drawing was about her and her serious gaze as she stared to the upper left of the page, standing tall and proud in her Heaven's Wheel Armor. Behind her was a number of her intricate swords. It looks almost exactly real, only in black and white with numerous shading all around. A detailed drawing like this could rival Reedus's paintings. Nic's signature was in cursive and on the lower right. She could only describe it in one word: Beautiful.

She turned back towards Nic, smiling down at him. He was productive in a way, but at least he was able to keep his word in the end and rest. She requipped into her pajamas and gently placed the picture back on the chair and gently crawled into bed.

The weight gain made Nic groggily open his eyes. "Mmm, Erza…?" He groaned, turning around so that his shoulder was to her chin. "You got back?"

Erza smiled towards him and gently kissed his cheek. She parted away, but kept the close proximity. "Yeah."

"How was your job?"

"I'll tell you in the morning." She mumbled. "For now, just let me be here, with you."

Nic smiled, happily accepting Erza as her arms draped around Nic's ribs, holding him as they laid on their sides, her breasts to his back. As the redhead let sleep and warmth succumb her, Nic fell right behind her, a grin creeping onto his face. "Welcome home…" He finally went back to resting, having to sleep another peaceful night with Erza holding him.

* * *

The isle's shores swayed left and right. The bits of dusk remaining showed the seagulls on the cliffs settling back into their nests. The sea waves seemed like eternal dark waters as they went up and down the rocky shores and bay terrain.

Inland, there was a secluded location. It looked cavernous as the walls were rock, and the ceiling had spikes looking down. Water dripped down, plopping onto the ground, reverberating through the tunnels, but never reaching the isles. There was a gargantuan chamber that was located inside of the cavernous domain, and in the dead center was what a lone figure brought from the shoreline.

A silhouette of a figure looked down at the raft, seeing the intricate pictures. "What's this about?" He sounded displeased to say the least. His silhouette revealed some form of half-rings floating behind his back with a full circle center.

"Forgive me, but this I found this on the shores the other night." The man from before announced. He used the tip of the conical straw hat and covered his right eye, and yet a little bit of his very short spikey orange hair showed. "I am aware of your discomfort, but I figured it pays no harm to share some curiosity, am I wrong?"

The silhouette looked stared down at the raft. When he really looked at it, it did indeed have a certain memorial charm to it. The phone and earbuds in front of the picture of Nic Pularis perked interest. His lips showed a smirk.

"No, perhaps you are right, Crowhaw." He said. "You have to admit the intricate commitment put into this."

"So would you have us reveal it to the others? They might want to have a look and place their opinion."

The figure revealed himself out of the shadows. He had short bangs and short black hair that went down, barely touching his collar bone. His forehead had an indigo diamond mark on it. His hollow gray eyes were a compliment to the dark whole body cloak he wore, like Crowhaw was. He had sandals that were almost like boots. As he walked, the half-rings and full sphere followed behind.

"Well, Imaci?" Crowhaw questioned.

Imaci smiled as his eyes narrowed. "…yes, let's discuss this little artifact with the others. I'm sure Alpha will definitely want to see this."

As he pointed at Nic and Vanessa's pictures, he and Crowhaw had an ominous appeal to the siblings.

* * *

 **New chapter update! So as I said before, this chapter was more really about Vanessa and Erza than it was about Nic. Also, I figured it was time to also establish an evolution of one of Vanessa's Pokémon. Since the whole prequel had more of Nic and his six, I figure a whole chapter revolving around Vanessa's point of view would be a good break.**

 **As far as I intend it to be, next chapter may be a mix of the two siblings, though maybe a little more about Nic and his Pokémon. Also, while I'm speaking of the next chapter, I should also say that the first major arc will NOT be the Eclipse Celestial Spirit Arc. I'm scraping that entirely and doing something better, my own original arc I have planned out that you guys will love, just like the Kalos and Celestial Siege Arc.**

 **As always, review and comment what you liked! I really appreciate that, and thanks for reading!**


	3. Training

Through the guild doors, two people walked in. They had smiles filled with happy greetings, heir warm blue eyes getting everyone's attention.

"We're back." Nic announced.

"Hi, everyone." Vanessa greeted.

Mirajane turned towards the two with a smile. "Welcome back you two!" She said. "So how was your job?"

Vanessa spoke up. "Thanks to Venusaur and Staraptor, rounding up those boars wasn't as hard as we thought."

Nic nodded. "Of course it did pay reasonably well."

Mira's smile widened. "That's great!"

The two had just returned from another sibling job. Ever since Nic started working again, it was either him or Vanessa supervising him until he was at his peak performance once again. It's been almost a week since Vanessa's Krookodile evolved, and Erza had been around Nic whenever she could. Although there were a few adjustments to get ahold of; for example, Erza started sleeping at Fairy Hills again, leaving Nic to sleep in the abandoned building once more all by himself, to which he didn't mind. He began to exercise once more with his Pokémon, but they limited themselves to meditation, five-mile jogging, and tree-jumping. Their battle, combat, endurance, and reflexive training was put on hold for a little while until they got their grip again.

In terms of work, Nic's been taking it easy as could get. Ever since the end of the Grand Magic Games and the fall of Lysandre, requests have been flooding in asking for specific members. Compared to Natsu, Gray, Erza, and the rest of Team Natsu, Nic was getting boatloads of requests. However, Master Makarov advised Nic to not take them until he thought he was ready, and so he's been taking low pay jobs that can accommodate his physical condition. For example, yesterday he went to a local café and was a substitute dishwasher for the day, getting 10,000 jewel by the hour. He got 60,000 jewel that day, and the day before he helped a local art museum with some burglar issues. Nothing too out there, but he was more than content with his pacing gradually picking back up, so long as he didn't crash and burn.

At the moment, he had just gotten back from a job with his sister, which was to round up some loose boars. It only took them a couple hours, leaving them to arrive back around one o- clock, plenty of sun left for the day.

"So where's Erza by any chance?" Nic asked.

"She's on a job with her team. They should be back around dinnertime at the earliest." Mirajane told.

Nic gave a grin and nod of understanding, but it was a little disheartening knowing Erza wasn't around when he got back. He and her did a couple jobs this weak together, but I guess she needed her team around as well. As long as he sees her again soon, that would be enough for him.

He turned towards his younger sister. "So Vanessa, what are you gonna do for the rest of the day?"

Vanessa didn't need a second to think. She knew what she wanted to do. "I think I'm going to train for a bit. I need to keep my Pokémon battling skills at a peak performance. What are you going to do?"

He grinned as he started walking out the guild doors. "I think it's time I resume my usual combat training. This time, I'm going to Kalos." He said. "I'm setting the course for Route 14, so are you going to tag along?"

Vanessa nodded her head. "Sure, I left off there before I decided to come to Earth Land. I think after my time here, I wanna see where I am compared to how I was before."

Nic grinned and turned back towards Mirajane. "You heard that, Mira? We won't be gone too long, around supper."

Mirajane smiled. "Sure, have fun training."

With her word of regards, the Pularis siblings left the guild hall. They made way towards the outskirts of Magnolia, rather close to Nic's little shack of a home. The woods were thick enough for some decent coverage so that no one would get too suspicious, or get an idea to follow. With themselves apart from the others, Nic loosened up his shoulders.

"You ready?" He asked with a serious tone. Vanessa could tell how determined Nic was to get back to his usual training, and she couldn't blame him.

The younger Pularis sibling nodded with the same determination. "Let's do this."

Nic then faced forward and looked at one spot. He waved his hand in front, where a dimensional portal opened up. The outside part of the dimension hole was distorted, and had a rainbow glow reverberating all around. On the other side of the portal, they were already hit with a wave of muggy air. It was Route 14 alright, and they could see the yellow grass and swamplands clearly. It was a known wetland, next to Route 19, where Charizard duked it out with Moltres a while back.

The siblings took a step towards the other side, and just like that, the portal closed behind them. They were now back in their home world, and their home region: Kalos.

Vanessa looked with widened eyes all around. "I forgot how exotic Route 14 was. It's muggy."

"Yeah, it is. It took me some time to get used to it, but this is where I learned to climb trees." Nic explained.

"That's cool."

Nic started walking off, leaving his sister be. I transported us closer to Laverre City, so there should be some dryland on the east. Otherwise you'll be training in the swamp water or marsh ground. I'll be all over Route 14, but I'll be back in time to take us back to Earth Land."

"Alright, be safe." Vanessa waved her brother off as he went to do his own method of training, as to where Vanessa stayed in her spot. She watched as Nic scaled up a tree and embarked through means of swift tree jumping. He was almost like a ninja, and a fast one at that. He was already out of sight within the first ten seconds, but that didn't deter Vanessa from gaining battle experience.

She looked around the tall grass, looking for any possible wild Pokémon to battle. "I forgot what was around here. I know there's Goomy and what else…?"

There was a loud hiss resonating from Vanessa's left. She turned and immediately caught the sights of a purple little scorpion with pincers on the tail and on the sides of its head. Its blue eyes were looking up at her, seeing her as a threat.

Vanessa didn't seem bothered at all by the surprising encounter and took out her Pokedex to analyze the small scorpion in front.

" _Skorupi, the Scorpion Pokémon._ _It grips prey with its tail claws and injects poison. It tenaciously hangs on until the poison takes."_

"So it's part Poison, and the pre-evolved form of Drapion." She speculated. "I haven't battled against one of these in so long, I hope I'm not rusty." She pulled out a Poke Ball and threw it with swiftness. "Mawile, go!"

The Poke Ball popped open, revealing Vanessa's Mawile as she was set to battle Skorupi. "(Alright, let's get this over with.)" She said in her voice, as she was no longer in Earth Land.

The wild Skorupi hissed out at Mawile again, poised to strike. The fangs glowed and lengthened, hence Skorupi lunging in for Bug Bite.

Vanessa gave her command in response. "Mawile, **Crunch!** " Mawile turned around and her iron jaws faced the incoming Skorupi. The jaws opened up and the fangs glowed and elongated. The Crunch snapped down on Skorupi before the latter could get close enough. Mawile swung her head around in circles and had Skorupi in a tailspin until she pivoted and sent the wild Skorupi flying.

The Skorupi landed with a brutal thud in the tall grass, making the Poison and Bug-type groan as Crunch surrounded it in a brief blue aura, signaling a Defense decrease.

Vanessa smiled. "Great job, now, **Swords Dance!** " Mawile effectively took a stance and remained still as blue, illusionary swords appeared and circled all around her. When the swords all crossed over her head, a thick red aura encompassed her body, increasing her Attack power greatly.

The wild Skorupi shook its head and faltered about a few paces to the left. It straightened out and hissed with anger. The adversary's Bug Bite reactivated again, and it went firing back at Mawile.

Mawile spread her tiny legs apart and smirked. When Skorupi came lunging back with an open mouth, she stuck her arm out and had Skorupi snapped down onto the arm. The vicious biting, however, left Mawile with a ticklish sensation running through her arm. "(Sorry pal, but this'll bite for you.)"

" **Feint Attack!** " Vanessa commanded. Mawile suddenly disappeared from sight, leaving Skorupi perplexed and looking around left and right. Its flaw, however, was not being able to account one of its many blind spots: Up. A fist struck down on Skorupi's exposed back, the tail failing as a guard. The Scorpion Pokémon gawked at the sheer blunt and fainted as Mawile jumped up and stood back in front of Vanessa with a less than amused smirk.

Vanessa nodded. "Good. Very good."

"(That was nothing more than a warmup.)" Mawile boasted, not feeling challenged by the typing being her advantage.

Vanessa turned towards another direction. "Let's see if we can find some more opponents. I'm sure there's a plethora around her somewhere…"

* * *

Elsewhere on Route 14, all was serene within the tree canopy. The Weepinbell nearby and the Haunter looming around, however, had to maintain a safe distance away as seven figures were seen on one of the thickest branches of one of the thickest trees in the depths of the forest. It was by no means along the path Trainers take to reach Laverre City or Lumiose City, rather it's untouchable…unless you were a skilled tree-jumper like Nic Pularis.

"40…41…42…43…44…" Nic and his Pokémon were doing were unprecedented training again. It was about time they got back into the swing of things. They were all doing handstand pushups on the thick branch, to demonstrate the vitals in their balance. They've done it before, a lot in fact. In Staraptor's case, with was a 'wing'stand, and for Arbok, he was using the tip of his head as a focus point and as he goes down, he scrunches up the muscles in his body. Kecleon, Charizard, Garchomp, and Greninja all had hands and claws on the branch and had their bodies straightened out just like Nic and were going up and down.

"55…56…57…" Nic was counting the reps taken every time he managed to get up. He felt his legs wobble, but he adjusted the weight and kept it aligned so that he wouldn't slip forward and fall, in which case Greninja was there by his side in that case to catch him.

The numbers meant little, but the sun was moving over their heads slowly, and yet they did not care as the canopy's autumn-colored leaves blocked it all out. "98…99…100!" Finally, after reaching that point, everyone's arms and muscles all relaxed, but it was only for that second. Their grips all slipped with Nic's into a swing. "Everyone, five miles! Don't touch the ground!"

As Nic gave the command, he wasn't frowning, but yet was smiling. Everyone followed his lead as they all swing underneath the branch by hooking their hands or necks to it and they all swung and spiraled off the branch. Charizard and Garchomp were the most shocking as their large structures were so agile and nimble, and yet as they passed the nearby foliage and thin branches, not even a small speck was sliced or incinerated as their bodies were tucked in.

Everyone landed on the same tree branch with light feet and light serpentine body. Arbok lunged to the next branch and everybody started moving through the canopy jungle of branches. The dead or wrecked branches were each a stepping stone. Greninja and Nic lunged and swung to each branch without a beat off. Charizard and Staraptor and everyone else were lunging left and right, using light precision as they worked through the depths of Route 14's woods. As they took long lunged, they landed and leaned forward for better momentum for the next lung. Absolute no flying was involved. Arbok landed and zipped to tree branches without having to anchor with a tail or his hood for a swing to the next branch, not even once. Nic pounced with sweat dripping down his face. The humid air was exhausting and making things difficult in terms of stamina, but this was nothing they couldn't take on. Nic sprung with feet and touches as light as a Liepard's paw. Everyone kept their weight distributed so they wouldn't have snapped the branches.

They all embarked deeper as they continued on training, keeping up in complete sync and focusing on what lied ahead, which was more forest branches to jump through.

* * *

Vanessa swiped her arm forward. "Mawile, **Protect!** " A translucent turquoise shield appeared out of thin air on command, and Mawile was spared from a powerful explosion of a thick mass of mud that made small ripples of swamp water right beside Vanessa's feet as they were within the midst of battle with a wild Quagsire.

Having to move their training into the swamp waters, they had to adapt and battle with more effective means. But that did not mean they were still unchallenged. Being sturdier and having better typing than the other Pokémon in the route, Quagsire had the advantage.

Mawile huffed at the damage she took as of late. All of those battles she's had were wearing her down. She huffed and looked tired, but persevered. She shook her head to snap herself back to focus. "(I'm good! Let's keep this up, Vanessa!)"

Although, she couldn't understand Mawile, Vanessa'a magic could still pick up on Mawile's aura. It told her that she was determined, and she accepted that with whole confidence. "Alright then, Mawile, **Swords Dance!** " Upon that command, her Mawile thus had blue illusionary swords form and circle around. Once they crossed overhead, Mawile was in a thick red aura, signaling her Attack increase.

The wild Quagsire opened its mouth wide and orange glowed inside. Firing from inside was a rapid succession of smaller but quicker balls of brown mud.

"It's using Mud Shot! Use the water as a defense!" Vanessa commanded. Mawile processed that as a means to use the water as a blockade, and to do so, she looked down and swung her jaws overhead. With a powerful slam of her jaws, the water in front splashed violently all around. The erupting blast of water acted as a barrier to counter the Mud Shot, which managed to work.

"Now, **Feint Attack!** " Mawile disappeared as the water drizzled down all around. The wild Quagsire had its head tilted off to the side in question, but then it was met with a swift whack from the left as Mawile reappeared in midair and swung her jaws, scoring a clean hit.

"(How was that? Better?)" She rhetorically asked.

Quagsire regained footing and looked back down at Mawile. With such a close proximity, Guagsire opened its mouth again. Mawile frowned. "(…uh oh.)"

An explosion of brown mud erupted from the close-range Mud Bomb. Mawile was seen skyrocketing and tumbling through the air as Vanessa's eye widened in shock. "Mawile!" She cried out. Her Mawile splashed right into the water with a powerful thud. Water sprinkled all around as the shock of Mawile's landing was painful. Vanessa clenched her fists. "This is bad. Our reaction wasn't fast enough. I should've gone for Protect." She cursed herself.

Mawile groaned at the pain flaring in her head. "(Uuuugh. Someone got a Super Potion…?)" She groggily said.

"Mawile, can you still go on?" Vanessa asked.

Mawile struggled to get back up, and it most certainly didn't help that Quagsire was readying another assault as its mouth opened back up. But still, the Deceiver Pokémon did not back down. She stood up and looked back at Vanessa with a tiresome smile. "(We're not giving up that easily. Vanessa, let's finish this.)"

Vanessa smiled and nodded. "Alright, then let's use **Crunch!** " She commanded. Mawile turned around and had her giant jaws open back up. The fangs glowed and elongated as she went and lunged ahead towards her target.

Quagsire fired another Mud Shot attack at Mawile as she went diving in. Vanessa swiped her arm. "Dodge!" As Mawile lunged on in, she widened her eyes and gave a skip in her footing. The Steel and Fairy-type jumped up, dodging the Mud Shot that pelted the dirty waters. The wild Quagsire looked up as Mawile was right on top.

"(You're so annoying!)"

She dove down and whipped her jaws around, snapping her Crunch onto Quagsire. The Water and Ground-type fell backwards with Mawile as the swamp water splashed and raged on. The rippling reached Vanessa's aura-like feet and she watched with anticipation as the water began to stop swaying left and right. It revealed her Mawile, still standing with panting while Guagsire was lying on its back and fainted.

Vanessa saw it as a win, but she felt nervous nonetheless. "That was a close call. You okay, Mawile?"

Mawile slumped back into the water, groaning. "(Yeah. Just give me five…hours.)" She pleaded.

Vanessa held up her Poke Ball. "Okay, I think that's enough battle experience for you today. Return.)" With that, she recalled Mawile, and in turn learned of the scenarios placed in front. As she walked out of the swamp water, she was left to be more decipherable. "So when Mawile is close, we have to be ready to use Protect in the events of a counter." She smiled. "That's worth something in the end."

She felt a small drop on her nose, making her blink. "Hm?" She looked up, realizing that it was beginning to cloud up. The sun was no longer there like it was half an hour ago and she saw darker clouds rolling in. She frowned. "I forgot Route 14 is known for occasional rains. I should move to dryland."

* * *

As a light drizzle was coming down, so did Greninja from the dark and cloudy sky. His Bounce attack made him shoot down at an alarming rate. Nic brought his elbow back and swung it ahead. Greninja's foot and his elbow collided, making a ripple of energy below outwards. The sudden stalemate of opposite forces, however, was only brief as Nic used the momentum that Greninja was providing and loosened his elbow. This resulted in him flipping himself in a near sideways fashion and he vertically kicked. Greninja blocked with a forearm and Nic landed in a low crouch.

Nic's eyes looked down as he felt strong vibrations. In a flash he leaned away and broke into a backwards bridge as Garchomp shot up with Dig. The shockwaves and shattering ground shot Nic back, but he instantly grabbed a piece of flying rock and latched on. He jumped from rock to rock until high enough, where Charizard and Staraptor both ambushed him.

Nic's reflexes weren't as dull as he thought, as were Charizard and Staraptor's. All of their reflexes were their key points, and their furious display of masterful hand and claw combat was pit against Nic. Nic blocked punches from Charizard while at the same time elbowing Staraptor's wing strikes. Each strike was hard to trace.

Nic twisted his body and wrapped his legs around Charizard's neck. "There's an opening!"

Charizard opened his eyes. "Think again!" He whirled his neck and used his claw to strike Nic, but he let go and brushed the claw away while upside-down and in midair. While still in midair, time slowed down or him as his eyes dilated.

In a sudden change, he twisted again and dodged the Shadow Sneak that shot straight up from the ground. Kecleon twisted her body while still invisible and dealt an axe kick, to which Nic maneuvered and dodged. He caught the leg in a flash and reeled Kecleon in to palm strike her. He was close, but then Arbok's tail came from behind. His senses picked up the disturbance and he twisted his body again and threw Kecleon up and ducked beneath the tail swing.

In midair, Kecleon used the momentum for spinning. She gained greater kinetic energy and speed as she tumbled and went down right as Nic punched Arbok's side of his hood, only for Arbok to shove his hood towards him as a guard.

Using his senses again, Nic backed away and leaped into a backflip as Kecleon's downwards punch struck the earth. She felt no pain, but the soft ground absorbed the impact, leaving a small dent.

Everyone was loving this. This was their daily activity: combat, reflexive, and durability training. They could go hours upon hours on end, and they would just keep it up until the sun had set. They had the will, the focus, and especially the commitment to keep on going.

Nic blocked and intercepted a number of blows coming from every single angle. Close calls were exchanged here and there, but every blow, twist, pivot, and shift meant everyone's physical assaults were all blocked. Nic flipped and dodged Arbok's tail swing, and then twisted and dodged a midair roundhouse kick from Greninja. As Nic landed, he parried a number of blows and jabs from Greninja, each one of their punches colliding; their knuckles cracking with every blow absorbed.

Charizard spread his wings and took flight above. As he was above, he got an aerial view of Nic and dove straight downwards. He readied a downwards kick and his eyes dilated when he saw Nic's pivot, meaning he was gonna turn from a counter.

In a hurried change of pacing, Charizard instead did a vertical flip and slammed his tail down. Nic used his left pal and grabbed the tail slam that could've knocked him down or even a Golem perhaps with the force applied as a ripple of air reached outwards towards the trees. Nic used his right fist and twisted his body again, doing a spiraling uppercut on Greninja while throwing Charizard off to the side. Greninja leaned away from the uppercut, and Charizard easily straightened out with a claw dug into the earth.

Garchomp and Kecleon alike appeared on either side of Nic, and he was panting as sweat covered his body. His shirt and coat were both off to the side so they weren't in too much sweat. As Nic was barely holding onto his breathing rhythm, he dared not falter in the slightest. He threw blocks and blows left and right in no order as Kecleon and Garchomp were both giving lightning-quick attacks. Garchomp swung his tail as a break from his relentless parrying and Nic did a backwards bridge that turned into a handstand. As Kecleon went for an upwards kick, Nic pushed up and straightened out to maneuver from that kick.

Garchomp closed in further and drove a hurried knee and Nic. Nic swept the knee strike with his palm and went for a side punch. Garchomp reeled away and came back with a claw. Nic intercepted with a punch to match the claw and another bone-crushing sound resonated.

As both reeled away, Staraptor spiraled in from a steep angle above with Charizard, with Greninja, Arbok, and everyone else were having sweat and feeling their muscles cramp. That was a good sign. That meant they were really exercising. They all went after the other, Nic included as he had a smile on his face through his heaping breathing.

"Let's keep going!" He yelled in a vivid pant. He lunged after his six Pokémon as they were all running faster than Heliolisk with great Speed training.

* * *

It's been more than a couple hours, and the drizzle had turned into another usual rainy day. The rain wasn't too big of an issue. Vanessa was okay with it, since she's been used to Sliggoo's Rain Dance on a constant basis. After a little wild Pokémon training was done for mostly everyone, Vanessa decided to work on having her Pokémon dodge.

"Braixen, jump! You too, Krookodile!" She commanded. Both Braixen and Krookodile did as told and they jumped, dodging the massive wave of brown water that swamped the whole area that was beneath. They managed to dodge Sliggoo's Muddy Water, but that left Magnezone to make an attack of his own set on Krookodile.

"( **Flash Cannon!** )" The Electric and Steel-type stored a very powerful sense of light into his center, in front of his red eye. The light became a single big sphere and he fired the Steel-type move with gusto, making airwaves as the bright white and light blue beam traveled after Krookodile as he was in midair.

"Lean back!" Vanessa told him.

Krookodile did as told and leaned back. He was caught by surprise as the trick worked. The momentum brought on by Flash Cannon flew right over his head, barely grazing his large snout. Though not a direct hit, he did feel a strong force from Flash Cannon's power. He fell back to the ground on his knees, sliding backwards in the soft, mushy ground.

"( **Dragon Breath!** )" Sliggoo was surrounded by rounds of loops that surged up her body as a blue orb was forming. She opened her mouth and fired a blue beam at Braixen that traveled over the ground.

"Braixen, shift left!" Vanessa commanded.

"(Whoa!)" The Fox Pokémon did as told, barely missing the Dragon Breath as the blue beam trailed onwards.

Sliggoo wasn't gonna be played, and she turned her head, making her Dragon Breath in turn move around and curve around towards Krookodile.

Vanessa narrowed her eyes. _'It's just like what Sting did back in the Grand Magic Games…'_ "Krookodile, **Dig!** Braixen, into the hole!"

Krookodile raised his claws and crouched. He dove into the soft ground, easily making a hole swift and quick. Braixen lunged off to the side and jumped. She hurried inside the hole and barely escaped as Dragon Breath went right over the hole made. Inside the whole Braixen and Krookodile covered up as the force of Dragon Breath was enough to quake the ground. When Dragon Breath ended, both Pokémon jumped out of the hole, but they were panting from all of the footwork they needed to apply. Magnezone and Sliggoo were both looking a little worn out from launching attack after attack.

The rain kept pouring down, and with it the more training Vanessa applied.

* * *

With one final Dragon Claw, Charizard let out a roar as his and Kecleon's Slash collided. No matter how brutal it was with Dragon Claw, Kecleon was equally as physical and brutal, thus keeping a stalemate, the sudden power break from their collision made a shockwave rattle through the ground, shattering it to pieces that made rock fly.

At the same time, Garchomp and Staraptor both parried one another, with Garchomp's Crunch biting against Steel Wing. The Steel-type move collided with Garchomp's elongated sharp teeth. The impact made silver static fly, including rippling blast waves as neither side was giving even an inch.

At the same time, Arbok's Ice Fang clashed with Greninja's Bounce. The foot to the solid ice not only made icy cold air bellow, but also made the wet grass turn to little bits of ice. Greninja back flipped away before his entire foot could be covered in ice, but as he landed his heel was already trapped in ice. Adapting came over his mind, and he picked up a leg and roundhouse kicked Arbok with a frozen foot. Of course Arbok ducked and dodged the assault without a second to spare.

While they were all working on combative training and keeping their moves used in top condition, Nic was keeping up just as well as he joined in against Greninja and Arbok. He came flying in from the trees above, but Arbok and Greninja looked up and they easily diverted a tail swing and near-thawed foot up at Nic as he did an axe kick, which he backed off and planted his feet to a tree trunk and jumped off and landed onto the ground.

They adjusted their trademark training with last fifteen minutes set for the day with pairing training. Every minute they were to pick a random opponent and give it 110 percent with whatever means in terms of battle, reflexes, and parrying. No rest in between the minutes of switching and picking an opponent. The catch was Nic as he would join in abruptly on a random battle ensuing and provide and extra challenge as they would all have to work against Nic for the remainder of that minute.

"HRAH!" Nic and Greninja's fists collided, the sound reverberating off the tree trunks, scaring away hordes of Ekans snooping around.

With that collision of punch, the minute was up. That was the last minute, and afterwards, everyone backed off. Garchomp and Staraptor both got to knees and panted, the same implied to the remainder of the team. They all were beyond exhausted as they hadn't done that in awhile, but it was fun to them.

"Great job…everyone…" Nic smiled.

Greninja panted with one eye open. "(We did…pretty okay…for 6 hours straight…)"

"(Wish we could do…more…)" Kecleon said in between breaths. "(But we can't…overheat our…toast…or it'll be charred.)"

"(But still…that was fun.)" Charizard huffed.

It took a minute, but after everyone had finally caught their own breath, they stood back up and had Nic take the lead. He was stretching his arms all around and he was applying stretching to his calves and legs. His Pokémon all stretched, stretching their spines, legs, and necks.

After finally stretching, they heard a cry from a distance. "Nic!"

Nic turned around towards the tree line, where he saw something rustling amongst the bushes and tall grass. Realizing and recognizing the cry, Nic blinked. It was Vanessa as she emerged from the trees, looking more than a little exhausted from having to trek through the uncharted boundaries and Laverre Nature Trail.

"Vanessa?" Nic said in surprise. "How did you manage to find me?"

Vanessa frowned. "I followed your aura. You were all over the place. Nic, it's seven o' clock. Let's go home."

"You were fortunate. We just finished." He looked back at his team with a grin. "I guess we lost track of time. We were lost in our training I suppose." He turned back towards Vanessa, still grinning as she shook her head with a sigh. "Sorry, for worrying you."

"It's okay. I understand." She said. "What do you say we head to a Pokémon Center, heal up, and get a family dinner started when we get back to Magnolia."

Nic reached and grabbed his gray V-neck and his coat. "You're in luck. Erza said she would be happy to cook up dinner again. She's getting a little better at it thanks to that cookbook." He pulled out the Poke Balls for his own team. "Rest up for now, thanks for the endeavors conquered." He returned everybody back to their Poke Ball…all except Charizard. The Flame Pokémon remained out as Nic approached him.

Charizard lowered his head as Nic petted the side of his face. "Charizard, how about using Fly one more time?"

"(Sure. I'm not done yet, not even close to having my reserves dwindle.)" To prove it, Charizard spread his wings to show he was ready. Nic jumped onto his back, with Vanessa hurrying over. With her on Charizard's back the Fire and Flying-type took flight, using Fly as he embarked out of the rains of Route 14 and towards Laverre City and its Pokémon Center.

* * *

Back on Earth Land, in the guild hall, all was as it should be. With Natsu and Gray back in the guild after such an exhausting day, they still had just enough energy to bicker around. Of course this almost started another scuffle if not for Erza's threats. She butted their heads without even a fuss, and everyone watched as the duo slumped to the ground.

Lucy sighed as she sat at a table with Happy munching on a fish. She face palmed. "Good grief."

"Well at least nothing's changed for those two." Carla chided.

Wendy sweat dropped. "Uh…yeah."

Erza let out her own sigh. "Good grief." She turned her attention from the duo that learned their lesson and went towards Mirajane at the bar. "Hello, Mira."

"Hi, Erza." Mira greeted. "I trust that your job went well."

"As well as it can get." Erza replied. "If not for Natsu's…ambitious energy, we could've managed more outcome. The lumber yard in Oak Town was set ablaze and half the lumber was incinerated from his temper. We barely made any effort on this one I'm afraid."

Mira sweat dropped. "Oh my. Guess the Master's gonna bite his ear off when he hears about this."

"I'm sure he will. By the way Mira, have you seen Nic by any chance?"

"Of course. He and Vanessa got back from a job recently and they went back to their world for the rest of the day."

Erza raised a brow. "They…went back?"

"Yeah, saying they were gonna do some training. Guess they wanted to stay in their routes, get a feeling to be in their world after being here for some time. But I wouldn't worry too much about it. They promised to be back later on today."

Erza grinned at the prospect. While she was a little shocked that Nic had gone back to Kalos to train for the day without her, she knew he could take care of himself; besides, it'd take a miracle for her to keep up with his astronomical level of reflexes. When she thought about it further in depth, she could see that it would indeed be a nice change of pace for his sake.

Mirajane turned towards the guild doors as the sky was again a radiant sunset. Through the doors emerged two people. "Well speak of the devil. Welcome back!"

Erza turned towards the guild doors, seeing none other than the Pularis siblings with smiles as they looked refreshed. When she saw Nic after having the kind of day she had, it was comforting to the point her smile widened.

"We're back, sorry for making you waiting it the case was drawn there." Nic apologized.

Erza approached him with a smile. When the two met, they both met each other's eyes. "Welcome home, Nic, Vanessa."

"Thanks…Erza." Nic said with a happiness in her name.

"It took longer than we'd anticipated, but we didn't mind. While we cleaned ourselves up after being in Route 14, we got our Pokémon back from Nurse Joy and came back here." She turned towards Nic. "And on that note, she commented on how it was a pleasure for Nic to appear, and was startled by how sturdy his Pokémon were." She could still remember the face Nurse Joy made when Nic ventured into the Pokémon Center. Everyone inside nearly flipped out seeing the savior of all of the universe in their presence.

"It's no problem, really. I'm glad you two had fun training your Pokémon." Erza said.

Vanessa nodded. "A little battle experience never hurts, and we managed to work on dodging."

"And my Pokémon and I are getting back into the swing of things." Nic told. "Which reminds me, we all worked up a hefty appetite. Why don't we all go to the market and get a recipe started?"

Erza nodded in agreement. "I think that's a lovely idea. And we can all pitch in." She thus marched out of the guild hall, with Nic right beside her and Vanessa on the other side of Erza.

"I think we'd like that very much. We'll have a nice family dinner, with Erza as well." Nic said, happily looking forward to this family dinner. When he thought about it, the last family dinner he had was really…never. He always wanted a family dinner, but he was never even allowed near the table as Vanessa as like a princess while Magneton shocked him. It was bittersweet thought, and Vanessa could understand the pain.

"…well we'll be sure to make this one to remember." Vanessa smiled at her brother's hollow thoughts. Her aura picked up on his droopy remembrance, and she could be in his shoes and know what it was like to not have a true family dinner.

The three headed back up to the abandoned second building, Nic's little hideout sort of speak. The Pularis siblings had a long day's worth or work and training, and with their Pokémon included, this was a nice way to unwind and relax before calling it a night.

* * *

 **For those who have noticed already, I accidentally updated the wrong file for chapter 3, my sincerest apologies. I managed to catch the mistake thanks to you guys pointing it out. Again, sorry for the convinience, but at least I fixed the problem, so no more worries!**

 **I thought I would make a cute little chapter about the Pularis siblings and compare them. In terms of how Pokémon training goes, Vanessa's is more proper and much more normal compared to Nic's, which is much more unique in its own rights. I provided the clear way of how Vanessa and almost all Trainers train their Pokémon, which is battling all the time and working on techniques. Nic's style is more private, unrivaled, and unchallenged as he exercises every state of mind, body, and moves, but you've learned that from the prequel. I wanted to give this chapter and story a more Pokémon feel compared to the scenery always being in Fiore and Erath Land, so this was a nice change of pace.**

 **On that note, some chapters in this sequel shall be randomly long or short, depending on it being a major milestone, or a little idea part of the plot such as this one. I have maybe one more little idea before heading into one of the major arcs of this story, so I hope you loved this chapter.**

 **Also, if you were hoping to see more of those mysterious figures like from the past two chapters, they really didn't have a place in this chapter. Those couple of characters will be extremely vital when the time comes.**

 **As always, review and comment, and thanks for reading another entertaining chapter!**


	4. A Perfect Picture

**I want to apologize once again for the screw up with the early update for last chapter. I tried making it up to you guys by jumping into this next chapter as quickly as I could. So, if you had a review for last chapter, go ahead and add those comments to your review this chapter. I like long reviews anyway.**

* * *

Another day, another morning. After another successful training morning, having Nic and everyone pit themselves against Garchomp this time, they all decided to unwind for the time being. Garchomp had only a couple of scratches, but so did everybody else; after all, it's extremely difficult wo maneuver around his fins and spikes.

Nic decided to have breakfast outside for the time being. It was such an explicit day with the sun shining and little humidity to ruin it. He sat on the stump just outside the little building and had a fresh plate sitting atop of his lap. It was his trademark omelet, and he picked up another piece with his fork as he was spectating something sitting in front of him.

It was a paper canvas, and in his spare hand was a little piece of charcoal.

As Nic chewed on the omelet, savoring every bit of its flavor, he leaned over and applied the charcoal with light pressure, scribbling marking that resemble a close-up of trees in the corner of the canvas. What he was drawing was the tranquil and peaceful serenity that was of a familiar location in Kalos: Route 3. He found that beginning route very serene when he started out, although despite staying there for a week's time with Froakie before finally embarking for Santalune City. The relishing of the past was a feeling that left his body all calm and warm, and the omelet entering his stomach was but icing to the cake.

He used the shading tool next as he spread out the dark charcoal, evenly adjusting the calm flow of water in the large pond with a Marill barely visible in the depths of the clear water. He barely added much of any shading to the long trail and the hillside close to Santalune City.

Leaning back away from his artwork, Nic spectated the charcoal piece. He sat the now empty plate aside and tilted his head like Kecleon does, only he was trying to get a better angle all around. His hand reached for the charcoal again and he applied only a few touch-ups in terms of the grass around the water's edge.

After that, Route 3 looked like a black and white memory, literally. It looked so realistic that you could just reach out and touch it and find yourself in it. Perhaps that's the latent quality Nic had.

 _It was a calm night within Santalune Forest, it's been almost two, maybe three weeks since Nic had Froakie and embarked on his own journey with really no aim. The two were pretty much inseparable. and Froakie practically spent a majority of his time out of his Poke Ball and hanging out with his trainer._

 _The Santalune night brought a serene outlook into the night sky. The stars twinkled and Nic and Froakie were sitting on small logs, overlooking a small fire as Nic was trying to cook a small meal out of some herbs and other assortments he could scrounge._

" _This should hold us over until the morning." Nic speculated._

" _(I'm sure it's fine.)" Froakie croaked. "(It's better than the first try last week…at least I hope so.)"_

 _Nic turned towards Froakie and smiled. "Well I guess it shouldn't be a big deal, right?" He watched as Froakie yawned, and in which made him suddenly yawn. It was pretty late, and after another day of training in their own unique way, this was a very deserving supper. He shifted the piece of equipment around that acted as a makeshift pan for the small soup that promised to be filling. "These herbs gathered will help with our body immunity, and should provide as some good nutrients, and we managed to harvest some meat and mushrooms to cook…" He trailed off, leaning back against the log as he just didn't feel like talking anymore. Froakie looked to his trainer as he mumbled off, but chose to do nothing as he saw him staring off into space._

 _He was spacing out more often than it seems. Whenever or however, his mind wasn't in the dark, nor was it paying attention to the flames flickering…rather, in truth, he was listening. He was listening to the forest at night, the sound of the grass rustling, the echoing of Pansage and other kind in the small forest that seems to stretch to a long point in time. He was lost in his own world back when he was but pounded and taking beatings from his parents, so that his sister shall not bear any of the pain. All he could hear was small whimpering and crying, fake laughter, and glass shattering. The most distressing sound heard was the constant yelling and barking. Finally able to see the world and all that it had, he was taking in the sweet melodies, the voices he's new too. It was like a child listening to an ice cream truck, because the first time he heard a nearby waterfall, it wasn't brash, but very exotic._

 _And with the hearing of new sounds came the sights. Away from home, practically never even calling a place such a home anymore, Nic was seeing all of everything for the first time. He was seeing the clear streams of water flow right beneath the canal of Aquacorde Town, and the plethora of wildlife that intrigued him. The hillside and the various terrains he was going to see and hear. He especially was loving seeing stars directly overhead. The nighttime in Santalune Forest had a whole new outlook._

" _(Nic…? Nic…?)" Froakie finally croaked up, calling Nic._

" _Hm? What is it?" Nic wondered._

 _Froakie pointed to something in his lap. He looked down, realizing that his fingers were fiddling with a little piece of bark and was drawing in the dirt. He blinked in surprise._

" _Wait, hold on…what was I…?" Nic was looking at the intricate lines he had drawn without realization. He saw the very small dots that supposedly looked like the stars in the night sky, and the dents in the earth look like they resemble the leaves in view. It was a little on the insufficient side, but for a subconscious art piece, it looked fine._

" _(I didn't know you could do that. Looks crafty.)" Froakie praised as he overlooked the scribbles and dots on the ground._

 _Nic looked at the stick he had in hand, seeing the rather pointed tip. He was perplexed, but looking at the small art on the ground, it had his interests. 'I guess there'll be a lot of potential yet to exploit…guess it wouldn't hurt to try a little more.'_

 _His thoughts affirm, he positioned the stick back to the ground, but in yet another spot. He looked towards a nearby tree, squinting his eyes to see something sleeping atop of the trees. There he was a little Caterpie, sleeping soundly and free of worry._

 _With a small grin, he looked back down at the dirt and started marking into the ground,_

The more Nic reminisced, the more astounded to realize how seeing the world and so many different locations could have such an imprint. He stayed so long in each route that the memories were drilled into his skull in the form of mental pictures. The Azure Bay was an example, with the perfect scenery of all the small isles all within the boundaries of the bay that went on for miles on end. He could recount the night sky on the valley of Frost Cavern, that was certainly his more vivid mental picture.

The last piece was yet to be written. Nic put the charcoal to the corner of the 20 by 15 canvas and added the final touch. His signature. Carefully with hard charcoal this time, he used his cursive and put 'Nic Pularis' in the corner. With that set, the artwork was done.

Nic leaned back once more and smiled at his latest piece done in an hour's time. It wasn't hard, but it wasn't easy. He just pictured it and followed along. Improvising was a key he was prone to using a lot. His artwork done, he got up and carried the empty plate and put it in the sink along with the number of dishes he was to clean. He then returned outside, where he got his charcoal piece and placed it back inside on one of the few tables that still remained.

With some completion on his creativity done, he made way outside once more, a small grin on his face. As he embarked for the guild hall, he saw someone walking up the small hill trail. To his satisfaction, it was…

"Erza, good morning." Nic smiled.

The redhead stopped in front of him and smiled back. "Good morning."

"So, what do you intend today…together?" Nic grabbed her hand and the two had begun walking side-by-side with one another. Erza gave a small complimentary blush as Nic's affectionate hold on her hand was so warm. She'd wish he'll never let go.

"Well I need to go and get some supplies. Cana's booze is starting to stain and stink up the place." The knight couldn't help but grimace Cana's little nabbing from the kitchen cellar every now and again…or every day. "Do you need anything?"

Nic gave a very weak shrug. "Not in particular. Let's head out."

The two paced themselves with no worries as they embarked on their way towards Magnolia.

* * *

After having another job covered yesterday, both Nic and Erza decided to just hang back and ease themselves before either had decided to go for another one. The job wasn't hard in their case, but the amount of fighting and pay was high. Nic and Erza decided to spend the day, or at least the first half of the day, by spending it with each other. Whether or not they'd spend it wandering around or looking for small shops mattered not, as long as they saw the other smiling, that was more than enough for them.

"So where do you want to go?" Nic inquired.

"Let's head to that little candle shop. I gotta exploit those fragrances that'll liven up the dorms." Erza answered. "Come." She picked up her pace while Nic was taken by surprise. She was as pushy as can be, even to the point of dragging people. To accommodate, Nic hurried his pace, much to his surprise.

Reaching the little stand, Erza and Nic stood in front of an assortment of air fresheners and scented candles. It was a buffet of scents that filled their noses. The fragrances were sharp or mellow, however it seemed with each flavor ranging from vanilla to lavender.

Erza put a hand to her chin, pondering. "I just don't know which one to decide on."

The shopkeeper put his hands together and gave a generous smile. "Don't be shy. There's a wide variety o scents."

"Hmmm…"

Nic looked around as well, showing some level of interest. It wasn't so much as the vanilla scented candles he had at his place, more like he just liked to see what other varieties there were. He looked to a small section of candles that were purple in color.

He leaned closer, taking a look and reading the label. "Vineyard." He repeated.

Erza glanced over towards Nic. "See something you like?"

Nic took a small whiff of the vineyard smell and the scent flooded his nostrils. It wasn't spicy, but it smiled a little like fresh grapes that came right off the vineyard. He showed no ill-will towards the smell, rather he enjoyed it. He grinned at Erza. "Yeah, I like this one very much."

The shopkeeper looked towards the candles. "Vineyard? That's quite a choice. Not many people go for that. It's always like a peach or citrus they go for."

Erza nodded in understanding. "Well if that's the case, we'll take a few."

"Excellent! See anything else you like?"

Erza looked around the small shop stand in front and spectated the numerous names and fragrances. While there were others like blue raspberry and watermelon included, her eyes widened when she came across the perfect scent.

She held up a red scented candle. "I shall purchase this brand!" She declared boldly. Her declaration caught attention, but many turned a blind eye almost instantly. Nic just stayed calm through it.

"Fresh strawberries? What a fruity pair you two have made." The shopkeeper praised.

Nic smiled at the compliment on par with the scents they've purchased, as did Erza.

After they left the candle shop with purple and red candles in a brown paper bag, the duo walked through the streets of Magnolia, looking for something else to indulge on. They continued walking on through the market until they came across another shop, preferably one of Erza's most favorite in all of town.

Standing before them on one of the avenues of Magnolia was the infamous dessert shop. Inside was a marvelous show of sweet with icing and frosting of vast assortments. There were lots of chocolate chips on chocolate frosting, and rainbow colored cakes. Too much sweetness there was, and there were more than a couple of patrons inside, leaving the shopkeeper with a proud smile.

"Thank you, come again!" The feminine shopkeeper called out as the customer left with a box of fresh donuts.

Nic and Erza entered the dessert shop, little smiles on their faces as they exploited the place, or perhaps it was just Nic since Erza's been in and out almost every single day. The shopkeeper had her brown eyes set on Erza as the familiar face showed up alongside her lover. The sight of them holding hands was just simply sweeter than all the sweets in the shop.

"Ah, Erza! Welcome back!" She happily greeted. "And welcome, Nic Pularis!"

Nic nodded towards her. "The pleasure is all ours."

"I see you're having a usual day it seems." Erza stated.

The woman in her mid-thirties chuckled. "Yup, there's no such thing as a slow day in this town. So what brought you here?"

"I'll take the usual." Erza explained.

"Sure, one slice of strawberry cheesecake, coming up!"

While Erza was all set to order in her case, Nic looked around to ponder. He was still exploring the changes that Magnolia has been exposed to over the seven years. Locations have changed, and shops closed, but he was thankful that more than a few cafés still didn't go anywhere.

The décor in the shop made it look simple, with green wall paint layered with flowers, another sweet trick to make the shop all the more comfort. It was the details and the craftsmanship that he was paying attention to. The entire ensemble was vivid with a nice aroma of sugar, and the glistening sparkles on some cupcakes piqued his interests. The more he took in with his eyes, the more memories he was taking in; just looking at a chocolate chip muffin was a mouthwatering picture that he could remember, well enough to put it on paper.

"See anything you like?"

Nic turned away from his wandering thoughts as Erza stood beside him, smirking as she watched hi spectate her more favorite shops. It made her all giddy inside to see Nic relishing and taking in all of those sweets on site. While her strawberry cheesecake was sliced from its whole, she looked amused as Nic looked for something suited for him.

Knowing Nic, he probably wouldn't eat it until later, but as long as he enjoyed sometime during the day, that'll be enough for her.

Nic reached and finally picked something. "I'll take one of these." He presented a small bar of brownie glazed with chocolate mint on the top. It was small, but it suited Nic. He, by no means, had a major sweet tooth compared to Erza.

"Okay!" The shopkeeper did as she pleased and Nic paid for the sweets, on his treat. Once the two were satisfied, they exited the shop and continued their aimless venture through town. They walked on, and to Nic's slight amazement, Erza was willing to eat her strawberry cheesecake as she walked. He smiled as she watched her eat with such ecstasy. Her face lit up with a snuggly look with every bite she took. It even made Nic chuckle, but only weak enough for him to hear.

Eventually with her cake all gone, Erza beamed on with Nic as the two aimlessly spent the day, looking around and seeing the local sights. It was a nice little break from running themselves ragged on occasion, whether it'd be jobs or Nic's training that could make a normal man unable to move for the rest of his life. Curiosity and wandering eyes soon led the pair to a little shop that caught Nic's attention.

It looked just like a small art shop. He didn't realize before because he never spent so much time in the city compared to when he's on jobs, the guild hall, or training in the wilderness. But with the concept of art fresh on his mind, he decided to make a detour inside, with Erza in tow.

The two went inside the little shop. To describe it in simple words, perhaps all over the place. All around were pictures of paintings and drawing. There was as much assortment to art as there were books to a library. 2D and ceramic pieces sold here for money were placed on pedestals for prominent display.

"This is pretty interesting." Nic said in a neutral tone.

The shopkeeper appeared out of the backroom with a box of frames in hand. He had a beard and looked at the two with surprise. "Oh, hello!"

"Hello." Nic greeted back.

The rather old man sat the box down atop of the wooden counter, right next to a clay sculpture with the words 'ART' spelled vertically downwards. He didn't seem to mind the customers present. "So, what can I help you two with?" He asked.

Nic was looking around, contemplating as he looked at the various pieces done in pencil art, photography, and other assortments. "I think…I might need a few supplies." Nic didn't wanna come off as rude, but he doesn't like leaving a shop without buying something unless it was for a very good reason. Whenever he ventured into a little café back in Lumiose City, he always got something, whether it'd be a small soup or a small house salad. Rather than saying 'I'm just looking around', he just goes and improvises based on the quality of the store's merchandise, in which case, he felt fortunate.

"I must say, these oil canvases are well made." Erza complimented, seeing an oil painting of elegant ballroom dancers.

"That one was actually sold to this art shop last week." The shopkeeper informed. "He's known for oil canvases."

Nic turned to face him. "So all of these were bought and sold artworks."

"Half of them, yes. The other half were all crafted and drawn myself." He explained. He pointed to a random artwork hanging up that showed a beach. "That for example, I used oil pastels to make."

"It's a very lovely drawing." Erza praised.

"Thank you." The shopkeeper said. "So anyways, you said you needed supplies, right? What can I help you find?"

Nic was looking at a casual art piece that showed a lily pad in a pond, looking to be made by paint. He looked at the old shopkeeper and approached the counter. "Hmmm…" He pondered for a few seconds, tapping his index finger on the smooth and sturdy wood. He was more drawn towards pencil and black and white art, but as of recently he's been dabbling in charcoal.

"Got any charcoal for charcoal art?" He asked.

The shopkeeper crouched down to beneath the counter, looking at the assortments of supplies ranging from colored pencils and paintbrushes. His eyes widened and he perked up when he found something. A small silver box that could fit into large pockets. It had a label and picture of examples of art with charcoal clearly shown.

"Here we are. Is this what you're looking for?" He slid the charcoal kit towards Nic and he caught it. He looked down at the label with a subtle nod.

"Yes, this should be just what I'm looking for. Thank you." He grinned.

The old man stood back up and grinned. "No problem…" The shopkeeper looked away at another random picture. "You know, it's appreciative to know that out there, people see a big picture. Whether it's just a landscape or a simple self-portrait. I admire the newest artists arising. They have so much creativity, so much inspiration, and so much to the imagination. Usually I just sell paintings and photography sold here by other patrons, almost like a pawn shop. At least every now and so, people always try and express themselves in art…" The old man shook his head, shaking himself out of his thoughts. "Oh, sorry. I was caught in my wonders."

Nic grinned. "It's no trouble. I sometimes consider the same thing. It's nice for everyone to appreciate your hard work when that signature is finally printed."

The old shopkeeper nodded in respect and understanding of Nic's praise and sold him the small charcoal set and the pair walked out and made way through the town once more, grins on their faces once more with another successful voyage through another store.

* * *

The duo didn't seem at all unsatisfied with a good day's work cut out for them. Of course the purchases cancelled out the amount they got paid with for their job yesterday. It mattered not to Nic for he wasn't as lenient to finances compared to Erza, who's always being careful about the prices.

The duo had already dropped off the stuff off needed at Erza's dorm. Nic helped where he could, especially when it came to sneaking inside Cana's room and getting a candle inside. By the time they were finished, the dorms, mainly Erza's room, smelled like fresh strawberries.

They made way up the hill towards Nic's little place, where he had a few small bags in his hands, more specifically his charcoal, candles, and his chocolate mint brownie. The great Luminous finally made it inside of the tavern, where he didn't seem at all exhausted as he sat the bags down onto a table.

"This has certainly been quite the day." Erza said.

"I can vouch for that." Nic agreed. "I thought today was a lot of fun." His smiled widened when meeting her eyes. "Say, Erza?"

"Hm?"

"Do you…want to share the brownie with me?"

Erza blinked and was caught surprised by the request. She didn't account for Nic to be so straight-up with his request. But the look on his face showed seriousness and inquiry at the same time. It was an innocent question, and yet it made Erza feel so fuzzy inside. All she could do was stutter some before speaking.

"O-of course. I would love to share a sweet with you."

Nic reached inside the bag and pulled out the single chocolate mint brownie. "Thank you. You know I'm not prone to eating treats such as these too often, but if I'm gonna savor it, might as well invite you to do so as well. I don't think trying out new flavors isn't too bad for you anyways."

Of course Nic did have a valid point. He was never so affirm to one flavor unlike Erza or his sister. While Erza was left to fall hopelessly in love with strawberry cheesecake, and Vanessa has a knack for lemon-flavors, Nic didn't fall in any of those categories. He was always exploring flavors, while on occasion having his usual omelet. Food is one thing, but flavor is another.

Nic and Erza sat themselves down on some chairs around a casual wooden table. Both Nic and Erza smiled as Nic got a plastic knife supplied by the shopkeeper and split the brownie in half. They took pleasure in holding up their individual pieces and they held them up in a manner similar to a toast. Both them took their first bites of the brownie, and the chocolate mint passed over their taste buds and down their throats. The two had mixed reactions, one of interest and another filled with speculation.

"This isn't too bad." Erza mumbled.

"I'll say." Nic agreed. He spectated the remaining brownie in his hand and turned it upside down. "Chocolate mint, huh? It's different from strawberry cheesecake to say the least."

"It's perhaps a little change up one can say, but I actually like the strawberry cheesecake a little more." Erza stated.

Nic grinned. "Someone's picky."

Erza chuckled in agreement. "You can say that."

The two had then finished their individual desserts not long after. Nic found a nearby trash bin and he threw the plastic knife and wrapper away. He turned towards Erza and had a resolute look in his eyes.

"Well, I think I'm going to go for a run. I can't sit around and have a simple dessert weigh myself into insufficient condition." Nic said with resolve.

Erza nodded in understanding. "Alright, but don't overdo yourself."

"I won't."

Nic walked outside, leaving Erza by herself to muddle over the décor of the abandoned second building. When she really looked at it, it wasn't too bad. The vineyard scented candles did brighten up the place a little, but the overall appeal was too bland and insufficient to really be considered a home. A storage place or a barn? Maybe, but it lacked that homely touch to ever be labeled a suitable home. However it wasn't her say that mattered. This sort of localization is more ideal to Nic compared to her, probably since he's only recently started sleeping in beds since the Grand Magic Games. He can sleep just about anywhere.

Her dawdling min cascaded its attention to the picture that she had completely overlooked. "Hm?" She stepped forward and further examined the artwork. She looked all around, becoming fascinated with the location and how it was all black and white. It had Nic's signature at the lower right.

"Nic drew this?" She looked at the refined pond in the corner, how there was a hillside and little flaw as the Marill in the pond was like a little ensemble. When she examined it further, she was left to dawdle back to the conversation Nic and the art shopkeeper had to the concept of art. While Erza was by no means a very artistic person, nor a fascinating eye to consider her own shrewd stick figures, she does admit that though this was Nic's work and not Reedus's, it had a nice point of view. _"You know, it's appreciative to know that out there, people see a big picture. Whether it's just a landscape or a simple self-portrait. I admire the newest artists arising. They have so much creativity, so much inspiration, and so much to the imagination. Usually I just sell paintings and photography sold here by other patrons, almost like a pawn shop. At least every now and so, people always try and express themselves in art…"_ The words and speech was still fresh, and she gave one last look at Nic's most recent accomplishment and made a firm resolve.

* * *

Through the trees and grass they all ran. Nic was running with gusto and with swift and mighty footsteps. He had no shirt nor coat on, but he was looking to have some fun. He ran surprisingly fast through the woods, his body leaning forward as every calorie burned and more energy exhausted was another step to who-knows-where. By his side, Greninja sprinted with the grace of a ninja and shifted around a tree. Garchomp was nearby, his fins folded inward so that he didn't slice up the trees. Charizard, Kecleon, Staraptor, and Arbok were all running as well, and slithering. Staraptor's pacing was incredible as ordinary birds normally don't run, exclude Dodrio, but Staraptor's feet left and touched the ground as fast as an Infernape lunging.

Everyone ran through the forest with really no aim. Nic jumped over a log and landed with quick feet. He sprung ahead and his heart pumped blood, sweat drenched his upper body and he breathed heavily in and out. He and the others broke the land speed record as they got more mileage in for the day.

* * *

A bell rung as a door opened. Again, in the shop, it was all but vacant, save for the shopkeeper as he was refining a clay sculpture's rough edged and tried smoothing it out. He was on a Potter's Wheel and had a white apron with assortments of paint and other art tools that stained it over the years.

"Be right with you." He announced. He dipped his hands into a bucket and rubbed the clay off. Once had had the clay rubbed away and the smooth pottery was put to a halt for now, he arose and made way towards the counter.

He presented himself to the customer. "What can I help you with…" He was caught shocked when it was a familiar customer from earlier today. He saw the look Erza had as she looked as serious as can be. "Miss? What do you need?"

Erza showed something in her hand. What she had was a drawing, one that she presented to the shopkeeper with. The look on his face when he saw the charcoal artwork was priceless.

He loomed over the details, seeing the grass and dirt with awe. "Oh dear goodness…" He looked at the signature and swiftly turned his head back up at Erza. "Where did you get this?"

Erza got right to her point. "I require this piece to be framed."

* * *

Nic arrived back to his little place, having already showered and had on his full attire once more. He looked on ahead through the doorway and entered his hobble with Greninja in tow. The two ventured inside and looked around, seeing everything as it should be: vacant.

"Five miles." Greninja repeated.

"Yup, it didn't take too long, but I think we've managed to work up an appetite, agreed?"

Greninja nodded with blank eyes. "I couldn't agree more."

Nic flashed a grin and turned towards the nearby fridge. He walked on over and seemed placid as he reached for the handle. Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes blank as he was catching onto something. "Hold on…" He retracted from the handle and slowly looked over his shoulder. Greninja followed Nic's glance, he too catching onto something that was off. Both turned their attention to the table that was empty, which was housing something earlier, only now it was gone.

Nic and Greninja's eyes widened in shock. "What? Who pilfered my art?!" He exclaimed.

Greninja and Nic both looked around wearily. Greninja seemed to be just as annoyed. "Taking someone's credit is not doable."

A pair of footsteps could be heard entering the abandoned domain. Upon sensing a presence, Nic and Greninja sharply turned their heads and looked at the intruder. They were on the defensive due to the art being taken, but they were able to relax once they saw the recognizable face.

"Erza?" Nic asked in confusion.

Erza smiled. "Hi, Nic. How was your run?" She sounded so carefree, but Nic could feel the facetious in her rolling tongue.

Nic only played along rather than just go with being straightforward. "…it was fine. We got a bit if mileage in for the day." He turned towards the empty table. "By any chance, do you know where a little piece of artwork went?"

Erza smiled. "Mmm, perhaps. Why don't you follow me."

As Erza turned away and started walking out, Nic turned towards Greninja and vice versa. Both had the peculiar looks on them. They could tell that there was something Erza had in store, and it involved the artwork he made earlier.

Following her led, Nic and Greninja walked out of the domain and made way for where Erza was leading them. As they wandered on, the wandering eyes of the public were at grasped attention with Nic's Greninja out in the open, but they gave no care as the peanut gallery was in awe seeing one of the six Pokémon that saved the universe alongside Nic.

"So, mind telling us where we're going?" Nic asked.

"It's a surprise." Erza replied.

The answer didn't seem to suffice for Nic, but he let it slide as Erza continued leading them down the same avenue from earlier today. Still ignoring everybody else with gusto, Nic and Greninja stopped for a moment when they saw something up ahead. Their eyes showed surprise indeed when the art shop seemed to be flooding with patrons, much more compared to earlier. Nic and Greninja could see people walking out with paintings and drawings of various sorts. Nic was perplexed as he ventured further. His eyes widened in complete and utter shock when he and Greninja both came to the front of the store.

Right there, sitting on the windowsill, there it was. Nic's charcoal piece. It still had his signature and everything, only it was framed in black. The few patrons in front looked at the artwork with awe.

"Whoa, Nic Pularis drew that?!"

"I didn't know our savior was an artist!"

"Look, there he is!" Everyone turned around and were in awe as Nic was standing behind them. They all were flabbergasted and were beholding the piece and the man who gave the little art shop some fame. The faces they all had were priceless, and the shopkeeper inside had hold another painting he crafted with a smile.

Ignoring the peanut gallery all over again, Nic turned towards Erza. The redhead looked nervous due to how to proceed next. Granted she did feel a little guilty for taking his work, but she wanted to know what he thought. She was praying that Nic wasn't gonna decline the generous thing she's done.

"You did this?" He asked.

Erza nodded. "Yes." She admitted. "Is it…okay?"

The redhead felt her cheeks blush hard when she felt a pair of arms drape around her. She felt a warming sensation on her cheek. All she could process then and there was the fact Nic was hugging her and kissing her cheek.

Nic pulled away with a satisfied grin. "You did amazing." He praised. He then softened his gaze. "But please, don't take my art without permission again, okay?"

Erza nodded as she was trying to composed herself, suffice to say Nic's answer completely swelled her with so much joy that it was leaving her in unprecedented shock. "O-okay."

Greninja looked on with a grin and nod of approval before turning to face the framed picture. The site brought back fond memories for him.

* * *

With the events that went on, Nic and Erza had a nice little dinner in which Nic paid for. Nothing fancy, but subtle nonetheless. With their day pretty much done and with the sun setting, Nic said goodnight to Erza before she went to the guild hall to meet up with her team for an overnight job. He ventured back up to his hobble and gave a relieving sigh. A long day's work of training, art, and spending time with the love of your life can wear down the mind and body. He took the liberty of feeding his Pokémon a quick dinner, showered, and found himself in bed as the night sky was fresh.

As Nic was left to dawdle on until sleep would roll around, he was left to consider many things. For instance, the more he thought of Erza, the more he wanted to be around her. The issue was that it was either her sleeping mostly at Fairy Hills or - on occasion – staying over if it was late. He didn't think too highly, but far be it from Nic to say that it was tedious picking one place or another. Of course he smirked in amusement when he also considered how he jumps over and over from Earth Land to Kalos. He stared up at the ceiling, hearing little to no cracks as the calm night left everything in suspense. Nic was touched by Erza's display of affection by displaying his memories for all to see and admire. Today was nothing short of a win-win. Not peachy, but he enjoyed it a lot better than yesterday when all he really did was train and meditate with heavy boulders latched to his arms. Since Erza was around today, he could cut back and enjoy her company today, which he did with generosity and satisfaction.

His mind went deeper and deeper as he thought harder and harder. It was honestly starting to give him a headache. He didn't know exactly what he was missing, but the concept was him and Erza together. Pieces of puzzles flowed through his mind about the redhead and their current situation. They were lovers who would be together forever or for as long as they each continued to breathe, and yet they were so far apart. Their relationship had taken major milestones to come to this point, but a key was missing. Was it marriage? Nah, he was only 19 – if not counting the 7 years they traveled through – so that was a little premature. There was something in his mind that they had to define, and he always had to touch up the small rundown place Nic was currently in.

His eyes widened and he suppressed a gasp that cleared out of his throat. He just realized what the big picture was, and it was ironically gonna be the biggest picture he may ever draw up. "It's worth a shot. What's the harm?"

This was really a way for him to draw his worries and other assortments on paper before he could forget. Sitting up on the bed and pressed against the headboard, Nic had a pencil in hand as he had paper already set and started to draw lines.

* * *

Erza was smiling with plentiful bliss in her sleep. She and Team Natsu was sleeping soundly in an inn as the overnight job had led them to Balsam Village. While Natsu was snoring like an animal, Gray stripped completely, and Lucy trying to cover her ears from Natsu's monstrous snore, Erza was really the only one who had any peace as she slept on the sheets and held a spare pillow tight in an iron grip.

"Mmm…Nic…" The day's events went into her dreams, and she envisioned herself soundly alongside Nic, whether it'd be for a battle, or dinner, and more evidently, bed. Her grip and hold on the pillow tightened as she turned towards her other side.

Meanwhile, Nic was sleeping soundly on the same side coincidentally as the sleeping knight miles upon miles away. Their turning was almost in sync, and Nic had other things he's dreamed about. "…Greninja…Water Shuriken…" He mumbled in his sleep as he turned onto his back and turned his head off to the side. He was having another exhilarating battle dream.

On the floor right next to him, there were a few papers sprawled on the ground. They were rater unorganized, but there were clear ways to tell that they were all plans by the layouts. There was what appeared to have been a long trail leading up to a layout of a first floor. The proportions seemed too accurate for them to be any layout plans, but it's what Nic attempted to draw. It was the only one sheet, while the rest of them…were blank.

* * *

The cavernous domain had been their home, their place, their sanctum. The mere concept of trespassers could leave them angered to the point of killing on sight. There were no words to describe the daunting acts that brave men had committed until they were nothing but skeleton lying along the chasm floor somewhere. Some skeletons weren't even more than shattered bits. It was a land of no return.

Taking echoing strides through the chasm into a humungous chamber, Imaci advanced with precaution. He gave a casual grin at the numbers of faces shrouded within the darkness.

"Greetings, my friends." He started.

"You're late." A feminine voice said from the shadows. Her silhouette showed mature lips and wavy hair.

"As I am aware, mu apologies. But, there was something that piqued my interests."

Another silhouette was seen. He had what seemed glasses that had a bright glare. His hair had a very odd bang going around his head with a comet or Saturn ring. He was sitting in his chair, fiddling with a piece of a game board. "Not to worry yourselves. I foresaw this late upcoming and it seems our key player had to miss a turn, to our fortune I hope."

Another silhouette revealed a heavily armored figure leaned against the wall. He had a sheathed sword and his headgear was like that of a samurai. "What's your reason this time, Imaci? If it was but a struggle, you know better than to have me deal with it in an instant."

Another figure had a bloody scythe and his cloak was large. His hands were clutching the scythe with great anticipation. "Saboth, while you show no mercy, there are those undeserving, and must be granted the greatest pain though a slow, bloody end." The figure replied in an equally demonic and dark tone.

"Your hunger for blood is admirable, but it's not deemed necessary." Imaci answered. "I assure you, it wasn't of that conflict."

"Then what transpired?" Another silhouette showed a lady with a bud atop, her cloak looking similar to Imaci's. She had less of a sultry tone compared to the other figure right beside her, but more seriousness within.

"How's about we show you. Crowhaw, if you would?"

In the center of the small group, there was a ghastly vortex. The vortex turned into a ghastly figure who held onto something. It was big, and Crowhaw landed on a knee as he had the raft in hand. Not a single piece of it was out of place.

Saboth's silhouette showed clenched fists. "Grah! What is this stupid monstrosity?"

The reaper-like silhouette nearby dipped his scythe closer to the ground. "It looks like a memory."

Crowhaw stood up, his left eye shown as his conical straw hat blocked his right eye. "In a blunt statement. This was actually a raft carrying what may be deceased and are immortalized by these works of art."

The sultry figure flicked her hair up. "Ugh, art can be such a bore."

"Watch your tongue, Ivy." The other female warned. "All things considered, this is beautiful, in a way."

"If by beautiful, you mean just pretty to look at, then I don't see any other purpose for it."

Saboth drew an intricate sword within the darkness. Already small insects looming around fell over at the sudden release of power. "She's right. Let's just make this memory disappear."

"Saboth, do halt for a moment." The intelligent and sophisticated voice move his piece away by an inch, and surprisingly Saboth followed, having his body back off. "Do take your impatience elsewhere. If you want to find lives to ruin, do so the next time you're on reconasense. Every piece is to be accounted for if we are to fully detail the rules of a game, thus we shall see who rolls the dice."

"Your little game of chess can really irritate my hearing at times, do you know that?" Ivy barked.

"At ease, everyone." Imaci said. Silencing the commotion transpiring. "Fernando is right, as always. The jury's verdict is all based on Alpha. Speaking of…" He turned around and looked all the ways. "Where is he?"

"He should be here anytime now." Crowhaw said. "And speaking of the devil…"

A pair of footsteps and armor clanged against the ground. There was a dark cape that whipped around in the hollow winds that he picked up. The man's silhouette showed slicked back, but also quite messy hair. The color was still undetermined, but there was a massive scar across his left cheek. Behind him and floating about the person seemed like a human-sized ghost with a wicked and sinister grin. All around the duo was a cold air. Ivy had to cover herself up as she felt a chill run through the room.

"What's all the commotion I keep hearing from you guys?" He wondered as he brushed past Fernando and Saboth's figures. As his ghostly comrade followed, its mean red eyes made contact with Fernando, chuckling as he could sense the chill running up and down his spine.

"I see you never change." Fernando said as he turned around to face his game board. "But I suppose the loyal knight is always besides his majesty."

The footsteps stopped, and the man showed a cocky smirk. "Well, well, well." He said slowly as he overlooked the small raft. "What do we have right in front of us?" He frowned as he looked up at the others. "And just who brought this to us?"

Crowhaw tipped his straw hat. "Forgive me, Alpha. But it seemed too pleasant of a work of art to pass up."

Alpha shook his head. "Oh Crowhaw, I swear that your curiosity is gonna get you killed one of these days. Or…" He reached out, a dark aura engulfing his arm as he clutched it. Crowhaw suddenly felt like he was choking as his neck had a dark ring around it. "Or it could kill you today."

Crowhaw suffocated, but he showed no struggle. The dark ring around his neck was making him sizzle as it was like a burning sensation, like being choked by the underworld.

Imaci turned towards Alpha. "Sir, I believe he's learned his lesson."

Alpha scoffed as he reluctantly let go to his ally's behalf. "Suit yourself." The dark ring around Crowhaw's neck faded, leaving the mysterious man to stutter and wobble as he clutched his neck from the pain. "Now let's see what kind of souvenir you fished up this time."

"It's a raft with pictures of people." Ivy said bluntly.

Alpha despondently turned towards her. "Thank you, Ivy, for pointing that out." He said sarcastically. "You fools are lucky that I have a tolerance for your little sense of humor."

"Please don't overthink on the matter." Fernando insisted. "This little work of art is-"

"Burn it."

Everyone grew silent as Alpha gave the verdict.

"You heard me, those smiles disgust me. They make me wanna puke with that sweet innocence. Whoever build this and drew these cocky smirks knows not how this is all played out." He swatted Makarov's frame aside, his picture shattering when it had hit the wall The picture was punctured by the glass. "Old farts were meant to die young, am I right?"

Everyone snickered as they closed in on the raft, ready to do as they pleased. Saboth got out a sword while the reaper-like figure had a scythe.

Imaci turned away. "Do as you all please. Barbarians loathe hard work as they choose the easy way."

Fernando adjusted his glasses. "As the game is played, so does one's choice. What a shame."

Crowhaw tipped his cap and backed off along with Imaci and Fernando while everyone else gathered around.

Alpha's dark eyes looked at the sickening smiles. He liked frowns, ironic since his cocky smirk was always on. His eyes turned towards the center piece. Suddenly something clicked. "However!" He bellowed, stopping everyone again.

"What now?" The reaper groaned with tiresome.

Alpha crouched down and looked into the two pictures that intrigued him. The two pictures were of Nic and Vanessa, and right in front of Nic's picture was his phone and earbuds. There was something off about the two in those pictures, something that completely caught him by surprise.

"I will, however, will need to take a look at these." He seized the portraits of Nic and Vanessa and held them up. He looked down and grabbed the phone and earbuds. He frowned as he turned his back to his comrades. "Come."

His floating ghost with a wicked smile followed behind as he carried the pictures and devices off as he could hear tearing, glass shattering, and destruction to art right behind him. The sound made him smirk again as he ventured back into the darkness.

* * *

 **As I promised, this update was to make up for the mistake on last chapter. While last chapter was more about the difference of training methods between Nic and usual Pokémon Trainers, this one was really more of getting Nic's artistic side some screen time. Also I got more interaction with Nic and Erza, so I hope that was an extra treat.**

 **With this idea finally out of the way, I can finally do some more** _ **One's Road to Remembrance**_ **before I jump back to this story. I have a lot of fans surprisingly on both stories, so I hope I don't keep anyone waiting for as long as it's deemed necessary. Next chapter will be the beginning of a very special arc that is replacing the Eclipse Celestial Arc from the anime. It's gonna have a lot of unique twists and have major ideals that I rather not spoil. It's called the Council War Arc, so I hope that it meets all of your expectations and then some!**

 **Keep up those reviews and comments, and until next time!**


	5. Igniting the Sparks

_All around, there was a number of bodies lying without life. The dirt on their corpses added a bitter odor to their unsanitary and bloodied scars and bruises. The rising smoke and churning embers in the carnage made it unclear as to where anybody was, but all around they could see nothing but the other disappearing._

 _In the fires and smoke, there stood perhaps a young boy. He looked to be the only one present as many others around him were swallowed up in fire and falling debris, leaving their fates sealed with death._

 _The young boy looked so confused. He turned left and right, his very short, spiky black hair unturned as he hastily looked for any signs or clues as to where or who to turn to._

 _He tried calling out. "Hey! Anybody out here? Is anybody still able to stand?" He turned towards a previously fallen body some feet away from him, but it was no longer there. It's as if it vanished like a ghost. He looked at another spot, and then the biggest revelation happened. He realized that every body had just vanished like it had become a ghost. He was but a lone boy in a crumbling field._

 _He looked around as the ground was cracking up. There was little time, and he still cannot understand what was happening. It was as if his legs had just given up and became paralyzed in fear. He was distressed and had no way out._

" _Hello?" A second voice called out within the destruction._

 _The boy looked ahead to see what was a girl, and she seemed to be his age, if not older. His eyes widened when he recognized the short scarlet hair. Despite her ragged clothing and one eye, he could tell who she was._

" _Erza!" He exclaimed._

 _Erza turned towards the voice, her eye widening. "Nic?"_

" _Erza, what's happening? Are you able to get out?" He asked._

 _Erza looked at him with worry, but she didn't respond. It was as though she was on mute, or perhaps she could no longer acknowledge him then and there._

" _Erza? Can you hear me?" He called out again, but again the redhead looked like she was listening to a foreign language. She looked distressed, and she turned away in heavy hesitation. "Erza, what's wrong? Tell me!"_

 _Another figure entered from the dust and smoke brewing. He had an equally worried expression as he advanced towards Erza. "Erza? Erza!"_

 _Erza turned around to find a familiar person in her presence; and by no means was she confused. "Jellal!"_

 _Nic looked surprised to say the least. "Jellal?"_

 _Jellal extended his arm out. "Erza, come with me. You'll be safer."_

 _Erza looked down at Jellal's hand. She looked relieved, and yet she was somehow drawn towards him. Her hair shifted as she looked back up at Jellal, seeing his charismatic smile evolving._

" _Erza!" Nic called out once more, only to be flat out ignored. He watched in horror as Erza took Jellal's hand and the two started walking away. "Erza! Wait!"_

 _Jellal smiled at Erza. "Don't worry Erza. I'll protect you, better than anyone has."_

 _Erza blushed as she walked right besides Jellal, her smile equally as inviting. "Okay."_

 _Nic's eyes dilated and his chest suddenly began to literally crack apart. His own tattered white shirt had a dark red stain over where his heart was. The heartache was literal and the blood was oozing out and turning the whole shirt red, and it wouldn't stop, even when Nic tried covering it with an arm. He never felt so broken, and his entire body shut down as he saw the happy couple walk off, leaving the carnage and Nic behind to die._

" _Erza…wait…what about…?" He was lost, and at that instant the ground beneath completely fell apart. Nic fell head first into a molten lava pit, his fate sealed._

" _ **ERZA!**_ _"_

Nic's eyes shot open and his entire body lurched forward. His shock almost made him slip and fall off the sturdy tree branch he slept atop of. He caught himself and held himself together as his vision was fuzzy, and his mind was in a maelstrom. Small beads of sweat dripped down his face and splattered onto the grass far below.

Nic looked down at the ground and stared blankly as he was catching back up with reality. He was by no means in the best of moods, especially after that disturbing revelation. He adjusted himself and sat his back along the tree trunk as before, staring into the norm.

On the tree branch on the other side of the tree trunk, Greninja opened his eyes, the blank look clear as day, despite it being night. "Hey, you alright?"

Nic had his breathing settle and he looked despondent. "…yeah, I'm alright."

Greninja was no fool. "It's that same nightmare again, isn't it? That's the third time this week."

"I just hope it's nothing more than a nightmare."

As much as Nic wanted to just hope, that really wasn't helping. The first time having it was maybe just a coincidence or a bad dream, but afterwards, things were just malevolent. Almost every other night, it was that same dream, and he'd always wake up with a seed of doubt that has yet to fully bloom into something worse.

Greninja sat along his tree branch and leaned against the trunk again. "Let's just try and get some rest again."

Nic closed his eyes once more and crossed his arms. His and Greninja's postures and positions were identical as they had one leg stretched out and another one bent; arms crossed and backs to the tree trunk.

"…yeah, at least until the sun comes up." Nic then allowed himself to calmly sleep once more, the nighttime atmosphere starting to lift to a calmer level.

* * *

The day had already begun, and Fairy Tail was already up and at it again. The guild was as boisterous and rowdy as can be, and more or less everyone was giving up a very pleasant and welcoming vibe.

Droy chomped down on an entire bone of meat, tearing off a heavy chunk. "Mmm, thanks Mira! You're the best!" He muffled.

Mirajane. Who had just served him, gave her trademark warm smile. "My pleasure."

Jet looked at his best pal with crossed arms. "Seriously man, you gotta start ordering something like a salad if you wanna trim down."

"Naw, I'm fine." Droy just ate his insecurities off, leaving Jet to sigh over his teammate's misfortunate habits.

Cana hiccupped as she slammed a mug down on the counter. "Yeah, now that's something to get my day up and going."

Sophie sat right beside Cana, having a little breakfast to start the day. "Don't you at least have some food beforehand or after with that? I'm really sure that it'll do wonders for your stomach if you get some nutrients and calories burned."

Cana turned towards her, her face looking as if she was in a world of a child talking to a grown-up. "Eh?"

"Never mind." Sophie just accepted her friend's drinking habits and she picked up her breakfast sandwich. She opened her mouth wide and she chomped down hard onto her breakfast, every morsel of sausage, egg, cheese, and bacon crackling her taste buds with delight.

Vanessa sat on the stool right besides Sophie, lining up all three girls; Braixen made a longer line along the bar. The younger Pularis sibling was - not surprising anymore – awoken by Sophie. You could tell by the small circles beneath her eyes. Yes she loved sleep, it was one of her favorite things to do, but of course that's a challenge she could rarely get by, even on weekends. Still, she pressed on and blissfully indulged herself in another breakfast sandwich Mirajane provided.

"So do we have a plan set for today?" Vanessa inquired.

"As far as I know, I believe that we should be clear today. I'm still sore from yesterday's job." Sophie explained, unconsciously rubbing the back of her neck.

Braixen sat her chin on her paws as her elbows were atop the counter. "I think we'd all love that. Vanessa especially."

Vanessa chuckled at her Pokémon's speculations. "You got me there."

Cana looked towards the guild hall doors. "Say, speaking of which, where's your brother? Is he out with his Pokémon again?"

Vanessa frowned and nodded in confirmation. "I'm afraid so."

"Kalos or here?"

"We don't know. We've been off doing our own thing and he's off doing his. Although, is he around when we aren't, or what?" Braixen asked.

"To be honest, nobody can tell what goes on in his head." Sophie interjected. "But whatever he's doing, he's fine. This is Nic Pularis, the great Luminous that saved the entire universe from existence itself being reduced to nothing."

"Alright girl, don't sugarcoat it." Cana rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh.

Though it wasn't Nic, a familiar person ventured inside the guild hall. It was Erza, and she came in with as much stern as she did every other day. She presence was warm, and at the same time gave Fairy Tail its vital and strong feeling, like a sense of security.

"Oh, good morning Erza." Kinana greeted with a smile.

"Good morning to you as well, Kinana." Erza replied as she sat herself down on the stool. "Do you happen to have some tea on hand?"

Kinana nodded. "Of course, a nice refreshing tea, coming right up!" She chirped as she went and began the process of tea. As Kinana was adding a few herbs for flavor and nutrients, she was trying to make a subtle conversation. "So, Erza…"

"Hm?"

"Aren't you excited? It's almost the end of July. You know…" She turned around with a small teacup set on a small plate. "It's almost your one-month anniversary with being with Nic, aren't you excited?"

Erza snickered as she accepted the teacup. "Well…excited would be stretching it." She smiled. "But you're not wrong when it's something that I am looking forward to; but then again, it's just another day."

There was an awkward silence that fell in between the two. It wasn't because of their sudden interaction, but really more of confliction. While Mirajane was off serving and conversing with the other side of the bar, there was Erza, and her smile was meek compared to normal. Kinana wasn't exactly certain how to put it, but it was best for her to just beat around the bush than confront Erza with her own issues.

"Is there something bothering you?" She asked, seeing Erza stare intensely into her tea. "You're looking a little crestfallen."

Erza looked at her server with some slight shock. "O-oh, I'm fine." She replied. "It's just, have you seen Nic around?"

Kinana frowned, realizing the dilemma. "I see. Sorry, but I haven't seen him lately. His constant flipping from here to Kalos makes it really hard for us to keep track. He's been doing that a lot."

Erza sighed dejectedly. "I see. And why isn't he telling anybody? Doesn't he know we should at least be aware of him being here or home?" She huffed irritably. "And not telling me of all people."

"I'm sure it's a mood swing. If not, then I'm positive he has a good intention."

Erza looked towards the guild doors. The occurrence has been more than unkind to her for the most part. She wouldn't say it since she didn't wanna involve such a big crowd into her problem, even though the guild was family to her. In truth, the matter was really more complicated than it seemed to be. The instances included her and Nic's interaction for the most part. The last time they spoke or hung out, it seemed brief, and he wasn't saying more than a few words. And that was only a few days ago.

"Erza?" Kinana called out once more. "Why don't you have some more tea? It'll help with your stress."

"I don't know about stress, but I'll accept." The redhead lied about the stress ordeal out of self-denial, but dealing with it right now was something she'd rather not put up with. Until Nic comes back sometime soon, she'll need a lot of tea.

* * *

In another fraction of Fiore, in Era, things were less than adequate. Peachy is far from the Magic Council's vocabulary. Anything that details adequate, or perhaps fine cannot suffice on the dilemmas that have been turning the entire headquarters on its head. With all of the work, the staff couldn't even tell which way was up. So much work and so little time, nor answers.

The nine seats of the Magic Council itself had themselves bound by the 1st seat's insistence. Gran Doma was not one to be taken lightly, and the way he's been as of recently, nobody dared to even face him head on.

"So let me get this straight." Gran Doma told a frog staff. "You're saying that despite the energy readings, and these power levels, we can't even get them back?"

The increased and harsh tone shook the frog to his core. "Uh, y-yes…?"

"You're saying that all of that infinite dark energy cannot be contained, nor studied, because it was all completely vaporized from the face of history itself?"

"Yes."

"And you're also saying that since this energy is _not_ magic, we cannot contain it…NONSENSE!" Gran Doma slammed his stave's end down into the sparkling floor. The echoing of the sudden anger spike made the frog jump on his heels and squeal in frantic fright.

"Eek! I'm sorry, chairman! Really, I am!" The frog bowed his head and the forehead touched the ground. "But-!"

"There are no buts here. Now you tell me in the first place as to why this infinite dark matter was destroyed, when matter can only be converted or changed? Well?!"

It was just another day of the Magic Council's Gran Doma. There has been a drastic change of pace for his disliking. There was no meaning of rest to him, only relentless hours upon hours of rolling around in his own failures. It had been a long time since they've been chewed up by Nic, Dialga, and Palkia, and the energy readings were beyond magical caliber. For one thing, Gran Doma was unable to accept that Pokémon powers surpassed actual magic; secondly, the constant failures in their actions and having been put down by Legendary Pokémon and Nic Pularis has broken the order of the whole Magic Council into shambles. He wanted to study that foreign energy, and understand what makes it that much stronger than him. And since it was not even tangible, that left Gran Doma feeling like he was gonna explode on a mine field.

"Now, now, Gran Doma." Org interjected. He was followed by Doranbolt and Lahar by his side. "You should know better than to go flipping yourself onto our staff. Their opinions on you will only harden."

Gran Doma gave a boastful huff. "Councilman Org."

"With all do respect, you need to accept the reports. Every molecule and fragment that Ragnarok Lysandre had made from pure hatred and distaste has been eliminated. We've made it clear from two weeks back, and yet here you are, mulling in ill-acceptance."

Gran Doma narrowed his scornful gaze. "I'm well aware…it's just, how can that even be remotely possible? That defies all concept of time and space, especially matter."

Org snickered. "I suppose that's just how it's meant to be."

"What do you want, Org?" Gran Doma skipped all of the pleasantries and wanted to get to the point right then and there.

Org can see how impatient he's become and sighed. "Lahar has some news. Go ahead."

Lahar bowed. "Thank you, Master Org. As you shall be aware of, the prisoners and those already in custody have been having some strict complaints of overflow. We have almost every cell in the southern quadrant filled with bandits and low-lives brought in over the years. We request permission to establish another custody location established, or at the very least apply more staff to regulate the number of criminals."

Gran Doma gave Lahar a twisted look. "Lahar, remind me again who you are?"

Lahar blinked. "Uh, well, sir, I'm the chief of the Custody Enforcement Unit."

"Exactly my point. You have one job, Lahar; to regulate the obstruction of criminals. You don't need my opinion on such a request. All of that is your job, and thus your problem."

"I-I understand, sir, but…"

"Do I make myself clear?" Gran Doma's voice boomed again, once again out of impatience.

Lahar nearly choked on himself, but the pressure Gran Doma was giving off was already doing the job for him. Lahar gave a slow nod. "…understood."

Gran Doma nodded. "Good. Then hire the Council's construction crew at once. I have enough problems on my own end to care about some pathetic insects that are these bandits and vandalism causers." Gran Doma turned and had begun walking away , his staff clanging the ground with every step taken. He marched down the hallway, with every step taken away from Org; the one-eyes man gave a scornful glare as the chairman walked off.

Lahar looked down at the ground. "There he goes again. He's so hung up on Nic Pularis that he overlooks anything not related to him."

Doranbolt crossed his arms. "Yeah, though he's more obsessed than anything else. I'd be too if I applied by the book."

Lahar grinned. "While I do admire how laid-back you can be at times, you are still bound by law. Keep that in mind."

Doranbolt shrugged. "Yeah, but you know, you may as well be glad that there are those who aren't like the Council. Look at us, we're in a mess right now. Gran Doma doesn't pay attention to meeting anymore in regards to these custody meetings you keep advising on. I highly doubt he'll keep up much longer. It's only a matter of time before he completely snaps, and then we'll be in deep water."

Lahar snickered. "You can say that again." He looked over towards Doranbolt, glancing at his smile. "Hm, it seems that Fairy Tail group has really taken a shine on you."

Doranbolt looked away. "Yeah, well, whatever. They're not bad once you get to know them."

Lahar wished he could say the same, but he and Doranbolt did share some familiarities in regards to justice. While both did have a strong sense of justice, Doranbolt was a number of things Lahar was not, nor ever will be. While infiltrating the S-Class exams, he did become morally attached to Fairy Tail to a limited extent. He realized that first-hand on the 3rd day of the Grand Magic Games, and where their strength came from. He did respect Fairy Tail as such, and he extended that trust to Crime Sorciere's Jellal, as peculiar as it was. He had his reasons, but he was that kind of guy who always looks the other way when you know you're to be looking the right way. Lahar, on the other hand, was more stern, and he was more attached to duty and obligation compared to Doranbolt. He cannot lie when he said he distrusts and has barely any respect for Fairy Tail and especially Nic. Past transgressions did lead to heavy conflictions, and many of which left opposite impressions; some out of respect, and some by fear.

"Come on now, Lahar. Don't tell me Gran Doma's gotten to you. That look is bad for your skin." Doranbolt chided.

Lahar looked straight ahead at the hallway. "I admit that I don't have any liking for Fairy Tail's destructive demeanor nor Nic Pularis, I assure you that I am nothing of the chairman's will."

Doranbolt frowned. "But in the end you still see yourself as a puppet, huh?"

"…if I am ordered to use force, that I shall." There was a stiff pause from him before he could continue. "I'm not like Gran Doma, but I'm not as loose compared to you and Master Org."

"I understand. Speaking of which…" Doranbolt turned to look all around him and his ally. Lahar looked around as well, inquiring as to what Doranbolt was recognizing. "By any chance, did we just lose track of Master Org?"

Lahar looked down the hallway as frogs passed by like traffic, "I can't imagine him having an agenda at this time."

* * *

Gran Doma closed the doors to his massive chamber. His office was as grand as his status. There were piles upon piles of books. It was half a library in his chamber, with a number of records that were to have been forgotten, or expunged in his point of view. With another deplorable sigh, the chairman resigned himself to his desk and sat his stave to the side.

He sat and scrutinized the paperwork in front of him. They were reports again of a few mishaps of Fairy Tail and a recent destructive demeanor set by Natsu Dragneel. The name rung so many bells that Gran Doma got a headache just recalling the incidents brought by the boy alone. He was explosive, according to reports, and there were three on his desk. Scrutinizing further, his eyes narrowed as he read Fairy Tail over and over. The name was but bitter scorn.

"Foul miscreants!" His fuming at a peak, he brushed away the remaining reports stacked in front, one of which the acknowledgment of Sting Eucliffe as Sabertooth's newest master. All of the reports fluttered to ground, and he sat back in his chair, his knuckles against his forehead as he was unable to find any solace.

"Fairy Tail, the very bane of my existence. Housing the one trouble above all else." He shook his head slowly. "What am I gonna do about this? Time and time again, that guild causes trouble. And no matter how often we chew them up…"

A knock came from the door.

Gran Doma looked up. "Enter."

The door handle turned, and entering was Org. He had a very stern look across his face. "Gran Doma, do you have a minute?"

"I thought we've already discussed outside." He chided.

Despite the warning shot, Org advanced. "I know, but this wasn't meant for public. This couldn't wait any longer." He took another step until he was five paces away, with the massive desk bordering Gran Dom afro Org. The two had a glare-off, one oppressive as one was more discerning. Each had a point and an agenda, and they dared not hide it any longer.

"Org, what do you have to talk to me about?"

"Gran Doma, I'm only saying this on behalf of what's transpired. I insist that you completely drop the whole Nic Pularis ordeal. Can you not see what it's brought to us?"

"Al I see is a problem that I have yet to fix."

"You can't, Gran Doma. That's what I'm saying."

Gran Doma's eye narrowed. "Explain yourself as to why your opinion matters on Nic."

"I understand your position of the chairman is to protect magic and all of society, but it's evident that not everything goes our way. Look at what's happened…please. There was the Tower of Heaven incident, we were played for fools then, and then came Tenrou Island and Acnologia and Zeref. We couldn't do anything, and our Etherion satellite took three years to recover. Then came Dialga and Palkia, and finally the obstruction of the entire universe. When you consider all of that, this cannot be settled by us. We were powerless, can you not see that?"

Gran Doma leaned forward in his seat by a little. "All I see is weakness that the Council had. We lost the Etherion satellite twice, and our power and forces were confined in space and were almost rid of because of our lack of power." He folded his fingers together. "Org, put yourself in my shoes for a day. The Magic Council has a means of regulating magic all across the land and world alike. It's our job to keep order and reality safe, is it not?"

"I cannot disagree there, sir."

"Then explain my anger and frustration, when I find out that a lone punk has done all of that instead of the Magic Council."

"Gran Doma, there you go again. You're so hung over on bringing up that topic of Nic Pularis. You're not paying attention to meetings, you're pigeonholing any documents you find a nuisance, even applications for the Rune Knight forces, and you had the audacity to declare that this world belongs to the Magic Council and all justice that it stands for!"

Gran Doma harshly stood up. "Org! I do not believe that you understand the gravity of the situation at hand." Gran Doma took a heaping deep breath and he gave a little time for the stern air to clean out. "I'm upset, and I admit that first hand. I failed to protect this world with my justice, and in turn the people's trust had turned away from the Magic Council and onto guilds, especially Nic. As far as they see him, he _is_ trust and order. He's left a scorching scar on the Magic Council's name and reputation…one of which we will never recover from. That being said, we can't allow such alternate-changing power be manipulated in the wrong hands."

Org remained silent. The concept of Nic was another obsessive matter itself, but when he brought the power issue up, that's what got Org's attention. _'I get it now. When the chairman makes a point like that, having infinite power when it's against you can be a bad thing.'_

"…I've reached a decision." Gran Doma's face was shadowed by the large hat he had on, giving him a grim appeal. "I shall have my audience with the Council…then, deal with Nic Pularis and Pokémon, once and for all."

* * *

In and out, in and out. Everyone's breathing was but heavy panting. Their heartbeats were fast, pumping blood into their bodies as they moved with such speed. Everyone was slithering and running with so much vigor as sweat coated them from head to tail.

On the confines of Route 7 on the side road, Nic was running along the road, with Greninja and everybody else running alongside him. They all had one agenda today. Today, their objective was to start from the northern end of Connecting Cave and run all along Route 7 towards Route 6's intersection, and then back. In total, it would be fifty miles ran. That was their goal.

They could've gone towards Camphrier Town, but they'd just get annoyed with the publicity. Apparently their final battle with Lysandre left more than a heroic impression in Earth Land. Apparently that spatial energy caught everything else inside this world as well, and they all watched a vision of it themselves. Of course this made all of them scarred for life, but at the same time gave Nic a great name in both worlds. But the point being was that Nic didn't wanna have any of that public stuff in his way, ever. So he decided to skip Camphrier Town and just do the straight shot there and back.

Every breath made was swift and quick. Staraptor's talons left marks in the ground, as did Garchomp, Kecleon, and Charizard. Everyone was moving fast, and they paced themselves amazingly fast.

In Nic's head, his brain was running faster than his legs. By no means was he on cloud nine, but he was also somewhat spacing out. Of course he knew that his one-month anniversary with Erza was coming up, that's what's been making him burn calories harder than before, but at the same time, it's also what's been driving him into a rock wall sort of speak. He wasn't peachy, but he wasn't sick. He wasn't sure what to believe he was doing. The July heat of Route 7 was just brushing away the feeling in his head.

"Mile 38!" Greninja called out.

Nic zeroed back to reality and he saw the brown slab that looked like a period in their eyes. It was Connecting Cave. They were closing in one the 50-mile mark indeed, and every step was a step closer to their goal for the day. They all were running alongside the river that defined Route 7, and as much as they wanted to get in and cool off, they'd rather save themselves the trouble and follow through with the workout Nic and everyone agreed on.

Garchomp roared as sweat spouted everywhere. He pressed his feet on the ground with light pounces and ran with wings folded and not out; if so, then blades of wind would've sliced everything down, even the Battle Chateau stationed, including the Day Care for Pokémon. They'd both, along with the flowers on the left side of the route, would've been reduced to _nothing_!

"Kecleon, lean forward more!" Nic yelled as he continued to run.

Kecleon, with her pace slowing down but a little, regained her momentum as she leaned forward. Her weight shifted forward, and her legs picked up even greater momentum than before. Her speed met up with everybody else's again, and they all kept on running in the heat.

As they were racing and pacing like that of a humungous marathon, Nic's mind briefly flashed to the last scene of his dream. The remnants of him losing Erza to Jellal left his blood to stop, and then jumpstart again, making his pace pulse from a sudden jerky slow to a rushing sprint.

It happened a fifth time, and Greninja was just running, looking on. "(Nic…)"

He knew that Greninja was already catching on. When he glanced back, Arbok, Charizard, and the others all were keeping an elevated pace, but alas their glances were to their trainer. They could tell in a heartbeat that Nic was bothered. It happened often for the past week when they trained. When Staraptor was the target one time, Nic made a few wrong or delayed moves due to the constant flashes of his dreams. Another time was when they were underneath a waterfall with pounds upon pounds of water. He didn't budge, and yet he wasn't calm for the most part.

Day soon turned to evening, and the sun had reached the top of the Connecting Cave. Nic and everybody had finally accomplished their goal once they've touched the rocky wall of the cave after such a long day's run.

All seven had sweat nearly blind them. Their legs felt exhausted as they went such a long ways as usual. This was their second big run this week, and fifty miles was a hefty toll on them, but nothing they couldn't handle. They managed to cool themselves down eventually, but that took some effort as their heart rates had to settle.

Nic slumped back against the cavernous walls. The rock was surprisingly smooth on his bare back. He eased his body and his sweat dripped onto the grass. His mind was clear at the moment as his body was just about exhausted. "Well done guys, I think that should do it for the day." He announced.

Arbok hissed as he laid on the ground. "(Morning meditation and a long run. Not too bad today, Nic-ssssama.)"

"(I'll say.)" Staraptor said.

Kecleon sat down against the rocky wall and had her tongue hanging out. "(Too much room filled for construction. Structure might spontaneously combust.)"

"Agreed." Nic said. "Let's get some water and head back to Magnolia. I'll try and fry up some steaks tonight."

And so they were all relieved for the day. Another hard day's work was all set and done. Nic and everyone traveled some ways slowly towards the riverbank of Route 7, where Nic had just drank a huge supply of water. Greninja and everyone else was no different as they replenished the water needed for their bodies to work. After a long water break, they all relaxed further and Nic recalled everybody except for Charizard.

The Flame Pokémon turned towards his trainer, seeing something missing. "(Nic, you must have left your shirt and vest at the halfway point.)"

Nic had his hands to his sides. "Yeah, you're right. Charizard, **Fly.** We'll pick those up and head home." He walked over towards his Charizard and hopped onto his back. Charizard spread his wings and let out a roar. While his legs were exhausted, his wings were as fresh as those who use Rest. He flapped his wings, and embarked through the skies.

* * *

On the ground, there was something floating. It looked like a floating object. The very tall grass along Route 6 shuffled and rustled, and the floating object jumped out. The floating object seemed curious as it had realized that it was on the road. "(Huh, I didn't realize my home was this far down.)" The floating unknown object prodded its sheathed self from the corner of a tree. Out of shock, it retreated back once some travelers were walking afoot.

The floating object took to behind the ongoing trees. It was hard to tell if it was a he or a she, but it wasn't like humans could understand. This one of its species, it was feeling curious for once. Its species have been known well for their usage and for discipline in battle. Every one of its species in the Route 6 tall grass had already taken to peace, but of course they were all scattered within the ten miles that Route 6 stretched.

"(I wonder exactly-!)" The object's curiosity of humans left it open. Her voice was known to make her a she, and another of her kind suddenly got her from behind. The female object spun in the air, clanging onto her flat edge in the tall grass.

"(That was dirty.)" She groaned. She tipped herself back up and turned around, looking at the familiar species…her own kind.

What they both were can be classified as swords. The duo had blue single arms with a light blue swirl at the hands. Their sheathed blades inside were sheathed inside of a brown sheath with an intricate and yet odd face. The blade also had a single blue eye. They were known as Honedge.

"(Alright.)" The attacking male Honedge barked. "(Just what is it with you can exploiting ongoing humans? You're not some Sentret.)"

The female Honedge in defense looked angrily at the Honedge. "(You dare oppress me for my curiosity? That's what a scoundrel would do.)"

"(If anyone is the scoundrel, it's you.)" The male Honedge declared. "(Humans don't deserve to fancy ourselves for battle. They mistake us for props, and they'd pay the price if they dared to toy with our insecurities.)"

The female Honedge narrowed her eyes. "(And you wonder why you're the senile one.)"

The male Honedge unsheathed himself, revealing his blade. "(Humans always go by us, unaccepting our presence. All those Venipede and Audino, they are but fools. I'll rectify the mistakes made! **Metal Sound!** )" Honedge's body glowed light blue, and silver soundwaves emitted and transmitted from the atmosphere towards the female Honedge.

The female held her own, but she felt her body get covered in a blue aura. Her sword was ringing from the heavy vibrations, and it wasn't friendly in the very least.

Despite the ear-splitting sensation, the female Honedge made her move. "(Humans worthy deserve a chance! Think back to our species, we've always revered humans for their loyalty like knights! Don't be selfish like the rest! **Swords Dance!** "

The female reeled back and the Metal Sound ceased. Blue illusionary swords appeared around her and circled about. Honedge felt a red aura thicken around her body, enhancing her Attack power harshly. When the swords crossed overhead, they faded, as did the aura.

"( **Tackle!** )" The male Honedge charged on towards his target, but the wild Honedge before him did not move. His Tackle charged head on, but then the oddest thing happened. He went right through the female Honedge. "(What?!)"

"(You are not worthy of my acknowledgment! **Fury Cutter!** )" Her sword glowed white, and as the male was turning around, the female slashed, leaving a loud clang to score throughout the place.

The male shifted back and grunted from the damage. He looked angrily, but then he was dealt with a sudden consecutive Fury Cutter. The white on her body was brighter, and the attack felt like the male's blade was gonna snap.

"(GAH!)" The male slammed onto the ground, groaning.

The female Honedge floating nearby, her bright white blade thickening further. "(Your poor view on human ignorance, and your lack of battle coordination, it's no wonder why every female has rejected you as a mate. Stand down.)"

The male slowly got up, although his lack of energy was evident. His sheath grew white as well. "(Not until I find a suitable mate worthy of my respect! HRAH!)" He charged on in, flying with his blade ready to strike.

"(BEGONE! **Fury Cutter!** )"

Both male and female Honedge clashed their glowing white blades. Both passed the other, with a bright flash and metal echoing through the area. The powerful attack collision made nearby tall grass get cut down, leaving an open radius of short grass in between the two Honedge. There was a stiff pause, and then both of their Fury Cutter attacks faded. The female remained standing, and the male did too…and then the one to fall over was the male. The male was face down on the grass in defeat, while the female did not bother to look back.

"(Your lack of loyalty and judgment is but another fault. Once you have found coordination, maybe then will be a worthy adversary.)" The wild female Honedge sheathed her blade and then left her foe, only leaving him with dignity and defeat to remember her by.

The Honedge that floated away in victory then decided to resume what she was doing previously, which was exploiting humans, but the problem was that there were none. The returning humans from the Parfume Palace had no appeal to her, but she was prone to being rather pushy, which led her to actually doing something that she thought she'd never do…leave her Route, and never look back.

There was no telling how pacified she would be if held down watching familiar and unworthy humans come and go from north to south. A few she had seen that had potential, but alas no luck. She wasn't gonna keep herself down if she were to watch humans pass on like everybody else.

When she reached the outskirts of Route 6, she was closing in on the intersection point. She turned left and right. "(No one worthy here either…or no one period. Huh?)"

She looked over, spectating and glancing at what may be something she never would've guessed. They looked like a gray V-neck and a long black coat with purple edging. To say the wild Honedge was confused would've been an understatement.

"(What is a human's upper clothing doing here?)"

Her inquiry was heightened further when she heard a draconic roar emanating from the skies. Honedge took cover behind some bushes that were close to her side and slipped on in. Her one eye looked to see the view of something large lying on in, alongside a human on his back. Both seemed to be exhausted with the sweat on their bodies, and how deterred they were when elevating to the ground.

The wild Honedge remained silent as she watched the human and his Pokémon land on the ground, creating a small thud that rattled the earth a little.

The human jumped off of his Charizard, jogging lightly up to his upper clothing that was still untouched. "They're still here, how surprising." He picked up his clothing, and he put on his gray V-neck over his toned upper body, and then he applied the coat next. He inserted the overlap o sleeves to provide warmth on the short sleeves, now making a double short sleeve layer, as always. He put the Poke Ball buckle on and turned towards his Charizard.

Charizard leaned his neck down and happily accepted his trainer petting his face. "You did a marvelous job today, Charizard. Return." The Flame Pokémon complied with what his trainer said and he was returned to his Poke Ball.

The human that Honedge spectated then turned to see if he was being watched. Coincidentally, Honedge was feeling herself grow stiff when Nic turned towards the shrubs, his gaze narrowing when spectating the leaves. Luckily for her he chose to not advance, but she was surprised when he waved his arm in front, and then a rainbow tear opened up. On the other side revealed what seemed to be a town, or perhaps a city. It looked a lot like Camphrier Town to say the least.

"Alright, let's go home, guys." The human talked to his Poke Balls. He grinned as he ventured inside of the portal, and as he took a step inside, the wild Honedge could only stare in wonder as the portal started to close.

* * *

Walking upstairs, Nic gave a relieving sigh. After a nice little dinner he prepared and fed his Greninja and others, it was time to unwind in the shower. By no means was it as extravagant as it ever was, but that wasn't his style. He unclothed himself and had the water soak the dried sweat away.

As the shower water left steam to rise up into the vents towards the outside, Nic's body relaxed. But his mind was still floating in a sea of wonder. He just let the hot water continue pouring, nearly tickling his skin.

He leaned his head against the wall, his head starting to throb.

" _Erza…wait…what about…?" He was lost, and at that instant the ground beneath completely fell apart. Nic fell head first into a molten lava pit, his fate sealed._

" _ **ERZA!**_ _"_

He shut his eyes closed, leaving himself scorned.

Eventually the shower ended, cleansing Nic, but alas he was feeling his head throb still. He dreaded that memory over and over. It seemed real, but he was fortunate that it wasn't a reality. _'I must be training myself too hard or I may be stressing over something else. Erza made it clear that she moved on from him…right?'_ While he did believe that at first, there was no question that the recent dreams he's had completely overturned his opinion on the matter. The problem was how was he to confront…

A sudden knock came from downstairs.

"I'll be right there." With his baggy pants on, Nic ventured downstairs. It mattered not that his shirt was off because he was gonna go to bed, so if it were somebody who fancied a full attire, they'll be in for a rough ride.

When Nic finally made it downstairs after what seemed to be an eternity, he reached the doors. He opened them up, his slightly exhausted face turning shocked when he found out Erza was standing there at the doorway. The redhead presented herself towards Nic with a casual grin. "Hello, Nic."

"Erza…hey." Nic greeted. He stepped off to the side and allowed her in. "Come on in."

The knight ventured on in and she turned towards Nic. Despite the little churning in her stomach, Erza powered through. "So, Nic, are you almost ready?"

Nic smiled. "You mean for our one-month anniversary?" He questioned. _'One month, it's really been that long. It's felt longer; if you count Tenrou Island, then maybe that's it. Still…'_

Erza nodded as she gazed at the ground. "I can hardly believe it myself." She looked up at him with a softer smile. "We've really come a ways, haven't we?"

Nic nodded in agreement. "Yes, there's no doubt in my mind there. It's been an arduous road. Complicated, that could describe it, right?"

Erza glanced off to the side. "I suppose so…" She trailed off, trying to find another thing to talk about, but things about them have been more than a little complicated other than their growing relationship. Complicated is just about what summarized their situation at the given moment. Her grin turned flat when she faced Nic again. "So…what plans do you have in mind?"

Nic put his hands into his pockets, looking a little confused himself. "I don't mean to be a little rebuffed, but isn't it a bit late for planning?"

Erza beamed with pride. "Don't be foolish, it's never too late when planning such a splendid occasion! No matter how the hours pass, nothing shall stand between me and such a glorious day to behold."

Nic smiled at Erza's usual prideful attitude. "That's the Erza I know."

Erza frowned then. "The Erza you know?"

Nic shook his head. "It's nothing."

"Nic…" Erza gave him a small gaze, but this one was fairly forceful; it may even bring Elfman to his knees. "If you have something to say, then say it. You've been busy lately, and that's very much affecting our interaction. Did I do something to offend you?"

Nic looked surprised. "Erza, what on earth makes you think it's your fault?"

"For one thing, you've been keeping to yourself a lot. It's also that reason that you're not always home when I come to try and accompany you at night. It leaves me disappointed knowing that you're not always there. So tell me now, are you angry with me or what?"

The sudden shift in dynamics was a little bitter for either of them. This was not a good way to spend their near-one-month anniversary, but this had to be settled soon, otherwise it'll hurt more than their anniversary, but maybe their guts. Nic was feeling the worse of the blows dishes out on him. By no means was any of this Erza's fault, but the way things have been with him and her lately revolves around the dreams of her leaving him for Jellal, her childhood lover. Hiding it was leaving Nic with a sore gut. He wanted to just stare into an abyss until he had an epiphany or the courage to look at Erza again, but he had to stay sturdy and strong. It wasn't something he wasn't ready…yet.

He grinned weakly. "Erza, this is nothing to do with me being angry, especially at you." He frowned. "I'm just a little…off right now."

"Can you explain yourself?"

Nic sighed. "I don't know. I wish I knew." He then looked up and stared directly at Erza in the eyes. "But we'll cope with it, right?"

Erza was taken aback by the resolute in Nic's eyes. The first second he couldn't even look at her, by now he was as resolute as she was at times. It was comforting. The way he is able to bounce back at times was something Erza found to be admirable about Nic as well. It was comforting to her to say the least.

She smiled and nodded. She leaned over and kissed Nic's forehead. The sudden affection made Nic blush lightly. When Erza pulled back, her smile was bigger than it has been all week. "Yes, we'll be fine. I can wait until you realize what's wrong. Come, why don't we sleep off our worries?"

Nic nodded. "I like that."

* * *

Night soon fell onto Magnolia, and all seemed peaceful, but rustling around some bushes outside of the forest of the city, there was something hiding. It was looking a bit stern, but it floated silently through the forest without any hesitation in movement.

The wild Honedge from before had unaware of the new territory she had ventured into. She seemed confused, but powered through her troubles with the strength and loyalty to find a suitable human. "This world, what could this be? There's a different energy, and it's actually making me speak this way." She turned all around, looking to find herself alone. "Is that a town ahead? Interesting."

* * *

Erza was sleeping soundly, her calm figure sprawled all across the bedsheets. Her head rested soundly on the second pillow provided. She was sound, but her bedmate was another story. While the redhead was dreaming of what might be strawberry cheesecake and Nic, the mentioned dreamed of Erza alright, but on a more horrific scale.

Nic turned in his sleep the umpteenth time. His nerves crackles and his face twisted as he saw fires and destruction, and the most taunting memory was the last image of Erza and Jellal leaving him to fall. His eyes widened and he suddenly jerked up on the bed. He sat up with a sight hitch and a gasp. Before he knew what happened, he found himself nearly profuse in his sweat. It was a discomforting and disturbing feeling, but he just couldn't help it. His breathing was calming down, and he was thankful he didn't wake up Erza. Still, what he saw only made him sadder.

He wanted to look at Erza in the eyes if possible, but when he looked at her back, he slowly reached out to her. He was so close to touching her, but in the end he flinched and pulled his hand away. The same hand clenched into a small fist, leaving him bitter disappointed.

"I'm so sorry." He mumbled. He scooched himself away from Erza and closer towards the windowsill. He slowly slumped back to his side, soon falling asleep again with his back turned towards Erza's.

Erza opened her own eyes, realizing that she was indeed awake. She heard it all, from the fidgeting with his turning, to feeling his hesitant touch, but she couldn't bring herself to even move but a remote inch. It just didn't do any good. As far as she was concerned, Nic had his back turned to her almost every day for the past week. She wanted to feel his warmth, and to hold him, smother him if must to get the attention she desired, but no matter what, there was something mentally that blocked Erza from reading him. She's known Nic for quite some time now, and they could read the other like books. Their personalities and demeanors may very well be drilled into their heads, but this hesitation and doubt she was getting from Nic was making her feel all the more confused of who she was dealing with. It saddened her for one thing that Nic didn't wanna share himself, but it was even more saddening to know the level of trust was what was at risk. If she could, she'd demand to know what was bothering him, but she actually was uneasy as to what the answer was. All she could do was just bide her time and just wait until Nic was ready.

Her body flipped, making her back face his. She stared at his sleeping form and closed her eyes to sleep.

* * *

There was hardly anything remote within the mountainous confines of the Fiore mountain ranges. They were always all around the place. In this particular mountain range, you could barely get by without a misstep. One wrong step and it's down the gulley and into the dark fault line. There were tales that very few survive the falls, and fewer of how they find their way out and live to tell the tale.

It was this reason that Crime Sorciere had been hiding out in Devil's Valley. It was a safe haven to say the least, any one foolish may not even reach them. The three were still up, with a small fire around them to keep them warm.

Ultear stared at the flickering flames for what seemed to be a long time now. "Still, no lead on Zeref. But what's troubling is what Doranbolt had foretold."

Meredy had her chin to her knees. "I'm worried. The Council is already in so much turmoil from past transgressions."

"It's one thing to misuse and have Etherion devastated, but to have it for the sole purpose of revenge and perhaps to best dragons and Pokémon alike? I hate to say it, but I think the Council has darkened." She looked softer into the flames. "And you know as well as I do that when a justice system falls, everything else comes down with it."

"I know that all too well, Ultear."

Ultear and Meredy looked up at Jellal, who was sitting on a rock and had his head staring up at the stars.

"It was because of our actions that the Magic Council suffered a setback all those years ago from the calamity that was the Tower of Heaven. They were shut down, so as a result, many of their forces shut down temporarily, and crime rates escalated until the Custody Enforcement Unit was reestablished. You're right when they've taken a turn for the worst."

"Everything is ready to fall apart. It just needs a catalyst." Meredy somberly pointed out.

"And I can guess a few good names involved." Ultear said. "Nic Pularis…"

"And quite possibly Pokémon." Jellal finished. "It makes sense. Both of those figures have made number one on the Magic Council's priority. The question is, what'll become of Nic and our friends if these actions unfold?"

Ultear narrowed her eyes. "As far as we know, and with what personality we know of Nic and his Greninja and others, he won't be at all rash, but we know he will never comply with the Council. This could very well turn into a skirmish that'll wager a war I prospect."

"And war means sides will be made." Meredy added. "Out of fear and bargain, some guilds may be aligned with the Magic Council for safety as well, but then there's Fairy Tail, who'll back up Nic and his decisions. It's only a matter of time before something gives."

"And time is never on our side." Jellal stared at the flames for a little bit. His eyes watched the flickering flames pass and retreat. "We know well of one guild that will back up the Council…but the problem is that we don't know the name. All we know is that if that guild gets in Nic or anybody's way, the Magic Council may very well have their way yet." He turned towards the stars once more, looking up to see them twinkling. "I do have my own sense of justice, but I know from the heart that the right side is the one who has the better picture on justice."

Crime Sorciere grew silent as the night sky was still above their heads, with the small fire illuminating the small mountain range.

* * *

Mirajane was cleaning out some wine glasses and she took quite an interest in the numerous conversations that transpired throughout the morning. The recent one has been of Sophie and Vanessa explaining of their day gonna be of possibly training, and if they were fortunate, they can get Cana off the stool for once and get some exercise. However, Mirajane could tell in a heartbeat and from yesterday's talk that Erza was still misfortunate.

"Is he still not talking about it?" She asked.

Erza sat an elbow on the table. She seemed out of it and looked somberly at Nic as he sat alongside Greninja and was lost in his own world. As Nic ate an omelet, Erza could only watched as his biting was either fast, or perhaps slow. It was never consistent, and that was a sign Nic was not well.

"Erza? Hello?" Mirajane called out again, this time getting Erza's attention.

The redhead looked at her. "Oh, Mira."

"I asked is he's talking at all. Is he?"

Erza's gaze turned towards the ground. "…no, he's still evading it. I suppose Kinana told you then if you're probably interested."

Mirajane did the one thing she was not known for: frowning. "Yeah, she told me. It's not like Nic to skip the point. He's normally so direct, and seeing like this, I agree, it's uneasy."

Erza could only stare in worry as Nic skewered another cheesy bit of the omelet. "Whatever he's hiding, I intend to find out."

On the other end of the bar, Nic was accompanied by Greninja. The Water and Dark-type had blank eyes, but in truth he was focused on his trainer's behavior. He seemed distressed, but he persevered as his best friend was persevering through his own pain. Nic and Greninja always shared everything, whether it'd be secrets, food, styles, or even space. But this was not something he could help Nic with. He knew in a flash from a few days ago that this was his problem, and the only one who he can really straighten it out with is Erza herself. And so, Greninja remained subtle as Nic finished his omelet, and sat there and took in a deep breath.

The two tuned towards the other, both seeing the other and their insistence. Nic wanted to resist, but he knew by Greninja's gaze that this had to be done. He frowned, but the guilt was eating him up bad.

"Nic, please." Greninja whispered.

He finally relented to his froggy pal's wishes. "…when we're alone. No promises."

Greninja nodded at Nic's words. "Don't worry, slow and steady."

Nic grinned as he looked at his empty plate. "Yeah…just like when we started out on our journey all those years ago. Recall anything?"

Greninja smiled. "Yeah. I was still shocked to learn there was someone out there who wasn't like any other trainer in terms of styles." Greninja remembered well of their very first day of training, which was also their first day of meeting. It was quite the day to say the least.

However, before Nic and Greninja could reminisce on their shared journey and training history the guild doors opened. Everyone's heads turned towards the entrance, and they all felt a shiver run up their spines when they saw a Council messenger frog appear.

"The Magic Council?!" Elfman exclaimed.

Gajeel lifted his head up from the table. "Those yahoos? Give me a break."

Lucy looked nervous. "This looks bad."

Natsu huffed out his chest. "Nah, we'll see."

The messenger frog passed Nic and Greninja, and the frog seemed to have swallowed a lump. The duo's double gaze was clear as day as to what they've felt: fear. The frog's pacing hurried towards the table, where Master Makarov was stationed and trying to enjoy the morning.

Vanessa and Braixen stared with uncertainty alongside Sophie and Cana. Erza, Mirajane, and a lot of others gathered around as Makarov and the messenger frog finally came face to face.

"Master Makarov of Fairy Tail, I have come with an urgent message from the Magic Council." The frog stated.

Makarov looked uneasy. "N-now look, I'm working on those written apology letters alright! I'll have them out soon, I swear!"

The frog shook his head. "No sir, it's not about the paperwork." He disregarded Makarov's sigh of relief. "However, this does concern your guild and one of its members."

Levy looked uneasy. "I don't like where this is going, guys."

The frog turned to face what was behind him, staring at the bar. "The Magic Council has given me a message to pass on to Nic Pularis. Gran Doma and the Magic Council have stated firmly…" Everyone's uneasiness grew as the Council already had their eyes set on Nic, but Nic and Greninja both narrowed their eyes and looked expectantly onwards as the frog finished his message.

"They said they demand a sit-down, and with Nic Pularis and one of his Pokémon…them alone."

* * *

 **And here's the first chapter of the Council War Arc! Like I said, I'm instead doing this instead of that anime Eclipse Celestial Arc, just for some original flavor added into the story. But don't worry too much about it, because I'm still revising my plans for the battles in this arc, so the Celestial Crew might shine again soon enough.**

 **As shocking as this is, this entire chapter was established in one single day. I wrote at least 10K, and this chapter also marks the first chapter made at my new home. This was made on my one off-day while we are still trying to move and situated stuff, so for me to have done 10K in one day personally is an impressive record.**

 **Thanks for reading another, more exciting, chapter! Reviews appreciated and what your opinion and comments consist of! Until next chapter!**


	6. A Shift in Order

"Right this way, sir." A frog staff escorted Nic and Greninja both down a long hallway with intricate pillars aligned on either side like a cloister.

Nic and Greninja remained stern and silent as they faced forward, daring not – let alone ignoring – the passing staff. Their unison presence was enough to leave the staff in a rush to make way. Even with cuffs on, they were still frightened with their overwhelming power to break out anytime they pleased.

"Do try and keep yourselves at bay, please." The second frog from behind insisted in a more serious tone, almost demanding. When Nic and Greninja turned their heads back to glance, the frog swallowed. He was only relieved once Nic and Greninja turned to glance ahead again.

It was a bargain that Nic and Greninja dared not turn away from. As much as they wanted to stand and fight back against the Magic Council, this time was different compared to the rest. They agreed to the shocking sit-down established, and of course Fairy Tail – mostly Natsu – was gonna yell otherwise. Nic and Greninja of course decided the best course of action, given the circumstances, was to comply and agree to settle the dispute between their kind against the Magic Council once and for all. This sit-down was a serious talk, and in their opinions, the two could tell this was designed to go the Council's way. And if that were so, they will indeed fight back. The looks on their faces proved it.

The two had equal footsteps tread as the two frogs guiding them headed into the courtroom. As from the last time Nic and Fairy Tail had been in there, it hasn't changed. The frogs turned off towards the side while Nic and Greninja continued several paces until they stood maybe a foot or two away from the standard stay of the defendant below the court.

"You ready?" Nic asked lowly to the Water and Dark-type right beside him. Greninja nodded in confirmation.

Appearing above the two was none other than the Magic Council. All nine seats stood tall over the strong wood that's kept it up high ever since its reconstruction seven years ago. Everything around was eerie, and even a deaf man could hear the breathing of the Councilmen.

All nine members had a long stare down with Nic and Greninja. Their unison stare was rivaling their own stern gazes. The air between them was so thick that you can use Cut to slice it.

Finally, Org cleared his throat. "Ahem! Nic Pularis and comrade, thank you for giving us your presence and time to consider this meeting."

"The feeling is mutual." Nic replied in a flat but calm tone, but it strained every fabric in his spine to keep the tone from getting ravaged.

"You have indeed brought your attention to us." A Councilman stated. "As members of the Magic Council's nine seats, we have a firm reason to believe you and your actions against us, but make no mistake, we do not mean any ill-will."

Org glanced towards him. "We'll be sure to keep that in mind as we proceed. You included."

Nic remained silent and suppressed his growling.

Gran Doma had his posture straight and his eyes glowering down with a vibrant force. "Let's get this sit-down discussion settled. Nic Pularis, and comrade, as of the events that have transpired in regards to your actions, we first have a few words from overview."

Another Councilman took over. "And for starters, we would like to personally thank you for saving the stars and all life that would've been wiped away from Lysandre. You have our gratitude and acknowledgment."

"I did what had to be done. Lysandre was the reason why I was chosen to fight for Arceus's stead." Nic reasoned. "I do appreciate the sentiment from your judgment."

The Councilman nodded and continued on. "And on such note, we have overlooked the entire battle, which was at some point established via lacrima-vision, but the last half we recall all too well. The incident with the darkness and spatial prowess was staggering."

"Etherion satellite was completely destroyed in not even the snap of fingers. The hellish evil committed had rendered Etherion unable to be repaired ever again. It was erased for good, and that man was the sole cause. His masters were what also got our attention. They were the ones who were bent on worse punishments than death. Their combined force almost eradicated all living and non-living."

"This also, however, brings up the tales of those that were foretold long ago." Org took a pause as he blinked. "I'm sure that you are aware of the Black Wizard Zeref and Acnologia. The incident on Tenrou Island has led us to confirm the grim beliefs of Zeref being surpassed. Never have we've been flooded with reports of therapists."

"Zeref being surpassed is one thing, but the follow-up with Acnologia's swift defeat in Crocus against the Dark Legendaries has left us scared, and we don't scare easily." Another Councilman stated. "So if what the data we've been known and foretold over the past couple weeks is right, then it is accurate to say that your world possesses more threats that are stronger and older than our time span from 400 years. Is that true?"

Nic gave a slow nod in confirmation to every syllable laid out. "As far as your world's history and mine are correlated to that extent, that is correct."

"Pokémon that can raise the sea, the land, and change the weather of their own free will. That level of power can very well bring a world to its end. And yet this begs the question of the potential this species has that dragons did not. The Dragon King, Acnologia, was bitterly humiliated twice by these otherworldly creatures. In a sense…this is a relief and a mournful occasion."

With the Councilman's speech over, Nic looked unpleasant. "Explain 'relief and a mournful occasion'."

Org took over. "We are startled to know that there are creatures that have far more potential than dragons, but that also means that they have an undeniable threat level."

Gran Doma then spoke. "Nic Pularis, I'll make this clear. As far as we know, your world and its powers have left a very profound impact on ours. It's because if you that these beliefs have been intertwined sort of speak. So much potential lies within your body, and a god is a Pokémon itself that bestowed his powers onto you."

Nic could tell that Gran Doma was sugarcoating it. It wasn't gonna be easy with what might come next.

"And so, we would like to extend a hand of redemption. For you, and ourselves."

"Redemption." Greninja repeated with inquiry.

"Yes. We have decided unanimously that your power is by far the most advanced of all time and history. In our records, you have left unprecedented markings. The entire world is still shaken up from your display of infinite power back on July 7th. To make things smoothly, for every one of us, we entitle the full credit to you and …your Pokémon." Gran Doma paused again, looking at Nic and Greninja's unmoved expressions.

"…what do you want?" Nic stated.

Org calmly kept his fingers folded together. "There's something we've been discussing. There is no spot given all of the positions filled, but…"

"We recommend and can give you a position as one of Fiore's Ten Wizard Saints." A Councilman finished.

Nic's eyes widened a little. "A…Wizard Saint?" He recalled that Makarov was a Wizard Saint, and Jura from Lamia Scale was one himself. To say he was surprised would be putting it lightly. He did remember the benefits of Wizard Saints, but then there were drawbacks. He would have to attend Wizard Saint meeting on occasion, and he knew how tired Makarov was every time he returned from a meeting. As a matter of fact, a Wizard Saint meeting was coming up later on maybe tomorrow or a few days. Such a position came in perhaps a lifetime.

Gran Doma pressed on. "Not only would you be labeled a Wizard Saint, but with consideration of what you've done and the power possessed, we may tie you with the Ishgar Four. You do know of the Ishgar Four, do you not?"

Nic narrowed his eyes. "Can't say that I have."

"The Ishgar Four." Org parroted. "The top four Wizard Saints. Over the past seven years, they have gotten so strong that their Magic Power is unlike what the continent has been comfortable with. The Ishgar Four, they are, when together, the strongest four in the kingdom.

' _They make it sounds similar to the Elite Four back in my world.'_ Nic thought with discern. Of course this made him recount his own tales, but that was so long ago. It's been far too long since his conquering of the Elite Four. Malva's intense fire, Wikstrom's steel brigade, and so on until he squared off against the Champion, Diantha. It was a daring battle, and in the end, and despite the win, he declined every benefit. It wasn't worth it to him. He never wanted to be hung down to such a claim, and be known just for his so-called title. They'd all completely overlook who he really was. He threw the title away just so he can be happy, and that was still a principle he hung on to this day.

"So, what is your answer? I am certain that might be perplexed. A position among the Ishgar Four is perhaps a shocking revelation." Gran Doma explained. "However, with paperwork and every signature required by the approval of the other Ishgar Four, we may confirm your answer within a week's ti-"

"I refuse."

Gran Doma blinked. "…beg your pardon?"

"He said it well. He refuses." Greninja pointed out.

Gran Doma narrowed his eyes. "Nic Pularis, don't you understand? This is a position that may very well benefit everyone."

"Not everyone. Just yourselves." Nic sternly opposed.

Gran Doma was taken aback. Org snickered as he foresaw this.

"Just how long did you think I would be in the dark for?" Nic twisted his two arms about. With a violent yank, the magical cuffs restraining him shattered. The revelation left the Council baffled as Nic had used only his brute strength and will without so much as even using his power, unlike last time. His wrists, however, had harsh red marks. They looked to hurt, but Nic persevered as he stood and opposed the people before him.

"I do not wish to be a Wizard, let alone a member of the Ishgar Four. Thank you for the offer, but I'm fine with my status. I give no care to whoever you hand that position over to. I best not dwell in affairs that clouds my name from the viewer's perception."

Gran Doma, however, wasn't having it. "Nic Pularis, this position was made for you! The position of Ishgar Four is for those with incredible power, and you say that it's not worth it? Do you not have that invincible power that saved the existence of everything?"

Nic lowered his head, but his eyes kept a harsh glare. "No, I do not."

"What?"

"After the events of the fall of Ragnarok Lysandre and the Dark Legendaries, all eighteen Plates had been gathered. The universe was saved, and that meant my role had been complete. I gave them back to Arceus, and that power will forever be out of reach, even for me." His fists clenched so hard that they were starting to shake. "But I know that's for the best. I can't have that power forever, I know it's not my power to control, and neither am I! We are not your puppets, and we do not believe that you cn just bend that power the way you want it to!"

Gran Doma stood up. "UNACCEPTABLE!" His voice raged violently as he glared daggers at Nic, but was otherwise unfazed. "Calm down, Nic Pularis! You're telling me that this infinite power that bested something that scared even the great God Serena is no longer bound by you? Are you saying that level of power is never again in your grasps?"

Nic's stare was all Gran Doma needed to understand. The old man's eyes widened and he slowly slumped back down into his seat. He pinched the bridge of his nose and gave a harsh groan. "I see…but as you know, these are circumstances that leave us in an unfair position."

"And what do you say about that?" Greninja said.

"Is it not wrong to say that it's your powers that have saved our world…but at the same time, it's also what destroyed it." Gran Doma saw the epiphany Nic was having, and it made him smirk beneath his thick beard. "I see that you have realized that. It's exactly this Pokémon power that has nearly ended us. The battlefield could've been anywhere, and you chose Earth Land to nearly end up destroyed. We were nothing more than a battleground, and we were fortunate to come out of this alive. You have left many scars on us all, Nic."

Nic growled and stepped forward. "You believe that all of this is my fault? You believe that I actually wanted any of this to happen? I admit that the universe did indeed nearly ended, but I repaired it. I may not have dealt with mentality scars across the world, and I doubt that I hardly can, but you have no right to pin this ono me!"

"Then who else is there to turn to? Answer to that?" Gran Doma countered. "This Arceus god? This Dialga and Palkia who have governed you for so long and now might be off elsewhere having their duties complete? You destroyed every piece of evidence that could've led us to understand Pokémon. This energy, this monstrous energy, it scared us, which is why we need to make sure that it can never harm anybody again."

Greninja stepped forward with Nic. "Are you deliberately telling us that we're threats?"

"…that is exactly what I'm saying. You nearly had Earth Land destroyed. Children and women alike could've been eradicated, and though you've saved them, many do not see the truth. What you have gained in fame and the wandering eyes of many, you also see hidden fear; power they now realize that existed and is contained within you. Even without these Plates, you are by no means any less of a burden. You have gained many powerful enemies that may be elaborating on your strength. People are scared of you, and despite how you're also a hero, it's also reason to believe that you're an equal threat. You have equal fraction to these powers of Pokémon; the land, sea, and the world's temperature can change on your behalf, and that can drastically affect how lives work. I can understand your opposition, but you can't deny that we are right. So…I am giving you this last chance. You owe us."

Nic, however, saw nothing. "After the mishaps you guys have committed, I fail to see how I owe you anything. I made it clear from our previous encounter, that you dare not get in my way. You've made an enemy of my guild, and we stand to go by heart."

"That belief is what defects your guild!" Gran Doma yelled. "Time and time again, we wanted to disband Fairy Tail, and we threaten you, only for you to return harsher ones. We will have your guild dealt with if don't comply."

Nic and Greninja suddenly appeared in front of Gran Doma's seat, both their right feet pressed against the oak. The sudden change in dynamics left all Council members startled. The two had an equal glare, one that could intimidate a Gyarados, but Gran Doma's glare made the atmosphere as cold as ice as he refused to stay down.

"I'll make this clear." Nic said in a harsh and low tone. "Leave. Us. Be."

"We have, but you failed to see your position." Gran Doma growled. "Know your place, fool! Guilds are meant for work for mages and Magic users alike. This talk of friendship is a personal drive for your guild, and has no correlation to how it functions. It's no different from other guilds, and I shall have it threatened to become a Dark Guild if not complying with the disbanding, and I am very close to giving the call."

Nic narrowed his eyes. "Gran Doma, you want to start a war?"

"…no." His tone was firm, but he and Greninja could hear how the chairman was trying to settle down. To comply with his calmer demeanor, Nic and Greninja leaned away, but remained afoot on the stand.

"Nic, I have no desire for war; in fact, I want to prevent one as much as possible."

"He's not lying. We are bound by law to never lie." Org pointed out. "While we do see you as a threat, we really do not wish to resort to drastic measures such as using your guild as collateral. Rather, Gran Doma wants to make use of the shift between us."

"Nic Pularis, if you really see yourself as a threat, and find yourself within a valid reason. You can either return to your world, and never again deal with us and vice versa…or, you can stay, but we want to experiment with these Pokémon and powers."

Nic eyes widened, as did Greninja's. "You what?"

"You heard me. If you are going to live amongst us, you may as well cope with us and our rules. It's our home after all, not yours. Do keep that in mind. So, stay and comply, go…or war? Which of those three do you want?"

Nic and Greninja stood in silence. They were deliberately threatened, and not only by their good deeds turned to negative propaganda, but also the usage of Fairy Tail against him. He was caught between a rock and a hard place, and that was not a good thing for him. This was really no different than the last confrontation with Gran Doma awhile back. The hellish argument afoot left Fairy Tail fighting the Council inside the court, and if that was then, then now that extreme. This was the wit's end for Gran Doma and the Magic Council, and if Nic and Greninja did see themselves through with defying them, they may very well put themselves and Fairy Tail in harm's way.

As the two thought back, Nic darted back deeper to when he was still holding his own for fifteen years. Lack of nutrients, barely noticeable scars, punches and shocks by his dad and Magneton, all of which rang through his head and mixed with the recent nightmares of Jellal and Erza walking away from him. In the end, the struggle was just overbearing. It left Nic to just feel scorned.

The two jumped off the stands and turnedto look back up at Gran Doma. Their glares were sharp, and through the turmoil, Nic and Greninja stood with their own sense of justice. If you break the law, you get punished, but as far as Nic's life lessons and beatings went, he can and most definitely will fight back.

In unison, they faced Gran Doma and his smirk. "Well? Do you want to savor public safety and protection, or forsake it?"

"Go to hell." Both answered in unison.

They turned away from Gran Doma's shocked expression and started walking off. They just walked away with those three words echoing and bouncing through the ears. To say Gran Doma was startled may be the biggest understatement ever known in the Magic Council. He was sure Nic would know better than to think of the public and how they might feel. Clearly he was wrong.

"Nic Pularis, don't you dare walk away! Come back here and apologize! YOU ARE A THREAT! CAN'T YOU SEE?! THE PUBLIC NOR ANYONE IN THIS WORLD IS SAFE WITH YOU HAVING NO RESTRICTIONS! YOUR REBELLION WILL BE THE END OF FAIRY TAIL!"

Nic and Greninja stopped at the doorway, standing still as the room's temperature fluctuated from a brimming heat to a spine shivering cold. Both bad their backs to the Council, and they only turned their heads back but a little as their glares met with Gran Doma's.

"Then bring it on. Fairy Tail isn't afraid of what you throw. As long as Greninja and I stand, you have to go through us."

With those words, the two walked out of the large double doors. The Council was left with bitter remorse over that revelation established. To say things had been looking up for them was saying they were far from it. If they were to regain the public's trust, they needed Nic, and Nic was the least person in the universe who was ever gonna comply with them. If they say anything absolute, it is. But when something that Gran Doma demands is yelled for, there is no turning it down, and yet Nic and Greninja flat out defied every fabric of morale and understanding that the chairman had stood for. Without any understanding, they can't make weapons to preserve their world, forever lost to oncoming threats from across the universe perhaps. Such a remorseful thought was but a bitter grip in Gran Doma's hand to his stave. He clutched it so hard that the stave and his hand shook out of blind rage.

"He…he dares challenge me…my absolute authority?" Gran Doma was speechless. Never had anyone been so direct to defy his demands. This was a shock that he was never to recover from. His eyes remained wide, and he sat back and spaced out heavily at the huge double doors on the other side of the courtroom.

Org looked over with slight shock. "Sir? Sir?"

"He really wants war on us. He believes that we are the threats and not him." A Councilman said.

"It's true he is unforgiving, but what do you have to say, Gran Doma?" Another Councilman asked,

All grew silent as Gran Doma's head silently perked up. His eyes and his forehead were dark, and his gaze was not only serious, but dilating out of anger.

* * *

"You said WHAT?!" Cana couldn't help but laugh aloud with hysterics. She slammed the counter repeatedly out of her laughter. "Man, 'Go to hell'. Man, I wish I was there! Those looks on their faces would've been priceless!"

Natsu joined in on the laughter at hand. "Haha! Those Council jerks should've seen themselves there! I should've said that stuff a long time ago!"

"Knock it off you two. This is serious." Sophie chided.

"Yeah, this really isn't something to laugh about. Nic and Greninja deliberately challenged the Magic Council." Gray told.

Natsu abruptly patted Gray's back. "Oh lighten up man! They had it coming for a long time, and I'm sure as hell you wanted this as badly as we all did."

Nic and Greninja had themselves sat down at a table, sharing it with Vanessa and Braixen. All four had uneasy frowns and dangerous levels of mutual distaste was looming about. Nic's explanation had a number of reactions; many of which were of grieving shock over what Nic had just done, others were laughing out of the fact the Magic Council was humiliated yet again, and there were those who felt that Nic and Greninja could've handled the sit-down better, but they had no say as they weren't there to begin with.

Vanessa put a hand to her chin. "But still, the Council tried to make you a member of the Ishgar Four just so the allegiance could bring the people's trust over to them again. They tried the power of bargain for their benefits, and on top of that bind you to their laws."

"It just shows how cowardly the Council's become." Lucy interjected.

Erza nodded in agreement. "Agreed. These incidents with Etherion destroyed and the Council outmatched by Nic himself has left everything out of balance. Everyone who sides with the Council is perhaps doubting their motives, and in turn favor guilds over the justice system. It's no different than from the post-Tower of Heaven incident, if I'm not mistaken." She gazed down at the ground, looking more worried than before. "But that's not the major issue. Since Nic declined, they threatened to disband or turn Fairy Tail into a Dark Guild if you don't either give them information on Pokémon, their prowess, or worse case, return home and never come back." As much as she would've been the one to chide and scold people for what they did wrong, she actually can't see anything wrong this time. She had her own morals, and the Council crossed the line when they threatened to seize some power so that they can be in control again. And threatening not just a member of Fairy Tail, but her lover, she can and will find justice.

"It's deplorable to what they've been reduced to. They can't seem to understand that I did all of that to save everything and everyone. I admit that my actions towards them are reprehensible, but I refuse to cooperate on such unfair terms." Nic explained.

Makarov was sitting on the counter right beside his grandson, Laxus. The Dreyar men had the same uneasy yet towering might as they glared back at the commotion that's been at hand.

"We don't blame you. We cannot determine what you believe is right or wrong." Makarov reasoned.

"So those Council jerk wads just wanna give you a good kick in the pants, huh? If you ask me the roles gotta be the other way around if they think we're gonna lie around like a horde of slobs when threatening our guild." Laxus said.

Gajeel clenched his fist on a table and smirked. "Say, if we're talking about some fighting against these pansies, guess who's calling first shots."

Pantherlily nodded in agreement. "If you ask me, they've become corrupted in fear for power."

Natsu glanced over towards Gajeel. "Hey, who said that you get first shots?! I wanna have a crack at them!"

"Everyone, just calm down." Erza announced, putting Natsu and the rowdy bunch at a standstill.

There was an unsettling silence amongst the guild. Many couldn't tell what their next plan of action was to be. Many could've agreed with the Council, but that was just a gutsy feeling. They all had a number of debates, but they had put all of that on hold when Nic and Greninja suddenly stood up.

"Nic?" Vanessa wondered.

Nic turned towards everybody present. "Listen, everyone, I apologize for my actions at the sit-down. I really didn't wanna get you all involved, it was meant for the Council, Greninja, and myself."

"It's not your fault. You said what should've been said a long time ago." Makarov let a small sigh lower his upbringing demeanor. "I suppose we'll see what the Council has to say when the next Wizard Saint meeting is tomorrow."

Sophie turned towards Nic. "In any case that follows, how do you intend on dealing with the Council and their demands. Are you seriously considering going back to Kalos, for good?"

Nic lowered his head, a small shadow over his forehead. He looked uneasy, and there was no telling how or what confliction was tying his insides into knots. He was unsure as to how he should act, but at the moment, he was uncertain as to what may fall next.

"I wish I knew the answer to that." He replied.

"Now hold on there just a second." A voice interjected. It was Natsu, and everyone turned towards him. "What's that answer? Fairy Tail doesn't take an answer like that. It's obvious that the answer is that you stay."

"Don't get me wrong, I can come and go as I please, but you're not getting the big picture, Natsu." Nic persuaded. "Let me explain, the Council is threatening a civil war that pits Fairy Tail and myself against the entire forces of the Magic Council. They may as well end up persuading or threatening the lives of other guilds such as Sabertooth. In short, everything we've worked for during the Grand Magic Games will be severed. A part of me wants to say damnation to the Council once more, but the consequences that were already established, if pushed any further, I'm not sure I can weight all of that on my shoulders."

Natsu looked shocked. "Whoa, just hold it right there. Just…what kind of nonsense are you babbling on about, huh?" His expression suddenly took a turn for the worse when he held up a clenched fist and stated trekking towards Nic. "Are you saying you might actually go back to Kalos? Leave us alone and all will be fine?!"

"That's not true." Nic said.

"Well it seems like it to me!" Natsu yelled harshly. "How can you even say any of that doubt after all that we've been through?! If you really call yourself a Fairy Tail member, you would never forsake us so we can be safe! That's unacceptable!"

"Natsu, take it easy." Wendy persuaded.

"I can't just sit by and believe everything that's been said! I'll go over there and fry their asses if it means standing up for my friends! What do you want to do?! You just wanna run away?! YOU'RE A COWARD-!"

A sudden giant hand slammed down on Natsu. He gagged when he hit the ground hard, nearly breaking the floor boarding. Happy and everyone gawked at the abrupt move Makarov had dealt. The master didn't even need to so much as look at Natsu as there was a dark shadow over his eyes.

Natsu cringed as he was unable to move. All of his bones couldn't respond. "Grr! Gramps! What's the big idea?!"

"Natsu, you've gone too far." The shadow over the master's eyes lifted, and Natsu looked scared as Makarov had a harsh glare. "You are not entitled to the way Nic thinks. He knows what's best! Unlike you, he doesn't go charging head first, he cares, more than you know, which is why he's trying to tell us to be careful."

"What?" Natsu said.

"You didn't let me finish." Nic stated. "While I don't want a war, and want to desire to a catalyst, I refuse to leave Erath Land permanently." The declaration lifted worry, especially from Erza. "All I'm saying, is that both of us – the Council and myself – have been pushing the other to the brink of battle. I won't leave permanently, but I don't wanna get others but Fairy Tail involved. I just don't know what the next move will be. I just want this whole argument to drop and they leave us be."

Vanessa looked somberly towards the ground. "I understand. I don't want a war to start either, but if they do push it further with demands, I don't know myself."

Greninja turned towards Nic. "Nic…I agree."

"Greninja?" Nic tuned back towards his pal.

"I feel the same. I'm conflicted what will happen if we don't proceed with their threats. Should we alert every guild? I wouldn't want to, because as you said, we can't have anymore get caught in this crossfire. If it comes down to battling, then I guess it'll be up to us to settle with the Council and end the dispute."

Nic nodded once again in agreement, grinning. "There's too much maelstrom going around. There's so little time and so little decisions to pick."

Gray put a hand to his hair and groaned. "This Council crap is still ringing my head."

Juvia looked just as uneasy. "My darling, I think it's best to just sleep it off."

"Juvia has a point. I think we can be better equipped with the confliction after a goodnight's sleep." Sophie said. "It's getting late anyway."

Lucy stretched her arms overhead. "I think I'll retire early. A nice bath is just what I need."

Nic and Greninja looked at each other, not frowning, but not smiling either. They seemed overwhelmed with the confliction in the air, and neither party didn't know what answers there were to pick from. As the two shared the same serious looks, Erza had her own gaze set on Nic, one filled with worry.

* * *

Night fell onto Magnolia soon after. Nic and Greninja both elected to just try and meditate their turmoil off rather than take an overnight job. They both felt it was necessary to be closer around the guild in the events of any Council business. They were able to keep their heads clear for the most part, and after Nic recalled Greninja, he traveled back to his little home and entered inside.

When he closed the doors behind, he could've sworn that there was a thud from up above. He looked up. "Somebody's here." He sensed it as well. The air was different, and the presence didn't seem anymore than a single number. Uneasy, he crept his way up the stairs, his footsteps light as feathers.

When his head reached the above point for the attic, the first thing he saw was Erza sitting in a chair. She looked expectantly at him as his pace slowed down upon seeing her.

"You took quite a while." Erza said flat. There was a deep sense of frustration, as Nic kept her waiting.

Nic didn't seem threatened by her stare, unlike most people. "Sorry, didn't expect company." He said in an equally flat tone. Even with the events of last night, Nic was still weary. There was something in the air between them other than the tension piling on between them. Unfathomable silence followed as Nic bluntly walked off towards the bed. One would've expected the other to speak, but something was holding Nic down to keep him from even looking at Erza right in the eyes. It was confusing and severely disappointing for Erza, but she played along in the hopes of alleviating any level of comfort between them. She made a solid attempt to get his attention last night, but in the end she was still ignored. It made her upset, but more frankly it was Nic who felt more torn up than her. If only the other knew.

Nic sat himself on the bed, letting a sigh cross his mouth.

"Nic, I know your day has been more than eventful, but how are you feeling?" Erza wondered with a soft smile.

Nic raised his head to her and looked placid. "This Council business is making me feel sore."

"Ironic since you've been training and exercises more hours than you spend at the guild hall." Erza smirked.

Nic turned away with a grin. "A little late for humor, don't you think?"

"Well it was nice try." Erza sighed.

Nic snickered and looked at the ground. "A for effort."

Another grim silence fell between the pair, this one more awkward than the last. Nic frowned and started to lie down.

"Hold on, Nic." Erza's interjection stopped him from turning in for the night. "I'm not ready to lie down yet. I'm still unnerved."

Nic looked back up. "Unnerved?" He repeated. "Erza, believe me when I say, I'm unnerved too."

"By which one? The Council, or why you're ignoring me." She got Nic right where she wanted him when all he did was widen his eyes and remain utterly silent. "Nic, I'm tired of this. Please, just tell me what's wrong. I want to help you this time. You've had more than a share of quarrels that you had to deal with alone."

"But I was never alone. I always had my Pokémon with me." He reasoned.

"They have nothing to do with either you or me in this." Erza lowly exclaimed. "This is between you and me, and I know for a fact that you're completely fine around them and not me. It's everybody else you can tolerate." Her fists clenched tightly. "It's been over a week, and what's happened is just like what happened after Nirvana. Why are you evading me?"

Nic narrowed his eyes and looked to the ground. "…I'm sorry."

"An apology is not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for an answer as to why you're evading me. Please, if I don't know, then tell me." Her plea thickened into what felt like a demand. "I can't sit by any longer. Nic, remember that day? Do you remember that sunrise, and that morning sun when we kissed? When we said then and there that we would beside on another, there was no 'me' or 'you'. That means, my problems are yours. I have nothing to hide, as I want to beside you…forever." She narrowed her gaze. "Now it's your turn to prove yourself."

Nic had a dark shadow over his eyes. He seemed to be in what a still mood. He was suddenly trembling. Erza couldn't tell out of surprise, but it wasn't trembling out of frustration, or nervousness. There was a peculiar sense, that it felt like…fear.

"Erza." Nic started low.

"Hm?" Erza's eyes widened when she suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. She felt her lips get caught by Nic's when he pulled himself in and left her in a state of shock. Erza's face turned bright red from Nic's hold and kiss.

Erza felt herself get drawn into the kiss, but before she could relax and calm herself, Nic pulled back for air and rest his shin on her shoulder. She was stiff, but put up no fight as Nic was holding her tight through his trembling body. It was as if he was holding her possessively, as if he'd let go, she'd disappear.

"Erza…please…don't leave me…not again." Nic muttered loud enough for her to hear.

She again felt Nic's hold onto her tighten, but all she could really do was embrace him back. Her gaze softened when she heard him speak. "Nic, I didn't leave you. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." She and Nic both had the sides of their heads touch with their hair tickling the other's head but a little. Their hold onto the other loosened up as time went on, and Nic finally pulled back.

"I've been, having these nightmares for a while now. I'm not even sure if they are nightmares anymore." Nic confessed.

To help prove his point, Nic transformed into his Mind Plate Form. While he no longer had the Plates, he was able to keep the powers, and the benefits that came along with it all. Nic reached hi open palm out to Erza, to which she accepted and held on as Nic closed his eyes. There was a concentration of power flowing through Nic's arms and veins, and Erza could feel that flow through her palm and traveling through and up to her brain.

In an abrupt flash, the whole scenery shifted, entering what was the memoir of Nic's psyche. _'Am I seeing Nic's nightmare now?'_ She looked around, with her hand holding Nic's still. She hasn't been in a situation like this since Nic and everyone's return from saving the Celestial World. She saw the field of fire and destruction, recapping the entire devastation. Her eyes dilated with shock as she watched bodies vanish like ghosts as they ended up dead, with a younger Nic all alone above a cracking ground. _'Is that…Nic when he was younger? And is that…?'_ She saw herself, but the attire and one eye made the feeling as though they were in the Tower of Heaven. When Nic called out to her, she ignored him, and she instead held hands and walked off…with Jellal. To say Erza was devastated to see how she was abandoning Nic for Jellal left her core all sick, and the extra kicker was not only how she flat out ignored Nic, but paid no attention and walked away with a smiling Jellal as Nic plummeted into lava below.

The psyche ended, and Nic pulled away from Erza as they snapped back to reality. Nic retreated a few paces away and looked down at the ground, sullen as he reverted back to himself.

A few minutes passed by, and Erza was taking a minute to process the nightmare Nic was constantly having. She lightly touched her forehead, her mind blinking the constant images of Nic's nightmare. "What was that…your…?"

Nic sat himself onto the bed and had hands clasped together. "Now you get it? No matter how much it pains me, that same feeling haunts me. I can barely look at you in the eyes without knowing that you could've chosen Jellal. That image being sought for, it's leaving a stinging sensation, and it can't go away. I can barely keep up in my own training, I can barely even be around you…I'm just, so ashamed of myself. How can I even dream of something so horrible and forsake you so that you can be with Jellal?"

Erza had nothing to back Nic up, but nothing to counter either. She honestly couldn't blame him for the way he thought. After such traumatizing nightmares, it now was clear why he was the way he is now. Erza made amends and made her points clear with Jellal back then. The only problem was that Nic did not.

As Nic was left to mourn over his rotting state of mind, the mattress bounced lightly. He felt a weight shift towards his left, and he looked over with question to see Erza already on the bed, her body language sideway with her hand on her slender and thick thigh. An alluring stature for certain.

She smiled at him. "Nic, lie down." He complied slowly, and he tried his absolute best to look at her brown eyes as her smile was soft. His head rest on the pillow, and his frown was definite. He remained still as a sensation went up his spine as Erza placed a hand to his cheek.

"Nic, you have nothing to worry about." She said softly. "I made it clear a while back, I won't ever second guess the decision I've made. I can never ignore you when you cry out for help, especially in that dream." She pulled Nic in, adjusting her body so that she sat up on her pillow and had Nic using her huge breasts as a pillow. She rubbed the top of his head. "It's true, and I can't lie when Jellal and I had an interest and admiration when we were kids in our slavery days, but that was then. This is now. I have moved on from that nightmare thanks to you, and that meant moving on from then to now. I have Fairy Tail, and more importantly, you."

Nic remained silent as his eyes were starting to mist up a tiny bit.

"Nic, I understand, your biggest fear, is that I will leave you for Jellal and forsake the life we want to spend together." She wrapped her other arm tighter around Nic's back, holding him tighter. "But do you know what my biggest fear is? Do you know what makes me worry ever day? My greatest fear…is losing you."

Nic's eyes widened. He could feel Erza's warmth flow into him.

"When the Council said they want you to never return from your world, I felt hurt. I couldn't accept that. I can't. You know what would happen if that happened, if you didn't come back? I'd never recover. I'll fight anyone so that they'll never take away our lives. I wanna live with you, be by your side, even when our eyes shut forever." She put her lips to his head, her breath as fresh as strawberries on his very small spiky hair off to the right. "I will choose you over Jellal a million times over, and not regret a single second that we spend together. I know that dream leaves you doubted inside, but if you push me away, I'll stay, and I know you and Jellal will have an understanding when the time comes. I love you, and no matter what, that will never change, even if I somehow lost my memory, my love for you will always be eternal."

After what felt like the longest time, finally, Nic was able to smile with sincerity. Serene graced itself onto Nic as he wrapped his arms around her waist tighter. Their bodies were sprawled along the bedsheets, but all they could really feel or care about was their heartbeats.

"Nic…are you okay now?" Erza asked.

Nic adjusted his head and slipped partially towards his side, smiling. "Yes…I'll be okay, as long as you are there with me."

Erza snickered and kissed Nic on the lips. The two shared another passionate kiss that got their senses tingling with their minds in cloud nine. It was gonna be for a little bit, but Nic was certain that once he confronts Jellal, they'll be sure to talk things out, if not already acknowledging where Erza lied on the scale.

For the time being, Erza kissed Nic again with more force and started straddling him as the two started to chuckle and laugh as the night was young with the stars dancing above.

* * *

Makarov entered the massive double doors set and his footsteps echoed throughout the long hallway. The doors were shut from behind by fellow frog staff, in which it shut with a booming sound. Fairy Tail's master walked down the hallway with an exasperated sigh.

"Honestly, these meetings can be very troubling." He grumbled. "Every six months, and for what? To regulate ourselves and our titles? Honestly, these bullheaded Councilmen may very well be the end of us all one of these days."

"You just might be right, given everything that's transpired." A second person said. Makarov immediately recognized the voice and turned around, seeing the Wizard Saint Jura walking up with a steady pace.

"Oh, Jura." Makarov acknowledged.

"I see you're as ranting of the Council as is any other individual." The Earth Mage teased as he walked alongside Makarov down to the conference hall.

"You can say that. These meetings and procedures are cumbersome at best. There's not even a full number of them set with every meeting."

"Ah yes, us Wizard Saints have our own little say and excuses. There's one in particular that you may not be familiar with. He was just inducted at the last Wizard Saint meeting six months ago. Beforehand, the past 10 seats have only been present a year and a half ago." Jura mused. "We might not get a full house, but we'll see."

"We'll see indeed." Makarov glanced up at Jura. "So, how has your guild been? Being knocked down to third place must have really been a shock to that old hag, hm?"

Jura chuckled. "That's putting it lightly. The old hag's been throwing a few fits, but she's calming down as soon as we started establishing more jobs and training grounds. There's rumors that Quatro Cerberus felt so humiliated that they've been putting their own guild into overdrive. I recently saw three or four members on a job in our town as of a few nights ago."

"Knowing Goldmine, he may say working harder than ever is the wildest thing to do." Makarov snickered.

The two fellow Wizard Saints continued to chat on briefly about their guilds, what's been going on, means of catching up until they've finally entered a dim-lit room. It had vaulted ceilings and a huge chandelier hanging overhead. In the center of it all was a massive table that could fit 20 people roughly. The air was still and the energy that swelled all around gave Makarov and Jura an uneasy dread.

"You feel it too, do you not?" Jura sweat dropped.

Makarov lowered his head. "I'm afraid so. There's a major pressure here. There might be a bigger audience than we've anticipated."

A thunderous bellow raged when a fist slammed down on the sturdy table. The sound of crackling blue lightning flashed and sparked in the dim room. "What the hell took you?! You two call yourselves Wizard Saints if you show last up to something important?!" The deep and scruffy voice reverberated from a dark skinned man who had a mature bone structure. His eyebrows and moustache alike were all huge and bolt-shaped. He had a small goatee that was accompanied with his locks and hair slicked back. His heavily toned physique and bare upper body had but a white coat, which was open to reveal his massive black buckle with a Wizard Saint emblem on it. He seemed to be in his early fifties around a rough estimate.

The man growled once more as blue static raged as his teeth gritted. "At least you made it before the meeting ran late, so I rather not chide you there."

"Now, now, why chide them to begin with?" Asked another unknown figure in the shadows. The dim lighting showed the man was in his early forties. Unlike the stern one nearby, he had a laid-back smirk. He had black facial hair and goatee; sideburns and beard were evident without a moustache. His head sported spiked up black hair along the sides, but the middle ran with a blue color, like a Mohawk that was cut. His body had a skin-tight black under armor with green bandages running from the diaphragm down to the waist. He sported a long sleeved, purple coat with a high collar. The edging was entirely light green, and three huge green ovals were running vertically along the edging on either side. He sported thick black gloves. He had on a black hakama with three strands of purple cloth hanging down, with three green circles each. He sported black boots as well.

"This is a meeting, not a children's school." He reminded the stern Wizard Saint. "So let's all settle down and try not to bite off the other's ear like last time."

The stern Wizard Saint narrowed his eyes. "Ruge, I see you've arrived."

Jura blinked. "My word, the Wizard Saints Bolton, and Ruge."

Makarov's eyes widened. "Gah! Wait, I remember now. Bolton, also known as The Stern Bolt. And then Ruge, The Ethernano Reaper! I've never seen both of you in one place before."

"How rude of you men." The sultry voice caught their attention off to the side. "You have no shame? Leaving a lady waiting is not polite in the slightest. Honestly…"

The lighting revealed a woman barely in her thirties. She was looking slender and very beautiful with her eyelashes flickering to reveal her sea green eyes and lipstick. Her earrings were also sea green, as has her tiara. Her light brown hair had all the bangs off to her right side, with the rest waving down to her waist. She had on a blue suit with long sleeves and translucent net-like frills on the end. While her stomach was revealed her large breasts were guarded with a white one-piece bra attached to her suit. Like Sophie, she had a skirt that had a slit to reveal her left thigh. She had massive blue boots that went up to her mid-thighs and were edged in white. A sea green pendant held her translucent cape together. A bridal veil was slicked back behind her head, all in all, the translucent white cape and bridal veil made her look like…a bride.

"Stella, our apologies. We weren't aware of you meeting with us so suddenly." Ruge announced.

Stella's fingernails were sea green as well, and they were held to her chin. "Oh dear me, I forgive you, but such humble men these days are very scarce."

"That makes five of us altogether." Makarov observed.

"This is the number that was present last year." Jura said.

"Time out there, seems like you need some glasses, because I sure ain't pulling so stealth business over here, pal."

The voice came from a man in his late twenties, looking no older than Laxus. His short yellow hair was hidden by a red bandana with the laces hanging long and loose. He wasn't bulky, but he had muscle and was lean. He had a naked upper body, with dog tags hanging from his neck. He had black gloves on, fit for combat. He had on gray baggy pants and had black boots.

Jura's eyes widened. "Makarov, that's who I was speaking of. The one recently inducted in the last meeting. Cruzer, the latest Wizard Saint."

Cruzer rolled his eyes. "Geez, keep yourselves alert at all times. You never know when a bomb is gonna blow your legs up. This is why you all ain't cut for warfare."

Stella chuckled. "My, for such a handsome young man, you sure talk large and in charge."

"Well doll-face, days out in a warzone can do wonders for a soldier." Cruzer teased.

"Six. That's even more than before." Jura said in surprise. "I must say, this is rather astonishing."

Makarov looked over to spectate the seats. So, these are some of the new faces. Quite an impressive bunch."

"I'll say, these flowers are feeling quite perplexed themselves." Another voice laughed.

Jura and Makarov's eyes widened. The voice was a shocker. It was another party member, but this one had definitely an older age. When both turned towards the shadows, in a dim-lit corner, there was a man, and he was looking elderly, but more precisely his appearance was staggering. His head was rectangular and tree-like, by all means one can say his head was like broccoli. He had no chin, and his skin looked like bark. He had on a yellow and gold cloak.

The elderly man let out a laughter, one that left some amused and some annoyed, more accurately the latter. He continued dowsing plants with water. "My, thirsty little buggers, aren't they…just kidding! These guys are full!" He laughed again, leaving a number of the gathered sweat dropping.

"I-I-It can't be…!" Jura was left in shivering awe. "M-Master Warrod Sequen!"

Makarov's eyes widened. "This can't be, can it? He's one of the Four Gods of Ishgar!"

Warros turned around with a bountiful smile. "You two, your shock will make the plants wilt!" He barked harshly. He then smiled. "Naw, kidding!" He laughed aloud again, nearly flooring Makarov and Jura.

Bolton slammed his fist against the table, making it rattle once more. "Warrod! Enough of your games! They're not amusing in the slightest!"

"Now, now, Bolton, let the man have his peace. Jolliness isn't easy to come by, and you're a prime example." Ruge said.

Bolton turned harshly with a glare, blue lightning crackling all around him.

Ruge wagged a finger in front. "I'd rather not do that if I were you. You wanna add fuel to the fire?" He threatened, starting to put one palm face down and another one facing up. Bolton grumbled a huffed before he finally relented, and thus Ruge did as well.

Warrod turned towards them with a placid grin. "My, this sure is a meeting alright."

Cruzer rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Old timer, I'm with ya there."

Another pair of footsteps entered. "Alright, how long are we gonna be fooling around? Let's get started!"

The voice came from an old man who was very short, perhaps as tall as Makarov. His beard was dark green; his dark-colored shirt was accompanied with a light vest. He had a blue hat with a brown rim. He had glasses, earrings, and dark slacks decorated with diamond shapes.

He grumpily spectated everyone, and they all settled on the spot.

"I-It's Master Wolfheim! You're here too?!" Jura exclaimed.

Wolfheim gave a harsh glare. "Of course I'm here, why wouldn't I be?!"

"He's another of the Four Gods of Ishgar, huh?" Cruzer acknowledged with crossed arms.

"Well this is a surprise, and they just keep coming, don't they?" Stella joked.

Behind Wolfheim, more footsteps were heard hitting the floor. "Now everyone, please settle down. I insist."

Makarov, Jura, Bolton, and Wolfheim all looked startled and gaped their mouths, otherwise the remaining either gave cocky smirks or just looked over their shoulders to see yet another member of the Ten Wizard Saints emerge from the shadows. This one seemed much younger with small moustache. He had combed hair, with a small cross-like tattoo on the left side of the forehead. He had pointed ears and had no beard. He adorned a button-up dress shirt, a vest with handsome décor, and a black bowtie. His middle finger had a ring as he held up a wine glass out from his black cape.

He bowed his head. "Greetings to you all, I trust you all had a fair share of troubles from the past six months. I am Draculos Hyberion, and I welcome you."

Makarov and Jura both gaped their mouth and sweat dropped down their faces. "Whhaaaaa…?! Another of the Four Gods of Ishgar?!"

Another set of double doors opened in the distance. The brash opening of the doors was followed by the unveiling of a familiar face arriving. His stave hit the ground with every step. It was him alone, and he seemed grumpy.

Hyberion turned around and looked towards the approaching figure. "Ah, a pleasure, Gran Doma."

Gran Doma gave no reply, but he stopped in front of a chair and slowly turned towards him. He stared briefly at Hyberion before transferring his gaze to Makarov. The two had a violent stare down and they both grumbled and had hardened glares that could've struck down a Vulcan if hard enough. The serious tension in the air made Cruzer snicker at the warfare between the two. Both Makarov and Gran Doma ceased eye contact and everyone got to their seats. They all sat down in their respective seats, and Gran Doma sat on the far end.

"Master Gran Doma, thank you for the meeting." Bolton said.

Gran Doma nodded. "The pleasure is all mine. It's very fortunate we've managed to get all ten Wizard Saints accounted for."

Jura looked around, seeing the seats all filled, except for one. "Pardon me, but I am curious of why God Serena is not here? Did something happen?"

"Oh that showoff will come, trust me." Ruge said with his cheek on his resting elbow.

Wolfheim grunted. "I swear, that pompous fool is gonna be the end of us if he keeps us waiting."

Hyberion calmly sat the wine glass on the table. "Be patient, everyone, I'm sure God Serena will give off a…flashy appeal."

Makarov and everyone sat there, and yet nothing happened. They were starting to get anxious, but then this overwhelming sense of flow started to weigh down the room. The pressure given off was making Makarov's eyes widened as he felt the Magic Power erupt. _'This power, this can't be real, can it?'_ He was feeling his body tremble on its own, and Jura could barely breath as his breath was staggering. He almost fell out of his chair.

Cruzer frowned. "This is giving me as much goosebumps as last time."

Stella, Bolton, and Ruge both frowned, barely keeping themselves in check. It wasn't as it seemed, but they were suppressing their trembling.

"Ah, sorry…" A bright flash, and sudden lighting in the room all directed to the blinding light that made many go blind briefly until it disappeared. The dazzling lights showed a man, and he struck a pose with arms out. He had his chin up and had a big smile. He had medium-length, spikey light hair that jutted like rabbit ears. His eyebrows were thick, and just like Rogue from Sabertooth, he had a scar over his nose. In contrast to his simple boots, he had eloquent robes on. The most noticeable feature of God Serena was the massive wheel behind him with blades that resembled a dharma, giving him a divine appeal. "...to keep you waiting." He finished as he smirked at his audience.

Makarov's eyes looked at God Serena's appearance. "So this…is God Serena…?"

Jura was equally was reveled in disapproval. "How very…flamboyant."

Bolton angrily turned towards him. "God Serena, how dare you keep us waiting!"

God Serena struck yet another pose. "Glad you like."

Bolton growled and shook his head in shame.

Hyberion nodded towards God Serena. "God Serena, welcome. I trust that you had no trouble along the way."

God Serena struck yet another pose as the lighting flashed. "No." He said with great confidence.

Makarov and Jura both groaned despondently.

Gran Doma slammed his stave down to get attention. "Alright, enough games! Everyone, be seated." Upon his words, God Serena huffed with a cocky smirk as he took his seat. With his seat finally established, the meeting could get started.

Gran Doma started off. "Very well, now, let's established the first order of business, with our fellow guild, Star Order, shall we…"

As Gran Doma went on about this guild, God Serena gave a cocky smile as he was left to wander into his own thoughts. _'We can talk about these games and guilds all we want, but no matter to me. Gran Doma's letter was clear, that we'd soon make it to 'that' subject. I'm excited.'_

"Jango's reports have been confirmed, and it's safe to say that Star Order has been holding up their allegiance and cooperation with flying colors…as always." Ruge sighed.

Gran Doma nodded in confirmation. "Yes, and with that, we will need their full cooperation for our next order of business."

"Which is…?" Makarov asked.

Gran Doma, God Serena, and all of the Wizard Saints gathered with frowns and had them all pinpointed on Makarov. An overwhelming dread filled the room, and the guild master suddenly got swamped with anxiety when God Serena's expression turned merciful.

"Now, Makarov, yes?" He asked. "We wonder…what was Nic's answer to this calamity?"

Makarov's eyes widened. Whatever they were gonna hear next, they wouldn't like one bit.

* * *

 **Here's the next chapter. I made it rather simple, but effective. As always, review and comment, and thanks for reading!**


	7. A Judgment by Stars

It was another placid night for most people in Magnolia, in which they slept soundly in their homes with no worries. The day had gone by rather quickly, and while most people were relieved that the day was over, others feared that there was more to come with every event laid out on this day. It could be high expectations for a birthday party, or a recipe, but perhaps Fairy Tail dealt with enough stress after Master Makarov's return from the 10 Wizard Saints meeting. The look on his face still left some uneasy sparks that may ignite into embers that evolve into blasting infernos.

As the crickets chirped outside, Nic was lying down in bed on his stomach. What was causing him to smile was the fact that Erza was soundly sprawled atop of him. Her body against his was like a spread of warmth to one's front to another's back. They had nothing to worry of as they were there for another. Throughout the day, Nic and his team elected to just meditate and spar for a little bit. And by little bit, that was four hours. With the day over with, Erza decided to stay with Nic since he was still having a little hard time in regards to the concept of Erza leaving him for Jellal, but he was making progress with Erza always around him. After the events of last night, Nic's worries alleviated, but Erza didn't stop as she wanted to be with Nic forever, as they were going to from that night in Crocus.

So in this case, Erza had her arms draped around Nic as he was lying on his stomach, with the redhead softly smiling as her cheek was against his neck. She calmly laid on his back as she breathed soundly and with care.

Nic was feeling Erza's body against his bare back. He found it soothing, and did not want to lose it. He looked sound as the smell of strawberries filled the air.

"We had quite the day, haven't we?" Erza mumbled.

"Hm." Nic hummed.

"The master looked very stressed after the meeting. I hope he'll be alright."

Nic remained quiet for a still while as Erza's inquiry hung in the air. His back shifted and sank into the mattress as he cranked his head a little farther up towards the headboard. "He was reluctant to say, but all we can do is hope for the best."

Erza nodded. She adjusted herself and pulled the covers over her back. She went farther up Nic and her head was in the crook of his neck.

"Whatever happens, I refuse to have them take you away." Erza felt Nic's hand underneath the sheets holding hers. She passively smiled as Nic was there in her time of worry. The two thus drifted off to another night of sleeping off their worries.

* * *

Still in his office, Master Makarov was dangling his feet against the office desk. It had been a long while since Mirajane closed the guild hall, and though she was persistent, she decided it was best to leave the master be to sulk in his worries.

All around him were a couple booze bottles, and though his face was red and could barely see his feet, he still remembered the meeting full well…something that no matter how much booze was consumed just wouldn't go away.

 _Makarov's eyes widened. "What…did you just say?'_

" _Master Makarov, I prefer to not repeat myself. I'll reiterate just one more time. Since Nic Pularis refuses to comply as to what you say, then by order of the Magic Council and Ten Wizard Saints, this shall be war." Gran Doma stated._

 _Cruzer sneered. "Boy, and just when I came back from Bosco, things are still pretty high strung."_

 _Makarov's eyes dilated ferociously. "You're mad!"_

" _Indeed. I too object to this matter of conflict." Jura protested. "I know you have it in for the young hero, but you have no right to take it out on him or his guild. This is a farce!"_

 _Bolton slammed a fist into the table. The sound of thunder boomed throughout the chamber, crackling so harshly that the frog staff outside shuddered. To say he too was mad would be putting it lightly. "So you're going against the chairman's decision? You think that you two alike can override the highest authority's decision?" He yelled out harshly. "Unacceptable!"_

" _While I do have to say that Bolton's short fuse and stern behavior will only give him wrinkles, I have to agree with what he's saying." Ruge frowned with crossed arms in his chair. "Don't get me wrong, I do respect Nic Pularis for all that he's done, but he's put his place outside jurisdiction. Against better judgment, I think we need to consider that even though he doesn't have the same level of power anymore, that doesn't mean he's not a threat to all mages and Magic society."_

 _Stella rest her elbow on the table. "The young man is handsome, but that night still troubles me. Therapists are flooding with issues all about Ragnarok Lysandre and this devilish power. He's known throughout the entire world now, that means he's targeted and could spell trouble for Fiore if not Ishgar. We need to consider the big picture here."_

 _Wolfheim gritted his teeth. "That young fool still gives me the creeps. A rebellious demeanor only leads to him deserving more than a few spankings."_

 _Makarov pushed his chair out and stood up. "I refuse to tolerate your need for security! Yes, Nic is powerful, as are his Pokémon, but that's no way or right to decide on his fate. He has his own life to lead. You can't just say 'you're either kicked out or be destroyed'! Think of the lives he's changed!"_

" _Don't think that we already know. Master Makarov, Nic Pularis has already ignited the sparks that could spell disaster for magic altogether. As the leadership figure, it's my duty to have the people's trust and cooperation, and they just go and turn to you guilds for answers now!" Gran Doma snapped. "The fates and decisions rest within the Magic Council, not your meddlesome guild!"_

 _Makarov shuddered angrily. "You're driven by fear."_

" _Maybe so, but it's for that reason that Nic Pularis has got to go. I see him as a threat and criminal of justice and magic order. All in favor of dealing with this matter?"_

 _There was a shrill tension hanging over their heads. They wanted to rid of Nic, but it was for the sake of security and order. Things were already pushed to an overwhelming point, but Nic's defiance with cooperating and aligning with those who sought order and structured society. As far as the situation went, labeling Nic as an outsider was pretty much blunt, and thus they had to act accordingly._

 _Stella sighed as she sat back up. "I dislike ruining a fine man's future, but the future of the Magic Council and its structure hangs in the balance. At the very least we can coax him to cooperate and help us understand his powers and Pokémon, or we can force him home." Her eyes narrowed. "I say deal with him."_

" _Hmph, though as much as I wanna see what other impacts he can make, I can't see him stoppable if we don't restrain him. Guess I'm all for it." Ruge said with a casual grin._

 _Cruzer shrugged. "I don't care."_

" _That fool's made a joke out of the Ten Wizard Saints. He's sullied our reputation and upstaging our power. He's had the audacity to go against our will! That threat must be put in his place at once! Eliminate that fool!" Bolton exclaimed._

 _Warrod nervously smiled, and instead he gave no answer._

 _Hyberion sat his wine down calmly. "As Wizard Saints, we are bound to assist the Magic Council if they demand it. So as compensation, we have no say."_

 _God Serena smirked. A chuckle came across his throat and bellowed out softly. "Now…" He struck another fabulous pose. "To what disgrace does he have fallen onto me, God Serena! He has upstaged the greatest Wizard Saint in all of Ishgar, and what did I do?" He turned back at the others, his smirk turning venomous. "Yes, destroy him. I want to see his face when he realizes the wrath of a true god and not this faux god that everyone has witnessed. Let them see a living one rain down, and prove how I am the strongest of all."_

 _Gran Doma smirked. "God Serena, you really want to destroy him. That settles it."_

 _Jura and Makarov both shook their heads in disgust. Makarov held up a fist. "You all are nothing but scared jokes!"_

" _You quiet down, fool…or rather would I demonstrate here and now how Nic Pularis has nothing compared to me?" God Serena challenged._

" _Master Makarov, Jura. You both refuse to comply. Do you honestly wish to have your guilds look like criminals? Should you really consider the threat that Nic possesses? I have been trying, but now I see that I shall do justice, and if you two have no say, then begone with you, and everything that you hold dear. Your Wizard Saint titles, and guilds alike shall be dark guilds, and all who see Nic as a friend!"_

 _Makarov stared coldly ahead. "If anyone is a threat, it's YOU!"_

" _I shall stand by Nic Pularis's side, whether my guild and those who see him be labeled as criminals, we shall set an example that friendship overcomes order. Your structure has already been collapsed. It's time that the Magic Council gets overturned." Jura turned away, stepping into the hall with a frown. "Take my title, but I value my beliefs in justice…something you have thrown away when you want to use or destroy Nic."_

 _Makarov gave a dark glare to Gran Doma, in which both gave off a horrendous aura that was dark on one side, and bright on the other. Their eyes clashed with different views, and one side wants order, and one side is devoted to standing to its own justice._

" _You will not decide our fates. When you say left is right, and it's automatically right, we seek another path! We'll show you, we stand by Nic, so if you want to get to him, Fairy Tail will kick all of your asses and your titles into the ground. Good day." Makarov turned away, leaving his title abandoned just like that without a hint of regret. His face was still obstruct with anger as the Wizard Saints all had mixed reactions, mostly of frowns, otherwise God Serena was smirking._

 _Bolton stood up to oppose the retaliating._

" _At ease, Bolton." Gran Doma said. Bolton grunted and sat back down, complying. Gran Doma watched as Master Makarov walked off. "Let them have their moment. For when Fairy Tail is put in its place with Nic's soon-to-be absence, they will know that they must rely on order. Send word to the Star Order guild, I have a solid message to announce to Fiore's guilds."_

Makarov huffed again as he gulped down another mug's worth of booze. He was despondent as he just took the biggest gamble he's ever made. "I've thrown away my title, and for what?" He sighed and then turned towards the window, staring at the twinkling sky. "Well whatever happens, my children will never let their potential be held back by the Council."

He hopped from his desk and wobbled his way out of the office, hiccupping all along the way.

* * *

The Ten Wizard Saints had already established the plans, and together they all decided to hang around in the Magic Council HQ. A majority were still hanging around the area, more presumably the small stay they had.

Ruge kept a cocky smirk. "Well, this most certainly has been an eventful day…more or less."

Warrod nodded. "Yes, I think this will turn out quite well for all of us…" He smiled. "Just kidding!" He laughed uproariously with hysterics.

"As always, your sense of humor is as dry as that bark that you call skin." Ruge sighed.

Cruzer scoffed. "Old farts always laugh the hardest before they keel over. They don't live long out there in Bosco."

Bolton sat cross-legged on a mat and turned towards Cruzer, who casually sat on the floor mat some feet away. "Say, Cruzer. You have war experience, do you not?"

Cruzer raised. "Damn straight. Been in that godforsaken country and at war for 4 years. It ended awhile back. You can see how that turned out on my end."

"And you became a Wizard Saint, in similarities to a Medal of Honor. Most admirable, however…" Bolton's lightning bolt moustache and eyebrows sparked with lightning. "You'd be wise to not use such a casual tone when speaking to a professional colleague."

"Oh lighten up." Cruzer sat back against the wall with no interest. "The Stern Bolt certainly lives up to his name." He glanced over towards him. "Still, if you're looking for someone for the frontlines, then I'm your man. You'd best consider my war experience an asset and not something you can mold. A good soldier works until morale hits hell. Keep that in mind."

Bolton scoffed and turned away. "Fine, but watch yourself, because this war against Nic and his side will end with us in favor." He looked around, noticing something off. "Where are the others?"

Hyberion sat calmly on the mat, looking placid with his eyes shut. "Lady Stella retired to her quarters. I'm afraid she'll be at it again all night."

Bolton grunted. "It's been 5 years. She talks of men too much these days."

Cruzer's eyebrows took an angrier turn. "Listen old man, give the doll her space. I knew a lot of colleagues who got shot down in Bosco. You can imagine how devastated their wives, children, and fiancée were when _I_ had to break the news to them." He shook his head. Silently mourning with a glove to the bridge of his nose. "God, I still have nightmares about that."

"Wolfheim retired early, saying the meeting left him in a foul mood. And God Serena got his own suite, stating a god of his stature does not cope with such standards." Hyberion finished.

Bolton held up a clutched fist. "That ingrate thinks he can just own us? What I wouldn't give to put that miserable human character into the dirt with my own hands."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Ruge interjected calmly. "Honesty, your selfish and militant demeanor is exactly why everybody only respects you out of fear. Keep that in mind."

Bolton harshly turned towards Ruge. "I am a Wizard Saint, of course my position demands respect! Do you think I can stand being stepped on by someone who is lower ranked than me? That Nic is no different from me as you say then." He caused a pause to go through the atmosphere. Cruzer, Warrod, Hyberion, and Cruzer looked towards him with anticipation. "His power; I don't care how, but it's not worth being kept in his hands. It's a tool that must be used as last resort."

"So you're willing to sacrifice a life for power and authority?" Warrod questioned with a dreadful gaze. "I understand you and Gran Doma have a similar point of view, but I disagree with you on that."

Bolton scoffed again. "Warrod, I respect your position, but I disagree on that point of view. Sacrifices are what make history. It's what keeps others alive. When my father risked his life, he saved not just mine, but an entire nation's worth. His sacrifice was a sign, a belief that means no matter how strong, the power utilized must be for the right side, and that also means taking sacrifices for the innocent."

Cruzer's lips twitched. "Ah, so that's where you get your beliefs. Your father must have been more stubborn and bull-headed than you ever were."

Bolton glared harshly at Cruzer, static twitching in his moustache and eyebrows. "My father is a man of discipline. And because he believed sacrifices were for the greater good, then how could we not honor that belief by sparing Nic and letting him roam free with such power."

Ruge sighed and shook his head. "Honestly, you just can't be reasoned with." He stood up and turned another direction. "Guess I should retire too."

Cruzer shot up onto his feet. "Yup, guess this war dog's gotta get some shut eye if he's gonna lay waste in no-man's land once more."

Bolton grunted and got up too. "Star Order has already prepared a representative for the morning. Let's make this message clear: Nic Pularis and his creatures shall not have their actions unjustified!"

Warrod looked away, nervously groaning. "Oh dear. He might suffer from cardiac arrest if he doesn't loosen up…or not."

* * *

The next morning in Fairy Tail, Makarov finally regained himself. He replayed everything that's transpired from the events of the Ten Wizard Saints meeting; from start to finish, he even laid out the disappointing part of his and Jura's titles being revoked for just siding with Nic and his ideals. Once everything had been told, the stage was set for Nastu to go nuts.

He slammed his hand on the counter. "That's not fair! Gramps, you should've punched their teeth or something! You can't just have them take your title like that! Is that really how you're gonna play it?!"

Makarov remained silent.

"Who cares if they were the Council or Wizard Saints! I know war's coming our way and we're gonna fight back, but I should've at least been there to get it started!"

"Leave the matter be, Natsu." Nic insisted.

"What he said supports us. Of course he was aware of the consequences, but in the end he still stuck his neck out for us." Greninja pointed out. "Besides, this upcoming predicament we're in isn't gonna get any assist from reckless and pointless tantrums. There's only so much levity left in the air that it's leaving us all walking on eggshells. Any rash action is only gonna put us at wits end with one another."

Natsu held up his fist, shaking and looking at Nic and Greninja with so much angst. The two-on-one were opposites. While Natsu wanted to fight however and whenever, Nic and Greninja would rather stay calm and only deem battles when as necessary. In contrast to a Pokémon battle, which every battle was but experience for a Pokémon, it wouldn't be deemed pointless, but in Earth Land, some fights were just not worth it. Still, Natsu knew deep down Nic was right, and taking out his frustration on the master wasn't gonna benefit anybody…for now.

"Then what the heck are we supposed to do?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Look, just calm down and let's think this through." Gray interjected.

"They want us to lose our edge. Of course the Council wants to classify us as criminals, and they went so far as to label Fairy Tail an obstruction of justice. If anyone should be having a meltdown, it's the Council." Lucy said. Her face grew determined and held up a clenched fist. "Don't worry, we'll set them straight."

"Still, going so far as to strip Master's title and Jura's is extreme." Sophie said.

Vanessa frowned. "They've gone too far for those who uphold law and order. They'll be lucky if they remain standing after their self-destruction."

* * *

Walking, his shoes touched the stone with light paces, carefully organized with one pressed foot in front of another, following a direct path and disapproving the ongoing eyes of the Magnolia residence. Many had confused looks at the unfamiliar face, but they were made certain that there was something about him that spelled an awkward omen.

"Whoa, who is he?"

"I don't know, but he doesn't look like the kind you wanna joke with."

"Yeah. That insignia looks like the Magic Council symbol. And yet it isn't."

Adjusting his glasses, the man walked without so much as even a chuckle. He had blue eyes and periwinkle hair, though it was lighter than one imagined. The hair was short and spiked downwards in a comely fashion. He adorned what seemed to be a white shirt and dress pants, but compared to that, he had a coat as long as Nic's with longer sleeves. The blue coat had dark blue lines running along the sleeves, down the sides, and all over the shoulders and high collar. The most peculiar aspect of him was that atop of his head were a pair of adjustable goggles.

The man stood in front of Fairy Tail's guild hall, with a glare reflecting off his glasses. "I shall proceed as planned."

* * *

Erza stepped forward. "Master, if what you say is true, then we should at least expect the remaining Wizard Saints to supply a counter. If you know any details, now would be an appropriate time as any."

"Knowing is half the battle." Nic reasoned.

Makarov nodded in understanding. "Very well. I will say what I know about these Wizard Saints. As far as convenience goes for my lack of knowledge, there's the following…"

"Wizard Saint Bolton, The Stern Bolt…" Everyone grew surprised by the cutoff. "Wizard Saint Ruge, The Ethernano Reaper…" Everyone turned around, facing the guild hall doors. They saw what seemed to be an intellectual man, one whose age seemed rather young if not around the same as Gray's or anybody else's. He pressed on. "Wizard Saint Stella, The Sea Bride."

"Bride?" Juvia questioned. Her face suddenly flushed a bright red, her mind entranced into her imagination of herself being a bride to Gray. The thought almost made her dissolve into water.

"Wizard Saint Cru-"

"Who the hell are you?" Natsu interrupted.

The man had his chin low to the ground. "I'm sorry, would you rather have the information needed, or would you perhaps need my acquaintance? I suppose I shall suffice your hot-headed frustration with an answer."

Natsu had veins pop out of his face. "Watcha say?!" He wanted to pounce and punch him for not complying, but Nab and Max were trying their best to hold the energetic Dragon Slayer back as he was hopelessly kicking.

Makarov looked at the man, staring with uncertainty. "What do you want?" He questioned in a demanding tone.

The unknown person pulled two fingers to his glasses and tapped the sides. The goggles that were atop his forehead immediately went down and sat in front of his glasses. The lenses shifted to a blue color. In his eyes, the man saw everyone in a blue hue from the lenses, and data upon data was scrolling, among several screens similar to Hibiki's Archive. "Allow myself to be introduced. I am Peter of the Star Order Guild. I am labeled as the Telescope of Order, I am 20-years-old, and I am among the brains and advisor of my guild master."

Makarov's eyes widened. "You're what?"

"And you are Fairy Tail's Master Makarov Dreyar. Former Wizard Saint, and has been opposing the Magic Council alongside Nic Pularis, a fellow S-Class Mage who resonates alongside his sibling Vanessa Pularis from another world. A world where it's labeled with these creatures known as Pokémon, if I accurately state."

Nic and Vanessa's eyes narrowed at the man's perception.

Erza looked at him with discern. He saw that on the chest pocket, there was a guild mark. The mark was almost like the Magic Council's cross emblem, only it had a mallet on the left side of the cross and a star on the other side. The emblem did not mean well for her nor anybody.

"Peter of Star Order." She repeated. "I've never heard of such a guild."

"And yet you must be with the Magic Council, am I right?" Lucy presumed.

Peter adjusted his glasses. "Indeed."

Natsu was released by his friends and stepped forward angrily. "So you mind telling us why you're here?"

Levy gasped. "Wait…Star Order…"

Lisanna turned towards Levy with inquiry. "Hm? Levy, is there something wrong?"

"I'm not sure how to put this, but I've only read a few articles I had saved over the years. This guild, Star Order, it's like the Magic Council's right-hand man in a manner of speaking. All I know is that this guild works in secrecy, but it's aligned solemnly to the Magic Council."

"So you're saying that Star Order is a Magic Council Guild?" Vanessa questioned. She looked towards Peter with speculation. "So you're saying, it's like an underground guild but is bound by law?"

"Not exactly. Remember the Garou Knights you guys fought back during the Grand Magic Games? It's something like that." Levy corrected.

"I see."

"In a way, correct." Peter stated. "Star Order handles guild duties with jurisdiction, and its actions are not to be classified as public. We prefer a stealthier approach to matters. That's how we always work."

"Okay, so what does that have to do with you being here?" Elfman asked.

"A good question, Elfman Strauss, the middle sibling of the Strauss family. I am here to supply you all with an important message; an enemy's calling card, if one looks at it that way." Peter answered.

Nic and Greninja's eyes narrowed.

Peter's face turned to a grim serious. "Now, to point this out as blunt as I can, the Magic Council has instructed the Star Order Guild to assist in the elimination of the threat known as Nic Pularis. You and your sibling and Pokémon are to return home and never return or all of Fiore's guilds will have to choose sides with either them or with you."

Shock and gaping mouths hollered through the guild hall. Natsu and everyone looked petrified, and yet at the same time outraged. A lot had narrowed eyes, and Erza shifted to Nic's side as he and Greninja stood there without any showing of surprise. Vanessa tried to stay calm as well.

"As we speak, this message is being passed to the guilds all over Fiore, every word and syllable iterated was memorized and sent to guilds such as Sabertooth, Blue Pegasus, every guild in Fiore. Those who choose not to fight we hold nothing against. However, you being excluded doesn't mean that there won't be a penalty for those who side with Nic Pularis. The guild who wish to protect the man shall be classified as Dark Guild and shall be sought as criminals. Those who side with Star Order and the Magic Council shall be pardoned."

"What a big load of crap!" Happy barked.

"So they're using bargain to persuade guild cooperation and gain the advantage." Pantherlily expected.

"That's such a cruel thing to do." Wendy said.

"Cruel is one thing to define their method of labeling Nic an obstruction of justice. To have guilds bargained and labeled as enemies against all of Fiore is just barbaric." Carla stated.

Peter stared at Nic and Greninja alike. "And Nic, this is to you and your friend from Gran Doma. He has a personal message, and he said 'You cannot win, not while God Serena can put you in your place. Let it be known, Pokémon do not belong in this world'." Peter then turned away, facing the exit. "And that, Fairy Tail, was my message to be sent to you. I bid you all a good day."

Peter slowly paced himself towards the door. Everyone stared as he went along towards the doorway, without so much as lift a finger. All around Fiore, people just listened to the individual messengers of the Star Order Guild. Its message was loud and clear. In Blue Pegasus, Jenny, Ichiya, Nichiya, and the Trimens all stared with uneasy gazes as their messenger announced war. In Mermaid Hell, Kagura's glare was dark. Millianna stood by her side and swallowed a hairball. In Sabertooth, Sting, Rogue, Minerva, and the Exceeds looked with expectant gazes as they were told their terms. The atmosphere at that minute shifted into a turbulence that the Star Oder Guild and the Magic Council together had made public.

"The next time we meet…it shall be in battle. The Star Order Guild and Rune Knights will swamp the lands and arrest you all. Nic Pularis, his sibling, and Pokémon…their time here is over." Those were Peter's final words before he exited, leaving the guild hall in uneasy shambles.

Erza looked towards Vanessa with a stern gaze, as did Nic with Greninja and vice versa. Those four were mentally challenged right there on the spot.

Laxus stared at the group along with his Thunder God Tribe. He looked with a frown and turned back to face the counter. "God Serena, huh?"

"The Stern Bolt. The Ethernano Reaper. The Sea Bride. No many names these Wizard Saints uphold." Freed said.

"Yeah, but there was so much more we wanted to know as well." Bickslow said.

"To know. To know." His floating dolls repeated.

"But why tell us all of this information beforehand?" Evergreen wondered.

"It's to psyche us out." Nic answered. "Gran Doma and the Star Order Guild want us to know who we're dealing with…so that we may have to back down."

"Trying to scare us." Vanessa said.

Natsu stood proudly, facing the doorway. "Well whatever comes our way, we're not scared. Because we don't let our friends get pushed around by these psychotic bastards!"

* * *

Hours went by, and within the reaches of Era, Peter paced himself towards his guild. His guild was located on one of the less popular avenues of Era, a perfect spot for his guild to uphold their duty without much traffic when entering or exiting. He casually strolled into what seemed to be a building that can resemble a white dome with tons of white pillars and other intricate designs with no more than a few banners spread here and there.

Upon venturing up the stairs and opening the double doors, Peter ventured inside the rather empty space. It wasn't well lit at the moment, but it was likely so during nighttime.

Venturing up another set of stairs and ignoring the paperwork and staff that had people talking to frog staff from the Council; he walked down a narrow passageway set by porcelain plates and knocked on a door.

"Enter."

Peter opened the doors, walking inside to meet with his master. The master was relatively young, with facial hair similar to the Wizard saint Ruge. His unkempt spiky black hair matched his dark eyes, which seemed to deflect any light from the room. He had on upper body armor that seemed to only cover the body itself and not the arms, which were muscular. He had on simple black boots and brown pants.

Peter walked in and bowed towards the master. "Master Jango, I have delivered the message. We are set for the purge of Nic and any who side with him at dawn."

"You've done splendid, Peter. Thank you for your cooperation." Jango praised as he sat in his chair. "By any chance, have we gotten word on the Magic Council's orders or directives?"

Peter stood up and adjusted his glasses. "Sir, if I may, Gran Doma has called for procedures. He wants a meeting at 17:00. He wishes to discuss battle plans and pinpointing locations as to where to station the Rune Knights."

Jango nodded in understanding, a small smirk coming across his face. "As usual, always so strict. But we can accommodate on that. If you don't mind, assist me on the intervention. We'll need your Perception Magic as usual."

Peter bowed again. "Understood. If by any chance that Nic does get the upper hand with his gruesome power, shall I advise the Council to give permission to _that_?"

Jango looked off to the side, his dark eyes gazing off into the norm. He seemed to be fiddling with his own thoughts, off in his own contemplative state. "Justice through injustice. Honestly that doesn't fit order itself. These now labeled criminals have the false beliefs that we have become misguided, that the Council has turned bitter. In turn, they were the ones who are misguided. They're too blind to see the reality that higher power means the lower power has but little influence. In such a castle, one king's claim is but another peasant's command. And in some circumstances, the fair tax is never suiting."

His gaze transcended to Peter, who nodded at his own saying. "Advise that at the meeting, if you will."

Peter nodded in understanding. "Sir."

Jango then gave a despondent brow. "Oh, and by the way, Peter…you might want to watch your back." He sweat dropped. "Olivia has been getting rather…antsy. And you know what that means."

Peter could feel his spine crawl. His head could already picture the untold tales and experience of how his guild mate had her usual definition of 'fun', especially in this year's case. His flustered state passing, Peter adjusted his glasses. "Ahem. Yes, well, I'll take note of that."

Jango nodded. "And so we have but a little time to spare. Inform Johaan and…Olivia, that they'll take part in the frontlines tomorrow. Everyone else will be stationed when you advise of _that_. Sound fair?"

Peter smiled and nodded. "I couldn't agree more, sir." Peter then exited the room, closing the double doors behind him.

Jango got up from his throne-like seat and took slow steps around his quarters. He turned his gaze towards the window on the far left side of the room, where he stared at the towering structure of the Magic Council on the high hill. He looked patiently as his mind turned contemplative once more. _'And by our side, we stand for what's been governing our world. We stand for what is right, and what is right is safeguarding the principle of authority and justice for the order of magic and not the kingdom. We shall leave the guilds in confusion as we establish ourselves as Star Order, the guild that brings judgment from the stars above.'_

* * *

" _Alright, are you ready, Fennekin?"_

" _(Yeah!)" The Fox Pokémon cheered._

" _You ready as well, Chespin?"_

" _(You know it!)" Chespin puffed out his chest and beamed with pride._

 _Both the Fire and Grass Starters were carried off by their new Trainers. They didn't bother looking back, since they had nothing left to say or give to the lab, especially to a certain individual. As for the Professor, sure, they were grateful to him, but being in the lab and roaming with little space was just not what they needed. They needed to get outside and see the world. They kept their noses high and filled with brim smiles as their Trainers walked out of Professor Sycamore's Lab._

 _Professor Sycamore waved back at them. "You all have fun on your journey." He said._

 _Right beside him, there was still Froakie. Froakie gave a despondent frown as he watched another pair of Pokémon go. He wanted to just hop and implore to go as well, but that wouldn't prove any good. Froakie just took the whole thing in stride. When the two Trainers were gone, Froakie just blankly stared; not looking at the ground nor turning away._

 _He felt a hand atop of his head. He recognized the comforting hand, but did not appeal to it. Leaning down next to him, Professor Sycamore smiled. "It's okay Froakie, maybe next time will be your big break."_

" _(…)" Froakie's blank stare didn't falter. Professor Sycamore sighed as he expected this from Froakie. He could understand the frustration the little Froakie was having, being left out. He can remember bitterly of a few beginner Trainers who had always dreamed about having a Froakie, and when it came time, they always went towards the Professor's Lab only to be disappointed and choose a Fennekin or Chespin instead._

 _The sunlight in the windowsill was bright, and Froakie was seen with crossed arms as his blank eyes stared out into the city. He could picture a serene forest with ponds and flowing rivers, but those images only came from the books he's looked into from Professor Sycamore's findings and library. He could only picture it, and nothing more._

 _He could still remember the bitter comments of people who chose Fennekin and Chespin over him._

" _It's too serious-looking."_

" _I was looking for something that could smile, or maybe something that can actually play around. Sorry, but maybe not Froakie."_

" _What do you mean he never shows off? Isn't that the point of appeal? Professor, sorry, but I think I'll pick…Chespin!"_

" _Those blank eyes all the time creep me out. Can't it look normal for once?"_

 _The more comments and complaints people had about Froakie, the more his heart sank. '(…)' His mind was but a blank slate. To say he's upset would be a historical understatement. He could just stare out to the window and outside world, taking in all those bitter comments and just striding on._

 _Over on his desk, Professor Sycamore frowned. "Poor Froakie. Six months in, and absolute zero luck with a Trainer." He turned towards his paperwork, flipping to another sheet of paper, and sighing. "This has been a new record. All Fennekin and Chespin, and not a single Froakie. Perhaps he's just not compatible with people. I just don't know. I can't understand what he lacks to be given to somebody."_

 _His assistant was by his side, assisting him with a cup of coffee. "I'm surprised that it's still here in the lab. It could've just ran away, and yet why does it stay?"_

 _Professor Sycamore could say a few inquiries, but he had no idea what to say about them. He wasn't sure what drove the Froakie anymore. It's clear that he gives no care to being picked anymore. He was always so stubborn since he was hatched. Professor Sycamore could still remember as to how the Froakie was always frowning, always so serious. The Fennekin and Chespin alike always played and got along, and yet Froakie was always wandering off, spacing into the norm. Of course this made him rather desolate. The memory was still fresh even after six months from hatching. Being in the lab for so long, Froakie could actually learn to read. A magnificent feature since he's always looking into books, but to actually read is something phenomenal. Of course this quirky feature alone didn't begin to characterize Froakie. He was always looking outside, but at what? The Starter Pokémon who had no start to begin with, his life inside the lab and always passed over._

 _Froakie's blank eyes continued to stare outside, and Professor Sycamore frowned heavily. 'Froakie…just what are you exactly?"_

 _His assistant suddenly gasped, catching his and Froakie's attention._

" _What is it?" Proessor Sycamore asked. "What's wrong?"_

 _His assistant looked horrified at the article she was reading in hand. Her mouth was covered and her body became light as a feather. She had just finished skimming the article, and she just couldn't stomach it._

" _Is everything okay? What did you read?" Professor Sycamore questioned._

" _T-this." The assistant tried her best to stay calm and handed the news article to Professor Sycamore. He had inquiry written all over his face as he was handed the article. Immediately reading and looking over the article, the Professor's eyes widened. "W-what is this?" The mug in his hand dropped to the rug below, splattering coffee along with shattered ceramic work. His eyes dilated as he kept reading the article. "The story was so graphic that they had to cancel out any pictures. A boy that was violently abused for 15 years finally freed. Violent and savage parental figures savagely fight back against armed forces. Almost all wounded. No casualties, but their strength and eyes were monstrous…"_

 _As he went on, Froakie hopped towards his side, looking up from the floor and up at the desk._

" _And now this boy has decided to leave his home and head for a journey. It was so drastic that the names of the family residence were excluded." He dropped the news article and stood up from his chair. He looked towards his assistant with shock. "You mean that this boy is gonna need a Pokémon rather than recover?"_

 _As his assistant and him were talking, Froakie hopped up the desk and scanned the paperwork. "(What did he just say…?)" He looked around, soon finding the news article. His eyes widened when he was actually reading something that left his mind to flip a switch. A switch that left him unbound by what he felt like neglect._

" _(Oh my…)"_

Greninja stirred awake. His blank eyes showed as he spectated his surroundings. He was at the base of a tree, where his back was actually pressed against something. "Hmm?" He could feel a similar warmth from what he was against, and ta the same time he knew what it was.

Back to back, Nic and Greninja were both cross armed and were apparently napping. They both had their legs stretched out, and heads were hung low as it was apparently nighttime. Tomorrow was going to be a big day, one that'll define their stay or go.

Apparently drawn awake, Greninja slightly turned his head to see if Nic had awoken. "Nic?"

Nic groaned in his sleep. "Greninja…Scald…" He mumbled incoherently as he was drifting back to sleep.

Greninja stared at his Trainer, a smile underneath his scarf-like tongue as he shut his eyes to sleep once more in the forest, away from the town or the shack for the night.

* * *

At Fairy Hills, Erza was stirring. She couldn't seem to get herself to sleep well at night. The redhead went over to her side, her face facing the wall across from her bed. It still did not help. The thrill of battle and her desire to keep Nic away from the Council was a heavy weight.

Her eyes opened up and she despondently stared into the darkness. Her mind couldn't stop, so she got up from her soft bed and stood up. She requipped out of her own pajamas and into her usual armor. She needed to relax her body somehow, but a hot bath this late could only give waste to complications when dawn comes. So, she snuck her way out of the dormitory, and she exited the doors and decided to go for a midnight walk.

As the redhead's figure strolled through the night streets, she also seemed to be aware of her surroundings. It was rather close to midnight now, and yet you can tell Magnolia was a whole other story when night comes. She cared not, for a walk may be what her body was asking for.

A sudden pair of footsteps was heard from behind, and the redhead stopped in her tracks to turn around. She found some uninvited company.

Snickering fellows were holding some dull swords and weapons. All of them seemed dirty and poor, and at the same time desperate.

"Well what do we have here?" One guy asked.

"You lost? Can't find your way?" Another guy asked.

"Looks to me you got yourself caught right into a midnight struggle." Another shady guy grinned mischievously.

Erza did see their smirks, she just didn't care. "Not so. I figured a roundabout stroll is best for my worries." She reasoned.

"Hehe. Well~, we could interest you in a pleasant route if ya like?" A guy interested her.

"I'm quite comfortable in navigating myself through the town, but thanks." Erza turned away from the shady men, but she had realized that another set of three or four men were already in front of her. It was then that she found herself caught surrounded by the thugs.

Knowing the scenario, she was on guard. "Seems to me you won't take no for an answer."

"Oh~, is that a feisty tone in your voice? Good, we like that in a woman." A thug said.

Erza requipped a sword, the sudden magic display of requipping startling the thugs all around her. When she grabbed the sword, she held it out and the blade's reflection showed some shocked faces. "If you do intend on taking me for this little route, then I have ways of expressing my show of hospitality."

"W-whoa, she's a mage?!"

"I don't think this was such a good idea."

A thug shook his head. "Grrr! Don't be dumb! There's like eight of us, we can so take her-GAH!"

The thug was suddenly hit from behind when there was a sudden swipe of something. The guy fell onto his stomach, unconscious. Everyone turned around to look at the sudden attacker, but it to their shock that it was not even human, at least they didn't think so.

Erza was also shocked. Her eyes went wide with disbelief. "What can this…?"

Floating in midair, the Honedge gave an unamused look with her one eye. Her sheath was clutched by her blue arm.

"W-whoa! What the heck is that?!"

"A-a floating sword?!"

"How is that even possible?!"

Honedge's sword glowed. "You scum are nothing short of cowards if you cannot spare a fair fight! Begone! **Fury Cutter!** " The wild Honedge attacked the group of thugs, her one fell swing of her glowing blade instantly slicing and cutting down three at once. The four remaining thugs looked on with shock as their numbers were reduced to half by that Fury Cutter's second blow. As shocking as it was for them, they suddenly found themselves paling when they were glared at by Erza next. It looked like the Honedge behind her also glared at the men. They all cowered in fright as Erza raised a sword of her own, while the shine from Honedge's Fury Cutter brightened.

"W-w-wait!" One persisted. "We can talk this out!"

"HRAH!" Erza and Honedge both slashed their individual swords, both cutting down two men at once. All four men fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious from both of the attacks.

With the small skirmish over, Honedge turned towards Erza. "Are you alright?"

Erza smiled. "Indeed. Thank you…uh…" It was then she realized how awkward the situation was. She sweat dropped when she turned towards the floating sword beside her. She's never really talked to a sword before. Used one, duh. But talking to one would probably label her as crazy or a lunatic. She couldn't begin to question the logic of a floating, talking sword. She didn't know where to begin.

The Honedge stared at her. "I am a Honedge."

"R-right. Honedge, I thank you for the assist." Erza finished.

"You're welcome."

"I must say, I'm surprised a sword such as yourself is so skilled without a wielder."

Honedge shook her hilt. "I believe you mean a Trainer, not a wielder."

Erza narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Honedge. "Trainer?"

"Human, I am not just any sword that you can just pick up. For I…am a Pokémon."

Erza's eyes slowly widened with shock. Unimaginable surprise surmounted her mind. Her mind flashed back to Nic's team, and then towards Vanessa's. She even remembered Kalos from a long time ago, but she never encountered a Pokémon that supposedly looked like a sword before. "What…did you just say?"

* * *

Near the fields behind Fairy Hills, Erza and Honedge had decided to find a more appropriate location to discuss themselves. Talking amongst a fallen group of guys in the middle of town wasn't exactly a suitable place. With themselves, situated, Honedge had just finished telling her tale to Erza in a brief and professional manner.

Erza looked towards Honedge after she finished. "I think I understand now. You were curious, and when you found yourself in Magnolia after following into the portal, you decided to hide out and continue your curiosity on the welfare of humans. Interesting."

Honedge nodded in confirmation.

"It's funny how you're a Pokémon and yet you're a use of weaponry. If I didn't know you better, I'd think there were more to you than meets the eye." Erza frowned. "But that leaves what you are to do now."

Honedge looked out to the lights of Magnolia. "I'm not sure myself. I don't know what to do. Must I return to my home world? Must I remain here? I honestly have no answer to this dilemma." She turned towards Erza, seeing her frown. "I keep hearing of this war that's about to happen, and all about this Nic person. It looks like that was the human I followed. The hero, sort of speak."

Erza nodded.

"I can tell this much. It's clear that whoever opposes Nic has no clear view on justice. They're no better than those scoundrels who tried to ambush you. If you'd like, shall I make a course of action?"

Erza turned towards Honedge with surprise. "You really trust my judgment?"

"I see no bitter will in you, human. If I wanted to put my faith in some stranger, let it be one who knows what they're doing and holds a sword of their own. A sword is only as good as its master. Your honed sword, it wasn't dull, so I have no unfair judgment against a knight such as yourself."

Erza smiled at Honedge. To think Pokémon such as her could trust her so easily. Is this really how human and Pokémon relationship blossoms in Nic and Vanessa's world? If so, how far can human and Pokémon bond when faced in circumstances in this world?

"Your swords play, I wish to examine it myself." Honedge floated back up, facing Erza. "Battle me."

Erza was caught nearly flooring. She blinked at Honedge with a slight hitch in her voice. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

"If you want my full respect, then you must fight me. I have faced Pokémon, now in this world, seems that I can extend my potential to humans. Prove your worth to me!"

Erza chuckled as she stood up from the grass. "Well this isn't the first time I've fought against a Pokémon. Very well, I accept your challenge." Erza requipped a sword, holding it tight in her hands. "En guarde!"

Honedge floated even higher, reaching five feet almost. "I live for the thrill of battle. Come! **Swords Dance!** " Blue illusionary swords materialized out of thin air. As they circled around and crossed over Honedge, her body was shrouded in a red aura.

Erza spread her legs and looked ready. _'That's the same move Vanessa's Mawile can use. If I recall, that move enhances the user's strength.'_

Honedge dove at Erza, a strong force following her. It was a clear Tackle, and the Sword Pokémon's flat side of her sword and hilt rammed into Erza's sword she used as a bunt block. The attack made Erza lose a couple inches in footing, but her block succeeded.

"Just as I thought." Erza jumped backwards and slid some feet to a standstill. "Her attacks improved from that Swords Dance. In that case…HAH!" Erza poised her sword to strike. She leapt forward and thrust her sword out. The blade made a successful mark on Honedge at she stabbed the sword's flat front. Honedge shot back several feet in the air and winced at the attack dealt.

"Such strength." Honedge's blade began to glow. " **Fury Cutter!** " The ghostly sword raised her hilt and raced after Erza.

"A head on assault. How predictable." Erza shifted to the left and broke into a slide as Honedge continued ahead. The knight regained footing, but it was at that exact instant that Honedge reappeared in front of her, swinging her blade. _'How did she follow me from that distance and time-?!'_ The redhead was slashed hard by Honedge's Fury Cutter, making her grunt and stagger back a few paces. The sudden assault had some oomph to it, but not enough to keep Erza distraught.

Adjusting herself again, Erza lunged at Honedge, and in turn Honedge swung her Fury Cutter attack at Erza again. Erza's sword and Honedge clashed, creating sparks as the blades grazed one another. Honedge slashed and parried Erza, surprising the S-Class Mage as to how strong the sword was. With each parry, she could feel the blade getting stronger. As she relentlessly clashed with Honedge, the knight kept her thoughts running. _'Her attack is getting increased with every strike. Is this an effect? Or is this her Ability as Nic and Vanessa would put it?'_

Honedge slashed again. " **Fury Cutter!** " She swiped at Erza, but her target jumped overhead and evaded the swing. Time seemed to slow down as Erza grunted overhead. However, Honedge's trajectory and position suddenly changed. Her swipe continued onwards in a skyward manner, striking Erza again with a bright blade. The redhead yelled out as she slammed into the ground.

Honedge slowly floated to the ground, watching as the dust cleared. The Sword Pokémon raised her blade again, poised to strike. " **Fury Cutter!** " She dashed ahead into the dust cloud, poised and ready to swing. Honedge swiped with a battle cry, her bright blade meeting with something surprisingly hard. A hard clang sound rattled through the area as Honedge felt herself bounce off of something hard.

The blade, while still in shock, continued spiraling through the air until she managed to straighten out. She shook her hilt and stared down at the dissipating dust cloud.

The dust cleared, revealing Erza in her Adamantine Armor, with a green magic seal in front that faded away when she pulled her shield apart into half.

"She…protected herself?" Honedge exclaimed in shock.

"Now! **Requip!** " Erza glowed brightly and her Adamantine Armor altered, changing into her Giants Armor. Her arm was pulled back, and there was a massive spear, almost like a halberd. The end had a flaming rocket-like propulsion that ignited, boosting its effectiveness.

"Oh no!"

Honedge went wide-eyed as Erza let out a battle cry once more, throwing the spear with all her might. The spear went soaring into Honedge, and the Sword Pokémon was engulfed in a powerful explosion in midair. The shockwave did not deter Erza as she stared with a warrior's gaze as the smoke dissipated. When the smoke did fade. Honedge was seen lying on the ground, a swirl as her eye as her sheath was some feet away from her.

Erza huffed and requipped back into her Heart Kreuz Armor, walking up to her defeated opponent. Her shadow went over Honedge as the ghostly sword stirred awake and groaned.

"Can you stand?" Erza asked.

"Yeah…I think so." Honedge groaned as she slowly raised herself and used the tip of her sword as a buoyancy point when pressed against the ground. She wobbled a little, but she was fine. The only thing that really seemed to hurt was the look of defeat she had adorned. "I concede defeat." She admitted as she sheathed herself.

Erza nodded and smiled. "Your battle skills were impressive. I must say, your Fury Cutter caught me by surprise."

"Thank you." Honedge bowed.

Erza looked around, realizing how much time has passed. "I guess I missed on how much time has passed. I should be resting up tomorrow. I got a duty to uphold." She turned towards Honedge, seeing her blank look. "And what about you? Do you have anywhere to go?"

Honedge shook her head. "No. Even though I have respect for you and your swordsmanship, I don't feel like I belong here. I'll find my way."

Erza nodded in understanding. "Well then, I bid you the best of luck, oh great sword." She turned and walked along a course towards Fairy Hills, which wasn't too far ahead. As she went out of sight, Honedge stared as Erza went her own way.

* * *

Daybreak arose, and everybody was set for anything that the Council was ready to throw at them. The duo of Nic and Greninja arrived at the guild hall just as Sophie, Vanessa, and Erza had all entered. The small group ventured into the guild hall, where everyone was standing affirm in front of the master. There was a shrill tension in the air, and all around Magnolia, the citizens were alarmed by the warning letters that came in their mail as of yesterday. They were all locked in their homes and stayed safe and sound with those they loved. Nic and Greninja were not gonna let them be caught up in the mayhem, they won't allow it.

Makarov began his speech.

"My children, you are the pride and joy that Fairy Tail has. We have been the pride and the prosperity of Fiore ever since our reign above the other guilds in the Grand Magic Games, and now we shall live up to that title by protecting one of our own. These Council members had the gull to consider our allies enemies. They can label us a Dark Guild, they can strip away our privileges, and they can turn our fellow guilds onto one another…but what they will not do, is eliminate our own. Hurting my children is an act that shall never be forgiven. This action brought by the Magic Council's breakdown shall indeed be what crumbles them completely!"

Everyone snickered and grinned at the master's encouragement.

"Take a look at all of these." Makarov held up what appeared to be a stack of papers. "Do you know what these all are? They are not Council complaints. They are letters, letters from out friends and fellow guilds who will never have themselves be the same if they did not help. They swore their allegiance, and consider Nic too valuable as a friend to be surrendered over to. No matter what happens, know that these shall be our allies, and that together, we shall seek justice through the Council's damnation!"

Everyone raised their hands and cheered in agreement.

Meanwhile, outside, Honedge stared at the guild, looking at Erza with a justified stare.

* * *

Gran Doma stared at the paperwork he had in hand. "Hmm." He let out a groan as he sat it down and sat in his Councilmen seat along with the other Council members. In front of them were screens upon screens of lacrima-vision networks set up overnight all across Fiore. If they were gonna eliminate their number one threat, they better make it public, at least by Bolton's phrasing. All of the screens showed Rune Knights on the move, among them included a mixture of those in the Star Order Guild.

A Councilman frowned. "I still can't believe it's come to this."

"Maybe so, but it's to protect the future of all that is magic and society." Another Councilman said.

"I'm surprised that Jango advised we use _that_ weapon." Org groaned. "Not substantial. And it defies article 27-A among other restrictions…but I guess that does not apply here."

Gran Doma furrowed his brow as he watched the lacrima-vision show Jango and the few Wizard Saints already on the move. He smirked with a stern huff. "This is for the good of magic itself. No outsiders shall be permitted. If Nic Pularis gets far, then by mu orders, launch Phantasm."

Lahar and Doranbolt both looked at each other, frowns on their faces.

"This is not going to end well." Doranbolt groaned.

"I'm afraid that you are right." Lahar agreed. "However…those three we hired, they might change the tide."

Doanbolt stared at his comrade, looking uneasily when he brought them up. "Yeah. Their Magic Power was what I noticed. They weren't to be taken lightly. But was it really okay for Gran Doma and the Council to bribe them?"

Lahar recalled the three well as of last night's message. He sent the message and letters to those three. Just looking at their faces through the lacrima-vision was repulsive. "I don't it was the right decision…but the chairman ordered me to. They have a score to settle with Nic and his friends, and one way or another, this battle is gonna reach a heavy point really soon.

* * *

As Sabertooth and Mermaid Heel, among other guilds were already in mobilization, high in the mountains, seeing Rune Knights crossing the land, Crime Sorciere looked despondently ahead. The winds shifted their hair, and frowns were but a sickness.

"It looks like they've started." Meredy said.

"It looks like our friends really are in harm's way." Ultear stated. "We are aware of our status, but it appears we haven't got a choice."

"…I knew this would happen. I should've done something sooner." Jellal testified. "But better late than never I suppose. We'll go help our friends, and purge the plague that the Council has made."

Crime Sorciere thus headed out down the mountain pass, just as Nic, Greninja, and everyone all over Fiore ventured into the fray.

* * *

 **How do you guys like the Council War Arc so far guys? Does it meet up with your expectations? Does it have that unique flavor like the Kalos and Celestial Siege Arc? Review and comment, and hope you guys continue to love the story unfolding!**


	8. Enemies of Yesterday

Rune Knights were gathering their weapons, mages were ready, and all over Fiore, the land and sea around felt the presence of unfathomable rage that was to befall the course of the upcoming war. The guilds of Mermaid Heel and Sabertooth were gonna be stationed close to each other and try to remain that way, according to the letters and messages Sting and Mermaid Heel's master had agreed to. The guilds siding with Fairy Tail all had a prime directive: reach Era, and make the Council surrender.

Makarov had already given the directive. Fairy Tail was to divide into three groups. One group would head northwest, one group would head southwest to rendezvous with Lamia Scale, and the third party will head straight west, where Era was. Once the southwest and northwest groups meet up with rendezvousing will allies, they would change course and head towards Era.

* * *

In the northwest group, Natsu, Lucy, the Strauss siblings, and Happy ran to meet and assist Blue Pegasus. They hurried with swiftness in their steps, hoping to meet up with them and kick some Rune Knights to the curb while they were at it.

"Are we getting close?" Happy wondered.

"We'll know when we see them up ahead!" Natsu replied. He hurried with so much energy to spare, the fire inside of him was making him speed like crazy. Many were worried he might run out of fuel before he would get to fight. Although those such as Lucy and the Strauss siblings, they weren't worried. "Come on guys, keep it moving!"

"Yeah! This is the time to be real men!" Elfman cheered. "Charge!"

Lisanna smiled at her big brother. "Goodness." She sighed.

Mirajane smiled. "That's the spirit!"

Lucy's pacing was not too far behind Natsu's. "I doubt we'll be able to rest knowing that our allies might be in trouble. We're almost there, just a little longer northwest and we should be there." Everyone followed suit and they continued running pass the mountain range that Warren inscribed would only slow them down. They paced through the various terrains from grasslands to rocky hills.

In a matter of time, the group crossed over a hill, and in the distance, they found their targets. In the distance they could see some quarreling between weapons and what appeared to be various elements. There was no mistaking it, it was already too late.

"Hey look, up ahead!" Happy pointed out to the skirmish ensuing.

Lucy's eyes widened. "It's Blue Pegasus!"

"And it looks like the party's already started." Natsu smirked.

On the battlefield, Ichiya twirled with his own style of…elegance as he released a perfume from a flask in hand. The aroma swelled the noses of a lot of Rune Knights that were too close, and they instantly fell over with blissful smiles on their faces. In another part, Eve swiped his arm, summoning a blizzard that put Rune Knights under a mound of snow. Ren snapped his fingers, creating turbulence behind that had Rune Knights spiraling uncontrollably in the air. Jenny was fighting too, although the Rune Knights were more likely distracted by her curvature to notice their own faces getting kicked by the model's heel.

Ichiya struck a sparkling pose. "Man! Look, our brothers in arms have arrived."

Hibiki smiled. "It's about time you guys showed up."

"Better late than never!" Natsu jumped. "Happy!"

"Aye, sir!" The Exceed's wings spread open, immediately taking flight. Grabbing Natsu, both Dragon Slayer and Exceed flew overhead, circling around as Rune Knights pointed their spears up and fired magic blasts at them. Happy maneuvered with ease around the attacks, and when they had an opening and a group of Rune Knights targeted, they made their mark.

Natsu created a fireball overhead. " **Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!** " He threw the attack downwards, which erupted into a devastating explosion that sent Rune Knights flying.

He smirked as his hands were coated in flames. "And that was just a calling card! Let's really do some damage!"

"Aye!" Happy and Natsu dove into the fray, and as Elfman became a hulking monster in Beast Soul, Lisanna using her feline-like Take Over, and Mirajane pulling out her own Satan Soul, the battle ensued.

* * *

In the southwest, Gray, Juvia, Wendy, Carla, Gajeel, Pantherlily, Team Shadow Gear, Bisca, Alzack, Laxus, and the Thunder God Tribe all had engaged in battle. The numbers were no problem, but it was really more of a battle of artillery against magic. The Rune Knights had weaponry such as magic spears and other utilities, of which compensated for their lackluster on actual magic.

Gray froze several guys at one in a pillar of ice, passing them. "How much further until we reach Lamia Scale?"

" **Water Slicer!** " Juvia waved her arm, sending crescents of compressed water at a number of Rune Knights. She turned back towards Gray. "Another two miles!"

"Well then better pick it up or we'll never get past these guys!" Alzack shouted. As Rune Knights came up from behind him, a sudden gunshot went off, and the Rune Knights all blew off to the side. Alzack turned around to see Bisca covering for him.

Smoke came from the tip of her gun as she withdrew it. "Alright, Sugar Pistol, let's get moving so we can be home by dinner!"

Gajeel made a humungous sword from morphing his arm into iron. "Outta my way, slouches! **Iron Dragon's Sword!** " He slashed his arm and struck down five Rune Knights at once. He turned around and grunted, seeing magic being blasted at him. The Iron Dragon Slayer was caught in a burst of dust and rumbling earth.

The Rune Knights cheered as they held their magic staves out.

"Alright, we got one!" One enthusiastically cheered.

All of them followed in their cheering, but a chuckle resonated from the dust cloud. The knights all frowned and felt a chill run up their spines when they heard a chuckle. The dust settled, and Gajeel faced them with a smirk.

He brushed dust and dirt off of his shoulder as if were a bug. "Well, you guys just don't know when to quit, do ya? That blast made Salamander's punches look better. Well…" He reeled back a fist to confront the startled Rune Knights. He chuckled again. "How's about I deal with you next?"

"HRAH!" Elsewhere, Evergreen had her wings spread and swiped her arm, launching golden needles at her enemies down below. Explosion upon explosion, the land beneath shook with her attacks falling onto her prey. Right behind her, Freed's right eye had that darkness lurking within and he passed a fellow knight with his lance swiped. The man fell over in pain, and not far in the distance, more plopped to the ground by Bickslow and his babies. The Thunder God Tribe were striking down numbers rapidly, without much effort in their spells.

Evergreen landed on the ground and looked exasperated as more kept on coming. "Their numbers just don't seem to fall. I sure hope the others made it to their destination points before we did."

Bickslow turned towards Evergreen with a mischievous smirk. "Worried about your boyfriend, Ever?"

Evergreen blushed. "I am not worried about that muscle brain in the slightest!" She denied.

Freed smirked. "Funny, Bickslow never mentioned Elfman in any way."

Evergreen flustered harder than ever. "You're both perverted scoundrels!"

A sudden roar of thunder raged in the distance. A massive lightning bolt showered down onto a group of Rune Knights, sending sparks and deafening ears at such a dangerous proximity. The Thunder God Tribe looked to see Laxus standing there, facing the same direction that his attack was launched without lifting a finger.

"Quit slacking and pick up the pace. We got a rendezvous with Jura and the others, so get to it!" He ordered. He reeled back a fist coated in lightning and brought it forward with a shout, striking a fearsome blow against a Rune Knight who had a shield. The shield shattered and the knight shot back into his allies like bowling pins.

"We're on it!" The Thunder God Tribe shouted, their determination set back into gaining ground.

* * *

In the west group, Rune Knights were charging right into the oncoming Fairy Tail Mages. The Rune Knights were accompanied by what seemed to be people in regular attire, more presumably other mages who chose to go against Nic, against their own fear and judgment of course. All of the combined forces charged with weaponry at the ready, and opposing them was the oncoming group.

"Greninja, you ready?" Nic asked as he darted for the fray.

Greninja sped with equal speed and grace of a ninja. "Evermore!"

Erza ran with a sword in hand. "Our target is in sight! Let's hit them with everything we've got!" She pointed her sword ahead as Vanessa followed behind her and Nic. "All forces, attack!"

Nic's group was comprised of the remaining mages. Sophie, Cana, Vanessa, and Erza led the charge with other mages into battle, making a straight line for the Magic Council in the west. Unlike the others, they didn't have to rendezvous with allies, so they had nothing to worry about since they also had Pokémon by their side.

Vanessa pulled out a Poke Ball. "Alright. Let's come out!" She made a small jump and tossed her Poke Ball into the air above. "Sliggoo!" The younger Pularis sibling landed and made it to a stop as others passed her. The Poke Ball opened up and shooting down and landing in front was Sliggoo. The Soft Tissue Pokémon opened her mouth with a sloppy smile, examining the surroundings.

"Sliggoo, **Rain Dance!** " Vanessa commanded.

Sliggoo instantly took a serious expression and looked up to the sky. "Make it pour!" She cried out. High above, storm clouds began to roll in out of the blue. The incoming Rune Knights looked up to see the sun starting to get blocked off and the sky all the way up to the far mountains in the distance to be engulfed in an area of storm clouds. Rain began to fall, first sprinkling, then came a light downpour. The ongoing rain felt good for Sliggoo, and for the duration, an asset for everyone else.

"Thanks Vanessa!" Nic called out. "Greninja…" Nic jumped, along with Greninja, into the air. As he jumped, Nic glowed, becoming adorned in his Splash Form. He was all the same as ever, but after such a while, Nic decided to drop the 'Plate' in his Form name since he didn't technically have the Plates anymore. The powers were still the same, but that's all that really mattered. He just considered it misleading, to which Greninja agreed. When they made the decision was clearly some time ago, but what mattered was dealing with the problem at hand.

While in midair, Nic took in a deep breath, along with Greninja. " **…Scald!** " They roared in unison. Two massive volumes of scalding water went shooting at Rune Knights, erupting like geysers upon impact. The collateral damage was extreme as Scald sprayed all around and forcing Rune Knights to lose their guard.

" **Requip!** " Erza requipped, glowing and transforming into her Sea Empress Armor. With her blade blowing light blue, water surrounded the blade. Erza lunged ahead and slashed her sword, sending a compressed water blade that sliced vertically across the landscape. Enemy mages fell before the attack as it went into distance, erupting into a blue dome.

Erza slid to a halt. _'Seems Sliggoo's Rain Dance really does increase aquatic prowess.'_

" **Thunderbolt's Fate!** " Cana lashed her card in hand, exerting a discharge of thunderbolts that crackled with the sound of thunder. The attack electrocuted and fried the enemies that were all around her. Close by, Sophie had a finger pointed to her forehead, and the land around her quaked as yellow cracked with static ran underneath Rune Knights and their feet. Giant stones tipped in yellow stabbed the enemies around, her Charge Blades lighting up everything around her in lightning. Cana and Sophie smirked as their double lightning assault was pretty much overkill, much to their pleasure.

"Guess it's go big or go home." Cana joked. Her eyes widened when a mage with an iron mallet came lunging from the side. She turned and shot cards at him, which exploded and sent him flying backwards in the dirt. Her mood turned sour when she was caught off guard like that. "Alright, who's next?"

Vanessa pointed ahead. "Sliggoo, **Muddy Water!** "

Sliggoo let out a gurgling yell as a brown cyclone of water emerged from the ground around her. The cyclone gained volume as the rain poured down. It was spinning faster and faster, and the pressure enhanced, Sliggoo lurched forward and the cyclone turned into a violent brown vortex that swamped the Rune Knights advancing in such a wide range. When the attack stopped, Vanessa advanced, making it her time to strike.

" **Emanation Beam!** " Stepping in front of her Dragon-type, she pointed both hands forward and fired a beam of teal aura at the forces in the distance. The small explosion fell only a few numbers, but more kept on coming.

"Their numbers are horrendous." Vanessa stated.

Erza slashed her sword, knocking away more enemies in the rain. He poised her blade once more. "Keep fighting! We have to breach through, even with our forces outnumbered!"

Nic jumped into the air once more, doing a flip as he came raining down and dealt a blow to a guy's face. He back flipped and twisted his body in midair, spiraling and kicking down several more soldiers without missing a beat. When his hand touched the ground, he pivoted on his single hand and used his other hand to grab a guy's leg. He twisted again and sent the guy hurling into his comrades. Now in a crouched position, he looked around, seeing the numbers and soldiers weary around him.

He slammed his hands against the ground. " **Muddy Water!** "

Rune Knights all around had shields up, which could possibly stop a dynamite rupture, but against a Muddy Water in Rain Dance was another story. A raging cyclone swirled all around Nic. He let a shout as a large wave of water spilled in all directions, swamping the soldiers with immense pressure.

In midair above Nic, Greninja appeared with compressed stars of water in his flippery fingers. " **Water Shuriken!** " He threw with shuriken, which gained some extra size as they spun through the rain. The attack made an explosive impact that sent men to the ground, their weaponry being cut right into. As Greninja landed, he and Nic stood side-by-side, arms crossed as men were sprawled all around them.

"W-whoa! They're freakishly strong!" A man shrieked.

"That attack just ripped through our metal like a bullet!" Another soldier panicked.

The former soldier turned around towards the men behind him. "Fall back! Squads 2 and 3, remain posts and keep Nic occupied! Squad 4, await for reinforcements!"

"Sir!" The soldiers called out. With a salute, some departed as a handful still held spears in hand and other miscellaneous weaponry, striking back into the fray.

* * *

Lahar looked into a Communication Lacrima, seeing a soldier's serious face. "How many have you been able to apprehend."

"Sir, we have contained all of Twilight Ogre, as well as 23 other guilds." The soldier reported. "Wizard Saints Bolton and Stella are handling the far north, incapacitating all of the guilds. The number of criminals keeps rising."

"I see. And what of the situation with the other guilds?"

"We're in pursuit as we speak. Fairy Tail is being confronted and gaining ground fast. Mermaid Heel and Sabertooth are soon to join the northwest front."

Lahar narrowed his eyes. "Very well. Rest assured, I've had Doranbolt send somebody for those reinforcements. A few may get by her, but divert all attention into assisting Star Order's Johaan and Olivia who are soon to arrive at the northwest front."

"Sir!" The soldier saluted, and the lacrima's screen faded away. Lahar turned away, facing the ground with a sigh of remorse. The situation's extremes have already met such a critical point, and on such short notice. He was not pleased in the slightest.

In the midst of his bitterness, Doranbolt stepped into the room. "Well, she's reaching her destination as we speak. I just hope I don't have to deal with that creepy vibe I had when she was around."

"Her Magic Power was staggering. She has personal business with those particular guilds. Let the matter be, and in the meantime…" He turned out towards the lacrima-vision overhead. His gaze set on Nic Pularis and Erza Scarlet as they double teamed the other with back to back precision. "…send those two to the west front."

Doranbolt sweat dropped as a cringe fell onto his spine. "Whatever you say." He answered with an unsubtle tone. He turned away and exited the room, not bothering to look back at Lahar monitoring the situation.

Just outside the room, two figure were waiting. They looked extremely shady, one standing tall and superior in muscularity, while the other was less tall, but had a mischievous and rather crude smirk across his lips. The latter's attire was more or less blue pants with black pointed boots. His battle attire was blue like his pants, with a black belt that seemed tattered due to age. His upper body had a dark mantle with light purple edging. The mantle seemed to sport fake, tattered wings as well. The man's ponytail was shaggy, as was his hair. His facial hair was also as mellow as his Magic Power, which gave Doranbolt an uneasy path to tread when approaching them.

"Well, guess you guys are up." He said neutrally. "You know what happens if you're able to beat Nic or his Pokémon."

"Yes, we are indeed aware. Thank you for being so hospitable about it." The shorter mage said with his poor teeth showing. "We'll be sure that this opportunity doesn't go unanswered."

The muscular mage clutched his fists. "Those meddlesome weaklings will be stomped all over. It's time I get back at that Nic and his puny lizard…then Sting and the rest shall fall." He swore.

Doranbolt stepped towards them, grabbing their shoulders. "Well, let's get this show on the road." As the one smirked and the other narrowed his pupiless gaze, Doranbolt looked with anticipation ahead. _'I hope this was such a good idea by the chairman.'_

The three were teleported away on the spot, leaving the room vacant.

In the Council room, all of the nine seats stared at the ensuing battles, expectant gazes were drawn prominently towards Nic and Greninja as the battle raged on. While a few were wide-eyed at Natsu and his attacks being monstrously explosive, they took note of such a feature while taking the matter more towards the west. The lacrima-vision displayed Vanessa swiping and sending a wave of teal aura at her foes, while her Sliggoo was at her back and using Muddy Water at the enemies that were before her. A couple screens showed Sting and Rogue with Kagura and her team from the Grand Magic Games, and elsewhere the screens even showed Levy dropping some iron on a few knights. It was clear that despite numbers, they didn't have the fire power against such a hefty fleet of mages, especially when it's Fairy Tail.

Org turned towards Gran Doma. "Sir, are you absolutely serious that hiring and bribing those three will give us the advantage?" He questioned in doubt.

Gran Doma did not look anywhere else other than the screen. "I am a man of my word, Org. If what I said was true, I will uphold that word if they succeed."

"And if they were to fail?"

"Worry not. Rather, keep note and inform the Wizard Saints posted to keep aware of the next few hours. If they draw near, let them be ready for Phantasm. It appears we shall use that particular weapon of choice." The Councilmen didn't like the prospect of the weapon, but in a sense it's nowhere near as lethal as Etherion, so that was a plus. However they haven't used the weapon in any case, especially not like this. They're risking lives being randomized with this idea the chairman brought up, but they had to consider that to let their guard down and have themselves be overwhelmed be taken into account.

They all watched the lacrima-vision as Doranbolt made it to the destination, letting the two figures walk towards the battlegrounds.

* * *

" **Open: Gate of the Sea Goat – Capricorn!** " Lucy pulled out a Zodiac Key, which glowed and emitted a Magic seal. In a flashing light, Capricorn appeared in his attire and stood with perfect posture in front of Lucy. The Zodiac looked dutifully ahead of the ensuing battle and oncoming Rune Knights and enemy mages.

"A pleasure, Lady Lucy. How can I be of assistance to you?" Capricorn asked.

Lucy pointed forward. "Take them out!"

"Yes, as you wish." Capricorn flung himself into the fray, catching so many soldiers by surprise by his speed. If one was up against a humanoid sea goat creature in a tux, they'd be baffled to say the least. Capricorn's combatant skills initiated, and a flurry of punches broke through shields and barriers. The soldiers in front stepped back and tried to contain ground, but they lacked durability. Capricorn jumped overhead and landed behind the group in front of him, firing a sweep that fell them over. Capricorn retracted his knee and flipped in front of Lucy.

"lright, nice work!" Lucy gave a vivid thumbs up. But while she was praising her Spirit, she didn't notice the soldier advancing with a spear tipped with a lacrima.

Capricorn turned around in warning. "Lady Lucy, behind you!"

Lucy turned around as the soldier's spear came thrusting at her. Shocked, Lucy's reflexes kicked in and in a shocking display, her leg sprung up as the spear was still aimed for her.

" **Lucy Kick!** " Her kick struck the poor soldier right in the chin, his spear falling out of hand and both the weapon and soldier fell over, the chin sizzling. Lucy smiled with glee. "Hey, that actually worked!"

Capricorn smiled. "Well executed, Lady Lucy." He praised.

"Thanks!"

"However, there was a number of flaws in your posture." He advised. "Your legs needed to be farther apart and bent, your hands were needed to be closer to your face for shielding, and on top of which keep your elbows tucked in."

Lucy blinked out at Capricorn's 'advising'. "Uh…gee, I'll, uh, take that into notice."

The Rune Knights gathering around were making a steadfast attempt to approach Lucy and Capricorn, but the pair saw them coming. Back to back, they readied for more coming their way. The incoming soldiers, however, were suddenly dropping to the ground, their hands and feet anchoring to the ground like gravity kicked into overdrive. The struggling soldiers felt a heavy suppression that kept them from getting up. Their sudden struggle of the incapacitated soldiers left both Mage and Zodiac Spirit in question, it wasn't their doing, so who was it?

"Thanks Libra, that was a close call." The extra person entered, with Libra balancing her scales while on one leg. The Spirit nodded in confirmation to the praise.

Lucy looked over, her eyes widening in shock. A smile casted upon her. "Yukino?!"

Yukino gave a passive smile. "Sorry I didn't make it sooner."

"You're just in time." Lucy said. Yukino walked up to her with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

The Sabertooth Celestial Spirit Mage answered with a neutral tone as she looked around. "I was told by Sting to head out early and assist you guys on the frontlines in case there was any trouble. Sabertooth and Mermaid Heel should be arriving soon to help."

Capricorn bowed to Yukino. "We thank you for your troubles."

Lucy held up a clutched fist filled with determination. "Well, since you're here, let's get to cleaning up the mess here!"

Yukino nodded. "Yes." As Libra's Gravity Magic was beginning to dissipate around the soldiers, the individual men were beginning to arise once more. Although still shaken, they were able-bodied.

Somewhere in the crowd, an unknown figure smirked.

"And so we have but another cast member joining the act. What an intriguing abundance of characters we have for today's show." He announced aloud. Lucy and Yukino looked around, caught momentarily surprised by the entrance of the voice. "The peanut gallery thus consists of the soldiers all around, who suddenly decided to target other Mages and enemies amongst the melee."

On that cue, the men all around flashed a green aura. They all suddenly began to twitch and began to move out of will's reach. They all began turning away, their bodies reacting according to the words rather than their own shock and screaming.

"Why are they ignoring us?" Yukino wondered.

An amused chuckle came from behind. Both Zodiac Mages went wide-eyed and their guards went up and turned to see the culprit step forward.

His black boots stepped forward one after the other. He had long, spiky orange hair, with a very weak tuff sticking up from atop. He had sleek eyebrows as sharp as lines, and a smirk of enjoyment that gave contrast to his green eyes. In contrary to his brown pants, he had a light green vest with dark green long sleeves. Underneath the vest was a white dress shirt with a light green tie. He sported that seemed to be a large dark green extremely high collar, like a cape almost. He really looked more like a composer than anything else, but the brown book he had in hand left some inquiry to rattle brains.

"The curtain rises and the audience waits expectantly for the performance of a lifetime. The director of this fine play is none other than Johaan, of the Star Order Guild." He greeted with a polite bow.

"Johaan? So he's a member of Star Order too, just like that Peter guy we've met yesterday." Lucy figured, recalling Peter's visit and warning as of yesterday.

Yukino stood up uneasily but kept a composed front. "I see, so he's part of an enemy guild."

Johaan had his arm waved upwards. "To my producer, Jango, that I am instructed to make the script's plot thick as ice. I am to dispose of Nic Pularis and all Pokémon that have besmirched the name of magic. As of which, since he is not here, his allies right before me shall make a nice duet performance. After the critics give their compliments, I thus shall move forward and extract the true antagonist in this conceived plot."

Lucy bent her knees. "Capricorn!"

"Libra, be ready!" Yukino warned.

Both Celestial Spirits got into battle ready positions, ready to strike the foe before them. However, they were all caught surprised when Johaan opened his brown book, flipping to a random page. To which the contents didn't look like much, to their knowledge, but with his head low, Johaan opened his eyes and looked rather serious.

"Let's get this play's opening act started, shall we?" He gestured to the Spirits with a confident smile. "Let's begin with a sudden tragedy. They both suddenly felt their energy lift from their beings, their knees growing weak, their need for any fabrication of safety at a high peak. To which they had no choice but to retreat and leave their masters be to carry on."

Capricorn and Libra flashed a green aura. Both of their eyes widened when their bodies suddenly grew tiresome. Capricorn and Libra both struggled, but an overwhelming force made them drop to their knees Their sudden loss of strength had left their bodies and minds unnerved.

"Capricorn, what's wrong?" Lucy worried.

"Libra!" Yukino exclaimed with equal worry.

Capricorn struggled to turn back towards Lucy. "L-Lady Lucy, I'm sorry…" With his speech cut off, Capricorn escaped back towards his world. Libra nearly fell over, and she too escaped back to her world. All that was left in their place was just a few sparkles here and there until they twinkled away.

Lucy and Yukino looked shocked with what just transpired. They did absolutely nothing, and it looked like it was all due to Johaan. "W-what just happened…?" Lucy didn't have the words to describe the trickery behind Johaan's doing. "He said all of that stuff…and then it happened at will?"

"Is that his Magic? To make words become reality?" Yukino questioned.

"Oh, good heavens, no. I merely convey my actor's emotion into my script, my dear deluded one." He whipped his head up with pride and with a smile. "I believe such a meek term to describe to my cast is Play Magic. With such a tool, my cast does everything the director desires to his wish. If to make the plot twists effective, there must always be one who writes."

Lucy and Yukino clutched their fists, both uneasy with the unveiling of the enemy's potential.

Johaan flipped to another page. "Now, since the prequel is over, let's begin Act I."

* * *

Mirajane was in her Satan Soul, blasting darkness in a single direction with a venomous roar. The force behind her attack caused dark ripples to go skyward as an explosive field , engulfing soldiers while others screamed skywards.

Mira turned around with a smirk. "Not bad if I say so myself."

Elfman was still Beast Soul and jumped. With a monstrous roar, he showered down a strong and earth-rattling blow onto the ground, sending a shockwave that startled the enemies all around. "BE A REAL MAN AND COME BACK AND FIGHT!" He roared threateningly.

Lisanna spread her legs apart. "Let's try this!" She glowed. " **Take Over: Drapion!** " Her glow faded, revealing the same form that she used on Erza on Tenrou Island. Her entire lower half looked exactly like Drapion's, and her arms were segmented and had pincers. In short, the only things that didn't chance was her upper body abdominal area and her head. Her arms were like a Drapion's.

"What the heck kind of transformation is that?!" A soldier panicked.

Lisanna crossed her arms, creating a poisonous purple X shape in front. " **Cross Poison!** " He crossed her arms again, and the poisonous X went shooting at the soldiers, enveloping them in a purple explosion with purple smoke. The few that were caught off guard fell to their knees, while one had a pale skin, and toxic bubbles erupted from his body, signifying the poison effect.

Lisanna smirked. "I thought this was a good idea." She turned around, where more enemies came running up to her. She looked back and her pincer tail reached back, grabbing the abdomen of an incoming soldier. She raised her pincer tail and slammed it back down, hurling the soldier into his allies.

Jenny put a hand to her hip, looking at the damage Elfman and Lisanna were doing. "Wow Mirajane, your siblings really know what they're doing."

Mira chuckled. "Well if you learned anything from the Grand Magic Games, it's that you never tamper with my brother and sister."

Jenny nervously smiled back. "I took that as a note when Elfman defeated Bacchus."

A sudden blossom petal fluttered past Jenny. Her attention drew to the sudden petal fluttering around, which was proceeded by another one that crossed her and Mirajane's path. Jenny looked perplexed at the sudden flowery display of the few petals gusting around them. "What are these?" Jenny reached her hand out, brushing her fingers against the small gust of blossoms that was encircled her and Mirajane. "Blossoms?"

Mirajane looked around, her senses at a critical point. "…I don't think this is normal. Someone's here."

Jenny nodded. "Yeah."

A small chuckle echoed in the hot pink blossom gust encircling them. The echoing chuckle was sultry, but at the same time gave an uneasy chill up their spines. "Mirajane _and_ Jenny Realight in the same place? Lady luck just shined down on this beautiful star."

Mira clutched a fist. "Show yourself!" She demanded.

The gust of hot pink blossoms turned from a gust into a vortex in front of them, a tunnel of which opened up to the other side. As the blossom petals spun rather violently in a tunnel, the manipulator was someone who had the curvature to leave a man to fall over. She was a woman in her late twenties, possibly just a little older than Jenny. She had light green hair with two wavy bangs framing her face, as to where the rest of her long hair was in a high ponytail. She had on thick pink lipstick that matched her eyeliner. Her brown eyes fluttered with a hidden venom. Her body curvature was significant, as compared to her thin waist, her hips, and bust were humungous. Thick would probably describe it better. She had on a sleeveless mermaid-style hot pink dress with large green dots on the hips. A large amount of her cleavage showed, and you could almost see her slender yet big thighs through her dress. She had detached sleeves that were open when towards the wrists and hands, which had long pink fingernails. She had silver shoulder pads as well for an appealing change.

"Greetings, ladies." She greeted with a sly smirk.

Jenny's eyes widened as she looked like she was about to panic. "Uh oh!"

Mirajane looked towards her. "Why 'uh oh'?"

Jenny swallowed. "Oh dear, this can't be good."

"Oh come now, Jenny." The female chuckled, her smirk showing no pleasantries. "What's not so fun with this reunion?"

Mira looked at her with suspicion. "Jenny, do you by any chance know this woman?"

Jenny's spine shivered, but she was able to calm herself down enough to explain. "You can say that. Mirajane, remember how I became the X791 Miss Fiore?"

Mirajane raised a brow. "Yeah?"

"Well…who do you think was Miss Fiore before me?"

Mira didn't seem to get the implication at first, but when she thought of Jenny's words it dawned upon her. She gasped and looked back at the woman. "Oh dear…" She dreaded.

"Olivia, Vixen of the Stars, member of the Star Order Guild." She announced in a spiteful tone. She took a sassy step forward. "Miss Fiore, 6 years running, then came X791 Miss Fiore pageant, and guess who I lost my dreamer's title to?" She pointed a finger towards Jenny, who looked distressed at Olivia. "That's right. Blondie over there." She smirked more deviously than ever as a tempest of blossoms began to encompass her. "And what do you know, former pinup model Mirajane Strauss is here as well. This is just too perfect. There's only room for one man-eater in Fiore, and you can guess who that is."

Mira and Jenny both got into battle stances.

"Well, looks like the pageant's just getting started." She reached her arms up, making blossoms extend outwards, trapping them all within a turbulence of blossoms. "Let's see how cute you both look when you're covered in dirt."

* * *

"We've already begun moving. We'll be up with you soon." Sting said through the Communication Lacrima.

Kagura nodded. "Understood. Thanks for sending part of your guild over."

"Well Rogue insisted that I have Rufus and Orga stay with my group while we head on over, but I at least had Milady head on over to you guys. She should be there soon." He explained.

Kagura nodded in understanding. "We still appreciate the help. After we deal with the numbers here, we'll catch up and head to Era." With that as a confirmation, the communication was cut off between her and Sting. She set the lacrima down and looked out ahead. While Arana was doing her best, as was Beth with dropping a giant pumpkin atop of some enemy mages, Kagura really wasn't liking this change of events. If anything it was nothing more than a relentless struggle where confliction and fear drove allies into enemies. It reminded herself of confronting Erza awhile back in the Grand Magic Games. She was driven by hate, while Erza was driven by love. This was no different, only in this case it was fear and self-righteousness. It was tough for her to swallow, but the added idea of Minerva coming over left everything awkward. Did she consider the woman a menace? No. Acquaintance, yes. Friend, not likely. The Grand Magic Games and with what Bellona's conspiracy really did not help her into what direction her anger showed flow. Was she to be mad at Bellona, of course, but it was in Minerva's body, but she knew that she was above blaming a victim that she was herself. Of course all this hate still didn't solve the hate she had for a certain man. Jellal. It was best for her to let the matter slide and focus on the battle for now, but all of the carnage and angry and frightful people fighting in front of her was nothing more than bittersweet memories of the faces of _that_ night, when Erza and Simon were taken away. It was nothing but turmoil and rising revolutions.

' _Is there really a point to this?'_ She questioned, gripping Archenemy. _'I am aware of who our common enemy is, but what if Erza gets caught is the melee? What if…he ensues in the battle?'_

"Kagura?" Milianna's voice got the swordswoman's attention. She looked over and saw the feline woman's expression. "Are you okay?"

Kagura cleared her throat, turning away. "Everything's fine. I was getting last-minute constitutions sorted. I'm ready!"

"Meow! That's my Kagura!" Millianna cheered. Her eyes widened. "Oh, that reminds me!"

"Hm?"

"I actually contacted some of my friends yesterday. They wondered what was going on, so I told them of this war. When I told them of what we were doing, they decided to come over and help out. I know they're trying to be there and help and all…" Millianna looked down towards the ground. "But I hope they'll be okay."

Kagura wished to find words to consolidate the feline woman, but words weren't her strong point, it was actions that defined her more or less. "Just hope for the best. As long as you try and be there for them, they'll have your back." It wasn't much and rather cliché, but it was the best Kagura could say. The smile on Millianna's face was enough to see it worked. "Good, now let's go."

Up ahead, there seemed to be screaming. Kagura and Millianna looked forward to see the melee. All forces were on full throttle, but sudden bodies falling got their attention. It was almost consecutive fashion, and it was around a small space, which can only mean it was an enemy advancing.

Another scream was followed by a body thudding to the ground.

"That was Arana!" Millianna's ears twitched as she was hearing painful grunts ahead. "And that sounds like Risley!"

"Come on!" Kagura rushed ahead with Kagura in tow. The two Mermaid Heel Mages arrived with speed and momentum to spare. By the time they've arrived, however, they were already too late. To their shock, and slight horror, all of the mages, friends and foes alike, were all lying on the ground, sprawled and seemingly unconscious.

All around, Risley and Arana and Mermaid Heel and Sabertooth mages were lying around, tossing and turning their bodies as their contorted faces showed pain. A few breaths hitched and some light yelps came from few.

"What happened?!" Millianna rushed on up to one of her fallen comrades, seeing her looking in pain. "Hey, come on, wake up. Are you alright?!" She nudged her shoulder, but the mage only stirred towards another direction, her pain still clear even when turned away.

Millianna looked all around, seeing all of their numbers in the same situation. "This is bad. What happened?"

Kagura and Millianna both looked out at the place, but nothing seemed to answer their inquiry. A sinister chuckle came from behind, startling both the feline and Gravity Mage. The chuckling was followed with a sudden drop of temperature. An eerie vibe went up their spines as they turned around. What they brought them into a horrific realization.

Her curvature swung side to side as she held up one of her hands. It was cloaked in what seemed to be black and dark purple almost. It was a Magic that they seemingly recognized. The magic spiraled in her hand like a galaxy. "Well, well, what do we have here? Quite a while it's been, wouldn't you say? Honestly, these pawns were such a waste of space on the board." She stepped over a fellow fallen mage and her boots finally halted some ways from Kagura and Millianna. "A queen's vengeance on her stubborn fallen foes is a rather deadly consequence."

Kagura's eyes dilated. "Y-you're…"

Millianna nearly choked. "Bellona!"

Bellona gave a sinister smirk as she saw their shocked faces. "My throne awaits for its rightful queen."

* * *

Back on the western front, the battle was progressing to a high peak. Erza was dealing with a large number falling before her Sea Empress Armor and attacks in the rain. The blade in hand sent crescents of compressed aquatic energy that erupted into geysers as she passed so many. While she was dealing with a vast amount, Cana and Sophie weren't too far behind as they had the other's backs and bombarding people left and right with their own magic. Vanessa was holding up well as Sliggoo was keeping up with her attacks. The girls were all dealing blows that cut down even the reinforcements.

Elsewhere, Nic swiped his arm. " **Water Shuriken!** " He commanded. Greninja jumped up and flipped from behind, reacting compressed water stars and threw them. The Water Shuriken again enhanced in size as they traveled through the rain. They struck down a vast number and ripped right through more vast obstacles without any trouble.

Greninja landed, and when his feet touched the ground, the rain had stopped falling. The storm clouds overhead lightened up, and began separating, showing a clear view of the sun. The rainclouds dissipated away, leaving Rain Dance to end.

"Looks like our advantage ends here." Nic said.

Greninja nodded.

Nic spread his legs apart. "It's alright, we can make do! **Bubblebeam!** " His mouth's insides became blue, and he unleashed a beam much like a spray of blue translucent bubbles at mages and soldiers, engulfing them in blue bursts.

Nic stopped and looked ahead. He and Greninja both were standing still when they felt a change in the atmosphere. They felt a foul energy blooming close by, and it was getting closer.

Nic could feel his spine tingle. The potent energy was close, almost right underneath their noses.

"You feel that too, it's recognizable." Greninja warned.

Nic glowed again, shifting from his Splash Form to his Dread Form. He glared ahead, looking expectantly as a dark aura blossomed from within the crowd. He saw the numerous people sidestepping and backing away out of fear, giving Nic and Greninja a clear view of their upcoming target.

Their eyes widened when they saw the man come into view. To say they were surprised would be an understatement.

"Ah, I see we have a reunion. Quite the shocker now, is it?" the man stepped in front of everybody else as they backed off, seeing as how his dark Magic Power outclassed them drastically. His sinister smirk was but fuel to the fire. "Welcome once again, Nic Pularis and friend."

Nic and Greninja couldn't believe it. He looked more despicable even after those seven years, clearly showing how unkind the years have been to him was evident to his grooming. It was a formidable foe long since forgotten in the past, and former Ten Wizard Saint.

Nic got ready. "Jose Porla."

Jose snickered casually. "I see you've been keeping track of your own memories. As I have as well."

Nic and Greninja both had a very serious stare set on Jose. They were well aware of people like him. Back a long ways, he mentioned a distasteful grudge on Fairy Tail, especially Makarov. Naturally someone's character such as Jose would be devastated knowing how his title and guild were gone. And he really only has the two people in front to blame.

"It seems you're here for a rematch." Nic stated.

Jose chuckled. "To someone of your standpoint, of course, but, I have my own reasons for being here in this war."

"Revenge?" Greninja pointed out.

Jose's smirk widened. "You're no slouch yourself. You can read me like a book, can you?"

An explosion happened nearby, and shockwaves had unnecessary men flying or crushed by the blast waves. Coming from Nic's left, the bursts of rage and shockwaves of horror grew louder, and ever so closer. The closer they got, the greater the Magic Power he was feeling. Just like Jose, it was gruesome and deadly.

Another burst of magic ruptured the land, making dust cloak the landscape. Nic and Greninja felt such a familiar person and vibe through the dust, and again their eyes widened out of shock. The silhouette of the man walked sternly onwards.

"You insolent brat. You disgraced and poisoned Sabertooth forever. Your plague ends here." He growled.

Emerging from the dust was the man who left a bitter core in good souls, the epitome of self-centered power. The man whose daughter betrayed him, and was dethroned from Sabertooth. Former guild master, Jiemma. He towered with a dark aura as ruthless as Jose, both growling with venom in their souls.

"Jiemma as well?" Nic sounded surprise.

"Is that fear in your voice, Nic?" Jose taunted.

Greninja tensed up. "How did you both get roped into the Council's plans?"

Jose chuckled as his gaze darkened, but maintained a grin. "You were right about the revenge part at least, but there's more to accommodate our assistance."

Jiemma held up a clenched fist. You could see the veins popping out. "With Makarov and Jura stripped of their titles, that leaves two worthy spots open. When I destroy you and your own pathetic ashes, the Wizard Saint title will go to me. It's but another step towards the strongest!"

"And with my Wizard Saints title back, I shall indeed be able to exact the rest of my frustration boiling up over the years onto ol' Makarov. I wonder how he's doing?" His eyes narrowed. "No matter. I'll ask him on his deathbed."

Nic clutched his fists. "The Council bargained them. Such pity I feel for you both." He said. "You haven't changed a bit, you were so hungover on being the strongest, Jiemma, and you wanting revenge, Jose, that you both can't see the big picture." He changed his stance, holding up a clutched fist. "I won't be suppressed by the Council nor anyone like you two. If you won't bother to learn from your mistakes, you won't grow."

Jose began to conjure darkness and makeshift ghouls in his palms. "Look at you all being philosophical. Back when we fought, you were pretty good with name-calling. You lost that touch?" The energy in his palms intensified. "I've spent the past seven years just waiting for this day to come! Nic Pularis and friend, perish! **Dead Wave!** "

Jose fired a frightening beam at Nic and Greninja. As it traveled, the ground shuddered with angst. A trail was bored into the earth as the attack went on. To add damage, Jiemma reached his arm out, and the land beneath Nic and Greninja shook violently as a light purple engulfed their legs.

As both attacks raced, Nic and Greninja looked towards the other and nodded.

The next second, everything within the area was engulfed in what felt like a monstrous explosion. The land violently shook as even dust was obliterated when engulfed in purple chaotic energy. The erupting blast wave caught the attention of many mages and soldiers who were still fighting, questioning what in the world made such a destructive blow.

As Erza was in her Heaven's Wheel Armor, she looked towards the settling explosion with shock. "Is that…?" She gasped. "Nic!"

Vanessa looked towards the same direction with equal worry, but was preoccupied as she turned back ahead and swiped a wave of teal aura that pushed enemies back. _'Nic, hang on!'_

In the spot the two were in, there was a large crater with a cindering middle. Smoke arose and nothing remained. Jose and Jiemma stared at the scenery ahead with triumphant gazes. To say they seemed satisfied was one way of making it blunt.

"Too easy. I knew the fool's power was nothing more than a fluke." Jiemma huffed. "Squashed like the insect he was."

Jose stepped forward, inspecting the crater. He frowned. He didn't seem satisfied, or to be more accurate, something seemed incredibly out of place. "That young brat…no, this was too easy. He's too sly and crafty to be taken out like that." Jose picked up on something. An odd energy resonating somewhere close by. "Hm?"

"Hm?" Jiemma looked up, along with Jose, but they were already too late.

A sudden foot came crashing down, stomping and plunging Jose into the ground. At the same time, a light purple needle that acted as a blade was raised overhead and came down, cutting right into Jiemma with great force. Both former guild masters smashed into the earth, making the earth rumble violently with their bodies suffering blows from Greninja and Nic's descent.

Regrouping with a unison backflip, Greninja's Bounce worked, and Nic landed as his needle for Night Slash faded away. In retrospect, Nic grabbing onto Greninja as he used Bounce was a close call, but they were always about close calls when one looks at it in a certain perspective.

Jiemma arose from the shattered ground, using his forearm as a wipe. Right beside him Jose arose, his face covered in dirt.

"You're right. He's stubborn." Jiemma said.

Jose smirked. "Then it looks like we'll be having some more fun after all."

Nic and Greninja both took battle stances. Both yelled in unison. "Then come as us!"

* * *

Lucy pointed at Johaan. "Let's go, Scorpio!"

Scorpio got on all fours and pointed his tail at the opponent. "Wicked! **Sand Buster!** " From the nozzle fired a powerful torrent of sand that rushed directly at Johaan.

As the attack made way, Johaan pointed ahead. "And suddenly Scorpio's Sand Buster changed course, making a U-turn and headed right for the sender among his friends." His words made the whole torrent flash a green aura. The sand suddenly arched upwards and began arching back down onto Lucy and Scorpio.

Both of them looked shocked. "You've gotta be kidding!" Lucy exasperated in fright.

"Hang on Lucy, I'm getting cover!" Scorpio pressed a hand to the ground. " **Sand Wall!** "

On command, a wall of sand was summoned, rising up from underneath and acting as a shield in front of the two. The torrent of swirling sand went crashing down onto the wall of sand, making the land beneath Lucy, Scorpio, and Yukino shake as the Sand Wall was absorbing the impact of the Sand Buster. Sand blew all around, but luckily the offense-defense ordeal completely cancelled out. The sand fell to the ground softly, and Johaan flipped to another page in his book.

"Ah, quite the performance, but the act has yet to begin!" He announced. "As to where they felt confident, young Lucy felt sharp tension in her leg. Her bones and muscles were all contorted and she fell over without any need to stand."

"Wait, what…?" The sound was not as pleasant as Lucy hoped it'd be, and she was right. Her body flashed a green aura, and her eyes widened when a pulse ran through her body. Her body began to twitch and nerves were starting to act against her own anatomical judgment. Lucy sharp a startling and bone-cracking pain in her left leg. She screamed as the pain flared.

"Lucy!" Yukino shouted.

Scorpio's eyes widened. "Aw man!" He gasped.

Lucy's pain flared to an intense point. Her leg was so badly hurt that it was starting to go numb. "I can't…my leg…it hurts…gah!" Lucy lost all feeling in her leg, and as a result, she fell over to her side with a harsh thud. She yelped and struggled to hold back her screams as she felt her actual leg bones crack slightly. "Aaaah!"

Scorpio turned angrily towards Johaan. "Hey man, knock it off! **Sand Spear!** " From the stinger on his tail fired spears made of sand. They moved fast through the air, but Johaan huffed and smirked as he sidestepped dodging the Sand Spear as it continued on ahead, towards Yukino unintentionally. Yukino's eyes widened and she turned to get out of the way. The impact of the harsh sand struck her hard like a huge bullet.

"GAH!" Yukino fell over onto her side with a harsh thud, much to Lucy and Scorpio's horror.

Johaan twirled his finger around over his book. "And to the leading roll goes the spoils. However, such a grave mistake when he is cast aside, upstaging everybody else." Johaan stuck his nose high with a confident smirk. "Now, exit stage right! Scorpio's chest tightened, the sudden loss of oxygen and air forcing him to retreat and leaving Lucy and Yukino in despair."

Scorpio looked in question before his body flashed a green aura. Lucy opened one eye through her distress and saw Scorpio grab his own throat. The Celestial Spirit had no oxygen within himself, all of it vanished upon Johaan's Play Magic following the script. Scorpio dropped to his knees, unable to hold himself up as he was suffocating. As Johaan maintained his confidence, Lucy and Yukino both were given a disadvantage.

"Lucy…sorry…gotta bail!" Scorpio choked before he disappeared back into the Celestial Spirit World.

"Scorpio…" Lucy weakly called out. She was clutching her leg still, though surprisingly the pain went away. "My leg, the pain's gone, but…!" She winced again, but it was more due to her leg bones being cracked. "My leg!"

Yukino started to get up. "Lucy, how's your leg? Can you stand?" She called out not too far away.

"Yeah, I think so." Lucy got her good leg beneath, and as she applied pressure to her other leg, it gave out, leaving her to fall to a knee. She winced again in pain. "It hurts. I know the pain's gone, but my leg…!" Her eyes widened. "Wait, the pain was gone once Scorpio was suffocating. Does that mean…?" She looked back at Johaan as he flipped to another page.

"Sorry, but we must really be moving along with this plot. Maintaining a prominent role with no development catches no interest in the audience." Johaan lowered his head. "And so it's time you face your critics, taking the harsh reviews of your performance in my play." Johaan swiped his arm. "A sudden force shot both Lucy and Yukino from the ground towards one another, slamming harsh enough to make them see stars."

Both Lucy and Yukino flashed a green aura. Their bodies went on remote with what Johaan said. Lucy and Yukino rushed right into each other like two ragdolls, both of which screamed in distress. They had absolute zero control, and they both saw the other flying their way and had no chance of stopping. It was painful to look at when they collided. Head and body alike, they collided harshly, sending the other soaring off towards the earth with a tumble. Their thuds marking the earth was a glee note for Johaan as his smirk widened.

"So now you see? The director's choice of the script is as the story follows. If I choose to do so, I can have everyone here turn on you against their own will." He warned. "However, I'm a man of fair play. I know when my foe is at a disadvantage, and I rather not add insult to injury. I suppose the knock-out blow is the final touch the end of this act starring the Zodiac Mages."

Lucy's vision was all hazy as she was seeing stars. "Darn it. Natsu…" Her vision was starting to get hazy, but she saw a dome of fire in the distance. Natsu was too occupied with his own battles apparently. He was too far away for Lucy to scream out to with all of the shouting and explosions among Blue Pegasus and Fairy Tail Mages clashing against enemy soldiers and mages.

"This is bad." Yukino muttered.

"And so, we end this act with an encore of last scene!" Johaan called out. "Once more, in an attempt to rid themselves of their pain, both mages flung into the other, this one hard enough to make them see black."

Lucy and Yukino's bodies glowed green again, and once more their bodies arose from the ground. They felt a pushing force that flung them into one another. The two Celestial Spirit mages both closed their eyes as they closed in, waiting for a painful thud.

Johaan looked expectantly as they drew closer.

A thick lock of red hair went wiggling like tendrils and smacked Johaan from behind. The Play Magic user felt a harsh smack from behind and fell forward with a skid. As his focus was cut off, Lucy and Yukino both no longer felt a force pushing them. They were able to resist, and that's what they did. Both mages fell forward and lightly tumbled, ending up sprawled onto the ground as their bodies had ascertained control but little damage as a bonus. The two mages twitched on the ground as they felt pain, but they managed to get to their knees.

"Yukino." Lucy groaned.

"Lucy…what happened…are you alright?" She groaned.

Lucy got help from when she was about to fall over as Yukino supported her by putting her arm over her shoulder. Lucy gritted her teeth as she felt her damaged bones ache, but persevered without any reluctance.

Johaan got up and turned around angrily. "Who dares interrupt this act?"

Lucy and Yukino also turned towards the culprit. Shock came across Lucy especially when they saw tendrils of red hair flail around behind a nearby piece of rock sticking out of the ground. The locks retreated away as another person was caught in the crossfire. When she revealed herself by peeking out from the side, Lucy's eyes became ovals like owl eyes.

"Huh?!"

Yukino put a hand over her mouth. "Oh my goodness."

The red hair belonged to someone who was thought to have been excluded from long ago, but apparently she was there. Her creepy red eyes were wide and her smirk was more than awkward. Her hair wiggled a little behind her head. "Blondie…white hair…" She mumbled.

The arrival of Flare Corona was what left Lucy and Yukino with chills running up their spines.

"Flare?!" Lucy exclaimed. She remembered the red haired mage well from Raven Tail during the Grand Magic Games, of course that was also when Nic curbstomped her so hard. However Lucy wasn't concerned about the past, let alone her insecurities around her. "What are you doing here?!" She demanded.

Flare looked away, uneasily. "I was wandering…and then this happened…" She said nervously.

Lucy sweat dropped. "That's not…what I meant…"

Johaan grabbed his book and hastily flipped to another page. "Sorry, but there is no upstaging this fine actor! A minor character's abrupt change to a major will not sit well for this story!" He pointed towards Flare, his smirk replaced with a frown of frustration. "So then, if you insist, I shall make your performance a dastardly one! Her hair became wild, unable to hold itself suppressed as it tangled and coiled around the red haired girl's body!"

Flare'd body flashed green and then her hair began to wiggle violently. The tendril-like bangs all around her began to snake around her, coiling her and constricting her movement. Flare grunted as her body was being gripped by her own hair.

"Yukino." Lucy warned. Her friend turned towards her with inquiry, seeing the resolve on her. "I know how we can beat this guy now!"

Yukino's eyes widened. "You do?"

"Just here me out…"

Meanwhile, Johaan struck another posture with his chin up. He smirked as Flare was bound by her hair, but like it or not she wasn't putting up much of a fuss. Rather, she still had her creepy grin, which was what left Johaan creeped out. "Are you actually enjoying my play?" He sounded surprised.

"My hair doesn't hurt me." Flare hissed. "It's mine."

Johaan flipped to another page with subtlety. "Very well, looks like the cast has made its own change in dynamics. It would appear that you will have your chance to audition to meet with their other fates. You wanna the cut, then be my guest!" Johaan cleared his throat. "Her hair-!"

"HRAH!" Lucy kicked from behind with her good leg, with Johaan feeling a hazardous pin in his lower back. He didn't have much of any room to counter as he fell over, and that's when Yukino stepped in. Much to Johaan – and Lucy's – shock, Yukino dealt a knee strike to his chest, knocking the air out of him. Yukino then punched his face, and dealt a severe uppercut that knocked Johaan onto his back. Flare's hair suddenly became loose, and the strands all retreated back behind her, the Hair Mage's hair back into her control.

Yukino took up a fighting stance, and Lucy was still caught off guard with that combat display that outclassed her own kick. "Whoa! Where did that come from?!"

"I've been taking hand to hand combat lessons after the Grand Magic Games." Yukino explained. "But it looks like you were right. We found his weakness."

Johaan sat out. "Why you…! Yukino shoved back, slamming herself against the rock that coveted the intruder!" Yukino's body then flashed a green aura, and she felt a strong force use her body like a puppet and throw her into the rock nearby.

Lucy stepped in front. "Oh no you don't!"

As she ran towards Johaan, he gave but another command. "And poor Lucy slipped and thudded onto her back with a thud."

At that command, Lucy's body flashed a green aura, and as she stepped ahead, her foot suddenly gave out, and her bad leg slipped forward. Lucy yelped as she fell backwards, slamming with a thud against the earth. However, Yukino no longer felt a force pushing her back. The Sabertooth Mage got her feet underneath and slid back before she could even make it to the rock, rather stopping in front. She looked determined at Johaan as the mage laughed.

"What is blondie doing?" Flare asked.

Yukino recalled what Lucy told her. "His Play Magic has a weakness. Lucy said she figured it out when it had to do something with her leg. She mentioned the pain gone after he gave another directive, as if it up and left like a ghost. That's when she realized that Johaan and his Play Magic can only make one direction at a time. If he casts another demand while still in the middle of his first one, that demand is lifted and all focus shifts to the new one. That means as long as we keep him directing us, we'll have a sure fire chance."

Flare chuckled from beside the rock. "Blondie's crazier than I thought."

Lucy could barely get up as Johaan towered overhead. He had his book close to his face and yet his eyes were closed. "The curtain call is overdue. The Magic Council demands of encores in other places. So I'll end this quick! And so Lucy began to lose conscious-!"

" **Hair Shower: Firefly Flame!** " Flare used little pieces of her long hair and launched them towards Johaan, cutting him off and shifting attention towards her. The pieces of hair set ablaze, and when they drew near, exploded. Johaan slid back as he escaped from the explosion's flames.

"Damn you!" He scowled.

Yukino pulled out a silver key. " **Open: Gate of the Swan – Deneb!** "

Appearing in front of Yukino was a man with pale skin and baggy eyes. He had black hair that was shoulder length. Much similar to Corvus, his wings were attached to his arms and were black. His attire was all purple, and he had black gloves, boots, and belt.

Deneb hid his upper body with his wings. "If you want me to do something, just spit it out." He said.

Yukino smirked. "This is perfect."

"Ah~, then how's about this?!" Johaan swiped his arm. "Deneb was unable to move, a force suppressing him to the ground like gravity, making him as heavy as a mountain!"

Deneb glowed a green aura, and a second passed before his eyes narrowed. He rushed right past Yukino with great speed, his sudden contradictory startling Lucy and Johaan. Before Johaan could grasp what he was doing, Deneb blindsided him.

" **Summer Triangle!** " He struck Johaan with lightning surging behind him. He attacked three times, making sharp turns and producing a triangle of lighting. The shocking attack sent Johaan flying and hit the ground on his side.

Deneb landed, and Lucy's eyes widened. "Whoa! That was awesome!"

"You're not welcome." Deneb grumbled.

Lucy blinked. "Eh…"

"Sorry about Deneb." Yukino apologized. "He's a little on the moody side, but his contradictory is key."

Lucy smiled, understanding as to why she chose Deneb. "Right!" She pulled out a Zodiac Key. "Now it's my turn! **Open: Gate of the Lion –** "

"Not so fast!" Johaan interjected, back on his feet. "Lucy and Yukino both felt their bodies give ou-!" His eyes widened and he gasped when a sudden wolf made of crimson hair went pouncing onto him. The wolf-like shape came from Flare as she was a short distance away, cutting off Johaan and forcing him to retreat away as the wolf hit the ground from where he stood. The wolf dissolved and the hair retracted.

" **Loke!** " Lucy finished.

On command, Loke appeared in a golden flash, his hands up as he adjusted his cuffs and smirked. "What you asking for, beautiful?" He cooed.

Lucy smirked with confidence. "We've got a battle to win, so let's beat this guy and help out our friends!" She declared.

Johaan looked ahead, seeing Yukino, Lucy, Deneb, and Loke all against him, with Flare in the background. He sweat dropped as he felt his spine shudder. He twitched as his attention drew to his book in hand. He was flipping page after page. "T-this isn't in the script! There's too big of a cast!" He yelled. He looked up again, feeling overwhelmed. He clutched his open fist and pointed at them. "Grrr! Fine! Pay the price for making it thus far in the act! It's now curtains for all of you! Star Order's Johaan will make your last chapter a memoir of pain!"

He watched as Yukino supported Lucy and Deneb and Loke readied.

"They all felt their beating hearts pump blood, and suddenly they stopped-Mmmmf!"

Again, Johaan was cut off as his mouth was covered. The sentence never finished as crimson hair muffled his words, unable to make them happen. His exasperation was directed to the hair muffling his mouth, and followed it past the girls towards Flare, who gave a smirk. Johaan muffled and tried to break free, but all of his struggling wasn't helping him in the slightest.

"Now guys!" Lucy shouted.

"Deneb, don't unleash all your might!" Yukino exclaimed.

"You got it!" Loke jumped into the air, with Deneb following in tow. Both Celestial Spirits were high above, and one gathered golden light into his fist, while the other's feathers charged with lightning static. Both of them created a flashy display with light high above.

Johaan screamed in his muffling as both Loke and Deneb came down onto him, both punching forward. Loke's fist shot a blast of light in the shape of a lion's head, roaring. While Deneb's static body crossed arms, and an insignia of a swan's outline appeared on the ground around Johaan, the outline being lined with pure lightning.

" **Regulus Impact!** "

" **Black Swan!** "

A massive discharge of lightning erupted, and as Johaan violently screamed, Loke's blast of light met him at the exact same time. Lightning and light blinded everybody nearby, and the ground shook with a vicious magnitude. As everything was settling, Deneb and Loke both landed on the ground as dust went past Lucy and Yukino.

When the dust cleared, Johaan was lying on his back, his eyes deprived of pupils as he also twitched with some static running through his body. His attire was all but destroyed, and his book fell to the ground, the pages charred and open.

"Alright!" Both mages cheered. "We won!"

Lucy turned towards Yukino with a smile. "Awesome teamwork!" She complimented, with Yukino nodding in agreement.

Loke smiled, glad that the victory for that battle had been achieved. He turned towards Deneb. "Hey, thanks a lot man."

"Yeah, whatever. Not that I'm grateful or anything." Deneb grumbled. He flashed a golden light and exited back to the Celestial World, leaving Loke to sigh.

"Oh yeah!" Lucy's eyes widened again in realization. She turned around with a smile. "Thanks a lot…" However, when she turned around, Flare was gone. Her spot was empty, leaving Lucy confused. "Uh…"

Yukino turned around, surprised as well. "Something wrong?"

Lucy looked all around her, but all she saw was enemies being defeated by allies and more magic being used against one another. "That's weird. I could've sworn a minute ago Flare was here. Wonder where she ran off to?"

"HRAH! **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!** "

A punched brimming with fire sent a soldier skyrocketing, slamming into the ground with a burned cheek. Lucy and Yukino turned around again, seeing Natsu finally making his way towards them. He was at it, and it looked like he wasn't stopping. When he caught sight of Lucy, he looked relieved. "Hey, Lucy!" He called out.

"Natsu! Great timing-!" Lucy stepped forward, but again her leg gave out. Yukino hurried and caught Lucy just before she could fall.

"Easy, your leg still hurts." Yukino warned.

Natsu hurried on over, stopping in front of Lucy. "What happened? Is she gonna be alright?" He asked.

Yukino looked towards Natsu and back at Lucy. "Yeah, she's fine. The bones in her leg were fractured by that Star Order member we've faced."

Lucy winced again, but despite the light headedness she felt, she mustered a grin. "I'm fine, really. I'm sure the others are hurt too. We may not have Wendy with us right now, but we gotta keep fighting! We can't have Nic, Vanessa, or their Pokémon eradicated from here. They helped us out so many times, we gotta return the favor, and risk our lives and protect _them_."

Loke nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I still owe Nic and the other members of the Celestial Crew my life for what they've done." He adjusted his cuffs again with a grin brimming with confidence. "So let's kick some ass!"

Natsu gave his trademark grin and turned around. "Alright, then let's go!" He punched forward, sending a wave of fire at incoming enemy soldiers, knocking them down like dominos. Loke followed behind, along with Yukino and Lucy.

* * *

Mirajane turned all around, seeing no sign of Olivia within the turbulence of hot pink blossoms obscuring their view. Jenny was also having her own troubles as she was caught just as confused as her friend. The two were at wits end with Olivia as her Blossom Magic was making her hard to read, especially with their accuracy diminished due to the hurricane of blossoms that kept them trapped like mice in a cage.

"Well, she really knows how to hold a grudge, huh?" Mira speculated.

"Apparently." Jenny said with her back to Mira.

Olivia's upper half materialized out of blossomed within the blossom turbulence. She had a smirk and looked excited when Mira and Jenny both looked up at her. " **Petal Melee!** "

The turbulence exerted blasts of thick blossom petals that snaked downwards. There was an indefinite number of them that went at Jenny and Mira like a Leaf Tornado multiplied. Both mages jumped out of the way and dodged as many as they could. They kept evading and backing away from the torrents of blossoms that they had little to no room for a counter. Jenny planted her feet against the ground in a skid backwards, stopping with her back against the turbulence.

Mirajane's eyes widened when Olivia was no longer there and looked back at Jenny. "Behind you!"

Jenny turned around to find Olivia's upper half out of the turbulence again. The Blossom Mage swiped her arm, sending an updraft of petals that sent Jenny flying and screaming. Miss Fiore fell to the ground with a harsh thud, scraping her back.

Mira flapped her wings and soared into Olivia. "You'll pay for that!" She roared. Her fist coated in darkness and her Satan Soul closed in. As it did, Olivia chuckled as she became blossoms again. Mira dealt a harsh punch, but her punch went right through Olivia, reducing her blossom form to nothing. The petals were only recalled into the tempest of blossoms separating them from everybody else.

Mira landed and looked around, growling as she was sensing Olivia from all over the place. "Stop hiding and fight!" She demanded. "Are you being a coward? How is what you're doing justice?!"

"Justice?" Olivia's voice echoed like a ghost in the wind. "Revenge? Justice? Is there really such a need to explain? We all have our own personal view on the world. The world itself is but filled with neither good nor bad people. Misguided is more or less accurate. Is there really a good or bad side in this war?" Blossoms swirled all around, small streams converging into a human swirl that was of blossoms. The blossoms solidified, becoming Olivia. She had no smirk as before, but the look she had was but indefinite seriousness. Mirajane and Jenny could feel themselves at bay hearing her words. "Ones ideals are led by their lives. If one lives a sheltered life, of course they'll rebel. If the ones raised uphold justice, they're only supporting a selfish cause. We're all selfish, and that's what will never change. What I hold personal is that revenge and justice in this war are basically one and the same."

"What?" Jenny questioned.

"Let me simplify it; because the Council believes in justice, they're having revenge on those who upstaged them. The purpose of this war is to have all 'justice' be targeted onto Nic. In other words, anyone who sees Nic as an enemy will do whatever it takes to get their own 'justice'. However, Nic's views clash, and that brings us to this war where everyone is caught in. I, myself, have my own view of justice, Jenny. When I was Miss Fiore for 6 years in a row, you can imagine how much attention I got. I gained so much." Her eyes turned sour. "And then you came along. I lost, a tragedy that stripped me of all that I had. This year was unkind, as I no longer had interviews, fans; everyone immediately loved you and cast me aside like a used product. Of course I found my place in Star Order. Their view of justice and working with the right people intrigued me…" She licked her lips. "And of course, I at least got some attention back from some wandering eyes."

As she said that, all of the bystander males of Star Order felt a shiver go up their spines. The recollection of the bouncy Olivia and her demanding and vicious need for 'fun' made them want to cry in a corner the next day.

"And so, whoever wins this war, means that their view of justice in proven superior!" Olivia raised her arms overhead, summoning streams upon streams of blossoms that began to shape into a large beast. It had an upper body, much like a giant, and was made entirely of blossoms and had a hammer of thick blossoms. "Nic and Pokémon are against our justice, and Jenny, you are the justice I seek to correct!"

Jenny and Mirajane both just stared ahead, looking fixated onto her.

"To Hell you go, Miss Fiore! **Blossom Guardian – Grace Might!** "

The giant raised its huge hammer overhead, the two beauties only looked on as the humungous hammer came down onto them, the shadow getting bigger on them.

A massive land rupture completely blasted rock and dust all around. The ground shook as Olivia held her ground and smirked in excitement. The pebbles stopped at her feet and the giant and hammer vanished, his head and hammer starting to come apart and the blossoms whisked away in the winds of the turbulence. Olivia seemed satisfied as the dust settled. "That should show you what I mean…"

"Yeah, you showed us alright." Mira's voice was heard in the dust, startling Olivia.

"What?!"

Jenny's silhouette emerged from the dust as well, alongside Mira. "So this is what you wanted all along. I had no idea that a phony title meant so much to someone like you." Jenny stepped out along with Mira, but this time she was in her Take Over Combat Form, and she looked mad. Both stood with an ominous gaze that left Olivia baffled.

"You can have the title and glamour for all I care. I admit that you're right, we are all selfish, and I'm selfish too. I like the attention as much as anybody else does." Jenny gave a venomous smirk. "But, you forgot that I have something that you never had. Someone that's our justice too." She turned towards Mira and smiled. "And that…is tolerating friends get bullied."

"Here's our justice." Mira stated. "Your side is all about vengeance and order, and we want nothing more than to protect, and make people happy. Yes, we want people to trust us, but not out of fear. That's what the Council is doing, but we just wanna help people, and make sure that they're safe. Will there ever be a stopping point? No. But that doesn't mean for as long as we breathe, we can't uphold our own justice and protect our friends!"

Olivia stepped back out of fear. "N-no! You both, stay back…!"

Jenny stepped forward. "My guild may have a bunch of fancy pancy guys, but when it comes down to it, you don't call them out!"

"Stay away!" Olivia blasted them both with a torrent of blossoms, but when the attack got close, Mira held her arm out and blasted the attack with darkness, cancelling the attack without much of an explosion. The air cleared and Olivia shuddered.

"Our guilds…" Mira rushed ahead.

"Will protect one another!" Jenny called out.

"That's true justice! For standing up against fear and pain!" They announced in unison. They let out a double battle cry and they reeled their fists back and punched forward. The impact of both their fists to Olivia's face made ripples in the air. Time slowed down as Olivia flew backwards and her turbulence of blossoms that was like a dome vanished. The petals all around faded and vanished away, giving clear view to the sky again. The Blossom Mage's eyes were white and her mouth hung open. Her lipstick was smeared all around her mouth as she hit the ground on her back.

Mirajane and Jenny both smiled at their double victory, both friends smiling as they gave the desperate woman what she asked for: pain.

"Misguided, huh?" Mira thought aloud as her Satan Soul faded away, reverting her back to herself. She frowned as she and Jenny stared at Olivia's fallen form. "Maybe she was right? But…Lysandre proves that she's wrong."

Jenny looked out at the ongoing fight rampaging. "Still, misguided or not, personal or for the good of the people, this is a battle of justice we can't lose."

Mira turned towards Jenny and nodded. "You're right. Let's keep going!"

Both former pinup model turned around as they faced the now oncoming men and soldiers with weapons.

* * *

The Magic Council watched the battles ensuing through their lacrima-vision network. There was still some anticipation to arise, but one or two watched with shock as Jura and Laxus blasted many away with rock and lightning, and Gajeel and Lily were no slouches themselves as they knocked down a number already. The monitors showed Lucy being supported by Yukino as Loke and Natsu protected them. They also saw Nic and Greninja quarreling with Jose and Jiemma who were both out for their blood. To say it was a mess may not be far off from the truth.

A Councilman looked surprised. "Johaan and Olivia have been defeated."

Org looked down at Lahar, who was awaiting further orders. "Very well, alert Jango."

Lahar nodded in understanding and walked out of the room. When he left, the Council resumed watching the mess that was being made. Org felt disgusted. "Look at what's happening, Gran Doma. This thirst for justice has torn Fiore in half. Our guilds have turned on another. Fairy Tail is not far off, and their allies are already breaching towards Era. Do you really believe this was the right decision?"

Gran Doma watched with calmness as he watched Nic backflip and dodge another blast from Jiemma onscreen. He then saw Greninja expertly evade Jose's darkness-coated hands that were throwing punches, frustrating the former Wizard Saint. Gran Doma narrowed his eyes. "This is the only way, Org." He assured. "We'll win the trust of people by force if we have to. Justice will prevail, and so we shall prove that Pokémon cannot be viewed as a positive influence when all they've done is tarnished what magic is made for." He lowered his chin. "Alert Jango yet again. Tell him that we are set for Phantasm for when Nic Pularis arrives. He'll understand that the Wizard Saint title is nothing to make a mock of. It'll cost him his friends."

He watched on as the monitors showed the battle raging on with Sliggoo using Dragon Breath, blasting away enemies heading on in and engulfing them in a blue explosion.

* * *

Somewhere on the battlefield, Jango was staring ahead without need of emotion. "Is that so?" He questioned. Without looking he elbowed an incoming mage of Quatro Cerberus in the gut. He didn't bother looking back as he fell over, rather he turned away and spoke into his earpiece. "I see, so Johaan and Olivia have failed…there will be a justice for their fall yet. Star Order will not tolerate such barbaric actions against those sworn to maintain their firm grasp on keeping society from collapsing."

Bacchus hiccupped as he closed on in. "Let's get wild! You jackjobs are gonna regret messin with those who are shaken and stern!"

He jumped after Jango as his body was turned away but eyes were set on Bacchus. Bacchus had a palm out, but as he reeled it back, a sudden slash sound reverberated. His eyes widened and dilated when he felt a harsh pain flow through his stomach. The air was knocked out of him and time slowed down again as Bacchus fell backwards in midair, while Jango had his arm swiped and holding a sword with a smooth and circular hilt. The guard design looked exactly like that of a rose blooming. The blade was all wavy and flared like a Tynamo swimming in a matter of speaking. The whole thing was black, and the hilt had spiraling sea green, as did the edging of each petal on the unique guard. The edging was sea green for the continuous wavy blade, while the flat edge had three narrow ovals of sea green on each side.

Bacchus fell with a thud, and Jango looked away in disinterest. "Alert Fiasca about Olivia, and tell her to prepare with everybody else for Phantasm."

He stopped talking again as men came up from behind. He pivoted and swung his sword with a sea green trail following. Simultaneously all five men fell at his feet. He stopped his slashing pose and turned away again.

"I've dealt with Quatro Cerberus now. Be on standby." He looked up again, his face serious but dark. "We won't lose anymore ground after they arrive in Era."

* * *

" **Dark Pulse!** " Jose swiped his arm in an arc. At Nic and Greninja's feet explosions began to follow in that same line. The explosions rattled the lands and Nic and Greninja jumped into the air, evading them. Jose then appeared in front with his body coated in darkness. His Magic Power had already been at a peak before, but with Nic and Greninja both in midair, he could go all out and cause as much damage as possible.

Jose's hands reached out with dark, ghostly energy. " **Dead Wa-!** "

" **Sucker Punch!** " Nic's fists was cloaked in dark purple, and his fists went at such a blinding speed and Jose's eyes widened at the level of velocity the attack was heading. Jose was hit square in the nose, the impact caused winds to be seen from the force given off and Jose's magic dissipated from his hands. He shot down towards the ground with a huge thud that rumbled the earth.

While in midair, Jiemma found this as an opening. He swiped his arm at them. "Impudent nuisance! Get crushed already!"

Blast waves erupted in midair, engulfing the skies in a multitude of explosions. The clouds in the atmosphere cleared away from the blast waves that caused such a panic for those on the ground. They all looked up and saw nothing but smoke and purple waves dissipating.

Jiemma chuckled. "Serves you right."

The smoke in the sky continued to blow, but something emerged from the cloud and fell at surprising speeds. Jiemma looked up and his eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Nic and Greninja were both coming down, but Nic was in his normal self and a translucent turquoise shield dissipated as they both fell. It made sense now, Nic switched so that he could use Protect and drop down from above. Quick thinking of which caught Jiemma by surprise.

" **Swift!** "

" **Water Shuriken!** "

Both Nic and Greninja showered Jiemma and Jose with shuriken made of water, and yellow stars in golden sparkles that Nic made and fired alongside Greninja's assault. The attacks beamed down and showered Jose and Jiemma alike, engulfing them in golden sparkles and cuts and blue explosions by the attacks together.

Nic and Greninja landed on the ground again, seeing as how Jose and Jiemma were reeling back from that attack.

Nic spread his legs apart. "Is that your warmup, or is that your full power?"

The dust cleared, and Nic and Greninja again felt a strong pulse rage. This combined Magic Power was fluctuating through the atmosphere, giving chills near a number of spines. Both Jose and Jiemma were encased in a dark aura, their eyes red full of anger and hatred for Nic. They both had the eerie vibe that could leave a Gyarados in shame. But these two combined left the duo more than a little unnerved. They could feel it, their desire for revenge. It grew stronger with every failed attack they dished out.

Jose chuckled. "I can sense your uncertainty, young one." The ground around him began to shake in conjunction with his Magic Power growing further. His eyes turned black and yellow, like a demon's fury. "That's good for me."

"We're just getting started, punk." Jiemma growled/

"Looks like they're getting serious now. We better take them out so we can help the others." Greninja noted.

"I agree. Their power has grown over this period of time. You and I will handle Jose so we can gain some ground. As for Jiemma…" Nic reached into his pocket, pulling out a Poke Ball. He looked towards it with a narrow gaze. "I'm leaving Jiemma to you. I'm counting on you." Nic threw the Poke Ball into the air. "Go, Kecleon!"

The Poke Ball opened, and popping out in midair was Kecleon. The Color Swap Pokémon tucked in her body and flipped to a perfect stand on the ground. She faced Jiemma as the latter's eyes widened. The chameleon-like creature stared and blinked.

Nic and Greninja walked to her side and stood tall, their target being Jose. All three had a prominent and towering stature, of which made Jiemma and Jose frown and look angrily ahead at them as the dark aura around them grew stronger the more they dreamed of crushing them.

Jiemma held up a clutched fist. "That chameleon…!" He roared. "You'll pay for showing your face to me after what you did!"

Kecleon tilted her head. "It's an encore of a song I do not like." She straightened her head. "I'll put it on mute." She adjusted her stance and looked battle ready as Jiemma clutched both fists so hard his knuckles almost bleed out.

Nic and Greninja stared ahead as Jose's eyes narrowed. "This time, you'll die!"

Nic and Greninja held up fists, both having a similar look in the other's eye.

* * *

 **Here's the next update, hope you guys liked it! I'm gonna be honest, I felt quite content with how I wrote this chapter in all. I was proud of the scene changes and the battles I've written out. While I did have my doubts of making the chapter extended, I thought it was a good idea considering how I want next chapter to play out. While this is an original arc, unlike the anime or manga, I can't necessarily leave anything out, that means Lucy and Yukino VS Johaan/Mirajane and Jenny VS Olivia felt vital as any other battle. Of course Flare's entrance into the battle is tied to the Sun Village Arc since I never did her saving Lucy back in** _ **The Fairy Contender**_ **, but I thought it all worked out well in the end.**

 **I've been crucially debating for a short period of time, and I've been considering postponing the Celestial Crew's return until the Tartaros Arc. It's nothing bad, it's just that it doensn't feel appropriate to have them show up at this point in time. So most likely you'll see them again in the Tartaros and maybe the Alvarez Empire Arc if I ever get that far in writing and planning alike.**

 **As far as next chapter goes, it might be quick this week. Since it is now October, I am officially going daytime writing for** _ **A Contender's Bonds**_ **, and I'm working partly nighttime on** _ **One's Road to Remembrance**_ **. If all goes well, that means 1-2 updates for the former, and at least 1 update per week on the latter. I rather not have Nic and Greninja curbstomp Jose so easily, which is why the fight is extending to next chapter, but it won't be tough, so there's a little spoiler. There's also Bellona that has to be dealt with, and I want to get Jellal and Crime Sorciere involved given Nic's nightmares at the beginning, so expect quite a bit of craziness to throw down next chapter. So as always guys, thanks for reading and hope to hear what you have to say in a comment and review!**


	9. Advancing Against Dread

**Here's a new update. Since I keep forgetting to answer reviews at the finishing A/N of chapters, I'll just do it now. For all of you who want Arceus to appear in person in the sequel, the answer is no. Like I said in the beginning, there is no solid plot compared to the prequel. And as for how long this arc will be, I haven't figured, but maybe 15 chapters long, roughly.**

* * *

Standing several feet away from the shocked Kagura and Millianna, a smirking Bellona was relishing in their trauma. The scornful remembrance of the Grand Magic Games and how Bellona was pulling strings was an act beyond forgivable. Millianna's body shuddered violently while Kagura reached for her Archenemy. Both had glares filled with venomous contempt, but that only left Bellona amused.

"Oh my, looks like the pawns haven't learned their place since last time." She commented, her magic still spiraling like galaxies in her hands. Her taunting was making the two remaining mages standing swell with so much hate. "Seems as though I'm gonna have to put you in your place – nowhere do you belong in my game!"

Kagura held her sheathed sword out to Bellona. "What did you do?!" She demanded.

All around, Mermaid Heel Mages were crying, partly yelling, and groaning as they tossed and turned in their sleep. They looked to be in pain, the pain that Bellona had brought when she touched them with but a hand drenched her terrifying magic. What was to transpire with them in pain? Everyone could either toss or turn themselves, and they had no strength to open their eyes.

"Who? Them? I merely incapacitated them with my Nightmare Magic." Bellona explained as she held up her hand. "Just one touch, and it's a never-ending nightmare for as long as I see fit. You'll be a puppet whose strings are mine to control. I can traumatize a wyvern and never make it wake up again."

"Release them!" Kagura demanded.

Bellona's eyelids lowered a little. "I'm afraid that's out of the question. With all of the foes in this vicinity incapacitated, I can reign as a new Wizard Saint! A title befitting a queen!" She yelled.

Millianna's hands balled. "You…" She bitterly remembered what Bellona had done in the use of Minerva's body. She'd done such cruel tricks, and she couldn't tolerate how her back had lash marks and blood after Bellona was finished toying with her. "You sick witch…!"

Bellona's smirk darkened. "That's queen to you, alley cat."

Her anger boiled, and she made a magic seal in front. " **Kitten Blast!** " She fired a lot of tubes at Bellona in a spiraling motion. Millianna watched as she exerted abut of Magic Power in that one shot, enough to leave Kagura surprised, though it was more out of impulse.

The attack went blasting at a smirking Bellona, but she only widened her eyes as they flashed green. " **Goddess Bellow!** "

A great swell of Magic Power erupted from her body, and a purple explosion expanded outwards, creating a swelling dome that encompassed the area like a raging typhoon. Mages that were already asleep were tossed around like rag dolls, getting blown away from the erupting shockwaves of the attack. Kagura was covering herself and managing to hold her ground, but Millianna wasn't so lucky. The feline woman screamed as she went flying in the air.

"Millianna!" Kagura shouted.

As the attack faded, Millianna fell to the ground with a thud among debris. The feline woman groaned as the pain in her body was surprisingly intense. She looked to be rather shaken, but you couldn't tell by her starting to get up as steady as she could.

She got to her hands and knees, panting at the ground. "That was so strong…" She trailed doff when a dark force towered behind her. There was a suppressive demeanor lurking around and Millianna really did not want to find out, for she may not like the answer.

Bellona raised her arm behind Millianna, swirling in purple galaxies. "Have a nice catnap."

She swatted Millianna with a backhand, hitting her hard enough to send the woman shooting off to the side. When she hit the ground, she made a loud meow sound.

Kagura's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "Millianna! No!" She rushed on over towards her friend and knelt down. "Millianna? Millianna?!" She could only examine the spot where Bellona struck her, as the flaring purple mark vanished into her cape and through her veins. Millianna's eyes winced as she laid on her stomach, and the Mermaid Heel Mage yelped, startling Kagura as the Gravity Mage got back up and watched Millianna look as though she was in pain.

Kagura looked down in shock, but was drawn in by Bellona's cocky snickering.

"Mermaid Heel? After the Council reshapes things back into order and declares me a Wizard Saint, perhaps I'll change your guild to Mermaid Hell, because that's where pawns go when they're disposed of."

Kagura turned back towards Bellona, her eyes seething with a vicious rage. There was a blue aura flowing all around her, her Magic Power was so trembling that the battlefield was shaking. Her eyes dilated and widened just before she disappeared.

Bellona remained calm when Kagura reappeared in front of her with Archenemy ready to swing. As Kagura swung up, Bellona narrowed her eyes, and another glint came from her. A vicious explosion again rampaged, roaring like a heavenly bellow that quaked and shattered the landscape.

Through the eruption Kagura persevered and felt her body's nerves writhe in agony, but despite the distraught feeling of her arm muscles hurting, she remained standing and had her feet planted on the ground. The eruption faded, but the land and dust still raged. In a shadowy dark mist, Bellona reappeared in front of a shocked Kagura.

"So you want revenge on Jellal still? Then I'll make him the only face you see in your nightmares!" Bellona had her hands out. Time slowed down as Kagura was trying to get away, but Bellona's distance was just too close. It was only a matter of time before her hands cloaked in dark galaxies touched her.

A green orb appeared in between Kagura and Bellona, shocking the two as the magic in the spatial energy swelling inside expanded. Bellona and Kagura both backed off as the spatial orb expanded to a great size. Both mages slid back with dust trailing on either side.

"I apologize for not making it sooner." The voice within the orb said.

Kagura and Bellona's eyes widened upon recognizing the voice. To neither it was a saving grace.

A smirk could be seen as the spatial energy decimated. Revealing herself with her eyes set against Bellona was Minerva, a startling appearance from right out of the blue. "A queen has no right to abuse her subjects if she wishes to be seen a tyrant, Bellona."

"You're…!" Kagura couldn't believe her luck. But while she did not believe in luck, she did admit it was perfect timing by Minerva, but her of all people allying with her was something she was still trying to process. She did remember then and there that Sting would send Minerva as backup in any case going, but how could she handle a former foe, though manipulated too, take on her prison guard.

Bellona scowled with a grit in her teeth. "Minerva."

"I see you're both doing well. Kagura, are you well?" Minerva asked without looking back.

Kagura nodded. "Yes…thank you."

"Your guild mates, tend to them. You are at a disadvantage if you end up close to Bellona, she'll put you in her trance, and that won't end well." Minerva herself recollected the rather foggy memory of being manipulated by Bellona. Although it wasn't her fault, it still left her a bit upset knowing she unconsciously harmed others. But unlike Kagura, she wasn't looking weighed down by it. "I have some unfinished quarrels with this vulgar woman. She has to pay for what she did to my body."

Though Kagura didn't want to admit, Minerva was right when she was at a disadvantage. She had to swallow this battle down as an assist and nodded. "Okay." Rushing away, Kagura headed for her fallen guild mates.

"Hey! Get back here!" Bellona demanded.

Minerva's hands gave off the spatial orbs yet again. "Your opponent is me now, Bellona."

Bellona angrily turned towards Minerva, her anger evident.

"As you said a queen prefers fine dining, right? Well then, you've skipped right to the main course."

Bellona's body gave off a prominent green aura. "Minerva, you've been the biggest pain I had to put up with in Sabertooth. All your preaching of change for a better guild was just talk. You should've just left long ago and everything would've worked out. But now look at what you did." Minerva felt the power spike and she had purple encase her own body in defense. "I'll feast on a tiger, and I'll savor every last bite as I hear your screaming. There's only room for one queen, and that's me."

* * *

A powerful explosion swallowed up another piece of the battlefield on the western front. The roar of thunder reverberated through the cracks of the earth as the earth beneath many shattered apart. Those nearby stepped out of the way as they didn't want to end up caught in the blast wave.

Nic was adorned in his Earth Form, his coat's lower half flapping in the winds. Greninja kept his ground right beside him. Opposing them with a frown was Jose. The raging cyclone of attacks dissipated, leaving the field between them desolate with a crater similar to those on the moon.

Jose smirked and raised an intrigued brow. "Well…"

" **Dig!** " Nic hunched over and dove at the ground. His hands raked t the ground, easily boring a hole through the earth. In his place was a hole. Jose smirked as he looked around, wondering where Nic was underground. He observed left and right, but the most peculiar thing was that he couldn't sense him. It was like the earth ate him and removed any trace.

His frown returned, and that proved he wasn't thrilled. _'Where is that man? He isn't the kind to tactfully retreat under these circumstances.'_ He turned forward, seeing Greninja remaining still. _'Maybe if I attack his friend, that'll get his attention.'_ He pointed fingers at Greninja, where dark Magic Power could be seen on the tips.

A sudden rupture exploded with dirt and dust covering Jose's cape. Within the dirt explosion, Nic appeared in midair. Jose's smirk returned with his teeth showing. _'There you are.'_

Nic dealt a roundhouse kick, but Jose disappeared like a ghost. Nic followed through and swung around, pivoting to a solid landing. He looked ahead, but Jose still wasn't there. The next second there was an unsubtle chill running up his spine. Jose smirked viciously as his fist was in his Darkness Magic. Jose punched forward, but his eyes widened when his gut was hit by an overwhelming force, one that made him almost see stars. As it turned out, Nic elbowed him right in the gut. The most famous feature was that he didn't have to look back. With Jose in shock from the elbow, Nic clutched Jose's head and neck over his shoulder and flipped him over the shoulder, slamming him into the ground.

Nic jumped backwards, gaining space. He glanced over towards Greninja, who stared at his Trainer. Nic's gaze went towards the hole in front of Greninja for a moment, and Greninja nodded in understanding.

Jose coughed as he got up. "You brat!" Jose lunged ahead, immediately closing the gap between himself and Nic. "Die!"

Nic put his clutched fists together and spread them apart, creating a massive bone made of green energy, hence the Bone Rush. Nic readied the bone and held his ground. He exerted a battle cry, his Bone Rush's bone clashed with every fists the former Wizard Saint dished out. Jose fired attacked on traversing fashion, moving as fast as bullets. However Nic had a stiff glare and his feet didn't move much at all as his reflexes were proven superior. When Jose jabbed, the tip of Bone Rush blocked it, and half a second later he jabbed it forward like a knife. He got Jose in the chest, slowing him down just enough for Nic to use the same arm for a sideways elbow strike, striking Jose's face, as well as knocking a few teeth out as he slid on his back.

As Jose was momentarily incapacitated with the damage he's taken, Nic nodded.

Greninja then made hand signs and aimed down at the hole. _'Okay, let's do it.'_

* * *

At the same time, Kecleon was handling her own battles. She was seen back flipping away to keep a distance from Jiemma. She slid back against the ground as Jiemma went racing after her in a vivid lunge. The man reeled back a fist packed full of muscle.

Kecleon stopped her skid and looked up. Jiemma brought his fist forward. She jumped at the speed of light, evading his ground-breaking punch. A crater was where she stood. Jiemma looked up as Kecleon was overhead and coming down at him with long claws that glowed.

" **Slash!** " Kecleon slashed downwards onto Jiemma. Jiemma blocked with his forearms and took the blow. Slash left a vivid white trail as Kecleon passed Jiemma, looking away as he was overtaken in an explosion of white that rattled the ground beneath him.

She picked her head up and her reflexes kicked in. Her feet sprung away from her spot, carrying her away from an erupting purple blast wave. Kecleon's feet touched the ground again some distance away, and instantly left with not even a light tap to the earth as it erupted again, sending more dirt and magic blast waves about. The white explosion cleared out, and Jiemma was seen extending his arm out at Kecleon. He looked angry as his forearms had gashes in the sturdy muscle. He was already overwhelmed by one fell blow by a little chameleon thing. How could she possibly be that strong? It's unfathomable. He had his open palm out and clutched it, making the entire area before him a complete landmine. Bursts upon bursts of Magic Power, the ground exploded, and through the thunderous hysteria, Kecleon's applied light pressure as she zoomed all around on the ground. When she leaped to the side, dodging another blast wave, she was heading right for another one. The blast wave was right in front of her, but all she did was have her claws glow and elongate.

"May the angel's fragrance make your stink cry!"

Using Slash, Kecleon passed the blast wave, actually slicing right through it as though it were a birthday cake and a knife. Changing course, she sped on in and after Jiemma.

"You're a pathetic weakling!" Jiemma shouted. "You go on offense, then defense, and now back on offense! Are you messing with me?!" He put his hands together and Magic Power pulsed in between his palms. He unleashed a destructive beam that went right for Kecleon.

As the attacks went for Kecleon – just as she slashed through a consecutive barrage of blast waves from the ground without any damage – all she did was lunge ahead. When the attack came close, her beady eyes sharpened.

"No! I see how you handle battle situations. You don't study opponents when they move, but instead blow them up. You get an F! For life!"

In a glint, Kecleon passed right through Jiemma's blast wave, slicing right down the middle with Slash. She lunged on in, and Jiemma's mouth gaped open with shrilled shock as Kecleon cut straight through his attack, appearing in front of him and used Slash, landing a downward blow that made Jiemma scream as he was sent into the dirt. The impact was strong enough to make winds fly and put Jiemma in a crater.

Kelceon back flipped and landed on the ground, tilting her head. "Not studying makes you bad at learning."

Jiemma coughed up blood, his body covered in dirt and leaving him exasperated. "That's nothing short of impossible. You…best ME?! You're weak! Your arms and legs are short, and yet you have so much reflexes, speed, and muscle?! How do you have that power?!" He shouted in demand.

Kecleon adjusted her head back up. She said nothing, but recounted the tales she had with Nic and the other Pokémon since Route 6, among other incidents close by. Jiemma wasn't wrong, but he wasn't right either. How could her body pack so much power? Well it was certainly from all of the physical training that Nic taught her, and in turn he learned right by her side. They've encountered thousands of Pokémon battles in such short time, proving their dedication to a life of mystery, thrill, and quarreling strong opponents. Being also one of the Pokémon to help defeat Darkrai of the Dark Legendaries was also a key proof as to how far she's become. Any normal Kecleon would've perished when just close to him, but she and her future-self did not stop. If anything, what really made her so strong was the dedication and the loyalty that existed between her and Nic and the other five.

Kecleon tilted her head. "My love for my family. They are here." She pointed a claw to her center. "It makes me warm and fuzzy. That feeling stays with me forever, and for as long as I have it, it dares not be taken away by failures like you."

"Failure?" Jiemma mumbled. "Failure…FAILURE?! You dare call the strongest a failure?! I am the individual who will be the next Wizard Saint! No amount of weakness can stop me! Nic Pularis and you will perish before I even let you think of being the strongest!" In a violent retort, Jiemma punched after Kecleon, his fist coming in like a meteor strike. "Learn your place! You don't belong in this world, weakling!"

Kecleon did not move. Instead, she stood still as Jiemma towered over her. She reached out with her claw, and Jiemma's ground-shaking punch was caught in her hand. Kecleon Was unmoved in the slightest by his punch as Jiemma couldn't seem to break her.

"Grrr! What is this?!" He demanded.

Kecleon grabbed Jiemma's arm with both of hers. "Your place…is there!" With so much shock from soldiers staying out of the fight, Kecleon got Jiemma off his feet and flipped him overhead. The battle cry she made was also shocking fuel. Jiemma was driven head first into the earth, again cracking apart the landscape beneath with vivid force. Jiemma's eyes were wide as everything around him was but a blur. His mouth gaped as his pupils showed out of shock. " **Thief!** " Kecleon brought her knee around and struck Jiemma's face, breaking his nose and kicking him away. Jiemma slid back on his head and got caught in the air as more dirt and rock went airborne. The power-crazy mage gagged as he fell backwards, landing in his back with a monstrous thud. Kecleon turned around, facing away from Jiemma's fallen body. She tilted her head. "In the dirty dirt. All is right now."

* * *

Jose gritted her teeth and clutched his fists. A magic seal appeared before him. "HRAH!" He launched a number of ghosts that elongated and went around Nic. He glowed as they began to coil around him. Jose's eyes widened. "It's no use!"

Another violent glint erupted, and in a flash the long coiling ghosts were slashed right through. Jose's eyes widened out of pure shock as Nic posed in place in a slashing motion, his Spooky Form accompanied with Shadow Claw.

"You're not even half the man you were back when we fought." Nic stated. "You're so hung up on vengeance and rising back to the top that you didn't account as to how I got my own strength. Something your magic will never restrain."

Jose reappeared in front of Nic's face with dark energy around him. "That's what you think!" He punched Nic with a Darkness Magic coated fist, reeling forward to strike, but Nic caught the wrist when the punch was so close to his face. Jose's eyes showed more vivid rage as Nic threw the punch off to the side.

Jose got his footing and looked back at Nic. "You…!" He disappeared and reappeared in front of Nic, and started unleashing attacks faster than the eye could trace. He viciously bombarded Nic with a number of blows with his fist, and yet Nic remained calm as he dodged them. His reflexes made him evade every single blow as he leaned, shifted, and went up and down. Jose punched again, and Nic surprisingly got around and scored an uppercut to his chin, making Jose back away.

The former Wizard saint felt his jaw bone feel broken. He had expected a weak blow dealt given all the training he put himself through, but apparently he was wrong.

"Damn you!"

He blinked then and smoke began rolling in from behind. He looked confused from the sudden cloud of smoke incoming from out of the blue. The smoke, it was thick and black, and you couldn't see out of it. Jose looked all around, but absolutely no trace of Nic was anywhere.

' _His level of power, it can't be greater than my own. Has he really gotten so strong, that…!'_ His eyes widened. _'No! I refuse to believe that I can't eliminate him on this level!'_

"I've faced opponents that have pushed me to levels that couldn't be reached before." Nic's voice echoed through the smoke, almost like that of a ghost. Jose looked all around, but he was nowhere to be sought. "You were a formidable foe before, but I've faced countless battles and gained more experience as the days went by. This may be personal to you, but to Greninja and me, you're a bitter memory that has to be dealt with!"

"Nonsense!" Jose denied. He had his body cloaked in his venomous Magic Power as he continued looking around. "Show yourselves! Don't run like before!"

"Pokémon battling doesn't just test a Trainer and Pokémon's strength. It tests their level of intellect and strategy, as well as judgment." A shadowy figure appeared behind Jose. The shadow became Nic in midair. "And we both say you're to deluded!"

Jose turned around to face Nic, but he didn't even get to turn his head before Nic kicked the back of his head. The former Wizard Saint stuttered forward out of shock and pain swelling in his skull. When he turned around with gritting teeth, Nic was gone. He angrily groaned, loud enough to reverberate through the cloud of smoke.

"Enough games!" Jose exerted so much power that the rock beneath him gave into the force, making a crater. His cape went wild as the overwhelming magical pressure hot into the sky. The shockwaves made brushed the smoke off, unveiling Jose to the shocked party od spectating soldiers. His angry spike in power was forcing everybody away. When the pillar of darkness dissipated, Nic was still nowhere to be found. It was like he disappeared after all.

However, Jose looked off to the side, seeing Greninja maintaining a steadfast hold. He wasn't at all shaken. " **Scald!** " Greninja fired a vibrant torrent of boiling water straight down, surprisingly into the hole Nic made with Dig earlier.

"Heh?" Jose raised a brow. "Wait a minute…" He was recalling his previous battle with Nic and Greninja long ago. He remembered all of the techniques used, as he bitterly reminded himself day and night of the experience. _'Now it makes sense where that smoke came from. It was from that frog's Smokescreen. But where is he? Where am I?'_ Jose got a dread crawling up his spine when he heard rumbling from down below. His eyes slowly went down, and in between his legs was a hole. His eyes dilated, an epiphany beginning to swell. _'They set me up!'_

A boiling water blast brimming with pressure shot Jose from down below. The mage soared into the sky as the makeshift geyser was hurting his entire body and skin. He screamed in violent retort as the attack pushed him higher and higher, and he was unable to do anything.

While high in the sky, Greninja saw Jose in distress and stopped Scald. He sprung up from where he once stood and a small crater took his place as winds brushed by people's legs. " **Bounce!** " He yelled as he went after Jose. The speed he sprung at was uncanny. He was moving so fast that it made a Quick Attack look slow. His leg muscles didn't at all grow slouchy over the past seven years.

Jose was finding no way of countering. The attack was like a pressurized hammer that knocked wind out of him. As he was suspended high in the sky, he saw Greninja flying right at him but couldn't do a thing about it. A purple light emerged from above, getting Jose's attention again. His shock surmounted.

"No!" He aged.

Nic was above Jose, appearing out of a purple hole in the sky. It was right over Jose, and Nic came down head first with his fist swelling in the remnants of purple from the hole he went through. Now Jose realized where Nic went, and unfortunately he was too late to stop them both.

" **Phantom Force!** "

At the same time Nic struck Jose from above, Greninja struck Jose from below. Both of their blows landed at the exact same time. Both assaults made black and white impact waves ripple respectively with the moves used. Both forces directly opposed another, leaving Jose nowhere to go and take the entire blunt.

Both Nic and Greninja screamed out as shockwaves transcended all around, enveloping the area on the battlefield into a maelstrom. Everyone watching covered up as the shockwaves violently went about until they stopped pushing. Nic and Greninja began falling to the ground along with Jose, but unlike Nic and Greninja – who landed with a flip and easy momentum on the ground and making a thud sound rattle in the cracked earth – Jose fell with an enormous crash, falling onto his back with eye white and devoid of pupils.

Nic and Greninja stood back up, only a few scratches on them, but nothing they didn't persevere. Having seen the battle from a distance, Erza smiled up at Nic warmly.

"J-Jose!" A soldier cried out.

"He's been defeated!"

"No way, wasn't he a Wizard Saint at the time?! Are they really that strong?!"

Erza confidently returned to the fray. "Don't worry, I'm not falling behind!" She slashed soldiers down that stood in her way. She made a clear path as she charged, running towards enemies still wanting to fight. "I'll be at his side, and you won't stand between us!" She slashed again, striking down a number and sent the same number flying.

Kecleon jumped and did a midair kick. " **Thief!** " She struck a fellow soldier, sending him flying back as his hammer twirled in the air. Kecleon instantly caught it and held it up. She pounced, and somersaulted through the air and down onto a many of men. "Vive le Pokémon!"

Nic and Greninja were back to back, staring at the enemies closing in. Both had on grins, and they stared out with a tension in their stomachs. This was what the thrill of battle was, to push yourself further and no matter what, never fall. Keep doing your best, no matter how hopeless the situation was.

Nic glowed, shifting to his Toxic Form. "There's still a number of enemies left in the area. Let's pick up the pace!"

Kecleon appeared by Greninja's side, both turning towards Nic with a nod of understanding. The three were in a triangle and faced the numbers heading their way.

* * *

Bellona slid back from the dust cloud, leaving a trail from being pushed back. The dust settled, and standing several feet away, unharmed, was Minerva. Unlike Bellona, who was barely keeping up with Minerva, the mentioned had no worn out clothing. Bellona's clothing was consequently tattered and scratched in some areas, proving how worn out she's become. Still, she persevered and angrily attacked Minerva with all her might.

Purple galaxies spiraled in her hands. "Fall into a slumber unlike no other! Let me be the only face you see in your nightmares! **Nebula Hold!** " The dark galaxies in her hands went spiraling like saucers after Minerva. As they traveled, Minerva looked at the disks and her eyes narrowed. She watched them close in, but alas Bellona was again foiled when Minerva made a green spatial blob in between her and the attack. The blob took the attack, engulfing the darkness and vanished away.

"Come now. We both learn from experience that such an attack won't work on me, not while I have the pockets of space around me to use." Minerva explained nonchalantly.

Bellona clutched her fists, her anger blooming.

Minerva frowned. "Bellona, why did you forsake the guild? Was your ambition no different from Jiemma's, or was it something more? You can't hide the truth forever, especially from me."

Bellona brought her foot back, upholding her own support. Her grin returned. "You are mistaken, Minerva. My ambition is nothing like that miserable excuse of a father you forsake over friendship." She held her open palm up. "I'm a queen. I have knights, bishops, and pawns that I can use that will safeguard my securities. That was the meaning of Sabertooth."

Minerva's eyes narrowed, feeling revolted.

"Sting was unfit to be a knight. Turns out when Fairy Tail defeated the guild, it proved that your power is too weak. You're all nothing more than broken pieces on a game board, and apparently I was plucked from my spot as queen by that meddlesome Erza." She recounted Erza's warrior face, it made her sick to the bone. "So I have learned the hard way, that using a tool as a shield will do no good for anybody. A queen has only herself to rely on, since she is the most important piece."

"…how arrogant." Minerva scoffed.

"What was that?"

"You're just as terrible as Jiemma was. You're so deluded over power and authority you can't see your ill acceptance to failure. You learn from your mistakes, but you shrugged it off with a blind eye. That's what made you second best in Sabertooth, Bellona, there's no such thing as perfection."

"Shut up!" Bellona's Magic Power flared, making a green aura coat her entire body. "I've had it with your philosophy! I am the queen, and I'll take my rightful place as I become a Wizard Saint and crush all who oppose me!" The ground was shaking as purple began to shine from her body.

Minerva reached her arms out as spatial orbs encompassed the hands. The ground began to shake into a level of magnitude that left Kagura wobbly.

Minerva began to chant as light erupted from beneath her. "Niel Wielg Mion Terse Elcantaeus!"

Bellona smirked. "Your secondary Magic, Minerva! Just what I was thinking! I have more than just my Nightmare Magic to put victims in their place! My Divine Empress makes the heavens roar!"

" **Yagdo Rogora!** "

" **Sentient Bolt!** "

On Minerva's side, a god-like man with intricate marks all over his body appeared, giving a dominant presence. On Bellona's side, a goddess-like ethereal figure towered above with similar battle marking all over her robe. Everything within the vicinity was obliterated on the spot. The beam of combined lights shot into the sky in a massive pillar, reaching astronomical heights and sending shockwaves all throughout the airspace. The nearby clouds circled around the rippling shockwaves as the land raged with fear.

Kagura found cover as a tsunami of dust and explosive energy rushed right past her. _'They're so strong!_ '

The roaring light faded, and pebbles and rock floating and sent flying fell like rain downwards. Standing affirm, Bellona and Minerva both opposed one another. A second passed after the dust and debris settled back into the earth and both women lurched. Minerva had ascertained quite a few scratches, but looked in better condition than Bellona.

"I'm surprised. Didn't think your Divine Empress Magic would be that treacherous." Minerva said, frowning.

Bellona grinned. "I'm flattered. Of course that won't get you anywhere. The strong need to be assertive. Here's an example." Her arms exerted dark galaxies again. Minerva could feel an ominous vibe radiating as darkness seeped from the galaxies.

Bellona's eyes narrowed in sadistic delight. " **Living Dread.** "

The seeping darkness materialized, becoming an ethereal dark figure. It shaped into a familiar man Minerva was shocked to see, so much that it startled her as he was nearly fifty feet tall. It looked exactly like Jiemma.

Kagura looked shocked. "What is…?"

"It's another one of Bellona's mind games. She's toying with my fears and making them an ethereal entity." Minerva explained. "She's using our weakness to her advantage."

'Jiemma' clutched his fist. "Minerva, you insolent excuse. Don't give me that look, it disgusts me." He said. "I only used you to pass down my powerful blood, and this is how you repay me? You turn to kindness." 'Jiemma' raised his arm. "I'll crush you!"

Minerva looked into the red eyes of the behemoth. As she was readying to counter, she was feeling her mind flash back to the past. Looking back at the incoming fist of Jiemma made her eyes widened. All she saw was her father about to smite her, and all she could do was cover up. The fist went through her, but that was only to make her flinch.

'Jiemma' disappeared, and Minerva uncovered herself, having felt no pain. "A-an illusion? From my nightmares?"

Bellona was in front of her, grinning as she caught Minerva by surprise. Her hands had dark galaxies spiraling. "Thanks for being such a fool long enough to hold me over, but your reign end!"

Minerva snapped back to reality, but unfortunately went wide-eyed when she felt a sharp pain in her gut. She gagged when Bellona's fist collided with her stomach. The strongest mage in Sabertooth felt time slow down as her body was losing strength, and her eyes became hazy. She tried to fend it off, but to no avail. Bellona sidestepped as Minerva fell forward, incapacitated by a grinning Bellona.

"Sweet dreams." Bellona cooed. Her attention drew towards the only remaining mage standing, Kagura. The swordswoman reached for her Archenemy, ready to attack, however the anxiety on her face was priceless.

"Oh dear, looks like you're all shaken up. Did I give you a fright?" Bellona questioned in a modest tone. Her hands made the dark galaxies again, spiraling. "Well, I'm sure you'll love this. I know I will. **Living Dread.** "

The darkness seeped from the spirals in her hand and outwards. Manifesting in front of Kagura, the darkness materialized into a tall figure. Not as towering as 'Jiemma', but just as mind-scarring. When the figure took full shape and form, Kagura's eyes widened and she gasped. Her body was violently shaking, and she could feel her stomach churning.

She couldn't believe what she saw, because it was the same man who took her brother away. "No…"

'Jellal' appeared, and he had red eyes and a mischievous smirk. "That's right, I killed your brother. Simon was a good man, too bad I ended it." His red eyes narrowed. "You wish to join him?"

Kagura's eyes showed a hostile rage as she grabbed onto Archenemy's hilt. "You!" She was shaking so violently that she couldn't even think straight. The sight of him at the Grand Magic Games almost made her sick, but this was another case. Her disgust was driven into anger and revenge. "You took away my brother!" She unleashed Archenemy, the blade unsheathed at last since the battle with Erza. The blade slashed at 'Jellal', making a slicing wave that traveled along the earth past Bellona's left.

"Well, well…"

Kagura slashed at 'Jellal', still seeing the smirk on his face as her Archenemy ran through his body. He didn't die, but every rock around her was nearly sliced into bits. 'Jellal' chuckled, much to Kagura's bitter retort. "Shut up! Just die! Die and repent for what you did to my brother!" He lashed out on and on, violently swinging her blade without any success on the blob of darkness before her. All really did was spike her anger further and further. All she was seeing was red, much to Bellona's delight. On and on, Kagura tried to cut down 'Jellal', but no amount of swings was gonna justify the anger in her heart. She flashed back to when she was young, her childhood with Simon. Seeing his smiling face again, and then seeing him fade in general, it was breaking her further.

Kagura screamed up to the sky, her bellow rattling the spines of animals all around. "WHY WON'T YOU DIE?! JELLAL!"

Kagura panted, her frustration subsiding. Her vision was still blurry, but she was able to stand. 'Jellal' smirked still, closing in on Kagura. The shocked swordswoman started to step back, overwhelmed by her loss to the living nightmare.

"No…Simon…" Kagura's eyes reflected 'Jellal', her torment brewing. "Why can't he die…?"

'Jellal' snickered, and then his image faded away, much like what happened to 'Jiemma'. Kagura's state of overwhelmed hatred was leaving her to recollect herself too late. When she blinked, she snapped back to the reality of things. "A nightmare…!"

"Now I got you!" Bellona was in the place of 'Jellal', herself ready as dark galaxies spiraled in her hands. The close proximity left Kagura shocked as she was still processing what happened.

Time slowed down in between the two. Bellona closed in.

"It's the end of the line for you!"

Time slowed down, and suddenly everything changed. Kagura found herself startled again when the scenery around her altered. She was on her hands and knees, and she looked at the ground with shock. "Wha-?!"

"GAH!"

Kagura heard a powerful punch from behind. She turned around, seeing Minerva in Bellona's place, and Bellona was in Kagura's place. The entire placing was switched, and Minerva's punch shot Bellona to the ground.

Minerva stood tall, her frown heavy. "That was quite the wake-up call you gave me. Glad I could return in kind."

Bellona sat back up, shock on her face. "What…? Minerva?" She stood back up, her eyes wide. "How did you overcome my Nightmare Magic?! You should be tossing and turning with your father tormenting you forever!"

' _Wait, it was all a…nightmare in a physical form. Now it makes sense.'_ Kagura looked at the ground, recalling how she got all riled up over 'Jellal'. _'I see, so I was played with my own ambition. How disgraceful.'_

Minerva frowned still. "If I recall, people can break free knowing their will is strong enough." She could see Bellona trembling, but that was something she disregarded. "Of course I did enjoy my visit back in that restraining nightmare, but then a little switch in my brain went on." She smiled. "I remembered some old friends…" She pictured Nic, Kecleon, and Erza. "Who helped me in the past and awoken me from my nightmare. They were kind souls, souls that had a very profound impact on people. When I fought back against my father years ago, I realized that the nightmare was over at long last. You just brought back the past, something that I was reminded can never harm me again for as long as people are there to protect and call home."

Bellona clutched her fists, dark galaxies showing. "You damn witch…!"

Kagura stood up, staring at Minerva and hearing her words. "I was played with. I was blinded by my own angst. I'll settle with Jellal and what he did wrong, but for now, the one before us must pay for making us remember bittersweet."

Bellona's eyes widened further and she stepped back. "Grrr! **Living Dread!** " Her dark spirals sent seeping darkness ahead after Minerva, materializing into a large Jiemma. The monstrous man towered over Minerva, but all she did was smirk. "Go to Hell!" Bellona rushed forward with her dark galaxies spiraling. As 'Jiemma' punched to punish Minerva, Bellona closed in again.

Minerva smirked. "Sorry, but I've moved on. You were a terrible father." Her hands made spatial orbs, and her eyes narrowed as 'Jiemma' punched straight through Minerva, but she didn't flinch, but rather looked expectedly as 'Jiemma' followed through and vanished. She saw Bellona close in. The entire time, Minerva's attention was on her, unnerving Bellona.

"Fall before the undefeated queen!" Bellona shrieked as she rushed ahead without stopping.

" **I RAGD!** "

Explosions erupted all in front of Minerva. She had spatial orbs manifested erupt all around Bellona. Everything was engulfed in her line of fire. The land shook and Kagura looked ahead, unshaken by the flashy display. The explosions went off like fireworks, with Minerva frowning at the smoke clouds dissipating. Soaring outwards, Bellona fell out of the sky, slamming onto her back with her attire and clothing al but completely demolished. Her eyes were devoid of pupils and her mouth was open. She had suffered many brutal injuries, of which her body had also steamed from the barrage of Territory.

Minerva turned away. "A pesky fly has wandered into the wrong territory. I hope you pull yourself together, and escape your own nightmare…Bellona."

Kagura looked at Minerva, both staring at one another. The two had a long stare-off, one that had a rather uncomfortable silence for a while until Minerva decided to speak.

"Your guild mates, they'll be waking up now, free from their nightmares." As if in cue, all around, the Mermaid Heel Mages were ceasing their painful sleep, and they calmed themselves down. They began to open their eyes, and they looked groggy, but relieved as they were starting to get up.

Kagura looked at her awakening friends. Beth and Arana managed to get back up, and they looked all around in confusion. They were mumbling, incoherent, but Kagura could understand their confusion and what they might be saying. Minerva herself could understand fully. That being said, Millianna opened her eyes, starting to come around.

"M-meow?" She sat up with support from her arms. She looked tired. "That's weird, what happened?" She questioned. She turned left and right, seeing her guild mates beginning to wake up. "The last I remember…was Kagura…and that creepy lady…"

Kagura looked back at Minerva, finally smiling. "Minerva. Thank you."

Minerva grinned. "I was just doing what my master told me." She looked back at the guild members that were starting to wake up. Another long silence came between them. "Have I atoned for my blinded sins?"

Kagura looked surprisingly towards Minerva, the uncomfortable feeling she had around her from the beginning no longer there. The distaste she had wasn't rotting her belly. As weird as it was, Kagura felt…relieved.

She smiled. "You had no sins committed. I am in your debt. Thank you, for saving my life, and my guild."

Minerva kept on grinning, as the Mermaid Heel Mages all awoke without much harm.

"We should head to Era. Everyone's gonna expect us to rendezvous there." Kagura announced, her Archenemy sheathed and her attitude back to being itself.

Minerva nodded, also getting serious. "Understood. My master will have us expected there. Let's move."

* * *

A Councilman pounded his armrest in frustration. "How could this have happened?"

"It's clear that we have severely underestimated our chances. Those three we coaxed into possible Wizard Saints showed no promise it seems." Another Councilman stated.

Org ran his fingers through his long white beard. "How disturbing, but then again, you shouldn't expect anything less from our savior. Taking down Sabertooth's former master, and on top of that demolishing a former Wizard Saint, is a monumental step, but he made it look so easy. Even with his powers weakened, it's evident how superior he is compared to the past opponents he had to overcome. I fear for what may transpire with the other Wizard Saints if they come to pass by Nic and his Pokémon."

Gran Doma closed his eyes. His potential for the three when they were brought up before was so staggering. Jiemma was a story of his own caliber, but Jose should've at least taken down maybe one of Nic's Pokémon or his friends. "It's clear that I have misjudged the circumstances. The past anger those three felt was but a minor setback, but we'll have to settle with this as but a warmup."

Org turned towards him. "Are you really gonna initiate Phantasm?"

Gran Doma opened his eyes, looking up at the monitor and seeing Nic fighting alongside Greninja as they used Sludge Bomb and Scald on enemy soldiers, and on another monitor showed Kecleon looking away with a tilted head as her Shadow Sneak uppercutted an enemy from behind. His glare turned desolate, hollow; it almost gave him the appeal of a silent madman if not labeled one already.

"The Wizard Saints who chose to be the links have all diverged. Nic Pularis will soon learn, that he, along with those criminals, will walk right into the activation of Phantasm. They won't touch us."

A Councilman took notice of something off when he looked at the layout of the nine points on the graph in front of him. "Uh, Gran Doma, if I may, what's become of God Serena? I can't seem to track him."

"Let him do as he pleases." He answered.

"But-!"

"Enough! God Serena is our most powerful asset. He symbolizes what the full power of magic is all about. He knows Phantasm will activate, so let him roam about as he likes until things seem…bleak."

* * *

Walking alone, in a wasteland in the unknown confines of Fiore, dust shifted in the soft winds. In the slow movements he took, God Serena looked lethargic, but his smirk was a sure sign of amusement, let alone of an upcoming thrill. His unclear path tolled him onwards, deeper into the unknown. All along the way, he did not lose his smirk.

* * *

"Hey, is everyone alright over there? How's the western front looking?" Warren's face could be seen through the Communication Lacrima in Erza's hand.

The redhead nodded at Warren, a sure sign. "Everything is well at hand. Our group successfully incapacitated the western front. We're a little shaken up from using quite a bit of our magic, but for the most part we've driven off or defeated the enemy mages and soldiers."

Warren grinned. "I'm glad to hear. Natsu's group managed to secure footing in the northwest, and Gray and Laxus's group ascertained the southwest. Not many of us were captured, so we should have just about enough friends and allies to make it to Erza."

"Understood. Keep us posted." The Communication Lacrima turned off, and Erza looked back up. It was a mess; mages were hurt, some good, some bad, but injuries varied. The Rune Knights that didn't retreat and were too stubborn were all incapacitated by means of rope or vines. They weren't going anywhere. She turned around and looked back to find Nic already tending to the wounded. Sophie helped where she could with Seabed's Miracle, but it exhausted quite a bit of her power. Greninja and Kecleon were both beside Nic, examining Nic healing another group of twenty with a Heal Pulse in his Mind Form. Nic half-grinned, meaning he was keeping spirits up. In turn, Erza also smiled, glad to see him unscathed. Within the battle, so much confusion transpired, and she cursed herself for not being there besides Nic when Greninja and Kecleon were. While she had nothing against Nic taking care of himself, she swore she'd be at his side, but contradicting herself left a hole in her stomach. All she could do was fight the whole way, and by means of proving that she can protect Nic. The more she pondered about it, the more she was lost in her thoughts. She at least fought the same battle as him, and she wasn't his babysitter; Nic and Erza both protected people on this day, that's an achievement they can share.

She smiled at Nic once more and watched him work.

" **Heal Pulse!** " Another ball of pink light dispersed in his palms, sending waves of sparkling pink light at the group of wounded men and women that got hurt in the fighting. When the pink waves past everybody, they all relaxed. The injuries began to heal, and when the move stopped, they looked as well as they did before the pursuit.

"I'm feeling so alive!" One mage happily yelled.

"I can feel my arms again!" Another smiled.

"Thanks man! You're the best!" A mage praised.

Nic gratefully smiled back, but really didn't say much beyond that. With that recent group healed, everybody was more or less able-bodied.

Greninja approached Nic's side, looking at him seriously. "Nic."

Nic frowned, his gaze turning serious. "Yeah, I'm still surprised myself."

Kecleon appeared from Nic's other side, tilting her head. Nic continued speaking amongst them while everybody else looked so happy.

"The Council has made its usage of power into a curse. They stooped to bargaining the seats Master and Jura left open for everyone's personal gain. To think they'd even take back Jose amongst their ranks after the war with Fairy Tail so long ago. Unlike Gajeel and Juvia, he's clearly left in the dark. He was twisted, corrupted on revenge and walking down a lone path that he didn't gain any real strength." His gaze went towards the ground. "Desperation can do things to people. Those with power will turn that into their strength and pin their enemies down. This is what splits the wills and conscience of good and bad alike." He eyes squinted. "I honestly wonder, what does the Council hope to gain through their methods?"

Greninja glanced at Nic. "Well we will never question your insight on power and madmen." He worded it so that he didn't have to be too specific on Nic's own past and his parental monstrosities. "All we can say is that we learned the Council itself has shown its weakness in desperation. Banished foes and allies alike from the past for a common goal."

"Whatever movies that are watched, let them be watched until the end." Kecleon said. "The Council is nothing short of a thriller, misguided bad guys that are thought good. They've turned into an empire with a mad king. The king has turned into a tyrant, so we must dethrone him."

Nic looked ahead, his eyes showing determination. "We'll make the Council see the error in their ways. Until we do, we'll push down forts made by them."

Greninja and Kecleon nodded, agreeing as their forces started moving again.

* * *

Crime Sorciere pressed on in quiet pursuit, with Jellal taking the lead. Ultear and Meredy followed close behind down the mountain slope. The few battles they've fought alone against reinforcements did little to weigh them down, and Ultear had taken the liberty of commandeering any Communication Lacrima in the events of them been noticed. Of course reports will come flying in about how a few reinforcements never arrived to the southwest front, so they had to stay on the move. At the moment, they were doing their best to head to Era without any indication to their location.

"How much longer until we reach Era?" Ultear wondered.

"I say another hour. The mountains around her aren't that hard to travel through." Jellal answered as he still ran on. "Though we are an independent guild, we have to make sure we uphold our own conscience. We can't have the Council go unjustified, not after the damage they've done to people and their trust."

Ultear's hair shifted in the winds. "The Council has already made its move."

"But I fear that it's just the beginning." Jellal answered. His two companions only stayed quiet to listen to his inquiries. "Our friends are in grave danger. They know what they're up against…but what if the Council has something deeper than just that front? Possibly to weaken the forces perhaps, but I can't say for certain."

Meredy paced a little slower than Ultear. "Then we have to hurry, otherwise we won't know until it's too la-!" She was cut off from a loud grumbling sound. The growl resonated from her abdomen, and her eyes widened. "Guh!"

Ultear and Jellal looked back, seeing Meredy looking with equal shock, only her cheeks were red with embarrassment.

They all stopped on Meredy's behalf. "Sorry! We had such an early breakfast!" She apologized.

Ultear sighed, face palming herself. "Honestly…"

Meredy crossed her arms and turned away with a small pout. "Well we can't just fight on an empty stomach." A gurgle came from Ultear this time, her eyes widening with surprise. Meredy pointed at her in accusation. "See?"

Ultear turned away from her adoptive daughter, her cheeks tinted in pink.

Jellal sighed. "I suppose we'll have to spare a little time to recuperate and…" He heard Meredy's growling stomach. "That."

Meredy and Ultear both looked away with a unison pout with red in their cheeks from equal embarrassment. Jellal chuckled, but complied with their need of food. They all sat down and began to snack on some nourishment they've saved.

* * *

Nic stood beside Erza, Greninja, and his own sister as they overlooked the city from the mountain point. They had a clear view of Era's Magic Council on the center hill.

"There it is." Nic said.

"This was too easy. I'm positive there's something not right about this." Erza said.

"We haven't fought anything but mages, Rune Knights, and hired enemies of the past. What did they mean when they launched all of those numbers at us?" Vanessa wondered.

"I'm sure it's just a first wave." Nic speculated aloud.

Vanessa and Erza looked at him with surprise.

"They have Wizard Saints by their side, don't they?" Greninja said. "If they were on the frontlines, that would've meant they've been going all out."

"They're up to something." Cana said. "I can feel it."

"Well whatever the case may be, look." Sophie turned towards the side, and everybody saw a large number of people far off in the distance. "Our friends have already made it. Let's just be careful."

Everybody paid heed to what they noted and proceeded into Era. They all closed in from the mountain pass and had already begun venturing into the streets of Era, all of them starting to regroup. Natsu and Laxus's individual parties had made it inside the city routes, and the groups made it down the avenue that directed to the hill of Era. What was surprising to Nic and a few strategic others was that Era was barren. It was like a ghost town, but with no ghosts. Nic and Greninja were positive it was all because the citizens evacuated to a safer place.

"Looks like there's nobody here." Sting examined.

"Probably because the Magic Council evacuated them." Rogue figured. "At least they cared enough to do that."

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch said.

"Yeah, this is gonna be awesome! Those Council jerks won't stand a chance with all of us here." Lector held up a paw and clutched it.

Natsu punched his own palm. "I'll vouch for that! I wanna be the first to break their faces!"

"Hey Lucy, how's your leg?" Wendy asked.

Lucy looked towards Wendy and then back to her leg. "Oh, uh…"

Given that Yukino was supporting her, Wendy could tell it was severe. "Let me see." While everybody around was walking along, Wendy handled with Lucy's leg with Healing Magic. Her hands glowed green and she looked shocked. "Your leg bones are fractured."

Lucy smiled. "Thanks Wendy. You're the best."

Wendy smiled back, doing her best to overcome the shock she had. "I'm just glad I can help out."

Nic and Erza advanced through the evacuated city. All of everyone followed around them until they've made it to the bottom of the hill in a matter of minutes. All of everyone stood and stared at the towering Magic Council. Nobody looked scared. They lost quite a few in custody, but they knew the risks. They were gonna risk it all to save the savior of the universe, no matter what.

' _Gran Doma.'_ Nic clutched his fists.

Watching through a monitor, Gran Doma stared at the distasteful looks of Nic along with Fairy Tail. The many other faces were obsolete, but he was aware of them. The numbers mattered not to him. They would all fall before the Wizard Saints, and the remains of the Star Order Guild.

"Now…" He said. "Are coordinates set?"

A frog assistant looked into a monitor, a lock-on screen set on the hill. "Yes, sir."

Nic stepped inside, along with Greninja as they entered the Council Headquarters. When they entered, they saw that it was completely deserted. Everybody else who followed them up the hill towards the headquarters saw this feature as well, and it left them more than a little surprised. They expected a fortress like that of Mercurius, but instead…

"It's empty." Greninja said with shock.

Nic went wide-eyed. When he realized that the Council wasn't in their room, his eyes widened further. "…oh no."

Gran Doma raised his stave. "Now! Phantasm, activate!"

The ground beneath everybody in the Council HQ and through Era shook. The building rumbled, but didn't at a magnitude that could break it apart. Everybody looked around, unable to find answers all the way through the city.

"What's with this quaking?!" Lyon exclaimed.

Chelia was maintaining balance and looked outside. She pointed outside. "Guys, come look at this!"

Everybody inside the building looked out any nearby windows. Those outside could see the unfathomable happen. Gajeel and everybody glared with horror as the ground kept shaking, but on the borders of Era, giant pillars began to emerge from the ground. They looked like solid crystals, but one couldn't really be sure. There were four in total, and they appeared north, south, east, and west. The humungous crystals all towered high, and when they were set, the rumbling stopped.

Cana's eyes were wide. "Okay, that was freaky."

"The hell was that?" Natsu asked.

"Are those crystals?" Happy wondered, referring to outside.

Pantherlily walked on over towards the windowsill. "I wonder…"

Carla, who was looking put the same window, turned towards Lily. "Come again?"

Lily put a hand to his round chin. "It seems to me that those aren't ordinary crystals. I believe they might be something worse."

"Worse how?" Happy asked.

Sophie gasped. Her sudden hitch in breathing had caught a lot of attention from the people around her.

"What could be troubling you, cousin?" Rufus asked. "Have you realized something as well?"

Sophie looked unnerved as she swallowed. She looked at all of the people around her, seeing their curious faces that need answers. "Nic was right, we were set up."

The for pointed tips of the large crystals outside of Era began to give off blue static. The static began to surge to the tips and become large orbs of light. All at once, the static orbs got brighter, and they made a generator sound as they charged up. When the sound was strong enough to reach the ears of those looking out, the orbs shot a unison beam diagonally up at the Council HQ. All eyes looked to see the beams tail after the other, intersecting atop of the massive building. The light beams all kept intersecting until the orbs on the crystal tips were finally transmitted into the beams. The beams all were fused together, making a single ball of blue light. The blue orb above everyone's heads made everybody question heavily, but then they saw the blue orb split apart, into six orbs.

"Why's it separating?" Ren asked.

"Man. The parfume of hysteria is in those orbs." Ichiya said.

All six orb shot off at the speed of light. Five orbs became comets and separated all across the sky to different locations. Five went off their separate ways, but the last one shot straight down, and the blue comet became red when coming down onto its target: Nic.

The comet went straight through the ceiling like a ghost and infused in Nic's body. The sensation and red static emerging around Nic made him grunt. His body was feeling a great pain, but all he did was ground as everything went numb.

Lucy looked shocked. "Nic!"

Greninja's eyes widened in horror. "Nic!"

Erza rushed in front of Nic and examined him as he nearly lost footing. "Nic! What's happening?!"

Through the electrocution and numbing feeling, he remained standing. "I-I don't know! That light separated and…gngh!" He winced in the pain, but in a matter of seconds, the pain went away. The static around him dissipated, and Nic stood back up fully once more. While he did feel fine, he knew with certainty that he was hit by some target.

"Are you okay?" Vanessa asked.

Nic looked down at his arm and Mega Wristband, seeing as though nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "Nothing seems out of the ordinary, but I doubt this will end well."

Greninja looked with uneasy eyes at his best friend's inquiry of what came down onto him. His attention then drew to the outside. The same generator sound reverberated, and the crystals were all beginning to shine brighter and brighter with every second. Greninja's eyes widened when the building was starting to shake again as the light was getting brighter outside.

Bickslow was losing balance. "Whoa, what's happening now?!"

Freed was wobbling back and forth. "Another magnitude?"

Erza looked away from Nic, looking out to see the blue crystals glimmering brighter than before. She was shocked as the outside was encompassed in a blue light. "What…?"

Outside, mages looked with uncertainty as the blue light from all four crystals shined brightly. Nic and Greninja looked at one another with equal shock just before all of Erza was engulfed in a shocking bright light. The light shined even brighter, bright enough to leave nearby bystanders in the mountains several miles away to look away in fear of being blind as the light traveled through the earth.

All across Fiore, the ground and rivers gave a bright light. Everyone covered up in fear as they were engulfed in the blue light within the earth.

* * *

Inside of the revealed secret secondary building in an unknown location, Gran Doma closed his eyes. "Sorry Nic Pularis, but you brought this on yourself."

Org glared at Gran Doma, angrily growling beneath his breath in retort of the chairman's self-centered actions. Lahar, Doranbolt, and everybody there closed their eyes in shame, having brought a disaster to the land of Fiore.

* * *

Nic's eyes winced as he found himself feeling something hard on his side. Upon touch he could tell that it was hard ground. He pushed up and got onto his knees, putting a hand onto his hair. He grumbled, and looked disoriented. "…" He opened his eyes, the first thing he saw being ground. As much as he wanted to question it, at the same time, he felt something right beside him that awoke at the exact same time. He looked over, seeing Greninja right beside him. Both looked a little disoriented from that blue light, but their brains kicked back up to speed once they made eye contact.

"Greninja, are you okay?" Nic asked.

Greninja nodded. "Yeah. The better question is, what happened to-?!"

He never finished when he turned his head to look at his surroundings. His eyes shot wide again. Nic was no different. They both gasped in utter shock as their surroundings were completely different. They were in a rocky wasteland. It was slightly chilly despite it being near-August, but there was something worse that made their spines crawl.

The sky high above was not of a sunset color like it was when they arrived at Era. It was completely blocked out. Instead, there was a very odd dark rainbow colored energy flowing like water. It was barely transparent, and it went as far as the eye could see.

"What is this?" Nic questioned standing back up. He and Greninja no longer looked shocked and had serious faces, but they were still feeling their spines crawl. "What has the Council done?" He asked.

All across Fiore, the skies were blocked out by a dark rainbow energy. It was all flowing like seawater and the people on the ground were looking up with shock and disbelief. Wherever they were, the bystanders weren't affected, but that didn't mean they weren't frightened. The sudden dark rainbow energy encompasses not just the sky, but unfortunately the case transcended to all of Fiore.

Nic and Greninja looked towards another. Greninja speaking out. "Whatever has happened…" He looked back ahead. "It's clear this transpired: The Council got us where they want us."

* * *

 **How was this update to your guys' liking? Were you enjoying how I made Kagura no longer feel uncomfortable around Minerva? Any battles or events you enjoyed? Nic, Greninja, and Kecleon were op, I admit, but their battling on the western front was just a warmup. In a sense, relate that to Natsu VS Erigor during the Oracion Seis Arc, in a means of showing how superior the three were compared to last time against Jose or Jiemma.**

 **So anyways, got Phantasm revealed. You're gonna realize what it really is next chapter, but it's nothing too drastic. As always; comment, review, and until next time!**


	10. Forked Roads Intersect

Erza looked up at the dark rainbow sky. The way the colors were all bouncing up and down, it was like a rainbow sea. The unknown precedent set left the S-Class Mage baffled. "What happened?" She looked around, checking her new surroundings. That blue light sentenced her to what appeared to be a barren mountainous terrain. "I got separated from the others. Natsu and the others, I wonder where they were transported?" She turned towards another mountain in the close distance, seeing what appeared to be the snowy tip. When she got a better look at the entire terrain around her, it looked similar to the western trail that led to a white mountain far away. It also made better sense when she realized the climate was rather chilly, despite not being near the snow-caped mountain. "Mt. Hakobe? How did I get transported so far?"

Erza turned around, facing west. _'That means I was transported northwest from Era.'_ Her eyes widened at that fact, but then shook her head. _'No, I mustn't be amazed. I gotta get to finding the others, and fast! I gotta make it to Nic before the Council or anybody else does!'_

She turned towards the other direction of the path and began her path west.

As she ran, a hidden figure masked himself behind some boulders. He was so silent that even Erza's intense perception didn't notice him. He put a hand up to the lacrima phone in his ear.

"Target is in pursuit as predicted, Peter." He said. "I'll move in."

"Very well. By my calculations, I should be where Warrod is." Peter stated. "You wish for me to supervise him?"

"Yes." He whispered. "I'm rather suspicious of him. You know his history with Fairy Tail; it's no different from Yajima. If he makes a false move…" His eyes narrowed. "Apply justice, for the sake of the Council."

"Yes, Sir." The connection was cut off, and the figure looked back to see Erza on the run. He disappeared from his spot and followed behind.

* * *

Natsu rubbed the side of his head. "Aw man, what just happened?" He groaned. "It's like waking up from a train." He blinked and his mind went blank for a moment when pondering of a vehicle, of course the mislead made him cover his mouth. "Oh man."

Happy flew over by his side, pitying him. "Thinking like that really isn't gonna help, Natsu." The Exceed said.

Natsu's head whipped up. "What?! Happy?!"

"Aye!" He said cheerfully. "We're still a team!"

"But what happened to everybody else?" Natsu looked around, seeing himself in an open field. "And where the heck are we?"

Happy showed equal confusion. "Don't know. That light zapped us all into oblivion, or so we thought." Happy than gave a conspicuous look. "I could be wrong, but…I think we all just got teleported randomly."

"Randomly, are you sure?" Natsu looked back up at him. "Well if that's the case, then it's gonna take forever for us to regroup, especially when the sky is all weird and stuff."

"I heard voices coming from over here!"

"Yeah, I hear them too!"

Natsu's ears twitched when those voices reached him. He and Happy turned towards some nearby trees, where there was a thin forest and a few figures walking out. Natsu and Happy alike showed shock when the figures stepped into their line of sight.

Lector and Sting stopped when they saw the individuals being Natsu and Happy.

"Hey! Sting!" Natsu showed overwhelming surprise in his smile. "Glad to see you're still in one piece!"

Sting and Lector rushed over towards Natsu and Happy, converging in the same spot. Sting showed a grin as well. "We could say the same to you as well."

"Hey Happy, long time no see!" Lector greeted.

"Aye! At least we know you guys are here." Happy turned his head around, looking sad. "But Carla and everyone else got teleported off somewhere without us."

Lector crossed his arms, looking down. "Yeah, I can see the problem there. We haven't been able to find Frosch or Rogue at all, not to mention that the sky is all weird after we've been hit by that light."

"Whatever's going on, we have to hurry and figure it out." Sting clutched both fists by his sides. "For all we know, the others and ourselves could be in real danger if someone from the Council arrives."

"Yeah, I'm with you there, but I don't know where to start." Natsu said.

Happy activated his magic and floated with the help from his wings. He pointed in a direction. "Then why don't we try heading in that direction to start? It wouldn't hurt to at least get ourselves started on a path."

Lector's wings also spread out. "Happy's right. We gotta get moving." Lector began the path with Happy in tow. Natsu and Sting followed their Exceeds as they had no place else to go, so off they went in search for their friends.

* * *

"How did we get here?"

"I'm not really sure, but I can't seem to get my Telepathy Magic at a very far range, not with this weird sky above us."

"Does anybody even know where we are to begin with?"

"Man! I recognized these hills. They are but the hills on the outskirts of my guild. We shall make way there in a giffy, my friends."

"We better hurry and regroup with the others once we get detail on how and why this happened."

"Right!" Everyone stated.

The transported group was comprised of Warren, Levy, Hibiki, Ichiya, Wendy, and Carla. The random group all ended up just a little ways away from the Blue Pegasus guild hall according to Hibiki and Ichiya. They had decided to hurry out and head there or some answers, but they all remained on guard because of the sky being odd, as well as the fact they may be around Rune Knights. They all followed Hibiki and Ichiya safely towards the guild hall, luckily not falling into enemy hands.

Master Makarov looked up to the sky, still unnerved by the drastic change in events. _'The skies are ominous. Just what did the Council do to make this happen? I need to make sure that my children are alright.'_

In a matter of little time, the group made it inside of the Blue Pegasus Guild Hall. The doors opened up, but unfortunately they got no welcome party from any guild members. They were all teleported off into the unknown thanks the that flash, that included Master Bob, who was caught in the fighting surprisingly.

"So, does anyone suggest what our move should be now that we've got shelter?" Carla asked.

Wendy looked determined. "Yeah, can we contact anybody from here?"

Hibiki looked crestfallen. "We can try, but it's hard to say."

"My Telepathy can only reach so far. It's not nearly enough to get us where we need to go." Warren sulked.

Wendy perked with a smile, a contrast to Warren's mood. "Don't worry. We'll find a way, I'm sure of it."

Ichiya posed again with sparkles around his face. "Man. Though aren't with others, Warren and I will work together to get into contact with the others. Our friends may be in dire danger for all we know."

Levy pumped a fist. "Now is not the time for that kind of talk. First thing's first. We gotta find out what that color in the sky and this teleportation was about." She turned towards Hibiki. "Hibiki."

"Hm?"

"Do you have any reference material or archives that we can use? We need all of the data we can get based on the Magic Council as soon as we possibly can."

"Sure. There's a small library with encyclopedias and quite a few reference materials. I can also use my Archive Magic to help spread the search."

"That'll be enough. Lead the way!"

"Sure thing." Before Hibiki ran off with Levy, he turned back towards Makarov and the others. "Listen, we'll uncover what the Council's weapon they use and how we can stop it, meanwhile you guys find a way to contact everybody."

Master Makarov nodded in understanding. "We're counting on you both."

Hibiki nodded and took off with Levy in search of answers.

Wendy stepped right beside Master Makarov. "So, Master…"

Makarov furrowed his brows and grumbled. He looked contemplative. "We'll go and assist Ichiya and Warren with ways of getting details on everyone's whereabouts. There's no time for second thoughts child, so let's move out!"

Wendy nodded. "Right!"

Wendy, Master, and Carla then took off and they went along with Warren and Ichiya to another section in the guild hall.

* * *

Nic turned south and looked at the wastelands still pressing on. "It's hard for us to say, but at the very least we should understand where our position is."

He closed his eyes and glowed. When his glow faded, he was in his Earth Form. He brought his hands back and got to a knee. He pressed his palms against the ground, and invisible vibration waves went rippling through the earth. The ripples expanded on and on, palpitating underneath everybody's feet in oblivious manners. The vibration waves went on until they reached some water, in which they bounced back, in a fashion that was exactly like echolocation. The vibration waves bounced all over the land of Fiore and sending waves back at Nic. Once he got a reading as to where they were, his eyes opened up again.

He stood back up, facing south once more. "We're in the north coast of Fiore, just several miles away from the northwest peninsula."

"So that flash sent us straight north." Greninja figured. "Can you track the others?"

Nic shook his head. "Apparently not in this case. There's too many people to get an individual signal. It's likely the odds I can discern one from another with this power is one and a million."

"I see."

The Trainer turned south and began running, Greninja following in tow. Both of them paced themselves through the rock and the dry dirt, not bothering to say even a few words as they knew questions asked would only get met with no answers but more questions. Their only lead was heading south back to find the others, and fast.

As they pressed on the land with themselves pacing regularly, they made profound mileage, eventually making it further down towards Era. What was still running through them was not just the fact that they got separated from everybody else, but also that they were duped from the start. They couldn't blame themselves, but who would've thought the Council would be operating somewhere else other than their headquarters? They planned ahead with great accuracy and launched their weapon once the guilds were in Era. They should've been better prepared themselves. If Nic was against a Pokémon that had just used Spikes, he would be smart enough to use Staraptor or Charizard, but in this particular instance, he chose a wrong move or Pokémon at the wrong time. The only way things could pick up from here is by heading in one direction, and anything else standing between them may either be friend or foe, depending on who it is.

Nic's senses picked up. He slid to a halt and Greninja looked behind him, looking ahead with equal inquiry and a guard.

"Someone's nearby." Nic figured.

Greninja took a fighting stance. "Whoever you are, we know you're there!" He called out.

They got no answer, and so they slowly ventured towards the nearby presence that seemed to be lingering around them. As the feeling grew stronger, Greninja's hands were by his sides, preparing for a Water Shuriken.

They slowly crept around until they were coming up to a rock. They could hear footsteps on the opposite sides, meaning the culprit was right beneath their noses. Nic and Greninja looked towards the other and nodded. They stood straight up and had their fronts facing the rock.

Their eyes narrowed, and they lunged pass the rock, finally meeting their culprit face to face. They both looked ready, but when their culprit appeared, they were just overwhelmed.

Shock could not even begin the describe Nic and Greninja as they were standing there, dumbfounded and beyond incomprehensible with their adversary being someone, who – mostly to Nic – made them feel more than a little uncomfortable. The same person had his eyes wide to match Nic's equal shock. A long time passed before either said something.

"Jellal?"

"Nic?"

* * *

Gray was walking down the shorelines of a nice tropical beach, but unlike the serene view of the water, the sky and Gray's stone face was a contrast to the environment. "Of all the people I got to be stuck with, it's you, huh?" He questioned the person right beside him.

Lyon kept a calm but unsatisfied look as he pressed ahead with Gray. "Funny, I could be saying the exact same. Especially since you can't find the time to be decent whatsoever." Of course Lyon referred to Gray's naked upper body, but all the Ice-Make Mage did was scoff at his stripping habit.

The two walked along the sand, which was a lead to nowhere since they had no idea where they were to begin with. After that light show, Gray and Lyon ended up in the same place, but as luck would have it, it was just them and nobody else. Two rivals that were practically stuck in the same situation and had no choice but to coincide and find the others before their enemies do. Their friends and guild mates were in danger, so they had to overlook one another just this once.

Lyon snickered. "So, Gray…" He started.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"I appreciate the backup you've sent, but what I am grateful for is how you've had Juvia arrive." He held his head high, grinning. "Like a fresh river flowing through a drought, she came to our aid and my heart."

Gray had a tick mark overhead. "You're still hung over on her! I thought we settled this in the games?"

"We did, and although she has no desire for me, I am not at liberty to think otherwise."

"We already beat you and settled the matter, why bring up such a ridiculous concept at a time like this?" At this point in time, the two were beginning to butt heads, getting themselves all riled up.

"Are you saying I can't praise your guild now? What a selfish blow."

"Oh, and taking Juvia if you won wasn't? I don't even understand you sometimes man!"

"Because half your brain is ice and your skull is just thick!"

Gray and Lyon growled at the other in retort and looked as though things were gonna get rough. Though they had a shared past and a shared Master, that didn't mean squat if they could get their differences aside.

Another voice entered the fray. "Now you two, should I put you in the corner, or should I shove hot food down your throats?" Gray and Lyon turned towards the voice, though Gray recognized it and went wide-eyed from whom the voice belonged too. "I'm not sure what my mother did to punish you both exactly."

Walking up to them along the beach was Ultear, consequently enwrapped with Gray and Lyon in the same location. She had a smirk, amused at how stunned the two were.

"No way." Gray muttered.

"Are you surprised?" Ultear asked.

"Yeah, big understatement."

Lyon, however, didn't seem to be following along. "Who might you be?"

Gray smirked. "Look who's clueless now." He glanced back at Ultear, smirking. "See the resemblance? That's Ur's daughter, Ultear."

Lyon's eyes widened. "What?"

Ultear chuckled at Lyon's bewilderment. "I see someone's magic got to their bones. You're as stiff as ice." She joked.

Lyon's mind was racing at such an unbelievable pace. To mind himself processing a resembling woman is one thing, but the connection to his Master was what made him almost fall over. "You're…Master Ur's daughter?" He questioned.

Gray looked back at Lyon, grinning. "Look at that. I can't remember the last time you were so dumbfounded before." He then looked back at Ultear, now getting serious. "So, you mind telling me what you're doing here? I thought you were hunting down Dark Guilds? Or finding traces of Zeref?"

Ultear frowned. "We were, up until recently. Then all of this happened so fast."

Gray looked at the sea waves flowing in and out. "Yeah, I see what you mean."

"I hope Meredy isn't in any danger, neither should Jellal."

* * *

"Meredy!"

"Juvia! Vanessa!"

Meredy embraced Juvia and Vanessa with warm smiles and grateful arms. The three girls reunited soundly, in contrast to what Jellal and Ultear had in mind. They all looked so happy to see the other doing well, more accurately Vanessa and Juvia over their wandering ally since they must always be moving.

All three pulled away from each other, and Sliggoo looked towards Meredy with a smile. "It's been so long!" The Dragon-type gurgled.

Meredy knelt down and pet Sliggoo's slimy head, but she didn't seem to mind. "Sliggoo, long time no see! I see you're well."

"This is all so surprising. What are you doing here?" Juvia wondered, getting Meredy's attention.

"I was wondering that myself." Vanessa admitted. "We were all just transported here on a whim."

Meredy frowned, looking a little worrisome. "Honestly, I wish I knew what happened. For all I know, that weapon such separated all of us from one another. It's next to impossible with who is close by, let it be either a friend or a foe." She turned her head around, looking at the canyons they were in with flowing rivers running close by. "Jellal and Ultear, they must have been separated as well."

Vanessa put a hand to her chin, thinking. "Does this mean every mage in Fiore was affected and randomly transported?"

Juvia seemed worrisome. "Maybe, but…" Meredy, Vanessa, and Sliggoo all looked at Juvia as she was pausing. Her body was shuddering; there was something off.

"Juvia?" Meredy asked.

Finally Juvia showed herself with tears hysterically running down her face and her body was shaking in horror. "Why did I have to get separated from my darling Gray?! Doesn't this weapon know if we're not together then we can't reconnect our undying love?! I better not hope Gray has been teleported with any other girl to elope! My Gray!"

Vanessa and Sliggoo sweat dropped at Juvia's hysterics, while Meredy face palmed.

* * *

Trying to find some solace, both Nic, Greninja, and Jellal sat down on some flat rocks and tried to assess the situation as best as they could.

Nic had his hands clasped together and gazed at the ground. "So, I take it that you don't know what the Council did either?" He asked.

Jellal's posture and gaze to the ground completely mimicked Nic's. "Honestly I wish I knew. It took us by surprise."

Nic looked back up to Jellal, but he could only hold the gaze for so long before the nightmare flashed again. The thought of him and Erza together and leaving him behind was unbearable. He looked back down in sullen shame.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but were in Era when that happened?" Nic asked.

Jellal nodded. "I was." He recounted the tale of how after they have finished recuperating and stepped foot inside Era. "After we made it to Era, we made it as discrete as possible, keeping ourselves out of sight yet close at hand. However, when the ground and those light beams traveled across the sky, everything was but a blur. I ended up here, and I guess you can say the rest is history."

"I see, I understand." Nic said quietly. "So you were separated from your friends like we were."

"Yes."

Nic looked into another direction, more accurately the sky. Greninja looked towards Nic, but said nothing out of respect of his own fears and guilt. He can understand of Nic's nightmares of recently, but having Jellal in front was the last thing they needed.

Nic gazed up. "The sky is what also concerns me. It may be a barrier of some sort, seeing as how you can barely see the sun through it."

Jellal glanced up towards the dark rainbow sea above as well. "It just might be another effect. I'm not sure if it's wise to tamper with it since we don't know its boundaries or what it can really do. But your inquiry of a barrier may be as accurate as you can get. The question is how can it encompass so much land. Such a feature would require…"

Nic's eyes widened and gasped. "Magic Power."

"It makes sense." Greninja interjected. "Etherion before it was destroyed required so much power that it could destroy a nation. It was enough to power the Tower of Heaven. If this weapon uses Magic Power as well, then that means there has to be a great source."

"An accurate assumption." Jellal said, pleasantly surprised.

Nic looked more focused as he crossed his arms like Greninja. His gaze followed back down to the ground. "What really troubles me the most, was that light that separated and came crashing down onto me." He could remember the painful feeling that went through his veins as he was slightly electrocuted. The memory left him stiff and unmoving. "I don't feel any different, but it still troubles me what this could spell for later on."

Jellal remained silent. He wanted to say something, but understanding Nic's questionable turmoil, he remained quiet.

An awkward silence fell in between the three, unable to find solace in the events transpiring, not to mention more personal troubles left Nic mentally unprepared for any means of confrontation.

" **Can anybody hear me? Hello?** " Nic, Greninja, and Jellal jerked up, hearing the voiceover that echoed over their heads. " **This is to everyone who was just teleported long ago.** "

Greninja looked surprised. "We know that voice."

"It's Warren." Nic said.

Jellal glanced at Nic and Greninja. "A friend of yours?" His answer was met with a nod from them both.

" **Listen up, sir Ichiya and I managed to get a full-scale telepathic link set up through the Christina.** "

" **Man. With the help of the Christina's Fiore Communications Network, we can be able to broadcast this message loud and clear.** " Ichiya said.

"It's Ichiya?" Pantherlily said

"The hell is he on the speaker for?" Gajeel questioned.

" **My friends, now that we are able to reach you, Hibiki and Levy have something important that they have researched and would like to share with you all.** " Ichiya thus went quiet and he and Warren stepped back to allow Hibiki and Levy take over.

" **Thanks boss.** " Hibiki thanked. " **Now everybody pay attention, because this is gonna be complicated to explain. Levy and I have been going through some archives and looking into what just happened. We've just now realized what happened was a Council weapon, but not one you may expect.** "

Natsu raised a brow. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

" **The weapon is called Phantasm. It's a containment weapon that the Council has closed off long ago.** " Levy said over the Communications Network. " **You all see the giant dark rainbow sea in the sky, right? Well the truth is, that it's a dome. The dome encompasses the entire country of Fiore.** "

"A dome?" Rogue exclaimed.

Minerva, who was right beside him, looked up to see the dome's dark sea above her head. "Now it makes sense.

"So we really are trapped." Erza figured as she jumped over a small ledge and continued running.

" **There's more to the dome as well. Apparently if anyone is close to one, there are borders. Five in all, making a perfect five-star. The borders are apparently anti-magic resistant, and unfortunately no one can enter or leave a quadrant inside those borders. Even magic will be pointless.** "

"So in a sense everyone is sectioned off from another, so if we have reinforcements in a quadrant elsewhere, then they won't be able to make it." Nic surmised.

" **However, these borders all do indeed derive from a single point on Fiore's geography.** " Hibiki added on. " **According to the borders and Fiore's landscape, we've indicated that they all meet up exactly at a solemn point, which is where the hidden base of the Magic Council is located. It's in the north of the mountain range known as Devil's Valley. That's where they're hiding.** "

Natsu punched his fists. "Looks like we know where to go now."

" **But that won't be the end of it unfortunately.** " Hibiki added. " **The Council location is surround in a dome of a similar energy. And so if we want to infiltrate and actually reach them, we'll first have to stop Phantasm from sealing off forces and families all across Fiore.** "

Gray crossed his arms. "Now hold on."

"Didn't he say we can't break down the borders or the dome all over Fiore?" Ultear questioned.

Levy took over. " **From what we can gather, the only way to knock down this captivity weapon is to stop its power source.** **You all remember that flash of light above the Council and how it divided up into six beams? Well it's actually Organic Link Magic.** "

Sophie stood beside Rufus, looking up with shock. "Organic Link Magic? That's just like what happened with the Oracion Seis long ago in the Nirvana incident."

" **The power source for Phantasm needs to be an extremely large amount of Magic Power, so the Organic Link Magic uses those under its influence powers the weapon. In other words, they have to be five people with great Magic Power.** "

Hibiki took over. " **And you all know some top-notch people capable of supplying that power. The Wizard Saints.** "

Everyone all over Fiore looked shocked or determined, depending on the person. Many such as Erza and Nic gave determined expressions, while those such as Wendy and Lucy were more shocked.

" **Since five Organic Links were used, that means five Wizard Saints are the keys. That means, once they're defeated, the Phantasm weapon should no longer seal Fiore from the outside world. I know it's tough, but taking down those five Wizard Saints is our only liable shot…if not for that last link.** " There was a silence that passed as Hibiki kept himself together. " **Remember that last light that shot down on Nic, and how it turned to red? Well, that means Nic is the condition. If Nic surrenders or is defeated, the Phantasm will also break. In other words, we lose.** "

Sting looked angrily ahead of him. "Those bastards. So they want to eliminate Nic so we can have free reign. And if not, we have to fight Wizard Saints and break those five seals before they can break Nic."

" **We all promised that we'll do our best to keep Nic safe. It's our turn to give back, so Nic, don't give up if you can hear this message. You can count on us to defeat those Wizard Saints. Since there are five quadrants, we can indicate that there is a link within each quadrant. Once that Wizard Saint's link is severed, one side of a border should be lifted. And another as well, until we reach all five. Once those borders are all down and the five links are defeated, Phantasm will no longer be active, and we can storm the north of Devil's Valley. We'll meet everybody there, so until then, good luck to you guys.** "

The connection thus turned off, and everybody all across Fiore who was fighting smiled with new resolves. While they were indeed scared, they knew that by what Hibiki said that this was the only solution. Either those five links are destroyed, or Nic surrenders or falls. The innocent, though they didn't want to be part of it, knew from the bottom of their hearts that Nic was their savior, and they knew and will indeed show support.

"Alright, now that we know where to find them, let's go! Let's go kick some Council ass!" Natsu shouted.

"And bust up a Wizard Saint or two while we're at it!" Sting followed.

Gray snickered. "So, that's the plan huh? Challenging."

Vanessa looked up to the dome above. "So that's what's gotta be done." Her eyes narrowed. "Looks like we got but one way. We'll have to defeat all five Wizard Saints."

"Alright!" Millianna cheered, with Kagura nearby. "Let's defeat these tough guys, knock down these walls, get together with our friends, and storm the center of Fiore!" Of course after a second she looked like she was sulking. "Of course that's easier said than done."

Kagura proceeded walking on the dry dirt. "You can't doubt yourself now. We have a goal and must follow through with it, no matter what. We have to defeat our enemies and lift the borders and this dome, otherwise this can go on for days and ports and shipments across Fiore will drive everyone into desperate panic."

Mirajane was with her siblings elsewhere, looking up at the dome. "So there's a Wizard Saint in each section. But no matter what, we gotta head to the center of Fiore."

Nic and Greninja stood back up, understanding their situation. Jellal followed their lead and the three stood up within the wasteland. Nic and Greninja faced forward, eyes set on the horizon, and they both never looked so serious before.

"I see. That's what that light was." Nic squinted his eyes. "I won't back down. So they really want to separate families across Fiore with this weapon, and they want me to surrender for them and for their selfish desires. I won't stand for this."

"Then let's go." Greninja said.

Jellal stepped up. "If that's the case, then allow me to assist in the fighting." He said.

Nic and Greninja looked back, slightly surprised.

"It's Crime Sorciere's goal to not just defeat Zeref, but stop any force that threatens the lives of innocence. We'll purge the Council and their misunderstanding. So please, let me assist."

Nic wasn't sure what to say. While he was grateful for Jellal offering his alliance with him, there was a small part of him who thought otherwise, but was just because of insecurities. Still, while Nic was very much uncomfortable around Jellal at this point in time, he was able to forgive him for what he's done for his misguided brainwashed past. He really had no position to say no when a man like him wants to uphold justice like he did. He knew Erza would work well with him, so it's only fair he showed a little faith in Jellal.

"…very well. Let's go." Nic and Greninja thus ventured onwards through the terrain.

Jellal nodded. "You have my thanks." Jellal pressed on, following them.

As they went on, Nic frowned, as well as Greninja, both traveling in silence that made Nic's spine shake in uncomfortable insecurity. He had to fight this urge, and the Council. They pressed on, gradually advancing south.

* * *

Cana was looking up. To say she was shocked would pretty much summarize it. She's never seen anything so bizarre before. Her hands were to her hips and she hummed with uncertainty. "So is this really one of the borders?"

In front of her and stretching for miles on end it seemed was a dark rainbow wall that went up until it touched the sky. The whole thing was passing in front and heading off in a linear direction. Cana touched it, but her finger bounced right off, and it was only but a poke. She grunted and looked back ahead, seeing the barrier once more.

"What a pain in the ass." She sneered. "Guess I got no choice. Better go find someone and…"

"Hey, there's one right over there!"

Cana turned around. "Eh?"

Many feet trampled the ground, almost leveling it as many of Rune Knights were advancing with weaponry and numbers to boot. The rush of numbers staggered Cana, shocking her as they were coming from all around her.

She grunted and stepped back. "This isn't good!"

"Men, surround and contain!" A captain announced. He and the men all followed the order and charged at Cana, quickly outnumbering her.

Cana brought her arm around, gathering tarot cards in a flash. "Alright, guess I gotta force my way through as always." She flipped a card by twisting her fingers, showing a fountain. She threw the card to the ground, smirking. "How's about you all cool down! **Prayer's Fountain!** " The card on the ground glowed, and volatile streams of water shot out of the card, attacking random soldiers and sending the torrents rampaging in a wide area. Men covered up and some clocked with the shields they had in hand, but even they were pushed back by the force of the magic.

Cana shot another card. "Let's add this! **Thunderbolt's Fate!** " She threw the card into the spouting water, and at first small static flashed, and then suddenly the water discharged a massive amount of hydroelectric damage. The men already drenched or swept in the torrents all were electrocuted and fell to the ground, sizzling. Already Cana dealt with a big number of men.

However, while she was thankful for that, she found herself outnumbered from behind. Men had their spears aimed at her and fired away, sending weak but noticeable blasts of magic at her. Cana leaped out of the way, dodging the explosion.

She landed and looked back, seeing herself in a circle. "Not good." Her eyes narrowed. _'And I haven't recovered much magic since taking the western front. Maybe if I go all out in this one attack, maybe I can knock down as many numbers and escape. It's worth a shot.'_

"Cana Alberona of Fairy Tail, you are under arrest. You as well as your comrades will soon face justice for defying the great laws of magic and society!" The captain aimed his spear at the mage. "Men, restra-!"

A gunshot went off, and all of the men that were about to advance turned back around and went wide-eyed. Cana stopped what she was doing and looked to see the captain standing upright, but then his eyes got heavy. The next second, he fell over, with a hard yawn and a thud.

"C-Captain!" A soldier yelled.

The captain of the unit snored, showing he was sleeping. The soldiers around him went to tend to him, but they were suddenly caught in a golden light. They didn't have time to process until they realized they became cards. The soldiers inside were all muffled inside the cards as they fell to the ground.

Cana's eyes were filled with shock. "What…they were put into cards?"

An unknown figure smirked. "It ain't nice to gain up on a lady, guys."

The second unknown figure blew at the tip of his arm, blowing away smoke. "Sorry for the delay, doll face, but luck is on your side!"

The first figure had long spiky blonde hair, and dark skin with a sincere smirk. The second figure was almost like a blockhead, being all sharp edges like a polygon. He had a black hat and sunglasses. They both had suites and fancy shoes on, but the first one had a dark crimson while the second had a dark purple. To Cana's inquiry, this marked the return of old friends – Sho and Wally.

"Who the heck are you guys?" Cana asked.

Wally adjusted his arm gun and smirked. "Hey now, save the questions until things look dandy, okay doll?" He pointed his arm gun at some incoming men, firing at them in consecutive fashion from left to right. One by one, the men all fell over, going into slumber just like the captain.

"Stop them!" A soldier yelled.

Sho showed a deck. "Oh no you don't!" He flung all of the cards at the several soldiers around him, putting them in a light and then the next second they found themselves in cards. Sho smirked. "Too easy."

Cana blinked. "Whoa. Okay, you gotta show me that little trick sometime."

Sho grinned at her. "We'll see. Let's take them out and get to Millianna!"

"Dandy!" Wally shouted, pointing his gun while Sho and Cana got out cards and readied for their next move against the staggering soldiers.

* * *

In the HQ that was just located, Lahar and Doranbolt both walked down the hallway, disregarding how empty the hallway was with silence. Even the passing frog assistance were unable to muster the courage to even speak. If anything came out of their mouths, it may as well be nothing but hot air and perhaps the one thing that was driving them wild – Gran Doma. While the remainder of Council wasn't what left them frowning all the way, they can't deny that they've been utter disrespectful with following Gran Doma's plan. They were sworn to oath, so no matter how much anybody wanted to rat out the Council, they would face some serious crime, and being as it is now, Gran Doma might even call for an execution or two. There were rumors that his hearing of the words "Nic" or "Pokémon" from anywhere in the building will make the chairman growl loud enough to reverberate through the ground. The chairman's addiction to getting rid of the most complicated problem is so high strung that the past ideals were all ignored, and so they couldn't talk of them or of the Nic-Pokémon abolition issue, leaving them with only bitter silence. The only safe places to think or talk of some stuff was either the restroom or downstairs in the prison dungeon, to where Lahar and Doranbolt were currently heading.

Once the duo were making it down the stairs, then they could speak.

"So how many prisoners were we able to ascertain?" Doranbolt asked as they passed a torch.

"Hard to say. The guards counted so many times but the numbers keep gathering up thanks to Star Order's help." He glowered at the stairs, each step sounded as hollow as the last. "Their teamwork is appreciative, but their Master worries me."

"I don't blame you." Doranbolt said as they finally met flat land. He grabbed the last torch at the bottom of the stairs and went ahead. Doranbolt followed in tow. "Jango, he and the rest of his guild were responsible for abducting and restraining a number of renegades awhile back. When Jellal escaped six years ago, a few managed to get by as well, however Jango and his guild brought them all back without missing a single one…the ones Jango back…however…" Lahar grew morbidly silent.

Doranbolt looked on as Lahar swallowed.

"The ones that were scheduled for death row and escaped…he executed them right on the spot."

"What?" Doranbolt gasped.

"Jango and Star Order are bound by law and act similar to the Magic Council. They were aligned with us for 50 years now. Jango upholds just as strong as an ideal as Gran Doma. He believes failure is not an option, and justice always succeeds. All of the captives we've got from him all had cuts, presumably from his swordsplay."

"I was aware. I can still remember the cuts he left on almost all of Twilight Ogre and Quatro Cerberus." Doranbolt looked forward with uncertainty. "I just hope nobody else gets hurt."

Lahar showed a smirk. "Getting worried for Fairy Tail?"

"Oh, and like you aren't? C'mon, you got just as much moral as I do."

Lahar snickered. "I'm not at liberty to admit my contradictions to my duty. Now come on, let's give the prisoners their supper."

* * *

"Millianna?"

Millianna's ears perked when she heard Kagura's voice. As they walked through the deserted lands, she hummed in question.

"I wonder, just who were these 'friends' that you spoke of before? Before meeting Bellona, you mentioned them, but I'm curious, just who are they?"

Millianna smiled. "Oh, you've met them before. Remember when we met? They were Sho and Wally."

Kagura's eyes widened just a little. "I see."

"Yeah, and I'm sure they might be in Fiore by now. I know we'll be reunited soon. I can't wait to see how much they've grown." Millianna sounded so chipper, and Kagura couldn't blame her. While she was content with friends being assisted by more friends, the look on Millianna's face next was what made her uncertain. Millianna frowned as they kept on going. It was like a switch went on that spelled a bitter coming. "And then…we all can find him. Jellal."

Kagura's core shuddered again when that name was said. Her mind flashed images of what happened as of recently, more likely of the fake Jellal that clouded her mind and judgment. She made sure to never get so worked up again like that, especially since she was so deluded and all from that man taking her brother, the nightmare she can never seem to be appeased with.

"You remember seeing Jellal at the games, don't you? He really should be somewhere in the chaos along with us. We all are really sick of that liar and murderer. We'll do whatever it takes to kill him. Just like I said, I'm by your side. We'll kill him next time, and Sho and Wally will be there as well."

Kagura said nothing on the matter. She just nodded as her core hardened. The more she thought of Jellal, the bitter and more anguish she could feel.

"Kagura!"

"Millianna!"

The two stopped with their thoughts and they snapped back to reality. They turned back around, seeing incoming figures. To their utter disbelief and coincidence, it was Beth, Arana, and Risley from Team Mermaid Heel.

They all regrouped with warm smiles, of which Millianna completely forgot of her anguish.

"Arana! Risley! Beth! You're all okay!" The feline woman cheered in relief. She scuttled over and met with the girls as they regrouped.

"You had us worried for a minute." Beth admitted.

Arana out a hand to her hip. "This was sure great timing."

Risley chuckled. "It was a needle in a haystack chance, but we found ya!" She chuckled just a little bit more out of glee and smiled back at Millianna. "Well we are sure glad you both are in one piece after that Phantasm weapon went off. The question is where could everybody else be?"

Beth looked around. "I reckon they might be split up still."

Arana smiled. "Well since we're all here, I say we search for the chikas as well and head for the location."

Kagura already started to walk ahead of the group, her stride as stern as it always was. "Very well. We head out immediately. There's no time to rest. If any enemies stand in our way…you know what to do."

All four girls behind her held up fists. "Right!"

* * *

Elsewhere in another section, the border was nearby, but the large group of mages aligned with one another had someone already calling the shots. The group what may be three-hundred mages that managed to find one another already had luck on their side as they traveled a few miles off from the border. While they couldn't agree that going in another direction was gonna benefit, they did know that traveling along the barrier will lead them to where the Council was.

As fortune had it, Jura led them, with Chelia by his side.

"Alright! With Jura by our side, those Wizard Saints are going down!" A random mage cheered, which was followed by everybody else.

"We have a lively group with us today." Jura said to Chelia.

Chelia gave a perky smile. "You can't blame them. We have you on our side, remember? You were the fifth ranked on Wizard saints before they unfairly expelled you."

Jura closed his eyes and frowned. "true, my ranking was of some vitality. However, that merely meant that my ranking was fifth, and that was my Magic Power alone."

"What?" Chelia tilted her head in her confusion.

"Let's look at it this way. If we came across perhaps a Wizard Saint now, or perhaps someone among the Four Gods of Ishgar, the odds are that it might be anyone's bet. One is only so strong on his own, and there's more to them than what we might anticipate."

Chelia smiled, but she also sweat dropped. "Come on, Jura. You know better than to leave us with doubt at a time like this. Cheer up you big rock!"

Jura smiled and snickered at Chelia. "Yes, I suppose you are right, Chelia."

A boot touched the ground, putting Jura and Chelia's group to a standstill. All three-hundred mages behind them stopped in their tracks and looked startled upon seeing someone walking towards them so casually. His steps were pressed hard against the ground, like a soldier marching into battle. Instantly everyone was hit by a wave of Magic Power. The level of power they were feeling was staggering. It was giving them a dark chill down their spines. It was like a poison that filled the air, and it made even Chelia and Jura nearly lose focus.

"This Magic Power…" Chelia mumbled.

Jura looked serious, with his frown clear. "It would appear that we have company."

Footstep after footstep, the figure tread until he stood thirty feet away from the gathering of mages. He bared no confident smirk, but a soldier's frown and serious demeanor. It was the Wizard Saint, Cruzer.

"Well this is rather ironic, don't you think?" Cruzer asked. "I just came back to my home country, only for it to fall into its own civil war." His eyes narrowed. "How disgusting it is that my own people would turn against me for my services."

Jura stood opposed to Cruzer. "This is nothing personal in mind with you, Cruzer."

"As I am aware. The Council gave me the title of Wizard Saint just six months ago, so I'm still new to this whole 'order and justice' crap. Okay?"

"If that's the case, what were you before?"

There was a silence, Cruzer stared at Jura and the army behind him. In a flash of red, Cruzer saw the blood of his own men spilled, anguish screams and gunshots. Minefields rigged and exploded, reducing his own numbers to splattered just and body parts just lying in the dirt. Cruzer, however, maintained a poker face and shook his head to not stray away from the problem. "I'm a soldier. I just follow orders, okay? I don't care who gives them, but no matter what, nothing is as important as the mission. And my mission is to get rid of you all and Nic Pularis."

Chelia blinked, letting her guard down. "So, you're just following orders? You don't have much moral?"

"Your concern won't win you this battle, little lady. It's what'll kill you." Cruzer scolded. He held up a gloved hand. "But I'm warning you now, if you surrender and consider yourselves prisoners of war, I won't have your punishments be at my hands."

"As humble as you may be, and given your war experience, we cannot blame you, but we will not accept this standpoint." Jura said. He stepped forward, his Magic Power glowing yellow around his body. "If I am not mistaken, you're one of the links to Phantasm that's separating our comrades, correct?"

Cruzer's body gave off a purple aura, his showing of a smirk evident. "If you wanna know so bad, then you have to beat me to learn the truth. Sorry, but this wardog is gonna show you just what the brutality of war truly is about!"

"Chelia!"

Chelia stood right beside Jura, her arms gathering black whirlwinds that shifted her hair. "I'm ready!" Everyone behind her cheered, ready for battle. Following Jura and Chelia's lead, they all readied for a Wizard Saint fight. Cruzer only had a vile look.

* * *

Meanwhile everybody was achieving their own goals in mind, others were still bound to head towards the north of the mountains, just as the Communications Network advised. In accordance to that, Nic and Jellal pressed on, with Greninja having blank eyes and following Nic's side. When they embarked, and to this point, nobody said anything nor did they engage in a conversation.

Jellal was maintaining a lead, while Nic and Greninja were a little behind, the former uncomfortable in a way of describing as sheer friction. Though not an enemy, and he trusted Jellal, a bitter part of Nic said otherwise. That side and Nic remained quiet still.

"What's the matter? You looked troubled." Nic looked to see Jellal glancing back, his eyes showing surprise.

Nic's brain quickly sparked. "I'm just thinking is all." He wasn't lying, so there was nothing to be guilty of there. "You have to wonder if everybody else is fighting right now. Is it a member of Star Order, or is it a Wizard Saint? It could be soldiers." He glanced ahead, eyes straightforward. "But I know better than to worry about them. They can handle themselves."

Jellal grinned. "You have confidence in your friends. I also hold the same for Meredy and Ultear. I'm sure we'll meet up soon." He glanced back forward. "Come on, we have to pick up our pace."

Nic complied and followed along, his feet trailing at a same mileage as Jellal. Greninja was no different. The ninja frog, however, said nothing to accommodate his Trainer out of respect. He sure talked to Erza about his nightmares of her leaving him for Jellal, but Erza already made it clear that she chose him. But of course how was he to handle this situation with Jellal. As far as Nic knew, Jellal was probably sad. Maybe Jellal was in Nic's nightmare's shoes? Maybe he was in turmoil over his first childhood love picking someone over him? Nic had no way of knowing; of course he could use the Mind Form and read Jellal' inner thoughts on the matter, but Nic was far above that. They could only soldier on with friction until Jellal finally spoke again.

"It's been too long since we've last met face to face, Nic." Jellal said.

"Yes, it most certainly has been." He answered back, more calmly than what he had anticipated of himself.

"The last time I truly spoke to you…was your future-self from the Grand Magic Games." Jellal gave a pause. "I'm sorry for what happened to him and his Pokémon."

Nic gave a halfhearted smile. "Thank you for the condolences, but things are looking up now." Greninja nodded in agreement. Another long silence passed between the two as they continued walking. "So, I heard that you have a fiancée." Of course he knew it was a flat-out lie, but it was better than talking about Erza directly in front of Jellal.

Jellal nearly stuttered off upon hearing that. He showed surprise from the question that popped out of nowhere, but all he could really do was take it and look away.

"R-right." He lied.

"I'd love to meet her acquaintance someday."

Jellal smiled. "Yeah."

Nic decided to then drop the awkward manner. If he was gonna make sense, it may as well be something relevant. Unfortunately Jellal beat him to the punch.

"How is Erza doing?" He asked.

Nic smiled and kept looking forward. "She's very well, and very happy."

Jellal smiled. "That's comforting to hear."

Nic glanced down at the ground, trying to find solace. He didn't detect venom or mourn in his voice, but his inner panic was still turning his insides into Ferroseed thorns prodding into his stomach. Still, he chose to persevere. "I know it's bittersweet, but…how horrible really was the Tower of Heaven?"

Jellal had to wonder why Nic was asking such a question, but he had a feeling and chose to go by it. Nic himself had to question why he had to ask such a ridiculous question, but his mind was still stuck on the nightmare, and everything about it. Jellal did, however, decided to make the tale brief. "I guess now that we're on the topic of Erza, she and I could barely sleep at night hearing the constant screaming of slaves. Those who couldn't work were cast aside to become scattered corpses in the dirt. We had little food, little water, and for the sake of Zeref, they had the audacity to torture people. You can see the result of that in Erza's eye. I also heard you lost your left eye to Lysandre." He smiled. "I guess you and Erza have more of an 'eye for an eye' with another, huh?"

Nic chuckled at Jellal's sense of humor. "Well when you put it like that, you're not wrong."

Jellal frowned again. "And what about you? What intriguing history do you have?"

Nic looked back down at the ground, frowning as well. "It's…bittersweet." He started. "I'm not at liberty to measure the scale of horror, but that's for you to decide." He looked back ahead, continuing across the landscape with his shoes hitting dry land. "I was always beaten up and tortured by my parents, even before my sister was born. Of course I wanted to run away, and I could've, but then I realized that if I wasn't there, who was gonna protect Vanessa? So for maybe fifteen years, I stomached the treachery of shards of glass falling onto my back, a few stabs as well, then came the surprising twist of my parents' Magneton who shocked me until I could no longer feel my own fingers. I was electrocuted constantly, and no matter how much it hurt, it was better than seeing my sister get targeted."

Jellal remained silent throughout Nic's tale. While it wasn't all too morbid as he'd thought, it was still a gutsy tale. Even from a young age of three, Nic could think and make a resolve to take beatings for his baby sister. What's even more vivid in horror was that the neighbors were too constantly threatened to even call the police. Nic's parents were psychos and sociopaths, and Nic just stared them in the face.

"What's ironic is that now that very same Magneton evolved under my sister's care." He continued.

Jellal's eyes widened again. "You mean…that same Magneton that tortured you?"

"Like I said, ironic. In truth, he was just as scared as anybody else. He tortured me because he was threatened too. So, after I left, and my sister left for her own journey long after, Magneton decided to pay his penance, and protect and battle under my sister until the end of his days." He snickered at the prospect. "In a way, he's very much similar to you."

Jellal showed a grin. "A Pokémon just like me, is it?" He paused. "I'd like to see Magnezone someday."

Nic nodded in understanding. "Through it all, I stuck through and never gave up."

"I suppose that's what Erza saw in you." Jellal said.

Nic looked away with a halfhearted gaze to the ongoing ground. "Either she's lucky…or I'm lucky." He looked up to the sky, imagining Erza and her smile. He could picture her waking up atop of him in his bed in the old run-down building, smiling at him. "I think…we're both lucky. She really is something."

Jellal smiled at his ally's happy thoughts.

Greninja stopped in his tracks. Nic's eyes widened and he also stopped just a few inches further. His and Greninja's gazes looked serious. They looked around, their eyes trailing left and right. Jellal looked at them in confusion, until he realized that they were sensing enemy danger. He also got onto his guard,a nd looked around more steadily.

"They're close." Greninja said.

Nic glanced ahead, seeing some people in the distance. "There." Greninja and Jellal looked ahead, seeing what may have been five figures that were closing in casually. Instinctively Nic and Greninja got into fighting positions, but Jellal only clutched his fists.

When the figures approached, all time stopped. The group of five was none other than…

"Mermaid Heel?" Nic said in surprise.

Likewise, Mermaid Heel also showed shock, but while Beth and her group showed overwhelming shock, Millianna and Kagura's eyes were looking right at their prime target. Jellal showing his face made their tempers immediately rage. Their eyes showed bitter anger and twisted venom.

"Jellal!" Millianna shouted first.

Nic, Greninja, and Jellal stood in silence, staring at the bittersweet Mermaid Heel, and Millianna and Kagura who were already ready to strike on Nic's 'ally'.

* * *

An odd feeling was flowing beneath the ground. Juvia looked down at her feet; flowers were blooming so suddenly. She gasped at the sudden change in terrain. Vanessa, Sliggoo, and Meredy looked down at their feet to see flowers blooming already.

"Why is their flowers?" Meredy questioned.

Sliggoo bent down and sniffed them. Her head tilted. "Hm, nothing suspicious here?"

Vanessa's eyes shot wide. This caught the nerves and attention of everybody else as her body grew stiff.

"Vanessa, is there something wrong?" Juvia worried.

Vanessa's skin paled as she slowly turned her head off to the side. "This aura…it's so massive, as well as this Magic Power. The plants and vegetation are even responding." Her shocked blue eyes even trailed to the ground, dilating. "His aura, is even traveling through the earth."

Meredy and Juvia turned off to an incoming man strolling through the field of blossoming flowers. To say they were staggered and shocked was putting it lightly. Their Magic Power combined didn't compare to the man incoming. He walked slowly, and had a soft smile on his face, but as Vanessa described, his aura was nothing to scoff at.

Vanessa's eyes narrowed. _His aura, it's all around us, but I don't sense any violence in the land. Who is he?'_

As he came into view, stopping a few meters away, all of the females stared with gaping mouths. What they saw was…a tree man. Or to be more accurate…Warrod Sequen.

He waved a hand. "Hello to you young ladies. Glad to meet the younger sibling of Nic Pularis himself. Allow me to introduce myself. They call me Warrod Sequen, and may I say it's quite an honor to be in such a place right now…" He burst out laughing. "Kidding!" He laughed.

All of the girls sweat dropped. They were almost blanking out at the odd man's sense of humor and seriousness at the same time. "Eh…"

Warrod knelt down and scrutinized Sliggoo, of whom felt pretty uncomfortable with the unknown man so close. Juvia, Meredy, and Vanessa all looked down with their magic flaring, but Warrod showed no ill will.

"So, you're Vanessa. My!" He exaggerated. "You're a lot more sluggish than what I had expected." At this point Sliggoo gave a despondent and unamused look. Warrod was looking and leaned back, hysterically laughing at the sky. "It's a joke!"

"Well he's…eccentric." Juvia muttered.

"Uh, y-yeah." Meredy said in an equal awkward tone. "So anyways, he's one of the Wizard Saints…" She looked nervous, but her face contradicted that. "Then that means, we have to defeat him and break one of the borders."

Warrod stopped laughing when he was feeling Magic Power swell. He looked back at Meredy and Juvia to see them ready for battle. "Whoa, whoa, ladies, it's not polite to rush things."

Vanessa looked down at Sliggoo, both staring at one another briefly before looking back at Warrod. Vanessa narrowed her eyes when looking at Warrod casual and not-so-violent face. "I don't know what he wants, but as far as I know, my aura is telling me that things are gonna get twisted around. And fast."

* * *

 **New update! How's the plot twisting to your guys' liking? Now you see what the significance of the beginning nightmare Nic had, so now he has to deal with Jellal as an ally under the heavy circumstances. A lot of stuff is gonna be boiled down these next few chapters, including Wizard Saint fights, and eventually something very special I have planned when far enough into the Council War Arc. As always, review and comment. Thanks again for reading!**


	11. Enemy of my Enemy

There was an uneasy tension brimming with contempt and hatred, spawning from the likes of Millianna and Kagura as they were opposing Nic, Greninja, and Jellal. The three mentioned of course had shock written all over their faces, and Mermaid Heel was a mixture of confusion and worry for the unknown blue-haired mage. All things considered, this was the epitome of bad timing.

Millianna readied herself alongside Kagura, who was beginning to unsheathe Archenemy. The girls behind them looked with panicked expressions.

"Millianna. Kagura." Nic stepped up, positioning himself between Mermaid Heel and Jellal. "Hold on for a minute."

Kagura narrowed her glaring look. "I know for a fact this is no illusion. I can tell, you're the real Jellal!"

"Indeed I am. I won't deceive you there." Jellal answered. He looked over towards Millianna, seeing the cat-girl gritting her teeth. "Millianna, it's been a long time."

"Don't pretend that we're friends, you jerk!" Clearly Millianna's anger was boiling over what happened in the Tower of Heaven. Jellal couldn't blame her, but that didn't mean her words were still painful.

Beth had a worried gaze plastered. "I don't know what's goin' on, but this isn't lookin' too good!"

Risley nervously looked over at Jellal. "So that's the Jellal that those two are obsessed about? Talk about getting corn stuck in your teeth."

Arana looked equally as weary. "This looks bad. Kagura!"

However, Kagura didn't comply. She only glared coldly at Jellal, her anger spiking. It wasn't blind rage, but it was hard-boiled anger that she kept contained.

Greninja stepped right beside Nic, both intercepting Millianna and Kagura. "That's enough, both of you!"

"Millianna, Kagura, I understand how you feel, but enough is enough. You're not being fair to Jellal!" Nic scolded.

Millianna gasped as her eyes widened. Kagura's pupils shrunk with distaste, reflecting Nic and Greninja's figures as they stood in their way. Millianna seemed to be spacing out. "We're…not fair?" Her teeth began gritting against themselves. "How are we not fair?! How are _you_ fair! He murdered Simon, did you forget that?!"

Jellal looked down at his feet, his sadness showing. The fact he murdered a childhood friend was what drive him nuts, but he had to live with it.

"He's a liar and a murderer, and you're both actually defending such a monster?! How can you actually do such a thing-!"

"I said enough!" Nic lowly roared. Millianna jerked back, getting the message. While she wanted to scold them more, she now found herself clearly barking up the wrong tree. Nic stood with a calm expression, but his tone was firm. "Yes, we all know what Jellal did was wrong, and that he has to pay for what he's done, but you're holding a menacing grudge that's only driving you down a dark and lonely road. Look, Erza found it in her heart to forgive him; and I she could do such a thing, then so can I."

Jellal stood there, surprised by Nic's defense. "Nic."

Millianna's fists clutched harder than ever. "So…Erza actually forgave him?! Why?! How could she do this?!"

"To who? To you guys? To Jellal? You're being too selfish, Millianna."

"So what if I am?! It doesn't make it okay! I can't ever forgive him, and neither will Kagura! Right, Kagura?" Millianna turned her attention over towards Kagura, who had darkness obscuring her eyesight. She seemed to be filled with uneasiness.

Mermaid Heel watched from behind, keeping a safe distance as the scuffle was breaking out between the two parties.

Millianna looked back forward, staring right at Nic. "You both sided with him over us? I thought we all shared something that bounded us together! Erza wanted to kill him, right?! And you almost did at the cost of your own life! So why take his side? Is it in Erza's stead, or are you just too blind to see how wrong this all i-!"

"Enough, Millianna!" Millianna stopped hearing Kagura's loud roar. The cat-girl turned her head to see Kagura marching forward. She took a few paces ahead, standing near arms-length in front of Nic. The two had a long stare, glaring at another with equal resolution. There was a moment of brief silence, one that filled the air with tension.

"What do you hope to gain that fool for murdering my brother?" She asked.

"I don't want anything. I want you guys to understand Erza and my standpoint." Nic reasoned.

"Nic." Nic glanced back at Jellal, seeing him not looking to flee. The blue-haired mage held his ground, persevering through the tension. "It's alright. I am aware of how they feel." His gaze narrowed just a little out of pity. "Erza told me everything about Millianna and Kagura after the Grand Magic Games, while your absence. She told me…

 _In one of the abandoned alleyways of Crocus, there were four figures. Everyone was surprised that nothing had to be cleaned up, but they had to adjust to what happened the past night following the cataclysmic battle and of Ragnarok Lysandre engraved into their hearts and minds. They were either in bed or out in cafés drinking up their worries. With the citizens – let alone the world – healing the wounds of themselves over their near-death experience, this was a perfect time for Crime Sorciere to make its move._

 _The hooded Independent Guild stared at Erza as she stepped into the alleyway, free from anybody spotting her. With themselves free, they could begin discussing._

" _We're glad that you all made it out okay." Jellal noted._

" _The same could be said on my end as well." Erza frowned. "It was a long struggle, but at least we're still living in this world." She looked at Meredy, and then Ultear, both having subtle nods of agreement. "So do you know where Nic has went?"_

 _Jellal lowered his head, frowning heavier than before. "I'm afraid not. Sorry."_

" _I can't say if it's even okay to find him at this point in time." Meredy advised. "He watched his future-self…" She trailed off, unable to finish what she was saying. Everybody remembered what happened to Future Nic, and they knew it was better to leave it at that._

 _Erza looked sad. "I see. I hope he's alright. I'm worried."_

" _As are we." Ultear reciprocated. "Is that the only reason you asked us to rendezvous here?"_

 _Erza shook her head. "Not just that." She shook off her worries of Nic briefly to explain something important she knew of. "Jellal, Ultear, I'm sure you both know of our…shared experience at the tower. Well, I quarreled with Kagura of Mermaid Heel not too long ago."_

 _Jellal looked confused. "That woman that took down Yukino of Sabertooth on the second day, if I remember."_

 _Erza nodded. "yes. I'm afraid, that there was more to her than what we had realized. I learned of her grudge, and the same one Millianna carries for you." She looked back at him, staring into his eyes. "It turns out, Simon…was her older brother."_

 _Jellal's eyes widened. "Simon was…her brother?" He sounded shocked._

Jellal had the same somber expression still. "That's when I realized that I've done more personal harm than what I anticipated. I had no idea she was Simon's younger sister, and I know an apology won't make anything better."

Kagura's eyes narrowed. "You're right, it won't make anything better. Mere words can only do so much until actions speak the rest in great volumes."

"If you're suggesting taking his head, don't." Greninja warned.

"You both don't understand Jellal's side of the story." Nic reasoned again. "Do you think all of that happened out of his own will? You're mistaken. You can't imagine the guilt and torment he's putting himself through because he wasn't in control." He turned back around, facing Jellal with a morose frown. He could feel pity for him. "He was brainwashed, all those years, and his blood turned cold. It was his colleague, Ultear, who orchestrated his madness and the construction of this Tower of Heaven."

Millianna's eyes widened. "What?"

"As troublesome as it is, it's true. Ultear confessed it herself." Greninja said. "We were there as witnesses."

Millianna still seemed angry, but the facts were rolling her around like a stone. Clearly she was still mad, but where was her anger to go? She couldn't understand, but as far as she knew, Jellal was still responsible for what he's done.

After a few seconds of pondering, Millianna clutched her fists tight. "But still, in the end…he still killed him and enslaved us."

Nic looked at Millianna, seeing her body shudder.

"He still committed so many sins, and you're saying that we should just let him be? Let him go?!" Her tone got harsher as she looked angrily at Nic. "How can I?! Sho and Wally would never let this down! We can't ever forgive and forget the pain he's put us through! I'll die trying if it means avenging Simon!"

"And what would he say about that?" Nic argued. "Do you honestly believe that Simon would want this from you, or from his sister? Would he have wanted his friends to be manipulated through anger and hatred for the rest of their lives?"

Kagura's eyes widened when hearing of Nic speak to them of Simon. The grip on Archenemy began to ease a little as Millianna lashed back.

"What do you know?! You're always taking Erza's side! So if she just forgave him, then you would too?!"

Nic's eyes narrowed. "I can forgive Jellal, and myself for the misunderstanding. What I can't forgive, however, is how you're so hung up on revenge."

"What?" Millianna questioned.

"You had no idea what happened at the Tower of Heaven at the time. It was only Jellal, Erza, Simon, Natsu, and I. You weren't there upon his sacrifice." Nic clutched his fists, the bittersweet memories flooding back into his head. "Simon shielded all of us with what strength he had left. He gave his life or us, and for Erza. He then told me something, something that I am bound by…he told me to protect Erza, no matter what happened. He died with a smile on his face, a good man with no regrets for what he's done." His eyes narrowed further, these eyes brimming with annoyance. "How can you possibly dishonor him that? If you're really wanting to avenge him for the good he's done, taking the path of anger and vengeance…then you're no better than the Magic Council's ambitions!"

It was a cold statement coming from Nic. The air shifted into a stunning silence, with Mermaid Heel unable to do much of anything, and Millianna and Kagura's eyes dilated out of horror. Nic comparing them to the Council at this time is basically his way of saying if they weren't with him, then they were against him. It was a heavy price to pay but if it meant protecting a friend that he could defend, then he'll take the risk.

Kagura glared at Nic, a heavy chill running through the surrounding airspace. "I see, so I was right. Fairy Tail was protecting Jellal. Not just from us, but the Council and everybody aimed at him as well. But let me ask you this, Nic Pularis and friend…" The two stared at Kagura as she was giving off a venom in her tone in their names. "You and Erza would protect Jellal, but do _you_ truly consider him a friend?"

Nic didn't show surprise much, but anyone could tell he was taken aback with his eyes widening. "What?"

"You speak of him as an ally, sure, but is that out of Erza's respect, the love of your life that you hold dear? As Millianna said, you'd spend your life and hold every thought with another, no matter how distasteful or loving. And yet in your eyes, there's a sense of uncomfortable vibe dwelling. You may have forgiven Jellal, but I will never do such a thing." She snarled. "He took Simon away from me, now what would you do if Erza was taken away from you."

Nic's eyes narrowed. She got him right where she wanted him. Jellal looked to see Nic's fists clutching tight, and his body looked to be almost shaking. He said nothing but watched as Nic's side of the argument had lost its tide.

"I knew it. If you were true to your word, then you wouldn't be all shaken up right now. You fear of losing Erza to anybody. If Jellal took Erza away from you by any means, you would understand how serious this act is." Her grip on Archenemy tightened again, unsheathing it inch by inch. "And even through those insecurities, you still wish to hold him as an ally?"

There was a shadow over Nic's eyes. It was no different from Kagura's earlier. Greninja looked over to see Nic struggling, of which he could not take. Before he could act and step forward, Jellal beat him to it.

"I'd rather die than watch my friends fall before me." Jellal said.

Nic's eyes showed shock as he looked over his shoulder back at Jellal.

"I may be an escaped convict, and I have done some terrible crimes for many years, but if Erza found it in her heart to move on and into the light of the world, she's better off there than in the darkness that I am in." His eyes closed as he lowered his head. "We have all chosen our own paths to follow. As long as everyone I know can be brimming with at least a smile of true joy and happiness, I can be content with my life."

Nic, however, was not that easily fooled. By 'everyone', that meant Erza. Nic's inners were feeling a heavier weight on his heart. He knew that Jellal was still suffering, and while Erza found him to love and adore forever, where did that leave Jellal? What Kagura said was true, and Nic couldn't deny it; Nic was indeed afraid of Jellal taking Erza away from her. The more he thought of it, the more spaced out he looked.

"If you're implying that you sympathize with Nic and deserve to repent, then so be it. But that won't change the fact that no matter how many prayers I send, no matter what kinds of acts I do, no matter how many enemies I slay out of rage, Simon is not coming back. He's gone." Kagura's body began to shudder, trying to hold in her rage. "But…even when Nic is insecure of his own darkness, you still say that you wouldn't do such an act when you already committed it."

Jellal's eyes widened again.

"You've imprisoned Millianna and Erza, but you want to live with the sins than die?" Kagura narrowed her eyes, her sword slowly being levered downwards. "I can't understand. How can Erza and Nic have the strength to move on?"

"I can't take this anymore!" All attention turned towards Millianna as she began removing her gloves, revealing sharp nails like claws. "Kagura and I waited a long time for this day, and you're saying that we just forget what he did? I won't understand why you and Erza can just protect and trust that man! I won't!" She bent her knees, a position in which she was gonna lunge. "Fine, don't kill him out of pity, but I'm avenging Simon, no matter wh-GAH!"

All eyes widened, except for Nic, as Greninja's fist dug into Millianna's abdomen. Kagura and Mermaid Heel watched with surprise and disbelief as Millianna groaned a bit and then fell over with a thud, passed out.

"Millianna!" Arana called out.

"How could you do that to her?! Wasn't she a friend?!" Beth exclaimed with anger.

Greninja straightened back out and stepped backwards by Nic's side. "It was for her own good." He reasoned. "Even through all the reasoning, she was still going for it."

Nic turned towards Kagura, whose body was shuddering out of confliction. The two again had a long stare.

"I know you're conflicted, as am I, but I hold myself true to what Jellal also did in the Nirvana incident a long time ago. He's a good man at heart, Simon was as well. He's earned the right to have my faith. The question is, even after all of this, do you honestly believe killing him will answer anything?" He shook his own head, answering his own question. "Ending him won't bring justice. He's finding his own way, and that way is Crime Sorciere. He'll live, for the sake of himself and for hope." His eyes narrowed when facing Mermaid Heel tending to Millianna and then faced Kagura. His tone in his wording next had a warning within. "I'm only gonna say this once: Leave. Jellal. Alone."

Kagura's body continued to shudder, and she looked hard to understand. Was she gonna back down, or was she going to attack? It was hard to tell, but Nic knew she was confused.

"Now hang on just a minute there!" Risley scoffed.

"Are y'll telling Kagura what to do?" Beth rebuffed.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Nic said, glaring at the Mermaid Heel girls as they felt a chill go down their spines. "You can either use the confusion to try and take our lives, or you can let us go. Either way, it doesn't change the fact that we have a common enemy. The Magic Council." He turned his back to them and Greninja followed. "Our apologies, but we can only leave you be to look after Millianna. It's clear that cooperation amongst us won't suffice well with this friction."

"As much as I to say, Nic's right." Jellal stated. "We'll handle our own route towards the Council. You all should take your own way. Until we meet up again."

The group turned and walked off, leading Kagura to sheath Archenemy. Her mind was flashing back to her days of Simon, and then back to the argument between herself, Nic, and Millianna in defense for Jellal. She wasn't sure what to do now. Of course she'll never forgive him, but now she had to question whose side was she on, and if she can really kill him.

As Mermaid Heel was left in an awkward position, so was Nic's group.

"You didn't have to have Greninja do that." Jellal said.

"If I didn't, then Nic would've." Greninja informed.

Jellal nodded in understanding. Though he didn't like it, he knew something had to be done since Millianna and Kagura could've gone too far. Nic and Greninja knew that, and of all the times to fight, this was just the wrong one. Nic walked along in uncomfortable silence. He can stand Millianna, Kagura, and Mermaid Heel hating him for what he did, but he was unwillingly gonna have them take it out on others. Although Nic felt the pit of his gut telling him it was not a nice action, they had to learn the hard way. Of course Jellal remained silent in respect to what Kagura confirmed of Nic's fear of losing Erza to him. He dared not say anything.

And so, they pressed on, unstable silence filling the air as they continued south.

* * *

Juvia waved her arms at Warrod. " **Water Slicer!** " Her attack sent crescents of pressurized water at her target, but Warrod remained still as they after him.

Warrod raised a palm, and in front of him erosion erupted. The ground didn't shake, but a thick tree began to emerge from the earth. The large tree sprouted quickly and blocked Water Slicer. Despite how the attack could slice through stone, it didn't manage to get through the tree trunk as every attack seemed dull.

Warrod didn't even bother to chuckle. "Now calm down, miss."

"If you're an enemy, then I'll lift the border that keeps me and my beloved apart!" Juvia declared. She reached her palms out and a pulsing surge of water swirled. "Meredy, get ready!"

Meredy brought her arm back, readying her magic. "Ready!"

" **Water Nebula!** "

" **Miguilty Rays!** "

Both mages fired a singular beam of spiraling water pressure and yellow energy blades alike at Warrod. The double attack closed in, swamping the ground beneath in water to soften up the soil. The rampaging assault only got so far until Warrod raised his hands. In a single clap, the ground beneath sprouted, this time making a small rumble beneath. A large pink rose engulfed Warrod and enclosed him. The blast of water and energy blades took down the tree that was in front of Warrod, dealing the massive tidal blow that fell the large structure. The water crash into the closed rose, as did the energy blades.

Juvia and Meredy both held their hopes high as time passed quickly. Unfortunately they were unfortunate as the bud opened up, revealing Warrod unharmed. They both reeled back as the rose immediately faded away, as did Meredy's magic.

"He defended himself with growing nature so quickly." Juvia mumbled.

"And our attacks didn't come close to touching him. Is his defense really that impervious to us?" Meredy questioned.

Vanessa, however, was reluctant. To her, Warrod's aura wasn't at all a gruesome red, but a calm, tranquil green. She wanted to question it all in general, but she had to be aware of where she stood and who she was standing against. Against her was Warrod Sequen, a member of the Wizard Saints, and Four Gods of Ishgar. Maybe despite the ranking she could see him as reasonable, but she'd rather not take her chances.

Vanessa's arms glowed teal and trailed energy as she brought her arms around. "Sliggoo, let's do a combo attack as well." She commanded.

Sliggoo nodded. "Okay!"

Vanessa stretched forwards, sending a teal beam of aura at Warrod. " **Emanation Beam!** "

A round of loops encircled Sliggoo as her mouth had energy surging. " **Dragon Breath!** " Sliggoo released all of the energy at once, sending a blue beam at Warrod. The attacks closed in, narrowing closer to one another until they actually merged. A spiraling teal and blue beam went blazing across the landscape and headed right for Warrod, and he still did not move.

He smiled. "Oh~. What do we have here?"

Vanessa's eyes widened a little.

"Now give me just a minute." He whipped his left arm up, creating another brief quake in the ground. All around him, vines sprouted up, enveloping him in a spiral dome that encompassed a thick mass. The beam continued trailing and met Warrod's shield, making blazing streams stretch out in other directions. The attack eventually erupted into a grand explosion, one that enveloped the vines in teal and blue and expanded outwards. Juvia and Meredy covered up from the intense shockwaves of the combined attacks, but even they weren't moved by much.

"Man, Vanessa and Sliggo became so strong since last time!" Meredy shouted through the whirlwinds.

The winds and the smoke subsided, revealing the vine dome Warrod made out of them. Vanessa and Sliggoo stared and showed immense shock. Their attacks combined – though they did severely damage the vine dome – still didn't reach Warrod. The vines all withered away, leaving the four girls on their toes again.

"This guy is really defensive." Sliggoo said.

"Now where was i?" Warrod pondered. After a few minutes of pondering with a hand to his flat shin, he perked up. "Oh yeah!" He pointed to Vanessa. "You there, Vanessa, is it? You're a little curious now, aren't you?"

Vanessa kept herself calm and stared at Warrod, despite how curious Juvia and Meredy looked when seeing Vanessa being the center of attention. She nodded in confirmation.

"Your magic, it's very peculiar. It's aura, like in nature and everything else, isn't it?" Warrod asked. "If that's the case, you and I aren't that different…" Warrod burst out laughing once more, reeling his head back. "Just kidding!"

As he laughed, everybody else showed misunderstanding in his jokes. They all had either confused of sweat drops, one of which being Vanessa.

"Do you have a point to make?" Vanessa inquired.

Warrod stopped laughing and wiped the tear from his eyes. "Oh, of course child." He cleared his throat and let a moment pass. "You feel the magical flow all around you, and that means you can feel my aura as well."

"Yes. It's the same."

"Correct. The land, it too is fighting against the suppressor that is the Magic Council. Now as you feel that in the land, what do you feel in me?"

Vanessa narrowed her eyes, trying to read his tranquil aura, which was beginning to enhance all around. "I see…honesty?"

Warrod nodded. "Correct. I'm honest when I say the flowers blooming want to see sunlight once more, as do I. And for that to happen, either Nic or the Council must learn of defeat. I may be a link, but I cannot lie to the fact that I am conflicted with these sides waged."

Meredy brought an arm back, her cloak shifting. "Then we'll remind you whose side you're on!"

Warrod chuckled, despite the predicament. "Anxious."

Meredy reached her arms forward, firing a blast of energy swords that went slicing through the airspace again. Juvia pressed her arms down on the ground, summoning a tidal wave that swamped the area ahead and went after Warrod. Vanessa seemed reluctant to act, but she too entered the fray, exerting a beam of teal aura at Warrod. The combined attack went racing again after Warrod, only for him to be standing still as usual and half-smiling. He slowly raised his hands and gave a single, slow clap. The clap echoed, and then the ground beneath rumbled for a little bit. He summoned what appeared to have been a giant rose beneath with the petals large and opened outwards. The whole stem curved towards the incoming attacks and acted again as the shield. In one go, the combined works of the three girls smashed into the petal shield, the Juvia's tidal wave passing right by Warrod. The flood subsided as the explosion wore off as well. The smoke cleared, revealing a damaged giant rose with torn petals. The plant folded back up, becoming a bud and retreated back into the earth.

"Is he even serious about us?" Meredy wondered.

"I don't know." Juvia said. She clutched her fists tighter. "But we can't give up. Fairy Tail, Nic, and my beloved Gray need our support. We can't give up now!" She turned towards Vanessa. "Vanessa."

Vanessa nodded in understanding. She looked back ahead and extended her arm forward. "We'll increase our strength then! Sliggoo, **Rain Dance!** " She commanded.

Sliggoo nodded and bellowed up towards the sky. The move made black clouds erode from the sky and move inwards, stretching far overhead into the vast distance. The clouds overhead was dark, overcasting the dark rainbow sky. The rain began to sprinkle downwards onto the flowers that bloomed. The rain began to drizzle lightly, and then a downpour erupted. The ground beneath was drenched and the flowers were drenched in water.

"With this, we should be able to get a better advantage." Vanessa hoped. "Alright Juvia, Sliggoo, let's try a combined water atta…?" Suddenly Vanessa trailed off when her confidence diminished into a questionable frown. She looked surprise as she looked at Warrod.

Juvia looked at Vanessa, seeing her confusion. "What's wrong? Is everything okay? Uh?!" Juvia looked ahead and also looked shocked. Sliggoo and Meredy alike all stared forward to see something that left them without much words to say.

Warrod had his mouth open, looking ever so joyful as water fell down his throat and even onto his old dried up tongue. The rain poured down, but by no means was this to catch Warrod by surprise as he happily drank up the incoming rain while laughing, again succeeding in startling the group of girls. They blanked out, staring with no idea how to grasp Warrod's shocking personality.

Warrod tilted his head back down and gave a relieving sigh. "That was very refreshing. The plants really do love the rain." He smiled. "It quenches thirst and makes for healthy stems. Thanks for the refresher, young snail friend!" He happily chuckled.

"Uh, y-your welcome…?" Sliggoo awkwardly answered.

Vanessa blinked, and again she was left with silence. "His aura, it still hasn't changed. He's not hostile at all." Meredy and Juvia turned towards her with shock and confusion. They were just as surprised as Vanessa seemed to be. "I could be wrong, but I don't think he was intended to fight us to begin with." She and the rest turned back towards Warrod as he smiled them, and as Vanessa described earlier, it was all of honesty.

Warrod nodded. "You can stop attacking me. I bare no quarrel with you anymore." His grin turned swiftly into a large smile. "Joking!"

"What?!" The four exclaimed.

"…joking again!" Warrod laughed.

All four females groaned and nearly floored in sheer disbelief of his humor. Groaning and sighing could be heard from their throats as their heads shook. "He's wearing us down quicker than we thought." Meredy groaned.

Warrod then gave a solemn nod and looked at them as the rain continued to pour down. It felt irrelevant compared to the aura change Vanessa was feeling. "I have no more intention on fighting with you. I never had the intention to begin with." He reasoned. "If you'll allow me, I would like to state how I actually am quite fond of your side. Your sense of comradery is too admirable to be overlooked. The Council may be falsely lead; by I can see the truth. You all want peace with your friend, is that it?" He gave a chuckle again, but this one was less amused compared to the usual antics he's been establishing. "Let me be straight with you four. I personally oppose their plans for eliminating Nic and all Pokémon from this world. It's barbaric, and I can hear the plants rustle with foreboding dread."

The women remained silent for a little bit longer before Warrod continued.

"That also being said, allow myself to represent a small token of accommodation by offering my services for a short time."

Vanessa blanked out again. "So, you're saying that y-you actually are changing sides? Just after getting wet?" It sounded ridiculous, but that's what it looked like.

"Of course! I don't see Pokémon as a negative influence my dear. Take Nic's Pokémon for example. They achieved something the Wizard Saints combined couldn't accomplish. And then there's your little friend right there who gave these freshly sprouted plants what they needed. Yes, those Pokémon that were after the need of an eternal void almost succeeded, but alas you're all living proof that you're worth fighting for." He turned back towards the way he came earlier and his head looked up as the Rain Dance began to stop, giving few to a few beams of light passing through the fading clouds. "I think that despite my title of a Wizard Saint, he can all learn the fact we are not all-powerful. Neither is Nic, neither is the strongest of the Wizard Saints. I wanna see a change in this world for the better, see plants grow and desserts become fresh grown lands. Fighting in this cause won't solve anything." He turned back towards Vanessa as a ray of light began opening up from the Rain Dance fading away, giving light to them. "I wish to not fight you, so please carry on."

Upon that said, a structure nearby flashed a blue light. It was a border. The long border that stretched for what seemed to be miles on end flashed a blue light and those nearby it turned to look and see the entire long stretch of it beginning to descend, fading away.

"Okay, what gives?" Macao wondered.

"The wall is disappearing! Does that mean one of the Wizard Saints have already been defeated?!" Max exclaimed.

On the other side of the disappearing translucent dark rainbow wall, Wakaba looked pleasantly surprised as the wall was finally gone. He held his huge cigarette up to his mouth and a puff of smoke poofed. "About time."

Once the wall went down, those who were busy fighting Rune Knights found themselves lucky when reinforcements came lunging from the other side of the wall. Those like Bisca and Alzack were caught fortunate when Gajeel appeared and delivered some heavy iron attacks that fell many in their way. Others were not as fortunate like the few of Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale elsewhere. They had to deal with the increased number of soldiers that came their way, but no matter what, they had magic ad could not fail.

"Well that was rather anti-climactic." Juvia deadpanned in a relieved tone. Meredy looked equally as relieved.

"Yeah, sure is. I'm just glad that someone on the Council has some morals." The pinkette sighed.

If Vanessa was honest, she was relieved herself. She was fortunate enough to know Warrod sided with them and willingly surrendered. Despite being a Wizard Saint and one of the Four Gods of Ishgar, she was right when his aura was compassionate and brimming with positive feedback. Down at her waist, Sliggoo also seemed to be giving a sloppy smile. But, however, their smiles faded away when the Soft Tissue Pokémon and Trainer felt something odd, and nearby as well.

Vanessa could feel it. Another presence not too far away. Her aura could feel a calm but instructive vibe, which was unnerving them. Unlike Warrod, he was out for them.

A projectile went blazing from not too far off, and aimed straight for Warrod. The beam-like projectile closed in. The only two who were really aware was Sliggoo and Vanessa. Without even a second thought, Vanessa's arm cloaked in her teal aura and shot a long wave of aura towards Warrod. The aura curved around and expanded, making a large shield that blocked the streaming projectile, making it bounce off and crash into the ground close by. Everybody stunned turned to get a look and find that the culprit was closing in.

Vanessa lifted her aura and glared at her oncoming foe. "I thought this aura felt familiar."

"So, my Master was right after all." The new foe stated. "His suspicions of Warrod opposing the Council in secrecy has been leaving him curious as of late, and now his suspicions have been fully confirmed."

Standing close by was the messenger from the other day, the one who left a very harsh impression on Juvia, Vanessa, and Fairy Tail alike. Peter of the Star Order Guild. He adjusted his glasses, deflecting any form of light.

"It's him." Juvia said low.

Warrod turned around, facing Peter. He looked the opposite of amused. "And who might this young man be?"

"You can say he calls himself the Telescope of Order. Peter was his name." Vanessa informed.

"Correct, Vanessa Pularis. I am Jango's informant and as you say right-hand man. To our laws that a traitor must be held accountable, and that's you. Warrod Sequen. You have broken at least seven different jurisdiction and rules on the article of enemies and Wizard Saints. I'm afraid I have no choice now bur to handle all of you under my own code."

Meredy glared at Peter with distaste. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Meredy of Crime Sorciere. Formerly of Grimoire Heart until its fall on Tenrou Island against Fairy Tail. You and your Independent Guild have been causing trouble with not being aligned with anyone. You have no jurisdiction to do so." The goggles atop of his head lowered down onto his face, covering his glasses. The lenses changed to a red, and data upon data was scrolling and popping around on his lenses. "I'll have the honor of presenting your arrests to Gran Doma. He'll be pleased to know the sister of Nic Pularis has been captured and Warrod Sequen has been incapacitated."

"To be fair, I'm really not much of a fighter." Warrod said.

"No matter. I'm placing you five under arrest. And since you all dare to defy the Council to begin with…" His fingers pointed at them, the tips glowing.

' _Bullet Magic?'_ Meredy thought.

"You are will be dealt with by force!" A lock-on screen was printed on his lenses, targeting Juvia. A projectile beam exerted and blasted at Juvia, but the Water Mage hurried and applied a counter. She swiped her arm and summoned a wall of water, stopping the attack.

"You're forgetting that you're outnumbered." Juvia warned.

"We shall see." Peter's lock-on screen multiplied, making five lock-on targets set onto all five opposing him. " **Multiple Perception: Keen Quintuple!** " He extended his left arm and the fingertips were in magic. Five rapid shooting projectiles exerted from all five fingers and darted right for each individual.

Vanessa swiped her arm, creating a dome of teal aura. " **Aura Guard!** " She successfully materialized a solid dome, bouncing off the incoming Bullet Magic into various locations.

Peter put two fingers on the side of his goggles, flipping the lenses color from red to a blue. "A shield of Aura Magic. Processing data." On his screen on his goggles, a few diagrams and some bubbles stocked with information swelled, all deriving from the dome and from Vanessa. "I see…fascinating…"

Meredy didn't look too pleased. "What is he doing?" She asked.

"Is he getting data?" Sliggoo gurgled.

"Analysis complete." Peter said. The goggles flipped back to the red lenses, and the lock-on screen appeared once more. The targeting mechanism went in circles until it picked a precise point on the dome. Peter pointed a finger towards the exact spot. " **Perception: Accuracy Zero!** "

He shot a single bullet, the projectile attack going right towards the shield. Vanessa and everybody inside thought it was crazy, but when the bullet was aiming nowhere in particular, that's when they got suspicious to a great level. To their shock, the projectile beam blasted right through the dome in a straight line. Just like that, the whole dome shattered like glass, shocking everybody.

"How did he…?" Vanessa never finished.

" **Multiple Perception: Keen Quintuple!** "

Again five projectiles attacked the group. Five thin beams struck them, making Vanessa stutter backwards as the attacks was like a heavy pinch. She found her exposed belly having a bruise along the side. Sliggoo grumbled as she felt the blow but shook it off. Juvia and Meredy felt the stinging pain from the attack but persevered the same as Vanessa. Warrod winced, but he seemed well.

Peter dared not smirk. "Perception Magic. A Magic that is prone for being extremely accurate. It allows me to see nerve, weak, and restraining points on everything, whether it'd be in liquid, shields, human anatomy, and the keen accuracy is a vital force that permeates _anything_."

"Gather data, keen accuracy, and find and destroy enemies through weak points?" Meredy wondered.

"Now I see why he's Jango's right-hand man." Vanessa said.

"I refuse to surrender to the likes of you!" Juvia declared boldly. "I won't let you get anywhere near my beloved! All of his data of for himself and me!"

Giving Juvia a despondent look, Peter's lenses changed from red to blue. Data upon data emerged, with a picture of Gray and Juvia. "Juvia Lockser, former mage of Phantom Lord, official Fairy Tail member, Water Mage. Then Gray Fullbuster, Ice-Make Mage, Team Fairy Tail A and reserve member for Team Fairy Tail in the Grand Magic Games."

Juvia looked angrily as water swirled in her arms. "You got data on my beloved?! Who told you?! Certainly not him!"

Meredy gave a small huff. "This really isn't the time."

Warrod still didn't seem to smile well. "Well now, seems like this will be a bigger problem what one could imagine."

The lenses shifted back to being red, and Peter got data and battle codes set in little bubbles as he stared at each individual mage. He narrowed his eyes, the lock-on screens set on his targets. "I only need less than ten minutes according to this data. You have no chance."

* * *

The Council was looking up at the monitors, looking at the individual screens that detailed the onslaught of skirmishes that ensued since Phantasm unleashed. A monitor showed Erza on the move, another revealing Makarov and Wendy defensing Warren and Hibiki as Rune Knights were gathering around, another monitor revealed Lucy with a large group of mages from Fairy Tail, including several from Sabertooth such as Minerva. Another monitor revealed Nic, Greninja, and Jellal pressing ahead at a steadfast pace. And there were five other monitors showing the Wizard Saints as they were either advancing against numerous foes or all alone.

Gran Doma should a vein as he watched a border fall. That left only four links left as he was well aware of. He looked so calm, but the veins popping out of his head spoke volumes.

"Well, so much for that setback." Org sighed. He kept staring at the monitors, looking more relaxed than most Councilmen. "Personally, I had a small hunch he'd pull something like this. He was never the fighting type of person at heart. But still…"

Another vein popped out of Gran Doma's head, showing great displeasure. "Damn that meddlesome Warrod Sequen. He just goes and bottles up his disgust for us and blabs it out as he voluntarily surrenders?! How could we have such a weakness?!"

"Sir, you're taking this more personally than you can imagine." A Councilman advised.

"Keep in mind, we still have four links left, and that they are Wizard Saints." Another Councilman noted. "That means their power will prove the remaining four borders and Phantasm will hold for an indefinite time until Nic concedes or if we strike him down."

Gran Doma sat back in his chair, digressing from the screen with Vanessa's group and staring at Nic's group. He gave a sigh. "Very well. I see your judgment through. You all are correct. We should keep in mind that these Wizard Saints have proven themselves worthy. It would take more than a miracle for even a few mages to pull themselves up against even one." His eyes narrowed. "We've all agreed that Nic and Pokémon are a threat to our world, and by any means, we'll send them back…even if it means using God Serena."

Org looked away, slightly disgusted by Gran Doma. "And then there's what you have called 'will stop them cold', right?"

Gran Doma's head tilted downwards, looking dark. "There's a reason why I didn't make them links. They will handle with the problem yet. They'll stop them cold and will force Nic to go home."

"Overconfident or arrogant? I'm not sure what to label you since you fail to overlook Nic and his good-doing. You haven't slept in the longest time because you fear he'll 'destroy the world and all of its Magic'?" Org shook his head in disgust again and retreated from his seat.

"And where might you be going, Org?" A Councilman asked.

Org stopped three feet from the door, not bothering to stare back. "I'm going to rest. I rather have some measure of mentality rather than being obsessed and overly stressed. A good day to you all."

"Now hold on just a mi-!"

The door shut, and just like that Org retired for the day, leaving the Council with a mix if concern and question. Many could vouch for his position, but in a sense it was like he wasn't even picking a pick to begin with. He seemed to be against war; while they all were, Gran Doma acted upon his accordance as chairman. Clearly the Council itself was in a war, and Org was opposing Gran Doma's plans, but the latter knew Org can't do anything since he's not in command. Obsession was a powerful key to one's personality, and Org has nothing to be obsessed about, but the chairman was another story. He wants Nic gone. He wants order and trust back. And if it was by fear and elimination, then this was the way it's gotta be.

* * *

Nic and Greninja were walking step by step like foot soldiers, only more relaxed and without any armory involved. They were quieter than ghosts even, but so was Jellal, but no one could blame them for obvious reasons. After several miles of trekking, neither party could even think of what may be transpiring in their heads. If Nic was honest with himself, he and Jellal were never on the best of terms, especially since they both have a place in Erza's heart; Nic more so than Jellal. Especially after the incident revolving around Mermaid Heel back there, and Jellal realizing what Nic is afraid of at this point, the tension in between was so thick that you can slice it with a Cut. If your girlfriend was in love with you, but you have no choice but to team up with her childhood friend, it'd make things awkward for perhaps a number of people. In this case, how Erza has moved on and Jellal remaining a mystery was really putting Nic in turmoil. He couldn't tell if it was okay or not, but there was no way Jellal was taking her away without a fight. But even so, Jellal stated that Erza moved on, but what did he say about himself. Did he move on and found his own love? No one could tell; even Nic – who was great with reading people – had no idea.

Still, through their perseverance, they still had other things to keep themselves occupied.

"Nic." Jellal questioned. "I understand that this may seem a bit off given the timing, but I do wonder what kinds of Pokémon there are."

Nic looked down at the ground, finding the digression to be a relief. He grinned at that question. "Endless. There's a wide number of Pokémon thriving in my world, and all of them have different types, abilities, and their own special characteristics. There are Pokémon that look like rocks, those who look like the sun and moon, those who look very much like dragons. There's those bound and swimming in the seas, and those who beside humans with satisfaction." He turned back towards Jellal. "That's just the tip of the iceberg, but for someone like you, you can understand."

Jellal looked ahead. "…I see. And yet despite how unique these creatures are and how they can pacify with humans at their command, there's a mutual relationship between a Trainer and Pokémon."

Nic turned towards Greninja with a smile. "Greninja and I are an example."

Greninja nodded in agreement.

Jellal showed some sign of satisfaction before looking seriously ahead. "But the Council most certainly opposes this change. They may as well consider Pokémon weapons given the circumstances that lead to this point."

Nic looked solemnly ahead. "I'm afraid that may be the case. They wanted my cooperation and to study my power, no doubt just so they can experiment and make it into a weapon for their own gain and to protect people than allow guilds or myself to handle the job."

They all stopped advancing when they saw something advancing on the hillside up ahead. They could see a large number of what appeared to be Rune Knights, and by the way they all had weapons and shields, no question that it was a unit. They had walked right into enemy territory. However, rather than looking shocked, the group showed calm as they knew the road they were taking would have something blocking their way other than internal struggles.

"Can we slow them down?" Jellal asked.

Nic glowed and became his Earth Form, still maintaining a placid state. "Leave that part in my hands." He balled his fists and began to raise his arms. "Everybody stand back! **Spikes!** " Nic swiped his arms skyward and out, firing a shower of metallic red spikes that spread across the area ahead. The enemy soldiers looked up to the sky to see the showering red spikes falling down in front of them, in which they sank into the ground in red ripples. The soldiers all kept advancing despite what they saw, and as a wave of soldiers went ahead, they closed in on the Spikes.

"What was that?" Jellal asked.

"Forget about it. It won't harm us." Nic warned. "By my estimates, it looks to be about a hundred heading our way." He pulled out a Poke Ball. "We need as much help to reduce our exerted strength. We need to save it for the Council and any Wizard saint we come across."

Jellal and Greninja nodded in understanding.

Nic tossed the Poke Ball into the air. "Go, Arbok!" The Poke Ball went up into the sky and popped open, and out came Arbok, who was looking forward at the incoming soldiers in a partly coiled up position.

At the same time he hissed out, Nic glowed, shifting from his Earth Form to his Iron Form.

"Nic-ssssssama, what issss it that you desssire me to do?" Arbok asked as to how me may dutifully serve his Trainer.

Nic kept his focus on the oncoming enemies. "Dispatch as many as you can. We need to get through no matter how easy or hard this'll be." He ordered.

"Assss you wish." Arbok hissed. He slowly retracted his body back and bared his fangs. A second passed and he went lunging ahead after the incoming soldiers. While Arbok was followed by Nic, Greninja, and Jellal into the fray, the soldiers continued advancing, but at the cost of Spikes. They all walked right into the landmine, small explosions erupting at their feet as they entered the battlefield. The soldiers all screamed out in pain as they felt soreness and their feet ached from the small spiky ruptures.

Jellal's eyes widened. _'That's what Nic meant.'_

"Let's go!" Nic yelled. Now in his Iron Form, his hand was brought back and glowed into a metallic coating. He lunged ahead at incoming soldiers still reeling from the trap Nic set and slashed at them. " **Metal Claw!** " He slashed with his metallic claws, knocking away three at once. The incoming soldiers all immediately lost momentum as Nic turned towards them, paralyzing them with shock and fright.

"Go down you damned foolssss!" Arbok's fangs bared as they glowed light blue. The fangs solidified into ice and the ice lengthened out, and four light blue, icy energy fangs formed in front of his mouth. " **Ice Fang!** " The Cobra Pokémon went speeding in with a fast lunge. He passed a few soldiers, and in a flash their sides were covered in ice. Immediately after the ice shattered did they fall to the ground.

Jellal was glowing in a golden light. " **Meteor!** " He became a comet, in which he flew through the atmosphere, knocking down a number of soldiers as he curved. He raced along the battlefield and continued advancing.

Greninja flipped overhead and pointed his mouth downwards. " **Scald!** " He fired a torrent of boiling hot water from his mouth like an upside-down geyser, making a splash of the attack bellow outwards, knocking down soldiers that were within range.

Nic waved his arms forward, firing his Magnet Bomb attack at the four soldiers consequently in front of him, exploding in silver colors. He turned towards Arbok nearby, who swatted three soldiers at once with his tail and they went shooting like bullets into many others, lowering the numbers even further. "Keep going! We're not stopping now!"

They all thus continued with the fighting, with the soldiers all at the mercy of Nic's group as they had the advantage.

* * *

"GAH!" Meredy fell onto her back as the side of her shoulder was grazed by a beaming projectile. The attack trailed back to see Peter frowning and looking at the group with calm. Meredy fell with a thud, and Juvia slid in front to cover for her.

"Don't worry, he won't get to me since my body is made of water!" Juvia informed. She reached her arms out, and Peter's only move was him adjusting his lenses. They changed to green as water suddenly trapped him. " **Water Lock!** " Juvia called out, her attack successfully trapping him in a bubble of water.

Sliggoo looked appeased. "He's imprisoned!"

Meredy sat back up, smiling. "He shouldn't be moving now. We got him!"

Vanessa didn't show overconfidence, but her aura was still reading a heavy calm. If anything, they should be worried given how excited they were and yet how their opponent was just calm. She turned around towards her teammates, warning them. "I don't think he's finished!"

"Huh?!" Juvia and Meredy wondered.

Peter blinked while trapped inside the water vessel. The goggles blinked, finishing with the data given. The lenses turned red again, this time aiming a targeting system onto Juvia. The lock-on screen showed her, and then his fingers pointed towards Juvia.

' _These fools forgot. Perhaps I should remind them how my offense works.'_ He thought. " **Perception: Accuracy Zero!** "

A projectile beam was launched from his fingers, beaming its way straight through Juvia's spell. The attack was thin but extremely sharp. Juvia looked startled, but then she screamed in pain as the projectile beam blazed right through her waist, having blood drip.

"JUVIA!" Meredy screamed.

The Water Lock spell dropped to the ground, splashing water around. Peter landed on a knee, seemingly disregarding how he was drenched to the marrow. He stood back up and faced the worried group as Juvia groaned with the attack that went straight through her.

He gave no time for rest as he used both hands and pointed them at Meredy and Sliggoo. " **Double Perception: Target Stalker!** "

Two beams fired at them both. Meredy and Sliggoo saw the projectile beam head their way and leaped away, dodging the thin beams. The beams continued on, and as they were still falling to the ground the projectiles looped around and followed back towards them. "What?!" Meredy was left shocked, and Sliggoo went wide-eyed. They both screamed out as they were hit with the powerful projectiles, falling to the ground in sheer pain.

Sliggoo winced as she was struggling to stand back up. "An attack…that never misses?"

Vanessa covered for them as she stepped in front, her hands covered in her teal aura. She looked uneasy, but determined to stop him.

Peter glared at Vanessa. "According to my calculations, the chances of you winning this battle are only 33.6%. That means about 1/3. It's bigger than you'd think, but that's including Warrod; and seeing as how he doesn't know offensive spells, he can be easily overwhelmed. If you fire an attack, I can easily find its weak point and bisect it. Do you have much to say? Young Pularis sibling?"

Vanessa stared at her opponent, wondering just how she was to beat him. Their own power was only gonna get overwhelmed, and on top of which their defenses would only be shattered like glass, like Vanessa and Juvia for example. Their odds were indeed low, but in a battle, she had to take any sign of an opening, and turn her opponent's power against them.

"Wizard Saints Bolton and Wizard Saint Stella should have incapacitated approximately 11.7% of all of your enemy forces by now; and if I'm not mistaken Cruzer should be dealing with that same number all by himself. It's only a matter of time before half of your numbers are overwhelmed and captured by us." He pointed his fingers at Vanessa and glared coldly. "And among that half, you shall join them. It's all a matter of calculation given my superior intellect." The orb in his fingertips got bigger and brighter. " **Multiple Projectile: Orochi!** "

He fired several beams from one hand towards Vanessa. They were all long beams, with red eyes for every beam. The beams' mouths opened up and they wiggled through the air towards her.

Suddenly the ground beneath Vanessa shook, and thick green vines all sprouted and became what appeared to be a wall. The large wall bound Vanessa, shielding her as the five wiggly beams finally struck. They blazed through the wall, making five small holes, but on the other side Vanessa was seen ducking, evading the beams.

Peter grunted and turned towards Warrod. Who was casually smiling like nothing happened. "Warrod, you traitor." He growled. "You turned your back on those who gave you your title?"

"You and I both know that it's only a title. There are plenty of stronger mages out there other than myself, Peter." Warrod argued. "But if anyone's turned their backs to whom, it's the Magic Council against better judgment."

Peter's eyes narrowed. "Then you leave me no choice." He pointed both fingers at Warrod. "The Council will remain standing, with Star Order backing them up as needed! Master Jango has never failed, and neither shall I!"

He fired his projectile bullets at Warrod, a lock-on indicated as the bullet-like projectiles went narrowing for his chest. But when they closed in, a dome of aura appeared, intercepting the attack and making it bounce towards the ground, saving Warrod from a swift shot. Vanessa showed some labored breathing, but was otherwise fine from the close call she committed.

"Vanessa Pularis. Now you're both just annoying." Peter huffed. He pointed his fingers at his opponents and the red lenses had begun locking onto both Vanessa and Warrod at the same time. " **Double Perception: 120 Caliber!** " He held his ground as a loud bang erupted from his fingers. Two thin but deadly beams shot through the air much like a missile or arrow would, cutting right through the airspace. _'120 also means the accuracy, in which they have but no prayer dodging. Their best shot is using a metal grid for defense. They can't dodge this.'_

The two beams traveled fast to the point of almost being invisible. Vanessa's eyes closed and her body gave off a strong teal aura from all over. Her body was giving off a strong flow, in which her hair shifted. Her eyes then opened up, and her palms were stretched forward. A sphere of aura converged, very concentrated in thick aura.

" **Trace Shot!** "

She fired the sphere towards her opponent's attack, her aura attack shooting fast like a 90mph baseball. The attack was successful in meeting Peter's single projectile, creating a shockwave and a teal light that reverberated all around. The projectile aimed for Warrod was also caught in the shockwave, and just as it was about to hit him in the head, the winds and shockwaves altered its course, and adjusted it just a few inches towards his left, sparing him. Meanwhile Sliggoo, Juvia, and Meredy looked shocked at Vanessa's counter, but in turn saw how labored her breathing was.

Peter looked equally as startled. "This is a false hope you're giving yourselves." He scolded. "My data cannot be overwritten by hope alone!"

Juvia made it to her feet all by herself, and Meredy stood close by as the girls all closed in on one another, as did Warrod. They all showed perseverance despite the comments made by Peter.

"Your data is wrong. It won't determine the match." Juvia said. "You can try and deny it, but we have our own strength and secret weapons besides Nic and Pokémon."

"These young ones have a point." Warrod chuckled quietly. "Nah, they don't." Of course this made them go wide-eyed. "Just kidding again!" Warrod laughed, much to the fours' dismay and slight groans.

Sliggoo looked confidently ahead. "I trust my human Trainer, and she trusts me. If you all can't trust Pokémon, then so be it, but that won't mean I won't be there for when Vanessa needs me!"

Peter's eyes showed anger and he locked onto all five. "You all disgust me! You dare defy my calculations?! That's defying Star Order! Learn your place!" He pointed his fingers ahead. " **Multiple Projectile: Keen Quintuple!** "

Meredy got in front of everybody. "Now! **Sensory Link!** " She extended her arm forward, and pink static enveloped Peter and Meredy alike. Both had pink bracelets that glowed with a small pink aura enveloping it. She stood open, while her friends took action as four other projectiles went their way.

Vanessa put her hands together to make a beam of teal. " **Emanation Beam!** Sliggoo, **Dragon Breath!** " She fired a teal beam, as to where Sliggoo gurgled and a round of loops enveloped her and blue surged in her mouth. She fired a blue beam at the incoming projectile heading her way.

Juvia and Warrod put up their own means of defense, making rising water and thick tree bark erupt from the ground. The double defense blocked both as the projectiles went after them. Vanessa and Sliggoo went on defense in their own way and blocked through a successful interception, making two small explosions erupt in between them and Peter. Meredy, however, literally took a bullet. She got hit in the right arm, causing her to wince in intense pain. She grunted and the pain surged in her arm. Her Sensory Link transcended over to Peter, who suddenly went wide-eyed and his arm felt an intense pain flaring. He grunted harshly and he gripped his arm.

"You…" He growled.

Meredy winced as her bracelet vanished, stopping the Sensory Link. "Go!"

Juvia swiped her arm, sending a blast of water at Peter. Vanessa followed it up with an assist, sending a blast of aura ahead. The two attacks met their target, and Peter was engulfed in an aquatic and teal explosion that engulfed a large area in front of him.

Peter slid back from the rupture, his composure shaken. "This…this can't be." His voice was broken, and his knees were shaking. "My calculations have never foretold of me sustaining damage. Not once. But how…how…?"

Meredy clutched her arm and looked at Peter with anger. "That's because we told you calculations only go so far."

Vanessa narrowed her eyes. "My brother is well adept to improvising battle plans on the spot, as can be other Trainers given the experience. We adapt to battle situations and take control of the battle with the right moves and with the skill and will be put into our efforts."

"SILENCE! ALL OF YOU!" Peter yelled, his eyesight looking frantic and hysterical. "You criminals disgust me! Star Order sentence you to death! You never question and defy the Telescope of Order! I see all! This will stop you in your tracks!" Peter extended his palms out, where his fingers were glowing with a red color, signaling high pressure.

"He's lost it." Vanessa stated.

Warrod put his hands together. "Everyone put up your defenses. I have a feeling this won't be pretty."

Juvia readied as she extended her arms ahead. "Glad to know we're not fooling around." She summoned a thick wall of water, which gouged up with heavy pressure.

" **Aura Guard!** " Vanessa waved her arms, creating a wall of teal aura for extra defense. Warrod clasped his hands together, and in front of the water and aura walls, a large, thick plant sprouted. Similar to before, it was a rose with the petals thick. They spread out, making a petal shield. A triple defense wall against what was to come.

Peter's eyes widened. "Now! My calculations say that those walls will be penetrated and that you will be incapacitated, criminals! **Multiple Perception: Depth Machine Fire!** "

Red projectiles shot rapidly like machine gun bullets. They went off in a rapid fire succession, viciously poking holes onto the flower shield Warrod made like rock against glass windows. The bullet firing even sounded like actual gunshots, going off maybe fifteen times a second. In less than ten seconds, the flower shield had a number of holes.

On the other side of the barriers, all the girls and Wizard Saint were looking uneasy. The bullet firing kept on flourishing, and Sliggoo turned towards Vanessa. Vanessa looked down at her Dragon-type, seeing the resolution on her face. She knew what Sliggoo was after; though risky, it was a sizeable gamble.

"Sliggoo…" Vanessa was uncertain, especially with Sliggoo's condition.

Sliggoo looked up at Vanessa with her gaze affirmative. "I can do this."

There was a brief pause between Trainer and Pokémon. After Vanessa's barrier was finally broken into, the water shield was pelted. With no time to waste, Vanessa noted. "Okay. Let's knock him out on one shot."

The water barrier was broken through, and the bullets went racing after the five.

With Sliggoo in front, Vanessa gave the command. "Sliggoo, use **Bide!** "

Sliggoo thus held her ground as the bullets finally met her. She acted as the shield as the numerous bullets pelted and bombarded her frantically. She was a punching bag that was against a machine gun. Sliggoo felt her side sustain continuous pain, and by no means was it a fun experience. It was immense torture, but it was going to be worth it in the end if it meant defeating the right-hand man of Star Order. The water, aura, and petal barriers were all reduced to nothing, finally clearing up and revealing Peter on the other side.

Peter's eyes widened in horror as he was seeing his own attack get defended by a snail. It was repulsive to his own vision. "How can that thing be standing?! This is my strongest attack! I've taken down fifty Dark Guild members with this move! WHAT DOES POKÉMON HAVE THAT MAGIC DOES NOT?!"

Sliggoo kept taking the attack, and still she persevered, but she wasn't holding up much too long. She was taking heavy loads of damage with every projectile, and when her eyes opened dup and her body gave off a red outline, it was time.

"Now!" Vanessa shouted.

Warrod clasped his hands together. The ground beneath violently quaked Peter, and a giant tree had begun sprouting like crazy. The tree kept sprouting, and Peter was bound within the growing branches. He struggled as his goggles were compiling data quickly, but the blue lenses that had the data collecting had too many MALFUNCTION bubbles inside. He struggled even more until finally the branches around him finally spread out, thickening and leaving him to fall. Peter fell down onto a branch directly beneath, catching his own feet.

He looked back to the group, but saw flying energy blades headed straight for him. He was caught staggering in his own miscalculation that his goggles and magic alike could not have foreseen, and that left him to get pinned by the sleeves by Meredy's magic. The blades were dug deep into the bark of the grown tree, leaving Peter unable to act.

"Let go of me, you filthy traitors of justice!" Peter reprimanded. "You've disgraced magic by siding with Pokémon!"

Vanessa stared up at Peter. "Your calculations mean nothing, just as we said!" She reprimanded back. "Actions speak louder than any words in your little data. This is a word to the Council. Pokémon trust us, but if you can't ever trust them, then by all means consider yourselves scum!"

She extended her arm out, just as Sliggoo's injured body's red outline thickened further, "Sliggoo, now~!"

Sliggoo didn't hold it in any longer. She opened her mouth, firing a gigantic beam of white energy that shoved her back several feet. The shock from the attack's gigantic range made the capes of Meredy and Warrod fly like crazy. Dust and rock went spreading everywhere as a monstrous white beam went skywards and quaked the land and air alike. Peter screamed violently as his eyes became white without pupils. He was engulfed within the attack, as was the tree. The structure was enveloped in a white pillar, and shockwaves pushed Vanessa and everybody else back a couple of feet as they were trying to cover up.

They heard a loud crash sound and smoke filled the air. Sliggoo's body up and down was covered in bruises and her breathing reflected her pain. She had taken some real damage, and she looked like she was gonna fall over. But she stood up tall and proud, while the top half of the tree was nothing more than obliterated. Bark, branches, and leaves were sprawled all over the base of the tree. Atop of some branches, Peter's mouth was gaping and was on his back. His attire was torn apart from Bide, and his glasses and goggles were both cracked; one side completely shattered and broken.

Vanessa smiled as she knelt down to Sliggoo. "Sliggoo, that was amazing." She praised. "We won."

"Y-yay~…" Sliggoo looked dizzy, and no one could blame her. She smiled nonetheless and seemed proud.

Juvia and Meredy were both looking very happy at Sliggoo. They looked towards the other and immediately hugged out of delight. They cheered as they defeated the right-hand man of Star Order's Guild Master.

While Vanessa tended and praised her Pokémon, and while the others were cheering, Warrod looked at Peter's fallen figure and cascaded up towards the broken tree. He just smiled and chuckled. _'These young ones, they're so full of hope and adventure. They keep growing and gaining experience. I'm sure that they will indeed seek the answers that the Council lacks.'_ With his magic, he extended his arm out forwards, and the top half broken down by Bide began to repair. The bark began sprouting, turning into a sprout atop which became another growing tree. The tree continued sprouting, looking as though it was repaired. The leaves and the branches were all healthy, and blossoms sprouted on the tree. _'Mavis, if only you can see how wonderful things are turning out with this salvaged land. Perhaps if I live even longer, I'll be able to see the acceptance of Pokémon thrive amongst us as well.'_ He turned back towards Vanessa and Sliggoo, who were both smiling. Vanessa was giving Sliggoo a nice petting on the head, much to the latter's delight and slight blush. _'These creatures are so unique.'_

* * *

Arbok hissed and swatted his tail. His offensive attack struck the side of a soldier, as well as shattered his rib cage. He slammed off to the side, tumbling towards the ground. Among him were about ninety-nine other soldiers, who were beaten in hand to hand combat by Nic, torn or scalded by Greninja, or either knocked out of a whim by Jellal. They were all defeated, and Arbok hissed snobbishly at a defeated Rune Knight. "You got anything to sssay?" He snobbishly asked. He got no answer. "And sssstay down!"

Jellal turned towards Nic. "That was quite faster than what was anticipated."

Nic didn't at all look nearly as shocked Jellal was. He looked pleased as he looked at Arbok and Greninja. "I'm actually glad we kept a good pace." He admitted.

Arbok hissed again as he looked forward. His body was looking ahead, as if detecting something. Nic dared not question Arbok's sensitive sensory.

Nic's eyes narrowed. "Reinforcements."

"Hm! Child'sssss play!" Arbok scoffed again.

Nic glowed, shifting into his Sky Form. With his wings spreading out, he turned towards Jellal. "Jump as high as you can. We're ending this in one blow."

Jellal didn't question Nic nor his judgment. He nodded in confirmation and he readied himself for what may transpire. He glowed, using Meteor and shooting like a rocket into the sky. Following close behind, Greninja sprang out, using his own Bounce to gain massive altitude in just very little time given. Nic flapped his wings, soaring into the sky with equal speed.

As the reinforcements drew near, the near one-hundred and fifty soldiers charging were facing a serpentine, of whom they had not realized could rattle the earth with just one swing of his tail, literally.

"Arbok, **Earthquake!** " Nic yelled from above.

Arbok opened his mouth as his tongue wiggled. "Asssss you wish!" He raised his tail as the proximity between soldier and Pokémon drew near. "You all bore me!" He slammed his tail violently into the ground. The tail slam shattered rock beneath, in which a large crater was made where Arbok held his ground. All across the battlefield, the shockwaves shattered the ground, throwing rock and dust all around. The entire earth rattled beneath and the outgoing shockwaves swallowed up the numerous soldiers. They all screamed as they went flying while facing an ever spreading rippling shockwave resonating from Arbok.

The turbulence soon dialed down, and from Nic, Jellal, and Greninja's point of view, the damage to the terrain basically flipped it upside down sort of speak. It stretched for miles on end it seemed, and all across the battlefield and then some were soldiers and rocks that were tossed into the air harshly by Earthquake. Arbok stood in the dead center of a sizable crater, hissing in retort over his fallen enemies. After the dust settled, everybody fell back to earth with no problem. They all stood with Arbok in the crater, looking out at the land being cracked about.

"I'm surprised." Jellal admitted.

"I'm sure you are, given that you've probably only seen Earthquake a limited time." Nic turned towards Arbok and smiled. "Arbok, thank you."

Arbok turned back towards Nic. "Thank you, Nic-sssama."

Nic pulled out his Poke Ball. "Rest up for now. Return."

"Yessss, Nic-sssama." Arbok obediently complied and returned back towards his Poke Ball. With the Poison-type recalled, Nic and the others looked around at the miles of devastation. Clearly the odds of any reinforcements arriving is very low, not while Earthquake went so far.

"This should give up clearance for some time, keeping us from Rune Knights." Nic said. "From when I did my geography of Fiore, and by how I used my Earth Form awhile back, there should be a river running at the halfway point between us and the Council's HQ."

Jellal nodded. "Amaranth River." He confirmed. "We should proceed immediately."

Nic nodded, as did Greninja. Just like that, the group thus began treading their course through the leveled terrain, passing by defeated Rune Knights without any means of hesitation. With their objective complete, they pressed on towards Amaranth River.

* * *

Laxus was pacing in his own footsteps, looking mild, but his crossed arms detailed him looking slightly on the bitter side. "How did I let Freed and the others get separated?" He cursed. "Can't believe this actually happened. Shouldn't have left our guards down."

"Tch, you make it sound more personal than it should be." Scoffed God Slayer he found himself teaming up with. Orga apparently was randomized with everybody else, in a coincidence's notice putting him and Laxus in the same place. "Don't stress too much, thundercloud, you'll get wrinkles."

Laxus gave Orga a glaring look. "Oh yeah?" He looked away and snickered. "Well I hate to break it to ya, but it was teamwork that got us the win. It we're separated, of course I'll get a little ticked. But I might as well show some sense in my teammates." He looked towards Orga. "Shouldn't you be as well."

Orga looked away, snickering as well. "Well I hate to say it, but having our asses handed to us by you fairies gave Sabertooth some backbone. Guess I shouldn't be pushing your buttons after you knocked Jura down." Orga held up a fist, which was starting to crackle in black static. "But then again. We never settled our little match now, have we?"

"Maybe later."

Orga looked ahead. "Just what I was thinking."

The Dragon Slayer and God Slayer continued walking several more meters ahead until they came across what appeared to be a ravaged land. The hills were sizzling, and chunks of the prairie all around had large craters, and bits of the grass were fried, as if lightning or fire sizzled it entirely. To their shock and horror, dozens upon dozens of bodies were lying down on the ground. Each person sprawled against the destroyed prairie had some form of injury, whether it'd be a massive bruise across the face, bleeding, static tingling their spines; the injuries varied, but every single person bared some form of pain.

Laxus looked surprise as he cast a wandering eye. "Okay, something went on here." He said with an uneasy tone.

Orga paced slowly around the sprawled body, trying to clear out the groaning that left him unnerved. "Looks like a one-sided thrashing. I think this wasn't too long ago."

"Gnnngh!"

Orga heard some groaning not too far away from him. He turned towards his left towards the sound and his eyes went wide. He gasped as he saw Rogue on his stomach, his body in a crater and cringing. Frosch was close by his side, on the verge of tears. "Rogue!" He hurried on over and knelt down towards the fallen Shadow Dragon Slayer. He observed how static was all over his body, and Rogue looked like he wasn't getting up anytime soon. "What the hell happened here? Hey, can you answer me? Rogue!"

Rogue's eyes winced and managed to open up. "Rogue!" Frosch cried. "Please tell me you're okay!" His tears fell down right beside Rogue's head as he was moving his head to look at Frosch and Orga alike.

"Frosch…Orga…" He weakly groaned, barely upholding any strength.

"Rogue, stay down." Frosch insisted.

"Rogue." Orga said.

Rogue's eyes trailed towards Orga, his vision getting blurry. "Both of you…need to get away…fast."

Orga clutched his fists. "What? Get away? We just got here to see you and everybody else like this, and now you're telling us to scram while you're lying in the dirt?"

"Hurry…he's coming…run…" Rogue's eyes shut, his consciousness fading from serious damage.

"Rogue! Rogue!" Frosch cried. Orga looked in shock over his ally's feeble state, but also how he was warning them. It was definitely a bad omen, but he had no idea on what that even meant. The same could be said for Laxus as he frowned. He looked away from the scene and cascaded glances over the fallen figures sprawled all about. He overlooked a lot of defeated figures, but they were all members of guilds that he didn't recognized. At least three-hundred had to be present, if not four-hundred. All around, nobody was in any condition to fight, not even get up.

Laxus looked around, his eyes finally catching onto something. He gasped, and his surprise turned into a fixated horror. "Guh! W-what in the hell…?"

Altogether, there they were, the Thunder God Tribe. They were all sprawled about, looking battered, beaten, and had more than a few broken bones. They were all fried and had static running over their bodies. They had but no means of indicating their health in the green.

Freed winced, his eyes barely fluttering open. "Lax…us."

"Freed!" Laxus ran on over, hurrying over and standing over Bickslow and Evergreen's unconscious figures. They weren't getting up at all, and freed looked like he was gonna keel over. His eyes were wide at how merciless their beating was. "What happened?" He asked seriously.

"Lax…us."

"Who did this to you guys?!"

Freed was starting to blank out. "Don't worry about us. Please…escape…he's ruthless. He won't let you…escape…" His voice trailed off as he fell back into unconsciousness, no different from Rogue. Laxus felt his world shake when the last of his team fell. His teeth gritted and his eyes were looking sharp. Lightning crackled all over his body, his magic starting to spark.

His fists clutched and he continued looking down at Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen. "Whoever did this, they will pay." He mercilessly growled. "Nobody goes and harms Fairy Tail and walks away free as a bird."

Orga looked around, seeing no signs of anybody else present. "They want us to get out of here, but to where? It's a prairie."

Laxus looked up with his arms crossed. He looked at the dark rainbow sky as waves of the energy flourished overhead. There was a blue speck glinting. "I think we're about to find out."

Closing in on them, the blue speck suddenly disappeared from the sky. Both Laxus and Orga blinked, and then a blue flash blinded them from such a close proximity.

Laxus blocked out the light with his forearms. "What is thi-GAH!" He and Orga felt hard fists smash right into their forearms that were used for defense. Both mages felt the bone-breaking attack rattle their arms as time slowed down, revealing Bolton with a deep stern expression and a growl. The two went wide-eyed as Bolton followed through with his double punch, making them slid back on their feet, leaving trails in the ground. Both reeled back their arms, grunting as they had some bruises on them.

Laxus and Orga's bodies crackled with their respective lightning as they ignored the pain, seeing the deeply stern face Bolton had. He stood tall, proud, and seemingly angry, His body was clad in what appeared to be a cloak of blue lightning. It crackles all over his body, flaring and disappearing in a matter of seconds. His Magic Power given off made Laxus and Orga both narrow their eyes.

"This guy means business." Laxus said.

"If I didn't know better, I say he's one of those Wizard Saints that we're supposed to kick." Orga said.

Bolton had his fists clutched and veins popped out of his forehead. "So, I've heard those few speak a warning. You should've just went while you had the chance." He raised his head, giving a towering might. "They stayed down, but after speaking after I said not too, they'll face greater punishment!"

Laxus's eyes showed heavy hostility. The lightning around him surged with greater voltage. "So you're the punk who took down Freed and the others, huh?"

Orga frowned. "This guy's already on my nerves with that stupid stern look on his face."

Bolton's fists clutched tighter as the blue flare around him increased in density. "You dare talk smack about your superiors?" He lowly roared. "I am Bolton, Wizard Saint, and labeled The Stern Bolt. I'll put you in your place, where Nic and his rebellious friends will join him!"

Laxus cracked his own knuckles. "Look pal, if anyone's gonna be put in their place, it's you. You think you can just get away with hurting my friends? Hate to break it to ya, but you're in for a shock."

* * *

As Ultear, Lyon, and Gray all walked along the beach, they were keeping a steady pace, moving rather fast. The dark rainbow sky still unnerved them, but they were faced with something that left them with greater loss of momentum.

Gray stopped in place, catching Ultear and Lyon off guard.

"What's the matter?" Lyon asked.

Gray turned out towards the sea. "Do you feel that?"

Ultear looked out as she was besides Gray. She didn't see it at first, but then she understood it when she eyed the waves coming in and out. Her eyes narrowed.

Lyon looked out as well, his hair shifting. "I can feel it. The sea is somehow channeled with Magic Power." He tensed up. "It looks like we have some uninvited fish flopping around." He smirked. "This may be entertaining."

Gray had his fists together, getting ready to make some ice. "No time for slacking. Here they come!"

The seawater near the shores began to swirl. All around channels of seawater streamed into a spiral. The spiraling swell became a small whirlpool. The whirlpool began to flourish, and streams of sweater had begun to shoot up from within. The various streams all made a helix in the water, going up and up until it reached a very high point. The three looked up just to see the helix of seawater beginning to arch downwards, onto them! In a rush, their eyes widened as the helix top went crashing down onto them. The helix cyclone barely got to them as they all spread out and ran for cover. The three mages all flew away as the seawater helix reached land, splashing water all around. Gray, Lyon, and Ultear barely managed to get their feet to slid beneath them and eventually upheld themselves. They all observed the whirlpool in the sea disappearing, becoming part of the sea again. They then drew their attention towards the small dome of water that spun in place.

Gray's eyes narrowed. "Looks like we got some company."

Ultear and Lyon both stared coldly at the dispersing water dome. It exploded, or rather popped like a bubble. Water sprinkled all around, illuminating the elegant woman inside. Lyon slightly blushed upon seeing the face and figure of the beautiful woman who revealed herself. She slowly and daintily waved her left arm across her face as her eyes opened up. She smirked at the three and gave no appeal to the shocked Lyon.

"We gather here today to remember the three who have caught my eye." She said.

Gray stepped back from her. "I'll bite. Just who is this chick?"

Ultear's gaze was heavy against the woman, seeing her translucent white veil and cape. "So we were on her turf. I had a suspicion that we were watched."

"You knew?!" Lyon exclaimed.

The woman in question waved her arm again. "Allow myself to be introduced. I am Stella, of the Ten Wizard Saints if you will."

Lyon's eyes narrowed. "So the rumors are true. So you're Stella, The Sea Bride."

As Stella raised her left arm, a wave of seawater arose from the sea behind her, flowing outwards like a sideways tidal wave. "Indeed I am, guilty as charged." She smirked. "I would love to get to know you, but I'm afraid this little engagement has to be quick. I have business to tend to regarding the downfall of Nic and all Pokémon. Nothing personal against the fine young man."

Ultear stepped forward, coldly smirking. She chuckled at Stella and showed glee. "Yes, he is a fine young man, but it's best you leave him be. Care to get to him – among other things – you have to go through us."

Gray turned towards Lyon. "What did she mean by 'among other things'?"

Lyon shook his head in disappointment. "You really don't have a clue, do you?"

Ultear and Stella smirked t the other, each respectively giving a dark and blue aura, glaring lasers at one another.

…

* * *

The place was dark, more accurately a little on the humid side. Within the confines of the Waas Forest, Sophie and Rufus found themselves back to back, their spines crawling with uncertainty. All around the trees and the shrubs shook, rattling their senses. The two cousins were standing right in the middle of a clearing, detecting something lurking.

"Rufus, can you detect them?" Sophie asked, her back still to Rufus and facing the forest far from the clearing they stood in.

Rufus's eyes glared left and right. I have no recollection of a foe who can perceive my very own perception. If I can say…it's all around us, lurking with swiftness."

"So if I recall, this is similar to them camouflaging their magic into the forest." She looked back at Rufus. "I've seen something like this before. They must use magic related to trees or wildlife."

A little chuckle echoed through the clearing, catching the cousin's attention. They both looked around, hearing it reverberate throughout the forest. They felt their spines tingle upon feeling a lot of magic swelling up somewhere. They both felt it, including right underneath their feet.

Sophie and Rufus's eyes cascaded downwards, towards the ground as spiky, and prickly, black roots shot up and towered over them. Both Memory-Make Mages kept themselves back to back as they were surrounded by black roots that towered overhead and waved about.

"This magic isn't similar to ones I've dealt with before." Rufus analyzed.

Stepping out from the bushes was a figure. Her hips swayed side to side with extra oomf. As she walked towards them, black roots sprouted from the ground on either side, sprouting consecutively within every meter she walked. The roots curved at the tips inwards, making a dainty path for her clear-cut way towards Sophie and Rufus. Her smirk was dark, and full of contempt. "Well now, let the justice begin."

* * *

 **I apologize for the wait. Normally my chapters take 3-4 days to write, but this one took 5 days to write (6 if I count the day-off I took to do some online job applications). I would do more at nighttime, and I can if I wanted to, but I'm busy catching up on One Piece and Super Train my freshly caught Pokémon in Pokémon Y. I've actually watched almost 230 episodes of One Piece in the past three weeks. Also, there's** _ **One's Road to Remembrance**_ **that I work on part-time at night, but I'm still waiting for more reviews before I can get another chapter up, so for now at least, my efforts for** _ **A Contender's Bonds**_ **are starting to strain a little. If I'm lucky, maybe another update will occur in another 4-5 days.**

 **While my original intention was not to have Arbok involved, I reevaluated and deemed him necessary to get some attention. I planned for him to enter earlier in the Council War Arc, but I omitted that for Kecleon. Besides, Arbok needed to appear at least once in this arc, so I thought this was a good point; plus, we all love him! Who doesn't love Nic's loyal and mild Arbok who is snobbish towards everybody else, right?**

 **At any rate, glad I was able to provide an entertaining chapter! Until the next one!**


	12. Thunderbolt, Brine, & Forest's Curse

Nic, Greninja, and Jellal all kept their course for the Amaranth River, as Jellal described, a river not only connected to the sea, but also a valid waterway that must be crossed, otherwise it'd take nearly two days to go around. They couldn't afford any long roads that Nic would normally take in training or in certain paths like he did in Kalos, rather any means of a shortcut was to get them to the Council HQ and stop Phantasm.

"We should almost be there." Jellal said.

"Once there, we need to find a way to cross." Nic added. "And on top of which, if its freshwater, we need it."

Jellal nodded in agreement.

Greninja turned towards Nic. "I'm positive the others can hold their own ground, but it still troubles me some that we're facing Wizard Saints."

Nic glanced over and gave a frown. "I know what you mean. This is no time to get overconfident. The only correlation I can make with the Wizards Saints is by means of the Elite Four back in Kalos, and even then we were put through our rigorous paces."

"Elite Four?" Jellal asked.

"It's put simple. You know how there's Wizard Saints in this world? Well in my world, each valid region has the five strongest Trainers all given certified titles. There's the Elite Four, the four strongest Trainers that specialize in a single type of Pokémon, and then the top of them is none other than the Champion, the number one Pokémon Trainer. In Kalos, it was Diantha."

Jellal seemed piqued by the correlation of ranking. His eyes widened a little. "I wasn't aware that Wizard Saints and Pokémon Trainers had so much in common. Though I guess surprise can't cover the relation of mages and Pokémon." He admitted. "It makes me wonder just how gifted this 'Elite Four' and 'Champion' are?"

Nic looked away, not showing any signs of guilt nor care in the world. "That's another story entirely."

* * *

The three mages were in a heated deadlock; a two-on-one confrontation against a Wizard Saint whose appearance matched his grouchy demeanor. Lightning crackled from all three, a mixture of yellow, black, and blue. The electricity discharged and crackled so much that it ran not only through the air but also within the cracks of the earth beneath. Any insects would've been barbequed.

"The Stern Bolt as they say?" Laxus questioned. "Can't say your name's gotten around in my ears."

"I forbid you from passing me." Bolton boomed in a harsh, demanding tone.

Laxus raised a brow. "Oh yeah? And who are you? My deadbeat Dad?"

Bolton's gaze hardened. "You're being insolent! Do you not understand the situation you are in? I'm ordering you on behalf of a Wizard Saint and a fellow Lightning Magic user, stand down." He ordered. The static around his body began to surge, crackling with intensity to spare. "Look for yourselves at what I've done to your friends. This is all because they chose to stand and fight to protect Nic Pularis and his Pokémon." He swiped his arm. "They were fools!"

Orga scoffed. "Sounds to me like they knew what they were doing."

Bolton raised a brow. "Hm?"

"The big guy's right. We all knew what was happening since he saved our asses after all, so the least we can do is repay the favor. However…" Behind Laxus, a bolt of lightning struck down, shaking the earth as he stood with a smirk. "Our justice is just getting started. You hurt my friends, so you might as well prepare for a world of pain, ya geezer."

Orga held up a fist crackling with black lightning, ready to double team with Laxus. Bolton's eyes narrowed, his veins popping out of his forehead. His fists clutched tightly, his demeanor thickening. The ground at his feet gave off a tremendous pressure, of which made a crater. "You both don't value your lives! Join your friends in Hell where Nic Pularis belongs!" He disappeared in a flash, and Laxus and Orga both found their necks being hammered. Both mages gawked as their windpipes were cut off by a heavy force. Bolton's double lariat was compact with muscle, hard enough to shatter bone.

" **Bolting Fang!** "

He followed through with his lariat, throwing Laxus and Orga to the ground and sliding on their backs. Their grunting raged with their bodies blown away. They went rocketing until they met a piece of jagged earth sticking out, hitting the flat part. The recoil had them falling forward, both thudding on their stomachs.

Laxus winced as the air was coming back to him. "That was…fast…" He said through labored breathing.

Orga wiped the spit and dirt from his lip. "This guy's a Wizard Saint for a reason I suppose."

Bolton disappeared again, reappearing in a blue bolt before Orga or Laxus could finish blinking. "My Flash Bolt Magic makes me the fastest mage to ever exist. My magic discharges electricity into my nerves and my muscles, making them act 300 % capacity, faster than what the brain can process. You can't even blink without me having to break your face."

Laxus and Orga both stood back up, their feet getting underneath them. In another blue flash they felt fists fall upon the top of their heads. They both immediately tastes dirt when they slammed into the earth again by Bolton. Their minds went blank for a brief second before seeing rock and grass spread around.

Bolton retracted his two fists and scoffed. "So this is the Lightning God Slayer and the great Laxus of Fairy Tail? What foolish talk."

Laxus and Orga both twitched, their fingers started to ball into fists. Bolton didn't seem to notice, but he raised a foot as he saw lightning still crackling around their bodies. "Stay down!" He stomped down on Laxus first, his foot meeting something hard. But it wasn't a skull, but rather a hand. Bolton's eyes widened when his foot was grabbed hold of by a hand. "Gr!" He grunted angrily, but his foot wouldn't budge.

"You know what…" Laxus glared up at Bolton angrily, meeting his stubborn gaze. Orga was no different. "High strung guys like you…really piss me off!"

Bolton was met with a double uppercut by both Laxus and Orga at that instant. Black lightning and actual lightning stung his chin harshly as the sound of thunder rampaged in the vicinity. Bolton went flying backwards from the uppercut, landing on his feet and slid back in a cloud of dust. Laxus and Orga stood tall with their lightning crackling in their fists. Sparks surged all around their bodies, their magic flaring. Laxus cracked his neck off to the side, relieving the pain in his head. The dust cleared out and Bolton stood astonished at the uppercut he took. He glared in disbelief at Laxus and Orga alike.

"I don't believe this." He barked, "You're still standing?!"

"Come on, like those warmup shots would really knock me for a loop." Laxus said. "Jura was a better opponent than you. At least his blows kept me down longer than those few seconds."

Veins popped out of Bolton's head again, his anger and stubborn demeanor reaching a maximum point. He growling menacingly at Laxus and Orga alike. "You DARE compare me to that excuse of a Wizard Saint?!"

Orga smirked. "Damn straight. He took me out in a single blow, guess we know whose blows to consider puff shots, huh?"

All three mages were met in another deadlock, various colors of lightning crackling, roaring violently amongst the earth. Thunder raged in the area, the sound frightening off everybody close by. Bolton glared harshly as Laxus and Orga charged after him, readying their lightning.

* * *

"So this chick's one of those Ten Wizard Saints, huh?" Gray put his hands together, beginning to conjure up some of his magic for ice. "Let's see if she freezes over with some ice!" He clasped his hands together, making large cannons made of solid ice. " **Ice-Make: Ice Cannon!** " The bazooka-like structure was made over his shoulder, and locked onto Stella. Ice fired from the bazooka making a straight path for the Wizard Saint. However, Stella didn't seem to be moving. She only smirked as her hand was extended out.

"Ice?" She asked. "Simple, not complex. I'm not fond of simple-minded men, sorry." From her hand shot a blast of water. The stream went after the ice, meeting the attack in the middle.

Gray smirked as he continued blasting ice in a straight beam. "Guess you didn't know, water freezes over by ice." Again he was met with Stella's smirk. Gray was seen startled as her stream of water was beginning to make way through Gray's attack, drawing closer. Gray was met with utter shock, and before he knew it, he lost full momentum and was blasted away by the water stream, his bazooka melting off his shoulder as he fell onto his back.

Lyon slid in front, putting his hands together. "Let me take a shot at her! **Ice-Make: Eagle!** "

He fired a barrage of eagles made of ice at Stella, all flapping and closed in on her. Stella only snickered briefly before she snapped her fingers, materializing blobs of water that surrounded her like an asteroid field. The eagles all flew in, crashing into the small field of water. They blitzed on through, giving Lyon a smirk, but after appearing on the other side, the eagles all started to deteriorate, becoming vapor they could reach Stella.

Lyon's eyes widened. "She made my ice vaporize?!"

Ultear's eyes squinted. _'Gray and Lyon's attacks should be effective against Water Mages since they can freeze over, but at this point the ice was dissolved before reaching her. Both instances were when they touched the water. What could make it so that the ice would melt?'_ Ultear thought about it for a moment before she turned a glance to the sea. She gasped upon realization. _'Of course!'_

Gray was right beside Lyon, his arms and his back and gathering power. Both had a very cold chill gathering around them. The air got chilly and the two extended their arms forward.

"Then let's try this! Too much ice for ya?!" Gray shouted. " **Ice-Make: Lance!** "

" **Ice-Make: Snow Tiger!** "

Both mages fired lances made by ice and ice that formed into a mobile tiger. The two attacks went blazing across the beach towards Stella. Stella frowned as they closed in, not showing any signs of amusement anymore. Her vail that was behind her head and her cape shifted as she had both arms out beside her.

" **Torrent!** "

She extended both arms forward, unleashing a blast of water of grand volume. The erupting blast went zooming at the lances and tiger. Both attacks struck the massive volume heading their way, and despite the circumstances they too began to vaporize.

"What the heck?" Gray's eyes widened in disbelief.

Lyon and Gray both got swept by the torrent, both gurgling as they lost all breath. They flushed backwards and hit the ground again, thudding as the torrent dialed down. Stella looked at them without much vanity. She watched as they slowly got up, and her hands swirled with more water.

"I would love to be entertained more by you, but I must be breaking your hearts now. Now I'll eliminate you ill-compassionate men!" She scorned.

She sent spirals of water from her hands after Gray and Lyon. Both mages looked startled at the incoming attack but couldn't ponder how to block it since their ice vaporize by touch. They could only stare as the attack closed in. Before it could make contact, however, the whole spiral suddenly vaporized itself, becoming salt.

Gray and Lyon looked with hefty surprise. "What is that?" Gray asked.

The salt fell to the sandy ground. Lyon walked up, gently grazing his hand across the fine texture. "Sodium?"

"I knew it. This was how your ice stood no chance." Gray and Lyon both looked up at Ultear, who held an orb in hand. Apparently it now made sense as to how exactly the salt came to pass. There was nothing to explain about her time powers. She stared ahead at Stella, analyzing her. "There was salt in her attacks, but given a Water Mage, it's now clear that it's no ordinary water. It's Brine Magic."

Both of Ur's students looked at Stella with shock written all over their face as Ultear continued.

"You both know what brine is. It's saltwater basically, and you know what happens when salt meets ice."

Stella chuckled, her mood changing back to a clever delight. "I see someone's a valid observer."

Gray clutched his fists, his frustration starting to show. "Great, just what we needed. Things just got a lot harder."

"She's had us at a disadvantage right from the beginning. But even with Ultear's magic, we still have that brine to sustain." Lyon cursed.

Brine surged around Stella in a small whirlpool that went to her ankles. Her arms flowed up and down like waves as she glared at the three. "The sea is but vast, and many of ships and hopes have sunk into its depths. There are those who may have frozen up in the arctic waters, and those who have sunken, including their hopes, dreams, and their hearts." The vortex began accelerating, becoming rapid and brine began to swell outwards. "My heart was thus lost in those depths, a wave of emotions of which I will never feel again."

"What the heck is she talking about now?" Gray questioned.

Stella extended her arm out, her bridal cape and veil flaring as the brine all around her became a vast number of streams that swished and swayed all around like tendrils. "Those who you love, and those that you wish to see again, they will all sink into the abyss eventually. You all have met The Sea Bride, and I am engaged to the sea, and it thus answers me with its wrath onto its beloved!"

Ultear, Gray, and Lyon all readied themselves as their opponent's anger was rising again, and brine was towering above.

* * *

As many unconscious bodies were laid out all along the prairie, they were still shaken as the land roared with thunder. The raging bolts that zapped the ground endlessly did not seem to stop, as the whole sky above was nothing more than gathered thunderclouds from the discharge that Laxus, Orga, and Bolton gave off. Lightning crackled endlessly in the sky above, and within the skies they clashed. A bolt of lightning, another one that was black, and another that was blue clashed in the skies. Every second was like an explosion of fireworks, and when one bolt was deflected, it crashed into the ground.

Orga slammed into the ground with a thud. His shoulder took the full blunt of Bolton's punch. Appearing before Laxus was that man, who dealt a punch and was met with the same fate as Orga. The two slid along the ground leaving trails in the far depths of the prairie.

Bolton landed on the ground and glowered at the two as they were standing back up. He growled angrily and his eyebrows and moustache gave off static. "You both are too predictable!" He rushed at them again, viciously landing powerful blows to their guts. Laxus and Orga yelled out as they shot backwards, eventually they broke into a slide on their feet. Bolton watched them remain standing, his annoyance looking clear. "Do you fools insist on delaying the inevitable?"

Laxus' breathing was rather heavy, but otherwise he seemed okay. Despite the tattered clothing and that last blow knocking off his overcoat, he seemed well intact. Orga seemed to be keeping equally as well, a sure sign of his enhanced perseverance. Training after the Grand Magic Games was evident, it actually left Laxus a little impressed.

"Cut the crap, old man." Laxus said.

Bolton's eyes narrowed. "What did you just call me?"

"You heard him." Orga backed up. "You've been pushing our buttons a little too much, and you had to go and make fun of my Black Lightning. Ha! Big mistake!"

Bolton held up a clutched fist. Blue lightning surged and crackled in his fist. It began to shape into a spiked coating of blue lightning around the fist. He lunged ahead, going on the attack again. "Silence you fools!"

Laxus smirked. "You ready?"

Orga bared the same expression. "Like you know it."

Bolton closed in. " **Thunder Clobber!** " He punched at Laxus and Orga, but they both managed to jump and dodge as his punch diverted towards the ground, making a seismic rupture. Blue lightning and land showered all around. Bolton looked up as Laxus and Orga were both in the air above, and to his disbelief, they were using the debris field still flying about as stepping stones as they zigzagged to get higher.

Blue lightning flared from Bolton and his muscles were engulfed in static. He crouched and jumped up into the air, disappearing in a flash. He reappeared above the debris field without having to use the flying rock and dirt. He showed himself clad in his blue lightning and brought a leg back. "Hyyaaaa!"

Bolton's leg came around, but Laxus caught it with his hand to the ankle. He smirked, much to Bolton's shock. "What?!"

"Alright! Let him have it!" While falling back down to earth, Laxus grabbed hold with both hands and whirled Bolton around. Bolton struggled to break his leg away, even resorting to thrashing, but Laxus maintained a hold and threw Bolton towards Orga, who was falling while on a piece of rock. In his hands was a sphere of black lightning. There was an intense magical energy swelling and he readied to fire just as Bolton straightened out.

" **Lightning God's Charged Particle Cannon!** "

With all his might, Orga unleashed a blistering beam of black lightning with extremely high voltage. The attack was so intense that debris standing in its way was eradicated upon being swallowed in the voltage beam. Bolton's eyes widened and he saw was engulfed in darkness. The man's scream could be heard from within the roaring thunder the attack produced. The airspace roared and Laxus was blown away from the discharging shockwaves the attack produced. Laxus and Orga both fell to the ground, their feet planted and firm as the entire debris field above was no longer there. It was disintegrated, but oddly enough Bolton was still in one piece. The Stern Bolt fell, his teeth gritting against the other to stop the intense pain, but black lightning crackled all around his body. He mentally cursed as that attack left him limp long enough for Laxus to ready a spear on the ground made of completely lightning.

" **Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!** "

Laxus threw the spear of lightning with great violence. The attack went flying with such a velocity that Bolton was too stunned to block or get away from. He was again engulfed in an explosion of lightning, which crackled and discharged with vivid intensity through the air. His screamed weren't heard through the roar, even after the attack faded.

In the distance, Frosch could see lightning flashes and hear the land rumble. It scared him so much that he covered his ears. He looked startled and his tiny body quivered from fright and the sheer Magic Power that crackled through the air. It made his hair stand on end.

"Orga, please be okay." He quietly pleaded. He cringed again from a lightning strike in the distance, where the battle was at. When the discharge of lightning was seen in the distance, it was nothing short of blinding sparks. He looked back at Rogue, seeing his unconscious expression. "Rogue…"

Bolton crashed to the ground, thudding harshly. His body was covered in scrapes and a few bruises. His white coat was all but destroyed, leaving nothing of it to be considered a rag. He lied on the ground while Laxus and Orga stood in the distance, overlooking their fallen enemy.

"You think a million volts to the face shut him up for a while?" Orga asked.

Laxus' showed no signs of worry, but didn't look relieved either. "It better. That crappy old geezer was really annoying me. He's more stubborn and bull-headed than my own Grandpa."

A fist pounded the ground, making a small crater from the harsh punch. Blue lightning crackled as Bolton was getting up onto a knee. He seemed a little tired, but aside from that he only glared at the ground, as I he was dazed. Laxus and Orga looked at him with subtle surprise, seeing him back up onto his feet after those assaults. Their disbelief was matched with the same as Bolton as he glared up at them with eyes of confusion and subtle anger. It was really hard to tell if he actually was that way, but not seeing veins on his forehead or his power flaring had suspicions flaring instead. Suffice to say that he was still able-bodied and conscious.

"This…how can this be…?" He questioned. "How can I actually be parried by those below my ranking?" He actually sounded surprised if not anything else. "I am a Wizard Saint, that means I'm supposed to be the best, I deserve the rightful amount of respect; my beliefs are firm. I clearly said it before…Nic Pularis and his side will lose, no matter what." His eyes narrowed, fixated on Laxus and Orga. "You two, you're nothing but complete disgust to my eyes. You're nothing but weaklings."

Laxus and Orga both raised their brows at the harsh comment.

"You're no different from Nic Pularis, who has immense power, but more importantly you go against your superiors no matter what happens! A Wizard Saint demands respect, especially those of age! I have been training my entire life, taking on challenges with bitter discipline and rigorous foes, and you're both standing there and implying that by going against me and authority, that you think you're better than me?!" Blue lightning began to flare all around his body, crackling violently as he stood back up with vivid rage. "I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS! KNOW YOUR PLACE, YOU FOOLISH SCUM! DON'T YOU DARE DEFY YOUR SUPERIORS AND THEIR POWER!"

Laxus and Orga both felt the ground beneath them rumble, and actual blue lightning traced through the cracks. "This guy's really blowing his own top." Orga said.

"Yeah, got that right. He's not even making sense at all." Laxus answered.

"NIC PULARIS! YOU HAVE RUINED EVERYTHING!" Bolton yelled. "YOUR MOUTH SPILLED A REVOLUTION AGAINST SUPERIORS AND MYSELF! I'LL RIP YOU IN HALF, YOU MISERABLE INGRATE! NOBODY TELLS ME WHAT TO DO! I AM A WIZARD SAINT!" The blue lightning around his body materialized, cloaking him in some vivid, harsh lightning energy. " **Exodus: Release!** " The materialized blue lightning around his body crackled, the sound of which began to grate in Laxus and Orga's ears. His muscles began to expand, almost doubling. The veins all over his chest and body were heavily defined, and they looked almost purple. His anger kept rising and rising, up to where he was just spouting about absolute authority

"I think we knocked his screws loose." Orga said. "This guy's blowing like a volca-GAH!" Orga was met with a hard fist to his gut. The brutality of the attack was so gawking that Laxus was left startle when that happened in less than a second. He watched in horror and disbelief as shockwaves rippled through the air as Orga flew back. He zoomed back so rapidly that he looked like a projectile. He slammed into the ground so harshly a hundred meters away that the earth behind him picked up some, creating a small broken hill of rock and grass.

Laxus stared at Bolton as he looked over his shoulder towards him. "Is this guy insan-GAH!" Laxus was met with a severe pain through means of an uppercut. Bolton appeared out of the blue and the ground beneath shattered when he delivered such a gruesome uppercut clad in his electrical overcharge. The rippling shockwaves bellowed, and Laxus shot skyward, his world spinning as he flipped and fell onto his stomach harshly. He recoiled upwards, gagging some blood. Bolton suddenly appeared behind him. Laxus felt the back of his head get clutched by iron grip fingers. The lightning cloak on Bolton's body added a sizzling feeling. His head felt nothing short of intense pain.

Bolton pinned Laxus's head against the ground as if trying to break it. "You fools probably want to wonder why my lightning isn't being absorbed by the likes of you. My Flash Bolt Magic has been infused with a Nullification Lacrima on my body, fitting only those who wield lightning such as myself." He was referring to the decorative little orbs that were all around the Wizard Saint emblem on his enormous belt. They were all small, but they were indeed looking the part. "You can't resist my lightning now. In the blink of an eye…" He disappeared again, letting go of Laxus and reappearing in front of Orga. He brought a fist back and reeled forward, dealing an explosive punch again, sending Orga into the dirt mound he created, knocking off the top and falling behind, buried in dirt. "You all can't beat me!"

"Damnit." Laxus managed to make it to his knees, spitting out some blood. "This guy's reason is all lost."

Orga popped out of the dirt mound, groaning as he felt pain all over his body. His abdominal area suffered many of bruises and magic loss.

"I was told and observed that Nic Pularis can move at the speed of sound, faster than lightning. He can use these so-called 'Pokémon moves' such as this 'Thunderbolt' or 'Spark'. His power varies, and how is this fair to mages everywhere? That's why he must be eliminated! He's disgraced magic by being able to use it the way he pleases. Such unlimited power at his disposal is unjustified! He has no authority to have such power!" The land rumbled as Bolton was starting to shout up to the sky. "That's why he must either be eliminated or become a weapon! It's the Council's to decide!"

Both mages were coughing, both either having blurry vision, lightheadedness, or both. They were on the verge of collapsing, but their feet were still holding them up. They were both wobbly, but they had an agenda, and both ended up coughing at the same time before smirking.

Bolton looked at them both, his eyes showing anger. "What's so funny?" He demanded.

"Nothing, geezer." Laxus mumbled as he was hunching over, eagerly smirking. "You got a lot of anger in ya. That's bad for your health."

Orga chuckled. "Got that right. But it's funny how you think the damned Council knows better. You don't think we know better than authority? Screw paperwork and all your worth!"

Laxus straightened his body back up. "Listen to yourself. You talk big and you got muscle, but your brain is nothing more than a dud."

The veins on Bolton's head began to increase, showing his rage increasing.

"You honestly believe that by getting rid of someone's life who others treasure will bring everything back the way it should be? Well you're wrong. The world isn't going back in the direction it came from." He began to remember the battles he's seen regarding Nic and his Pokémon, more accurately the time he went up against his Garchomp, and when he saw Mega Charizard devastate Hades, among that, the destruction of the Dark Legendaries and Lysandre. "These Pokémon are weird, granted, but they may as well trust us if we give them open arms. You guys are rejecting them because your scared. You think that by giving into these guys that you'll lose trust, well you never had trust to begin with unless it's by fear."

Bolton's eyes dilated, growling out of frustration. "Maybe I should point this out to you before I kill you." His fists clutched tight, and the ground beneath him caved in again from his pressure. "You're nothing but damned fools yourselves. You have to do whatever it is you can to preserve the best weapons you got. You lose those, it's all over. My father sacrifices himself one day when I was fifteen, when the day my home was ransacked by a Dark Guild that conquered the entire eastern Fiore. They perished, but so did my father. That day a hard lesson came to me; history is made by sacrifices – no matter how innocent or sullied – must be a necessity for peace. Power is but a weapon that must be preserved for only those willing to use it for the right people, people who struggled to the top and fought for it, those who knows what danger is when they see it. Pokémon are that danger!"

Laxus clutched his fist. "Well Nic didn't go hurting innocent people now, and no way is he gonna be some weapon for greater good ya crappy old bastard." He said.

Bolton had it. His eyes widened and he disappeared from his spot in a blue bolt. He went flying so fast that the ground split, making a trail of shattered rock behind him. "Learn your place! Die for the greater good!" He closed the gap immediately and went for a punch for Laxus, but his punch encased in his lacrima-enhanced magic was stopped by an open palm.

Laxus didn't look at all deterred. "Is that so? Well maybe you should fall to the bottom than stay at the top. Then you'll know what we mean." He brought his fist around and let out a roar. He slugged Bolton across the face, making him stagger backwards.

Pain flared over Bolton's cheekbone and he got a foot back. His veins pulsed over his body again and reeled back his own fists. He roared out as well, slugging Laxus across the face and sending him sliding backwards on his feet.

"Now-AH!" Bolton screamed outwards as black lightning discharged all around his back. Sparks literally flew and the man screamed out as the black lightning penetrated through his veins. After the few seconds of massive voltage, Bolton hunched forward in pain.

Orga's hands were sizzling as black static crackled. "You know being a god Slayer has its perks. That little cloak of lightning makes for a fine defense; too bad it won't work on me."

Bolton crackled with blue lightning and he turned around, angrily zooming in towards his next target. Orga stood there as Bolton rushed in, again reeling a fist back that shaped the lightning cloak around it. Again the ground behind him almost ripped apart, instead leaving another shattered trail. " **Thunder Clobber!** " He yelled.

Orga kept his hands together and static continued to charge up. He pushed forward, unleashing a compressed beam of black lightning that resembled a dark version of Charge Beam. " **120mm Black Lightning Cannon!** "

The beaming projectile met Bolton's fist, both the cloaked fist and black beam connecting. Bolton charge don through, moving closer with every second. He grunted as he angrily pushed through with all his might. Orga's attack began to spread all over the place, sending another discharge everywhere. Bolton ran down the middle like an arrow, closing in.

Orga snickered. _'Come on Thunderbolt, I got him right I want him.'_

Behind the swift Bolton, a glint was seen. A stream of lightning swerved through the air above, becoming Laxus as he was overhead. Bolton didn't even get to look up before Laxus clasped his hands together and lightning boomed within. He raised them and brought them down onto his slowed opponent's neck.

" **Lightning Dragon's Jaw!** "

He struck Bolton's neck, giving a sickening thud to echo. Lightning discharged from the impact, and the whole prairie shook, giving a small enough magnitude for Frosch to feel some miles away. Bolton gawked as he met dirt in a large crater.

Laxus got up, jumping away and siding with Orga as the dust cleared.

Bolton shakily stirred back up. His veins over his body were no longer there, and instead of enraged eyes, they were red from fatigue and exhaustion. Of course that might be also from seeing red from the frustration of tides turning. _'They…they caught me off guard. That attack was just to slow me down, damnit!'_

Laxus was beginning to pant in exhaustion. "Looks like that magic and those lacrima of yours have some drawbacks, huh? You're starting to look a little there. Your mind starting to change on those Pularis siblings and Pokémon?" He smirked.

Bolton stomped. "Never!" He roared, making blue lightning crackle along his body. The land was starting to rumble again as the static and blue cloak on his body went directing itself over to his right arm. The lightning cloak and static morphed into a five-finger claw. "I'll never accept any possible threats! Not while I can still kill them with my bare hands! They don't belong in this world!" He went lunging ahead, blitzing with great speed.

Laxus reeled back a fist, as did Orga. Both of them were growling as their fists clutched tighter, and in Laxus' case lightning began to surge by means of monstrous load. It thundered so loud that the ground was actually shaking. Orga's fist clutched with black lightning compressing, shaping into something so dense that the ground underneath him began to crack, the mark looking like lightning bolts.

Bolton went forward and thrust. "Take this, and learn your place! **Beast Claw!** "

" **Dragon Slayer Secret Art – Roaring Thunder!** "

" **God Slayer Secret Art – Thor's Battle Scream!** "

Both Dragon and God Slayer duo punched forward, colliding with the claw. At that instant, a spiraling pillar of blue, black, and yellow discharged high into the sky, right into the thunderclouds overhead. Lightning discharged into the clouds, and below an explosion blinded everything, with bolts of lightning shooting everything within range. In the dead center of it all, Laxus and Orga were in a stalemate with Bolton, with was pushing with all his might. They both screamed with all their might, their point-blank attacks pushing Bolton back.

"N-NO! THIS CAN'T BE!" Bolton yellowed.

Laxus and Orga gave one more scream with every strain in their muscles. They overpowered Bolton's claw as the blue lightning dissipated. As Bolton was left open, both fired their ongoing point right into his huge belt, where the emblem and the lacrima were. Bolton let out an angry and agonizing scream that bellowed like raging thunder. His belt shattered into a million pieces; the lacrima shattered, and his emblem was nothing short of dented.

The explosion dissipated almost instantaneously, and Bolton shot backwards. He shot so hard and so fast that the ground again left a trail behind him. He soared backwards at high speeds until he finally het a small hill in the distance. He crashed into the hill with full blunt, making a huge crater in its side. Dust and rock blew around until it finally cleared, revealing Bolton still wedged into the hill. His eyes were devoid of pupils and his mouth hung open, seeping blood. In place of his belt was a cindered section of his body. It was completely fried.

Laxus and Orga panted, but looked at one another with triumphant smirks.

"Say now, that wasn't so bad." Laxus said.

Orga snickered. "For a Wizard Saint, we just stole his thunder."

Laxus rolled his eyes. "Alright if you're gonna make a song out of it, save it for the victory party, will ya?"

Somewhere else in Fiore, another border flashed blue. The entire wall went downwards, slowly disintegrating until nothing was left of it. Those who were trapped on the other side of the monstrous wall reunited with others, whether it'd be family or guild mates. Wonders still roamed, but smiles rejoiced.

Having a feeling all went well, the Thunder God Tribe smiled, as did Rogue and Frosch, who seemed delighted.

* * *

Gray put his hands together, reaching out towards Stella. " **Ice-Make: Saucer!** " From his ice a giant saucer was made. It spiraled like a saw of an Air Slash and went blazing through the air horizontally. The attack only made it so far before Stella snapped her fingers, making a geyser spout upwards. Gray's attack went right through the geyser without much of a fuss, but as it went onwards, the brine covered it, and the saucer quickly melted before it could touch her.

"Damn. This is getting really annoying." Gray scolded.

Lyon put his hands together, getting ready to mold some ice of his own. "Then I say we overload her with ice!" He pressed his hands to the ground, unleashing a spell of his own. "Alright you sea creature, try and stop this!"

Beneath Stella, ice began to form. " **Ice-Make: Ice Geyser!** " Beneath her, towering ice spikes arose, trapping Stella at the pinnacle as the ice continued to climb upwards until a large tower of spikes was evident. Lyon smirked. "Gray, back me up on this."

"Gotcha!" Gray thrusted his hands to the ground, starting the freeze up the ground. " **Ice-Make: Freeze!** " He made the ground ahead get trapped underneath ice, of which traveled up towards the ice geyser and covered that in a thick coating of pure ice.

Both ray and Lyon backed away, looking at their latest work accomplished. They seemed to be smiling as nothing happened, signaling victory. However, water began seeping out of one of the ice spikes, slowly crawling down, and the sickening part was that the ice was beginning to dissolve. Both Gray and Lyon went wide-eyed as more brine began to seep through the ice spikes and even the frozen layer. Their amazement soon followed with the whole structure beginning to crack apart due to instability. The whole tower of ice completely fell apart as some parts dissolved away while others cracked up. The whole thing went toppling down, and as it did, Stella's tip shattered, revealing her. Just was her top part hit the ground, she landed on her feet and nonchalantly walked away from the dissolving ice.

"Sorry boys, those little tricks don't work on me. I'm brine, remember? The salt in me can absorb water and ice." She smiled.

Gray clutched his fists. "Damn. Is this what they mean when Ice-types don't have much effect on Water-types? Because that logic sucks."

Ultear extended her arms forward. "Then let's try this!" A numerous amount of orbs suddenly reproduced over her head, catching Stella's attention. " **Flash Forward!** " The Time Mage extended her arm out, redirecting all of the copies of orbs at Stella. They flew swiftly on and the hundreds of orbs closed in with little time for the Brine mage to counter.

Still, that didn't mean she couldn't. She leered at Ultear and had an open palm facing up. " **Serpent's Wrath!** " She arched her palm upwards, and a mighty jet of saltwater expelled from the ocean right beside her. Everyone glanced on over as a giant pillar of brine shot into the air and began to swerve downwards. The tip of the swerving pillar had glowing yellow eyes and shaped some water into a serpent. The serpent was manipulated by Stella as she swiped her arm across, and the long stream passed in front of Stella, a torrent that swallowed up the incoming orbs.

Ultear grunted as her attack was blocked, but then she looked surprised as the serpent mouth was directed towards her. The monstrous water figure went at her, with looking like a raging current that was gonna hit her like a wall.

Lyon clasped his hands together. "Hands off the lady! That's our Master's daughter you know!" He extended his arm forward, and a magic seal appeared, making a similar creature attack. " **Ice-Make: Water Serpent!** "

A spiraling serpent made of ice opened its mouth and went attacking the similar serpent Stella made. Both the brine and the ice serpents clashed their heads together, looking almost solid since a loud boom echoed through the atmosphere.

Stella's eyes narrowed.

Lyon's serpentine attack continued to push forward, but Stella's own serpentine attack was gaining the upper hand as the ice began to break apart and dissolve. Lyon's eyes shot wide as his attack was dissolving, leaving him at a disadvantage once more. Finally the attack broke apart, and Stella's serpentine brine jetted through the dissolving ice like a beam. Lyon and Ultear alike both covered up and braced themselves as the jet of brine headed their way. They were engulfed by the raging stream, carried away with their screaming filtered through gurgling.

"Lyon! Ultear!" Gray yelled.

The current swerved through the air continuously until it finally reached some nearby piece of large rock jutting out of the earth. The current hit the rock, making Ultear and Lyon crash on their backs with loud louds. The current died down and both mages slumped to the ground with thuds. Gray turned angrily back at Stella and began to make more ice. "Oh you're dead meat after I'm through with ya! **Ice-Make: Ice Hammer!** "

Above Gray, a giant hammer with spikes was made. The giant structure went down onto Stella, but the brine mage reached up without so much as even looking when firing another jet of brine, which met the hammer head on.

The hammer made full impact, rattling the sad, and making it fly. Gray smirked. "About time we get a hit in…" However when the sand settled back in, his smirk faded into shock as Stella stood atop of the giant hammer, not looking at all hurt. She smirked at him, chuckling to add insult to injury. Gray stepped back. _'No way, did she dodge?'_ His inquiry was met with the observation of a hole in the hammer behind her. _'No, she just used her magic to blast salted brine through my ice.'_ "Talk about rubbing salt into the wound." Gray sneered in annoyance.

"You're telling me." Lyon said. "How are we supposed to deal with her if our ice just dissolves?" His eyes widened upon realization. "Wait, I think I know now!"

"Oh really?" Gray and Ultear asked in unison.

Lyon grinned. "I'm positive, now listen up…"

As the three were talking amongst themselves, Stella didn't at all seem amused. While she was fond of some lighthearted battles, a battle with opponents at disadvantages seemed rather unwelcoming. She extended her arm forward, creating a magic seal. "Your talking won't help much when my brine and salt can just rub into your wounds! **Torrent!** " She fired a pulsing torrent of brine at her targets.

Gray smirked. "Okay. Got it."

Lyon looked ahead, creating a magic seal of his own. "Ultear, wait for my signal."

Ultear nodded in understanding.

"Then let's turn this wasteland into a tundra! **Blizzard!** " Lyon fired several freezing winds at the incoming Torrent. The winds expanded outwards and the three dodged the attack that headed their way, soaking the ground around them. Lyon kept deploying his Snow Magic and making strong winds surge all around.

Stella covered herself up, her cape and veil flaring. "What is he up to?"

All around her, the sandy beaches have begun piling with snow. It was only a matter of moments before everything was around was trapped beneath a white wonderland.

Lyon never lost his grin. "Now this feels more like home." He turned towards Ultear. "Alright, now."

Ultear turned towards Stella, her hand raised towards the snowy land before her. Her eyes narrowed and Lyon stopped using his Snow Magic the second her eyes flashed red. Gray and Lyon backed away just as Ultear gave off a flash. In an instant, the snow all around Stella had immediately become water. All around the Brine Mage was but a layer of freshwater, and she was trapped on a small island.

Stella chuckled. "What are you three pulling here? Building me a little oasis in the middle of battle? How sweet of you, you foolish bunch." She smiled with slight glee. Her body jumped into the air, and she dove right into the water surrounding her with a big splash. The water waved about as ripples went through.

Gray appeared over the small land of water and pressed his hand on the water. "Now! **Ice-Make: Freeze!** " In an instant, the entire area against froze over. The water became solid ice, and enclosed the whole area into a solid. Gray backed away from the frozen water and crouched. He had his hands put together, and he began to ready his magic. His eyes narrowed as time went on. _'Nice thinking Lyon, guess I owe ya one if this actually works as well as you hope it does.'_ He thought.

The ice some distance away began to crack, and Gray had a lock onto the target. "There!" He lunged at the cracked ice, using his magic and making two massively large blade-like knives. The knives crossed as he closed the gap.

Stella burst out of the water, gasping out of shock and of disbelief. Her upper body stuck out of the ice, her hands resting on the ice as she panted. Her skin and body were still wet, but she was feeling light. "What did…" She glanced over towards the incoming foe. "What did you do-?!"

" **Ice-Make: Ice Bringer!** "

Gray crossed both of his large knives, passing Stella as the mage was still in shock. Her entire body was thrown into the air and ice formed around her body. Gray slid to a stop, keeping a slash pose as Stella screamed in the air as the ice in her body felt bitter cold. The Brine Mage went limp in the air, falling head first into the sea with a massive splash. Gray stood back up, his knives fading. He looked back to Lyon and Ultear, all three sharing a smirk.

"What do you know, that actually worked." Gray said with mild surprise. "Saltwater is denser than freshwater, which what our ice is made of. So when she dove into our little pond we laid out for her, she sank to the bottom with all the saltwater in her body. So when she had to come up, she was forced to expel the salt and brine from her body, weakening her and ridding most of the salt in her body for me to land a freezing blow." Gray smiled with satisfaction. "Now that's salt to the wound returned in kind."

Ultear turned towards the sea and chuckled. "Sorry about that, but Nic really isn't on the market, no matter how charming he may seem." While Ultear couldn't deny that Nic certainly had some looks to him and toyed with the thoughts of mingling with him in the past, she really had absolute no romantic feelings for the savior of the universe. As a mage of Grimoire Heart, she was a little on the 'odd' side when it came to fine men like Nic, Jellal, and Gray…okay she still is, but she's gotten much more adept to laying back and being easygoing.

Gray and Lyon just stared at her mischievous smirk, sweat dropping.

* * *

Beneath the surface, falling into the dark waters of the sea, Stella's eyes were shut, and her body was numb. The Brine Mage felt lightheaded from the impact she'd took, but she was more than grateful that she landed in the ocean. Her eyes slowly opened up, seeing nothing but blue and black that was the sea. Bubbles floated above pass her as she sank further until she lightly hit the bottom of the shallow seas.

The rock and sandy bottom was soft; it was like a bed. The sand was thick, but at the same time as her hand rested upon it, it was cool and refreshing. Her fingertips and nails dug into the sand, her head resting against a flat rock that eroded over time. She looked up, seeing the surface not too far up from where she was. Stella's eyelids were half open, her mind blank.

' _Justin, it's been 5 years, and I still can't find you.'_ She thought. The sand beneath her made the mage recall the earlier days before she was a Wizard Saint, when she was lying on a soft mattress with another man, one who was fair-skinned, had soft blue eyes, and short, messy brown hair. She could recount the days they woke up to the other's smile. Such bittersweet memories was making her eye mist.

' _Why did this have to happen? Why can't I find you? I know you're out there. Please, I beg every passing day, pleading to heaven that you're not gone. Even to this day, I long for your return.'_ She turned to her side, her vision of Justin fading. Seeing him fade for the umpteenth time, and even now she was helplessly reaching out towards him and still he was gone.

Her reached out hand balled into a fist, her body beginning to give off a flow of great Magic Power. It was so potent that the seawater began to draw around her, encasing her into a cocoon.

"These young fools, they talk of love as such a big game. Well they're gonna lose, and learn the reality of what it means of 'love hurts'."

* * *

Ultear kept on chuckling, even though it's been over five minutes.

"Okay, I think she's gone now. You can settle down over there." Gray said.

Lyon looked out to sea, he was feeling something, and his body began to shiver inside. It wasn't because of backfiring magic, but an overwhelming sense of Magic Power resonating from the sea. He stepped back, his gawking cascading into fear as the seawater far out began to draw into a single spot.

Ultear frowned and looked to seeing the sea actually opening up. Her eyes widened at this great sense of magic. "Is the ocean…giving off its own Magic Power?"

A giant hole opened up like a mouth, water pouring inside like a waterfall all around its edge. The whole thing just kept falling, and the three on the shoreline began to step back and ready as Stella was making a big comeback.

"Up for more, is she?" Gray questioned.

"The sea is my home. It is where my beloved rests." Stella's voice echoed through the hole, despite herself not being visible. "My magic itself _is_ the sea. With it, the sea is mine to manipulate! You have but zero chance!"

Her body arose out of the hole, looking like nothing has happened. She looked so composed as she kept rising up. Beneath her was a rising being, and it was humungous, perhaps as big as a dragon. As the large monster grew in size, its shadow grew as well. It cascaded over Gray, Lyon, and Ultear. All three mages were beyond shocked, and their eyes and gaping mouths proved such a thing as beyond comprehensive.

"Holy crap." Gray muttered.

"I think we made her mad." Lyon said. "Her Magic Power can do that?!"

Ultear nervously narrowed her eyes upon inspecting the humungous monster towering in place of the hole. It stood mighty tall within the sea. It looked almost exactly like a Muk if not for the fact that it was a hundred times taller, and was made of seawater. The giant sea monster's opened mouth exerted a hollowing roar outwards. It hunched over and looked ready as Stella stood atop of its head like a crown.

"You all will be taken to the sea and to never return to your beloved!" Stella announced. "May the damned be drowned in their sorrows!"

The brine monster let out a violent roar again. Its open mouth fired a blast of brine, a very massive amount at that. The monstrous torrent blazed through the air, and the three all jumped away and dodged the heavy blow. Brine sprayed everywhere like a giant tsunami wave. The saltwater erupted all around, getting Gray, Lyon, and Ultear as they were still recoiling from the attack.

They all slid backwards against the sand with grunts. Gray winced. "Damn, I think my skin is starting to prune." He looked down to his hand, seeing the palm all wrinkly and feeling terrible from taking in the saltwater.

"We've wasted enough magic on her already. It's like she has an unlimited amount now." Lyon huffed.

The brine monster clutched a fist and reeled it back. It growled and threw its punch forward at Stella's will.

"Watch out!" Lyon shouted.

Ultear was in its way, but she didn't move. Though exhausted, she didn't deter. She stared up at the incoming hand and extended her own out. Her eyes flashed red, and then the incoming hand suddenly turned into salt.

Stella's eyes narrowed. "That won't work twice."

The seawater beneath the monster shot up like a geyser, hitting the salty hand. The hand started absorbing the seawater, and the entire arm looked good as new, and thus continued on its path towards Ultear. Ultear looked startled as she was slugged hard. She let out a cry of pain as seawater swamped her, sending her sliding across the sand backwards.

Gray looked back as Ultear slid back to a halt, kicking up sand. "You've gotta be kidding. She can just replace the water lost?!"

Lyon looked back and his eyes widened again. "Gray, behind you!"

"Huh?"

The brine monster roared as he raised a fist up high, into the air overhead, and then brought it down similar to a Hammer Arm, only with greater force, of which struck Gray and Lyon. A wave of brine and sand went flying like an eruption. The ice mages screamed in pain as they went flying off and slammed into the ground with vivid thuds.

Gray lied on his back, barely able to stop his internal struggling. He was trying his hardest to endure the rash on his palm from severe pruning. "Damn. She's not letting up." He cursed.

Stella chuckled down at the fallen mages and pointed fingers down at them. "Don't fall yet. We have much to do!"

From around the brine monster, giant pillars of seawater spouted up. They swerved through the air and the ends became similar to spears. All of the water spears arched down onto Gray, Lyon, and Ultear just as they were on their knees.

With no sense in blocking, the three tried dodging again. They jumped in various directions, dodging the water spears that struck the sand. Gray leaped away from one spear, then Lyon, and then Ultear. All three eventually managed to dodge each and every spear thrown at them, regrouping soon after they vanished.

"Now I have you."

The exhausted trio had a dark shadow over their heads. When they looked up, they were already too late as the brine monster was reaching down for them. The range was already too grand and they all got caught in the giant hold of the monster. Despite the whole monster being a liquid, its grip was surprisingly like that of a solid. All three struggled to break free, but not only were they stuck tight, but also they were being lifted into the air closer towards the monster.

Stella swiped her arm, without making any verbal commands. The monster let out another roar, making waves crash against one another out in the sea. The waves turned and swayed violently against one another. Any ship may have well been sunk by now by how harsh each wave crash.

The grip on all three softened and they all had but little time to take in deep breaths before they were swallowed up by the hand, merging with the water inside. Inside the clenched fist, Gray, Lyon, and Ultear were all submerged, unable to even kick. A sudden current in the arm began to draw the three away from the fist, running through the monster's body.

"What's happening?" Gray gurgled, bubbles escaping him.

No one could answer him because they valued their own breath. The current traveled from the arm up to the mouth, where the monster cranked its head up and let out a massive geyser that shot straight into the skies above. The jet of brine shot to astonishing levels of altitude like a super eruption. Gray, Lyon, and Ultear all spiraled uncontrollably through the current that shot them straight upwards and out of the geyser. Everyone screamed out as they finally had oxygen, but at the same time were unable to keep themselves from falling downwards.

They all crashed into the sea, submerging into the swaying waters.

Stella smirked and chuckled out, which soon boomed into a laughter upon her victory. "Now drown in your sorrows as I have!"

Gray's eyes opened up underwater, where he saw Ultear and Lyon both barely holding on; Lyon better than Ultear. _'Guys…'_ Gray put his hands together in front, beginning to make ice.

Moments passed, and still no sign of them emerging. The waves crashed violently and left the shoreline all but destroyed. The nearby palm trees were starting to get swamped by incoming brine, crashing so hard that the trunks themselves started bending.

From within the chaos, a large sheet of ice breached. On it was Lyon, Ultear, and Gray, carrying all three up to the swaying surface and through the turmoil. The sheet of ice was rocking back and forth without any means of control.

Lyon panted on his hands and knees as he spitted out water. "I…owe ya one…" He panted.

"Now we're even." Gray huffed on his hands and knees as well.

Ultear was no different. She winced at the pain she was feeling, but the equal predicament was the loss of magic they all sustained. Her Time Magic had a toll on her body. There was no telling how long she or the others will last. They needed a plan, and fast.

"Just how are we going to defeat her now? That trick won't work twice." Gray scowled. As he looked at the brine monster and Stella, who was still atop of its head. "We'd have to turn this whole sea into an arctic ocean!"

' _Wait.'_ Ultear's eyes widened and she gasped. _'Did he just say…?'_

Lyon kept a solid hold onto the ice sheet, leering at Gray. "Our ice will just dissolve in less than a minute. We can't just freeze them over like last time!"

"Well do you have a plan?! Because zip is coming up right about now!"

"Then just improvise you nitwit! Natsu and Nic are pros at that! Maybe you can learn plenty from them!"

"I'd sooner marry than follow those guys' actions!"

Miles away, Juvia sneezed. Her eyes widened and she turned around, facing the sky and blushing. "Is my darling Gray…talking about me right now?"

In the midst of Gray and Lyon's bickering, Ultear stepped in.

"Maybe we can freeze her over."

"Say what?" Gray and Lyon asked in unison. More waves began to crash against them, beginning to thin out the ice beneath them. Parts of the edges cracked off slowly as Ultear continued.

"Listen, both of you. We can all use similar magic. We _can_ freeze her brine! We just we need to make it cooler." Gray and Lyon looked at her with inquiry, so she continued explaining. "Water freezes at the standard 0 Degrees Celsius, but ocean water due to its salt levels needs a lower temperature to freeze, which is much lower than normal. It may be our best shot, but we can defeat her if we use our Ice Magic's unison strength and completely freeze over this sea." She stopped and shifted over towards her right just as another fraction of the sheet broke off. "Come on! We have my Mother's magic running through, so let's just make her proud!"

"Ultear." Gray stared at her. It sounded crazy to freeze everything and make their ice cooler, but they could not upset Master Ur even if it costed them their lives. Gray looked ahead and smirked. "Looks like we're just gonna have to do it then."

Lyon nodded. "If we can completely freeze up the brine monster and Stella, we can pull this off. Let's do it."

Stella turned back towards the sea behind, seeing the waves violently crash against one another. "I wonder how far they've sunk by now?"

As the ice sheet started cracking all over from the saltwater, Gray got up onto a knee and had his hands overhead. "Let's make her shiver to the core!" He pressed his hands to the ice beneath, and with him was Lyon as he did the exact same motion.

" **Ice-Make: Ocean!** "

A bright flash erupted from the sea, shocking Stella. She shut one of her eyes and blocked it out. "What the-it is winter already?!"

The flash faded, and Stella looked out in vivid shock. To her disbelief, the entire ocean froze over. The ice was thick, and a chill went along the beach. Her eyes darted off to where she could see the three mages standing in the distance. Ultear, Gray, and Lyon were all lined up and stared at Stella as her shock subsided and her grin returned. She pointed her finger out to them. "It matters not! That ice won't hold out forever! Stall if you will, but your ice won't work on brine!"

The monster she rode on roared up into the sky, rattling the airspace.

Gray leaned forward and began to run. Proceeding behind him were Lyon and Ultear as they hurried along. "Come on, this ice only has about five minutes before the saltwater finally breaks it apart!" He shouted.

"Sounds reasonable. We only need two." Lyon smiled.

Ultear ran along with them, her eyes and head darting towards their left. "Incoming!"

On her cue, the ice in that section cracked apart and then erupted. The ice went flying up as a geyser of brine escaped from beneath. The group continued its steadfast path without stopping. No matter what, they had to reach the monster. As they continued on running, they looked down and the ice beneath continued to crack.

"Below us!" Lyon yelled. All three lunged ahead, barely escaping the brine geyser that erupted beneath. The ice falling landed in random spots, unable to successfully deter the three from their charge.

Stella swiped her arm towards them incoming. "Die!" At her command, the brine monster clutched a fist and let out a roar. It punched forward, the massive fist closing in.

Ultear pressed her hands against the ice beneath her. " **Ice-Make: Rosen Krone!** " Ultear attacked the incoming fist using her Ice-Make that she inherited from her mother. Vines, thorns, and roses sprouted from all over the place and went at the incoming fist. Her attack actually began to materialize as the fist drew near, coiling around. The thorns and the roses all grew exponentially and encompassed the punch, actually holding it in place.

"Go now!" Ultear shouted.

Gray and Lyon jumped into the air. "Right!" They both began leaping from rose to rose, almost like a staircase but without stairs. The jumping kept on escalating them higher and higher until they finally got to where the arm was.

Stella's eyes narrowed. "You fools can't stop me!"

The ice Ultear made began to dissolve and shatter apart as the brine monster was pushing forward. It continued to push steadily, almost penetrating through all of Ultear's ice. Gray and Lyon gave it one last jump just as the last rose dissolved away. They were in midair and both of their hands were coated in their specialty magic. Both let out loud cries as they sank down, pressing against the arm of the brine monster. Immediately on contact, the arm began to freeze over slowly. Gray and Lyon had hands and feet on the frozen arm, maintaining their hold while they kept pouring their magic and ice into the monster. As the ice continued to build up in the arm, the seawater and brine continued to push back with great sodium content absorbing the water. It was a continuing struggle as both just kept pushing through no matter what. Stella continued to smirk as Gray and Lyon both continued to push and pour their magic, seeing their efforts noble, but feeble in her brine.

"COLDER!" They both yelled.

With harsh yelling, they made even more ice, making the temperature cooler, making Ultear on the ground nearly shiver. Both screeched out as the arm's brine began to solidify, freezing over. The monster looked exasperated as the ice was solidifying its entire arm completely.

Stella's disbelief skyrocketed. "This can't be!" To her amazement and horror, the entire brine arm instantly got cold, freezing over. The brine monster's entire body began to turn complete solid, slowly and painfully engulfing its entire body through. As it went up to the head, freezing it solid, Stella gasped as her body began freezing over.

"I…I can't dissolve it…it's…" The ice traveled through her body, beginning to stop her. "I can't…stop…"

Just like the brine monster, Stella was frozen just like a statue. The entire seawater all around was frozen solid ice. The temperature around the beach was drastically low, but it was a good thing it was only temporary.

Gray and Lyon landed on the ice next to Ultear, both clearly worn out from the usage of magic. Gray nearly stumbled, but he caught himself.

Ultear had a hand to her hip, an orb resting in between. "Excellent work."

Lyon put his hands out front. "Now, let's say we deal the final blow to this madness?" He rhetorically questioned. "Gray, Ultear, be ready!"

Both couched and awaited Lyon's signal.

" **Ice-Make: Snow Dragon!** " Behind Lyon, a giant serpentine dragon made of ice formed. It was large and roared out towards the frozen ice monster. "Now!"

Gray and Ultear both jumped onto the beast's head, maintaining a firm hold and advanced. The dragon let out a roar as it rushed on ahead, heading straight into the solidified brine monster. The two jumped off the head just as it rammed into the huge structure, committing a double suicide. A rattling echo went through the air when the dragon met the monster's body. A harsh few moments passed, and nothing happened until a huge shatter happened.

Instantaneously, both ice beasts shattered like glass, falling towards the ground with blue sparkles. As they fell apart, Stella's frozen figure fell as well, and without any support. Gray and Ultear both went flying right after her, with one making numerous orbs all around her and the other making ice and crossed his arms over his body. Stella couldn't even widen her eyes as both mages attacked.

" **Ice-Make: Cold Excalibur!** "

" **Luminous Minutes!** "

Both mages passed the frozen Stella, with Gray having to swung a mighty sword made of ice while Ultear had both arms crossed, following her were a barrage of shining orbs that bombarded the frozen Stella. Stella's hollowed out screams were only brief as the slash and the barrage damaged her figure. The pelting of the double force move was so destructive that it shattered the ice she was solidified in. She was in midair and her eyes were devoid of pupils. Her mouth gaped as she fell onto the ice. Gray and Ultear landed right behind her, both looking down and then towards one another with smirks.

On the other side of the defeated Stella, Lyon also smirked.

Elsewhere, a border fell, slowly disappearing away, making a total of three of the five gone.

After the ice had melted away and reverted somewhat into water thanks to Ultear, all three mages had some time to recover and look over the defeated Stella. They all had injuries, but nothing they couldn't handle.

"Well, that was fun." Ultear smirked.

Gray and Lyon just gave despondent smirks to her, unamused.

Stella figure was immobile on the sand as she opened her eyes. Her eyes began to mist up slowly, but no tears fell. "I lost. I couldn't see him again."

Gray raised a brow. "Who you talking about now?"

"My fiancé." She answered.

The three mages said nothing, but frowned as to let Stella continue her story.

"My sweetheart. We met when we were kids. Sure he was passive and hot-headed when he wanted to be, but he always had a smile. I was always drawn to that smile and his sense of humor. A real sweetheart. Eventually we even learned of our own careers. I became a mage, and he became a navy officer." She could still recapture of him in his uniform and see him off on a big ship. "We got engaged eventually, and when the time came he was off on his ship with his fellow crew, but then tragedy struck. Just remembering makes me cry. There was a massive hurricane and the storm sunk the ship far out at sea, along with everyone else. When I heard of that, I couldn't stop crying. I still cry some nights to this day. It's unbearable." Her head cranked over towards the engagement ring on her finger still, bringing her back to the day Justin proposed to her. "I didn't wanna believe it, and I still wish he'd be out there. I was hoping that by learning Brine Magic, I could travel far out to sea to find him…" Her eyes began to mist harder. "But now I see that's but a fool's dream. It's been 5 years and I still can't find him. If he really is dead, then at least I'll be ready for marriage in the afterlife. That's why I bear the ring and the bridal veil still." Tears began to fall from her eyes, slipping down the sides of her face. "My only wish…is to be with him and never be apart again, but even now…what am I supposed to do?"

The three looked down at her, mourning for her pity. They didn't have anything bad to say about her but nothing to support her either. They weren't sure exactly how to approach the matter nor what to say. Encouraging her wouldn't do a thing.

In his silent mourning, Lyon looked off to the sea, pondering of Ur. Her life now dwells in the sea, the remembrance of her was actually putting a pain through his own heart. It's tough losing a loved one, and despite that, people still keep on going because of friends, and as equally important, hope.

In his thoughts, he spotted something out near the shoreline. "Huh?" He saw what appeared to have been a boat, or to be more accurate, it looked like a raft.

Gray looked to see as well. "Hey, what the heck is that?"

"It looks like a manmade raft? What's one doing all the way out here?" Lyon asked.

Ultear narrowed her eyes, seeing someone or something laying on the wooden raft held together by vines. "I think I see someone on it." She went on over as the raft began to drift to shore. Shem Gray, and Lyon began to walk on over towards the raft as it was some feet away. As it came to shore, there was a man who was lying on his back, seemingly asleep. He had shaggy hair that was rather unkempt, a blue t-shirt that was all won out, gray shorts, and boots. He looked sound asleep despite the bumpy ride.

The guy felt a harsh bump, meaning land in his case. He opened his eyes and let out a yawn. He got up from his back and looked around, checking his new surroundings. When he spotted Gray, Lyon, and Ultear, and awkward silence fell between the four.

The man didn't at all seem to be in a bad mood, but he did seem all worn out. "Excuse me, can you folks tell me what country this is?"

Gray narrowed his eyes. "Uh…Fiore. Who the heck are you?"

"Hey now, I was adrift at sea and this is how you treat someone? Honestly, people these days." He hopped off his raft and onto land. "Honestly, the people in Beivai treated me better than you guys have just now."

"Beivai?" Lyon asked.

"Yup, it's a country far off in the tropics, long story." He said. "Uh, but first, do any of you by any chance know where any freshwater is? I'm uh…kind of parch."

The three looked at one another again, foreboding answers that are waiting to unfold. Gray's spine crept when he looked back at Stella, who was still seemingly in her somber world. He looked back at the man and started asking his own questions.

"What were you doing on that raft?" He asked.

The man groaned. "Again with the questions? Fine, but afterwards, I could really use some water." He tried to clear his throat. "Now let's see? Well, I made this raft so I can navigate through the sea. My ship and my crew…sadly passed in an incident, but I barely survived. Dumb luck had its way with me, so for as long as I can remember, I've been maybe, what is it called? Island hopping? Something like that. I made it to this part and all of a sudden, this big dome appeared and trapped me and my raft inside! I swear it was just maybe…2 inches behind me. And the rest is history. Now uh…what country and date is it again?"

The three were wide-eyed. Their suspicions were creeping up all over their bodies. They turned towards Stella, who was starting to come around. All three looked at her and back at him, and then back at her. Confused, the man turned towards what they were looking at.

Stella and the man's eyes met. Everything that was all solemn and serene had just gone silent. The waves themselves were silent as a clam wind shifted through Stella's hair. Their eyes were both dilating, disbelief and shock unable to pacify what they were seeing.

Stella's body began to violently shudder, and her lips began to quiver. Tears were pouring down her own face. "P-please tell it's just another one of my dreams." She pleaded. She scrambled up to her feet, barely able to stand afterwards. She stumbled on over, tripping continuously. The man in question just dropped to his knees, startled beyond repair.

"S-Stella…"

Stella fumbled over again just when she reached the distraught man. She got to her knees again and panted. She was seeing a ghost, with the same eyes, and the same voice as her lover. "A-are you…" She shook her own head, rattling any prospect out. "No! He's dead! He's been dead for 5 years!" Still, she turned back towards him, and despite the tears forming in his own eyes, those eyes and that face reminded her all too well. "But, are you a…?"

Her hand trembled violently as she slowly reached out for him. The man did nothing but stare as tears poured down his own face. He felt Stella's hand touch his own cheek. The tender touch sent a shock through his body, bringing him back to 5 years ago.

Stella kept on tearing up, her body unable to take the shock. "You really are…?"

Justin's lips quivered as he slowly grabbed her hand with the ring on it. He held it tentatively and caressed the hand, seeing how the ring was exactly how he had left it. He looked back up and smiled. "Stella…you're alive. It's really me, I swear."

Stella began to sob, unable to keep herself together. "Justin! You're alive! You're alive!" She screamed. She grabbed his neck and pulled him into a hug. "JUSTIN!" She bawled. "I knew it! I knew it! I knew you had to be alive! I thought you died! You idiot! You dumbfounded idiot with dumb luck! DON'T YOU EVER LEAVE ME AGAIN!"

She continued crying onto his shoulder, and Justin embraced her with a sobbing smile full of enjoyment.

Gray, Lyon, and Ultear all looked at the scene with smiles on their faces. It really touched their hearts, all of them. They felt a warm grace cast over them as they saw them reunite out of the dumb luck Stella proclaimed Justin had. Their soft smiles remained that way as the two lovers that have been apart for so long have reunited, their bond signaling hope. When they pictured the two, they all could see Nic and Erza signifying that hope. They could see those two hugging and crying out of joy, their hope guiding them.

Gray turned away. "C'mon, we got two people to keep together otherwise they'll be ripped inside as well." He noted.

Lyon nodded, as did Ultear.

* * *

Standing in front of Rufus and Sophie alike, there was a figure, and her hips swayed back and forth repeatedly as the black spiky thorn-like roots cleared pass for her towards the startled cousin duo.

"I have no recollection of this foe." Rufus said. "But I see that she is a part of Star Order, if I read that emblem correctly.

Sophie nodded in agreement. "She most certainly doesn't look like a friend."

Approaching to a halt was a woman of average height. Her eyes were green and she had pale skin, though despite that, she had a curvaceous figure that was hugged in a black dress. The dress had a slit along the left leg, of which was edged in yellow. Her Star Order guild mark was located on the front of the lower half of the dress. The dress also had long dark sleeves that were very thin so that you could see her arms. Her fingernails had black polish, which complimented her black hair that was tied up in a bud, excluding the two bangs that framed her face.

She but a hand to her hip. "Well, you two certainly have some bones to pick." She said in a low growl.

The two said nothing but stared at her coldly. Her Magic Power was grand, and they could feel it.

"Star Order, Fiasca." She greeted. "I do believe that you criminals have some justice ordered, right?" Her eyes narrowed. The black roots around began to erode again, cranking and becoming rather limber. They waved in the air at her command, their movements being watched by Sophie and Rufus alike. "Well I have plenty of justice to dish out to you."

"She's gonna attack!" Rufus warned.

"I can see that." Sophie rebuffed.

Fiasca extended her arm out, unleashing the dozens of black roots at the duo. They both jumped at the same time, dodging the ferocious assault of spiky thorns. In midair, they could see dust and dirt beneath clouding up the land beneath them, discarding clear visual. Suddenly from the dust cloud, the black roots wiggled ferociously and went at them again.

Sophie put a finger to her forehead. " **Memory-Make: Pyro Saucer!** "

From a chain of memories that she's created in midair, a barrage of fire saucers went raining down, slicing right through the roots, burning and chopping them to cindering bits. They fell to the grassy clearing below, reduced to charred wood. Sophie and Rufus landed, where Rufus made his own chain of memories.

"Now allow myself for offense." He insisted. " **Memory-Make: Sword of Frozen Black Lightning!** "

From his chain of memories emerged black thunderbolts that rained down from the sky. The black lightning discharged from the atmosphere above and struck the ground. Each pillar of black lightning made a spiky formation of ice that traveled its course towards Fiasca. The Star Order mage made no attempt at dodging as the attack enveloped her in black lightning from above, creating an icy flash.

Rufus tipped his hat forward. "I do say that this duet piece is more delightful than I imagined."

When the flash faded, Fiasca wasn't there. Instead there was a dome of coiled black roots layered in ice from being struck. Both Memory-Make Mages frowned as the black roots uncoiled, revealing an untouched Fiasca inside. "My turn again."

Sophie and Rufus looked down at the ground as it began to palpitate. The small magnitude increased until the ground beneath them started to wave around. Having hunches they scooted back as two huge black roots shot up like pillars from where they were. If they didn't move, they would've been impaled. The huge roots bent down to slam them with their weighted ends that were as sharp as spears, but they knew better than to just sit around. Both Rufus and Sophie jumped again, dodging the huge black roots.

"Seems you need better accuracy, don't you think?" Sophie noted in the air.

Fiasca smirked in retort of her response. The roots beneath them that tried to attack before remained pinned to the ground, while the curved parts of the roots hutted out more black roots with thorns. This act shocked them both as their mouths gaped.

A harsh whack from the roots struck them, sending them skyward even though they were already in midair. They both fell back to earth with grunts, landing on their feet and sliding back. Sophie winced at how the spikes on that blow left her abdominal area with more than a few prodded spots, the same could be said about Rufus. Both mages sat their pain aside to consult with Fiasca, who was smirking all the way.

"Surprised?" She taunted, waving her black roots around, flaunting them ever so casually. "Blackthorn Magic is an advanced type of Plant Magic. These roots I can summon are only affected by means of penetration or cutting down with intense accuracy, in which you have just proven. And since they're similar to rose thorns or wine thorns, just touching them will leave you with more than a few pricks on your fingers."

Sophie narrowed her eyes. "That's pretty intense."

Fiasca extended her arm forward. "Now, face your crime and the sins you've committed!" At her own will, the black roots around her that wiggled pointed towards them and shot with great acceleration. The attack closed in quickly, but nevertheless Sophie and Rufus prepared for it. Both stood their ground, their eyes focused on the incoming attack.

" **Memory-Make: Firestorm Halberds!** " Sophie summoned a bunch of halberds made of pure fire. The f\halberds all began to rain down viciously like rain, piercing and straining the roots. The roots wiggled uncontrollably, scorching them with a chance to advance. "Now, Rufus!"

Rufus pointed a finger to his forehead. "Very well, if you insist. **Memory-Make: Karma of the Burning Land!** " The ground beneath Rufus began to turn hot, and he pressed his hand on the ground, sending scorching blazes across the clearing. The blazes traveled through the ground, erupting in a manner similar to volcanoes.

As the attack drew in further, Fiasca swiped her arm. Beneath her, black roots shot up from the ground, continuing to tower up and keeping her out of reach from the monstrous ruptures. The thick roots arose to incredible levels and Fiasca was kept from harm, that is until the bottom of the stack of black roots began to catch on fire, which started to cause the structure to falter. Fiasca crouched and gave a wonderful display of her acrobatic skills by twirling while jumping off the stack and into the freedom and safety of air.

As she was upside down, she scoffed with narrowed eyes.

As Rufus's attack dwindled down and dialed to nothing, the ground behind them cracked, but only but a little. Two black roots sprouted, catching their attention. They turned around to focus on the root sprouting, but they were too late when their feet were caught. Both gasped in shock as they were caught off guard so easily, which was a big mistake. The black roots erupted from the ground, raising Sophie and Rufus into the air. Both mages ended up being dangled by their ankles and held upside down as the roots reached a critical point.

Flipping, Fiasca landed safely on her heels with no issue. She put a hand to her hip and smirked up to the dangling duo, disregarding Rufus's hat falling to the ground. "What's the matter? You're both looking like you had your worlds turned around." She teased.

"You're deplorable." Sophie scowled. "I don't recall Star Order being this dirty in fighting."

Fiasca never lost her smirk as she chuckled. "It's not dirty if it's used against criminals. Scum like you are filthy enough for any means of a tactic or trick."

She extended her arm out, and jutting out of the ground were more black roots with thorns. They all snaked up slowly towards Sophie and Rufus, and both were coiled around the stomachs. To their reliefs the root holding their ankles finally let go, but then as said root retreated, the roots coiling them completely flipped, turning them upside this time. Fiasca snapped her fingers, and Rufus and Sophie could feel the squeeze on their stomachs, and the spikes were only insult to injury.

Fiasca could hear their quiet struggle, making her chuckle. "Music to my ears."

"You're…twisted!" Sophie strained as she yelled out the last part, with the thorn pricking her waist.

"Coming from those who sided with Nic Pularis, and on top of which, those who are siding with Mirajane and Jenny." Fiasca scolded. "Personally, I wished they were hear instead of you two."

Rufus struggled but he managed to open an eye. "What…are you saying?"

Fiasca's eyes narrowed. "Maybe I need to clear this up. Mirajane and Jenny defeated Olivia…my sister!"

Rufus and Sophie's eyes widened at the revelation.

"I'm just getting some payback for her. That is what family does for one another after all. If it means using Phantasm or knocking down a guild hall just to get revenge for her, I'll take that risk." She clutched her hand, and the coil around Rufus and Sophie tightened. Painful grunts escaped their mouths, making the vixen's younger sister chuckle. "Go ahead, scream, but you can't hold out for long, not while I can just squeeze until you black out."

To some shock, Rufus and Sophie began grinning. Fiasca frowned and looked at them in question. "Care to tell me why you're so amused?"

"Nothing." Rufus said. Sophie continued on.

"It's just that it's amusing to know how even you Star Order members are just as twisted as the Council. From what Mirajane told me, justice _is_ revenge, so I can understand your need for this ideal of justice. But, you lack something that we've got…" Around Sophie, her body was beginning to lightly glow, giving her an intense Magic Power increase. The power was so grand that it made Fiasca go wide-eyed.

Rufus began to glow a similar aura around himself. He chuckled. "My cousin is right. If she were to fall, I too would be devastated; however, rather than being brash and hung up on scorn, my memory serves me that is nothing more than fuel to flames."

Fiasca clutched her fists tight out of anger. "Then do you mind telling me what you have that I don't?"

"The resolve of right and wrong." Rufus and Sophie answered in unison.

Fiasca's eyes widened when a long chain of memories began to erode from both Rufus and Sophie. The combined Memory-Make Magic encompassed the clearing, and in a sudden flash, Fiasca found herself stammering. All around her were a bunch of ancient ice knights with lances, while in hand they had halberds made of fire.

"No way! Are they actually…combining their magic?!" She exclaimed.

" **Memory-Make: Master Swordsmen Flaming Fury!** " They yelled in unison. The ice knights all reeled their arms back and threw the flaming halberds, without even so much as melting. The halberds all closed in onto Fiasca as the woman was trying to find a way around them. Unfortunately for her all she could do was go up. She stomped on the ground, in which a root shot up as her stepstool and elevated her to a great height. As she ascended the halberds of flame struck the ground where she was intentionally. The halberds all lit the land ablaze briefly, which included the bottom of the root. As the flames dialed down below, the bottom of the root gave in, making the whole structure fall over.

Fiasca fell backwards, and that's when the ice knights all jumped to attack her with their ice lances. They closed the gap surprisingly quick, much to the recipient's resentment. "No, you don't!" Fiasca twirled and showed her acrobatic might. One swift flip and then black roots shot out of the ground towards the ice knights. With success on her side, the ice knights were all lashed and slammed by black roots before they could even reach her, turning them into sparkles.

As she landed, her attention drew from Sophie and Rufus towards what was behind her. When she turned around, she saw that one ice knight did not advance like the others. It reeled its arm back, ready to throw the halberd at Fiasca.

"Stop right there!" She extended her arm forward, sending a wave of black roots at the knight. The knight threw the halberd, sending it blazing in a straight trail towards Fiasca. The knight was then destroyed by the single lash of a black root.

The halberd traveled towards Fiasca, but to prepare, she leaned off to the side, dodging the attack. "Sorry, but that won't work." She landed on the ground again, and watched the halberd pass her and keep on going. It was what it was going after that startled her next. Her eyes widened. She watched as the flaming halberd pierce and cut right through both black roots that held Sophie and Rufus in the air.

"What?!" She yelled.

The halberd faded into thin air, and the large roots began toppling. As they did, Sophie and Rufus jumped free of their prison and landed on the ground, just as the roots fell with big thuds.

Fiasca's eyes winced. "You duped me!"

Rufus grabbed his hat that laid right beside him. "It's known as strategy. We weren't really aiming for you. It was a tactic to get your guard down." He fitted the hat back atop of his head. "And now we take care of this!" He raised his hand high. " **Memory-Make: Showering Ancient Wisdom!** " Above Fiasca was a large Magic Seal made of light. It glowed with a fantastic blinding force that made Fiasca close her eyes. Suddenly she was pressed against the ground, yelling out from the intense gravity and weight pressing her against the earth. The magic seal above her shined as bright as the intensity of the gravity suppressing her.

"My head!" She yelled. "Let me go!"

Rufus tipped his cap towards his cousin. "Sophie, if you would?"

Sophie stepped forward. "Gladly." She watched as Fiasca's eyes widened when Sophie stood tall and proud in front of her. She stood several feet away and the blonde closed her eyes. A chain of memories formed around her, in which began to expand outwards. The elongated chain of memories began to spiral around the mage. The tornado of memories spun with such powerful force around her, continuing to expand.

Sophie glared at the shock Fiasca, and reached out to her. " **Memoir Hysteria!** "

The violent tempest of intense memory chains shot at Fiasca, hitting her all at once. The mage screamed as she soared into the sky along with the tempest of infinite memory chains. The massive whirling of the emotions and adventures she's endured was so massive that the ground shuddered and nearby tree branches violently shook before getting blow off. The tempest faded away, and Sophie straightened back out. When the whole thing finally ceased, Fiasca fell to the ground, thudding harshly.

Rufus and Sophie looked at Fiasca as she laid devastated in defeat. They looked at one another and smiled. For cousins who were always so distant, who knew they'd make such a fantastic team? Certainly not Sophie, but since their reconciling at the Grand Magic Games, new possibilities seemed to be unfolding.

"I was that was most riveting. Star Order sure has worthy adversaries." Rufus acknowledged. "But sadly, that is all that they really are."

Sophie looked at Fiasca, grinning. "I agree. As you said, they're deplorable." She put both hands to her hips. "If you ask me, Pokémon do deserve such a chance." She looked up to the sky, seeing the dark rainbow sea above. "I'm sure everyone is thinking the same thing."

Rufus snickered. "I have no recollection of Sting showing any resentment when he encouraged the guild."

"If only the Council could understand what goes on in Nic and Vanessa's eyes."

"Well, only time will tell, cousin."

* * *

 **Here's the newest update! How was this to your battle interests? Did you get the chapter title reference? I was thinking of Frenzy Plant at first, but I decided Forest's Curse instead because it gave that title a bit more pizzazz to me than Frenzy Plant. At any rate, to make up for the lack of Nic and his Pokémon in this chapter, I incorporated a number of Pokémon references.**

 **When I started making this arc, one of my goals was to give antagonists some background, so that readers can understand what they went through or how one can feel sympathy towards them. In this case, I applied that the Stella, not so much of Bolton though, he's just a stubborn punk. So did you guys think I did a decent job with getting Stella likeable?**

 **Since Sophie's role has deteriorated in the sequel now, I felt it was necessary to give her some fighting. She's still a very important person who helped shape** _ **The Fairy Contender**_ **, so I have to make sure she has her fair share of participation with every arc or storyline possible.**

 **Also if you guys read** _ **One's Road to Remembrance**_ **, show some love and leave a couple of favs and comments. I'll start making another chapter this week, so it might not be posted until maybe next week.**

 **Next chapter will have a majority of Nic and Greninja, and I have a super unique twist that you leave you rather shocked. Also for the Guest reviewer; I actually have a plan in terms of this 'evil' part that you speak of, but it'll be something you will never see coming. And don't worry, Jellal will have someone else to love in the future, and you'll be shocked with whom it'll be.**


	13. Turning Dreams into Reality

Gran Doma stared in shock over what had just happened. In less than an hour's span, both links to the Phantasm weapon had been severed. The borders were down, and sad to say the forces on their side were beginning to get overwhelmed by a large margin due to having less magical efficiency on their side.

A Councilmen banged his fist against the desk. "Drats! This is not what's supposed to happen!"

"Out of the five links of the Phantasm weapon, three were eliminated. That means there's only two Wizard Saints left that can hold the Phantasm up. We only have enough time on our hands to make Nic surrender before the remaining two falter. We need a plan of action."

A Councilman looked over towards the vacant seat beside him. "Is Org still unable to attend?"

Gran Doma closed his eyes. "He believes rest is vital."

"I see." He looked back at the screens in front, showing Sophie and Rufus meeting with a large group of mages, included Lucy's gathered group. He then looked over to see Nic, Greninja, and Jellal advancing towards the Amaranth River. He stared at the screen with slight wonder. _'…while I agree with Gran Doma, I'm still wondering of these Pokémon and what they hide. What powers do they hide?'_

Gran Doma looked down at the ground, seeing Lahar present. "Lahar, inform Jango of the battle situation."

"Sir, I'll follow your order with grace and all…but what of your health? Should you be resting as is Master Org?"

Gran Doma's eyes narrowed. "I dare not rest until a case has been disclosed, Lahar." He said with a firm tone.

"I understand, but if you don't get rest…" He trailed off when he was met with Gran Doma's icy cold stare. Lahar wanted to show worry, but he was frozen stiff, as if he'd been hit by an Ice Beam, or as if he'd been hit by a similar fashion of Glare. He relented and bowed. "My apologies, I'll inform Guild Master Jango at once."

Gran Doma huffed as he watched Lahar retreat behind the large set of double doors, resuming his watch on Nic.

Lahar continued down the hallway, looking groggy. Last time he checked, it was probably nightfall, but no one could tell the time of day thanks to Phantasm's dark rainbow skies. He knew rest was best, but worry gave him insomnia. As he continued down the corridor, Doranbolt slid out of nowhere along the hallways and began walking right beside him.

"He still crazy?" He asked.

Lahar sighed. "Doranbolt."

"Hm?"

"You tell me, right now, if you knew what the real problem was, but didn't have the power to stop it, what would you do?"

Doranblt looked quizzically at Lahar about his question. It was odd coming from him of all people, especially when it buckled down to loyalty. Lahar was very loyal to the Council, no question. The Council, but Gran Doma was another story. However, rather than answering with his own question, Doranbolt understood the message. He looked ahead and grinned.

"Well it's best for you to decide that. Because if you ask me, who knows? I might as well say screw it and join Fairy Tail's side, but that's just me." Doranbolt said.

Lahar looked towards his friend with a grin. "Well I see you retained your sanity. That's reassuring."

Doranbolt rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, when you're spying on a guild with free spirit and Pokémon, you might pick up a thing or two about heart and gut instincts." He couldn't help but snicker. "I wonder how they're doing?"

"Well I'll answer you when I actually find out."

"You didn't bother checking the monitors?"

"That's not in my jurisdiction."

"Fine, guess I'll look to see myself."

Lahar smirked. "Don't you know the answer already?"

Doranbolt looked forward with satisfaction. "Hearing Gran Doma's complaining is music to my ears. That's all I need to hear."

The two continued down the hallway, their footsteps echoing as the hollow corridor was only filled with shoe tapping and their own voices.

* * *

Erza kept on walking. Her aim was west, and as she was leaving the rocky lands and onto what appeared to have been a casual forest, her steps grew soft as they pressed into the dirt. She was moving steadily, and yet despite the time that's passed she was started to wear down. She looked to the skies that appeared to have been nothing more than dark rainbow in color. She seemed to be frowning heavily, almost melancholy. The whole time she's been trailing her way west, she's been more than a little desperate. She knew better than to worry about Nic, especially since he can take care of himself, but it was more or less the fact that she just can't help herself but think of him.

He was her motivation. He was the sun in the winter skies. He was many things among the fact he was Erza's lover. The clear view made was that she wanted to be with him, forever and always, but she just couldn't afford to lose him. She just couldn't. Who knows how devastated she'd be?

Another picture of a smiling Nic flashed into her mind, and her expression turned serious again. _'I shouldn't be thinking of such sullied thoughts. I'll see him soon again, and if he goes, I'll stay by him. That's my plan until the end of my days.'_

Her resolution back on track, she turned towards a nearby tree. She decided then and there to sit down and lean against the trunk, her back against the bark. Needing to recover some lost strength, the redhead slowly succumbed to sleep.

Meanwhile, following her trail, the figure pressed his boots into the ground, but no sound reverberated, as though he was nothing more than a ghost. He pressed onwards, closing in on his target. _'I'd say she's close at hand now.'_ He thought with a serious frown. He advanced slowly continuously until something in his ear rang. His eyes widened a little and he stopped where he stood, hurrying behind a tree in case Erza was going to wake up. He peered from around the tree, but to his relief the redhead slumped to her side, falling asleep on the ground.

He turned around with his finger pressing against the small Communication Lacrima. His frown and face darkened. "Yes? What is it?" He asked, trying to restrain his irritation.

A small silence and some incoherent sentences were heard from the other end, but when they reached his ears, the figure's eyes widened.

"What did you just say?" He repeated. "Peter and Fiasca…were defeated?" It sounded so absurd to even fathom. Peter was his advisor and right-hand man; his intellect and Perception Magic was what gave him the position. Fiasca's magic alone was strong, but her desire to avenge her sister should've been key. It looked like they were overwhelmed.

The figure lowered his head, remaining composed despite of the startling information. "And the remainder of Star Order is progressing?"

Again he was met with incoherent sentences that only he could hear. He narrowed his eyes clutched a fist. "I see, so these guilds aligned with Nic Pularis, we've underestimated them. How bittersweet." He turned around and looked over at Erza as the redhead rolled over to her other side.

"Mmm…Nic…" She mumbled softly.

The man turned back to face nothing but trees, continuing to converse with whoever was on the other end. I understand the situation. In that case tell Star Order to back down and have the elite handle the battles from here on, myself included. I'm currently tailing Fairy Tail's Titania for now, but once I have her where I want her, Nic and the other guilds will have no choice but to concede when the mightiest female mage is reduced to nothing but broken pieces."

"Understood." Lahar closed on the other line, and left the figure revealed to be Jango to peek around the tree again and look at Erza.

"Titania, you may be the greatest swordswomen to others and their eyes, but to me, you're nothing but a pillar that I shall cut down. I give credit where credit is due. Your side has proven itself formidable, eliminating three Wizard Saints. I can imagine how disastrous the chairman is right now…but as such, Star Order will impose their justice for the Council and the fallen Wizard Saints." He began walking away, silently pressing his feet to the ground. "When the time comes, you will understand what justice from the stars is really all about."

As Jango walked off, Erza slept on, conserving her energy for what may come to pass. Nic was on the line, so she needed as much strength as she could possibly get if she was to keep him.

* * *

"So as far as you've heard and have done in your home world, there's Pokémon Gyms, Performances, and in other regions from your ears are events called Contests. Is that all correct?" Jellal asked, piqued as to how Nic summarized the ideals in Pokémon. "That's quite a bit to take in."

"I don't blame you." Nic replied. "I've only done Gym battles in the past. I've never been in a performance nor have any desire to, and I've only heard a few tales or two about these Pokémon Contests in the Hoenn Region. There's a way bigger world within itself if you know where I'm going with this."

Jellal nodded in understanding. "I think I have the idea. There's still much more land and possible Pokémon ideology that you have yet to explore."

"On my last visit back to Kalos, I was reading a newspaper about world news. Aside from my own appeal to the world, there's been a lot of commotion in the regions of Sinnoh about Dialga, Palkia, and Arceus. If by any consolation that I have any time or means of traveling over my world other than Kalos, I think I'll head there."

Greninja walked on with Nic, seeing him conversing with Jellal. To him seeing Nic just talking about much of anything is one thing altogether, but with Jellal is something that made him feel a little more at ease compared to earlier when they defended him against Millianna and Kagura. Granted Nic and Jellal were never on good terms prior to the past events they've dealt with one another; hence Tower of Heaven, and then the confusing Nirvana, and then the beach incident when training for the Grand Magic Games. But Nic was comfortable now…so long as the subject was not Erza. Other than that Nic seemed calm and placid as ever, and in turn Greninja felt the same way. He could understand that it was for the best Erza was off their topic, and he had to admit that sharing their information of Pokémon to someone they can now trust was comforting.

"So humans have no special qualities, so instead they rely on Pokémon. Compared to mages here in Earth Land, we have…less than adequate durability, unless you're someone of over-extensive caliber like myself." Nic explained.

Jellal nodded in understanding. "So in a way just like Celestial Spirits and their summoner."

Nic continued looking ahead. "That's as close to a similarity that I can point out." His eyes widened when something came into view. "Hey, wait."

Greninja's eyes widened as well. "I see it too." He and Nic both continued to pace themselves, with Jellal in tow. All three advanced towards the small shade of blue running horizontally. When they got closer they realized that the small stretch of blue was really a massively long one, and its length to the other side was so far. It was to be a mile at least. When the three reached the edge of a small hill, they got an overview, seeing extensive view of blue.

Nic and Greninja looked surprised. "So this is it." They said in unison.

Jellal nodded. "I'm just as surprised. This has to be the Amaranth River."

Nic continued staring at the luxurious river, frowning as he watched it flow. Greninja did too. Both looked at each other, understanding they had to cross.

"We have to cross." Greninja pointed out. "This is just like Route 12 with that long expanse of water. This may be a long swim if you don't exercise the Splash or perhaps the Sky Form."

Nic nodded in understanding. "That's our most liable options for now. Let's proceed with caution."

The two beside him understood and followed him. The three pressed on and made way downhill. As they did, some figure in the distance was observing them. He hid behind some rock so it was hard to detail him, but all he really showed was a casual smirk.

Meanwhile, Nic's group finally proceeded towards the Amaranth River, and they all stopped right beside the river's rocky shore and knelt down. Jellal used his hand to catch some water to drink, but Nic and Greninja knelt and used an arm to hold them up as their mouth were in the river, taking gulps. After the group had their fill of water, replenishing themselves, they stood back up.

"It's refreshing surprisingly." Nic admitted.

"This river is connected to the ocean up north, so the port town of Cedar has it go through a filtering system before letting it fall downstream." Jellal explained.

"So the Council must be closer after crossing this river." Nic suspected.

"That I believe to be true."

Nic readied to morph into a form, but then all of a sudden, a voice stopped them in their tracks.

"I wouldn't push my luck, if I were you."

Nic and Greninja almost instantly turned sharply towards their left and saw what appeared to have been a pink and red barrage of fireballs heading their way. It looked a lot like a version of Will-o-Wisp, only it wasn't. Taking action, reflexes triumphed over the duo again. Nic began to create something white and Greninja reached for his sides, where water began to compress.

In a brilliant glint that Jellal could only see unfold, Nic and Greninja passed all of the fireballs, posing with slash motions; Greninja having spinning Water Shuriken in his hands, and Nic having Cut out. Both Trainer and Pokémon kept their slashing poses as the fireballs remained still behind them before blue and white glints flashed, and then in the next second dissipated away into thin air.

Jellal eyes narrowed. "Who's there? Reveal yourselves!"

Nic and Greninja both stood back up, relinquishing their attacks. They both stared out at the few large rocks around them. They both looked down at the ground in the distance, looking at the bottom of the rocks.

"We see your shadow." Nic pointed out. "There's no point in using sneak attacks anymore."

The figure emerged from behind one of the big rocks. Once he revealed himself, Nic and Greninja both immediately crouched and took battle stances. "So the rumors are true, your reflexes and sensory are as sharp as they come." The figure leaned against the side of the rock, trying to look all cool and relaxed with a nonchalant smirk. He had fair skin and brown eyes. His blonde hair was slicked back, a fashion almost like Gildarts, but atop of his head was an intricate silver crown with flowing carvings. Two red jewels were engraved inside, while a larger emerald was engraved in front. He had on a long-sleeved jacket that had a blue center, was zipped up, and the sleeves and hood were black. The pants and shoes were also black, though the bottom of the shoes were as blue as the center of the jacket.

"Guess ya found me out." He said.

"And who are you, if we may ask?" Nic inquired.

"Well since you asked…" The man raised a hand and snapped his fingers. Floating above his snapped fingers was a familiar green and pink flame, like a lighter almost. "Call me Berges, but my guild mates of Star Order issues me the nickname of Dreamer."

"Dreamer?" Greninja inquired. _'Does he mean of fantasies, or illusions?'_

Jellal stepped in front of Nc and Greninja, opposing the Star Order member. "Look, we have no quarrel if you. If you persist, you will be given due punishment for actions." He warned.

Berges didn't seem at all challenged. "Jellal Fernandes. Former Council member turned traitor for the resurrection of Zeref, fugitive of justice against the Magic Council, member of the Independent Guild called Crime Sorciere. Sounds about right?" He nonchalantly asked.

Jellal said nothing, but instead stared at him.

"The Magic Council sure has a number on people when it comes to their information they share with Star Order." He flicked all of his fingers out, dissipating the wisp of fire in his hand. "It's like giving candy to babies."

Greninja had a steadily gaze focused on Berges. "Nic…"

Nic nodded. "Yeah, I feel it. His Magic Power isn't dwindling in the slightest. He isn't gonna back down."

Berges picked himself up from the rock he leaned against and had hands in his pockets as he began to walk towards Nic's little group. He still maintained such a casual smirk that it was borderline creepy. "I was told by Peter's calculations that there was a 64% chance you'd show up here, and what do you know, that dolt in glasses really has credit where it's due. What are the odds?" Berges took his hands out of his pockets and gestured them up. "So you ask me, is the Dreamer of Star Order gonna be my end?"

"We won't fall against you so easily." Nic warned Greninja readied by his side.

Berges chuckled. "I see everyone's as presumptuous as they are easy to fool. Who said anything about me having to fight you guys?"

Nic and Greninja's eyes narrowed.

"I'm saying, why bother get my hands dirty, when you're just going to tear the other apart?"

Jellal raised a brow in slight surprise. "You're saying we're gonna fight one another? Is this Fortune Telling Magic you're using, telling us of our future?" He wondered out of possible disbelief.

Berges gave a slightly raised brow. "One could say that, but no. Rather, it's because I'm telling you." He extended his arm forward towards Nic, Greninja, and Jellal. Everybody readied for what he may do. "The Council requires for Nic to be brought to his knees and eliminated, and what better way than by having his own allies turn on him?"

A shade of red began to encompass his hand, similar to what Minerva's magic would do. They could all feel it; a dark, twisted force was drawing into his hand. His magic was compressing, and by no means was it any good.

"Everyone look alive!" Nic warned.

Berges's eyes blinked, and the next time he opened them they were glowing red. The red energy began to static around his hand. " **Reality Hazer!** " At that instant, a red wave of pulsing energy exerted from his hand, expanding outwards and reaching levels of great surprise for the three that it went after.

Nic, Greninja, and Jellal were all ready to intercept. They were gonna dodge it with ease, but as the red shockwave went at them, it began to glow a bright red, again showing shock.

"What is it doing?" Jellal asked, seeing the shockwave turn into a light.

"Jellal. Greninja. Have a sweet dream." Berges snapped his fingers.

Greninja's instincts told him then and there. Cover up! He did what he could and looked away. The blinding like engulfed all three, and through it their harsh grunting was incoherent. The blinding light faded, and Berges' hand retracted back into his pockets. The light faded from Nic's eyes as well, and the two met eye contact. Nic didn't seem harmed at all, but the way Berges smirked was nor a good sign.

Nic turned to his side. "Jellal, Greninja, are you both…?!"

His eyes shot wide when he looked at them. They both were completely different than from before, and not just by their posture. Both were hunched over, exasperating in some way that made it all incoherent. Nic's eyes were still filled with shock and he could see their eyes were nothing but red – solid red. A red aura outlined their bodies, and they both seemed to be under a spell.

They both stood, unable to respond appropriately to Nic as their red eyes glared daggers at Nic.

Nic narrowed his eyes as he angrily turned back towards Berges. "What did you do to them?" He growled.

"Who, me?" Berges pointed towards himself. "I just gave them a little taste of my Dream Magic, that's all. In a way, I guess you can say they're 'daydreaming', but up against a nightmare that I created if you catch my drift."

Nic's eyes sharpened and narrowed further. "So that's what you meant when we were gonna fight one another."

Berges scoffed with an amused grin. "Hey, no skin off my bones. I'm not called Dreamer for an insufficient reason, pal." He continued to smirk. "A little advice…you might wanna turn around."

Nic understood what he meant, because in a flash, his reflexes kicked in. He raised his arm overhead, blocking an axe kick Greninja brought down onto him. The force was so grand that a ripple echoed outwards.

Nic held his ground as Greninja back flipped away. He grunted and continued looking away as Jellal suddenly appeared on his left. The manipulated blue-haired mage brought a fist around engulfed in what was is Heavenly Body Magic. He let out a cry and punched forward, but Nic calmly leaned back as the punch sent a wave of light outwards, stretching into the river. A large splash erupted from far out in the water.

Nic grabbed Jellal's arm with one hand and pivoted, he threw Jellal off towards his right, sending the controlled man to land in a slide on his feet to a halt. Greninja and Jellal both glared at Nic, their eyes a solid red color still.

Nic continued to glare at Berges all the way through. "What are they seeing?"

Berges shrugged. "Nothing, other than the fact that they're facing a monster."

In their eyes, Greninja and Jellal could see nothing but red. In front of them in their own eyes was a hazy silhouette of a human. The voice was incoherent, but the sound of Nic was anything but clear to them. Their senses were all set on offense, to attack with full might. They saw but an enemy, one that left them disgusted. When they looked at him, they could only feel torment, hate, and pain. They wanted it to end. To be gone. And to do that, the monster must vanish, to relieve their pain. Jellal could hear the cries of innocence with every syllable Nic gave out, which frustrated him.

"You foul tormentor." He growled. "You'll pay for your penance!"

Greninja glared at Nic, taking a vivid battle stance.

Nic didn't have a choice now. His for deliberately targeted Jellal and Greninja just so they can deal with the dirty work for Berges. It was an indirect battle front, but it is very effective. Nic was boiling inside, but all he could do was stomach it and turn his back to Berges. He faced both Jellal and Greninja alike, ready to deal with them and the spell they were under. "Both of you, one way or another, I'm gonna get you guys out of your prisons and see the light again." Nic spread his feet apart, glowing and turning into his Zap Form. His body was beginning to give up a profuse amount of static as electricity crackled.

"Both of you, be ready." He crouched. Behind him Berges leaned back against the rock, nonchalantly spectating. Of course Nic knew that if he could defeat Berges, the spell could be lifted from them, but he knew that with Greninja and Jellal both under the spell, they won't by any means have him pass. SO for now, Nic was in for one heck of a fight.

Greninja instantly closed the gap between them. He clutched a fist and went for a supersonic jab. Nic leaned back, and then he pivoted to avoid the mid-section punch Greninja was gonna throw.

Jellal got on all fours and glowed a brilliant light. " **Meteor!** " He went flying right into Nic at such incredible speeds. When he reached Nic with a sharp punch, however, he was met with Nic clutching his own fist.

" **Thunder Punch!** " Nic reeled forward and fired a punch brimming with yellow and great amounts of electricity. Jellal and Nic's punch met, creating an ear-splitting crash sound that send a bright ripple all around, throwing some small rock around. However, Nic was holding his ground, and he knew he wasn't safe.

Greninja silently appeared behind and drove a knee at his back. Nic narrowed his eyes as he sensed it coming. He stopped Thunder Punch and grabbed Jellal's fist and pulled him back. Nic pivoted and brought Jellal around, making him take the full blunt of Greninja's knee. Jellal went sliding back against the rock while Greninja back flipped away for some distance.

Nic clasped his hands together and electricity began to crackle. Electricity began to palpitate through the cracks and beneath the rocky shoreline of the river. " **Discharge!** " Nic unleashed a fury of lightning bolts all around him. The various bolts crackles and sparked like fireworks as they went towards Jellal and Greninja in particular.

The barrage of bolts sped incredibly fast. When some hit the ground, rocks shattered on the spot, and the couple of large rocks close by were also struck, being reduced to rubble without a fight being out up. Jellal was still in Meteor when the Discharge came his way, and he went speeding off after Nic. His speed outran the bolts heading his way, and Greninja disappeared and reappeared with grace of a ninja. When visible, he shifted left and right, constantly dodging without a single misstep.

Both met Nic in the center, and Nic was caught like Chimchar in the middle. Jellal brought a fist back while Greninja did the same, both of their red eyes cast upon Nic, seeing him as nothing more than a monster.

Nic's eyes dilated briefly. _'Now!'_ He disappeared in a flashing bolt of lightning, similar to Laxus's Lightning Body. Jellal kept on punching forward, but Greninja's reflexes were on remote. The Water and Dark-type slipped his now open fist above the incoming punch as time slowed down. Greninja flipped over Jellal, landing behind and swerving to where he saw another flash in midair.

Nic reappeared in the air, his body flaring with electricity. " **Shock Wave!** " His hands were in front and electricity began converging into an orb. The orb discharge forward, sending an actual shockwave forward. The rippling electricity wave went flying at Jellal and Greninja. _'With this, they'll be unable to dodge, meaning they have to defend!'_ Nic thought. As he thought, Jellal tried escaping by shooting himself upwards via Meteor, but the Shock Wave separated, and the rippling electricity expanded and followed him. As he traveled through the air, Jellal's red eyes widened when he looked back, and he was struck the wave of electricity. Static and electricity infiltrated his veins, but all he did was grunt.

"Sorry, Jellal." Nic apologized.

The remainder of Shock Wave went at Greninja, but Greninja was well prepared. " **Scald!** " The Ninja Pokémon did not budge as he instead unleashed a deluge of boiling water from his mouth. The large spray of boiling water met the incoming Shock Wave, causing a wave of scalding water and electricity to erupt outwards in an explosion. The two walls of water and electricity settled, revealing Greninja unscathed while Jellal fell to the ground on his feet.

"I expect nothing less from how I trained Greninja." Nic said. He glowed again, shifting into his Fist Form. He spread his feet apart as Greninja and Jellal readied to attack. _'I know how they battle. I taught Greninja some versatile tactics, but he's more close-range than a long-range battler. As for Jellal, he's no different. The only way I can get through to them is by staying close.'_ Nic reached back, pulling out a Poke Ball from his pocket. He expanded the Poke Ball, and tossed it up into the sky.

"If this is the way it's gotta be, then we gotta handle this individually! Go, Staraptor!" He yelled. The Poke Ball in the air opened up, and out came none other than Staraptor. The Predator Pokémon flapped her strong wings, flying above Nic's head.

"I'm ready!" Staraptor declared.

"Staraptor, I leave you to handle Jellal. I have to get to Greninja, no matter what the cost." Nic said.

Staraptor understood fully. She knew this was what she wanted to transpire. She didn't argue, nor would she ever. Her gaze set on Jellal, she readied to attack. "Let's go!"

Jellal pressed a hand to the ground, engulfing himself in a heavenly light again. "I'll purge all sins that forsake this world of red. The sky will become blue! **Meteor!** " The Heavenly Body Mage went lunging with so much speed that it almost was like a blink and you're dead. However Staraptor bravely had her wings keeping her airborne as Jellal met her in the air, where she caught his fist with one of her talons.

Startled, Jellal struggled to break free, but to no avail.

"Saw that coming a mile away!" Staraptor twisted her body, hurling Jellal into the ground beneath her, kicking up rock and dust.

Elsewhere, Greninja and Nic went darting at one another head on. As Greninja reeled back a fist, Nic's fist was engulfed in a red-orange aura as he lunged ahead.

" **Power-Up Punch!** " Nic punched forward, but Greninja's punch immediately stopped. Instead the frog sidestepped. Taking his own reflexes into account, Nic swung his arm away, washing away his own attack. He leaped away briefly and crouched forward to attack.

As the skirmish continued to unfold, Berges looked on, seemingly intrigued as he was safe from harm's way. "Well, this is turning into quite a show. I never would've imagined the Luminous of Fairy Tail having such a battle against his own. It's almost borderline cruel." The man chuckled a little as he continued to watch them attack one another.

" **Cross Chop!** " Nic crossed both his arms in an X formation, in which they began to glow. He lunged ahead after Greninja with his feet quickly leaving the ground and pacing swiftly through the rock.

Greninja made ninja hand signs and pointed ahead. " **Smokescreen!** " He exerted a thick black cloud of smoke from his mouth, swiftly crossing the entire terrain. Nic found himself stopping in his tracks before he could charge deeper into the Smokescreen. His Cross Chop faded and he took in a deep breath, trying to hold it so as not to inhale smoke.

Within the smoke cloud, nothing seemed to be happening. Nic knew this predicament. His eyes narrowed, scouring left and right and all around, but he wasn't sensing Greninja anywhere. _'Then that means only thing thing…'_ Nic balled another tight fist as it began to glow another shade of bright blue. He crouched and brought it down and back.

Another second passed before another whiff came flying from above. " **Bounce!** "

" **Sky Uppercut!** "

Greninja came somersaulting downwards with a voracious axe kick, at the same time Nic unleashed a brilliant uppercut that clashed with the foot on the ground. A ripple of air exerted out, being so powerful that it actually dissipated the Smokescreen around them. The two were in a brief stalemate as the fist and foot were both trying to overpower one another, but to the surprise of both breaking away. Nic slid backwards while Greninja landed in a crouched position some feet away.

After all of the smoke vanished, there was a brief pause in between the two. Nic seemed to be taking the battle well, but you couldn't tell with his posture and the way he was glaring at Greninja. "Come on Greninja…is this your way of a warmup?" He challenged. "I know you, and I know you that you can hear me. So if you think I'm gonna accept you having it the easy way, that's not going to work against me."

Greninja could in fact hear Nic, but in his eyes and ears, all he could really hear was his voice reverberating in a more demonic tone. The solid red in Greninja's eyes didn't fade, but he looked like he was discerning in his vision of red.

' _This creature, is he…? But the way he fights, it's almost exactly like how Nic and I spar. What is this demonic creature, and why does he have Nic's voice?'_

Elsewhere, Staraptor was racing through the skies. The Predator Pokémon was fiercely keeping herself up with Jellal as he zoomed through the air with such speeds. The man and bird both spiraled through the air in a helix fashion. Their speeds were astronomical that it made air currents fly behind them. Staraptor kept a good lock on Jellal as the mage made a sharp left turn, to which Staraptor followed in a shorter curve towards him. With the proximity close, the Predator Pokémon went at it. " **Aerial Ace!** " Her wings tucked in a little and she sped in which great swells of speed. She was like a Mach rocket and finally made contact onto Jellal, causing the blue-haired mage to get struck on the back. Staraptor angled herself off into a U-turn while Jellal fell beneath her. The mage used Meteor again and he stopped his own fall in midair. He flew around once more, heading into a straight line away from Staraptor.

This time, Staraptor chose to not pursuit and instead watched Jellal turn around and go at her instead. As he closed in, Staraptor took off after Jellal. The avian advanced with such great speed as always, and Jellal went for a punch.

In his solid red eyes, Jellal could see a red background and saw nothing in front of him but a black silhouette of a ruffle-feathered large bird with dark red eyes and a menacing pair of talons that could claw off human skin. With every flap, he could hear not wind, but anguished screams of innocent lives. He wanted to make it stop, and he could stop it by ending it. He clutched his fist tighter as Meteor closed the gap. "Begone foul creature, and bring back the blue sky!"

" **Double Team!** " Staraptor flashed, and immediately she multiplied illusionary copies of herself that surrounded the avian. The number of copies was staggering, and the large number was what made Jellal go wide-eyed. In his eyes he saw an entire flock of ravenous giant birds. The sudden increase in numbers left him so surprised that he stopped in midair.

"What happened? How did so many appear?!" He shouted.

With himself in a state of shock in midair, the real Staraptor was overhead, with a wing cloaked in a metal gray color. " **Steel Wing!** " She brought it down onto Jellal, smack dab on the head. The shock from her attack made a silver rupture upon impact, which was thick and brimming with damage. Jellal flew straight down and smashed into the ground, causing rock and dust to pick up.

Her Double Team faded, and Staraptor flapped in the air, overlooking Jellal. "If it takes me all day, I'm gonna make sure you stay down!"

Back with Nic and Greninja, Greninja was remaining stiff and still, pondering about the demonic figure in front of him. The Ninja Pokémon could barely make out the voice, but there was no question that it sounded extremely similar to Nic. Greninja closed his eyes, trying to block out the demonic figure. If he wasn't gonna rely on his sight, he may as well refer to his senses, but his hearing was a little fluctuating given the small wails and painful screams he could hear resonating from the beast he saw. His fists balled and he kept his eyes closed.

"Greninja, I know you're there. You're fighting this spell, aren't you?" Nic asked.

Greninja looked in pain as he was just being firm. With every syllable was some hint of dread, but yet it was still Nic's voice.

Berges looked at the scene, raising a brow. "Hey hold on now, that spell is strong enough to keep even a Wizard Saint chasing a fool's dream. Just what is that fool up to?"

"Greninja, what can you hear?" Nic asked, glowing and transforming back into himself. "Can you hear my voice?"

Greninja slowly nodded. "I hear Nic's voice, and this monster in front of me, it fights exactly like him. It seems so real, but all I feel when it's around me is this…pain!" Greninja punched the ground, unable to keep himself upright from the headache that was starting to unfold.

Nic could see his Greninja in distress, but there wasn't much he could do except speak. Greninja's senses were being obscured, but it was clear he was retaining some level of sanity. He was trying to keep himself together, despite what was going on in his own vision. Nic slowly walked on over, pacing slowly and with caution. Nic knelt in front of his Greninja, trying to look at him in the eyes.

"Greninja…I'm not gonna hurt you." He said. "If you see me as a monster, but hear my voice, then just think of this: Do you remember the day we met?"

Greninja's eyes widened as he looked down at Nic's feet. Despite being a solid red still, Greninja's pupils could be seen. It was a day unlike any other, and it was on that day that Greninja was chosen to be someone's very first Pokémon. "The day we…met…?"

That memory, it triggered something. A pulse ran through Greninja's body. The wailing and screaming he's been hearing with every syllable was gone. All he heard was silence; no shouts, no flowing river, no nothing. The red he's been seeing was gone, and as he looked up, the demonic black silhouette that was at eye-level with him was starting to fade away with the rest of the surroundings. Instead everything flashed to what seemed to have been a small town, one filled with people and Pokémon alike. He could hear the boisterous laughing and kids running around with little Pokémon following them. There was a humungous fountain the center of town, not to mention quite a few open restaurants with seats open to the public.

' _This place…I know it.'_ Greninja said. His conscious was fully aware, the memory resurfacing.

Berges looked at Greninja with regard. "Why is he not attacking? Can't he dream of Nic as an enemy?" He looked at Greninja's still figure and head lowered, staring at the ground as Nic was kneeling. His eyes slowly widened. "Can it be…is he having my Dream Magic under his own influence?"

Greninja stayed completely still as he continued staring into the unknown. Whether it was the ground or at some high balcony in the town, he could no longer feel pain. His daydreaming was bringing him back to his first day, and gladly the greatest day he could possibly think of. _'This location, it's no doubt Aquacorde Town.'_ He thought as he saw a woman with wavy, long blondehair in a lab coat sitting in a chair alone with Nic across from a small, round table. _'This is where I first met Nic.'_

 _The Professor's assistant smiled as she folded her fingers over another, resting her chin atop of them. "So, you're the one named Nic Pularis?" She repeated._

 _Nic was apparently having his arms crossed, sitting straight up in his new black sleeveless coat with the blue flame design. He stared at her seriously. "Yeah." He answered a little quietly._

 _Regardless of how he sounded, the assistant kept a soft smile. "I'm happy to have met you. My name is Kelly. I'm one of the many scientists who study under Professor Sycamore at his lab in Lumiose City." She said. "I was told of what…circumstances you've been through."_

 _Nic tensed up at the prospect, but said nothing._

" _I know it's not right for an apology, but I heard from reports that you wanted to travel around, see the world, is that right?" Kelly asked._

 _Nic shrugged. "As far as I want, kind of. But I wanted to learn about these Pokémon as well. See what others are like."_

 _Kelly's smiled brightened dup. "Well I'm glad you brought that up, because I'm here to help you fulfill that wish."_

 _Nic looked surprised, and it was shown clearly since he had his sunglasses resting on his V-neck. "Really?"_

" _Promise." Kelly reached for right beside her. She took out what looked to have been an alloy canister or capsule. It was hard to discern, but inside was what intrigued Nic. "Professor Sycamore decided that since you want to be a Pokémon Trainer, you should have yourself a Pokémon to start with. It sounds fair, plus the Professor absolutely insisted that you take one for safe travels."_

 _Nic looked at the opened capsule, staring at the Poke Balls. He's never seen an actual Poke Ball before. If he was honest its simplicity was just what he appreciated the most. Red, white, and black. He watched as Kelly pulled out all three Pokémon._

" _Now, to introduce you to the three Starter Pokémon a Trainer can receive in Kalos. Our first choice…" She opened up the first Poke Ball, where a Chespin popped out. The Spiny Nut Pokémon smiled with glee at Nic. "Chespin, the Grass-type."_

 _Chespin hopped up and down in front of Nic, showing excitement. However, Nic didn't at all seem amused as he looked at the other options._

 _The second Poke Ball opened up. "Our next choice…" Another Pokémon popped out, this one being a fox. "Fennekin!"_

 _Fennekin wagged his tail with excitement. He looked at Nic with a smile and looked like a puppy that was gonna be rewarded by its master. Nic stared at Fennekin and Chespin, looking quizzically at the two. He was above being picky, but if he was honest, just by looking at them, there was something missing. It was hard to explain, but Chespin nor Fennekin could see through him, but he can't blame them, and just by looking into their eyes, he could only see curiosity. This arose a lot of wonder for Nic. If he wanted to raise Pokémon, he had to make sure there was a level of understanding. He was faced with no innocence in this world, and by no means was he affirmed to the innocence that Pokémon had. Of course he could tell them of what he went through, but could they really and truly understand what it's like to be neglected and given bad names? Not every journey's beginning is a blessed and happy one. Already he was debating a possible denial, but there was still the last Poke Ball to have yet been open._

 _The Poke Ball opened on Kelly's behalf. "And here's the last one. This one…" The Poke Ball opened, revealing the final choice as Froakie. The Bubble Frog Pokémon stood on the table, staring with blank eyes, not willing to show off unlike Fennekin and Chespin. "The Water-type, Froakie."_

 _Froakie's blank eyes were directed towards Nic. When Froakie looked at Nic, and Nic looked at Froakie, both stared at one another. Froakie's blank eyes were still blank, but there was an intense seriousness within them. Nic could feel a hardened level; it was hard to describe, but Froakie could just somehow click with him then and there._

 _Kelly's eyes and smile were directed from Froakie to Nic. "So, Nic, which Pokémon do you…?" Kelly trailed off then and there when she saw the intense stare down that Nic and Froakie were having. She was filled with wonder as she saw them on not a competitive level but a mutual one. "Nic? Nic?"_

 _Nic couldn't hear her, instead he was so heavily focused on Froakie that Chespin and Fennekin were both looking with inquiry as well. They've heard rumors at how Froakie's serious and recluse nature had given him substantial criticism, so they expected Nic to have scolded it for not looking all peppy compared to them. Apparently they got the wrong idea._

 _Of all the stares Froakie could have been given, this staring contest he had with Nic was one that hit him to the heart. Froakie saw something in Nic, and it was more than just mere potential. He actually saw himself, which was an abstract way of putting it since Nic was a human. But for as long as Froakie could remember, for the past six months, the Bubble Frog Pokémon was labeled as .no fun' and 'seemingly serious'. Froakie was devoted to himself, but this left him scorned by others. He was not a player, as far as he knew himself._

 _When he read that story yesterday on that article, of course Froakie was startled, but not just because of the gruesome horror he's seen of Nic's mother and father, but the fact that Nic's been holding out his entire life. Such a feature was a means of respect._

 _When Nic looked at Froakie, there was something off, but in his eyes it just seemed right. They instantly connected with looks of sheer sense of stronghold. Nic could tell that despite not knowing what this feeling was that was rolling around in his gut, he thought was intriguing at the same time._

" _Nic? Nic?" Kelly called out. "Are you…?"_

 _Nic looked at Froakie still, seeing the Bubble Frog Pokémon turn away. He hopped on over towards his Poke Ball, and he grabbed it, much to Kelly's shock. He seized it and hopped on over and placed the Poke Ball in front of Nic._

 _Nic grinned. "So that's what you want?" His smile grew as Froakie rolled the Poke Ball over the edge onto Nic's open palm. The Water-type smiled back. "I've heard how humans always chose the Pokémon, but I think this is the reverse…I like it."_

 _Froakie smiled. "(I wanna see what happens. Let's hope this adventure we start gets interesting quick.)"_

Greninja was staring ahead, his pupils visible through the solid red. That memory was pure to him. It could be labeled as destiny or perhaps cheesy to some people, but to him personally, that day marked the greatest adventure he was ever bound to have. "Greninja…" The memory and background began to fade away upon hearing Nic's voice. Greninja's eyes trailed until facing forward, seeing the same dark silhouette, but its figure looked a lot like Nic's, and the background around him was a distant stardust.

' _Nic…'_ Greninja was beginning to have his pupils dilate. _'There's no question.'_

He saw the silhouette hold up a clutched fist. Its hair, shape, and voice were no doubted his Trainer's. "Greninja, time to wake up. We've got battles to win."

The red in Greninja's eyes faded away, and he looked as determined as he could ever be. He looked towards Nic, seeing his face again, and his smile full of proud determination.

"Welcome back." Nic greeted.

Greninja held up his hand to Nic. Nic stared at it before he realized the signal. He held up his own hand, and the two clasped both their hands in a handshake. "Thanks for snapping me out of it." He said.

Berges stepped back, his eyes full of shock. "I-impossible! Greninja broke free of my spell?! It's supposed to make them see dreams!"

"More like bittersweet nightmares." Greninja chided, standing up and facing Berges.

Nic looked over, and together with a glance from Greninja, they saw the battle of Staraptor and Jellal taken to the ground. Jellal fired another blast of his Heavenly Body Magic, and Staraptor was on her talons. She went speeding in, each talon hitting and leaving the ground. The bird shifted left and then right, dodging both beams of magic. Staraptor sped on in and blindsided Jellal as she pivoted and got behind him. When Jellal looked behind, Staraptor was already flipping over his head.

Nic brought his arm around. "Sorry Jellal, but this is for your own good." He swiped it. "Staraptor, **Close Combat!** "

Jellal looked up, only to receive a deadly talon to the face. Staraptor let out a violent battle cry as she spiraled and twisted her body, repeatedly striking Jellal with the back of her wings, talons, and even threw in a few winged uppercuts. Her speed was lightning fast, so fast that Jellal was unable to defend every single blow. Her training with Nic paid off incredulously as her reflexes and reaction timing with every blow was so powerful and sharp that the ground all around her and Jellal was taking shockwaves from the attack. Winds blew with every violent and swift impact, shattering the ground.

Staraptor raised her wing one last time and brought it down onto Jellal, the attack brutalizing him and smashing him into the earth, as well as making a large crater. The earth continued to shake and quiver until Staraptor kicked her feet up and back flipped high into the air out of the crater. She landed, looking down into the dissipating dust cloud, revealing Jellal. Though badly wounded from Staraptor's assault, a red sphere encompassed him, and then popped like a bubble.

"Nice work, Staraptor." Nic praised.

Berges grunted. He angrily balled a fist and red energy began to static in his fist. "How can you override my attack? I'll just have to pin you guys against each other until you collapse then!" He reached out towards Greninja again. " **Reality Hazer!** "

He released a narrow shockwave towards Greninja, which began to grow into a bright light. The attacks came in fast, but Greninja closed his eyes.

"No matter how many times you use that, I know that this is reality." He was engulfed in the light, and Nic and Staraptor both watched as Greninja didn't bother defending. Berges smirked as the light faded and his hand sizzled a little. He grinned upon seeing a red aura around Greninja. "I know that despite these dreams that you keep me in, Nic and the others have my back. They _are_ my dream. And my dreams about them…" His eyes opened up, revealing them to be fine. "Is all about facing opponents who always push our bonds beyond any variation!"

Berges stepped back in fright. "He…he shook it off like it was nothing." He snapped his fingers, and the pink and red fireballs formed above his hands, three per hand. "What kind of freaks are Pokémon? Who are you?!" In fright and slight exasperation, he swiped his arms, shooting the fireballs at them.

"Greninja, **Water Shuriken!** " Nic yelled out.

"We'll tell you who we are!" Greninja crouched and created compressed stars of water. He aimed them at the incoming fireballs. "We're the epitome of man and Pokémon bonds that you can never break!" He fired the shuriken, all of which spun right into the fireballs. The fireballs stood no chance as they vanished away from the water. The Water Shuriken kept on going, flying right past a scared Berges. Berges winced as the Water Shuriken all went blazing like saucer bullets, the attack making the rock he was against make bright blue glints before shattering apart into sliced sections. Behind it the ground cracked a little, having some slice trails that kept reaching outwards until it reached another rock twenty-feet behind. That rock also shattered into obliterated chunks.

Standing in front of what stood of the rock, Berges shakily turned back ahead. "Y-you're monsters…"

Standing side by side, Nic and Greninja's foot each stepped forward once. Their heartbeats were thumping in perfect rhythm, almost as though they were in sync. Nic and Greninja's fists clutched as they held them up across. There was a burning energy between the two, as Nic's warm blue eyes stood out, and Greninja's eyes were a beaming red. The energy around them was staggering.

Their minds recalled a brief image of their fists meeting during a random training day, and they both spoke in unison as they energy around them began to pulsate. Berges was looking stunned.

"We'll never back down! This is our will, and together, we'll prevail!"

A final pulse went through the atmosphere, and the unison energy between Nic and Greninja finally unleashed. Greninja summoned a pillar all around him just as his body was glowing. The water pillar was staggering as it swirled like rapids. Inside, Greninja's glowed ceased, and it was hard to make out what he looked like despite the pillar of water dissipating into a veil of water surrounding him. Inside, you could see Greninja's ears looked slightly edgier and as black as Nic's hair. The membrane on the back of his head was more curve inwards. The most staggering about Greninja was that his middle stripe on his face, all around his eyes, and his eyes – were all purple. They were glowing as well. There were purple lines making a V-shape on his chest with gray filling it. The purple ran down towards his stomach. His arms had purple bands with black, almost looking exactly like Nic's sleeves. The bubbles all over him have also turned to a purplish gray color. All of the purple around his body was glowing, and as for Nic, the purple on his attire, front and back, was also glowing.

Staraptor looked over, shocked. "Nic? Greninja?" She sounded surprised.

Jellal's eyes winced while he laid in the crater. He groaned and his eyes slowly opened up, but only enough to see Nic and Greninja. He saw the change in them and just stared.

Nic extended his arm ahead. "Let's go!"

Greninja and Nic both pressed their feet against the ground, making small craters beneath them. Both lunged ahead, making some rock kick up. Greninja and Nic both looked seemingly faster as they lunged at Berges, reappearing in front of him not even moments later. Berges didn't have time to yell before Nic and Greninja jumped out in unison and roundhouse kicked him in the chin. The unison impact was followed by a bone-cracking sound. Berges smashed right through the remnants of the rock behind him and continued flying backwards until he smashed right into the shattered rock behind again. The shattered fragments went flying, and Berges' eyes were devoid of any pupils as he laid sprawled all over the rock remnants.

Nic and Greninja landed on the rocky ground again. When they did, the glow on Nic's purple faded, and the veil of water faded around Greninja, revealing himself again. Both stood still with slight shock over their sudden reaction and looked at each other with question.

"Did you feel that?" Greninja asked, shocked.

Nic nodded, but his face showed shock. "Yeah, what was that just now?"

They both looked down at their tightened fists, seeing them all balled up. At once, their clutches loosened up, and they looked at their open palms with curiosity. What went through their veins just now, it was like a sudden adrenaline, but in a good way. They both felt lighter, and they most certainly were faster and had greater strength than before.

Staraptor stared at Nic and Greninja, her surprise of equal caliber. She had equal question for herself, Nic, and Greninja alike, but what exactly could they question or where to start? Before she could let the matter slide, he heard Jellal groaning from in the crater she left him in. She looked down at his injured state.

Nic and Greninja both turned back towards Jellal, the former getting a little startled. They both rushed on over, with Nic turning into his Mind Form. "Jellal!" Nic hopped right into the crater, kneeling before his injured comrade.

Jellal stopped his wincing, looking up at Nic. "Nic, what happened?" He winced again. "Why am I in pain?"

Nic frowned as he proceeded to start Heal Pulse on Jellal. _'I speculate all he can remember is that dream, but nothing else.'_ As he engulfed Jellal in pink waves, he remained still and somber. "Stay still, this will heal you."

Jellal looked away in shame. Already the bruises Staraptor left were beginning to fade. "Thank you. I am in your care."

"Don't mention it."

As Nic healed Jellal, Greninja and Staraptor looked at one another. Both were curious at the whole battle they both engaged in. Staraptor fought an incapacitated Jellal, but he was under influence. If anything that brawl was no different from when Gajeel fought Rogue during the Grand Magic Games. But that wasn't the issue that worried them.

"Greninja, you feel alright?" Staraptor asked him.

Greninja looked towards his avian family member, half-grinning beneath his tongue. "It's hard to say. I'm okay, and yet, what I felt just now…I don't know what to describe it."

Staraptor looked towards him with understanding. "Well as far as concern goes, we shouldn't worry since that worked in our favor. But…" She looked back at Nic, seeing him overlook Jellal as the fallen mage sat back up. "At that instant, you almost looked like Nic."

Greninja looked from Staraptor towards Nic, staring with uncertainty and similar amazement.

After Jellal was healed, Nic then proceeded in telling Jellal as to what happened. About the effects of Berges' Dream Magic and how it was nothing short of willpower that got Greninja free, while Staraptor had to stop Jellal.

Jellal looked down in embarrassment. "I understand. I let my guard down. I'm sorry."

"It's no worries. We were fortunate to have overcome such a magic." Nic said, alleviating Jellal's cumbersome worries. He turned towards the river. "With that settled, we can cross. Staraptor, you know what to do."

Staraptor nodded in understanding. She took flight and flapped over Jellal's head. She slowly levered down and grabbed his shoulders by the talons. Jellal was lifted off the ground, much to the mage's surprise. But he wasn't aware that Staraptor hauled boulders far greater in weight that equaled a Golem. She flew on over and carried Jellal overhead across the Amaranth River, as to where Nic glowed and shifted from his Mind Form to his Sky Form.

"You ready?" He asked Greninja.

Greninja nodded, casting their inquiry of the transformation aside. Greninja got into a stance and Nic took flight. As Nic soared into the skies, flying across the river, Greninja lunged ahead, running atop of the river with such speed to equal a ninja, perhaps superior. Everyone went crossing on towards the other side, advancing ever so closer towards the Magic Council.

* * *

In an unknown location, there seemed to be nothing but darkness, but within said darkness, there was a figure. The figure was revealed to have been none other than God Serena. The Wizard Saint was smirking out of amusement and delight. His gaze was rather mild as he was seemingly talking to no one but himself. "Oh, the time draws near. There's only so much time left for your clock, Nic Pularis." He struck a pose, pointing fingers at thin air with a grin. "The time of which I show you once and for all that I am none other than…" He pointed fingers upwards towards the heavens. "God Serena! The heavens will bow, and the land will scream at the call of my name!" He struck yet another flamboyant pose outward. "Your comrades are admirable, but slaying that stubborn Bolton is amusing. I was hoping to bring that stubborn dog down myself, but you saved a god some trouble. Only two more seals to go, Nic Pularis…until I prove to you that a dragon is far superior to you and any Pokémon ever to exist."

* * *

Gran Doma stared with disbelief as Nic's team was crossing the Amaranth River on the big monitor overhead. He growled in heavy frustration. "You meddlesome punk." He growled.

"They're just too strong, even for Dreamer's Dream Magic." A Councilman stated. "Is that how strong a man and a Pokémon's bond really is?"

"It sure looks like it." A Councilman foretold. "I never knew that Nic's bonds with that bird and frog could be that strong."

Another Councilman looked up towards Gran Doma. "Gran Doma, what do you advise we do now? We've already contacted God Serena, but he's still nowhere to be found. And Cruzer and Ruge are the only standing Wizard Saints who are the links to the Phantasm."

Gran Doma held his stave and tapped his finger against the wooden stand. He didn't at all seem too pleased, and he most certainly wasn't gonna have this matter slide anytime soon. He sourly kept glaring at the screen, watching Nic's group make it to the other side of the river. Finally he scowled. "Grah! My patience has long since expired. Fine, tell our forces to evacuate and have Jango and Cruzer take over from here on out."

"Sir?"

"Star Order has most certainly been useful to us. Their allegiance deserves no less than grievances over the defeats they've been dealing with, especially when they're by that reckless guild Nic is a part of. They will be compensated as long as they've done their parts." He looked up to the screen again, seeing Berges lying in the rubble. "And I'm sure Jango will most certainly have an eye for an eye. This is why we must have him handle this himself."

A Councilman looked at him quizzically. "We understand that sir, but what about the Wizard Saint Cruzer?"

Gran Doma snickered. "You're a fool. Cruzer's been in Bosco fighting a war for 4 years. His combat and war experience is beyond substantial. You dare not question a Wizard Saint of a caliber that he has."

He looked at one of the smaller monitors in front, and on it was a very gruesome sight. To him it put a smirk on his face. Below, Lahar and Doranbolt's eyes widened in sheer horror and shock. Their mouths hung open a little bit as well. Both couldn't even make up words to describe what they were seeing on the monitor.

Gran Doma spoke up in light of the overall shock the Magic Council had. "I'm sure you're all aware of the Wizard Saints and their apparent nicknames, is that what I believe to be true? There is Bolton – The Stern Bolt. Stella – The Sea Bride. Ruge – The Ethernano Reaper. And our most recent edition as of six months prior, Cruzer."

On the screen, countless mages and their own bodies were sprawled across the battlefield. They were all pale, some perhaps on the brink of death's door. The body count was roughly 300. Every single person was covered in what looked like black and purple poison or venom. Their eyes had no pupils and mouths hung open, having the venom paralyze even the nerves inside of their mouths. Among the wreckage and carnage, there was the most shocking revelation that left everyone paling.

Jura and Chelia were in front of the fallen group, and to their disbelief they too were covered in venom and were defeated brutally. Thick purple and black venom was all over their bodies, leaving them numb, and had a horrific smell.

Behind them, Cruzer looked away with a smirk. It wasn't cocky, but one out of delight of the victory obtained. His gloves were drenched in black and purple venom, which dripped to the ground, splattering with acid like quality to it that made tiny craters in the earth.

"In the numerous wars he's fought in the past 9 years, he's been given a nickname to which he owns up to, one that leaves many soldiers numb as they described…Cruzer – The Venomous Wardog." As Gran Doma smirked, a long pause passed as he watched Cruzer walk away from his most recent victory without so much as stopping or looking back. "A very fitting name…to a Poison God Slayer."

* * *

 **New chapter. Surprise! How was this one compared to before? I added much greater Pokémon flavor to it than the previous one, and on top of which I introduced someone you all might enjoy; a very original combination of Nic-Greninja. What was your opinions on him? Did you like the timing and debut of Nic-Greninja? I thought of it being a great tribute to Ash-Greninja, so if you guys need a better picture, check my Deviantart for the final draft, though in this case it's without the shuriken or water cloak and instead a water veil.**

 **I played the Demo of Pokémon Sun and Moon, and I have to say that I am hyped for the game now. I definitely want Pokémon Moon since I normally play at night, and I'm most excited about getting my own Ash-Greninja. However XY will always be a great deal in me, I can never get tired of those games either.**

 **Also I added a touch of Erza just to keep the NicxErza feeling in this arc. If you're wondering when she and Jango will square off, it'll be a bit of next chapter, but it'll primarily be of Cruzer and his battle against a certain bunch.**

 **So as always, if you loved this chapter, Staraptor battling a little, and Nic and Greninja's bond, leave a comment or detailed review. Thanks for reading guys! :)**


	14. A Poisoned War Soul

_A doorbell rang on the front porch. The man standing in front of the door stayed silent and frowned as he waited for someone to answer. He wasn't gonna ring again, for it'd be rude. He just stood in silence as a woman holding a baby in her arm opened the screen door._

" _Yes, hello?" She asked. The man's military uniform got her attention. Seeing the medallions and medals all over him meant of many achievements, and he looked at her with a seriousness, holding a bold front._

" _Hello, ma'am." He answered._

 _The baby cooed as he looked at the man. The mother continued looking at him with inquiry. "Hold on one second…are you…a part of the Rune Marines?" She asked, her voice having a clear sense of hope for a yes. "Did you hear from my husband? Is he alright?"_

 _The man stood in silence as he knelt down before the woman's frantic demeanor. His dog tags were dangling from his neck, sticking out of his uniform. They were both labeled 'The Venomous Wardog'. He reached into sac right beside him and pulled out a hand-sized box._

 _The woman stared at the box, her eyes widening in vivid horror and disbelief. Her hand covered her mouth as she tried to suppress a gasp as the soldier slowly opened the box. Inside presented to her was a black and white framed picture of a man in a uniform, smiling. Beside the framed picture was a wedding ring, dog tags, a smaller picture of the woman and her baby, and finally a few medals._

 _The mementos presented and not the man himself meant only a grim fate had been sealed._

 _The man watched as the woman sank to her knees, the sudden and harsh bounce surprising the baby. The woman was shaking uncontrollably. All he could do was grieve in silence as tears began to roll down her face._

" _I'm sorry." He said. He knelt down once more, placing the box in front of the widow. He stepped back and watched as another comrade had fallen, and to which his death brought the somber cries and anguished screams of their loved ones. The woman screamed put loud on the front porch while the baby began to cry out as well._

Cruzer stared at the ground, his eyes unable to go anywhere else. He trailed forward like he was a zombie. His face showed no emotion, and it was clear to the whole world that he was by no means in good condition. The constant memories popping inside of his head was not only aggravating, but even though it was night, he was too scared to even sleep. He was tired, but even through the broken mentality, he kept soldiering on until something out of the ordinary showed up/

His footsteps were engraved into the grasslands be trudged through. The bootmarks were acidic and venomous, and the ground sizzled behind as Cruzer dared not look back.

' _The mission matters the most. Nothing matters but the mission.'_ He told himself as he straightened up. _'No matter how many men must fall, the mission must never fail. A soldier soldiers on through the battlefield and dare not get distracted by his fallen friends or foe.'_ His eyes narrowed. "If they fall, pick up their guns and shoot in their place. Bolton, Stella, I'll take care of this war." He vowed. "It's a fallen soldier's grace."

* * *

Among what appeared to have been a low-level quarry, the exhausted tended to themselves. Thanks to Staraptor's aerial position, she managed to see far ahead with her sharp vision, a rocky quarry. Nic, Greninja, and Jellal thus ventured there after Nic thanked Staraptor for all her help and returned her to her Poke Ball. In a matter of minutes, the small group found themselves very secluded spot that won't give away their positions to any means of an ambush. The location of the quarry wasn't a liable ambush point given how low-leveled it was. Besides that, Nic and Greninja could tell of there was indeed any enemies, to which they were in the clear of.

Their positions within and alcove, the group found themselves pacified for the time being. Jellal looked around, looking conspicuously at their surroundings. "This spot should be ideal. It should give cover to us for the time being."

"We'll rest up for a few hours. We need our strength for any possible Wizard Saints or enemies we may have to deal with later on." Nic insisted.

Jellal nodded in agreement.

A half hour soon came to pass relatively quick. The dark rainbow skies above continued to wave like those of the sea. The sky was strong, but as for Nic's little group, they were feeling on the contrary. It felt maybe an entire 24 hours since the barrier has been up all over Fiore, and despite three Wizard Saints already incapacitated, two still governed, and that meant two borders restraining perhaps an entire sector or maybe all of Fiore. It didn't matter so long as Phantasm was still closing all of Fiore off from the rest of Earth Land.

Jellal was already sound asleep, but struggling to find solace with slumber was Nic and Greninja, both of which turned on their sides, facing away from one another.

Nic's eyes opened up, as did Greninja. "…what do you think that was back there?" Nic wondered in a whisper.

Greninja knew what he was talking about. "I don't know." He answered. He remembered the pulsing feeling when he suddenly transformed. He was in a veil of water, but he could see crustal clear. The way they both felt, it was beyond extraordinary. The energy running through them and their legs and arms alike was tremendous. They never felt so fast, especially for Nic when humans back in his world can't reach that speed. Nic pondered about it, and he could still remember the nimble feeling.

"I've never sprinted or lunged that fast before. It's like we almost fused. Wouldn't you say?"

Greninja continued to look off into the norm. "Well we felt the same way, but I can't draw any liable conclusions. It's best that what happened didn't give our bodies any drawbacks…not that we're aware of. What I'm concerned with is if and when it might happen again. What then?"

It was a very serious question to consider. They may not have felt any drawbacks, but who knows what next time may bring up, if there was such a thing. For all that it was worth, controlling such a mysterious power was gonna take some time and consideration. Nic knew that it was going to be tough, but as long as the matter didn't mean harm and doesn't get in their way, they may as well consider it a one-time prospect.

Nic closed his eyes. "Like you said. If it happens, it happens. What matters is that this feeling we both had, it means our bond can never be severed. Our bonds and love brought us this far into life, why question that?"

Greninja paused for a moment before he finally smiled. "You're right."

Nic's voice began to trail off. "We should get some sleep."

"Yes." Greninja closed his eyes, and both Trainer and Starter Pokémon succumbed to rest.

As the trio was finally asleep, time pressed on.

* * *

All of Fiore had various locations set in stone. There were forests and a lot of mountains. A few rivers mentioned such as the Amaranth River, and among such concepts also brings people about. However the center of Fiore was an exact point just north of some mountains. That point was precisely where the Council HQ was. It was surrounded by barren rock, with a small stretch of hills reaching up to the forests all around. Through the thick forest there was Erza.

The knight walked on ahead, her rest having to recovered some energy she needed. With no time left to lose, she pressed on through the foliage and bushes.

"This forest is going on for quite some time. Is it possible I'm going in a circle?" She reached and pulled out a compass for what felt like the umpteenth time. Just like from the past five different times, the needle was pointing in the right direction. Her directive was west, but it felt like the forest was bewitching her. Her eyes squinted as she looked ahead. "Nothing here is as before. This forest may be bigger than what I thought."

The redhead went forward in regard to going west. She could feel like she was closing in, and yet so far out of reach. She was hoping that at some point the forest might end, or at least show signs of stopping, but it's felt like almost felt like two days. Sure she's managed to find food and water that was within reason, but of course she felt short of progress; nevertheless she was undeterred from ever stopping. She refused to give up. She had a goal, and that goal was to keep and protect a certain someone ever so dear to her.

' _Don't worry Nic, I'm almost there.'_ She vowed to herself. She continued onto her course for maybe another half hour until she eventually found something in the distance. It looked to have finally been the end of the forest. There were less trees up ahead, almost barren. She had reached her goal, and was profound forward.

With a nod of acceptance, she pressed forward. "Once I'm out of here, I better make sure that the others have regrouped as well…"

"That is to say if you can ever make it out alive." Another voice challenged.

Erza immediately turned around, her sensory picking up something closing behind and requipping a sword in defense. "Show yourself!" She pointed the sword towards the way she came.

The leaves rustled and the bushes shook. There seemed to have been nothing more in front, but then Erza saw a glint amongst the rustling. A sword suddenly went shooting from the foliage, and Erza's eyes widened as she saw the projectile aimed for her. Her head shifted to the side, the sword missing but a hair of an inch and passing her, embedding itself into a tree.

Looking back at the thrown sword, Erza's glare sharpened. Her eyes followed back to where the sword came from. Emerging from behind a tree was a man whose appearance surprised Erza, her eyes widening. It was Jango, he who has been tailing her this whole time.

"Ms. Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail. At last the time of our meet has been established." Jango said.

Erza's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I take it that you're the one who tried to impale my head from before?"

"I rather not dwell on the past. I have reason to believe you have no intel on me, is that not true?" He asked.

The redhead continued to maintain a grip, her uneasiness turning into curiosity. "You're with the Council, correct?"

Jango stepped forward, extending his arm out towards the sword, having it disappear. Erza again was shocked. _'He can use Requip like I do?'_

"I am the Guild Master of Star Order, the ruler amongst the stars that govern all Fiore. I am Jango, and as it is my role, I am to bring you criminals in for siding with Nic Pularis and bring justice to the fallen stars." He announced.

"Fallen stars?" Erza questioned aloud. "So that means your guild is suffering drawbacks just like this Phantasm, huh?"

"Do not mock the fallen!" Jango shouted. "Justice and order will prevail, and my justice will be pit against you, the strongest female in all of Fiore. For your affiliation with Nic Pularis, I sentence you to be eliminated amongst him and everyone else in Fairy Tail."

Erza adjusted her stance, her knees bent. "You want to exterminate Fairy Tail for good? You're no better than the Council. It's quite fitting given your allegiance with the wrong side." She scowled.

Jango reached his hand out to the side and requipped another sword, this one having a flat edged blade and being almost twice as long as the casual sword thrown. It looked similar to the blades Erza used to quarrel with Jellal long ago in the Tower of Heaven. He pointed the deadly tip at Erza. "I have never lost to any other swordsman. My record is impeccable, as is my views of justice. The justice Star Order seeks is retribution for the atrocities everyone has pinned against Gran Doma and the Magic Council. We are the shining beacons that govern the almighty sun that is order. We are those who punish that the Council cannot. As the biggest act committed, you will die here and now, Erza Scarlet."

Erza closed her eyes, pausing. She gripped her sword tightly, and her body began to show off a great deal of pressure. The pressure was so intense that Jango raised a brow. Erza requipped into her Black Wing Armor, holding the tip of her own blade out at Jango in defiance.

Jango spread his feet. "I see that you have enough reason as to not run away."

"If you insist on standing between me and my friends, then I will remove you from place myself." She challenged.

"Titania, this is where I shall mark the ground with your blood as retribution for the injustice you've created."

* * *

Sting turned towards Natsu with shock. "For real? You've actually been to Nic's home world?"

Natsu walked proudly as his hands were behind his head. "Yeah, it was kind of fun, despite the whole thing being an accident. We saw a whole bunch of awesome Pokémon out there. There were some that looked like giant white trees, and some that looked like scorpions."

"And let's not forget that one mushroom that put you to sleep after you punched it." Happy didn't bother to hold back a snicker at the comedic remembrance.

Natsu turned back towards Happy. "Oh yeah? You started it when you tried to eat that thing." He reminded the Exceed. Suffice to say Happy's pout meant things were going his way.

Sting grinned at the little skirmish while pondering. Natsu's been telling tales of Pokémon out of Sting's own curiosity. He wondered about Pokémon since he didn't know exactly what they were fighting for other than Nic and Vanessa's right to stay. Natsu was conveniently there, so he was willing to tell Sting everything he learned of Pokémon that he learned through observation during his time in Kalos. He even told him of the few Pokémon they've come across like Abomasnow and telling of the battle between Erza and a wild Scyther. He even told him earlier of Legendary Pokémon that they all struggled against, which were Zygarde, Moltres, Xerneas, and Yveltal. Lector showed some honest shock when he heard Nic's Charizard defeating Moltres all by himself. Natsu could've gone on about riding a Mamoswine, but when he saw Sting looking pale, he himself began to understand why. It sucks when Dragon Slayers are handicapped with motion sickness.

"So how's being a Guild Master?" Natsu asked, changing the subject.

Sting just shrugged. "All this paperwork and Guild Master crap is weighing me down." He smiled. "But on the upside, Sabertooth's relations have really been improving. We're all smiles."

Lector nodded in agreement. "When Jiemma and Bellona were around, you couldn't even sleep soundly at night. Now that Sting's taken over, we haven't got a two-sided guild anymore. Milady's influence has really paid off."

"Aye, sir." Happy cheered. "I still can't believe she and Nic have a history before the Tenrou Island incident a long time ago. Talk about coincidence."

Sting looked down as he still went on. "Another reason why we're indebted to him. We can't repay him enough for all that he's done to not just us, but to the world and bringing back the stars."

Natsu smiled at how Sting felt. "That guy sure has a lot of stuff behind him. I know for a fact you're not the only one thinking that logic. We're also doing this because we're his guild; and besides, Erza would kill us and god knows what if Nic was taken from her."

Happy noticed something ahead. "Huh?" He was still using his wings at this point in time and gained some altitude. He ascended higher, much to Lector's inquiry.

"What's up, Happy?" The Exceed questioned. "Huh?" Lector turned ahead, seeing something as well. It was well within the distance, but from their point of view, it wasn't very far off. The Exceeds looked to see some streams of what looked like black erode from the forest that lied ahead. It looked like a bad sign to any simple minded human being. The simple minded Natsu could tell in an instant that up ahead there was trouble.

His and Sting's nose twitched, picking up some odd scent. "You smell that?" Natsu asked. "Something definitely wrong. There's an odor reaching out."

"Let's go check it out." Sting insisted. "Lector!"

Lector flew down to grab Sting. "Gotcha covered pal!" The Exceed picked up the White Dragon Slayer, carrying him through the air and off towards the site. Not far behind and catching up was Happy carrying Natsu.

All four proceeded off towards the site through means of aerial mobilization. As they drew near, they could all feel the hairs on their bodies stand on end. This odd smell Sting and Natsu caught onto was almost making their hair prickly. It had a distasteful quality to it, it would just make their nasal cavities stale.

When they did reach the site, Lector and Happy stopped in place. Both Dragon Slayers and Exceeds alike stared down, their eyes wide with shrilled shock and disbelief. They could only stare as the entire land beneath them…was gone.

In place of a lush forest was instead a horrific wasteland, Wilted roots and trees alike all shriveled and bent over like the life was sucked right out of them. They looked as though they were gonna snap in half if not shrivel into nothing. The entire area looked like a warzone full of barren wasteland, without so much as a single sign of life.

"What the hell is all of this? Who could've done such a thing?" Natsu asked.

"The plants and whole area looked it it's been killed." Sting said. "And this smell…"

Natsu could smell it as well, but it wasn't Zeref, despite the resemblance in results. "It smells just like that Orga guy from your guild."

Happy looked down at something small. He saw what looked like a small surge of black and purple gathering around until it was unleashed, and a large torrent of black and purple went shooting after them. Natsu and Sting had help thanks to Happy and Lector maneuvering. They all dodged the huge torrent, moving out of the way as it faded.

Natsu looked startled. "Where'd that come from?"

Sting pointed downwards. "Hey, I think I see someone there!"

Natsu followed Sting's direction downwards, where they both saw what appeared to be Cruzer. He stood right in the middle of the wasteland, his arms crossed, his smirk plastered across his face, and the ties of his bandana shifting in the winds.

Natsu and Sting narrowed their eyes, feeling the overwhelming power resonating from him. The smell and foul odor was coming from him, no doubt.

"Well he's got our attention alright." Natsu grunted.

"Looks like he's giving us an invitation." Sting said. "It'd be rude to just ignore."

"Aye! Happy, drop me like a bomb!"

Happy complied with confidence, letting Natsu go and watching him fall to the ground. Lector followed suit, letting Sting fall and join Natsu in the call to arms. Both Dragon Slayers flipped in the fall the gravity and land on the ground with powerful thuds. They were both on a knee and glared up at Cruzer, seeing his smirk fade into a frown. An uneasy tension went in between the group as their leers were towards one another, and nobody was backing down.

Cruzer watched as they both stood up. "Glad you noticed my little call to arms." He said.

"Yeah, we saw this." Sting said. "Mind telling us what this is all about?"

Cruzer kept his arms crossed and scoffed. "Guilty is charged, but I can't help it if my poison tends to seep." He looked away with slight guilty. "War isn't an easy thing to forget little buddy, especially when you see a bunch of bodies get shot down or blown up. Your whole world is without any sense of direction."

Natsu glared at him darkly. "We asked a question. So when we do…we expect one immediately." He menacingly told him.

Cruzer looked at the Dragon Slayer with little regard. "Oh quit the intimidating bull crap already. Your threats don't even compare to torture in the concentration camps of Bosco slaves. You really aren't bright when I'm just trying to lead you on."

Natsu fists clutched, fire beginning to surge. "What'd you say?"

Cruzer held out his own hand. Black and purple began to ooze from his body, and at the same time flare. Already Natsu and Sting could smell and see that the color and pungent odor was definitely from the guy in front. "Call me delusional, but I think I'm challenged by a couple of rookies. Guess you'll have to join your friends, that Jura bastard and that perky other God Slayer."

Sting's eyes narrowed. "Hold on. Is he talking about _the_ Jura? Are you saying he was defeated?!"

Natsu's eyes widened again. "Wait, did you just say… _other_ God Slayer?"

"That's right!" Cruzer tucked both elbows into his sides, his fists clutched as venomous black and purple energy spiraled all around him. The energy was compressed with catastrophic levels of energy. The poisonous energy was so strong that the ground beneath had just created a small crater for Cruzer to stand in. The Wizard Saint's power escalated further, startling Natsu and Sting as they looked completely uneasy. "I'm a veteran of Fiore! The Venomous Wardog, Lieutenant Cruzer, the Poison God Slayer!"

"Poison Gog Slayer?!" Happy exclaimed.

"Just like Orga and that Chelia chick from Lamia Scale." Lector nervously spoke up. "Those two are in some serious trouble if they're up against one of those guys. Sting, be careful!" He called out to him, all Sting could really to in compliance was keeping a calm front.

"Don't worry." He assured. "We won't lose." He got into a battle stance. "Now! You ready, Natsu?!"

Natsu got into a battle stance as well. "Hell yeah! This guy's going down!"

The energy around Cruzer compressed into his hands. The spiraling energy all around changed course and became orbs of black and purple around his gloved hands. "You think you've won the war, but the battle has yet to have been decided."

The battle thus commenced, and already Natsu made the first move.

The Dragon Slayer went charging with hands cloaked in fire. He let out a battle cry as he closed the gap between him and Cruzer. He pounced and reeled back a fist. " **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!** " He threw a punch down onto Cruzer, but the God Slayer backhanded the attack with his own magic cloaked in it. Natsu was thrown off course and barely caught himself by flipping from his hands upon landing onto his feet. He slid back and ran after Cruzer, this time Sting running in from another angle.

"How's about a little two-on-one for your size!" Sting jumped up and flipped. His foot was encased in light as he brought it down for an axe kick. At the same time, Natsu went head first while cloaked in flames.

" **Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!** "

Cruzer didn't at all look interested. "Not a smart play." To prove his point, he took a single step backwards and watched without emotion as Sting's axe kick continued down and Natsu's Sword Horn continued on, consequently having a drastic result of Sting landing a blow onto Natsu's head. The Fire Dragon Slayer yelped with hysterics as he went face first into the dirt.

Sting went wide-eyed and backed off. "What the heck?!"

Natsu groaned as he attempted to get up. He ran his fingers atop of his head and turned towards Sting. "Ow man, that freakin hurt!"

"Don't look at me! He fought dirty!" Sting reasoned.

Cruzer appeared in front of both and abruptly grabbed their heads. He then bashed them together, making both Dragon Slayers gawk at the head injuries sustained. Both fell to the ground their heads ringing.

"Taking advantage of your enemies' confusion. That's one of the many rules of battle." Cruzer informed.

Natsu and Sting groaned as they struggled to their feet. Both could only manage to their knees until Cruzer again grabbed their heads with iron grips. They could feel a heavy pressure from the strain they've been receiving. The God Slayer pivoted and threw both skyward uncontrollably.

"Natsu! Sting! Look out!" Lector screamed to them.

Hearing the call of the Exceed, both Dragon Slayers opened their eyes and straightened out. They both looked down to see Cruzer opening his mouth and seeing a surge of black and purple inside. They knew what was coming next, and they didn't like it one bit.

" **Poison God's Bellow!** "

A torrent of black and purple poison went blazing through the air, the attack giving great pressure as it traveled through the airspace. It was no doubt the same attack as before, but what mattered was interception it. Natsu and Sting took in quick breaths before they too opened their mouths.

" **Fire Dragon's Roar!** "

" **White Dragon's Roar!** "

Both streams of fire and light shot like beams at the incoming attack. When both roars collided with the equally large torrent of dark poison, a hazardous explosion of fire, light, and poison erupted in the air between the Dragon Slayers and Cruzer. Embers and bits of poison raged everywhere, but Natsu and Sting came out unscathed from the interception and landed on the ground.

Both glared as the smoke cleared, seeing Cruzer clasped both hands together. The God Slayer's gloves were thickening with black and purple poison. The poison flared and expanded overhead as he held them up. The poison rose up from the hands and reached to about fifty feet and looking wavy with a thick end, but super heavy.

" **Poison God's Tank Crusher!** "

Cruzer brought his clasped hands down like a hammer, and the wavy pillar hammer of dark poison followed. As it came crashing down, Natsu and Sting both jumped off to opposite sides, dodging as the hammer-like attack met the earth. The impact was so brutal that the earth beneath shattered. The earth rumbled heavily, quaking and shooting rock uncontrollably. Natsu and Sting covered up as rock flew past them, amongst that the hammer splattering poison like shards in conjunction. The poisonous drawback pelted their forearms, otherwise they weren't affected. Or so they thought.

The rock fell to earth, and the poisonous fragments faded into thin air. Natsu and Sting fell to their knees and slid back, making little trails.

Natsu winced as his forearms had a decaying feeling. "Gah! That actually stung!"

Sting looked at his forearms, seeing how they were looking slightly pale. This shocked the Guild Master, but he kept calm and looked forward. "Even the smallest dose of poison is painful."

Cruzer swiped his arm across, dissipating the dust that arose from his attack. He had a grin plastered onto his face. "You were lucky that your arms didn't go numb, but I'll change that."

Natsu clutched his fists. "That's what you think!" He darted ahead after the veteran, whips of flame flowing behind him as he made another leap. He lashed his arms forward, unleashing another attack. " **Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!** "

The lashes of fire went after Cruzer, but the God Slayer narrowed his eyes. The waves of fire were mere feet away before he dropped to his stomach like a soldier crawl position. The waves of fire went overhead, engulfing the space behind him in a whirlwind of fire. _'Damnit! Can't this jerk just stay still?'_ Natsu cursed.

He was cut off from his thoughts when Cruzer arose and seized the Dragon Slayer by the ankle, holding him upside down.

"Hey, put me down!" Natsu struggled, but couldn't even reach Cruzer.

"You've got a whole lot to learn, kid." Cruzer noted.

Sting stepped forward. "I'd let him down, if I were you."

Cruzer looked ahead, seeing Sting run forward with a hand seeping in light. The magic flow in his incoming punch seemed different this time. Cruzer couldn't tell, but Sting was about to turn the tables.

" **White Dragon's Claw!** "

Sting punched forward, square into his exposed abdomen. Light flashed and a sharp burst of pain jolted. It was weak to Cruzer, and by no means was he pushed back. He frowned as Sting reeled away, giving a scoff.

Not showing any signs of mockery, Cruzer looked down to find a stigmata of bright light where Sting punched him. He looked back at Sting, raising a brow in wonder. "Now that you have that stigmata, you can't move." The Dragon Slayer informed. "Natsu!"

Natsu smirked, freeing himself from Cruzer's hold on his ankle. "Yeah! About time we deliver some ass kicking!" Landing on his hands, his feet lit ablaze and he spiraled while in a handstand. " **Fire Dragon's Claw!** " Natsu's kick to the chest made small flares, making Cruzer grunt on contact. Natsu followed through with his kick, the attack shoving the God Slayer several feet backwards in a slide on the feet.

Cruzer stopped at the end of the trail made, and looked serious as Natsu flipped back onto his feet.

The Dragon Slayers proceeded forward and attacked. Hands balled and were either cloaked in fire or light. As they reeled their fists back and advanced, Cruzer's frown turned into a grin. Natsu and Sting punched forward, and to their disbelief, Cruzer blocked them by catching them both in his gloves. The fire and light dissipated, and the Dragon Slayers and their shock were at a standstill.

"What?" Natsu went wide-eyed.

Sting looked equally as perplexed. _'I don't understand. He shouldn't be moving!'_ His eyes traced down towards the abdomen and abs of the God Slayer, but to his horror, the stigmata was not there, instead there was streaming poison. _'Did his poison kill off my magic?'_

Cruzer's eyes narrowed. "You fools are too hasty." His grip tightened on the Dragon Slayers. " **Poison God's Cannon Grip!** " A point-blank eruption of black and purple poison encompassed the entire area in front of Cruzer, the blast resonating from his hands and swallowing Natsu and Sting. Both Dragon Slayers screamed as the blast of poison sent them flying. They slammed into the ground with monstrous thuds on their backs. Cruzer's hands were still reached out and drenched in deadly poison. "Know your enemies' weakness. Use that to your advantage and strike when the opportunity comes up. You never miss a single opportunity, especially when you only have so much ammo to utilize. Mess up and there's no turning back; in your cases, you just crossed behind enemy lines at bad times."

Natsu and Sting grunted while they laid on the ground. Their nerves and bodies alike were starting to go numb. They both were getting up, but slowly as their arms and legs were less than willing to listen. They still were undeterred. Both grunted and managed to sit up.

Happy looked down with worry. Seeing the small circles beneath their eyes was a bad omen. "Oh no."

Lector turned towards Happy. "Why? What's wrong?"

"It's that magic. It's just like when Natsu and I went up against that creepy Cobra guy from the Oracion Seis. His poison made us so tired. I could barely see straight, and our strength was dropping." Happy's worry grew more so. "If he's a God Slayer, then his poison's gotta be worse than his. I just hope they pull through okay."

Lector looked worrisome at Sting down below, watching him and Natsu stand up on their feet, wiping away the dirt on their own chins. "You got this, Sting!" He supported. "Show no mercy!"

Sting grunted as he grinned. "Gotta admit, that one caught us by surprise. Your vision blurry there for a sec too, right?"

Natsu smirked. "Yeah, but my second wind's coming around now. That was a hefty blast of poison there."

Cruzer raised a brow. "Such high durability. You're holding out against my poison from point-blank range? I'm impressed." He spread his legs apart, knees bent, and his arms were held up, making more black poison flare on his gloves. "Alright, let's see how much poison it takes to put down two dragons!"

* * *

Nic's group was back on their feet, well rested, and began to make their trek on towards the Council HQ. Being that they were in the northern quarry, there was said to be a ridge of maybe a few small woods and hillsides, but otherwise according to Nic's Earth Form, they should be closing in.

"How long until we reach the Council do you believe?" Jellal questioned.

"Not much farther now. About two hours; we're closing in quicker than anticipated." Nic answered. "But my concern is really more or less direct towards our allies."

Jellal nodded in understanding. "I understand how you feel. I'm positive Ultear can handle matters by herself, and I'm hoping Meredy ended up with allies whom she can trust. She can only handle so much on her own."

Greninja looked over towards Nic. "But the energy in the atmosphere has been feeling weaker. There's a lot of magic fluctuating around, that means battles ensuing. If this Phantasm is what has a similar energy, then that can only mean that the Wizard Saints are already falling apart."

Nic nodded. "I can feel that energy as well. It's most certainly been weakening for the past day now. Though as far as how many there are, there's definitely some remaining out there. I can't determine if we'll ever come across one…meaning the others might be in trouble with those Wizard Saints and are most likely weakened."

"That may be as accurate as you can get. There really isn't a liable lead in this predicament." Jellal said.

Greninja kept his pacing as they were starting to walk out of the quarry and into the forest. "We can't be concerned about them now. It's out of our reach, at least until we're fortunate with locating them."

"You're right." Nic hopped over a large stone lying in their path. He too began to venture through the grass and leaving the quarry's rocky terrain. "All we can do is keep our hopes high and meet them at the Council HQ. We'll defeat Gran Doma, one way or another." As they continued on, their worries still in the pit of their guts, Nic was by far the most worried. Jellal was most certainly worried about Crime Sorciere, and he was also probably worried about Erza, but Nic's worry about her far surpassed Jellal. Nic could only imagine who or what predicaments Erza and his sister have probably gotten into. He refused to believe that they've been defeated or captured, that was unlike them. When Levy and Hibiki spoke to them from the beginning, it sounded like a promise. Everyone can and will be assured that they can make it to the Council HQ, unscathed for end up limping. Nic wanted to see Erza again, he had to. He wanted to feel her hugs again, her warm, her lips, and how she tasted like strawberries. He wanted to see her again, and by any means he won't rest. _'Erza, Vanessa, both of you hang on. We're almost there.'_

Jellal paced himself a little slower, his gaze quizzically at Nic's for a moment as he saw the resolution on his face. He looked back ahead, pressing on. Pressing forward, not back. He had to keep a straight path and dare not turn around, for that would only plunge him to greater guilt. No matter how bad things may seem, he had to be aware that moving forward was the only way to atone. Erza moved forward, and if she could, so can he. This was the path one must take if they are to find their own light.

Jellal grinned, his pace quickening.

* * *

Natsu raised his hands overhead and created what appeared to be a large fireball. Reeling back and then forward, he threw the fireball with all his might. " **Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!** " The scorching ball of fire traveled across the land, incinerating the ground beneath and creating another trail within the ground.

Cruzer put his gloves together, slowly pulling them apart to reveal an expanding orb of poison. Compared to the monstrous fireball heading his way, Cruzer's attack was equally as large and very similar to a Shadow Ball. He also threw the sphere ahead of himself. " **Poison God's Grenade!** "

Both the fire and venomous attacks met in the center, and that's when another explosion erupted. The land shook violently, causing everyone to barely maintain proper footing as the raging tempest of fire and poison spewed all around. Natsu and Cruzer were in the dead center of the tempest, and while Cruzer was holding his own ground, Natsu was slowly scooching back inch after inch.

When the monstrous explosion settled, it revealed a flattened landscape, and the small rocks and logs around were either incinerated or withered from poison. Natsu shook off any level of fatigue and went running after Cruzer; Sting following with equal resolution.

" **White Drive!** " Sting's body glowed and white scales emerged on his body. The glow never left as he went charging after Cruzer.

Cruzer clasped his gloved hands together, his magic molding the poison into another wavy blade with a bulbous end. It was risen up several meters high into the air. "You can't you fools ever learn! **Poison God's Tank Crusher!** " He brought the hammer down onto Natsu and Sting, but then as the shadow of the attack was cascaded onto them, two swift glints were seen. The next thing that happened, the small yet swift glints sped in front of Natsu and Sting, catching them and hauling them away before the attack came crashing down. Another eruption of rock flew all about, as well as shards of poison, but no fortunate target was made.

"What?" Cruzer wondered.

In the air, Happy and Lector had proud smiles as they got them out just in time. Both Dragon Slayers had smiles of their own and were soaring overhead.

"Nice job guys, now drop us like bombs!" Natsu yelled.

"Aye, sir!" Happy let go of Natsu and had him plummet straight down.

"You got this, Sting!" Lector let go of Sting, and the White Dragon Slayer went descending straight down just like Natsu. The Dragon Slayer duo readied their individual attacks just as Cruzer looked up to find them. Natsu's hand lit ablaze and descended down first.

" **Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang!** "

He raked his hand in a slashing motion straight down onto Cruzer's head. The attack's capacity made Cruzer's eyes widen and yelp out as he smashed into the earth. Natsu landed right in front of him and looked up to find Sting creating a large ball overhead. The Dragon Slayer back flipped away while Cruzer got up to a knee, wiping the dust and spit from his lip with annoyance.

"Hey, up here!" Sting shouted.

Cruzer looked up again, only or a blinding light to attack.

" **Holy Ray!** "

Right overhead, Sting unleashed thousands of light arrows that targeted Cruzer. The God Slayer was continuously bombarded and pounded with arrows of blistering light of heavy proportions. The earth again rumbled and flashed as Sting's attack went on.

After Sting finally stopped, he fell right next to Natsu's side. Both Dragon Slayers looked ahead at the massive dust cloud that poured all around. They could hear rock churning and breaking apart thanks to Sting's attack. Natsu narrowed his eyes. "Did we get him?" He asked.

The dust cleared at long last, and they could see Cruzer's figure. He seemed hunched over, but when they got a good look, they looked startled upon seeing how the God Slayer instead was on a knee with hands pressed against the ground in front of him. Despite the few marks on his toned and bare upper body, he was smirking. "Is that all you got?" He questioned. "I felt worse when I was hit with machine gun bullets, and they had to surgically remove them."

"He's fine?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"That should've at least slowed him down! Is he seriously that strong?!" Sting exclaimed.

Cruzer's hands pressed harder against the ground, eyes narrowing. " **Poison God's Land Mine!** "

Beneath the ground, there were sudden buildups, and within seconds, the ground began to vibrate. Natsu and Sting didn't have time or a single clue as to what was going on until the ground itself erupted. An explosion of dark poison skyrocketed, followed by a large expanse of dark purple explosions scattering all across the wasteland. The explosions kept going off, and up above Happy and Lector flew out of the range of each and every blast so as not to get hit. They panicked as they screamed down below to their partners, unable to make them out through Cruzer's attack.

The attack eventually stopped, and Cruzer stood back up as the dust make settled and scattered away. He snickered when he saw both Dragon Slayers on a knee some feet away. Both had hands to the ground to support themselves. They panted profusely, their skin starting to look pale.

"Natsu, you feeling numb?" Sting winced again, finding it hard to stand.

Natsu panted, his hair overcasting his eyes. All the Dragon Slayer did was pant on, his body accumulating a few scrapes here and there.

Cruzer walked towards them, his steps churning more dirt. "I gotta give credit where credit is due. You both have help up your ground for quite some time, especially against a God Slayer." He stopped right above Natsu, his figure towering with a dark shadow over his upper half with demonic white eyes, including the small slits for the bandana atop of his head. "These Pokémon creatures are nice and all, but these creatures sided with the wrong humans. Every soldier is nothing more than a weapon, and so are Pokémon. They're just foot soldiers for Nic and Vanessa, the same is likely for Celestial Spirits, but who says I give a damn there?" He held up a gloved fist, poison beginning to flare. "These Pokémon can be respectable, but only as adversaries. They nearly ended us and saved us altogether, but I can't do anything about the predicament. I just want to win this war and just get on with my freakin life! You never question the superior, and that's where you all cross the line!"

His fist went down onto Natsu, closing in for the killing blow. However, the punch was stopped cold, and a hand grabbed him by the wrist, restraining him.

"What?" Cruzer looked startled, and he looked quizzically at Natsu. Sting showed equal shock, but said nothing.

Natsu spoke aloud. "So that's all you have to say, huh? You and everybody else are nothing but soldiers." Natsu's head turned up, staring with a draconic glare. It surprised Cruzer again. "Well too bad buddy, because Fairy Tail listens to what's in our hearts! And we'll speak up to our superiors even if it means taking a bullet to the chest!"

Happy smiled. "He's alright!"

Lector looked startled. "How is he moving with all of that poison?"

Natsu brought his arm around and his elbow lit ablaze. " **Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!** " He elbowed Cruzer right in the abdomen hard. The attack made the God Slayer gawk at the astonishing pain felt from the close-range offense.

Cruzer slid backwards, clutching his abdomen. His teeth began to grit. _'I don't understand. My poison should've at least slowed his movements. How is he moving so carelessly like my poison isn't even there?'_ He looked back at Natsu again, seeing his body beginning to steam. He saw the dark look the Dragon Slayer was giving, and it almost instantly clicked. _'Did he…burn the toxins away?'_

"Come on, Sting! Up and at'em!" Natsu encouraged.

Sting struggled to stand up briefly, but he did his absolute best to fight through the poison that was numbing his arms and legs. The Dragon Slayer clutched his fists, despite how the blood slowing down made it a little harder to curl up the fingers.

"Thanks for that wake-up call. Let's deal with this guy, here and now!" Sting's body flared again, his White Drive activating once again. Another shift in his Magic Power that left Cruzer equally as surprised when he realized what Natsu did.

"You brats…" Cruzer cursed.

Natsu and Sting lunged ahead, fists cloaked in light and fire. Both Dragon Slayers let out loud roars as they closed the gap instantly, their fists set on Cruzer's abdomen, where Natsu struck him. They punched him with all their might, fire and light flaring on the spot. "Pokémon deserve a chance!" They both shouted.

They followed through, and Cruzer eyes were devoid of pupils and his mouth gaped open, spilling out blood. He shot backwards, flying through the air and his back slammed into a giant rock sticking out of the ground. The rock shattered into pieces, and Cruzer fell right into the rock pieces themselves. The rumbling settled, and everything seemed quiet as dust brewed about.

Happy cheered again from the air. "Yeah! That's showing him whose boss!"

Lector's eyes sparkled as he saw his best pal throwing what could've been his best punch yet. "Awesome, Sting! That's the biggest reason why you don't mess with the best!" He huffed.

"Right, just compare Sting to that snappy snake Nic has." Happy said.

"Shut it, alright?!" Lector yelled.

"Sorry!"

Natsu and Sting expected the pile of rubble, seeing as how their adversary wasn't making any kind of movement. They looked at one another and gave positive smiles.

"And that's what it means to defend somebody." Natsu boasted.

"Got that right." Sting agreed.

Underneath the rubble, dust continued to settle. Small rocks fell as Cruzer could only see darkness. He wasn't scared by any means, but having been battered down was degrading. He's suffered losses in battles on frontlines, and has suffered the trauma on occasion, but what he hates most of all…is a failed mission when the lives of innocence are at stake.

" _Ten-hut!" All soldiers clad in their uniforms stood upright, helmets clipped on and machine guns strapped to their backs. All stood in full attention of the officer in front, the person of whom they must listen to without question. The officer turned his body and paced himself slowly along the rows of men._

" _Listen up! You have all been drafted by Fiore's military unit, and your positions as of now is the Fiore Marines!" He yelled. "You are the pride of Fiore! You dare not turn your back on your kind! You DARE not go desert the suffering heart of mankind and leave it for a horse to lay its waste in!"_

 _This was X782, the year Cruzer just became a marine soldier. His height was relatively shorter, but no different from the other new recruits. What gave him some appeal was his bandana whose ties went down his neck beneath his helmet._

" _This country is your home! This is not just some random continent that uses magic just for the use of personal gain! This is the land, where 17 million thrive! You are the alpha dogs that will protect those shameless innocent puppies that we call family! You want to see them grow up, and to do that, you need to protect them at all costs! Even with your own life!" He looked at Cruzer directly, despite talking aloud. "Are we clear?!"_

" _Sir, yes sir!" They all shouted._

 _He walked in front of Cruzer, staring at him in the eyes. "I can't hear you!"_

" _Sir, yes sir!" Cruzer yelled loudly with everyone._

" _I CAN'T HEAR YOU, SOLDIER!" The officer screamed._

" _ **SIR, YES SIR!**_ _" Cruzer bellowed with everybody else._

…

 _Cruzer, nineteen-years-old, and already out on some random battlefield in the far reaches of what looked like a dessert. Already bunkers were established, a no-man's-land in between enemy lines, and every second that passed machine guns went off. Patches of dirt or some soldier went flying, the latter supposedly either sustaining a brutal injury or have been shot down to their graves._

 _A fellow soldier panted as he retreated back into the in-ground bunkers. His helmet had a fracture and blood ran down the side of his face. Blood was on his uniform, whether it was his own or another cadet's. His breathing was heavily labored, borderline hyperventilation._

 _Cruzer slumped down into the ditches, his mind in a blur. Another soldier headed on over towards him, shaking his shoulder. "Hey, come on man! Stay with us!"_

 _Cruzer's vision was clearing up. He looked over and squinted his vision. "…Arnold?"_

 _Arnold tried hoisting Cruzer up by supporting his shoulder. "Come on man! Up and at'em! If you can still feel your arms and legs, use them! It's what Officer Jefferson wants from us!"_

 _Cruzer put his hand on his helmet, his vision and head a haze, but he realized he was still able-bodied. Scrambling to his feet, he adjusted the machine gun in hand. He pulled a lever and something popped out. It was a glowing green lacrima, and explosive one. He turned around and aimed far overhead, pulling the lacrima into the slot. With the pull of a trigger, he fired it upwards, and the lacrima went soaring through the atmosphere and the soldiers watched as the lacrima plummeted almost a quarter of a mile away, into the enemy ditches. A large-scale explosion could be heard and seen, among that some screams as bodies and body parts went scattering unseen in the enemy ditches._

" _Good eye, buddy!" Arnold shouted._

 _Cruzer blinked, and he grinned._

" _Now that's smarts!" Arnold exclaimed. "Alright guys, follow his example! We're done wasting bullets! Let's blow them sky high with all the grenades and Explosive Lacrima we've got!"_

 _All of the men were getting their weaponry in check and already stockpiling on the grenades they could find and scrounge for. They were all making haste, but they were unable to have foreseen something from above._

" _Incoming!" A soldier shouted, him and other beginning to turn and run off._

 _Arnold and Cruzer looked up, seeing something descend onto them. It looked small, and it was looking a lot like…_

" _Everyone run! They're returning fire!" Arnold looked towards Cruzer. He pushed the Gid Slayer out of the way, leaving the latter startled as he was being pushed by his war pal. His eyes widened in shrilled horror as the bomb fell right onto Arnold, exploding and sending Cruzer flying with screams of pain and terror._

…

 _Cruzer pointed his machine gun down the corridor, firing bullets at some enemies in the dark. In a mission in Bosco, in an abandoned town, this was where he made his mark. His unit was all but tarnished, and the enemies were gaining ground. Unfortunately for him he only managed to siphon the numbers down to 10% for the enemies thanks to his God Slayer Magic, but he's exhausted almost all of it by that point._

" _I can't believe I'm on the run." Cruzer turned around, escaping gunfire while holding onto his dear life. He made a quick turn and escaped into a hollow room, his back against the wall. He panted severely as he was trying to catch his breath._

" _For five years…"_

 _Cruzer's eyes widened and pointed his machine gun at something in the darkness of the room. To his disbelief and shock, it was Officer Jefferson, his superior since day one. He looked all battered and broken, with blood running down his face and his helmet knocked off._

" _Officer Jefferson, sir." Cruzer said._

" _For five years, you've been on this unit. You've finished your four-year term." He looked at Cruzer with exhaustion and inquiry. "Why? Why stick around?"_

 _Cruzer looked down at the ground. His mind really wasn't sure what to come up with. He could've quit after four years, but this was his fifth year, but in the end, why stay? He wasn't sure how to answer such an odd question, but all he could do was keep his body against the wall as gunfire zoomed down the corridor._

" _Sir…I'm just doing my job." He finally said. "Hoss, Arnold, Charles, all those cadets who gave their life for Fiore, but also for me. I can't let another soldier's will go down in flames! I won't quit!" He turned towards Jefferson, a fire in his eyes. "I'M A SOLDIER, AND I AM THE ALPHA PROTECTING MY PUPS UNTIL MY DYING BREATH, SIR!"_

 _Jefferson stared at Cruzer for a moment. There was a long pause of silence, save for the gunfire going on behind them. Jefferson stood up, and with what strength he had left, he stood tall in front of Cruzer and put both hands on the cadet's shoulders._

" _Son, you've got a lot of guts. You make the marines proud, don't forget that. You've been sticking it out for the country you were born in, and still persevere…" He smiled. "You're a better Alpha dog more so than me." He pulled back and looked down at Cruzer's stare. "Son, I've been watching you all this time. You've got promise. You're The Venomous Wardog that dares not whimper when scolded."_

" _Sir…" Cruzer never heard such praise before, it touched him._

" _Finish this mission." Officer Jefferson handed Cruzer something that looked like a set of keys, and dog tags. Cruzer held the pieces of equipment and looked up at his officer that he saw as a father figure over the growing five years. "Son, I'm a soldier just like you. I can be replaced, and I'd give my life for my country just like you. The mission matters, nothing but. This is what we all knew would come." He gave a salute to him. "Cruzer, it has been the greatest honor serving alongside you as your officer, and as a fellow soldier."_

 _Cruzer wanted to object, but he knew better than to question his superior when said person gave so much for him, his country, and for the rest of the unit. He knew this time would come, just not now. He couldn't cry, for it'd dishonor his ally. Cruzer instead maintained a serious face while returning the same salute of honor._

 _Officer Jefferson nodded. "Go!" He pushed Cruzer, urging him out of the room. The God Slayer scurried out of the location and into the dark hallway, running away from the gunfire as enemy soldiers closed in._

 _Jefferson popped out of the room with his machine gun and aimed at his enemies. "Live, boy! Keep going!" He bellowed. He let out a battle cry as he fired his machine gun at the enemies, falling their numbers._

 _Cruzer ran down the hall, daring not to look back as he heard the machine gun stop and a body fall. He swallowed the umpteenth lump in his throat and pressed on with the set of keys to free the slaves from their cells._

Cruzer's eyes opened up again, and his fists clutched beneath the rubble. _'I refuse to let those names be for naught. I will finish the mission, no exception!'_ His body was beginning to glow a dark purple, surging an incredible swell of Magic Power.

Outside, Natsu and Sting raised their brows. "Huh?" Natsu wondered. There was a shift in the winds, a very foul and venomous one. Natsu could feel his skin crawl and his body was feeling surprisingly light. Looking down at the ground, the Dragon Slayer's eyes widened when he saw poison seeping through the cracks of the earth. He sidestepped out of shock as one of those cracks was beneath him. "What the heck?!"

"His magic is pulsing through the ground." Sting mentioned. He trailed all of the cracks and traced them back towards the pile of rubble. To his surprise and horror, the White Dragon Slayer paled on sight when the rubble shifted apart, showing an entire bubble of poison bubbling on the surface. The poisonous bubble continued to grow and expand, and encompassed even the rubble. If Sting could say something, it would be that they just made him mad, but the poison running through him was beginning to take effect, slowing down his mind. The Dragon Slayer and the others could feel the pressure build up again, and all of them could just feel numb from just being around the area. They watched the bubble of poison expand until it finally broke apart. Inside they could see Cruzer with his gaze firmly set on Natsu and Sting. His glare, it was heavy oozing with toxins. Natsu and Sting were paralyzed on the spot.

Natsu tried moving, but his legs wouldn't respond. "I can't move." He muttered, his gaze fixated at the horrific venomous glare of the God Slayer. It was like the glare of the Gorgon, a venomous beast that towered with might over the Dragon Slayers.

"You dare not question your superiors." Cruzer's fists clutched, the poison around him from the popped bubble beginning to spiral like a tower skyward. The spiraling pillar of poison gave off a venomous appeal as small streams of it went in all directions. The air around Natsu and Sting was hard to breathe. "Those who are willing to give their life for their families, those you know would do the right thing; I respect that in your guild and for your alliance, but I have a mission, and I refuse to accept failure as The Venomous Wardog! I'll protect my country with my life!" The poisonous streams thickened, and the spiral expanded outwards. The top of the pillar of poison seemed to have grown a large end and had red eyes. The whole thing shaped into what looked like a giant snake, the winds howling with a poisonous roar.

Sting was too startled to even move. "What the hell…?"

"That's so much magic!" Lector shouted.

"Did he also say that he's part of the military? No wonder he's so strong!" Happy screamed. But he couldn't move, and that meant he couldn't fly away. The poison in the air was petrifying.

"I'm done with this crap!" Cruzer reached up over his head, the spiraling serpent of poison over a hundred feet tall roaring as he readied his attack.

"Crap! This is bad!" Sting screamed.

Cruzer narrowed his eyes as the earth raged with poison beneath the cracks and surface. " **God Slayer Secret Art – Basilisk Rage!** "

The giant serpent thus arched his head down and opened its huge mouth. The entire spiraling beast went streaming down after the Dragon Slayers, roaring louder and louder as it drew closer. Natsu and Sting both could only be paralyzed by the sight of the monster, and they both only saw black and purple as the serpent crashed down onto them. A pillar of poison shot into the sky, roaring and rattling the land beneath. Shockwaves of poison spread across the wasteland. Happy and Lector both went flying uncontrollably through the raging hurricane of poison. Both tumbled along the ground behind a small rock that fortunately shielded them from the shockwave of poison.

When the attack finally settled, the wasteland was completely leveled of any life. The withered trees and logs within the vicinity was nothing more than dried twigs. All around, scattered like rain puddles, were puddles upon puddles of black and purple poison.

Among the poisonous puddles was Natsu and Sting, both lying on the ground, their bodies pale and facedown. They were covered in black and purple poison, as though they were bathed in it.

Cruzer stood several meters away, his figure all demonic as poison dripped from his gloves. He did not smirk, instead he had a harsh glare. "That God Slayer I mentioned, Chelia, if I reviewed the Grand Magic Games correctly, she was able to use Healing Magic, but the prospect is far from fathomable. My poison only worsens as time goes on. Heal all the injuries you want, the poison will worsen." His warning sounded very much similar to a move – Toxic – and by no means was any amount of healing beneficial unless the poison was rid of.

Natsu and Sting were unable to move, the poison coating their bodies and numbing their nerves. They were seeping in their own demises, unable to even think properly. They could only see black.

Cruzer turned away, the poison in his gloves dissipating. "After the fall of your comrades, your bodies will be sought for with a hefty price. Be fortunate it was poison that ended you and not Jango. I'm nowhere near as devious as he is with his need for justice." Before he did advance any further, however, he stopped and turned around to face them. If he was honest with himself, other than the wars fought in Bosco and other countries, this fight may have just pushed him to his limits. To honor his foes, he stood tall, overlooking them as he slowly brought his hand to his forehead and gave a salute. After the long salute, he turned his back and proceeded off.

Natsu's mind flashed a number of stuff while he was still face-down in the dirt. In his mind, and hearing their voices, he could first hear of his father, Igneel. The Fire Dragon King was proceeded next by Fairy Tail; Makarov, Gray, Erza, Mirajane, and everybody else popped into his head. There was Nic and his Pokémon, proceed by his sister. The last to appear were his best friends, Happy and Lucy.

His fingers twitched, and his body was beginning to steam.

As Cruzer walked away from the wasteland, he seemed rather humble. God Serena, perhaps even the rest of Star Order could be flaunting their victories with a smile, but not the wardog. After the numerous battles he's endured, bloody or not, there was no such thing as a win to scoff at. Officer Jefferson made it clear the first three years he's been established in the unit. This was just one battle, not a war that he won.

He suddenly felt a sharp rise in temperature, which surprised him. Cruzer stopped in his tracks and narrowed his eyes. "Strange, when did the temperature go up?" Of course he wasn't that dumb, but he was perplexed. The heat index was resonating from behind him. His back was already sweating. His eyes widened when he heard Natsu and Sting rise to their own two feet, both supporting one another as they glared with a slight sense of fear and hysteria in their vision.

Cruzer turned around, seeing Natsu's entire body lit ablaze. What was startling Cruzer more than ever was the fact Natsu and Sting's bodies were no longer drenched in the horrible dark toxins laid about. The heat was staggering, it was a miracle that Sting was so close and not so easily burned.

"You've got a lot to say." Natsu huffed. He panted as he was struggling, but he kept his ground beneath for certain. "But that don't mean jack to us enemies."

Sting only had one eye open, and his body had a lot of marks and bruises, but he was holding up with some paleness here and there. "Damn straight. We got friends who are relying on us. If we succumb to this stuff, we'd be nothing but heavyweights. We won't take that into acceptance, no matter how much of that stuff you hit us with."

Cruzer clutched his fists, looking startled. "The Dragon Slayers. How did they expel the poison?" He looked again at Natsu, who was supporting Sting and vice versa. The energy was brimming with intensity of shrilling heat. The nearby puddles of poison were being heated up fast, evaporating.

' _I must be seeing things, but is he really expelling the poison by burning up his own body? He's even channeling that heat into his ally, burning the toxins away. Just how cumbersome can this guy be?'_ Cruzer's eyes narrowed, and he began to show levels of irritation. His hands were seeped in his black poison again. "Alright then, you wanna take this to your graves that badly? Then let's go!"

Natsu and Sting both clutched their fists, supporting their own bodies as they went lunging at Cruzer.

"We'll never be done so long as this stupid war has enemies we have to defeat!" Natsu declared, lunging ahead with his entire body scorching everything behind him and in his way.

"Because we have friends and comrades who are giving their lives for one another, and fighting just as hard as the rest of us to protect our savior!" Sting added, running ahead with light traveling behind him.

The duo made one last huge lunge after Cruzer, bringing their fists back as light and fire compressed. Cruzer grunted as he looked ahead, watching them punch forward. As they punched, Cruzer himself punched with dark poison flaring to boost his punches. Cruzer's venomous punch collided with the fire and light fist, making fire, light, and poison stream behind each contender. Three forces of Magic Power swelled and attacked one another, but Natsu and Sting kept pushing, and much to Cruzer's shock, he was starting to lose momentum.

A loud boom raged when the three elements went unstable and erupted. All three Slayers slid back on their feet, but Natsu and Sting both lost their momentum from their legs giving out from the weakened poison and tumbled backwards. They both fell onto their stomachs while Cruzer was panting from exhaustion.

' _These guys are gutsy; I'll give them that.'_ He admitted. _'I'm gonna run out of magic if I don't finish them off now!'_ He hurriedly slammed his hands against the ground, making small pebbles nearby jump. " **Poison God's Land Mine!** "

The ground in front suddenly began to explode. Blasts of dark poison erupted upwards, enveloping everything within the area ahead in a vivid tremor and having nothing more than an onslaught of explosive poisonous bombs flare.

After a minute, the explosions settled, and the dark poison and dust settled. Cruzer looked wearily ahead, and he was caught surprised when they weren't there. Using his experience and memory, he expected an attack from above, to which he was already too late. The only images he got were of two falling figures from two little cats.

" **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!** "

Natsu came crashing down with a fist to his head, but Cruzer used his forearm and caught the attack, but that didn't stop the fire from bursting around his arm. Cruzer was caught defending against Natsu while Sting landed on all fours, his mouth open.

" **White Dragon's Roar!** "

A white laser went blasting away across the earth, leaving a trail along the ground. Cruzer's eyes widened in shock and terror as the beam headed his way. Natsu jumped out of the way as the roar went engulfing Cruzer. The violent attack swallowed the weakened God Slayer, creating a white explosion that rattled the earth. Cruzer shot back from the blast wave and attached a hand to the ground, anchoring himself to a stop.

His body was all battered up, his breathing heavy. He looked very much exhausted. It was time for the final blow.

' _These…fools.'_ The God Slayer thought in agony.

In spite of their own weakened bodies, both Dragon Slayers went charging, albeit with some slight staggering. Still, they remained on their course and went after Cruzer. In Natsu's right hand, compressed fire surged, spiraling with vivid intensity. In Sting's left hand, light swirled with tremendous pressure. As both friends went charging, their fists closed with one another's magic beginning to fuse. The fire of Natsu and the light of Sting began to swirl into one giant flare – a white flame.

' _A Unison Raid?'_ Cruzer thought. _'How?'_

The white flame traveled alongside Natsu and Sting as they charged forward after Cruzer. The bright flame gave Natsu and Sting a very fearsome and overwhelming sense amongst themselves. They both closed in further, small pebbles levitating from their Magic Power.

"Alright, ya crazy veteran! We understand you're trying to protect Fiore, but are you even wondering who the real enemy is?!" Sting bellowed.

Cruzer's eyes widened.

"Would an enemy try and protect their own from a tyrant with an obsession for power?! Would we ever send every guy we had to kill off everyone who opposed us and leave them knowing we dare not show mercy?!" Natsu shouted. "We love Fiore just as much as you do, but even you have a damn about whose side you're on! Are you here to protect Fiore or tarnish it?! Because all you've done is hurt your own people out of your orders!"

Again, Cruzer was left grief stricken at the revelation he's been showed.

Natsu and Sting both ended up in front and punched with all of their might. The white flame engrossing their fists erupted outwards in a frantic spiral.

" **White Fire Dragon's Exploding Holy Blade!** "

A cyclone of white fire struck Cruzer, sending him skywards. The cyclone had small explosion of light with every twist and turn made. The land beneath shattered as Natsu and Sting pushed higher, and Cruzer screamed out in agony as he was engulfed in bright lights that were as hot as fire.

The God Slayer fell backwards with his eyes shut. Time slowed down drastically as the dog tags on his neck became undone. The necklace was undone from his neck and fell at a slower pace than Cruzer. Cruzer stared up at the dark rainbow sky as he fell to earth, his eyes showing sadness. _'Jefferson…I've dishonored what I've been trained to do. I didn't realize until those I was sworn to protect pointed that out. I've given soldiers a bad name…forgive me, brothers in arms.'_

Everything went white for Cruzer, and time slowed down further. The dog tags falling slowly twirled over his head and right in his view of vision. His eyes remained wide.

" _Lights out!"_

 _All cadets in their units turned off every light they had. The only thing keeping the room lit was the moon. All soldiers clad in their uniforms turned to their beds and tucked themselves in._

 _Among them was Cruzer, a new recruit. He stared up at the ceiling, his mind at a blank._

" _Psss!" The guy beneath his bunk whispered to him through the silence that feel the unit._

 _Cruzer turned his head towards the side, his gaze down on the soldier with shirt blonde hair like him. "What?" He whispered._

" _This is pretty cool, huh? We're in the marines."_

 _Cruzer said nothing for a moment before he turned back towards the ceiling. "I guess so."_

" _You don't sound confident. You chickening out already?"_

 _Cruzer angrily turned back down. "Seriously man, shut up." He turned back towards the ceiling a third time, another still silence passing through their whispers. "I wanna do the right thing for my country, but I wanna live to see the bright future. I don't wanna die so early."_

 _The guy beneath frowned and blinked. He looked that way for a moment before blinking a second time and stared off into space. "Then live, even if you have to suffer defeat in war. Just because you lose a war or a friend, doesn't mean you lost your humanity, right? If you wanna win, know who you're fighting for and against. Knowing is half the battle. Just live to be a good soldier."_

" _Quiet in there!" A guard shouted._

 _Immediately the guy silence and closed his eyes, falling asleep. As to where he was asleep, Cruzer stared up at the ceiling, perplexed, but in the end showed a small grin before finally closing his eyes,_

Cruzer smiled as he fell to earth. _'Guess those guys had something to prove after all. I lost my war buddies, and this battle, but no matter what…I'll live…for the fallen's sake…'_

He crashed into the ground with a thud. His body laid silently and unconscious in the dirt. As he laid defeated, the dog tags fell onto his chest, more precisely on his heart. A calmed wind passed by Cruzer as he laid on his back while the Dragon Slayer duo towered in the distance, their fists up as their panting extremely heavy.

Elsewhere, another border flashed. The border slowly dissipated, fading from the top all the way to the bottom.

Watching from the monitors in the Council HQ, Gran Doma's eyes showed vivid anger. His grip on his stave tightened, and the remaining Council members showed remorse over another link's loss. "Damn you, Natsu Dragneel." Gran Doma cursed. "You've been so destructive and reckless, not even a Wizard Saint could pacify you?"

Natsu turned towards Sting, smirking. "Guess…we did it…" He groaned.

Like Natsu, Sting was panting and looked to be in bad shape. Despite how he looked equally as pale, he was still standing. Barely. "Yeah…we showed him…don't mess with the best…ugh."

As both Dragon Slayers began to fall over from the numbing poison, their Exceeds rushed on over, catching them with their paws and hoisting them up. They were lifted into the air, their bodies looking more like pales rags hanging from two flying cats.

Happy looked down at Natsu with a nervous smile. "Could you be anymore reckless."

"You were awesome, Sting." Lector praised.

Sting lethargically groaned. "T-thanks pal…"

Natsu started to look dizzy. "Next stop…a…bed."

"The poison in them weakened thanks to Natsu, but they don't look so good." Lector said.

"Let's hope we run into Wendy, she'll fix them up!" Happy cheerfully said. "Knowing them, they just need some rest and some time for the numbness to go away."

Both Exceeds carried their partners away from the battlefield, smiles on their faces as the wardog behind them was left to rest in his own misunderstanding.

* * *

Through the forest they went, and Nic, Greninja, and Jellal all paced themselves thoroughly as they felt like they were reaching their target. It hasn't been too long now, and up ahead Greninja spotted something as he went by the trees; Nic included as both had been tree jumping.

"Nic."

The Trainer nodded. "That must be the exit to this forest."

As Jellal walked beneath, Nic and Greninja jumped to the last branch available to them. They both kept themselves crouched as they inspected the landscape ahead of them. The Trainer and Greninja were on opposite sides of the tree on equal elevated branches, both wide-eyed at the sight.

There it was, far within the rocky terrain. It was faint, but barely within eyesight of the rocky wasteland, they could see a dome at the base of some mountains. They knew what the dome was protecting inside so long as Phantasm was up.

"There it is." Nic said. "The Council's headquarters."

"We're so close at hand." Greninja said. "Another couple of miles and we'll have reached that shield veiling them from the outside world."

Jellal squinted his eyes, seeing the dome in the distance as well. "Then it appears we're not out of the woods yet…" He sweat dropped. "Despite it being literally we have. If there is the Council's shield made by Phantasm, that means there's still a Wizard Saint or two to have yet been defeated. The energy within the atmosphere had decreased as of recently, so the odds are there's only one left."

Nic down at Jellal from the branch he was on. "If we're fortunate, that Wizard Saint will have been defeated by the time we reach there." He then looked back ahead. "But still, we can't let our guard down, not while we're so close at hand."

Greninja nodded in agreement.

Nic and Greninja jumped off the branch and descended onto the ground. They landed several feet in front of Jellal, standing affirm like it was nothing.

"Pokémon deserve a chance." Nic's eyes narrowed as he spoke. "If Fairy Tail and the rest can give them a shot, then the Council will see that it's their own selfish judgment that plunged Fiore into chaos."

"Let's go." Greninja said.

"Right."

Nic, Greninja, and Jellal thus ran down the barren hill, hurrying towards the large-scale dome within the distance at the base of the mountains.

* * *

All around, branches and trees alike have all fallen. The forest had but another clearing, but not barren as it had trees scattered. As another sword was slashed, the leveled trees were diced apart.

Erza was in her Flight Armor, dashing ahead with two katanas. She passed Jango, slashing at him. Sparks flew as her swords met Jango's large blade that was used for defense. The Star Order Guild Master slid back a few inches and still retained a calm look.

He turned around with a pivot, sword in hand. Erza looked back as the blade was coming down onto her. In a second's notice, she jumped, dodging the blade as it was slashed. A trail followed the blade's path and Jango didn't move. A second passed before the fallen tree some feet away was sliced into two, as well as the tree behind it.

Erza landed behind Jango and stared at him as the Guild Master turned around to face Titania.

"You're reflexes are sharp as your swords." He praised.

Erza aimed her katana at him. "Flattery won't work on me. I'm not shallow."

"So I see. Still, this battle will be decided when one cannot pick up his or her sword, or lose their head. I assure you that the latter option is easier than it sounds."

Erza's eyes narrowed. "You're a sick man."

Jango adjusted his stance. "Name-calling is so pitiful of someone of your caliber, Titania. A warrior should take pride in their skills, for it is those attributes that carry them to victory, as well as something as equal of power – their will of justice."

Erza adjusted her stance. "Well then I'll just have to prove how blind your justice is compared to how it really must be sought!" She lunged ahead at him, her speed ever so blindly as can be.

"Face retribution in the name of order!" Jango lunged ahead, his blade ready to swing as he and Erza resumed their clash.

* * *

 **Here is the new update as always. Not much Pokémon again, and I apologize, but I wanted to continue experimenting with an antagonist's background. I did a pretty decent job with Stella's, so I tried to do Cruzer's military history. But regardless of Pokémon activity low this chapter, was Natsu and Sting VS Cruzer good, as well as Jellal's understanding of his own resolve coming around and Erza quarreling with Jango?**

 **A Guest reviewer mentioned something much earlier about Jellal VS Evil Jellal as an idea. I was thinking it over, and that's not too far off from the truth. Next chapter will have something along that caliber, among some certain Pokémon activity.**

 **I also watched RWBY Volume 4 and its first episode. I loved it, and I'm excited to see what else Volume 4 brings.**

 **My goal is to have this arc completed before Thanksgiving, that means a month's time. I really can't wait to write the conclusion of this original arc with upmost surprises in the way.**

 **Also, who is your guys' favorite OC that I introduced among the Wizard Saints or Star Order? I'm curious on your opinions of the OCs that I write.**

 **As always, leave vivid comments and reviews and hope for another thrilling chapter to arrive soon!**


	15. The Sword with No Guard

"How long has this forest been going on for?" Lucy asked with haste.

"I don't know. I don't recall traveling through this part of Fiore before?" Sophie answered.

"Let's just hope everyone's meeting up at the hideout." Wendy speculated, with Carla flying at eye-level right beside her.

Makarov continued to move with haste. "We're so close. I can feel it."

The large group that Lucy had in hand had a majority of Fairy Tail, including the recently caught up Vanessa, Juvia, and Meredy. Among them was also Makarov's group who headed out towards the Council before Blue Pegasus was stormed by Rune Knights. While they managed to get out unscathed, they rendezvoused with everybody just before they could be overwhelmed. It was now a massive swell of people, of which were making haste through the thick forest. What lied ahead according to Hibiki's geography was nothing but barren wasteland and the mountains, where the Council was said to be. According to Warren, Laxus and Orga have their own group following after Bolton was slayed; and aside from them. The other guilds have large parties coming from all sides, including Mermaid Heel. The only ones they can't seem to get ahold of were Nic, Gray's group, and Natsu's own group.

Levy turned towards Vanessa. "So Warrod was right by our side all along."

Vanessa glanced over as she ran along. "As surprising as it was, it's the truth." She thought back to when Warrod helped them out, especially against Star Order's Peter. "In all, he wasn't a bad guy."

"So if that old talking bark is with us, then why ain't he here fighting?" Gajeel questioned.

Juvia ran close by, detailing as well. "He really has no offensive spells. Plus he wants no part in this dilemma. He decided to go home, so we're on our own."

Gajeel grunted. "Just great. We get a Wizard Saint as an ally and he just scrams!"

"You should respect his wishes if he doesn't want to cause harm." Lily insisted.

Lucy continued to run along with the group, Yukino, Minerva, and everybody else not too far behind. She was making some progress despite the leg wound that healed not too long ago. There was a glint in the sky, something that caught her eye. The blonde looked up, slowing down for a brief moment as the glints came down onto them.

"Wait, everybody look up!" Laki shouted.

Hearing her warning, they all looked up and saw two figures descending with what looked like wings. Everybody around scurried so that they gave the figures room to descend onto the grass beneath. When they fell closer to earth, the appeal shocked Lucy, as well as the groups of Fairy Tail and Sabertooth Mages.

They saw Natsu and Sting being carried by an exhausted Happy and Lector both of which had no strength left and were fluttering down with haste.

"Natsu! Happy!" Lucy called out.

"Sting! Lector!" Yukino yelled with sense of satisfaction.

Minerva looked up and grinned. "Those fools, always with the entrances."

"Milady!" Lector hoisted Sting as best he could, he and Happy both managing to haul their exhausted and battered pals slowly and carefully down onto the ground. Both Dragon Slayers were sprawled along the ground, both paled and seemingly disoriented. The Exceeds fell over as well, exhausted and looking all dried up.

Lucy hurried on over and knelt down to her friends. "Hey, are you guys okay?"

"Lucy~." Happy groaned. "I can't feel my wings."

Yukino and Minerva were amongst the group who were overlooking their Master. "What happened?" Minerva asked. "You all look pale."

Lector showed a smirk, chuckling despite how he looked as weak as the others. "Those guys showed that Wizard Saint whose boss…ugh." His cheek hit the ground, his state looking more dazed than ever. "But I think we took in a little too much poison."

Yukino recoiled with widened eyes. "Poison?"

Hibiki's eyes narrowed. "That means they just took down Cruzer. They need help." He looked over behind him. "Wendy."

"Yeah?"

"Tend to these guys. They need help."

Wendy nodded. "Okay!" She hurried over and knelt down to their sides. Both groggily smiled as Wendy placed her hands onto them, of which began to glow green. She began to heal them, and color was returning to their bodies. "They both took in a lot of poison it seems. I don't know how, but it's been weakened considerably. I'll try and expel the rest." She smiled.

Lucy turned towards Wendy. "We're counting on you."

Wendy smiled back. "Right!"

Makarov watched as Wendy proceeded to healing them, much to Carla's chastising of her exerting too much Magic Power. "With the fall of another Wizard Saint, our odds have increased considerably. This mean we have but one more Wizard Saint until we can fully access the Council HQ. This is a very crucial turn of events, so I expect everyone to be at full power and ready."

Lucy, Wendy, and everybody else looked at each other and at Makarov with big smiles brimming with determination. They had a goal set, and thanks to Natsu and Sting, who still seemed a little dizzy, they had less adversaries standing in their path.

Amongst the crowd, Ichiya stepped in, posing. "Man. At the rate we are heading, we should be there quite soon."

Hibiki nodded. "Right, boss."

* * *

In another part of the forest, the birds flew away from what was the sound of clashing. Clanging reverberated through the bark and every surrounding object. A closer look revealed the clearing of diced and bisected trees. Fallen trees were either cut apart or were nothing more than diced chunks from the swift sword art that laid waste to the territory. Clashes were met with swift recoils, and sparks flew every time, threatening to start a fire if ever to have touched the grass below. Recently recoiling and sliding back were none other than Erza and Jango, both starting to show signs of wear.

Erza had just a few cuts on the shoulders and all along her body, but nothing severe. Jango was more or less in the same boat, for he had some small minor cuts along the shoulders and arms, but no signs of him bleeding out anytime soon. Both sides adjusted their stances and aimed their blades at one another, Jango pointing his blade's tip at Erza while the latter was giving off a glow, requipping from her Flight Armor into her Black Wing Armor.

She held the blade against Jango. "Your skills are most formidable." She commended.

"As are yours. I have yet to see such fortitude and skill mixed into a human and their swordsmanship. However…" Jango crouched and sprung forward. "To live a life of sins, is but something that I cannot let happen!"

Erza and Jango met again in the middle, their swords and blades alike colliding without missing a single beat. Another clang reverberated between the two warriors, their eyes set on fire with the ferocity of more than a hundred Hydreigon. The battle they both were so overwhelmed in was more than what the other could bargain for, especially since they were both fighting to protect something they hold themselves close to.

As Erza continued to parry blow after blow of Jango's huge blade, she was beginning to gain ground. She slashed and parried every sideswipe, direct hit, and backhanded slash that was thrown at her. The redhead never took her eyes off of Jango as the Guild Master was eventually seeing himself on the defensive end.

His teeth gritted as another swipe of his sword was bitterly blocked by the scarlet knight. "You stubborn fool!" He abruptly struck Erza's chin with a backfist, making her fly back several feet. Jango gripped his boots against the ground and made a jump. While he was in midair, he held the large blade in one hand, and in the other requipped an equally larger blade of equal identity. He brought both large blades down onto Erza, but she blocked using her singular blade. Winds passed all around them and some fallen trees were turned over. "Why do you protect these creatures that have no reason of being here? You have fallen in love with the very obstruction of justice that caused this war. His heart and our own beat at two different levels that were to never be beating as one."

Jango backed off and slid on his feet. Once he stopped, the Guild Master adjusted both blades in hand.

"These instances that have all occurred was because Pokémon decided to exploit our own insecurities. They deliberately sent one of their own to this world without even having us aware of what was at stake. It was their fault that the natural balance and order that our world has worked so hard to construct had been turned on its head. If they had just left us alone, none of this would be happening."

Erza took an offensive stance with her sword ready to strike. "It was all on a whim, but that whim was what exposed us to new things. Things that Fiore and Earth Land alike have never even dreamed."

"You sound as though you've seen his alien world." Jango raised a brow. "Why would you bother being so interested into these Pokémon creatures when they never should've crossed over to begin with?" He raised both of his blades up into the air. "Answer me!" He slammed both blades down, hitting the ground. Two straight lines went at Erza across the ground, to which she dodged. The shockwaves reached a tree behind her, going straight up the bark and trunk. The lines dissipated, and the tree vertically slice into three.

The redhead took another lung at Jango and she met his two blades once more, clashing in another brief stare of resolute eyes. "You wouldn't know what these creatures behold. Each Pokémon has its own potential; a potential that can be reached by its Trainer. Nic and his Pokémon have gone farther lengths to show that potential, and their bonds have gone beyond any two worlds alike."

She began to swipe again, slashing consecutively and with equal caliber. Jango again found himself in a parry with her.

"They crossed over because it was a goal that had to be reached. A goal that no matter what or where they had to settle the score, the universe was at stake. Your guild is just fulfilling the selfish desires to rid of anymore problems, when you know that problems will never end, even if Pokémon never came!" Erza slashed again, this one colliding with both blades and making the ground beneath them crack up with cuts embedded in the dirt.

Jango's hatred began to boil to a higher level than ever. "Earth Land has its own share of problems, and everyone else alike has their own problems that must be dealt with themselves! Pokémon have their own problems, but they need to just keep their problems away from ours!" Jango slashed both blades in an X formation, giving enough force to finally push Erza back several feet. He crossed them again. "Our problems are our own business, and the respected thing is for us to handle it ourselves without having the need to rely on others. That proves how self-sufficient humans can be without the need of these 'pets' that cause destruction equal to a mage!"

Erza remained still as she was catching her breath. Her eyes were shadowed so that it was hard to tell if she was serious or on edge. Her mind flashed back to the Acnologia incident, and how they all never stood a chance until Dialga and Palkia arrived with the Weather Trio.

She finally caught her breath, able to speak. "We can only manage so much until we have to turn to help. When we can't handle our own problems, others step in and help us solve those problems for us. It's natural for someone to turn to help, even if unintentional, but I can't begin to tell you how many times Nic and his Pokémon have helped us out."

"You're mages! You shouldn't be relying on such an outside force that puts magic to shame!" Jango scolded. He rushed ahead again, slashing in another X formation, but Erza jumped overhead and flipped, dodging Jango's assault, much to the sender's disappointment.

Erza turned around to face him with narrowed eyes. "Pokémon are such amazing creatures who have their own powers and abilities. They share similar respects, just like Lucy and her Celestial Spirits. They share a mutual love for one another if guided by the right people. I may not have a Pokémon, but I've seen Nic show such a belief to us all first-hand, and you saw it too when he and those Pokémon defeated the Dark Legendaries!"

Jango's eyes narrowed in disgust.

"When we were watching, we couldn't do anything. We were trapped in those orbs and we were helpless to do a thing about it. We'd be dead if not for Nic's service. We owe a lot to him, a debt we can never repay."

Jango rushed forward, crossing his blades a third time. "I owe nothing to an outsider who is a greater danger than Zeref!" He let out a strong battle cry as he closed the gap between himself and Erza, flying in with hefty force.

Erza rushed in as well, slashing her blade at Jango. " **Moon Flash!** " She slashed her dark sword in a cross shape formation, the attack and Erza completely passing Jango. The Guild Master was rendered speechless as an X shape was gashed into his upper body armor, and the two large blades he wielded cracked and shattered apart. The swordsman fell onto his back with a thud, gawking as the shock of Erza's attack ran through his body.

Erza maintained a slashed pose behind the fallen Guild Master, eyes shut. "Acceptance is a necessary part of growing. Change can either be good or bad…" She stood straight up, her eyes opening once more. "But as long as we have those to depend on, human or Nic or Vanessa's Pokémon, we can solve any problem that stands in our way rather than depend on ourselves for answers."

Jango grunted in agony, feeling the sting of Erza's attack finally settling down. He groaned as he attempted to get up. As he managed to sit up, his mouth quivered before spitting out some blood. He panted as the offending liquid ran down the sides of his lip.

"You've got guts, Titania. Standing up to the Council, just so you can keep that precious strength." He scoffed while looking away.

"It's not the strength that I want to hold onto." Erza declared.

"And how is Nic Pularis any different?" His rebuffed tone had a cold air cascading around the two. "You saw yourself just how monstrous the man and his Pokémon are. Likely to say they are what strength is all about, but I wouldn't know since I value order and wish to restore the balance that our world once held." He stood back up, continuing to face away from the redhead. "You said yourself that your friends and those you love are your strength, so what would happen if you lost them? You'd be nothing."

Erza's eyes narrowed, her glare showing anger in his words, no matter how true they may be.

"They are what drive you forward, but they are also what hold you back. Separate the Alpha from its pack and you get a lone wolf in the open with a grizzly bear. Who do you think would win? It's evident that you rely far too much on the human and his Pokémon. You got yourself too involved into their business, and thus turned your back on your own." He started turning around, a single glare from him was making Erza's spine vibrate. "It's like saying you can live without magic and there's a solution on another planet. If we rely on Pokémon, overtime, we'll forget magic. Because we would've trusted these Pokémon to use their powers instead. This is about the future, Titania, one that we must consider."

He reached out his closed hand to her, as if holding an invisible hilt. "I will only give you this single plea since you've dragged me to be a preacher. If you yield now, I will hand your judgment over to the Council, and have them decide your punishment." His eyes kept narrowing. "This is for the good of magic and our future alike."

However, Erza could only stand against her enemy, feet spread apart. "Even after everything you say, you expect me to betray my guild and family for the sake of the future?" She asked in disbelief.

"Like I said, it's to restore balance." He replied.

Erza held her sword up, despite how her opponent was not standing against her with a weapon of his own. "I will never concede so long as I can breathe and maintain a beating heart."

Jango's patience was wearing thin. His battle with the S-Class Mage was starting to get to his demeanor. His stubborn views were clashing against Erza's like fire and ice. Though their battle was but barely an hour, it felt longer with all of their words clashing with equal vibrancy as their own swords. He swore to the Council his life and to uphold the beliefs of order and maintaining it, even if it meant paying back with the heads of those criminals who lost their way from the ideal world of justice.

His clutched hand loosened, and his eyes showed anger. Erza could feel a sudden shift in the winds. His Magic Power was starting to build up almost instantaneously. "Then I will have to stop your heart by removing your head myself."

Erza looked around, her eyes darting around as a hollow wind passed right by her. Her spine was beginning to chill from this ominous sense of power. _'What is this Magic Power? It's on a completely different scale than before. Is he trying to conjure up something?'_

"For being a traitor to magic and the citizens of Fiore and order alike, you have deemed yourself worthy of the judgment of my mightiest blade, handcrafted by the Pergrande Kingdom's finest blacksmith." Black energy began to materialize, spiraling like a handheld tempest. At first it was the size of a pencil, but grew longer, sharper, and began to take shape. Erza looked with shock as the black energy began to morph into a sword. "Come forth, my sword that permeates through the thickest of defenses, my almighty spirit in hands. **Spectre!** "

Crafting his one hand was the sword that he used to take down all of Quatro Cerberus alone, the same black sword with the wavy blade and sea green labeling the edges and the rose guard having sea green on the edges. The sword gave off a powerful and ghastly feeling, one that Erza could feel.

Jango held the sword by both hands, spreading his legs against Erza. "I apologize. I don't think I announced myself thoroughly when we met. Like the rest of Star Order, I too uphold my own nickname. I am the Guild Master of Star Order, the one who governs the stars when the Council cannot. I am Jango, of the Phantom Blade. And this is where you will be marked as deceased, against the honed edge of Spectre, the Phantom Blade that has never lost."

Erza smirked as she adjusted her stance. "That's quite the surprise. I never imagined you'd have such a unique blade within your arsenal."

Jango smirked in compliance. "Spectre is more than what it appears. You will learn why I never lost with this blade held in my grasps."

"There's always a first time for everything, is there?" Erza lunged ahead, her sword reeled back and roaring out. She nearly closed the gap, stopping in front of Jango and swinging her blade.

Jango's eyes narrowed. "Predictable."

He brought his sword around, meeting with Erza's own blade. When the sword closed in, the dark blade went right through Erza's blade, fazing like a ghost as time slowed down. Erza's eyes widened in shrilled shock as the entirety of the sword fazed through her blade, as though it wasn't even there. The sword met Erza, slashing across her and cutting her diagonally. The redhead screamed out in pain as she fell backwards with a sickening thud.

Jango gave an emotionless stare down at Erza, retracting his sword from its slashed position.

Erza sat up, wincing from the pain in her cut along her waist. _'He went straight through my sword like it wasn't even there, but how?'_ She got back up to her feet, only to receive a boot to the face. She yelped out again as she skidded back towards a tree, hitting against the base. She was left stunned for a moment and momentarily blacked out from the double whammy received, but recovered in equal time.

Jango brought his blade back and then swung like it was an underhand pitch. The blade unleashed a dark shockwave that went straight forward in a crescent shape, similar to a Psycho Cut. The attack traveled across the earth, splitting the ground beneath and Erza was running out of options. In a hurry, she got to her feet and moved off to the side, evading the crescent shockwave. The attack pressed on, and it tore right through the forest in a straight line, continuing on while kicking up a lot of dust.

* * *

Everybody who was running through the forest felt a rumbling from afar. Looking over to their right, the group saw something far ahead. It was a dust cloud, and they could hear trees snapping apart and wood breaking into little pieces. There was a small wind that passed by them, one that made them all slow down or even stop for a moment. The enormous group looked ahead towards the dissipating dust, where they knew that trouble was brewing. Mirajane turned towards everybody and ushered them towards the direction of where the trouble spilled. "That has to be one of our allies! Come on!"

* * *

Erza looked with shock and horror as an entire section of the forest was vertically sliced, save the dead logs, which weren't touched in the slightest. Her eyes dilated with sheer surprise. "That sword, it did that much damage?" She looked back at Jango for answers, but instead received a scoff from the Guild Master.

"Are you scared yet, Titania?" He teased.

Erza got a grip on herself and focused back on the battle. Without much of any option, she attacked with vigilance, slashing her sword again. Jango retaliated by swinging Spectre at the same time. Just as before, the Phantom Blade fazed right through Erza's own sword, again bewildering the night as she got hit again, taking another slash that sent her tumbling away. As she tumbled, her Black Wing Armor gave out, fading back into her Heart Kreuz Armor. The redhead had an elbow to the ground as she struggled to get up.

Jango overlooked her, giving a mocking brow. "I suppose you are wondering why your blades have no effect on my own." He answered. "I will tell you, since this will be the sword to end you. Spectre is also known as the Phantom Blade, more or less a ghost sword."

' _A ghost…sword?'_ Erza wondered.

"This sword's capabilities allow it to only lay waste to living things it comes in contact with. Lay out all the shields you want, or throw as many swords against my own, but this sword cannot be touched by mere objects." He pointed the tip at Erza. "It will go through every bit of armor you have on like it's not even there. Defend and attack, but Spectre is the mightiest blade of all. That is why I am the best swordsman in the face of Star Order. It's over for you."

Erza stood back up, unwilling to accept defeat. There was a glare resonating from her eyes. "A sword that goes through any non-living material. This should be interesting."

Jango crouched and readied to strike. He went sprinting ahead after Erza with Spectre pulled back. In an attempt to fight back, Erza requipped into her Flame Empress Armor. The redhead swiped her red blade, unleashing a wave of fire that went streaming after her opponent.

Jango hunched over, ducking beneath the incoming wave of fire. His sword was going through the fire overhead, again fazing through it like it wasn't even there. _'Even through fire it fazes through!'_

"It's pointless!" Jango stopped when several feet in front of Erza, twisting his body and slashing across. A trail of darkness followed, and it fazed right through Erza's sword and armor alike, making her slide back with another cut sustained on her stomach.

Jango again raised Spectre like an axe and brought it down, the tip meeting the tip of the blades of grass. Like before, another crescent shockwave went forward. Erza opened one of her eyes and saw the incoming attack as it traveled across the landscape, slicing up the grass beneath. She dodged by lunging off towards the side, again seeing the attack pass her and obliterate the trees behind her in a single-file line. When the redhead got her feet beneath her, she slid along the earth to a halt.

Jango appeared in front of her, his arm across with his sword. "HRAH!" He slashed once more, again striking Erza and sending her lying back. The Requip Mage yelled out again as she sustained but another insult to injury. As she got her feet beneath her, Jango went racing at her again with Spectre.

The redhead had to hurry, but all she could do was defend. " **Requip!** " Erza requipped from her Flame Empress into her Adamantine Armor. With the two shields stacked in front, she closed them up, activating her shield's magic defenses. As Jango advanced, Erza could only hope for the best.

"No lifeless defense is a match for me!" He slashed his sword again, and the blade fazed right through the magic seal set in front of the shield, and fazed through the shield entirely.

Erza again was astounded. _'Even through my Adamantine Armor's defense?!'_

The Fairy Tail Mage screamed out again as she was cut by the ghost sword, her body sliding away on her back. Jango watched as her sliding figure went to a halt, and at the end of the trail Erza struggled to move with all of the cuts sustained. Her armor glowed, returning back to her Heart Kreuz Armor.

Jango brought his blade around, staring coldly at Erza as she was in a real bind. "Actions speak louder than words, and this proves the case, Erza Scarlet. No defense you have nor any type of blade that you wield can match me. You fell short this time, which is your own fault."

Erza rose to her knees, panting. _'There has to be some form of element that can defend from his Spectre. Fire is out if the question, but what if I use…no, my Lightning Empress and Sea Empress Armor wouldn't cut it either. Damnit! How do I defend against such a blade?'_ She was brought back to reality when she felt a boot collide with her own face, knocking her back into the dirt.

"Your persistence is starting to grate my nerves. Can you not see how pointless this act of aggression is? You're throwing your life away in the face of order. It's my duty to bring those strayed to their senses, otherwise they will be finished. Much like you will." He said.

Erza again stood before him, earning more annoyance from the Guild Master.

Requipping into her sarashi and hakama pants, she held a single blade in hand. "I will make this clear." Her glare narrowed on Jango, making him step back. She pointed the tip of her own sword at his neck. "I will not let things be. If I can stand, I have the power to change what I don't like. I fight to the beliefs of my friends and their strength is my own. We stand together, and if we accept Pokémon, and as long as we hold true to one another…we will never fail."

Jango stared at Erza for a few moments, his eyes dilating out of frustration. His grip on Spectre was starting to shake, and that was the sign that his patience has finally expired.

Erza lunged ahead, bringing her sword back. "I will discard all defense to eradicate you! This path I follow is guided by Fairy Tail, and Nic, and all benefactors of what his dear Pokémon uphold!"

She slashed at Jango, but time began to slow down, Jnago's glare was a hollow darkness. "ENOUGH!"

In a swift and hollow swipe of his sword, Jango went right through Erza's ongoing swipe. He struck her in the shoulder, making the knight scream out as her sword fell out of hand and onto the ground. Again, Erza fell over. As she laid amongst the branches, Jango walked up to her. "You are nothing but a traitor, plain and simple. You use magic, but instead you rather give it up so you can follow in the footsteps of these alien monsters. Their power offends our magic, I have established this principle and how many times have you rejected that?!" He grabbed Erza by the head, his iron grip leaving the knight unable to escape as her exhausted body was held up by her enemy.

"You and Nic Pularis refuse to let things be! This was our own business, and we were exploited of our own weakness! Well not anymore! These creatures can go back where they belong, so that we will thrive on magic alone."

Erza's eyes showed some haziness, meaning she was close to blacking out. "You're despicable."

"I will present your head to Nic himself. Seeing him wallow in despair over his fallen grace will be the true glory before I dispose of him along with your other friends." He aimed Spectre at Erza's neck. "Goodbye…Titania!"

He thrust his sword at Erza, the knight watching with hazy eyes as her adversary was raring to finish her.

CLANG!

Rather than blood spilling, a harsh metal sound reverberated. A few sparks flew, and the next thing that happened was Erza falling to the ground while Jango stumbled backwards. Both knights showed signs of surprise when the expected did not occur.

Erza looked down at her hands. "I'm…still alive?"

Jango looked back with hostility. "Who dares?!" Of course when he looked ahead at the figure standing between him and Erza, his eyes widened.

Erza looked up with equal shock, her eyes as equally as wide and disbelief left her incapable of speech.

"That is enough foul play. You have dishonored the art of swordsmanship in means you cannot repent for." Before them was Honedge, and her sword was unsheathed with the sheath held by the blue cloth-like arm.

"Honedge…" Erza muttered.

Honedge looked back at Erza with her one blue eye showing determination. "I heard the sound of battle close by. I heard the voice of such a noble warrior of whose voice I recognize with every ounce of valor."

Erza smiled at Honedge with satisfaction. "Thank you."

Jango stepped back as Honedge turned towards him, shock still crawling all over his skin. "You're…a Pokémon!"

Honedge showed a hostile look at the Guild Master. "Her words touch my heart. This noble woman behind me has said many of things that you cannot take away. You have no clear view on justice!"

"You impudent fool! She is a menace, as well is your kind!" Jango yelled. "A talking sword that can fly is nothing short of the freak taboo of your world! You have no rights here! Begone before I cut through you!"

Honedge's sword glinted. "I _do_ have a right! This Erza Scarlet speaks so highly of our kind, and she believes that we deserve a chance despite what's happened. I speak on behalf of a true swordswoman, whose swords are as strong as her own views. Humans have always been so curious, and I have found the reason why I thought so!"

Jango was having nothing of this. He anchored his feet and then sprung ahead. "Leave your views and business in your home world where you belong!"

As he brought Spectre around, Honedge was a safe distance to make blue illusionary swords out of thin air. They circled around, crossing over Honedge's head. Erza recognized the move. _'Wait, that's the move that powers up Honedge's offense. Swords Dance!'_ She successfully recalled. She stood up as Honedge was engulfed in a red aura, amplifying her Attack power. The Steel and Ghost-type Pokémon remained floating in place as Jango slid in front and brought his sword around. The redhead being defended watched as Honedge's sword glowed a bright light. Again her shock was evident. _'That's…'_

" **Fury Cutter!** "

Honedge swiped her sword, colliding with Jango's Spectre in a brilliant display of bright and dark sparks intersecting and intercepting each opponent. Jango was caught surprised, despite how stoic his expression may have seemed. Honedge was holding up her best, but eventually her Fury Cutter faltered. Spectre followed through, sending the Sword Pokémon sliding back in the air.

"Honedge!" Erza exclaimed.

Though a little shaken, Honedge remained standing. She looked at her opponent again as he scoffed at Honedge. "I'm fine!" Again her blade glowed, but brighter than before. " **Fury Cutter!** "

Jango adjusted his blade. "Don't make me laugh at your foolishness. A Pokémon sword has nothing against our magic!" To prove his point, Jango slashed again, and as before Fury Cutter and Spectre collided in the center with black and bright static again clashing against one another. Honedge was persevering, and much to her opponent's surprise, she wasn't being pushed back. She and Jango pushed harder, grinding sword edges together until the tips met. But participants recoiled back, and Jango planted his feet on the ground.

The Guild Master looked startled. _'That was stronger than before…'_

Again Honedge's blade glowed a bright light, heading after Jango with a stronger Fury Cutter.

"It won't matter if you can't hit me, fool!" Jango slipped left, dodging Fury Cutter at the last second. The Guild Master scoffed as he slid across the ground, but he suddenly found Honedge in front of him. His eyes widened in disbelief. _'But how-?!'_ Honedge slashed her Fury Cutter at him, leaving a vivid trail across. "GAH!" Her Bug-type move scored a powerful hit across his chest, sending him flying backwards against the ground.

Erza stood in surprise. _'It's just like what happened in our battle.'_ She recounted what happened to herself when she tried dodging Honedge's attacks, but always found herself being hit in the end, no matter how hard she managed to evade; Honedge would always be there.

"My Ability is No Guard." Honedge explained. "That means that no matter what kind of evasive tactics you use, nor I, our attacks will always make their mark. You can travel underground or fly into the sky, but my attacks will always hit their mark, as yours. That's No Guard."

Jango got back to his feet, his boiling frustration beginning to overwhelm him. "You…!"

Honedge turned back to Erza, staring at the confused knight. "Erza, use me."

Erza again felt shocked. "What?"

"Grab my hilt. Let me be your sword. Let us show this scoundrel what human and Pokémon have to offer when they work together."

Erza was a bit overwhelmed by the request, but she had no particular reason to disregard Honedge. She wanted to understand further about Pokémon since all of them have such interesting qualities that she just couldn't stop exploring. A grin came across her lips, and the S-Class Mage nodded. She walked on over and stood right beside the sword. She glared ahead, her determination evident. She reached without looking and held Honedge by her hilt. She held the sword out by the side, presenting it with heavy fortitude.

"Jango of the Phantom Blade." Erza recounting. "Do you remember my words from before? We can only manage so much until we have to turn to help. When we can't handle our own problems, others step in and help us solve those problems for us. This is not a weakness, but a strength; a strength of which reveals to us that mages and Pokémon alike can share a trust with the right people."

Jango rushed ahead, reeling his blade back. "It's your own insecurities that make you weak! You can't rely on yourself so you turn to have this thing fight instead! I thought I was fighting a real swordswoman who has immense Magic Power, not a coward who dares goes against the idea of leaving business to itself!"

Erza smirked. "Looks like the real battle begins now. Honedge, **Fury Cutter!** " She commanded. As she pulled back Honedge, the blade glowed a very bright light and was brought forward. Spectre and Honedge clashed again, both sides emitting strong waves of energy, a shockwave rippled out from the middle, exerting outwards and again turning over nearby diced trees within its small radius. Both swords were again met with a stalemate, but as Jango and Erza were both pushing with all their might, Honedge pushed as well. Eventually the combined might shoved Jango back on his feet, sliding across the scathed earth.

As he slid to a stop, Jango angrily grunted _. 'Damnit! Spectre can pass through inanimate objects and swords alike, yet not this one! And I can't dodge, and its spell is just getting stronger and stronger with every strike! Just what kind of creatures re these?!'_

Erza charged again, swinging Honedge and colliding with Spectre. Despite the intense wave of energy again pulsating, Jango dared not back down this time. Rather he remained in the stalemate until both swords recoiled. He swung his sword, parrying Honedge in a furious display of slashes and attacks that were blocked by Fury Cutter. Sparks and clashes sprang all across the battlefield, each opponent giving it their all. Jango again leaped back for distance, but when Honedge was swiped with Fury Cutter for the umpteenth time, Jango was unable to escape. Another gash went across his armored chest, making him recoil.

The Guild Master of Star Order dared not quit. He was sworn to win, and by any means. He angrily stepped forward, his head clashing with Erza's in a headbutt, knocking the knight away and almost causing her to lose her footing.

"You okay?" Honedge asked.

Erza shook herself awake and bent her knees. "Yes. Let's keep going! Honedge, **Fury Cutter!** " She and Honedge sprinted ahead after Jango, Erza's pacing extremely fast.

Matching her was Jango who lunged ahead with equal valor and a battle cry. Both again met in the middle, bright and dark sparks colliding yet again. They were met with a stalemate, both set of boots planted in the torn up grass. Erza pushed with all her might, as well as Jango of the Phantom Blade. The energy in the air was electrifying, it was making their hearts beat at astronomical levels.

This was a battle of two warriors, but of those who walked different paths. Erza's path was sworn to nobility and fighting the injustice that dares to fall upon her comrades. Jango was a man of sworn duty, and abides by the principles that the Council has taught him; how Gran Doma drilled the sense of duty and order into his head. It was a matter of heart against mind.

Honedge was pushing too with all her might. She was never pushed to this caliber before, not even back in Route 6, where she fought against quite a few of her kind. She knew humans were what piqued her, and this one especially that was handling her was what got the sword to admire Erza. A persona who knew how to handle a sword with care, pouring energy with the backbone of the memories and love from others. She always wanted to fight alongside a noble person, and she got her wish.

Erza was gaining momentum in the stalemate and was making Jango lean back. When she got enough on her side she kicked him in the abdomen, making him gag and black out on the spot.

"Now! **Fury Cutter!** "

With a pivot and a twist, Erza let out a mighty cry as she swung Honedge, leaving a trail arch behind. With that single large slash from Honedge, the Bug-type move went right through Spectre's center, slicing the entire blade from its guard. Time slowed down as the actual ghostly blade descended, dissipating into darkness. Jango looked in absolute horror as Erza and Honedge broke through his ultimate weapon, proving him wrong.

His eyes dilated. "This can't be happening! This is a mistake!"

"No mistake!" Erza yelled back. "The only mistake you've made, is doubting what we can do when working together with Pokémon!" She followed through with Honedge's Fury Cutter on the spot, the arch expanding further as Erza and Honedge passed Jango as the Guild Master went soaring overhead with an open gash on his armor, which broke apart while he was in the air. His mouth spilled red and he fell behind Erza with a thud on his back.

Erza maintained a slashed pose behind the defeated Jango as he laid on the ground. Letting out a deep sigh, she relaxed and smiled. Her grip on Honedge loosened, and the Sword Pokémon fell to the ground with a thud as well.

"Honedge?" Erza asked in worry.

Honedge's blade was all scratched up. She was battered and bruised, looking as though she was gonna break at any given moment. She didn't faint by any means, but she sustained far too many injuries from every collision made from Spectre. Still, her eyes cascaded up towards Erza, looking content.

"We…did it…!" Honedge winced in the agonizing pain.

Erza knelt down, putting her hand atop of Honedge's hilt. She smiled warmly. "You were amazing. Thank you for everything that you've done. I never could've won without your help."

Honedge looked away. "But I still lack stamina…and I can't move anymore."

Erza still maintained a smile. "With time and expert training, I'm sure you'll be able to hold yourself up no problem after something like that."

Honedge and Erza looked at one another, smiling once more before some shouts came from the distance, calling out to Erza. The redhead in question turned around to see who was incoming, which turned out to be the remainder of the gathered allies. A hefty number of hundreds of mages began to close in, in which the number staggered Erza. "E-everyone?" She couldn't be anymore surprised than she is now.

"Erza!" Lucy cheered. "We're so glad we found you!"

"Guess we know where that blast wave came from." Levy said.

Mirajane smiled. "It looks like we showed up just in time."

Elfman flexed his muscles. "That's the Erza we know, winning it like a real man!"

Lisanna seat dropped. "But…never mind."

Makarov, Vanessa, and Wendy approached Erza as her surprised settled down. She looked on with a grin as Makarov inspected the surroundings. He saw the fallen trees and diced up branches. He looked at the defeated Jango some feet away with a scowl. After seeing everything, he looked back at Erza. "Well done, Erza." He praised. "As of now, all of Star Order has been completely defeated by the alliance. That means that the only ones standing between us and rectifying the Council are the four remaining Wizard Saints." He looked past Erza and down towards Honedge. His eyes showed some slight surprise as he looked at the sword's eyes move. "Who is this?" He questioned.

Vanessa's eyes widened. She knelt down and inspected the severely battered Honedge with slight shock shown. She put a hand to Honedge's blade, in which Honedge grunted. "It's a Honedge." She answered.

"A Pokémon?" Yukino questioned, supporting Sting as he was still recovering from the poison. "But I thought Nic and Vanessa were the only ones with them?"

Vanessa pulled out her PokeDex, in which the thing opened up and having a holographic version of Honedge onscreen.

" _Honedge, the Sword Pokémon._ _Apparently this Pokémon is born when a departed spirit inhabits a sword. It attaches itself to people and drinks their life force."_

"A Pokémon sword?" Wendy questioned. Drawing away from her own inquiry, she tended to Erza and all of the cuts she's sustained. "Erza, stay still, I'll heal you."

Erza remained still as a green light resonated from Wendy, healing her shoulder. "Thank you, Wendy."

Vanessa reached into her shoulder bag, pulling out a small handheld spray of magenta color. It was a Super Potion. "Poor Honedge. It wasn't very experienced, so its injuries are very severe. Stay still while I heal you." She pointed the medicine at Honedge and commenced spraying on the wounds. Honedge's sword-like body winced in pain, but she persevered.

"Thank you." Honedge thanked.

Vanessa just smiled and resumed applying the medicine.

"How did a Honedge get here in the first place?" Lily asked.

Erza looked down at Honedge. "It's a long story." While Wendy was healing her, the redhead turned her head, facing the small expanse of trees left in their way. She was beginning to wonder how Nic was doing. Her worry for him was just staggering like crazy. _'Nic.'_

* * *

Across the rocky land they went, having already gone far enough from the forest. They were closing in, with the Council HQ already in plain sight. The frowns and serious looks on their faces were clear that they had a lot of things to say to no one but the Magic Council, especially the selfish chairman known as Gran Doma. Nic, Greninja, and Jellal have all walked along the flat land, having nothing but barren dryness all around. One would think that the planet at this point was in a post0apocalyptic scenario, especially with the dark rainbow sky above.

Standing roughly half a mile away, Nic, Greninja, and Jellal all stared at the dome that the Council HQ was around. It was large, and by no means were they gonna get through unless they defeated the final link, which had to be a Wizard Saint.

A strong wind shifted Nic's coat, Greninja's tongue scarf, and Jellal's cloak. They could see clear as day that this was where the final confrontation was gonna be upheld. By no means was this gonna be easy. Whatever will come next, they cannot turn back.

"I can assure that this may as be a trap." Jellal said. "But I'm sure even you both know that." When both Nic and Greninja nodded, Jellal got his answer. "Then let's make haste."

As the three closed in onto the dome, they began to take strides, ones of which that gave them a foreboding and dominant appeal.

"If we can find a way, then we'll storm underground with Dig." Nic said. "If the shield only affects the surface, then that's our best bet."

"Very liable." Greninja agreed.

All three closed in further, almost ten minutes away by running. Suddenly when they all took another step forward, a voice could be heard far away.

"Nic!"

Recognizing the voice, all three stopped in their tracks and went wide-eyed. Nic out of all of them was especially startled by faint but warm sound. It was still some ways behind them, but Nic heard it as clear as day. He could never forget it. He remained petrified as the voice resonated from behind again.

"Nic!"

The group turned around slowly, with Nic gazing immediately towards where he saw Erza coming. His body swelled with overwhelming shock. It startled him seeing Erza followed by so many of their allies as well, but after what felt like so long, there she was, running towards him with a battered Honedge and Vanessa by her side. The Honedge was another matter entirely, but the saving grace was his loved ones finally back in his line of sight.

His feet subconsciously turned around for him, making him run off towards Erza. "Erza!" He cried out.

Greninja was about to follow suit, but looked at the Honedge in question. "A Honedge?" While he did wanna question why one was there to begin with, he knew it was best to act and ask questions later. He followed Nic while Jellal raced towards Meredy and Ultear, his surprise and satisfaction of equal levels as Nic in reciprocation for Erza's.

"Nic!"

"Erza!"

Both were so close to one another; they were almost within arm's reach of another. Before they could make contact, a translucent wall shot up between them, shattering their union yet again. Both reeled back as the wall kept rising, their eyes following it all the way into the sky.

Nic looked back down, facing Erza and Vanessa with a hint of dread in his gaze. All three shared worry as two were on the outside, and the important one was on the inside. As the rest of the alliance – Gray and Laxus' groups included – began to storm towards the HQ, they too were held up by the rising dome.

"What? Another dome?" Lucy exclaimed.

Gray looked up, beguiled by the rising translucent shield. "You've gotta be kidding me. Just when were there!" Juvia, who instantly tracked him and was scooting right beside him, looked up with equal shock. Laxus, the Thunder God Tribe, Mirajane, her siblings, Master Makarov, the Mermaid Heel group, and everybody else who managed all looked up as a giant dome erupted from beneath. The whole translucent rainbow barrier finally formed atop, rising almost three times as big as the Council HQ barrier itself, which was inside the barrier as well.

So now, out of all the people gathered, which equaled over a thousand mages, the only ones inside…were Nic, Greninja, and Jellal.

"What just happened?" Natsu exclaimed. He clutched a fist and punched the barrier, but it didn't break. "Damnit! What on earth?! How thick is this thing?!"

"It's gotta be of the same compounds as the Phantasm." Happy figured. "I don't think it's going down anytime soon pal." Of course with Natsu ruthlessly banging his head against the barrier, it was much easier said than done for a lack of better terms for the Dragon Slayer.

"This was a trap." Ultear's eyes narrowed. "They're still splitting Nic up from our support.

Nic was on the inside, staring at Erza. "Erza."

Fortunately for him, the barrier allowed sound to pass through, so Erza could reciprocate. "Nic, are you okay?"

Nic nodded. "Yes, I'm well." He looked back at Greninja, who had arms crossed and nodded. And then behind him was Jellal, whose appeal was a mix among the alliance. Erza was the most shocked.

"Jellal?!" Erza exclaimed.

Jellal didn't move, but looked towards Erza with some level of surprise. "Erza."

"What are you doing here? Why is Crime Sorciere here?"

"I'm afraid we couldn't keep ourselves out of this fight. We ended up separated just like the rest of you." He glanced over towards Nic. "Of course I met Nic and his Greninja along the way."

While she was surprised to hear how Jellal ended up in the skirmish, it also scared her some. She was way past the fear of him back in the Tower of Heaven, but this was all because of what Nic told a few nights before the outbreak. She looked back at Nic, seeing him all calm, but she could see within his eyes that there a sense of worry, but more of her own blessing. It was clear the reason she was afraid was because of the terms Nic and Jellal are on. She didn't know what to expect from them, especially with how Nic is afraid Erza might leave him for Jellal out of his own insecurities. She swore she'd be with him and choose him forever and always, but she didn't know how Nic felt as of now.

"Jellal, are you hurt?" Meredy, accompanied by Ultear, asked.

"No, I'm fine, but we're trapped inside. This has to be a fail-safe rigged by the Council." Jellal answered. "I'm afraid we're still apart."

Ultear looked up at the massive barrier. "So I see."

Within the gathered one-thousand mages, there lied the Mermaid Heel group. They squeezed their way to the front of the endless dome, making way towards the barrier and peering inside. All five looked to find Nic's group inside, not too far off from their destination. To say they were startled would be putting it mildly, especially with the impression Nic laid upon them before.

There was a venom in Kagura and Millianna's eyes. They narrowed and their fists clutched. "Jellal. Nic." They both muttered. As much as they wanted to do something about it, Nic apparently simmered them down as of their most recent confrontation, so their initial action of violence was deteriorated.

Within the group, some individuals shifted their way through. They squeezed their way up front, catching someone in their line of sight. Sho and Wally stared with shock when Millianna was sought.

"Is that…?" Sho trailed off.

Wally showed equal surprise. "Yeah…it's Millianna! Hey! Dollface!"

Millianna's ears twitched, catching the tone of that voice. "Meow?"

"Millianna!" Sho called out.

Millianna turned around, facing the voices. Her eyes shot wide and a smile came across her face. She nearly jumped for joy. "Haha! Sho! Wally! You're okay!" It was as though all of her seethed rage for Jellal subsided, which wasn't a bad thing. Kagura watched as the group reunited, but her worries were still set on Nic's group, to which she didn't truly understand how to feel.

Meanwhile, Nic finished explaining everything to the group in front of him, which was Crime Sorciere, and his guild on the other side of the dome, about what happened.

"I see." Makarov nodded. "So Crime Sorciere has entered the fray."

"There's more…" Nic and Greninja looked at one another, their gazes straight into the other's pupils. Both recounted their overwhelming transformation. Nic was gonna say what it was until there was a sudden spike in Magic Power, in which he, Greninja, and Jellal stiffened.

The energy in the air was darkening, and within the dome, Nic and Jellal could sense something heading their way. And it didn't feel well for it had a very potent taste left in Jellal's throat. Everyone around the dome could also sense this Magic Power. All of the remnants of Lamia Scale, Sabertooth, Mermaid Heel, Fairy Tail, and so on, could feel a very potent Magic Power, one that could make the weak-willed shiver.

"You feel that?" Natsu asked.

Vanessa's eyes narrowed. "This aura, it's not far off. It's coming our way."

Erza looked out from outside, seeing something far inside of the dome with Nic. Her eyes widened when it was revealed to be a man.

Nic, Greninja, and Jellal all turned around, sensing something coming their way. Turning, they found a middle-aged man proceeding towards them. Makarov's eyes widened when he recognized the man. "Ruge!"

Ruge walked with hands behind his back, smirking nonchalantly at Nic's group. He chuckled beneath his own breath, but Nic and Greninja could hear it, and they didn't like the sound of it. He stopped perhaps some meters away, standing with feet close to one another and kept his hands behind him. The four were in a deadlock when their eyes met, creating a harsh tension that flowed through the atmosphere. Nic and Greninja had the same deadlock, and Jellal glared ahead with a danger lurking in his eyes.

"You know that guy, old man?" Gajeel asked.

Makarov grunted. "I'm afraid so. He's one of the Ten Wizard Saints. Ruge – The Ethernano Reaper."

"Ethernano Reaper?" Cana questioned.

Sophie looked ahead in question. "I don't think this will sit well if they don't know what they're up against."

The silence continued on between the four; eventually with Nic being able to break. "I take it you're a Wizard Saint, are you not?" He questioned.

"Guilty as charged." Ruge brought a hand around and bowed to Nic. "Allow me to introduce myself to my opponents. Call me Ruge, but those who fear I might smite them label me as 'The Ethernano Reaper'."

"Seems quite the title to live up to." Jellal said.

Ruge's hand snaked back behind him. "That may as well be the case. I do apologize for the low tactics the Council had to use, especially with this Phantasm weapon. If you ask me, I thought it was a big waste. You all get scrambled up just to scurry back into a colony like ants."

Nic's eyes stared daggers into Ruge, but he was undeterred. "Am I to have the right to accuse you of being the last link?"

Ruge's grin dimmed somewhat. "While Gran Doma states that neither you nor Pokémon have rights, I myself have a place to say you're right in your inquiry. Indeed, I am the last link to this ridiculous weapon. However…" His eyes narrowed, his grin turning into a frown. "This is where you fall."

Nic and Greninja's eyes narrowed.

Jellal stepped forward. "I apologize, but I must intercede on this conflict. This skirmish has gone on far enough, wouldn't you say?"

Outside of the barrier, Millianna's gathered friends stared with shock after Millianna finished catching up, retelling of the tales that transpired, of course she also made clear of her confrontation with Nic and Jellal. The three friends were against the barrier, their teeth gritting.

Wally's eyes beneath his sunglasses showed some level of hostility. "So, it's true what you said. Jellal is here. That damned cockroach is still alive after all."

Unlike Wally, Sho was still recoiling. His body was more or less shuddering violently as his eyes dilated. "Jellal…" He turned back towards Millianna. "And you said Nic and Fairy Tail was protecting him?"

Millianna looked towards the ground, saying nothing. It was all the two needed to hear before they turned back ahead and glared daggers at the three opposing Ruge inside.

"I…I honestly don't know why." Millianna said. "Even after everything Nic said…"

Kagura just stared ahead, her eyes but hollow holes that lost an answer to the crisis. Of course with her distraught, Mermaid Heel was still in a small confliction in its own right in regards to what they've witnessed of Nic telling Kagura what to do. As much as they wanted to defend her, they knew Nic could beat their heads into the dirt in a flash. All they could do was just watch as the scene inside unfolded.

Ruge maintained a smirk once more as he faced Jellal. "Ah, Jellal Fernandes, a convict that ran off six years ago. I never intended on meeting someone like you here. I was aiming for Nic and the Pokémon, but I can't say this isn't a bad hand dealt either. You have my regards for your help against Dark Guilds across Fiore."

Jellal didn't seem to be amused in the slightest. "While I am a convict, I'll face retribution by living. As I have promised someone. Dying at the hands of those fallen into the abyss is nothing but a bleeding injury."

Nic and Erza both frowned at him.

Ruge kept a grin, but it was more of remorse than gracious. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid by what the higher ups say, you gotta pay with your life. All of you have to face retribution, against what I think is a cruel and dismantled structure that everything has shaped into."

"That only came to pass because of Gran Doma's selfish insecurities." Nic scolded. "If he had been more acceptant of the circumstances, then this whole war could've been avoided. But we're far beyond that point unless Gran Doma wishes to call off this whole melee."

Ruge shook his head. "Sadly, the chairman's orders are to be carried out with swiftness. And I can't really say no when these kinds of orders are given. I wish I could say I hope you would understand, but our sides are tired, and we prefer that this battle ends now." He held up one his hands to eye level. "Your side has defeated all of Star Order, congratulations on that much, but this is a Wizard Saint you are speaking to, meaning my power is ranked among the ten strongest on this continent. That means you're about to witness magic on a whole other level compared to what you've been dealing with as of late."

Nic stepped forward in unison with Greninja. "Whatever you throw, we won't fall." Nic answered.

Ruge's eyes narrowed as his hands slowly came to his abdominal area. "I wouldn't doubt that in the slightest, but I do question how you will handle this…" His hands were one palm facing down with the other facing up, both faced directly at the other. Nic, Greninja, and Jellal all narrowed their eyes as they started to feel an incredible swell of Magic Power starting to come together towards the open palms. Erza, Natsu, Vanessa, and everybody else trapped outside could feel a great deal of Magic Power turning potent and converging onto Ruge.

"You feel that?" Levy asked worriedly.

"Yeah, this guy's creeping me out. This magic level, it's all focusing into his palms." Jet stated.

Erza's eyes narrowed, watching among the curious as the energy made a purple and red orb in the middle of Ruge. The orb had a certain distaste to it, and inside the barrier, Nic and Greninja clutched their fists tight as the energy inside was giving off a pressure. By no means were they scared, nor did it startled them, but the magic was still making them feel like walking on eggshells sort of speak.

"And what kind of magic is this? It's not Darkness Magic." Jellal figured. He should know, along with his Heavenly Body Magic, he uses a variety of other magic, like Telepathy, Telekinesis, that Self-Destruction Circle spell, and his own Darkness Magic.

"A for being not far off, Jellal. Perhaps I'll demonstrate it." Ruge gave a cocky smirk and a small chuckle beneath his breath as magic began to form in front of him.

An odd indigo colored shadow began to form from the thin air. On the ground, it slowly began to manifest, growing taller while flaring some along the sides. As it grew, it could be seen as gaining limbs and a head. The manifestation of indigo also gave off menacing glowing red eyes.

When it began to gain features, its figure was all too familiar that it startled everybody. Nic, Greninja, and especially Jellal all went wide-eyed with horror and disbelief. Their lips were parted and the manifestation's tattoo even sent a chill up Jellal's spine. The figure was leaving the trio speechless and with disbelief.

"Is that…?" Greninja trailed off.

Nic's eyes sharpened. "Yeah…" He looked towards Jellal, whose eyes also narrowed and seemed out of it.

Kagura and Erza's eyes also widened in sheer horror. They were seeing something that left them equally as shocked. Erza was feeling her nerves crackle. "No…"

Everyone was on guard when in front was an indigo version of Jellal, giving off an indigo aura all around. Its eyes were a bright red followed by a dark and wide smirk.

Natsu was flabbergasted. "No way!"

"Two Jellal?!" Happy exclaimed.

Jellal grunted and swiped his arm. "What is this nonsense?! Tell me!" He demanded.

Ruge maintained his smirk. "Why, this is my Shambolic Magic. I merely gave the ethernano you've exerted a physical form." He explained.

"A physical form to Jellal's magic?" Nic wondered.

The narrowed eyes everybody else gave meant confusion. "Okay, let's put this in another way. When a mage uses a spell, they exhaust the ethernano in their body, releasing it into the atmosphere. But with my magic, I can have all of the ethernano they've exerted within a 24-hour period converge into a single spot, and thus give it a negative influence. So the more magic you've exerted within those 24 hours, the stronger yourself becomes. Think of it as fighting your own shadow, only when you use more power, its increases as well."

Nic narrowed his eyes. "I understand now. So you're someone who pulls the strings and steals exerted ethernano. Now I see why you're called The Ethernano Reaper."

Ruge's smirk widened into a darker one. "I'm flattered. Now, Shadow Jellal, show our friends what I mean when you're a negative influence."

Shadow Jellal said nothing. Instead, the man reached out at the real Jellal. His bright red eyes showed no remorse, something of which contradicted Jellal entirely. Jellal and the others prepared for themselves for what was to come as the indigo creature went ahead and exerted dark bombs at them, more accurately Jellal.

The mage glowed a bright light. " **Meteor!** " Jellal went shooting straight up at incredible speeds, dodging the dark blasts that went for him. Nic and Greninja leaped out of the way, evading the blast waves and sliding to a stop. They looked back ahead, only to find that Shadow Jellal was zooming up as well, using its own Meteor.

Nic watched as Jellal was still skyrocketing. "Jellal, below you!" He warned.

Jellal looked down from high above, almost reaching the top of the dome. He didn't get a chance to even blink before his other self uppercutted him right in the chin, dissipating his magic and had the poor mage yelling as he fell down.

"Hang on!" Nic glowed, turning into his Meadow Form. He reached up and green glints came from his palms. " **Vine Whip!** " In a hurry, he fired thin wines with bulbous ends up above. The bundle of the two vines shot up, swiftly grabbing and coiling around Jellal's arms. The mage was left suspended and saved from a terrible fall, but more trouble was heading his way.

Shadow Jellal shot down at the real Jellal. " **Meteor!** " The shadow went blazing at breakneck speeds, and he was closing in fast. However, when it was so close, Nic moved Jellal out of the way at the very last second, sparing him while Shadow Jellal continued his course down below towards Nic.

"No, watch out!" Wendy cried out.

Nic did nothing, rather he glared and remained still while Shadow Jellal closed in at glorifying speeds. Suddenly Greninja appeared in between the two, surprising the spectators at the immense reflexes.

" **Scald!** "

Greninja fired a pressurized torrent at Shadow Jellal, scoring a direct hit and making boiling water exert skyward. Shadow Jellal screamed in a hollow voice as it went soaring off into the air. It fell and crashed into the ground somewhere not too far off, making rock beneath break apart harshly.

Kagura's eyes widened. _'I had no idea Nic and his Pokémon were that powerful in one shot.'_

Nic lowered Jellal to the ground, planting him on his feet and retracted his Vine Whip, reverting back into his usual form. "Are you okay, Jellal?"

Jellal felt his chin, still feeling a sharp sense of pain flow right through. "Yeah, I'm fine, but that attack had a lot of power."

Greninja looked over at the cloud of dust Shadow Jellal was covered in. "You using magic will only make your counterpart stronger. It's like he's forcing you to fight without trying to use magic." Shadow Jellal was seen standing, but he had a brief fire engulf him, making him grunt. "However, I at least managed to get a burn in, so that should dwindle him down."

Jellal grunted as he stepped forward. "So he's forcing me to use other methods too, is it?"

After the brief fire faded from Shadow Jellal, it hunched over, smirking at the real deal.

"I killed Simon. I enslaved many and had them perish before my very hand." The menacing figure spoke darkly. "I watched those die, and I gave no damn to their demise. I savored in my old friend's anguish until his last breath was made. I felt nothing but pity for the tears that were shed, and I will take that joy to the grave."

The things he said were downright wrong, and naturally it struck a hard blow to Jellal. All of the things he said were true in essence, he did feel that way, but he didn't realize it because he was brainwashed and manipulated like a puppet by Ultear's hand. Despite how it was orchestrated, Jellal frowned with the words buried beneath his heart resurfacing. This is what Ruge meant by negative influence. It takes the negativity and guilt in one's own magic and turns it into a profound physical form. That's the dark truth of Shambolic Magic; turning negative emotions and transferring it to power. A mind game that Ruge can use without having the need to do anything.

Shadow Jellal walked forward, smirking. "I felt it, and I relished in my anguish and torment. I deserved death, but I live, and that reason I disgust everyone around me. I disgust humanity with my actions, and I will never forget the glory of Erza's tears!" He rushed forward with Meteor again, abruptly striking a startled Jellal right in the gut. Jellal gawked at the momentum thrown at him, his gawking expression making his shadow smirk. Despite the knee being weakened by the burn, Jellal was still shoved back several feet.

"Jellal!" Nic's fists clutched tightly. He was gonna enter, but he couldn't help but feel something hold him back. It wasn't Greninja, but more or less the harmful words Shadow Jellal was throwing at them. Even though that was guilt-talk, the recollection Erza crying when Simon died was making Nic's own heart sink.

But he wasn't the only one hurting. Outside, Erza and everyone was hearing and watching the struggle. The redhead was taking some serious blows to her own heart with all of the sins Jellal has committed, but she knew better than to blame Jellal himself for what's being said.

Unlike her, Kagura and Millianna were both darkly, evil lurking in their gazes. The words being spilled were making their crippled hearts twist and turn. It almost made Kagura throw up. Millianna hearing it made her wanna strike both Jellal, but she couldn't at the moment. As of now, she had to watch in hopes that the Shadow Jellal could finish off the real Jellal and end the nightmare for good. Sho and Wally's expressions showed the same thought. They wanted to see him die; one way or another.

Jellal grunted while Shadow Jellal lurched with flames engulfing him again briefly. Jellal reached out towards the startled Nic. He dared not look at the conflicted look. "Nic, Greninja, stay back…this is my sin to fight."

Nic stepped forward, despite his urge not to. "Jellal, all we have to do is handle Ruge-!"

"Nic let me do this!" Nic stopped in his tracks. Jellal just yelled at him, and in a demanding tone, of which surprised him. He stared in shock as Jellal glared at Shadow Jellal's lifeless eyes. "This is all my fault. Every word coming out of his mouth was all because of the past misdeeds that I have laid waste to. Don't take out Ruge, I have to face my own darkness, and by myself. I have to conquer the darkness that has left you and my friends in bitter ruin. This grave sin that I have let happen must be paid in my penance, and for that I must deal justice to myself."

Ruge smirked. "Well, this is a nice act of nobility. You want to face yourself?"

Jellal smiled. "I do."

"…then who am I to cast aside such a noble request? Look, I consider myself a fair man, so I will let you have a fair fight against yourself." He glanced over towards Nic and Greninja. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Nic wanted t object, and Greninja felt no different. They wanted to say no, but in the pits of their own heart, this was what was probably meant to be. The anguish Erza felt was still fresh in his mind, but he knew better than to let hate drive him unless broken to that point like against Lysandre back during the Kalos incident. The circumstances were different, and like it or not, this may as well be another form of punishment for the Crime Sorciere co-founder. It was in fact punishment. Jellal was an ally, but he still felt guilty. He had to prove himself, and Nic could understand fully upon those circumstances.

With his head hung low, Ruge knew Nics answer. "Very well. Jellal, be the guest of honor."

Jellal got into a runner's position. "Nic and Greninja have done more than plenty with the status condition they set upon myself. It's my duty to pick up where they left off."

With no more words needed, Jellal cloaked in his Heavenly Body Magic. He sprinted ahead with Meteor, blitzing across the landscape with fury. Shadow Jellal matched that with Meteor as well, its Magic Power larger than before. Both meteors collided right in the middle. A closer look revealed both of their fists meeting together, but only brief. Jellal stared another grunt that matched Shadow Jellal's scoff.

Jellal jumped away, trying to regain some distance in between. Suddenly Shadow Jellal appeared in front, startling Jellal. _'He's faster than me?'_

Shadow Jellal dealt another kick to his chest, which Jellal managed to block. The momentum from that kick was powerful enough to send him skywards, but he was still undeterred as he glanced down, seeing Shadow Jellal wince as he was engulfed in more fire briefly and disappeared.

' _His physical prowess has gotten considerably weaker thanks to that burn.'_ Jellal thought as he fell to the ground, sliding back on his feet to a stop. _'If I can just hold out long enough, then my clone should weaken.'_ He suddenly felt another shift in the winds, and behind Shadow Jellal appeared in his heavenly glow. Jellal's eyes widened and he felt a sharp pain from behind his head. He screamed as he slid forward from that kick dealt. He tumbled some until he found his feet beneath him, managing to stop at the end of his slide.

He basked in his own glow as his clone's glow became a blistering flame once more. Jellal rushed forward with a cry, reeling a fist back. "HAH!" He struck the burned Shadow Jellal square in the face, the face sounding so solid. Jellal followed through and sent Shadow Jellal sliding along its back several feet, until it back flipped and planting its feet on the ground.

Both Jellal and Shadow Jellal stared at one another, glaring daggers into their eyes.

Spectating, Lucy looked with worry. "Is Jellal seriously fighting all by himself?"

Erza crossed her arms, a solid look on her face. "It appears so." She continued to watch on as Jellal blasted dark bombs at Shadow Jellal, whom dodged by flipping overhead. Shadow Jellal grin menacingly and fired dark bombs from straight overhead, showering Jellal as he was looking up. Suffice to say he was engulfed in a huge explosion of darkness. _'Jellal's exerting more magic, and despite knowing that it only increases his enemy's prowess, it's the only way to win. He's punishing himself still.'_ She gripped her own arms, tension rising. _'Jellal, find a way to forgive yourself. I have, and Nic is trying…'_

Sho raised a fist. "Take that ya bastard!"

"How's it feel to be harmed by your own demon?" Millianna jeered.

"Now this is justice!" Wally exclaimed.

Kagura remained silent as she watched the dust clear out, and eventually saw a back and forth display of blows between a mage and his own darkness. She had nothing to say and nothing to do. As long as Jellal got hurt and possibly died, she would be okay with that. But with the confrontation of Nic before, she really did question if that really was the right thing to consider.

Shadow Jellal blindsided Jellal by moving faster than before with Meteor all around. Jellal turned left and right as Shadow Jellal zipped left and then right, and suddenly disappeared. The mage looked all around, unable to keep track.

"He's gaining magic, while I only seem to exert more. I can't defeat him unless I-!"

A sudden flash and a falling comet came crashing down. Shadow Jellal blitzed down and dealt a blow to Jellal's back from above. He screamed out in pain as the impact put him in a crater. The earth rumbled as though thunder reverberated through it.

Nic and Greninja remained where they were, not willing to move. As painful as it was to bear with Jellal fighting himself, it was a way to find solace. It would be wrong for them to step in, despite them already helping plenty with Greninja's Scald already weakening Shadow Jellal, especially with the burn effect.

Shadow Jellal winced again from the flames erupting once more. He staggered off to the side, getting a foot beneath him. The fake version stood in total opposite of the real Jellal, who was equally as exhausted when hunched over the crater he stood up him. Both of them panted, and their breathing was getting heavy. It was tough to say, but Jellal and Shadow Jellal looked even, despite how much more bruises Jellal had aside from Shadow Jellal's struggling and burned state.

Jellal tried to move his hands, but he winced. That's when Shadow Jellal smirked getting his hands in front and overlapped the arms; one having two fingers and the other handing all five.

Nic recognized the spell Shadow Jellal was gonna use. "Jellal, get out of there!"

Ultear and Meredy saw the finger position and their worries skyrocketed. Their mouths gaped open when they were also about to shout for Jellal to run, but there was nowhere for him to hide.

Everybody watched as Shadow Jellal made seven golden magic seals high above the dome. The fake man's eyes narrowed down on Jellal. "Nic will be insecure, feared that I will steal the one he loves, leaving him but a hollow mess."

Jellal's eyes widened.

" **Grand Chariot!** "

From the magic seals within the sky, light beams traveled down at disastrous rates. The light beams themselves traveled down in the exact shape of the constellation made. Jellal looked up to the sky, seeing but a blinding light beam down upon him. Everything around Jellal went white for a brief moment before a silence followed. In another instance, an explosion of light engulfed the entire area around, Ruge standing tall with a proud smirk while Nic and Greninja covered themselves up from the rumbling earth and flying rock and blast waves. The violent shaking and explosions continued to rampage like no tomorrow, until at last the dust and quaking began to subside.

Once the dust settled, Nic and Greninja uncovered. Their eyes instantly widened when they saw the ground all around Jellal being flattened and sizzled. The mage himself was lying on the ground some feet away from Nic. He sustained a number of bruises from that attack, of which seemed to have left him severely incapacitated.

Ruge scoffed with a proud smirk.

Nic and Greninja looked down at Jellal, seeing his disastrous state while Shadow Jellal sustained more burn damage, grunting as he too had fallen to a knee. The fake was clearly at his limit too. That earlier Scald did a number before the fight of the two Jellal.

Nic clutched his fists. "Damnit…" He wanted to help, and he should have. He left Jellal in that heaping mess that he let himself to get into, and all he was allowed to do was just watch. It was painful enough seeing such a conflicted man get turned into a punching bag, but this was a man who about to say something with a profound impact.

"Nic, I'm sorry."

Nic's eyes opened up again, looking down at Jellal to see him not in pain, but was instead giving a mournful grin. He only spoke so that only Nic and Greninja could hear.

"Words can't even begin to erase the pain I've put you all through. No amount of words can make up for the endless sins that I have committed by my own hands; this was my punishment, and I had to stomach it with all the hate I've put onto myself." His eyes shut as he continued, still grinning. "Simon, Sho, Wally, Millianna, Kagura, Erza, and now you. It was you who saved me and destroyed the darkness that consumed my heart for all those years, and yet even now that darkness has left a poison that can't be healed. The man before me, if I lose here, I cannot further atone for the darkness of my past." He began to sit up, albeit with hesitation. "If I lose to the darkness of my heart now, I cannot forgive myself. I would have disgraced everyone that I've put harm on." He frowned as he was getting to a knee, starting to come around. "I must _and_ will defeat this demon that poured out of my own negativity. No longer will this weight be on my chest."

Nic stared in sheer shock. "Jellal…"

"I will move forward, out of the darkness and into the light that I seek to bask in. Erza was able to move on from the torment I put her through, and she found solace. I will find my solace soon, and with that spring of happiness, I will be in the light with a smile!"

A sudden pulse resonated from him. An intense Magic Power was resonating from the exhausted mage. Nic and Greninja went wide-eyed as Jellal's eye were cascaded by his hair.

Ruge looked ahead as he too felt the spike in power. "This power…he's about to unleash a spell." He looked over, seeing Shadow Jellal about ready to collapse. Ruge looked annoyed, yet intrigued at the same time. _'Jellal can exert as much Magic Power all he wants, but his shadow can only take so much damage like the real one…'_ He smirked still, starting to take steps back. "Looks like we're in for quite a show."

Jellal extended one arm up and another one down, both at the 6 and 12 position with two fingers for each finger. A small tempest of dust was at his feet and burst. A tremor again engulfed the ground.

Ultear's eyes widened. "Is he really gonna use it?!"

Meredy looked equally as shocked. "He is!"

Vanessa looked up to the top of the dome, seeing dark clouds thicken high above. As the vibrations of the Magic Power traveled through the ground, the magic itself was making her nerves crawl. Still, she recognized the clouds from the Grand Magic Games. "If he attempting to use that spell again?"

Nic and Erza like were both looking up, speechless as the dome started to shake violently. The dark cyclone in the sky was giving off a horrendous sound that palpitated the earth further, everyone watching saw with shrilled shock as a blazing meteor was coming down from the eye of the storm.

Kagura and Millianna stared in disbelief over the power being unleashed.

"I will move forward! And put this accursed spirit behind me!" Jellal shouted through the roar. "You are but a part of my past that shall be atoned! Begone! **True Heavenly Body Magic: Sema!** "

The meteor went crashing down onto Shadow Jellal, whose burn did not help it escape. It knelt down as the meteor met impact. A ripple bellowed out from the point of impact and extended out to the barrier. A catastrophic explosion erupted, continuing to send shockwaves and engulf everything within the vicinity in an eruption of Heavenly Body Magic and monstrous shockwaves that encompassed a massive amount of land beneath. Nic and Greninja held their ground as the shockwaves raged on, both sets of eyes wide with amazement. Watching the blinding display outside, everything there and those mages who were still arriving saw the flashing lights inside of the dome. The land raged, and amazement crossed everybody else as the large-scale explosion took several minutes to calm down.

When the dust from Sema finally settled, they all saw the results. There was a massive crater encompassing a wide expanse of terrain. Near the center was Jellal, panting profusely as he had exhausted a great swell of magic. He nearly fell over, but caught himself. Several feet in front of him was the Shadow Jellal, lifeless on its back. It took a moment, but as Jellal stared, it faded away.

On the outside of the crater, Nic and Greninja looked down at Jellal, not smiling, but they did seem more…relaxed. They looked at one another, grinning.

Ruge was also on the edge of the crater, shocked. "My word. I've heard of Jellal being a former Wizard Saint, but I never imagined he'd have this much power. I'm truly impressed." The red and purple orb in between his palms faded away, and the magic around him dissipated.

Nic and Greninja jumped down into the crater, meeting up with Jellal. The exhausted mage stood straight up, not bothering to look back at Nic or Greninja. "Like I said, I will continue atoning while moving forward."

Laxus crossed his arms. "Well I'll be damned."

Gajeel snickered. "Guess that little trick had its perks after all."

Panther Lily also showed a grin. "Most impressive. It looks like Shambolic Magic may turn exhausted ethernano into a physical form, but it too can be damaged. Greninja's Scald took off a major chunk of power; lucky for Prince Jellal's counterpart, he too had a great deal of help from Pokémon."

"Well we are talking about the same Pokémon of the six who were strong enough to defeat the Dark Legendaries, right? Of course something like this couldn't budge Greninja in the slightest." Lector beamed.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch stated.

Kagura's gut turned over, her uneasiness riling her up further. Still, she tried to remain as calm as she possibly could. _'So that's Jellal's true power. I never imagined he' have that kind of strength.'_

Jellal crippled to his knees, his exhaustion finally getting to him.

Ruge stepped forward into the crater, slowly proceeding after Nic and Greninja. "Most astounding on your end, Jellal. I praise you in honesty." Ruge genuinely remarked. "Hardly anyone's conquered my Shambolic Magic as such. Hitting your shadow version with all that power at once, just after the frog weakened it, I guess the Council really should consider the benefits of Pokémon; after all, that one in particular is accountable for being of the six who took the Dark Legendaries to sunder. Of course the Wizard Saints would have such a hard time."

Greninja looked Ruge with a seriousness in his eyes. While he was humbled, his senses were tingling. This was far from over.

Ruge put his hands back upfront and placed both palms in the same position as before. The position unnerved everyone again. "You have my admiration, but I do apologize for this. I'm far from done." Again the red and purple sphere returned, giving off a vibrant yet deadly Magic Power.

"It's that sphere again." Gray said.

Ultear's eyes narrowed. "I wonder what he plans on doing now?" Her fists clutched. "If only this barrier wasn't standing in our way."

Ruge continued to oppose Nic's group. "So sorry Jellal, but I'll have to put you out of your misery along with Nic and the Pokémon he has. Nothing personal." His eyes narrowed as he began to make two indigo shadows flare in front. "I believe these two will be a very special treat for you all."

The two ethereal indigo figures began to rise, taking shape into two females. Their limbs, heads, and figures were all shaping, and again Nic, Jellal, Kagura, and Erza were all left dumbfounded. Everyone watching from outside the barrier showed equal shock as the figures morphed.

Both each held a sword in hand, both held tight as their red eyes glared daggers into the enemies before them.

Kagura and Erza both stared down with sheer horror and shock. Their eyes dilated and their hearts raced.

Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura stood in front of a smirking Ruge, who just chuckled loudly, soon breaking into a laughter. Seeing Nic's shocked face was a sight to behold.

"You should see the look on your face, Luminous." Ruge teased. "You offended that I'm using their exerted Magic Power against you now?"

Beth looked down with shock. "They're using Kagura's Magic Power now?!"

Arana showed hostility. "I knew we should've evaded that army headed our way. This was a bad idea."

Risley looked at Kagura, seeing her hollow eyes. "Kagura? Millianna?" She looked to Millianna next. "You both okay?"

They both said nothing, but instead looked at Jellal's exhausted state.

Erza's fists violently shook by her side. Honedge looked up to find Erza gritting her own teeth in frustration. "They're using my power and turning my darkest thoughts against Nic. What a pitiful magic." If she had anymore magic, she'd probably go nuts and break open the barrier with fail unfortunately, but that'd only add fuel and power to her monstrous indigo counterpart. All she could do was watch.

Nic stared ahead at Shadow Erza, seeing her in her sarashi and hakama pants. He was staring intently at her, his eyes narrowed into the red eyes. They were anything but the Erza's he knew. It didn't feel right, no matter how the indigo version looked a lot like her, the Magic Power was negative, among that a negative and hollow resolve. The red eyes of Shadow Erza were cold and icy. It was like looking into a mirror opposite of yourself; or in this case, the Erza Nic's come to admire and love.

Jellal looked ahead, looking at the new enemies. "Erza…Kagura…"

Shadow Kagura reached for her sword. "Jellal Fernandes, the darkest monster to have crawled up from the abyss." Her voice was nothing but pure venom. It was all the hate, all of the anger the real Kagura had, and it all that embodied Shadow Kagura. "You heartless monster. You killed my only brother. You killed off my only family. I want to spill your blood so that Simon shall rest."

Shadow Erza glared coldly at Jellal. "…Jellal." The look she was giving him, it sent a shiver down his spine. He was basically reliving the Tower of Heaven incident, where Erza wanted to kill him. This Shambolic Magic drew out the memories of Erza's magic, and it left the blue-haired mage in a more pitiful state. "You killed our friend. I was not strong enough, but now I have the strength…to finish you!"

Erza's eyes widened. "No!"

Shadow Erza lunged forward towards Jellal, her sword in hand. "I'll kill you!"

"Jellal!" Unsheathing Archenemy, Shadow Kagura lunged ahead with an inhumane battle cry of the most primal of animals. As both ferocious warriors went lunging after Jellal, horror spilled from many eyes as the two mightiest swordswomen are having their magic used to kill Jellal.

Both closed the gap, and Jellal couldn't move. _'I'm still unable to move. I used too much magic.'_ He looked ahead, both closing in.

Millianna screamed out along with Wally and Sho, all of which begged to watch him bleed out.

"Jellal! Move!" Ultear yelled out.

"He can't! He's too badly injured!" Meredy exclaimed, tears beginning to form from the corners of her eyes. "Jellal, look out!"

"Jellal!" Natsu screamed out.

Erza screamed out in desperation for her shadow version to stop, but it didn't. Kagura remained wide-eyed and had an expectant stare as she saw herself close in.

Jellal closed his eyes, awaiting for the end. Both dark versions of Erza and Kagura blitzed ahead, bringing back their swords as they blindly rushed in. Both screamed out in bitterness as they swung their blades at long last, meeting flesh. A bright flash took up everything, and a large wave of fresh blood spilled cross the ground, tainting it in red.

Erza's mouth gaped open, seeing the horror that made her entire world shatter. Blood spilled everywhere, and by every means was she the most affected, because someone she held dear had his blood spilled by her negativity. "…no."

* * *

 **I made this chapter a whopping 16K, so as a little treat at the end, I embedded a cliffhanger. You all may as well label me as evil by leaving such a thing, but it keeps a good story rolling. So anyways, since I wanted to wrap up the rest of Star Order and their issue in the war, I made the first half of this chapter all about Erza VS Jango, with effective monologue as a bonus. I also added a great deal of Pokémon flavor into this chapter by having Honedge enter the fray. Personally I thought she would be a great addition as Erza's partner, at least for that one battle. And the Fury Cutter spam I had nothing against writing, for you can never go wrong with that move (unless you use Protect, Fly, Dive, etc, then you've made me mad).**

 **Also somebody brought up the prospect of Jellal. At first I wasn't gonna do such a thing and skip straight to the Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura attack, but then I figured Jellal needed to prove himself so that Nic knows he too has moved on from Erza and will find his own love someday. So in retrospect the fight of Jellal VS Shadow Jellal was perhaps deemed necessary. It was more of an intro to Ruge's Shambolic Magic.**

 **On that topic, I find writing of Ruge more easygoing compared to the other Wizard Saints. I tried making his personality more laid-back, even more so compared to Cruzer. I feel more relaxed writing about Ruge compared to the stubborn Bolton. If you looked back already near the beginning of the arc, you see how easy I made Ruge in terms of personality and speech.**

 **Moving along from that topic and onto Pokémon, I'm sad that XY &Z will be over tomorrow; the animation style, Ash bonding with his Kalos Pokémon, everything about it was top-notch. I was sad when Ash-Greninja was gone, as well as Goodra, so that left Noivern and those who taught him to fly. While I am gonna get Moon version hopefully, I am not gonna watch the anime of Sun and Moon. It's just looks cheesy and ridiculous, and the animation looks like a downgrade compared to the XY series.**

 **So anyways, let me know what you guys thought about this chapter and thanks for reading and giving appreciated reviews! Next chapter will most certainly have a greater flavor of Pokémon integrated into its making!**


	16. 3 VS 3,000

Erza's heart sank at the grueling site, her mind going blank from watching blood spill by the means of her own image. It was sour enough that the magic Ruge conducted was her own and harbored her negative emotions o the past, but it was bitter that she had to hear herself say such things and spill blood on the spot. Of course she wasn't the only one who felt that way; Vanessa's lips parted and her breath hitched in vivid fright. Many who were watching had shock poured all across their faces, even Ultear and Meredy were left completely speechless and in horror.

Spill indeed spilled, and red was all around. Jellal's eyes opened up, coincidentally not in pain. _'What happened…?'_ His vision was still blurry for a moment, unable to see anything as time slowed down drastically. What he could make out was red still flying. _'Is that my blood? Why am I not in pain? Does this mean…I'm dying?'_

He couldn't understand it himself. If he was hit, shouldn't he be feeling pain and feeling lightheaded? Lightheaded, yeah. Pain, aside from his battle against Shadow Jellal, not really. He caught two shady figures standing in front of him, both of them between him and Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura. His eyes shot wide with shock when reality came back to him.

Blood was spilled alright, but it wasn't his…it was Nic and Greninja's.

Both of them faced Jellal, shadows to obscure their eyes from revealing the distraught feeling they both had as Shadow Erza slashed right through Nic's back, and when Shadow Kagura slashed at Greninja's back. Both Trainer and Pokémon alike deliberately took both blows, and time was still rather slow as both dark versions of the female warriors followed through.

Jellal's eyes dilated in horror as Nic and Greninja didn't move, but they didn't respond either. "Nic…Greninja…"

Erza gaped her mouth and screamed down at what happened. "NIC!"

"That idiot! I thought he was the smart one!" Gray exclaimed. "Why the hell did he just do that?!"

Vanessa just stared down, her eyes showing vivid shock. She once again saw her brother taking a devastating blow, one of which may have killed Jellal. Her mind flashed back briefly to the day she stood up for Nic, and the bittersweet memory was making her body shudder.

Millianna's mouth gaped in shock, as did Sho and Wally's. The explicit looks each one had was priceless, as the one they wanted to kill had again been saved by the saving grace of Nic Pularis. As for Kagura, she could only stare with a beating heart full of anxiety. She was looking so hopeful, only for the savior of the universe to take the blow.

Jellal looked as Nic and Greninja lowered their heads, revealing their eyes closed. In Jellal's case, he watched Simon block a fatal attack, and then he himself took a fatal attack from Zero in Nirvana, and now Nic and Greninja saved him from a fatal blow. It was a never-ending cycle of those selfless who would give their lives.

Erza's fists clutched violently, her body shuddering. _'He…'_

Behind Nic and Greninja, both had heaping gashes right over their backs. Greninja's was bare, and Nic's clothing was gashed open, revealing red. However, both did not seem to falter nor fall. Instead they stood tall while Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura backed off.

Nic finally spoke. "Jellal…"

Jellal gasped.

"I know what it's like to give your life to prove yourself to someone. To show how much you are willing to care and respect them. Back in the Tower of Heaven, you were brainwashed, and even after, I still held a lot against you." His eyes opened, showing no pain, as if ignoring the wound on his back. "I blame myself and have every right to be disgusted for ever doubting your path of sins involving taking Erza. You have to live. You have a beating heart and hope to guide you to the future with no Zeref. I now truly see…you're free from the past."

Jellal remained still in disbelief. "Nic…"

Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura were still behind Nic and Greninja, seeing them as objects in the way. "Move." Shadow Erza ordered in a stern tone. "Or you too shall taste my blade once more for defensing a heartless monster."

"Why defend such a lonely creature who is nothing but cold blood." Shadow Kagura asked,

Together, Nic and Greninja clutched their fists, angrily shaking them. They looked over their shoulders, darting their gazes at the two fakes. Suffice to say their harsh glaring sent a chill down their spines.

"You're both nothing but horrid filth." Greninja said. "You dare attack someone who is not just down, but someone who is repenting for what he's done? Everyone deserves a second chance, and yet you both wouldn't know since you're pure dark thoughts."

Nic's glare was striking a core in Shadow Erza. "You may look like Erza, and you may have her Magic Power, but the fact is that you are nothing like her. The real Erza would never conduct such anguish and despair and bring it to succumb her. She'd keep herself high and standing even when unable to act on nothing but instinct." His eyes narrowed. "She's far away from the horrors of her childhood. She has a strong heart and looks to her friends and loved ones with open arms. You're nothing more than her opposite; a pale imitation who makes me want to look down on you in shame. You bring Erza herself to shame for even being created. You're an insult to everything we've built together."

Greninja's intimidating glare equaled Nic's, but was directed towards Kagura. "We've seen a lot of horrific things over the years. The near-destruction of Kalos, abandoned Pokémon in Pokémon Village, Lysandre, the Dark Legendaries; people like you all into that category with no contest."

The real Kagura's eyes widened.

"People so riled up on revenge are those who are stuck in the past. They're calm and serious at first glance, but they reveal the filth in their hearts when the opportunity presents itself. You wish to end a man's life when he's trying his best to make up for his mistakes with a full conscience." Greninja's eyes narrowed further, the sclera giving a menacing appeal to Shadow Kagura. "You people are the kind we despise, those who we hold no respect for."

Nic's fist balled tighter, and energy began surging around the fist, fuming it in white aura. Nic and Greninja's feet alike began to pivot.

"If anyone is cold-blooded…"

"If anyone is of no heart and are the real monsters…"

Both brought their fists around; Nic's being a Mega Punch. "It's you!"

Both of their punches met Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura's cheeks. The punches were so hard that a bone-cracking sound reverberated and a ripple emanated from both of their colliding fists. A white explosion erupted upon contact, shaking the ground beneath. Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura shot backwards, flying and crashing into the ground, making more dust fly.

Both took fighting stances and glared in unison. "You wanna get to him, you gotta kill us first!"

To say everyone was startled would be an understatement. No one was prepared for what they had just said. They were defending a convict, someone who escaped and was brought to meet Meredy and Ultear to form an Independent Guild. Even in their state, with those deep long gashes down their backs, this was their fight to start and finish.

Kagura stared at the scene, her eyes sullen. She heard every word Greninja said to her evil part. It was all true, with her being taken over by anguish and hate, and being resented indirectly for her emotions letting her be a guide into the abyss was something she didn't care about until she got that gut punch by Nic and Greninja's actions. All she could really manage was watch and see what unfolds.

Erza was showing equal remorse. She saw Nic's back turned towards her, and she could see well of the bloody gash her evil half left him. Her gut felt a harsh pull when she remembered seeing herself almost killing Jellal and instead struck Nic. She stared out in worry for Nic, her balled up fist close to her chest.

"Takes some serious guts the guy has." Laxus said.

Sophie's gaze narrowed.

Laxus looked down at her. "What's troubling you all of a sudden?"

"It's odd. Shouldn't Nic be using Recover to heal himself? And on top o which shouldn't he be using Heal Pulse for Jellal and Greninja?"

Rufus tipped his hat to shield his eyes. "Cousin, I say that given the circumstances, it wouldn't matter since they would take damage anyway. And besides, if you call how relentless Erza and Kagura can be, their evil parts beckoned by the Shambolic Magic will undoubtedly leave them to focus on defensing Jellal other than themselves." His hat tipped up this time. "Of course that's what I have memorized about the scenario."

Rogue was supported by Minerva's shoulder, spectating. "A selfless injury in place without care of harm."

Minerva nodded. "Those two fools. Ruge's magic is most deplorable."

Ruge gave a sly smirk at the bold acts committed. Nic and Greninja both stood straight up, disregarding their back gashes. Behind him Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura both arose from the dissipating dust, revealing both relatively fine to continue. Their bright red eyes showed a disastrous desire to kill.

"That was quite a bold move there. You've impressed me." Ruge said. "Going against these two without wincing or batting an eyelash is quite a feature. A no-fear kind of individual. I like that." His eyes narrowed. "However, there is one thing that you've seemed to have miscounted."

Nic and Greninja remained silent as they glared at Ruge.

"My Shambolic Magic doesn't just copy spells a mage can use and have their dark versions utilize it, but as long as there was enough ethernano exerted, I bet even the great Shadow Titania can undergo her strongest requips…among other things I have in store."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Greninja asked.

Ruge closed his eyes, the red and purple orb in between his pals beginning to glow brighter. "I'm sorry, as much as I want to be a fair man with one on one action, I'm afraid since you're the number one priority, I'm gonna have to pull out every stop I can muster up. This is where you and your friends will face the wrath of every negative compound of magic that was exerted within 24 hours."

Nic and Greninja stared out, their faces unmoved as all around, in the crater and out, shadow upon shadow was forming. The constant flaring of energy was sensed even outside of the large barrier, where the thousands upon thousands of mages all gaped their mouths and looked exasperated as they began seeing themselves arise, their shadow versions all making dark grins and bright red eyes.

The numbers kept rising. At first it was dozens, and then they multiplied. Nic and Greninja were still unfazed by the growing numbers as the multiplication behind Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura continued to escalate. It became to be hundreds, and then those hundreds gave sinister red eyes and were smirking darkly. All of the indigo was flooding the entire barrier dome's inside. Gajeel, Natsu, Sting, Minerva, the Exceeds, Vanessa, Sophie, Gray, practically every single person present and accounted for all around the dome was witnessing in horror as they watched their indigo versions form, hunched over and looking more like minions at the hands of Ruge. The numbers increased to levels that became what looked like thousands of indigo mages all randomly within the barrier.

Natsu stared with disbelief. "Is that really…us…?"

Lucy gasped. "No way…"

Makarov's eyes widened yet again, seeing himself amongst the crowd of thousands of indigo mages. "The number is bad enough, but to think Ruge can shape our own exerted magic and turn it all on Nic. Just despicable." Makarov was looking as though he was shuddering. "We were too careless. We fought too much along the way and in turn it's being used against us."

Lisanna swallowed, seeing herself in her Drapion Take Over. Her indigo version smirked coldly. "The Ethernano Reaper…"

Mirajane looked at herself amongst those close by Shadow Erza. "How many of those are there?"

"I don't know." Elfman said, looking at the variety of shadow mages. "There's just too many to count, but they're filling up the barrier's inside quick."

Vanessa saw shadow-self close by, watching from the other side of the barrier, she could only give a glare at the monster before her. Herself. She was gonna see herself attack her damaged brother,a nd there wasn't a thing anyone could do.

Ichiya turned towards Hibiki with a sparkling pose. "Man. Hibiki, is there a way inside by any means to assist our comrade?"

Hibiki's Archive Magic showed the barrier, and how there was a straight line, separating the ground and surface alike. It was a full circle. "No go, boss. They even have it equipped through the earth beneath, so even Earth Magic can't pass through. Our only hope is for Nic to defeat them all." He replied with a hint of regret in his tone.

Ruge's smirk never faltered, the same could be said for Nic and Greninja's expectant stares, to which left him amused. "So confident in the face of so many ethereal mages I see. Over the span of 24 hours, there's been over thousands of mages fighting, and a majority have already reached this far. Consequently, the total for the amounts of shadow mages you have to face is probably…at least three-thousand."

Erza's eyes showed even more disbelief. "He's saying Nic and Greninja have to fight thousands of negative magic bodies? But that's insane."

"Three-thousand of us. That's a huge number against just two." Cana stated. "I forgot how many of Fiore's population were mages to begin with."

"That's just the mages who've been fighting all over Fiore over 24 hours. There's probably more who have fallen. I'm just worried of what might happen with Nic and Greninja and their injuries." Juvia said in worry over her guild mate.

Ruge's eyes narrowed at Nic and Greninja as both leered at him. "So, how will you respond to the true might of my Shambolic Magic? I can't wait to see."

Shadow Erza adjusted her stance, her legs spread apart, as were Shadow Kagura's, with Archenemy unsheathed and packed with power. Nic and Greninja could feel it from where they were, the Magic Power was brimming with fresh quality, but the two stood against them, among them the three-thousand other ethereal indigo energy figures of the Fiore mages.

Nic glowed, shifting into his Fist Form. His feet spread apart, as did Greninja's. Both were respectively squaring off against the foes of Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura, pure eyes interlocked with disgusted bright red eyes.

"Greninja." Nic said. "We have two objectives; the one, keeping Jellal out of Erza and Kagura's reach. The second…"

Greninja continued glaring ahead. "Defeat all three-thousand of the figures."

"Here they come!"

Both readied as Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura attacked them, rushing in with vivid velocity. Both fake ethereal mages brought their swords back behind and let out primal screams. Both figures were met with a sudden kick to their stomachs when they were so close to contact. The sudden kick was by Nic and Greninja, whose reflexes got the better of them. Nic infused his kick as it seemed with white aura, meaning a Mega Kick. Shadow Erza and Kagura shoved backwards hard, sliding on their feet against the flattened ground.

Nic and Greninja reeled back their legs and swept them behind so that they had momentum gained when they went lunging ahead. Both Trainer and Pokémon went ahead with their feet quickly leaving and hitting the ground, light pounces driving them forward.

Shadow Erza swung her sword just as Nic pulled back a fist. " **Brick Break!** " Nic's glowing arm met Shadow Erza's sword, making a ripple of air crackle with such heavy pressure. Both grunted as they were trying to overpower one another, but the sword and the fist reeled back, with neither recoiling.

Elsewhere, Greninja dashed on in and slid. He made several hand signs as he slid towards Shadow Kagura and aimed his head forward. " **Smokescreen!** " The Ninja Pokémon exerted a mass of black smoke from his mouth, making a stream of smoke follow him as he went after her. As Shadow Kagura slashed Archenemy forward, Greninja suddenly disappeared, and instead her sword cut through Smokescreen clearly.

Greninja appeared below silently. He looked up at Shadow Kagura and brought a fist up. As the fist closed in through Smokescreen, Shadow Kagura caught whim and looked down just as the fist was mere inches from her face. Hurrying, she used Archenemy's flat side and blocked Greninja's assault. A wave of air went shooting all around, dissipating the Smokescreen entirely. Shadow Kagura struggled for a few moments before she started giving in, recoiling a step back from Greninja's punch.

Greninja's stare at her was unnerving.

" **Mach Punch!** " Nic's fist glowed light blue. He rushed ahead at such amazing speeds and struck Shadow Erza, again colliding with her face. The fake Requip Mage slid back against the earth again, but slid to a halt and got her feet beneath. She looked back at Nic, her bright red eyes showing no sense of wear. _'Do they have a higher pain tolerance than normal mages?'_ Nic thought.

The Shadow Erza lunged ahead again and requipped. "Die with Jellal!" She exclaimed. Her bright glow faded, revealing her Purgatory Armor.

Nic's eyes narrowed as she dashed ahead with her mace. _'So they can Requip and do spells like the real one so long as they had the Magic Power to do so.'_ He thought. He ducked with ease, evading Shadow Erza's mighty swing of her mace. The swing sent violent winds overhead and out, blowing away some rock and dust, Nearby, Jellal covered up as he was hit by the shockwave, but he remained on a knee.

Nic's fist glowed light blue as he was crouched beneath Shadow Erza. " **Sky Uppercut!** " Nic unleashed the mighty Fighting-type move, striking Shadow Erza right in the chin. Again with Nic's enormous strength he made another wave of air pulsate briefly, and Shadow Erza went skyward as Nic followed through with the uppercut, leaving a trail of light blue behind. Shadow Erza went soaring into the sky and then came crashing down, striking the ground with a thunderous thud, making more dust bellow.

Shadow Kagura jumped, with Nic's Greninja's eyes following. " **Archenemy: Strong Form!** " She brought the blade down, very similar to a hammer. As she did, the swiftness of the blade was caught on, and Greninja narrowed his eyes. He brought his right arm around and swiped the flat end of the blade to the side, practically backhanding the sword so that the trajectory hit the right side. The tip of the sword smashed into the ground, sending a straight line ahead, shattering the ground in a straight line all the way out towards the edge of the large crater. When it reached the end, it erupted dust in the distance.

The bright red eyes of Shadow Kagura met Greninja's own red eyes, opposing the other as Greninja was already so close. Reflexes kicking in, he elbowed Shadow Kagura's gut, making the fake mage lurch and shoot backwards, falling onto her back and sliding until she crashed into a rock a ways away, shattering it into fragments.

Nic and Greninja jumped away, both regrouping side by side. Both grunted, the blood still dripping down their backs.

Ruge again felt a little surprised. "Well, well, looks like you're holding up very well despite that fatal injury. Looks like I need to step it up some.

On cue, Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura arose from the earth, their injuries sustained seemingly not leaving them in pain.

Erza's eyes narrowed in frustration. "They're like zombies."

"We'll have to hit them even harder." Nic figured. He glowed, shifting into the Flame Form. His warm blue eyes glared ahead, burning holes into Ruge.

"Quite an icy stare…tch, how ironic. I'm just gonna up the numbers some." The red and purple orb in between his palms brightened a little. As if remote, Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura's eyes brightened a little. Following them, all three-thousand ethereal indigo mages had their bright red eyes glint.

Nic and Greninja looked ahead, their fists clutching.

"Get them!" Ruge commanded.

All of the ethereal indigo mages thus began to close in, all heading after Nic, Greninja, and Jellal. Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura led the charge and lunged with swiftness. Both Trainer and Pokémon got into fighting stances as they all drew in. Fire surged in Nic's open mouth and Greninja looked ready as steam was rising from his mouth.

" **Flamethrower!** "

" **Scald!** "

Both Trainer and Pokémon shot their respective attacks in a straight yet pressurized path. Both streaming moves were unleashed with a harsh velocity that made them reach the oncoming forces in a flash. An eruption of fire and hot water expanded out violently, encompassing the entire area in front of the duo and engulfing everything in scorching steam.

As the large steam cloud began to dissipate, Nic and Greninja both stared ahead, momentarily wincing from the pain in their gashes. They did, however, keep their eyes forward at all times, and to their fortune found Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura lunging out, the former in her Flame Empress Armor. Both touched the ground went charging after them.

Nic didn't grunt as he expected such a thing to happen. _'Even by dwindling the numbers behind, the more Magic Power they exhaust, the harder it is to put them down. Erza and Kagura must have been fighting hard.'_

As the two brought their swords down, Nic and Greninja alike stepped off to the side, both dodging Shadow Erza's fire sword and Archenemy. Nic opened his mouth, in which fire cloaked the inside. " **Fire Fang!** " He snapped his jaws down onto the blade, making a flaming rupture along the blade. When the fire dissipated, it showed Nic still hanging onto it with flaming teeth. Alongside him, Greninja opened his mouth, uncoiling his tongue scarf and coiling the tip around Shadow Kagura's wrist, leaving both indigo mages shocked at their incapacitated states.

Jellal looked ahead as Nic and Greninja were holding themselves of with relative ease. His eyes were wide with amazement. _'They're not even sweating. I know that Nic's Pokémon and himself physically train themselves to breaking points and push the boundaries every day, but I never thought they'd match up to this level. Just how much strength do they possess?'_

Nic and Greninja both glanced up into the air, seeing three figures jump right over them. Their eyes widened when they were Shadow Millianna, Sho, and Wally. All of which surprised the real versions.

All three had venomous red eyes and began to descend. "Jellal! The monster will be killed!" Shadow Millianna screamed with a violent smile. "I'll savor every moment of his dying breath for all of the terrible things he's done!"

"The liar will die, and we'll end him once and for all!" Shadow Sho exclaimed.

"Say goodnight forever, this is for Simon!" Wally bellowed.

Jellal tried to move, but when he tried to stand, he immediately fell back to a knee, panting.

"Jellal!" Nic muffled. He leered back at Shadow Erza, who brought a free hand back and requipped the sword of her Sea Empress Armor. She pointed it down at Nic and it began its descent, but Nic's eyes narrowed and the next thing that happened was him grabbing the blade with one hand, stopping it dead in its tracks. The sudden block with a hand surprised many including Shadow Erza over Nic's immense level of strength. Nic brought his teeth and his arm around, pivoted, and circled around, throwing Shadow Erza and her blades back at the incoming forces. She crashed like a meteor into Shadow Natsu and Shadow Gray.

Greninja had full reign over Kagura as he lifted his tongue into the air. The surprisingly long tongue had Shadow Kagura by the wrist, and when Greninja pivoted and turned around, his tongue followed and dragged Shadow Kagura along, slamming her into Shadow Millianna, Sho, and Wally altogether. All four flew off and smashed into the ground close by.

With Greninja recoiling his tongue, he and Nic again regrouped in front of Jellal. They both looked ahead, the dust clearing and everybody was back on their feet. "This is getting risky. If we digress, Jellal will be open." Nic warned.

"And on top of that, we have our hands full with Erza and Kagura, and all of Fairy Tail most likely." Greninja reminded. "If it were just the two of us, we might have speed and offense…but this is a different case. They won't fall unless we deal greater damage to dwindle their durability."

Nic reached into his pocket, pulling out a Poke Ball. "Then let's pick up the pace." He pulled back his arm and tossed the Poke Ball up into the air. "Garchomp, go!"

The Poke Ball opened, and out from the white energy and landing on the ground was Garchomp. His body unfolded as he raised his head high. His eyes opened, revealing his draconic gaze that left many indigo mages startled. He opened his mouth, revealing all of his razor-sharp fangs as he unleashed a daunting roar. The bellowing quaked not just the airspace, but also the land itself, sending ripples of air loud and strong enough to crack the earth beneath.

Even his bellowing was heard from outside. It was blood-curdling. Many spines shivered, including Fairy Tail Mages, who have gotten accustomed to the violence of Garchomp.

Sting's eyes widened. "So Nic's bringing out that dragon shark that helped stop Giratina?!"

"They are all so dead now." Lector sweat dropped.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch exclaimed.

Garchomp looked at his surroundings, seeing the shocking number of endless upon endless indigo ethereal figures presenting themselves. He growled out, his tone as dark as is his voice. "If this is some sort of nightmare, the jokes on you." His eyes narrowed at Ruge within the background, making his spine crawl. "I've been craving for numbers these big. Let's see what kinds of damage I can do!"

Ruge's eyes narrowed and he scoffed. The orb in between his palms brightened up again. "Everyone, destroy them! Now!"

On cue, everyone again charged ahead, every indigo mage among the three-thousand mages running ahead. The charge was led by Shadow Millianna, Sho, and Wally, who went to attack again. Their courses seemed very familiar to before, as though they were after Jellal still.

"Jellal!" Millianna screamed.

Nic pressed his foot down, staring up front. He extended his arm out. "Garchomp…tear them apart until no numbers are left!"

Garchomp got a foot back and craned his neck at the oncoming mages. "Don't worry, I'm gonna savor every moment of this!"

Shadow Millianna reached forward. "Die, jerks!"

Garchomp's eyes narrowed. "Come and get some, fakers!" His arms and fin blades were reaching outwards, the claws and the fins glowing a bright green. " **Dual Chop!** " In a sudden flash, faster than the blink of an eye, Garchomp blitzed past ten indigo mages in front, green arch trails following him. Among the ten, Shadow Millianna, Wally, and Sho were all torn in half, revealing nothing but black inside of their bodies.

The real Millianna, Sho, and Wally paled as they saw their figures get split apart violently by Garchomp. They watched their split figures fall to the ground, vanishing into thin air like ghosts. To say they were petrified in fear would be putting it lightly. If you saw your negative-self get cut down like a tree, no matter how different you may be, it's still like watching yourself get killed. As the ten indigo figures all vanished like ghosts after that single quick Dual Chop, Garchomp rushed forward and lunged at Mach speed into the sea of indigo, continuing his onslaught.

The beast let out another roar into the crowd as he crouched low and thrust his claw forward, piercing through Shadow Arana in a flash and the shock went to Shadow Beth behind, both vanishing much like ghosts. He raised his tail and swatted it with great might, which knocked into Shadow Team Shadow Gear altogether. Another vicious wave of air passed them and the ethereal indigo figures went shooting back, crashing like meteors into Shadow Lucy and Shadow Laki, all of which made the earth shake and dust went flying. The Dragon and Ground-type blitzed off and shifted right, surprisingly dodging what was Shadow Gajeel's Iron Dragon's Cub, the column crashing into the ground behind with a clang.

Garchomp arched down and looked towards the ground. " **Dig!** " The dark-toned Pokémon lunged at the ground, making it rattle yet again, throwing Shadow Gajeel and those around him off balance.

As the dust rage at everyone's knees, Shadow Gajeel didn't even get to finish retracting his column before the ground beneath suddenly cracked apart in an instant's notice. A shockwave erupted, sending tons of dirt and rock into the air. Shadow Gajeel got a hammerhead to the gut and was sent skyrocketing along with Garchomp. Those around were engulfed by the shockwaves and dust, falling over and vanishing.

"Choke on this you tin-canned imposter!" While in midair with Shadow Gajeel, Garchomp suddenly twisted his body, his fins and blades slashing up Gajeel with nothing short of precision and absolute strength. To have shredded through iron was a shaking feature for the real Gajeel and his faker vanished in the thin air.

Garchomp looked down and his eyes glared through the aging dust from his Dig. In flight, he gave a low snarl as he saw the numbers all around him still rather high. "This is going to be fun!"

Elsewhere, Nic glowed, shifting into his Draco Form. Shadow Erza came at him in her same armor, attacking simultaneously with both the fire and sea sword combo. She crossed them, sending a crescent of fire and compressed water at Nic. Nic's hands glowed and exerted light blue claw-shaped energy.

" **Dragon Claw!** "

Nic slashed his left arm diagonally. Both crescents passed him as he slashed, with him remaining unmoved as both the fire and water behind him exploded in midair. The air itself shook, but Nic was not moved in the slightest. He went charging ahead after Shadow Erza with his Dragon Claw still in play. With his great speed, he zipped ahead, and suddenly arched around Shadow Erza and sped to a slid. He slid off into the same arch and lunged at her, with his wings giving him greater speed.

"HRAH!" Nic slash at Shadow Erza again just as she turned to see him coming. She was gonna block with her swords, but Nic beat her to it. Again he passed her while slashing, leaving a green explosion behind that engulfed the fake Erza. He slid to a stop again, pivoting and looking back at the explosion fading. Again he grunted when Shadow Erza was still standing.

Shadow Erza used both swords as canes and panted. She looked back up towards Nic and narrowed her bright red eyes. "I never lose." She growled. "Not to the likes of any who dare harm me."

"I could say the same, but you're only speaking of your selfishness." Nic retorted. "Like I said, you're not like the real Erza. You're her negativity, the distaste she's put behind her." He glowed again, shifting into his Insect Form. His unique quadruple dragonfly wings began to flap, taking him off the ground.

Nic narrowed his gaze at the fake Erza before he conjured energy into the middle of his mouth. He opened his mouth, lurching at Shadow Erza. " **Signal Beam!** "

He fired a concentrated blast of rainbow energy, the beam zooming through the air in a straight trail towards Shadow Erza. The receiver hurriedly dodged while Signal Beam continued ahead, leaving a depressed trail in the earth. Those indigo mages comprised of Elfman, Max, Macao, and Wakaba were left unfortunate as they were caught in the attack instead, vaporized in a rainbow explosion.

Shadow Erza jumped up, meeting Nic in midair. Her bright red eyes narrowed, and she slashed her Flame Empress' sword, exerting a trail of fire behind. Nic dodged again, evading the wave of fire that went on, roasting and vaporizing Shadow Yuka, Sherry, and Toby in an eruption of fire,

As she watched herself get incinerated unintentionally, Sherry looked devastated. "Where's the love in that?!"

Garchomp ran forward, his fins stretched out, generating blades of wind that went flying. The blades of wind shredded right through the indigo mages, immediately dispelling them, among the dissipating indigo mages was Shadow Vanessa, whose Aura Guard was slices into bits by Garchomp, and in turn making her dissipate from the wind blades.

"Get some!" Garchomp bellowed. He pressed against the ground and a small ripple of dust and wind went at everyone's knees. A small indent was pressed into the ground as Garchomp jumped off of one foot, vertically flipping several times and slamming his Dual Chop attack down on Shadow Ichiya's back. Despite the man being bulky with Power Parfume, Garchomp's glowing green blades smashed him into the ground, making another much larger crater. The cracked ground was followed by brief ripple of air, making those nearby stagger.

As Shadow Ichiya's body vanished, Garchomp took his place and his feet landing on the ground made another thud. Without a second thought, his instincts made him sniff the air. His eyes narrowed and he ducked, evading two bullets shot at him with small tornadoes following. They hit other fake mages, knocking them down instead. Garchomp looked over, seeing Shadow Bisca and Alzack side by side.

He turned towards them. "Is that the best that you can do?" He retorted. His mouth opened up, making his razor-sharp fangs glow and elongate. " **Crunch!** "

He zoomed at Shadow Bisca and Alzack. With his open mouth, he passed them in the blink of an eyes. As he passed them his mouth shut, a trail of white following his fangs. As the trail shortened towards Garchomp in a slowed manner, Shadow Bisca and Alzack gawked, their left arms suddenly coming off. The arms and the fake mages both dissipated into thin air, leaving more enemies defeated.

Garchomp didn't bother looking back as he blitzed forward. In a dynamic fury, he slashed his claws, pivoted, twisted, swatted his tail, uppercutted, kicked, and smashed mages into the earth; it was a nonstop flurry of what one could describe as a precise onslaught. It was really more of physical and brutal force than it was with moves. Every single second, it was a movement that the eye couldn't trace. His training with Nic was by far what made him so reflexive, agile, and unable to be seen.

At one moment, he was using Crunch, biting right through Shadow Chelia and eliminating her. The next thing that anybody saw, it was a straight line of flying mages reaching long lengths. Garchomp was then seen running in an arch after following through with the straight Mach dash, darting after Shadow Natsu.

Shadow Natsu smirked darkly as Garchomp was coming his way, the air currents he's making along the side knocking down more fake mages. Shadow Natsu chuckled. "Dragons are better than Pokémon! I'm the strongest there is!" He took a deep breath. " **Fire Drag-!** "

He never finished as Garchomp picked up way too much speed, his figure bellowing out with shockwaves, His head appendages glowed, and excessive energy made a dragon shape all around him. " **Dragon Rush!** " He blitzed in a straight line, eliminating Shadow Lyon, Gray, and met Shadow Natsu's stomach. The fake Dragon Slayer gawked and his bright red eyes showed pain. Garchomp gave one final push, and a giant ripple exerted around, making the ground crack between the two. Shadow Natsu zoomed right past a large number of fake mages, mowing them down similar to bowling pins.

Shadow Natsu groaned as he laid atop of his own kind, too dazed as Garchomp was suddenly overhead. "Thinking Dragons and you are ever superior to Pokémon? A low blow." He growled. "So choke on this you miserable swine!" He came crashing down onto the Dragon Slayer with his fins raised, bringing them down and dealing a massive blow. " **Dual Chop!** "

Again, the ground depressed within the pile of fake mages. Shadow Natsu screamed out as the abdominal area was pierced right through by Dual Chop, and to add insult to injury, was engulfed in a bright green explosion, which sent more destructive waves around.

Garchomp blitzed out of the green explosion and after more foes. "Who wants a piece of me now?!"

A sudden step came from behind, in which the ground boomed similar to thunder. A figure behind Garchomp had fists balled and crackle with lightning. Shadow Laxus opened his mouth, unleashing a beam of compressed lightning.

" **Lightning Dragon's Roar!** "

The attack went bolting, unintentionally engulfing the Shadow Trimens and dissipating them. The blast went raveling on as Garchomp turned around, staring at the incoming beam.

An explosion of lightning erupted all throughout the area, making a pillar of lightning shoot up into the air briefly. The quaking and the discharge of electricity eventually subsided, and Shadow Laxus smirked as the dust cleared. However, when he looked, his smirk turned into a frown. A dark figure was seen inside the dust cloud. It dissipated, and Garchomp was revealed unscathed.

His eyes narrowed. "That kinda tickles." He growled.

Shadow Laxus grunted. He engulfed himself in lightning and went lunging after Garchomp with a roar of a dragon. Garchomp brought an arm back, watching Shadow Laxus advance.

"You have my attention now, so take this!" Garchomp brought his claw down right onto Shadow Laxus' head, the impact rattling him from the inside. The fake mage went face first into the dirt beneath, embedding him into the ground in a crater. " **Dig!** " Garchomp hunched over and dove into the ground, making it rattle. Before the fallen Shadow Laxus was a hole.

Shadow Laxus got back up, his indigo body crackling in electricity. "Where'd that bastard go?" He looked around, but nothing could be sensed. His eyes widened all of a sudden when a swift vibration kicked up from beneath. He looked down, only for the ground to crack up. At that instant, it was already too late.

The ground erupted, shattering and sending rock flying everywhere. Nearby fake mages were knocked away as Garchomp violently roared when resurfacing. He uppercutted the fake Laxus, making his chin face the sky. Garchomp followed with his uppercut, the fin blade also slicing into Shadow Laxus' body upwards. Black was seen through the strict gash created.

When finally high enough, Garchomp snarled at the fake Laxus' damaged body. "This one's gonna hurt real bad!" Garchomp proved his point when he brought himself back a little and then somersaulted forwards, bringing his tail and smashing it into his head. The impact made yet another shockwave travel all around. The shock from the slam made everything go silent around the duo before the blast waves reached the ground, breaking it up yet again. Garchomp followed through, driving the fake Dragon Slayer into the earth.

He looked down from where he was, watching through the dust as Shadow Laxus was face-down in the broken earth, eventually dissipating into thin air.

His eyes narrowed again, the pupils sharpening. "I'm actually starting to sweat now. Let's fight some more!" He opened his mouth, yelling down to the remainder of the army. "Bring it on, magic scum!"

As opposed to how well Garchomp was ripping up the numbers into thin air, Nic and Greninja were still tied down to Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura since they've been proven to be cumbersome, not to mention their blood oozing from their backs was slowing them down.

Shadow Kagura jumped into the air and came slashing down onto Greninja; however, he ducked the swipe of her sword, and then immediately appeared behind, working around Shadow Kagura's Archenemy yet again. She turned around to assault once more, but Greninja scooted away, proving how agile he can be even with his wound.

When Greninja slid back, he had a hand pressed against the ground, a normal Greninja stance one could say. He started to show signs of wear with red still on his back. There was no telling how much longer he could hold up.

Suddenly Shadow Kagura held up Archenemy, whereas a magic seal appeared above Greninja, slowly spinning. Greninja was suppressed, his body getting heavier.

Risley looked in shock. "Gravity Change Magic?"

Shadow Kagura pounced towards Greninja, who continued to remain still even with the circle seemingly incapacitating him. Archenemy's unsheathed blade presented itself yet again, being poised in front and thrust forward in a vivid lunge.

Suddenly, and much to Shadow Kagura's shock, Greninja's eyes narrowed. As she closed in, time slowed down to a slow level. Very slowly, those upfront could see Greninja reaching out, and his hand touched the sharp side of the blade. He brought himself over the sword, flipping over Shadow Kagura's head by means of a somersault with the sword as the stepping stone. Shadow Kagura fell into her own magic circle, suppressed by her own magic in place of Greninja as he landed on his hands and feet.

"How did he get through Kagura's gravity? Is he really that strong to just shrug it off?!" Arana exclaimed.

Erza looked ahead, her shock overwhelming. _'Even with gravity, Greninja was barely slowed down.'_

Greninja stood right back up just as Nic descended right beside him. He glowed and shifted back into himself, with both looking rather hazily towards Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura, the latter having undone her Gravity Magic. Both panted as the two indigo figures ahead glared back at them with bright red eyes. All four were again in a deadlock.

Ruge looked around, his Shambolic Magic starting to weaken. His shocked gaze went back and forth between Nic and Greninja's fight, and especially Garchomp. Hearing and seeing him from the Lysandre incident, he'd thought he lost a great deal of power after giving the Plates back to Arceus. Clearly his power was still underestimated. As or Garchomp, he had absolutely no idea that the beast could cause such turmoil on the battlefield. He expected dozens to fall, but when he took down Natsu, Gajeel, Gray, and especially Laxus without a moment's thought, he just realized that there was no way either was gonna stop. _'This is uncanny. His Garchomp is actually cutting down my forces like they were trees made of thin bark! But how is that monster able to hold up against so many different kinds of numbers? Especially against the almighty Fairy Tail Mages? This is insane!'_ He looked back towards Nic and Greninja, his calm gaze starting to wear down. "So his Pokémon have that much strength, huh? Looks like I have no choice." The red and purple orb in between both palms began to give a darker feel in accordance to his power shift. The orb darkened, turning the purple black. "Let's see what happened when you have to handle Titania in her most powerful armor. I'll draw every ounce of fresh ethernano exerted, and finish you!"

Gain the pressure around the entire area began to rattle. The shift in power could be felt from the others.

"Do you feel that?" Bickslow asked.

Freed crossed his arms, looking uneasy. "I'm afraid so."

"He's giving off extraordinary Magic Power." Evergreen said.

Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura's indigo forms were both cloaked in what appeared to be a dark blue aura of some sort, one of which caught Nic and Greninja's attention. Both grunted, their fists balling as they felt the pressure change.

"They're giving off even more Magic Power than ever before." Nic said. "Just how much ethernano was Ruge able to extort?"

The ground quaked, and little stones floated around Shadow Erza as her Magic Power pulsated drastically. The level of Magic Power was seeping red all around her, and the red energy was starting to encase her. She raised her arms up, and then was engulfed in a bright flash. When said flash ceased, Nic and Greninja both with absolute shock.

"Is that…?" Nic was feeling a heavy pulse from the fake Erza as she was adorned in what happened to be the most complex armor ever made: The Nakagami Armor.

Erza's eyes widened yet again, her disbelief overshadowing her own inquiry. "But how?! I couldn't do that unless I unleashed my Second Origin!"

"Are you telling me that Ruge can force a container of an ethereal mage to exert all that Magic Power in one go?!" Cana exclaimed.

Honedge looked ahead, shock astounding her. "I've never sensed so much power in my own presence before."

Ruge smirked. "So, Nic Pularis, what'll you do now?"

Nic and Greninja both stared ahead, but not in disbelief at the immense Magic Power they were feeling. They were told by Cana before that her Nakagami Armor was used and made her unbeatable in the Grand Magic Games, and they didn't dare question such a thing; the ordeal was that they were both dealing with powerful mages, who've they saw in action before and had to beat. Garchomp was already tearing a new one into the numerous mages, the Mach Pokémon actually sweating bullets as he was slashing and mowing down forces faster than the eye could see. While he was enjoying himself in the thrill of smiting down the negativity, Nic and Greninja were both still stuck on those who put scars on their backs, literally.

Nic's fists clutched tighter. "What are we doing?" He asked. "This is pitiful."

Greninja looked ahead, staring blankly at the indigo figures.

"Greninja, look at us. Garchomp is dwindling the numbers all on his own. We're holding our own and we're still at square one. Ahead of us are two very worthy opponents, but there's one thing they both lack that we both have…"

"Heart." Greninja answered. "I understand. I can feel it too. You're right when it's pitiful."

Both of their eyes narrowed at the exact same time. Nic's heartbeat was pulsating blood everywhere around him. Greninja's own heart that thumping, their pulses running miles upon miles.

"Greninja, we've made it so far. These are fakes, they're nothing but discarded images that we've seen before. We've dealt with darkness before, we'll eradicate it here with our own living hands up!" As Nic spoke, he raised a fist across, as did Greninja, both understanding.

Simultaneously, they thought of the dark battles they've come across, including a long time ago with Greninja and Garchomp against Xerneas and Yveltal, the Celestial World incident, and especially against Lysandre of all people. They were being held back by the darkness of just two hearts. Greninja's eyes were starting to glow brighter, his and Nic's heartbeats synchronizing.

Meredy's eyes widened.

"What is it, Meredy?" Ultear asked.

Meredy looked ahead, seeing Nic and Greninja talk and have their own movements alike. "N-nothing…I just feel this odd sensation. It's like, there was another shift in the atmosphere just now."

"We won't be held back!" They exclaimed in unison. "Garchomp, show no mercy! We'll handle the scorn of these hearts here and now! Let's move forward! All the way!"

A final pulse went through the atmosphere, one of which made Shadow Erza's bright red eyes widen. The energy between Nic and Greninja was unleashed, and Greninja yelled out as he summoned forth a spiraling pillar of water. Inside the pillar, Greninja was glowing, and you could see some parts of him changing. They could all see the crest in the middle of his head and around his eyes turning from dark blue to a purple. The large ears were also changed, turning black. By the time the transformation was over with, Greninja looked exactly the same as when he fought Berges, with his eyes purple. Nic's purple on his attire was also glowing as before. Greninja and Nic stood with equal footing, arms crossed, and especially around Greninja a water veil.

Everyone watching went wide-eyed, witnessing the extraordinary transformation. "What?" Lucy gasped.

"Whoa! What the heck is that?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"It looks…like Greninja transformed." Gray muttered.

"Have they always been able to do that?" Levy wondered, still reeling from that transformation.

Nic and Nic-Greninja stood opposite of Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura, their stares matched with the intense pulses running through their body. _'It's this sensation again. It's happening once more.'_ The two thought in unison. Both narrowed their gazes forward, their field of vision set on the two. _'Whatever this feeling is, no time to question. Like we said, if it happens, it happens.'_

Nic extended his arm forward. "All the way!"

Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura both lunged, their powers at their full peak. As they lunged, the ground from where they stood cracked and dust blew back. Both fired ahead, their swords and their spears poised to strike. However, they fell short yet again; as they slammed the weapons down, Nic and Greninja jumped high into the air in a flash, evading another earth-shattering attack that sent linear shockwaves straight ahead, both shattering the ground in a straight line with Shadow Erza's superior. The slicing assaults reached towards the edge of the crater, again violently exploding dust and rock haphazardly.

Nic and Greninja both looked down, staring at both fake mages. Their eyes were set in stone, their objectives clear.

"We're moving forward!" Nic's body gave off a vibrant pulse that ran through the atmosphere. The pulsation exerted far out, even past the barrier's limits.

In the Council HQ, Wolfheim and Hyberion's eyes widened in shock. Both could feel an extremely overwhelming power resonating that it left them petrified.

The alliance outside could feel it as well. Everyone there could feel this great sense of power pulsating as Nic's body was starting to give off a rainbow aura.

Vanessa's eyes widened in shock. _'This aura…it's so majestic. Radiant.'_

Erza could feel a vivid shift in the atmosphere. Again she showed overwhelming shock. "This power Nic is unleashing…what is he doing?"

Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura stared up as Nic's raibow aura was causing them to go blind, but they weren't the only ones. Garchomp finished swatting his tail and dissipating another fake mage before looking up at Nic, showing a smirk with his razor-sharp fangs. Ruge also showed shock on a more horrified scale. The blinding rainbow light was leaving him petrified. He couldn't even so much as think straight with this sensation of power on the rise. Nic spread his arms out, and streams of gold and rainbow began to encompass him, encasing him in a cocoon of gold and rainbow light.

Natsu covered up, unable to see. "I can't see! It's too damn bright!"

Minerva and the rest of her guild watched in disbelief was giving off a radiant golden aura one would say. Makarov stared with shock as he was feeling a similar energy equivalent to when he was in the Grand Magic Games, or perhaps Tenrou Island. He could feel a similar yet different force on the rise.

The cocoon in the sky gave off a vibrant golden glow, engulfing everything within a bright light that could incinerate eyes if one did not look away.

"What is this power?! Don't tell me he's actually drawing more power himself?!" Ruge yelled with shut eyes.

The cocoon finally began to crack apart, giving golden cracks with sparkles leaking out. As the cracks increased, the golden sparkles became beams of gold going in all direction. A great energy finally exerted, and the cocoon exploded, sending golden shockwaves all throughout the atmosphere. The golden winds and sparkling dust shot outwards, making the thousands of people almost slide back and inch or two.

When the glow finally settled down, everyone looked into the sky, seeing Nic.

Nic's head was sported with a large headpiece that arched over his hair. The headpiece was golden with a crest, similar to a peacock. Aside from the arch headpiece, gold outlined Nic's eyes, and the eyes themselves turned from a warm blue to a fiery red. Above the intricate gold around his eyes was the red on his forehead, chin, and along the sides of his cheeks. His neck was also red, but had a green stripe on it. His upper body was bare, the abdomen being a solid white while the chest was res. Red covered the back of his arms while white covered the underside, including the palms. He had on golden baggy pants, and the shoes were dark blue entirely, with ornaments on the edging that looked like talons. His coat was edged in gold, with the rest being red. The Fairy Tail emblem on the back was instead replaced by an extremely large pair of feathered wings, of which held Nic up. The wings themselves were red, green, and white, giving golden sparkles that sprinkled down towards the ground. Nic also had golden tail feathers that protruded beneath the coat. The belt was also gold with a rainbow orb as the belt.

On Nic's Nic and unaffected by the golden aura he was outlined in was Greninja, who was still in a water veil.

Laxus stared in disbelief. "You've gotta be kidding."

"That's gotta be…" Sophie was rendered speechless yet again,

Nic's wings flapped, making golden sparkles fall. He raised his head, with Greninja holding on. " **Legendary Force – Ho-Oh!** " Nic bellowed.

Ruge up, feeling the power resonating from not just Greninja, but Nic as well. He still had his Shambolic Magic and the orb in between the palms, but he looked unsound. "This…what can this be?"

Nic flapped in place, glaring down at Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura. His red eyes were pure, in which left both fake mages to stagger. "After I returned the Plates to Arceus, this was one of the few traits that I've been exploiting. I was bound to the Tao Trio and the Weather Trio before, but now I'm exploring the various other Legendary Pokémon now that I am free to do as I pleased." His wings spread behind yet again. "Greninja, let's end this!"

"I'm with you!" Greninja nodded.

Garchomp was interlocking his claws with the Shadow Jura, who was among the few still left after Garchomp's little offensive spree. The land shook briefly beneath the two. "You're nothing special! Do you hear me?!" Garchomp bellowed.

Shadow Jura only retort was bringing back a fist and thrusting it forward. Garchomp opened his mouth, using his Crunch and snapping his jaws down on the Shadow Wizard Saint's fist. It not only stopped the fist cold, but Shadow Jura was left in shock. Garchomp thus raised his head, dragging him into the air and overhead. Garchomp swept his own foot back and drove Shadow Jura into the dirt behind, driving him into a crater. The impact roared like thunder through the ground, sending shockwaves beneath that made indigo mages stammer backwards.

Garchomp raised a foot, roaring out with shrilled might as he stomped down onto Shadow Jura, embedding him deeper into the crater. The fake Wizard Saint gagged as the force was like getting hit with a meteor.

Garchomp pressed lightly before jumping, doing a backflip and landing on the ground not too far off with another thud that rattled the ground. He glanced behind without any thought, and brought an arm back. He swiped, slashing vertically through a number of fake mages and ripping them all to shreds.

As he went to attack more in the fray, the fake Wizard Saint grunted before it finally succumbed and dissipated.

Ruge looked back, astonished. "W-what?! No! But Jura is one of the strongest!"

Garchomp looked up ahead of him as Shadow Makarov was in the form of a giant. It glared with large eyes down at Garchomp, who seemed to be glaring back with equal distaste. "Bring it on!"

Shadow Makarov drove a giant fist down onto him, but Garchomp put one claw in front and let out a roar. With the claw and fist colliding, violent winds surged all around, scattering more fake mages around. The winds settled, and Shadow Makarov was growling menacingly as he was pushing, but Garchomp's claw and arm were packed so full of compressed muscle that he hardly budged.

"Is that all you got? Hands off!" Garchomp brought his other claw and arm around, both of which glowed bright green. " **Dual Chop!** " He slashed horizontally, the sharpness in his claws and blades alike enough to tear right through Shadow Makarov's fist, showing lifeless clack inside. As the creature reeled back, Garchomp arose overhead and let crossed both his arms.

Lunging down, he pivoted and slashed. He passed Shadow Makarov, revealing a green trail that shortened back to his arms, of which reverted to normal. As he panted, his sweat dropping, a green explosion engulfed the fake Master, rattling the air again as the heavy gashes straight in the chest were evident. As the fake mage fell backwards from the dissipating explosion, he vanished just before he could fall onto Garchomp, who remained on a knee and continued looking away.

Garchomp looked all around, having some labored breathing, but otherwise seemed fine. He arose to a knee, spectating the fake mages all around him that were left. "A few hundred…better enjoy this moment while it lasts." He swiped his blades and thus went charging of at great speeds again. "Here we go!"

Nic and Greninja were still staring at both Shadow Erza and Shadow Kagura, both were glaring full of seriousness and power stored within them. Nic let loose another roar from high above with wings spread apart, exerting winds of gold all around.

Shadow Erza and Kagura both braced themselves for what was to come.

Greninja jumped off of Nic just as he was reeling his head back. Nic brought his head forward and fire surged outwards. " **Fire Blast!** " The air was engulfed in a heat wave that instantly made a lot of people nearby sweat. A fire in the shape of a star went blazing down after Shadow Erza while she was still in the Nakagami Armor. The scorching attack reached her, and the fake mage brought her spear around and forward.

The slash met the Fire Blast, exerting shockwaves from both ends that were hot regardless. The tip of the blade was still against the heated end of the Fire Blast, which was feeling more like a solid than gas. Still, the land shook and Shadow Erza was holding on, but was sliding back a couple of inches. She grunted and followed through with her slash, but the Fire Blast erupted, exploding violently and engulfing everything around in fire. The earth shook a little again, but when the fire began to dissipate, it revealed Shadow Erza sliding back several feet.

Shadow Kagura also escaped from the erupting fiery blast waves. She slid off to the side, a few scorch marks from the indirect assault. When she stopped at the end, however, a sudden shift in the atmosphere around her left her with wide eyes. Greninja appeared in his water veil in midair, firing a roundhouse kick. The kick was so painful that another wave of air passed on by, sending small rocks away. Shadow Kagura went flying backwards, shooting like a rocket. She crashed into a side on her back, and then it became a violent tumble until she slammed into the earth with dust flying.

Greninja landed, looking ahead as the dust settled. Shadow Kagura raised the unsheathed Archenemy into the air and brought it down. Despite the feeble condition the fake mage was in, the sword itself had packed in it a lot of power. A linear bright light traveled across the land, slicing up everything beneath the earth. The huge wave went at Greninja as he went speeding in.

" **Water Shuriken!** "

As he ran, he unleashed two shuriken of compressed water. They traveled through the air at phenomenal speeds, far faster than before. When they hit the blast wave of Shadow Kagura's sword, they sliced straight through the wave itself, dicing it up into shambles that dissipated into the norm. Greninja continued running, his speed unmatched.

"Holy crap! Look at him go!" Gray exclaimed.

Ultear's eyes widened. "That's faster than Jellal's Meteor."

Greninja suddenly disappeared from Shadow Kagura's vision, in which he appeared high above with grace of a ninja.

" **Bounce!** "

Greninja went shooting down onto Shadow Kagura, his foot planting dead onto her face. The impact made yet another ripple that raced through the air as Bounce proceeded, putting Shadow Kagura into the dirt and crater alike. When he jumped out, dust clouded up the air in the crater, but he didn't question the results as he stood back up, staring at the crater.

When the dust settled, it showed Shadow Kagura's dark aura fading, and the indigo mage struggled to her feet, but in the end couldn't do it. She could only pant on her knees, exasperated by the results. Archenemy laid beside her, the blade itself having been snapped into two from the blow. "My will…my hatred for these men…it wasn't strong enough."

Greninja turned away as Shadow Kagura fell forward with a thud, her figure finally fading. Alongside her was the broken Archenemy also fading.

Watching, the real Kagura stared in remorse.

Greninja looked off to where Nic was. Watching their battle. Nic was seen making what was an Ancient Power in the sky, where a silver orb was spiraling in front. He launched the sphere at Shadow Erza, who had no choice but to dodge as the silver sphere met the earth instead, making a large silver explosion erupt in the space provided.

Shadow Erza lunged up, meeting Nic in the air. She slashed her spear, but Nic ascended, dodging the wave made that went at the barrier far away, making an explosion, and through that small rupture the wave continued through the barrier, up into the sky until it exploded with a brilliant rainbow color.

Levy's eyes widened. "Impossible!"

"How can it do that?!" Cana exclaimed.

Erza's eyes widened. "This is just like how I used it against Minerva." She couldn't help but be in complete awe over herself. The Nakagami Armor was so monstrous, that it was like she was having god-like features, despite them being used for dark purposes.

Levy was looking down at the book she was on hand. "The Nakagami Armor; which can dispel any and all magic, even cut through the confines of space itself. Those who wield it trumps over all." She looked back up at the scene, shocked. "Yet it couldn't cut through a Legendary Pokémon's attack…"

"Just what kind of power are we seeing here?! Nakagami, then Legendary Force, and then this weird transformation Greninja has?" Romeo wondered.

As she landed, Shadow Erza adjusted her stance and leaped into the air again. She slashed more waves of energy at Nic, but Nic continued to dodge without moving much. He flapped, making golden sparkles continue to rain down everywhere. As he arched around in the sky, he was encompassed in a powerful aerodynamic energy. You could actually see the air around him bend. White streams followed behind him and all around the air as he was getting faster.

Shadow Erza was still in midair and unleashed yet another wave of cosmic energy. The blast wave went at Nic just as he was adjusting his trajectory towards her.

"Nic!" Minerva warned. One sword slash and she herself could be down, but who knows what Nic could handle.

" **Sky Attack!** "

Nic roared out, the energy all around him at a brim. He went straight in, colliding with the cosmic slash wave. A large explosion erupted in the skies, a mixture of gold and white. As the explosion went on, Nic surprisingly came out from the other end, flapping his way towards Shadow Erza with Sky Attack still.

"He overpowered the Nakagami Armor?!" Jet yelled.

Nic hollered out as he closed in on Shadow Erza as she was still reeling from that sudden change in dynamics. She was gaping her mouth as a bright golden light headed her way. She was engulfed in a violent explosion of white and gold, which engulfed the rest of the sky in blast waves by the makeshift Ho-Oh's raw power. The explosion in the rattle even ratted the ground beneath, making Ruge almost lose balance.

Shadow Erza fell from the sky head first, her bright eyes narrowed and the rest of her body in pain. She watched as the explosion settled in the atmosphere, and Nic flaw out unscathed. He flapped his wings, circling around once more.

Greninja looked up as Shadow Erza was falling down onto him. Ad he looked up, her back was reflecting into his eyes. Nic's eyes remained still as he was still circling around, and despite that, he could somehow see Erza's back too. And while he could see Erza's back, he looked down as he arched around, watching her fall. That same angle was also seen in Greninja's vision. They were double visioning one another, much to their own disbelief. They could see another's vision, a two-angle front to attack.

Nic adjusted his arch and flapped his wings, descending a little downwards as Greninja went up. Greninja sped into the falling faker and delivered a very hard knee to her back. The attack's pulsating force made airwaves transcend from Shadow Erza's abdomen and exert upwards, leaving the fake mage in a state of blank shock yet again. Greninja flipped off of her then and there in midair, using her body as a springboard and ignored the negative indigo figure's descent and crash into the earth while he jumped up.

Nic descended low enough and remained there as Greninja flipped, making a wheel of water briefly and turned around. He landed on Nic's back, both looking down at the ground.

As the dust settled yet again, Shadow Erza was panting, standing back up. Her halberd was still intact, but her armor was somewhat cracked in a few places. She breathed in and out, and by no means was it looking like she'll last another minute.

"I…never…lose." She mumbled.

Nic's narrowed his eyes. "It won't matter if you win or lose so long as you know what you're fighting for. You can throw all the powerful armors that you want, but as long as you're nothing but hate, that power is more than tarnished moves copied from the real Erza – the won who never loses."

Erza's eyes widened in shock, Nic's words touching her heart.

Greninja reeled his head back while Nic's body was giving off a rainbow aura. It was brimming with life, as was the fire surging in Nic's open mouth. An extraordinary swell of heat was drawing all around. Blue flames and heat from the atmosphere gathered in a spiral in Nic's mouth. The amount of power that could be felt was making Makarov himself shudder.

The fire completed surging and inside Nic's mouth was a rose-colored fire. "Begone! **Maxus Legendary Arts – Sacred Fire!** "

" **Scald!** "

Alike, Nic unleashed a monstrous beam of rose-colored fire from his mouth. The raging torrent of fire was accompanied by Greninja's Scald, which unleashed a bolting blast of boiling water. The Two attacks combined, making a cyclone of rose fire and spinning streams of boiling water all around. The attack went at Shadow Erza, who brought her halberd back.

" **Nakagami Starlight!** "

The fake mage brought the halberd forward, slashing ahead with brute force. The halberd's large blade met with the flames and water alike, but as the three attacks met, what was supposed to be a halberd and armor that was to be invincible against all magic was not implied to Legendary Pokémon and the bond Nic and Greninja held dear. The tip of the cosmic blade cracked apart, ultimately shattered. Shadow Erza was met with rose fire and boiling water. She screamed out in violent agony as she was engulfed in the surge of fire and water, her screams becoming dim until her image was seen engulfed, dissipating into inexistence.

An explosion of rose fire and steam went surging in all directions. The energy levels were so massive that the ground shook, making Jellal cover up as heated shockwaves sent him flying. All around, shockwaves of surging rose fire and steam bellowed. Ruge looked ahead at the incoming shockwave and screamed out loudly. "No! All three-thousand of them! This can't be…!"

Garchomp uppercutted Shadow Minerva, slicing right into her body with his blade. The final fake mage was in midair and dissipated into nothingness. Garchomp held his position as he huffed and panted, his muscles pulsing like his heart. He noticed a flare in the distance, which caught his attention. He looked over, seeing small figures in the sky, but extreme levels of fire and water blanketing everything beneath in violent ruptures that had steam surge in the mix.

Garchomp chuckled darkly. "Nic never disappoints."

The fire settled down below, and Nic began to descend. He flapped slowly as the steam began to clear out. Some ways away was Jellal himself, unscathed but still panting. Everything else, even the crater…was completely leveled. Small embers were still crackling amongst the charred rock, the battlefield itself covered in soft ash, which was still thick from Scald. Ruge laid somewhere amongst the leveled battlefield, his attire completely charred, and his eyes devoid of pupils.

Nic and Greninja landed on the ground with big thuds. The frog hopped off Nic's back and landed beside him. As Both glowed at the same time, Nic was engulfed in a rainbow light, which dissipated and revealed himself again. Greninja's water veil vanished, revealing himself as well. Both looked ahead for a few seconds before they hunched over and got to a knee each. Their backs were still covered in blood, which made them more than a little weak, but persevered.

Garchomp zoomed from up ahead, coming to a stop in front of the duo. Garchomp descended to the ground, making another thud. The Mach Pokémon looked down at his Trainer and Greninja both, seeing how both were reeling from not just their transformations, but also their injuries.

Garchomp reeled his head down, looking at Nic with a worried gaze. Nic looked up at Garchomp, but instead of showing pain, he put a hand on Garchomp's head, petting him with a soft smile. He seemed to have calmed down over Nic's condition.

"We did a great job." Nic praised.

Garchomp and Greninja looked at each other, both smiling proudly at the praise.

Elsewhere in Fiore, another border came down. As it vanished into particles, the remnants of those particles faded into nothing.

The dome around the Council HQ flashed a blue light, and then next was the dome around Nic's group, and then after that was the large dome encompassing all of Fiore. All of the domes flashed that familiar color in a single second, as if a switch had just went off. All of the domes began to dissolve very slowly, starting from the very top and descending towards the bottom.

Lucy looked up, seeing the domes fall. "The Phantasm!"

Meredy looked up with equal shock. "It's lifting." She gasped.

Erza looked up, filled with immense shock. "That means…that all five Wizard Saints have been defeated."

Everyone stared in shock as all three domes had slowly fallen. The dome encompassing all of Fiore from the outside world was lifting. The foreign trade goods shipped, the fresh produce from afar, and the fishing boats all watched the dome keeping them from getting to Fiore had finally fallen from the seas. The dome keeping Nic's group from the others lifted as well, and then the one around the Council HQ, making it open to attack at long last.

Once the translucent rainbow lifted, everyone could finally see blue sky. The clouds passed overhead, free as songbirds. The blue sky was pure and serene, great weather despite what just happened. Yukino looked up, smiling as she was seeing vivid blue once again. "The sky…it's finally back to normal."

Cana pumped a fist. "Thatta boy!"

Laxus and his injured Thunder God Tribe smirked, as did all the other guild members present. The thousands of other mages all cheered as the accursed weapon was finally freeing Fiore from captivity.

* * *

Watching from the monitors, Gran Doma was in horror. His eyes showed red, and his face looked like it was going to explode. He slammed a fist onto the wooden desk of his very seat above the other Councilmen. "Blast it!" He bellowed. "This is inconceivable! This should not have happened! How?! Someone tell me!"

The doors opened, revealing Org entering. He stepped beside Lahar and Doranbolt and proceeded towards his seat. He sat himself into the seat next to a Councilmen, who looked to be in a mix of shame and shock.

"What happened?" He asked casually.

Gran Doma looked down angrily at Org. "Org, you buffoon, you're late!"

The Councilman beside Org turned towards him. "Phantasm's been lifted. All five Wizard Saints were defeated before Nic could ever lose."

Org raised a brow. "Is that so?"

"That should've been impossible!" A Councilman exclaimed. "There's no way that Nic Pularis could've dealt with Ruge and all of his forces! His dragon defeated every single one of those figures made by Shambolic Magic! That included Jura and Makarov! This is not realistic in the slightest!"

Another Councilman looked down in shame. "…looks like we were underestimating our chances all along."

"What?"

"Despite the three-thousand, that monster Nic summoned dispatch all but a few hundred that were engulfed in that last attack, including Ruge. Such durability and stamina, it's clear Nic has trained his Pokémon well."

Gran Doma huffed. "Praising him doesn't change the fact that Phantasm has been lifted! Now the blame will be back onto us for having Fiore sealed off rather than Nic!" Gran Doma scolded.

The same Councilman looked up at him. "I'm just giving credit where credit is due, Chairman. All of his allies and Pokémon defeated Star Order, and the five Wizard Saints. We were severely overwhelmed."

Gran Doma looked back at the monitor, looking at Nic and Greninja panting. The sight of them disgusted the elderly man to no end. "You…you…!" He growled.

Org looked up. "Gran Doma?"

Gran Doma slammed his fist against the wood again, almost cracking it apart. "Damn that reckless alliance to injustice on end! They've disgraced the Wizard Saints and us for the last time! I've had it with them and from here until my last breath, they dare not be forgiven for the crimes they've committed for opposing the strongest mages and defeating them." As he finished, he panted in exasperation and exhaustion. All of the other Councilmen looked in great shock, for they've never heard such hate from the Chairman's voice before. To say he's gone mad would be pretty much summarizing it.

A Councilman tried to speak up. "Sir, please, calm down." He insisted.

"No!" He denied. "I am the Chairman, and what I say defines order and justice! Anyone who opposes me and sides with Pokémon will suffer immense punishment!"

Org looked away, more accurately at Lahar and Doranbolt. All three shared the same expression of worry. Lahar himself was of sheer worry, despite the codes he's sworn to uphold. His heart was eating at him, perhaps this what Doranbolt was feeling, and even Org was feeling his own self-conscience tear at him. They knew the game has gone on long enough, but putting an end to it was out of jurisdiction. Lahar looked away at last, his gaze towards the ground in disgust.

The Chairman stood up from his seat. "Move the Council outside at once. We will watch from there the demise of Nic and the Pokémon. They've bested three-thousand, one of which single-handedly, but that's nothing compared the Gods of Ishgar. Order Hyberion and Wolfheim to make their move and eliminate them…as for God Serena…" His eyes narrowed. "I believe his curtain is to rise soon. The Eight-Dragon God Serena will destroy them all in the name of retribution."

The Council remained silent, but proceeded to stand up and began to move outside.

* * *

Garchomp knelt down towards Nic and Greninja. "Easy." He warned.

Wendy and Erza came rushing towards Nic. "Nic!" Erza cried out. She hurried over as Nic was still on a knee and she immediately fell to his side. She looked at him with wide eyes filled with worry as Nic was still panting.

She kneeled in closer. "Nic, stay still. Wendy will take care of you both."

Nic continued to pant in unison breathing with Greninja. He looked over towards Erza and saw her worried face. Staring at her, he just continued his labored breathing. Eventually he broke at long last into a small smile. "I missed you." He wheezed.

Erza smiled at him, her eyes looking a little misty. "You fool."

Wendy hurried on over towards Nic and Greninja. "I'm here! Both of you, relax. I'll heal your wounds." Wendy knelt down, facing their backs, and at the blood staining their large gashes. She proceeded and placed her hands close, making them glow green.

Lucy put a hand to her chest, sighing in relief. "Thank goodness."

Natsu put a hand behind his head. "He actually had me worried there for a minute." He sheepishly admitted.

"That was truly breathtaking." Makarov nodded. "I never thought Nic's Pokémon had such power." He looked at Garchomp, who stood some feet close by Nic. "To have defeated almost all three-thousand single-handedly…" He looked at Greninja next. "And such lively power unleashed."

Gray crossed his arms. "Yeah, speaking of which, what the heck was that?"

Panther Lily crossed his arms as well, floating with his wings. "Your guess is as good as mine. But it seems like a power-up of sorts. I couldn't get a good look at it, but it seems to me that Greninja in a veil of water."

"Not to mention the significant boost in power and speed." Lisanna pointed out. "What was that? A Mega Evolution like Charizard?"

"Yeah! Tell us!" Happy asked Nic.

Nic and Greninja looked at one another as their breathing was starting to get normal. They looked exhausted still, and Wendy was still healing their wounds on their backs, so it was still a little hard to make out what was before them. But from what they could see, it was each other.

"We don't know." Nic panted. "It's like…we fused."

Greninja looked at Happy. "We don't know, but we could see the other's field of vision, and our heartbeats felt the same." He glanced down at the ground. "It's like I'm Nic, and he's me."

Natsu tilted his head off to the side. "I don't get it."

"You _became_ the other?" Sting asked. "Like a synchronization, or a unison?"

Erza looked at Honedge right beside her, each staring at the other. "Nic and Greninja have an overwhelming bond, as does Garchomp and the others." She looked back towards Nic, staying close. "So it's like your power has merged together."

Elfman looked up quizzically. "Yeah now that you mention it, Greninja did almost look something like Nic in that water. It's pretty manly." He said, impressed.

Mirajane smiled as her index finger pointed up. "I got it! Since it's like you both merged, why don't we call it Nic-Greninja?" She cheerfully implied.

Cana raised a brow towards her. "Is now really the time for names for things we don't know of?"

Vanessa knelt down towards Nic, looking at him. "Nic…"

Nic glanced towards his sister, his breathing easy now. "I'm alright Vanessa. I just need to relax for a short while."

Vanessa nodded with a warm smile.

Nearby, Jellal was tended to by Meredy and Ultear. Both females knelt down and supported Jellal. The blue-haired mage was sitting down and recuperating while Meredy looked at all the damage he's taken. "Jellal, you need to rest. You're in no condition to get up." She looked towards Ultear. "Ultear, do you have the medicine?" Of course the Time Mage presented the small flask to Meredy, which of course was a conjunction of herbs, remedies, and other plants that they've picked up along the way throughout the years spent. With the herbs, they should at heal the superficial wounds. Meredy held up Jellal's arm, rolling up the sleeve. "This may sting a little, but you'll feel a lot better, I promise." She poured a few drops of the green liquid onto his arm, met of course with a grunt from his throat. Meredy put the flask down right beside her and proceeded to rub the ingredients in.

Ultear pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. "I swear, you're getting reckless every time." She sighed.

Jellal looked away, smiling. "S-sorry. I had to make a point across."

Again, Ultear sighed, while Meredy shook her head after rubbing the mixture successfully.

Within the crowd surrounding Nic and Jellal alike, tending to their injuries amongst the few, there were those who were left not so willing. Kagura for one thing, and Millianna's group for another. All four glared at Jellal with less than amused looks. Sho and Wally both looked at Jellal with hostile looks, looking more than a little restless.

"Jellal…" Sho muttered coldly.

Wally clutched a fist. As much as he wanted to turn his hand into a pistol and shoot him in the head, he was being held back by the whole scene. He wanted to kill him, he really did, but he watched Nic and Greninja take a hit for him, despite what he's done. All of that rage and they still had a hard time understanding, but him and Sho were looking down, realizing killing him would mean he'd only fail if Nic was gonna protect him. "Damnit. I still don't understand…"

Sho looked away, shuddering. "Why is everything so messed up? How can he just et go of the past and move forward? This is unfair." Sho turned away in shame, keeping himself in check.

Millianna and Kagura both looked at Jellal. Of course they still felt a vile venom every time they looked at him, but the prospect of killing him was wavering. Not just from the heated argument from Nic a while back, but also what happened just now, with Nic and Greninja shielding Jellal.

They looked back at Nic, Greninja, and Garchomp. Garchomp shredding through Shadow Millianna left a bitter chord on her heart, and she looked back at Jellal. She stared at his condition as Meredy pulled more remedy onto him. She looked away in shame.

Kagura looked at Nic's group and stared at Greninja. The image of slashing Greninja as he shielded Jellal was horrifying, but what Greninja also said about her hate left her more than a little guilty. She looked back at Jellal as well, but didn't glance too long before she turned away in remorse.

"Man. Nic's shark raptor friend certainly has quite the ferocious parfume." Ichiya said.

Hibiki was tapping keys on his keyboard, his Archive Magic showing a visual of indigo dots and three red dots that were Nic, Greninja, and Garchomp. As Garchomp's dot advanced, it showed almost all the red dots fading. "Garchomp's raw strength and reflexive tactics left him to defeat 98% of all of the Shambolic Magic by Ruge, while Nic and Greninja took out the remaining 2% that included Ruge." He pressed a final key, and then stopped with a smirk. He stared ahead at the monitor, showing a footage of Garchomp shifting. Dodging, and violently attacking with no mercy. "It's just so uncanny. He's so ruthless, yet every strike here proves how accurate and calculated he is with every move with no flaw."

Natsu went wide-eyed, as if he had remembered something. "Huh? Hey, wait a minute…" He narrowed his eyes at Garchomp.

Happy looked over. "What's wrong, pal."

Garchomp glanced over at Natsu, who pointed an accusing finger at him. "No fair! You could've saved a couple for me! I wanted to pound some of those guys myself!"

Garchomp looked away, neither interested nor caring of Natsu's ranting.

Wendy reeled her hands away, the green fading. She wiped away the sweat from her forehead and gave a long sigh. "I managed to close the wounds, so they should be fine so long as Nic can still use Recover and Heal Pulse."

Erza nodded in thanks to Wendy. She looked back at Nic as his panting stopped. The two looked at one another, their smiles making them feel warm and invited towards one another.

Vanessa, Greninja, and Honedge looked at the other, smiling as well as Nic and Erza were seen well.

Garchomp's eyes blinked as he looked back. "Hmm?"

Nic looked up at Garchomp. "Garchomp, someone else coming?"

Garchomp turned around, his body facing away from Nic and towards the Council HQ. He growled, his teeth bared. He had his claws forward, poised to attack or defend. His eyes narrowed as two figures were seen walking slowly as the ash and char from previously blew about on the battlefield.

As the figures came into view, everyone could feel their spines shudder, save for Nic, Greninja, and Garchomp.

Erza's eyes widened. "Do you feel that?"

Vanessa could feel her bent knees palpitate. She looked nervous. "This aura, and Magic Power, they're both so disastrous. One's more vicious than the other…"

Makarov and Levy's eyes widened in sheer shock when the two figures came ever so close, close enough to be in view.

Both stepped in front of Garchomp. They revealed themselves to be none other than Wolfheim and Hyberion, each one frowning with some level of distaste.

"W-Wolfheim?! Hyberion?!" Levy exclaimed.

"Two of the Gods of Ishgar?! Here?!" Makarov yelled.

Nic and Greninja's eyes narrowed at the two Wizard Saints.

Hyberion bowed at the group of thousands of mages spread all over the battlefield upfront. "I welcome you all. You have my praise for making it so far in your quest to protect the rights of Nic and his Pokémon."

Wolfheim scoffed at everyone, however. "Grr! You whippersnappers are the bane of my existence! Helping out someone who isn't from our place. What pity I feel for your generation." He belittled.

Natsu held up a clutched fist. "Oh yeah? You wanna go, old fart?!"

Wolfheim grew a tick mark on his head. "You…!" Before he could act, however, Hyberion reached down and put an arm out in front of him, stopping his advances.

"Calm yourself. Remember, the Council has been very weary as of late. We'd be shamed if we went against their judgment." He warned. "Our priority is clear at this point." He turned towards Nic and his Pokémon. "The Chairman wants their destruction as the first priority."

Wolfheim grumbled as he looked with distaste at Nic. "…fine." He huffed. "His need to declare this his home has been graving my nerves."

"Everything gets on your nerves, Wolfheim." Hyberion deadpanned.

Wolfheim again growled.

Erza stood up, with Honedge immediately getting to her side despite her condition as well. However, Nic reached out in front, stopping them from advancing. Erza and Honedge looked down at Nic as he stared forward.

"Don't." He insisted. "Let Garchomp handle them."

Erza's eyes widened. "But Nic…"

Garchomp looked back at his Trainer, seeing the trusting and undoubting look in his eyes. Nic grinned. "Three-thousand mages is much like a workout, but it's not nearly enough to make Garchomp drop to a knee. We've gone day and Nic, training our strength and bonds to beyond limits. Garchomp loves any will of fighting, and I rather be damned than have him pass up an opportunity like this."

Garchomp smirked back at Nic. "Heh, read me like a book." He looked ahead at the two Wizard Saints, his eyes piercing daggers. "Don't worry, I'm not out of steam yet. I've got plenty more." A little contradictory due to the scratches and dirt all over his body, and he looked slightly shaken up, but otherwise he was undeterred. He wasn't literally shaking, meaning he's got plenty of fuel in the tank.

Hyberion and Wolfheim opposed Garchomp as more ash and char blew across the battlefield, shifting Hyberion's cape.

Garchomp snarled, making spines again quiver. "You two recover for now…" His eyes narrowed. "I'll punish these two by burying them where they stand."

* * *

 **New update! How did you like it? Soon I want God Serena to appear, but I wanna plan something special as always when he comes, which revolves around Nic and Nic-Greninja, now officially labeled my Mirajane! But Wizard Saints aside, how did you enjoy the Nakagami Armor VS Ho-Oh Legendary Force, Nic-Greninja, and especially Garchomp's usual dominance in battle? I'm glad to bring Garchomp back, especially his love for battle and his absolute-zero mercy assaults. Despite being a monster in battle, he has a good heart like the rest, as you all are aware from the prequel.**

 **Will I be adding any qualities from Sun and Moon? I don't think so. This story revolves around the idea of Kalos, so Alola is out of the question.**

 **Reminder; if you guys forgot, Garchomp's voice and tone is like Helios from Bakugan New Vestroia, just so you get the picture.**

 **So anyways, next chapter will be the exhausted Garchomp against two of the Four Gods of Ishgar, and among that some more Council belittling and God Serena finally entering. I'm sure to make Garchomp's battle a priority, and hopefully make it a good one.**

 **As always guys, if you liked it, leave a review! I'll be sure to make the next one quickly!**


	17. A God Arrives

**Answering some inquiries before the chapter, just so I don't forget later.**

 **Alexa101: Sorry, but I'm denying your request. I'm proceeding as planned. As for Nic's Pokémon and their strength, it's biased. Even Kecleon and Arbok can obliterate boulders and Mega-Evolved Pokémon alike.**

 **I really prefer a general review on what was good rather than questions. I don't like questions in reviews, just so you guys know, so keep the questions and requests away please.**

* * *

Garchomp stood across from the two Wizard Saints, his menacing figure battered but still healthy. It surprised the thousands of mages there that he was going to resume fighting, especially after quarreling and slaying nearly 3,000 fake mages with flawless annihilation. What was perhaps the most astonishing feature was that compared to everybody else – who were almost on their hands and knees and shuddering from overwhelming Magic Power – Garchomp was completely unmoved by their sense of power. Actually, when one got a good look if not petrified in fright, they could see a small sense of excitement.

Levy was on her knees, barely keeping herself up from the trembling flowing all throughout her. "Woah…is he serious?"

Jenny was right beside her, trembling just as much. "I…I think so."

"Two Wizard Saints, two Gods of Ishgar, and he's going to deliberately take them on all by himself." Rufus analyzed. "I do recall such horrific fortitude…which I regret that has scarred me dearly." He tipped his hat down in shame, frowning as he remembered the vicious and mind-scarring battle in Crocus.

Erza stared in absolute shock, her mind almost breaking down. _'Is he serious…but that much Magic Power…'_ She could barely hold herself stable beside Nic, trying to refrain from shaking. She looked over towards Nic, who was still recovering. The calm look he had was somewhat reassuring, but it also amazed her at the same time. _'I know Garchomp and the rest of Nic's Pokémon are strong, and they defeated Lysandre and the Dark Legendaries, but…'_

"Erza." Nic's voice snapped her out of the concern drowning her. She looked towards him, seeing his grin. "You know better than to underestimate my Pokémon. We've come too far for our bonds to be severed by Council folks and Wizard Saints." He faced forward, his grin returning. "Garchomp. Do as you said, and bury them where they stand."

Garchomp growled ahead in delight.

Hyberion raised a brow, seemingly startled. "Confidence or overconfidence, I'm not sure what to label you and your Pokémon. You seven have such unlimited skill, add in the fact that you defeated something what Wizard Saints and all the magic in the world couldn't defeat." He looked away, glancing with wonder. "I hate to admit this, but even the great God Serena was petrified in immense fear that night. He was shaking violently."

Wolfheim glanced up at Hyberion's confession, immediately silencing him. "Quiet you fool! You can't speak of such pity to the strongest mage on the face of this continent! We have enough problems with this punk already!"

Garchomp huffed. "Hmph, sounds like the pity should be on you."

Wolfheim glared back ahead, his temper flaring greatly. "What…?!"

"Your focus is on me you crabby punk." He bared his claws. "Get with the program!"

Wolfheim huffed, his temper finally reaching its breaking point. Veins sprouted all around his body and his skin began to darken. He growled low, almost huffing in violent retort. As his skin darkened, his Magic Power flourished, his body beginning to grow in gargantuan proportions. He had long fangs grown, and he was hunched over with hulking muscles. He had odd scales on the skin and a tail. His hair elongated and made a bigger beard and spit hairs atop of the head.

The gargantuan beast transformation glared down at Garchomp, who was only a couple of feet shorter. "You…!" He roared.

"Eeek!" Lucy and Natsu alike paled and bounced back in fright over the menacing transformation; Happy following.

Makarov looked ahead, his shock proven as sweat ran down his face. _'So much power…'_

Wolfheim pounded the ground, making a harsh tremor. He snarled down at Garchomp before he finally went into a charge. As he ran ahead, the earth shook. Garchomp's only reply was him snarling and lunging ahead, making winds and dust erupt from behind, forcing everybody behind to cover up except or Nic and Greninja, who glared ahead as Garchomp closed in much faster than Wolfheim.

Both Garchomp and Wolfheim punched and thrust a claw forward respectively, meeting in the middle. The ash and char around the area scattered among the rippling shockwave made. The hostile winds surged, again making everyone, even Erza and Makarov, cover up from the winds.

When they dialed down, Wolfheim was seen at a stalemate with Garchomp, who wasn't so willing to move his claw. It was a power struggle, and both were trying to overpower the other, but Wolfheim however was finding it frustrating that Garchomp wasn't moving. His eyes narrowed, a harsh grunt eminent.

Garchomp reeled his other arm back, in which the claw and fin glowed bright green. He brought it around horizontally. " **Dual Chop!** " A green trail followed around as Garchomp's fin slashed at Wolfheim's face, scoring a blow across the nose. The Wizard Saint's body jerked a little to his right, letting his fist loosen up.

Garchomp took a quick leap and flipped overhead. His other arm's claw and fin glowed bright green as well, and brought the fin down as he rolled, the impact colliding with Wolfheim's head and driving the old man into the ground. A crater flourished beneath, and Wolfheim's face was buried within the shattering earth. Time gradually slowed down as everyone took in the literally groundbreaking moment of Wolfheim eating dirt. Again shockwaves ran about, rattling the earth and human spines alike. No one blocked because of how wide-eyed they were from Dual Chop.

Garchomp landed on the ground a couple feet in front of Wolfheim, who had a hand pressed against the ground to support himself. Garchomp brought his head back and then lunged forward again, but not before Hyberion appeared in front of Wolfheim.

Hyberion himself pointed a finger ahead. "Child's play-!"

Suddenly Garchomp became a Mach blur. He disappeared, making Hyberion go wide-eyed. "What?"

Garchomp reappeared in the blink of an eye behind Hyberion. Wolfheim's eyes widened at the speed and felt a light breeze at Garchomp's stop in front. As Hyberion turned around, a claw and a tail went swing. Garchomp voted, spiraling in place and had had the back of his claw strike Hyberion's cheek while his tail struck Wolfheim's face, sending both mages flying off as Garchomp was brought to midair from his stationary spin. Wolfheim fell backwards while Hyberion landed on his front, the latter still reeling from Garchomp's speed and reflexes.

Garchomp looked back at Hyberion, turning his head and snarling out.

Makarov was gaping his mouth, his disbelief piling on. "I don't believe this. Garchomp is actually outmatching two of the top four Wizard Saints."

Obaba was spinning in place. "I'm so shocked that I'm just gonna keep spinning in excitement!"

Hyberion and Wolfheim both got back to their feet, grunting. Garchomp looked back at Wolfheim, lowly growling. "You want some more?" He threateningly asked.

Wolfheim opened his mouth and let out a menacing bellow, releasing air ripples that could melt the flesh and bone off a poor Deerling. Garchomp glared ahead as Wolfheim's impatient demeanor made him jump into the air above. He raised both arms overhead and came crashing down, but Garchomp effortlessly dodged the double hammer fist by lunging off to the side. In his place, the ground detonated, making the earth depress yet again.

Garchomp continued his shift and slide. As he did, his eyes never left the two. He anchored a claw to the ground and ceased the slide and did a front-slip, landing on his knees in a crouch and went racing ahead, his feet pacing wildly as he charged ahead.

"Let me once more." Hyberion pointed his fingers at Garchomp, but luck evaded him, as did Garchomp as he disappeared. His eyes narrowed. _'That's such pure agility.'_

"Now Garchomp!" Nic commanded. " **Dual Chop!** "

Hyberion and Wolfheim looked back at Nic for a moment before they felt something off from above. Garchomp reappeared above with his blades glowing green, which seemed brighter giving the sun overhead. He descended, closing in on them.

Wolfheim crouched and jumped up, not wasting a single moment's notice and throwing a punch up. He roared as his fists collided with Garchomp's Dual Chop. A bright green flash appeared at the point of impact, and both were grunting as both forces were working against one another. A bright green exploded took up the skies, erupting with force that still made the land shudder.

From the explosion fell Wolfheim, who slid off on his feet and stopped at the end of a trail. Garchomp also fell, but he landed straight beneath with a thud on both legs. He narrowed his eyes, his breathing noticeably labored.

"I think those 3,000 are starting to wear on him." Sophie worriedly stated.

"I'm not sure how this will go. Not even my Archive Magic can indicate any means of calculation against these three." Hibiki noted.

Ren pointed ahead. "There they go again!"

Nic swiped his arm while still on a knee. "Now use **Crunch!** "

Garchomp opened his mouth and his sharp teeth glowed and elongated into blades of insidious pain. He sprung forward, attacking Wolfheim as the Wizard Saint was still reeling from his attack cancelling out. He was about to make contact, but Garchomp suddenly stopped cold. His eyes widened when an insidious pain raced through his neck. His mouth remained wise as his body stopped any and all movement.

"What's this?" Garchomp could feel the pain flourish in his neck, but he couldn't move his neck nor any other parts of his body. He was as still as a statue and nothing more. He narrowed his eyes, grunting.

Hyberion was pointing his fingers at Garchomp, finally having a lock onto him. "At last, I have you incapacitated."

Wolfheim raised his front and his knuckles hit the ground again, making a thud. "About damn time!"

Jet looked ahead. "Hey, what's wrong? Why did Garchomp suddenly stop?"

"Did he just get cold feet or something?" Droy asked.

Laxus glared ahead, his gaze on Hyberion. "You fools, that guy's paralyzing him."

Erza looked ahead with surprise. "Paralyzed?"

Nic's eyes narrowed, similar to Garchomp. Both Trainer and Garchomp looked back at one another, seeing their eyes interlock briefly. Garchomp thus faced forward at Wolfheim, glaring at him without even a grunt.

"With my Vampire Magic, he should be immobilized. Wolfheim, do as you must." Hyberion noted.

Wolfheim held up a clutched fist. "Draculos Hyberion, this is the only time when I say thanks!" He reeled the fist back, ready the strike Garchomp. "I've been waiting for this! Now have some!"

He fired the punch, striking Garchomp across the cheek. As Garchomp's head reeled off to the side, the shockwaves from Wolfheim's singular punch made shockwave go nuts. The winds went past Garchomp, in which the ground had also begun breaking apart, cracking and blasting rock all around. Hyberion stood in place as wind and shattered rock went past him. Everyone else however covered up as the shockwaves and scattered particles of dust and raised ash was like a hurricane that made more than a few dozen fall over.

"What kind of power is this?!" Erza yelled as she covered up, with Honedge using her blue arm to grip the ground beneath to prevent from flying off.

The land shakes subsided and the dust cleared, revealing Garchomp still on his two feet and his cheek still in contact with Wolfheim's fist. Wolfheim sneered at Garchomp, seeing him unable to move.

"You should've had your problems away from our world." He taunted.

Much to his and Hyberion's wonder, Garchomp let a small yet menacing chuckle escape from his throat. Both Wizard Saints went wide-eyed when Garchomp was actually chuckling. "Nice try."

"What?!" Wolfheim bellowed.

"He…he's still standing? How?" Hyberion questioned.

Garchomp slowly nudged his head forward, moving Wolfheim's fist back, as if brushing it away. "Get your prune hands off!" He swung his head back forward, making Wolfheim stumble back a couple of paces. Garchomp growled at him, annoyed.

"Are you telling me that he's actually fighting the paralysis?" Hyberion asked, wide-eyed.

Garchomp glanced back at him. "Tch, I knew all along there was a reason to dodge those fingers. Not being able to move blows, but the fact is that I've been hit harder."

Nic was starting to get up, albeit with support from Erza. The redhead held him tight as he stood back on two feet. "No one amongst my Pokémon are slouches. That's an insult that no one will get away with. You believe Vampire Magic will hold Pokémon like Garchomp down? He'll get back up until you both are torn and in the dirt." At his call, Garchomp's body began to move, but with great hesitation. The Mach Pokémon was twitching, his body feeling like heavy mountains in the limbs. Every time he moved to look back at Wolfheim, his nerves crackled. His neck was feeling the most sensitive pain. As much as he wanted to hold his own neck, it won't reassure anything with Hyberion still pointing his fingers at him.

Wolfheim clutched another tight fist, his anger boiling. "You miserable freak!" He raised his arms overhead. "Your generation is nothing but pity!"

He brought another fist down onto Garchomp again landing a blow. The impact this time sent Garchomp down towards the earth, making the ground shake and dust went blazing across the terrain. Everyone watching felt their own ribs hurt from that one blow as Wolfheim reeled back a fist again in the same crater he was gonna leave Garchomp in.

"GRRAAAHH!"

Wolfheim bellowed out violently as he ferociously punched into the dust cloud, landing punch after punch in successive fashion. The punches were like rapids bullets that were far stronger than any kind of actual bullet unleashed. The ground again broke apart, making more rock flourish into the air. The land quaked so much that it was making the ground thump up and down, making the thousands of people jumble up and down.

"Wh-o-o-o-o-a-a-a-a!" Happy exclaimed, losing balance.

Lily rocked back and forth, finding it hard to hold his ground. "His strength alone is running cracks beneath us!"

Those who were fortunate were still on their feet after a few seconds, and those not fortunate, which included the Dragon Slayers, they were plopped on their sides, cheeks puffed from the shaking and rumbling. Laxus himself was grunting heavily, but for his sake Evergreen supported him, much to his own chagrin. Nic and Erza were sustaining themselves by supporting the other, while Greninja was having no trouble standing.

When Wolfheim finally stopped, he was panting profusely. He was breathing in and out, his anger finally subsiding. The dust and winds were finally beginning to subside, revealing a landscape that could rival the moon. Wolfheim was in a massive crater that was plenty of feet deep and wide. Hyberion stopped pointing his fingers down and looked to find the results were most peculiar. As the Wizard was panting, below him was nothing but crumbled rock and sediment.

Again, Wolfheim and Hyberion alike were left speechless beyond words. Everyone who regained themselves were looking down at the results as well, baffled just as much as the gawking Wizard Saints.

"He's gone!" Carla exclaimed.

"Did he just get pummeled to oblivion?" Lisanna wondered.

Nic stared forward, watching the confused Wolfheim and Hyberion peer down into the crater.

"What happened?!" Wolfheim looked at his own two hands, looking left and right. "Did I get him or not?!"

Hyberion looked around, staggering with heavy disbelief. "How can this be? Preposterous? Hm?" He looked towards the side of the crater near the top, close to the surface. The saw something that could be a clue. "What's this?"

Wolfheim looked up, seeing the hole near the top of the crater. "A hole? How did a hole get off to the side…?"

Hyberion narrowed his eyes. "This is harder than I thought it'd be."

Nic extended his arm forward. "Garchomp, come out! **Dig!** " He commanded. Beneath Hyberion, the ground suddenly pulsed. The Wizard Saint looked down just as the cracked rock beneath went silent…and then in less than the blink of an eye, all the rock went flying, including Hyberion. Again, spectators were left shocked with gaping mouths upon seeing Hyberion receive an uppercut from a rising Garchomp. The land shook as Garchomp let out another disastrous battle roar upon impact, his claw and fin blade alike shredding into Hyberion's attire.

Wolfheim stared up in disbelief as the second most powerful Wizard Saint was just blindsided in that instant. _'Did he seriously escape through the dust and my attack by burrowing away?'_ Again a revelation flourished. _'Of course! That's why that thing took my attack at first. Vampire Magic requires sight, and with the dust and quaking earth, Hyberion can't get a lock onto his target. We were tricked!'_

Garchomp hooked his claw on Hyberion's collar and raised him higher in the attitude. "Okay you swine, I've had enough of you!" He again bellowed out, throwing Hyberion down like a ragdoll and into Wolfheim. As both crashed, the land again quaked by a little. Garchomp landed on the ground in front of the crater, and in front of Nic.

Nic grinned. "Well done, Garchomp."

Garchomp's body had even more bruises and battered scales. He was exhausted, it was clear by the way his labored breathing was making him go up and down slowly and weakly. But Garchomp could keep going, that was evident. There was no way he was going to stop until those two were out of their way.

Levy was nearly falling over. "A-amazing…"

Jenny was awestruck and practically almost dazed. "Oh geez…"

"To think he could go toe to toe with the great Four Gods of Ishgar… I'm without words to say." Lyon muttered.

Natsu looked ahead expectantly. "So, did you get him."

The dust continued to rise from the crater, soon beginning to settle. Nic, Greninja, and Garchomp all stared at the crater, looking at the dead center. All three of their eyes narrowed, speaking in unison. "Too easy."

The dust blew away from the center, revealing both the beastly transformed Wolfheim and Hyberion alike, standing tall with blank stares. Of course they have scratches and bruises all over their bodies from Garchomp's rampage, but their cold stares were proving that what Nic said was indeed true.

"I-it can't be…" Wendy muttered, her hands covering her mouth. "Is this real?"

"All of that damage, and they still have that much power left?" Erza sounded amazed, and at the same time it was a staggering belief.

Garchomp growled, stepping forward. "This is getting nowhere."

Wolfheim and Hyberion alike both stared at Garchomp from their low angle. Their stares were all a mixture of anger, absolute, and dominance. Wolfheim was looking pissed, so it was hard to tell what was going on since his impatience was making him go nuts.

Hyberion huffed. "I can't recall such a beating. You truly have power…" His eyes closed. When they opened, they revealed red. "However…" An ominous aura was surrounding him, cloaking him in magic that made the brewing bust particles stop in place. The dust fell straight down, as though paralyzed by being around him. The Magic Power levels staggered up to unbelievable levels that could be felt all across the spectators. All of them immediately grew stiff, right down to the bone. "Now we cannot hold back."

Nic grunted. "So, they were hiding more power."

Erza was wide-eyed, shock across her face. "I've never felt such paralyzing magic before reach this far."

Gajeel showed surprise. "Are you kidding me? I'd be dented if I lasted that long, so why the hell are they still up on their feet?"

As the magic around Hyberion was flowing, dust dropping, stunned. Right beside him, the already grizzly Wolfheim was growling, grunting almost. His huffs and increasing power was beginning to turn into his favor as well. His eyes dilated, and clutching his fists, the Wizard Saint was beginning to transform yet again.

Vanessa's eyes widened. "His aura, this is of sheer red. He's angry."

The beastly claws on Wolfheim elongated a couple more inches. The hulking figure that he was began to grow again, perhaps by a couple more feet. The scales and skin on him were darkening, and some over his back were a dark red, a symbol of the excess energy. His eyes turned a solid red, and his fangs sharpened and elongated some. Spikes began to grow along the tail and spine, and the hair on his head became a dark gray coating.

Jellal looked with more disbelief with the rest of Crime Sorciere as the level was staggering. "Their power staggered even higher." Jellal muttered.

Both mages either jumped out of the crater or disappeared and reappeared on the edge. Wolfheim hit the ground, making a thunderous thud bellow through the earth again. At this point the land was completely ravaged, with hints of rock jutting out here and there, and cracks ran for what felt like a mile.

"Can you feel it?" Garchomp asked.

Nic nodded, continuing to be supported by Erza. "Garchomp, no matter what, hold nothing back!"

"I never do!"

Nic extended his arm forward. " **Crunch!** " Listening, his Garchomp opened his mouth and attacked away with Crunch, lunging forward with great speed. He closed the distance almost in an instant with Hyberion. He was in midair and readied to snap his jaws. Before they closed, however, Garchomp again was caught stiff. His eyes widened when he found himself paralyzed yet again. His feet touched the ground, but the circumstances were now that his Crunch dissipated, and his body was twitching, finding his muscle and strength to try and move.

Hyberion wasn't even having his fingers pointing, it was all by the sense of looking at Garchomp. He continued to watch as Garchomp was urging himself to move forward. "Even with my increased power, you amaze me with how you're still able to move even the slightest inch, not to mention the pain in your neck."

Garchomp grunted as he slowly raised a claw. "What pain?" He retorted.

Suddenly Wolfheim appeared out of the blue, swinging a gargantuan arm at Garchomp He let out a blood-curdling roar, which was accompanied by the demonic beastly face he made. It didn't deter Garchomp, but he was damned to know he couldn't dodge. Wolfheim bright his arm around in a lariat, striking Garchomp in the low-neck region. It sounded like a meteor crash, because at that instant everything around Garchomp shattered and broke apart. The rock beneath depressed, and in the minor case sent more shockwaves ahead in a more compressed manner. Nic and everyone covered up as violent wind raged in their direction, and with them a roaring Garchomp. The Dragon and Ground-type went sliding along his back, leaving a trail in the earth that stretch as far as he did. He passed by hundreds of mages who rushed out of the way. When it all settled, Garchomp was in a dirt mound, silent.

Wolfheim huffed in aggravation. "This punk said he was gonna bury us where we stand, hm, Hyberion?"

"I do believe that you are right." He answered.

From the mound at the end of the trail, the whole thing shook. People could feel a wave of intensity and pressure volumize to great levels. The ground was vibrating, and many forewarned people stepped back, just in time for to go flying and Garchomp spouted up high into the sky at great speeds. He sounded like a fighter jet, and he stopped in a flash, sending a ripple from the shock he made from his own airbrakes.

His eyes were narrow and dirt covered him, among that the bruises sustained. "Now I'm really angry!" He lowly roared.

Nic extended his arm out yet again. " **Dragon Rush!** "

Garchomp's head appendages glowed yet again, and the energy around his compressed and pressurized. He exerted a large amount of draconic energy, which turned into a dragon. Garchomp went flying down at them again, attacking with great momentum.

Hyberion looked ahead with some level of distaste. His eyes narrowed. "You can't hide once I have you in my sights." Proving his point, his gaze was set on Garchomp, and the dragon immediately was rendered incapacitated. Garchomp again felt his neck burn with pain, paralysis rendering him immobile.

Nic remained steadfast as Garchomp continued his course.

Hyberion's eyes widened. _'Wait, hold on. By using the momentum of his attack, he's not falling, but his course is set on us still!'_ Again he looked intrigued and disgusted. _'What an interesting.'_

As Garchomp was closing in super fast, Wolfheim got between him and Hyberion. The hulking near-fifteen-foot monster pulled back a fist and let out a roar of anguish. He punched forward, firing ahead and colliding head on with Dragon Rush. Again hostile winds surged like a hundred tempests folded into one. The ground shattered beneath, cracking and kicking up more dirt and rock and whisking it around like it was in a mixing bowl. A cyclone of shockwaves caused Mirajane and many more to get to their knees and duck as the roaring waves of draconic energy began to diminish.

Rogue was covering up while on a knee. "So much power…!"

The atmosphere cleared up, revealing both Hyberion and Wolfheim alike at the end of a long trail. Garchomp's trail was much shorter, but in between at the point of impact was another section of depressed earth. Garchomp growled once more, snarling with contempt at both Wizard Saints as he stood back up on his two feet.

Hyberion growled. "Stay still and humbly accept defeat!"

Garchomp again felt a gruesome pain in his neck region and he hunched over. His body felt numb and he was starting to twitch again. His knees were starting to lose some strength and his wincing gaze showed dislike. "Grrrr!" Despite the overwhelming pain, Garchomp's feet gripped the ground, leaving indents from where he stood. He began walking forward, fighting on and was slowly starting to run. Despite his flat-footed stomps, he was advancing rather fast.

Wolfheim clutched a fist and went charging ahead once more, shaking up the atmosphere. "Just die already you nuisance!" He closed the gap between him and Garchomp rather quickly, and he pulled back his fist and let out a primal roar.

Nic's eyes narrowed. "Garchomp!" He lowly roared.

Hearing his Trainer's voice, the pain in Garchomp's body suddenly stopped. His eyes widened as Nic's call beckoned him.

Wolfheim's fist closed in. "It's over for you-!"

Suddenly Garchomp disappeared, surprising Wolfheim as he continued his punch. Time again began to slow down as Hyberion watched with another shocked gaze as Garchomp reappeared behind Wolfheim in midair. He let out a harsh grunt and drove a spiked knee into his back, causing Wolfheim to face flat on his face as the land ruptured for what was the umpteenth time. The large monster was embedded in the crater he was shoved into from the force, and Garchomp landed right behind with a thud, unhindered and growling. He turned back around and faced Hyberion, his eyes now leaving the Wizard Saint stiff.

"This…this can't be…my magic didn't slow you down, let alone leave you stiff to the bone. What kinds of sorcery is this?!" He announced.

Nic's gaze was just as cold. "Because Garchomp knows I've put every bit of faith and love into his life." He answered. "Just like Greninja and the others, I've been by Garchomp's side, as he's been with me. I know what's in and out of his head. I would never let a defeat like this be hung over my head, and neither would he. Our bonds conquer over everything and anything that you dare suppress us with, and we've proven that before." Garchomp looked back at Nic as the Trainer smiled. "Isn't that right, Garchomp?"

Garchomp flashed Nic a smirk.

Wolfheim was beginning to get up, his dazed look and hazy eyes set back on Garchomp. "You punk…!"

"Hit me all you want or render me stiff. In the end I'm not falling. Throw your strongest Wizard Saint for all I care, I'll leave him in pieces!" Garchomp declared. Again he looked back at Nic. "Nic, these swine want some more."

Nic gave a genuine grin as he stood straight up, finally on his two feet. He held up his left wrist, and on it was the familiar and deadly Key Stone embedded into the Mega Wristband he wore. "Then we'll give them what they truly ask for. They've pushed their luck with our kind, now it's time for them to pay the price."

"I couldn't agree more."

Erza looked over as Nic was holding up his left wrist, and not just that, the same mechanism she saw him use on Tenrou Island. Her eyes again widened in sheer disbelief. _'Wait, is he…?'_

She wasn't the only one who recognized the Mega Wristband. Natsu, Fairy Tail, and the whole alliance could see the Mega Wristband and the Key Stone alike being held up. Again there was a great shift in the atmosphere, and it was making their hearts raced faster than before. It was terrifying them. Yukino, Sting, Minerva, and everyone else was immobilized out of the pressure given off.

Rufus looked spooked. "I recall that weapon!"

Sophie's eyes narrowed. "Be careful, it's about to get dead serious."

Nic tapped the Key Stone embedded inside. At first there was a rainbow, but then the various waves of rainbow transcended into beams of light. He raised the Mega Wristband higher, and the beams became light waves that wiggled all around. Garchomp remained still, growling as his abdomen gave a bright purple glow before said color erupted into light waves of bright purple.

"Mega Evolve!"

The light waves both reached out towards one another, connecting in the middle. The bright waves of Nic's Key Stone transcended down Garchomp's waves, reaching his abdomen. Garchomp let out another shrilled roar as he was engulfed in an ominous and peculiar light. Small stones around him began to float from the great pressure he was giving off. Everyone watched in horror and shock as Garchomp was glowing, and his body was morphing.

Natsu was actually shivering. "You've gotta be kidding me." He wheezed.

Gajeel's eyes widened. "Mega Evolution? With that thing?"

Wendy was petrified. "Uh…oh my goodness. This level of power…"

They all recalled the incident in Edolas as clear as day, though the raw power they've sensed was what petrified them. They were once gain witnessing Garchomp Mega Evolve, and in front of thousands of people included. Garchomp growled low as his claws and fins fused, becoming blades. They saw the shoulders and head becoming angular, and more spikes arose from all over his body.

The Mega Evolution light finally exploded, and with it Mega Garchomp finally unveiled, everyone's ears nearly split open as Mega Garchomp opened his mouth and unleashed a devastative roar. Rippling shockwaves bellowed outwards, roaring through the air and earth alike. The ground shook dearly and cracks below dramatically increased; Mega Garchomp stood proudly in a small crater, glaring monstrous daggers at Wolfheim and Hyberion.

"So that's him up close." Sting confirmed, but everybody all around was in the same boat as him. The pressure and level of power was so massive and resonating from Mega Garchomp was almost everyone was on their knees, the terrorizing pressure startling them to no end. "Mega Garchomp."

Minerva was restraining herself from as much trembling as she could manage. "I've never imagined a singular energy could leave me staggered…except for that night." Again she recounted the level of infinite power rom the battle of Nic and Ragnarok Lysandre. There was Meg Evolution, Primal Reversion, Acnologia – his butt getting handed to him by the venomous Dark Legendaries – Giratina, everything. All of Fiore was still scarred for life to this day from that goosebumps-killing power. Even thinking about it in the slightest made someone want to scream, and some could just pass out.

"So that's what Mega Evolution is all about." Rogue stated.

Honedge was left petrified as her one eye was small, showing how inconceivable she felt this power to be. She looked up, seeing Erza equally as surprised. This pressure from Mega Garchomp was pure, and if it wasn't bad before, it was now.

Hyberion and Wolfheim alike were staring into the eyes of Mega Garchomp, their disbelief unfathomable. They never felt so much intensity, despite it not being Magic Power. Hyberion was looking down to his hand beside him; it was shaking, trembling with uncertainty. He never felt so uneasy before, it was palpitating through his veins, so much that he could've sworn his own heart stopped. Wolfheim looked a little better, but was proven wrong when he stepped back a foot.

"This power, I've never thought a Pokémon could wield so much in just that one body. Are they that experienced?" Wolfheim muffled.

Nic didn't grin, but he did show a sense of confidence rising, greater than before. He had absolute faith from the beginning in Garchomp handling the Wizard Saints, but when push comes to shove you have to pull out all the stops to make sure you get the /no mercy' idea drilled into skulls.

"Mega Garchomp, **Crunch!** " He called out.

Mega Garchomp bellowed out again, his roar shaking the earth and causing many to feel their spines wobble. As he pressed forward, the crater he stood in cracked again. He opened his mouth, showing the rows of teeth that glowed and elongated. The sudden jerking exerted hefty winds from his mouth, but didn't reach out too far. He fired ahead, lunging with great speed. As he went on, the ground behind shattered to pieces, flying haphazardly.

"Why is this always happening?!" Lucy exclaimed as rock went past her head.

Wolfheim retaliated by clutching his fist. "You miserable beast! You're supposed to be afraid of me!" He threw his gargantuan fist forward, meeting Mega Garchomp's fangs. Upon contact, the jaws snapped down, and another sound of thunder exerted. Wolfheim let out some heated huffing sounds while Mega Garchomp was still in mid-flight, pushing ahead. The two forces working against the other was staggering, and when the final push came, Mega Garchomp ploughed straight through, ramming Wolfheim with hefty force into the dust beneath.

Hyberion's eyes widened. "He overpowered him?!"

Mega Garchomp escaped from the dust cloud made and shot up. He landed on the ground with another thud that cracked beneath him. Wolfheim stood back up, but with some sight hesitation and with a grunt of pain. His fingers were curled up and bleeding, catered by the Crunch that tore right through his skin and scales like paper.

Wolfheim held his own hand in pain. "He got me in the bone too! That bastard!"

Mega Garchomp again roared out to them. He picked up his feet and began running. Hyberion watched with shock as Mega Garchomp was racing right at him, overcoming the Vampire Magic completely. But Hyberion wasn't gonna take this lying down as he reached his fingers forward and gazed with greater concentration than before. Before he knew it, Mega Garchomp became a swift dark blue blur, and a little bit if dust kicked up from his spot.

Vanessa blinked. "He's that fast still?"

Mega Garchomp appeared behind Hyberion, his legs spread out. Hyberion's eyes widened and he turned around, but again he saw a small dust cloud. Mega Garchomp reappeared in front of him, glaring daggers.

"Too slow!"

Hyberion turned back forward, but the last thing he saw was a baffled Wolfheim and a foot meeting with his chest. The sensation scorched his breathing into shambles that moment as the Wizard Saint went flying backwards in a harsh skid along his back. A trail was carved into the earth yet again, with Hyberion wincing.

His eyes slowly opened, staring at Mega Grachomp, but that only left him under the impression of looking at a monster whose eyes left him paralyzed. _'He overcame my magic, just with this talk and action of the bond he has with Nic?'_

Nic gazed over towards his left. "Intercept." He ordered.

With having the need to even look, Mega Garchomp raised his left blade and held the flat end up towards an incoming punch by Wolfheim. The angered Wizard Saint savagely met Mega Garchomp's blades, but again he was undeterred, not even remotely budging. Despite another cataclysmic shockwave going linear off towards a random direction and traveling far out through the ground until erupting in the background, Mega Garchomp wasn't even fazed.

He instead looked towards Wolfheim, seeing the struggle clear on his face. "If that's your best, no wonder you need the second strongest to leave me stiff, old man."

Nic raised a hand in a claw-like motion and slammed it again the ground. " **Dig!** "

Mega Garchomp swiped his blade, shrugging Wolfheim off like a discarded cloth. The Wizard Saint stumbled off while Mega Garchomp hunched over and raised his blades. He brought them down, including his own head. Wolfheim covered up as the earth shook yet again, and rock beneath him shot up as Mega Garchomp went underground.

Wolfheim regained footing and grunted for the umpteenth time. His one good fist clutched, and he raised it high. "STOP MESSING WITH ME!" He demanded. "COME OUT AND DIE LIKE A FREAKSHOW!"

Hyberion's hopelessly reached out to his side. "No Wolfheim-!"

The ground beneath Wolfheim cracked in an instant. The earth palpitating a violent ripple before a bomb of rock, dust, and debris shot up in a devastating fashion. Wolfheim felt a startling weight hit him straight into his gut. All of the air left him and he blacked out as Mega Garchomp went head first into his abdomen, shooting himself and the old Wizard Saint skyward to a surprisingly high altitude. When the altitude met a grand enough peak, Mega Garchomp reeled himself away but remained in the sky as Wolfheim was left suspended.

Gajeel's eyes were wide. "Whoa."

"He's kicking their asses like he was born to do so." Orga noted.

"So this is what Mega Garchomp is capable of on his own. He makes it look so easy." Lisanna said.

"A little scary if you ask me." Elfman noted.

Wolfheim regained his consciousness as he was in midair. He angrily glared at Mega Garchomp, but all he did in retort was snarl.

Wolfheim crouched and used one of the few small rocks brought up from Dig as a springboard. He lunged after Mega Garchomp and brought back his left fist. "I'm sick of you! Just go down! It's stubborn creatures like you that make me mad!" He closed in.

"You need to learn your place…" Mega Garchomp brought up both of his glowing green blades. "This one's gonna hurt real bad!"

Nic brought both arms down in a downward slashing motion. "Mega Garchomp, **Dual Chop!** "

Mega Garchomp let out a very hostile roar, one that bellowed out and rattled the floating debris, of which reduced to shambles. He blitzed after Wolfheim, whom punched with all his might. Both met in a very bright flash, obscuring everything except for a small shade of green and red flooding. Everyone watching below had mixed reactions; mainly it was horror that left them stunned if not surprise.

Time once again gradually slowed down as the image of Mega Garchomp passing Wolfheim was visible. Mega Garchomp looked away, while Wolfheim was gaping his mouth with white eyes. The latter's body seemed almost completely still while Mega Garchomp continued skyward with Dual Chop fading. When time sped back up to normal, everyone could see what happened.

The results were seen. As Mega Garchomp went skywards, untouched, Wolfheim had a huge gash across his chest, and his left arm and fist had a giant gash running entirely from the finger up to the shoulder, completely bisecting any spikes and scales. Nearly the majority gaped at the sheer terror Mega Garchomp proved he could dish out.

Mega Garchomp turned around and faced the falling Wolfheim. He waited for that final strike.

Nic looked up towards Mega Garchomp. " **Dragon Rush!** "

Mega Garchomp unleashed yet another monstrous roar, bellowing out in voracious contempt. The appendage son his head glowed, generating a large amount of energy that exerted all around him, becoming a gruesome dragon cloaked in said energy. As Wolfheim fell straight down, Hyberion was left unfortunate as he was just beneath. His eyes widened in horror as Wolfheim and Mega Garchomp fell onto him at the exact same time. The ground again shattered as draconic energy exploded in all directions, including upwards. Everyone upfront was sent flying along with the rock and debris while Nic and those nearby slid back a few feet.

A ripple exerted from the center of the crash, where it was briefly in a consuming dome of draconic energy that roared with the might of Mega Garchomp. The earth was enveloped in a blinding light and everybody was nearly flipped over of the spot by the sheer power.

When it all settled, a cloud of smoke and dust could be seen from in front of the Council building. Gran Doma and his fellow Chairmen stared with wide eyes as they could see the results even from their viewpoint. A small shockwave went their way too, causing them all to cover up as the land shook.

"What kind if power is this?" Gran Doma questioned.

Back on the scene, Mega Garchomp landed on the ground, thudding and making it crack up. He stared out at the dispersing dust cloud, but as the images were coming into view, he turned away slowly, his backfin facing another crater. The entire landscape could be views as being turned upside down one might say, because it was far from leveled.

Wolfheim and Hyberion were both on the ground on their backs, both set of eyes white, leaving the battle to end.

Makarov's eyes widened in sheer shock. "I…I don't believe any of this."

Erza looked as astonished as she was relieved. "They did it…"

Natsu, Gajeel, Sting, and their Exceeds were all gaping their mouths and paling. They were petrified by the sheer blunt of everything they've been put through, especially watching yet another intense battle that again proved of Pokémon having aces up their sleeves. Still, it startled them knowing this was the raw power of Mega Garchomp.

"Whoa…" Sting muttered.

"Yeah, whoa." Lector muttered.

Gajeel gave a look of casual annoyance, though he always looked like that. "And this why I don't mess with that guy."

Kagura stared with silent shock, her body barely able to suppress its own trembling. _'It defeated two Wizard Saints simultaneously. They were two of the Four Gods, and they didn't have a chance.'_

Mega Garchomp hunched forward before he could finally let a low growl expand in his throat. He raised his head and opened his mouth, unleashing a victory roar that screeched in everyone's ears as well as send a chill down their spines. Ripples of air resonated and expanded out as well. When Garchomp was fully satisfied with his sound barrier-breaking roar, he lowered his head and neck huffing out a hot breath.

Nic and Greninja slowly walked forward, putting one slow step in front of the other. Mega Garchomp turned around and looked at them. They all seemed to be grinning with satisfaction, in which the atmosphere finally began to calm down.

"Mega Garchomp, we did a wonderful job." Nic praised.

Mega Garchomp showed his teeth. "Like I said, I buried them where they stood." He was then engulfed in a rainbow veil and light, the energy around him flashing away and reverting him back to being Garchomp. Garchomp still looked like he's survived an apocalypse, but in the end he was undeterred. Garchomp lowered his head, looking content as he was tenderly pulled into a small praise hug by Nic. His head against Nic, both smiling.

Natsu raised a brow and tilted his head. "Huh, such a monster yet it's a big mild bag of teeth and scales when not fighting? That doesn't make sense at all." He groaned.

Nic pulled away and overlooked Garchomp. "You've taken a heavy toll, but you're still able to battle effectively. I'm proud." He held up his Poke Ball towards him. "Garchomp, return."

The red laser hit Garchomp, and Garchomp went back inside his Poke Ball without any objections. Once Garchomp was inside, Nic put the Poke Ball away and looked back at Erza, Honedge, and Vanessa, who were directly behind him.

All of them shared the same face, and one could easily read out loud that they were more than prepared for any maleficence. Greninja was no different as he had that similar facial expression as well. Nic stared directly at Erza and Vanessa with a frown and back ahead towards the fallen Wizard Saints. "It's much too soon to be comfortable. They were the second and third most powerful in their ranking. This could spell trouble if he is as strong as what the Council and secondary sources say. But we can't have this factor deter us. This fight is almost over." His eyes narrowed. "But I believe the real battle may as well be starting." Nic stopped his talk amongst him and the three and turned back towards the crowd of thousands. He could see the neutral looks on their faces, but too most present he saw confidence, perhaps overconfidence since almost everyone was eliminated on the enemy's side. He stepped towards them adjusting his posture. "Alright everybody, quiet down! I agree that this war has gone on long enough, and that today, it shall end. We've all come far, and to that you have all dedicated yourselves to what a guild stands for. We've come to each other's aid and bared our fangs to whomever was stomping over our friends. And now with your combined efforts, we've taken this battle by storm, and not only defeated Star Order, but dispatched Phantasm. And now, nothing stands between us and that building in the distance. This is where we make our last stand! This where we prove once and for all to the Council and the Chairman that Pokémon can and do deserve a chance! You've seen what the bonds of human and Pokémon can accomplish, taking down Wizard Saints is but the tip of an iceberg. Now, we will make him and the Council pay for pushing us away! We stand united, let's do this!" His speech out loud, just like his demeanor, was stern, serious, to the point, and with a heavy heart. Everybody immediately raised fists in compliance and let out roaring cheers that deafened those who weren't so by Garchomp's display.

Nic and Greninja turned towards one another, nodding in their willingness to finally make Grand Doma see the error in his ways. Watching as the two begin their advance, Erza smiled as she recounted Nic's rousing speech. While Nic wasn't the rowdy kind of guy, he is perhaps the most influential, and his strong heart proved to be a very useful mechanism. It shined a light that called her to raise Honedge forward, pointing in the direction Nic and Greninja began dashing in. "Everyone, forward!" She ordered. She broke into her own run, holding Honedge as the unsheathed sword guided Erza and the large-scale group ahead.

* * *

Gran Doma stared at the monitor that was in his face, showing the defeated Wizard Saints. One could see red in his stare, but if one looked directly into him, they'd melt if not spontaneously combust. Disbelief was the only word other than anger that could describe the now-insane Chairman.

"This…this is just a farce! A hoax! Wolfheim and Hyberion should have easily dealt the final blows!" He denied with angst in his voice.

Org turned towards him, his one good eye showing no sign of anger or disbelief; instead concern adorned his expression. "Gran Doma, this is reality, it happened."

Gran Doma angrily turned towards the spoken Councilman. "Silence Org! If you have nothing to say about this lie, then say nothing." While it did sound like a demand, it was more like a demented threat, one that left the other Councilmen in guilt and pity. Gran Doma, however, was undeterred. "Nic Pularis, the bane of my existence. So you honestly have Pokémon that can surpass Wizard saints? You truly believe this talk of feelings can uphold justice and order? This we shall see when you face the greatest punishment."

A Councilman glanced up at Gran Doma, seeing the stern look on his face. He wanted to say something to stop him, but it was perhaps too late. He just looked up at the monitor, watching the re-run of Mega Garchomp following Nic's commands without any sign of regret.

Another Councilman stared up too, seeing Nic pet Garchomp after the battle with a smile. The more he too looked, the more crestfallen he seemed to have become.

Lahar and Doranbolt alike were looking sad. While they were sworn to never question those above and abide by what was written, Gran Doma was completely turning everything upside down and tearing it up out of absolute-zero tolerance. Revenge and so-called 'justice' seemed to have lost all sense of balance and stability within the man, a trait in which left Doranbolt to sigh.

"What have we done?" Lahar asked low.

"You tell me. We just wrecked Fiore, and for what? To prove the Council's true colors, or to have Nic defaced. You know, I can't really tell the difference apart." Doranbolt whispered.

Lahar looked to the ground with a sullen gaze. "All these codes, all of these laws, all of these felonies. This is nothing more than shambles cast in the winds of a damned fool's tomorrow." His fists began to tighten beside him. "I recall the most important duty as a Councilman is to assure public safety."

Doranbolt snickered. "A little ironic, huh?"

"Agreed. We only hindered the trusts of citizens and Fiore further. If the Council could have just…"

"No need to stress it over, okay?" Doranbolt watched as he saw the large-scale group coming into sight. A smile crept onto his face. "Everyone has their own justice. It just depends where you stand. Once you know your place, what are you gonna do about it?"

Lahar remained silent and he remained by the Council's large podium desk standing outside of the Council HQ. He and Doranbolt remained silent and faced forward as the Councilmen all stood up from their seats. Behind them the few frog staff of the building gathered around with some few knights that were stationed as security. They all kept calm faces as Nic and Greninja led the charge and came to a stop when they all surrounded and cornered the area. Some couple-thousand mages against not even fifty staff; it's evident that this may be a landslide…

Nic took one last look at Erza and was met with a nod of approval. He turned back ahead and Greninja followed along. Both of them stood tall and full of might among the mages presenting themselves. They were the first to advance, taking slow steps towards Gran Doma and the Council.

Gran Doma watched as Nic and his Pokémon stepped forward, his gaze locked onto them and vice versa. Once again they were face to face with one another; one calmer than the other. Nic finally pressed his foot against the ground, standing perhaps fifty feet away from the large wooden podium and the dominance of Gran Doma. An ominous wind passed just beneath Nic's coat, kicking up some dust and shifting the coat and Greninja's scarf.

A very long silence cascaded through the audience. It was a tension so great that you could slice it with a Cut.

"Gran Doma." Nic said.

"Nic Pularis, and comrade." Gran Doma answered back.

"It's been a short while since our last face to face confrontation. The stakes since then have gone way off any scale imaginable."

Gran Doma remained stern in the face of his most hated adversary. "Be as it may, the circumstances have risen for a reason. And I can be safe to assume that you know how and why such a predicament has fallen." He explained.

"This blame game is nothing but a torn-up lie." Nic announced. "Look around you. Tell me, what is it that you see?"

Gran Doma glanced at the numerous mages who were all present behind Nic. He looked back down at Nic, his stern look as grim as ever. "Hmph! Why should I tell an outsider of my opinion?"

Greninja's gaze at him was on par with Nic's. "Then we'll have to answer in your stead."

"You wanna know what we see? To you, they may be nothing more than mages who have lost their minds, but that's where you have everything backwards. If anyone's lost their mind and common sense, it's you." Nic explained. "All these people stood up for me and my Pokémon, and not just us, but for one another. These past few days, this is nothing short of your own selfish desire to prove what I am not. You've been pulling every string and cutting off those that are nothing more than useless appendages."

Gran Doma let a scoff exert. "This coming from the man who has all the power and does not enforce himself."

"I have no need to prove myself to anyone. I rather use my powers to help others than bring them to tears of agony." Nic's eyes narrowed. "What I can describe as overzealous enforcement is you. Because you're the Chairman of a fallen grace that was actually a devil in disguise."

Greninja picked up from that point on. "This Phantasm weapon you conducted, it was designed to close up and lock Fiore off from the world, and inside everyone was to be trapped in their own quadrants. You were forcing the public onto us, but they clearly didn't fall for it."

"Those fools we are sworn to protect don't understand!" Gran Doma yelled.

The Councilmen, Lahar, and Doranbolt at what Gran Doma described all citizens of Fiore.

"This was for the good of our people. I've been holding my seat and holding this country's power in check for years, do you honestly believe that I am just gonna let someone with power like you just walk and roam along the streats as you please? I've seen it all, but I will never sway from my sense of justice. You and your actions guided by Pokémon have brought great shame to Fiore's structure."

Greninja looked up with a sense of angst. "Again, you're just casting the blame away from yourself."

"I do not take lightly to your prospects! Everything I've been doing up to now has been for the sake of Fiore and Earth Land! I've been straining my own neck and bones just to assure safety and trust in the innocent lives that _your_ kind scarred them with. This is your fault and your wrong that you cannot begin to correct."

Within the stressing argument, Org spoke. "This has gone on far enough."

Gran Doma harshly turned towards Org. "Silence Org, you-!"

"Gran Doma!" Org's tone was so stern and so demanding that it stopped Gran Doma completely in his tracks. Nic and the others remained silent but with a pressure over their shoulders. Org continued. "I agree with Nic Pularis, and I agree with you as well when this was gone way too far. Look at what's transpired. Our prime Wizard Saints have been defeated, Nic hasn't once caused any means of harms to innocent people according to his records before you decided to expunge everything."

"Org?"

"I speak for all of Earth Land when we weren't ready for this horrible truth, and we were ill-prepared, but everything in the cosmos and universe alike was no different from the rest of us. Nic's own world took a hard hit learning and perhaps witnessing the damage Pokémon brought. You've felt this energy, you've felt your own heart cripple. This power is worse than Zeref."

Gran Doma's stave was clutched tighter, the iron grip enough to perhaps bend steel. "Which is precisely why we either have to have them with us or eradicate them from our world. They don't belong here, just like you don't belong in that seat."

"Sir-!"

"I've had it with you Org! I had it with Nic! I've had it with Pokémon ruining the good name of magic!" The Chairman violently lashed out.

Another Councilman turned towards him. "Org is right! Gran Doma, this is beyond ridiculous!"

"Have you not remember what Cruzer said as per the monitor we watched?" Yet another Councilman spoke up. "Your actions are doing harm. This is not justice! It's the act of vulgar vengeance! You've become a tyrant!"

"Silence you fools! You're siding with the enemy now?!" Gran Doma raised his staff, and then brought it down. The tip met the ground, and the land beneath raged with sheer blunt. All at once, the Councilmen fell off their seats and onto the ground. Natsu, Lucy, and the rest of the company watched with gaping mouths as they witnessed Gran Doma having gone mad with power.

"He attacked his own men?!" Alzack exclaimed.

"How could he be so cruel?" Bisca yelled in disgust.

Org groaned as he struggled to get up. "Grrr! Sir, please, listen to yourself…" He was failing, but he couldn't give up. Gran Doma was towering over him with a golden aura, which scared the rest of the staff. His demonic glare was evident that by no means was Gran Doma turning away from the path he was walking.

The deranged Chairman turned back towards Nic and Greninja, seeing their disgusted faces. He scoffed at them once more. "Very well, then it's all of Fiore against the Chairman! But I hold every bit of power and you can't take it away! I'll use it to rebuild Fiore from the ground up, making a better Council that'll abolish any rights to those who sided with Nic and Pokémon alike! I will have trust even if I force it onto everyone!" He yelled all of that with a heavy tone and dilating eyes. His breathing was labored after that hefty speech, but his breathing was no different from the Councilmen who were all around him, staring up with terrified looks. They were scared, everyone was.

Nic stared at Gran Doma, seeing his resolve all too clear. "There's no point of return for him. He's lost his mind and all reason out of obsession."

"It seems we have to take him down. He's gone mad with this need for power. This is why he hate authority." Greninja confirmed.

Makarov's eyes were wide as he heard everything, but said nothing. "He turned the Council into a dictatorship. Those eyes show no sleep, lack of nutrition, and that gaze in all; he's lost every bit of sanity."

Lahar looked up to Gran Doma as the old man was panting relentlessly. His mouth was gaping, and he could hardly swallow. _'The Chairman, he's gone off the deep end!'_ He clutched his fists again, this time tighter. He looked at him with disgust. _'If you break the law, you're punished. He's shown his true colors, and now he's denying that. This isn't justice and order anymore!'_

' _Not good. I think he's about to announce him.'_ Doranbolt looked back at all of the staff and called out to them. "Everyone, be on guard! Gran Doma is under arrest!"

Gran Doma raised his staff high into the air, catching everyone's attention. "God Serena, reveal yourself! It is time to show everyone that Nic and Pokémon are of no match for your might!"

The ground began to shake, in which everyone could feel the hefty vibrations reaching out to them. Nic and Greninja stepped back as the palpitation was closer ahead than it was all around. Everybody looked alive and wide open as the rumbling beneath thickened.

"W-why is it rumbling?" Lucy asked.

Yukino looked down. "I can feel a great swell of Magic Power."

Natsu's eyes widened, this smell coming from beneath surprising him.

"What is it?" Happy asked.

Natsu looked startled onwards as he looked completely petrified. "I don't know, but I got a really bad feeling that something's about to happen~…!"

The staff behind Gran Doma was sent flying out of the blue as the ground beneath exploded. As the staff screamed for their lives, they found no escape as the building behind was also erupting. Long, serpentine dragons of various colors ranging from brown to red to blue and to purple even escalated to monstrously tall heights, equally the size of Mega Rayquaza. All of their heads swayed in the air, roaring outwards and making the body of the building beneath four of the eight beasts crumble.

Natsu looked up, in deep shock. "No way…"

Erza looked up with equal shock. "What in the…?"

"Dragons?!" Sophie exclaimed.

Cana narrowed her gaze, tension leaving her in shambles. "What's going on?"

Nic spread his feet, his stance adjusting. "Greninja!"

Greninja adjusted his stance as well. "Got it!" He took up a readied stance alongside Nic as the eight serpentine dragons howled high above. The Ninja Pokémon and Trainer stared as the eight dragon projections all converged. All the eight heads got together, and then from the conjunction of heads an energy field, small enough for a single person, encompassed the midair area.

As a figure came flipping out of the dragon heads, Nic and Greninja remained sharp as he descended with a number of flips like they can manage. The dragon projections all faded once the man hit the ground, his stance on one knee, in front of the Council desk, and a hand pressed against the earth.

The man arose, striking a pose with hands over his face. He gave a dark smirk as he moved his hand to the left side of his face, using his right index finger towards Nic and Greninja. "This is where you dare not go any further. A god has been beckoned! Prepare yourselves…" He struck another pose, which was rather overzealous. "For it is I, God Serena of the Eight Dragons!"

There was a moment of silence for whom had just appeared. While his posing was gaudy, and worse and Ichiya even, his presence was making everyone around feel like they are in front of a god – the Magic Power of a god.

Natsu's eyes dilated, his senses going blank. "This can't be…"

Erza's eyes narrowed and her body was shuddering. "His Magic Power…it's on a whole different scale!"

Nic stared forward, glaring sternly at God Serena as the man himself was smirking before him. "God Serena…of the Eight Dragons…" His fists clutched tighter, his veins starting to pop out from the knuckles. _'I can feel so much strength.'_

God Serena pointed stylish fingers at Nic. "That is correct, I am indeed Eight-Dragon God Serena. And you are Nic Pularis." His smirk never faded as he showed his teeth. "I have to say, looking at you now is rather disappointing."

Nic said nothing for his comment wasn't worth the rebuffing effort.

Gran Doma sat in his seat slowly as God Serena was now in control. "Nic Pularis, you had your chance, but now by the act of the Chairman himself, you shall be handed judgment by God Serena. You have but no prayers, nor does your friends. You've defeated the beloved Star Order…" His eyes narrowed. "Now it's time for retribution."

Nic and Greninja retained their battle stances as they squared off against God Serena, with Nic remaining the speaker. "I must admit, God Serena, you hold a lot of magic within your body."

"As I can say for you. I feel an odd power resonating from you." God Serena raised his head, looking away with another pose. "But it's of no match for me, for I am but the strength of eight dragons. Your powers are but an excuse, handed to you by one who isn't compared to half the man I am."

Nic's eyes narrowed, his nerves getting struck. "We'll believe it when we see it." He growled, suppressing his menacing tone.

"That you will."

Lucy was shivering on the spot. "Whoa, are they seriously gonna duke it out?" She asked, trying to keep her teeth from chattering.

Gajeel crossed his arms. "Just after Luminous and his frog got done fighting those bozos from before. They're persistent alright."

Vanessa remained close to Erza's side, a Poke Ball in hand. "I can see God Serena's aura. He's so full of confidence, thinking he can beat us."

Erza's eyes narrowed, her grip on Honedge tightening. "Even after seeing the events of the post-Grand Magic Games? What an arrogant man."

Makarov looked ahead ruefully. "To think someone so pompous could be this continent's most powerful mage." He squinted as his gaze moved towards the ground. "The Council has terrible taste in its allegiance with its Wizard Saints."

No longer was God Serena giving Nic a cocky smirk, rather he gave what was an angry frown. This was the face of God Serena actually showing some sense of seriousness in the face of a respected man, one, to his slight inflection, defeated a god-like man, of whom nearly annihilated Acnologia. The shame of such an incident brought all other Dragon Slayers to shame, and that's something God Serena did not appreciate – being looked down on.

Nic and Greninja remained ready as everyone else behind them readied themselves as God Serena closed his eyes.

"Very well. I guess I should show you how insulting your existence is…" His eyes opened, as well as his mouth. A great swell of Magic Power was starting to swell. It was so much that it was starting to put the Jupiter Cannon to shame. After taking a sharp breath, he finally let it all out.

" **Gale Dragon's Song of the Wind and Moon!** "

A ferocious beam of gust went after Nic and Greninja, large enough to make Nic go wide-eyed. _'Gale Dragon? That means he's a Dragon Slayer!'_ Hurrying in front of Greninja as the lethal gust headed his way, Nic managed and extended his arm out. " **Protect!** " Projected forward was a turquoise translucent shield. The beam of winds met Protect, but then a maelstrom of the attack exerted all around. Lethal winds of great pressure exploded in all directions, hitting everyone within an outburst of the attack. Many were blown away instantly from the shockwaves, while many like Erza and Vanessa and Natsu were covering up as they barely held themselves up.

When the winds dialed down at long last, Nic's Protect lifted. He stared at God Serena, who was once again smirking with confidence. Nic and Greninja most certainly did not seem amused. "So you can use Dragon Slayer Magic." The Water and Dark-type confirmed.

God Serena struck yet another pose. "That's right. As you've seen, that was just a single spell of my Dragon Slayer Magic. I am what you call a Second-Generation Dragon Slayer."

Nic's eyes again narrowed. "So you've been implanted a Dragon Slayer Lacrima like Laxus and Cobra?"

God Serena put a hand to his forehead, looking stupefied. As insulting as Nic sought it to be, God Serena was chuckling. The chuckle was grating ears, and then it broke into an insidious laughter that roared up to the skies. God Serena laughed out loud, his musings being for perhaps several moments.

"You fool! I am nothing like those excuses of Dragon Slayer." He explained with a tormenting aura encompassing his being. "I am a god! I don't have **one** lacrima, I have **eight** inside of me!"

Nic and Greninja's eyes widened. _'Eight?'_ They simultaneously thought.

"So that's the reason you're proclaimed Eight-Dragon God Serena. You're a fusion of eight, making you a hybrid." Nic stated. "Isn't that right?"

God Serena lowered his head, again smirking. "Perceptive, I like that in an imbecile."

Natsu gritted his teeth upfront, his body beginning to shake. The energy he was giving off was ecstatic, making him almost jumpy. Happy looked up at him, a worried look on his face.

"Natsu?" He asked.

Suddenly Natsu broke into a dash forward, running with a battle cry. He went pass Nic and Greninja and headed straight for God Serena, who stood there with no sound shock.

"Natsu! What the hell do you think you are doing?!" Erza shouted.

"What's it look like?! I'm done standing around! This guy's spilling nothing but nonsense!" As he ran, Natsu's flames were engulfed in flames. "There's no way a Dragon Slayer can be that strong with just eight!"

Nic again looked surprised, and not on a good way. "Natsu! You can't-!"

Before Nic could finish his warning, Natsu punched God Serena's forehead, enveloping the strongest mage on the continent in fire. Natsu stood in place, his fist still stretched out and smirking. As the fire kept surging and dwindling in front, Natsu believed he had scored a blow against the most powerful Wizard Saint, only to find the fire dispersing and reveal God Serena standing exactly where he was, smirking as Natsu's fist didn't even leave him charred or scratched.

"What?" He yelled.

God Serena let out a yawn, covering with his left hand. "Did a fly hit my forehead, or was that a passing wind? I couldn't tell." He nonchalantly said. He held his hand to Natsu's forehead, startling the Dragon Slayer. "Well, since you were so kind as to touch my forehead, I'll return the favor…and flick you off like the fly you are."

He flicked his finger at his forehead, and a ripple exerted outwards. The ground beneath Natsu cracked apart and he gawked from the midair standstill. The shock finally caught up to him, and Natsu went flying head first past Nic and Greninja and into the crowd. He went deep and finally hit land, making dust and rock kick up and send a copious of others flying. The shockwave went blazing around a small perimeter, but it was enough to leave the ground turned over completely.

"Natsu!" Lucy looked back and stared in sheer horror as Natsu's body was at the end of a trail, his lips parted and gurgling. He looked dazed as his forehead had some steam sizzling.

"Natsu, hang in there!" Happy pleaded.

Natsu sat up, some rock falling off his body. He hunched over. "Aw, man. What just-!" He felt a sharp sense of pain in his forehead and covered it with his palm. "Gah! Man, that hurts worse than when Gildarts chops me to the floor!"

Nic and Greninja looked back ahead, seeing God Serena and his smirk still evident. "Just a single flick of his finger." Greninja pointed out. "He has an overflowing Magic Power or sure." Greninja warned.

While Natsu was still dizzy, Gray slid in front. "That's it! I don't care how powerful he is, he can't do that!" He had hands together, ice beginning to surge. "Juvia!"

Juvia began to conjure water. "Yes, my love!"

Erza went wide-eyed again, including Honedge. "No! Don't-!"

God Serena slammed his hands against the ground, catching everyone's attention. " **Cavern Dragon's Earth Destruction!** " Behind Nic, the ground all around completely went flying. Everything went straight into oblivion as rising stone and rock shot straight up, obliterating the ground in a completely unorthodox explosion. It was only a fraction of the army behind, but those not engulfed covered up and ran for cover as rock and shattered earth rained down onto them. Natsu, Lucy, Gajeel, Laxus, and a large amount of others screamed as they were hurled with a slap of Magic Power in just one fell go.

"Gaaahh!" Erza and Vanessa both fell out of the falling waves of rock, plummeting towards the ground.

"Erza! Vanessa!" Nic cried out. Without any sense of delay, his and Greninja's reflexes kicked in. They zoomed on ahead, jumping from falling rock to falling rock. They made no mistakes as they took one more lunge, Nic catching his sister while Greninja caught Erza. They fell to the ground on their feet, the rocks crashing down behind, rattling their bones.

"Vanessa, are you alright?" Nic asked as he sat his sister down.

Vanessa had a number of scrapes from that singular attack, and Erza was no different when Greninja sat her down. Both girls had a few injuries, but Nic was lucky they were minor. "We're okay." Vanessa coughed.

Erza looked behind. "But, everyone else…"

Nic and Greninja also turned around, seeing everyone sprawled on the ground. Laxus and Orga were both underneath some rocks, and Natsu, Gray, and many more were all over the ground, more than a few injuries on their bodies. Nearby Erza when she turned her head a little more was Honedge and her sword pierced into the rock beneath, her eye swirling, indicating that she lost before she could have begun.

"Honedge!" Erza called out.

Nic clutched his fists again, his disturbance more than a little piqued. "He did all of that damage, and almost a third was wiped on the spot. Those shockwaves were almost twice as strong than Wolfheim's."

"And that much Magic Power would consume a lit out of a mage." Greninja looked back at God Serena. "So this is the level of power we're dealing with."

God Serena raised his hands and then slammed them against the ground once more. " **Sea King Dragon's Swallowing Reservoir!** "

And yet again the ground beneath Nic was starting to shake yet again. Looking down, he and Greninja could hear what may be a liquid flowing beneath. "Sea King…everybody, jump away!"

Understanding, they all got to their feet and managed to jump. As all four leaped into the air, a rising pillar of water shot up in between the girls and guys of the group. As Nic suspected, it was water, but a heavy volume was rising between them. Nic and Greninja slid away to a stop just as more pillars of water shot up in other directions. Nic and Greninja's eyes left and right, realizing that the rising pillars were putting them in a circle alone with God Serena.

The Dragon Slayer chuckled, but they were unheard due to the erupting water. Nic and Greninja alike looked around as the pillars of water finally stopped, and the falling water sprinkled down ever so lightly. When it came to be realization, the two realized that they, along with God Serena, were on an island. All around them was a large expanse of water. There was no telling how deep it went, but they knew that due to his magic and the way he's been processing his attacks, he obliterated the ground, making it so that his water spell could a large mass of the location.

"That's how he intended it." Nic said. "Clever."

"So that's what he wants." Greninja said.

God Serena stood opposing Nic and Greninja on the small island made. His smirk was weak, but it was a show of arrogance as one could say. "I want this occasion to be special. Just me and you two." His eyes narrowed, showing a darker level of intent. "I'm disgusted by the likes of you two the most. I am the mightiest of all mages and slayers. To me, there is no Dragon God, no Dragon, no Dragon King…because everything I see is nothing but incineration when I'm through with it."

Nic's fists clutched once more, and not just him, but Greninja's as well. "That's such vulgar talk. Arrogance and bragging about one's power is nothing short of an insecurity against their underestimated adversaries."

God Serena's smirk became a frown. "Are you calling me a liar."

"Actions speak louder than words." Nic emphasized. "You're Eight-Dragon God Serena, but your power alone won't stop us from our path. If it's us you're after, then so be it." Nic and Greninja took yet another stance, much to God Serena's delight.

On the edge of the water away from the island, Erza and Vanessa were on hands and knees, coughing up some water before they looked ahead, staring at the showdown that was about to transpire. Both their eyes were wide and they could feel a great swell of power resonating from the island not too far away.

Greninja stepped forward. "God Serena, it's time this war ends."

Nic also stepped ahead. "We'll make a change for the better, and if you intend to stand between us and our rights, and knock down our friends with such satisfaction, then come at us! You'll have to kill us before we let you lay another finger on any of them."

God Serena again squinted his eyes. "That can be arranged."

Gran Doma stood tall above the Council podium, overlooking what was the fight in the distance. His eyes narrowed, a venomous grunt beneath his thick beard. "Nic Pularis, it's your kind I hate. Your problem with authority and always having the last laugh has been what grates my ears. Tonight, I shall sleep sound knowing that this world shall be safe once more from the hands of your power. Only the Council says otherwise. Nic Pularis and Pokémon, I cast you both and your powers as means of weapons into oblivion!"

Nic and Greninja spread their legs apart, readying against God Serena. Both had bent knees and looked ever so serious. "Come at us!"

* * *

 **New chapter update for the 1** **st** **of November. Sorry for the epic cliffhanger, but I'm just so evil that it makes your hearts skip beats out of shock and desperation for new chapters. So anyways, this chapter I wrapped up the Garchomp VS Wolfheim/Hyberion battle, with a dose of Mega Evolution as display for raw power. Be honest if the fight made you feel excited. If I'm being honest, I was having a little trouble writing, so I listened to some Naruto OST like the Sennin theme for the beginning of Garchomp's brawl, and listened to the Pokemon XY &Z instrumental to assist on Mega Garchomp's part.**

 **In terms of the Council, ever since the beginning, I've hated their guts. I never liked the idea of absolute rule, that's why there's a lot of wrong, because the Councilmen are sticks in the mud. Although the only two of the Council I ended up respecting by the end was Org and Doranbolt. Org I didn't appreciate at first, but after the Oracion Seis Arc, I gained a little respect for him. The one I loathe to no end is Gran Doma, and his stern personality is what makes him a real antagonist in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, he's just doing his job, but he never considers looking in another perspective nor is he lighthearted. With how I made his character development, I shaped him into a crazed obsession to bring everything to ground-zero. This is also why I also don't become a group leader; too much expectation, too much pressure, etc.**

 **It turns out that this arc is gonna be finished before Thanksgiving, WAY early. As a matter of fact, next chapter is going to be the finale of the Council War Arc. I'm pumped for what I have to write, especially with Nic and Greninja and the peak of their bonds.**

 **So please be patient for the conclusion of this arc and the battle of Nic and Greninja VS God Serena. As always, review and comment (in detail) what you loved or appreciated. But please no questions, I dislike questions. Thanks!**


	18. Bonds Beyond the Limit

Two worlds of which were never have meant to pass one another, their finest warriors and symbols all laid out bare. The world of magic had the strongest mage on the face of Ishgar, God Serena, a Dragon Slayer. As opposed to magic, there was the world of Pokémon, where Nic and Greninja have stood up or and saved on the couple occasions, mainly the Team Flare incident and the recent near-apocalypse of the entire being of everything. Two mighty pillars that stood tall and opposed one another's authority and powers alike. The contradictory in ideals and power could very well split Fiore in half, let alone all of Ishgar. The ideal of magic has been around for generations, since the very dawn of the universe, a universe that was created by Arceus, a Pokémon of infinite power. Was Pokémon the answer to problems, or would it be magic?

God Serena's body was encompassed in a vacuum of pressurized magic that was exerting from all around him. His sclera turned pitch-black, and his irises shrunk considerably and turned white. He had his canines bared to show such a prominent draconic nature, one that was so fierce that the ground beneath shuddered in fright.

Spreading his legs apart, he lifted his chin and arms high. Above him was what seemed to be black particles circling over his head like a ring and diverging into five spheres the size of himself. " **Midnight Dragon's Burning Moons!** " Extending his arms forward, all the black spheres over his head went in a linear line, following one another like a train.

Nic and Greninja leaned forward, the former cloaked in what looked like a green outline. " **Extreme Speed!** " Nic sprung ahead, leaving nothing behind but a thin trace of green, among that of whish the ground beneath cracked and dust kicked up from where he was. Greninja lunged forward as well, his speed almost equally as surprising.

Both zipped in opposite directions, dodging the train of black moons that made waste towards the earth behind, engulfing the land in a tremendous explosion of darkness. A black dome with small rippled above was seen from the group watching from the other side of the shore, staring in shock.

God Serena stepped back and put his hands up as Nic reappeared in front, driving a roundhouse kick off from the side. The impact of Extreme Speed to God Serena's forearms that hefty winds and shockwaves went straight behind him, again blowing away residual rock. God Serena slid back a couple of feet while Nic landed. _'That was fast.'_ The Dragon Slayer thought. _'That wasn't even in the blink of an eye.'_

Greninja appeared above Nic, crouching as he reached for his sides. " **Water Shuriken!** " He twisted his body, firing swift stars of compressed water in a steep angle. As it went flying at God Serena, however, the compressed stars of water spun with deadly accuracy, sure to hit with the speed of slicing through the atmosphere. However, God Serena disappeared in an instant, the Water Shuriken missing their mark and instead colliding with the ground in a glow flash, sending more of the island rock sailing.

God Serena reappeared in midair, meeting with Greninja with a cocky smirk. Greninja only response was narrowing his eyes.

God Serena put both hands out front, where a large swell of fire was surging into an inferno in his own hand. " **Purgatory Dragon's Blazing Hell!** " He exerted what was the blast wave of an enormous fire of unimaginable heat. The flames engulfed everything in front and heading for Greninja.

In a hurry, Greninja took in a quick yet sharp breath of his own. " **Scald!** "

Both attacks met in the middle, with the enormous flames and torrent of boiling water meeting and making an explosive steam cloud. The airspace shook gradually as the steam cloud sent out heat waves that escaped towards the others.

Cana covered up as the steaming heat traveled past her. "It's like my skin's burning!"

"Fighting a fire based attack with water should have benefitted the water based attack." Vanessa kept herself covered up as the waves continued exerting, shifting her long black hair. "But this fire is unlike Natsu's. It's hotter!"

The heat and steam finally calmed, and from the sky Greninja fell back to earth, hands and feet making a soft landing. When God Serena landed, he came out completely unscathed and landed on both feet while maintaining his grin.

After landing, Nic swiped his arm, creating several yellow stars with golden sparkles twinkling. " **Swift!** " Extending his other arm forward, he fired the attack at God Serena, twirling stars shooting after him.

As the attack went after him, God Serena narrowed his gaze. "Give me a break!" He struck his palm forward, his Magic Power proving so strong that they made strong winds fly right ahead, kicking up small chunks of the land and sending them at Nic. The Swift met the winds and rocks alike, making sparkling explosions in the middle. While God Serena was unimpressed with that little display, Greninja reappeared behind him, making from frown. "Hm?" He turned around, meeting Greninja as he was making hand signs.

" **Smokescreen!** "

Greninja blew smoke right into his face, making him step back as black, thick smoke clouded up all around him. The Dragon Slayer was caught surprised, but what staggered him some was his eyes and nose starting to burn. He began to cough, his draconic lungs taking in a little of the smoke.

Sophie's eyes widened. "Now I get it!"

"Get what, cousin?" Rufus asked.

Fairy Tail's Memory-Make Mage narrowed her eyes at the Smokescreen obscuring the scene. "It's true Dragon Slayers have a mean sense of smell, but if someone takes in a direct blast of smoke, of course their highly sensitive nose would be pacified. But with the power of eight Dragon Slayers, I question how long this can hold out."

God Serena's eyes widened back up within the smoke cloud, his head turning back towards the direction Greninja was in. "I can still smell you…"

The ground beneath him started to crack up, catching his attention. As he looked down, the ground burst into fragments, and among the eruption was a fist that soared up and met his chin. " **Dig!** " Nic soared up in an uppercut, meeting God Serena's chin, clad in what looked like a mixture of his Earth and Zap Forms. His coat was a light-mud color as it was before, and everything about the Earth Form was there, except the edging, belt, and shoelaces were all yellow. It was another Dual typing.

As the Smokescreen cleared out and Nic planted his feet on the ground, fists still against God Serena's chin, static sparked around him. " **Thunderbolt!** " A massive thunder sound emanated from all around him, making a yellow dome of discharging electricity flow through the cracks of the ground beneath. As electricity crackled wildly, it dwindled down, but God Serena wasn't there.

Nic crackled with electricity and looked ahead. Greninja glanced behind him, seeing God Serena on a knee with a piece of rock in hand.

"You almost had me there. That was fast, I'll give you that." He admitted. "But that will be the only praise you receive from the likes of a god."

He opened his mouth, and he placed the rock inside and started to chew on it, consuming it. As he chomped on every chunk, a rumbling could be heard beneath.

"He's replenishing his element and Magic Power!" Lucy exclaimed.

Natsu held up a clutched fist. "Damn bastard! He can eat eight elements while I'm stuck with just one? That's so unfair!"

God Serena swallowed, and he stood back up and faced Nic and Greninja. He raised his hands again, something in which both recognized and glanced back towards one another.

" **Cavern Dragon's Earth Destruction!** "

The ground beneath Nic and Greninja cracked apart, flashing a few glints before erupting. Obliterated earth went skyrocketing, taking with it large rocks. God Serena smirked again when he saw the display of his attack taking up a large quantity of the land, figuring he took Nic and Greninja out. He could also see the shocked looks of the group of mages in front, gaping with horror, much to his own pleasure.

His smirk faded, however, when he looked up, seeing Greninja jumping from rock to rock towards the sky. Following a similar course was a bolt of lightning bouncing from large rock to large rock. Both the bolt and Greninja soon joined up at a large piece of rock, the bolt dissipating and revealing Nic.

As the large rock high in the sky was above the others, Nic and Greninja got to their feet and dashed on over towards the other end, sliding to a stop towards the edge and making the large piece tilt exactly towards God Serena down below. As the rock started falling back to earth, Nic and Greninja bolted downwards.

" **Bounce!** "

" **Drill Run!** "

Both sprung off the rock, their combined momentum shattering it to pieces. Greninja went down alongside a rotating Nic, of whom had clasped hands together atop of his head and heading directly at God Serena. The strongest mage on the continent brought his forearms up and blocked both attacks. Upon impact, Nic's clasped rotating hands and Greninja's knee made another ripple that made the air and earth around rumble. Nic and Greninja found themselves grunting as they were pushing forward, but to no avail as God Serena wasn't budging in the slightest. It was when he smirked and they could feel his forearms hardening that they had to act fast.

God Serena's eyes widened. " **Glimmering Dragon's Dazzling Slash!** "

Nic and Greninja flipped over his swinging arms in time to dodge a shining bright X that came from his swinging arms, a version of Cross Poison one might put it. The X reached the falling land and rocks. Upon contact, there was a bright flash blinding everything and everyone from the flashy display. When it all dissipated and all looked back, they were in shock as the falling rocks from the previous attack had been reduced to nothing.

As they went overhead, Nic glowed, changing his tactics to his Mind Plate. He landed in a handstand and spiraled his legs around. " **Psycho Cut!** " From his spinning legs a crescent of pink energy went blazing through the air, blasting God Serena's back and enveloping him in a pink explosion.

As the explosion went along, the 'god' jerked forward out of the explosion and glanced back. "You're sneaky-!" He was cut off as the pink explosion was still diminishing, but through it cut several Water Shuriken. Caught a little surprised, he covered up and used his forearms as Water Shuriken shredded into his arms, making bright blue bursts that made him take a step back.

He uncovered, his frown evident. "Was that supposed to hurt me?" He looked ahead, but found that instead of them being there, they were above.

In the air, Nic and Greninja were both looking down, both gathering up energy for their attacks. Greninja took in a deep breath and began to rotate while Nic's eyes glowed light blue.

" **Psychic!** " Nic extended his arms out towards God Serena, enveloping him in a light blue outline. The 'god' felt a heavy pressure as he suddenly dropped to the ground, his front and stomach driven into the earth and mouth gaping.

"Gnngh! What the…I can't move! Nic!" He sneered.

Up above, Greninja came somersaulting down onto God Serena with an axe kick. " **Bounce!** "

He came crashing straight down onto his back, the impact making the Dragon Slayer gawk as hos back and wheel alike sustained the heavy impact. A white explosion enveloped the area, shaking the ground yet again. The sundering made many shudder at the force behind that attack, and they all watched the white explosion encompass a large area and see Nic and Greninja land on their feet, facing the explosion with stern eyes.

Gray's eyes remained wide. "Did they get him?"

"With all of those attacks, they should've dealt some serious damage towards him, for sure." Lyon said.

Ultear, however, kept a narrowed gaze set at the battle waged ahead. "I doubt it."

The explosion upfront continued to dwindle down, and falling rock lightly pelted the ground like hail. Within the smoke, there was a certain suspense, and nobody could tell what it was except for Nic and Greninja, who remained on guard.

The smoke cleared, and a silhouette could be seen standing upright. He walked out of the crater and out of the dissipated smoke, and he gave a rousing chuckle. God Serena emerged, unscathed.

Nic glared ahead. "Should've known someone of your caliber could have such durability." He said.

Erza looked exasperated with wide eyes. "He doesn't even have a scratch? But how?"

Cana's eyes narrowed, nerves on the rise. "So this is the durability of the strongest in all of Ishgar. And here I thought the bastards from before were gluttons for punishment."

Wendy was shuddering, her eyes dilating uncontrollably. "Is this even possible…?"

Makarov's fists tighten, his tiny body restraining as much shuddering as possible. "I never dreamed that he would be this formidable against such ordinary attacks of Pokémon."

God Serena tilted his head, smirking at Nic and Greninja. "What's the matter? Are you not surprised?" He teased.

Nic's gaze never faltered. "Given you have so much Magic Power, I should've guessed that your body had to be immensely durable to sustain all of that energy."

God Serena showed yet another smirk. He chuckled low again, his tone starting to sound a little grim. His eyes closed as he tilted his neck, cracking his neckbones. "Well, guess I'm all warmed up now."

Nic and Greninja's eyes narrowed.

Gray's eyes narrowed. "You're kidding! That was all just a warmup?!"

"That can't be right!" Natsu shrieked with equal shock.

Erza was still on all fours, looking ahead with shock, but managed to swallow it down. _'So the real battle begins. It was bad enough with this level of magic, but is his power that much off the charts?'_

A tense wind shifted yet again, but unlike before the winds that were swelling with pressure resonating from God Serena had completely altered. The winds were like scraps of metal burning against one's skin, amongst that being like a Screech, or perhaps a Metal Sound, because many including Erza were shuddering from God Serena giving off so much Magic Power that the island was starting to rumble, cracking up profusely. God Serena's hair was rising, almost sticking like pins and needles. Even with this power flow, God Serena was still looking disheartened with Nic and his Starter Pokémon still unable to look shocked in the slightest. "Are you not surprised? Or is it that I'm so powerful that it's leaving you broken inside? Perhaps your emotions finally collapsed upon themselves, or maybe you can't process the painful experience that is to come, isn't that right?"

There was a long tension as the pressure within the winds shifted around Nic and Greninja, but alas they remained undeterred.

Nic finally spoke up, his narrowed eyes making God Serena a shocked appeal. "Your power…is but a farce compared to what I've had to tolerate against Lysandre."

God Serena's eyes widened slowly, his bafflement exceeding his own level of Magic Power. "What did you just say?"

"I've heard first-hand from Hyberion. He told me you were scared of him that night. Nobody was safe, this world and my own had been petrified in fear. Every single human being and living creature that walked and swam were left to just watch as their own spines crawl at the sight of Ragnarok Lysandre and the Dark Legendaries. His power was infinite, compared to him, you're nothing."

God Serena's eyes shook at the recollection. He remembered as clear as day of that bitter night. He could recall the most demonic appeal that was Ragnarok Lysandre. His heart stopped. Goosebumps dies. His skin paled. His Magic Power was but frail when he felt the darkness of the vile monster. He was looking down at his own legs; they were starting to shake and quiver. He looked back at Nic and Greninja, seeing their faces was seeing the faces of fiery warriors, no fear, no second doubts, no anything that stood in their way. God Serena could see despite his prominent Magic Power, there was no way they were going to be convinced that he was better than Lysandre.

The shock and trembling of God Serena slowly turned into a calm smirk. He began to chuckle, something that caught Nic's attention, but again left him unamused. "You're such a fool, comparing me to that excuse of nature." He said. "I am nothing like Lysandre. If anything, he should be glad I was there. I'm sure I could've taken down Acnologia with but a few hits myself."

"Covering up for your own insecurities, that's a low blow to yourself." Greninja scolded.

This time, God Serena was angrily unamused. "You dare mock a _real_ god? I have the power of eight dragons if you've forgotten! I am the strongest of all Wizard Saints, I am the face of this continent! Ishgar's true and mightiest god…" He struck yet another fabulous pose, smirking darkly. "God Serena!"

Nic spread his feet apart. "Pour out all the magic you want, you and I both know that you were still inferior."

Gran Doma's eyes narrowed, growling as he was watching. His stave was held tightly in his shaking hand. "Nic Pularis…! God Serena, what do think you're doing?! Eliminate him from existence at once!" He yelled. "Destroy him and those who oppose the Council!"

God Serena clutched his fists, smirking at Nic as his hair continued to rise. "Keep quiet old man, I was about to do that. Warmup is over."

"The time for action has been stalled long enough." Greninja adjusted his stance slightly. "Let's go!"

"Right!" Nic yelled.

God Serena again smirked as he held tight fists to his side. The heat around him was rising to grand levels as the rock underneath him was starting to sizzle. "You don't have a chance!" He was engulfed within a pillar of his Purgatory Dragon Slayer fire, of which shot straight into the sky above. Nic's coat flapped madly as he covered up from the heat waves that passed by him. Greninja also covered up, both feeling more heat exert and keep rising. The ground around God Serena was starting to melt a little. "Lysandre is gone! You may have bested him, but now I will take his place and prove to you and to Acnologia that all dragons and Pokémon will bow before the might of me!"

Nic caught wind of what he said. _'Acnologia? Is he saying he can match that him?'_ Nic didn't wanna believe it, and he wasn't. Everything running out of God Serena's mouth has been rubbish and arrogance. Putting that aside, he glowed and shifted into his Flame Form.

God Serena made the pillar dissipate and he held both hands out. " **Purgatory Dragon's Blazing Hell!** " He exerted yet another massive torrent of intense fire that went after Nic. The blast encompassed everything once more. As the fire went ahead, Nic swiped both arms on opposite arches. The burning attack was completely bisected, and it split apart into two huge columns that left Nic untouched.

Greninja jumped up as the fire went on. His target set on God Serena and he fired Water Shuriken. The compressed stars ripped through the atmosphere, heading towards him. As they drew in, however, God Serena opened his mouth.

" **Gale Dragon's Song of the Wind and Moon!** "

From his mouth exerted what was a lethal gust wave that pulsated through the atmosphere. The Water Shuriken spun into the blast wave, but it was rendered useless as it dissipated. Greninja covered up as he was struck by the attack and went overhead. He grunted loudly and back flipped, landing in a slide behind on his feet with his hand supporting the front.

Nic narrowed his eyes. _'His attacks have strengthened considerably. He's not a liar when he said he wasn't gonna play around.'_ When the fire finally ceased, Nic kept a sharp gaze and glowed, revealing himself to be shifting into the Stone Form.

God Serena raised his hands and pressed against the earth. " **Cavern Dragon's Rising Havoc!** " He pressed against the ground, and stony spikes protruded from the earth. They shot up from the down below, hundreds of large spikes making way for Nic and Greninja.

Nic clutched a fist and reeled it back. " **Stone Edge!** " He punched the ground full-force. Massive rock pillars went after God Serena's attack. Thick linear stones went racing after a whole field of spikes of similar size.

The two attacks met dead in the middle, and the force of the collision made another explosion. Shockwaves mixed with rock surged all around, flying like an atomic bomb went off. Overhead rock went flying, shooting down onto others. Natsu and Gray shrieked as they moved out of the way, but the rattling of the earth wasn't helping them. As rock ascended all around with dust, Nic and Greninja's reflexes kicked in. Both set of eyes dilated and their feet sprung into the air. They caught some flying rocks and began jumping again. They jumped higher and higher, from rock to rock with flawless execution or miscalculation.

They made one more leap and successfully evaded the flying rocks, looking down and seeing them fall towards the ground, shaking the island they were on. God Serena appeared above them, smirking as he had a fast pulled back. Nic and Greninja's sense kicked in again, and both flipped in midair, getting above and behind God Serena as he punched downwards, sending a misfired shockwave towards the ground. A large crater was formed from his misfired punch, and hefty winds dissipated the smoke and dust beneath, including leveling the area all around and scattering rocks all around. God Serena smirked as he glanced behind and above, knowing they'd attempt to attack.

While beginning to fall, Nic clutched his fists. _'If I throw any earth at him, he'll consume it. The same goes for my Dark, Fire, and Water based attacks. I'll have to make sure they're all energy based if I'm to get a clear shot.'_ He spread his arms all around, forming purple gems with glowing centers. He stretched down towards God Serena. " **Power Gem!** " The gems all followed, racing after him.

God Serena turned around and his back faced the ground. With a smirk, he took the Rock-type move, engulfed in another burst of purple explosions like fireworks. Nic and Greninja's fall seemed slow as the attack continued to exert, diminishing. However, when it did, it showed God Serena still smirking, having sustained little to no damage as he held a single Power Gem in his hand.

Nic's eyes showed shock. _'He caught it and contained its explosive properties?'_ Again, he was left in bewilderment when he saw God Serena's mouth open. Nic and Greninja's eyes widened and realization came to them. _'Don't tell us…'_

God Serena swallowed the entire Power Gem, showing on it as though it was a large crunchy dish. He swallowed the large lump in his throat, and he sneered back at Nic and Greninja. All around him, a crimson aura was outlining him as he crossed his arms, the palms facing his adversaries. All around was red energy materializing into spears. " **Crimson Dragon's Spear Enlightenment!** " He swiped his arms at them, sending the dozens upon dozens of crimson shards at the duo. Nic and Greninja covered up as all of the shards laid waste to them, enveloping them in a crimson explosion across the sky. As God Serena landed on his feet, Nic and Greninja fell out of the explosive cloud, falling like shooting stars into the shattered yard of rocks below with loud thuds.

"Oh no! He's hit!" Lucy shouted.

Erza grunted as her own spine rattled from that impact. _'Nic…'_

God Serena smirked. "Really now. I expected more of a fuss coming from someone like you. Have you but no tricks left?" Of course when he was looking at the rock pile he got but no reply. He expected Nic to emerge and erupt out in a fashionable display, but instead God Serena was caught surprised by a sudden tightness around his feet. His eyes widened when he felt a suppression and looked down to find himself in a small bind with Grass Knot. "What's this?"

He was caught surprised yet again as the Grass Knot arose from the ground, twirling around and spinning. God Serena was then arched downwards, slamming into the ground and dust. As the dust cloud raged, the Grass Knot retreated into the earth. Nearby, a bunch of roots and vines grew beneath a pile of heavy rocks and had begun to move. As God Serena emerged from the dust cloud, so did Nic and Greninja, the former using his Meadow Form and conjured roots and vines to push the rocks over them out of their way.

God Serena reached over and patted his shoulder, swiping some dust on him. "Well, it looks like I was right after all, you are fun to beat down." He aimed his arms and hands into the sky, his cape and other attire beginning to shift in the Magic Power he was unleashing. When he glared ahead, his canines showed.

" **Grove Dragon's Frenzy Rampage!** "

The earth around him split opened and broke apart, revealing a large mass of spikes roots and vines heading their way. They swerved ahead like giant snakes rampaging, charging with no reason. As they closed in, again Nic bent his knees and readied. The vines and roots all scattered and were within arm's reach, but Nic narrowed his eyes, and suddenly the barrage of roots and vines altered course, again splitting apart like the purgatory flames. They did a U-turn, in which the roots and vines all went back at God Serena under Nic's control.

The recipient this time, however, scowled. "Overruling my magic with your own? I won't accept that!" He extended his arm forward, a torrent of blazing fire swelling. " **Purgatory Dragon's Blazing Hell!** " He fired a menacing torrent of super-heated fire, in which met his own attack in a vicious explosion of fire and vines burning and flying off in all different directions.

As the blaze went on, he noticed something soaring overhead. It looked like a glint, but it was really Nic with his arm stacked with a green aura in the shape of a tree stump. God Serena gave an amused expression as Nic came down onto him.

" **Wood Hammer!** "

Nic brought his arm down like a hammer, the green stump meeting God Serena's forearm. A green ripple exerted outwards, and then the land beneath them broke apart, depressing even further and making rocks across the whole island jump from the echo of Wood Hammer meeting the block. Nic grunted as red static retreated all around his body, but persevered as he continued to push.

God Serena was actually feeling a sting in his forearm, something that made him feel uncomfortable. His smirk faded again, replaced by anger. "You annoying punk…!" As Nic was starting to make his legs bend, God Serena's eyes gave off a dazzling glow.

" **Glimmering Dragon's Shining Relief!** "

An attack very similar to Dazzling Gleam; God Serena was giving off a piercing light, one that stung at such a close proximity. Each ray of light was like pins and needles, and that was just from a single ray. Nic was hit with such a close proximity at hand, making him feel the full blunt. Nic shot backwards from the blinding light, his eyes shut.

Greninja opened his mouth as Nic passed him. "Hang on!" As Nic sailed behind, Greninja uncoiled his tongue and wrangled it towards Nic. He managed to get a grip on his leg, much to Nic's luck. Greninja pivoted, dragging his tongue through the air and around. Nic followed in an arch around God Serena, and Greninja let go, letting Nic continue the arch through midair. Nic straightened out and his feet slid across the earth until he stopped behind God Serena.

God Serena turned to look behind, seeing Nic glaring at him with a few minor injuries from the damage taken. "So what now? Think you have any tricks to match my strength?"

Nic put a thumb and his index finger in front of his mouth, which left God Serena to discern. His thumb and index finger alike glowed green, and Nic's eyes glowed. " **Grass Whistle!** " He took a deep breath and blew, in which an eerie and yet somewhat sensitive pitch was exerted. The melody exerted in a wide area, and God Serena's eyes widened when his draconic hearing caught onto the melody. As Nic opened his eyes, continuously blowing, he could see God Serena's body acting slower.

God Serena struggled, but even as he was shutting out the sound with hands over his ears, he was starting to look groggy. "Damn…you…" His eyes shut, and the Dragon Slayer fell to his knees, looking drowsy.

Gran Doma's eyes widened in shock. "What is going on here?! Why isn't Nic erased yet?! God Serena, get up right now!"

Lahar's eyes widened as Grass Whistle stopped. "Wait, that explains it."

"Explains what?" Doranbolt questioned.

Lahar turned towards him. "Remember well that Dragon Slayers have heightened senses, that includes eyes, smell, and hearing. In God Serena's case, he has the sensitive hearing of eight Dragon Slayers, meaning he'll catch whiff of even the slightest sound, and it can't be blocked out."

Doranbolt looked ahead, seeing God Serena starting to wobble. "Guess score one for Nic."

As God Serena struggled to stay awake, Nic stepped back and glowed, shifting his form once more. This time as the glow faded, he had something new; it was a mix of his Meadow Form and his Fist Form, making a Grass/Fighting combination. All of the traits of the Meadow Plate was there, but the edging was the same color as the edging of his Fist Form, and the belt was replaced by the Fist Form's sash. " **Grass/Fighting!** " He raced ahead, stopping in front of God Serena.

The Dragon Slayer's blurry vision caught a glowing hand following through around.

" **Wake-Up Slap!** "

Nic's hand met God Serena's face, smacking across the face. A hard clap sound reverberated through the atmosphere, and a white ripple exerted between Nic and God Serena. The recipient's eyes widened as that harsh smack to the face completely awoken him, but he couldn't catch his breath as the impact increased by his sleep status enhanced Wake-Up Slap to a greater degree, thus sending him flying backwards across the ground.

Greninja dashed ahead with great speed, heading right for God Serena. He lunged straight forward, twisted in the air, and let out a harsh battle cry as he kicked forward, planting a vicious foot to his head. God Serena's eyes widened when another gruesome force got him off guard. He went sailing back at Nic; a return to sender.

Nic jumped up as the sailing Dragon Slayer drew ever so closer. He made a large leap and raised both arms up. As he was in midair, a blue blade that was large in size materialized in his grasp. He clutched the blue blade's handle, and looked down as God Serena was directly beneath him.

Erza's eyes widened. "A sword?"

Nic vertically flipped straight down, bringing the sword with him in a wheel before finally bringing it down on a cursing God Serena.

" **Sacred Sword!** "

He slammed the blade straight down on the mage, a trail of blue following behind. He embedded the blade into God Serena and watched as a blue explosion engulfed the Wizard Saint. The ground beneath was breaking apart, cracking and again spitting out rock. As the explosion and dust erupted, Nic and Greninja landed beside one another.

Gajeel's eyes narrowed. "Did they get him this time?"

Nic and Greninja remained silent as the explosion and dust subsided. Their eyes were narrowed and they remained on guard. It was a good thing too because through the dust was fired several large black moons.

" **Midnight Dragon's Burning Moons!** "

All of the spheres went at Nic and Greninja, both getting into formation. Greninja got behind Nic as the Trainer had forearms up, making a large circular green shield with hundreds of spikes protruding outwards.

" **Spiky Shield!** "

The spheres all met the green shield, swallowing everything else in a dark explosion. The land was ripped to sunder once more as a large black dome exerted black ripples into the sky outwards. Everybody covered up as the shockwaves again spread out towards them.

"This attack again?" Vanessa shouted through the dark winds.

The explosion subsided, revealing Nic and Greninja both unscathed. Spiky Shield was still up, and as the showering dust settled, it revealed God Serena still standing. He watched as Nic undid Spiky Shield and looked back at him. To his own dismay, the duo wasn't having labored breathing. He frowned, but narrowed his eyes. "You're both pushy bastards…but I like that." He exerted both hands out front. "This is more entertaining than I thought it'd be! **Sea King Dragon's Encircling Deluge!** " He unleashed what was a massive, high-pressure torrent of water that looked very much like a tsunami beaming towards Nic and Greninja. Both made no attempt at dodging and covered up as the deluge swallowed them up.

"Crap!" Gray shouted.

Erza's eyes widened yet again in horror as she saw the beam of massive water engulfing Nic.

God Serena let out a loud and hardy laughter. "I admit it now, that last move had some bite to it, but did you really think that I'd fall to something as trivial as that? Come one! This is a god you're dealing with, and you're a little impudent insect who's just being stubborn! I've learned of these powers of yours, and they disgust me! How you can raise the seas, heighten new land, make an entire continent freeze over, I am appalled! If you wanted to show me up, you could've done so in my face before! Why are you holding that power back? Why are you not using Legendary Arts or these ultimate forms? Tell me!" He increased the volume to a larger size, making a torrent that passed on for what may seem like another few moments.

When it faded and the water finally subsided, it showed that to everyone's shock, Nic and Greninja were where they were before. They haven't moved an inch, and instead they took the attack and sustained what appeared to be little damage. Both were drenched, but otherwise they had shadows over their eyes.

Gran Doma's eyes narrowed a vicious huff exerting. "Why won't they give up? Do you fools not see that our power and magic is superior?! God Serena can make mountains rise, and he can do so in that instant! How can you be so calm in front of the greatest power in all of Ishgar?! Our power is off any charts!"

There was a long moment of silence before both raised their heads, looking at God Serena with intimidating gazes. Nic glowed, shifting back into himself. "You both are dreadfully misguided." Nic argued.

Gran Doma and God Serena narrowed their eyes in anger.

"Listen to yourselves. You have zero self-worth. You boast about this unstoppable power, but in the end it'll never give you the victory you desire. What you speak of is power that is brought by artificial lacrima. My power may have come from Plates of thousands of generations of knowledge and abilities, but I could have never unlocked such potential if not for my friends and Pokémon. They've stuck with me for as long as I can remember, and we always end up on top, no matter whom it may be."

Greninja put a hand to his own chest. "Nic and I learned and experienced that true power doesn't come from itself alone. It's from the help and encouragement, the need to protect and endure hardships with comrades. True power comes from the efforts of everyone united."

God Serena had a dark shadow over his eyes. "…tch, I except such pitiful talk from those who have no chance against me. My power is absolute! This foolishness of feelings and dreams doesn't make me strong."

"Maybe to you, but to us, it's what unites and drives us forward." Nic said.

There was yet another shift in the balance, one that made Gran Doma and God Serena go wide-eyed. They could feel a climax of something resonating as Nic and Greninja stood with their clutched fists by their side, their eyes glaring at God Serena with a fire that can't be put out. Everyone watching again felt this odd sensation, and this odd flow was rendering them in awe.

"It's this weird sensation. I remember this." Sophie said.

"Strange, I recall this myself." Rufus spoke.

Sting and Rogue looked at one another, their senses picking up what might be another shift in the battle.

Nic and Greninja raised their fists, their eyes glowing. "This is our power! This is our will!"

Both let out one last battle cry and pulse. The tension in the air thickened as Greninja was suddenly enveloped in a water veil and what appeared to be him glowing. Greninja's transformation occurred, with his large protrusions or ears turning black, his abdominal area making a V-shape of purple with gray filling. Greninja's bubbles also seemed to have become a purplish gray once again, and the middle of his head became purple, as well as the eyes. In Nic's case, his attire's purple all over had started glowing, resonating with force coursing through. Both stood with crossed arms and stared at God Serena, who frowned at their little fusion.

Doranbolt's eyes widened. "There it is again."

Gran Doma stared in disgust. "That meddlesome transformation."

Mirajane smiled as she clasped her hands together. "Oh my goodness! It's Nic-Greninja!"

Elfman and Lisanna both sweat dropped and sulked over. "You're still calling it that?" Lisanna inquired nervously.

Nic and Greninja both opposed God Serena, who returned to his smirking. "Well, this something. What do we have here?" He got into another one of his so-called poses and pointed at them. "Power up all you want; you still think that you can best me?"

Nic and Greninja stepped back in unison. "Yes." They said.

"Then show me!"

Nic and Greninja both lunged forward, blitzing ahead in an instant's notice. All anybody saw was water and purple before they reappeared in front of God Serena and reeled back their fists. Both punched with the same arms and same motion, striking across his face with a brutal double-punch. God Serena's body lurched in the direction they punched by a few feet, still maintaining footing. When he looked back, he was met with another set of punches towards his gut, the impact making his insides churn. He slid back several feet away from them.

He slammed his hands against the ground once more, making a small ripple crawl all over the earth. " **Grove Dragon's Frenzy Rampage!** " Again the ground beneath split open, breaking apart as various roots and spikes vines escaped from underneath and arose to strike them. Nic and Greninja's field of vision both intersected, their little double-vision picking up the various numbers in roots and vines.

"Greninja!"

"Let's go!"

Both jumped at the same time, their legs making them jump so fast and so high that they escaped the attack as it wiggled and swerved beneath them. Nic adjusted his course and went flying in a steep angle, as to where Greninja vertically flipped, making a water wheel as he followed Nic's lead into the grove yard made.

Nic put his hands together and spread them apart, making a white needle. " **Cut!** " He slashed straight through the numerous vines and roots, making a white trail follow behind as Greninja continued to follow course.

Greninja stuck his foot out as he shot down like a rocket. " **Bounce!** "

Both the needle and Greninja's water-covered foot reached God Serena, who extended both arms out and caught them both. As he did, the shockwaves spread all around, rattling the earth and shattering apart the vines and roots established. He slid back but a couple of feet, barely holding foot as Nic and Greninja both back flipped away and landed on their feet in a far-off manner.

' _Their power's increased. But…'_ The Dragon Slayer smirked. _'I'm still the best there is! I am a god!'_ He took in a sharp breath, and air went inside of his mouth. " **Gale Dragon's Song of the Wind and Moon!** " He opened his mouth, firing a heinous beam of large-scale winds. It traveled across the earth, heading for Nic and Greninja and reducing small fragments of rocks to dust.

Nic and Greninja towards another; the two nodded in understanding at what they had intended at that very instant. Nic got in front of Greninja, shielding him as the Trainer was in the path of the attack. Nic covered up using his arms, his stance unwavering as the impact reached him.

What happened next was a large explosion of wind and colossal turbulence. The shockwave and catastrophic drafts made stretched out from the island, expanding over the water and making waves crash against one another. God Serena had a huge smirk on his face as he had witnessed Nic taking the full blunt of his Gale Dragon attack. When it all cleared, Nic was seen having his arms still cover himself. He looked shaken, but there was a red outline all around him. God Serena cared not for the red aura as Nic was wincing a bit. The shocking kicker, however, was that Greninja lurched when he clutched over his stomach. He winced in pain, a phenomenon of which he wasn't part of.

" **Crimson Dragon's Radiant Cyclone!** "

From his hands, God Serena unleashed a funnel of crimson energy. It spiraled in towards Nic, but again Nic did not dodge. He just took the whole attack as it zeroed in. He held his ground as his body was encompassed in a crimson explosion that expanded outwards. A pillar of crimson shot up, rattling the airspace around the island. Again, the island and water surrounding it shook drastically, causing more of the earth to drift left and right.

When the explosion subsided, again was Nic standing. His body seemed to have accumulated a lot of bruises and marks from those two direct hits. The sight of him taking those attacks made Gran Doma smirk maliciously, but it left him unsatisfied knowing Nic wasn't dead.

Again as before, Greninja was wincing, his body having sustained a few what seemed to be painful injuries. If one looked closely, both could see that Nic and Greninja were hunched forward, one eye closed each.

"What the heck is he doing? Is he trying to get himself killed?" Bickslow shouted.

Evergreen had her arms cross, trying to ponder what Nic is contemplating. "Well he must have something up his sleeve."

Freed nodded. "I believe so."

God Serena gave a boisterous smirk. "Oh? Have you finally given up, Nic Pularis? Good, bow before me as you lay on the ground! **Midnight Dragon's Howling Edge!** " His fist clutched with energy that was as black as night. He punched forward, sending straight ahead a beam of voluminous black energy that was equally as large as his other attacks. This one's end even shaped into a dragon head, with hollow dark eyes. It roared as the beam went after Nic.

Nic's eyes opened back up, his chance on the rise. The red glow around his body thickened to a great degree, and as he brought his head around, the red glow fading away. " **Bide!** " Nic opened his mouth, unleashing what was a humungous white beam of energy. The beam of white was perhaps twice the size of God Serena's attack, including intensity, if not bigger. The blast wave was so immense that as it blew after God Serena, dust and rick scattered on either side, blowing into the water while small remnants of stacks crumbled as Bide traveled pass by.

Bide's white beam was so immense that it broke through God Serena's own attack, obliterating the black blast and pulverizing its way towards him. All God Serena could see what white before he too was engulfed by the attack. It was too great to dodge, and the Wizard Saint was struck in a blinding light.

The next instant, a giant pillar of white shot up into the sky. The island rattled with a massive magnitude, shockwaves of white, dust, and rock all exploding outwards. The shockwaves ranged like a hurricane, expanding over the water and reaching everybody. They all screamed as most of not all fell to their knees or were sent flying by the mind-blowing impact made.

Erza covered up as her hair shifted in the shockwaves. "So much power!" She screamed.

The ground beneath nearly cracked off one another until the shockwaves and explosion finally ceased. Everyone uncovered and looked as the dust began to subside in the vicinity. They all looked to see Nic huffing alongside Greninja, but on the other side was God Serena, who had scratches, bruises, and torn up clothing. He was panting and huffing profusely as he sustained so much damage in that one attack.

Gran Doma uncovered, his eyes widening at his last weapon's condition. "I…impossible…"

A Councilmen's eyes widened. "That was twice the power he sent back."

As God Serena was having labored breathing, Nic was no different, but he had an ace. Nic glowed, yellow ripples exerting all over his body and the energy he lost was starting to come back. As he was using Recover, he swiped his arm. "Greninja!"

"On it!" Greninja jumped over Nic and went blitzing ahead, his speed making him pick up and hit the ground without anyone seeing.

God Serena huffed and grunted. "You…! **Midnight Dragon's Burning Moons!** " He extended his arms out, firing another train of dark spheres that went at Greninja.

Nic and Greninja's eyes both saw the spheres heading their way, and though he wasn't doing so, Nic followed Greninja's motions by swiping his arms across as the transformed Ninja Pokémon fired Water Shuriken. The compressed stars of water went blasting away and spun vigorously. The Water-type attack met its mark and sliced right into all the dark spheres in one go. Once the shuriken reached the last dark sphere, it exploded, making a combined dark and aquatic blue explosion in the center.

Greninja blitzed straight through the mist, speeding his way after God Serena. He made a quick leap, flipping and twisting his body as he came down on the 'god'. God Serena shifted in the blink of an eye, proving his usage of speed as he dodged Greninja, but as Greninja landed, he shifted as well, the veil of water racing as the Wizard Saint was zooming all over the place. When Greninja caught up at one point, he did a sideways hammer fist, meeting with God Serena's forearm. The impact was so powerful that God Serena winced upon impact.

With the proximity, Greninja took in a deep breath. " **Smokescreen!** " Despite the water veil, Smokescreen actually went through, engulfing God Serena in a black cloud of smoke. The Dragon Slayer stepped back as he felt Greninja disappear abruptly, his presence disappearing into the smoke cloud.

He brought his arm around. "You can't hide from me!" He swiped his arm in a long arch, immediately making the Smokescreen dissipate. When it disappeared, he witnessed Greninja and Nic dashing madly towards him, their strides long and quick. It was almost like a desperate one.

God Serena felt a harsh impact meet his abdomen. It was their punches once more. Nic and Greninja made it before he could even counter, and God Serena gawked as he could feel his insides churn from that punch. Nic and Greninja followed through, the force so strong that the Dragon Slayer flew back, sliding on his back in a harsh trail.

"Alright!" Meredy cheered.

"Yes, their power's increased considerably." Ultear nodded.

"This is the third time we've seen such a phenomenon." Jellal confirmed. "Their bonds, they hold great promise."

Nic and Greninja both stood beside one another both standing tall as God Serena was on his hands and knees, coughing up some blood. The Dragon Slayer panted as he found himself on the defensive, and it honestly left him baffled beyond comprehension.

"God Serena! This is our power! This is what our bonds made us achieve!" Nic exclaimed. "this is how we defeated the greatest being in the history of the universe! We never sunk into darkness by our own desire for power!" Nic exclaimed. He and Greninja bent their knees, readying their next attack. " **Swift!** "

" **Water Shuriken!** "

Together, Nic and Greninja fired golden stars and aquatic stars. Both Normal and Water-type attacks gracefully glided and shredded through the air, meeting God Serena's face. The Dragon Slayer was engulfed in a blue and golden sparkly explosion, and he went flying into the sky and thudded onto his back some ways away with a painful thud.

Gran Doma's eyes widened with a heavy red in them. "What is this?! God Serena! You disgrace! Fix this! Destroy them now! I can't take another second of their insolence!"

As the dust cleared, God Serena was standing, his body hunched over. His face was obscured by darkness, so no one could tell what he was thinking. He was as still as a statue, and there was an ominous silence creeping around him. Every bit of tension in his veins was gone, and something – more bitter – was coursing through his body.

Nic and Greninja both took in deep breaths, their attacks being yet another unison.

" **Boomburst!** "

" **Scald!** "

Both fired their respective attacks, a vivid and harsh soundwave raced alongside a torrent of boiling hot water. The attacks raced ahead, obscuring the scenery of God Serena. As they closed in, time seemed to have slowed down drastically, and the Wizard Saint gritted his teeth as blue was heading his way. "Bonds…feelings…power…power…!" Veins started to creep over his eyes, his anger reaching a critical point. His orange hair began to flail yet again, his prominence beginning to rise. He raised his head, his Dragon Slayer prowess at full power. "STOP THIS!" He summoned a roaring pillar of rainbow draconic energy. The roaring bellowed, and the rainbow pillar exerted light beams and waves that exerted outwards. The light shined brighter, breaking through Boomburst and Scald. Both attacks dissipated, much to Nic and Greninja's shock.

Both parties were wide-eyed seconds before they fell prey to the erupting light. The flashy display made the entire island quake yet again, and the pillar of light faded. Everyone gawked as they watched it fade, but still roared. When it finished, God Serena was towering high, while Nic and Greninja were both lying on the ground, but they managed to get up.

"You were never better than me!" God Serena swiped his arm unleashing a multicolored wave of energy that went blazing ahead. Nic and Greninja were again struck by another attack, both swallowed in the waves of combined Dragon Slayer might. Again both were sent soaring skyward, only to crash on their backs with loud thuds. Nic and Greninja both gawked as their mouth opened, air escaping them and leaving them to black out briefly, but recovered their senses almost as quickly.

God Serena was smirking as he watched them backflip onto their feet. Seeing them struggle like this was something he was waiting for. This was hos proof that he was the mightiest, that he trumped over Nic and every Pokémon he could throw at him. This was the might of Eight-Dragon God Serena. The Wizard Saint's chuckling was different from before, this was more insane and unstable. "You honestly believe that this little power up can save the likes of you?!" He disappeared, and then reappeared in front of Nic, dealing a kick to his stomach. Nic went flying off again, tumbling, and Greninja clutched his abdominal area, feeling the familiar pain. "Pokémon are weak! Dragons are weak! I am the true face of everything magic holds!" He punched Greninja, the shock being so hard that the ground beneath cracked apart. He flew backwards, skidding on his back right by Nic's side. Just like Greninja, Nic gawked, feeling his face contort with pain. God Serena had his smirk arise, and his body was surrounded in a compressed energy flow that shot up like another pillar. "I AM GOD SERENA! I WILL DESTROY ALL WHO STAND IN MY WAY!"

Gran Doma slammed his stave on the ground, standing back up with life. "Yes! Now erase them! Free this world of the poison that is Pokémon! Return the world to its own business that we alone can govern!"

Makarov clutched his fists. "Grrr! No! Get up!"

"Come on, Nic! Pull yourself together!" Jet yelled.

"Yeah!" Droy added.

"The guy's getting hammered. Come on! Show us some of that Luminous guts, would ya?!" Gajeel enforced.

Erza narrowed her eyes, filled with pain as she watched Nic struggle to get up. "Listen to me! You can't stop! You both need to pull yourselves together!" She shouted. "We've all fought for you! Don't let our hard work be for naught! Nic, we need you!"

Nic and Greninja both hesitated, but they managed to get up. Their bodies were in so much pain. They wanted to just lie down, but they would never consider just a thing. They were far from cowards. Managing themselves, they both grunted and got their feet beneath themselves. Their fists clutched, both glared ahead at God Serena.

"We'll never give up!" They yelled in unison. Both sprung ahead one more time, leaping off the ground and after God Serena. Both closed the distance in an instant, meeting with an angered God Serena. Both punched forward, their fists making way.

"You can never beat me!" God Serena blocked by crossing his arms. Both fists met the blockade, making winds fly past the Dragon Slayer. Nic and Greninja both were caught in shock again as their combined force didn't even make him budge back a single inch. They were still in midair as God Serena's crossed arms were giving of a sparkling sensation. "This is my world, and any other world and Legendary will know the name God Serena! **Glimmering Dragon's Dazzling Slash!** "

He crossed his arms in front, and a bright light X shimmered at point-blank range. Nic and Greninja were both enveloped in the light, both wide-eyed as it was way too late. They both were enveloped in a shimmering flash, which stung more than a thousand Beedrill Twineedle. A sparkling ripple exerted, making the ground beneath crack apart. Greninja slammed into Nic, both shooting back far and fast from the point-blank impact. Their eyes were shut and swelling with agony from the immense light. They fell, their backs and heads hitting the surface of the water. A large splash erupted, and they both sunk beneath the surface, into the darkness below.

God Serena huffed, his face twisting. He was spatting a few lost chuckles, but then he let out a maniacal laughter, his roaring bellowing towards the skies. Gran Doma, Erza, Vanessa, and everybody else watched in surprise and horror as Nic and Greninja fell into the water, both plummeting into the depths of despair.

Nobody dared to say anything. Their shock was too great. God Serena's laughter was the only thing that roared. Lahar and Doranbolt couldn't come up with any words; all were left in what one could describe as a moment where their hearts stopped beating. Their shock soon passed, but many reacted.

"Luminous!" Gajeel shouted.

"You serious?!" Gray shouted.

Laxus grunted angrily. "The bastard's that strong?"

Erza stared at the water, her mind going blank. Vanessa was no different. Both women stared down at the water. "Nic!" Each consecutively shouted, but their calls only reach so far beneath the surface.

Gran Doma slowly broke into a smirk. "And thus, this world is pure once more."

* * *

Beneath the surface, Nic and Greninja were going head first into the dark depths. The water felt cool. There was no telling how deep it ran, but the two weren't concerned with the depth as they were with their own predicament. Bubbles went up while they went down, their eyes still shut and swelling with anguish.

Nic's eyes opened slowly, the cool water refreshing his pain. _'Greninja.'_ Looking at Greninja, his pal was still enveloped in a water veil surprisingly despite already underwater.

Greninja's eyes also opened, looking at Nic's descending figure. _'Nic.'_

In a matter of speaking, their world was upside down. They were drifting down slowly into darkness, into Hell. When one looks up, they see bright sky, but above their heads there was only dark waters, the accursed kind made by the magic of one's power that was misused. As they went into the dark waters, their feet drew away from the light blue speckles of the sun rays. The only light from their own realm was Nic's attire's purple.

The water was silent as a graveyard. It didn't even feel like water anymore. Nic couldn't breathe regardless, but the space was hollow, like purgatory. Both looked at each other as they plunged into the depths, their eyes never leaving one another.

Nic's gaze softened. _'Greninja…'_ Despite the situation, his head and thoughts were all looking chipper. He could see Vaniville Town, his memories flooding back from when he first met Froakie. _'It wasn't that I chose you, or you chose me, it's that we chose one another. We made a promise to now and then on to be a team, to work together. The pain of separation isn't even fathomable. We've been through the thickest and thinnest of battles. We've saved the world and universe against Legendary Pokémon. And yet, we're really being held back by one whose powers aren't even real. How could I let this happen?'_

Greninja's mind was thinking back to that day in particular, among such were the memories of him battling countless enemies and training. _'Nic, I've stuck my neck out, and you've stuck your entire body in front. I've always been unloved from the very beginning. No Trainer found me appealing, but then you came along, then Charizard, and then Kecleon, Staraptor, Garchomp, and Arbok. We made a family, a cult in which we've progressed to our own level beyond anyone's imagination. And yet our strength was able to hold off Lysandre before, and it's not now?'_

' _I share a history of truth with my friend. What is it that is making us hold back?'_ They thought in unison anguish. Their eyes shut, and their fists clutched in frustration. They always pushed themselves to breaking points, and then push those breaking points to new boundaries. They were always climbing the steepest cliffs, swimming the Azure Bay, training in the mountains and forest away from others. They learned to adapt, but alas here they were, no longer in sound mind.

They opened their eyes again, looking into another. Nic's warm blue eyes were staring into the world behind Greninja's transformed purple eyes. Greninja was too staring at Nic, digging his glare into his Trainer's warm blue eyes…

Their field of vision were beginning to interact again, with Nic and Greninja's warm blue and purple eyes constantly fading into one another, like parallel universes within a single vison. Blue, then purple. Blue. Purple. Blue. Purple. The longer they stared, and the more they saw through the other's point of view, they began to dig deeper. They both finally saw something within each other – a light. In the blue and purple eyes, they entered and they were momentarily blinded.

Both of their bodies were pointless as they became limp. Their conscience was in link, both staring to see their shared history. From the start of the war, the events went into a rewind, like skipping from end to the beginning of a movie. Everything was going back in time; from the Nic-Greninja incident, to the night where Nic gave the Plates back to Arceus, to the farewell of Future Nic and Future Greninja, to the final battle against Ragnarok Lysandre and Dark Legendaries, to their training in the dimension, to Greninja forgetting Dark Pulse for Scald, when they were in the Celestial World with the whole Celestial Crew, to Kalos, to battling Jose, to battling The Nightmare, to being given the mission from the very beginning…beyond that, to the thousands of battles waged, to the commitment in their battles, to beating Diantha, to ascertaining all of the Gym Badges, to the first day they met, and then they saw _it_.

In Nic's eyes, he could see Greninja's past. He saw Froakie in the corner, isolated from Fennekin and Chespin as they were as chipper as could be. While they looked happy, Froakie always watched them go. He never made a real attempt to make a bond since they were gone the next day. He was off self-teaching literacy, being able to read. He was alone, emotionally scorned by neglect and favoritism among his peers.

Greninja could see into Nic's world, seeing him taking punches to the face, and shocks from Magneton, and all while his baby sister was tenderly cared for by the mother, who bitter barked at Nic. Nic was deliberately taking in all that pain, so that his baby sister would never suffer the torture or loneliness he had to take in, the kind of pain by those that never loved him. He could see the vile and anguish he's bottled up, violently lashing out only to fail.

Everything for both went blank once more, and their vision returned to being normal. Their eyes were wide with astonishment as they stared at the other.

' _Greninja…'_

' _Nic…'_

Nic's eyes blinked. His gaze turned warm again. _'I was right. You were just like me. We were both discriminated for better choices. We were cast aside, to be brought into our own worlds and be drawn into a path of fortitude. We were treated with so much anguish, but through it we persevered. We had hope. We had a future that we finally were able to reach thanks to the hope we've held onto with every fiber in our being.'_

Greninja's purple eyes were as warm, showing Nic's half-grin. _'Nic, you've suffered traumatic pain. I could see the understanding of wanting to protect another's future. I looked on, seeing the researched Pokémon dance, play, smile…I wasn't into that. I wanted to be alone, to better myself and not fall prey to the innocence of others. And then we met…'_

Both stared at one another, their worlds finally at an understanding in their own leisure. The fire in their eyes returned, burning brightly and making their eyes glow.

' _This is the last straw. We've come this far with nit strength, but with the love and care we've put into the years we've known each other.'_ Their unison thoughts burned away the poisonous doubt in their minds. They've come a long way since the beginning. It was time to stop shirking.

They reached out towards the other, their handshake firm and tight. When they stared at one another, their pasts began to flash forward, from the beginning swiftly up to now. The images of their two minds were identical, with every event accounted for. It was an instant replay of their whole lives, their two beings, coming to a single point. As their minds constantly flashed meaningful thoughts, their mentality and hearts overlapped. Their images overlapped in an ethereal manner, and at that instant, both of their irises turned purple…

* * *

God Serena finally ceased his laughter, at last calming down. He stared at the others, seeing their scared faces, and in the case of Erza anger. He was undeterred by any means of emotion. "So, who's next to join him?"

Everybody clutched their fists, their bodies trembling from this flow of Magic Power beyond Master Makarov. This Magic Power they were all at the mercy of was completely off the charts, and if Nic wasn't strong enough, then by all means were they screwed.

Erza began to step forward towards the water. "You…!"

Vanessa's eyes widened. "Erza, wait!"

Erza stopped her advance, turning to look back at Vanessa. The shock on her face as she was looking down at the water could only mean one thing. Erza looked back at the water, watching it remain calm, but deep down Vanessa could read it.

"Vanessa, what do you see?" Meredy asked.

Vanessa's eyes narrowed as she was discerning the two aura signatures. "This aura…it's purple. And, it's…" Her eyes showed even more shock, shock that left her to gasp. "It's…purely identical. It's like a single aura shared or split!"

Natsu looked forward, staring at the water. "Does that mean…?"

God Serena raised a brow. "H'oh? What are you all so startled about? I'm just getting starte-!"

He was cut off when the water let a single ripple pulse out. The area within the ripple suddenly began to shatter apart, in which case the water sloped straight down onto a single point, spiraling like a conical whirlpool one might put it.

God Serena's eyes widened. "What?!"

Erza again was left petrified. As water flowed into the odd swirl, she saw even more bits of water arch overhead, beaming themselves into the center of the swirl, becoming what seemed to be a light of purple. _'What is this power? It's making me shiver.'_

Vanessa looked down as she saw the bright purple center. "This aura has increased to an unstoppable caliber." She turned towards a shocked Erza. "I know this aura! It's-!"

Before she could finish, a giant pillar of water shot out from the center, shooting straight up into the sky. Everyone stared in awe, many gawking as they could feel an astronomical level of some strange force inside. As the pillar went upwards, the swirling water beneath ceased, calming down.

God Serena looked up at the giant pillar of water. "What's going on now-?!" When he looked as the pillar of water began dropping, his eyes widened, his lips parting with no sense. What he saw was completely uncharacteristic and unlike anything he's felt before.

Makarov. Erza, Vanessa, Sophie, and the entire alliance looked up as the pillar broke apart, water diverging to reveal the two figures of Nic and Greninja. Both were in midair, their figures almost looking to be suspended. Nic and Greninja looked exactly as before, but the difference was that both of their irises were purple. The veil around Greninja was completely gone, giving truth to his form. Both were emanating a prominent power, pf which left even Gran Doma with a quickened heartbeat.

Both descended onto the island, landed on their feet. Water that was broke apart from the pillar suddenly began to converge, streaming into currents around Greninja. The currents of water continued to make its way onto his back and around his body, compressing and eventually absorbing enough until the remnants of the pillar were gone. Greninja had around him what was coat of dark water, looking exactly like Nic's. On the back of his dark water coat was a medium-sized shuriken of blue water, of which held on.

Juvia was keeping herself up from this sensation. "This water…what strength compressed into them."

Jellal looked at Greninja, seeing his dark water coat. "Their appearance and power. If what Vanessa says is true, then they must have become synchronized."

"Synchronized?" Natsu wondered.

Frosch looked ahead, his eyes sparkling with shock and shuddering awe. "Aahhh…" He stared at the change Greninja, seeing his appearance much like Nic's. "He's so…cool."

Erza was standing up, nearly falling over. "What kind of power is this?"

Sophie's eyes narrowed. "Whatever it is, we'll find out what it can do."

Nic-Greninja and Nic alike had battle stances, their postures and tension in unison. They stared at God Serena with calm but very serious expressions.

God Serena, however, gritted his teeth, his anger peaked to a boiling point. "Whatever this is, I won't be beaten! I am God Serena! You will bow before I incinerate your bones! **Purgatory Dragon's Blazing Hell!** " He extended both hands forward, exerting a massive volume of hot fire.

Nic and Nic-Greninja both took in sharp breaths, opening their mouths and firing their attacks. " **Scald!** " Both fired massive torrents of boiling water, of which blazed across the island and making the rock beneath break apart. The double Scald stormed through the air and met the flames, and much to all's shock, Scald went straight through, dissipating the fire. God Serena's eyes widened and he covered up. The attack struck him, erupting in a massive steam cloud that rattled nearby rock formations, cracking them up some.

The steam faded, and God Serena was seen grunting as he uncovered. "You…!"

Natsu was left in horrified shock. "Say what?!"

"Whoa! Nic used Scald, without changing to that Splash Form!" Happy exclaimed.

Vanessa's eyes narrowed as she watched her brother fight. "Are they in that much sync that Nic can use Greninja's moves without changing his form?"

God Serena saw that both of his adversaries were unwavering, which made him more than a little mad. "Grrr! Stop this!" He shouted in an outrage! " **Midnight Dragon's Burning Moons!** " He made large dark spheres overhead and stretched his arms forward, firing the dark spheres at them both.

Nic and Nic-Greninja both took equal steps back and their purple eyes watched the dark spheres head their way. Both reached to their sides and pulled out something purple. Their eyes flashed, and they disappeared, having purple trails follow behind them as they were seen reappearing behind the dark spheres. Both had slashing poses and hunched forward, looking away with purple kunai-like blades in their hands. As the purple kunai faded, the dark spheres behind them exploded, encompassing everything behind in brief darkness.

Although, more than a fair share saw that display, and never saw Nic or Nic-Greninja so in sync, nor with a new move.

"Wait, I don't recall Greninja ever using a technique like that." Sophie stated. "If I recall, he knew Water Shuriken, Scald, Bounce, and Smokescreen. So how could he…?"

Vanessa gasped. "That was Night Slash."

"Night Slash? Are you sure?" Makarov inquired.

Vanessa nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, I have no doubt in my mind that Greninja learned that new move."

As the darkness behind them faded, Nic and Nic-Greninja stood back up, their purple kunai fading away. They glared ahead at God Serena, who was now looking ahead with angered hysterics. His eyes were dilating in and out, and he growled ferally like a dragon. The magic around him was pulsating greatly with his rising frustration. "I've had it! Stop besting me!" He lunged ahead, leaving the ground where he stood in a crater.

Nic and Nic-Greninja took running poses and they too went blitzing off, disappearing and reappearing in front of God Serena with great surprise. God Serena threw a punch, but both blocked it and they too threw a punch, God Serena blocked said assault and they parried but a few more seconds they found a chance and took it. Throwing a unison punch, both socked God Serena across the face, breaking his cheekbone in the process. God Serena screamed out in pain as he went soaring backwards. The 'god' went tumbling uncontrollably on his face. Shoulders, and back several yards out, making trails and dust splatter.

He got his feet underneath and slid to a halt. He extended his arm forward. " **Crimson Dragon's Radiant Cyclone!** " He fired another large blast of crimson energy that went in a funnel, racing with great pressure.

Again they took in sharp breaths. " **Scald!** " Both again fired torrents of boiling water with intense pressure. The two combined Scald met with the cyclone of crimson energy, making an extremely powerful explosion of red and steam scatter in the area. The land again shook violently as spears of red and boiling water pierced through some rock, but among the showering shockwave, Nic and Greninja were zipping left and right, heading into the sky.

Together, both were high above, with Nic-Greninja reaching for the Water Shuriken on his back. As he pulled it out, the air's moisture was spiraling into it, causing it to rotate. Nic reached up as well, grasping the Water Shuriken with the opposite arm. When both clutched the center, the Water Shuriken doubled in size, being their height in terms of length.

" **Water Shuriken!** "

The Trainer and Pokémon united threw the shuriken with all their might, the giant star blazing with a vibrant blue energy around its aquatic nature. As it traveled at such high speeds, God Serena opened his mouth, exerting more Magic Power as he unleashed hi next attack. " **Gale Dragon's Song of the Wind and Moon!** " He yelled, exerting a violent wind, beaming upwards into the sky. It was like a tempest of lethal force was blasting off.

The Water Shuriken shredded through and Nic and Nic-Greninja both let out a battle cry as their shuriken went onwards. The louder they yelled, the greater the shuriken spun. The giant Water Shuriken was like a blue saucer, bisecting and cutting straight through the atmosphere and tempest like it wasn't even there. To all that were in shock before, they were staggering on eggshells as Water Shuriken didn't slow sown in the slightest; in fact, it sped up. God Serena was left in utter horror as he was met with the Water Shuriken. The attack was like a blue light that moved so fast that he couldn't escape. He screamed out in agonizing pain as the shuriken shredded into him. His whole world was split in two. His screams were muted by the blue explosion. The explosion of blue and mist shot up and around like a bomb went off. Shockwaves exerted across the land and water, exerting outwards and catching everyone covering themselves. They all screamed out as the shockwaves were shredding into them in a manner of speaking. The explosion was but a flashy blue display, and never before had the people seen such a wind get sliced like that.

God Serena was seen in midair, his attire all torn up. His clothing was shredded apart and he was exasperated as the blue energy and mist faded. Nic and Nic-Greninja went speeding through the air on the attack once more.

" **Night Slash!** "

The two materialized purple kunai in their hands, reaching God Serena and they slashed vigorously. In split seconds, purple trails and cuts followed all over him. They were like ghosts in the wind that slashed through more of him, as well as breaking part of his wheel off. The duration of the wheel behind him cracked a little.

Nic and his mirror image fell to the ground unharmed, their Night Slash fading as God Serena fell straight down with a thud.

Gran Doma's eyes were wide. "Stop them! Anyone! Do something to end their lives! God Serena, eliminate them! This shouldn't be happening!" He hysterically bellowed.

God Serena was clutching his arm, pain flaring from a strong cut. He grunted as he looked at the duo before him. "This can't be happening. I'm supposed to be a god. This is a mistake…a mistake…" Veins began to increase all around him, his anger beginning to spike to unimaginable levels. Looking at Nic and Nic-Greninja's eyes, he felt nothing but defiant anger. He started growling low, and it started to grow into a low roar. "You…! NIC PULARIS!"

A humungous swell of energy raged overhead. The sky itself was beginning to swirl with clouds. The air high above thundered despite there being good weather. God Serena extended his hands up, generating more Magic Power as the swell above spiraled.

"You see that?" Gray asked.

"His power is so grand that the cloud themselves are out of control. I fear he is making one last attempt." Freed speculated,

God Serena had his chin high, staring up into the sky with his mouth gapping with loud screams. He screamed even louder as his white pupils shrunk. Within the atmosphere above from thin air. Eight orbs were rotating like a wheel. All of them were a different color, one color representing a different kind of element. One was definitely crimson, one was a sea-blue, one black as midnight; so on as the colors represented each Dragon Slayer Magic he's ascertained. The land quaked, and God Serena found himself in a crater that was made from the pressure he was giving off.

"Prepare to be obliterated by the power of eight dragons combined into one!" The eight orbs all stopped in place over his head, the eight in an octagon formation. From the orbs of energy, they turned into small, thin dragon entities, all of which went towards the middle. The dragon heads all opened their mouth as they began to overlap themselves, their combining energy spiraling into a sphere of rainbow energy. As the orbs vanished, finally absorbed into a single point, the airspace began to bend, and white static surged around. All of that Magic Power was pressed into one. The sky overhead slowly stopped spinning as the small sphere went down towards God Serena's front. The man let out a harsh laughter as he stared at Nic and Nic-Greninja. "Time for you to say 'God-bye-bye'! It's over!"

Nic looked over, his eyes meeting with Nic-Greninja. Both stared at one another, ignoring every trace of air current seeping pass them into the sphere. They maintained such a serious gaze and dared not look back. They both looked ahead once more, seeing God Serena and Gran Doma alike with hysterical faces.

Both stepped back, Nic bringing his right fist back while Nic-Greninja brought his left fist back. Both narrowed their eyes. "We'll never give up the fight!"

In unison, their fists began glowing purple, their aura as pure as can be. Both of their heartbeats were rapid, but steady as the purple swelled within their fists.

Vanessa was caught shocked yet again, gasping. "Their aura, it's converging."

Cana looked over. "What does that mean? That they're using _another_ new move?"

Vanessa nodded. "Yes, and this energy swelling into them, it's so powerful."

Cana looked back ahead, her gaze set on Nic and Nic-Greninja as their fists were purple, signifying their aura as pure as gold.

God Serena extended his arms forward, with the sphere reacting. " **Dragon Slayer Secret Arts – Eight-Dragon Supremacy Impact!** " He fired a devastating rainbow beam at the two, of which was far more compressed compared to his other spells, but the island beneath him split in two. The rift from that blast traveling across the land reached down into the depths of the earth, and the beam even made the island water nearby slide away, making huge waves.

Nic and Nic-Greninja both went wide-eyed as they let out their screams. They charged forward, their fists neck and neck.

" **RETURN!** "

Both punched into the beam, their combined bond pulsing into the blast. As they ran ahead, gaining ground, both were continuously yelling out as the bright purple on their fists reacted to their fiery will. They screamed and ran on through, the beam spreading out. Despite the power of the blast being able to splice apart what some may consider half of Fiore, Nic was pushing through with his Pokémon's help. God Serena screamed out in vile contempt as his strongest attack was of such mass and yet they were ploughing through like it's nothing.

Erza stared in disbelief, her hair shifting in the winds as the diverged beams sailed across the skies to harmless location. _'Return?'_

Vanessa too was wide-eyed. _'An attack that's as strong as a Pokémon's bond with its Trainer,'_

God Serena was backing away as Nic and Nic-Greninja made it forwards him, punching through his energy. The airspace showed fractured bits of his magic failing. As God Serena jerked back, he was overwhelmed by so much shock. He was staring into the purple eyes of those above him, those who were bestowed greatness for who and what they stood for. No words came to his mind; only fear.

"No! Stay Away!" He bellowed.

Nic and Nic-Greninja jumped, their fists still bright purple. They roared as they used Return, their combined punch meeting with God Serena's abdomen. The earth beneath depressed, and depressed a second time, and then the entire island itself sunk a whole foot from that one punch. Water spilled into the air from around the island, rising with dust.

God Serena shot back so fast and so hard once more, burrowing through the island, resurfacing through his skid, skidding over the water, soon meeting the land to skid onto his back, and flipped hysterically past Gran Doma, smashing into one of the only standing walls of the Council HQ. God Serena was embedded in a monster crater into the wall, waves of winds flying, and his entire wheel behind him shattered to pieces. His mouth was gaped open, and his eyes were devoid of pupils. The 'god' was there for a few seconds until he was dislodged, falling onto his face with a thud.

There was an uncomfortable silence that fell in the entire area. Gran Doma was wide-eyed, and everybody else was no different. They could only pause and stare as Nic and Nic-Greninja's fists stopped glowing purple and retreat to their sides. They stared ahead at the scene, their wills finally been proven with the victory over the strongest mage of Ishgar.

It could minutes for anybody to process what had just happened. Makarov and Laxus were both dumbfounded and gaping. Many were left to just stare and nothing more. Eventually, many came around for realization to strike them hard.

"N-Nic. He…" Minerva muttered.

"They…defeated…God Serena." Alzack muttered.

"Nic and Greninja…defeated God Serena." Elman muttered.

Erza stared at Nic, her eyes reflecting his scarred back. Her eyes closed, only to open again with a small mist in them. "Nic…"

Nic and Nic-Greninja stared ahead, their transformation fading. Greninja was encompassed in a purple energy before fading back into himself, while Nic's attire and eyes stopped glowing and became warm blue once more.

Gran Doma stared ahead, his disbelief unable to be written. He slowly cranked his head around, barely muttering any mean of words as he stared down at the defeated God Serena. "This…this can't be…" He looked back at the two ahead and back at God Serena. "What…but how? How?! God Serena! Get up right now! I demand it!"

Org looked over. "Sir-!"

"GET UP! WE'RE NOT DONE YET! DESTROY HIM! OBLITERATE NIC PULARIS! GET UP! YOU'RE THE MIGHTIEST MAGE IN ALL OF ISHAGR! GOD SERENA!" No response. All he was getting was silence. Reality came across him, and he paled. "But…no. No." He shook his head, stumbling down from his seat, his feet reaching the ground but was unable to keep him up. He fell backwards, staring with labored breathing and sweat pouring down his face. He looked with dilating bloodshot eyes and drool running down his chin. His body was shaking uncontrollably as he was at the mercy of everyone now.

Org turned towards him, glaring down with narrowed eyes. "It would appear…that God Serena has fallen, Gran Doma."

Gran Doma swallowed.

"I am afraid that this means the end of the line for this battle. The strongest mage was bested by the strongest bonds." He looked ahead as he saw Nic and Greninja make it to shore, stepping out of the water as that last impact only made it ankle-deep. They stared back at Org, seeing the placid look on his face. Org himself looked back at Gran Doma, who was looking hysterical. "I believe this is the part where we admit and surrender, yes?"

Gran Doma was back up, barely supporting himself by using the stave as a cane. He was panting and exasperating profusely with so much confusion and hatred inside. "No…no! It's not over! You hear me?!"

The Councilmen surrounded Gran Doma, keeping the Chairman in the circle. He looked left and right, seeing the circle he was in. While they were trying to confine him, Gran Doma looked ahead at Nic in the distance. He growled angrily. "I'm not accepting this!"

"Gran Doma!" Nic announced. "Listen to yourself. The war is over, and this final battle has proven our point."

"NO!"

Lahar turned towards Gran Doma. "Sir, enough is enough! You're under are-!"

"GRAH!" Gran Doma raised his stave violently, a suppressive force all around him. He slammed his stave against the ground, making a thud so massive that the Councilmen, Org, Lahar, and Doranbolt all fell over onto the ground with harsh thuds.

Lahar gawked as he found the back of his head meeting rock. He grunted, pain flaring. "Please, sir…you're humanity…your heart won't hold out from all of this stress." He coughed, trying to sit up, but Gran Doma was hearing nothing of it.

Despite his severely labored breathing, his bloodshot eyes were on Nic. He slowly went forward, taking one step in front of the other. He had his stave beside him, managing to hold it with one hand. His gaze was unsteady, and his heart was rushing blood too quickly. He was looking as though he was suffocating. He could still see the blur that was Nic, and that was enough for him to keep going. "I…will…exterminate you…myself…"

Lahar was up, trying to walk towards him. "Sir-!" He was cut off by Doranbolt, who had an arm out to his side. Lahar looked towards him, only to see a frown and him shaking his head. The official looked ahead, knowing that it was already too late to save him. He retracted his hand, letting it fall to the side, embracing what moments Gran Doma had left.

The Chairman was slowly progressing towards the still Nic and Greninja, his stress level beyond comprehensible. He was panting profusely, devoting every attempt to making it forward. Despite these efforts, they were but feeble. Nic and Greninja could only stand and watch as Gran Doma was sweating and drooling. The old man was angrily and hysterically h=making way, his stave being used as a cane.

"You…do not…belong here." He coughed, blood spitting up onto his beard.

"I pity you, Gran Doma, more than you will ever know." Nic said with crossed arms.

The Chairman's eyes never left him. "Nonsense." He coughed again, his stumbling faltering for that single instant. "I don't need your pity. I want this world free from all invaders. All threats. It was all for the sake of magic and our heritage."

Nic could see that Gran Doma's stress was greatly wearing down his heart. There was no telling how much time he had left, except the fact that Nic could heal him seemed to be liable. Sure he could use Heal Pulse, but knowing Gran Doma, he will never accept Nic's kindness. He'll still kill him, no matter what sacrifices will have to be made. All Nic and Greninja can do is give the dying man what dignity he can maintain. It left a mallow chord attached to Nic's heart letting this happen, but it's all part of life. Too much pride can kill you, and this was the prime example.

"…who knows, Gran Doma? Maybe this whole war could've been avoided." The Chairman dropped to his knees, his body succumbing to the condition he was in. "We have humans and Pokémon, two different ideals, but we didn't shut them out. We embraced them. We accepted them. We were scared, yes, because we didn't know of their potential. It's when we work together that we can give the other our sincere respects." He looked over towards Greninja, grinning. "We've made that connection long ago with Pokémon. We accepted them for who they were and we cultivated a great society."

He looked back down towards Gran Doma, whose beard was covered in his own blood. "You might fear Pokémon and what they can do, but there are others who are curious and accept them."

Hearing this, Erza and Honedge looked at one another, both staring into another's face or one eye.

"Everyone's scared of something, but that doesn't mean you can accept that fear and be pushed back. You move forward, you change, you adapt. It takes one hand to throw a Poke Ball…but it takes two to build one."

Gran Doma's bloodshot eyes dilated, his breathing ecstatic, his face paling. "You've ruined…this world…and its legacy…how…dare…you…" His breath hitched, and his eyes widened. The last of heart contorted inside, his hysteria finally pulling the last of his being into the great beyond. His stave fell out of his hand, falling in unison with Gran Doma forward. As it fell, the bent handle snapped in two, the entire broken stave clanging against the ground as Gran Doma fell with lifelessness onto the ground.

There was a brief silence that cascaded all around, and no one dared to say anything. Lahar and Doranbolt both hung their heads low, silently mourning for the Chairman's fate. It was unprecedented, and by no means could the Council nor anybody blame Nic. It was Gran Doma's own securities that brought him to this conclusion. The path of immense hate was proven to be fatal; Kagura and Millianna both held back the urge to throw up as they could see themselves lying there, their own hatred and remorse for the need of vengeance so great that they just might end up killing themselves. It was an unworthy end that only the damned could ever hold close. Nic and Greninja both knelt, pressing their fingers on the rocky surface. They looked at Gran Doma's collapsed body one last time before closing their eyes, lowering their heads in mourn over their enemy's fate.

The war had finally ended, with lessons that will linger through everyone for days to come.

* * *

A couple days have passes since the battle's end, in which a lot has went down, and results were drastic. Following Gran Doma's untimely death by his own heart collapsing, Org and the rest of the Magic Council all accepted a humble defeat, on which case the remaining staff got on their hands and knees and bowed in apology for Nic and all the alliance then and there. There was more to the Council than what had thought to be superficial. With the Chairman seat open, it was decided that Org would replace Gran Doma and control the Council, but with things as they were, the entire Council was shut down temporarily. No meetings, no courts, no nothing. The Council as of now was in a temporary shutdown, however, the Custody Enforcement Unit was still operable, so Lahar could apprehend criminals that mages have captured on jobs. Other things that transpired was those captives by the Council such as Twilight Ogre and Quatro Cerberus were released, and among them the rest who were on Nic's side and were taken into custody. In terms of status, Makarov and Jura have been pardoned, giving a personal apology, and were once more inducted as Wizard Saints. And then came one of the more critical blows that the Council and others had to endure; Star Order was disbanded, the need of revenge as means of justice also to be thrown out, cast aside in the dying winds. As of now, Fiore was without a Council, without a system to depend on. How long? Who knows. When Org finds the time, he'll compensate more than a fair share to the public.

Although this didn't change anything for those such as Fairy Tail. Things soon went back to the way they were before. They were all smiles once more, the guild returning to its rowdy being once again.

Makarov was sitting on the counter, overlooking another brawl Natsu and Gray started once again, somehow roping in Gajeel and Elfman as they were at it once again. The old Master took in a deep breath and let out a hefty sigh. His eyes were half-open, a mug in hand. "Just as things are supposed to be." He let out a small huff, one could say a snicker.

Laxus was sitting at the bar next to his Grandpa, looking over his shoulder towards the old man. "Hey Geezer, you not gonna tell'em to put a sock in it?" Of course he naturally asked about the fight happening behind, but it seemed that Master wasn't interested.

Makarov lowered his head. "I think after all that's happened, a little old routine is just what this guild needs."

Laxus snickered looking back down at the mug in hand. "Whatever floats your boat."

Mirajane was behind the counter, walking over with a cheery smile. "Well hello, Master!"

Makarov turned towards Mira. "Hm? Hello, Mira. What can I do for ya?"

Mirajane held up what seemed to be the latest newspaper. "I thought you would want to hear the latest news about Fiore and what's going on." She sat the article down, the front page showing Gran Doma's face and a long column of words beside him. "They made an obituary for Gran Doma in the news today."

Makarov closed his eyes, turning away. "…I see. By any chance, what has become of the Wizard Saints? Have they maintained their ranking?"

"Let's see here…" Mirajane scrolled through the news. "Well, Master Warrod has made it safely to his own home."

"And what of Star Order?"

"Still disbanded. Jango hasn't been seen nor heard from again."

"Ruge?"

"He went home."

"Cruzer?"

"It says here that he's retiring from active duty in the Marines. He's safely home in Oak Town right now. It also seems that he has no desire to fight."

Makarov nodded. "I understand. And what of Bolton?" Upon the mention of that name, Laxus shot a glance at him.

Mirajane turned the page, a frown cascading clearly on her face. "…Cardiac Arrest. I'm afraid he suffered from exertion of stress like Gran Doma."

Laxus looked back down at his mug, looking at his own reflection through violet liquid sitting at the bottom. He knew that it wasn't his fault, nor was it Orga's. They were both above killing, no matter how much people deserved it. Back when he was still a punk he wanted to fry people for making fun of his guild, but his heart kept him in the right direction.

Mirajane gave a smile. "Oh! But it says here that Stella is finally going to have a wedding next week…" She nervously sweat dropped. "Though I don't think we'll be invited anytime soon."

Makarov snickered at the turn of the mood Mira was pulling off. "And what's become of Wolfheim and Hyberion? Still in rehab like Ruge?"

Mira continued scrolling through the article. "Yeah."

"And…of God Serena? What's become of him? Is he still missing?" That was another topic that had but little answers to. Nobody liked to talk about it, nor could they really. The strongest mage being humiliated by Nic and Greninja would most definitely leave a hefty impression. After the battle and the loss, God Serena suddenly disappeared. He hasn't been seen since. Some sources believe that he's fled the country, or perhaps Ishgar itself. Others claim that he's lurking in the shadows, waiting for revenge on Nic. It was a scary thought to know he's gone rogue, but what was there to say?

Mirajane shook her head, putting the paper back down. "Still missing. They believe he's left Ishgar."

Makarov sighed in understanding. He raised a mug to his face and resumed drinking at long again.

As a wooden chair crashed against the wall and broke apart, Lucy hung around the bar on the far end, keeping her head low. "Gee, why must this always happen?" She groaned.

Behind the counter, there was the 'sanity corner', comprised of Cana, Sophie, and Vanessa. Vanessa of course wasn't able to stop her Krookodile from falling prey to such a fight, so she let it happen and would deal with it later. For now, she and the girls hung where Nic and Cana established peace a very long time ago.

Cana held a mug to her lap, smirking. "…you know, it's actually quite peaceful over here." She said. Irony fell upon her when an empty mug hit the wall, falling to her side, much to her fortune. "Say, good lucks on my side."

Vanessa turned towards Sophie, grinning. "I'm still very surprised about that battle."

"I'm sure everyone is." Sophie noted. "Your brother left a profound impact for sure. Not to mention that Nic-Greninja form and that power."

Cana raised a brow. "Nic-Greninja?"

Sophie turned quizzically towards her. "What? It's growing in me."

Vanessa nodded. "Yes, I know. And the fact that the phenomenon triggered Nic's Greninja to learn Night Slash and Return. I never knew that could happen."

Sophie crossed her arms, her chin lowering. "So if I recall now, Greninja now knows Scald, Water Shuriken, Night Slash, and Return. I guess farewell is to say for Bounce and Smokescreen. I have to admit, those two moves have been engraved into my memory well."

Vanessa smiled mournfully at her friend's message. "Sometimes change is good."

"Speaking of Nic and Greninja, where are they?" Cana asked. "Haven't seen them in a while."

"I think Erza's with them, so there really isn't anything to worry about." Vanessa explained. As she said that, her Krookodile was seen flying in the distance, his head meeting Gajeel's own iron skull, both gawking as they plummeted to the ground in reckless pity.

* * *

While things in the guild were as lively as they could ever get, others, however, were less than enthusiastic about the outcome. Within the confines of Nic's own stay in the second building, there was also Erza. The two were being as smooth as they could be, if you don't count the fact that Erza has been on the strenuous side ever since the war's end. Nic could understand, but he didn't bring it up because of everything that's been happening as of late. He stomached it as he laid on Erza, his head resting soundly on her chest. Any other guy would kill to be where he was, but Nic was far from sexually aroused. In truth, he was just…tired.

No one could blame him; he most certainly didn't blame himself. He's been dragging his own psyche across a mine field until it was nothing but an inside-out fraction of what it was before. But he was coping with it. Having been through a war, reconciling with Jellal, and witnessing the death of the abominable tyrant was hard to stomach in a single gulp, but he managed. He was sturdy, he could hold it down. Erza however, she wasn't so willing to swallow her own pill.

Nic was in his attire, save his coat that hung up on a rack close by. Erza was in yellow shorts and a red tank top. The two were close, but Erza didn't touch Nic much since the end of the battle – hardly any. Nic opened his eyes, looking up as Erza's head rest on the headboard. "Erza, it's okay."

Erza frowned. She wasn't so convinced. She tilted her head down and looked off to the side. She knew what Nic was talking about. That one instance, where her indigo figure sliced into his back. To add insult to injury, there was a price paid. Nic and Greninja both suffered back scars. If Nic removed his shirt, one could see a long diagonal slash across his back; same with Greninja. But the fact was that the image was leaving her unable to look at Nic, of all people, in the eye.

Still, Nic wasn't gonna let go. He closed his eyes. "Erza, it was nobody's fault."

"I wish that were true." She regrettably said. "If it wasn't for my past negativity, you wouldn't have-"

"Stop." Nic said. "If I hadn't, Jellal would have been…" He trailed off there, slowly creeping into a still silence. His eyes opened weakly as he could only feel the soft 'pillow' he was on for the time being. "Greninja and I knew it was or the best. If it meant saving a life, then I'll take more than a hundred scars from anybody."

"Nic…"

"Don't beat yourself up for something you know you didn't do, Like I said, it wasn't your fault. You said it, didn't you? You would stay, and I would stay, good and for worse."

Erza remained silent for what she thought was hours, when it was actually minutes. Nic was right, that wasn't her, despite the image. It was hatred and anger that Shadow Erza was nothing but. Nic said it all and made it clear in that battle. She was an imposter, a clear fake compared to Erza herself. Like Nic said, it wasn't anything for her to be beating herself up over. Nic has that giant right-sided scar, so what's another?

Erza closed her eyes, finally embracing Nic. She slowly accepted his warmth after what seemed like days. Her hands made it to his back, where they rested atop of the fresh scar. She could feel Nic lurch, but it was only for a second. The scar hasn't fully healed, despite Nic having used Recover, but safe to say that they've been through a lot worse.

"You okay now?" Nic asked.

Erza looked down, moving her left hand to rub the back of Nic's head. Her smile returned, warm and inviting. "Yes, thanks to you."

Another brief silence fell between the pair as Erza and Nic were in bed, with the redhead inviting Nic soundly once more.

With that matter over with, Erza could get to another point. "So…are you still having nightmares? About…me leaving you?"

Nic tilted his head up, looking into Erza's eyes. They were soft yet so full of concern. While Erza was worries, Nic took the moment to consider everything he and Jellal had been through. Working together, collaborating, defending, sacrifices, and taking in everything he said when facing Shadow Jellal. Jellal has made it clear he has moved on at long last, away from the darkness like Erza has. Nic was always worried he may take Erza away from him, but after what's happened, that was nothing but a fool's concern.

Nic smiled, his hold on Erza tightening. "Don't worry, we've come to terms."

Erza's hold on Nic also tightened, showing how glad she was that Nic had come to good terms at long last with Jellal's wrong-doings. "I'm glad." She whispered.

"Me too." And yet again there was a pause between them, that s to say until Nic spoke up. "So I've heard you've captured that Honedge. I'm proud."

Another event that transpired after the war. Erza knew Honedge had a noble heart like her, and both had a similar appeal towards one another, especially since the event of quarreling Jango of the Phantom Blade. Erza had decided that Honedge should stay with her, much to the satisfaction of the Sword Pokémon. Vanessa handed Erza the Poke Ball, and Erza watched as the sword tapped her pommel to the button, instantly going inside, signaling the capture.

Erza pulled herself down, kissing the top of Nic's head. Her lips were soft, it tickled. "I am too."

* * *

The aftermath had also spread to other guilds, including Sabertooth. Currently there, Master Sting – or Sting – was consulting Minerva with Rogue, with Lector being there for support as well.

Sting crossed his arms, hearing full-well of Minerva's report. "So that's what happened, is it?"

Minerva nodded. "Yes, I regret to inform you that former Master Jiemma and Bellona were seen fighting for the enemy side during the war. And afterwards both had escaped."

Sting looked down to the ground, his eyes narrowing. "Even Bellona."

"Talk about sour milk. We get Jiemma, but we didn't expect Bellona at all since the Grand Magic Games." Lector noted.

"At least now we may have a chance to locate her." Rogue guessed.

Sting turned towards him, a grin coming up on his face. "Right."

Minerva smiled, seeing the determination in both of their eyes to hope and change Bellona for better circumstances in the future.

"Rogue!"

The Shadow Dragon Slayer turned his head off towards the doorway, hearing Frosch's voice. "Yes, Fro?"

"Look what I got!"

Rogue turned his whole body towards the door, grinning. "Well then let's see."

"That better not be a wild mushroom again, ya hear me?!" Lector exclaimed. "We've talked about this! No eating wild plants unless Milady says so!"

The door opened slowly, and at last Frosch came out of the hall and inside. At that moment, all four turned white and gave shocked expressions like no other. They were piled with dumbfounded prospects and stared at Frosch…in a blue frog suit with red eyes, and triangle ears that looked like Greninja. He also had a pink scarf around his neck.

"Yukino helped me make this! Isn't it cool?" He asked. He pulled up his pink scarf, narrowing his eyes as he made a hand sign. "Nin!"

It was very hard to make any sense in the matter. They were all trying to understand that he was acting like Greninja, but mixed results came from it. While Yukino herself found it adorable, the others were hard to press. They all stood there, their shock still evident.

Lector wasn't sure how to put it in his own words. "That's, uh…"

"Very…interesting, Frosch." Sting said.

Minerva said nothing, offering zero input.

Frosch jumped with joy. "Oh boy! I knew everyone would like it! Hey Rogue, what do you think?" He turned towards his best pal, hoping he too would like it.

Rogue was shaking up, his knees almost quivering. The group turned towards him for what he had to respond with, only he was using every ounce of willpower to keep himself in check. He was smiling, looking proudly at Frosch. In stark contrast to his shuddering form, he smiled, making Frosch feel delighted.

"I think it fits very well onto you, Fro." He said with a flat tone.

Frosch jumped with delight. "Oh boy! I knew it! You did like it!" He turned around, facing the doorway. All four could even see what was a cardboard cut-out in the shape of a shuriken taped to his back. The sight was instantly making a pressure swell from amongst the four, more specifically Rogue. Frosch walked away with a skip in his step. "I'm gonna show everybody! Nin!"

Once he walked out, the door closed behind him. There was long silence that passed as they looked at the wooden door. Finally, the one to react was none other than Rogue. He sank to the doors, tears dripping onto the ground as he pounded the floor with his fist. "It's not fair! It's not fair!" He wept. "Why?! Why?! Come back to me, Frosch~!"

Sting looked despondently at the panicking Rogue as Lector provided levity by patting his back in comfort. The Master crossed his arms. "Seriously?"

Minerva shook her head, sighing angrily.

* * *

The sun was setting, and the long day was finally drawing to a close. At the Mermaid Heel Guild, things were placid, as one would look at it that way. Ever since the war's ending, the Mermaid Heel Mages were all getting back into routine, as cheerful as can be. Although some more than others. It had been quite some time since Kagura or Millianna had hung out with the others, and as much as Risley wanted to support them, she was just shrugged off by the swordswoman.

Both were atop of the balcony, staring into the sunset. A bird passed over their heads, but neither was moved by its cries in the winds. The incidents with Jellal has left them with more than a few strained resolves. Honestly, they didn't know what to think of anything anymore.

After the war was over, they couldn't do anything, even when they watched from the distance as Nic and Erza saw Crime Sorciere head off their own way. They wanted to do something. Stop Jellal and kill him, but Nic and Greninja would just stop them. And to add insult to injury, they still could recount Gran Doma's demise over obsession.

"So, Millianna. Have you said your goodbyes to your friends?" Kagura finally spoke.

Millianna nodded, still looking ahead towards the landscape. "Yeah, Sho and Wally are on their way back to their travels." Even her tone seemed flat; not sad, not happy, it was like the emotions were drained away along with her grudge. "It was fun having them around for the short while."

Kagura closed her eyes. "So it would seem." The ace turned her body away, no longer belonging in the spot she was. "I'm retiring for the day. Be well."

Millianna continued staring ahead, her frown evident. The cat-girl was sad, but the lesson learned well was that moving on was part of life. She didn't want to accept it, and she couldn't, but given the circumstances and how everyone else was, what was there for her to hold onto? She felt so lost, her darkness but a void in her heart she can't seem to close. The best thing to do from here on was drop it completely. It was going to take some time, but reflection was the best thing to do. Many already protect Jellal, despite the cruelty committed. Could she forgive him? No, but she can manage.

Kagura departed, her head hung low. Her pacing was slow as she was making way down the steps. She frowned just as badly as Millianna. She couldn't stop thinking of all that's happened. Nic and Greninja shield Jellal and took in her own hatred and swelling anger. Her grudge, her negativity, it's what permanently damaged the backs of those who saved her life, who saved Jellal's life, and who saved the entire universe. She looked down at Archenemy, seeing the image of Jellal. While it did not make her sick, she did, however, turn away, unable to look at the face of someone who wasn't in control of killing her brother. Even still, what was she to do. _'There's no good coming out of this grudge I have. I'm just pushing everyone away. Despite how I feel, I'm just judging by action. Is there really a concept of fair anymore?'_ Kagura's blackened heart may have started sewing back, but just like Millianna, it was going to take some time to get used to recovering and moving on.

* * *

Night fell soon, and Nic insisted that Erza should go on an overnight job, but she was resilient in staying with him. Nic didn't pressure her, so he thought it was best to advise she tried training Honedge with help from Vanessa, to which she agreed to. With Erza off to train her new Pokémon under the starry sky, Nic and Greninja found themselves in the forest not long after. They were both side by side, staring up into the night sky, the twinkling of stars radiating with sweet bliss.

While Nic was in his usual attire now, Greninja had a blue scar on his back, the same length and angle as Nic's on his own back. They did not make a sound, nor were words needed. They were just reflecting.

Both were beneath a tree close by, their backs towards one another with arms crossed. Their eyes shut, a calm and blissful remembrance relived.

It was a time like this that made them recount that night. The night of that day they met. It was after the countless beating the other put into another, their bodies all tired, barely even able to lift a finger. Froakie and Nic both wolfed down their meals, and in an instant, tried stumbling of to train, but both wounded up sleeping. They slumped down, their backs to one another, supporting one another as they slept beneath a tree.

As of now, that memory made them smile in their sleep, as their scarred backs supported the other while the night sky looked down, two bright stars twinkling side by side.

* * *

 **Here it is, the finale to the Council War Arc. How was the arc itself to your liking? Did it have that flavor that I give the rest of my original arcs, like the Kalos and Celestial Siege Arcs? Be honest, I wanna know if this lived up to your expectations.**

 **This arc was by all means an important asset to the development of characters, mainly Jellal, Kagura, Minerva, Nic, and Greninja. I felt it was vital to show that Jellal has moved on and is pressing forward, and I had to make it so that Millianna and Kagura were trying to do so as well. Also with how the GMG Arc went, I wanted to make sure the level of respect between Minerva and Kagura were of great respect. This arc was also to show Nic and Greninja's bond, and a bit of their history to reflect on as well. I also made it so that Erza would have a deeper understanding and prove her loyalty to Nic, as well as use this arc to give her a Pokémon. With how I made the arc end, I thought this was another reason God Serena would join the Spriggan 12.**

 **So as of now, Greninja's moveset is completely different compared to** _ **The Fairy Contender**_ **, where he knew Water Pulse, Dark Pulse, Bounce, and Smokescreen. How do you like Greninja's moveset now? I needed a move that represented the power Nic and Greninja had together, and I thought Return would be perfect. Night Slash was also what I felt to be a gift since he no longer knew Dark Pulse, plus Greninja and Nic were more close-range combatants to begin with.**

 **So anyways, I think what I'm going to do is cool down for a bit and shift over to** _ **One's Road to Remembrance**_ **for some time. After maybe two or three chapters I'll come back and make a few chapters before starting up the Sun Village Arc. I already broke the ice with Warrod Sequen so that we had a familiarity before the start, so that was a plus.**

 **Until next time guys! Again, review and comment everything that you loved about this arc and the plot points I made!**


	19. The Best Gift Ever

The cavernous domain dripped with water, and again the water was all that made sound. Inside was again pure darkness, not even winds blowing in from the quarries and tunnels that were all around the secluded vicinity. In light of the desolation and bone-chilling domain, there was, however, some alleviated qualities. At this point it was daybreak, so sun rays could be piercing through the few tunnels in the east. The shallow waves of the sea were close by, but not enough to stir any means of trouble or arouse for what went on in the cavern.

Water dripped again, near a woman's head. As it fell, she stuck an index finger beneath, catching the drop, letting it absorb into her skin. "Quite the bore it is at these times. Really isn't much to do, is there?" She lethargically questioned with little regard of an answer.

"Now Ivy, be patient." Another feminine figure in the darkness persisted. "Your ill-tolerance is…ill-tolerable."

Ivy turned away, huffing as she put a hand to her robust hip.

"Although, I admit full-well that Fernando's perception on his little game can be a bit long to wait for any result."

Ivy looked out to the small exit far away. "Why do we have to be reconnaissance? Saboth would've been a better choice."

"It's Alpha's will I'm afraid." The woman said. "If we value ourselves, we'd best respect his decisions. Besides, he's our leader, and the one who's come so far for the energy to converge to this isle. Less you've forgotten, Ivy."

Ivy again rolled her eyes, more sass in her hips evident. "Speaking of which, Alpha's been occupied for quite some time, hasn't he, Mariah?"

The woman in the equal shadows now revealed to be Mariah stared back the way they came from, away from the light. A small silence crept around them like insects swarming their prey without a second thought.

"I'd rather discard that notion, if I were you." She warned. "It's not our business to interfere with Alpha's own musings. His delights with those…certain objects, has put us on edge, granted, but less we remind ourselves, that we must stick to our goal. Fernando's calculations indicate it won't be too long now."

Ivy looked up at the ceiling, watching as a drip of water was dangling for a brief while. It finally fell, but Ivy caught it with her index finger, allowing it to be absorbed into her skin. "I suppose you're right. He's isn't exactly the type to share his belongings now, is he? Oh~, what a shame if my skin and bones be dried."

Mariah closed her eyes, looking away.

Deeper within the confines of the cavern, not even the single glimpse of the outside light could reach it. It was like a void of cold rock all around. The only light to alleviate any sense of sight may be the candles stacked in a few places, but otherwise the various faces all around were disclosed within the darkness' grasp.

Imaci had his eyes shut, conserving his energy. "Gentlemen, give patience its credit." He silently stated. "As Fernando had calculated, the circumstances are dire if we are to proceed."

Crowhaw's straw hat tipped, concealing his face. "I agree, but Alpha's been closed off for quite some time now. Doesn't it make you worry?"

Imaci's eyes slowly opened halfway. "Do not freight. Alpha's pondering. Seems to me he's quite fond of those objects he's commandeered not too long ago."

"…as I am aware. I suppose we can only hope that his recent delusions won't cloud him from his quest. It's as his allies that we follow him without question."

Nearby, a scythe swung in a gloved hand. The hooded figure cascaded himself from the candle light, making him appeal to the of a reaper. The scythe stopped as he hung it behind. "It's been too long since the underworld has risen. The unfair judgment that has not been cast by my hands will have its calling card. For now, we disclose."

Imaci and Crowhaw did not respond, nor did they look at the reaper.

Even deeper in the caverns, there was a long tunnel, and it stretched onwards into the norm. The darkness was so thick that it could make one choke. It was the perfect veil, and it would make many turn back and end up lost, forever to wander within the maze of pitch-black until they collapse and find themselves unable to even feel death conquer them. But if one had the guts and the straight-forward mind, they'd find themselves light at the end of the tunnel, quite literally. In a chamber the size of a living room, there was but a single candle, igniting the air in light. The candle had never gone out, not even once within the years it's been used.

There he was, Alpha on his bunk. He was staring at the two artist drawings for what one could say be hours, if not days. The two drawings themselves; their faces caught his attention, and it's because of that he's been digressing. Hand clasped and resting, he stared with a half-grin at Nic and Vanessa's portraits.

He scratched the back of his head, groaning in a tiresome manner. "It's been weeks, and still, what is about you both that makes me want to just…" He trailed off as he hunched over, staring intensively. "Those yes, and those confident faces, they bother me, but at the same time, it compels me as well. You're an intriguing duo. Whoever drew you certainly has the talent to discern your wills."

From the darkness of the tunnel, a ghostly figure emerged, its red eyes glaring and the smirk on its body as large as it ever was.

Alpha turned towards him. "What?"

The figure said nothing, but snickered.

Alpha sighed. He knew that even without words, he could read his companion as clear as crystal. "Yeah I know. You think it's funny seeing me hungover on silly drawings. I gotcha."

Again, the ghastly being sneered, but in a less menacing way. He watched as Alpha got back to his feet. The menacing leader stood once more on his feet, smirking at his pet. He narrowed his eyes, for the time being ignoring his little obsession. "I suppose my little 'hobby' can be put on hold. If so, let's get going."

The smirking ghost popped his head back into the darkness, with Alpha following in pursuit. He walked ever so casually through darkness, away from the candle lighting that illuminated his cape.

* * *

It was but another morning in Magnolia, with the morning sun radiating over flowers and gardens across the land. Within the rising sun in the east, the rays of the light within the world finally shined through the curtains of a small room in an apartment, harboring Vanessa. In the confines of her own bed, the young woman stirred in her sleep, the curtains unable to keep the sunlight from finally getting to her.

Her warm blue eyes finally fluttering open, the Aura Mage finally aroused from her sleep with but a silence in the atmosphere for once. Her eyes were met with the blue sky, her warm smile finally aroused onto her face. She got up, and then flipped open the window. A breath of fresh air escaped into the confines of her room, making her sigh as the Magnolia scenery and the air alike was as fresh as what a morning could be.

With her teeth brushed and her hair fixed to being a silky long smooth, Vanessa was ready to start the day.

Weeks have passed since the Council War ended. In terms of time-wise, it's been near months since the Grand Magic Games. Everything's dialed down, and events of Dark Guilds and bandit-like activities have been slow ever since the season's change to Autumn. Many were still frankly paranoid by the events still set in July and of Lysandre, and following the Council War ending with Nic and Greninja defeating the strongest mage in all of Fiore, criminal activity has been low, surprisingly. No one wants Nic nor any of his allies on their tales, so as of now, it's become a month – more specifically a day – special to the younger Pularis sibling.

Heading downstairs, she had a smile and eyes set on the living room. "Good morning, Sophie…" But much to her surprise, her blonde roommate wasn't there. Vanessa blinked. "Sophie?" She walked down the steps, curious as to what happened with the Memory-Make Mage. She looked in the kitchen, but she wasn't there either.

Now she was getting a little conspicuous. She put a hand to her chin. "How odd. Sophie's normally down here before me." She wanted to be sure Sophie was out training, but alas little luck's fallen on her shoulders. She wasn't there unfortunately, so this brings up the question of where exactly did she run off to.

' _Did she go on a job without me knowing? If that were the case, did she leave me behind just for a breather?'_ The younger Pularis sibling shook her head. _'No, that isn't like Sophie. She'd always wake me up – abruptly. I'll see if I can get her signature…'_

Closing her eyes, Vanessa began to use her Aura Magic. All across Magnolia, her area of sensory was spread. Her signatures of every person made it very easy for her to tell of emotion, how they were feeling, or their personality. In this case, her ideas went straight to the guild hall.

Vanessa's eyes opened up. "So that's where you are." Vanessa huffed, relief washing over her, She looked over towards the fridge, looking to see fresh lemons ripe for eating. "Well, guess I should get started on my breakfast before heading over."

* * *

After early morning training with his Pokémon, Nic made his breakfast brief. He had no time to waste, for today there were plans to be made. He had already rendezvoused with Erza in front of Fairy Hills after she accomplished her own training with Honedge. Since the war, Erza's been training Honedge, and suffice to say that the results have been very kind to them both. Honedge learned Autotomize, which helped her a lot, even giving Erza s run for her jewel in her Flight Armor.

Both Trainers met up and were currently in the guild hall, rallying up the members. Nic was the one making the plans, with Erza following through.

"…and that's the plan." Nic concluded, "So, does everybody understand what their role is?"

Natsu put his hands behind his head, looking away nonchalantly. "Don't sweat it. We know the drill."

"Yeah, we'll be ready by that time." Lucy insisted.

"Thanks for the little heads up last week. I gotta say pal, getting these ideas and plans in just a single night is craftsmanship." Gray praised.

"Well he is an artist. Creativity is one of his strongpoints." Cana deadpanned.

"Ah, put a sock in it." Gray wined.

Levy had on her reading glasses and was taking in the plans Nic had written down. Once she's processed the layout, she looked back up with a smile. "Don't worry, we'll be sure to make everything the best we know how."

Natsu gave a small pout. "Still don't see why I don't get to be in charge of this stuff."

"Because in an hour's time you'd have everything set on fire. Plus you can't even direct properly." Happy convinced.

Natsu crossed his arms, embarrassment sprouting all over his face. "Shut up, Happy!"

Nic grinned. "Then it's all settled. Erza and I will be back by that exact time. I'm counting n you guys." He looked over towards Sophie. "Sophie, implement your part."

Sophie smiled and nodded. "Alright, I'll be back soon." She turned her back towards the group, heading towards the doorway with a job request in hand. "Be well!"

"You too!" Mirajane called out. The doors shut behind Sophie, and again the guild hall's attention was drawn towards Nic as he resumed.

"Very well. With Sophie keeping Vanessa away for the day, that should buy us enough time for them to be back close to that point. Warren, you keep a lookout for their arrival. Everyone else, Levy and Cana will be your details." Nic turned around, extending his arm towards the open air. With a swift swipe of his arm and hands alike, a spatial hole opened up, cosmic energy flowing in and out like water. There on the other side was an alleyway, vacant.

Erza approached Nic. Both turned towards the other and smiled. They looked down, seeing their hands spread apart.

"Are you ready?" Nic asked.

Erza slowly grabbed Nic's hand, her securities firm yet sincere as her hold onto him. Her nod was the only thing she had to give to him as means of confirmation.

With Nic giving her a soft smile in return, the pair faced the wormhole, ready as will ever be. They leaped inside, jumping towards the other side. The portal closed behind, leaving rainbow sparkles that glistened like glitter in the thin air.

Cana cleared her throat as she sat the mug down. "Alright people, party time! You all know what to do, so get to it! Chop-chop!"

Immediately, the scrambling around had begun.

* * *

Vanessa made way towards the guild hall, her Braixen by her side. The Fire-type looked as peaceful as could be, alongside her Trainer's own relaxed face. But even Braixen could feel the anticipation resonating from Vanessa. She said nothing of it, leaving but a silence to fill the air. Both Trainer and Pokémon embarked onwards along the riverside, eventually making it towards the street where their guild hall was located.

"I wonder what Sophie and the others are up to?" Braixen wondered.

"Me too." Vanessa smiled. "I guess we'll say what the day details, huh?"

As they drew closer, fortune smiled down onto them. Speaking of the devil, Sophie was seen walking passively down the street, a small smile engrossed onto her pink lipstick. "Vanessa. Braixen." She happily greeted. "Good morning."

"Good morning." They replied in unison.

Vanessa took the lead. "When I noticed that I wasn't awoken by your…methods, I wondered what happened?"

Sophie maintained her smile. "Sorry about that. I should have left a notice on your door that I went early to the guild today. There was a special on the breakfast there, and plus while I was there, I grabbed hold of this." She held her hand up, presenting Vanessa with the new job request. The details of the picture were bleak, but nonetheless the pay was 300,000 Jewel. A hefty price meant an arduous job. "The early Swellow gets the Caterpie…that is what you say, right?"

Vanessa smiled. "Something like that." She looked at the job, reading the details as a miniature monster hunt. It was a couple hours by train, but it seemed like an idea for the day. Vanessa saw no problem to it. "Sure, let's get going."

"Great. Let's stop by home and pack our supplies." Sophie led them back home, readying for today's job, and in Sophie's scenario or part, a distraction.

All the while they walked, Vanessa half-grinned, catching an aura of duty and complication from Sophie, but said nothing out of prospect.

* * *

Nic and Erza walked out of the alleyway, hand in hand as they pressed into the open sidewalks of the enormous and bustling Lumiose City. All around them, people were walking; some with places to be, others for the sights, and some just lost and looking for a taxi. Nic looked all around, silently admiring how even though seven years have went by during a certain incident, Lumiose City was still fresh and lively with technology and other modes of transportation that Earth Land had yet to invent. Not much of Lumiose City had changed over the course of time, except maybe one or two extra waterways, a couple of shops cleaned up, and the many faces.

"Even after such a long time, this place still holds such prime." Nic mused. "Lumiose City, it's been quite a while since we've been here."

Erza looked around, seeing the many complex people venture left and right. While she did recount her previous visit to the city during the Kalos incident, she was too awestricken given it was her first time. "This is a little overwhelming to say the least. I never imagined being here once more." She admitted. Again she looked up, captivated by Prism Tower in the distance. "Lumiose City…"

Nic's fingers curled up in Erza's, their equal awe felt through the comfort in the other's hold. Lumiose City was gigantic, so it would be easy to get lost, another reason why Nic was so tight on his grip, as if the city's captive vibe would seize her and lead her astray from him. Nic knew better than to doubt Erza's loyalty, but he just couldn't help it. Today was so full of expectations, especially with what he had planned, but he persevered well through the noise and the maelstrom picked up from the city.

Nic smiled towards her. "You ready to go?"

"I am." Erza nodded.

The pair turned onto the avenue and thus began their trek for their destination. Was to be a certain destination, of Nic's choice that he's only heard rumors of. It was but the finest dessert and bakery in all of Lumiose City. The only problem was that he had no idea how to get there. So just like Erza, Nic was going to have to navigate through means of direction, but that did not deter him from his quest. While finding nearby maps or perhaps a taxi, he'll enjoy the sights.

This was one task he found relaxing.

* * *

Along the same street, there were more than a few people with styles in their own right, and among them were some picky, some loose, and those who had other means of expressing their opinion. Lumiose City had a huge population, and of course that also means it's easy to blend into crowds. Among those opinionated were Trainers who lived in Lumiose City. Trainers who were either starting out, or those who retired after failing to defeat Diantha in the past.

There was a group of three boys, and three's a crowd. One of them had a black leather jacket, and short, brown, spiky hair. He had tattered gray pants and casual shoes. He had a red shirt underneath, and he looked to be around 19 or 20.

Another had blue jeans and with black shoes. He had a yellow shirt underneath his black hoodie with a Vanillite on the front. He had very short brown hair, but wasn't spiked, except for the bangs, of which were spiked up to the side.

The last one had indigo shoes and gray sweatpants. The most unprofessional-looking as he had an indigo jacket unzipped to show his black t-shirt beneath. He had long spiked hair, of which was yellow.

The three Trainers casually strolled down Estival Avenue, bored. "Boy was that a bummer." Chris, the one with the leather jacket, said. "That guy didn't even put up a fight. It was a fluke."

Jake, the one with the Vanillite sweatshirt, looked towards him. "Chris, must you be a sore winner?"

"If I wanna be the strongest, that means facing the toughest with my toughest, Jake." He rebuffed.

Jake just shook his head, mourning over his friend's attitude.

The last one, Will, didn't seem to mind that much. "What was that win now? You're 20th in a row?"

"22nd." Chris said. "Lumiose City hasn't got anything left for me. All of those 'strong' Trainers went south to Kiloude City. Guess it's time I pack my stuff up and head there."

Jake raised a brow. "What about all of those battle restaurants?"

Chris rolled his eyes. "We've been through this, buddy. I can't find strong opponents if I can't use but a single Pokémon."

"Whatever floats your boat." Will shrugged. "Well since we all lost to Diantha, what do you say we get tickets and…" His voice trailed off, and the Trainer's gaze went off towards the other end of the streets. As he saw people staring at a prominent someone, he too went wide-eyed at what they were beholding.

He stopped in his tracks, catching Chris's attention. "Hey, Will, buddy, you okay?"

Jake looked quizzically at him. He turned his head, following Will's gaze. He too went wide-eyed and went stiff.

Chris soon followed, and he was caught stiff. His eyebrows raised as he caught a glimpse at what might be a very good reason to hold off on Kiloude City after all. He and his friends were looking at the images that passed that were known as Nic and Erza. The two Trainers were holding hands, and with Nic's achievements from the past, there were a lot of woman staring in awe, if not drooling. Of course they were shattered when they saw him with Erza, who was more endowed than they will ever be. Everyone watched as Nic and Erza came to the corner of a sidewalk, where Nic opened the door for Erza so that she could get into the taxi. Nic entered next, shutting the door behind them. The cab went off driving down the street, where the group's gazes followed.

Will was still caught up in the moment as he pointed at the escaping taxi. "Was that who I think it was?"

Jake blinked. "Okay, I know what I saw. That was definitely…"

"Nic Pularis." Chris finished. As the cab was finally out of sight, he narrowed his eyes. "Guess I was wrong. The strongest and the strongest Pokémon _do_ reside elsewhere than Kiloude City."

Jake groaned. "I'll call for a Gogoat Shuttle." He sighed.

Chris smirked as he thought of Nic. "Hehe. My 23rd win is just around the corner."

* * *

The cab taking Nic and Erza was directed towards Vernal Avenue. As the cab was flying through the street, the pair were looking out the windows on either side, taking in all of the sites. Erza alone was amazed that she was in an actual cab. Earth Land needed magic to power these certain devices like Magic Mobiles, but Nic's world only needs gas and electricity. Yet another reason to be amazed by Nic's world. Erza looked out as she saw various apartments together, and the various humans roaming around with a variety of Pokémon coexisting with them. The numerous species was surprising. It was like exploring new magic, only it wasn't magic, but living creatures that could use magic in a way. "Amazing." She muttered.

Nic looked over, her bangs obscuring her right eye from his sights. He could still see even through her hair that her eyes were wide open to the world, like a child. He felt the same way. It was fun exploring new places and meeting new Trainers and Pokémon, though he didn't do this activity hardly given he'd rather spend his days training and being with his six Pokémon in the mountains and along routes all around Kalos. He looked back at his own window, watching as a Furfrou wagged its tail at its Trainer in the passing scenery. In light of the deadline they had, they liked this idea.

About thirty minutes went by until the cab finally pulled up along Vernal Avenue. It stopped in front of a medium-sized stores. Customers were flowing in and out on occasion. The glass window revealed a bakery and a dessert shop. Donuts, muffins, candy, cupcakes, cakes, etc. It was all looking so delicious that Erza could feel her mouth water. And this was from when they were in the cab still.

Nic thanked the driver and paid him well. The taxi resumed its duties and left Nic and Erza be in front of the bakery. Both stepped in front, looking up at the sign that said 'Maison de Friandises' in red cursive, with red flowers all around with rainbow lines as well.

"So this is the place?" Erza speculated.

Nic looked all around, seeing the fresh baked foods on display. "For our sake, I hope so."

The two ventured inside, opening the door. It was surprisingly spacious, with tiled flooring and a lush aroma flowing through the air. A few tables were present, and a few patrons were salivating on cupcakes and other available desserts they've purchased.

Walking up to the front desk, Nic and Erza faced one of the employees. She had a big smile as sweet as the desserts inside of the glass of the desk. "Hi, welcome to Maison de Friandises, how may I help you?" She politely asked.

Erza nodded in respect. "Yes, we've come to place an order?"

"Okay, then what will that be?"

Nic knelt down, inspecting the various desserts displayed. Immediately his eyes darted for the large white cake with vivid yellow frosting with a Poke Ball, a Butterfree, a Metapod, and a Butterfree on it. Immediately he smiled, finding what he's been looking for. "We'd like this lemon cake, if you would?"

The employee smiled and looked down at the lemon cake. "Sure, would you like to have anything written on it?"

Nic nodded. "Of course…" As he spoke the letters to the employee, another employee was decorating in the back, twisting his icing to make streams that flourished into rose petals. That distraction made it hard to tell what Nic said, but Erza's smiling was a confirmation.

The employee cheerfully smiled. "Sure! What else can I do?"

Nic turned towards Erza, a half-grin still on his face. "We're going to need more cake for the guild, won't we?" He questioned.

Erza nodded. "I agree. We all have hardy appetites."

Nic turned back towards the employee. "Then it's settled. We'll take two dozen cupcakes, half vanilla, half chocolate. And can we get a small strawberry cheesecake to go along with that? Full-sized?" Erza's eyes sparkled with delight. "And that will be all."

"Okay, the process will take at 2 to 3 hours. Will that be alright with you?" The employee wondered.

Nic nodded. "Sure."

Nic paid the amount necessary and he and Erza thanked her before they exited. Outside of the shop, the two were now free to wait but for a few hours for the process to go through. Not much had transpired afterwards, only that they found themselves walking up Vernal Avenue towards the Central Plaza, where Prism Tower was located.

As they walked, their footsteps were in sync. They really had no aim, so long as they had this time to themselves. It was enjoyable to be exploring with Nic as he leads the way for the most part, but even he was caught in the moment. Not much was said, but it felt relaxing at the same time.

"So, Nic, Lumiose City is known for its cafés, am I right?" The redhead asked. "Then what do you believe is most noteworthy to stop for lunch?"

Nic looked towards her again. He was about to mutter a place of recommendation until a little intervention popped up.

"Well whaddya know? _The_ Nic Pularis. He and his Pokémon who saved the entire universe." The voice was heavily sarcastic, and by no means all that friendly. Nic and Erza looked ahead, seeing the group of Trainers. They were Will, Jake, and Chris, all three that caught up will Nic and Erza, much to their own confusion, but at the same time, their approach gave them a hefty guard.

Chris had hands in his pocket, looking at Nic with a smugged grin. "The legend does come by after all."

"Legend?" Erza questioned. She looked at Nic, who wasn't fazed. "I wouldn't go that far in his vocabulary."

Chris shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat I guess."

Nic kept a calm composure despite the cocky attitude thrown at him. "I believe we haven't met before, am I right?"

Chris nodded. "Yeah, the name's Chris. These are my pals Will and Jake." He pointed his thumbs at the mentioned, who nodded at Nic in a manner of respect more tolerable than Chris. "It just so happens that I'm a Trainer myself. We all are."

Them being Trainers did, however, make Nic raise a brow. "Is that so?"

Will nodded. He reached out. "Sorry about Chris's means of introducing. Name's Will."

Nic was obliged as he shook Will's hand with respect. "Nic." He reached over and shook hands next with Jake, who seemed equally as obliged. When Nic reached for Chris, all the Trainer did was stare at Nic's hand, and then slowly looked back up at Nic himself with a raised brow. It took a minute, but Chris shook his hand, but with a sense of vigor, a vigor that was more firm and aggressive compared to the others. Nic and Erza already didn't appreciate how he already came up to them.

Chris smirked. "So, _the_ Nic Pularis, I challenge you to a Pokémon Battle; right here, and right now!"

Nic raised a brow at the abrupt question. "Is this so?"

"Is there a motive to this sudden request?" Erza answered, but the tone was clearly one of demand. It's clear that she expects and answer.

Chris gesticulated with his hands as a means of exaggerating. "What else? I want a good battle. If I'm to become the strongest of them all, I gotta use the strongest against the greatest, and that'll prove that I have what it takes to be the strongest. And that means battling the toughest Trainers out there?"

Nic narrowed his eyes. "That's a low concept to tolerate, wouldn't you say?"

Chris raised a brow. "What are you talking about?"

"You really believe that becoming strong itself serves as its own purpose? What need do you have to get strong in the first place? Is it so that you'll always win? Is it so that you can protect your own? Is it because you feel satisfaction in the glory of victory? Or is it that you want strong Pokémon to begin with? I can't be one to tell you how you raise your Pokémon. That's for you to learn through experience. But if all you ask for is a battle against 'the strongest' as you say, then what does that imply?"

Jake gestured towards Chris. "That's what we're trying to tell him!"

Will rolled his eyes. "But he _always_ has to go and make a big deal about having to defeat the most powerful to _be_ the most powerful." He pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning. "And whenever we try, we always lose."

Nic looked towards Will and Jake, staring at them before turning his attention towards the smirking Chris. "…is that so?"

Chris raised a brow. "Whaddya say? You up for it?"

Nic turned towards Erza, seeing the similar look he was giving her. It was one of equal resolution. Both knew of people his nature, those who can't learn unless by defeat. It was up to Nic to put him in his place. Nic nodded back, a serious look plastered. "Very well. If you intend on using those beliefs against me, then I shall embrace your request."

"Alright!" Chris cheered. "Time to see how I measure against the strongest there is!"

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, Chris had found the perfect spot for a battle. In the nearby Bleu Plaza, there was a battlefield engraved into the ground. Around the battlefield were a couple of trees and bushes planted by the southern community. The battlefield was so engraved into the ground that were smooth yellow bricks as walls to border around the area and a few flights of stairs to accompany exits. Already people were gathering around. They heard Nic Pularis was around somewhere, and when word got around that he was having a battle, people wanted to see it first-hand. By now, at least thirty people encompassed the area, inside and out, even a Lumiose Press Reporter was present.

Chris gave a smirk. "Guess they know who's gonna win."

Nic had hands in his pocket, keeping calm. He said nothing but instead pulled out a single Poke Ball.

Chris scoffed. "Guess actions speak louder than words." He pulled out a different kind of Poke Ball; this one was Black, and was yellow upside-down U's on the front and back. It was an Ultra Ball.

"So if I'm not mistaken, you're challenging me to see if you have what it takes to be the strongest?" Nic clicked the Poke Ball, enlarging it. "That's a fool's ambition."

Chris pointed his Ultra Ball at Nic. "Now isn't that insulting to a Trainer like me?"

"Perhaps so, but when are you truly satisfied? After you win or after your Pokémon feels satisfaction?"

Erza was off to the side, her arms crossed as she was watching the battle unfold. She was supporting Nic all the way.

Chris brought his arm back. "When I defeat every single Trainer out there. The thrill of victory is my passion, and that's what'll drive me forward!" He tossed the Poke Ball into the air. "Come on out, Tyranitar!"

The Ultra Ball opened, and out came a large green Pokémon that had an armored blue belly. He had sharp teeth, and the tail was spiked around the tip. He stood up, with his prominent head spikes high. The Armor Pokémon pressed a foot forward, making a thud as he yelled out aloud.

"He's going with his strongest right off the bat." Will said.

"As he always does." Jake reminded him.

Chris grinned confidently. "Alright! Now I wanna see your full power, Nic Pularis! Hit me with your most powerful Pokémon! I dare ya!"

Nic held the Poke Ball up, and then tossed it into the air. "Let's go!"

The Poke Ball opened up, and the trace of energy exerted towards the ground. Chris was immediately met with shock as out came Nic's Kecleon. The Color Swap Pokémon stood up, tilting her head off to the side, as she always does.

Erza investigated the battle unfolding. "So Nic's using his Kecleon, against a …Tyranitar."

While Jake and Will showed no shock, they knew it was odd to see a Pokémon like that against a beast like Tyranitar. Chris, however, was not so pleased. "This is a joke, right?" He sounded in heavy disbelief. "If this is a joke, I ain't laughing."

Nic stared ahead. Kecleon adjusted her head. In an immediate shift in reality, both had the same serious expression, though it was hard to tell for Kecleon.

Chris clutched his fists, frustration starting to pile on. "I thought I was against the strongest. Am I being played as a fool here or what? Isn't the strongest of them all supposed to have super powerful Pokémon that they always have on hand? Like a Dragonite or a Garchomp? Isn't one's party supposed to be filled with those kinds for the strongest? What is a Pokémon like _that_ defacing what the strongest stand for?!"

Kecleon tilted her head. "(Bricks that build up must get hit by a wrecking ball.)"

"Yeah, reality will hit him hard when we show him how a true Pokémon Trainer handles their battles." Nic said, with Kecleon straightening her head and nodding in agreement.

Chris raised a brow once more in a gruff manner. "You just cocky or what? If you're not taking me seriously with your strongest, then I'll wrap this up now! Tyranitar, let's go!" His Tyranitar responded by again letting out a roar. All around dust began to stir, and a buildup of sand turned into a tempest. A sandstorm raged in the rea, winds and rock brushing against Nic and Kecleon, but neither were moved.

"So Tyranitar has Sand Stream." Nic confirmed through the howling sand.

"Sand Stream?" Erza questioned.

Jake turned towards her. "It's Tyranitar's Ability. He can whip up a sandstorm, damaging those who aren't Rock, Ground, or Steel-types." He explained.

Will put a hand to his chin. "What I don't get is Nic's choice. If we remember from…that incident, he has a Garchomp, right? So why not use that? That's what I don't get."

Erza looked at Nic, watching him go to work. She didn't question the fact Garchomp would've been a suitable choice, but why did Nic choose Kecleon? Was it because of her Ability? Or her stealth? It made Erza wonder and wonder some more until it finally came to her. This isn't any ordinary Kecleon; this is one raised and loved by Nic, someone, and amongst the six Pokémon, have been through adapting climate changes. It didn't matter who Nic used to begin with, each and every one was equal when it comes to intensive qualities. It would take more than fifty Tyranitar to wear her down. She smiled. "I understand."

Chris reached for the necklace he adorned. He held it up high, the sandstorm raging with the energy that was starting to rise ever so credibly. "Fine, but you're making a huge mistake, pal! Tyranitar and I know what true power means, so we'll show you!"

Nic and Kecleon remained unemotional as they saw the Key Stone engraved into the necklace. Chris tapped it, and the radiant rainbow energy that was engrossing the raging winds in vivid energy were glistening vibrantly, turning into light waves that wiggled vigorously.

Tyranitar lurched, his energy reacting as well. His body had begun to glow as radiant waves of dark green flailed in front. The small rock around Tyranitar began to shudder as the energy exerting was fluctuating at such high levels.

Erza's eyes narrowed. _'I feel so much power coming from them both. Are they really able to do that as well?'_

The light waves connected and brightness raced down towards Tyranitar. When the light waves touched Tyranitar at long last, he was engulfed in the light of Mega Evolution. "Tyranitar, Mega Evolve!" Chris shouted.

As Tyranitar was beginning to morph, the sandstorm was howling with heavy violence. The earth was near shaking as the power of the transaction was pouring out. Tyranitar had a long horn atop of his head, among that, spikes appeared along the sides. The tail reshaped as well, and the action was surprising Erza some as she was seeing what one could describe as a gruesome overhaul.

Stones and dust flew haphazardly through the sandstorm. The shockwaves made the ground shudder, and the spectators all shuddered when the light of Mega Evolution exploded. They were there to behold of Mega Tyranitar. Mega Tyranitar looked different, for he had greater gaps in the armor, with more triangular holes along the neck and on the throat. The four gaps on the chest were larger and contained red ovals, almost like a set of eyes. The ridges on the brows lengthened, becoming far more prominent than they ever were. The center spike, however, became the long horn rising. The chest armor expanded as well, making three irregular spikes along the sides. The belly armor turned red instead of blue, and the leg joints acquired spikes. The tail also lengthened, ascertaining more prominent spikes jutting near the tip and out.

Mega Tyranitar unleashed another roar, making the ground shudder and nearly crack apart. The sandstorm kicked up further, blowing around furiously. Despite the roaring, Nic and Kecleon weren't moved nor affected.

"Mega Evolution, so he's going at full power just like he said he would." Nic confirmed. He glared ahead, holding himself affirm. "Kecleon."

Understanding, Kecleon spread her legs, prepared to fight.

Chris extended his arm forward. "Sucks that you didn't use a stronger Pokémon. Your visibility and movements are just leaving you as a statue now! Mega Tyranitar, **Stone Edge!** " Mega Tyranitar clutched a fist and roared as he drove the punch to the earth. A straight column of large rocks went ahead at Kecleon, continuing to jut up and close in.

Nic and Kecleon didn't need to look at one another. They knew what to do. Nic made a slashing motion with his hands. " **Slash!** " Kecleon's claws glowed a bright white and elongated. The Color Swap Pokémon brought her arm back and lunged ahead. She went straight for the incoming Stone Edge, and she passed all of the stones with flying colors. As she sped in, a white trail flowed from her claws, passing through the Stone Edge. The stones all shattered into diced pieces, breaking apart behind.

Chris's eyes widened. "Say what?"

Kecleon reappeared in front of Mega Tyranitar, startling the colossal figure. "(It's windy in here!)" She slashed at his face, making a bright white explosion swell. Mega Tyranitar yelled out as he was struck and slid backwards from the attack. His heavy feet left dust to kick up again, and Kecleon landed on the ground, her body lurching from the sandstorm effect.

" **Screech!** " Nic commanded.

Kecleon's mouth inside glowed orange, and produced a high-pitched screech. Screech sent red shockwaves reverberating through the atmosphere and through the raging sands. Screech met Mega Tyranitar, and immediately the colossal figure grunted and covered up as the piercing sound made him lose focus, lowering his Defense sharply.

Chris clutched his fists. "So annoying…! I may have lost to Diantha, but I'll prove that I have what it takes to be the strongest and win! The strongest Trainer deserves nothing less than the strongest Pokémon! Mega Tyranitar, **Giga Impact!** "

Mega Tyranitar was shuddering. His eyes opened back up, the call of his most fearsome attack made. The energy around Mega Tyranitar began to make him glow in a bright outline. Mega Tyranitar flashed a brilliant golden light, and yellow energy was in front of his face. He was encompassed in a purple orb with spiraling yellow streams resonating from his head. He went ahead, blitzing after Kecleon horn-first. As he went off, the ground broke apart, and rock from the battlefield split open and flew on opposite sides. Chris smirked. _'Ain't no way he's getting around this.'_

Nic gave a motion of his arm and clutched the air, possibly backhanding. "Deflect it."

Kecleon remained still as Mega Tyranitar went her way. She tilted her head off to the side for the umpteenth time, and as the towering monster's tip was about to touch her, Kecleon leaned off to the side, her reaction timing and reflexes proven. As time slowed down around the swift chameleon, she grabbed Mega Tyranitar's horn and the very point of Giga Impact, and pivoted. She twisted her body, making Mega Tyranitar follow with his forward momentum keeping him from slowing down. He fell right into a trap, and paid the price when the Mega-Evolved creature found himself using Giga Impact into the side of one of the walls. The spectators all cleared out of the way and were safe when Mega Tyranitar smashed into the wall, shattering stone and making the entire battlefield shudder. The sandstorm still raged on as more sand and stone got whisked into the maelstrom, making the smoke almost visible from all over the plaza.

Kecleon adjusted herself and winced again from sandstorm damage.

" **Screech!** " Nic followed up. Kecleon again opened her mouth and used Screech for a third time. The shockwaves traveled through the atmosphere towards the dust and scattered rock, where Mega Tyranitar was still dazed from that suddenly deflection. Screech met its mark, and the atmosphere around Mega Tyranitar shuddered as the high-pitched waves reached his ears, again lowering his Defense gradually.

"Whoa, okay!" Will was deeply wide-eyed. "It didn't have to change color to dodge!"

"It used brute strength to throw Mega Tyranitar! That's incredible!" Jake exclaimed.

Once Screech ended, Mega Tyranitar hunched over, looking rather tiresome. Chris was also looking tiresome, and at the same time super ticked off. " **Crunch!** " Mega Tyranitar went charging ahead, picking himself up from the ground and elongated his glowing fangs. The beast went running off, targeting Kecleon.

Nic didn't make any hand movements. "Kecleon, do your thing."

Kecleon straightened her head. "I like Hide and Seek…" The Color Swap Pokémon finally disappeared, turning – almost – invisible. Mega Tyranitar stopped in his tracks, eyes wide as he lost sight of her in the sandstorm. Even though having a red stripe, the sandstorm was still a little too thick.

"Kecleon's blended into the sandstorm as a means of defense." Erza stated. "Clever, I forgot she could do that."

Chris looked all around the battlefield, getting no sign of Kecleon. "Where did that coward go? I can't see!"

Kecleon's red stripe disappeared and reappeared in blinding flashes. Mega Tyranitar saw a flash of a red stripe, but it was gone in half a second. The red stripe disappeared again, and reappeared in swift motions, on one side of the battlefield and on the other the next second, literally. Speed accompanied by reflexes, and Kecleon's invisibility, she was untouched. Even the winds couldn't seem to catch her.

She was invisible, and yet Nic could tell where she was. "Throw Mega Tyranitar!" He commanded.

Mega Tyranitar turned again, looking in Nic's direction. The beast suddenly felt something sticky grab onto his tail. The sticky and slightly slimy feeling crawled up his spine. He looked behind to find a long, pink tongue coiled around his long tail. It trailed a long ways away, deep into the sandstorm.

"It's got a long tongue too?!" Chris exclaimed. "It's got strength, invisibility, speed, and now a long tongue?! What's going on?!"

The pink tongue was dragged skywards, and much to everyone's sheer disbelief, Mega Tyranitar was flung into the streaming air by the tail. The pink tongue flung him like a cheap plastic toy, and that left all in deeper awe.

"Kecleon, **Slash!** " Nic commanded.

As Mega Tyranitar was suspended in midair, a blitz of an invisible Kecleon reappeared overhead. The unseeing end of the battle drew forward, and the invisible Kecleon drew up a Slash, and raked down onto Mega Tyranitar. The impact created yet another, more wild, white explosion that shuddered through the sandstorm. The sandstorm faded, and as the explosion subsided in the sky, Kecleon miraculously reappeared on the ground, turning back to her usual colors…and finished by tilting her head.

Mega Tyranitar fell from the dissipating explosion, crashing onto the battlefield. The shuddering made a crater beneath, and the creature flashed a rainbow light, and returned to being an unconscious Tyranitar, signaling Nic and Kecleon's victory.

Will and Jake stared with sheer awe. Kecleon overwhelmed a Mega Tyranitar, and did so without much of a scratch, save the sandstorm damage. Everyone else, was also in sheer awe, and the Lumiose Press people were snapping shots and filming videos, already uploading the battle of Kecleon VS Mega Tyranitar, and how Kecleon's traits alone was enough to overpower Sand Stream and Mega Tyranitar.

Erza stared at Kecleon, watching her slowly walk up to her Trainer. _'She used the sandstorm itself for camouflage to turn fully invisible to land a devastating counterattack. Rather than turning invisible from the start, Nic had Kecleon use her other properties she's gained such as her brute strength and her long tongue, just like Greninja has.'_ Erza couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with shock and awe at the same time. _'Now I see the other reason why Nic chose her.'_

Nic knelt down, smiling warmly at Kecleon as he petted her head. "Well done, Kecleon. You did an amazing job."

Kecleon tilted her head. "(I eat healthy.)"

The many people were still processing what just happened. Some newbie Trainers were also caught perplexed.

"So that's Nic Pularis' power!"

"What a Trainer! To defeat a Mega Tyranitar?! And with just a Kecleon?"

"Where do you find those things? I gotta get me one!"

"That invisibility and that speed is uncanny! Wooooh!"

Chris stared ahead with disbelief. He stared at his fallen Tyranitar with utter disappointment. He dropped to his knees, crestfallen. "I…I lost? My strongest lost to a Kecleon? I don't…I don't understand. How?"

Nic pointed his Poke Ball at a smiling Kecleon. "Return." He recalled Kecleon, and put the Poke Ball away. He stood back up, facing his opponent as he was still in shock. Nic said nothing, but he did see a huge wave of confusion across his opponent's face.

Nic had begun moving forward, just as Chris was shuddering.

"This can't be. The strongest is meant for greatness, that means me, right? I'm supposed to be the strongest. I have powerful Pokémon, and powerful moves. And yet I was…weak. I was weak to Nic Pularis. How? There was no way I was that far behind the strongest…"

Nic passed him, allowing the small space between them to enlighten his defeated foe. "What you seek is not real strength. That power is meant for those who will never accept their insecurities." The distance between them lengthened. "What strength is it that you're after? Power? Where does that come from? It comes from the hearts and minds those who are set to beside one another and enact the thrill in unison. To become strong; there's strong will, strong heart, mind, guts, courage, determination. But the most important asset to growing…is bonding and trusting others, to understand their pain and work together to overcome it. Instead you cast Will and Jake like ragdolls, and forewent power alone. That is perhaps your biggest failure and weakness. If you can't face your weakness and run away, you'll never grow to be a fit Trainer. Until then…"

Nic walked up the steps, leaving Chris in a state of shock. He didn't even look to see Will and Jake both look at the other somberly and head off without him, leaving the defeated Trainer in fallen grace.

Erza followed Nic, catching up to him. They both looked at the other and small yet comforting smiles came across their faces.

* * *

About another couple hours went by during that day. Nic and Erza put that battle at rest and delighted themselves in a nice, easy lunch in a local café. Following that they looked around more of the city and all of its worth, but retained themselves in the central Southern Boulevard. They explored a number of locations while still smiling and amusing themselves.

After the given couple hours were over, the duo found themselves at long last back at Maison de Friandises. The couple walked inside, hand in hand as they approached the take-out counter. In front of them was the huge double layered lemon cake, with the vanilla and chocolate cupcakes with an assortment of frosting with sprinkles atop. The strawberry cheesecake was there as well, each item in its own plastic box and safely sealed shut. For Nic, it took a little effort to keep Erza from snagging a 'taste test' of the strawberry cheesecake.

They exited, with Nic doing all the heavy lifting. He hauled the baked treats and they made way into a nearby alley. Once they were in the clear, Nic again opened up a spatial portal, on the other side being none other than the Fairy Tail Guild at work. Although with Elfman in front, Nic nor Erza could barely see the work going on inside.

"Nic, you surprised me." Elfman admitted as he turned around towards the gateway towards Kalos.

Nic handed Elfman what he came to Kalos for. "Sorry it didn't happen sooner. It took some time, but I think it turned out well." Nic stacked the baked goods and handed them to Elfman. Elfman had to admit they were pretty hefty, even for someone of his muscular caliber.

"Say, this cake looks pretty big." He smiled when he looked at the Caterpie, Metapod, and the Butterfree crafted on it. "Butterflies are super manly today!"

Nic stepped off to the side and allowed Erza to go through, much to her satisfaction. "Thank you." She stepped inside, now crossing back to her world. Her feet tapped on the wooden flooring, and she turned back towards Nic. "Well, aren't you coming?"

Nic shook his head. "Sorry, but I'm not ready as of yet." He regrettably informed.

"Not ready?" Erza questioned.

"What's that mean?" Elfman added.

"I have to get Vanessa's gift. I'll surely be back in time for her." The portal began to close. "Erza, this is a very important gift."

While Erza was a little struck by Nic's last-minute saying, it also surprised her that Nic was doing things on the fly. He never said anything about a gift other than the cake. But if he kept it from even her, then it must be important. Though she severely questioned Nic's motives, she knew he could handle himself.

She nodded in understanding, but frowned with a seriousness. "Be back in time." Was all she said.

Nic nodded, and at last the spatial portal shut, making sparkles in the air that diminished into thin air.

With only himself back in his home world, Nic faced the sky. _'I know the distance seems far, but we'll be able to make it in time.'_ He reached into his pocket. _'I can't waste anymore time! Every minute counts!'_ He threw the Poke Ball ahead. "Charizard!"

The Poke Ball opened up, and out came Nic's Charizard. The Flame Pokémon rolled his head around and let out a huffed roar without much of any flames. Charizard faced Nic as he gave a command.

"Charizard, **Fly!** " Charizard turned around and spread his wings. He got onto Charizard's back and got ready to take off. "Let's head south."

Charizard crouched and then took off. He flapped his wings and went flying up into the sky. Their speed gradually accelerated, going from 40mph to 80mph in a short expands of time. Charizard let out another roar as he took off from Lumiose City, leaving the huge city behind and heading in the direction Nic advised.

* * *

There was a sizeable house located amongst others in the vicinity. Inside, there was the living room, directly connected to the kitchen. On the other side of the kitchen was also the dining room, where a family could eat.

Inside, sitting on the couch, there was a man. He looked to be in his early thirties, with brown hair and eyes. He had on a dark green dress shirt and black dress pants, accompanied by a red toe around his neck. He looked tired as he had just come home from work.

He sighed. "Oh geez…what a day." He grabbed the remote, and pressed a button. He was on a channel where there was a professional tournament along Cyllage City, where there were two Trainers battling with a Pelipper and a Skrelp. The Skelp had unleashed a Poison Tail attack, vertically flipping, but Pelipper flew up, evading as Skrelp fell back in the water.

He raised a brow. "Say? I forgot this event was scheduled today." He admitted. "I'm sure he'd wanna see this."

His wife walked up to him, carrying a mixing bowl and whisking something inside. She smiled at him. "Well dear, welcome home." She said happily. "I see work's tired you out." She was his wife. Her wavy brown hair was in a high ponytail, and she was in a bright red shirt with a white skirt flowing down her lower half.

He looked up to her, a smile on his face. "Yeah, it did."

She chuckled. "He's been anxious to spend time with you, ya know?"

"Where is he?" He got back up, sitting straight affirm on the couch. "Is he upstairs?"

His wife hummed and nodded as a means of confirmation. "It's almost dinner. He's really loving those recent plush toys you bought him. He just wishes they were real…"

The doorbell rang, catching them by surprise.

The husband raised a brow. "Did you order pizza for dinner?"

His wife blinked, equally as confused. "No, I think we have a visitor, if not a salesperson." Still holding the bowl in hand, she walked towards the door, and while she left, the husband looked back towards the screen. He saw the Skrelp landing a counterattack and using and Acid on the poisoned Pelipper. The Acid was strong enough to make Pelipper fall into the water. When the splash settled, Pelipper had fainted, leaving the victorious Trainer and Skrelp with proud looks on their faces.

The wife opened the door, expecting some salesperson or one of the kids down the street who wanted to play, but it turned out to be another visitor, and said visitor made her go stiff, making her drop the mixing bowl and splattering the contents on the ground.

* * *

Vanessa and Sophie had both just returned to Magnolia. The monster hunt had taken a lot out of the victorious duo. Vanessa went so far as to use Braixen in combination with Magnezone. Using two Pokémon meant the task was dangerously high caliber. It took a lot o energy out of everyone, and to Sophie's insistence, they headed home first and cleaned up, took showers, fixed themselves properly, and finally went for the guild hall.

Sophie let out a long sigh. "What a day."

Vanessa also let out a sigh as well. "I know what you mean. Braixen and Magnezone are also tired. I think it's best to check into the guild hall, find something to eat, and call it a day."

Sophie looked towards her with a cunning smirk. "You sleepy?"

Vanessa looked ahead, eyes narrowed. "Say, I'm a big girl. At least I don't get up early just to do makeup."

"Hmph!" Sophie looked away, cheeks puffed to do a pout.

Sophie didn't mind how the day was going, despite how her expectations were rather short. Throughout the whole day, she's been feeling an odd aura from the blonde. She could tell she was real at least, but at the same time, holding something back. It took a lot out of Vanessa's own curiosity to keep from interrogating Sophie. It would be spoiling herself, and she distasted spoiling herself. She'd rather take things blindly. In the end, she was met with little disappointment, but powered through it all.

Once the two reached the guild hall, there was an odd silence. The doors were shut, and they both could hear the bustling sounds of everybody else inside. They could tell Natsu and Gray's voices almost instantly, even Gajeel at times, but no matter what, it was silent. It left Vanessa uneasy. She turned towards Sophie, only for the Memory-Make Mage to smile at her.

"Vanessa, I know you had a long day, but I think it's time we drop everything and just enjoy this time to say…"

Vanessa's eyes went wide. The aura around Sophie had turned to a glee. She turned towards the doors and opened them up. Her expectations suddenly arose again, and her long, disappointing day finally was well-rewarded. She stepped inside and the lights flicked on, brightening up the guild hall with all of the silenced members turning towards her with smiles.

"SURPRISE!"

Vanessa's eyes were wide with hefty shock. Her mind nearly went blank from the wave of happiness her magic took in. All around were streamers, confetti, balloons of various colors - mostly teal - and across the stage curtains was a large blue banner in darker blue lettering that read " _ **HAPPY 16**_ _ **th**_ _ **BIRTHDAY, VANESSA!**_ " On a couple of tables were presents and birthday cards, but pleasing Vanessa the most was the smiles on everyone's faces, even Gajeel and Laxus for crying out loud.

Vanessa gasped, holding her hands to her mouth in shock.

"Told ya she'd like it." Cana mused. "There's the birthday girl! Right on time!"

"E-everyone…" Vanessa's eyes dilated with hefty surprise. She slowly waltzed into the guild hall, looking around, shocked and pleased with all of the decorum decorated just for her. It was her big 16th, but this party was different. Unlike her early past, where it was just her maniacal parents showering her with numerous gifts, with Nic elsewhere in a corner, there was a huge difference: She had friends. Real friends. It almost brought her to tears as she looked around to see all of the hard work the guild's put into this. "I…I don't know what to say."

"A simple thank you would be nice." Gajeel teased.

"Gajeel." Levy warned.

Vanessa gave a big smile towards the entire guild. "Everyone, thank you so much!"

Erza stepped forward, happily smiling back. "We're glad you like it. Everyone did their part to the best of their abilities."

"I made an explicit assortment of meals before the dessert!" Mirajane cheerfully gestured towards the fresh smorgasbord she had prepared for the occasion. Foods of various variety were presented and all preserved just for this day.

"And we did the decorations and gifts!" Lisanna cheerfully winked alongside Macao, Wakaba, and thumbs up from many other guild members who pitched in.

Vanessa looked around, amazed. "A-amazing…" Realization then arose. "Hold on, I could've sworn Natsu and Gray would have…you know…"

Cana winked at the confused Aura Mage. "Way ahead of ya."

"What do you mean by…"

"Hmhmmmmhm!"

"Grrrmmmgrrr!"

Vanessa heard a lot of muffling resonating from within the group. Everyone turned towards Juvia and Lucy, the respective girls both nervously sweat dropping as their pockets shuddered. Lucy sighed, pulling out a card with an angered Natsu inside. "You both really can't pull your act together, can you?" She chided.

Juvia, however, cuddled the card with Gray inside, much to his annoyance. Juvia nuzzled the card affectionately. "My darling, even between dimensions, my loving touches will reach you with no bounds." What she got in a reply was the angered muffling of Gray.

Vanessa turned back towards Cana, expecting answers. The Card Mage flashed a blank tarot card. "They were breaking into another fight, so I put them into time-out, thanks to this little trick I learned from that pretty boy who uses my kind of magic as well."

"You mean Sho?" Erza wondered, showing slight surprise.

"Yup, that's the one." Cana confirmed. "Met during the Council War. Good thing I learned that trick, otherwise the decorations and whole party would be a bust."

Natsu and Gray crossed their arms, pouting inside their cards.

Vanessa looked at everyone again, looking joyful. "I can't thank you all enough. Seriously. This is the first time anyone's done something so surprising." She looked again, but something was off. "Hold on…" She frowned, looking to find something missing. "Where's Nic?"

Erza put a hand to her chin. She looked confused and slightly sad at the same time. "I wish I knew."

"What do you mean?" Sophie asked. "If I recall, weren't you both supposed to get the cake and baked desserts?"

"We did, but afterwards, he said he had an important gift to get." Erza explained.

Sophie looked perplexed. "But I thought we all did our part."

Cana looked a little irritated. "I swear, Nic made all these plans and he bails on us? Geez."

Vanessa's face began to fall. "…oh." Was all she could muster. She loved that her extended family was present and showering her with the greatest presents and decorations for the now-sixteen-year-old – 23 if you count the 7-year timeskip, but she was sad. She was hoping Nic and her family would be here. Her brother made this event and he wasn't even showing up. She was starting to get doubtful until suddenly a spatial portal opened behind her. The birthday girl went wide-eyed again and she turned around to face the portal, immediately greeted with a hug.

Vanessa was still for a moment, unable to process the hug Nic was giving. "There's my birthday sister." Nic pulled back, seeing the shocked look on his little sister. He had a joyful smile on his face.

When Vanessa finally came around, her eyes lit up. "Nic!"

Juvia gave a relieved sigh. "That was a close one."

Lucy couldn't agree more. "Yeah, and here I thought Natsu was full of such entrances."

Erza grinned at Nic's surprising entrance. There were means of saving the best for last, guess this was what Nic had in mind, though she was worried there for a minute.

Vanessa stepped back, seeing her brother finally back. "Nic, where have you been all this time?"

Nic maintained a grateful smile. "I was getting your present ready. It took some time to fix up, but I was fortunate they were willing to understand."

Vanessa raised a brow. "'They'?"

"Vanessa…" Nic stepped off to the side, gesturing towards the spatial portal. "Happy Birthday."

Vanessa stared ahead as two figures walked through the portal. Almost immediately her body had shut down from overwhelming feelings. Her eyes widened yet again, staring at the equally shocked faces of the two people who pressed through the portal.

The wife and husband stood with shock overtaking them a second time in a row. The wife had hands over her mouth, gasping. The husband was just gawking with shock.

"V-Vanessa…?" The wife muttered. She took a step forward, entering the guild hall. "Is that…really you…?"

Vanessa shook her head, disbelief flowing through her misty eyes. "I can't believe this."

The husband regained enough composure to press ahead as well. "After all these years…you're here after all…"

Vanessa's eyes misted up terribly. As the wife approached Vanessa, the latter took quick steps ahead, kicking herself up into a sudden and tight embrace. Their chins rested on the other's shoulder as they silently streamed tears of joy down their faces.

The wife finally spoke up. "Vanessa, we've missed you so much."

"Joanna, I can't believe you're here." Vanessa's eyes opened up again, seeing the misty eyes of Joanna's husband. She lifted herself up and let go of Joanna, only to embrace the man. Again the embrace was tight and full of comfort. "And Michael, I'm happy you're okay too!"

Michael embraced Vanessa with deep satisfaction, holding back his happiness. "I know. We're happy we're here."

Joanna moved on over, again the three embraced one another with delight.

Nic watched from the side, arms crossed as he smiled with warmth. Erza came up to him, her hands to her hips. She wasn't mad at Nic. How could she be? Nic brought what appeared to be valuable people over. But she was generally curious. "Nic?"

"Hm?" He glanced at her.

"Is this the gift that you were deceiving us with?"

Nic's smirk widened as he looked at the ground. "Honestly if I'm speaking the truth, I would say this was a gist to me and Vanessa both." Erza still looked perplexed, so Nic clarified. "Those are Vanessa's foster parents…the ones who took care of her while I went on my own journey."

Now it was Erza's turn to be surprised. "Your…foster parents?" She remembered something back in Kalos when Nic and Vanessa reunited, but it completely slipped her mind that she had guardians. Of course it was natural after the whole…biological family incident that she would have to be under the care of more fitting parental figures. They were Nic and Vanessa's neighbors who took Vanessa in, raising her properly and teaching, educating, and giving her manners for three and a half years until she set out to follow in Nic's footsteps. It also slipped her mind that there was also the timeskip incident, so they haven't seen Vanessa in seven years, while they haven't seen Nic is almost a decade. It would be natural after so long for these reactions to occur, just like Erza and Millianna back in the Grand Magic Games.

Nic smiled. "I trusted them with Vanessa's care, and they held up their end of the bargain. I'm forever grateful to them."

Erza smiled at him. "So this was the gift?"

Nic paused, watching as Vanessa parted from the hug she was given. "…there was a plus to the gift. And I have to say that I was caught shocked."

Erza looked forward, looking ahead at what Nic meant by that.

"Nic told us everything that's happened." Joanna said to the birthday girl. "You don't look a day over 15…Vanessa, you've grown so beautiful, even with all these years taken away."

Vanessa smiled warmly. "Thanks Joanna."

"When I heard her drop a bowl, I thought she was taken, but boy! I nearly passed out myself!" Michael sheepishly admitted. "Ten years went by like that! And then this happens! I heard you became a great Trainer yourself, Vanessa." His smile increased. "I'm proud."

Vanessa again maintained her smile. "Thank you."

"Daddy? Mommy?"

Vanessa's eyes widened upon hearing the childish voice. It was then that Nic's smile increased and he watched as Vanessa had the very same reaction he had upon being introduced to a third face. Vanessa seemed confused as she looked at the smiling couple. She looked down, seeing a little boy stumbling into Earth Land out of his own living room.

The little boy looked no older than five. He had small brown hair and blue eyes. He had a long-sleeved green shirt and small black pants for his size. He stared up and around the atmosphere, his eyes wide with the high ceilings and around with awe.

Vanessa was officially shut down. She had a hand over her mouth as she knelt to the incoming boy's eye level. She and the boy stared, their eyes meeting.

Joanna looked down with a smile. "Vanessa, there's something we wanted to tell you…" She and Michael reached out towards one another, their hands holding onto the other, their hold warm and inviting. She looked back at the birthday girl. "While you were gone, we had a son. A biological son."

Michael smiled with joy. "Vanessa, I want you to meet Tan." He looked down at the little boy, his son, staring at Vanessa. "Go on, why don't you tell her Happy Birthday?"

Tan had an anxious stare as he looked back and forth at Nic and Vanessa. Not even an hour ago he woke up from a nap, and then came downstairs to realize that the hero of the universe was in his house. To add an even more shocking fact, despite them not knowing the other well, Joanna and Michael told him that Nic was his 'adoptive brother'. Nic didn't think much to the idea, but when he thought about it then, Joanna and Michael were technically more than guardians and foster parents. Adopted? He wouldn't go that far. A foster-brother? Yeah, he'd call himself that. But for the sake of the child, he'd be willing to call himself more than a foster brother.

Tan looked up at Vanessa, seeing her shocked expression as the foster-sister was starting to mist in her eyes. "H-hi. Happy Birthday." He mumbled. "I'm-!" Tan was cut off when he suddenly felt Vanessa's arms drape around him. The little boy was caught stunned as Vanessa was silently crying down the sides of her face.

Despite her tears and the years that went by, she was smiling. "Hi." Vanessa happily sobbed.

Nic's eyes began to mist a little. It wasn't even an hour ago that he found out he was a foster-brother. Now Vanessa realized she was a foster-sister. Tan's mom and dad did say he had 'distant relatives' before, but never brought them up since they never knew of their whereabouts. In all, Nic knew Vanessa was more attached to them than he ever could be, and after so long, this seemed like the best surprise gift he could give her: A visit from Vanessa's foster-parents and their son.

Tan hugged Vanessa back, smiling wide. "My brother is so strong, and my sister's so pretty!"

Joanna and Michael's eyes misted up again, tears running down their faces with large smiles present. Despite not being related, Vanessa was with them for three and a half years. That made her part of the family. Nic was too, despite having chosen to embark rather than stay. It was a complicated family tree, but Tan wasn't aware much. He just accepted the fact that Nic and Vanessa were his 'adoptive brother and sister' and relished in the moment.

Vanessa cried harder, hearing the innocent little boy's compliment. She pulled away, looking back at Nic with a wide smile and crying. "This is the best birthday of my life!"

* * *

The party went on for hours. The guild sang happy birthday to Vanessa and she blew out the sixteen candles. She got the first piece of the enormous lemon cake, coupled by some ice cream Wendy ascertained as her part. The next person to have a piece was Nic, being her brother and all. The next – to their agreement – would be Tan, who got the piece that had the Caterpie's head. Then Erza, and so on. The guild and the party was extremely lively, and for once without any means of fighting. Natsu and Gray were let out of their prisons, on the count they were restrained thirty feet away from the other, to which Lucy and Juvia were obliged to do. Joanna and Michael were even starting to warm up to Nic and Vanessa's friends and guild mates. They saw a few displays of magic that captivated the foster family of the Pularis siblings. When Tan said Evergreen's magic was 'so shiny and sparkly', it left Evergreen with a look of sheer pride that she'd hold onto for a month. Tan even had time to meet Asuka, and the two children even got to play, and they got Romeo involved too. But the main attraction was Vanessa, and she was captivating everyone as well with her own tales, and the Pokémon themselves seemed relaxed. Joanna and Michael were shocked to see how healthy all twelve of them were, and were extremely baffled with how Garchomp loved to be petted. Tan laughed happily when he pet Garchomp's head, and the beast looked more than a little happy by that pet.

When it came time for presents, Vanessa got a Fennekin plush sewn together by Juvia, though pocket-sized, it meant a lot. She was given a few magic books by Levy that she purchased from the library, some dresses to try on bought by Sophie. She got a custom-made Poke Ball necklace by the Master himself, and Cana got her some lemonade from concentrate. And she was sure to not mistake that with booze over a hundred times during the process. Lucy got her some shoes to help walk in since the ones she had were wearing down, and she got some hair straightener by Mirajane. But still, the greatest gift she was ever given was by her brother, who got the foster-family over.

The party went on until nightfall. Nic thanked everybody for their help and support for their parts. They all left, waiting until tomorrow to get back into their daily routine. Nic and Erza stayed behind to help clean up along with Mirajane and Lisanna. Joanna and Michael pitched in as well. All was sweet and full of life, and then came time for the foster-parents to depart.

After cleanup and Mirajane went home with her siblings, Nic, Erza, and Sophie were all present as they said their goodbyes and thanks to Joanna and Michael. Nic and Vanessa hugged them back, and then both hugged Tan, filling the little boy with joy.

"You live in a very interesting world, Nic, Vanessa." Joanna said.

Nic smirked. "That's an understatement."

Vanessa looked towards Michael. "We'll be sure to come by around Christmas. Stay well."

Michael nodded. "You as well. We're happy we got to see you both again. Happy Birthday, Vanessa."

Vanessa's smile widened.

Erza turned off towards the side. "Is everyone ready?"

They all nodded, a means of confirmation acquired. Nic stepped off to the side, extending his arm forward and making another spatial portal. Once the portal was open, it revealed the living room where they were transported from. He stepped off to the side, allowing for Joanna, Michael, and Tan to walk on through. Once the foster-family had fully passed through, they waved back at Nic, Vanessa, and Erza with warm smiles. The portal then closed, disappearing into sparkles.

Nic looked down towards the ground, a sad smile crossing his face. "So much has went by, even beyond Earth Land. Joanna and Michael had a son while you were gone, Vanessa."

There was a brief silence that fell, but he felt two warm hands on his shoulders, which were both Erza and Vanessa, both there to comfort him. Vanessa smiled. "It's okay. What matters is that we all pull through. I still have the biggest part of my life right beside me: My brother."

Nic smiled warmly at his sister. It was late, and as soon as midnight hits, the next date of November will come to pass. Nic hugged his sister one last time and goodnight. "Happy Birthday, Vanessa."

"Thank you, Nic." Vanessa thus went back home with Braixen by her side, both waving back at Nic and Erza. And just like that, Vanessa's day came to an end, a successful birthday planned by her brother.

Nic turned around, heading towards the second building. He began to embark, but again he felt another sensitive touch to his hand. He looked down, realizing Erza was again holding his hand. He looked back up to her, but he again was too slow from the affection. Erza had leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Once satisfied, she pulled back, seeing Nic's face more than a little flushed.

"E-Erza?" Nic stuttered.

Erza smiled warmly, her hold on him fastened. "You're a great brother, you know that?"

Nic's nervousness subsided, his smile returning. "I am, aren't I." A small silence came across them once more before Nic spoke to her. "I take it you're spending the night with me?"

"Now how could I deny such an opportunity to be with you?" Erza sarcastically asked.

Happily accepting his girlfriend's offer, Nic bent over, catching over by surprise as he carried her bridal style. "Nic?!"

Nic looked at her shocked face, smiling with a calm. "It's been a long day, let's just unwind."

Erza grinned back. "I'd like that."

* * *

Nic carried Erza to his stay and both found their place right at home. The two talked for a short while, shifted a few things around here and there, and Erza was the first to use the shower, with Nic being second. After a nice relaxing shower with hot water, they were in bed a long last, with Nic's bare upper body facing the ceiling with Erza's clothed upper body sprawled atop of his. Both were at peace, a long – and mildly stressful – day ending in a complete success.

With the birthday out of the way, Nic was still left with the dilemma he was facing as of recently. He stared up at the ceiling, his embrace on Erza warm. He's been keeping it to himself for quite some time, but it was only a certain point until others take notice.

"Erza?" He whispered. "You still awake?"

"Hmmm?" The redhead groaned as she opened her eyes halfway.

"You want to be with me, forever, right?" He asked.

Erza adjusted so that her chin rested atop of his chest. She looked a little surprised. "Of course. I wanna be with you, always."

Nic's frown turned into a half-grin. "I was wondering something."

The redhead sat up, looking down at Nic with question in her own right. "What is it?"

Nic stared into her brown eyes before relenting. He moved his head to look at the wooden wall. "What would you say if we moved in together? What would you say?"

Erza blinked, almost twice. She would've flushed if not for her tired state. The question was so sudden. The two moving into a home…together. It shocked her to say the least. Moving in and out was such a huge step to take. There would be so much work involved that it would involve the guild again if not laborers such as Nic and his team. However, when she looked back at it, it wasn't so ridiculous. True to her word, she wanted to be with Nic for as long as she can be if not forever and for eternity, but she was content with the way things were now, though a little push in their lives was more complicated than it seemed. She spends the night over at Nic's most of the week, if not out on jobs or just wants to be at Fairy Hills. She wasn't sure how to proceed, but what retained was her affection, which she will always have for him.

Nic felt a smooth palm graze his cheek. He felt the hand move him back to look up at a smiling Erza. She was right atop of him, her eyes glistening like night stars, her luscious figure encased in her clothing for the time being.

"Why don't you let me think about it, okay?" She asked.

Nic wasn't sure as to take it as a yes or a no. It was as complicated as his own question. He only replied with a smile. "Okay."

Erza puled herself down, pressing Nic against the pillow as she caught him in another passionate kiss that tastes like strawberries.

As the two tenderly kissed, in the drawers of the nearby nightstand, there was a whole stack of papers. Said papers were finely preserved, and on them were pictures and diagrams of various plans. There were a bunch of dimensions and measurements involved, but the overall designed looked astounding. On one of the pages was a walkway with red and purple flowers labeled along the path. In front was a sign that read: "Nic & Erza's House".

* * *

 **It's been awhile, but here's a midnight chapter I posted. As are all of my chapters, this isn't a filler per se. I wanted to see what it was like writing out a birthday scenario, and in all, I was content with the setup I displayed. The fraction with the foster family was a reminder of the Kalos Arc for those who have forgotten who Vanessa stayed with after their biological mom and dad went to prison. The foster family wasn't ideal in the plot, nor are they ever, but I added it for a sweet flavor in this chapter, including the twist of Joanna and Michael having a son, in which makes Nic and Vanessa the foster-siblings. Like I said, an extreme shocker, but nothing to get carried away with.**

 **I also figured that Kecleon should get some more screen time, or battles in. I sometimes completely overlook the fact that despite having immense reflexes and speed like Nic's others, I forget she has a long tongue like Greninja and can become partly invisible. Plus, I wanted to give a scenario of her against a 'strong' opponent. This brings me to my next statement. I use a wide variety of Pokémon in my battles, no matter how pathetic they are. I never use clone Pokémon, Legendaries, or an entire team of Pseudo-Legendaries, it's too unfair, and I despise it when people do that to me. They use shinies and Legendaries so much that they don't bother using weaker Pokémon, completely wanting to win no matter what. I'm a Trainer of fair play, and I never use Legendaries or clones or fake shinies on my team. That's also the reason why I made that battle, as a means to show that you can be strong without that kind of power, so we all have a deeper love and respect for the oddball known as Kecleon.**

 **I'm gonna bring back Will and Jake for one more chapter before heading into the Sun Village Arc. The next one I believe will still revolve around Vanessa stil, but also have the sweet flavor of NicxErza served just like this one. I guess you can say this is a prominent Vanessa Arc, only two chapters.**

 **So as usual, like and throw in a comment if this chapter's contents got your attention and are awaiting for the next one. Until the next chapter!**


	20. Fairies of Two Concepts

Stirring awake, Nic rolled to his side, pulling the blanket over to shield from the sun's morning rays. Feeling a cool air and his body already reacting, he opened his eyes, gazing up at the daybreak sky. It was a light blue in the distance, meaning first light was soon to fall. He felt something of which was around his body, and his legs intertwining with another set of legs. Looking from the window down towards the mop of red in front of him, his smile came back, and he watched Erza sleep ever so soundly.

He watched her sleep, but only for a couple of minutes. Laying down next to her, he tenderly reached up and gently brushed a strand of her hair that shielded a part of her face from him.

Erza moaned, feeling the affectionate touch. "Mmm…Nic…" She muttered in her sleep, a small smile appearing across her face.

Nic had to manage as he weaseled his body to sit up, elbow to pillow as he looked down at her. "Erza." He quietly muttered.

Erza moaned again, this time her eyes opened up, the first thing she saw was Nic staring at her, watching her come around with a half-grin. Immediately the long-haired redhead's grin widened and she sat up, looking at Nic at eye-level.

"Good morning." Nic muttered.

"Good morning." Erza whispered back.

Nic's eyes closed, and his head lowered back down to the pillow, his arm bordering the soft fabric with the side of his face. He took in a long, deep breath through his nose, and back out. "We have a lot to do today, don't we?" He reminded not just her, but himself.

Erza turned from her side onto Nic, her front leaning on his side. Her face was dangerously close to his, but cared not. She lowered down and gave him a good morning kiss on his cheek. "I know, we do. It's best we start now."

Nic opened his eyes, seeing as how she was right. There was no time like the present, he wasn't gonna be lazy on any typical day, but being with Erza now came with some sacrifices, like those mornings where his eyes shot open and he and the Pokémon immediately head straight into hand-to-hand combat. He didn't do that too often anymore, but he didn't seem to mind. Having Erza around was important, and in turn was important for his health. Waking up peacefully to seeing her face was a very alluring remedy.

Once the two were dressed, both exited the second building, or Nic's shabby stay, and made way to the forest clearing not too far from their location. Once the two had completed their stretches, Nic faced Erza.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

Erza nodded. "Yes." She pulled out her Poke Ball. "Let's start!" She threw the Poke Ball into the air. "Honedge!"

The Poke Ball opened, and out came Honedge. The Sword Pokémon floated in midair, unsheathing herself and Erza grabbed her hilt. She held Honedge's tip out towards Nic, who glowed and shifted into his Stone Form. Once both spread their legs, they commenced.

Erza started out. "Honedge. **Autotomize!** "

The Sword Pokémon's body began to shudder, and sparks emitted from all of her sides as it sounded like she was sharpening. Her body glowed red increasing her Speed.

Erza thus began her attack, lunging forward, she met Nic and swiped Honedge. The blade slashed horizontally, and quite fast as well. Nic, however, easily dodged by ducking his head backwards. But Nic narrowed his eyes, catching Honedge's blade suddenly adjusting course and slashed down onto him diagonally, the Steel and Ghost-type's No Guard Ability activating. He caught it as he twisted his body, catching the sharp blade with one hand, holding her in place. With the close-range tactic failing, Erza drew her spare arm back, requipping a second blade. As she thrust forward, Nic's gaze was set onto her.

In between them, a stone wall shot up from below, causing Erza and Honedge to jump back to avoid getting hit. The wall blocked her off from Nic, who was on the other side.

She smirked. "Trying to bide time to form strategies and increase defenses, are we? Honedge. **Swords Dance!** "

She let go of Honedge, who floated back up into the air. The sword remained still as blue illusionary swords circled around and crossed over her read, again glowing red as this time her Attack went up.

" **Fury Cutter!** " Erza followed up.

Honedge's blade glowed a bright white, and she went after the wall and she brought her sword around. Vertically slicing through, she made it through the thick wall of rock, but barely. The recoil of the huge slicing attack made Honedge falter backwards, back into Erza's grip. The S-Class Mage had a serious look, but knew the results were better than yesterday, where Honedge could only slice through 80% of the stone wall brought up. With the wall open, they lunged through the opening, reappearing on the other side. Nic was nowhere to be seen, however, and Erza and Honedge looked around, wondering where he was.

Erza's shadow darkened, and a voice rang beneath. " **Shadow Sneak!** "

Again Erza and Honedge realized the fault. Erza slashed Honedge as she pivoted, making contact with a stretched out shadow. When Honedge met with the lightning-quick shadow, however, the Ghost-type move against the Ghost-type herself was a terrible play. Honedge went flying out of Erza's hand, spiraling through the air.

Erza looked back to see Honedge falling down towards the ground, her body landing flat as she had a dazed look in her eyes. That attack sent her for a loop that she did not see coming. Despite the results, Erza sighed in relief.

"We let our guard down." She said.

Nic reappeared from the shadow, arising in his Spooky Form. He smiled ahead at Erza, and nodded in agreement. "Your commands and timing are much more improved, as well as Honedge's attacks." His smile widened. "You and Honedge really do make a great team."

Erza looked back at Honedge as the sword arose. A light pink flushed her cheeks from Nic's praise. "Thanks for the help, but I think it's best for Honedge to resume training against my blades."

Nic nodded. "I understand." It's only been a couple of days since Vanessa's sweet 16, but already the routine had returned to normal. Nic and Erza would do their morning training, working hard to the best of their abilities. For the past couple of days, Erza's also been asking Nic to help her judge her skill level with Honedge, which Nic thought may be overkill, and he turned out to be right. It was like Natsu against Gildarts, but thankfully on a less terrifying scale. Still, Nic was grateful he could help test Honedge and Erza's skill level, seeing as how their reaction timing and attacks have been polished up thanks to Erza's hours of training in swordplay.

It was a long road, but Erza was making promise as a Pokémon Trainer now that she was working together with Honedge. The Requip Mage walked on over, knelt to Honedge, and helped her up. The dazed blade came around, looking up at her Trainer. "How did we do?"

Erza nodded. "Better than before. We still have a long way to go, but I think we'll be fine."

For the duration of that morning, Erza and Honedge trained alone, while Nic called out all six of his Pokémon and they began the usual, pushing themselves to new levels in their reflexive training. Twisting, blocking, defending, and various means; all seven were fast as they blitzed like lightning bolts, their routine kicking into high gear.

A few hours later, the day began with their morning training completed, followed by showers, breakfast, and other necessities. Once Nic put on his Poke Ball buckle, he caught up with Erza and the two went hand in hand towards the guild hall.

* * *

Bickslow turned around, looking with some sense of shock. "You're what?"

"I apologize, Vanessa, but could you please interpret that. I'm not sure that I understood." Freed insisted.

Vanessa didn't seem deterred from reiterating as she spoke up. "I said that I'm going to challenge the Laverre Gym in my world. Once Nic arrives, we'll head back and hopefully be out in an hour's time."

Laxus was against the bar, looking back at her with some curiosity. "So you mind telling us what this gym is all about? Don't take it to be a regular weight kind of gym, right?"

Vanessa nodded. "Right. You see, back in our world, Nic and I undertook gyms to collect Gym Badges. A gym is a place where a Trainer can test their skill and abilities against the Gym Leader, who uses a single type of Pokémon they specialize in. Once you defeat a Gym Leader, you'll be given a badge. Once you collect eight badges all across the Kalos region, you're qualified to embark towards Victory Road. Once you've made it, you can challenge the Pokémon League, comprised of the Elite Four and Champion."

Natsu perked up. "Say, didn't we hear all of this before when we were in Kalos?"

"Yes, and I also remember being explained to that if you defeat the Elite Four, you get to face the Champion, Diantha. If you win, you become the new Champion, but if you lose, it's over. You don't get a second chance."

"Right. Nic went up against the Pokémon League from when he was 17, and he won. But he turned the title down despite being victorious and continued on with his own doings in his own name. It's like a secret best left unspoken sort of speak." Vanessa finished.

Juvia sweat dropped. "That's a bit much to take in, wouldn't you say?"

Gray was right beside her, his shirt off, as it's been for a few hours. "So you're long overdue for another badge you say?"

"I wonder how a gym operates?" Laki questioned.

Mirajane clasped her palms together, smiling happily. "Then I got a great idea! Why don't we all watch Vanessa?"

"Is that even allowed?" Cana questioned.

"It's allowed."

Everyone looked towards the guild entrance, seeing Nic and Erza venture through the entrance. They were present and had listened to but a few words to understand what was going on. Nic became the center of attention as he followed up from his sentence.

"Every gym has its own set of rules and its own different type. In the Laverre City Gym, they use Fairy-types, and from when I confronted the gym, it was three on three. Who knows how it's changed since then."

Evergreen's eyes widened and she smirked. "Fairy-types you say?" She sounded most intrigued by that certain type, as anyone might as well be with her type of magic being the same name as a Pokémon type. Even Juvia was roped into the idea of Water-types.

"Then it's agreed. We can all head to Kalos and head to Laverre City for the day." Vanessa said. She turned towards the Master. "Master, what would you have to say?"

Makarov crossed his arms, grumbling incoherently. He retained a few moments of silence before finally speaking up for a few seconds. "I have no objections to this idea. It sounds very relaxing and perhaps enjoyable to watch…but I'm afraid that I cannot come along."

"Say what?!" Natsu exclaimed, but was silenced by the Master.

"I have my duties as a Guild Master, and I think it would be fair that some stay behind and perform their gifted guild duties."

Levy's shoulders sulked a little. "Well when you put it like that, I guess it can't be helped."

Panther Lily nodded, respecting the Master's decision.

Nic turned around, facing the guild exit. "Then is everyone set who has decided to tag along?" He looked behind him, seeing a lot of anticipated grins on the rise. He turned back ahead, grinning. "Then let's go."

* * *

A long sleeve swiped in an arch, extending out ahead towards the adversary present. "Sylveon, **Swift!** "

In front was a Sylveon, which was the last choice by Valerie. The Fairy-type jumped, back flipping as her feelers flicked, firing yellow stars with golden sparkles that shot ahead, dazzling through the air with grace and deadly accuracy.

The opposing Seadra was wide-eyed as he was caught off guard and struck dead on by the Normal-type attack. The Dragon Pokémon was engulfed in a yellow explosion as he was bombarded star after star. The explosion sent smoke around, blocking out the scenery in front.

Will looked ahead, his eyes widening. "Seadra!"

The smoke cleared, and Seadra was on the ground on his back, unconscious and groaning.

The female ref made the final call. "Seadra is unable to battle, Sylveon is the winner; therefore, the victory goes to the Gym Leader, Valerie!" She announced.

"Yay~!" Valerie's supporters cheered from on the sidelines.

Will hunched over, falling to his knees. He looked at his defeated Pokémon and seemed incomprehensible. "I lost." He coldly muttered. He looked hurt, but accepted defeat as he held up the Net Ball. "Thank you. Seadra. You deserve a long rest." The Poke Ball shot a red laser and Seadra went inside.

Valerie achieved her praise with Sylveon. "Sylveon, thank you, and you did a marvelous job." She returned her, and she looked back at her defeated challenger, giving a sympathetic grin. "Fairy-types can be dangerous if you misjudge them. You and your Pokémon were doing a fine job. I hope you come by again soon to show me more of your combined strength."

Will exited the gym, the doors sliding behind him shut. He seemed under the weather as he groaned in defeat. As he walked out, Jake stood there, arms crossed as he too seemed to be grinning sympathetically.

"You too, huh?" He quizzically asked.

Will sighed. "Yeah."

"Even with your Butterfree's Poison Powder and Venoshock combo?"

"Even with Huntail, Butterfree, and Seadra together. That gym's tougher than I thought."

"We've got a long way to go. Guess we need to find more Trainers and train harder."

The two boys from a couple of days ago had made it to Laverre City. Over the course of seven years, not much had really changed. A few shops were altered, but that was really it. It's been one of those places that are best meant untouched, especially the giant tree in the middle of the city, where at the roots was mushrooms of various shapes and sizes. The building engraved into the roots was two stories and had a refined coating of paint in front. Compared to most gyms in Kalos, this one, Coumarine City, and Lumiose City's gyms were eccentric in their own right. Once they've made it to the gym earlier, Jake immediately challenged Valerie, but even his Scolipede, Talonflame, and Rhydon were overwhelmed by her Pokémon.

As the two were about to head out, they felt a tight shift on the atmosphere around them. The air seemed to have changed. "You feel that?" Will asked.

Jake looked around, watching the winds blow, carrying some fallen leaves and whisk them into the passing sky. "Yeah, I do. Now that you mention it…"

A spatial portal suddenly opened up in front of them, and the two reeled back in shock as out of the portal emerged Nic, followed by Erza, and then Vanessa, and many more continued to spit out of the large hole. All around, Jake, Will, and the residence watching saw the Fairy Tail group emerge from the portal.

"W-whoa! Who the heck are they?!"

"I don't know, but they look funny."

"Where did they come from?"

Jake gawked. "Oh…my…gosh."

"Tell me about it…" Will hunched over, looking in disbelief.

The doors to the Laverre Gym opened up, revealing Valerie and her team of designers and supporters present and accounted for. Valerie frowned. "What's wrong? Is there something…" Her eyes instantly widened, everything and everyone around her in disbelief as she saw Nic and his guild emerge from the portal. When she saw the people emerge from the other side, she seemed perplexed beyond recognition. "Oh my…"

Once the people were out of the portal, the structure closed behind, making radiant sparkles that became thin air. Finally on the other side was the Pularis siblings, Team Natsu, Wendy, Carla, Gajeel, Lily, Levy, Lisanna, Elfman, Laxus, the Thunder God Tribe, Cana, Sophie, Romeo, Bisca, Alzack, Asuka, and Juvia. The large mass of people, and their attires, staggered a lot of people, but they took it in stride.

"Hey, is that who I think it is?"

"I see him too! It's Nic Pularis!"

"The hero?!"

"He's got a fan club following him! Wow!"

Laxus looked around, seeing the amounts of people gathering around. "They act as though they've been kissups their whole lives. Is this really your world?"

"I do feel a difference in the atmosphere. The natural energy in this land is making my magic tingle." Freed stated.

"Alright! Now we're in Nic's home world!" Bickslow exclaimed, with his dolls beside him agreeing.

"Woo-hoo!"

"Nic's world! Nic's world!"

Levy looked around, surprised. "Look at this scenery…" She looked up at the tall tree above her head, her eyes widening yet again as there was also the Laverre Gym engraved in the huge roots. "And that tree is humungous."

Nic nodded. "This is Laverre City. This tree, Levey, it's really at least 1,300 years old, last I checked the books around these parts."

"1,300 years?" Juvia gasped.

"That's insane. First there's Legendary Pokémon that are hundreds of millions of years old, now there's trees older than Zeref and our own history?" Gray stated. If one listened closely, one could tell he sounded slightly insulted.

Gajeel snickered. "Say, this freaky place doesn't look that bad."

Lucy looked around, feeling a mystic vibe coming from all around. "Wow, this is like a land right out of a story book of fairy tales."

"This is most surprising." Erza admitted. "We haven't been to this city before."

Asuka looked at her surroundings while holding her mom and dad's hands. "Wow…so pretty…"

Nic turned forward, looking at the gym. "Well, Vanessa, are you ready?"

Vanessa nodded. "Yes, I'm more than prepared."

Nic nodded and looked directly at the gym. He and Erza both suddenly stopped in their tracks, they too were caught momentarily startled, but not by their own appeal. In front were but a few familiar faces. They were caught momentarily off guard by Jake and Will both in front. Valerie was just a bonus, as were the other spectators. They gazed on, until at last Jake and Will swallowed in unison. They innocently raised their hands up.

"Don't hurt us." They insisted in unison.

Nic looked towards Erza, who shared a similar uneasy expression, but knowing that in Nic's world magic does not exist, she backed off. However, she still leered at them for their little affiliation with a certain someone from the other day.

"It's you two." Nic said in a casual tone.

"Y'know a few faces?" Cana asked

Nic glared at them, his eyes set on their uneasy expressions. He could've been mistaken for mentally interrogating them. "…you can say that."

* * *

After the crowds dispersed – mostly – and Nic and his group made way towards the Pokémon Center. Everyone went inside, briefly fawned over the high-tech of Nic's world, and they made it into the lounge. Of course with their unique designs, they were almost instantly drawn by the other Trainers in the vicinity, but they cared not. They all were given a breather once Nic and Vanessa showed them around and their technology and briefly talked with Valerie and the defeated Trainers.

"So, we meet up once again." Nic said. "What business have you two for being here?"

Jake looked away sheepishly. "We were just here for our gym battles was all." He answered.

"We lost, and so we just happened to be here at the right time, and then you came along." Will followed up.

Erza then followed up with her own question. "And if you two are present, then where is that man you've been having one-sided scuffles with?"

Jake and Will looked towards one another, their faces falling. Erza felt like she could regret saying it as she saw their fallen faces.

Will finally spoke up. "Well, where do we begin? You see after you guys left, Chris healed his Tyranitar and was looking distraught after you tried to mend him philosophically. Although we understood what you meant, Chris didn't accept it. He didn't understand. He just thought he lost to a strong Trainer. We tried talking to him, but he threatened to use Tyranitar if we don't get out of his sight. So, although against our better judgment, we tried coaxing him to calm down and accept the loss and the wise words…but Chris, he just ran off. I would imagine he either went to Kiloude City to train and battle strong Trainers who also lost to Diantha in the past, but I wouldn't know anymore."

Natsu held up a clutched fist. "Damn straight! Because no one can beat Nic down! He's too good!"

He was suddenly pulled down by the ear, pain flaring as he immediately silenced himself. Lucy sighed in exasperation as she kept him from running his big mouth. "Stop drawing yourself into others' problems. We have enough attention as it is." It most certainly didn't help in Lucy's case with some men staring at her, but she did her best t persevere.

Nic nodded in understanding. "I see. Well all we can do is hope for the best for his case."

Erza nodded, but looked to Nic with a sense of comfort. Nic was just trying to help, and he was doing an honest job, but it backfired when Chris couldn't accept defeat. In a way, it's like Jiemma. He was able to change Minerva, but her father was all about being the strongest. Chris was the prime example, a reason why Nic pities and loathes people much like him. She understood. She put a hand on Nic's, a warmth creeping through his arm as he looked over to Erza's smile, making him feel better.

Valerie looked suspicious, and at the same time curious of Nic and his group. "My, Nic, it's been such a long time."

Nic looked back at Valerie, managing to smile again. "Valerie, it most certainly has been. The last time I was here was during our gym battle." He looked down at Valerie's attire. "It's been such a long time since then."

Valerie's attire was a little different. Unlike several years ago, her attire had changed so that her dress was white. The sleeves were a bright pink, with yellow long frills. The dress was also almost like a skirt, where it flowed down to her knees in a pink and then yellow array. Her hair was also different; rather than being long, two buds were on her head. She also had a makeshift set of fake fairy wings. It honestly made Evergreen a little jealous.

"Well someone's got the right cup of tea in the world of fashion." The Fairy Magic Mage complimented.

Valerie smiled. "Why thank you. It's my latest design." She twirled around, showing her attire with gusto from all sides. She looked towards everyone in general other than Evergreen. "On top of being a Gym Leader, I'm also quite the fashion designer."

"For real?" Lucy gasped.

"You mean a Gym Leader can have more than a single faction. That's neat." Romeo said.

Evergreen put a hand to her hip. "I believe this may be the start of a beautiful friendship." She smirked.

Elfman raised a thumbs up. "Making friends like a real man! Yeah!" He yelled, much to Evergreen's annoyance.

Valerie giggled. "It's true, I am known throughout Kalos for my designs, but looking at all of your styles of fashion is truly a spectacle. It's a dream come true." She looked at Natsu, Gray, Laxus, Gajeel, Erza, Lucy, Vanessa, Nic, Juvia, Sophie, and her eyes widened. You all have such great taste in fashion." She clasped her hands together. "In fact, I've discovered my new inspiration of my new designs!"

Natsu puffed out his chest. "Well glad we could help."

"But we didn't do anything." Happy reminded him.

Valerie then followed up with another question. "Where did you get such designs to begin with?"

The group looked at one another. They practically made themselves public in the first place, and Nic was known throughout both worlds as the hero who saved the universe and what not, so it wouldn't hurt since people were curious to begin with.

He thus told Valerie of his ability to cross between both worlds, and how his friends are visiting and are new to their world's technology. With everybody else there, the spectators listened closely with awe about how the battle against Lysandre and the Dark Legendaries was in fact in Erath Land, hence the location and geography looking different than their world. After he finished, Valerie seemed to have taken it well with a smile.

"M-my. That's a lot to take in." She stuttered. "So you're from that world Nic now lives in, brimming with magic and other styles of fashion?"

"Jealous?" Evergreen asked.

Valerie chuckled. "Maybe a little, but it's always so exciting to know there are interesting people like you out there." She turned towards Bickslow and his dolls. "Especially those like you."

Bickslow turned away sheepishly. "Oh stop, you're gonna make me and my babies blush."

Valerie turned back towards Nic. "So anyways, what's that emblem you all have?"

Natsu looked at his shoulder. "What? These? They're our guild marks. We're part of Fairy Tail." Upon hearing that, Natsu could see a light in Valerie's eyes.

"Fairy Tail." She looked at all of the guild marks present and available to see, and the design and the name piqued her. "It's so…beautiful…it's so dazzling."

"Heh! Another reason why we're the number one gui-AGH!" Natsu beamed again with pride, only for Lucy to stop him by again pulling on his swollen ear.

"Stop bragging, Natsu. You're being _a little_ too carried away here." Lucy warned.

"You need to cool down. Besides, this place doesn't now much of magic since Pokémon do it for them." Gray reminded him. "Geez, what an ash-for-brains."

Natsu immediately grew a tick mark. "Grrr! Say what?!" He growled, snapping back up, almost making Lucy fall over from his abrupt yank. He glared Gray right in the face. "How's about I turn you into ash, huh?!"

Gray leered back. "Not before I turn you into putty!"

"You care to try?!"

"Yeah, well-!"

"Be quiet, both of you!" Erza finally put an end to their roaring, reducing them to whimpering folks that sulked.

Nic turned back towards Valerie as she took the lead again. "So, Nic, what brings you here?"

Immediately Vanessa stood up. "That's the thing, Valerie. I'd like to request a Gym Battle from you."

Jake and Will's eyes widened. _'Wha~t?!'_

Valerie looked towards Vanessa. "And who might you be, challenger?"

"I'm Vanessa, Nic's younger sister."

Again Jake and Will showed shock, but not only them, but Valerie looked a little shocked as well. The greatest savior in all of the universe has a sister?! It was a lot to take in first of all with friends and different fashion designs from another world, but it's another when it's by blood.

Still, Valerie held it to her obligation to persevere and accept, to which she did. "Sure, I accept your challenge."

"Thank you."

Cana smirked. "Yeah, now let's see what the big girl can do all on her own!"

Lisanna looked around, noticing something off. "Uh…hey, has anyone seen Levy?"

"Here!" From the distance, Levy came rushing back towards the group. She had her reading glasses on and an abundance of textbooks in hand. "Sorry I worried you guys."

"Oh hey, Levy, what's all of that?" Lucy questioned.

Levy smiled as she held up one of the books with an old picture of a tree; more specifically the tree over the Laverre Gym. "These? I'm just borrowing them for our short time here. It's about Kalos's history, and a little bit of the various Pokémon biology."

"Seems liable." Carla agreed.

Wendy smiled as she clasped her hands together. "Yeah, it seems exciting."

Vanessa stepped forward, looking at Valerie with a confident smile. "I'm ready."

Suddenly, Will got in front of them both, looking shocked in front of Vanessa. "Whoa-whoa-whoa! Time out" He paused. "Y-you mean you're serious? You're taking on Valerie?"

"Yes." Vanessa quickly deadpanned.

"B-but she's scary strong!" Jake intervened.

Nic immediately cut them off. "I wouldn't be so downhearted, if I were you." He warned. He put his hands back into his pockets, and he looked back at his sister. "Trust me, Vanessa's more than capable."

Vanessa smiled at her brother encouraging. She looked back ahead, looking ready to battle with the Fairy-type Gym Leader.

* * *

The gym's inside was a stark contrast to the shabby dollhouse-like outside. The inside's walls were nothing but panels that digitally changed the scenery on the walls. In the middle of the gym was the battlefield, and bordering it was a clean pool of still water with mossy rocks. Connecting to the outside of the battlefield was a series of bridges that arched over the water towards another set of stairs guide by red railing. Up above the stairs was a low balcony for everyone to watch from. All around were lush trees, resembling a Japanese garden around the entire gym. The ceiling was black with bright lighting, and the walls were currently together to make a midnight scenery, with a half-moon and pink cherry blossom trees all around, making petals fall daintily all around onto the small hills.

Once everyone made it to the stairs, making way up towards the balcony, Vanessa and Valerie were in their Trainer Box and Gym Leader Box. Opposite sides were present, and both females stared expectantly at the other.

"So this is the inside of a Gym?" Romeo questioned, looking around. "It's fancy."

"Now just hold up kid. Remember that this is just one Gym. Don't forget that Nic said that there are seven others in variety." Cana reminded him.

"Oh, uh, right." Romeo nodded in understanding.

"So the Gym uses Fairy-types." Sophie analyzed. "I wonder how Vanessa will react to that kind?"

Erza scrutinized the battle that was unfolding. "We'll just have to wait and see."

"RAH-RAH! Vanessa!" Happy cheered up on the railing.

As the ref made way towards the side of the battlefield, the scenery around began to change. The digital paneling completely altered, changing front the night to day. All around was a placid afternoon sun blocked out by autumn-colored leaves, like an enchanted forest. Red, yellow, and orange trees were all around, brightening up the atmosphere. There were some greens in some places, and near the Gym Leader was a shrine and another digital Japanese arched bridge.

Panther Lily seemed very impressed. "Wow! The scenery changed!"

The ref cleared her throat and stood on the side, ready to announce. "May I have your attention, please. The Laverre City Gym Battle between Vanessa of Vaniville Town, and Valerie, the Laverre City Gym Leader, will commence. Both sides will be allowed the use of three Pokémon, and the battle will be over when all of either side's Pokémon are unable to battle; in addition, only the challenger will be allowed to substitute Pokémon at any time." She announced.

"Go, Valerie!" Her supporters cheered from Valerie's side of the Gym.

Lisanna put a hand to her chin. "So while the Gym Leader can't switch, Vanessa can, Sounds like a big advantage." She pondered.

Erza glanced over towards Nic. "Nic, how did you handle her Gym from what you can recall?"

Nic looked back at the battlefield, seemingly focused. "In honesty, the battle was staggering. Arbok was still new at the time, but he pulled through and managed to defeat her thanks to the poison and his Glare. But still, it was tough getting around her defenses. Our hand-to-hand combat skills helped us when it came to close range, but much of her moveset was long-ranged. We'll have to see what Vanessa can pull off…" He trailed off, looking back down at Vanessa. Both siblings looked at each other. They smiled, and nodded. It was time to put the plan into action.

Valerie held up a Poke Ball. "We're all set." She threw her Poke Ball. "Let's go, Mawile!"

The Poke Ball opened, and out came a Mawile. The Steel and Fairy-type was present and ready to battle with a mild grin.

Natsu leaned over the railing to get a better view. "No way! She has that weird flytrap thing just like Vanessa!"

"A Mawile? Okay." Vanessa pulled out her own Poke Ball, tossing it up. "Braixen, you're up!"

The Poke Ball popped open, and out appeared Vanessa's Braixen. The Fire-type fox had legs spread apart and looked raring to go. "(At long last. It's been a while since our last Gym Battle. Let's do our best.)"

"So Vanessa's starting off with her Braixen." Sophie analyzed.

Romeo, unlike Sophie and the others, seemed to not be taking Vanessa's choice that well. "Hang on! I thought Vanessa had her own Mawile, so why not use that? It would make a lot of sense, right?"

Nic gazed over at the Fire Mage. "You're missing the point."

"Huh?"

Nic looked back ahead at the battlefield. "It's true Vanessa could use Mawile, but that wouldn't do much of any good. It's not the idea of Mawile pride, but Vanessa's thinking two steps ahead." His eyes narrowed. "Vanessa's Mawile knows only Feint Attack and Crunch as offensive moves, but Dark-type moves aren't much effective against Fairy-types. She could use Swords Dance, but Valerie's Mawile could use Iron Defense to counter. In a way, it wouldn't help in the long run. If Mawile did somehow pull a win, she'd only be hindered and have no energy or support moves to have her maintain stamina for very long in the next round. Vanessa is instead playing it smart, and starting out with a type advantage."

Romeo looked back ahead, his eyes open to the battle. "Oh, I-I guess…"

Natsu looked like his head going to explode. "Still say she should've used Mawile…"

"Suck it up. You're not the one battling." Lucy chastised. "Let's go, Vanessa!"

Jake and Will paid extra close attention as they were going to get an education.

The ref brought her hand down in a chop. "Let the battle begin!"

Vanessa started off right off the bat. She extended her arm forward. "Braixen, **Flame Charge!** " Braixen thus cloaked herself in fire, and she went blazing ahead in a fiery lunge.

As Braixen traveled across the battlefield, Valerie kept a calm vibe. "Okay then. Mawile, **Iron Defense!** "

Mawile remained still as her outline showed blue. She cloaked herself in raw iron, a trait which intrigued Gajeel. The iron faded, and a red aura thickened around Mawile, increasing her Defense. The Deceiver Pokémon remained still as Braixen finally made it head first into her. Erupting in a blast wave of smoke and fire sparks. As the explosion subsided, Braixen slid back, using her paw to anchor her slide. When she stopped, her body was in a red outline briefly, increasing her Speed. The smoke cleared, and Mawile was still standing in place, seemingly unalarmed.

Braixen's eyes narrowed. "(Such Defense…)"

"(You'll have to hit harder than that.)" Mawile warned.

Valerie stared at Vanessa with a smirk. "Were you surprised? Fairy-types may be dainty, but we can be deadly if overlooked."

Vanessa, however, was unmoved by her statement. She knew that if one tactic didn't work, there was always Plan B. She extended her arm forward. " **Fire Spin!** " Braixen followed the command and pulled out the stick wedged in her tail fur. She twirled it around and stepped forward, pressing the tip to aim at Mawile. From the tip, a spiral of fire went fuming through the air after her.

Valerie extended her arm forward. "Now, dodge and **Feint Attack!** " Complying, Mawile suddenly disappeared, evading Fire Spin as a brief vortex of fire sprung up from where the funnel hit, only to diffuse.

Natsu's eyes widened. "It vanished?"

Braixen clutched her paws. She didn't know where Mawile would pop up, but then she heard a whoosh sound from behind. The Fox Pokémon's eyes widened as she turned, but it was too late as Mawile swung her jaw-like horns around, hammering Braixen and sending her sliding on her back, kicking up dust. Mawile landed, already prepped for another consecutive assault.

"Now use **Crunch!** " Mawile turned around and had her horns ready. She opened them up, showing the glowing and elongated fangs. The Steel and Fairy-type went lunging through the dust, attacking with a snap of her jaws. However when she made it into the dust, her Crunch met thin air and dust, and not a Braixen.

The dust cleared out from the force of Mawile's lunge, revealing Braixen no longer there. _'(She's not here?)'_

Cana was caught as surprised as everybody else, but her eye caught something in the air. She pointed up at the yellow figure in midair. "Look!"

Everybody else saw Braixen overhead, and she was directly above the opposing Mawile. She glared down at Mawile, who was looking a little startled.

"How did she get above so fast?" Alzack wondered.

"That's Flame Charge's additional effect." Nic answered. "When a Pokémon uses a successful Flame Charge, their Speed increases. So when Braixen was in the dust cloud, her added speed made her evade that Crunch, not a moment too soon."

" **Fire Spin!** " Vanessa commanded.

Braixen pointed her stick straight down, her body opposing Mawile. "(Take this!)" She again exerted a funnel of fire, this one speeding gradually onto a startled Mawile. The attack made contact, and Mawile screamed out as she was absorbed into the vortex of burning flames. The flame embers crackled in the atmosphere as they bounced off the ground, causing Valerie to cover up.

Valerie uncovered, swiping her arm. " **Crunch!** "

Even inside the incinerating fire, Mawile could still make sense of what it meant to be battling. Her eyes opened back up, and she uncovered, embracing the Fire Spin. She crouched and readied her jaws that glowed and elongated. She sprung up straight into the opening Braixen provided. Mawile's straight trajectory led her to Braixen in midair, snapping her jaws onto the Fire-type's body, Braixen screamed out throughout the Gym, shocking Vanessa with how that Fire Spin backfired.

Though the Fire Spin dissipated, Mawile was still swelled in a small funnel of fire, somewhat restraining her. She did manage to swing her horns around, sending Braixen slamming into the ground. She thudded against the battlefield and tumbled through the dust, coming to a painful halt.

As the dust settled, Braixen was wincing, her body glowing blue and lowering her Defense. Mawile landed on the ground as well, but she winced as the small funnel of fire enclosed her, restraining her from advancing in any direction.

"That was a very risky but effective display." Levy said. "Fire Spin gradually deals damage, but Crunch also has a chance of lowering Defense, so Mawile can deal more damage than ever."

"How'd you know that?" Sophie asked. She looked over towards Levy, who was using her reading glasses and taking in everything in regards to moves, status conditions, and added effects of said moves, all from the big textbook in her hands. The answer was clear.

Vanessa looked ahead, seeing her Braixen on the opposite side of the battlefield. She looked to be damaged, but not enough to keep her down. _'Braixen's Defense has lowered, but we have increased Speed to compensate. But Mawile has Feint Attack, meaning we can't hide nor dodge. But if we can somehow manage to draw her in close…'_

As Braixen was standing back up, Mawile looked at her through the vortex restraining her. "(I guess this boils down to stamina. Let's see who wins: Fire Spin, or my attacks.)"

Braixen said nothing, but didn't seem deterred. She was ready as her eyes narrowed.

"Braixen, **Flame Charge!** " Vanessa commanded. Braixen followed through and her fur was cloaked in fire. The Fire-type went charging ahead, lunging across the battlefield like it was hot coal. Mawile covered herself up as Braixen's head made contact with her forearms, making flames exploded at close-range. Again smoke piled on, but Mawile did not move while Braixen jumped backwards onto her feet, her body in a red aura and increasing her Speed yet again.

Valerie's eyes narrowed. "Against Mawile's Defense, are you hoping to wear us down? Mawile, **Feint Attack!** "

Mawile disappeared, along with the vortex of fire. Braixen remained still and her feet were spread apart. Closing her eyes, she relied in her sense of hearing to catch the Deceiver Pokémon. She remained quiet, calm, tranquil, clearing herself to strike.

When she heard another whoosh from the side, her right ear twitched. She opened her eyes, and immediately saw Mawile on her right, still in a vortex of fire. "(Not this time!)" Braixen pivoted swiftly, bringing her arms up to block. Despite her lowered Defense, she made do with her physicality. Mawile swung her jaws around, batting Braixen, to which she successfully blocked, but the impact was still rather tremendous, and her legs loosened up, making her slide off to the side, again kicking up dust that went either way.

Mawile landed, wincing again as Fire Spin's effect again toiled with her. "(You blocked…)" But she seemed to be intrigued as Braixen was huffing. "(But you're looking exhausted. Let's finish this!)"

Valerie extended her arm out. "Now! Mawile, use **Crunch!** " Mawile flipped her horns overhead through the vortex of fire. They opened up and the fangs glowed and elongated yet again. Mawile crouched and went lunging ahead, springing for the finishing blow.

Braixen and Vanessa both did nothing as Mawile drew closer.

"Look out!" Natsu shouted.

"Why are you just standing there?!" Happy called out.

"Are they intending to block?" Panther Lily exclaimed.

Wendy's hold on the rails tightened, showing her anxiety.

Vanessa's eyes squinted. " **Fire Spin!** "

Braixen drew her wand across, pointing it directly into the open mouth of Mawile. As Mawile was in midair, with fire swirling on the tip of the wand, the Steel and Fairy-type's eyes widened. She gasped when the realization dawned upon her.

Braixen let out a strong scream as another funnel of fire exerted from the tip, blasting the inside of Mawile's jaws. The Fire Spin around Mawile was added to fuel to the fire as the fire into the mouth caused a massive rupture, in which flames exploded in a violent display. Mawile yelled out as her open mouth exerted fire that spun around her further erupting in a thicker swirling fire vortex. The Fire Spin was thicker than ever, and after a few moments finally dissipated through a fiery explosion, showering small embers all around. Braixen remained standing and didn't huff as the dust and fire settled into thin air, revealing Mawile unconscious on her abdomen.

The ref raised an arm for Vanessa's side. "Mawile is unable to battle, Braixen is the winner!"

Lucy pumped a fist. "Alright!"

Asuka waved her arms and cheered. "Yay!" She laughed.

Sophie gave a sigh of relief. "Phew. I think I was about to start sweating there. I forgot how thrilling certain Pokémon Battles can be."

"That's a real man for ya!" Elfman cheered. "Keep it up!"

Nic smiled and nodded. "That was a great first round. Vanessa used Mawile's physical properties to her advantage, and once the mouth was open, she took the shot. It was a close call, but I'm glad Vanessa and Braixen pulled through." He admitted in sincerity.

Valerie returned Mawile with a smile. She looked down at her Poke Ball, accepting the loss. "Dear Mawile, you did extraordinary. Take a nice long rest." She looked back at Vanessa as she cheered and praised Braixen for her efforts in that first round. "My, you surprised me. You both knew what weakness Mawile had. What an amazing level of trust you both have."

Vanessa stood up and nodded. "Thank you. Braixen, you want to resume?"

Braixen spread her legs apart, wand ready.

Nic crossed his arms, looking ahead with slight worry. "Braixen's taken a lot of damage, but she has increased Speed to help her. Let's see what Valerie's next choice is."

Valerie pulled out a second Poke Ball. She tossed it up, summoning her next choice. "Mr. Mime, come!"

The Poke Ball opened up, and appearing front of Valerie was Mr. Mime. She moved her glove-like hands all around, making an invisible wall. She has bulbous shoulders and curbed blue shoes with scrunched up ears. She moved her arms and hands around, looking like an actual mime.

Gajeel's face twisted. "Two seconds in and it's already creeping me out."

Vanessa reached into her brown purse that she brought along. She held up her PokeDex, analyzing Mr. Mime.

 _"Mr. Mime, the Barrier Pokémon._ _Emanations from its fingertips solidify the air into invisible walls that repel even harsh attacks."_

Jake looked heavily annoyed. "There it is again. That's perhaps the greatest peeve that tripped us up."

"You don't say?" Freed asked.

"In addition to being a Fairy-type, Mr. Mime is also a Psychic-type." Nic informed.

Erza looked ahead, ready for the battle to unfold. "Let's see what plays out."

Valerie did a curtsey. "Go ahead."

Vanessa was looking cautious. She knew the risks, but were they that great to take? What she knew was that she had to be careful, especially with Mr. Mime being able to use Psychic-Type move to trick her. _'Braixen's Speed is higher, but she can't take much more of any attacks. We'll have to stay alert. Every millisecond counts!'_ Vanessa swiped and extended her arm forward. " **Flame Charge!** "

Braixen obeyed, and she went blazing on ahead, cloaked in fire. She sprung faster than ever, making quick seconds pass by. Braixen let out a shout as she charged ahead first once more, hitting Mr. Mime head on in a fury, immediate contact making another quick burst of fire erupt. Both Braixen and Mr. Mime slid back from the dissipating smoke, again the former's Speed enhancing by the red aura around her body flaring.

Mr. Mime seemed unfazed as she held both hands up, revealing them to be sizzling. She clutched them, making them stop. "(You're a swift one, but let's see what swiftness can do for you after we put up the shields.)"

Braixen's eyes narrowed. "(Shields?)"

Valerie's eyes narrowed as she smirked. " **Reflect!** "

Mr. Mime circled her arms in opposite circles, creating a materialized energy shield. The rainbow shield was circular, and was as big as Mr. Mime. After Mr. Mime finished spinning her arms, Reflect faded away. Vanessa and Braixen both looked slightly surprised.

"That's what tripped us up big time!" Will exclaimed. "Reflect halves the damage of physical attacks for a certain amount of time."

Erza put a hand to her chin, pondering. "So it's a defensive move. Interesting."

Vanessa did not stop, however. "Braixen, long-range it is. Use **Fire Spin!** " Braixen thus pointed her wand ahead and unleashed yet another vortex of swirling fire that went after Mr. Mime.

Valerie raised her hand. "Turn it back! **Psychic!** "

Mr. Mime's eyes glowed a bright blue, and the Barrier Pokémon reached out ahead, making the Fire Spin's outline a bright blue as well. When Fire Spin was so close, Mr. Mime's eyes glowed brighter. "(Now! Repel!)" She yelled. The swirling fire then suddenly dispersed, diffusing into several smaller streams of fire that diverged and went streaming back at Braixen, like streaming fire comets.

"She manipulated Braixen's move?!" Cana yelled in disbelief.

The roaring streams of fire shot in long arches, but Braixen knew better than to stay in one spot. She jumped and dodged, evading the streams of fire with such speed. She shifted left and right, dodging every fire bomb that dissipated upon hitting the earth. She resulted to a backflip, dodging another explosive stream of fire that aimed where she stood. When she landed, a wall of fire was enveloping the area in front of her. She panted, trying to catch her breath. "(That…was close.)" She muttered. However, the wall of fire broke down in front, revealing one last comet of fire heading her way. "(What?!)"

Vanessa extended her arm forward. "Braixen, quick, **Light Screen!** "

Braixen extended her wand forward, materializing her own rainbow shield. The shield looked exactly like the Reflect; no different. When the Psychic-powered blast of fire struck the shield, it exploded, not contacting Braixen, but the shockwaves were still enabling her to stagger. Braixen grunted as she slid back, taking a hefty toll.

"Braixen!" Vanessa cried out. She watched as Braixen slid backwards, scratching up her knee bad. The fox panted as she was on all fours. She nearly fell over, but caught herself. _'This is getting far too risky. Braixen's put up Light Screen at least. I have to shift to the main phase and quick.'_ She extended her arm out, her Poke Ball present. "Braixen, return!"

Much to Braixen's relief, Vanessa recalled her, with barely energy to spare.

Mr. Mime smiled. "(That was pleasant to say the least.)"

Lucy sighed in relief. "That gave me a scare there."

"She almost had us for a moment." Bisca acknowledged.

"She managed to put up that Light Screen at the last second." Freed analyzed. "So now we have to see who Vanessa substituted Braixen for exactly."

"In truth, Light Screen was a good call since Mr. Mime has Psychic and Dazzling Gleam, from when I fought her that is, which are Special Attacks." Nic explained. "Still, Vanessa's choice will have to be crucial. That Psychic is going to be hard to maneuver around if she uses a direct assault."

Vanessa pulled out her next choice, throwing a second Poke Ball. "Go! Venusaur!"

The Poke Ball opened up, and out came Venusaur. The bulky Grass and Poison-type opened his mouth, letting out a roar in the atmosphere, which reverberated through the atmosphere. Venusaur bent his knees and looked raring to go.

Valerie looked intrigued. "What an interesting choice. A Poison-type. Well then. Let's go!"

Vanessa swiped her arm. "Venusaur, **Toxic!** "

Venusaur aimed the center of his flower at Mr. Mime and grunted as he fired a stream of purple liquid like a spear. The spear of poison made contact and engulfed Mr. Mime in a cloud of purple. When the purple cloud faded, Mr. Mime was grunting, purple in the face and toxic bubbles erupted from her pain-stricken expression.

Mr. Mime felt her energy sap. "(My…energy…)" She weakly groaned.

Valerie's eyes widened. "Mr. Mime!" She gasped.

Wendy perked up. "She got it!"

"Yes, and it seems to be taking effect already." Carla said, surprised.

Levy looked down at the book she had in hand, looking at the move listed that Venusaur used. "Toxic, a move that badly poisons a target Pokémon. The longer they stay in, the greater the Toxic's potency, thus accumulating damage faster than average poison."

Romeo looked back ahead with amazement. "So that means no matter how this plays out, Vanessa's gonna wear down Mr. Mime!"

Despite Toxic, Valerie still retained her battle-ready expression. "That was a surprise…Mr. Mime, you okay?" Mr. Mime grunted, but she shook her head and brought her hands up, pantomiming once more. "Then use **Psychic!** "

Mr. Mime's eyes glowed a bright blue, encompassing Venusaur in the familiar color and psychic energy. Mr. Mime extended her palm up, bringing Venusaur up close to the ceiling. Mr. Mime then swung her arm down and dragged Venusaur down with her. The hulking animal plant beast yelled out as he fell, but when he met the floor, Light Screen appeared underneath, catching him and refraining from dust scattering.

"Venusaur!" Vanessa called out.

Venusaur shook his head clearing up his vision. However, his body was enveloped in a blue energy, lowering his Special Defense. Still, he roared out, ready for more battling. "(I'm far from finished.)"

Valerie watched as Mr. Mime cringed, taking some damage from Toxic. Her eyes narrowed. "That Light Screen…"

Vanessa extended her arm forward. "Use **Razor Leaf!** " Venusaur's leaves raised a little as he fired a funnel of razor-sharp glowing leaves that went after Mr. Mime. Razor Leaf closed in, but again Mr. Mime's Reflect popped up, blocking like a window. It was like a walk on the rain as Razor Leaf pelted the Reflect, with Mr. Mime taking half as much damage.

" **Psychic!** "

Mr. Mime's eyes glowed again, and she extended her arms out. The Reflect faded as the remainder of Razor Leaf was caught in the kinetic flow. Swiping her arm in opposite arches, Mr. Mime fired the duration of Razor Leaf back at Venusaur. As the attack went at him, Venusaur didn't bother moving.

"Dodge, and **Grass Knot!** " Vanessa commanded.

Venusaur thus shifted all of his weight back towards his sturdy hind legs. The hulking beast, despite the plant on his back, was by no means that ridiculously heavy. Venusaur took a big jump, dodging the Razor Leaf that struck the ground where he stood beforehand.

Natsu's eyes widened and gaped his mouth. "Huh~?!"

"That humungous thing can jump?!" Gray exclaimed.

Laxus himself seemed surprised, widening his eyes a tiny bit upon seeing an airborne Venusaur. "Well, there's something you don't see every day."

In midair, Venusaur's eyes glowed a bright green. Underneath Mr. Mime, the ground began to crack apart. Before Valerie and Mr. Mime could even blinked, Mr. Mime's feet were subjugated to glowing green roots and wines twirling and suppressing her feet. Mr. Mime didn't get a chance to act further when the roots twisted and grew larger, breaking a little more of the ground, and the twisting of the roots made Mr. Mime airborne. The loots let go, allowing Mr. Mime to spiral back down to earth.

"Hurry Mr. Mime, **Light Screen!** " Valerie shrieked.

Mr. Mime's eyes opened back up. The poisonous bubbles bubbled to the surface of her skin, but she mustered the power to extend her arms down and make Light Screen. The rainbow shield formed on the ground, where Mr. Mime fell, halving the damage from her thud that made her back sore.

Mr. Mime groaned. "(Ugh, that's gonna leave a mark.)" The Grass Knot retreated into the earth, the shattered earth also looking as though it never happened. Venusaur landed on the ground, so hard yet so soundly that the Gym quaked, much to everybody's surprise.

Vanessa smiled. "Well done, Venusaur."

Venusaur rustled his large leaves, showing his will to battle. "(We're not done yet!)"

Valerie's eyes narrowed, her nervousness arising. "The winds are becoming unsound. Mr. Mime, **Psychic!** " Mr. Mime attacked once more, extending her arm out, using her Psychic and enveloping Venusaur. The plant and animal hybrid was suddenly hit an invisible force, of which also hit the Light Screen still in play on his side. Venusaur slid backwards, grunting as the Psychic was so superb that it forced him to take drastic measures. He shifted all of his weight forward, slowing his momentum and refraining his slide. Dust scattered, but Venusaur was still up on all four legs, looking at Mr. Mime with a mellow but steady gaze.

"Even after a critical hit he's standing." Valerie muttered. She smiled. "She's trained them well." It didn't help in her case a second time when the Toxic affected Mr. Mime further, poisonous bubbles erupting on the surface again. This time, Mr. Mime dropped to a knee.

Cana pumped a fist. "That's what we wanna see!"

"Wow, I gotta learn that move." Lily smirked, teasing.

"Toxic's poison is weakening Mr. Mime significantly." Nic said. "It can use Reflect and Light screen to reduce damage taken, but that won't mean anything against a poison status. Vanessa did a great job countering." He smiled warmly, seeing how his sister was battling to her fullest, looking like she was enjoying herself as well.

Vanessa stood still as she resumed. "Now, **Venoshock!** "

Venusaur let out another roar as he unleashed a streaming purple liquid from his flower. The stream of venomous liquid rushed across the battlefield, reaching Mr. Mime. The Light screen went up, but Mr. Mime's eyes widened in shock and horror alike as Venoshock met Light screen, but the purple torrent-like blast engulfed everything around in a vivid explosion of sheer purple venom and smoke. Valerie and her supporters gasped in fright at such a powerful attack, and Vanessa and Venusaur both nervously watched with narrowing eyes as the purple smoke cleared up, revealing Mr. Mime on her back, groaning.

At the same time, the poison on Mr. Mime's face also faded, meaning she was out.

The ref raised her arm for Vanessa's side again. "Mr. Mime is unable to battle, Venusaur is the winner!" She announced.

Vanessa smiled. "Well done, Venusaur. How are you feeling?"

Venusaur looked back to his Trainer, smiling. "(I'm fine. I can keep going.)"

Nic grinned. "Venoshock does twice the power when your target is poisoned or badly poisoned."

Erza looked with a surprised expression and looked at Venusaur's relaxed expression as he won, thanks to his Toxic and Venoshock combo of course. "Interesting. Even your sister's battling style is full of surprises."

Will's mouth gaped open. "No way! My Butterfree used the Poison Powder and Venoshock combo, and it still lost." His eyes narrowed, a small grunt coming from him. He looked towards Vanessa talking to her Venusaur, encouraging him with a warm smile. Will looked down at his Butterfree's Poke Ball, smiling warmly. "We learn from others, huh?"

Valerie returned her Mr. Mime, giving yet another word of praise. "You did marvelous, just wonderfully. Take a nice rest as well." She put the Poke Ball away, her surprise still evident. "My, my, your bond surprised me. You're even more interesting as a Trainer than I had expected."

Vanessa gave a confident smile as she looked back at Valerie. "I appreciate the sentiment."

Valerie presented her last Poke Ball. "Now, it's your time to shine." She tossed the Poke Ball up into the air. "Sylveon, let's do this!"

The Poke Ball opened up, and out came Valerie's trusted Sylveon. The Fairy-type from earlier vertically flipped in the air onto her heels, looking ahead with a readied expression.

"So a Sylveon now." Vanessa confirmed. She pulled out her PokeDex again, showing a hologram of Sylveon.

 _"Sylveon, the Intertwining Pokémon_ _. It sends a soothing aura from its ribbonlike feelers to calm fights_ _."_

"So if Vanessa defeats this last one, victory is hers, right?" Lucy questioned.

Nic nodded. "As simple as it sounds, yes. But just because Sylveon is Vanessa's last opponent, doesn't mean it won't be any means of trouble. It could spell turmoil if Vanessa's judgment gets bleak like before." While he refused to chastise his sister, Nic couldn't deny that Vanessa has been showing exceptional progress. She's been training, and her judgment and abilities are her own. He was here to support her all the way. "Alright Vanessa, you can do this!" Nic proudly cheered.

Vanessa nodded. "Right." She then frowned, a serious expression crossing her eyes. _'This is no time to relax. First thing's first. I must be careful of Sylveon's moves, and what characteristics it may have. Those feelers are my biggest priority.'_ Vanessa thus started off. "Venusaur, **Razor Leaf!** "

Spreading his front legs apart, Venusaur fired glowing sharp leaves that traveled in a funnel after Sylveon.

Valerie smirked. "Sylveon!"

"(We'll pull through!)" The Intertwining Pokémon extended her feelers, waving them in the air around. She exercised the feelers, lashing them violently like whips that countered and blocked the Razor Leaf with precision. Each leaf was stopped and dissipated into nothingness upon being whipped by the feelers.

"It can block it?!" Gray exclaimed.

Lucy's eyes dilated, her worry growing. "This is just like our last time in Kalos." She remembered the Pokémon Battles she witnessed in Lumiose City, more specifically Vanessa against that girl named Zetta. "She had a Sylveon just like Valerie has, only that one was a different color." She went further in depth at the battle, recalling how that Sylveon also used her feelers to ensnare and manipulate Krokorok back then. "Looks like this battle just got a whole lot harder if Vanessa can't find a way around those feelers. Venusaur may be snared."

Vanessa remained subtle as Valerie called for her attack.

" **Swift!** " Sylveon followed the command and she lashed her feelers unleashing an array of yellow stars in golden sparkles at Venusaur.

"Use **Razor Leaf!** " Vanessa called out, ascertaining the means of an interception. Venusaur again fire Razor Leaf, sending more sharp leaves funneling after Swift. Both attacks met in the middle, generating an explosion of golden sparkles and shredded up leaves. Both sides were unscathed still.

Valerie and Vanessa stared the other down, curious as to who would make the next move to attack. With time lasting forever, they could be in a staring contest all day, but they had things to do in the future, no matter how miscellaneous. Valerie finally gave in, calling out her next attack.

"Sylveon, **Moonblast!** "

Sylveon was enveloped in a shining aura, and the air around darkened some. The energy around her converged, making a bright pink sphere of energy in front. She opened her mouth, and used every ounce of force to fire the Fairy-type attack. Moonblast traveled towards Venusaur, closing in remarkably fast.

Vanessa swiped her arm. " **Venoshock!** "

Venusaur aimed his flower ta the incoming pink sphere aiming straight for his face. He fired a voluminous mass of liquid same as before, the Poison-type move targeting and meeting Moonblast when it was so close. The two attacks met in the middle, generating a bright pink flash mixed with a purple cloud. Again everyone covered up as the Gym shook from the shockwaves of the moves intertwining, again cancelling the other out.

When the smoke and bright light faded, Vanessa uncovered and her hair stopped shifting. The Aura Mage looked back ahead, looking to see the smoke dissipate and reveal Valerie and Sylveon both grinning.

Juvia looked at the erupting battle with uncertainty. "My heart is racing drastically. It's a close battle, but neither side is giving in."

"So this is a real Pokémon Battle, huh? I'm liking it!" Bickslow exclaimed.

Valerie swiped her arms. "Grab him!"

Sylveon stretched out her feelers, coiling them around the front legs of Venusaur. Venusaur looked down at his front feet, seeing them ensnared. "(Huh?)"

Vanessa kept a calm expression, despite how the advantage had turned against her.

"Sylveon, reel him in." Valerie commanded.

Sylveon tried to pull with all of her might. The Fairy-type pulled with what momentum and strength she could muster up, but she had but little fortune as Venusaur was not only heavier than what she'd thought, but also the fact he was anchored to the ground, shifting his weight back and slowing her down even more. "(H-he weights a ton!)" She grunted.

Vanessa's eyes widened, a plan hatching. _'Yes, that should do it!'_ She looked with a seriousness in her eyes once more. _'I won't let my judgment get poor again. I'll make it up to Braixen for her hard work. This will be my mistake if I mess up this once. We'll win this, all four of us!'_ Vanessa clutched her fist, staring at Venusaur, who was looking back to her to see if she was alright. To his relief, she was. "Venusaur, use **Toxic!** "

Hearing the confidence in his Trainer, Venusaur nodded in understanding. "(I'm with you!)" He looked back ahead and he aimed his flower at Sylveon. "(How's about a little poison for the trouble!)" He fired a small stream of poisonous liquid that traveled through the air, following past the feelers towards the shocked Sylveon. The recipient's eyes widened in horror, and was struck by the venomous liquid. She was enveloped in a purple poison cloud, which fogged her senses briefly enough for the feelers to retreat. Venusaur disregarded how he was freed and watched the purple smoke clear, revealing Sylveon grunting as she seemed a little pale, her face slightly purple. Intoxication bubble arose from her body, popping with disgust.

Valerie looked displeased. "Oh no!"

Vanessa held up her Poke Ball. "Venusaur, return." With a smile of mute gratitude, the Trainer thanked her Venusaur and returned him to his Poke Ball, withdrawing from the battle for now.

"Wait, why is Vanessa switching?" Sophie wondered.

Vanessa pulled out her next Poke Ball, looking back at Valerie, who was frowning at the predicament she was in with a badly poisoned Sylveon. "If I'm to go out, let us do it with a bang." She threw the Poke Ball. "Go, Magnezone!"

The Poke Ball opened, revealing Vanessa's third Pokémon, Magnezone. The Magnet Area Pokémon looked prepped as his magnets were spinning. He scrutinized the battle, looking ready. "(This battle is too important to lose. I'll take it as part as my atonement.)"

Valerie's eyes widened a second time. "A Steel-type!"

Sylveon looked unnerved. "(Oh my…!)" She winced, the Toxic getting to her.

Nic smiled, nodding at how well she played that tactic. "That was a proud call."

Erza turned towards Nic. "You think so?"

Nic smiled at her. "Of course. Vanessa recognized the threat Sylveon possessed against Venusaur, whose Special defense was already lowered and took damage from Mr. Mime. Rather than going with Mega Evolution, like many would attempt at this time, she rather allowed to have her last choice have a chance."

"I see." Erza looked back ahead, seeing Magnezone floating in front of Vanessa. She grinned. "No matter what, everyone gets to play a part."

Vanessa swiped her arm. " **Mirror Shot!** "

Magnezone's body glowed a light blue and the light blue traveled down in ripples down to the magnets on his body. The large magnetic creature's light blue energy turned a silver color and morphed into a blob that glinted with vibrant bright lights. He fired the attack, aiming it at Sylveon.

Valerie swiped her arm. "Dodge!" Heading her words, Sylveon back flipped and evaded Mirror Shot, with exploded in a silver light that picked up a large dust cloud in front of her. Valerie proceeded with the next command, again looking almost desperate as once would call it. "Sylveon, we have to end this before Toxic does, so use **Moonblast!** " Sylveon obeyed without question and again gathered the energy for her attack. Pink energy swelled into a single point in front of her, where it was compressed into lunar energy. Sylveon fired the Fairy-type move through the top of te dust cloud, immediately blowing away dust and getting a clear view of Magnezone. The attack made contact, exploding and enveloping Magnezone in a bright pink explosion. The explosion took up a great majority of the airspace, pink smoke enveloping the atmosphere, but vanishing almost as equally. Valerie looked up as the affects dissipated, but again her hopes were dashed when Magnezone was seen in the air, only deterred by just a little, otherwise he seemed raring to go. "It's got so much defense…"

Vanessa called her next move. " **Mirror Shot!** "

" **Moonblast!** "

Both Magnezone and Sylveon fired their respective attacks again, this time both colliding in midair between, creating a dazzling array of bright pink and silver that erupted into smoke that hurriedly dissipated between them, again obscuring their vision.

"Hurry, grab Magnezone!" Valerie called out.

Sylveon waved her feelers around. "(You won't get away that easily!)" She shot her feelers through the smoke, reaching and pulling something from the other side. This time she was sure of it, as it was Magnezone. Sylveon watched the smoke dissipate, and she looked determined, despite how again she was shaken up by the Toxic.

"Your Magnezone can't maneuver much now, can it?" Valerie asked. "So what are you going to do to counter?"

Vanessa smiled back. "We weren't expecting anything else."

Valerie frowned. "What?"

"(We thought you'd do something like this. And we were right.)" Magnezone said. "(It's true that our movements are secured, but what becomes of you know that you're in my sight, and against something of electrical property?)"

Sylveon again felt a shiver down her spine. It was too late for any withdrawals.

"Magnezone, use **Spark!** " Following the command, Magnezone was enveloped in blue electricity. The electricity traveled down Sylveon's feelers, immediately shocking the Fairy-type and causing her pain through her veins. She was unable to respond, and she suffered a hefty charge from Magnezone, who was charging down towards her in electricity and rammed with all of his might. He knocked her for a loop, and Sylveon flipped through the air, barely landing on all fours again.

"Sylveon!" Valerie exclaimed, but Sylveon shuddered, her body suppressed by the growing poison as bubbles arose yet again.

As Magnezone floated towards the ground, Vanessa smirked. "That's the thing."

"What is she talking about?" Gray wondered.

"It's true at least seven years have went by, but my battling skills haven't stopped developing. I've been training nonstop, day and night to not only help my Pokémon adapt to battle situations, but also understand every one of their characteristics. What makes them tick. In this case, I've been planning with alternatives. There were a number of way I could've partaken in this gym. And the methods were inconsistent, so I had a lot of room to think on the fly. In this case, I've mainly stuck with my main focus: Poison. When it came to Mawile, she couldn't be poisoned, so I had the ideas of my Pokémon in tandem. We were discussing the matter over. Braixen volunteered to break the ice, despite the risks, she knew that Mawile was a priority. Once she was out of the way, she had to make Mr. Mime bring out Reflect or Light Screen at the beginning, that way when Venusaur came in, he'd have the stamina from Braixen's own Light Screen to stall and have his Toxic's potency thicken. Once Mr. Mime was defeated, I had a feeling Venusaur would've sustained damage, plus Light Screen would've dissipated. All he needed to do was use Toxic, and then Magnezone would deal the finishing blow." Vanessa paused, allowing the info to sink in. "We've been discussing this tactic over for a short while, but the biggest help mainly came from my brother."

"Your brother?" Valerie gasped.

"It was thanks to Nic that I came up with a strategy. He told me everything he could remember about his Gym Battle with you. He remembered Mr. Mime's Reflect and Light Screen, and I had a feeling it didn't change. As far as moves went over the years, only Sylveon's changed. As long as I was assured of all of that, Nic helped me conduct this strategy that'll help all of us." She looked up towards Nic, who was smiling down at his sister on their collaborative plan. "This is a family victory."

Valerie was awestricken. She never heard of such a plan before, and it was all based on experience, from a past challenger, and from the likes of a new challenger. They say knowing is half the battle, but in this instance, Nic let the details bare on his sister, and together, their combined intel and experience conducted a solid strategy. "I…I'm speechless."

Vanessa smiled as she looked back ahead, with Magnezone sharing a confident expression as well. "This is what teamwork brings! Magnezone, let's finish this!"

Magnezone raised his magnets, twirling them. "(I'm with you, all the way. They dare not stand in front of our path!)"

"Magnezone, **Flash Cannon!** "

Magnezone gathered up a large mass of silver light into his center red eye. The silver energy converged to a critical point, in which the energy finally discharged. A silver ripple exerting outwards as a compressed beam of silver, white, and small fragments of light blue shot at Sylveon. With the Toxic weakening Sylveon, she was unable to act on an effective basis, and she went wide-eyed as everything in front of her was nothing but blinding light. A flashy explosion erupted, sending shockwaves all around, rattling the vicinity for the umpteenth time. Everyone watched as the silver explosion subsided, and the smoke cleared out.

Magnezone remained standing, remaining up in the air as Sylveon was seen lying on her side, unconscious and defeated. Instantaneously, Valerie's supporters gaped their mouths, baffled. Valerie's shock on her face soon came to an accepting smile, nodding at the loss.

The ref raised an arm for Vanessa's side for a third time. "Sylveon is unable to battle, Magnezone is the winner; therefore, the victory goes to the challenger, Vanessa!" She announced.

Much of Fairy Tail broke out in a cheer, glad of that victory Vanessa pulled off. They all clapped, while some were still processing that finishing move.

Cana smirked. "That's our girl! That's how you pull off a win!"

"Wow! There were a ton of close calls there." Romeo admitted.

"That was a very good maneuver Vanessa pulled off." Sophie smiled. "She stuck with type advantage most of the time, but in this situation, she relied on wearing down her adversaries instead. Poison-types are intriguing."

Jake stared with sheer shock. "Whoa…"

"S-she just…she defeated Valerie, without losing a single Pokémon." Will muttered.

Erza turned towards Nic, seeing the smile come across his face widening. She was surprised to say the very least, but had no idea Nic helped conduct a very solid strategy. She never would have thought of something on such a defensive level before. Nic's one-the-fly thinking and experience was passed to his sister, who executed their thoughts and what they've worked so hard to achieve. To add icing to the cake, Vanessa still had all three of her Pokémon left, albeit barely.

Vanessa went up to her Magnezone and pet his top. She smiled wide. "Magnezone, that was a very great display. We did it."

Magnezone looked equally as happily. If he ever had a smile, he'd be smiling. "(Yeah, we did.)"

Valerie returned Sylveon, pressing the Poke Ball close to her, embracing it. "ear Sylveon, thanks for doing your absolute best." She looked back at Vanessa as the younger Pularis siblings smiled and petted Magnezone with great glee. The Gym Leader could feel the trust that it took to pull off and execute such a strategy. It amazed her still. "What an interesting family."

After a couple of minutes, the supporters and the guild members present were down on the battlefield, gathering around Vanessa and Valerie was the latter stood a meter away, with a box with no lid, and inside was an intricate badge. The Fairy Badge had a vertical ovular pearl at the base, with gold edging all around, carving into the glimmering wings along the sides, like that of a fairy.

"Now that's a badge fitting a member of Fairy Tail!" Natsu beamed.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

Valerie took a single step forward, presenting the Fairy Badge to Vanessa. "Vanessa, I haven't had a battle like that in a long time, not since I fought your brother. He showed a loyalty to his Pokémon that could blow away any means of winds." Her smile widened some, reminding herself of how well he and his Arbok took down her Sylveon as a finish. "This was a team effort, and because of this, this is all of your victory. Braixen. Venusaur, Magnezone, Vanessa, and Nic. So, Vanessa, please accept this Fairy Badge."

Vanessa proudly accepted the badge, holding it with care. "Thank you, Valerie. Thank you all for being able to see what a Gym Battle was like."

Gray crossed his arms. "Gotta admit, it looked pretty good."

Levy finally closed the last book she borrowed from the Pokémon Center. "And~…complete!" She smiled. "Wow, that was a lot of information on Pokémon and types, and the history of Kalos even goes back to over 3,000 years ago. That's too impressive for words."

"This land holds a lot of promise…" Erza turned back towards Nic, still maintaining a proud smile. "But I think it's time we head back home."

Nic nodded. "I agree." He turned to look at everyone. "I was glad you all were here to see this. Thank you." He looked down at his sister, wo was smiling back with a perk. "We did a great job."

Vanessa nodded back, moving to embrace her brother. Vanessa had a large grin as she showed everyone the Fairy Badge while being embraced of a forever-proud brother.

* * *

After Vanessa healed up her Pokémon, and Levy returned the books, everyone gathered in front of the Pokémon Center. Once Nic double checked to make sure no one was missing – mainly an ever-curious Natsu and Happy – he looked satisfied and turned back to face Jake and Will.

"Look, we've gotten off on the wrong foot, and we're sorry." Jake apologized.

"Chris was just…difficult to deal with." Will finished.

"It's alright. I can understand his hunger for power." A vision of Jiemma and God Serena appeared, but he dismissed it almost immediately. "I'm disappointed in him as a Trainer of all matters entirely, but this is more about the likes of you two. You'll become better Trainers than him someday. Just as long as you continue to believe in the other and your Pokémon."

Both of them nodded in understanding. They then looked at Vanessa. "Vanessa, was it?"

Vanessa nodded.

"Your Gym Battle was good." Will held up a Poke Ball. "Next time, why don't we battle?"

Vanessa smiled. "I'd accept."

Jake put his hands into his sweatshirt pockets. "Your friends look weird, but they got their own class. Wish we could learn a bit more, but our place is here; plus, we got our own business to worry about."

Nic looked back at the group that tagged along, and then nodded in acceptance. He looked off to the side, and created a spatial portal that went over to Earth Land, more specifically the guild hall. "Let's go." Nic guided everybody inside, with Erza following second, and Vanessa third, and soon everybody followed through. Once everybody made it to the other side, the spatial portal shut, becoming sparkles that became thin air.

The surrounding citizens who watched the spectacle were in awe, looking startled and amazed at Nic's powers. By the time they left, the news cars arrived, only for them to get footage of Nic talking to Jake and Will and open up the portal, heading back to Earth Land.

Will raised a brow once they left. "Other people in other worlds…" His face twisted. "This whole time and space thing is making me a little nauseated from just thinking about it." He put a hand atop of his head.

Jake nodded. "Well, two worlds integrating is a lot to take in, but hey, who knows? We'll manage, right?"

Will smiled. "Right. But that reminds me, we need to start training and battling." He said, shifting the topic to their own goals.

Jake nodded, grabbing a Poke Ball. "I'm right behind you!"

Once they found a battlefield close by stationed behind the Pokémon Center, both Trainers opposed one another, readying themselves.

Will threw his Poke Ball. "Alright, Huntail, let's go!" Out came his Huntail, ready for battle and sprawled on the battlefield, his serpentine body and oddly spear tail waving around.

Jake threw his Poke Ball. "Let's get a move on! Scolipede!" He too threw a Poke Ball, summoning a large centipede with four legs and oversized horns atop of his head. The Bug and Poison-type looked ready as he hissed.

Both clutched their fists, taking deep breaths. "Let's go!"

* * *

That evening, Valerie was in her Gym, underneath one of the trees planted for peaceful scenery. She wasn't at all bummed. How could she be? She met new people, battled a great Trainer, and despite being interviewed by a lot of curious reporters, she seemed content with how interesting the day had turned out. She appeared to have Sylveon lying right beside her, well rested and napping as the Gym Leader hummed as she doodled on a sketchpad, drawing some new designs.

There were a number of designs from previous sketches lying next to her. There was a drench coat with pink feathers, a design she got from seeing Laxus. A low-cut, hot pink dress shirt with frilly sleeves, an idea from Lucy. A cloak that looked like the coat Nic wore, only the bottom cut short and wavier than before. On the bac of said design were two Fairy Tail ornaments, the back legs and supposed wings up and out, giving great appeal. On all of her designs, they all had the Fairy Tail emblem, and on a skirt she was designing, on one hip was a Poke Ball, and the other was the Fairy Tail emblem.

She stopped doodling, looking back up to the ceiling with a smile. "Fairies are such majestic creatures, aren't they?"

* * *

 **Well, that's it for my Jake and Will OCs. It was just a brief two chapters, but I was content with their minor roles of learning what it's like to train and bond through means of watching others battle. They were just small ideas I had, but this was the full extent that I intended to make them.**

 **Since Vanessa was cut off from her journey back in the Kalos Arc, she never got her Fairy Badge, so she was late, very late. I had to decide where to place her Gym Battle, plus I wanted Fairy Tail to see what a Gym Battle was like and how they would react to one. This was also a chance to have Vanessa shine a little more since her role's progressed to being more than a support role since her appearance back in** _ **The Fairy Contender**_ **.**

 **I didn't add Alpha or his mysterious group making a small appearance this time because I'm saving their big moments after the Sun Village Arc is over. Those guys will have major roles in another original arc idea I have planned some chapters after the Sun Village Arc.**

 **Anyways, now that I have the birthday and Gym Battle chapters done, I think I'll get started on the Sun Village Arc next chapter, so after 20 chapters, we're finally turning back towards the canon for a little bit.**

 **Side note; I also made a random poll about which arcs were your favorite from** _ **The Fairy Contender**_ **. There's no relevance to the poll, it's really more to satisfy my curiosity on what you guys liked about the prequel.**


	21. Another Story Unfolds

A new morning came to pass over the horizon. Along the isolated isle of some unknown location on the very edge of Fiore, there was but a chilled wind that brisk through the short grass mixed with sand. The isle was on the very tip of the sea, the waves crashing against the rocky shoreline. In certain locations on certain days, it was sunny, and sometimes it was cloudy, but on this particular day along the desolate location, it was nothing but morning gray skies.

Crowhaw was watching the waves crash against the shores, the tattered cloak he had whisked up, revealing his sandals. If one was half-blind, they could've sworn he was like a ghost. The man had his conical straw hat still atop of his head, watching as the day came to pass.

' _Another dawn approaches.'_ The streamers dangling on his straw hat made his eyes obscured. Even the winds didn't seem to move them, as though they were oblivious to the world. _'A ghost of one's past has soon to arise. Will humanity triumph, or shall the Underworld have its influence?'_ Once the winds picked up, the streamers finally moved, revealing that same monocle in the right eye, an eyepiece holding it in place. "The time draws near. It's hard to believe, but once the skies turn a blood red, the Hell left dormant will come."

Crowhaw turned around, facing away from the ocean. "This destiny, the Devil had foreseen it. God has but no influence when negative men come to purge. Where's God when the negative influence takes a loved one's life? He's a saving grace, but the unfortunate are but sought by the Devil's destiny, to be his puppets to play with, to use. He pulls the strings of our own hearts, making us cry in pain. He relishes in our own self-worth deteriorating. He forever adorns your pain and makes it a melody, continuing to hear so until the skeleton of the decease's bones rattling on in fright…that is what many call Hell."

His lips curved, turning into a smirk. "However, July 7th, X791, the definition changed…for the true definition of Hell was written."

* * *

On the other side of the isle, there was an incoming army. Said army was perhaps of 1,000 men. The men all had armor, and weapons arranging from spears, to battle axes, to guns. They all had shadows over their eyes, following their fearless leader into the isle.

The army leader had a blue helmet, his stern expression and dark skin showing he was no one to mess with. His years of experience were shown with the scar on the right side of his face, almost like a bleached spot near his nose, where he was shot years ago.

"Halt!" The general stopped in place, with the one-thousand men also stopping in their tracks, weapons over shoulders and awaiting instructions. No matter what, even in the far back, they didn't move nor step out of line, even when a nearby snake in the grass snared a rabbit, making its next meal evident.

The general took a few paces forward, looking from left to right, slowly observing with unquestionable faces of everyone.

"…men! We have voyaged here for one reason and one reason only! We have come to establish what shall be the frontier! Bosco did not raise spineless cowards for any reason!" He berated. "We shall make the start here, this shall be the fort that in which will mark the end of Fiore!"

"Sir, yes sir!" All of the men shouted.

"We may have lost 18,000 slaves, but that means nothing when Fiore is the price to be paid in compensation!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

The general turned around, unsheathing a sword. "Men! Advance!" He pressed on ahead, into isle, where the disclosed quarry and tunnels were. The air was nothing but sand and rock churning as all of the men pressed their feet on the ground, shaping a trail that went into one of the openings. They all ventured into the depths of the darkness of the caverns, a maze they were to study to learn of such routes and to navigate if to succeed in the ultimate defense.

From high above the quarry cliffs, Alpha's cape shifted in the winds, kicking up with fresh smell of blood that drew him in. He watched as the men ventured in without so much as looking up, where he was sitting on the very edge, one of his legs dangling freely.

"Well won't you look at that." He sounded so amused, and his bloodthirsty smirk was nothing short of fuel to the flame. "Looks like we have some uninvited visitors." Alpha was looking forward to something like this. The thrill of gouging out organs, the bloodthirst, the never-ending satisfaction of watching lives decay before his eyes. He could fight it all day and all night, but in the end it was too much to even turn down. Everything he looked at, he wanted to destroy, but at the same time, his conscience and sanity were in check. Unlike Master Zero of Oracion Seis long ago, Alpha could be a tamed version, but at the same time, someone who made Zero look like a pansy. He had a thick, corrosive vibe all around him, which gave him a pungent odor to sensitive noses. Only those with but a void could relate to this sensation. He was the spider, and the army of flies flew right into his net.

However, due to circumstances, he had to relent. He frowned, but knew it was best to conserve his energy. Besides, he knew there were others who wanted to stretch their legs. He began to get up, starting to stand straight. "Saboth, Vermilius. Do welcome our guests, with our…generous hospitality."

Behind him, two of his associates were present and ready to go. One was Saboth, and none could discern him from the likes of a samurai. His armor was all black, including pants, boots, and most of the helmet; even his shin guards were black. At the knees, red separated the thighs and shins, with a single spike protruding. The waist had armor that draped down as well, but was of gray and angular, with red filling the gaps and separated gray fragments. Red slits hung from the waist as well, an armor that hung from the actual armor. The stomach area had three huge red plates to shield from blows that rival cannonballs. The chest area was decorated with triangular red eyes and a red diamond with four fanged protrusions; beneath that had a red circumference, in a way, resembling a cruel face. His shoulders were of thin gray plates, but at the ends were a single spike. The forearms had red plates to shield all the way up to the gray gauntlets. His face, however, was completely white – ghost white. He had pointed canines and a sinister smirk that equaled his red eyes with yellow irises. His helmet's inside had red and curved out. Atop of the helmet was a red jewel with a small pair of red evil horns jutting from both sides. A larger pair was on the end of the helmet itself.

The other associate was Vermilius, and he for certain looked no different than a grim reaper. His cloak was also colored black, with a dark purple belt around the waist. While the cloak and the hood were no different from casual, there was a set of spikes shoulder pauldrons on each shoulder. His hands were also seemingly in silver gauntlets, but they were so engraved that it was like silver bone. His hood disclosed his face, but was could been seen was a small beard and razor-sharp teeth. He also had on a mask, which was carved with black and red. His eyes had feral slits, out for blood. He had in hand a long stave, and on one hand was an angular sickle, and on the other end was a demon skull with three horns, with the mouth open and all teeth evident.

Saboth held up his blade. "At last. It's been much too long since I've craved the thirst for blood. Fools have their wind until their heads get cut off." His tone had a vile venom to it. He sounded so thrilled, to have to spill blood. "No mercy for anyone by the hands of the underworld."

The reaper-like creature smirked. "As you wish." His teeth bared, but the creepiest part was his saliva, for it was a blood red. It went down his face, making it look like he bit someone's arm off. He adjusted the scythe in hand, the sickle shimmering in the cold winds. "Their ambitions will be nothing more than a path to the screams and the life that I will slowly grasp and reap from this earth."

"Good." Alpha turned around, beginning to walk away. Before he got too far, he stopped. "Oh, and by the way, do at least keep one alive." His dark smirk was met with the venomous gaze that could take a bear down. "I do want to relish in my share of reasons these scum have to offer."

Vermilius nodded. "At your wish." He and Saboth both jumped down to quarry edge, springing into the action against the unsuspecting general and the troops.

As the inside of the quarry caverns went silent, the outside had no winds blowing, stopping like the incarnation of Satan himself was muting any means of a sound morning. All while a fellow snake finally closed its mouth, successfully swallowing its rabbit whole.

* * *

Lucy moaned in glee as the bath water soaked her to the marrow. The hot water was like a wave of tranquility that she couldn't get enough of. She stretched overhead, her smooth skin revealing water sliding down her arms and chest.

"I feel ya girl. I ain't never working again." Cana chimed as she raised a small shot glass. Apparently nearby was a bottle of alcohol on a metal plate that floated atop of the bath water.

Lisanna was on a box, scrubbing herself, cleansing her pores. "Even after months of the Grand Magic Games, requests keep flooding in." She said as she scrubbed her arm.

"That's true. It's even enough to make you feel dizzy." Mirajane added, scrubbing her silky white hair, bubbles cleansing out any residue.

"I can barely feel my feet. I forgot how gifting a bathhouse can be." Sophie sighed, resting the back of her head against a smooth rock in the hot water.

Today was one of those days where everyone could just settle down, and by everyone, just the girls. They had more privileges to the new Fairy Tail communal bath than the guys, who don't stay in there nearly as long as the ladies do. In the bathhouse at the moment were Lucy, Cana, Levy, and Sophie. Lisanna and Mira were present as well, but they had yet to get in. Juvia was invited as well, but she was still too shy to be around other girls in the bath.

Levy stretched her arms out. "It's important to relax every once in a while, otherwise your body isn't gonna last long."

Lucy looked over, a curiosity washing over her. "Huh? Levy, didn't you have a job?" She questioned.

Levy sheepishly looked off to the side. "It wasn't my idea…but Jet and Droy insisted that they could do it by themselves."

"Somehow I don't think that was such smart thinking." Sophie noted.

"Speaking of jobs, I remembered Natsu and Gray saying they were going on a job as well after a long time…" Lucy added, sitting up.

Sophie sighed. "Again, not such smart thinking."

Lisanna sweat dropped. "Yeah, somehow I doubt things will go Fairy Tail's way."

"I'm sure the Master is gonna have another word. I swear, those two might have their ears bit off." Mirajane noted, running her hands through her follicles.

"Oh? And not a bill from the Council?" Levy questioned. Her eyes widened. "Speaking of, what's word of them?"

"From what I gathered from my last job, I'm afraid the Council is still temporarily shut down." Cana said, leaning back and kicking up her feet. "We really did a number of them, apparently more than half the policies Gran Doma's made are being rewritten. It won't be too long until their back in session I'm afraid."

Lisanna smiled as she looked back over her shoulder. "Well on the bright side, at least they'll be overlooking us from now on."

"That's another plus for us." Sophie nodded. She looked over, noticing something off as Cana was smirking at her, in which left the Memory-Make Mage a little uncomfortable. "What is it, Cana?"

"Say, Sophie…it looks like these months have been kind to you." Cana slyly said.

Sophie seemed perplexed until she got the notion. She looked down, seeing as how her chest area was rather large compared to when she joined Fairy Tail such a long time ago. They had to be no larger than Cana's own pair. Still, Sophie covered up, huffing as she disliked Cana's own physical notion.

Lucy puffed her cheeks, a slight blush enveloping in embarrassment. "Cana, is that really necessary?" However, Lucy found herself on the receiving end of Cana's smirk, which sent a shiver down her spine. "Eh, what?" The blonde asked.

The brunette slid on over behind Lucy. "Oh I don't know…but these!" She swung her arms underneath Lucy's, successfully cupping her breasts. She moved them up and down. "Now these are the big bizonkers!"

Lucy's cheeks flushed, her embarrassment skyrocketing. "Wha…C-Cana!" Lucy chided, but a moan squealed out of her, seemingly opposing her will. "S-stop! T-that tickles…!"

"Aw, see? This is what friends are for." Cana slurred, although her reasons as to why she went to the extent was unknown. It may be her casual personality, but Sophie and Levy voluntarily blamed the alcohol. It would appear they need a new restriction in the bathhouse.

Watching Cana cup Lucy's chest, and the blonde squirming to get free to no avail. Levy felt like a big third wheel. She looked down at her own chest, seeing how her top-heavy friends outclassed her. She sighed in despair. "Why me…" Her eyes widened yet again. "Wait, where's Wendy? She'd know what to do."

"Wendy and Carla went on a job with Erza." Mira answered, readying herself to get into the bath water as her feet already began sinking in.

"Oh really? Never thought those three. How so?"

Mirajane thus explained the job in brief details. From what she was aware of, the manager of Onibas Station required the help of those willing to be actors for a play. Apparently the prize were rare – but also very delicious – sweets that Erza couldn't refuse. She could still remember the sparkles in her eyes and the child-like smile on her face. The details were of a boy and a girl who were on a quest for some stones of great power. Levy was familiar with its origins, but was otherwise brought to a pointless dead end.

Sophie looked over, ignoring Lucy's squealing for fresh air. "So if Erza went on that job, what about Nic?"

Lisanna too had ventured into the bath water, relieving herself. She let out a sigh of pleasure before answering. "He and Vanessa went on a sibling job. I think they went to clear and reshape a mountain pass to make a shortcut through Devil's Valley."

"That makes it the second job in three days that those two have been on." Levy figured.

Mirajane was lathering her arms, scrubbing side to side. "Well with Nic having such a burden in the past with the Plates, he really couldn't focus on being a brother at the time. Now that he's free to do as he pleases, he's spending as much time as he can with his little sister."

Levy smiled softly. "Yeah, they're closer than ever now."

Sophie then brought up another valid point. She pointed an index finger to her chin as she quizzically looked up. "But if I recall, a great swell of our requests ask solemnly for Nic, am I right?"

Mirajane sighed. "That's true, and Nic hasn't taken a single break. His stamina is beyond our world." She giggled at the irony, but nevertheless got her point across when Nic's training could make him go on and on with very little time to recover, just like Pokémon Battling.

"Hold on." Lisanna said, putting the brakes on the conversation. She looked over her shoulder, towards one of the corners closer towards the window. "If Erza's on a job…then…"

"Then what, Lisanna?" Mira asked.

"Then who's that over there?" Lisanna pointed to the thick mop of red in the corner, farther away from the other girls, isolated. For some odd reason, a chill went up their spines. The mop of red was immobile, not responding.

Mirajane tilted her head. "Erza?" She asked. "That's odd, I thought for sure that you were…"

She never finished as the mop arose, the sound of water diverging as a body arose. The hair was almost three times as long as Erza's, reaching even through the bath water. When she finally turned around, the hair turned and opened slightly, like a Cloyster. It wasn't Erza, but Flare Corona.

"Blondie…" She mumbled with a mischievous and sinister smirk.

Lucy's eyes shot open, gaping her mouth. Cana was equally as shocked, ceasing her groping.

"Flare Corona?!" Mirajane exclaimed.

Sophie held her hands to her face, holding back her gasp. "Raven Tail?"

Cana immediately sprung into action. "You…! Get out of here!"

"Cana! Wait!" Lucy warned. She lunged out of the water as well, catching Cana and stopping her before she got too close to Flare. The wet stone beneath, however, tripped them up, and both women fell to the stone floor with hard thuds, their heads ringing like bells. Cana managed to get over the pain and looked back up at Lucy with heavy agitation.

"What the hell, Lucy?! She's an enemy!" Cana shouted to her face. She tried getting up, but Lucy proved that she was more on the heavy side than what the brunette had thought. "Let's just-!"

"Hold on!" Lucy cut her off. "Flare isn't who you think she is!"

Cana raised a brow. "Huh?"

It was true. Lucy knew this, but everybody else didn't, because this all transpired during the course of the Council War. It was Lucy and Yukino against Johaan, and when they were on the ropes until Flare somehow entered the fray, much to their own convenience. Despite the memory and event being a long while back, it was fresh as day in Lucy's eyes.

"Thanks again for helping us out in the war." Lucy thanked, much to Cana's curiosity and slight grudge.

Flare looked away, fingertips together and blushed. While she seemed nervous against the two mages, her hair wiggled towards Cana, snaking through the water and coiling tendrils around the brunette. Immediately Lucy lost leverage and Cana was being scrubbed, albeit creepishly, by the red-haired mage.

"I'll…help wash every inch of your body." Flare said, her tone equally as shy as it was creepy. Her hair continued its work, 'washing' Cana in a perverted perspective.

"A-amazing~!" Cana shouted as the sensation even tickled a bit. Her anger seemed to have long since been forgotten.

"A-anyways, Flare, what brings you here?" Lucy asked, walking up to the outsider, ignoring the pleasantries that Cana felt all over her body.

Flare looked away, her hair retreating into the water. She seemed sad, and all alone, like a lost child with no security, even around friends, as if they were going to sell her off. "After the games…Raven Tail disbanded." She explained. "I have…no home."

Silence fell among the girls. With the exception of Lucy, they have yet to see her as a good person. But even so, despite being former enemies of Fairy Tail, Flare didn't seem all that bad. Sadistic-looking? Yes. Creepy? Most definitely. But, when it all boils down to it, after hearing that she helped Lucy in the war, there really was no need to hold a grudge. They were all feeling sympathy for the redhead's situation, but didn't know what to say to alleviate her confession.

Lucy smiled at her. "If you have nowhere to go, we can try asking the Master?"

Flare turned around, looking at Lucy with her lips forming a grin. She also came to a blushing point.

"Ehhhhh?!" Levy shouted.

"Joining up with us?!" Lisanna exclaimed, showing equal, but not as great, enthusiasm. Clearly there were those who weren't seeing the light that Lucy was seeing.

And among them was Juvia. The Water Mage poked her head out from the laundry room, where she was wrapped in a towel and holding a Gray plush. As she watched the scene unfold, her body began to shudder, and if the Gray plush had any life in it, it would be squeezed out by Juvia's unstable imagination, choking it. She was staring with extreme nervousness. _'This awkward feeling…that pale skin…her reclusive nature…it's almost like another version of me! Has she come to steal my darling from my hands?!'_ She mentally panicked.

Flare had her hands pressed closer to her lips, looking away with a coy smile. "Thanks…but I don't wanna join."

"Then don't come here then!" Lucy, Cana, and surprisingly Juvia, exclaimed as they raised their fists. Their yelling reverberated through the entire bathhouse, for many to hear.

* * *

Having washed herself up and getting the feel she deserved from the bathhouse, Lucy's strolled along the Magnolia riverbank, putting one stop in front of the other. She balanced herself as she casually went down the side of Strawberry Street, making way towards her home. With her arms out for balance and a smile on her lips, Lucy passed by some men who were on a boat and went downstream; one warning her the dangers of falling on, and the other asking for an autograph for his son next time, but Lucy was too engrossed with Plue tagging behind, seemingly mimicking Lucy playfully.

"Ah~! That communal bath is the best. It's much better than my bath at home." Lucy thought out loud.

"Pu-un!" Plue commented.

Lucy then got an idea. "Maybe I can upgrade. I ask the lan…" She stopped, remembering something that made her look despondent. "Oh, wait, I should probably pay the rent before asking for anything." She sighed.

"Pupun!" Plue agreed.

Lucy opened the door to her apartment, walking up the stairs up to her room. Plue followed behind, climbing up each individual set of stairs. "Maybe I should get my own job too…" Opening the door to her room, she turned the handle and ventured inside.

"Welcome back!"

"We just had to intrude, sorry."

Lucy's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, staring at the company of Wendy, Erza, and Carla – who offered no input, but instead drank tea – on the couch in the center of her room.

"Déjà vu!" Lucy despairingly sighed, with Plue turning his head.

"We're sorry for barging in unannounced." Wendy apologized.

"The place is nice though…" Carla commented, looking up from her small cup of tea.

Erza held up a medium-sized chest that sat right next to her, smiling proudly. "Our job paid in sweets as a reward, but there's so much of it that we felt obliged to share this exquisite event with you."

Lucy's eyes widened, her smile returning. "Oh. really? Thanks so much." She sat her large purse down on the nearby desk, and the blonde made way towards the opposite couch centered around the table. Plue plopped onto her lap, taking a sweet for himself before Lucy was offered the second wind. As she unwrapped the candy, she tried making a conversation. "So, the job went well, did it?"

Wendy laughed nervously. "Heh-heh…eh…"

"It went perfectly!" Erza smiled wide, beaming with absolute pride in her skills as an actress. Her eyes even sparkles. "It was but a masterpiece. They were applauding all the way."

Carla despondently looked off to the side. "They applaud alright, but not out of cheer." She side-noted, remembering how the audience was borderline rioting by the halfway point. The only saving grace was the perseverance they had and the tolerance, all for the sake of the sweets, even if a rotten tomato was close to hitting her.

"Yeah, I can see that." Lucy nervously laughed.

"Pu~n!" Plue said.

Erza then frowned. "Has Nic and Vanessa come back yet from their job?"

"No, I think they should be back anytime now. It's been almost two days. I know carving paths take time, but with Nic's Stone or Earth powers, they should've been back maybe a few hours ago." Lucy answered. She also recalled that Nic's Garchomp and Vanessa's Krookodile could also use Dig to speed up matters, but said nothing of the sorts.

"Well the job did say the entire range of Devil's Valley, so naturally it would take precision to make as many safe routes as possible for good measure." Carla pointed out. She sipped from her tea again. "But then again, expectations always waver."

Erza pondered, looking a little worried.

"Someone's looking like she misses a certain someone." Lucy cooed.

Erza looked down, her eyes narrowing. "It's just…weird without him." She huffed.

Wendy smiled at the sheepish attitude Erza was showing. "It's okay. I'm sure before you know it, those will be back."

Downstairs, there was a knock on the front door. The sound echoed all the way up to the room, where everyone heard it.

"Huh? Who's there?" Lucy asked.

"Someone's at the door." Wendy pointed out.

Carla looked towards Lucy as she just looked at the door. "Well don't just stand there, child. Go answer it." She chided. "It'd be rude if you dawdled like a bum."

"Oh! Uh, right." Lucy got up, with Plue jumping off so she can start her way down the steps. As she heard the knock, a smile crept onto her face, one full of satisfaction. _'At least there's some who know manners, unlike some people.'_

Eventually making it to the front door, Lucy stopped and turned the knob. The door opened up, and on the other side was Vanessa.

"Hello, Lucy." Vanessa greeted.

"Vanessa! Good to see you!" Lucy chimed. "You're just in time. Erza and the others just got back."

Meeting up downstairs, Erza took notice of the sixteen-year-old. "Vanessa?"

"Erza."

The redhead was accompanied by Wendy and Carla, who both followed behind and allowed passage as Vanessa entered the home. The girls all seemed delighted, but what delighted some more than others was a certain someone following behind. Erza looked behind Vanessa, her smile widening once her eyes were casted onto Nic.

Nic smiled at Erza. "Hi, Erza." Nic greeted his girlfriend. "I'm sorry for being late."

Despite her impatience, Erza was still happy that Nic showed up when he did. "We're just glad that you got home when you did…" However, the attention drew to what he had underneath his armpits. Lucy, Wendy, and Carla all went wide-eyed as they saw the two figures immobile, pacified. The bodies looked grown and heavy, yet Nic was carrying them with his sheer strength.

In his arms, Natsu and Gray were all badly swollen, their faces with bumps and bruises, their eye white as they were unconscious, as though all of their senses were completely blank. Happy flew right next to Nic, looking tired, but otherwise unscathed.

"Natsu? Gray?" Lucy questioned. "What in the world happened to you two?!"

Both of them groaned, unable to speak properly out of their own unconsciousness.

Erza looked towards Nic for answers. "What happened to them? Will they be alright?"

Nic passed Erza, giving an exasperated look as he went on by. Normally he's so laid-back, but he seemed peeved. He entered the apartment, setting the two down on the hardwood flooring. Nic stood back up, both him and Vanessa despondently having eyes shut as they tried not to think of what happened.

"There was a little…scuffle along the way." Nic mentioned, trying to suppress his annoyance. His hands were to his hips, the right index finger tapping against the purple belt.

"Scuffle, you say?" Carla asked.

"What do you mean?" Wendy asked.

Nic and Vanessa remained subtle as they began their tale, which started back to when they were closing in on Magnolia after their job in Devil's Valley was complete.

 _As Vanessa walked through the forest with insecurity, she found the lush green life brimming with satisfaction. A radiant aura went through the wildlife. Up above, Nic was instead traveling through trees. He was like walking on air, only instead of air it was branches. He was light on his feet, and hopped over from one branch towards another._

" _Say, Nic?" Vanessa called up._

 _Nic looked down as he passed on over to the next tree. "Yes?"_

" _It's gonna be around lunchtime when we get back, right?" Vanessa asked. "Should we stop by the guild and see if Kinana or Mirajane will make us something."_

 _Nic landed on another branch in a crouch position, maintaining his course ahead. "We'll check in, but Garchomp and Krookodile both bite off more than what Mira and Kinana can bargain for. We'll just head to our homes and find some leftovers or meats to fry up."_

 _Vanessa nodded in understanding. "You have a point. Your Garchomp has an appetite that's as big as your other Pokémon, given you all work so hard. I know Sophie has it bad enough with having to have 70% of our food funds go to my Pokémon."_

 _A small silence passed between the siblings as they pressed on ahead, but eventually Vanessa spoke up again._

" _Nic…how are those plans?"_

 _Nic knew what Vanessa was talking about. They only spoke of it a couple of times, mainly on break on their latest sibling job. Nic only brought the subject up to her and her alone…other than Erza._

 _He smirked. "She said she's still thinking about it."_

 _Vanessa looked up, seeing the small blush on her brother's cheeks. "So you only brought the question up once, but you still renovated those ideas?" She questioned. She looked back ahead, smiling. "I suppose you can't rush these things, but it's only a matter of time before Erza or someone finds out about those-!"_

 _Nic stopped cold, landing on the next tree branch and staring ahead. He went silent, getting a pungent odor in the air. Vanessa stopped too, smelling something corrosive. Both dropped the subject, only to focus on what they knew would lie up ahead. The smell, it was that of decay. Vanessa could feel the aura up ahead turning stale, like it's been filled with a void._

" _You smell that?" Vanessa asked._

 _Nic nodded. "I do. It's up ahead. Let's go."_

 _Nic sprung ahead, zipping through the trees like a Grovyle. Vanessa followed on foot, tailing Nic as they closed in on a clearing up ahead. When they stopped, Nic came to cease on the last branch on the high trees that stretched forty feet high. Vanessa stopped just below, both staring with equal inquiry and shock at the culprit._

 _The culprit was a giant pig-like humanoid monster. It had large teeth and claws. It had pants on, and the arms and upper body had a various array of tattoos and black markings. Whatever it was, it was dead, given how its eyes were white, and had fallen over, depressing the ground beneath, even with trees cushioning its deathbed. It was burn marks all over, a sure sign of fire._

" _What is this?" Vanessa questioned._

 _Nic looked down, inspecting the corrosive beast. "I'm not sure…" His eyes narrowed. "But it's long since expired."_

 _Vanessa's eyes opened up again, a presence coming from behind. The bushes rustled, and out came Happy. The Exceed nearly fell over if not for the stick he used as a cane. The Exceed panted, his cheeks nearly pruned from lack of nutrition._

" _Vanessa…Nic…I never thought you'd make it." The feline wheezed._

" _Happy!" Vanessa exclaimed._

 _Nic jumped down from above, hurrying and landed with soft padding and rushed to grab Happy before the cat fell over. Nic caught him in time, having the Exceed fall onto his lap like a paper doll. He groaned, his eyes looking as though he hadn't slept in days. "Happy? Are you alright?" Nic asked._

" _Aaaaye~."_

" _What happened?"_

 _Happy turned over, looking up at the serious but worried Pularis siblings. "It's horrible…"_

 _Happy, of course, told of the situation of Natsu and Gray, and told how the job request they took was slaying that giant monster, which explained a lot on the spot. Once recovered, Happy guided Nic and Vanessa to a small alcove, where on a bed of rocks, they saw them tussling it out for the umpteenth time._

" _I'M NOT THROUGH YET, YA FALMING PANSY!"_

" _CAN IT, YA STRIPPING SNOWCONE!"_

 _Natsu and Gray were at it, beating the snot out of the other like kids. They punched and kicked with great resent. Their faces were swollen and bruised to a critical point where they were almost unrecognizable. Natsu punched, only for Gray to deal a hard blow back, but it was a back and forth parry of blind rivalry. Nic and Vanessa both sweat dropped, understanding._

" _That makes sense." Nic deadpanned._

" _Guess we should've known this would transpire." Vanessa sighed._

 _Happy dropped in the female Pularis's arms. "They've been at it for three days, eating and sleeping in between rounds."_

 _Natsu and Gray butted heads, growling as they were still tussling, despite how worn out the other was looking. They didn't seem like they were gonna stop anytime soon, so if there was a time to declare this fight a draw, only one person could do such a thing._

 _Both reeled back a fist, letting out cries as they went to punch again. However, in a swift flash, Nic appeared between them, crossing his arms and catching a fist in the opposite hand. He clutched both caught fists tightly so that Natsu and Gray couldn't escape. "You're at your own wit's end, guys. It's time for a ceasefire."_

 _But the biggest blow had just been delivered. Natsu and Gray suddenly used their spare fists and punched forward, but they were so focused on each other that they were solemnly relying on their instincts. And their instincts and them blind to whom their punches directed to._

 _With a hard blow, Natsu and Gray's fists collided with the sides of Nic's head. Both punches were hard, but Nic stood there, a shadow over his eyes and lips parted as that two-sided blow went unprecedented._

 _Vanessa and Happy went wide-eyed. Both were on the verge of screaming as to what transpired, and what was to come._

 _Natsu and Gray blinked, the reality beginning to sink in. "…eh?"_

 _The shadow over Nic's eyes thickened, but his eyes opened back up. His blue eyes were on the verge of red, his aggravation peaked. His eyes shifted towards Gray, freezing the Ice-Make Mage on the spot, paralyzed in fear. He then glanced over towards Natsu, who was unable to move even if his life depended on it._

" _N-NIC?!" They both exclaimed. As Nic growled, both paled to a ghostly white, their fear surpassing that of an angered Erza._

 _Nic clutched his fists so hard that the grip finally snapped Natsu and Gray's fists. The cracking of bones pulsed through their bodies. Both gawked as their own two fists broke from Nic's crushing grip. He let go, only to glow and shift into his Fist Form._

" _If this is how you intend it to be…then it's the hard way after all!" Nic raised his two fists in the air, glowing and signaling Hammer Arm._

 _As Natsu and Gray fell to their knees, begging for mercy with their broken hands. "Have mercy~!"_

 _That afternoon, the entire forest shuddered as two pillars of dust arose._

Lucy sweat dropped, hearing the end of Nic's tale. Looking down at Natsu, now it made sense. "Oh…guess that makes sense. They had us worried there for a while."

"Boys will be boys." Carla huffed.

Wendy joined Lucy in the sweatdrop. "W-well, at least they made it back…kind of."

Erza reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose, releasing a sigh of annoyance. "I swear, those two never learn." She looked back at Nic, who still seemed to be taking the situation well, despite dealing with it with heavy violence, a tactic he didn't use in such a long time. Still, the hard way does have a more solid way of 'persuading' certain people at certain times, Ironic since Erza knows the hard way better than anyone else, considering she does it with Natsu and Gray all the time. It's admirable to see how Nic's become so mellow, and deal with situations either like a rebel following his own sense of justice, or a versatile tactician that thinks on the spot and does not waste a single breath in the heat of a problem. The more she looked at Nic, the greater her smile grew.

* * *

Erza decided to treat Nic and Vanessa out to lunch, on her treat. They didn't pick anything extravagant, but low-key, and rather filling. The two talked on about their job, but more to the point of Nic doing most of the work to reshape a route, and to have Garchomp use Dig to make routes that bored into the mountains. Again, nothing too big that Nic couldn't handle, but it did leave him and Vanessa with a split profit to stomach over for weeks.

Once the three caught up on their activities, they arrived at the guild hall, where many were laughing at Natsu and Gray's rivalry. Apparently a certain feline told many and Natsu and Gray were resenting the other for their 'help'.

"I swear, it's your fault." Natsu grumbled from one end of the table.

"That job was withdrawn. You should've told me." Gray muttered, again with no shirt and looking in the opposite direction.

Disregarding their bickering, Nic sat down at a table, easing himself with a small sigh. "This has been eventful, if I could find a lack of better wording." She said.

Erza smiled, comforting Nic. "I can't deny their antics can get a bit overbearing…" Erza raised her hands to rest her chin on the back of them. "But enough squander, what do you say you and I just take this time and just relax; I mean, we both have arrived from our respective jobs, right?"

Nic smiled, looking at Erza with sincerity. "If you believe so, but I'm fine. Honestly."

"Then why don't we just take a job? This time, together." Erza insisted.

Nic really didn't have any objections, but to Erza, it didn't matter if they were at home, or on a job. It's been two days, and this was much-needed for them. As long as they were together, it didn't matter where they went, and that's all that mattered to Nic. "I'd like that."

On the other end of the guild hall, the Master was sitting atop of the bar, overlooking his 'children'. He watched as Natsu and Gray were lowly snarking in retort of one another, and he looked towards how Nic and Erza were getting along, with Vanessa there as commentary. He seemed content until Mirajane came up to him with a stack of papers.

"Hi Master." She greeted. "Some emergency requests arrived again."

The Master looked over, his eyes flashing to stack of papers being handed to him. He sat up, looking at the request. "There's been a great increase of these jobs, haven't there?"

"Yup!" Mira chirped. "After winning the Grand Magic Games, we all became like celebrities." She glanced back to see Nic looking placid as he and Erza were talking about something. "But almost half of them have been for Nic."

Laxus smirked down at his mug. "Yeah, well, if I saved the universe, I'm sure I'd have so many jobs at my throat I wouldn't breathe. Poor guy got immense stamina to handle back to back jobs."

Makarov nodded as he scrolled at the mages specifically required. "Yes. These jobs for certain mages have increased, and almost all of them are for Nic given his history, speaking of…" The Master looked over at Nic. "Nic! You have another job asking for you!" He called.

Nic heard the call and arose with Erza. Without question, he went on over and stood in front of the Master.

"Yes, Master?" Nic asked. "What's the job ask of me?"

"Now hold on, Nic. Please allow myself to feel oblige to accompany you. I promised, and I intend to keep." Erza insisted.

"Well Nic, if you're up for another job, then let's see here…" As he looked through the contents of the job request, the longer he stared, and when he saw something, his eyes widened in shock, his stare to a dark intensity.

Immediately, the guild took notice of his demeanor changing.

"Master, is something wrong?" Mirajane asked.

"Nic…whatever happens…you must be extremely careful." The Master said shakily. "I fear you may have something to do with the client." His tone sounded like the paper had his life bet on it, a gamble that could leave any unsubtle member on the brink of flipping out.

"Is it really that important?" Lucy asked.

"Who's the client?" Erza asked.

A grim vibe fell over the guild as Makarov went on.

"He's one of the Four Gods of Ishgar, one of them that was involved in the war. Warrod Sequen." Everyone's jaws dropped. They remembered the power of a Wizard Saint, let alone a God of Ishgar, clearly Warrod was well-known.

"One of the Ten Wizard Saints?" Lucy gasped,

"Why would someone with so much power…?" Wendy trailed off, her shock overwhelming her.

Erza's eyes widened, the S-Class Mage was caught completely off guard and almost rendered unable to speak. "What is going on…?"

However, Nic didn't show as much surprise as everybody else, as his instincts were hung over on the Wizard Saint part. _'One of the Four Gods of Ishgar…needs my help?'_

* * *

The wooden grasslands in the far reaches were hundreds of miles away from Magnolia. And along the way, Fairy Tail's 'strongest team', plus the Pularis siblings, were trekking through these lands. They were pleasantly passing through the cool breeze. Despite the time of year, the weather was pleasantly high.

"This air is so peaceful." Wendy chirped, having looked up from the job request and felt the air pass her long hair. Carla walked beside her, enjoying the air as well. Behind her followed Nic, who was holding hands with Erza as they walked down the trail.

Lucy stretched her arms overhead. "Yeah, this air is so fresh." She moaned.

"This breeze is quite." Erza commented.

Nic nodded, holding his hand and having it swing front and back with Erza's. "It hasn't been this nice for a couple weeks now. It's very enjoyable."

Taking up the rear was Vanessa, who was walking in front of Natsu and Gray, with a huge cart of luggage hauled in front of her face. She didn't seem bothered. "It's quite soothing…if not for…"

"You ate my meat, didn't you?!" Natsu barked into Gray's face.

"As if I'd eat your diseased food!" Gray sneered.

"You a shirt on, ya perv!"

"At least I have more brain than you could ever have!"

Lucy sighed, hearing their bickering to no end. "Honestly, I question why we all came along when it's just Nic that's been asked. Seems like overkill to me." The blonde nervously grinned.

Erza raised her chin. "Well for one thing, I promised Nic that I'd accompany him on his next job. Secondly, after what Natsu and Gray did, it's clear they cannot go unsupervised while we're gone."

"Then, why are we coming along again?" Wendy asked.

"Oh don't worry about it child. There hasn't been an adventure like this for us in forever." Carla reminded.

"While we're on the topic about the job, I'm still piqued about a Wizard Saint asking for our help." Vanessa said, changing the subject.

Erza began to ponder about the matter as well. "Yes, when you put it that was, it doesn't add up. After the Council War, the Council itself closed down, and with them the Ten Wizard Saints. They became Wizard Saints by the Council's judgment, but their status after the war hasn't been deciphered to considerably. Are they still technically Wizard Saints? Even I do not know the answer to that."

Lucy began to shiver. "Please don't remind me."

Gray stopped his growling at Natsu to take notice of the topic. "Say, speaking of Saints, heard that sea chick finally got hitched."

Natsu looked off, albeit quizzically. "Huh, I forgot how tough that army guy was to beat. Heh, nothing I couldn't handle though."

Wendy looked back from the map. "Well now that you mention it, the Four Gods of Ishgar were in the war as well. What happened to God Serena?"

"Apparently he's still rogue. I believe he's left the country." Erza said. She looked over towards Nic, who was frowning and saying nothing on the subject. Given the history that Nic's had with the Magic Council, and the Wizard Saints themselves, of course he wouldn't like to be in the conversation. He seemed resentful of even hearing the Four Gods of Ishgar themselves. She couldn't blame him, no one could.

"Vanessa?" Erza asked, looking back behind.

"Yes?" The Aura Mage asked.

"You said you met Warrod Sequen back in the war, yes?"

She nodded. "Of course. Though he was an enemy, he wasn't malevolent in any way. Unlike the others we had to battle, Warrod sided with us. He's a very understanding man once you get to know him."

Hearing this, Nic looked like he was easing up some. If Vanessa was speaking good of this God of Ishgar, then it had to be a good sign. But still, the war left Nic with a bad impression on the Wizard Saints as a whole. Though he will give Warrod the benefit of the doubt.

After a while of walking, Wendy pointed to something up ahead, catching everyone's attention. "Hey, look, I think that's it! Up there!" A trail snaked all the way up to the top of a hill, where at the top was a medium-sized home, looking a design similar to Natsu and Happy's. The materials to build it were almost alike, but this structure was far more stable, with moss and small vines growing along to wooded parts and the roof. The most distinctive parts of the house were the trees growing out from along the sides.

"So that's it, huh?" Gray wondered.

"That's the home of Warrod Sequen, is it?" Lucy added.

Nic didn't waste time walking up the trail, with Erza following behind. "If he lives this far in the open with this kind of atmosphere, then it makes an ideal retirement place." Everyone followed him towards the doorway, where he stood in front of the door, ready to knock. Vanessa suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, everyone." She said. "Just to warn you, he may be on the…dry humor side."

"Dry humor? What does that mean?" Happy asked.

Vanessa sweat dropped. "You'll have to see what I mean."

Nic tapped on the door's wooden frame. "Excuse me. Hello? I've come in regards to the job request asking for my assistance." He got no answer, so instead he tried for the door, which was unlocked for some odd reason. The door slowly creaked open, and Nic went side.

Once they were all in, they were immediately overwhelmed. Despite the shabby façade, the house was brimming with an abundance of plants inside. It could've been mistaken for a greenhouse. It was also very spacious for good measure.

Seeing no signs, Erza called out. "We've come from Fairy Tail, is anybody here? We've accompanied Nic so that we can…"

"Shhh…" A voice said quietly in the distance. "Quiet.

Nic looked deeper inside, seeing a literal tree man seemingly in the back. It was hard to tell from just hearing, but there was the sound of flowing water sprinkling onto plants. The cloak on his back was by no means anything different from the Wizard Saint title. Vanessa recognized the cloak all too well, even the aura was too lively.

"Plants like silence and tranquility. If you understand, then shut those mouths of ours!" He sniped, his tone harsh as his seeming demeanor. To silence themselves, Wendy and Lucy covered their mouths, while everybody else remained completely silent, as intense as iron walls. Although the only ones seemingly calm were Nic, who didn't take light of his wording due to having been in the Meadow Form dozens of times; and Vanessa, who was already well-aware of what was to come. A smile came across his face. "Just kidding!"

Suddenly the sunlight poured through the windows, brightening up the house. The plants all began to sprout instantaneously, blossoming into full bloom. The ones on the floor nearly overwhelmed Happy and Carla. Color filled the atmosphere as Warrod turned around, facing the mages with the can in hand still sprinkling fresh water on some leaves and other flowers. "It's a joke! The plant love to hear the sound of human voices!" He laughed uproariously, his hysterical sense of humor getting the best of him. Everyone else, however, was more confused than amused of his presentation.

"A…tree?" Lucy asked.

"This old man…" Natsu muttered.

"He's one of those saints?" Gray finished.

"I'm afraid so." Vanessa sighed.

Wendy was rendered speechless, with eyes as big as her mouth. Nic and Erza just stared with unamused looks, while still confused.

Warrod cleared his throat. He walked up and smiled. "Greetings to you, Fairy Tail Mages. I welcome you to my home. Thank you for coming all this way. Oh?" He looked towards Vanessa. "I see we have a familiar face amongst the presence of he who put God Serena in his place. Welcome, young one."

Vanessa nodded. "I'm pleased to meet your acquaintance again, sir."

Warrod tilted his head. "Eh, do I know your name?" He sounded like he completely forgot about her, much to Vanessa's indifference. Suddenly Warrod burst out laughing again. "Just kidding! I know it's you, Vanessa!" He laughed some more, nearly bobbing his head all around. Vanessa narrowed her eyes, sweat dropping.

"Okay, now I see what Vanessa meant." Lucy commented.

"Uh…yeah." Erza noted.

"Very lively, I'll give him to that much credit." Nic said.

Warrod sighed. "I'm parched!" He cleared his throat and opened his mouth, tilting the watering can so that water poured into his mouth. He even gulped as he laughed; the action again caught Wendy perplexed.

Nc stepped forward. "Pardon my interruption, but Warrod…"

After having his fill, the Wizard Saint turned towards Nic, grinning. "Ah, Nic Pularis. Welcome. Please, follow me." He grabbed a book on a nearby bookshelf and held it tight as he directed everybody outside. Once outside, Warrod led them to a wooden table near the edge of the hill. The Mages sat on tree stumps that were used as makeshift stools, while Happy and Carla sat on the table itself. The breeze again picked up, brushing through the girls of the group's hair as Warrod took his seat on one end, with Nic on the opposite end. Once the assembling was assessed, Warrod began. "Again, Nic and friends, I welcome you. However, before I begin, I do owe you an apology for what the Council has put you through."

Nodding, Nic accepted his apology. "It's not your doing. Even with your part, you still chose to go with your heart than your sense of duty. That's enough to leave me convinced."

Warrod nodded back with gratitude. "Well in spite of the Council War, my earlier plans are mainly comprised of what some could say a hobby." He reached his hand out, a small rose growing from the palm of his own hand. "You see, I use Green Magic, and I use it to turn deserts into lush forests." He chuckled briefly. "Although some would instead refer to it as a charitable action to the world." The rose vanished and he resumed the explanation. "For that reason, I've spent years traveling all over Ishgar, raising new forests and making yellow turn green."

Happy looked up towards Nic. "Say Nic, can't your nature, green, or whatever form have the same power as him?"

"No different, but I wouldn't exercise it to that extent." He answered neutrally. He wasn't so lenient on boasting about his power. Being a show off is a low concept that he'd partake in. Back in the training dimension, he used the Meadow Plate and turned everything into a lush forest with tall trees and vines to jump in, only to later slice or be incinerated by Charizard or Garchomp or Kecleon or anybody else, even himself. But despite his power being the same as Warrod, he'd rather not call it a hobby.

Warrod resumed. "So while I was traveling across these lands, I've stumbled across a village in the mountains." He pulled out the book he had, opening to a page with ancient text and a picture with stick figures as people and two other pictures with a sun and fire. "According to some research, I've learned that particular place goes by the name of 'Village of the Sun'. It's said to be a village where worshippers were aligned to an everlasting flame, also revered as the guardian of the village."

Natsu raised a brow. "An ever-burning flame?"

"I know Nic's Charizard has his own burning tail, but this sounds a bit weird." Lucy commented.

"Shhh!" Wendy hushed.

"However…the village was frozen over."

Gray narrowed his eyes, hearing ice around the concept.

Warrod lowered his head. "Man-made, or natural disaster. It's hard to tell. The people, plants, animals; everything, it was all frozen over. The everlasting flame itself, that too…had been frozen."

Nic's eyes widened. "The flame itself was frozen?"

"Yes…but…" A small chill crept around, the temperature of the wind dropping as the trees around the home rustled. "What I know…is that they're all still alive."

Happy's spine shivered. "But how's that possible?"

"To even be alive in ice, what does this mean?" Carla speculated.

The winds shifted through Warrod's bush-like hair as he frowned. "The village and all life was covered in ice, but, I can't leave it at that. That is why I asked for you, Nic."

Nic nodded. "I understand. You wish for me to lift the ice."

"Correct. I've heard how you have power of all elements and can use them to their fullest extent. Water, earth, land, fire, ice, I've heard much of your capabilities, and by no means are you ever walking on anything less than a tightrope it seems."

Warrod wasn't really wrong. Even with the Plates back with Arceus, Nic could still use the powers bestowed upon him. So if he wanted to melt something or use his ice powers to lift the ice, this would be a no-sweat job. But Nic was keeping an open mind. If ice froze an entire village, it'd be no ordinary ice. He had to be sharp at all times. "I'll do as you've requested, Warrod, but by no means am I offending you, but why not handle the ice task yourself? Have you attempted, but was…"

"Ho! Heavens no!" Warrod exclaimed with a smile returning. "My dear friend, my magic isn't the kind that you can use for battle. As you've learned full-well from the war, the Ten Wizard Saints aren't anywhere omnipotent. We were only ten people the Council had chosen. There are many people out there on this continent with power greater than my own, and those amongst the world that surpass even them. Comparing me to them is but wishful thinking." He stood up, with everybody else standing as well. He turned around and looked out at the hillside, seeing the river and lush forest overlooking mountains. "I have no offensive spells, so against people such as yourselves, I'd never stand a chance."

"Maybe so…" Erza wanted to say something, but Vanessa cut her off.

"Erza. As maroon-sounding as it may be, he's right. I've seen his power first-hand, but he wasn't offensive in the slightest."

"There you have it. You see, mages and humans alike have strengths and weaknesses of their own. That's why we rely on comrades and allies, to support and turn our weaknesses into strengths. A guild has that quality, wouldn't you agree?" Warrod smiled warmly at the young mages. They all turned towards one another, looking with their smiles coming to light. Their warm dispositions overshadowed their insecurity, and they all looked back with confidence.

Erza nodded at his words. "You're as wise as Vanessa interpreted."

Nic stood tall, smiling proudly. "We'll be sure to finish what you started, sir."

Gray smirked. "What the big guy said!"

"We'll get rid of that ice!" Lucy said.

Warrod smiled with understanding. The young and mighty group of mages before him was a group that left him with nothing short of confidence that they'll pull through.

"So, where is this village?" Vanessa asked.

"About 2,000 Kilometers south." Warrod answered.

"That's quite the length to tread." Nic commented. "If to shorten the time, maybe I should use Chari-"

Warrod cut him out. "Not to worry. Please, don't rely on your Pokémon just yet, my friend. I have a solution that may prove to be useful." He crafted an odd wooden cane with the help of his magic, and pointed the tip at the open space atop of the hill. "Please, everyone gather here. Make sure you don't leave anything important behind."

The mages did as he told, and they gathered in the spot.

"Turn right." He ordered, and everybody followed him like a Pokémon would to its faithful Trainer. Everyone turned right, but Happy turned left out of possibly incompetence. Warrod then smiled. "…kidding!"

"Hey!" Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Wendy, and Carla shouted. Nic and Erza exasperatedly sighed. Vanessa just remained silent.

"I leave this task to you all. Do take care, and be careful. Do what you must. Rely on one another, and nothing is impossible." The ground beneath him was glowing a strong light, and the energy in the atmosphere was intensifying. Nic looked down, seeing a small seed beneath him sprout. It continued to sprout higher and higher, and then it went into hyper drive, growing and lifting the entire party into the air above, resting on a bed of pink blossoms. They all ascended higher and higher, ascending into the sky, until the enormous sprouting tree shot off into the distance, scaling the land afar towards south.

"W-WHOA~!" Natsu screamed. The tree trunk twisted and spun as it literally grew, stretching its trunk all the way across mountains and rivers. It snaked through the sky, flying like a dragon. But Natsu wasn't the only one amazed, for everyone was shocked.

"We're flying!" Happy screamed.

"This is awesome!" Gray screamed through the skies.

Erza looked back. "It is." She saw the tree trunk twisting and turning, lengthening to what seemed like infinity. "It's like a beast."

"Weee!"

"Careful, don't fall off!"

"Look out Sun Village!"

Nic looked back at the tree, the same as Erza. He grinned. "Warrod Sequen…" he muttered the man's name as he disappeared from view. "Very modest…but his powers are amazing."

Erza nodded in agreement. She looked back ahead, smiling as they continued on their way.

Warrod watched as the tree's end faded from view. Like the plant, his smile grew larger. His eyes shut, taking in a fresh breath of air. "Time keeps on flowing, doesn't it…" As blossoms fluttered pass his face, he began to recollect his memories. He pictured back when times were simpler, when the world was still learning. As a young man, he had green hair with a green tank top, and a green waist guard and black pants. He remembered back to being with his friends, when they had a lot of adventures as a team long ago. He pictured his guild, the one he, Yuri, Precht, and Mavis banded together to find and cherish: Fairy Tail.

" _Warrod! Hurry up!" Yuri shouted._

 _Warrod turned and ran towards the one who called for him. He had the same eyes as Makarov and Laxus, with blonde hair. "Geez, spacing out as usual."_

 _Precht, when he was younger and had sanity. Looked up at the structure created. "We've finally did it."_

 _Warrod looked up, seeing the building that they've worked so hard to build, the building they've poured blood, sweat, and tears into making. A warm smile passed his lips. "It's perfect. Our guild…"_

 _The guild hall stood with proud pride, a small flag at the very top. Something about the guild hall was too familiar, that it looked so tall and mighty, like the symbol of everlasting friendship and prosperity._

 _Bare feet trekked through the grass, soon passing onto stone. "Then what are we waiting for! Group picture!" The girl shouted. She was none other than the cheerful First Master. Mavis Vermilion._

 _Everyone gathered, the three men standing with proud smirks on their faces as Mavis was in front, pouncing with a big smile as they took a commemorative photo._

" _This is the birth of Fairy Tail!"_

Warrod lowered his head, the remembrance feeling like yesterday. "To think, 105 years have passed."

To this day, that photo was still resting on a stand in his house, surrounded by flowers as fresh as this morning. Warrod looked onwards, watching the young generation soaring into the unknown. "Mavis…your heart and feelings…they live on."

* * *

The ever-growing tree finally reached its end, finally stopping and having its end reach ground. Everyone onboard safely got off, hopping onto their new location, which looked like a rock prairie.

"Looks like we're here." Gray said.

"That was surprisingly fast." Erza commented.

Nic nodded. "His magic sure is something."

Vanessa smiled. "That took no time at all."

Natsu lurched, his cheeks finally puffing. Lucy looked over him. "Seriously? _Now_ you're getting sick?"

Happy and Carla walked closer ahead towards the boulders. They approached, but they noticed something off, and it was leaving them cold on the spot.

"Guys, look." Happy pointed at the frozen rocks, which started at his feet and went over the ways ahead.

Erza crossed her arms. "The Village of the Sun must be on the other side of this valley of stone. We haven't a moment to lose." And thus, Nic and Erza led the group onwards. They passed through the frozen trail of branches and rock, passing through a trench of shimmering ice that felt like solid casing.

After half and hour's trek, they made it to their destination: Sun Village.

It was just as Warrod said, everything about Sun Village was frozen over, from the tall buildings all the way down to the smallest blades of grass. Everything, even the dust, was in thick ice. The large bell, ribbons, and other festival-like decorum was reduced to cold ice.

Lucy looked off to the side, looking at the ice. "Wow, it's true, everything's frozen."

"What do you think happened?" Wendy speculated.

Once they stepped deeper into the village, Erza looked up and around. "According to Master Warrod, the people were frozen as well. But, I don't see any…"

Vanessa looked around, feeling the presence of aura signatures. "No, I sense people. There should be one right on top of us."

Natsu looked around, rubbing the back of his head. "Well I sure don't see any people."

Nic looked left and right, inspecting the circumstances. When he stopped in place, he had an odd feeling, like there was something missing. _'If what Vanessa says is true, then…'_ Nic noticed that there was a heel right beside him, a giant one. When the uneasy feeling escalated, he looked up, seeing something massive covered in ice like a statue beside him…and it wasn't a building. A statue as tall as one, sure, but it was realized that it wasn't as it seemed to be.

His eyes widened, shock flowing through him like a Surf. "My god…"

Everyone looked up to what he was so surprised about. They stared up at what he was looking at, and realized that it was not a giant statue itself; it was an actual frozen giant.

* * *

 **Here's the first chapter of the Sun Village Arc. How did you guys enjoy it? As usual, I added my casual changes as needed. For this arc, I thought there were so many people already, so I had Sophie take a break, despite being a good support character. Hope this sufficed; so if it did, review or throw in a comment!**

 **Also, for those who care, there's a good chance _One's Road to Remembrance_ will be updated tomorrow, so be on the lookout for that as well.**


	22. Cursed Youth with a Cold Shoulder

"HUGE! HUGE!" Natsu was pointing at frozen giants left and right all around. "HUGE!" He pointed at Lucy's boobs. "HUGE!" He then turned towards Wendy. "…tiny." He then turned back towards the frozen giants all around. "HUGE!"

"Uh, was I part of a joke or something?" Wendy asked, getting a offended suspicion crawling up and down her body. She was better off not knowing.

Lucy's eyes widened, looking all around. "You mean, this was a village filled with giants?!"

Erza was let speechless. As she looked at the giants all around, each one had one style of clothing and weapon. Some form of armor or some old-Greek clothing, it mattered not. Never would she believe that such humans lived. It was uncanny.

Carla gave a despondent stare at the bearded giant above her. "I suppose Master Warrod left something crucial out." She huffed. She could already feel a chill creep down her spine, which left her to believe Warrod would say something like: _"You know, I believe I left something very important out…nah, I'm kidding!"_ Again, the white Exceed sweat dropped. "There's always a time and place for jokes, but that man has a problem."

Lucy looked over, noticing the intense stare Gray was giving at the massive giant in front of him. The colossal beast's open mouth looked like a war cry but was of serious pain within the confines of the ice. As his stare intensified, he was driven back to the biggest event in his life. It was when Deliora destroyed his entire family, and his Master Ur died protecting him. He had to suppress his grinding teeth.

"What's wrong?" Lucy's worried tone shook Gray out of his morbid trance.

Gray looked away in shame. "It's nothing." He lied. His answer met even with his own unsatisfactory, so he came clean."It's just…these giants remind me of…" He didn't finish as he instead went silent.

Lucy caught on. She remembered the Galuna Island incident all too well. "Oh…Deliora." She realized. She hung her head. "Sorry." She apologized.

"Don't worry. It wasn't your problem to begin with." Gray said.

Erza looked up, inspecting one of the giants. "I never knew these kinds of people existed…"

Nic walked around a giant's heel, circling around until he was directly below a giant. "There's Legendary Pokémon that can conquer Acnologia. I doubt this compares to anything as supernatural that we've seen." He turned towards his sister. "Vanessa, are you getting anything?"

Vanessa closed her eyes, concentrating as she was reading the various aura signatures in the ice holding them completely still. The Aura Mage remained concentrated for a couple more moments before her eyes opened back up. "They're all fine. No signs of wear in their aura, but you have to work fast and lift this ice as fast as you can."

Nic nodded, shifting into his Icicle Plate Form, turning towards the giants. "I'll make this as brief as I can." He turned towards one of the giants, spreading his legs apart. As he opened and closed his palms, he breathed in and out, exhaling, and inhaling. Once he was ready, he began to reach forward.

Suddenly, Natsu slid upfront. "Now hang on just a second!" He shouted.

Nic backed off, seeing Natsu intervene.

"You idiot! What now?" Gray berated.

Natsu's hands lit ablaze. "Why does Nic get to have all the fun? I say we get to melt some ice as well! So just go have a picnic with Erza while I take care of these guys!" He smirked.

Nic definitely felt offended, and that comment sure did make Erza grow a tick mark, but both relented seeing as how impulsive Natsu was. Nic stepped away, allowing Natsu the chance to do what he wanted. Though Nic could still use his powers, he let the Dragon Slayer and his rival step up to see what they could do.

Natsu pressed his hands against the heel of a nearby giant, setting them ablaze. "Time to melt some giants!" He roared. He let out a roar as he exerted heat. The flames igniting burned with a roaring intensity. The heat was making Lucy sweat already, but Nic was as cool as an autumn night.

Happy cheered, flailing his arms up and down. "Rah! Rah! Natsu!"

"Hrrraaahhhhh!" Natsu screamed louder, burning with every bit of might he had. He exerted greater heat and fire, making a bonfire on one point.

After five minutes of trying, Natsu finally let up, lifting his flames. As hot as the flames were, the ice did not melt, not even remotely. It was unfazed, like it was fireproof. The Dragon Slayer slumped to the ground, his breathing labored. "Ugh, this is tougher than I thought."

"Aye." Happy groaned, slumped up right beside him.

"What did you contribute?" Carla scolded the tomcat.

Gray walked up to the toe of the same giant. He looked up, looking sternly at the layer of ice. "That tree did say this wasn't ordinary ice, right?" He reached out and pressed his hand against the toe, using his magic to feel the energy in the opposing ice. His eyes, narrowed, feeling the unimaginable energy flowing into him. It was bizarre, but at the same time, demonic.

"You can't melt it either, is that it?" Erza questioned.

Gray remained silent.

"Gray, is everything alright?" Vanessa asked.

"I can't be sure, but I think this magic reminds me of someone else's power…"

Nic suddenly picked up something. His ears twitched as the sounds of footsteps high above instantly made him turn upwards. Everybody else followed his lead, noticing the three figures that were atop of a frozen building.

"Well what do ya know? We were beat to the punch." One of them said.

The one that said the phrase was someone in a long-sleeved black shirt with an armband with four arches around a circle. He had an entire belt of ammunition looping around his shoulder. Aside from a standard belt, his dark gray pants had holes on the knees. In hand, he also had a long gun. He had a coy smirk and a red bandana on his forehead that went through his long hair.

The middle one had black hair with the design being hefty hair spikes. He had a mean look that was accompanied by a white coat with a fur collar. The edging and the sleeve collars were checkered in black and red. His belt had pockets, unlike his green pants. Behind him was a very large sword.

The last one was had a suave shave. He had a large head, nearly rectangular like Ichiya with an equally large nose. He had a green dress shirt over a purple vest. He had white pants with black lines running vertically downwards. Behind him was a mechanical fist attached to a rod.

"Well, guess we got showed up." The long-haired man sneered.

"Bunch of dumb kids and chicks." The spiky-haired one grumbled.

"Dun!"

Erza's eyes narrowed. "And who might you be?"

The long-haired man sneered. "Why of course, we're a treasure hunter guild."

"Sylph Labyrinth." The spiky-haired one said.

"Dun." The large man on the far left commented.

A moment of silence passed, but no one said anything. The trio then spoke again, in the same order.

"We're a treasure hunter guild."

"Sylph Labyrinth."

"Dun."

"Yeah, we heard you the first time…" Erza replied.

"A treasure hunter guild?" Wendy asked.

Lucy looked piqued. "So, they're treasure thieves?"

The long-haired man smirked. "Look, hate to break it to ya, but that treasure that's _so sacred_ , it's ours. Stay out of our way." He warned.

Nic's eye narrowed. "Treasure? Sorry, but we're not here for such petty possession."

Altogether, the treasure hunting thieves looked shocked. They expected competition, but they got something a little different it seemed.

"Wait! You mean you guys aren't here for the Eternal Flame?!" The long-haired one exclaimed.

The spiky-haired one crossed his arms, looking annoyed. "Alright then, spill it. Why you guys all the way out here of all places?"

Happy raised a paw with a big smile. "We're here to melt the ice to save all these people." He answered.

The trio blinked in absolute unison. The middle guy turned towards the gunman first and then towards the larger man with the mechanical fist. Again in unison, they all nodded before turning back towards the group.

"THEN YOU'RE TOTALLY HERE TO GET IN OUR WAY!" Two of them yelled.

"Dun!" The large man yelled.

Everyone down below seemed perplexed by their sudden uproar. The long-haired man thus followed in sentence. "Tch, that flame's been going on for centuries. That mythical flame never seems to be out of juice…until now that is."

"Amongst treasure hunters, that treasure alone is revered as S-Class. It's legendary, so legendary that no one's gotten near it thanks to those giants who guarded it." The spiky-haired man continued.

"But, for some weird reason, they all went and gone dun frozen. And treasure hunters know when there's duuun time to strike!" The big guy said, surprisingly saying far more than 'dun', in a way.

The long-haired man smirked. "So guess what? We're taking that Eternal flame and busting out."

Wendy stepped forward, looking worried. "But, you can't. That flame's like a guardian deity. Who knows what'll happen if it's taken."

Vanessa looked up with defiance. "You're nothing less than common thieves if you steal when no one can fight back."

The trio again blinked and the middle guy turned towards the one on the left, and then turned towards the right. Without speaking, they understood, and looked back at the group.

"You're telling treasure hunters not to steal?!" The long-haired one yelled.

"They shouldn't have let their guards down then! It's these big guys' faults!" The spiky-haired one added.

"Dun! Dun!"

The one with long hair straightened out. "Gah! Enough of this. We're just wasting our breaths. Let's just hurry up and get ou-!" He and his three pals were suddenly cut off when a zappy blue beam blitzed quickly through the air towards them. They didn't even have time to turn down or around to be alarmed to begin with. In a bright blue flash, a shimmering cold wave exerted, making Erza and the others cover up from the slight chill wave that brushed past them. When they uncovered, they saw Nic with his hand reached out.

Still in his Icicle Form, his hand misted before he dropped it, having used Ice Beam and the mist cleared out, revealing to have trapped the trio of Sylph Labyrinth in ice. They were all taking poses, looking like they were seeing ghosts. Even the big guy that petrified with a shocked look on his face.

Wendy blinked. "A-amazing…"

Lucy smiled with hands to her hips. "Well that was a false alarm."

Natsu crossed his arms. "Guess kicking their teeth's out of the question." He grumbled.

Gray turned towards Nic, smirking. "Simple and to the point. Now that's how you deal with people."

"I guess that's one way of putting it." Lucy nervously sweat dropped.

Nic turned towards the others without a sigh, signifying he wasn't stressed by them. "If they're after the Eternal Flame, this means that while the flame is frozen, it's vulnerable to enemy raids. If those three are after the flame, we'll have to guard it in the giants' stead."

"So, what do we do then?" Wendy asked.

Nic took a moment and turned towards Erza. Their eyes interlocked briefly before he came to a conclusion. "Erza and I will stay in the village. I'll work on melting the ice while she searches for the Eternal Flame. If it's that sacred, it has to be close around the village or a couple miles off. Meanwhile, the rest of you, take them as far away from the village as you can. That ice won't hold them forever, and I rather not have anymore looters after a guardian deity."

"Right." Everyone said. Gray and Natsu did the lifting as they hauled the big chunk of ice. Much to their dismay, they headed into the forest, with the girls and Happy following as supervisors.

* * *

High above the frozen forest, there were clouds that continued to roam freely along the currents the world took them. Within the blue yonder, there were many odd things flying aimlessly. In the Pokémon world, flying Pokémon is too common to express. However, this scenario was much too intriguing to pass up for a flying avian above.

The bird-like monster had a wingspan of nearly thirty feet, and it looked like a cross between a predatory bird and a cyclops. It had one big eye and a rat-like tail. The crazy creature scouted the skies, where two figures on its back did the same.

There was a muscular man, and perhaps one could compare his bulk to Elfman if they wanted to. His dark hair was in a bud, and he had an odd symbol engraved on his hair that resembled a power symbol. He had thick gauntlet-like gloves. He had a white shirt with dark blue sleeves with were sectioned evenly. He had black pants with light gray lines running down the sides. The most intriguing part about him was the bandana around his mouth used as a mask, which resembled a carnivorous mouth.

The man looked down at the passing scenery, watching as Natsu and Gray were hauling the hefty load through the forest down below. "Hm, first treasure hunters and now mages. This job's start is rugged if you ask me."

"The treasure hunters are but little concern. They won't get in our way. You should consider those mages a bigger threat." His partner in crime commented. His partner was a woman, and she had the looks to back that up. She had brown boots with the legging stretching up to her lower thighs. She had dark green spandex short hidden beneath the long neon green skirt with blue edging. She also had a dark green top that was fur-lined in white, limiting view on her ample cleavage. She had a fur-lined coat on, which was neon green, with the sleeves being medium-sized and finishing in an open view. Even the edging there was blue. What complemented the ensemble was her pink lips and her light blue hair what cascaded down her back. She smirked maliciously as the winds evaded her, as though they were frightened by her presence.

The man snickered. "You got a point there."

The woman's eye narrowed. "Fairy Tail, that disgusting guild."

The man looked up towards her. "Who? That place that Nic Pularis belongs to?"

"At least his reputation precedes him. Can't blame him though, he's too big of a cutiepie to turn a blind eye to anyway." She smirked greater than before. "My time for revenge against them came sooner than I imagined, but this lost queen will take her board and play the pieces that lay in her wake."

The man turned away. "Whatever, let's just get started, newbie."

"Newbie?" The woman chuckled, but it wasn't a pleasant chuckle. "Doriate, I have a name you know. The Underworld and the gods above turn their heads towards yours truly. Bellona." Bellona smirked on, watching as they closed in on the frozen Sun Village.

* * *

Natsu growled. He was getting fed up with the weight he was carrying overhead. Not only was it super heavy, but his temper was beginning to boil up again. A tick mark was on his head, but there was nothing he could do. "This sucks! Why do we have to do the heavy lifting?!" Natsu yelled.

"Will you quite being such a baby? Geez it's annoying." Gray replied, taking up the rear end of the two-man job. "You know Nic brought up good points back there, and let's face it, these chumps were starting to become a pain in the ass."

"You're not wrong." Lucy said.

"Yeah. Plus, with Nic and Erza, the village should be thawed out in no time." Wendy noted.

Carla floated in the air next to Happy, both maintaining themselves close to the ground. The female Exceed rolled her eyes. "Well if some people weren't so brash, he could've gotten it over with from the start."

Natsu grunted, gritted his teeth. "This sucks. How come my magic doesn't work, but Nic's been able to control fire and ice and everything?!"

"You seriously asking such a stupid question?" Gray berated. "You know what Nic did to get to where he is now."

Vanessa looked back over her shoulder, looking at them with a smile. "He's come far. He and his team. Just the seven of them."

Happy snickered, catching the attention of Carla. "What is it now?" She groaned, wondering what he could find so amusing this time.

"N-nothing." His tone pitched, trying to hold back his snickering. "It's just…Nic and Erza are alone~."

"And…?"

A few snorts escaped the blue Exceed before he turned back towards Carla with a mischievous smirk. "You know what lovebirds do when they're all alone~. Don't you?"

Carla immediately took offense to Happy's sexual reference. "Gah! How barbaric!" She shrieked. "Those two are lovebirds, but they don't have the decency of that low bar!"

Wendy looked up at Lucy with question. "So, uh, what is Happy talking about anyway?"

"I-it's a bit complicated…" Lucy wasn't sure how to put it in terms so Wendy can understand. She was still young, too young to learn what happens when a man and woman are madly in love and have time and space all to themselves. If she told her now, she'd probably never look at them in the same light again.

"Quit worrying. Nic's got the situation under control." Gray said, getting everyone back on track. The group pressed on another kilometer, where they were deeper into the frozen forest. Once they were far enough in, it felt like a few miles off from the village.

Natsu and Gray finally sat the ice block down, where the guys inside were still looking frantic. The sight made Natsu chuckle. "Man, they're chumps! Falling for a simple Ice Beam head on!" He snickered.

Gray raised a brow. "Oh really? How many times did you fall for that trick?" He asked.

"I bet a lot less than you have." Natsu sneered.

Gray grew a tick mark. "Nu-uh! You're so dumb that you'd take a frying pan and cook eggs atop of your head like a stove!"

"Oh! And you don't turn fruit into snow cones?!"

Lucy tried to interject. "Um, guys…?" But failed.

Gray and Natsu butted heads, growling.

"Betcha Erza would be slicing your rear end right now."

"Oh yeah? Nic'd be using that poisonous form and leave you bed-ridden for a week!"

"Ya pea-brained impulsive lizard!"

"Ya wannabe public stripper!"

Wendy reached out. "Guys! Don't-!"

Natsu ignited a fist of fire, ready to strike Gray. He was gonna hit him, and he would've, if not for Gray smirking and shifting left, dodging Natsu's impulsive assault. Gray slid along the ice, but his eyes widened where he saw Natsu's punch targeted unfortunately: The ice chunk. It was too late, and Gray and Vanessa went wide-eyed in shock as the fist met the weakened ice. Natsu was caught off guard and he blinked before seconds of contact.

Fire and ice went flying everywhere, and everyone paled at the attack Natsu had committed that completely turned their worlds upside-down.

As the mist cleared up, Natsu was on his rump, uncovering as the scenery cleared out. He saw the three Sylph Labyrinth members all lying on the ground, twitching, completely dried up and thawed out. "Uh…oops."

Gray face palmed. "Idiot. Nic's gonna kill you if he finds out about this."

The three members sat up, grunting as they arose up from their icy imprisonment. They all rubbed the back of their heads, trying to ease the soreness flowing through them.

"Man, that stunk bad." The long-haired one groan. "Hey, Rala, Hiroshi, you good?"

Hiroshi grunted as he shivered. "Man, that was cold. That ice got us when we weren't lookin'."

"D-Dun." Rala shivered.

"They're still cold." Vanessa pointed out.

Hiroshi's eyes widened. Realization fawned upon him. "H-hold on!" The shivering stopped as he shot up, fists clutched. "What are we doing?! Come on, we gotta get that treasure!" He turned down towards Drake. "Hurry so we can get moving!"

Drake got up, grinning. "Sure, just as long as we have our little weapon, we're in the clear."

"Weapon?" Natsu wondered.

Drake reached into his pocket. "Don't sweat it. I got it co…vered…?" He seemed stiff as he was searching through his pocket, but only met pocket lint. He began to seem frantic as he looked all around his feet. "Wait! Hold on! Give me a second!" He searched through every pocket on his belt, but they all had anything but the small bottle they desired.

Drake gawked. "Wait! Don't tell me you lost it!"

"You've gotta be dun kidding?!" Rala yelled.

Vanessa was trying to make sense of where they were going with the action, but she was only met with confusion. She looked off to the side, where she saw something that looked like a small brown bottle with clear liquid inside. "What is that?"

Happy pointed at the same bottle. "That?"

The three guys looked over to where Vanessa and Happy referred to. When they found the bottle amongst the shattered ice fragments, smiles crept onto their faces.

"Alright! Found it!" Drake shouted.

"Liquid Moon Drip to the rescue!" Hiroshi exclaimed.

Gray nearly fell over as he heard them announce the tool. "Wait, hold up…"

"Did…you just say…" Natsu was equally as surprised. In unison, they gaped their mouths.

"LIQUID MOON DRIP?!"

Lucy's eyes dilated. "I remember that stuff. Lyon used it back on Galuna Island to free Deliora."

Happy's tail stiffened. "That stuff's crazy. It can seriously lift the toughest of spells."

Hiroshi began walking towards the bottle, smirking. "Yup, took a lot of effort to find this stuff. That Eternal Flame is as good as ours once we use this on it. Heh." He reached down, getting the bottle. When his palm began to get within five inches of it, a sudden teal line shot from the side, clutching the bottle. Suddenly the bottle was dragged away, just as Hiroshi was just going to get. "Huh? Hey!"

The teal aura snare traced back towards Vanessa, who caught the bottle with one hand. She smiled. "Sorry, but if this stuff is as powerful as you claim, perhaps we should use it to help Nic in places he may miss."

Carla's eyes widened. "Oh my, that's a logical point!"

Hiroshi ran towards Vanessa. "Give that back!" He got his mechanical sword out from behind. The sword's gears jolted and turned, elongating the blade's sections until it was fifteen-feet long. He thrust the blade at Vanessa, but the girl sidestepped and dodged the long blade.

"Gray!" Vanessa threw the bottle far away, and it landed into Gray's open hand.

"Got it!" He smirked.

Rala reached back and got his mechanical fist ready. He slammed the rod down, in which the fist followed. Gray jumped and dodged overhead. "Curse you!"

Gray twisted in midair, throwing the bottle at the next person. "Natsu!" He warned.

Catching the bottle with one hand as well, Natsu smirked. "Gotcha!" And thus, he became the next big target. He dodged Hiroshi as the treasure hunter thrust his sword forward, again missing another elusive person. Natsu slid backwards, but he threw the bottle at the next person. "Lucy, heads up!"

The bottle twirled as it was thrown to the blonde mage. Lucy caught it with no problem. "Oh yeah!"

"Hot potato, is it?" Hiroshi nudged his sword, the mechanical piece of equipment retracting into its small size and shifting into a machine gun. "Stop messing with us and give it back!" Pulling the trigger, he fired rounds of bullets at Lucy, and they went traveling a course for her. The mage dodged out of the way, rolling off to the side and tumbling until she slid to a knee.

As the treasure hunter still targeted her, she threw the bottle. "Wendy!"

Wendy caught it with both hands, a shocked look coming across her face. "O-oh!"

Hiroshi swung his gun side to side like a madman. The gun fired rounds at her, but Wendy also dodged. "You're super annoying!"

Wendy threw the bottle again. "Carla!"

This time, it was the white Exceed's turn to catch and keep away. "Got it!" And now she became the target of Hiroshi's gunfire. The rounds of bullets were hard to maneuver around, but nothing Carla couldn't maneuver around. "This is getting crazy!" She shouted as her wings were barely grazed by a passing bullet.

Happy waved his arms. "Carla!"

Without delay, Carla threw the bottle at Happy. "Happy, catch!"

Everyone watched as Happy was wide open, clear from any gunfire and a safe distance away from the enemy. The bottle spun through the air, the gang watching with confident smirks as the bottle was twirling farther and farther away. The Exceed reached his arms out, prepared for the object, but it passed over his head, hitting the ice behind him with an insidious crash sound.

Everything around him went to a complete stop. Reality momentarily went black as the bottle behind shattered apart, and the Moon Drip oozed out. All jaws dropped nearly to the ground as bottle was destroyed. Treasure hunters and mages alike hung their jaws in horror.

"It broke!" They all shouted in unison.

"What's super wrong with you?! First stealing a treasure hunter's treasure and now breaking it?! You're super evil!" Hiroshi shrieked.

"You gone and broke it! Dun! Dun! DUN!" Rala bellowed.

Happy quivered. He failed, and there was a big price to be paid. He began to tear up. "I…I didn't mean to."

Vanessa frowned, saddened that the efforts put into their work was all for nothing. Suddenly she picked up something that seemed surprising. "Look." She pointed at the spot where the Moon Drip shattered. The liquid soon faded, resulting in fresh ground, but only where the liquid itself was. "The ice barely melted in that single point." She confirmed.

Gray out a hand into his coat pocket. "Then it wouldn't be useful in any way." He groaned. "Great, back to square one."

"Y-you're kidding! That means our plan was super useless from the beginning!" Hiroshi yelled.

"We dun and messed this up big time!" Rala screamed in a panic.

Hiroshi and Rala turned towards the other, exasperating hysterically. "We need a change of plans, and dun quick!"

"Yeah, super quick!" Rala agreed.

"Um, did your phrases get mixed up?" Wendy asked.

Natsu blinked. All hysterical antics aside, he began to feel something off. He couldn't explain it, but he began to walk towards Happy.

The Exceed turned around, bending over. "I messed up, Natsu. Sorry! If you have to discipline, at least have it behind me." He shuddered, hearing his friend's feet close in. Natsu walked past Happy then, but that only left the Exceed a little shocked. "Nat…su?"

Natsu knelt to the spot where the Moon Drip dried up. "I hear something." He swiped away the shattered glass, clearing the spot so that he could place his ear against the unfrozen grass. "Yeah, I think I hear someone's voice."

"Eh?" Lucy questioned.

Vanessa put a hand to her chin. "But, but aura isn't picking up anything underneath us." She tried using her Aura Magic and zero in on the spot Natsu's ear was against, but still was oblivious to what only the Dragon Slayer could hear.

"From the earth beneath this ice, I hear someone's voice beneath." Natsu explained. "Can't really say, but I think it's trying to speak to us." He lifted his ear, looking away as he was trying to think, with a hand to his own chin.

Happy put an ear down to the unfrozen grass, but he only met silence. "I don't hear anything."

Natsu suddenly dashed into the woods, his instincts being his guide from this point on. "Over this way!"

"Natsu!" Happy yelled.

"Where are you going?!" Lucy shouted.

Natsu kept a straight path forward, embarking on towards the sound that he heard and that sound alone. _'That voice, I know I heard it from somewhere, but where?'_ He just ran on ahead, with his friends on the run.

"Wait up!" Gray shouted.

"What's he up to now?" Carla wondered, flying after Natsu.

Vanessa followed in pursuit next. "Hurry, he might be onto something!"

As the Fairy Tail Mages were running out of sight, away from the scene, the trio of Sylph Labyrinth regrouped. All three sweat dropped, their confusion beyond comprehensible. They all blinked in unison, and then turned towards the other with inquiry. What were they do you now? The flame was out of the question, but they couldn't go back empty-handed. They had to make do with some value worth around. An idea soon sprung into their heads.

"We're not having it end like this! No way!" Drake yelled.

"Did you see that blonde chick? I thought I saw gold shimmering in that pouch on her belt!" Hiroshi suggested. "That means super rare, right?"

"Hurry, we're going after them! Duuuun!" Rala shouted. The three hurried and ran after the group of mages. They got in their hair for the last time. It was time to end the scuffle.

* * *

Meanwhile. Nic and Erza were busy assessing the situation back in the village. They had to understand the geography to know where the Eternal Flame was, but they didn't know where to start. It couldn't be burning underneath the ice, unless it was some never melting ice. Nic would remain and try and thaw out the ice, while Erza would do her part and search for the flame.

Erza put a hand to her chin, trying to figure out where to start. "Something's off here." She looked at the giant right beside her, seeing weapons, the face, and body turned towards a single direction. She looked all around, seeing many more doing the same. "They're all focused in one direction, weapons in hand. What happened to this village before frozen? Was it heading for battle? And then there's that Moon Drip. I doubt that amount will be effective in the remote slightest, but why?" She looked up at the giant in front of her, thinking hard as to why they all had weapons. Her eyes widened, realization dawning upon her. She turned towards another giant over to her side, looking up at him. "There's giants…weapons…same direction…ice; were they all fighting someone? If so, who and for what reason? Their leader? Family? The village itself?" Her eyes narrowed, trying to further assess the situation. If you were fighting to protect something so important, where would you put it, or better yet, what made it so valuable that you'd guard it with your life. "…the Eternal Flame." Erza turned around, facing away from the giants. "Though the flame's been frozen, it must still be around here. Perhaps if we find it and Nic defrosts it, the guardian should be able to defrost the rest of the villagers." She turned around, realizing that she's all alone. "Nic's gotten separated from me, that isn't good. He must have gone to examine the perimeter and how much he must defrost." She shook her head, remaining focused. "I can't worry about that right now. Regardless if he can do it or not, the flame is of importance." She looked ahead, facing a small gate. "That way, in the opposite direction."

She took her steps as quickly as she could, hurrying through another frozen forest. She hurried as fast as her legs could carry her until she reached a clearing. There stood two giants with spears, guarding what looked to be a large mountain of ice. "A mountain?!" Her brown eyes cascaded upwards towards the tip-top. "At the peak…?"

* * *

Nic remained his spot in the village, overlooking the giants all around him. He turned left and right, finally stopping at a single spot. He cascaded his glance down at the ground, seeing the sky reflected and his own face reflected as well. He took in a deep breath, readying his power. Clutching his fists, frost and mist began to rise. "Okay, it's time. We've wasted too much energy already." He raised his hands, readying to make his move. "With the powers of all that is ice and tundra, I cast you out!"

He slammed his hands against the ground, and the ice at his feet began to react simultaneously. Nic grunted as he pumped in more power, and so the ground began to thaw out. The grass began to show, and the area began to spread farther out. The farther out it reached, the slower it seemed to have gotten however. The ice thawed on the ground, and Nic was pushing harder and harder with all his might.

' _Is this ice that strong?'_ He looked off to where the powers were heading off to. The ground and grass alike was beginning to come around, but as the ice melted, it completely disregarded the villagers altogether. Nic was pressing as hard as he could, yelling out as his hands glowed icy blue, ushering greater power than he could've before. A brilliant blue light engulfed the middle of the village, and radiant blue sparkles exerted as the power flowed. The ice around the village ground began melting. The energy Nic gave off was seeping through every pore of the ice. The grass and dirt began to reveal itself all around the village. Flowers and plants that were frozen over had return to the surface. The ground was freed, and yet Nic tried his best.

Nic sank to his knees, completely out of breath. "Huff…huff…did I…did I just get the ground?" He asked. He looked all around as well, panting profusely as he was completely out of breath. He felt lightheaded some might say. "The ground is okay, but how could I have missed the buildings and the villagers?" His eyes cascaded left and right, noticing that parts of the buildings were thawed out, but only so little. The nearby giants were also the same way, in which only small parts of their arms, wardrobe, and weapons were thawed out. "I thought for sure…that my power should at least take up the circumference…of the village." His breathing finally fell back into place. "Did I lack control when exerting my power? No, that can't be. I know I was disregarding training for my Ice-type powers, but this can't be an exception." He looked up at a fellow giant, noticing something off besides the few thawed spots. "Strange, were the giants always that big? And why am I so tired?" He shook his head, trying to get up. He felt something wrong on the spot, and that was his pants felt looser than usual, and his feet had a lot of room in his shoes. His coat's sleeves and the t-shirt beneath had also felt nearly twice as big.

"What…what's going on-?!" He realized that the pitch in his voice was higher, and looked over towards a frozen building. He saw something that made him go wide-eyed. He saw his reflection on the solid ice. He couldn't believe what he saw in himself. It looked as though he's shrunk entirely, but the pitch in his voice said another thing altogether. He was only half was tall as he was beforehand. "I turned into a child…?"

* * *

Erza was on her knees and was at the very peak of the mountain. She panted, her body shuddering from exhaustion. "Nothing…nothing at all…?" She looked all over the mountain, but it was still completely ice. She sighed in defeat. "I guess the flame's not here after all. I thought by finding the flame, we'd be assured the village's resurrection, but I guess that I was wrong." She walked around the peak, trying to figure out the situation. "But even so, I wouldn't know how to use it to begin with. I can't give up now. Even if I didn't think things through, I can't stay in one stop for too long. There must be a way to…!"

In the distance within the village compounds, there was blue light, and beyond that were some radiant icy sparkles. She looked startled, but the energy she felt was cold at first, even from the distance, but then she began to feel slightly warmer. "Nic…?"

In the distance and beneath the levels of the village, she thought she was beginning to see some hints of ground and grass. She was right.

"I think Nic's doing his job." She said. "If so, then he can help me find…"

She stopped talking when she realized that the pitch in her voice was higher than it was originally. She blinked, feeling something odd. "Wait, why do my boots feel like they've grown?" She looked towards one of the ice peaks beside her, and the revelation shocked her drastically. Her eyes widened when she looked into the ice, hands touching and pressing against the smooth surface. Her heart beat quickened when she saw that her skirt and armor clanged when they dropped to her feet. Her boots didn't even fit her; they felt twice as big. Her shoulder and arm armor were slouching greatly. Her black shirt that was underneath her armor was all the way down to her knees. "Wha…did I, become a child?"

The tiny redhead stared into her reflection, seeing that her now childish face had less than what it bargained for. She felt her face, but that attempt didn't wake her up. "Is this an illusion?" She looked down, seeing how her monstrous mounds were gone. She out her hands where they should've been, and felt only small lumps. Then she looked down her top, panicking. "What's happening here?!" She squealed, but she managed to regain a decent amount of composure. She put fingers to her chin. "Do I have armor this size to protect me?" She removed the armor that dangled on her left arm, having it drop next to her fallen skirt. "No, wrong question. I should be more intended on finding out what happened just now."

She stepped forward, only for her feet to slip right out of the boot. The momentum worked against Erza as the now childish mage slipped and shrieked as she slid and tumbled down the mountain like a runaway Graveler. She screamed as her world was spinning. She went all the way down the mountain in a steep slope. She was moving so fast that she couldn't stop, eventually reaching the bottom with a powerful crash.

"Oof!" She fell onto her stomach, into the dirt that went just outside the village, groaning in pain from that clumsy fail. She slowly slumped up to her feet, rubbing her backside. "Oow…that hurt." She soothed her pain, but also realized she was in front of the frozen sentry giants.

"My body, the way I think and move doesn't correlate so easily anymore. Is it because of what happened?" She put a hand to her chin again, thinking. "But what _did_ happen to begin with?" Her eyes began to shudder, rising thoughts that were most unpleasant. "Because if I don't get back to normal, and fast…"

Her mind instantly thought of the horror that may transpire.

" _Aw, look at that. I'm a big sister now." Wendy cheerfully said. In this state, Erza was just a few inches shorter than her._

" _Erza, looks like we can win this time." She could imagine Natsu cracking his knuckles, anticipating a fight; Gray was no different in that category. She'd never stand a chance against them – nor anyone – in her state as of now._

" _Come on, look in the mirror~." Sophie would perhaps use her for her makeup practice. She could see herself with eyeliner and lipstick. But if Sophie did a braid with her hair or add pigtails for a tease, Erza would be fuming._

 _However, the most twisted sense of fate that could destroy her entirely may perhaps be of Nic's reaction. "Sorry, Erza. I don't think this is going to work between us." She could see him walk away, back to his world._

"NOOOOO~!" Erza shrieked horrifically at the last part. "I can't let that happen! I must get back to normal, no matter what!"

* * *

Doriate walked through the Sun Village, his feet treading on grass instead of ice. He saw a small mouse scurry across. He looked ahead, discerning the terrain. "Looks like that punk did a number on this village after all. Where did he go?" He looked around, seeing no sign of whoever he was looking for. "He couldn't have gotten far…"

He heard footsteps up ahead coming towards him. He looked up, seeing someone run towards his general direction. It wasn't the one Bellona told to minimize first and deal with, but instead, it was a pink-haired boy.

Natsu ran through the village, the grass tickling his feet. "I'm hearing the voice better. I don't know what happened or why Nic only defrosted the ground around the village, but it's good enough for me to hear loud and clear now." He was so engrossed in his hearing he barely caught note of the man standing in front of him. He slid to a halt, directly opposing him. "Who the heck are you? Another one of those guys?" He raised a despondent brow. "Man, robbers sure know how to lie."

"True, but I ain't a robber, pal." Doriate replied.

"Alright, then who are you, exactly?"

"Who I am may concern you, but I hold no interest in replying." He raised his arms up into the air, an odd purple energy creeping all over him.

Natsu reeled back in shock. "What?"

"Now, revert to the days that have passed. Become what history took away." Doriate chanted.

Natsu's body began to alter, glowing by just a little. "Wait, hold a sec!" He noticed how his clothing was beginning to loosen considerably, his pants feeling like they were gonna fall off so he clutched them. He looked at his hand, seeing it shrink. "What's going on?" His pitch fluctuated as well, and his feet no longer fit his shoes. When the glow finished, Natsu was but a child. "Why am I so tiny?!" He screamed, looking at his left arm and how the sleeve was wide open.

Doriate's finger s twitched as he raised them. "Compared to adults, kids are easier to kill."

"What?" Natsu wondered. "Hold on, pal! Where's my answer?!"

Doriate hunched over. "I don't answer to snot-nosed punks like you." He ran ahead, chasing after Natsu fist muscular fists at the ready. "I got no time to deal with words, so let's get this over with!"

Natsu's eyes widened as the man was indeed an enemy. The tiny Dragon Slayer jumped, but barely dodged the punch slugged. As he got a handstand, Natsu was left with little room. _'Crap! This body's clumsy!'_ When he regained footing, he jumped back a second time, dodging another punch.

Natsu brought a foot back and puffed his cheeks. " **Fire Dragon's Roar!** " He opened his mouth, exerting a breath of fire. However, instead of a raging torrent, he got a small puff of flames that went out. Natsu's arms slumped down, hanging with shock. "H-huh?!"

Suddenly Doriate took advantage of Natsu's bewilderment and threw another punch. Natsu managed to get away again.

"What was that all about?! I was way better at Magic when I was at this age!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Law of Retrogression does more than just turn you into a bite-sized pipsqueak; that's just a bonus. The real trick is that this magic minimizes your offense, endurance, and your overall Magic Power." Doriate explained. He went at Natsu again, lunging ahead with a fist.

Natsu gritted his teeth. "Oh yeah? Well I got plenty of tricks of my own!" Natsu tried to do a Fire Dragon's Iron Fist, but when he punched, he only lit his hand ablaze for a still few seconds before the fire went out. "Again?!"

WHAM! Doriate unleashed an uppercut on a shocked Natsu, the kid went screaming as he tumbled backwards on the grass. He tumbled and slid backwards until he crashed into an icy building. He fell onto his stomach, his eyes all swirly and dizzy. When Natsu came around, his cheek flared with pain.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Why's that hurt so much?!" Natsu whined.

"Hmph, your defensive prowess lowered as well." He went running after Natsu, going for another strike without any room for talk.

Natsu had to hurry. His cheek hurt, and his magic was out of the question. So now, Plan B was a go. If you were a kid who dissed authority, there was one thing they have with robbers: They know how to use a lie.

He looked up at the sky. His eyes widened, looking immensely shocked. "What the heck is that?!" He bellowed in fright.

Doriate stopped. "Huh?" He looked up, seeing nothing but passing clouds. He expected a dragon or maybe some giant predatory flying creature, but nothing but air…with a butterfly fluttering daintily. "What's what? Huh?" He looked down, realizing that Natsu was no longer there. His eyes widened at his own gullibility. "Crap! I let him get away!"

Meanwhile, Natsu was off running with a proud smirk on his face. "It's either fight or flight, pal! Sorry, but I'm ditchin' until I get big again! Wish ol' Gildarts was around, man that'd take us back!" He snickered as he plundered back into the frozen forest.

Doriate stared coldly ahead, growling in frustration. He was disgusted by many things, but by such a low trick from a kid really set the bar high. "That miserable kid…" He reached for his mask, and he pulled it down. There was a reason why he hid his face. It could make children cry. His mouth was fur-lined in gray, and he had nowhere near human teeth, but all canines and sharp incisors. There were two jutted fangs going up that the mouth couldn't hold back. "I'll teach him to mess with me. He'll know fear, once he messes with a Demon."

* * *

Erza was still on the side of the sentry gate, just right on the very edge of the village with the forest on her left. She wasn't sure where anyone was, nor how to get back to normal. She had to be positive about one thing though. Concentrating, her hair began to wave up and down. She grunted, using as much brain power and focus that she could muster up. _'Come on…come on!'_

In her hand, a sword was disappearing and reappearing, almost like a ghost or an illusion. The flickering of the blade sped up for a few moments before it fully presented itself in front of Erza, where she clutched it. Unfortunately it was so heavy for her body now, that she had to use both hands to hold it up, and even then it was still too heavy to even lift.

"At least I can still use magic." She said. "But, the downside is that each requip takes far more magic, and I can't requip as fast as I did." She turned away, looking around for any signs of enemies. "At least I won't have to worry. It seems that I'm in the clear."

Just above, there was a glint in the sky. That was enough to catch her attention.

"Huh?" She looked up at the small projectile heading her way. It was barely above village buildings. It looked to be unstable, but no less maintained itself in the air. Erza's eyes widened and gasped when she got a closer look as to who it was that closed in.

"Erza!"

Erza just stared, her disbelief too great for words. "I…it couldn't be…?"

It was Nic, and he was in his Sky Form. There was something off though that got her attention. His wings were smaller, and so was his body in general. His clothing was big, but he seemed to have tightened the belt around his waist to keep the baggy pants from slipping off. He was wobbling drastically, and his body was barely supporting his will.

When he saw Erza, his heart skipped a beat, and he began to descend…a little too fast!

"Erza!" Nic shouted, practically shooting down from the sky, barely making it over a village wall.

Erza dropped her sword into the grass. She ran ahead towards where she expected to catch Nic. "Nic!" It was as if she disregarded that terrible feeling that Nic would leave her.

"Erza!"

"Nic!"

Nic fell onto Erza, falling onto her. Despite the brief happiness the two shared, it was broken when Erza fell backwards from Nic's landing. The redhead squealed in a high pitch as she fell into the grass, with Nic yelping in pain as he laid atop of Erza.

"Ow…" Nic grunted. He got his hands beneath, supporting himself until he sat up, crossing his legs. He looked down, seeing Erza groan.

"Oowie…" Erza groaned.

Nic's eyes widened upon seeing her state of her on the ground. "Erza, are you okay?" He asked in concern.

Erza sat up as well, looking towards Nic. "Yeah." She nodded.

"I apologize. There's something…wrong with me." He looked back over his shoulders looking at his feathered wings. They didn't have the strength like before.

Erza's face showed shock. "So, you were turned into a child too?"

Nic looked at her again, his turn to be surprised. "You mean, you're a child as well?" He looked down at Erza, from bottom to the top. She he looked at her, all that covered her was the black shirt. "So, I wasn't the only one after all, that was affected by this odd power."

"Do you know what happened?" Erza asked.

Nic looked down and shook his head. "No, not yet." His face fell further in regret. "I was beginning to use my powers and unfreeze the village and lift all of the ice, but then this happened. I turned into a child as I was using my Icicle Form; as a result, I'm afraid that I don't have a mature grip on any of my abilities anymore." He looked down at the dirt, of which was supposed to be covered in ice. "I could only unfreeze the ground around the village, and only small bits of the villagers and surrounding buildings. I got fatigued so easily too."

He was upset, mentally cursing himself. If he had just unfrozen everything from the start, then none of this would've been happening. He lost a lot of strength, and as a result, he and Erza were stuck as kids, and they had no idea how to get back to normal.

In Nic's mental sadness, he felt something warm touch his hand. He looked down, seeing that Erza's hand was on his, holding it tight. He looked up, seeing the redhead smile at him with warmth and care.

"Hey, it's alright. We didn't know any of this would happen from the start." She told him softly. "I promise, no matter what, we'll get back to normal and fix this village. You've already done so much, so it's only fair that I help you in any way to unfreeze everything else."

After a couple of moments, Nic smiled back at her, looking proud once more. He nodded. "Right. Until we get back to normal, I doubt our powers will be of any help."

Erza nodded back at him. "Yeah, my requip's taking a lot of magic for just a single sword."

"Then this means that until we get back to ourselves again, my ice powers and flying is extremely limited and uncontrollable. It took almost everything I had with my ice powers as a kid to unfreeze the earth. That was the best I could do then." He looked back at Erza, staring at her. "Erza, I'm afraid I'm not a liable option, at least until we know the cause of what happened to us."

"I know, so that means our priority now is finding out what did this and make us become us again." Erza enforced.

"Actually, I believe your priority now is saving your own lives."

A third voice entered the conversation. Nic and Erza turned off towards the side, towards the sound of the third voice, one that Erza somehow found somewhat familiar, and at the same time disturbing. Both reduced lovebirds turned off towards the forest, where someone just stepped off of the ice and onto the dry grass and dirt set for village compounds. She was a woman, and she smirked maliciously upon seeing the looks on Nic and Erza's tiny and shocked faces. "It's been too long, Erza Scarlet."

Erza's eyes widened. "Wait, are you…?" Her mind flashed back to that day, that last day of the Grand Magic Games a long while back. The energy was brimming in Nightmare Magic, and Erza recalled beating Minerva, forcing a certain someone out. When the memory resurfaced, she gasped. "Bellona!"

Bellona smirked. "I see you still remember me. Good."

Nic clutched his fists, getting a bad feeling that ran down his spine. "So she's the one Minerva told me about, the one who used her as a puppet in the Grand Magic Games."

Bellona turned towards the childish Nic, again smirking, but one with a side of lust in it. "Ah, Nic Pularis. So we finally meet face to face. Even as a child, you're still too big of a cutie pie for me to resist."

Getting angered, a provoked Erza reached for her sword, clutching it tight. She slid in front of Nic. "What are you doing here?" She interrogated. "We heard you abandoned Sabertooth, and then you turned on them for a seat as a Wizard Saint in the Council War. After that, you disappeared again."

Bellona turned away. "I'm glad you brought that up, little Erza." She sneered. "Since I couldn't get my throne back on a higher platform sort of speak, I decided to abandon my game and turn it on its axis. You see this?" She referred to her belly, where there was a new guild mark alongside the waist. "I've joined a new guild, and this just so happens to be my very first mission."

"So you went and turned on everyone altogether?" Nic questioned.

"Precisely. I have no need for pawns who won't listen without brute force; and what better way than to use that power when your side of the game is the Underworld?"

Erza took a moment to assess the conditions laid bare, but she nearly fell over when she saw the new guild mark on Bellona's side. "Wait, that mark." She gasped. "Succubus Eye!"

Nic's eyes showed equal shock. "A Dark Guild?"

Bellona snickered at their shock. "What's the matter? Don't give me such a cold shoulder when I came so far to get a little taste of revenge." She sneered again. "It's my calling card to reign at the top of the hierarchy, and how I get there matters not so long as I achieve that place. A place where the lone queen trumps over all in the most powerful guild."

"And you believe Succubus Eye is your gateway to the top?" Nic questioned in a cold, relentless tone. "First you have no pride, now you lost your dignity and took a turn for the worst."

"The worst?"

"You betrayed Sabertooth, Minerva, and all of Fiore for power. You weren't even conflicted at the time? You have no regrets?"

Bellona put a hand to her hip, smirking at the kid. "I can sacrifice whatever self-worth if I'm to win the game. Use as many loyal knights as shields, and pull the strings of pawns until they grow tired of the game itself, only then will they be rendered meaningless. Label my emotions and pride as pawns that I cast aside."

Erza raised her sword. "Sounds to me that you have business with us."

"Precisely." Bellona raised her arms to her sides. "You've kept me talking for quite some time now, but it's over. So, Erza, let's have a little rematch, and this time, it isn't a trivial competition in an arena, but a fight of life and death. That's the real world's stakes for you."

Bellona said a lot of things up to this point that ticked Erza off, but seeing Erza's face was just sweet frosting on her cake of glory. She added another cherry on top. "Oh, and don't you worry about Nic, I'll take good care of him."

Nic felt a chill run down his spine, but he didn't cower. He clutched his fists as Bellona licked her lips in anticipation.

"I wouldn't call myself a cougar, but I can make do with your state. You're much easier to toy with compared to before." Her eyes narrowed. "This is going to be sweet revenge I've been dying to feast on."

Nic and Erza bent their knees, readying themselves for a fight that their bodies couldn't keep up with.

* * *

"Wah! Oof!" Wendy fell for the umpteenth time on her stomach onto the frozen forest floor. Her thud got the attention from Lucy and Vanessa, who were up ahead by just a couple paces. "Ow…"

"You okay?" Lucy asked.

Wendy got back up, getting to her knees. "Yeah, I'm okay." She said. "This ice is slippery though."

Vanessa looked around, noticing how they were all completely lost. "There's nothing but frozen forest life all around." She responded. "And to make matters worse, Natsu and Gray seem to have gotten separated from us."

Lucy looked around with Vanessa, seeing as how she was right. "Guess we lost track of them big time. I really don't think splitting up with Happy and Carla solved anything either."

As a suggestion by the Exceeds, Happy and Carla decided to expand their search by getting an aerial view on the forest. They were going to find the others and regroup with who they find, but when they thought about it, it probably wasn't such a good idea, because now they were completely lost without their Exceed friends.

Wendy looked towards Lucy. "Hey, guys? Something's been bothering me."

Lucy raised a brow. "What?"

Vanessa retained a calm face, though a sweat drop fell. "I don't think 'give up' is in their vocabulary."

"Who? Well?"

Behind them, it appeared to have been two of the three at least. Hiroshi and Rala were tailing them as Wendy and Vanessa foretold, but Lucy turned around to see them crouching like cats, with Hiroshi's face panted blue while Rala's face was painted white. The blonde realized what the two meant. "We were followed." Vanessa said.

"What? We're just hefty super cute cats, meow~!" Happy-Hiroshi purred.

"I'm a white kitten. Meowduuun!" Carla-Rala exclaimed, raising a white paw.

Lucy shrieked in fright of their ruse. Suffice to say showed how much of a fail their disguises were.

The two stared at the other, taking a moment to blink before their shock collected and their mouths gaped,

"They actually saw through our treasure hunting disguise skills?! Our disguises were perfect" Hiroshi yelled.

"I knew I should've been the blue cat! But no~!" Rala exclaimed.

Lucy had the hardest time believing their conversation. They actually thought their disguises were top of the line. She stared in shock and exasperation. "Did…did they really think we were that dumb to be fooled?"

"Treasure hunters have a variety of skills." Wendy said, slightly impressed.

Vanessa nodded in agreement.

Undoing their disguises, Rala and Hiroshi stood back up, with Hiroshi pointing defiantly at the three girls. "Alright. Since you've seen through our super disguises, we got one option then! Those keys the blonde gots, hand them over!" He demanded.

"Yeah! New treasure ripe for the plucking, dun!" Rala added with pointing fingers.

Lucy stepped back and clutched her hip, where her keys were located, retaining caution. "What's wrong with these guys? Seriously."

Vanessa stared ahead, looking directly at the enemies. She was fed up. She stepped on ahead towards the treasure hunters, pressing her feet against the ice. She walked past Lucy and Wendy, surprising them.

"Uh, Vanessa?" Lucy wondered.

"Uh, wait, what are you…?" Wendy trailed off, reaching out to Vanessa but the black-haired and single blonde bang girl just stood there in defiance.

The Aura Mage stared at the bewildered treasure hunters. "There is a code Trainers live by. Nic and I follow that code as proudly as treasure hunters follow their own codes." She paused, reciting the rule. "No matter the circumstances, when two Trainers eyes meet, a battle ensues. Whatever your code is, I hold nothing against, but I must follow my code, and you guys are getting in our way." She spread her legs apart, readying for battle. "So, I'm putting an end to this."

Hiroshi and Rala smirked, gladly accepting Vanessa's little warning. They got their weapons out and readied for combat.

"So you wanna play it like that, is it?" Hiroshi coldly asked. "Fine, since there's no treasure, we'll deal with those keys and you chicks!"

Rala's grip intensified on his mechanism. "We don't have any need for them. Just kill them and take what they have duuun."

Vanessa's eyes darted towards her right. She felt a third presence right there, and then a gunshot went off. Vanessa waved her arm up, pulling up a shield of her own aura. The next second, the bullet ricocheted off her shield, piercing through a frozen bush.

Lucy stared with shock. "What was that?!"

Wendy looked up towards the cliffs above. There were a lot of frozen trees and shrubs, but she could see the glare of a monocle that had Drake's eye coming from the other side. "Look, up there!" She pointed out.

Lucy looked up, seeing what Wendy was pointing at. Suddenly another gunfire went off, and the bullet went at Lucy's feet, causing the blonde to slide back from the bullet that hit the ground. She looked back up with shock. "He's a sniper?!" She yelled.

Drake smirked as he hid in the bushes above. "Damn straight. Three guys against three chicks? Easy picking once I get a clear shot on any one of you." She warned. He looked through his spyglass, the lock-on set for anyone who makes a move. "So, who's next to take a bullet?"

Growing antsy, Wendy thought it was best to find room. She stepped back, but again her small feet only served as a hindrance. She slipped on the ice, falling onto her stomach at such a bad time.

Lucy gasped. "Wendy!"

Wendy looked back up, shock and bewilderment starting to overwhelm her as she saw a glint where Drake was at. She was too late to make a move. The sniper already had a lock on her.

Drake's eyes narrowed. _'Gotcha!'_

He pulled the trigger, allowing the bullet to be fired. The bullet traveled fast, and it closed in on its target: Wendy. The shock little girl had nowhere to run, and Lucy and Vanessa were too far and too slow to react in time. She saw her life flash before her eyes.

A sudden red lock curled up, taking itself and caught the bullet with no trouble.

"What?!" Drake exclaimed.

Lucy, Wendy, and Vanessa all stared at the sudden cause of the lock. Standing in front of the three girls, it wasn't your typical redhead Erza, but another one that Lucy was familiar with. She creepy smirk was as sinister as ever. Flare Corona had entered the fray.

"F-Flare?!" Wendy gasped.

Lucy went wide-eyed. "What are you doing here?!"

Vanessa was looking equally as baffled. "Wait, isn't she…?"

The treasure hunters stared at the Hair Mage with shock. Yet another girl had entered the fray, thud increasing the numbers from 3 to 4, outnumbering the treasure hunters.

Flare crushed the bullet in her lock, the grinding and churning of the piece od lethal weaponry grating ears. The shattered bullet dropped to the icy floor, no more than a few specks of dust. Her head was swayed and tilted to the side, kind of like Kecleon, only she was hunched over. On her right breast, there was something wrong. There was a new symbol, one that wasn't compared to Raven Tail. She had an eerie gaze set on the Sylph Labyrinth treasure hunters. "Three little girls, plus one." Her tone had a singsong voice pitched into it, shaking up everybody. If she wasn't compared to Kecleon's oddball character, she was now. "There's the red, black and yellow, the blue, and the _blondie_!" She giggled to herself, only serving to render the mood far more sinister than before.

* * *

 **Got another chapter done. As I did in the last chapter, I just used the anime and the manga as my guidelines, but did some changes here and there, more specifically the return of Bellona. Aside from that, I really didn't alter the plot as much as you would think. I was shifting things around here and there, but again, not much of the overall scenes changed.**

 **I got this updated as fast I could without much of a break the morning this chapter was up. I normally update during the late afternoon or at night, but I have to attend my cousin's wedding, so it's kind of a big deal that I posted this before the big event tonight.**

 **After what I did in the Council War Arc, I've been trying to keep this arc's chapters under 12K. I felt since I overloaded you guys with so much in every chapter in the Council War Arc, I thought this may as well be a little breather.**

 **Anyways, decided to drop the poll since my curiosity's been fulfilled. I should have this arc finished in less than two weeks' time. Comment and tell me what you thought, and thanks for reading!**


	23. Birds of Prey

Out of the village and into the forest, Natsu ran as fast as his tiny feet could carry him. He seemed frustrated, but at the same time determined. "Come on! I know that voice! Where have I heard it?" He growled. He was trying his best to think, but that was his biggest weakness. He never thinks. "Where did that voice come from?" He kept on running, but he slipped suddenly, his oversized pants tripping him up and making him plunge backwards. "Wah! Oof!" He hit the frozen ground, groaning. This only to served his frustration further, so to ease it, he adjusted his pant sleeves. "Damnit. It's like I forgot how to walk." He stood back up, his cold feet touching the ice once more. "I wonder how long this spell will go on for? Do I have to beat that big guy to lift this…GAH! What am I doing?!" He shook his head and darted back forward. "Forget the big guy, where's that voice?! I could hear a lot better in that village, but this frozen forest is blocking it out!"

He ran deeper into the woods, following his ears to the sound of the voice in the hollow earth.

* * *

Flare's giggling subsided, she had fingertips pressed against one another as she stared at Hiroshi and Rala like a maniac. She saved Wendy and the others, albeit with shaking them up in a way.

"Who the heck is this chick?" Hiroshi wondered.

"Guess they duuun and got backup." Rala guessed.

"Y-you saved us!" Lucy called out to the redhead.

"T-thanks to you, Flare." Wendy thanked.

Vanessa blinked. "Wasn't she apart of Raven Tail?" She questioned. "What's all of this about?"

"We're glad you showed up…" Lucy began. "But what are you doing here?"

Flare slowly craned her neck to look back at Lucy. Her creepy smile never faded. "Obviously, stalking blondie." She answered.

"What?!" Lucy shrieked.

Flare looked away, smirking. "I've always been stalking her." After the Grand Magic Games, even Lucy never noticed. She could see it, that Flare's been tailing her when her back was turned. Whether it was walking down the streets, sleeping in her apartment, or soaking and moaning in her hot bath, Flare was always there, observing. Lucy felt violated on so many levels.

"Aaaahhh!"

"I'm joking." Flare added.

Lucy sighed. "Ugh…wait, what?"

Flare frowned, her eyes cascading towards the bumpy ice that reflected her sudden change of emotion. "The truth…I've been lost. I had nowhere to go…so I decided to return home."

Wendy blinked. "Return…home?"

Flare nodded. "Yes. This is my home, the Sun Village." She moved her hair, revealing the crest on her large right breast. "This crest, it's the symbol of my people. The crest of Sun Village."

Vanessa couldn't suppress a gasp. She was surprised to no end. "This village…was your home?" Never in a century's time would she have speculated such a secret.

"I had no idea." Lucy said in her bewildered state.

Flare continued on a somber note. "The giants took me in, raised me from when I was small. I can't repay them enough for what they've done." She looked at the nearby giants towering in the forest a distance away. She stared with a longing gaze, her body barely holding the shuddering. "They were my kin, and in turn I was theirs. I felt it was right to come home…but then I found this mess…so I must avenge them." She looked angrily at Hiroshi and Rala. "I can never forgive you. Ever."

Hiroshi gritted his teeth. "Give me a break! We super had nothing to do with freezing these guys!"

"We duun just came for that Eternal Flame, nothing else!" Rala added.

"That's not any better!" Flare snapped. Her yelp caused everyone to grow stiff. It was like the anger switch turned on suddenly. "That Eternal Flame belongs to this village! It's our protector! It's our ever-burning guardian! You can't take it away!"

"Flare…" Lucy couldn't fathom herself. She's never seen this side of Flare before, not even during the war. She was on a completely different scale compared to her reclusive and awkward nature that Lucy had become aware of.

Flare's hair untangled and waved about in the air like tentacles. The follicles all flailed about, and they went after the treasure hunters. "You'll pay for even _thinking_ of taking it!"

Rala gawked at the incoming torrent of red hair. "No way! She duun and stretched her hair?!"

Hiroshi nudged his blade, adjusting the settings to make it becoming a chainsaw. He brought the blade back and lunged forward, smirking. "I got it super covered!" True to his word, he took care of the incoming locks. He slashed his chainsaw blade, shimmering through her hair like a barber and reducing the locks to clumps of thread that fluttered down in front of an exasperated Flare.

Flare gasped. "My…my hair…"

Lucy pulled out a golden key. " **Open: Gate of the Giant Crab – Cancer!** " A golden seal appeared in front of her, and being summoned was Lucy's trusted spirit, Cancer.

Cancer snipped his scissors like crab pincers. "Baby, I'll make your hair as good as new." He spoke. He closed in on Flare, and be began his work, snipping his scissors again.

Flare was on her knees and looked over her shoulder. "W-what are you…"

" **Hair Growth: Scalp Care!** "

Cancer went to work. Soap ran through Flare's hair and her hair began to grow back. A tingly sensation ran through her as Cancer washed and massaged her hair follicles. The Hair Mage was feeling nothing short of absolute pleasure. "Ah…what are…" She couldn't finish as she moaned.

"Just getting' those nasty follicles and tangles straightened out." Cancer said.

Lucy gave some thumbs up, smiling at Flare. "We'll help protect your people!"

Flare turned back at Lucy. "Blondie…"

Vanessa nodded. "Don't worry about it, we'll help you out."

"Yeah! Let's work together!" Wendy enthusiastically suggested.

Flare grinned at them, staring at the three girls with great satisfaction. She never felt so happy before to see others wanting to help her in such a personal cause. It gave her a sense of hope.

Once Cancer was finished, he teleported away with a final snip of his scissors. Flare arose back to her feet, her long hair glistening with a shiny coat. "I feel so empowered!" She screamed, the Magic Power in her hair as lively as it ever was. She whipped Hiroshi, who was dangerously close by her flailing hair. The thick locks lashed him like a Power Whip, smacking him so hard that he went upside-down and backwards into a frozen tree.

Rala took a leap and raised his mechanically large fist overhead to bring down like a hammer arm. "You've duun and made me mad!"

Wendy took the next offensive. " **Sky Dragon's Claw!** " She raised a heel high, kicking the downward fist. A shockwave of wind shot all around, and the winds were strong enough to make Rala fly back on top of the ice, his back and large fist hammering with a thud.

Drake was still an issue though. He angrily looked towards Lucy through his spyglass. "Alright, that's it!" He fired more rounds of bullets at the blonde, but as the bullets traveled, a teal shield appeared, blocking the bullets again. His eyes widened. "You're kidding me."

Lucy looked over, seeing Vanessa in front and saved her using her Aura Guard. "Vanessa!" She exclaimed with glee.

As Vanessa was maintaining the shield, she reached down and pulled out a Poke Ball. "Now, let's get an advantage going." She tossed up the Poke Ball. "Krookodile, let's go!"

The Poke Ball opened, and out cam Krookodile. Vanessa lifted her shield as Krookodile emerged on the icy ground, spreading his legs apart and sneering at his surroundings. "(Krookodile doesn't know who these three are, but I knew I don't like them!" He yelled.

"A crocodile?!" Hiroshi exclaimed. Unfortunately for him, that left him wide open for Flare to lash him with her hair, so hard in the gut that he went flying again, this time into a bush for a softer landing.

"Duuun?!" Rala exclaimed. "Great, not another pest!" He turned and angrily readied himself against Krookodile. "Let's hurry and focus on that one!"

He was suddenly kicked from the side by Wendy, who used yet another Sky Dragon's Claw, slugging him across the face. Rala stumbled backwards, barely catching himself. Wendy landed and looked at Rala as he touched the part where Wendy kicked him. "Your opponent is all of us, remember?" She reminded him.

Rala gripped his mechanical fist tighter. "Dun…!" He rushed ahead after Wendy to attack with the fist, but suddenly Krookodile jumped in front, intercepting Rala. "Huh?!" Rala slid to a stop in front of the large beast, whose snout exerted steam into his face, making him wince.

"Let me tell you something! So-called treasure hunter who picks on little girls! KROOKODILE WILL CHEW UP YOUR FIST LIKE BREAKFAST! IT WILL BE DELICIOUS!" The Intimidation Pokémon screamed into his face.

Rala was taken back by the roaring, but he persevered. He grunted in frustration and brought his massive fist forward. "Get out of my way!"

"Krookodile, **Crunch!** " Vanessa commanded.

Krookodile opened his gargantuan mouth, where all his sharp teeth were evident. The moment that mechanical fist met his jaws, he snapped down, breaking through the fist and shattering it like a tin can. The whole thing feel apart, crumbling at Krookodile's feet.

Rala shuddered as his trusted weapon was obliterated. He had no defense, and no offense. "D-duun?!"

Hiroshi went lunging after Krookodile, his blade in hand. "I'll take care of this! Hyyaaaaah!" He screamed as he ran ahead towards Krookodile, who turned towards him in return. Hiroshi slashed his mechanical blade at the large beast, but Krookodile only turned his head and sneered loudly as he used Crunch again, biting into the blade and breaking it into shambles. Hiroshi gawked and paled at the same time when his piece of equipment fell apart at the scene. "H-how?!"

Lucy's eyes widened. "Wow, so that's Krokorok's evolved form? I've heard about it, but I had no idea its Crunch could do that much damage."

Wendy had hands to her mouth. "Amazing…"

Drake looked at Krookodile through his spyglass. "Okay, this is getting nowhere. Time to turn that thing into a suitcase cover." He pulled the trigger and fired another bullet, which traveled towards Krookodile. Krookodile heard the gunshot and turned to the high cliffs. The bullet raced after the crocodile, but was cut off when another teal shield appeared, blocking the bullet. "Darn it!"

Vanessa had her hand stretched off towards the side, using an elongated teal shield that reached out after Krookodile. The massive shield dissipated, and Vanessa arched her arm up towards Drake, who she could see with her aura.

"Oh snap!"

"Krookodile, 75 Degrees! **Rock Tomb!** " She commanded.

Krookodile was outlined in a gray aura. He crossed his arms and stretched them overhead. Up above, white energy turned into a cluster of large gray rocks in the formation of a large ring. Krookodile stretched his arms out at where Vanessa pointed at and fired all the boulders. They all flew, with heavy momentum keeping them from stopping.

"Gah!" Drake panicked as the boulders went flying after him. He fired bullets back to back, but no matter how much he shot, the amount was never enough to stop even a single boulder. "You're saying I can't break through rock-?!" He was cut off when Rock Tomb struck him, every single rock shattering into nothing upon impact. The harsh throw of rocks made a dark gray cloud of smoke encompass the cliffs.

From the dissipating smoke cloud, Drake fell from the cliffs, with his gun shattering upon every thud it took along the ice. The momentum meant nothing as Drake was caught by the same teal energy that Vanessa used to capture the Moon Drip. The sniper was caught midair, gawking as he still didn't recover from taking that earlier Rock-type move. "What-whooooaaaaa!"

Vanessa dragged her long aura like a whip overhead towards Lucy. "Lucy!"

Lucy spread her legs. "I got it!"

Drake screamed as Vanessa's aura dissipated, making him go into a full momentum descent as Lucy raised a foot high.

" **Lucy Kick!** "

Wendy lashed her arms, sending whirlwinds at Rala. " **Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!** "

Flare's hair went tackling Hiroshi like a living jungle. " **Hair Shower: Thousand Birds!** "

All their attacks met their mark, sending all three men screaming through the air. All their heads met at one spot, making them black out and remain in freefall momentarily. While doing so, Krookodile used his tail and slammed it on the ground. He shot into the air, meeting the three stunned treasure hunters in their incapacitated stated.

"A tail to the face, IS WORTH A TRIP THROUGH THE SKY!" He lashed his tail, batting at them all at once. The treasure hunters all flailed as they went into the beyond of the atmosphere.

"That makes no sense~!" All three of their unison screams faded away as they became glints in the sky, defeated and having exited the vicinity brutally.

Lucy pumped her fist. "Yeah!"

Vanessa smiled. "At least we took care of them." Once Krookodile landed, shaking the ground slightly, Vanessa turned towards him with a more cheerful smile. "Krookodile, you did a great job. Thank you."

Krookodile huffed as he nodded. "Yeah, I had it covered from the beginning."

Lucy turned towards Flare, looking gleeful. "Aren't you glad, Flare?"

Flare turned towards Lucy, Wendy, Vanessa, and Krookodile. All of them stared at her, seeing her wide smile. She looked happier than before; happier than earlier. Her cheeks had a small tint of red, and the most shocking part was that her eyes looked…refreshed, like the creepiness in them was gone, for good.

She nodded. "Yup."

* * *

After finding some cover in the event of any more possible foes, Vanessa recalled Krookodile and the four girls found some rocks to sit on. On a small bumpy quarry surrounded by frozen trees nearby, the four settled in to assess what was happening.

Flare began to speak up, while ironically looking down. "When I was small, I was lost. I could barely remember anything before the village. The giants took me in, despite how is was different." She confessed. "But even though they treated me like family…I knew that I stood out too well."

"So, despite a giant's reputation, they were well enough to handle you." Vanessa paused, assessing a reference. "Sounds like Natsu, Gajeel, and the other Dragon Slayers."

Flare looked down to her left. "I guess you can say that. Anyways, I could only tolerate it for so long until I realized fitting was no longer an option. That's why I departed. Until then, I never met anyone the same size as me, not even once. That fear, the fear what others were like…it ate at me, became a parasite."

Lucy seemed a little surprised. "So, that's when you turned to Raven Tail?"

Flare nodded in regret. "Yes. When I arrived, I had nowhere to go, no one to turn to, and no money. Master Ivan offered me work, so I turned to Raven Tail. I knew they held a grudge against your guild, but I only thought it was natural, but I didn't know. I was just oblivious to the world. And to that, I'm sorry."

Wendy shook her head, maintaining a smile. "Don't be, that's all in the past."

"Wendy's right. It isn't fair to yourself to beat yourself up over something that wasn't your fault." Vanessa added, but the innuendo made her recount her history of a pampered life, and the recollection of the numerous times she's frowned behind her parents' backs. "It's best that you try and look ahead. So your village froze over by the time you arrived here, huh?" She asked, moving along from her somber note.

Flare's eyes began to mist. Despite everything that Vanessa said was true, it still hurt that her family and friends were tormented. She neglected them for so long, and for so long she tried running and finding people of her size, but they made her scared at first. As opposed to them, she felt so accustomed to the giants. Tears flowed down her face. "Whoever did this, they should've done it to someone else. They didn't deserve this, they weren't evil. They were too sweet in the heart."

Once the Hair Mage began to sniffle, that's when Lucy stepped in with a proud smile. "It'll be okay. Your people are still alive. We just need to thaw them out. We'll help you restore them, that's a Fairy Tail promise!"

Vanessa and Wendy nodded in agreement.

Flare wiped away her tears, her confidence restored. She stood up, having an objective set in stone. "Alright, I think I know a way we can unfreeze the village."

"Really? How?" Wendy asked.

Flare turned towards the side. "The Eternal Flame. Come on!"

Without any more delays on the matter, the group of girls tagged along with Flare. They all got up and set out back into the forest of ice. As They went onwards, Vanessa was the last one in tow. As she followed behind, she nearly fell over. Her body and magic picked up something that caused her to look over her shoulder, back at where she came from. _'Just now, I had a nasty feeling. I felt an aura, but it's moving around too freely. I doubt it doesn't even have a conscience.'_ Vanessa turned back around, tagging along after Wendy. _'I hope the others are sound at this point.'_

* * *

Happy and Carla were not sound, not sound in the remote slightest. They were scared, confused, paranoid, and shivering in a high tree branch, and it wasn't because of the ice. Both Exceeds found something sharing the skies, and before it could spot them, Happy and Carla escaped into the high trees, knowing for a fact that it looked like someone who wasn't willing to share.

Looking up, Happy watched the cyclopean bird fly overhead, cawing as its massive size could down them in one fell swoop. "Carla…what the heck is that?" He whispered.

"I have no idea…!" Both covered their ears and cowered as the large avian cawed for the umpteenth time. It went right over their heads, kicking up winds that barely made them hold onto their branch. Once the beast was gone, they shivered as they looked back into the sky; the beast gave them greater chills than the ice itself.

"We're not safe in the skies. We have to avoid flying, for now…"

"Aye…"

The cyclopean cawed, flying in a large circle. Once its back was turned, the two climbed down the tree and escaped into the bushes as silently as they could.

* * *

Bellona flicked one of her large light blue bangs over her shoulder. She felt pretty confident thanks to her opponents' feeble states. This was what she viewed as inferior; those who were weaker, those who had no chance of fighting back, those who she can take over and stomp over if they provoke her even to the slightest degree. If any were like Erza, that'd be a bonus. For those like Nic, that'd be another story for another time.

Erza held her sword up, pointing the tip at Bellona. "Alright, tell us this. Were you the one who made us like this?" She demanded.

"Who? Me?" Bellona feigned innocence. "Why give me such a look? I won't lie when this isn't my doing? You actually have my associate to thank for this little asset."

Nic's eyes narrowed. "Associate? You mean you're not alone in this crime?"

"Crime?" She feigned shock this time in front of Nic. "My dear Nic, I am not a criminal, but label me a bad girl if you want." She smirked. "Calling me anything won't hurt me, not that you can't. It's actually Doriate. That meathead's magic is pretty useful in reducing a victim's Magic Power and endurance. Quite easy pickings when it comes to assassination."

Erza's grip tightened. "So this is how low you've sunk. You'd really cower so much that you'd rely on your so-called pawns to deals blows and you take the credit?"

"The Underworld has luscious magic that I can explore. A stepping stone after stepping stone. A pawn who was once weak uses its skills to climb to a bishop, and then to a knight, earning the trust of the king…to marry and kill in his sleep. Power's what drives and what many crave. Anyone will do anything to achieve it, and rule with a fist that smites the rogues. Looking at you now, Erza, you were once a knight; now nothing but a pawn that I can toss away." She snickered maniacally. "I think I'll start with you first."

Nic looked over, seeing as how Erza was caught stiff while Bellona began to shimmer with purple energy around her body.

"I have a secondary magic too. I can do more than just put people in nightmares. I can make many tremble before my Divine Empress Magic! **Divinity Sunder!** "

"Erza, look out!"

Above Erza's head, dark ripples hung overhead. She couldn't react fast enough as purple beams began to blast down; a fashion that she saw familiar to Jellal's Grand Chariot if she ever had time to refer. But before she could move, Nic shoved her out of the way, making the tiny redhead fall into the dirt. Nic fell victim to falling purple beams, encompassing him in an explosion of purple. The shockwaves shook the ground, making Erza tumble away, sword falling out of hand.

Erza's tumble came to a stop, and her eyes widened in horror at the dissipating purple display in front. "Nic!" She screamed.

The cloud of dust dissipated, and Nic was already on his hands and knees. He was more than a little scratched up, and to add insult to injury, his reaction and reflexes weren't as sharp. At least he was still alive. _'I wasn't fast enough to use Protect. Even if I used Swords Dance, I'd still have much less power in a fair fight.'_ Nic struggled up to his knees, barely composing himself. That attack hurt him, more so than it should've. _'I barely survived that round of beams. It's as she said, my overall status dwindled. Erza and I don't stand a chance against her, not with our conditions…'_

Bellona suddenly stepped in front of Nic, seeing him in quite the dazed state. He looked so shocked, he was too zoned onto his turmoil, a feat that Bellona found delicious to look at. "Well look at you, quite the noble hero you are to take such an attack. Of course I expected nothing less from someone who has the stubborn reputation as yours." She grinned cynically at him. "Though I do wish you were to stay down. I like it when my prey are…submissive."

Nic's eyes suddenly went wide. It wasn't just because he found himself at a disadvantage. Even if he powered up, his powers were still too premature to drive her off. The real factor in his shocked state had to deal with the position he was in. He protected Erza for one thing, and then took a beating, and at the hands of someone who was nothing more than a sadistic swine. The signs were there, and that's what left Nic momentarily distraught and heart rate accelerating. This was déjà vu of his childhood.

" _You piece of crap! Why are you looking at me like that?!"_

" _Honestly, you're a disgusting cockroach. Magneton, do it! And throw him into the corner while you're at it."_

He remembered it as clear as crystal. He honestly wished he could forget, but he couldn't help it. He remembered it all in a flash. He stuck his neck out, taking blames for where his sister screwed up and he would take the hits, literally. He got his nose broken countless times and he had to learn to pop it back into place. He got broken glass to the face, expired hot sauce shoved down his throat, slept in empty garbage cans outside in the winter; the list could go on and on to no end. Nic was paralyzed in the cold fear that he felt around his parents. Every time he was around his little sister, it always ends with at least a kick to the chin and piercing stare from their violent red eyes turned by rage. _'I…I can't move!'_ When he looked up at Bellona snickering, he saw only a menacing face that was gonna beat him up for protecting someone. He felt so helpless, so insecure, and he couldn't run. _'I can't think straight at all. Is she really gonna do away with me?!'_ He felt his tiny fists clutch tight, his body and limbs beginning to tremble.

This is what Bellona longed for. This was her passion, her will, her craving. She longed to see the mightiest bow to her. She wanted to make the best of her enemies' weaknesses and mold them into a weapon she could threaten their lives with. She wanted a board game where all the angles were covered. One misstep by her friends or foes alike and she could turn all forces onto them. This was her destiny, to rule at the top of the food chain with an iron fist, to make the world bow before her mechanics at wielding and bending people to her will. By rendering Nic, perhaps the mightiest Trainer and human ever to defeat the infinite void that no one else could, that would make her superior and dominate over all. While she was at it, she may as well make some use of his blood and spawn powerful successors to dominate. As her hips swayed left to right, closing in on a stiff Nic, Bellona couldn't help but crave his power.

"I'll make use of you yet-!"

A sudden slash of a sword cut Bellona off from Nic. The woman recoiled back and angrily looked to where the sword came from. "Who dares?"

Erza stood in front of Nic, defending him with her sword. She looked angry at him, scowling at Bellona for rendering her boyfriend to be no less than a paralyzed Pokémon. It was sickening enough to see Nic looking fearful, but see her advance onto him like that was plain sick.

Nic looked stunned. "Erza?"

"You're a coward." Erza scolded the cruel mage standing before her. Despite the pitch in her voice high, her words ran skin-deep. "I saw the pain in Nic's eyes at that moment. You bitterly reminded him of the scorn that he had to bare against those who gave birth and treated him no more than a pet. Your thirst for power and control, that's just the kind of thing that breaks people."

Bellona raised her own chin and put a hand to her hip. "Humph, and that is it that you care about Nic's history? You were locked in a tower and enslaved, hoping to die to be rid of such shallow fear. And yet here you are right beside him. How come you're not stiffening at your own history, _Titania_?" Calling Erza by her nickname with extra spite in the emphasis was a real kicker.

Erza adjusted her stance. "Because I know what it's like at the mercy of others. I was able to move on from my horrors all because Nic was part of my struggles. If it wasn't for him, then maybe I'd be quivering in the dirt, but I'm not." She answered sternly. She glanced back at Nic, seeing his face stunned from her passion. "And it was thanks to him, that many of us were able to move forward. He took scarring images engraved by his parents, but he did so because he loved his little sister to let her be a target of their bloodthirst. No one could recover from that." She turned back around, facing Bellona. "However, that doesn't mean I'm not there. He suffered enough as it is. He's conquered the demons of our past, putting us before him. Now, it's my turn to help him press on! And he as Greninja and the others too! We're all there to fight alongside his battles!"

There was a strong moment of silence. Never had so much passion been put into another one's sake. Nic's world clicked at that instant, and the vision of his mom and dad seemingly froze, just like ice. He wasn't struck scared stiff, but distraught. But what Erza said was true; he went on a journey so that he could gain the strength to not be so scared, to fight and gain the experience to hold his own without those to rely on. In turn, he would protect them, a strength that drove him and the six others. This battle was nothing. This spell was nothing. That memory he just had was nothing but a memory.

Bellona took a moment to regain composure before her sneer returned. "So you care so much about him that you deliberately want to dig into his problems? How naïve." A purple energy swelled around Bellona, her Divine Empress Magic beginning to resurface once more. "Then this shall be it for you!"

" **Flash!** "

A bright flash illuminated the atmosphere. The radiant Flash came from behind Erza, keeping her safe as the rays were so harsh that Bellona's eyes stun like Beedrill jabbing at her. The mage scowled as she covered her eyes with her palms, blinded by the Normal-type move.

A sudden trail of glowing, elongated claws went swiping next. " **Slash!** " Though tiny, Nic's Slash dealt the kicker that got Bellona off her feet. The Succubus Eye Mage fell backwards with a thud as Nic landed right beside Erza, his fingers returning to normal. His glare towards her was as true as a knight's sworn code of honor. His past may still haunt him, but no matter what, he won't be in this fight alone. Never again.

"Nic." Erza sounded so surprised, but didn't expect anything less from Nic.

He looked towards Erza, half-grinning in sincerity. "Thank you, Erza." He grinned ahead. "You're right, this spell and her did throw me off, but it's thanks to you that I got my momentum back. Let's do this…together."

Erza nodded. "Together."

Both faced Bellona, who was looking to be at her wit's end.

The power-hungry mage wasn't taking this situation well. She expected Nic to be so distraught that he wouldn't be able to attack. A past like he endured should've left him stiff until she made him limber. To think he'd recover like that, and after such a petty speech by Erza. It was uncanny to believe someone can just throw themselves back into the fray despite the terrible disadvantage they were in. It's like pitting a Bug-type with lowered stats against a Flareon, and that never goes well. "You brats!" She snapped, extending her hand out at them. The purple energy around her thickened. "I'll make you pay for insulting me!"

Above Nic and Erza, dark ripples erode through the air. They both knew what was coming next, and they didn't have much time. Their reflexes and reaction timing were diminished gradually. Nic hurried and spread his arm overhead. " **Protect!** " A translucent turquoise shield appeared above them, and the purple beams came crashing down onto the them. They hit the shield, but the attacks did nothing for they dissipated while Nic and Erza remained unharmed. Once the beams dissipated, Protect faded.

"This isn't good. We can wear her down, but she has the upper hand. Got any moves that can lower her offenses or defenses, like Screech or maybe Swords Dance?" Erza suggested.

Nic looked at her and back at Bellona, who didn't look like she'll be pacified forever. "I have a better idea."

"What?"

"We don't battle her."

Erza's eyes widened. "Then how are we supposed to beat her?"

Nic glanced at Erza, reaching his coat pocket that was touching the dirt. "You didn't let me finish." He pulled out a Poke Ball, presenting it. "Don't forget what you told me just a few moments ago, we're not alone in this fight."

Again, Erza looked shocked. "Hey, you're right. I forgot about that." Erza reached Back, surprisingly still having a Poke Ball on hand. Looking down at it, she had to pit her hopes on defeating an enemy with her Honedge. _'So is this what Trainers back in his world really experience? If they can't physically deal harm, then by working together with their Pokémon and giving the right commands, they can pull it off?'_

Bellona extended her arm forward again. "Enough of this stalling!" She fired another purple beam from her open hand, one that glistened with radiant force of a divine empress alone. Nic and Erza slid to opposite sides, evading the attack as a thin pillar of purple shot up into the atmosphere.

* * *

Lucy and her group continued following Flare, where behind them, a blast of purple shot into the sky, catching them by remote surprise.

"What's that?" Lucy momentarily stopped, looking back over her shoulder to stare at the small pillar of purple that went straight up, dissipating in the next instant.

Taking the moment to assess, Wendy looked with curiosity as well. "I don't know. A spell perhaps?"

Lucy turned towards Vanessa. "What are you getting, Vanessa?"

Vanessa's eyes narrowed, staring intensely at the spot the beam shot up from. "Not an aura I'm familiar with…but what I do know, is that Nic and Erza were right in the middle of it."

* * *

Both boyfriend and girlfriend were seen fine after the smoke and dust cleared out. They stared coldly ahead at Bellona as they had Poke Balls in hand. Both were ready, and by any means, they were gonna do this right and stop her.

"Staraptor, let's go!" Nic threw his Poke Ball.

"Honedge, you come out too!" Erza requested, tossing her Poke Ball.

In the air, both Pokémon showed up. Staraptor was high above, her wings spread as she stretched them out. "I'm ready!" She shouted.

Down below, Honedge appeared, and she unsheathed her blade. "Although our Trainers have shrunken by an odd force, that dares not stop us from our goals! We'll lift the spell and remaining ice, yet!" She valiantly declared.

Bellona raised a brow. "Relying on Pokémon now? Very well then." Although she knew she may stand a chance against the Honedge, she of course was thinking on the contrary when it came to Staraptor. Staraptor had immense power behind her talons and wings alike. Plus she could feel her strength diminish just from being in Staraptor's gaze, the Predator Pokémon's Intimidate Ability doing its job. No matter what, Bellona must win this. She extended her arm up at Staraptor, readying an attack.

"How's about I put you out of your misery!" A dark vortex appeared in front of her palms, her Nightmare Magic activating. " **Nebula Hold!** " She swung her arm at Staraptor, sending the galaxy-like saucer at the avian. However, Staraptor made no attempt at dodging as she awaited Nic's command.

"Use **Double Team!** " Nic commanded.

Staraptor made multiple copies of herself. The bird multiplied by the dozens. The airspace around her swelled with a countless number of others just like her. The galaxy continued ahead, and when it met a copy, the galaxy fazed through it, and the clone Staraptor faded like a ghost. With the attack missing, Erza made it her chance to ready.

The redhead clutched her fists. "Honedge, **Swords Dance!** "

Following her Trainer's command, Honedge remained still. "As you command!" Blue illusionary swords materialized all around the Steel and Ghost-type, and they circled around and ended by crossing over her head, fading away and having a thick red aura flash briefly, raising Honedge's Attack.

Bellona angrily pointed her hands at the Staraptor clones around her. "Hold still!" She shouted. Gathering up more Magic Power, she made more dark galaxies around her. She swiped her arm, sending both the saucers at the Staraptor flock above her. She sent them with great accuracy, but no matter what, each Nebula Hold always missed its mark. Not only was the real Staraptor fast, but her clones her extraordinary with her skills as well. Each clone twirled about and dodged each galaxy, not even batting their eyes nor sweating. It was like an acrobatic workout that Staraptor wouldn't even come close to calling a warmup. With Bellona's rising frustration, Nic called for the next move.

" **Aerial Ace!** "

The clones all around Bellona closed in at such a speed that made them invisible. Bellona heard wind pass, but that was just by a hair of a second. The mage's heart pulsed when the clones dived at her with vigorous speed. She suddenly felt a hard blow from straight above as the real Staraptor let out a harsh shout as she divebombed onto Bellona. Her beak was a focus point and she delivered with gusto onto the mage's back, the result being of Bellona screaming out in pain and driven into a crater into the earth. Her back went numb from just the sheer pressure put into that swift assault.

Erza swiped her arm, giving the next command. " **Fury Cutter** , Honedge!" She shouted.

Honedge's blade became a bright light. She went racing through the air towards Bellona as Staraptor ascended back into the air. "Have at me!" Honedge yelled as she swiped herself at Bellona. As she swiped, the mage had her head hung low and was on a knee already, but she grabbed Honedge without even looking. Honedge seemed more than a little shocked in full honesty.

Erza's eyes widened. "Honedge!"

Honedge's Fury Cutter faded as her focus shifted to trying to free herself from Bellona's grip. It wasn't working. Bellona retained staying on a knee, but her glare was towards Honedge, and she looked mad. "You impudence!" She threw Honedge off to the side, the sword twirling through the air with uncontrollable velocity.

As Honedge's whole world was spinning about, she found the ground closing in. She was seeing dirt, but never tasted it. Her eye widened when she felt her hilt being caught in the nick of time by Staraptor, who used a single talon and caught Honedge before she could hit the ground. Staraptor ascended back into the air, holding Honedge diligently.

"Thank you, Staraptor." Honedge thanked.

"Don't mention it." Staraptor adjusted her hold onto Honedge, pointed the tip down at Bellona. "Now let's deal with her!"

"Right!"

Bellona raised a brow. "Trying a team attack?" She scoffed. "That won't save you." Around her, purple energy began to swell for the umpteenth time. "Run and hide all you'd like. My Divine Empress Magic will bring a goddess's wrath down upon you all!"

Staraptor pointed Honedge at her, poking the air. "Who says we're running from a fight that means life or death?"

Erza pointed ahead. "Honedge, **Fury Cutter!** "

Staraptor lunged down with her talon out, guiding Honedge as her blade glowed a bright white once more.

Bellona's eyes flashed green. " **Goddess Bellow!** " Unable to let her guard down, Bellona resorted to a full-scale counterattack. A great mass of Magic Power exploded outwards, like an expanding dome that whisked dissipating dust around like a hurricane. And Staraptor and Honedge were diving right into it.

Erza looked surprised, seeing as how they couldn't escape thanks to her Honedge's No Guard Ability. How were they going to get through an omnidirectional assault like that? Unless…

Nic swiped his arms in opposite arcs. " **Steel Wing!** "

Staraptor's wings glowed a metal-gray color and she held Honedge tight and close. "Hang on tight!" She warned. Honedge remained steadfast as Staraptor dove into the expanding energy. She let out a shimmering battle cry as she added the twist that could blast right through…literally.

With Honedge's blade off to the side and still glowing, she was spinning frantically along with Staraptor. While diving through the energy, Staraptor spun in a fashion that was like Drill Peck, only it wasn't. As she used her Steel Wing, she added heavier caliber by spinning. Behind her was Honedge, a glowing propeller blade one might say. As Staraptor cried out, both spinning projectiles attached to one another ploughed through the expanding explosion; two glowing and spinning beasts in conjunction boring through the roaring of the Magic Power produced.

As the land shook, Nic and Erza covered up. They knew it was time to finish what was started. Nic punched forward. "Staraptor!"

"LET'S DO THIS!" Staraptor spun faster, her Steel Wing making a straight course for Bellona at the dead center.

As she saw a metallic tornado being followed by a spinning blade, the Succubus Eye Mage went wide-eyed. "This can't be! Not again!" She roared in exasperation. Her target closed in further in split seconds. "No! Know your place! I'm the queen! I am the strongest ever! I ALWAYS WIN! ALWAYS-!"

Staraptor and Honedge passed her, their target met. The Magic Power immediately dissipated into thin air, with Bellona gawking and screaming out as she got hit. Staraptor and Honedge's spiraling stopped when both passed her, the two female Pokémon unhindered thanks to Staraptor's Steel Wing. While in midair, Bellona had glowing lines all over her body and attire that was preceded by a metallic explosion that expanded outwards. The mage screamed in violent agony as she was seen falling out of the metallic explosion, her body spiraling some before slamming into the nearby wall of a building. She was embedded into the ice layer, her eyes devoid of pupils and her mouth wide open.

As Staraptor circled around with Honedge, they watched as Bellona was unhinged and fell towards the ground with a hard thud, hitting the side of her face, signaling their victory.

Erza smiled in satisfaction. "We did it." She turned towards Nic, who reciprocated the smile in return.

Nic then looked overhead, watching Staraptor let go of Honedge. Honedge floated down beside Erza, while Staraptor descended and flapped down right beside Nic; for once, she had to look down at her Trainer. Guess this is what Charizard and Garchomp see in a perspective, but it mattered not.

Nic reached up, petting Staraptor's head with a proud smile. "Staraptor, thank you." He praised his fearless bird.

Erza nodded at her Honedge for a job well done. "You did excellent, Honedge."

Honedge looked satisfied with the training that was put into her efforts. She certainly knew that alone she stood no chance, but with Staraptor, she held up just fine. Honedge took the praise to heart and knew even from the checkpoint made that she still had to get stronger. For now, it was back to attending matters at hand.

Staraptor turned towards the defeated Bellona. "So what do we do with her? With the magic you both are influenced by, we have to make that a priority, but at the same time we can't just leave her be. There's the chance she may wake up and attack us, but we can't also leave her be as such." She looked down to her Trainer. "Nic, what do you think?"

Nic put a hand to his chin, pondering. Staraptor did bring up a point. If they left her as is, she might attack them if she got the chance. But at the same time, they had to worry about several objectives; one being their bodies, regrouping, and much more. Nic eventually did come to a conclusion. He faced Bellona with a serious expression. "Okay, I think I have it all laid out." He clutched his fists, concentrating with as much force as he could. Everyone watched as his large clothing glowed, and despite a couple flickers, Nic changed from his normal-self to being his Insect Form. His clothing was still the wrong size though, and his wings were slightly premature, but that mattered not.

"What are you doing?" Erza asked.

Nic spread his legs and faced Bellona. He took in a deep breath and opened his mouth. " **Spider Web!** " He spit a long string at Bellona, and then the string split into more strings, making a cobweb that met Bellona. The unconscious mage was brought to her feet again by the force of Nic's attempt, and she was pressed against the crater, leaving her a little room to slunk backwards as she was incapacitated by Spider Web for the most part.

Nic glowed and managed to shift back into himself, appeased with the results. "That should keep her suspended for the time being. That should leave us to finding the others and regroup to come up with a renewed plan of attack."

"But what about the rest of the ice?" Honedge asked.

Nic turned towards her. "I'm afraid that's not as simple as it seems. If you remember, Erza and my own powers have been minimized to premature levels, and you saw what my Icicle Form did, it only thawed out the ground and barely any traces of nearby buildings and giants. I'm afraid that I'm not well-suited, at least until we know for sure that this Doriate associate can lift this magic. If not…then we'll have to focus of the Eternal Flame and see if it's still active."

Erza frowned. "Nic, the flame itself isn't where it was supposed to be. I looked at the peak of the mountain, and it wasn't there."

"If that'll give us a lead, we'll have to start from there then." Nic turned towards Staraptor. "Be on the lookout for anyone."

Staraptor nodded in compliance. "We'll be lucky if we meet up with the others along the way. Perhaps they had some fortune to the Eternal Flame or have a key part that we didn't see."

"Let's hope so. Come on!" Nic led the charge. Despite his feet being tiny, he made quick work as he was followed by Erza, who had Honedge by her side. Above Nic, Staraptor stayed below the tree line, avoiding any aerial sighting from anymore foes they may or may not have missed. The Predator Pokémon's talons soon reached the trees, and she ran and hopped as Nic, Erza, and Honedge kept their guards from below.

* * *

Walking out of the frozen forest, someone was brushing past the frozen bushes; some leaves chipping off in the process. As he trekked through the ice, he made it to the cliffs, overlooking the Village of the Sun. When he saw the thawed earth, he looked startled. It was coincidentally Gray, and he looked more than a little surprised.

"Geez, just what happened here?" He asked. He looked down at his feet. The ground and cliffs were still frozen, but the ground far below at the giants' feet was sheer dirt and grass. "Was this all of Nic's doing? I wonder if he's still around?" He looked out at the scenery. "Nic? Erza? Hey!" He called out, but got no response, which frustrated him somewhat. "Great, first Natsu, then I lose track of Lucy and the others, now this."

He looked around for any clues, but he found no lead other than thawed earth, frozen giants, and…

"Huh?" Gray saw someone walking lonesome on the thawed grass far below. He was muscular, and he looked more than a little aggressive one might say. "Hey! You down there!" He called out.

Doriate stopped in his tracks and looked up to see Gray on the frozen cliffs. When they got a good look at the other, Gray realized that his mouth was bizarre.

"What the heck? What is up with his face?" The Ice Mage questioned.

Doriate just remained staring. "What do we have here? You guys splitting up, running around like mice." Compared to his cold tone, Doriate smirked. "Oh well, that makes it even more fun to gobble you!"

His body emitted a purple energy, an energy that was no different from what Natsu had to endure. The Dragon Slayer's fate was preceded by Gray, who's shirt suddenly fell off. He turned into something no different from Natsu, Nic, and Erza: A kid.

Gray looked at his arm, seeing as how his muscles were no longer there. "Wha…what just happened?

In Gray's bewildered horror, Doriate climbed the cliffs, reaching further towards Gray with a maniacal laughter, one brimming with excitement of taking an innocent victim's life. He savored every death by his hands, no matter how tragic. Gray was going to be the next.

Gray was panting, his breathing and heart rate both escalating. His horrors became reality. "I'm…I'm a kid…but how?" He was shaking hard, his mind going blank. The only memories he has getting were those of his youth, and they weren't pretty in the remote slightest.

His eyes dilated, sweat running down his face as he saw his home village in complete carnage. Fire and death was all that raged. Fear and adrenaline ran through his veins, his mind unable to process anything but those two things. Families were slaughtered, and he was the only one who barely survived at the hands of Deliora, the Demon created from the Book of Zeref. The menacing monster was nothing but craving death and blood, and there were absolute zero exceptions. He was unable to move, completely lost in his own cowardice. When he did look at the incoming Doriate, all he saw was the image of an enraged Deliora darting after him.

' _Deliora…no…no!'_ A final piece broke him, and that was the image of a smiling Ur; the same face that smiled at him before she died from freezing Deliora and killing him alongside her.

Doriate jumped up, bringing a punch towards Gray…

"AAAAHHHHH!" Gray let out a loud scream of pure fear. He was too afraid, the fear overwhelming all senses. He couldn't face anyone in front, whether it was Deliora or Doriate. His shuddering form didn't stop as he closed his eyes, hoping the nightmare would end.

Doriate's fist stopped mere inches from Gray's face. He blinked, staring at Gray as the boy was unresponsive. He pulled back his fist and glared down at the lost and distraught figure. "It's too late for ya. You're not the only kid to suffer old memories when victim to my Art of Retrogression," He smirked, all of his fangs bared. "But don't worry, your sorrows will all be over!"

Ray uncovered, his vision as hazy as it was dilating. "N-no! A Demon! This can't be real!" Be exasperated in fright. He honestly thought he was gonna throw up, his inners quivering as much as his body when he looked at Doriate's monstrous smirk. "D-Deliora! Please, help me!"

Doriate grabbed Gray's face with one hand, clutching so hard that his skull felt some pressure on the sides. He lifted him up, dragging him out of his boots and having his feet kick frantically. No avail for Gray unfortunately. "I'm the last guy who you should be asking for help, pal. You can ride, but hiding from the truth doesn't exist. Before you die, however, I will give you a piece of advice. In this world, there is but one place you dare not wander into, even in death…that's the underworld, and believe it or not, you're standing in front of its very gates" His grip on Gray got tighter, making the boy's oxygen get got off. Doriate couldn't help but laugh at Gray's relentless struggling. "At least you have far to go when you die!" He chuckled.

Gray looked into his eyes, tears beginning to swell up from the deluge of overwhelming history. He could only close his eyes and wait in shivering agony for his end out of his own weakness.

" _Gray…"_

A soft voice got his attention. His eyes softened up, his fear starting to weaken in place of confusion. It seemed like nothing was happening, because there was nothing. When Gray opened his eyes, he only saw white. His vision cleared, but silence and a serenity was all around him, though he was still a kid, so that didn't help much in his case. _'What is this?'_ He thought. _'Am I…?'_

" _Gray, Deliora is gone."_

Gray remembered that voice as clear as day, and yet it caused him so much anguish. The recollection of Deliora made him close his eyes, turning away from the angelic tone. "I know! But he killed my mom…and then he killed my dad…" He sniffled and tried wiping away the tears.

" _And he's gone."_ The woman reminded him. She faced Gray as his own back was turned. _"You must muster up your courage, face the threat that stands in your way. If you can do that, then you'll have a chance to save your friends."_

Reality came back around Gray, his gaze hardening when he found Doriate clutching him still. _'For my friends…the enemy before me…'_

" _Yes, and no matter what, I will always be watching over you. I may not be here, but I'll enjoy watching you grow into a fine young man…Gray…"_ The woman in his conscience faded, as did the voice. The white angelic aura that calmed him down, no longer giving him support. He had to do this on his own, no matter what; he couldn't succeed without knowing what was at stake.

" _Thank you…Ur…"_

Gray clutched Doriate's one hand that held him up. Pouring his Ice Magic into it, he solidified the hand in small spikes of ice. His hand frozen, Doriate relinquished his hold, allowing the small mage to escape and fall onto his feet.

Doriate reeled back, the ice around his hand shattering apart. While the ice sprinkled to the ground, it did leave his hand cold still. "That's cold!" He shouted.

Gray clutched his fists, observing the nostalgia all around him. Though bitter, he composed and assessed what was around him. _'Ice…'_ He looked down at his hand. _'A child…'_ He looked back at an annoyed Doriate, who towered over him. _'A Demon. Everything from the past came right back in one spot. She's right though, this isn't Deliora, and this isn't some dream.'_ He looked down and moved his left hand over his forehead, slicking his hair. "Bet you had a blast seeing me all cowering like that. Well I'll tell you that it sure wasn't a pleasant feeling. Thanks for the memories." He looked up at Doriate, hand balled into a fist and reached out. No tears were shed, a fire burning in his cold gaze. "Now how's about answering this: Did you freeze this village?"

Doriate blinked. "Huh?" At first Gray was so scared, but now he was so composed. A tough guy act he found amusing. He sneered. "And what if it was?" Though he really didn't do it, he found it intriguing what Gray's next move would be.

"Well then I'll have to say your Ice Magic is terrible, and it's up to me to show you how it's really done."

Doriate snickered, barely holding back his laughter. "Oh yeah? I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation you're in. The Art of Retrogression makes you _look_ like a kid, but that's only the superficial layer. In truth, your Magic Power, defenses, offenses, and speed alike weakened to their lowest points." He smirked with even more glee. "So, it's like a wolf hunting for a rabbit. I'll make this quick and painless, just you wait."

Gray's only response was him clutching his own hands and making his knuckles crack, readying.

"It didn't sink in yet? Then I guess I'll savor the meal before it gets too cold…" Doriate stepped forward, but then he noticed that there was a cracking sound. He looked down, noticing something completely caught him by surprise. "What?"

Beneath him was a huge slab of ice. It wasn't at all sturdy compared to the layer of ice over the village, and its color was of regular ice. The ice began cracking up, nearly making the cliff's edge fall apart. Doriate began to lose his footing, and he looked back up at Gray for answers.

Gray crossed his arms. "You didn't know? I added an extra foothold as you were stepping back. Pretty convenient, wouldn't you say?" He smirked. "But I think you took a few steps too many." On cue, the ice beneath Doriate shattered, making the brute take a hefty plunge. Gray only watched with a proud smirk as his opponent fell down the cliff, falling all the way down on his back with a gruesome thud alongside the ice. Ice spilled everywhere, and yet Doriate was still looking alive and ready to bite as much as he barked.

"You…how did you…?!" Doriate couldn't make much sense of it.

Gray looked like an ant in Doriate's perspective, so he couldn't see Gray's confident smirk. "Not all of my abilities have been minimized. I still got the most important weapon there is to when using my kind of magic, and it's one you lack dreadfully." He pointed and index finger to the side of his noggin. "It's all up here. I still have my brainpower to work with. That's a Molding Mage's most powerful weapon, basic 101. Thanks to you, it looks like I got to unearth some of my ideas again."

Doriate got to his feet again, beginning his arduous climb. As shocking as it was, he was as fast as he was before. "Give me a break!" He backlashed. "You can use such skill at a lowered level? Sorry, but that won't save you!"

He made it to the top again, taking a moment to catch his breath. When he came around, he noticed Gray was no longer there. He stood up, beginning to look around. "Now where'd that punk run off to now?" He walked a few paces into the frozen forest, noticing that something wasn't right. "Huh…?"

"Did you really fall for my tricks again?"

He heard Gray's voice, but it was muffled. Doriate looked down, noticing that he was on an elevated sheet of ice across the area, with Gray and the forest floor down beneath. Gray snickered. "Another artificial floor I made. You just fell for the same trick twice in a row."

The floor rippled out beneath Doriate, making him also realized nothing supported him beneath. He fell straight through, plummeting straight down. As he descended, Doriate looked to see that he was plummeting onto a bush, of which was coated in the special ice over the village. His eyes widened in fright, and before he knew it, it poked him right in the backside, prodding into him like shards. "YYEEOOWW!" The mage shot back up, riling in pain. He fell onto the frozen forest floor, his feet planted and he angrily glared at Gray.

"Why you…!" In anger, he rushed after Gray.

Retaliating, Gray out his hands together. Small mist and ice converged. "Now! **Ice-Make: Hammer!** " He made a hammer made of ice over Doriate; although, compared to how normally gigantic it was, this time thanks to the magic he was under…it was children size. He gawked. "HUH?!"

The tiny ice hammer bopped Doriate on the head, but it only bounced off, leaving him unhindered. "Out of ideas already?"

Despite the setback, Gray smirked. "Give me some credit. I made it this far by improvising; a little something I may or may not learned from Nic in his battles." He chopped his hand. "Another example…"

The hammer shattered overhead, but that didn't do much of anything. "You can throw cheap shots all you want, but you can't hurt me tha-!" Suddenly he got cut off when a weight of snow fell atop of his head. His eyes widened at how freezing it was.

" **Shaved Ice!** " Gray threw his arms up, adding effect.

Doriate's body shivered, stiffening with goosebumps. "Damn that's cold!"

Gray laughed at him, looking very amused at Doriate's heavy frown. "Not satisfied? That's funny, compared to normal Molding Magic, that should be a treat. An Ice Mage who got sullied and actually felt cold from that simple trick? Now I get it, you're not fooling me!" He shouted. "You're definitely not the one who froze the Village of the Sun. You don't possess that kind of Magic Power, even if you tried.

Doriate was getting so frustrated that his pupils became solid white. His face was growing veins. He looked like he was ready to boil.

"You're just the grunt of the top dog, am I right? To defeat the boss, you gotta get through his weak grunts. The small fry, right?"

Doriate lost it completely. His face darkened, and his frustration finally peaked. Gray crossed the line.

* * *

Staraptor continued to lead Nic and the others through her usage of tree jumping she learned from Nic. Although in Nic's current state, he couldn't do it anymore, so she had to take the lead for her Trainer. She pressed on with the others, maintaining a stable pace for the others; as slow as she could possible go.

"So you think they might still be in this forest?" Erza asked

Nic retained a steady forward course. "I'm sure. The last time I recalled, they went into the woods to depart Sylph Labyrinth. If that's the case now, then what are the chances that they got affected and not the enemy? They may be near the mountain that you said. We can't stop now, so let's hurry!"

As fast as their little lungs could pump, Nic and Erza raced through the forest, hurrying back towards the mountain that Erza said the Eternal Flame may be residing. As they ran through the area, they suddenly began to feel a pulse run through their bodies. Nic and Erza found their steadiness fading, causing both to capsize.

"Whoa~!"

"Oof!"

Nic fell onto his back with a thud, landing hard against the frozen ground. His eyes were shut, and a sudden weight fell onto his body. Despite the somewhat hefty amount that had befallen him, he found himself fortunately that something soft landed on his face. One of his eyes opened. "What…happened?" He moved his hands, feeling what was on the side of his face. Not only was it surprisingly soft, but it was also monstrous in size. Confused, he felt them. _'It's like a cushion, but why is it underneath fabric?'_

Erza landed with a thud of her own, groaning in pain from the slip. "What was that…?" She noticed her thick red hair and head was barely touching the icy ground. Her chest, however, it felt odd. _'Wait, my chest?'_ Her mounds weren't that big in her size, so why did they feel so large? _'Why is my chest so warm…'_ Her face turned a beat red, feeling something off when there was a soft touch. _'What is this feeling? Where is…!'_

In unison, their eyes widened. Nic and Erza's expression were in sync, with both baffled at the predicament. Reality hit Nic, and likewise with Erza, with the redhead on top, Nic on the bottom, and the monster boobs on…

Erza scooted off of Nic, just as he sat back up. Their hearts raced at what happened and Nic's hands retreated to the cold ground, both barely able to calm down.

"N-Nic!"

"Erza! I didn't mean…hey, wait." He looked at Erza, starting from her face. She looked taller, and her chest was back to normal…if not bigger. When he felt his clothing, they fit just right. It dawned upon him as he looked at Erza again. "Erza, we're back to normal!"

Erza realized this situation and almost completely forgot about the incident, though it happened numerous times – sometimes in bed when Erza slept over. Her eyes widened again. "Yeah, you're right. Does this mean that the caster's been defeated?"

"I'm not sure, but for now at least, I think we should be safe to assume that our powers are back to their current dated capabilities." Nic advised.

Honedge suddenly got in front of Erza, particularly close. She looked a little defensive as her Trainer and Nic began to rise.

Erza looked down at her Honedge. "What is it?"

Honedge didn't look back, but her eye shifted to the side. "Your lower regions."

Erza blinked. She looked down at her bare legs, realizing she had nothing to cover her. Her cheeks flushed a little from the awkward situation.

Nic sweat dropped nervously, but didn't panic like any other guy would. Staraptor just flapped to his side, landing and both looked at the other with a sense of awkwardness over the predicament for Erza's case.

In another part of the forest, Natsu fell to the ground. "Oof!" The Dragon Slayer groaned, rubbing the back of his head in pain. "Man, what just…?" His eyes opened, seeing that he was back to his old size. "Hey, I'm back to normal!" He sat up, looking down at his hands. "What the heck is going on around here?"

* * *

Gray looked down, noticing that he was back to his original size. He moved his hand and arms and turned them over. "Okay, what's all of this about?" He looked back at Doriate, seeing his body nearly red. However, Gray didn't notice how bad that was for him.

Doriate huffed as his pupils were no longer white. They were a bright red, like that of a feral demon. He let out a bellowing roar that ratted through the area, lunging after Gray with a swat of his hands. The heavy momentum could've leveled a two-story building.

Gray dodged the first strike, but Doriate roared again out of blind rage. He went to strike relentlessly, yet Gray maneuvered and dodged every strike by leaning left and right. "What's the matter? You too enraged to control your own magic or are you too stupid to control it in the first place?!" His eyes widened when Doriate reeled a punch back, roaring and shooting the fist forward. Gray got struck, and the impact made him fall towards the ground, his back reeling in pain. "Crap!" He gagged.

Doriate arose, his roaring bellowing louder.

Gray sat back up, noticing that Doriate was looking different. "Is he using Satan Soul like Mira or what?" He noticed how much power that impact had, and it didn't help that Doriate was growing larger than before. The mage was huffing and puffing, his aggression morphing him. His shirt was being reduced to torn rags, his appearance turning more gruesome than ever. His teeth had gotten even more massive, and they even sharpened. His muscles almost turned three times as big, and his hands and toes grew eagle talons as sharp as claws. The most noticeable chance was how his skin was completely purple.

Gray's eyes shrunk, his fear hitching in his mentality yet again. _'Wait, I know this feeling!'_ He mentally shouted. Again, his mind flashed back to that night, the night Deliora attacked and killed his entire village. _'This…this can't be…'_

The transformed Doriate was hunched over, his upper body far more hulking than it ever was. It's put Elfman to shame. His tusks were enormous to boot. He didn't even look human.

Gray stood up, barely finding room to step back. "I thought he was human, but I was dead wrong!"

Doriate stepped forward, growling as that single step made the ground shake.

"He's…he's a Demon from the Book of Zeref!"

* * *

 **Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow American readers! I did a Thanksgiving chapter for you all, so I hope it was entertaining! As usual, comment and hope you have a great day! :)**


	24. Burning Calling Card

In the face of the enraged Doriate, Gray realized that the Demon had no reason left in him. It was gonna take a miracle to defeat him now. Someone from the Book of Zeref means there's real trouble brewing. Deliora. Lullaby. The Nightmare. The Eclipse Gate. Doriate. It was endless demonic appeal that originated from Zeref. Gray found himself again paralyzed by fear, unable to respond properly.

Doriate clutched a super-muscular fist and slugged Gray. The impact was so powerful that instead of making Gray fall backwards, he slid across the ice and flipped, thudding directly onto his stomach. Already he ascertained a few scratched. _'His power's through the roof!'_ He mentally said as he stood back up.

Doriate lifted his head, unleashing a powerful roar. His tusks bare, the bellowing purple waves exerted all throughout the area. Not just the forest, but all around the village as well. Purple waves exerted into the atmosphere, a low roar fading into the distance.

Gray fell his entire world grow bigger, and at the same time, his pants felt a little baggier. He blinked, and he looked down to notice his state. Again, his eyes widened upon seeing that roar turned him into a kid. "You've gotta be pulling my leg!"

* * *

Natsu fell over, his stature turning small yet again. When he was on the ground, the shrunken Dragon Slayer blinked. "This is getting old!"

Erza clutched her fists, grunting at her re-shrunken state.

Nic looked at his super big clothing. He looked no less annoyed as Erza. "We're back to the way we were before? What does this mean?"

"I don't know, but it's clear that this Doriate is still around here somewhere, so let's be careful." Erza enforced.

Staraptor and Honedge both understood and they all had no choice but to resume as before, guiding their reduced Trainers a second time.

However, like those from before, the roar had also affected the allies of Doriate, much to their own disbelief one could say. Back in the village, Spider Web still suppressed Bellona, but only until her body had also shrunk. Her figure became as small as the others, and her body became so much tinier that she actually shrunk to where the threads could no longer hold her. With the indented crater behind as room, the still unconscious Bellona slipped out, falling onto her side with a thud. Her eyes winced, and they barely opened, seeing a haze. "Huh…?"

Likewise, Lucy found herself barely supporting her own shorts. She held onto them to prevent them from falling to the icy ground. "Uh, what's going on?" She nervously asked.

Flare looked down, noticing hos her large chest was gone. "I can see my feet again."

Wendy was so small that her skirt fell to the ground, her shirt big enough to fit her shrunken form. "We've turned into kids." She said.

Vanessa was tiny as well. Her little body barely supported the blue jacket and sky blue tank top she had on, and her skirts were held up by one hand. "What's doing this to us?"

Despite the situation they were in, Flare turned towards Lucy with an odd grin. "Little blondie, you're so cute!" She chimed.

"You too." Lucy returned.

"Can we focus on something more important? Like getting back to ourselves?" Wendy reminded them in a deep sigh.

Vanessa's head hung in the unstable matter.

* * *

Doriate stepped forward, growling at Gray. The shrunken Ice Mage found himself at an overwhelming disadvantage again. "Great, things couldn't possibly get anymore worse."

Of course he spoke too soon when he heard wailing from above. Looking up, Gray saw two familiar faces screaming out their puny lungs. Carla and Happy arrived, albeit at the wrong place at the wrong time. The flailing Exceeds hit the ground in front of Gray, groaning in pain.

Gray blinked. "Carla? Happy?" He realized that they too have shrunk. "Wait, not you guys too!"

"What happened? It's like my wings couldn't work anymore." Happy grumbled.

Carla opened her eyes and looked towards Happy with shock. "H-Happy! You've turned into a kitten!" She then looked to see Gray there. "Gray? Why do you look like a kindergartener?" She hastily questioned.

Gray looked towards something up ahead. "The answer's right behind you."

"Huh?" Happy and Carla turned around, but they immediately regretted that when they saw the Demon that stood twenty times their own size, growling harshly down at their petrified faces. "WHAT THE HECK IS THAT THING?!" They shrieked in vivid terror.

Gray stepped in front of the defenseless cats, his hands together to ready his magic. "I'll stop him. You both just sit tight!" He extended his arm out, and out fired little fragments of ice. The attack looked very similar to an Ice Shard, but it was still much too weak against Doriate's harder than iron-clad muscles. The ice shots didn't even faze him. Gray reeled backwards in shock, his power gone for the second time.

"My…my power was reduced again?!" He shrieked.

Doriate took advantage of Gray's shock and delivered a menacing kick. Gray was struck so hard that he tumbled away, each successful roll against the rugged ice throbbing his tiny body.

"Gray!" Happy cried out.

Gray finally stopped, but he couldn't stand. His body was much too exhausted. He was struggling with all his might. _'But, that was just one hit. How could it hurt so much?'_ He then recounted a crucial piece of information, something Doriate told him before his demonic transformation.

" _Oh yeah? I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation you're in. The Art of Retrogression makes you look like a kid, but that's only the superficial layer. In truth, your Magic Power, defenses, offenses, and speed alike weakened to their lowest points." He smirked with even more glee._

"And that's not the worst of it. His power's way stronger than before." Gray worriedly said as he turned to look back over his shoulder to see Doriate ready to attack. "Another hit, and I'm dead!"

Doriate advanced, taking a big leap as his fist clutched. Time began to slow down gradually in that instant, in which Gray began to assess the situation.

' _Come on, there's gotta be a way to beat him. I'm surrounded by ice, I should have an advantage…wait a minute.'_ He began to think of some correlation between the magic the ice had and his own ice. _'Wait, I think I figured something out!'_ Doriate's punched came closer to his face, just mere inches away. _'Is it really that simple?'_

"Hand on, Gray!" Happy and Carla came speeding in with their puny wings. At the last second, they slipped past Doriate, catching Gray and dragging him away before the punch nearly met him.

While relieved, Gray looked at them both as they continued carrying him by the forearms. "That was way too close for comfort!"

"Sorry, but this is as fast as we can go! These tiny wings are giving us a hard time!" Carla strained.

Gray looked back to where Doriate missed. At that instant, he could've sworn that the fist actually deflected off the ice. If Doriate was so powerful, the ice should've broken. That was all the proof Gray needed. _'Of course! I get it now!'_ Happy and Carla sat him down, them having exhausted their strength from that short sprint. Gray stood back up, staring at the ice all around, and then thought back to his own attacks. _'I wasted my Magic Power only to realize that the frozen grass harmed him more than what I did. Normally his weight should've shattered the ice into a million pieces, but this magic within the ice is so bizarre that it harmed him instead. I won't make that mistake again. But the question is how am I supposed to channel its Magic Power?'_

To Gray and the Exceeds' bewilderment, Doriate swatted his huge arm, throwing him into the air with harsh screams of pain. While in midair, time slowed down as Gray began to think. _'But how could I could that? If the ice didn't resist me, I could control it and be down with it all!'_ His eyes widened. _'…I don't need to control it!'_ He realized that and found his momentum, landing on his feet and staring at Doriate once more as the gargantuan Demon went racing after him. _'If I can channel the magic through me instead, I wouldn't have to melt it to begin with! I was so freaked out with this ice's Magic Power and these flashbacks that I didn't realize it sooner.'_ He began to dart after Doriate, meeting the Demon head on. Gray had it all set, and now all he had to do was channel it. "Come on, ugly! Hit me with your best shot!"

Doriate clutched another fist and brought it forward. Gray was only a couple feet away and planted his left hand onto the ground. His right hand balled into a fist, and then Gray began to channel. "Let's do this! HRAH!" He screamed out as he began to channel the Magic Power, purple static running from one hand towards the other. The fist Gray used to punch the incoming Doriate was layered in the static that was the Magic Power of the ice. The fist made contact, and Doriate was caught stiff as Gray poured the Magic Power he could muster through his body.

"Haaaaaaaah!" Gray screamed out, hitting Doriate with everything he could channel. His body began to grow back to normal as well, as sure sign that it was working and Doriate's magic was nullifying.

Doriate felt immense pain as the demonic virus poured through him. The energy was too much, and the larger Demon went flying through the air, roaring out as a bolt of the Magic Power zapped him away. Once Gray finally poured enough, Doriate shot back down to the ground, landing past some underbrush with a heinous thud. Once he was settled into the ice, Doriate's tusks and mouth hung wide open, and Gray and the Exceeds watched as Doriate's body shrunk instead, back down to his original shape, color, and size.

"Yeah!" Happy and Carla cheered. Suddenly their bodies began to alter, their original sizes returning. When they realized that they've turned back to normal, they smiled with glee.

Gray looked at himself, realizing that he had also turned back to normal, for good this time.

"Way to put that freak on ice!" Happy cheered.

"I've never seen anything like that." Carla said.

Gray looked down towards his side, mainly towards his arm. He could still feel the odd magic on his fingertips. It was too foreign for him to know for sure what it was. Still, it'd be rude for him to not answer. "It's this ice. I can't explain it, but it's got this weird magic in it…anyway, time to get some answers."

The three began walking up, noticing how Doriate was starting to come around. The artificial Demon's eyes returned to normal, and he noticed Gray stopping right at his feet. To him, it was something odd. He began to chuckle through his pain, a trait Gray was caught weary of.

"You've done it now." He warned, unable to move. "Thanks to you…the gates to the Underworld finally busted open."

Gray's eyes widened.

Doriate maniacally glared at him. "You'll face true hell! This is just the beginning! Your time will come once you see the face of a true Demon-!"

A loud caw came from above, where it was revealed to be the cyclopean avian. Only it was twice as large as before! It landed and bent down, catching Doriate in his agony and began to sink his fangs into him, devouring him. The monster ignored his finals grunts and gawks before lifting his head, munching on one of his legs. As he did, he noticed Gray.

Gray was wide-eyed again in sheer terror.

"NOT THAT THING AGAIN!" Happy and Carla screamed in fright.

* * *

Nic, Erza, Staraptor, and Honedge all went through the duration of the forest, with the first two back to their original size, the same as before. With all the shrinking and growing, it was taking forever for any actual calm to flow in between the group until Erza finally met her wits end and requipped into her spare Heart Kreuz Armor and skirt.

"This is rather out of hand." Staraptor informed her Trainer, who was thankfully in his original size.

"I can understand your frustration. This is getting far too complicated." Nic said, doing his best to suppress his annoyance within the tone portrayed.

Erza crossed her arms, having to try and dismiss the second him her lower regions had been exposed a while back. She followed along, doing her best to cope if another change occurred. "The mountain is just beyond this tree line."

Nic looked up, seeing massive prongs of ice from up ahead. "I think I see it."

The four made it out of the forest, where they entered a clearing with the large ice mountain in front of their faces. It was staggering, but what was more surprising was how from both sides Natsu and Lucy's group emerged.

"Natsu? Lucy?" Nic questioned.

"Guys!" Natsu cheerfully exclaimed.

"Nic? Erza? What are you guys doing here?" Lucy asked.

"Wait, Natsu, where did you run off to? I thought you were to be with Lucy and the others? And where's Gray?" Erza questioned.

Natsu pointed at Honedge and Staraptor. "Why are they out?" Natsu then turned towards Flare. "Wait, why is she here?!"

Flare smiled. "…hey."

Nic closed his eyes. "Alright, that's a ceasefire!" He ordered. Everyone stopped talking at that instant. They all had much needed questions that needed answers, and with the hysteria flowing about with many faces and events, it was going to take some time. Nic took in a deep breath, and his eyes opened back up. "Now, start from the beginning."

Natsu went first, explaining how he was following an unknown voice, diverging from the group and briefly meeting Doriate before escaping. Lucy and Vanessa then explained how Gray, Happy, and Carla were all spread out as well, and while they had to deal with Sylph Labyrinth, they got help from Flare, who turned out that the Village of Sun was her home. At this information, Nic, Erza, and Natsu confirmed that she was on their side. Nic and Erza then explained their part, how Bellona joined Succubus Eye and that they incapacitated her, for now.

Once the information sunk in, Nic turned towards Flare, who was still cowering behind Lucy's shoulder. She still remembered the one hit Nic used to destroy her in the Grand Magic Games. Needless to say Nic didn't think about that event since back then they were enemies, but this point in time was different. Nic was willing to overlook her. "Flare, was it?" He asked.

Flare nodded nervously. "Uh, y-yeah."

Nic showed no hostility in his gaze towards her. "I'm sorry for the condition of your village. Whatever happened to your people, we'll be sure to fix it, whatever means necessary to ensure they break free."

Flare stared at Nic, slightly wide-eyed. "…"

"Anyways, we think the Eternal Flame can fix this." Wendy informed the group. "We were following Flare and then you guys came along."

Natsu's eyes narrowed when he looked towards the mountain of ice. "I'm still trying to follow that voice. For some reason, I found it coming from this mountain."

Erza looked up at the mountain, scrutinizing it. "But that can't be. I've searched all over this mountain and couldn't find the frozen flame."

"We thought coming back here might be a first lead to a clue since we were minimized, but then this happened." Nic spoke.

Flare craned her head up towards the mountain, staring at it with caution. "…this isn't a mountain." She confessed.

"What?" Lucy staggered.

"This is no mountain. This is the guardian of our village, our deity." Nic and Erza went wide-eyed, the latter turning with shock towards the peak. When she got a look at it, she did she how the stalagmites were all a bit wavy, and shaped like fire. Again, a revelation occurred by Flare's statement. "This…is the Eternal Flame."

"WHAT?!" Everyone exclaimed.

"That thing can't be that big?!" Natsu exasperated.

Nic stared with disbelief. "The flame is that enormous?"

Erza was met with equal disbelief. "How can this be? But how could I have missed it? You mean this mountain is one giant flame?" She gasped. "No wonder I didn't find anything, I was right on top of it all along!"

Lucy seemed perplexed as she put a hand to her chin. "Master Warrod did say that the flame's been frozen, but he never said how huge it was."

Nic put his hands to his sides, his disbelief finally behind him. "If this is correct, then it's best to focus our power in thawing it out. I can rid of the ice easily; if so, then what then?" He was left with questions of his own. Was it best to use his own power to thaw the village now he was back to full strength? Or should he focus on the flame? It didn't seem like there was an option. Now that he was here, he may as well start thawing it out. He readied to shift into another form, when there was something disturbing heard from afar. He and the others turned around towards the sound of running feet.

"I think I see something!" Wendy pointed ahead, looking into the forest to find that she was right. Gray, Carla, and Happy were all running towards them…but they looked like they were running out of fear rather than happiness.

"Run! It's hungry!" Gray warned.

Lucy raised a brow. "What are you guys doing?!" She didn't understand, neither did Nic nor anybody else.

That is, until the cyclopean monster bored down some trees behind them. It raced along the ice, sawing as its humungous figure was right on their tail. It was at least ten times as big as the rest of them, and it looked hungry.

"GAAAHHH!" Natsu screamed.

"What is that?!" Vanessa exclaimed, her eyes wide. Wendy cowered behind her, looking from the side with circular eyes fill of shock.

Happy was panicking as he was running for his life. He and Carla were getting away, ironically not relying on their magic to soar away with Gray. "We don't know, but we're on the menu!"

"Just freeze that guy over!" Natsu yelled at the panting Gray.

"I can't waste magic right now!"

Erza was piqued to know why. "How so?!" She called out.

Gray continued to run away towards them. "Because I think I found a way to unfreeze the rest of the village!"

Flare's eyes widened, light coming back into them. "Really…?"

Again, Gray's surprise unfolded. "Raven Tail?! What the heck is going on here?!"

Nic stepped in front. "There's no time to explain right now! Staraptor and I will deal with your problem while you attempt to unfreeze the mountain right beside us!" On cue, Staraptor flapped, beginning to follow Nic as they paced towards Gray.

"I'm not 100% certain it'll work, but it's worth a…wait! Hold up!" He looked up at the mountain of ice right beside him. "What?!"

"The mountain itself is the flame!" Nic answered. "Can you manage?"

Gray smirked. "Already on it!" At that instant, Gray and Nic passed the other, their missions were at a go. They both gave high-fives at a sign, and as Gray continued to run ahead, Nic glowed, shifting into his Flame Form. Both men were at the works, and Staraptor tailed above Nic as the Trainer slid to a stop. The large avian cyclops stopped in midair, looking to see Staraptor entering the fray. A blue aura flash around it, meaning Staraptor's Intimidate activated.

Nic extended his arm forward as the beast had taken flight. "Staraptor, aim for the eye! **Aerial Ace!** " Following Nic's command, Staraptor flew overhead, folding her body and wings and became a high-speed missile. The Predator Pokémon called out as she targeted the eye, and she hit it with all she had. The impact created a harsh ripple through the atmosphere, and Staraptor's force caused the cyclopean monster to caw out in pain as the Flying-type move made it descend, crashing into the forest down below. Several trees fell over as it crashed on its back.

Staraptor flapped and looked down at the monster. "These skies aren't yours to claim! If you dare to take another unsound step, you'll have to deal with me!" She ferociously called out.

The cyclopean monster arose back to its feet, looking of at Staraptor with a frown. The impact to its eye left it a little red, making it blink harshly; borderline wincing. It could only see a blurry grayish-brown figure in the sky. Who knew something much smaller than it had such immense power?

It flew back into the air, heading after Staraptor with a vengeance. It had a talon reached out at Staraptor, but Staraptor extended her own talon out. As shocking as it was, her talon stopped the cyclopean monster's without even an inch of hindrance. She caught that talon and clutched it with her own. She twisted in the air, hurling the monster behind her and having it saw out as it tumbled through the air.

" **Double Team!** " Nic commanded. Staraptor thus made herself emit several copies. The illusions all gathered up in massive numbers, enough to make the skies look like they're overrun by a flock of Staraptor. The monster again was shocked at the overwhelming numbers that took up a large space.

Nic looked back. "Get to it! We can handle this one!"

Gray stepped forward. "I'm all over it!" He ran towards the ice, ready to do his part. "This stuff is immune to my Molding Magic, but I could only channel it through my body, and when I did, I was able to turn the ice into something completely different." He stopped in front of the large ice peak, looking at it from the ground up. "It may be our only shot."

"You're gonna channel it?" Lucy asked.

"Is that even possible?" Erza found it fathomable to say the least, but it was worth a shot.

Gray extended his hands forward, readying. His hands touched the ice, and immediately his Ice Magic glowed upon contact, using his powers to make the whole thing diffuse. "Everybody get back! I'm not sure how this'll play out, but I can't use it on the giants yet until I'm certain I can channel all the ice through the flame into my body!"

Flare's eyes widened. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Nope, but I sure as hell am giving it everything I got!" Gray infused more magic, channeling with everything he had into the mountain. Sure enough, the entire purple icy peak began to brighten up, reacting to his magic.

Erza looked intrigued. "It's working."

Gray kept on screaming out, roaring with so much power he was giving it. It was taking up his entire reserve, but the results were worth it, so far that is. The ice looked like it was starting to crack, small shards and fragments falling off. It looked like steam was on the rise as well, meaning only one thing – Gray's theory was coming to fruition.

"It's evaporating!" Wendy cheered.

Gray didn't stop. He poured even more of his will in channeling the ice through his body. It was making his knees weak, his body incredibly sore, but there were lives at stake, and he dared not stop. More fragments of the mountain chunked off. In the back, Flare was smiling, her hopes high. He was really gonna do it, Gray was gonna free the guardian from its icy prison once and for all. Her village was going to be saved at long last.

The mountain then reacted to the ice channeling through. The glowing stopped, and the whole thing shattered into pieces. The ice mountain crumbled, erupting into the biggest mist cloud ever seen. The others maintained a foothold as the entire village from the mountain of mist that arose.

Natsu smirked, glad that Gray got the job done. That smirk, however, turned into a frown.

Everybody else went wide-eyed, frowns rising when they saw the mountain of mist fading, revealing to be nothing.

"The flame…it's not there." Lucy muttered.

"What happened?" Happy wondered sullenly.

Gray stood in front, his eyes dilating. He thought he had it this time, but it turned out that he screwed up big time. "I…I didn't mean to…"

Flare sank to her knees, the hope in her soul completely sucked out. She stared ahead, as though she's seen a ghost. "It's not real…it can't be…"

Natsu was lost in the despair, but he heard a voice. "Hm?" It was that same voice again, but was clearer than before. _'That voice, it came from here, but…'_

Vanessa's eyes widened. There was something wrong here, and it wasn't just that the flame was out/ "This aura." She muttered. "Is it really…?" She looked over towards Wendy, seeing as how the Sky Dragon Slayer had the same shocked expression on her face as well.

Erza couldn't believe her eyes. "The flame…"

Gray clutched his fists. He mentally swore at himself with every curse word imaginable. He messed up majorly. His teeth gritted. "I messed up…this is all my fault. Why couldn't it have been Nic to unfreeze this thing? Was I too cocky to even try? Was I scared to be showed up by his powers?" He shut his eyes, wincing. "Damnit!"

Flare's body was feeling as though it was going to shut down. There was almost no hope left in her. "My village…without its guardian…it won't survive. How could the burning centuries be so fraud…?"

They were all looking gloomy, staring at the empty altar, their hopes completely dashed. "Hold it!" Until Natsu said otherwise. "It's not too late! I can still hear the voice!"

Lucy turned towards Natsu with slight annoyance. "Natsu…"

"No. Natsu is right." Vanessa emphasized. "The flame's burning aura, I can still feel it." She pointed towards the dissipating mist cloud at Gray's feet. "Look there."

Everyone looked to where the flame's altar was. It was small, and yet there was a structure in the middle of it. There – once a mighty flame – had been reduced to a small speck; an ember.

Erza looked surprised. "The Eternal Flame. It still stands." She sounded so shocked.

"But barely." Gray said.

Natsu's ears perked up. "That voice, I can hear it. It's calling out!" Natsu turned towards the air, where he saw the monster still duking it out with Nic's Staraptor. "Hey, Nic! We need our flames put together! Hurry it up over there!"

Nic didn't look back. "We know!"

The cyclopean monster cawed as its talons were reached out. It went to attack Staraptor, but it ended up attacking another pointless illusion. It looked around, not noticing how the real Staraptor was amongst the copies skyward and behind.

Nic looked up, giving a command. " **Aerial Ace!** "

The illusionary copies all faded, and Staraptor divebombed from above, a talon stretched out as she crashed into the back of its head, making a smoke cloud erupt, rattling the airspace. As the smoke dissipated, the cyclopean monster fell out of the sky, screeching in anguish. It straightened out, its smirk back on its face as its eyes looked at Staraptor, and from it shot an eye beam. The blue beam went through the atmosphere, closing in quite fast.

" **Steel Wing!** " Nic yelled.

Staraptor flapped her wings, making them turn into a metallic-gray color. She dived yet again into the fray, her Steel-type move cutting right through the beaming energy. Her wings were unhindered and stretched out with heavy durability to slice through the side of a tank. The beam stood no chance as Staraptor dived through, bisecting the beam into small fragments. "I'm far from appeased with the likes of you!" She scolded.

The beast's eye stopped firing when Staraptor was a few feet in front, her wings returning to normal.

"Now, Staraptor! Finish this, **Close Combat!** "

Staraptor's eyes briefly dilated. She let out a violent screech as she let it all out. Every reflexive movement she learned, endured, and exercised was all unleashed. She pummeled the cyclopean monster right in the eye, a barrage of lightning speed assaults comprised of wing jabs, talon strikes, beak strikes, and winged chops. She even brought her talons around in a few roundhouse and axe kicks. Every single strike was so fast that not even Erza could keep up. They were so fast that it was like Staraptor was breaking the sound barrier. They heard a rapid machine gun jabbing, but that was really the onslaught of Staraptor's pummeling she delivered.

With one final strike to the damaged abdominal section and to the eye itself, Staraptor raised her right wing and let out another cry. She brought it down, winds violently surging as she brought it down onto the eye. It sounded like a dynamite rupture, because the impact was so massive that a shockwave exerted in the form of air ripples. The monster's eye was bloodshot, going completely blind from Staraptor's notorious Fighting-type move.

The beast fell out of the sky, with Staraptor looking down at Nic. "Now!"

Nic's fists clutched. "Alright then!" The edging, belt, and the Fairy Tail emblem on Nic's coat began to seep light blue, a flame that was beyond flames. The flames similar to Mega Charizard – blue flames. The fire surged through the edging, and the temperature around Nic's body had begun to drastically rise. Already, ice was melting at his feet and within a ten-meter radius.

Finally, just as Natsu readied his fists that were engulfed in flames, and the eye monster was starting to fall onto the altar, Nic's mouth opened wide. " **Legendary Arts – Blue Flare!** " Unleashed from his mouth was an ocean of blue fire. The roaring flames were so gruesome that as it traveled through the air, it melt the ground beneath. The attack met the cyclopean just as it hit the altar and when Natsu unleashed a Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame, the two attacks met the cyclopean monster, the beast incinerated on the spot. Nothing was left after an explosion of blue flames mixed with fragments of dragon ire surged, erupting all around the altar. The heat was so intense that it instantly made everyone sweat on the spot. The impact was so flaring that it sparked something else.

As the Blue Flare faded, and when Nic glowed and turned back into himself, Staraptor landed right beside him, both staring up as the blue flames were slowly overtaken by actual flames. Flames that began to swell and rise. The temperature immediately went up, and everybody else stared in absolute shock as the massive flame was growing.

"The…the Eternal Flame." Honedge muttered.

Flare saw the towering fire, her eyes beginning to mist up. "The Eternal Flame."

The mountain of fire burned with so much heat. It was back, the Eternal Flame has been rejuvenated, all thanks to Dragon Slayer and Pokémon Fire.

Natsu looked up to the high peak of the flames. Still, even then, the voice still rang. "Hey, Happy. Get me to the top, would ya?"

Happy looked surprised. "R-really?!" He was scared, but that didn't stop him from filling his best friend's curiosity. He carried Natsu with his magic and went sailing towards the flame's tip.

Once the duo reached the tip, Natsu focused in. "Yeah, this is where that voice came from."

Wendy's eyes widened. "Wait, this energy…and this voice…they're the same." She nodded to herself. "Then there's one thing left to do." The Sky Dragon Slayer got on her knees, and then a glowing green light began to reverberate from her body.

Vanessa looked startled. "This aura, it has a burning intensity. I recognize it…"

Gray's eyes again widened. "It can't be…even after so many centuries…?"

Nic and Erza looked up with shock and astonishment. They remembered the flames to well, once they've taken shape. It was a face they never saw coming.

Natsu smirked. "Long time no see, Uncle."

The flames moved around, giving shape to a skeleton within the burning hellfire itself. It was great in size, and the familiar face of a Fire Dragon returned.

" **It's been 400 years…son of Igneel.** " The Fire Dragon announced, his voice as raspy and deep as it was back during _that_ night. The massive beast looked at Natsu, and in return Natsu gave him a warm smile, just as Atlas Flame had remembered, even through the circumstances they've been put through.

Again, Gray was bewildered. "There's just no way…"

"There's no doubt about it. That's one of the dragons that went through the Eclipse Gate." Lucy reminded them.

"And the only one to have went back." Vanessa added, recounting the other enemy dragons falling to the Legendary Pokémon and then to Lysandre without any effort put into it.

Flare stared up at Atlas Flame, startled by the guardian of the village taking a form. She never expected this, not in a million years.

"If Atlas Flame's been sent back to the past, then…" Erza wasn't sure what to make of it, not in the slightest.

Atlas Flame looked down at everyone else. " **Hm?** " As he scrolled through the faces, he noticed Nic and Staraptor amongst the crowd beneath him. " **You two, I remember you both well. That memory has never faded, not even in the slightest. That lone man, and those demonic four…just the thought or mention makes my flames go dark. You have my thanks for all this time, Nic Pularis and friend.** "

Nic turned towards Staraptor and exchanged looks. They turned back towards Atlas Flame with grins on their faces. "You're welcome, Atlas Flame. I must admit, you being here of all places surprised us."

"All this time, you've been blazing." Natsu mentioned. "Man, you must be super ancient then!"

Atlas Flame paused. " **...ancient, yes. Alive, no; far from it.** "

Carla looked over towards Wendy, seeing Wendy using a familiar spell. "Wendy, that's…!" Carla remembered that spell. It was used on what remained of Zirconis back then. It was none other than the Milky Way spell.

Wendy maintained concentration as her hair levitated from the green light surrounding her. "I'm using my Milky Way spell to give form to what remained of Atlas Flame's soul in this world."

" **I remember life, but I cannot recall it feeling this way.** " Atlas Flame say, a slight inflection showing signs of confusion.

Gray was catching onto the confusion. "I think he's a little out of it."

" **My awareness, my memory…I don't have the rights to say that I have retained all of it, but only of what I can vaguely recall. I can recall of son of Igneel, and of Nic Pularis.** "

Natsu crossed his arms. "I'd be forgetful at your age too, relax."

"But I don't understand. Why would you forget? After all, Zirconis came from the same era, and he was fine." Lucy questioned.

Wendy looked up at Atlas Flame, discerning to the best of her capabilities. "It's probably the ice."

"The ice?" Honedge asked.

Wendy continued her explanation. "At the core, residual thought may be strong or weak, depending on one's own sheer will, but the catch is that it's a magic heavily induced by outside weaknesses. By being frozen in ice for such a long time, his memories were probably clouded, or damaged."

Atlas Flame paused yet again. His memories were coming around it seemed. He could see fragments of what transpired with ice, at least from what he could see. " **Ice…frozen…yes, I can remember that now.** "

"What can you recall?" Nic asked.

" **Not 'what', but 'who'.** " The deceased spirit corrected. " **That lone human, he came to this village, mistaking me for something that I am not. His mistake of identity, it's what cost the village. That single human…change the whole area into ice.** "

Again, shock bewildered everyone there. Collective gasps filled the atmosphere as the revelation began to sink in. They could understand that someone with Nic's power could set ablaze or freeze over an entire area, not that he ever would in any way, but to learn that another single human used a single technique and froze everything, even the great Atlas Flame.

Gray was by far the most shocked. "A single Ice Mage did this?!" He exclaimed.

Staraptor was surprised as well. "This is beyond boundaries established. This must be some human with great power if he has a caliber like Kyurem."

Atlas Flame shook his head. " **Incorrect, feathered one. True that ice monster was far more superior, and may as well freeze over the entire continent, but this human only froze the village. He mistook me without wicked intentions, mistook for a Demon. As a price, he turned the village into a layer of tundra, just to rid of me. This work was by an Exorcist Magic…a Devil Slayer.** "

Natsu felt even his own spine shiver. "A…Devil Slayer?!"

Vanessa's eyes widened, a nervous chill running through her body as well. "There were Dragon Slayers, then God Slayers, and now there's Devil Sayers."

Nic seemed startled, but he took the situation well despite how the playing field got a whole lot more dangerous. "An Ice Devil Slayer. A magic suited for slaying Demons. Is it to kill off and counter those created by Zeref?"

Staraptor's gaze never turned a blind eye. She stared up at Atlas Flame, assessing the new magic revealed. "It's more than likely. Most of the demonic work originated from him, if not anywhere else."

Gray was also perplexed. Cold sweat ran down his bare chest. _'Now it makes sense. That explains why that Demon was hurt by that magic, because it was devised by a Devil Slayer.'_ The comparison was solid proof indeed, but Gray was still having worries sink deeper into his gut. _'A man who uses magic just like mine, froze everything in one go. Just who could this Devil Slayer be?'_

Atlas Flame looked down, his distress on the rise. " **Hmmm…everything else, it's all but a blur…who…what was I…?** "

"You are our guardian! You're the Flame of the Giants!" Flare called out, seemingly frantic.

Atlas Flame looked down quizzically at her. " **Huh?** "

Flare got to her knees, bending over and begged for her life. If she wasn't desperate before, she was now. "Sir, please! I am begging you, from the bottom of my heart, help us! Please, shine your light on my village once more! Save this village!" She screamed. Her body was shuddering, indicating how desperate she really was.

Lucy stared at her, slightly in surprise. "Flare…"

Atlas Flame continued to hear Flare's plea. "Somehow, please…save my family…our guardian." Tears began to swell from her closed eyes, the small drips beginning to fall onto the ice like salty sparkles.

Atlas Flame blinked. He raised his head, his own revelation coming around upon Flare's plea. " **Yes, I remember. I was a dragon before arriving in the afterlife. My name is Atlas Flame.** " Flare looked up to him, hope swelling in her eyes. " **It was I who created this village, and so it was I who became this village's salvation! I remember it all again! My village's grief is my own, the sorrow of it are but my own tears.** " His body began to flare brighter and exerted more intense heat than before, like an inferno. " **With the flames restored by the powers of Igneel's son and the powers bestowed to Nic by Pokémon, I – Atlas Flame – will use my last remnants to free my home!** " Becoming louder, the flames around him began to lose shape, becoming but a burning bonfire that m=towered higher than a mountain. " **I am Atlas Flame! The Fire Dragon, and the Guardian Dragon of this village!** "

The flames grew brighter than ever, and the heat was so massive that even Natsu was startled by the temperature. It was hotter than the highest summer in Magnolia.

Lucy felt like her clothes were going to melt off. She was sweating profusely. "Man, it's too hot! Gray!"

Gray reached back and used his magic on Lucy's forehead, cooling her down, much to the blonde's relief. Through it all, he didn't even look back at her. "That's some crazy fire."

Wendy's eyes widened. "His spirit, it's beginning to fade."

Atlas Flame only had a few moments left, but those last few moments were perhaps the most crucial yet. " **Acnologia…Dragon King Festival…Igneel…Zeref…I remember. Son of Igneeel, Nic Pularis, heed this warning.** " He announced. Nic and Natsu paid close attention, both taking in every word Atlas Flame was about to say.

" **The Fire Dragon King, Igneel, he encountered a being of this world beyond all Demons. 400 years ago, he was unsuccessful to slay the darkest magic and Demon ever made by Zeref.** " Again, Nic and Natsu's eyes showed shock. " **Far less lethal than the true monster that was destroyed known as that Ragnarok Lysandre and Dark Legendaries, this world holds its own horrors, and the embodiment of it all is…E.N.D.** "

The flames finally went bright as Nic and everyone's eyes widened. They all stepped back as Atlas Flame's voice went silent, and the heat was so massive that all over the area, the ice began to melt. The ground around the village was safe thanks to Nic's powers earlier, but now the buildings, rocks, forest, and the giants were all returning to normal. Slowly, one by one, the giants were all thawing out from the fire's heat. They all came around, realizing their situation.

A fellow giant blinked. "Huh?"

"What's going on?" Another asked.

"It's so warm."

"This warmth, it's from the Eternal Flame!"

Another giant nodded. "Yeah…"

The giants nearby looked down, realizing they could move again.

Lucy looked back, a proud smile on her face. "The village, it thawed out!"

"Whoa!" Gray exclaimed.

Vanessa's eyes widened. "It's all the way it was before…I can sense so many free again."

Natsu looked at the burning flame, unable to see his uncle's face. "Uncle…?"

The flames flickered like a normal bonfire, the warmth radiating all over the village. Flare could've felt her eyes dehydrate and burn, and it wasn't because of the heat. Tears began to swell again as the giants were thawed out, the village finally freed. She couldn't help but sniffle as tears streamed down her face. "It's so warm…thank you, Atlas Flame…"

Wendy hung her head, a saddened look on her face. Her eyes closed in silent mourning. "His residual energy is gone…Atlas Flame is gone, for good."

Everyone's head lowered in silent mourning, thanking the Fire Dragon for that he's done for the people and for the village that Nic picked up from.

Erza smiled. "To think that such a fragment of spirit could lift a curse. I never thought it'd be possible."

Nic smiled as well, silently thanking Atlas Flame for his final words and salvation. Although gracious for the Fire Dragon, Nic frowned. He was considering the final words that Atlas Flame foretold, which unnerved him greatly. Though the greatest threat was already defeated and destroyed, which was Lysandre, there was still one problem that still concerned everyone: Zeref. "E.N.D." Nic repeated.

"If he's truly that strong, then we better make sure to prepare for what may come." Staraptor insisted. "I think the first wave is going to be preceded."

The two went silent, but Gray was still stuck on the Devil Slayer, the one man who froze all the Village of the Sun. He frowned, trying to discern the best he could. _'An Ice Devil Slayer…E.N.D., what could this all mean?'_

For now, these questions would have to be put on hold. For the time being, it was best to tend to the giants that were thawed out.

* * *

A few more hours rolled by rather fast for everyone. While some were more than a little antsy about the ordeal that went down in regards to Demons, but that was all tied to a rock and thrown into the water under the bridge for the time being. They met with the giants in the village, to which weren't as crude and barbaric as tales foretold. They were really the opposite. They were as Flare told them. The giants were all jolly in nature, very sweet-hearted as they were all relieved to be free thanks to the efforts of everyone who pitched in. To reward them and their own appetites, the giants threw a celebration, in which Natsu and Happy were laughing all the way with the giants. They were clicking together so easily it was like they were born to laugh and party and stuff their own faces. The giants owed them big time. Big was also a part of their vocabulary, because their food had humungous proportions as well. A lone cherry grown in the village was as big as Carla.

Erza, however, looked around like a sentry. She, Honedge, Nic, and Staraptor were all not as appeased compared to everybody else. When they got back, they found out Bellona had escaped. Nic changed into his Sky Form and he and Staraptor tried to get an aerial surveillance, hoping to spot Bellona. Unfortunately, they found no trace of her, and the two converged back to the village empty-handed. Bellona was at large again, and they had no idea what she may be conspiring now, but for the time being, they couldn't worry. They had to let her go, but they knew she'd be back soon.

Nic looked around, discerning the village. He and Erza could relax for the time being, but they weren't so sure about the giants and their situation.

"Excuse us, but what exactly happened to you all?" Nic asked. "Could you recall anything?"

The giants in front all stopped their festivities and frowned. They looked down at them, trying understand their own turbulence. However, like Atlas Flame, that wasn't easy to accomplish.

A giant rubbed the top of his head. "Honestly, I'm not sure."

"We were told that a Devil Slayer froze you all over." Vanessa told them, hoping that could spark anything. It did, in a way.

Another giant was pondering. "Yeah. I was getting my weapon, racing towards the enemy, and, uh…"

"It all went blank after that." Another answered.

Lucy turned towards Nic. "According to Atlas Flame, the culprit mistook him for a Fire Demon."

"To think this was all from a mistaken identity. That's far from satisfying." Erza pondered.

"No doubt." Gray added. He actually had his shirt back on after finding it when walking back to the village. "There's also something that's been bugging me, what that Demon of Succubus Eye said…"

" _You've done it now." He warned, unable to move. "Thanks to you…the gates to the Underworld finally busted open."_

Erza's eyes widened. "The gates to the Underworld? There's only one guild that holds that requiem. Tartaros!"

Lucy quivered, not liking the sound of it all.

"So Tartaros was behind this whole thing from the beginning. They just had Succubus Eye as their little guard dogs it seems." Vanessa figured.

Nic crossed his arms. "Tartaros is the last and the head of the Baram Alliance. I would imagine that a majority of Dark Guilds now follow under their lead. Those under the control of the Oracion Seis, and those under Grimoire Heart, the fates of those guilds are unknown; but if they've become independent, then according the alliance code, they'd had to at least resign their rights to Tartaros."

Staraptor looked towards her Trainer. "Then they have a great number swelling up. Could they be preparing for an offensive at long last?"

Natsu raised a fist atop of a giant's head. "Aw quit worrying! Tartaros doesn't hold a candle to us now! Remember, we got Nic, and he wiped the floor with that crappy God Serena! HAH! And he also defeated that evilest of all known as Lysandre and Dark Legendaries; so if anyone should be scared, it's Tartaros!"

Wendy sweat dropped. "W-well, he's not wrong."

Carla nodded. "There are worse games to play, and Nic and his Pokémon have already played the most difficult there was."

Lucy didn't want to remember. That man nearly destroyed everything, and slaughtered Celestial Spirits, and killed Dragons, put Acnologia to shame, and nearly killed Nic. Already she was trembling from the memory. "Y-yeah. At least we're reassured…right?" She looked around, noticing something else, which made her momentarily forget her fear. "Uh, hey, where's Flare?"

Everyone looked around, noticing how Flare was not amongst the crowd. Lucy looked around, wondering where Flare could possibly be. She noticed a tint of red behind a tree. When she walked closer, she saw that Flare sat against the ground, hiding away from the villagers, much to Lucy's shock.

"Ehhh…?!" Despite her inquiry, Lucy peeked behind the tree. "Flare?"

Flare said nothing, instead she had her arms hugging her knees.

The giants all heard the familiar name, and instantly the party stopped. The giants all shot back up, angry looks on their faces. "You said Flare?!" They all yelled. They completely ignored Natsu and Happy falling off a giant's head from that abrupt uprising.

A giant stepped up, looking down at the tree Lucy was talking to. "She's here? Really?!"

Lucy tugged on Flare's arm, trying to budge her with a cheerful smile. "Hey, come on out. They wanna see you. Don't be shy." Lucy continued to insist, though Flare seemed to resist a little. She didn't seem so willing.

"I abandoned this village, remember?" Flare reminded her in a quiet tone. "I left and never came back…" Her hopes were down, and it looked like she was going to get better, but Lucy still did her best to pull Flare to her feet.

"Come on. I'm sure they're happy to see you again." She looked up, seeing one of the giants glowering down at her and Flare.

"…I…think…"

Flare looked up, finally facing the giants. She saw their facial expressions, but they really didn't make her feel comfortable. It actually felt like the opposite. The giants also noticed Flare, seeing as how she had grown.

"Is that really you, Flare?"

"It's been a long time."

"We may be big, but even we can see that you've grown."

Those weren't the kinds of tones Flare was expecting. They sounded more surprised than sour. She could've sworn they would immediately try and show her the exit. She was so caught in her little surprise that she almost completely blocked out another question a fellow giant asked.

"So, Flare, what was the outside world like?" He asked in a more serious tone.

Flare wasn't sure how to answer such a question. She looked down, fidgeting with her fingers pushed together and going back and forth. "It was…kind of fun…and also very scary at times…"

The giants all stared at her, their frowns slowly growing into smirks. A few snickered, including Natsu, who was still on the ground and smirking.

The leader giant knelt down, looking Flare in the eyes. He smiled warmly. "You'll find that kind of trouble no matter where you go. It's just part of life. That's something we all have in common; humans and giants."

Flare was caught startled. "B-but…"

"Whether you're here or not, this one thing will never change: This village is always your home. It will always be. Your independence is a good thing, it's part of experience everyone needs to adapt in an ever-changing world."

"That's true." Another giant nodded.

The leader grinned. "Now…I believe we owe you something that's to be heard from all of us…"

Flare's eyes misted. Everything she thought about them being angry was a complete 180. They were overjoyed. Then came the big clincher.

"WELCOME HOME, OUR DAUGHTER!"

Flare was beyond overwhelmed. All of her fears were for naught. She thought she'd be ridiculed, exiled, or perhaps shunned if she'd ever came back. From the outside world, she thought everyone would look down on her for her mistakes. The turnover nearly shut her down. Her joy was so overwhelming, and no matter how badly she tried, the waterworks just wouldn't stop flowing. Her head hung, tears rolling like waterfalls down her cheeks and dropping towards the ground. The only words she could muster up were two simple ones.

"I'm home."

Gray smirked, and Wendy and Carla gave placid smiles; the former more cheerful. Vanessa and Lucy smiled for Flare. Erza and Honedge exchanged satisfied grins. Nic and Staraptor turned towards the other and smiled out of happiness. The giants all laughed and showed their proudness as they saw their little girl sob with tears of absolute joy.

Flare's head arose, her eyes watering, and by far gave the proudest and happiest smile she's given in her entire life. Her hands were to her mouth, glad to finally be home.

That night, everybody celebrated. The giants and Flare caught up on the adventures she's went on, and laughter went all the way. Large fruits and meat were eaten, more than plenty for everyone to eat. Within their partying, even Nic and Staraptor felt it was best to keep the Tartaros talk in the backburner. The feature looked grim, but the Village of the Sun's warmth and radiation burned all worries away…for now.

* * *

Succubus Eye. Demons. Devil Slayer. Tartaros. Those variations were all what worried many, but none had any idea what that felt like in such a long time. Any one of those words could send a chill down a spine, but if anyone were to have any knowledge of these concepts, who knows what would happen. That fate would be felt for Bellona to figure out.

After she fully escaped the village, tail between legs, she was silently cursing in anguish and despair. One way or another, revenge and power will be hers yet again. For now, regrouping and devising a strategy in the guild hall would have to suffice.

"Nic Pularis…Erza Scarlet…" She cursed repeatedly as she and torn clothing made way into the mountains in the far reaches of the Village of the Sun. In an undisclosed alcove, where a large guild hall stood, Bellona walked inside, where everything in front of her was not as she left it. Her eyes widened, horror spilling into her eyes. "What…what is this…?"

Every table was turned over or capsized, every chair had been broken, even pieces of the walls were chipped off. Everything was broken, destroyed, demolished, and the most freakish part of it all was that littered all over the ground were small black paper dolls.

Bellona looked around, feeling an intense vibe through the stale air. She slowly walked in, her heels echoing like ominous footsteps. Every step made her uneasiness intensified. "Did a scuffle occur while I was out?" She turned her head in the opposite direction. "What happened to everybody else?" She stopped when a paper doll was noticed right beside her. Looking down at it, she couldn't help but feel a little conspicuous. Kneeling, she picked up the paper doll, seeing it fully limp in her hand. Her eyes widened, a dread crawling up and down her spine. "What happened here?"

"I'm afraid that those happen to be your fellow guild mates."

Bellona's felt heart pouncing. "My…guild mates?!"

Footsteps came crawling from the shadows of one of the corridors. "My powers are meant to strengthen a person's abilities."

Bellona whipped her head around. "Who's there?!"

A menacing smirk came across the discrete face. "However, for those weak willed, I'm afraid they have no need to be part of the reinforcements. The price they pay for not having to endure my powers, they become that form…"

Bellona's eyes widened. "Im…possible…" Before her was an uninvited guest. One thing was for certain, and that she didn't sound nor seem at all friendly. She was very distinct, looking almost half harpy. She was average size and weight, with an exceptional hourglass figure and large chest. She adorned a skin-tight suit that exposes much of her posterior and emphasizes her chest. The shoulders were covered in a striped jacket with flaring sleeves. The sleeves cover her hands, with looked like talons. Her upper thighs were bare, with high guards, and yet she had bird-like feet. Her intricate helmet covered everything about her face except the eyes and lips; either side had winged protrusions jutting out like ears. Her hair went through her hood and down her back, bound by a long band. To finfish it off, she had a large gem on the helmet, where the forehead was located. Bellona was too stunned with the overwhelming welcome.

The woman smirked. "I am Kyouka. I am one of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros."

"Tartaros?!" Bellona exclaimed. "What are you of all people doing here?!"

Kyouka chuckled. "Oh, Bellona, don't be so hostile."

Again, Bellona was left baffled. "How did you know my…"

Kyouka cut her off there. "I've watched the Grand Magic Games. Surely you didn't think I wasn't paying attention to your power-hungry nature. If anything, that's the kind of craving we seek when it comes to our guild."

Bellona wasn't buying it. Her teeth gritted. _'Did word get out of Succubus Eye losing the Village of the Sun already?'_ She couldn't believe herself. What made Tartaros resort to this measure. "You mean Tartaros went this far to dispose its pawns for losing a village?!"

If there was ever a time to call Bellona a hypocrite, this may as be the time, but Kyouka had other intentions in mind. "What do you speak of? It wasn't for that reason. What village?"

Bellona was met with surprise for the umpteenth time. _'Does she mean…he froze the village of his own accord? A bishop piece is moving without its King's beckoned call? What game is this?'_ "Then, why are you here…?"

"As I told you, my many abilities include enhancing people." Kyouka answered. "My Master had foretold of a battle coming, and we need as many forces as we can if we are to get rid of Nic Pularis once and for all. With his demise, we'll be assured a safer approach for our ideal image."

Bellona's eyes narrowed. "And what ideal is that?"

Kyouka's face slowly contorted, her lips growing to become a maniacal smirk. She looked at Bellona with a deranged sense sprawling all around her. Even the deranged Bellona herself felt petrified by this fear. "Then how's this? You survive and prove your worth, you become part of our cause."

Her claws opened, reaching for Bellona, who was starting to reel back in a panic. "No! Stay back! Do not patronize the rules of my wishes! Tartaros-!"

Bellona's violent screams of anguish echoed through the destroyed guild hall, for only ghosts to hear.

* * *

Getting to the village was easy, but getting back was a completely different story. After Nic and his group finally packed their things, they finally embarked back to Warrod's house, but not without Flare peering behind one of the giants and biding them all a prosperous journey back and farewell.

To save time and effort getting back, Nic elected to fly back, much to everyone's agreement. With his Charizard using Fly, and amazingly hauling everyone onto him, the Flame Pokémon soared through the skies, carrying Lucy and Gray in his arms, and Nic, Erza, and Vanessa on his back. The weight was no problem for Charizard. He flew above mountain altitudes with Nic making him carry boulders on his back and arms. His muscles could support a tight squeeze. Natsu and Wendy flew back thanks to their Exceeds.

Once they got back to Warrod's house, the sky was blue and the mood was lifting, as was the man himself.

"Wahahahahahaha!" Warrod reverberate a hardy laughter for all to her through his home. His joy was grand. "I knew sending you all was a great idea! Well done, very well indeed!"

Natsu crossed his arms. "No sweat! That was a piece of cake!"

"It was a relief the job went as a success." Nic reasoned. Erza nodded in agreement.

Gray turned towards Lucy and Vanessa, inquiry on his face. "Say, whatever happened to those thieves?"

Lucy gave a smirk and thumbs up. "We sent them off with a kick."

"Along those lines, of course." Vanessa added.

Wendy's grin wasn't as happy as the others. "Well, we were honestly shocked to learn that Tartaros was behind the scenes. It's startling."

Warrod didn't seem too worried. "Really? Well, no matter. I say let the Council handle that problem for now."

Nic raised a brow. "The Council?" He sounded genuine in his shock.

Erza's eyes widened. "Wait, you don't mean…"

"No way." Lucy muttered.

Warrod nodded. "You heard me right! The Magic Council's finally back in business, and already Org is setting up pleasing principles. I'm sure things will go back to normal…well, as normal as they can get." He let another snicker escape before speaking back up. "Now, where was I…oh, right! I do believe that I owe you all your reward."

"Alright! We've been looking forward to all this loot!" Happy cheered, barely containing himself. He could already see the raw fish he could purchase.

Carla grinned as she crossed her arms. "It's only natural we get the reward after a job's been completed."

Warrod reached into the home-grown bushes behind him, humming as he was looking for something. "Now…ah, here we are!" He turned around, revealing the small object in hand. "Here."

"Here…what…?" Lucy asked, deeply confused.

"This is a home-grown potato that I grew." He answered. Everybody was dead silent. They were all honestly confused, and insulted that they went through all of that trouble just for a lousy potato. Suddenly, Warrod's smile grew, and then he started laughing. "That was a joke!"

Everyone hunched over, exasperated.

"Heh…heheh…yeah…" Natsu said nervously.

Gray and Lucy both laughed half-heartedly.

"…actually, it's a potato I purchased from a nearby town." Warrod did everything he could to hold back his snicker.

"Just fork over the cash already! Would ya?!" Natsu and Gray yelled in unison.

Vanessa said nothing, but even she looked irritated, barely holding back her twitching eye.

* * *

Night soon fell, and everyone got paid, had what one could call an eloquent dinner, and to top it all off, Warrod gave them directions towards a nearby location, one where Lucy and the others would find themselves soothed and revitalized…more or less.

"Amazing!" Lucy awed as she was draped in a towel.

Wendy awed equally as much, she too draped in a towel. Erza was without a towel, the Requip Mage had hands folded beneath her large mounds to try and cover up and show equal passion at the sight before them. Vanessa was showing the same facial expression as Erza, only she was in a towel.

In their eyes, they saw a luxurious site; one that put the bathhouse back at home to shame. In the lush mountains with waterfalls falling and blissfully crashing – adding a melodic and tranquil tune – the hot springs glistened with freshwater that looked like a fountain of youth.

"This is quite the view we have here." Erza commented, looking out at even the stars twinkling in the skies above.

"Yeah. It's very appeasing." Vanessa admitted.

The redhead of the bunch walked on over and knelt towards the water. She placed a gentle hand into the water. She could already feel the water tingling her skin. It wasn't too tepid, nor was it too scalding. It was just right. "Mmmm. Sir Warrod sure knows how to find such exquisite locations. This hot spring is top-notch."

Carla already sat in the water, pointing at a sign. "It says here that it's not only benefitting your health, but it always purifies your overall beauty."

Wendy was starting to get in, her towel off. "Yeah, it already feels like it's working."

As Lucy sank into the water, her cheeks reddened. A soft moan escaped her lips. "This feels so good." She cooed.

Erza pressed one of the herbs in the water on her cheek. It felt smooth. "It helps revive our tired souls and spirits. That way we can feel all the more relaxed and focus on our future endeavors."

"I feel bad Nic, Natsu, and Gray can't be here." Wendy frowned.

"Here or not, I'm positive they'll be fine." Vanessa sighed.

"Says you."

"Guys can have just as much time relaxing too, ya know?"

"Aye!"

"We're not wrong. Even we tend to have stiff muscles that could be loosen up from time to time."

Erza turned towards the four voices. She and the other girls turned to the direction where the voices came from as well; a mist cloud dissipating and revealing Natsu, Gray, Happy, and Nic all on the other side of the hot springs. There was a very long pause. Once the situation finally sunk in, Lucy and Wendy began to shudder. Erza just blinked, and Vanessa was just wide-eyed. At long last, Wendy turned away in fright and embarrassment, as to where Lucy took the offensive, throwing a pale at the boys.

"This is a girls only!" Lucy screamed. "Get the hell out of here, pervs!"

Nic had his eyes shut, soaking and relaxing. Without so much as a wince or even looking, he backhanded the pale like he was brushing away a fly. The pale landed back in the water elsewhere.

"Lay off, would ya?" Natsu asked.

Gray looked away, a slight tint in his cheeks. "We were here first. You just happened to show up." He told.

Happy gurgled. Though incoherent, it was surely something along the lines of agreeing with him.

"Oh? Did I forget to say that this bath is for both boys _and_ girls?" Another new voice arrives, catching the attention of everyone now. They all turned towards the voice, and they saw Warrod Sequen, he too having been bare to the bark and stepping in.

Again, Lucy covered up and shrieked. "Don't stroll in like that!" She went on over and clutched a frightened Wendy, who was shriveling in embarrassment. "You boys need to get out!"

"It's so embarrassing." Wendy mumbled.

"Like we said, lay off. It's not like we've seen you naked or skimpy before." Natsu pointed out.

"Yeah, it gets boring after a while." Gray added.

Lucy's mood turned hazardous. "You're all on thin ice!"

Nic shot Lucy a look, which finally made her shut up. "Lucy." He closed his eyes again, accepting the calm as the water soaked his skin. "We understand how you feel, as do I, but if I learned anything, it's that things happen."

Erza smiled as she brushed her hair to the side. "Nic's right. It's nothing to rage over. We're all comrades, right? A little skinship is normal."

Nic bared a small snicker. "Well, I wouldn't go that far for all of us…" He trailed off as he heard the sound of water falling, meaning Erza was rising. His eyes opened up and looked over to see Erza's naked body in full view. Every curve and every thick body part in full view. A small tint of pink was in his cheeks, but like he told Lucy, these things happen…kind of.

Natsu and Gray were looking away, this situation befalling them like all those years ago when Erza invited – nee ordered – them to take baths together. Those were unpleasant memories, and they rather not deal with them. Ever. They scooted away as Erza inched over towards Nic.

The redhead got behind him, a warm smile across her face. "Do you want me to wash your back for you?" She asked.

Nic wasn't sure how to handle this. He was well aware of Erza and her little privacy and space issue, but could he really blame her? He would have to believe it was because of past reasons that were best left water under the bridge. And the most recent event of Nic asking Erza that question of finding a house from before began to stir into his brain. He had to trust her; it was part of being together with Erza, forever. With that kind of reason, he'd be letting Erza down if he didn't comply with something that was bound to happen eventually. "…okay."

Erza began to scrub his back, rubbing the sponge up and down his back. It honestly tickled a little. "I have to ask, when was the last time you and Vanessa shared a bath? It must've been forever." Erza mused.

Nic and Vanessa's faces fell. They both looked towards the water, watching it bob up and down against their bodies.

The younger Pularis spoke up. "That forever is actually never."

"N-never?!" Erza's eyes widened.

"It's true." Nic said. "But it's not like it'd be possible – or appropriate – to begin with. And besides, my parents used to dunk my head into the toilet if they caught me wasting water. And then put soap in my mouth and gag back in the toilet."

The mood didn't at all lighten. Such bittersweet memories left even Wendy's embarrassment to pass over. She and Lucy looked at the two siblings, mourning smiles of bygone days.

Erza put a hand over her mouth, nearly sulking to the stone floor. "That's so sad…"

"Well it wouldn't be normal either." Lucy deadpanned.

Warrod laughed at the multitude of perspectives. "Well isn't just comradery sweet?"

Vanessa sweat dropped. "I-I guess, and no offense, but how could you label yourself that king of comrade?"

Warrod chuckled at Vanessa, his gin still clear. "Well, I'm glad you ask, young Vanessa." He said. "When I thought back, I never told you yet, have I?" Warrod began to move his left arm out of the water. When the suds and water cleared up, the one thing on his bark arm…was a Fairy Tail emblem. Immediately, everyone's eyes widened in shock. "I was with Mavis when we established Fairy Tail. I am one of the Founding Fathers of the guild."

"What~t?!" Natsu and Gray screamed.

"Eh?!" Wendy and Lucy exclaimed.

Nic and Erza's eyes flashed with sheer surprise.

Vanessa showed equal surprise. "I had no idea."

Lucy looked at the water, her eyes still large circles. _'Now I see why Master told us to be careful. He's one of the most respected people in Fairy Tail's history!'_ Her body began to shiver. A Wizard Saint, who was also a God of Ishgar, who was also a Founding Father of the most destructive and loveable guild out there. _'Okay, I'm pretty sure I should've stayed home after all.'_

"Now I can understand why you requested Nic." Erza deuced as she scrubbed Nic's back.

Warrod nodded, his head sulking down. "Something like that. I guess it's also a way of fully apologizing what we did to you. The war did put a hefty perspective on us Wizard Saints, but when I smelled the wooden aroma of my old guild, I knew that the perspective I held for Fairy Tail was still alive…just kidding!" He laughed.

Wendy nearly fell into the water.

"Actually…that was a joke." Warrod added.

Gray sulked. "This guy's gonna blow my top."

"To have met you young fairies, it honestly made my heart skips beats faster than I had imagined." Warrod looked up towards the starry sky, watching the stars themselves twinkle like little pixies that jumped and landed with sparkles of freedom. "Mavis sang about something…Fairy Tail, a guild that has a bond with mages' souls thicker than blood. That spirit carried onto the present, the now. You all have succeeded that very passion and will that burns brighter than a hundred suns. I felt that the moment you all entered my home." He took a pause and looked towards Vanessa and looked onwards until stopping at Nic and Erza. "Mavis said something else: Comrade isn't just a word, it's the bond and unconditional trust you both share." As he said that, Nic looked back at Erza, the two smiling. "'Feel free to lean on me…as I am to lean on you. There are good times, and there are bad times. I'll be there to guide you when you can't see. You will never be alone. The hopes we carry are as bright and as numerous as the stars in the night sky. The winds that brush against us gives a premonition of tomorrow; now, let us take a stroll…to the melody of the song of the fairies'." He concluded on a melodic tone. He lowered his head, smiling. Preceding him were the large smiles on everybody else. They all knew the words were true to heart, no matter how ill-will any of them may be. Wendy looked down at the water and smiled. Gray and Natsu turned towards the other and smirked. Erza and Nic gave passive smiles.

Erza turned around. "Nic, now it's your turn."

Nic turned and began to scrub her back, reminding himself to ignore her curvature. "…okay." He scrubbed up and down, being careful to not get too low, but also watched the sensitive muscles on Erza's back. He was able to muster the willpower to keep in check…for now.

Lucy looked up, smiling at the sky. "That was beautiful. Words straight to the heart."

"Words as deep as their meaning, yes." Vanessa added.

Natsu's eyes widened. "Wait, hold up a sec! If you're so old, then that means you're like a super gramps or something!"

"What's your point?" Gray asked.

Natsu turned towards Warrod. "My point is, that if he's been alive this whole time, then he must know a thing or two about this E.N.D or Tartaros."

Warrod pondered. "Demons and Tartaros you say?"

"Yeah, it's got something to do with this Book of Zeeref. Apparently my old man tried to take out E.N.D but couldn't. He was a dragon, so it's gotta be super strong or something, right? If I knew more of this guy, then maybe I can get a clue as to where Igneel might be…I think…"

"That's what Atlas Flame mentioned before." Wendy recalled.

Warrod put a hand to his barely noticeable chin. "Hmmm…my apologies, young ones, but I'm afraid you're asking the wrong suspect…"

Erza looked down at her chest. "I see…"

Warrod added a follow-up. "But, I did remember something when you told me of Tartaros from earlier. We know next to nothing about this guild, nor what their true goal is about. We don't even know of their bases, funds, members, or their numbers. It could be thousands or all we know, let alone hundreds. But from little sources who were able to catch even the faintest glimpse of their rituals…" His mood darkened, to the point where the hot springs were but a boiling bath of dread. "They say Tartaros…is a group of Demon worshippers."

Again, everyone was caught struck with shock. Nic went wide-eyed. "Demon worshippers?"

"Nobody knows for certain, but, it's possible they may have the Book of Zeref in their possession."

Lucy nearly jolted out of the water. "A Dark Guild that has Demons?!"

"That's just like Deliora." Erza reminded.

"And Lullaby!" Happy added.

"The Nightmare as well." Nic added. He put a hand to his chin, deeply concerned. "The gravity of this situation is getting more gruesome than before. That dark misfortune we were warned of may come to pass sooner if we don't act fast."

Natsu was gritting his teeth, his anger on the rise. His body was shuddering like crazy. He was far from satisfied. He was losing his temper again, and it wasn't working out well. "Damnit…damnit…GAH!" He began punching and kicking the water, violently splashing water left and right like a kid. "This sucks! It really does! That's not fair! Why are we scared?! We got Nic on our side! He'll destroy them! He demolished everybody before, so why doubt ourselves now?! Come on!"

"Natsu, calm down." Vanessa insisted, but her plea fell on deaf ears through his rage.

"Fine! If Nic won't step up, I will! I'll storm Tartaros all by myself! I'll hit'em with ese! And this! And that! Until they all spill the beans on what they know! Graaah!"

To end his punching and kicking, he ended up kicking the pale that landed right beside him earlier. He kicked it hard, and it went twirling hard and fast. The pale went towards the one direction it wasn't meant to go. Erza looked up, but she never even blinked before the pale hit her straight into her head, and then ricocheted off her towards Nic, hitting him square in the forehead. Both boyfriend and girlfriend yelped as they fell over from the pale attack, thudding on the stone. The pale landed behind their fallen figure.

All eyes went ovular and circular alike. Lucy and Wendy paled in horror. Vanessa stared with a slight shiver. Happy and Carla both screamed out in a panic. Warrod gawked, feeling a bad omen rising.

"Natsu…?" Gray muttered nervously, backing away from him.

Natsu panted, huffing and puffing with his rage settling down. "What?" He looked at all of their frightened expressions. Out of wonder, he began to turn around, feeling the most intense stare he's ever felt before. Of course when he did turn back, he immediately regretted it.

Nic and Erza were sitting up, their faces contorted with a violent intent. Erza's death stare melted Natsu's soul, and Nic's sharpened look made him look like he was literally going to break Natsu in half. Both emitted animal-like growls, borderline snarling. Erza's rip was so strong that it cracked the ground she gripped. Nic crumbled the ground too, only his gripping was so harsh two small craters were beside him.

As both launched a duo fist attack, Natsu paled and sweated bullets. He was looking into the faces of two devils, wailing in fright.

That night, as Natsu's screams of anguish filled the atmosphere, at least half his bones were broken.

* * *

The single flame flickered, the wick as faint as the perspective that was singular and hollow, like a morbid stare from the depths of a devil waiting to take life into its clutches. In which case, that perspective was in the eyes of the man who was growing impatient. In the darkest reaches of the isles, there were those familiar dark caves, where in the very pit of it all was Alpha. The man of solitude stared daggers while on his bunk made of solid stone. He stared deeply into the two pictures in front of him, the very same ones that were of Nic and Vanessa. That's all he could do. As much as he wanted to shatter those faces, there was something about them that made him back away. It was more than his heartless being in a confliction. It was really more of that of eagerness. Though eager, he was frowning.

"Those eyes…those eyes…" Alpha slowly shook his head, grinding his 5 o' clock shadow over his gauntlets. "What is it about you two that makes you so…tempting?" He was at it again. In his inquiry, he was making conversation with the two frames. People can label him crazy, but as far as his associates could say, crazy is but the tip of the iceberg. He broke into a smirk, his eyes narrowing. "Fernando foretold great promise, but he never said to whom they belong to. If that was all he could tell from the perception of that mind, then what is to say that the time will come quicker or sooner?" He straightened up, the fire in the candle wisped back and forth. Alpha's hollow and soulless pupils reflected the flame, looking like sclera. He showed his teeth, looking ahead with glee. "I've never felt this excited in a long time…"

He frowned suddenly, looking over to the dark shadows of the narrow cavern that led to the other chambers. The reason he looked over came clear when his ghost popped his head out of the darkness, literally like it was nothing but a wall of sheer darkness. Alpha's eyes narrowed. "What now?"

The ghost's eyes narrowed, his smirk growing as he chuckled.

Alpha raised a row, smiling at his ghostly companion. "So you say?" He stood up, his armor clanging. "I was beginning to wonder when Saboth and Vermilius would be done having their little fun." Before he started taking his first step, he peered back down towards the pictures, giving one last smirk before turning away into the darkness.

Alpha and his levitating ghost walked back into the pure darkness of the cavern. When Alpha stepped through, he suddenly appeared at the entrance if his narrow tunnel. It was like he speed-jumped or short-distance teleported, but one could only say that the darkness allowed him his shortcut. The pitch black even had his ally pass through with no problem. Alpha looked around, seeing more than a couple candles lit all around. He looked to where he heard some grunting, hearing a body being dragged. He had a straight face as he watched Saboth and Vermilius haul a human by the arms.

"No! No, please! Let me go! Please!" The soldier implored. He tried kicking, but he couldn't muster any strength. All of his strength was lost, along with that fight. He tried to struggle just a bit more, but it was no use. "What the hell is wrong with you monsters?! You take me hostage but you killed the rest?! All of them?!"

"Be quiet." Saboth retorted. "You and your friends made a very poor mistake deciding to stick your nose where it doesn't belong."

"You follow your orders, and we follow ours." Vermilius told. "But some orders are by the wrong men." He can still remember how he swung his scythe, throwing it around, and the blood spilling made him nearly salivate red down his chin.

"Boy, anything you have to say, speak with your heaping few breaths to him." Saboth was more inclined to killing him on the spot, which was why he sounded so annoyed. Unlike Vermilius, Saboth craved the massacre. He remembered the number of slashes he swiped, the number of heads sliced into two, the hundreds of hearts he stabbed. The screaming and thrashing he riled up was an extra. He and Vermilius threw him ahead, making the soldier cry out as his back hit the hard ground.

He turned over, groaning. "Aww...what?" He looked around, groaning and observing as there was nothing but darkness, candles, and cave walls. The candle light revealed him. The soldier that came with the army yesterday had a scrape on his forehead, bleeding out. His legs were numb, and there were fresh stab wounds embedded in the thighs and the shins, catered to Vermilius. He was dirt, and the cave's smell reflected his own – rotten, like dead bodies.

"What have we here?"

The soldier looked up, gasping for air upon seeing the heinous look that Alpha was giving him. He looked so calm, but the soldier was having a very bad feeling about him. "W-who…who are you?" He asked frantically.

Alpha tilted his head. "Really?" He knelt down – very slowly. His hunching over and lowered voice gave the atmosphere all the more of an ominous vibe. His eyes narrowed. "I don't think you should know. The first thing you need to do, is bow."

The soldier blinked. "Bow?"

Alpha's eyes sharpened, as did his teeth. "Do it." He retorted. The soldier immediately complied, bowing his head in frantic fright. Alpha stood back up, looking down like he who gives judgment. "Good. _Now_ you can ask the questions."

The soldier raised his head again, but he wasn't gonna look at Alpha in the eyes again. They were hollow, devoid of any humanity. The man had no idea what was going on, so he began to quiver on all fours. His shaking exemplified the predicament of a Bunnelby to a Houndour.

Alpha shook his head, but out of delight. "What a sad miserable soul you are." He slowly began to circle around him, slowly, hunched over, like a tiger. He watched his prey. Seeing. Salivating. Savoring. The beast of a man enjoys his meals when his prey can't fight back. "Look at yourself. Weak. Defenseless. Vulnerable. Absent to the outside world." He did a full circle, and craned his head down towards the soldier. "It's like you were a lost puppy with no home, isn't that true?"

The soldier swallowed, his body barely able to keep itself from going out of control. "Y-y-yes. B-but…what did you do?"

Alpha raised a brow. "What did _I_ do? What did I do?" He factitiously gave a pondering inquiry to himself, putting a hand to his chin. He turned around, his cape swaying from left to right. "What did I do? Can I ask, what did _you_ do? Or perhaps…" He looked over his shoulder, his hollow and sharp sclera leering at the soldier. "What were you doing?"

The soldier said nothing. He was only having his head lowered, unable to look Alpha into the eye.

Alpha bent down very slowly again. He used his armored curled index finger, raising the soldier's chin up. The soldier had no choice now. He was going to have to look into those eyes. As he saw them yet again, he saw tit again. Black. Darkness. Bloodshed. Anguish. Cravings. A cornucopia of negative emotions, and that alone. It was so much he thought he was just gonna die from fright if he stared too long.

The soldier's breathing quickened, making his answer quick. "We were trying to conquer uncharted land. To get revenge! For Bosco! We don't take no for an answer! You did this! You killed all of those soldiers! You're not even human, are you! You're monsters! You killed and bathed the ground in red rain!" He panted, having finish his hysterical shouting. He looked at Alpha with an intense stare, one like a man gone mad, though that could've been from the blood loss. "Please…just let me go." He insisted low. "I swear in the name of Bosco that I won't tell a soul. I'll hide myself away, forever if I have to…" He lowered his head, begging with his forehead touching the ground. "I beg you."

There was a long pause. Alpha frowned. He looked up to see what Saboth and Vermilius had to say. The three met with a long gaze to the other. As the man was whimpering at Alpha's feet, the leader himself raised a brow and had a straight line for a mouth. He looked intrigued.

His eyes squinted. "You won't tell _anyone_?"

The soldier nodded vigorously. "Yes! Very much, yes!"

Alpha turned away. "Very well, I have no interest in you anyway. You're too feeble-minded to bend to begin with." He waved back, a notion to go away. "Go along. Shoo."

The soldier grunted, trying to get up. It pained him to stand. He was sitting on his knees for a start, but all he had to do was stand. In his mind, the man was beating rapidly. Adrenaline was pouring in and out of every pore of his body. As his breathing was calming down, he was mentally satisfied. _'They're actually letting me go. That's good. That means I can get back home and tell the army that everyone but me died. They'd have to promote me, and then I can lead the charge and fully bomb this deathtrap and send these bastards back to Hell where they belong!'_ His plan was foolproof. He had it all laid out. Only there was one problem…

He grunted still, but his legs wouldn't listen. They were quivering from fright, and blood was still oozing out from the stab wounds Vermilius inflicted earlier. He gave a small pleading smile. "Uh, sir? I, uh…"

"Hm?" Alpha looked over his shoulder again.

"I seem to be, uh…unable to walk. And do you think that you can help me find my way out?"

Alpha raised another brow, smiling as he swung back around. "You need help finding your way?" The man nodded sheepishly. Alpha nodded as well, slowly. "I see. I think we can accommodate that." As he spoke, dark aura began to seep down his right gauntlet, slowly gathering and becoming dark aura that was shaped into talons, talons with scales and looked like it could burn through a grizzly bear's body. "I think I can help you?"

The man's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Alpha's eyes narrowed, raising his gauntlet covered in the monstrous dark aura. "We can most definitely help you find your way…" His pupils shrunk and the eyes gave a bright red glow. His smirk grew into a malicious, cruel, and into one that defined the face of a sociopath. His teeth were shown, his glee so great that it made the soldier paralyzed with fear. "…to Hell."

"W-wait, but I thought you-!"

Alpha snarled like a wild animal, lowly roaring as he thrust his dark aura into the soldier's head. He thrust straight through, shoving out and coming out of the other end. He held something rough and odd as his entire arm then was covered in blood and red. The cave floors were drenched in blood. Alpha huffed and puffed, unable to contain himself. He snarled out loud, his red eyes flaring. He violently pulled back his arm out of the head and face. He look down at his arm, seeing pure, thick red. His smirk was so wide that it was beyond humane. This was far from a sociopath, but something much worse. He was craving it again; the sight of life drained away, the large pools of blood spilled. It was his purest obsession.

He swerved towards the fallen body, but even with a giant hole in the head and face, he was far from satisfied. He howled out like a primal animal, slashing at the neck, nearly tearing it off altogether. He was using his dark aura's most savage nature, the nature that he himself bodied. He slammed the torn body to the ground, hearing the bones shatter. It was music to his ears. He snarled and howled as he slashed and tore into the body, literally maiming the deceased man. Blood spilled on the walls and on the floor, the bones churning as he snapped arms and legs,

Saboth and Vermilius watched as Alpha was having the time of his life. The two had nothing to say. There weren't allowed to speak. Alpha would rip them apart as well out of sheer glee. Still, there was a reason why Alpha was the leader; this just so happened to be one of them.

Once satisfied, Alpha huffed and puffed. His panting was that not of exhaustion, but exasperation. "It's not enough." He lowly said. "It's not ENOUGH!" He whipped his head around, revealing it was stained in blood. His smirk was twisted, and his red eyes were peering into the hearts of Saboth and Vermilius. He only saw red, the color he loved to spread all across the world. He stammered back up, growling at the two subordinates.

"Take me to the site. I'm far from done with this little fuss! I'm just getting started!" Even though Saboth and Vermilius took care of the deed a long time ago, that wasn't stopping Alpha from exacting his cravings for completely crushing humanity; literally.

Saboth and Vermilius plainly turned around, guiding Alpha into the darkness, the leader's smirk slowly calming down in the mild walk. In the pitch-black, his red eyes still pierced into the hearts of all.

There was Tartaros, a Demon Guild. It had its own share of goals, numbers, hazards, and inhumane Nine Demon Gates. They were lethal, and they had the strongest Demons you could imagine…however, little did anyone know…Tartaros wasn't the place where the Underworld was. There was Acnologia, Zeref, and the worst of all Lysandre.

As time draws on, certain people would realize what real monsters are capable of.

* * *

 **Here's the completed Sun Village Arc in one go! That's it for the Sun Village Arc, and I got it done on my birthday…no joke, I updated this chapter on the morning of my birthday, so this is a little Happy Birthday chapter. Hoorah!**

 **As for that last scene you guys read, that was just a sneak peek of the next upcoming arc I made. I was foreshadowing something big since chapter 1, and it's all boiling up to this upcoming arc. I won't spoil too early, but I will warn you that it will test how well I write dark scenarios. So this upcoming arc will have equal, if not more, dark material like the Tartaros Arc.**

 **But before I do that, I'm gonna write 4 maybe 5 fillers, just to ease the tension a little. I still need to get some ideas out of the way before jumping onto the next gigantic arc. Mainly more fluff and NicxErza proceeding ahead.**

 **So as usual, comment and thanks for reading another chapter!**


	25. The Best Gift Ever II

Through the streets of Magnolia, Erza walked with her massive luggage in tow. She had a casual expression as she disregarded the numerous stares she got from the townsfolk and continued her trek with Honedge towards the guild hall. Having returned from their most recent job, the two elected to stop by before heading back to Fairy Hills to relax a little.

"That black market's worth of Charm Magic, I wasn't aware how lethal it's become over the years." Erza commented.

"It could've gotten a lot worse. We put a dent in the black market's trade at least." Honedge added. It was true that they indeed stopped an illegal trade of Charm Magic equipment. The client made it clear that there was a disclosed port in Hargeon that smuggled illegal magic by ship every month on a single night. Erza and Honedge worked together, Trainer and Pokémon, and they defeated and apprehend the smugglers and turn in the equipment. Of course with the skirmish that ensued, and with Erza swinging Honedge with a little Autotomize, Swords Dance, and Fury Cutter assaults here and there, the redhead's pay was reduced some for property damage.

Erza lifted her head, beaming with pride. "But on the bright side, at least we snuffed out a large quantity of funds that flourished in Hargeon."

Honedge nodded. The Sword Pokémon was also glad that she had managed to learn another new move a few days back: Shadow Sneak. It was like what Kecleon had. It was still taking some practice, but Honedge was managing to do well with her new Ghost-type attack, although there needed a few tweaks here and there, but nothing she and Erza couldn't handle with training and on-the-job battles.

The duo entered the guild hall, alerting everyone there that the S-Class Mage had come home. "I have returned." Erza announced.

Mirajane turned over from the bar with a smile. "Welcome back! How was the job?" She asked.

Erza and Honedge ventured over towards the bar, checking in with Mirajane. "As well as it hoped to be." After she checked in and established a completed job, she ventured on over towards where the rest of her team sat, Wendy and Carla included. Everyone turned towards her with grins.

"Hey, long time no see." Natsu smirked, looking over his shoulder.

"Welcome back." Wendy greeted.

"So I take it that you were pretty satisfied with the job?" Lucy asked as Erza stood right beside the blonde.

"What do you expect? This is Erza we're talking about. Of course she had it covered." Gray said.

Natsu looked at him with crossed arms. "Hey, you forgot something."

Gray looked down, realizing he was without a shirt – for the third time this morning. Through it all, he just grunted and shrugged.

"So, what do we have intended?" The redhead asked them.

Happy raised a paw. "I voted we take a job when you get back!"

"Yeah! A monster hunt isn't gonna take care of itself." Natsu beamed.

"So, you happen to have obligations elsewhere?" Carla asked. "In regards to a significant other that is."

Erza wasn't at all fazed by Carla's add-on. In fact, that's the thing that's been going on as of recently. Not that it was any different from before, but Nic and Erza spend a lot of time together; whenever the other wasn't out training or on jobs, one can always find them in an inseparable pair. They'd either be at Nic's shabby home, out somewhere, or sometimes at night, stargazing. Of course relationships come with sacrifices. Team Natsu had to restrain from a few jobs because of Erza's obligation. It did leave the redhead a little guilty sometimes, but Natsu assured her it was all cool.

Erza shook her head. "Nic explained that he would be training and spending time with his Pokémon." She explained. "He's probably sweating as we speak."

Gray looked off to the side. "Speaking of family, what's up with Vanessa?"

Erza raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"We're not sure, but apparently Gray's been thinking something's up with her." Lucy answered. She and the others diverted their attention over towards the subject of their talk. Vanessa was a ways away, standing and conversing with Sophie about something. "But if you ask me I think it's nothing." Lucy added.

"…is that so?" Erza turned her attention away and walked on over towards the younger Pularis sibling. Honedge followed as well, keeping herself sheathed. Erza closed in, noticing how Vanessa looked cheery and had a few pieces of paper out on the round high-table beside her and Sophie.

"So I'm thinking maybe a couple of streamers. Maybe black and purple to match his coat and coloration."

Sophie nodded. "Just a couple, but are you sure that's all you want?"

Vanessa returned her own nod. "Yeah, I'm sure. I already got a few desserts picked out. I'm heading back over tonight to make a final decision."

"Oh, and do you want me to ask Cana to help with management?" Sophie asked.

Vanessa shook her head. "Thanks, but it's not gonna be anything like that."

"You have a point. Big and fancy is far from his liking. Low-key is best I suppose." Sophie grinned.

"What do we have here?" Erza approached the two females, making herself noticed. "I trust that I'm not interrupting anything, aren't I?" Vanessa and Sophie looked up to Erza, taking note of the knight and her Honedge presence. The two weren't shocked at all.

Vanessa smiled. "Erza, hi." She greeted. "You're just in time. Sophie and I were wondering what you had to say about it?"

Erza raised a brow. "About what?"

Sophie slid the few papers over, allowing the confines to be revealed to the redhead. She began from the top, reading off 'IDEAS' and 'THINGS TO BUY'. Surprisingly, the items required were small in quantity, and there was also an order of a cake with Vanessa's name assign to it. "A chore list?" She looked back to Vanessa and Sophie for answers. "Tell me, why do you need a cake when you can get one here?"

Vanessa raised a brow. "You're saying he wouldn't like the prospect of a cake?"

"Who? Vanessa, my apologies, but I'm a little confused with where you're going with this."

Sophie turned towards Vanessa, the blonde remaining quiet as Vanessa's expectant face began to fall a little. Erza was at a loss, but Vanessa at least wanted to make sure they were on the same page. Even after looking at the list of supplies needed, Erza still couldn't piece it all together.

"Do you know what tomorrow is, Erza?" Vanessa asked.

"Hm? Of course, it'll be December 11th." She answered.

"It's a very important day to a certain someone we all know and cherish." Sophie added. "And Vanessa's making a big deal about it. Shouldn't you?"

Erza and Honedge both turned towards the other, each sharing the same conspicuous question. They honestly had no knowledge of what Vanessa was referring to. Today was December 10th, and tomorrow will be the 11th, but to Erza that was another day.

Seeing the knight's face, Vanessa's eyes widened and her face fell completely. "You really don't know, don't you?" She asked, her tone hinting signs of shock.

Fed up, Erza had hands to her hips. "Vanessa, Sophie, if there's something big happening, then say it. We may as well be prepared if it's that big of a deal." The redhead was impatient, but she bit off more than she could chew. No amount of preparation would ever keep her aware of what she was going to be told. Something she never saw coming, and right out of Vanessa's mouth.

"Erza…tomorrow is Nic's birthday."

The whole guild stopped doing whatever it was up to and all eyes turned towards the conversation. The statement was so quiet, and yet it echoed through the sensitive ears of the mages gathered inside. Natsu and Gajeel heard well enough with their perceptive hearing, and even they were a little shocked to what tomorrow held. Cana raised a brow as she sipped from a mug, her suspicions a little overwhelming. But perhaps the most shocked of all was Erza, as her eyes slowly widened,

Cake. Black and purple décor. December 11th. Vanessa's excitement. How could anyone have missed the signals. It hasn't even been a month after Vanessa's 16th birthday, so the idea of a birthday should've stayed fresh in their minds.

"Get out of here, you're saying Luminous' birthday is tomorrow?" Gajeel asked.

Vanessa turned towards him. "Of course. He's turning 20." She looked down, thinking. "Or…27?" The time skip was still a big ordeal when it came to birthdays, or age for that matter. If you did count the time skip, Vanessa could technically be 23, but it was so complicated that everyone elected that since they traveled through time, their ages were as they were before.

Cana hunched forward on her stool, her face contorted. "So he went from 18 to 19 only a few days before our S-Class exams and that incident." She said.

Natsu stood up. "You're kiddin' me! Well then if his birthday's coming up, why didn't he say anything?"

"Because he doesn't make a big deal out of it." Vanessa frowned, her tone sounding rather flat.

"What's that supposed to mean? That he never had an actual birthday?" Lisanna asked. Vanessa looked towards her, giving a seemingly expectant look. Lisanna took it as a sign and recounted the tale that Nic told a long time ago back in Kalos. It soon dawned upon her, but on a morbid note. "…oh."

"That's right." Sophie said. "Nic never even told me about his birthday. If that was the case, then it mustn't matter much to him like any other day." The Memory-Make Mage's head then turned towards the floor, her mood also influence by despondence. "But to have your entire life beaten into and never given a single slice of birthday cake, no presents, and not even birthday cards."

Vanessa sighed. She never liked thinking back to holidays, let alone birthdays. She'd get all of the presents, and Nic wouldn't even get a single Christmas cookie. The only kinds of presents he'd get would be a smack across the face for just opening the fridge, or Magneton shocking his nerves stiff for even attempting to grab a knife and slice a little piece of cake for Vanessa's 6th birthday. On his birthdays, Vanessa wasn't even allowed to acknowledge him. It was another day in the life of someone who was given nothing but a life and pain.

A sudden boom caught the Aura Mage's attention. Her eyes widened when the round table had a hole punched through it. The confused Pularis looked up to see Erza's body shivering; to be more accurate, shuddering in anger. "How careless have I become? I was so focused on what's around me that I never realized the truth when it was before my very eyes." She scolded herself. "I should be ashamed of how selfish I turned out to be."

"Erza?" Vanessa apathetically asked, but Erza was lost in her own self-reprimanding.

"Not once was Nic given the affection and attention he deserved on this upcoming day. I never even realized that I didn't ask him of his birthday. It happened earlier and I never even gave him a present to show how deeply he meant to me."

"Erza?" Sophie tried getting her attention. Again, no luck.

Erza sank to her knees, lost as she gasped with a hand over her mouth. Honedge was calmly looking at her Trainer's shuddering and mournful state. "That's just…that's just…so heartbreaking! To not have a single present on the day you were given life. I never gave him anything except my company! I have no right to even call myself a supportive human being."

"Erza!" Vanessa shouted. Finally that did the trick. The mage jolted to her feet, the voice shocking her to where she was a little immobilized by the numerous stares she was given from one of her 'episodes'. Vanessa grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her back towards the 16-year-old.

"Relax." Vanessa advised, letting go and having her arms flow outwards. "Take a deep breath." Vanessa took in a deep breath, inhaling. Erza followed suit, and both exhaled, their senses calming back down. "Good. Now listen, it's okay. Knowing Nic, he probably doesn't care if it's his birthday or not. I bet as long as you're there for him and acknowledge him, I'm sure that will be more than enough to make him smile. He'll probably just have a normal just like any other…more or less…"

Erza looked at Vanessa with wide eyes. "And you're content with that?"

Vanessa nodded. "Of course I am. Sophie and I were just thinking of a miniature surprise party at his place tomorrow. A couple streamers, and a cake, and I'm sure Nic will be more than pleased."

Erza smirked, clutching a fist. "That won't do. Sorry, but as his significant other, I must do everything that I can to make sure that this birthday will be the best he will ever have in his entire life!" She beamed, her pride returning. "I'll put my pride on the line to assure that by any means that Nic gets the birthday he so richly deserves!"

Lucy sweat dropped. "There she goes again." She sighed.

"Somehow I don't think we'll get anything out of this." Wendy nervously speculated.

"Manual labor." Carla figured.

Erza seized the small list Vanessa and Sophie were making and held it up proudly like some trophy. "Right! Then let us expand this list to make sure that it's ten pages long! We shall do everything to throw the most exquisite birthday Nic deserves after all that his life threw at him!" She pointed down at Natsu. "Natsu! Gray! Go get five boxes of confetti and paper! Mira, search a catalog for the finest cakes you can find by the bakery! Chop, chop, people!"

Vanessa just watched on as Erza was establishing an army that was preparing for war. She was herding people left and right, giving out orders that revolved around some form of decoration not on the list or of a certain dessert fit for a party. Though a little nervous o Erza's approach on the matter, she did admit that her actions were genuine. Very much overkill, but deep down Vanessa wanted to make sure Nic's birthday went just swell. No longer did she want to have another birthday where he wouldn't get a single present. If it was a single box of chocolates or if she had to go and cross half of Fiore to find any decorations or present that Nic would love, she'll gladly do so for her brother's sake. It was time to throw the best birthday that Nic deserved.

* * *

Near the home of a familiar person up on a hill far away and secluded, there lied the shack, and around it was the forest. Above the forest, there were lightning clouds, black as night. Blue lightning and static crackled through the atmosphere, and the circumference of the storm clouds reached so far out that it reached the border of Magnolia, but aside from that, the citizens weren't alarmed at all by the low-level clouds. They knew their certain hero was practicing hard.

In a grassy clearing that went on for a mile, there were several fallen trees, charred grass, and the land seemed misshaped by indents and a few depressed spots here and there. Lightning crackled above as Nic roared, rattling the grassy ground beneath.

Nic was taking today to try and go through some of his Legendary Force Forms. It was taking a huge toll on him, but he always liked being worn out so that he can sleep well at night and wake up with vibrant energy to repeat the process. He would take one hour with every single Pokémon and choose a random Legendary Force and make sure his Pokémon kept up, to which so far they did. He was on his last Pokémon for the day, and he was using his established Legendary Force – Zekrom. In this form, Nic had red eyes with white irises and black pupils. His face was left alone, but his mouth had fangs. His head sported a black headpiece in the shape of a thunderbolt. His nose had a black horn-like protrusion that stuck up and was attached to the headpiece. His lower jaw and neck were black, yet the back of his beck was a dark gray. His coat had a dark gray solid color, with black edging. There was no belt, so it flapped hap hazardously in the turbulence around him. On the back of the coat was Zekrom wings, keeping him high up. The shoulders had black pauldrons. The arms were all dark grey, with the underside being black; even the hands were like that. The upper body had no shirt, so you can see his tone frame being a dark grey, with the abs being black. His pants were looking harder than ever, with them being light grey, except at the knees, where black armor protected the knee caps. His bare feet were black, but the claw toes were dark grey. Underneath the coat, there was the signature Zekrom tail that stuck out, blue being seen generated and making the tail glow brighter.

Nic let out another loud roar, blue lightning crackling from the tail. He ceased the bellowing and looked to whom was in the air against him. It was his trusted Charizard he was sparring with, but at this point, he was Mega Charizard. Nic figured adding Mega Evolution this time for a change would do wonders, and he wasn't wrong.

As of now, Nic was panting, his energy reserves so tired. Mega Charizard was too as he was doing everything to keep Nic on his toes and in his Legendary Force at the same time. Nic's been through Groudon, Reshiram, Kyurem, Rayquaza, and Ho-Oh, and now Zekrom. He's been cycling through Legendary Forces consecutively, and he was barely keeping himself on guard. He's been trying to look into other Legendary Forces, but other than Xerneas and Yveltal, he was going with what he thought was common knowledge in his past experience.

"Let's go!" Nic yelled. Mega Charizard outwards, his mouth exerting heated shockwaves through the atmosphere, raising the temperature all around in that one instant. The air around the Fire and Dragon-type steamed, and blue flames flickered around his space as he faced Nic, his peculiar wings flapping.

Nic cloaked himself in yellow electricity and his body crackled profusely. " **Thunderbolt!** " He exerted what was a monstrous blast of lightning that beamed at Mega Charizard. The crackling of every jolt sent sparks and circuits that could fry Natsu even.

Mega Charizard's claws glowed and light blue claw-shaped energy formed. " **Dragon Claw!** " He roared as he slashed his right claw, cutting into the Thunderbolt. A bright yellow flash engulfed the skies, becoming so bright that the citizens of Magnolia turned and saw a flash of yellow in the distance of the hills.

The flash began to fade, and Mega Charizard flew in towards Nic, his left claw still cloaked in Dragon Claw. Wasting no time, Mega Charizard closed the gap almost instantly, stopping in front of Nic before slashing. Nic ascended and dodged the diagonal slash, the shockwave transmitting towards the clearing below, boring into the earth and sending rock and terrain scattering beneath.

Nic raised both arms, generating his own set of claws. " **Dragon Claw!** " He dove down onto Mega Charizard, ready to slash with the set of energy claws he had, but Mega Charizard was no raised to be dumb and slow. As Nic closed the gap, slashing, Mega Charizard veered back. Another shockwave went to the ground from Nic's Dragon Claw, shattering the terrain as well.

Mega Charizard suddenly appeared behind Nic, using his reflexes and speed to his advantage. He unleashed his Dragon Claw attack again, just as Nic twisted and turned to thrust his left claw at Mega Charizard. A bright blue flash engulfed the skies this time, rattling the airspace so much that the air itself was shaking in fright. The shockwaves again spread out horrendously, reaching down and out so far that the nearest trees nearly bent over. The earth beneath shattered completely for the umpteenth time in the past near-six hours.

When the flash faded, Nic and Mega Charizard were both seen falling out of the sky, descending head first. As the two closed in on the leveled grassy earth beneath, they regained their consciousness again, their eyes opening back up.

In unison, they straightened out. Nic's mouth was engulfed in static and electricity shaped into four pointed fangs. He opened up and shot straight at Mega Charizard with Thunder Fang, but missed as Mega Charizard flapped his wings and stopped his descent, actually shooting up like a rocket. The dragon ascended to a high enough altitude and stopped his momentum. " **Fly!** " Mega Charizard shot straight down onto Nic, falling at speeds greater than ever imagined thanks to gravity. Nic spiraled in midair, twirling out and falling out of Mega Charizard's range as the he continued to soar towards the ground.

" **Thunder!** " Nic bellowed upwards, and lightning crackled hysterically around him in a large radius, discharging generated electricity from the tail. In the clouds above, lightning crackled and surged through the atmosphere, converging bolts towards a singular point. A massive lightning bolt crackled and roared and said bolt beamed downwards towards Mega Charizard.

Mega Charizard twisted his body as he was falling, facing upwards and saw Thunder beaming down after him. As he let gravity do its bidding, his mouth opened, a great swell of heat and blue fire on the rise. " **Flamethrower!** " He unleashed a violent and massive torrent of blue fire that beamed up into the sky, blitzing and scorching molecules and climbing against brevity until it intercepted Thunder. The Fire and Electric-type attacks met, cancelling out in an explosive veil of blue fire and electricity that expanded outwards, rattling everything in a vivid flash. Nic and Mega Charizard were both shot back by the electrifying and burning shockwaves, both unable to maintain themselves for too long.

As the explosion faded, Mega Charizard fell to the ground on his feet, sliding backwards against the scorching winds. When he finally stopped, the Pokémon using his full power ran on ahead, his sturdy legs carrying him across the clearing at breakneck speeds. Nic finally met ground as well, landing rather softly. Wasting no time, and fighting the pain his body held, he lunged after Mega Charizard, his legs and trademark speed carrying him until they both met in the middle. The duo found themselves in their hand to hand combat skills once more, with Mega Charizard throwing some serious punches and tail wings, as to where Nic used his forearms to block and used his black legs to intercept kicks. The duo were exchanging blows left and right, every second at least a parry, a twist, block, or duck was unleashed. The deadliest in hand to hand combat were by far the most reflexive and had lightning fast movements. They were chucking bullets for punches, each movement flawless as their reflexes and mental capacities were enhanced with every time they trained. Their punches and slashes were always maneuvered around and blocked, neither one able to outweigh the other and get a successful punch, kick, tail, or back-wing in.

Finally after several turns of exchanging their combative blows, Nic raised his conical tail brimming with electricity, slamming it down on Mega Charizard. The recipient crouched and jumped, backflipping to evade as the tail slam hit the ground, shattering the landscape in a fifteen-meter radius, picking up rock and terrain that sparked from the electricity added into the tail.

In midair and at a high enough distance, Mega Charizard opened his mouth. " **Flamethrower!** "

Nic looked up to find a fiery blue torrent roaring down after him. The heat and energy was so massive that it could've blown through an entire mountain all by itself. Nic brought his arm around and attacked. " **Dragon Claw!** " He slashed, cutting through the Fire-type attack. Upon impact, a thick pillar of blue fire shot into the sky, roaring like an inferno. The pillar of fire was so massive that the whole hillside shook and shuddered from the intensity.

When the blast wave ceased, the grass and the entire clearing was but dirt. Nic was seen sliding back from the dissipating fire pillar and dug his toe claws in to sustain himself. He looked up, seeing Mega Charizard fly in with a knee strike. Nic took in a quick breath and bent backwards, doing a backbridge and Mega Charizard went overhead, continuing onwards until leveled ground came. Taking action, Mega Charizard got his feet underneath and began to slid along the hot dirt to a complete stop. The Mega-Evolved Pokémon pivoted, swinging his mighty tail at Nic.

Nic's eyes sharpened, and his body twisted, dragging his tail around to deflect the incoming opposing tail. With Nic facing Mega Charizard and vice versa, both were near point-blank as their next attacks were unleashed.

" **Dragon Claw!** "

" **Slash!** "

Mega Charizard and Nic were again soaring up into the sky, both parrying the other's move in the process. Dragon Claw parried with slash, making every nanosecond flash with glints of white and light blue sparks. Every strike was faster than lightning. As thunder boomed above, and lightning bolts crackled, Nic and Mega Charizard disappeared and reappeared all over the place within mere seconds. It'd put a Ninjask to shame.

Nic and Charizard reappeared in a flash in the high altitude and readied their attacks. Slash and Dragon Claw met in the air, both assaults being so strong that another rippling shockwave bellowed outwards, reaching far beyond the area and sounded like another thunder strike to the citizens of Magnolia. The two were in a deadlock, both of their eyes interlocking and making their thrill jump a thousand beats per second. The deadlock didn't last long as both shot backwards in the air, both dragons catching up with the shockwaves they created.

Mega Charizard and Nic both straightened out, the duo trying to hide their exhaustion; Nic more so than Mega Charizard. The two unleashed loud exasperated roars, lightning crackling above as Nic roared, and Mega Charizard's space got heated with the heat unleashed from his breath. Both Trainer and Pokémon huffed at the other, their labored breaths signs that they were about ready to drop to the ground and get to a knee. But they knew when to expand their limitations, keep going that extra mile, no matter what.

Nic took in a deep breath. Mega Charizard returned with bringing back his own wings.

" **Heat Wave!** "

" **Hyper Voice!** "

Mega Charizard brought his head down and flapped his winds, unleashing what looked like an ocean of blue flames; a hurricane one might say. Nic unleashed an ear-splitting roar, one extremely blood-curdling and produced rippling shockwaves that expanded outwards. Both yelled out as their Heat Wave and Hyper Voice met in the midst of the high altitude. A gigantic explosion rattled the atmosphere, blue gusts and bellowing ripples flew through the airspace, strong enough to collapse an entire island altogether. The explosion reached the ground and high skies, incinerating the nearby trees within milliseconds. The ground again was swallowed in the hundredth rupture that decimated and reshaped the forest, again.

When the smoke and blue fire faded, Nic and Mega Charizard were both seen in the air, still maintaining themselves even after the shockwaves nearly blew them away. The nearby trees were nothing but ash, and the clearing was another enormous crater. Both descended back down to the ground, each thudding as their heels slammed into the cratered earth. Both sides were scratched up pretty bad, and they've been training for well over an hour at full strength.

The storm clouds overhead stopped crackling, the thunder finally dissipating. "That should do for today." Nic advised. Granted it wasn't enough to make him fall to his knees, but hours upon hours of training today in full Legendary Force really wore them all down.

Mega Charizard straightened up, barely able to suppress his vision. He and Nic glowed a rainbow light, and both reverted back to being themselves once more. The clouds overhead dissipated, and the evening sky lit up the hillside with a healthy yellow and orange hue. The only downside was that despite the sun, it was still a little on the cold side. It was December clearly, and even though months have passed since Lysandre and the Council War, this was not a time for Nic to relax, or anyone. What Atlas Flame said before still lingered in the back of his mind, even though it wasn't even a week ago.

' _E.N.D. I still wonder what a Demon's powers like that beholds…'_ Nic was cut off when he heard the sound of a loud stomach rumble. His eyes widened when he looked down towards his own stomach. He heard another rumble, one that could've mistaken him using Growl.

Charizard didn't seem fazed, if not sympathetic. "I hear ya. Are you gonna fry up some steaks or some sort of sirloin again?" The Flame Pokémon asked.

Nic turned away with a grin of glee, seeing as how their training was over and they were back to basic concepts. "I suppose so. We still have some leftover from last night. Let's add that in as well."

Charizard raised his head, grinning. "Sounds like a feast worth burning for."

* * *

Night soon fell onto Magnolia, the temperature again dropping to a rather low one. It was expected to snow a little, but it didn't matter to Nic. Since his childhood, he was always forced to sleep outside if the parents forced him to. But for his sake and others, he shut the windows and he and his six Pokémon feasted on nutritious meals that Nic prepared, with a little help from everyone pitching in of course. After a hardy meal and satisfied stomachs, Nic jumped into the shower quickly, came out fresh, and finally decided to go to bed.

Nic put on some smooth pajama pants that were a dark purple. He was standing up shirtless as he walked across the hardwood flooring, the boards creaking with every footstep, but he was okay with it. As the moonlight was disappearing behind the nighttime clouds, he looked out the window, watching as a small snowflake began to flutter daintily onto the windowsill. He looked back down at himself, regarding how it seemed repulsive to be sleeping on such a night without a shirt. But in retrospect, ever since he started sleeping in a bed – with Erza's consideration and support – he slept with a shirt off, and even now it never bothered him. It didn't bother him either how his entire right side was but a monstrous scar, and how his back had a massive scar running diagonally; then again, so did Greninja – who was snug inside of his Poke Ball.

Nic crawled into his bed, silently taking in a deep breath and finally letting mind go at ease. His head against the headboard, he was trying to cozy himself into the lumpy mattress. His eyes were half-open when he was beginning to think of a particular subject again.

He reached over, digging into the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out the few pieces of paper that were hidden away and held by a paperclip. He stared at them, seeing the various diagrams that he drew. It was a lot of space and a lot of work be poured into the papers. It was like holding a child; it was that important to him. It took him hours to plan everything, and he didn't want it at all to go to waste.

He thought deeper, and the deeper he went, the deeper he thought of Erza. Of course he loved her, and he wanted to be with her forever and always, but ever since he asked her that question about getting a house together, he wasn't sure what move to make. He was content the way things were now, but his instincts told him the best way to be forever is to live with each other forever. Nic wasn't sure if Erza was thinking yes or no, but jabbing the Clauncher wasn't his style. It's been over 5 months since they've become an item, but was he overthinking it? Did he think Erza wanted to wait until later?

The stress was just too much to take. He gave another relenting sigh and tucked the plans back into the drawer, closed it, and closed his eyes as he faced the ceiling.

* * *

The morning came; another sunshine day to take over in the town of Magnolia. The forecast wasn't wrong. It did snow just a little, but only covered maybe an inch, not enough to hide the blades of grass from the world. Frost was on the trees and the grass alike, and on the shack that Nic stayed in, frost turned the red roofing a little white. Nic arose from his sleep, taking the early morning to get maybe some push-ups and pull-ups in with the Pokémon, getting their cores flared up for the day to begin. A light breakfast, and Nic was set and ready to head to the guild hall.

The morning was a little on the chilled side, but it mattered not. With hands tucked into his coat pockets, Nic made way for the guild hall. His walk was pleasant, quiet, and with the early morning, Magnolia was still silent. A more peaceful morning one could label it.

Nic made it to the guild hall after a small trek. He stood in front of the closed doors, knowing that it was still a little early. He grinned. "A small job should be just what I'm looking for…" However, the atmosphere was completely off. His frown appeared, taking note of how awkwardly silent the guild felt. Even without opening the doors, there was absolute silence, not even a shuffle. _'Something's wrong here. The air is seemingly stiff. Is something inside?'_ He began to slowly step forward. "Only one way of finding out."

He opened the doors, the large set giving way to the inside. Immediately Nic was bombarded with everyone showering confetti and wearing party hats. People blew whistles and the entire guild was at the entrance, greeting Nic.

"SURPRISE~!" They all shouted.

Nic's eyes widened as his heart nearly stopped. His mind nearly went blank, shutting down from complete disarray with everything going on. As he looked past the smiling faces of everyone around him, he noticed that the floor was littered in purple glitter and balloons. So much confetti was around. The air was brimming with a warmth. Nic looked to see black and purple streamers swinging from one end of the guild hall to the other. All around hanging from the support beams were Poke Balls, and little signs that said ' _ **HAPPY BIRTHDAY!**_ ' All around was an assortment of foods, like a buffet. And there were more than a few desserts laid out for afterwards.

Vanessa stood in front of Nic, seeing how startled he was, but she could see how pleasantly pleased he was. "Happy birthday, Nic!" She happily shouted. "Well? You shocked?"

Nic was too startled to regain himself, though with the composure he still had left, he processed what Vanessa said. Slowly his facial expression grew into a smile. "I…I don't know what to say. I'm honestly speechless." He answered.

Vanessa's smile widened. "That's exactly what we wanted. I'm glad."

"But…" Nic didn't see it as overkill, but excessive would probably be a light term nonetheless. "Is this really all for me? You guys, honestly, I love what you did, yet don't you think it's a bit…much?"

Natsu did a hardy laugh, catching Nic's attention. "There's no such thing as overkill when it comes to partying Fairy Tail style, right Happy?!"

"Aye!" Happy cheered.

"We made sure to set the bar high." Gray added. "We busted our butts getting everything done before the sun came up. It took us all night to get everything set and done."

"Be glad Titania was here to kick us in our pants otherwise we may not have gone this far." Gajeel snorted.

"Be nice." Levy said. She turned back towards the birthday boy. "Anyways, we heard about it being your birthday today, and we felt bad that we didn't know last year."

Cana winked from the bar. "But look who decided to give you the party you've been missing out on!"

"All your birthdays missed, we decided to wrap into one big party." Sophie said. "We thought of guests like the other guilds, but it took a lot of convincing to keep Erza from doing so."

"Low-key or not, we did the job like real men for a man's birthday!" Elfman announced.

Mirajane clasped her hands together. "We poured a lot of work into this! Hope you're pleased!"

Slowly, but surely, Nic was becoming overwhelmed with a smile. "Mirajane…Vanessa…everyone…I honestly can't thank you guys enough for this."

Vanessa smiled happily towards her brother. "At first Sophie and I were just gonna do a simple house party, but then we decided to go big not just for your sake, but for someone else who's been dying to please you."

Nic turned towards the side, watching in shock as Erza slowly proceeded towards him, holding a rather large cake in hand. On it were a number of candles, 20 to be more precise. It looked to be pretty big for a party cake. The white cake had a creamy layer, which Vanessa checked to be ice cream. On it was a Poke Ball, and decorative miniature figures of Nic's Pokémon; Greninja, Charizard, and Kecleon on top, and Staraptor, Garchomp, and Arbok on the bottom. Erza gave Nic a wider smile as saw the shock bewildering him. "Nic…please accept this as the start of a very happy birthday."

Nic finally smiled, showing that he was beyond happy. He looked back to everyone else who was looking more than appeased with the hard work they went through – or to be more accurate – what Erza put them through. Nic recalled today, and how he turned 20, but he didn't think it was a big deal. He never had a birthday to begin with. The only gifts he ever got were of those comprised of shocks, punches, and miscellaneous assortments of violence. The only reason he found out his birthday was because Vanessa told them by looking at the birth certificate stashed in the basement in the far corner behind some rolled up wallpaper. For the first time, he was getting the birthday he's been missing out on. Relenting at long last, his smile widened, his happiness skyrocketing.

"That's what we wanted to see." Sophie acknowledged.

Cana gulped down fine wine for this occasion and sighed. She held up the glass with a big smile on her face. "Now let's party!"

True to form, everyone enjoyed themselves. With the tables decorated with tarps made like Poke Balls, everyone fasted in an all-out buffet. There were plenty of mouths to feed, including the thirteen Pokémon that were present. Despite breakfast, Greninja, Braixen, and the Honedge hanged back and relaxed well. Arbok and Garchomp sure proved that they had guts when they had almost an entire cake each, and even after one bite, neither was filled to the brim. There was so much fasting it could've been mistaken for a Thanksgiving. Everyone was being nice, especially since Erza warned them not to mess anything up. She wanted Nic's party top-notch, so she threatened Natsu and Gray bog time, and Vanessa warned Krookodile big time to not go throwing his usual fits. To a feast came the spoils, and Nic got first pick on everything, with Vanessa second and Erza third, and so on.

As Nic sat at a large table, he was eating a corner piece of the cake Erza presented him. "This is really good." He said.

"It's really rich." Greninja added.

"Going all out in battle isn't Erza's only strong suit." Staraptor pointed out, using her talon to utilize a fork.

Arbok hissed, but said nothing as he used his tail and coiled around a fork and ate a piece of chocolate cake. Suffice to say he seemed delighted.

At the table behind him, Vanessa sat with her team. Everyone was looking rather jovial; even Magnezone seemed happy. Of course the prospect of a birthday seemed a little odd, but Nic deserved nothing less. He was reluctant to be out of his Poke Ball at first out of guilt for the past, but of Nic and Vanessa weren't bothered by it, then he had nothing to worry about. He repented very much so by being Vanessa's Pokémon and participating in battles beside her; he had to support her, no matter what. He stuck by everyone's side, enjoying himself to the best of his emotions.

"Well these noodles and mashed potatoes was a splendid idea." Braixen said. "This broth is also very delicious."

Krookodile nodded. "Yeah!" He slammed a claw on the table, making silverware jump. "Krookodile needs to get more!"

Vanessa chuckled. "There's plenty to go around. Help yourselves. Just save some room for dessert, okay?"

"We know." Venusaur assured.

Sliggoo bent down and munched on a piece of a lemon cupcake with yellow frosting. She chewed and her senses tingled. "I can't begin to tell how good this is!"

Natsu scarfed down a chicken leg in one bite, looking satisfied. "Man, is this stuff delicious or what?"

"Cake's pretty great too. All these flavors are really rich." Lucy added.

"It took Erza and I quite some time to find the best bakeries and catering chefs in Magnolia." Mirajane held back a nervous laugh, though her tone was another story. "We were on a deadline, but I'm thankful we managed."

"That makes a handful of us." Cana hiccupped from nearby.

Erza had taken the liberty of feasting and enjoying the party alongside Nic. It was certainly a huge party, and none could blame her for trying to go all out. She wanted Nic to have the best party that he ever had, and from the looks of it all, she succeeded. She knew Nic's past was pretty messed up, and that he had perhaps the worst parents yet. Erza could understand why he never had birthdays or a Christmas. While her guild was a big fan of both, it still struck her as shocked when Nic never even told about his birthday date. He deserved no less for all of the deeds he's done for all; crossing the confines of time and space just to save the universe from collapsing and everything reducing to nothing may perhaps be one of the greatest destinies ever prophesized. She never imagined she'd fell in love with someone as pure and care so much that she would go so far as to drag everyone into her bandwagon and make sure Nic's solid 20 kicks off to a great start. "Nic?" She cooed on the opposite end of the table.

"Yes?" He answered.

"How are you enjoying the party?"

Nic smile widened. "Honestly, I'm a bit flustered with all of this praise and attention."

Erza giggled, seeing the slight tint of pink in Nic's cheeks. "I'm glad. I wanted to give you the birthday you so richly deserved."

Nic gazed warmly at Erza. The more he stared at her, the more longing he yearned. He was truly enjoying this from the bottom of his heart. He never in a million years would've guessed Erza would pour every bit of power to making sure this turned out grand. He would've gone on like it was a regular day; sure a small house party would be a shocker, but over the top was a tall order, and Nic was barely processing all of the pats on the back he was getting. "Thank you."

The party continued for a little longer. Once it reached perhaps 11 or 11:30, the cake and the food was pretty much spent. Most were stuffed to the brim, especially Natsu. Everyone gathered around and they all gave Nic their gifts. Nic was flooded with them, and honestly it was very much overkill, but on behalf of Erza, he took every gift with sincerity. The Master sure seemed pleased in his own right as he watched Nic embrace the happy birthday like there was no tomorrow. It was always nice to watch your child enjoy his or her birthday party. He remembered giving Laxus some pretty good parties when he was still a child, and he knew Laxus was hanging around as well out of fond memories. Those were happy and peaceful times.

At any rate, Nic opened his presents and read the birthday cards. It took maybe an hour in total to get all of the cards read and the presents opened, but it was all for fun and thrill. He scored a few recipes from the Strauss family, courtesy of Elfman and Mirajane. He got some clothes to lounge in from time to time by Lucy, Bisca, and Juvia. He got a few geography and biographical books from Levy. He got a painting of him and his Pokémon thanks to Reedus. He got numerous other gifts revolving around frames, charcoal, vast assortments of art he could use and sell. Cana, Vanessa, and Sophie poured their money to get Nic something he never would've seen in a million years just for him: a bed fitted to be king-sized, in the event Erza decided to sleep over that is. Others who knew had purchased pillows and comforters and blankets. It was so much to take in, but Nic was satisfied with how it all went.

After the gifts and everything was coming to a close, Erza had the men clean up the wrapping paper and box up everything. Nic got up from his chair and looked around, seeing as how all of the food was done and everyone looked to be cleaning up. "Can I be of any help?" He asked.

Erza shook her head. "It's alright. Everyone can handle cleanup and decorations. You just need to get ready."

Nic raised a brow. "For what?"

Erza smirked. "Don't think that just because the party is over doesn't mean your birthday is too. I'm taking you to Balsam Village. My treat."

Nic's surprise went through the roof. An early birthday party and now he's going to Balsam Village with Erza. And it wasn't even 1 o' clock. "You got reservations for Balsam Village?"

Erza nodded. "Of course. Now why don't you just get ready? We'll take care of everything from here on."

Nic had no reason to worry, especially since Vanessa would be staying behind and managing the cleanup in Erza's stead. As Erza walked off to discuss something with the Master, Nic took a small pause and grinned. It was really a buffet, then cake, and now he may get the luxury of a fine dinner and the possibility of a hot spring. This was like a dream come true to someone like Lucy. Nic didn't know what to say or how to react to all of this luxury. He never had many days to spoil himself. The only exceptions would probably when he slept an entire day after giving the Plates back to Arceus, the hot springs back with Warrod and the group, and maybe time to time when Erza stayed over.

He turned towards Vanessa, seeing her in the distance. "Vanessa?"

"Yes?" She turned towards him.

Nic looked towards her, though his smile was genuine, his fixation was very serious. "I need you to do something for me…"

* * *

Nic ventured out of his home not even five minutes later. He was adorned in his casual attire as before, so nothing changed in terms of his appearance. He really stopped by his home to brush his teeth to get the sugar out, apply face wash – as per the present Gray got him – and deodorant and he was all set. Meeting up with Erza in front of Magnolia's train station not long after, the inseparable pair got their train tickets and they were soon on their way to Balsam Village.

It was going to be a long ride, so Nic watched the landscape home and go as he sat on the cushions that sat across from Erza. He seemed calm and rather pleasant, almost too calm to even think of provoking. Erza absent-mindedly watched Nic as his left arm supported his head, looking relaxed as he watched the scenery come and go, passing over a small canyon down beneath. The redhead was looking back at the passing scenery and towards Nic. It hasn't been this way in the longest time. Between guild jobs, Nic's training, and Erza's own personal business, the two haven't had much of any obligation to just cast aside others to go to Balsam Village. At this time of the year, Balsam Village was supposed to be flooding with populations due to the holidays coming up. When she considered that, there was going to be a lot of attractions that would be attended to, but even though she wouldn't mind a dessert or two, she looked back at Nic, reminding herself that this was all for him and him alone. She longed to be happy, and Nic was the answer. If he was happy, she was too. This was his big day, and if he dared to think otherwise, there was no way she could ever forgive herself for letting Nic down. She loved him too much. Was that a bad thing? No. It just means she cares for his opinion. She had a limited number of opinions she took in, but Nic's was one of those few that she valued the most. Back when they first went to Balsam Village on a job a very long time ago – more precisely after Phantom Lord – the two weren't so solid on their ideals. Erza flaunted the ideas of hot springs over her own head then by Mirajane's suggestions, but she dismissed them since they were out on a special job and not for kicking back. This time was completely different. This time rather than worry about others and work, now they can just enjoy the other's company and enjoy the attractions of Balsam Village.

Nic was no different. He was lost in his own mind. He hasn't been to Balsam Village in the longest time either. He never went to Balsam to relax, but it was all for work. Not once did he take the attractions to delight, not even when he accidentally took that fight with that odd wolf-like monster a long time ago to the hot springs, where he also found the Stone Plate of all places. Life had ways of surprising him, whether it was fate, battles, fundamentals, and so on. The biggest surprise he ever had was ever becoming an item with someone. He wanted someone who understood his pain, and by no means was he gonna think anyone in his world would possibly understand. As to where Earth Land had just what he was looking for. Erza was his key to the doorway of sharing a life with someone who had harbored pain in the past. The two were always hurt by family in their own right. Nobody would ever have suspected the most stubborn and most powerful female mage in Fairy Tail ending up with someone like him. When they first met, it was a wary infatuation one might say. It wasn't something either was taking too seriously; that is, until the Tower of Heaven incident, where they learned that they truly had feelings for another. Before then, what were they? Interested? Of course. A relationship had odd starts, but tensions ease as their respects for one another grew. Compared to the last time Nic and Erza had been to Balsam Village, their relationship matured significantly. So much time had passed that it almost seemed unreal.

Both were too lost that they barely heard the train pulling into the station. Nic and Erza both snapped back to reality, and they realized they made it to Balsam Village. Nic stood up, smiling down at Erza. "I guess we've arrived."

Erza looked up, nodding. "It would appear so. Shall we make way?"

Nic slowly held his hands down towards the redhead. She tenderly looked into his warm blue yes, almost getting lost at the soft yet stern look he had, a resolution that made them both yearn for the time of their lives. Erza accepted Nic's hand and was pulled up to her feet. Nic guided his companion out of the train cart and readied for the remainder of his birthday.

* * *

"Are you positive he's okay with this?"

"Yes. I have no reason to think otherwise. He'd rather keep himself guessing than stress over something so trivial."

After finishing cleanup at the guild hall, Sophie and Vanessa both ventured towards the abandoned second building that Nic considered his home. The various decorations and other dishes cleaned took hours to fix up and put away. The sun felt as though it rose and yet it was wayward in the west, meaning evening was coming around. Everyone was so stuffed that the thought of dinner seemed to make many throw up. Unless you were Droy.

Vanessa opened up the double doors, seeing as how everything was at it should be. It's been a while since they've been inside the place. It hasn't been since before the Grand Magic Games. Those were some insane times, especially with Nic, Cana, Sophie, and Greninja's adventure beyond the Zentopia incident into the apocalyptic Celestial Spirit World. Vanessa guided Sophie up the stairs. "I think Nic said it was up here."

The two girls reached their destination up in the spacious attic. It was there that they saw the king-sized bed that Elfman and Gajeel hauled up earlier. They looked around, seeing the very few belongings Nic had in his name other than the neat stack of clothes he had sitting atop of a chair close to the installed shower. An odd attic, but very fitting for Nic. In the one corner was a stand with a drawing of a Barboach in progress.

"Over there." Vanessa walked towards the right side of the bed, in Nic's perspective when sleeping on it, and opened the drawer that revealed the plans Nic made. "So they were here."

Sophie nodded. "So what now? What exactly did Nic tell you to do?"

Vanessa took out the papers and closed the drawer. "He said to just take them over to our place for now. If somehow Erza gives him an answer soon, he wants to us to be as a bank, just to safeguard his plans."

"So he doesn't trust himself to hide it from Erza?"

"I think it's more like he wouldn't trust anyone else." Vanessa pointed out. "Think about it. Mirajane and the others would go crazy to renovate the plans Nic made. And you know how crazy Natsu can be. Word travels around fast in our guild. The point is, that keeping something like this in one spot would be too weary on his stress."

Sophie nodded. "Then I guess we don't have much choice. Guess we can't blame him. Erza tends to be a bit pushy…among other things."

* * *

"Achoo!" Erza covered up as she sneezed.

"Bless you." Nic said, looking up from his plate's worth of fine salad.

"Thank you." Erza replied. She picked up her fork again, resuming her own salad. To complement Nic's desires, Erza chose a fine restaurant establishment. She wanted to go for the finest restaurant in all of Balsam Village, but to Vanessa's suggestion, they tried something of lower-class to fit Nic's level. So Erza settled for making reservations for the Begonia. While inside, Nic's coat was off so his gray V-neck was showing. As to where Erza's hair flowed down from a bud with two sticks to keep it in place. She was in a black eastern style dress with white flowers decorating the hips and sides. The opening in the left slit was edged in white and traced up to the middle of the dress, separating into two white lined as a collar around her neck; said opening revealing large amounts of her huge cleavage. Her black high heels complimented her dress. Many a men stared at her, almost basking in the redhead's light, white other women stared in anger, their hardened glares piercing into Nic, but he soldiered on for the sake of Erza's pride.

"Is everything alright over here?" The waiter asked, having returned with another glass of iced cold water for the two.

"Everything is going well." Nic answered.

The waiter nodded. "Alright. Your main courses will be here shortly." The waiter noted. He then departed, rushing back over towards another table to keep up with the service. It wasn't just the waiter who seemed a little antsy, but everyone in all of Balsam Village was on the fritz because of Nic Pularis. Because it was his birthday, and because Nic practically saved everyone, the entire meal was free, the restaurant's treat.

Erza smirked at Nic, her gaze solemnly on him. "So…where to next? It's your birthday."

Nic smiled back at Erza, returning the smirk. "Well let's not worry about the future. For now…" He picked up his glass of water. "Let's just enjoy the other's company."

Erza grabbed her own glass, toasting with Nic. "I'd like that."

* * *

Vanessa and Sophie made it to the guild hall. Actually, they were passing by when they were hearing some stuff break apart. Some yelling came from inside and they heard some more wood fall apart. "GAH! ALRIGHT! IT'S ON NOW!"

Vanessa and Sophie both stopped by the large doors, looking inside to see Natsu and Gray again tussling it out. It was no wonder everything was so noisy again once Erza and Nic left. And with Vanessa momentarily gone, Natsu and Gray were free to tend to their daily routine of fighting. Both were seen pulling at the other's cheek and throwing punches. For the moment it was just them, so there was no large-scale guild brawl…for now.

"Can't you ever use manners! Your chomping grated my ears!"

"I never like manners! Just like the same feeling when I punch your teeth in!"

"That doesn't make sense!"

"I'll make you make less sense than me!"

Lucy face palmed. "Oh great. Here we go again."

Mirajane just smiled all along the way. "All that energy and that's what comes out in the end." She giggled.

Sophie turned towards Vanessa, seeing the casual look on the young Pularis sibling's face. She didn't seem at all interested. She spared enough of her energy dealing with her big brother's birthday party and helping out in any way she could. To add insult to injury, she missed out on one of her favorite activities: sleeping in. Sophie was tired as well, consider the hell Erza put them all through. "Let's go home. Let's have the Master deal with it."

Vanessa nodded. "I couldn't agree more." Both turned away, beginning to make their trek back to their apartment.

"Oh yeah?! How's about a taste of this!" Finding his second wind, Gray slugged Natsu across the face, sending the Dragon Slayer flying off his feet and soaring straight towards the exit. The direction of which his head was heading wasn't looking too pleasant.

Everyone's eyes widened and many horrifically gasped when Natsu slammed into Vanessa, the Aura Mage yelping as she was struck by Natsu. The impact made the papers in her hand fly out, scattering onto the ground, along with Vanessa.

Gray's surprise backfired. "Crap! Vanessa!"

"Vanessa, are you alright?!" Lucy asked.

Wendy gasped in shock still, still making sense of what she saw.

"And this is the part where the two boys learn the hard way." Carla sighed.

Sophie knelt down, assisting Vanessa up. "Vanessa, are you okay?" She asked. "Here, let me give up a hand." She hauled Vanessa up, supporting her by the arm. As the Memory-Make Mage was getting her roommate back to her feet, there was another story to be told for Natsu.

Happy ran up to him, watching him get back to his feet. "You okay, pal?"

Natsu grunted as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, no sweat. I took tougher blows when I was asleep."

"That's not what I meant." Happy sweat dropped.

"Huh? What you babbling on about then?"

"Look behind you." Lucy chided in a warning tone.

Natsu was met with inquiry, but trying to understand what they were going on about, the Dragon Slayer began to turn around. For some odd reason, he was getting a very menacing, dark aura from behind his back. Coincidentally, a chill ran down his spine. Whatever this sensation was, he had to find out. When he turned around, he really wished he hadn't.

Vanessa was on her feet, and although she looked alright, she was far from it. She was very patient, and very mild; casually relaxed for a lack of better term. However, she didn't tolerate scenarios like this well. Her teal aura surrounded her body, and while she didn't look angry, her eyes were wide, chin up, and a dark shadow dimming her face. "Natsu." She growled bluntly.

Natsu was sweating bullets. He was beyond nervous. "V-Vanessa. Hey. Didn't see you there…" He did a nervous laugh, but that didn't help him at all.

Sophie looked away, shaking her head as Vanessa engulfed Natsu in an explosion of teal aura that she fired at the creature of sheer impulse. "Sorry~~~!" Natsu wailed as he disappeared into the sky.

Gray raised a brow as he watched Natsu sail away. "Man, that's gotta be a new record of height gained."

"Uh, Gray?" Lisanna nervously warned from afar.

"Hm? Yeah, what?" He turned towards her and Cana, but both pointed their thumbs at the entrance. Gray followed their lead, but when he did, he was also met with a Vanessa glare. His eyes widened. "Not me too!"

It was too late for apologies. Another teal aura engulfed the area. Gray flew out of the guild hall, he too gaining some distance as Vanessa blasted him off. Wherever they landed, Vanessa did not care. The walk back would be an extra punishment.

Vanessa lowered her arm, giving a sigh of annoyance and relief at the same time.

"You okay, girl?" Cana asked.

Vanessa turned away, brushing off her pink skirt. "Yes, I'm better."

Sophie looked down at her feet, noticing how the many papers were spread all over. "Look at this. Come on, let's pick it up."

"Right." Vanessa knelt and tried scrambling the papers that fell out of her hands.

Mirajane came by, smiling as she knelt down. "Why don't I help?" She reached for a paper, picking it up. Immediately this unnerved Vanessa and Sophie as Mirajane turned the paper over. "Oh. What's this?"

Vanessa hurried and scrambled for the rest of the papers. She and Sophie stood up once they gathered the scattered remnants and Mirajane followed as well, but her eyes were scrutinizing the piece of paper she had in hand.

"Mira, please give that to us." Sophie urged.

Mirajane looked up with questions. "Is there something going on here?"

Romeo peeked over the barmaid's shoulder, taking a look at the well-laid diagram. "Looks like a house floor plan."

"You guys redecorating or something?" Wendy asked.

Mirajane looked back down at the plans. "This look complex. Hardwood floors? That'd be a lot of wood. Renovations perhaps?" She and the rest of the guild looked to Vanessa and Sophie for answers. They all had expectant looks, even Lily and Gajeel, who raised brows at the hearing of floor plans.

Vanessa and Sophie looked at one another, their faces telling that the Purrlion was out of the bag now. Vanessa didn't know what to say, except now they couldn't escape. Out of disappointment of the one job Nic asked them to do, Vanessa and Sophie confessed. It wasn't easy, nor fair, but since everyone was interested on the plans Mirajane held, they told the guild of Nic wanting to build a house if Erza ever answered yes.

Once Vanessa was finished explaining, Lucy's eyes widened. "Really?"

Mirajane clasped her hands together, looking with glee as Vanessa tried to re-organize the floorworks Nic made. "That's such a big step. "

Cana winked. "Alright! Looks like he's puttin' on some big boy shoes now!" Cana slurred.

"Takes a real man to ask his girlfriend to live with him!" Elfman beamed.

Gajeel snickered. "What do you know? Looks like Luminous ain't the lonely type out in the wilderness after all."

"Settling down, nice." Lily nodded in approval.

Makarov's eyes lit up. "Sounds to me that we have something to look forward to."

"Now hold on!" Vanessa snapped. Everyone's hopes and expectant looks fell. Her warm blue eyes looked towards everyone present. "Guys, I know you're all excited. I am too. But if we go and mess with Nic's plans, there's no doubt in my mind that he's gonna be really angry with us."

Sophie crossed her arms. "I rather not deal with a pissed off Nic."

Makarov nodded in understanding. "I see, then we'll just have to talk to Nic about this later on. You are correct when we should be weary on how to approach this matter. These are Nic's plans, and alterations and we might not be welcomed."

Vanessa looked down at the plans, seeing the title 'Nic & Erza's House'. Her smile returned. "If we wanna be there for him, then we gotta wait for his approval…and Erza's. So if Nic brings this issue up, let's just be sure to follow his needs. That's what a guild does, right?"

Everyone smiled in agreement. Vanessa and Sophie both thus pressed the matter back towards their place, where they stashed the plans away for safekeeping.

* * *

Nic laid on the large bed, letting out a deep sigh as his head laid back against the fluffy pillows beneath. His upper body was without clothing as the cool sheets made his body not feeling anywhere overheated. After the nice dinner that Erza paid for, they went to a local dessert and creamery, where Nic was kind enough to get Erza was she wanted – strawberry cheesecake. From there on, the rest of their day was fairly sound and pleasant. The rest of Nic's birthday was whatever he wanted, so long as Erza was there. After walking around the entire city and seeing the sites, they made it to the park, and all the way Erza held onto Nic's arm tenderly. As the sun had set early, Nic decided they should head to the spas, where Erza again paid. But it was all worth it. All of the stiff muscles the two had were eased up by the trained massagers. By the end of the massage and the bone-cracking, Nic and Erza felt younger, especially when they went to the hot springs. They were actually the same hot springs Nic thrashed in all those years ago, only not only were the renovations a success, but the water had silky minerals that their skin needed.

After such a good soaking, Nic and Erza found a very expensive, but also very rewarding, inn. It wasn't the same inn they stayed in all those years ago. This inn was much classier, and the pillows and lavish expenses were fluffy. The shower towels were exquisite.

As Nic was just about ready to fall asleep, Erza stepped out of the bathroom all clad in a robe. Her hair fell down her back and shoulders like it was meant to. The redhead stretched her arms overhead, relieving herself.

"This was a very nice day." She moaned.

Nic turned towards the left side if the bed, watching as Erza crawled atop of the blanket. "Yeah, I couldn't have asked for a better day spent."

Erza's head rested on the pillow, her gaze set on Nic as the lacrima lights began to turn off, giving way to a mood shift. Her brown eyes gazed lovingly into Nic's. "I'm glad. I'm glad you got the birthday you so richly deserved."

Nic stared at Erza, soon enough slowly shaking his head. "No…" He reached his right arm over, moving his body underneath the covers as he scooched close enough to but an arm around her waist. His smile widened as his eyes shut. "What made this birthday spectacular…was how much you and the others cared to make this. I would've been able to enjoy myself like I did of it wasn't for you. Erza, I'm glad I got to spend the last half of my birthday with you."

Nic's little complement got the better of Erza. Her eyes were beginning to mist up. She was touched that Nic thanked her for everything his birthday held, but she was also thankful she was there to watch Nic enjoy the time of his life. She slowly reached over and brushed her hand against Nic's cheek. She leaned in and her bottom lip went over hip, the taste of strawberry against the one thing Nic tasted. Erza didn't let up as she held onto that kiss for a long time, the ecstasy in her body coming alive like some days when she and Nic are alone. She had nothing to worry about so long as Nic was there. She cared not for the future so long as Nic stayed with her and vice versa.

Erza moved to mount atop of Nic, straddling him. She kissed him once again before letting up. Having her hands on his bare chest, she smirked and looked down at Nic, watching his chest rise and fall.

"Nic?"

"Hm?"

"Do you remember that question you asked a long time ago?"

"You mean about asking if you wanted to get a house, just the two of us?" He was catching on very fast. He was getting a notion as to where Erza was going with this. When he asked a long time tome ago, Erza said she wanted to think about, but in the back of his mind it sounded like a no. "That one?"

"Yes." Erza nodded. "I came to make up my mind."

"What do you want to do?"

"How about some time this week…let's find a house. Just the two of us."

Nic smiled wide. "I'd like that very much." He looked so overjoyed. His heartbeat had just accelerated in that very instance. Erza actually agreed. This was indeed another present from her to him. He could fall sleep knowing that today he got far too much than for what he bargained for…however…there was one last present Erza had yet to give him.

"Nic~." She called sultrily.

Nic opened his eyes again, seeing that Erza was right in front of him. The redhead's lips again interlocked with Nic's the redhead maintaining a dominance as she was giving Nic all of the love he ever so richly deserved. Once she was satisfied with the little memento, she pulled back, the look in her eyes a little more…predatory.

Nic's eyes widened a little. "Erza?"

Erza licked her lips, a sure sign of anticipation for something to come. As she stared at Nic longingly, she began to undo the top part of her robe, showing a massive amount of her monstrous buxom to her boyfriend. Nic's cheeks were seen pink, and that's just what she was looking for.

She leaned down once more, licking her lips so close in front of Nic's face. "There's still one last birthday gift for you." She whispered into his ear.

"Erza? I know you're excited, but-!"

Erza pounced, and everything after that became nothing but a blur for the 20-year-old. While everything that night was incoherent to Nic, all he could have recalled was feeling a whole assortment of things that he couldn't have explained, not that he would to begin with. The nighttime hours were filled with the sounds of huffs, moans, and much stuff left best unexplained, for they could bring damnation to the name of the inn. Someone could also say that an animal got carried away with its prey and there was a wild fuss in that room. No one would ever really know, but one thing was certain; those animals locked in that cage of a room sounded hungry.

A very great day with a great end. Another year to end, and another year to start. And the start had the bar set high.

* * *

 **Here's the first chapter as of December. Hope it lived up to your guys' expectations. I will be honest, I leery as to how to end this chapter. I was considering something low-key like Nic just falling asleep, but since I need to prepare for an upcoming arc that I'm making, I may as well expand and search a wider range of genres. So the ending I had the intimacy stepped up to 11.**

 **Also this is to answer a Guest reviewer. In regards to Zeref or of the future plot, I prefer to not spoil anymore surprises, so if it happens, it happens. Also, no Ultra Beasts, and nothing related to Alola at all in this story. This is based off of Kalos, so it stays Kalos.**

 **Some definite NicxErza fluff this chapter, with a hefty dash of battling and Mega Evolution for some action. What did you guys think about Nic's birthday chapter? Better or same as Vanessa's? Comment and let me know if you enjoyed any of it. Thanks for reading another thrilling chapter! :)**


	26. Another Step Taken

"Is everyone all set?" Makarov asked.

Laxus sat right next to him, elbow to the bar table. "As ready as they'll ever be."

"Don't worry, Laxus. We'll be sure to hold down the fort until you all return later on." Freed assured. Evergreen and Bickslow accompanied him, supporting his claim with affirmative smiles.

Mirajane was present as well, clasping her hands together. "It's too bad Gildarts couldn't be here. I'm sure he would've been a big help."

Makarov let out a sigh, though whether it was for relief or annoyance was hard to tell. "Well there's nothing we can do. If we needed him that badly, then we could've sent him a letter. But it's nothing that Nic can't handle. Remember the plan, and stick to it. We need to make this event last as long as we can." Laxus and Mirajane nodded to his words of understanding. Behind him were the others, though despite a few leery looks all around, they seemed to be busy doing their own thing as always. It was as rowdy and as boisterous as it has been the entire morning, without even the slightest scuffle thanks to Vanessa playing guard dog in Nic and Erza's stead.

Nic and Erza soon ventured into the guild hall, catching everyone's attention again. With reciprocating welcomes and greets from the members, the two made way towards the bar, where the Master and other two were meant to be.

"Hello, Master." Erza greeted.

Makarov nodded back. "Hello to you as well, Erza. I trust that you've remembered the debriefing, correct?"

"Yes, in accordance to what we've established last night. I've fully condemned myself to full responsibility." The redhead informed with pride.

Makarov turned towards Nic. "Nic, are you well rested and ready for this?"

Nic returned a small grin. "Of course. I'm more than prepared."

"And are you sure about this? You can still maintain your status without regret."

"Forgive me, Master, but I've been thinking that it's time I was given a fair ground to cover amongst the rest of you. I was given the easy way up to the status, but deep down I knew that it wasn't completely fair. I'm ready, and I'm not turning away." Nic told in a serious tone.

Makarov nodded in understanding. "Very well." He got up from his seat, and he turned towards the guild members that were all busy doing whatever. "Everyone, listen up! We'll be leaving as of now. I expect you all to be on your best behavior. Don't destroy anything so needlessly, for there will be extreme consequences if that occurs. Everyone do your best, and don't shirk, understand?" A lot of what he said was true, but his tone made it sound more like a threat to their guts if they didn't follow through. Many of the weaker and frightened members nodded vigorously at the Master's words as the group of five began their departure.

As they all left and made way outside the doors, Nic was the last one on tow. He turned back towards everyone, who were all staring at him with stiff gazes. After a long pause, Nic gave his own nod of understanding at the plan, and he departed along with the Master and three S-Class Mages.

The moment they all left, Cana rose from her chair and cleared her throat. "Alright people, drop what you're doing, because it's time to put the plan into motion! You all ready?!"

Many raised their mugs and cheered at Cana rousing them for the task at hand. They were all honestly a little excited about this. They were informed a few days prior to be sure they had their designated supplies and what to build from them.

Vanessa walked in front of Cana, preparing her own speech. "Everyone stay alert. Now, we all knew someday this would transpire, so like it or not, we're doing this as a guild." She held up Nic's plans set on paper. "These plans are to be followed. Nic won't take a slide for an answer. We need to make sure every bit of material is accounted for and there has to be a surplus."

This was it, the day that many had been looking forward to for almost a week now. This was the day that they had to help make Nic and Erza's house. When Nic found out about Vanessa spilling the plans, of course he was a little mad, but he was willing to allow help in the end. However, the catch was that he wanted this to be a surprise for Erza. They weren't going to _find_ a house, they were to _build_ one. It took some planning within the few days, but they all managed to understand the checklist that Master had made and made sure everyone got the porcelain and the hundreds upon hundreds of woods needed. And with the massive number of mages in Fairy Tail, the odds were that this house could get fixed up and readied by tomorrow.

Cana stood up, hands to her hips and heading for the exit. "Alright! Time to give Fairy Tail's second building a new name and a lot of renovations!" As she pressed on, the many other members followed with rejuvenated spirits. Gathering the supplies they had from the storage behind the guild, they all proceeded up towards the shabby tavern to begin its new makeover.

* * *

A train whistled in the far distance up ahead, rolling along the train tracks that traveled just around the forest. The trains were considered the fastest way to get to a certain location across the mountains a few miles off. The forest, however, was Nic's line of transportation. To save time, and to keep himself warmed up for what was to come, he ran from tree to tree, dashing with grace equal to that of a Grovyle.

This was all his idea, and it came with a probable cause.

" _Nic, what is this about?" Makarov questioned in inquiry._

" _Master, we need a plan to keep Erza away until the finish of the construction. Therefore, we need something grand and important for her to attend. So…I am suggesting a singular S-Class trail for myself."_

 _It sounded so absurd, but he wasn't wrong either. Makarov wanted to think otherwise; after all, it was he who dubbed Nic S-Class a very long time ago. It was a little hard to process, and if Makarov was honest, he truly believed Nic was meant to stay S-Class. What compelled him to want to be given a fair chance. He was made an exception, and just like the Wizard Saint title, he's turning it down._

" _Master, you and I both know that I want this to be a surprise for Erza. The odds of her finding out would be too great if she stayed; plus, no offense, but I was given S-Class on a whim. Back on Tenrou Island, I wasn't given a fair trial like Sophie and the others had to go under. If I'm to really consider myself part of this guild, I need to be fair with how matters are settled, that includes dealing with no stone left unturned."_

" _So…let me understand this. You want to have an S-Class exam and make sure Erza plays a big part along with Laxus and Mirajane, not only to distract them from the idea of building a house for you, but also so that you can undergo a challenge like they had to undertake?" Makarov asked. It would've made much better sense if it was just Erza heading out for a job far away, more specifically and S-Class request…but Nic brought up a convincing argument. He was unfairly promoted, a shortcut that even though everyone agreed to, it still internally left a small hint of remorse. Nic always chose the hard way in life, that included becoming a Trainer and how he trained._

 _Makarov narrowed his eyes towards him. "If that is what you have decided, then I guess we can make an official trial. It will be 3 days from now, but the details will be debriefed shortly."_

" _I understand. Thank you." Nic nodded._

" _We'll have to alert everyone to this plan of yours. Even though things are settling down around here, I still would rather have a proper S-Class exam pushed back another year since we got so many more members back this year."_

 _Nic turned away, a frown on his face. "Especially with the Tenrou Island incident, am I right?"_

" _Guess exams aren't gonna be held there again for as long as we live." Makarov's eyes widened. "Wait, so that's why you want this to be a singular trial!"_

 _Nic nodded. "Yes, Master. If it's just me, then no one else could be dragged into an event like that a second time. Grimoire Heart and Acnologia was one thing altogether, and Fairy Tail lost seven years and almost all of its members. We dropped to the problem. If anything happens this time, at least it'll be just us who'll be affected and not everyone else."_

 _Makarov put a hand to his chin, raising a brow. "That may be. Natsu and Gray are capable mages able to keep the guild's reputation and status if anything happened. Gajeel is a liable candidate as well." After mulling around the matter with grumbles, the Master came to a conclusion and nodded. "Alright, then I'll get a list started and we'll have everything set and ready to go."_

Nic raced through the forest, venturing father up north. The train carried the other S-Class Mages. While they prepared for the trial for Nic. His plan wasn't too bad if put into a logical perspective. A fair trial, in conjunction with a method to tire out Erza. Makarov made it clear that he'll make sure Erza played a big part in it. From what he was aware of, the trials would test his strength, mental capacity, and every decision he makes was to be crucial. That's what it took to be S-Class. Nic's proven this on a number of occasions, but it was time to make this official, just like he did with Erza before the Grand Magic Games.

His foot reached another branch, and then he stopped. He stared ahead, looking at the mountain in the distance. His gaze was straightforward, and full of dead seriousness. _'That's where it is.'_

Over in the distance of the last expanse of forest was a mountain. It looked to be a complex mountain with a number of ridges and peaks. Up at the top, one could see a ring of clouds, indicating the altitude level it reached. It was a mountain Nic's been by before, but he hasn't really been through it before. In a way, it kind of reminded him of the peaks of the Frost Cavern mountains, only without the frost. At this time of year, it was expected to get snow quite easily compared to other mountains. Mount Hakobe was always snowing, but Mount Columbite.

Nic learned a bit of the mountain's history thanks to his time traveling with Jellal during the Council War. It was a tall mountain that's directly connected to Devil's Valley. It was a mountain that's normally avoided because of its odd design and tunnels. You can find your way out easily, but it either takes you to a steep slope that drops you into Devil's Valley or you'll find yourself at a higher, yet flat, terrain. It's a seasonal mountain, so it's covered in some flora during spring and summer and is dry in the fall, and then winter comes and it's a tundra. Wild animals encompass the base, and there's really only a few safe passages to thoroughly navigate through the mountain from one end to another, but not to escalate.

Nic stared at the mountain, discerning the cold temperatures. He looked around, seeing his breath due to the cold. He looked straight up, noticing how the skies were blue, and yet there were clouds near the top. "If I have to climb that high, guess I have no choice."

Relinquishing any morbid thoughts, Nic jumped, springing off the branch that momentarily housed him and he pressed on towards the rocky mountain.

* * *

An hour passed by before Nic finally met the edge of the forest. Once he took the moment to catch his breath, he showed himself through the dry grass and trekked up towards the trail. Once he had reached the cavernous entrance, he stood there, inspecting what was the entrance to the trial.

' _According to the first directive the Master said, once I pass through this trail leading upwards, I should reach an open area that should be flat.'_

Nic followed his conscience and he took in a deep breath, in which he exhaled and frost came out. With his pace steady and maintaining a calm, he went through the cavern without further delay. He pressed on ahead and into the cavern he went.

As he traveled through the hollow tunnel, he noticed how high the ceilings were, with stalactite hanging due to weathering and erosion over time. He remained on his guard as he zeroed in on every possible boulder that was up ahead. This was by no means anything different from an ambush point. There was a higher point hanging on his right that sloped down towards him, rocks acting like ramparts. He was more than prepared to pick up even the slightest misstep he could pick up, but frankly, he didn't hear a huff, a growl, or a sneeze.

' _If the Master is testing me upon entrance, he might be expecting me to be ready for any possible points of attack when I least expect them.'_ He figured.

He ventured onwards but a few more feet, this time hearing slight sizzling and groaning. Immediately he shifted towards the sound, ready to pull out a Poke Ball. However, his worry was all for naught. He blinked, realizing that embedded into the wall was a Vulcan, but its whole body was fried, and it was upside down.

"A Vulcan?" Nic looked up ahead, his eyes widening upon seeing many more Vulcan wasted. Some were fried from what seemed to be lightning – static still crackling around the fur – some were cut into, and some were completely pulverized. "A Vulcan ambush?" He looked around, seeing as how Vulcans were known to inhabit forests and mountain ranges in packs. Once the terrain, facts, and the situation cleared up in his mind, he realized what happened and calmed down. "I see…Laxus and the others had to handle a little resistance before setting up the trial."

He had no objections, though he was a little surprised that they didn't leave a couple for him. He wouldn't mind a warmup. But in a way, he was psychologically warmed up. With this surprise, he knew what to expect, and be weary of your surroundings and who could be hiding where.

He eventually escalated up the tunnel, making his way where the Master had instructed him. He saw a light outside, and he made it out of the small passage. Once he stepped out, he made it to a massive clearing. There were patches of grass from here to there, but not so much to liter the clearing. A chilling autumn breeze passed Nic's face, but the man was left undeterred as he saw Master Makarov in the far end of the open, flat area.

"Nic." Makarov waved him over, and as Nic obeyed, he looked around, cautiously looking at the very unshaped peaks that the mountain clearing held. Granted, he's seen some unnerving stuff as of late, with Lysandre, Wizard Saints, and so on, but he expected some form of a trap of ambush to soften him up. Clearly he was falsely alarmed.

Nic stood in front of Master Makarov after he made it across the clearing with no sweat. His guard was up though. "Master." He greeted.

Makarov bowed to Nic. "Nic, welcome to your trials. Before we start, do you have any questions?"

Nic remained steadfast. He didn't bother looking back at the entrance. He rather not jump to conclusions, but he also knew what happened wasn't part of the trial. If it wasn't part of the trial, then there was nothing to say. "I'm ready."

The Master nodded in understanding. "Very well. Nic, let's begin your official trial." He turned to look over his shoulder. "Your first task will test your navigation, your instincts, and your speed. More importantly, it'll test your intellect and strategy through maneuvering against obstacles. Look up."

Nic did as told, and behind Master Makarov, there was a huge labyrinth that scaled upwards. There were what seemed to be levels in the mazes. Each maze was on a plateau that had a little stairway at the finish of every one and leading towards the entrance to the next plateau right above. One could say it was like the world's biggest staircase with a maze for ants with every step.

"As you can see, there's a number of plateaus that make their way up to the top, there, a single cave will be present. Your challenge is to clear every plateau's labyrinth. There's seven in total. The rules are straightforward. You have to complete every maze the entire labyrinth to make it to the next round. There will be no magic or powers permitted that have you tunnel, teleport, nor fly your way to the top. Anything else goes. You'll have three hours. Understood?"

Nic nodded.

"And be careful. There will be some wild animals who inhabit this mountain as you saw back at that little ambush point we had to clear. Vulcans are quite territorial when provoked." He bored daggers straight into Nic, seeing that he was well-aware of the circumstances. "Let your trial…start!"

Immediately, Nic zipped past Master Makarov, heading straight for the small flight of stairs leading up to the beginning of the labyrinth. He hurried his way and glowed, shifting into his Earth Form and stopping when he finally made it to the entrance of the labyrinth.

Once there, he raised his right soot and stomped. He sent out invisible vibration waves that scattered all across the plateau points and labyrinth, a controlled amount that was like echolocation through the earth rather than water. The palpitating vibrations scattered and returned to Nic, getting the entire map and directions of the mountain itself. He got an exact reading once the vibration waves returned back to him. Discerning even the labyrinth, Nic knew where to go. With every turn sought, he could even detect the animals walking around in the maze like guards.

"That way!" Nic went running straight ahead. He disregarded the numerous entrances to the remainder of the first maze and saw where the straight path he took separated in left and right. _'The exit is closer to the right. On the left there should be a creature that should be walking up to my position.'_

As his feet picked him up and carried the trial-goer, his ears twitched, indeed hearing the sound of thumping, no doubt indicating the size of the animal being large. As he approached his point, he glowed, becoming something new. It was a Rock/Ground Form combo. The qualities of his Stone Form were all there indeed, but the edging, the belt, shoes, and emblem on the back was the color of the edging of his Earth Form.

He remained determined as he advance and pivoted towards the right. As he suspected a large, bipedal mammal that was indeed another Vulcan. As the Vulcan pounced, Nic stomped his left foot backwards, summoning a wall that closed off the Vulcan. The Vulcan hit the thick, stone wall engraved into the labyrinth almost perfectly, its face embedding into the stone almost perfectly. The beast fell backwards, turning unconscious.

Nic continued onward like nothing happened. He ran on ahead, deepening his directions as he ran straight ahead. _'Left!'_ Using the power his Earth Form half gave him, every step was like echolocation that gave him a mental map to follow. He turned the corner and went left and ran further ahead. _'Right!'_ He pivoted and turned right. He came up to where the path diverged into multiple corridors. _'Take the second farthest corridor up ahead on the left. An inhabitant is approaching on the first corridor on the right.'_ He followed his directions, and as he approached the right corridor, the corner of his eye caught the glimpse of another mountain Vulcan. He took his right foot and pressed deeper on his step as he passed by. As the Vulcan closed in, another stone wall shot up, engraving into the labyrinth, cutting off the Vulcan and leaving Nic to follow his way towards the second corridor to the left, trekking onwards.

When a Vulcan was in his way as he traveled down the maze, the monkey-like beast obviously went for the attack. Nic clasped his hands together and sprung after the beast. " **Drill Run!** " He spun like a drill, speeding in at high speeds and diving himself into the Vulcan's abdomen. The beast lurched and yelled out as Nic spun with great pressure, making the beast skyrocket into the atmosphere to confines unknown.

When Nic landed on a knee, he hurriedly picked himself up and ran on ahead.

* * *

"Here." Max handed another large plank of wood to Gajeel. The Iron Dragon Slayer accepted it.

"Thanks." Gajeel lowly thanked. He sat the plank up towards the rest of the others and pressed his index finger, making nails that stuck the plank into the supporting wood. Once he got all of the corners, he moved onto the next one.

Elfman was hammering away more wood up top. He was making sure every piece was accounted for and sturdy. "Nothing like a little manual labor to make a real man~!" He chimed with glee.

"I hear that." Macao said as he carried a long plank of lumber to the other side of the house.

"Hey Dad, where you want this piece to go?" Romeo called from close by, holding a smaller blank in hand.

"Just set it on the front. I think that cement is just about ready." His father answered.

"Got it."

Sophie was close by, supplying lemonade in small plastic cups for Nab and Alzack. "There you go." She gave them their cups and watched them walk off. She looked back at the house, seeing as how the space it took was greater than what any of them imagined. She looked back at all of the sweaty guys building into the house with lumber being imported. "Them working is already making me feel a little tired."

"Don't be so modest. You're doing so~ much already." Cana sarcastically teased.

Sophie turned her head towards the brunette. "And how exactly are you contributing?"

Cana held up a bottle of booze, winking. "Simple…I'm observing."

"Of course you are." Sophie rolled her eyes, turning back to where the long hallway was to be established. The lumber for said hallway was already established, and the end was already established with a wall.

Sitting on blankets some feet away from the labor site was Bisca, Asuka, Levy, Lucy, and perhaps half of the female mages of Fairy Tail who weren't out running back and forth between here and the guild to get the supplies. Thanks to everyone's cooperation, the construction was looking good. It was going to be practically at least three times larger in area according to the plans Nic made, which Lisanna had on hand.

"So after we set up the walls, half will work on interior while the other half works on the exterior." Lucy said.

"Who is this 'we' you speak of?" Bisca joked.

Luct sweat dropped. "Good point." Her eyes widened, a realization looming over her head. "Hey, yeah. Where's Natsu and Gray? Shouldn't they be helping?"

"Not sure. Weren't they supposed to help?" Lisanna asked.

Levy looked over to Sophie. "Sophie, do you know where they are?"

Sophie handed the last cup of lemonade to another guild member and looked back at her. "Natsu and Gray?" Just then, everyone could've sworn that Sophie sweat dropped in uneasiness. "How do I put this…they won't be helping us, Happy and Juvia included."

"Why? Did something happen?" Lucy asked, her pitch hinting concern.

"Don't be so dramatic. Don't you remember that we didn't discuss this with those two? We had our meeting when they _weren't_ around. Nic and Vanessa figured they wouldn't get along, so they planned ahead and made sure to assign them jobs…really far away. Apparently Juvia got roped into Gray's mission as well."

Wendy nervously smiled. "Uh, w-well…they're not wrong."

"Barbarians like them are better off diverged after the incidents of the monster hunt gone wrong." Carla sniped. She remembered well of all of the scuffles Natsu and Gray got into, the most recent ones being the monster hunt - in which Nic stopped – on their way to Sir Warrod's, and the fight where Natsu and Gray were blasted off by Vanessa. Given the reasons for harming both, it was clear the circumstances were grim if they were around.

"Good call if you asked me." Cana sipped from her mug of beer. "Hey, where's Vanessa anyway?"

"She went to make some more lemonade. She should be back anytime now." Sophie answered. She turned around, hearing sound of ice clanging. "Speaking of which…"

Vanessa was walking up the dirt trail, which had all of the stone steps removed. In her hands were two large containers of ice, cold lemonade that she made herself from concentrate. Braixen carried a third container as she followed in tow.

"There she is." Cana said. "Made more?"

"Yes." Vanessa huffed as she carefully sat both containers of lemonade on the table, albeit a little shaky. "You have no idea on how many lemons I had to purchase to make this batch."

"And I bet you ate some of those lemons too after you squeezed them dry, right?" Sophie rhetorically asked.

Vanessa didn't seem to deny it. She helped Braixen haul up the last container. "Just a few." She nonchalantly answered.

Lucy got up from her seat. "Hey, why don't I try?" She went on over, walking with a slight skip in her step as she was feeling a little parched. She grabbed a cup and held it to the nozzle, which poured out some yellow lemonade.

"It might be a little on the sour side, just so you know." Braixen warned.

Lucy looked down, smiling. "Really? Okay." Lucy dipped the cup over and she gulped down the lemonade. As it passed her tongue, her taste buds crackled. There wasn't too much sugar, but a lot of water and a plethora of lemon juice from concentrate. Her eyes widened once that first sip was done. Her face nearly puckered, the sour levels more than a little shocking. "Wow. Strong." She could say a little too strong, but being nice was her strong point.

"Told you." Braixen warned. She and the others turned to look back at the construction, watching as another wall was being established.

* * *

Nic climbed up the steps, his own step being solid and light. Once he had reached the top, he let a small huff exert from his cheeks as he glowed and shifted back to himself. That running was nothing, but it was mainly the navigation and all of those sharp turns he had to do. He stood in front of the small cave that Makarov had instructed him and he looked into the darkness somewhat, seeing nothing much now that the skies above were brimming with the clouds that hovered over the mountain.

Nic looked up, noticing another temperature drop. _'The temperature is getting colder. If this keeps up, frost and snow will layer the mountain. The landscape would have to alter as well, making it harder to navigate by means of walking.'_

"Nic, congratulations." Nic looked down, noticing how Master Makarov was already there and congratulating him in front of the cavernous entrance. His sudden appearance surprised Nic, but he didn't question.

Nic nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Master." He answered.

Makarov looked passed Nic, looking down at the plateaus he cleared. He noticed that many of the roadways that the maze had were either blocked off or reshaped by Nic's powers. And littered in a few spots were fallen Vulcan that couldn't handle even a single Drill Run or Rock Blast. _'I see, so by using his Earth Form in conjunction with his Stone Form, not only was he able to thoroughly navigate the terrain like it was a map, but also cut off any routes that had animals waiting. He chose to stay on task rather than resort to needless combat and chases, so he altered some labyrinth pieces to cut off enemy forces in the event of others that are allies in pursuit.'_ He looked back to Nic and looked at him with heavy intention. "Well done. You were given three hours, but you succeeded in just an hour. You passed the first test of mentality. And now, this shall become a test of strength."

Nic crossed his arms as he looked down. "In other words, combat or brute force?"

"Right. You may be familiar with this trial, as you tested Sophie before with it. This will be a combat trial. Your task will be straightforward like this last one. Once you step inside the cavern, there will be three passageways. As you may know, three S-Class Mages means those three paths will be no serenity. And here's the catch, you have to defeat all three is you wish to advance to the final round of the S-Class Trial. Are we clear?"

' _So rather than pick one like on Tenrou Island, he's making it three times as hard by forcing me to fight all of them.'_ He had no objections, in fact, he was well a little excited.

Makarov stepped off towards the side. "Very well then…round 2 begins now!"

Nic stepped inside of the cavern. Almost instantly, the temperature seemed to have escalated some. While it was cold outside, the heat is trapped in the tunnels, making it a little breather before advancing. Nic also notices that like down hundreds of meters at the very bottom, there lied some light, so it wasn't completely dark.

When he made it about a hundred meters in, he found what the Master had warned him of. He stopped when he found the three tunnels in front. They seemed to have gone on for maybe a quarter mile, but he could see light at the very end of each one. _'Okay…'_ He glowed, briefly shifting into his Meadow Form. He remained still as he was feeling the natural energy all around him. "…" He looked towards the far right, feeling a twisted sense of energy. He looked towards the middle, feeling a stern and solid force. He finally looked left, sensing a strong energy of fierce voltage. He found out who was where.

He glowed and shifted back into himself. He pulled out two Poke Balls. "Charizard! Arbok! Come out!" He called out. He tossed both Poke Balls into the air, summoning the Flame and Cobra Pokémon. Charizard huffed out some fire towards the ceiling while Arbok hissed and lowered his head towards Nic.

"Alright, we're ready." Charizard said. "Right, Arbok?"

Arbok nodded. "Yesssss." He looked towards Nic. "Nic-ssssama, what issss it that you dessssire ussss to do?" The Poison-type obediently hissed.

Nic grinned at both of them, seeing that they were ready for a battle. He looked past them to where the paths were. He looked back at his two Pokémon. "Charizard, right. Arbok, you handle the left path." He commanded.

"Assss you wish." Arbok turned away and slithered down the left path, while Charizard grinned and turned away, heading down the right tunnel. As Charizard walked down his path towards the light, he looked back over his shoulder. "We'll be meeting up with you soon."

"That'sssss a promissssse." Arbok said, loud enough to be added to Charizard's sentence. He and the Flame Pokemon went on ahead, while Nic looked ahead.

Nic pressed on ahead, without pulling yet another Poke Ball. For what lied ahead, he knew that for a fact, that this one was to be handled by himself.

A few minutes went by before Nic made it out of the tunnel and into the outside again. As he ventured out, the temperature again went down. Up above, small bits of frost and snowflakes were falling steadily; slowly, but steadily. He took notice of his new surroundings, taking note of the high cliffs like he was in the ravine of a canyon or valley.

As he looked ahead, he maintained a serious look as a certain someone had their back turned. The person's arms were crossed. "Well, you took earlier than expected." The culprit turned around, revealing her wearing boots, skirt, and her trademark armor. When her brown eyes showed, they gazed at Nic's serious face. "But you sure took your time." She smirked.

It was Erza. She had a sword requipped and held both hands on the pommel, the end sticking into the hard ground. She didn't seem at all deterred by the falling snow, of which left the ground a little frosted.

Nic let a grin slipped on his face. "Don't think I'll be holding back just because you're mine." He said, spreading his legs apart.

Erza's body glowed, giving off her immense Magic Power. Her expression grew serious. "I'd be insulted if you did."

* * *

There was another section of the mountain, which had steep slopes and rocks that went all the way down into the gully. A trip or a slip anywhere near, and you'd wind up in Devil's Valley. Fortunately, there was more than enough room. On the other side of the open area, there were cliffs that climbed all the way up the mountain in a rocky slope. At the moment, it was snowing, and the seasonal plants blooming in the cold were budding in little bundles underneath rocks and frost.

Arbok hissed as he slowly slithered out of the tunnel. He sensed the temperature drop in the air, but that was the least of his worries. The Poison-type flicked his tongue out, getting a strong discharge of ion. That meant static. He leered ahead as he sensed and detected where the source was.

In a flash, faster than lightning, he disappeared, dodging a bolt of lightning that shot down from above. The bolt flashed briefly and crackled some as the heated dialed down, revealing a cindered radius that the bolt landed. Three meters to the right, Arbok was present, untouched by the bolt.

"Hmph! Child'ssss play!" Arbok snobbishly retorted.

Stepping from behind an alcove was Laxus, in his overcoat and body crackling in lightning. He had a serious frown as he discerned his serpentine adversary. "So Nic decided to use his style, huh? Never thought I'd face another one of his creatures." He said. He threw a grin in. "Personally, I thought I'd be up against Greninja or his Garchomp. No hard feelings of course."

Arbok slowly arched towards his left, hissing at Laxus. "Watch who your talking to, you punk. Becausssse hard feelingsssss won't be asssss hard assss the pain you'll feel!"

The lightning around Laxus intensified, discharging greatly. "You both a sharp tongue. Let's see where that attitude gets you."

* * *

Charizard spread his legs. He huffed as he readied for battle. The flame on his tail burned with so much intensity, as his undying will reflected his flame. The snow in the area was nowhere near Charizard as the Fire and Flying-type's heat and flames made a large radius of fresh, dry ground free from snow.

Opposing him was a certain someone. Mirajane was smirking, a dark, flaming aura engulfing her as she glared at Charizard. She snickered as she was in her Sitri Take Over. Her metallic gauntlets clutched as her cape flared.

"So, it would appear that Nic's diverged the task. Clever." Mira noted. Her head raised. "To think I would be battling against one of the many things we swore to protect. It's ironic, wouldn't you say?"

Charizard's eyes narrowed. "That's not my call."

Mirajane huffed with a dash of false snickering. "The Master instructed us at the last S-Class trial to hold back a little…but he never said anything about that this time."

There was a strong tension that flared in the atmosphere. It was so strong and the temperature was so ironic that it was like a veil of heat was around the two, which Charizard's being greater thanks to his own heat. There was a long pause as Charizard and Mira glared daggers into the other, and then Mira took the initiative and disappeared.

She reappeared behind Charizard, throwing a hefty punch at him. Charizard's tail suddenly whipped up, the body part deflecting Mira's punch and throwing her off; the most shocking feature was that Charizard didn't even have to look back or turn. That didn't stop Mira as she recovered from Charizard's interception and threw a horizontal kick. Again, without looking, Charizard evaded by ducking his head.

' _He's so fast!'_ Mira thought. She was cut off when Charizard reached behind and grabbed Mirajane's leg. He hurled Mirajane over his shoulder like she was some dart. As she was flung, the barmaid felt time slow down as Charizard opened his mouth, a fire of searing intensity flaring from beneath. " **Flamethrower!** " The Flame Pokémon unleashed a torrent of fire that blazed through the freezing air, hitting Mira and engulfing her in a huge explosion.

The Satan Soul Mage shot out of the explosion, yelling out as she slid on her back until she met a nearby wall of rock, slamming hard and letting dust flare. Charizard remained steadfast and kept a battle-ready posture as the dust cloud raged. Mirajane coughed as she got up, her breath barely catching up with her.

She lurched forward, her stamina shockingly deterred by that single Flamethrower. "This is going to be harder than what I thought."

* * *

Disappearing in a bolt of lightning, Laxus jolted to the right and took a sharp turn towards the right again, attacking Arbok from the side. The Dragon Slayer reached a foot out and went to kick. However, Arbok suddenly disappeared, his reflexes immensely superb. Before he could land, time slowed down as Arbok reappeared behind the downward-moving man and swatted his tail at him. Laxus grunted as he felt his back get smacked by what felt like metal – or in this case something harder than metal.

He fell forward, getting to a knee and faced the frosty ground. He got back to his feet and turned back towards Arbok, who didn't seem warmed up in the slightest. "You got reflexes, that's for sure." He clutched a fist and electricity began to surge.

" **Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!** "

As Laxus punched forward, he created a large fist made of pure lightning. The attack traveled across the earth, racing at incredible speeds to get Arbok. As the fist closed in, Arbok again vanished, this time twisting in midair as the fist went behind. The fist collided with the mountain side, discharging immense levels of lightning, making the ground rumble harshly. Rock and dust went flying, but Arbok used the shockwaves and flying rocks and went zipping from rock to rock, slithering and springing without a beat of sweat.

Laxus went wide-eyed as Arbok closed the distance.

" **Ice Fang!** "

The Cobra Pokémon opened his mouth, and his fangs were covered in sharp ice, and four larger icy aura fangs appeared outside. Laxus hurried and countered with a fist covered in lighting, but met an interception on the wrong foot. Lightning and ice flared in all directions, the shockwaves either highly electrifying or deviously shivering. Laxus maintained a foothold, but Arbok had his fangs sank in his fist, which began to get covered in ice and froze to a subzero point. Arbok raised his head, lifting Laxus up with him. The Poison-type didn't let go and tilted his head, slamming Laxus by his neck into the earth. The ground shattered and dust and frost scattered. Laxus felt his whole world turn blank for a moment as he gagged, the pain in the back of his head flaring drastically.

As the rumbling subsided, Arbok coiled up and sprung away in a backflip. He landed and hissed at the shattered fragments of the earth, more precisely the debris that Laxus was partly underneath. He said nothing, but focused on the battle.

Laxus grunted as he got up. He brushed the debris off his body and looked back at Arbok, seeing his hissing as assign of annoyance. "…so this is the same snake who defeated that Mewtwo, is it?" He remembered that night fell well, and he remembered Arbok and Future Arbok teaming up with Primal Groudon. _'First it was that Garchomp, then I heard Charizard defeat that Bluenote bastard, then that same one turned black and blue and curbstomp that old guy Hades…is this snake alone better than Gildarts even?'_

A tough question, but given everything that's happened, the odds were more than likely. After all, Pokémon defeated Wizard Saints too, more specifically Greninja and Garchomp, and it was against the top Wizard saints, whom had way more power than Gildarts. If anything, Laxus was overlooking his chances a little.

"You're a pushy snake, you know that?" Laxus asked. Without giving Arbok time to answer, the Lightning Dragon Slayer lunged ahead, zooming at high speed thank to his magic. He roared out and punched at Arbok. He only made it to barely an inch to his face before the recipient coiled his tail tip around the wrist, holding Laxus in place with an iron grip.

"Tell me something I don't know." Arbok twisted himself, spinning around to strike Laxus with the side of his large hood right into his face. Laxus faltered backwards and Arbok whipped his tail overhead, dragging and driving Laxus on his back into the earth with a harsh thud.

Time slowed down for Laxus as he was on the defensive, his eyes widened from the epiphany of Arbok overwhelming him. _'These guys…they're this strong!'_

Arbok let go just as Laxus grunted and got back up. The Cobra Pokemon hissed at him. "Sssstubborn punk." He retorted.

"That makes two of us." Laxus wiped the dirt from the corner of his lip and went to attack.

* * *

Erza positioned her Sea Empress Sword at Nic, slashing and sending a crescent of Water Magic at him. She thought she had the advantage since Nic took his Stone Form, but she realized type didn't always matter when you have the power of rock. Erza's attacked missed when Nic's body fused with the ground beneath, which was solid rock. He dove like a shadow and disappeared. The S-Class Mage looked around, scanning the earth at her feet.

" **Stone Edge!** "

Erza heard his voice all around. Her eyes opened up when she heard a harsh and insidiously fast vibration heading her way from the left. From the cliff walls, a row of massive rock pillars went at her with great control and speed. Erza jumped out of the way with a pivot, but the Stone Edge did so as well. She had no idea Nic nor anyone could adjust the direction of a move, and she hurried and slashed her Sea Empress Sword, cutting into the rock pillar that was about to strike her. The stone exploded into dust, in which she hurried and backflipped as safe distance away. When she landed, the ground protruded two uneven footholds that Erza landed on, her unbalanced stature causing her to lose her capabilities to adjust.

"HRAH!" Beneath the startled redhead, Nic emerged from the rock swinging his arms and crossing them, making the stone footholds elongate and spiral like a helix that sent Erza soaring. He glowed, shifting into his Meadow Form. He kept arms crossed and swiped them. " **Petal Blizzard!** "

A massive tempest of green and pink petals whipped around like a hurricane, closing in on Erza. At the moment of impact, Nic could've sworn he saw a flash of fire. His eyes narrowed as he saw fire surge and burn away the Petal Blizzard. High in the air, the Petal Blizzard was reduced to sparkling embers with Erza in her Flame Empress Armor.

Erza lunged downwards, her flaming sword pointed at Nic. Nic backflipped and dodged the Fire Sword as it pierced the ground, sending a wave of fire all around. Nic slid away from the hot shockwave and shifted into his Mind Form.

Erza regained herself, her sword pointing at Nic again. "You have a large variety of types, but I've learned a few qualities of these forms; for example, your Meadow Form was weak to fire. And said form was an advantage over my Sea Empress Armor." She wasn't wrong. There were a few small cuts on Erza's face from that Petal Blizzard. She was just a little off.

"Now, is this your true power? The power you used to save the universe? The power you used to defeat the strongest on the face of Ishgar? I feel insulted. I'll end this if you won't take this matter seriously."

She lunged ahead, attacking with a loud cry. However when she got just a few feet in front of Nic, she found herself unable to move, like some invisible force restrained her. She was caught shocked as her body was outlined in light blue, and saw Nic using Psychic. Nic didn't even budge as he simply looked down, and Erza slammed into the earth, her body sustaining massive crushing from the milliseconds it took to have her face meet the ground, making a large crater fitting her.

Nic nudged his head right, and Erza was dragged through the air and slammed into the side of the cliff walls, making another heavy indent.

"You and I both know that isn't true." Nic glowed again, this time adding his Iron Form, making another dual form of Psychic/Steel. The Mind Plate Form was evident, with the shoes, edging, belt, and Fairy Tail emblem on the back being the same as the edging on his Iron Form. "Going all-out doesn't mean that I don't always have to rely on power alone. A Trainer Pokémon can win if they use the basic principles of trust, moves, and knowing to explore each of their properties and using them to gain an advantage. Even a Farfetch'd can beat a Rhyperior if the moves and Trainer unleash all of their skill, no matter how short their time may be."

Erza dislodged herself from the crater, requipping into her Flight Armor. "Wise words, but this isn't a Pokémon Battle. This is a battle between two Fairy Tail Mages. If I wanted to make this a battle as such, then the Master would've instructed me to do so." She grinned. "However, maybe next year we'll think of something for if candidates are chosen."

She focused and went at Nic again, both katana pointed out towards him. Nic spread his legs out. " **Agility!** "

Erza sped in with great speed, but that meant nothing when Nic suddenly vanished from sight. Her eyes widened as she stopped. _'Did he just teleport?'_ Nic appeared behind her, glaring seriousness right at her. Erza turned around, but Nic disappeared yet again. She didn't even notice how he became a blur as he appeared behind her a second time. This startled the redhead as Nic's speed had drastically increased. _'He's moving faster than I can blink. And he was already really fast before. He's going for speed.'_

Erza used her Flight Armor to zip past Nic, but her boyfriend disappeared and zipped in front of her, cutting her off. She turned towards the left, but Nic zipped in that direction, then in front, and around, then to the right. He was moving so fast she couldn't keep track. He was literally speeding circles around her, cornering her in the one spot.

Erza mentally cursed herself as she found herself corner. Her Flight Armor was pointless. She moved to requip, but Nic appeared on her side with his hands and fingers in harsh metal-gray energy. " **Metal Claw!** " He slashed Erza, sending her yelling and sliding across the ground. As Erza got her footing underneath, she requipped into her Giant's Armor with the spear. She slid to a stop and the spear's end ignited and she threw it with great force.

As the spear traveled, Nic put his arms out in front. " **King's Shield!** " Light blue hexagons appeared in front one by one until a shield had been made. The spear hit the shield, and then the spear itself shattered apart upon the force overwhelming it.

"He blocked it?!" Erza yelled.

Nic reappeared behind her, his speed again startling her. He roundhouse kicked her, sending her sliding on her front. As the slid, she tumbled some before requipping into her Morning Star Armor, said armor with two swords. She got her footing and poised her swords at Nic. A bright energy began to surge. " **Photon Slicer!** " Her two swords put together fired an energy blast at Nic.

Nic disappeared and dodged the blast of Magic Power. The erupting flash made rock and dust fly across the terrain again, but Erza was more inclined to where Nic would appear. She was struck stiff, literally, when an uppercut got her in a moment's notice. The redhead went soaring up into the air several feet, and Nic jumped to match her altitude.

" **Psycho Cut!** " He swiped his arms, sending two cataclysmic pink crescents at Erza.

Erza glowed and requipped in midair, turning into her Adamantine Armor. As the crescents went after her, she put her shields together, and then the Psychic-type move met her. The impact caused a bright pink explosion to erupt and engulf the airspace. Nearby cliffs and rock cracked and fell apart, falling to the ground, along with Erza.

Nic landed in a crouched position. He looked back up to see Erza still in one piece. Her Adamantine Armor and shield was another story. They were both tarnished, cracked even; some parts even chipped off. The redheaded knight was huffing as her face had some dirt on it.

"That was impressive." She answered. She requipped back into her Heart Kreuz Armor and looked back at Nic as the snow began to increase further the ground now layered in an inch of it. It was starting to get cold, but that mattered not. She's handled Gray's ice plenty of times before.

Nic glowed, shifting into his Flame Form. The sudden change was what Erza had to process as Nic's body glowed an orange aura.

" **Sunny Day!** " Raising his left arm high, he fired transparent golden rings into the atmosphere, expanding and disappearing into the cold skies above. The snow stopped falling almost instantaneously, and the clouded skies above began to clear up. Beams of sunlight pierced through the clearing skies, the temperature already beginning to ascend to what felt like Spring.

"I remember this move." Erza recounted to when Moltres used the move before back in Kalos against Charizard. The concept of altering move strength was one thing, but it left her baffled still knowing that certain moves like Rain Dance and Sunny Day could alter the weather.

Nic exerted a sharp breath. " **Lava Plume!** " Nic began to surge an incredible amount of heat that pulsated so harshly that the ground beneath was beginning to dry up. Nic crossed his arms, sending an omnidirectional explosion of fire that shook the land. Almost instantaneously, the passing waves of flourishing flames meted the snow. The scariest part to Erza was that the Lava Plume was twice as large and as hot as one could imagine. She nearly burned up upon contact due to Sunny Day increasing the power of Fire-type moves.

The entire area was engulfed in an explosion of fire that shot upwards, a feature that made it look like a volcanic crater from afar that blazed.

The smoke and the fire cleared out, dissipating and revealing everything either steaming or melting. The air cleared out and Nic remained eerily silent. The steam clouds in the area dwindled down, and then in the midst of some melted rock was Erza. She was barely holding herself up with the sword she used for a cane. She looked a little exhausted, with her breathing labored.

"Erza, are you alright?" Nic asked, seeing as how he may have overdone it some. He wanted to make sure she was alright, but he noticed how Erza's sword was different. Her sword was the Flame Empress Fire Sword, and the blade was a bright red, showing how incredibly hot it was. At this, he mentally calmed down, a relief washing over him. _'I understand. At the last second, she pulled out her Fire Sword for a defense to weaken the point of impact. Her Requip, it's amazing.'_

Erza saw him grin, but where he was grinning, she was smirking as she stood back up to her feet. "You almost got me there. I was wrong. I guess your wise words does outclass the standards of Fairy Tail."

"Are you insinuating a surrender?" Nic wondered.

Erza nearly fell over, but got her footing adjusted as she requipped the Fire Sword for another plain sword. Despite the pain she was feeling, she mustered up her Magic Power and her body glowed.

As Erza's Requip faded, Nic seemed surprised.

* * *

Mirajane shot ahead, pulling back her fist and firing a punch with all her Take Over might. Charizard pulled back a claw and unleashed Dagon Claw. Both attacks clashed, creating a bright shockwave that traveled across the area. The increased temperature was one thing, but the intense pressure at the point of impact shipped of bits of the earth and sent them flying. Between the two was a crater that depressed further earth as Mirajane and Charizard were at standstills. Eventually Mirajane gave out and Dragon Claw became an uppercut, sending Mirajane soaring.

Charizard spread his wings, flapping and taking flight to match Mirajane's altitude. Charizard reeled his head and wings back. " **Heat Wave!** " He brought his head and wings forward, and just like that, a terribly enormous ocean of hot fiery winds raged. The hurricane of raging fire winds expanded outwards, and the rocky cliffs and stone immediately melted upon contact.

As Heat Wave closed in, Mirajane put her hands together, forming a sphere of darkness. But as she looked ahead, she saw the Heat Wave reached even the earth, melting it into hot earth. _'This is the power alone by a single Pokémon? By Nic? I never thought I'd be outmatched so easily…'_ Her eyes widened, realizing something different. _'Wait, wasn't it snowing before? When did the temperature and weather change so drastically?'_ The energy in her palms began to increase. _'This must be Nic's doing!'_

Trying to hold off the best that she could, Mirajane let out a violent roar as the compressed beam of darkness shot at the hurricane of winds on fire. The large beam could've very well rivaled the size of a Jupiter Cannon. The blast blitzed across the land, shattering and reducing rock into dust.

The beam and the Heat Wave collided in the middle. A full-scale explosion of darkness and fire clashed between the other. The twisted mixture of pitch-black and fire whirled in a whirlwind that bellowed out towards the rock, and then higher up into the air. As the explosion and rumbling went on in the harsh sunlight, the fiery whirlwinds howled and burned through the darkness of Mirajane's defense, and the explosion itself erupted, turning into an atomic firestorm that reduced the rock and the air particles into cindered ash.

When it all cleared out, the location was altered. The Heat Wave had completely melted the rocky walls of the area. The rugged slopes were completely smoothed out, slightly wavy and folding over the other. The ground was completely evened out and sizzled extraordinarily. The ravine-like location had so much melted rock that the cliffs were burned away, giving birth to slopes with molten folds. Laying on the ground some feet away from Charizard was Mirajane, who was no longer in her Sitri Form and was on her back, unconscious and had a few charred spots on her smooth skin.

Charizard clutched his fists and let out a triumphant roar up towards the harsh sunlight.

* * *

" **Lightning Dragon's Roar!** " Laxus opened his mouth and a pressurized beam of sheer lightning was fired. It blitzed across the terrain, breaking apart residual earth beneath. The lightning attack blitzed towards Arbok.

Arbok's mouth opened up and he began to converge silver energy to the center of his hood. The silver ball of light had so much force compressed that it was heavy. The silver energy flashed, becoming a black garbage bag outlined in purple. " **Gunk Shot!** "

Firing with all of his might, Arbok unleashed a very powerful Poison-type attack, making a purple ripple exert from all around. The earth split apart beneath as the compressed garbage bag was unleashed, shooting across the landscape like an atomic bomb. The Gunk Shot met the roar, but the beam of lightning was only hitting a bitter shield. The Gunk Shot traveled through the roar, showing how much more power Arbok had. Laxus was caught baffled before Gunk Shot made it, exploding into fragments of purple. The harsh explosion of purple expanded out, making purple ripples shoot up along with a pillar of pure poison. The earth beneath cracked with fragments of poison that spit out.

Laxus shot backwards from the horrendous and venomous explosion, slamming and crushing through boulders until he slammed into the mountainside, making a huge indent into the rock. He gagged venom as he barely held on.

As he was engraved into the mountain, the Lightning Dragon Slayer huffed. "Damnit…I was hoping to where this thing as a belt…" He cursed within his own joke, but the joke was n him when Arbok reappeared in front of Laxus, startling him.

"Don't messssss with usssss!" Arbok whipped his tail around, the tip going in circles and brought the long tail around, attacking with full force. " **Earthquake!** "

The tail met Laxus' abdomen, and at that very instant, the entire mountain and Devil's Valley – including the forest to an extent – shuddered quite literally. The rupture was violently harsh, the magnitude scale being over-the-top massive. The Ground-type move against Laxus was one story, but having Laxus embedded into a shattered wall of a mountain that was nothing but rubble was another.

Once the Earthquake finally calmed, Arbok retracted his tail and hissed at the extremely large mountainside, seeing as how it was nothing more than a broken pile of rubble. At the top was Laxus, whom was somehow pushed deep into the mountain due to Earthquake and laid atop. He was clearly unconscious, and practically incapacitated. Arbok hissed once more, letting a small huff exert at his finishing blow.

* * *

Nic was caught more than surprised, and not just from that earlier Earthquake he felt from the left just now, leaving the left cliffs a little cracked and dust was seen rising in the distance. He was very much matched with Erza in an armor that he never saw coming. An armor he only heard of, and second strongest only to Erza's Nakagami Armor: Armadura Fairy. To Nic's surprise, the armor was suiting Erza well. She told him that the armor was just fixed as of last week, but she had yet to try it out against him. Her pink sword traveled right through his Fire Spin, cutting and nullifying it. She lunged at him again, slashing and meeting Nic as he attacked with Fire Punch, making fire flare all around while Erza managed to hold her ground against him, albeit barely with the back of her sword.

Both reeled backwards, regaining themselves. Nic's mouth opened up and he began to spin. " **Flame Wheel!** " He became a wheel of pure fire as he traveled across the landscape and met Erza's sword again. This time he had the momentum needed to push her back some feet, but not enough to put her down.

Erza regained footing as Nic landed on a knee. "This is my strongest armor. Stronger than Purgatory even. Defeating this armor won't be easy unless you use a stronger move to take me down." However, she was one to talk. Her body was heavily damaged, and she felt fatigued. If she was honest with herself, she didn't think she would last this long against Nic. If she really did believe he'd go all out, then he would've annihilated her with Legendary Force. If Gildarts was here, then _maybe_ Legendary Force would've been drawn, but Nic took his spot as the strongest long ago when he stopped Lysandre when Gildarts couldn't even make Lysandre so much as sweat.

Nic got back to his feet and closed his eyes. "Sorry, but I'm ending this." He glowed, and he shifted from his Flame Form to his regular form. His coat shifted in the soft winds as he stared at Erza.

Erza readied herself. This was do or die, and it will be the former. "Let's end this!" She positioned her sword at Nic and lunged ahead with a battle cry. This was her passion, to be the strongest. She was so lost on the thrill of battle that she completely forgot how magnificently skilled Nic had become. She could've passed him after that Psychic/Steel combo, but the truth was that she wanted to battle him. She never doubted him, but she had a goal. She wanted to protect her friends, and her loved ones, and Nic. All this time, it was Nic who had to save her. And each time, Erza couldn't do a thing about it. She had to get better, so that no matter who comes up, she'll be there to protect Nic. That meant she had to battle the strongest, and win for the love of her guild and the savior of all life.

Nic closed in, his fists not balled for some reason. Nic could've done more, and he can. He pushed his breaking points each and every day. He started out weak, but at the same time was cursed. He was cursed with the power to sustain any amount of pain. He was abused, and regardless of what happened by his parents and Magneton, he lived. He suffered plenty all his life, and no matter how much he wanted to fight it, he was bound to protect everyone, destiny or dumb luck. He already suffered some scars to prove such a point, Lysandre and Shadow Erza being culprits and examples that he had to tolerate. If he had to take more pain for the sake of those he loved – for Erza and Vanessa – then it shall be his will that'll guide him through the course of battle until the end.

At the last second, Nic ducked Erza's blade, getting beneath her breast plates. The redhead mentally cursed herself as her speed and reflexes were not like Nic's. With the close proximity, Nic took advantage and was able to use whatever maneuver he desired…

In a twisted shock to Erza, Nic held her by the cheeks, cupping them and looking into the redhead's eyes. For a moment, Erza nearly blushed, seeing not seriousness, but admiration and intimacy. "Nic…?"

"No hard feeling." Nic smirked. " **Lovely Kiss.** "

Nic pulled Erza in, his lips meeting her own. Erza's face flared a deep red in embarrassment. Out of all the times to display affection and drop a fight, Nic just chose now during the trials. Erza was shocked indeed, but she was also breaking down from slight joy at Nic's affection. Erza couldn't help but be drawn into the kiss, her own senses going down. For a moment, the world seemed oblivious to her. She felt Nic's warmth flow through her, and yet this warmth also had a sudden sense of…potency? It wasn't a good potency, but this warmth that went through suddenly began to make her feel drowsy. Her shut eyes were heavy, and she felt fatigue. Her hold onto Nic began to loosen, and suddenly she couldn't hold on. The urge to sleep grabbed her.

The redhead succumbed to sleep, her lips parting from Nic. Nic held the sleeping knight in his arms, slowly and tenderly placing her onto the ground; the weakened sunlight shined down on her face, making her look so peaceful. She looked tranquil despite the circumstances. Nic never wanted to resort to such tactics, but even he realized these measures were needed.

He closed his eyes and lightly blushed. "Forgive me…" He was going to have a hard time explaining this to her once she asks, but for now, he could be satisfied knowing that he could pass on towards the third part of the trial.

As Nic walked away, he made sure to put Erza in a comfortable spot that was well secluded before advancing. He should've waited until she woke up, but this was a trial, and he had to make sure to stall for as long as possible with how things were going back in Magnolia.

He looked up, seeing Charizard flying in from the right and roaring. He then looked over, seeing Arbok emerge from the left. Both Pokémon converge, standing and landing in front of their Trainer. Neither looked in the least bit scratched, but they were seemingly warmed up.

Nic nodded and smiled. "Looks like we've defeated all three."

Charizard looked over to his right, looking at the melted cliffs far away. "Mira woke up just as I took off."

"Laxxxussss wassss moving at leasssst. Thosssse sssstubborn two will be fine." Arbok hissed, not showing much of any worry. The upside was that there were no wild animals at this point to say the least, so even if they were left where they were, they wouldn't be in danger.

Nic nodded in understanding. He looked back at Erza, seeing her still sleeping in her Armadura Fairy Armor. His heart tugged, and at last he gave up. He sighed, glowing into his Meadow Form. He turned to look back at her and took in a deep breath.

" **Aromatherapy.** "

He exerted a sparkling green powder that was beyond aromatic. The green scent waves reached out to Erza, and once they entered her nostrils, she moaned, her eyes beginning to open up.

"Where…what happened? What is this smell?" She looked around, noticing she was in a secluded rock alcove. She moved her head around, but saw nothing. "I thought I was…" She could've sworn she was fighting Nic earlier. If so, where was he? She looked down, trying to understand what's going on. "Why are my lips…!" Her cheeks flushed, remembering Nic's Lovely Kiss. She could still remember how she fell prey to her emotions. And yet, she was mentally cursing, but wasn't mad. Despite the kiss, at least it was from her lover, and for a reason. She smiled. "Nic, you fool."

* * *

"Looking good, guys!" Cana called out. She and the other girls were inspecting the house's exterior, seeing as how all the walls were officially established. The walls themselves were hard to get up, but nothing Elfman and Gajeel couldn't handle. Vanessa even made Krookodile lend a helping hand.

"Nic's gonna be pretty happy to see this." Lucy figured.

Vanessa looked down at the plans as the men who have been working all day were taking a long break to have a dinner the ladies supplied for them. She looked back and forth to see the smooth rock slabbed around the front acting as the port. It was far from rough. It was probably so smooth you could slide on it.

"Okay, so now all we have to do is add windows, take care of the support beams, and I think that should cover everything in the outside other than paint." Sophie noted.

Levy looked over her shoulder. "That's an idea…only…" The girls looked back, seeing as how as the men were still starving after only a couple bowls of soup. They were dirty, exhausted, and some looked ready to nap. Even Krookodile looked a little fatigued some. "I think we're a little low on steam." Levy added.

Wendy looked back at the house. "Yeah, and we still need to make that basement."

"Naturally, Vanessa's Krookodile's Dig can do plenty for the space needed." Lily added. "But we need manpower, and with that we need more arms."

Vanessa put a hand to her chin. "When you put it that way, the odds are we won't be finished by noon tomorrow."

"Actually, I think we can be of help." A mysterious voice announced.

"For sure!"

"We wanna help out too!"

Everyone turned to look behind. At the bottom of the small hill, there they were. All eyes went wide as all of Magnolia's men and women were somehow perched to where they stood. All the tools, supplies, and other materials they had was a great shocker to boot.

Alzack was rendered startled. "You're kidding, right?!"

"It's…everyone?" Lisanna gasped.

"Well this certainly is a surprise." Evergreen noted with crossed arms.

All the men had bandanas on and had some form of hammer or material established laying on their shoulders. The women themselves also seemed delighted as they had some working clothes on that they didn't seem to mind getting dirty.

Freed walked up to them. "Forgive me, but what is with this convenience?" He questioned.

The mayor stepped up and walked up to Freed. The stout person cleared his throat before looking up with a small grin. "Good members of Fairy Tail, we too are indebted to Nic, for without he, we would not be here. We've taken it upon ourselves to rebuild the guild hall that stands proudly in Magnolia. We did so out of the pride you've shown during the Grand Magic Games. This place you wish to build for Nic Pularis will undoubtedly be assisted by us. This shall be our gist to him, please accept our cooperation."

All around, the Fairy Tail Mages and the citizens all smirked, some smiling warmly. Many looked towards one another, seeing as how they were doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. They all looked up to Nic, and he's proven himself well enough for everyone's respects. He gave so much; and now, it was time to give back.

Vanessa nodded with a smile. "Then our efforts will be twice as fast as before."

"Then let's get back to it." Elfman said, standing back up. "A real man doesn't quit until the job gets done!"

Krookodile stood up, his claws stretched. "Krookodile ain't taking no from quitters! I'm saying yes!"

Lucy pumped a fist. "Well, let's get this job done!"

Everyone cheered, all of Magnolia pitching in and beginning to build on the drawings Nic made.

* * *

They all exited off the train. Nic was the first one to step off, and following him was Erza. Then Mirajane, then Laxus, then Makarov. Everyone stepped off and onto the train station, where they checked in and exited the location.

Nic had a victorious smile on his face. He seemed delighted, but it wasn't just because of the S-Class trials he endured, but also because of his expectations to be met. He knew that by now everyone was working hard and building off of the house. He was actually more than a little excited to say the least.

"Can't say that I saw that coming a mile away." Laxus said.

"Yeah." Mirajane smiled.

"Congratulations once again, Nic." Makarov said.

Nic looked back over his shoulder and smiled. "Thank you."

Erza looked over towards him and smiled warmly.

There were still trials Nic had to do, but in the end, he got through so without a beat lost. After the combat trial, Nic met up with Makarov inside the depths of the higher-up caverns of the mountain. The third trial was a test of the mind and body. Inside the caverns, there were six puzzle pieces. They were all littered around randomly, and to find them, Nic had to rely on riddles. Of course his quick wits got him to figure out each riddle rather fast, but with every tunnel that led to the several puzzle pieces, there was a set of booby traps and animals. As one expected, Nic dodged all of the traps and defeated the wild animals without fail, enabling security over the three puzzle pieces without much of a fight, though it did take another hour, if not two.

After he secured the third puzzle piece, they made a small medallion that Nic had to bring to the Master at the top of the mountain. It seemed easy…if not for the snow coming back just after he used Sunny Day earlier. He made it to a tunnel where it led outside into the steadily snow that fell. There was a long slope he ran up. And once he made it up said trail, he saw the Master on the far end of a long and open space. This was the final trial – running the gauntlet.

Layered beneath the snow was a number of magic bombs, and high above were Wyverns ready to swoop down. A misstep and he could've been blown sky high, or go aerial and met his fate with a Wyvern. However, Nic had other plans. He used his Garchomp this time, and the Mach Pokémon duked it out with the Wyverns, literally ripping them apart with Crunch and Dual Chop. Meanwhile, Nic used his Stone Form and made a small bridge across the entire area, arching over the traps and reaching Makarov with the medallion, just as Garchomp demolished the last of the two Wyverns in less than a minute's time.

And with that, the trials were over. Nic passed with flying colors. Now he could be officially S-Class and not feel unfair about it. As Garchomp descended, Nic pet his head of course, glad of the promotion.

Now they were back home. It was nightfall, and due to the contribution Mirajane, Laxus, and Erza did, the Master let them go home. As Erza turned to leave for Fairy Hills, she looked back at Nic one more time before she gave him an affectionate smile and left for home.

As Erza departed, Nic turned back towards the Master, seeing the other ready.

"You wanna see what happened so far?" Makarov asked his new S-Class Mage.

Nic nodded. "Of course." Then again, he was a little unnerved by what may transpire. He could imagine the house either being a success up to this point, or a pile of shambles if Natsu and Gray came back early. He wasn't find of the idea into having them go out on jobs at a time like this, but he most certainly can't have them ruin the surprise for Erza. He naturally had nothing against the rowdy Gajeel, but still hoped the grumpy Dragon Slayer didn't go throwing a fight.

Makarov and Nic walked up the small hill that led towards the site. When they stepped to where the hill started, they saw a huge crowd of working men and women present.

Makarov's eyes widened. "My word!"

Nic was also wide-eyed, but also surprised in a good way. "Is this…"

A man turned around as he carried hardwood flooring. "Hey, he's back!"

Another person turned around. "Welcome!"

"Hey, it's Nic everybody!"

"He's back!"

"Hope you're loving what we're doing for ya!"

All of Magnolia was shocked and surprised in a good way as they noticed Nic and Master Makarov present. They both looked so surprised with the vast number of the townsfolk who were pitching in. Nic was most certainly astonished, it almost made him flinch. He slowly walked passed the many proud and smiling faces, looking and managing his way up the very small hill towards the house-in-construction. As he passed by the many Fairy Tail Mages gathering pain supplies and furniture, he saw how many were also getting the plumbing, water, and electricity situated. Magnezone was the culprit for electricity.

"Oh, Nic, Master, welcome back." Kinana greeted, carrying a cart of window cleaners in her arms.

"We're glad to see you in one piece." Lisanna cheerfully said, handing out waters for those close by.

"You sure took your time. So the S-Class trials went well?" Warren asked.

"What are you talking about? This is Nic. He passed with ease." Wakaba said as he had a drill in hand.

Macao was fixing in a nearby window. "Come on, give the guys a break." He took a break to look back at Nic. "So guys, how'd it go?"

Makarov and Nic looked at one another and back at Macao. "Nic passed with flying colors." Makarov said.

Romeo pumped a fist. "Alright!"

"Well then that's one more thing to celebrate when we're done!" Bickslow announced, his 'babies' carrying a large piece of hardwood overhead.

"Hey guys, is that hallway almost done?!" Cana yelled from inside the house.

"The living room is set!"

"We need more dirt for the basement!"

"Somebody get me some plumbing please! This toilet is on the fritz!"

Everyone was all over the place. Despite the whole setup looking crazy, the fact of the matter was that it was all so organized. Nic looked to see his sister commanding her Magnezone to use Spark, in which he discharged energy into the house. Vanessa looked to see lights go on, showing that the electric currents and wiring were all perfected. Nic looked to see Kinana helping with cooking, along with Elfman, who took another break to help pass out food. At this point, all that was needed was a whole lot of painting, furnishing, and appliances.

Nic couldn't be anymore proud with what's happening. This was really happening. All of Fairy Tail and Magnolia was pouring themselves into making his house. It was a place that was going to need a lot of space, and that it sure did. He slowly maneuvered around the house, seeing how everything that was in his plans were all true, including the area it covered. She walked around the balcony that was being painted, and passed and observed a smooth pillar being put up on the side of the house. The side that led to the hallway was far longer than anyone imagined, but it seemed worth it with all of these rooms being installed. But it wasn't that much longer.

He circled around, seeing the cement drying outback in the makes of a small path leading out to the open space. Directly behind was forest and the cliffs of the mountains, but Nic said he would take care of everything in regards to the nature all around.

When he fully circled around, he went to the front door, seeing how it was just installed. He opened it, noticing how the lock had also been adjusted. Looking inside, he saw people on ladders, painting the walls. He saw how others were heading up and down the basement, seeing how the space down there was so grand. Krookodile was seen at the entrance to the steps, nearly ready to collapse into the hardwood floor from the amount of digging he had to accomplish.

Nic smiled. "Everyone…thank you." He looked from left to right, his smile widening. He looked around one last time before turning back to see a loveseat he ordered get moved inside. He stepped out of the way and left the house, giving one last inspection before facing the numerous townsfolk. "Let's finish this job."

* * *

The morning came, and the birds chirped out by a tree right next to the window of Erza's dorm. She mumbled and moaned as she stirred in her bed. The Requip Mage stirred onto her side, looking away from the rising sun. "Mmmm…" But soon enough she gave in. She arose from her bed and sat up, looking around once more. She was so tired from yesterday that she went straight home. She was flat out exhausted that she went straight to bed. Her long hair was tossed to the side as she made sense of what was going on. AT this point, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Around her room, there were a couple suitcases packed, as per the promise of finding a house with Nic, so she prepared in advance. Beyond those were the usual in her room. She laid on her queen-sized mattress and took in a morning breath.

She thought back to yesterday again, more specifically that Lovely Kiss. She couldn't help but feel the heat rise again in her cheeks. Her own emotions played with her. And yet again she sighed, not at all mad by that kiss. She could just have to return the favor at some point.

Up she went and jumped into the shower, got some breakfast, fixed herself up, and requipped into her armor before finally advancing outside.

She exited the lobby and made way outside. "I must've slept in. Why haven't I seen Laki or Levy in the dining hall?" She questioned as she began to walk down the trail. "Did they go out on jobs while we were gone?" She stopped her confusion when she saw a familiar face in front of Fairy Hills' gates. In front was Nic, and he stood there ever so casually. "Oh, Nic." Erza smiled, surprised to see Nic again.

Nic looked a little different. Erza noticed how Nic looked drained. He looked as though he hasn't slept all last night. Despite the smile, he was indeed tired. Little did Erza know, Nic's heart was running several beats a second.

"Good morning." Nic greeted.

Erza walked up to him, hands to her hips. "You're looking a little tired. Did yesterday wear you down that much?"

"You can say that." He lied. "But I assure you, I can make it through the day."

Erza's smile returned yet again. "Well then if you're willing, let's say we reward your efforts and promotion. What do you say we search for a house today, shall we?" She reached her hand out, hoping Nic would accept it. He did.

Nic, however, had a rebuttal.

"Actually…I have something very important to show you." He informed.

Erza raised a brow. "Something important?"

Nic nodded in confirmation. "It's back at my place. You should see for yourself."

Wondering what he had to show, Erza followed Nic, albeit slowly, Their hands and fingers intertwined with the other as they strolled along through the Magnolia streets. As they passed along the various homes and shops, Erza noticed that more than a few townsfolk were giving expectant glances. Closer inspection showed them yawning, them too more than a little tired. She looked back to Nic, but her curiosity grew as he just looked forward towards their destination.

As they came to where the steps to the second buildings was supposed to be, Erza and Nic stopped. Erza looked up, realizing that every last step was gone. The uneven stones and the misshaped grasslands were all completely smoothed out. A smooth trail glided up the hill, not at all uneven as it was dug into the trimmed and fresh grass. Small shrubs and erns lined up against the other on each side and continued on towards the path paved. She also noticed that the forest was no longer there, the trees and everything gone.

She turned towards Nic. "Nic, did you do all of this?"

Nic didn't look back at her as he smiled ahead. "I reshaped the land to make it smoother, and replaced all the stone with a trail."

"Even the forest?"

I'll show you what else we've done." Nic guided Erza up the trail. Much to her disbelief, instead of climbing up each arduous step, her feet lightly trailed along the large dirt trail. She looked over to her right, seeing a long line of trees and bushes that seemed to go on and on.

"Here they come!"

"Hey, Erza!"

"Hope you like it!"

"How's this for a manly deed?!"

Erza's focus turned towards up front. Almost instantly, she nearly fell over. Her eyes slowly widened as her heart stopped. Her entire face paled, as though she saw a ghost. Her shock completely overwhelmed her as she was ready to shut down with sheer shock.

Standing in front of her was Nic, standing right next to a sign that read: ' _ **Nic & Erza's House**_'. The path continued on ahead another two-hundred feet, where the bushes stopped in front of the steps of the house itself. The one-story house was painted red, with the entire roof and tiling alike being brown. It sloped up to a flat top rather than triangular like other houses would be. The smooth steps went up to the porch, where it was an actual smooth perimeter around the front and sides of the house. Round pillars stood between the entrance. A pillar was also seen on the corners of the smooth porch. On the left side of the house, Erza could see that the left corner of the house opened up to a ground-level balcony, with glass doors opening to make way inside. The front was also brimming with elongated and huge windows, so you could see inside if the black curtains weren't blocking anything. Bordering the front and sides were small shrubs for decoration.

On the right side, trees lined up for privacy. Somewhere there was a break with a small pond established. It wasn't even twenty feet long or wide. Beyond that was fresh grassland before reaching the forest of fertilized trees. On the left side of the house, there was no farm or a watch tower. Instead, it was demolished for a large battlefield. Smooth rocks acted like benches.

Erza's shocked completely wrecked her composure. Nic grabbed her hand. "I'll show you the back."

He and the still baffled Erza and everyone followed to the back, where it was just as beautiful as the front. Still. A few shrubs covered the perimeter, said shrubs being only big enough for a Caterpie or Roselia to hide in, but nothing bigger. In the corner where the supposed hallway was meeting an intersection, there was again a small pond, but barely covering fifteen square feet. Lined up alongside the hallway part were two thin trees for decorum. Erza looked off to where a smooth cement walkway was, leading towards the thin patio in front of the back door that slid open. The backside had a large kitchen window, and a standard bathroom window.

When Erza turned to look out, she saw the cliffs were far out of reach, very far out in the distance. The backyard was a giant clearing that went on for maybe half a mile, if not one itself. It was all trimmed grassland, but in the center was a large pond, one much bigger than the one out front, and it had a large waterfall with rocks for steps and slopes to climb. It reached really high up, yet flowed so gently downwards. Near the border of the fertilized forest on the right side was a miniature mountain. It had no cave, but seven pillars that surrounded it. It was large, big enough for rocky terrain and craggy cliff training.

Nic showed Erza back around and Mirajane opened up the white front door, which revealed the interior. Again Erza was petrified.

They were immediately in the living room, where the hardwood flooring took up all of it. The living room was gigantic; greater in area compared to the guild hall it once was. In the left corner was a single step that led towards the double doors to the balcony, where one would want to see the battlefield. In between was also the fireplace. The living room was also gathered with a large couch, two loveseats, and a massive black rug with a low coffee table. The rug housed the furniture, and said furniture had stands on the sides that had small lamps.

The living room was connected to a large restroom that had a single sink and toilet with a window that lead to outside. There was also passage to the basement right next door. There was also a walk-in closet right next to that.

Directly right to the living room was the dining room, which was still big in its own right with two open entrances. It was also connected to the gigantic kitchen which had a door to connect to the outside right next to the cabinets. The kitchen connected to the living as well. While the living room had hardwood, the kitchen had shiny porcelain tiling, and the dining room had tan carpeting.

The basement was a two-light stairway, similar to Fairy Tail's first building's stairway to the basement before remodeled. Again, Erza was dumbfounded.

There were ceiling lights all over. The basement was large as the kitchen, the dining room, and the living room put together. It had gray carpeting, and the ceilings were extremely high, almost reaching thirty feet…but there was a reason. The basement had its own battlefield! The battlefield was in the dead center of the area. Off to the left were two doors. One door was on the same wall as the basement entrance and led to a large storage area with an emergency exit up towards the surface by means of stairs. The other door led to a larger storage unit for where Erza could stash some of her armors or hang up prized battle mementoes. On the other side of the basement entrance, on the right, there was a bathroom with a sink and everything. Even a shower! In the corner, there was a window, allowing light inside and radiating the location. There was also an emergency exit as well that led to the surface. The ceilings and walls were all black, with a special battle material that would make it so that the basement wouldn't get destroyed. An explosion wouldn't even make the upper floor rumble.

Nic then guided Erza up towards the upstairs again and they went into the hallway. The hallway had three doors each. The left side of the hallway had a standard empty room, then there was a large – and very spacious and eloquent – bathroom with a double sink and a bath and shower combo. Then the room right next door to that was a larger empty room, with uses Nic wasn't sure was, but the space was needed for the Pokémon.

On the right side of the hall was another empty room, followed by another empty room. And then there was a small break before they reached the room at the end of the hall…the master bedroom, Nic and Erza's bedroom. The bedroom was colored a bright brown, a ceiling fan overhead. There were two nightstands, and in between was a king-sized bed with a dark blue blanket and white comforter beneath. The headboard was large and wooden. The room only had a single dresser for Nic's clothes so far. The window was on the wall perpendicular to the bed. Connected to their bedroom was not only a walk-in closet, but also there was the biggest bathroom in the house. The master bathroom. The tiling floors were shimmering, with a separate shower and separate bath to boot. Even a separate toilet was evident behind a door. There was a double sink to boot.

And that was the house. It needed a few paintings, but Nic could worry about that later. All of Fairy Tail was able to fit inside, smiling as they looked out the front windows and door, staring expectantly at Nic as he looked at Erza.

"So…what do you think?"

That was the only question he asked. Erza was completely shut down. Her mind was completely blank. Nic completely overwhelmed her this time. Out of all the surprises she could've gotten, this was by far the biggest surprise ever received. It was a long time before Erza responded.

Nic frowned, his hopes dropping. "Er-?!"

He was cut off when Erza's lips met his. Nic fell backwards into the trail and Erza straddled him. Her passionate kiss dared not let up. This kiss was perhaps the most passionate – and excessive – one Erza ever gave. When she finally let up, she looked down and had hands on Nic's chest. With the sun beaming down onto her face, Nic saw that Erza was not only smiling, but also crying. To his relief, they were tears of joy.

"So, is that a yes?" Nic asked, smiling up at her.

Erza sniffled, wiping away the tears from her eyes. He looked back down to him and gave another loving nod. "I love this house. I wouldn't want to live anywhere without you being there."

Makarov gave a nod at the affectionate display. "Well then, now that's settled…let's celebrate!"

Everyone raised their fists and cheered loudly. The townsfolk still remaining yelled loudly, so loud that all of Magnolia could hear.

"Let's party!" Makarov announced.

Nic sat up, looking over his shoulder back at the guild members who he had to thank for this. For the house part that is. His Stone, Splash, Earth, and Meadow Forms helped him with the flora, smoothing, and reshaping of the entire landscape. It took a lot out of him, but it was all worth it to see Erza smiling with joy.

Erza suddenly grabbed Nic's head, pulling him into one of hugs. She smiled warmly as he cheek was the Nic's hair. "I love you, so very much."

Nic's eyes misted. He smiled warmly at his girlfriend's words. He pulled his arms around and hugged her back, glad with every fiber in his being that she loved the house everyone poured themselves into to make it work. "I love you too."

Lisanna's eyes widened, a shock coming to her. "Hey, wait. Where's Natsu and Gray?"

"Are they still out on their jobs?" Max wondered.

"Maybe. They were both far away." Macao answered with a shrug. "Knowing those two, they'll probably miss the celebration."

Vanessa put her hand to her chin, thinking. "They should've been back by morning. We only made sure that their jobs lasted long enough until Nic got back. I wonder what's keeping them?"

* * *

In the unknown forests of Fiore, birds cawed and flapped away into the skies, escaping from the skirmish ensuing. It was so far out that it would take forever for anyone to even know where they were. However, the reason there was a skirmish was evident. In the center of it all was pink hair and a shirtless guy.

"Find your own way home, you perv!" Natsu screamed.

"Yeah right! As if I expected to run into you of all people! You dumb charcoal brain!" Gray retorted.

Nic and everyone who was in on the house building project made sure that the two were far away on their own jobs so that they wouldn't destroy it in the event of their daily fighting, that was guaranteed. What they did not account for, however, was them running into each other on their jobs.

"You bastard!" They shouted in unison, going into another scuffle.

Juvia watched from afar. Any self-respecting person would've tried to stop them, but Juvia wasn't that kind of character. "Oh my darling, I know you'll do great!" She cheered as she looked at dust cloud.

Happy groaned. "Somehow I got déjà vu all over again."

* * *

 **Here's the latest chapter! I'm going to be completely honest here, my mind was in the clouds this entire chapter. I had a really hard time focusing on the whole thing. I wasn't even knowing what I was writing. I could've done something different from Nic undergoing an S-Class trial, like maybe another job or whatever, but the main point of this chapter was to establish Nic and Erza's house being unveiled.**

 **The fights with Charizard and Arbok against the S-Class Mages were clearly OP, but this chapter also makes you compare the mages to Nic's Pokémon and remind you of the immense power they used to defeat the Dark Legendaries back in** _ **The Fairy Contender**_ **.**

 **If you guys don't have a clear picture of their house, I'll try and draw them out and get them up on Deviantart if possible. Speaking of art; since I haven't drawn much of anything in awhile, not only will I try and draw their house, but maybe a thing or two as well. Also since I'm gonna start working soon, and the fact that I need to attend to** _ **One's Road to Remembrance**_ **, the next chapter won't be until Christmas Eve or Christmas, so expect the big Christmas chapter in a couple weeks.**

 **Also side note: Please stop asking questions in reviews. They are irritating and ruin the point of a review. I refuse to spoil anymore of the plot.**

 **Thanks for reading another fluffy NicxErza chapter!**


	27. Fairy Holidays

It was nighttime, the snow fell so steadily that it was like a miniature blizzard. Thankfully, Vaniville Town's snowfall was nothing like Route 17, where snow fell at such levels you were blind.

In the cozy home that held a certain family, the colorful lights shined vibrantly, in and outside of the snow-covered driveway, which was now reaching almost two feet. Another couple of hours and the doorway could've been blocked off.

Joanna passed a gift over towards Nic. "Here you go."

"Thank you." Nic smiled.

"You're welcome."

The elder Pularis sibling looked down at the box. It was a present with shimmering teal wrapping paper with Vanillite printed all over. Looking at the tag, it was from Joanna and Michael. With everyone watching, Nic opened the paper, revealing a white box. Curious, he opened the top, and inside was a little holiday surprise. He reached in and held up a Christmas short-sleeved coat. Unlike his trademark black short-sleeved coat with the purple edging, this one was black fur-lined trimming. It was red, with yellow buttons to keep it together down the middle.

"Surprise!" Joanna cheered.

"They didn't have many long-sleeves left over, and they were having a sale in Lumiose City." Michael beamed.

Nic smiled back, his gratitude at a pinnacle. "Don't be modest. I like the short-sleeves to begin with. Thank you both." All he had on for a top was his gray V-neck, so he stood up and put on the coat. The black fur-line was warm; it tickled. He turned around, looking over his shoulder to see what the others thought in terms of size. Vanessa and everyone else smiled in approval.

"Looking ready for the holidays." Michael commented.

Joanna looked down at Tan, who was in a little green sweater with a Stantler printed on it. "Tan, sweetie, wipe your mouth please." She motherly insisted.

Tan swallowed his Christmas cookie, which was in the shape of a Snover, and looked back up to his mom. "Okay." He muffled as he searched for a napkin.

It was Christmas Eve, the night of Christmas Eve to be more precise. Nic and Vanessa decided to plan ahead and elected voluntarily to spend the day and holidays with their foster-family. Suffice to say that Joanna and Michael were thrilled to have them stay over, and Tan was bouncing up and down when Nic and Vanessa came over. With the numerous ornaments and decorations already set up, added with the Christmas snacks and a little dinner, the makeshift family was making do with the company they provided for one another.

Gifts were another story, however. Joanna and Michael had helped raise Vanessa properly for roughly three years, so they knew what she would like. She got Vanessa a couple of presents, including the ripest lemons on the market, hair conditioner, and an eye mask so that she could sleep better and longer. Nic was more of an issue. They didn't know what he'd like to have; if it came down to Vanessa, then she'd say he was okay with just celebrating. Fortunately Joanna and Michael had Vanessa for answers, and they got Nic more than what he bargained for.

Around the fireplace, the family moved onto the next person, which was Vanessa. It was her turn to open a present from someone. Reaching for the tree behind her, she grabbed a present in red and green-striped wrapping paper. As she leaned over, the Poke Ball necklace she got on her birthday twinkled with a vibrancy. She liked wearing it to these occasions, but not out on jobs. Looking down at the label, it read it was from Michael.

"I made sure that was a good one." He said. "Tan helped pick out the color."

Tan smiled. "It's super pretty!"

Vanessa smiled back at the two. "Then that means no matter what it is, it'll be super special." She looked back down and tore open the brown box. She flipped open the top, her amazement subtle. Like Nic, she too had gotten a similar Christmas outfit. Her Christmas upper body attire was comprised of black fur-lined red gloves, with the clothing itself being a low-cut female Santa attire with her shoulders exposed, and her somewhat ample cleavage revealed from the black fur-lined trimming. It hugged her body, with a black belt at the waist. All the way down halfway to her thighs it went, the bottom black fur-lines to boot. She got black high-heeled boots with high knee stockings as a nice touch up.

Nic looked at his attire and back at Vanessa's, seemingly amused. "It looks phenomenal." He praised.

Vanessa went to the restroom and she changed out of her attire, which were comfy gray sweatpants and a plain periwinkle t-shirt. She came out wearing her Christmas attire, looking at the group with a smile. "What do you think?"

Joanna cheerfully smiled. "That looks beautiful on you, sweetheart."

"Thank you." Vanessa replied.

"Yeah, I reckon the season would come with a few perks. Black fur-line is rare, and little Tan right here thought it's look great on you both." Michael patted Tan's head, making the child smile and blush in embarrassment.

"Must run in your family." Nic mused.

"Probably." Michael chuckled.

Nic looked at his surroundings. "So who's next?" It was him, then Vanessa, and then at Tan. He grinned. "Tan, you ready?"

Tan jumped up from the couch. "Yes!"

The order was oldest to youngest, and it didn't matter what present was from whom. Nic and Vanessa were perfectly fine with it, but Tan was still very young, so he had too much energy to just wait. For the sake of everybody else, he held off. Save the best for last, right? At his count, he still got 10 more presents.

Tan walked on over towards the Christmas tree, careful to not hit the red ornament dangling with a Vanillish on it. He went for the present that was wrapped in white paper with shimmering teal stripes. He read the label. "This one is from…Nic!" He shouted with glee.

Joanna smiled. "Don't be shy, go ahead."

Tan looked back down and smiled with excitement. He opened the box and looked inside. No wonder it was so light. At first, he was a little disappointed because he thought it was something small, but this was a complete shocker. In the box, Tan pulled out an intricate Poke Ball. Joanna and Michael looked at Tan's gift with shock as well, for it wasn't just any kind of Poke Ball, but it was a black one, with red and yellow stripes, with white edging.

"Nic, did you get him…" Michael sounded shocked as he trailed off.

Nic grinned. "I was in Lumiose City about ten days ago when I thought of a little present. I went to the Poke Ball Shop to find certain Poke Balls on sale." He turned towards Tan as his wide eyes inspected the mechanical capsule. "That's called a Luxury Ball, a very special Poke Ball that you can use to cause Pokémon to be more friendly." He knelt down to the boy, staring at him. "Now Tan, listen carefully, okay?"

Tan nodded.

Nic pointed towards the Luxury Ball. "This is a big responsibility. A Poke Ball by itself keeps a Pokémon inside, to stay with its Trainer. When you find your first Pokémon, someday, somewhere, you need to look into its eyes, and feel a connection." He placed his hand on the Luxury Ball's top, smiling. "When you feel a strong bond with a Pokémon you truly want to be with, this Luxury Ball will exemplify your friendship. Use it well, okay?"

It was a lot to take in, especially for Tan. He's only seen Pokemon on TV, their Trainers giving commands and the Pokémon smiling sometimes at the end of every battle. He may not know it, but he at least knew what his foster-brother said was very important. Tan held onto the Luxury Ball tight.

"Okay." He chirped.

Everyone smiled at the promise Tan made to Nic.

After another couple of hours of presents being opened excitedly by the family, everyone began to settle down and they all talked and listened to Christmas music right next to the fireplace. Nic and Vanessa sported some Santa hats that Joanna gave them, and they fitted perfectly. Joanna and Michael were given a large frame by Nic and Vanessa in return, which was a painted picture of Fairy Tail, more specifically the time Reedus painted them in a portrait on Nic's birthday just two weeks ago. It found its own spot right in the living room, hanging up somewhere close to a mantle.

Michael got a nice green jacket for the winter, and a shovel, both by Nic. They only had the one shovel, and it was only for ground, not snow.

Joanna got a fresh pink apron and some recipes from Earth Land, generously provided by Vanessa. She fancied it as a nice touch up for when in the kitchen for when Spring comes around.

Tan got a new blanket to snuggle up in, which was soft and thick for the winter to come. To help him sleep, he also got a Froakie plushy that Nic got him to boot, and Vanessa got him a Budew plushy included.

The nighttime snow didn't let up, and although Nic could technically control the weather, it wasn't justified if he used Rain Dance or Sunny Day on a whim; besides, he always fancied a Christmas with white in it. Nic and Vanessa continued to talk of their numerous adventures back from Earth Land, with Michael and Joanna paying attention to the battles and the enemies they had to face. Their shock to when they learned Nic's Kecleon could lift boulders and hoist them on her shoulders, and sit there for hours without an inch of budging nearly left Vanessa to regret telling that tale. Big things came in small packages.

Sitting at the table, Joanna sipped her hot chocolate and smiled. "So, Nic, what are you and Vanessa going to do now?" She asked.

Nic turned towards Vanessa, both grinning. "In all honesty, we were just going to head back home to Earth Land."

"The guild is celebrating the holidays, just like us. I can imagine Cana drinking until she drops." Vanessa sweat dropped at the picture, with Cana in her Christmas clothes with a massive hangover issue, probably sideways on her bed with dozens of booze bottles littered all across the floor.

Michael looked down at his hot chocolate. "Traveling between two worlds constantly…isn't that stressful?"

Nic could hear the worry in his tone, but let it slide. "It's fine. Yes, I admit picking between the two is never easy, but it's because of me that this world and Earth Land has a relation. Besides, I can always jump back and forth to my desires."

Tan yawned far of on the couch as he was watching another Christmas program. His eyes were drowsy.

"Are you sleepy? Tan?" Joanna asked.

Tan fought hard to stay awake, but the more he tried to stay awake, the stronger sleep's hold had become. He found his eyes slowly shutting, his head resting against a fluffy pillow. All snuggled in his new blanket, he dozed off, the little 4-year-old sleeping while hugging the Budew plushy. Joanna looked on over and smiled.

"The dear." She sat down next to him, adjusting the pillow so that it was against her lap. Tan's head moved a little, but not much. Joanna looked down and smiled as she ran her fingers through her child's hair softly. "He had a blissful night."

"I can only imagine." Nic looked at the clock on the wall. It was a little past nine, meaning it was fairly late for Tan. "It's late. I think it's time we head back for the night."

Vanessa nodded. "Yes."

Michael nodded. "We understand. You still got another Christmas to live with your girlfriend."

Nic grinned back. "I wouldn't worry about Erza, but I'd be a disgrace if I left her alone on such an occasion."

"We'll come back tomorrow for Christmas Day, promise." Vanessa said.

Joanna looked over her shoulder, smiling softly. "Alright, you two be safe."

Once Nic and Vanessa gathered up their presents, they stood in front of the doorway, and Nic opened up a portal to his house. After loading the presents to the other side, Nic and Vanessa gave their final regards before they began to leave.

"You all have a safe night." Vanessa called.

"We will, and Merry Christmas." Joanna said.

"We'll have fudge squares ready when you two come by tomorrow." Michael said as he had come down from the stairs after putting Tan to bed.

With nods and hugs exchanged, Nic and Vanessa stepped through the portal and turned around. They all waved to one another as the portal closed, leaving rainbow sparkles to dissipate. With that behind them, Nic and Vanessa turned forwards, where they were inside Nic's living room.

"Let's save the hassle and put these gifts underneath the tree. You're staying over for the night, right?" Nic asked his younger sister.

Vanessa nodded with a smile. "Yes. Sophie's celebrating Christmas with the rest of the guild, so I wager she wouldn't mind if I stay over as a guest tonight."

The Pularis siblings gathered their presents and placed them beneath the large tree in the corner of the hardwood living room. There, a lot more presents were revealed to have yet been opened. They were mainly those the two got for Erza and supposedly vice versa. A large gift was behind, resting against the wall, and out of sight.

"So, when do you think Erza should be back?" Vanessa inquired as she looked away from the fireplace, her stocking on the far left, with Nic in the middle, and Erza on the far right.

Nic put hands into his Christmas coat pockets, the fluffy ball tip of his hat swinging around as he looked at the Christmas décor. "I'm not definite. Shouldn't be too long now." It wasn't that he was concerned about her, but he wanted her home. He wanted to spend Christmas Eve with his family.

Continuing looking around the living room, Nic was looking at the décor he was still processing. It hasn't even been two weeks since the house was complete and already they got a few frames up and some Christmas decorations purchased. A day after the house was complete and everyone celebrated, the hard part was helping Erza move all of her stuff in, which was mostly armor, which Nic stowed in a large room in the basement. Otherwise, her stuff didn't take up much room. A few necessities in their bedroom and living room and that was that. Nic had just recently finished a vertical ovular painting of a Net Ball – a little tribute to Bug and Water-types, and had it framed behind their recently purchased loveseat. The next item framed was a portrait done by Reedus, which was Honedge. There was still a lot of space left on the walls of the spacious living room, kitchen, and the rooms down on the hallways, but Nic's concern was the upcoming holidays. With the money left over from purchasing the furniture, there was the Christmas decorations and the presents. Getting a tree was a priority, and a number of ornaments to hang up, and the long green ferns with lights was another priority. In the end it was worth it, but the amount of Jewel Nic and Erza had left after that was extremely limited. Barely enough for food to last the duration of the week.

Still, it was the thought that counted, and Nic was proud of the huge step taken. Finding everything to a suitable degree was a challenge of its own. "This place cleans up rather well." He admitted.

Vanessa looked towards her brother, another generous smile crossing her face. "I'm glad."

"About what?" Nic asked.

"About everything."

"Everything?"

Vanessa let on. "Having a true birthday, both of us finding our independence, to be alive, and now this. Our first real Christmas." When the younger sibling pointed that specific out, it brought the two back to bygone days, or rather, times of hell. The two still hated to think about it, but ignoring it wasn't healthy either. When it came down to it, they never shared a Christmas as a family. It was always Vanessa who got the luxury and the presents, all of the candy and the expensive gifts, while Nic got absolutely nothing all his life. Their parents were despicable, as even on the holidays they wouldn't so much as give him a candy cane. As any time of the year – or day for that matter – Nic would get a face pummel or a shock. Sometimes on those Christmas days, the only gifts he'd ever get were extra shocks, or maybe broken ornament glass thrown at his shoulder, and yelled to pick it up with his bare hands. On Christmas mornings, Nic would just look away with eyes shut as Vanessa smiled on with another present open. All the luxury was set in stone for the young Pularis sibling, while the senior had the privilege of taking extra cruelty as a present. Not even a single Christmas cookie was given to him, even from Vanessa, who was yelled at, and then Nic would take the kick or swat to the face, only to get some more. Their Christmas' was just those 'three', and no one else. No friends, nobody else mattered.

Those scornful memories left Nic's head hanging. He may not have got happiness, but at least Vanessa got presents. To him, that was all that mattered.

He finally smiled. "Yes. I am too."

Vanessa smiled softly at Nic and looked back at the Christmas tree. There were still a few presents to have been opened for the two siblings, but Vanessa broke her back to get top-quality presents for Nic. For the amount of Jewel she had to pay, they'd better be worth it.

"It wouldn't be right celebrating Christmas without Erza." She said.

"You're right." He turned towards the door. "I'm going out to find her, you wouldn't mind housesitting for a short while, wouldn't you?" He questioned.

"Of course. I'll see if there's ingredients for Christmas cookies."

"The flour and sugar should be in the cabinets above the fridge."

"Thank you. Come home safe." Vanessa waved to Nic as he exited his home and went off into Magnolia.

The snowfall compared to Nic's home world was much more moderate. Rather than falling like comets, they were fluttering down like feathers. There were only a few inches of snow covering the roofs and streets. When one treaded along the streets, the snow wasn't packy, so your footsteps were light and soft. It was late, and while many Christmas lights decorated the streets, there were no people out. Best guesses were either at someone's place for the holidays or at home, partying until bed.

As he looked around the streets of Magnolia, he noticed the many open and closed windows. He could hear party music going on, while others were shut and dark, implicating slumber. All of Magnolia's streets were laced in red ribbons, or maybe an ornament or two. Whatever the case may be, it was around this time of year that the city was so colorful.

"It's not like my world, but it's still colorful nonetheless…" As Nic continued his course through the streets, he reminisced on the few Christmas times he's spent from his years on his journey. It was just him, and he did make it to Laverre City in time for Christmas. His only saving grace was the few discounts the stores provided, so whatever miscellaneous souvenir he found, he had it mailed back home to Vanessa. He remembered sending her that brown purse that he got from the boutique, but that was all he could afford.

That night, Nic and his Pokémon celebrated Christmas in Laverre City. It wasn't much for Greninja, Charizard, Kecleon, Staraptor, Gabite, or the recently evolved Arbok, but they were happy. It was the one time they felt rewarding to one another before they decide to sleep like babies. On another Christmas, it was perhaps a week or two before Nic challenged the Pokémon League; again, nothing special. And then a third time later, celebrated with the little money for a personal buffet in Couriway Town. He even sent Vanessa a postcard with him, Greninja, and the others in it. Within those three years, it was just those seven who had their own Christmas. Now some time later, it's an all-out Christmas, with Vanessa, Erza, and all those numbers worth having.

The focus now was apparently Erza, because having Christmas without her deserved no justification. "Where is she?" He questioned as he took a right onto Lucy and Sophie's street.

"I checked the guild hall, but it's closed. I know Sophie is having a party shared at Fairy Hills with Cana, Laki, and the others, but where else could…!" Suddenly, it hit him. He went stiff and stopped in his tracks. "Of course, it was so obvious."

He paced himself moderately down the street, his target the one sure location that Erza just might be. He didn't realize it sooner, but none could blame the running gag that was Lucy's house. For some weird reason, Lucy keeps complaining how her team always winds up in her home without using the door, let alone her permission. They always end up infiltrating the poor blonde's home, not that Nic could understand. Perhaps it was a team thing.

Once he spotted Lucy's apartment, he began to close in. He saw the lights were on, but there was the sound of skirmishing, or partying…? Honestly it was a tough call, but he did hear shouts and wailing. He just stood there, eyes upfront but unable to discern the wailing.

"Are they…?" He had to check and make sure everyone was alright. Knowing how Fairy Tail did its own way, a carnage was breaking out. If push came to shove, then maybe it was…

Nic's eyes widened as he stopped in his tracks again. If he recalled correctly, Christmas was a time of merry, but at the same time for wild parties that involve alcoholic beverages. And he despondently stared ahead as he recalled the last time all the females got drunk. They were making the guys miserable, and while he had no understanding as to why it had to happen, it did lead a drunken Erza closer to Nic at least. That little memory did bring a weak smile across his face.

He was brought out of his inquiry about alcohol as the door to Lucy's apartment opened. He looked on, keeping a straight face as he watched someone emerge from the door. What he didn't realize, was that it was the same person he's been looking for.

"As I thought, it's shivering…that's right, I'm without clothes…" It was Erza, and she was wearing a Santa hat. And the hat was all she was wearing. Everything else was not there. She was downright nude, her hands and arms hugging her massive, saggy breasts.

The indecent redhead turned her head, looking towards a direction, more specifically the person who was right there. She looked at Nic, just now realizing he was there. Her brown eyes widened just a little.

"…"

Nic just stared blankly at Erza, his eyes equally as fixated. He stared back at Erza, trying to make sense of her public streaking. In return, Erza stared at Nic, barely believing what she was seeing before her eyes. Their individual breathing was visible; Nic's went out of his nose while Erza's went out of her mouth. Their silence was seemingly unbreakable.

It felt like an eternity before Erza finally blinked and began to process what was happening. "Uh…eh…" Her eyes became circles and she looked down at her breasts. "Ah! N-no!" She squealed, though her pitch was so high that it was cute at the same time. "This…" She bent her knees, trying to keep her lower regions out of view, but it didn't help. She bent down, cradling her legs. "N-Nic! It's not what it looks like! Really! Don't look!" She pleaded with a red face brimming in embarrassment.

Nic just stared down at Erza. It took a little while longer, but it processed for him at long last. Nic's eyes widened, a swallow of a lump evident. He looked worried. "Erza…?" Any man would be shocked – Nic sure was – they'd all get nosebleeds from being Erza's curvaceous and ripe form like that. They'd probably die even. Nic, however, was taking the matter rather maturely. Yes he was shocked, but at the same time he wasn't gonna stand there and see her wallow in embarrassment. Besides, it's not like he never saw her naked before.

Holding back any sweatdrops or blushing, Nic walked towards her. Erza was on the verge of drunken tears it seems. She couldn't look up, not the way she was now. He undid his new Santa coat, kneeling down and putting it over her shoulders. "Erza, did you and your friends end up partying a little too hard?" He asked her, holding a generous smile in concerns for her health.

"I'm…I'm so ashamed." Erza muttered.

Nic looked towards her face, but Erza wasn't able to look him in the eye. Indeed she was too ashamed. He smelled the air, getting a whiff of something intoxicating. It was strong on Erza. "Have you…been drinking?" He spoke rather softly, a tone to comfort the sober knight.

Erza still didn't seem just right. She had small tears in the corners of her eyes. "Er…it…seems that way." She pouted. She gripped Nic's coat tight, feeling its warmth around her naked body as she tried to remember what made her go to such lengths. "Everyone was getting all flirty with one another, and with you not around, I guess I felt…left out. I was getting a little jealous…but, that's all." She sniffled again.

" _You're both donkeys! Not cats! Donkeys!" Carla stood atop of Happy and Lily's backs, both silently praying for help as Carla ruled over them with pointless declarations._

" _Ahahaha!" Levy laughed hysterically as she pointed at Gajeel. "Why you…you don't have eyebrows!" She pointed and laughed at his face, the drunk statement causing the Iron Dragon Slayer to turn away and grunt._

" _The snowflakes falling…it's just…so sad!" Juvia sobbed as she latched onto Gray possessively, sobbing. Gray screamed out as Juvia was sobbing and wasn't able to get out._

 _Lucy was atop of Natsu, stroking his chin as the Dragon Slayer had a chill run down his spine. "Purr~." Lucy cooed._

 _Erza stood there among the drunken carnage. While everybody else was drunk and flirting, there she was, alone without Nic. Her fists were clutched and teeth were gritting. She angrily glared as waterfalls ran down her face in frustration. "Grr…all you guys being lovey-dovey and making me feel like a third wheel~!"_

Nic just stared at Erza as she told her tale. It came to a game where Erza was ruling, and she made everyone go naked and do embarrassing stuff, like Juvia walking around town in her panties, or pouring hot wax on Lucy's back. Nic felt a little pain flare in his heart. In honesty, if he was there, then maybe everyone would've been spared the embarrassment, and Erza wouldn't feel jealous. Nic knew Erza was a lot of things, but at the same time, knew she was also not other things. Erza being jealous is a surprise.

He looked back at her, smiling mournfully. "Erza, can you look at me, please?" He insisted.

The redhead complied. She looked at him with a blush. She still felt a little nervous after the distress she's caused, but she couldn't help it. Nic's smile was comforting, and he didn't look at all mocking or sad.

"Listen, why don't we go home? You can have a nice bath, and Vanessa's preparing Christmas cookies." He kindly asked.

Slowly, Erza nodded. "Mmm…okay." She managed to break a small grin of her own, feeling comfort with Nic's loving and understanding nature. She stood up, and as they walked, Nic pulled her closer in, holding her tight as they traveled through Magnolia's silent streets. Erza felt so warm during that walk.

* * *

"There we go." Vanessa supplied a fresh tray of baked Christmas cookies with the sugary green and red sparkles atop. She laid them right next to the two mugs of hot chocolate she prepared for Nic and Erza.

"Thank you." Erza nodded.

Vanessa smiled. "You're welcome."

It was after Nic and Erza got home that they were greeted by Vanessa and her Pokémon, but they in turn were greeted with a naked Erza who was beneath Nic's clothing. Nic explained everything, and as Erza was guided to their bathroom, Vanessa prepared hot chocolate. Erza took a nice, soaking bath to relieve her stress. It left her replenished, finally overcoming her alcoholic state. After getting out of the bath and drying off, she requipped into her own Christmas attire, which was her own Santa hat, with an attire looking like Vanessa's only the fur-line was white.

Honedge, Greninja, Braixen, basically everybody was out of their Poke Balls. All thirteen Pokémon were given some air and the space to relax in the living room, with themselves either on the massive carpet or on the couches supplied, them too given the luxury of holiday cookies and hot chocolate.

Vanessa sat in a single chair with smooth cushions. She looked at Nic and Erza, holding up her glass. "So Erza was drunk?" She reiterated.

Nic nodded. "It appears that way."

Erza was still embarrassed to admit it, but it happened. She wanted to say something to make it right, but they were to the wrong people. Nic looked down at the ground, a half-grin on his face.

"I guess…I owe you an apology." Nic said.

Erza's eyes widened as she looked towards him. _Him_ apologize? She went all jealous while he was gone and spending Christmas Eve with his family.

Nic continued. "I know it sounds conspicuous, but I can't help but feel indirectly responsible. If I asked you to come along, then maybe you wouldn't feel so jealous."

Erza looked at Nic, her gaze turning worrisome. "N-no. Nic, if anyone's to blame, it should've been me. I should've known better than to get carried away for my own need of attention." She managed to grin at him. "Actually…it's neither of our faults."

The realization struck Nic, making him snicker. "Yes, I agree on that. It was just a good old fashion holiday party. You were just having some fun. No need to get worked up over something supposed for a certain place at this time of year, I suppose."

"Geodude using Rollout gather no moss." Kecleon said, tilting her head.

Nic and Erza smiled softly at the other, fortunate to finally be around the other at this time of the year.

Charizard raised his head. "Now that we're all settled, why don't we just relax and enjoy the night?"

"I couldn't agree more." Magnezone.

Mawile crossed her arms as she looked outside. "It's starting to snow harder, so at least we wouldn't have to worry about having no white Christmas."

"Alright! Snacks!" Krookodile grabbed a handful of sugar cookies and chewed on them.

Greninja grabbed two; one for himself and passed another towards Arbok, who accepted with a nod and grin. "Yes, this is a time of plenty, so let's enjoy it while we can." Granted, Nic, Greninja, and everybody else amongst the seven were not party-goers, they were willing to amuse themselves with being around the Pularis family. Parties that were like the Grand Banquet back when they defeated Lysandre, those festivities they hated and wouldn't bother going to, but low-key house parties such as these were more of their comfort zone.

Honedge smiled, despite having no mouth. "The holidays sure are lively, in our own way at least." She commented.

Braixen giggled. "Yes, I can agree."

That night, Nic, Erza, Vanessa, and their Pokémon hung around the house. Charizard laid close to the fireplace, keeping some low-key conversation with Kecleon like a brother and sister would, both grinning. Magnezone was enjoying himself with a few Christmas sweets Vanessa cooked up. The sugar cookies were sweet enough to make him and Krookodile want more, although Magnezone held more restraint than the Intimidation Pokémon. Staraptor found a nice perch on one of the lamps, shocking Vanessa as to how light weighted the Predator Pokémon was, yet she could lift boulders almost fifteen times were own weight. Mawile was keeping her atmosphere clear as she talked to Braixen, with Mawile snickering some while Braixen rolled her eyes with a grin.

Greninja and Garchomp were both sitting against a wall, looking at everybody else enjoying some talk. Greninja glanced over. "For what it's worth, I think these kinds of parties are somewhat…relaxing." The Ninja Pokémon said.

"Sometimes." Garchomp said.

"We've been pulling up and pushing our weights around, but we did it so long we like it that way." Greninja looked out, watching as Nic and Erza came back into the living room with a fresh plate of baked sweets. Krookodile immediately dove for them, but was cut off and chided by Vanessa. Greninja smiled. "Christmas has wonders of its own."

A projectile was thrown by Garchomp as the Mach Pokémon flipped his tailfin. A sugar cookie went flying overhead, but Greninja didn't even have to look as he kept arms crossed and caught the cookie with his tongue.

"Second nature reflexes never fail, even on holidays." Greninja said as he looked towards Garchomp, who grinned back.

Eventually, after everyone was starting to look tired, Erza looked towards Nic. She stared at him longingly as he sat back against the loveseat, watching his six Pokemon all smiling and gathered around the other like a family or community.

"So your Pokémon never got into an argument or fight? Not even once?" Erza asked.

Nic looked towards her. "As phenomenal as it may seem, it's true. We always train and exercise, our minds just…click. It's complicated to explain, but I think that we're able to understand one another since we know what goes on in the other's head. Not a single bicker, nothing like Natsu and Gray go through."

Erza chuckled some. "Yes, they do have their fair share of those I'm afraid."

"Anyways, we always go all out on the other that there really isn't anything to fight about. Our emotions and fighting is all in our battles and long hours, so we never really tamper our energy in pointless scuffles you can say." He looked over to watch Vanessa go across the room, carrying some of her ripe lemons with her.

"Okay, who wants some Christmas lemonade ready to-!" She lost her footing once she started to tread along the carpet. She began to stumble, and she began to trip forward. "Wh-whoa!" She wasn't gonna let that happen. Barely keeping herself up, she found herself hopping on one leg and falling forward, until she collided with the couch with an "Oomf!"

While she was okay, her Pokémon laughed. Vanessa adjusted herself and looked back everyone, smiling and chuckling with her antics.

Garchomp observed with Staraptor. "Humans can be so silly."

"Come on. Don't be such a downer, Garchomp." Braixen said.

"Yeah, no one likes a party-pooper!" Sliggoo chimed.

"I'm not a poopy-anything!" Garchomp growled in offense. Braixen and Sliggoo laughed at the serious-fighter mentality that Garchomp had and waltzed off. Garchomp rolled his eyes, grunting.

Arbok was coiled up, hissing as he looked mildly all around him. Occasions like these, he was in the same boat as Nic and the others. He'd rather have a low-key party. Big ones were too crowded for their liking, and instead they'd rather be in their Poke Balls. These were times of exception, and as far as Nic and family goes, a Christmas with Vanessa and Erza was a stretch to get used to. He hissed as he looked around, just before he looked at the small ham slice next to him and ate it up in one chomp.

Nic smiled back at Erza, who was laying back against the loveseat just like him. Her body was now adjusted so that she sat right in between his legs, her back to his chest, head tilted so that her cheek aligned with Nic's neck as she laid back against him. Even with a Christmas hat on, her scarlet hair was silky and ran down her back. It felt so soft against Nic's right side. Both smiled in comfort as the snow piled up outside. They weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Nic?" Erza asked.

"Hm?" Nic moved his head off to the side to look at Erza.

"Can I be invited to your Christmas dinner tomorrow?"

Nic was pleasantly surprised, but was hard to decipher the question. "Of course. Joanna and Michael would love to have you over." He said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Erza looked over at Nic and smiled happily towards him. She leaned in and happily planted a kiss on his cheek. The sudden affection made Nic a little pink in his cheeks. Whether it was a heat of the moment or just on a whim, it didn't matter. What really mattered was Erza showing how much she loved him.

"Save that stuff for when we're asleep, would ya?" Mawile huffed with a smirk.

"Mawile!" Braixen squealed.

Erza got up from her comfortable perch and stood amongst everybody else, smiling. "Well, might as well knock off a few presents before morning comes."

The Pularis siblings both agreed with Erza that they could all open some presents, save maybe one or two for Christmas morning. Everyone was debatable on the prospect, but for the sake of Christmas and all it was worth, Nic and Greninja were the ones who agreed that everyone would only get to open half of their presents, and the second half for tomorrow. No complaints were thrown around, so they all either sat on couches and chairs or laid and sat on the massive living room rug.

Kecleon reached over and passed down a present as big as herself. "This one goes to Krookodile."

"And here's yours, Mawile." Greninja gave Mawile her smaller present.

Vanessa presented Garchomp with a hand-sized gift box in purple. "And here's yours, Garchomp." Garchomp smiled mildly and accepted the gift.

Nic handed Erza a green box. "Here, Erza."

"Thank you." She graciously accepted the present from Nic, making sure that it indeed from him. She read the label and once she saw it was from Nic and Vanessa alike, she was appeased. She went over towards the tree and presented Vanessa with her gift just from her, and in turn Erza got a similar gift from Vanessa.

"Okay, now that everyone has their gifts, let's see what the other has given to them!" Erza chimed. "Vanessa, why not open mine?"

"If you insist." Everyone stayed silent as Vanessa opened her box, which she had to get the wrapping paper off first. Once off, she took the luxury of seeing the box as more rectangular than anything else. Inside, Vanessa saw that it was a large plastic pitcher with a cute red bow around it. Now she could squeeze her lemons into something she could pour into other cups than cups themselves.

She turned towards Erza with a smile. "It's beautiful." She complimented.

Erza nodded with pride. "I thought as much."

Nic turned towards Krookodile. "Krookodile, why don't you go next?" He insisted.

Krookodile looked down at the present that stood up against him. He was shocked by how tall it was – as big as himself – but also how heavy it seemed to be. Intrigued, Krookodile grabbed one end of the box and ripped the paper off in one fell swoop.

Standing in front of him was state of the art technology, no doubt from their world. In front was a seeming targeting system, in which the poll or stand was connected to a four-way wheeling system. There seemed to be a recognition laser, with a bunch of hands, targets, and openings for any other possible melee.

Krookodile squinted. "A robot?"

Vanessa's eyes widened. "That's not just any robot. That's a Kalos Pokémon Training Regiment MK 5. They're only sold in Shalour City. With it, you can adjust the setting to make the machine task your Pokémon with hours or minutes of restless exertion. It's also said to be so durable that not even a Surf or Dragon Rush is said to dent it."

Krookodile smirked. "Not after I'm through with it." Krookodile opened his jaws in hopes of proving his point, but stopped dead in his tracks when he got a deadpan look from everybody else. Immediately the Intimidation Pokémon caught on and he closed his jaws.

"Not after I'm through with it, tomorrow." He corrected.

"Better." Vanessa smiled. "Erza, how about you go next?"

"I'd be delighted." Feeling obliged, the redhead looked at the box on her lap. The label read Nic and Vanessa alike addressed to her, meaning both pooled money into this one. She opened it up, revealing what looked like dishes. Their lack of china was another thing in the house. Though they did move in with one another, Nic had almost no china, while Erza only had a few plates to spare, barely to last a full night and Nic resorts to washing them after every meal. With an extra five or six dinner plates, things felt much better in terms of conservation.

Erza observed the white china and saw it had green vines and pink flowers printed on them. She smiled happily as she placed one in the center. "I think they're very delightful. Thank you both." She cheerfully complied, and to add sugar on top, she went ahead and dumped a large batch of fresh Christmas cookie Vanessa baked on it. Even with crumbs, the plate looked clean.

After an hour of present opening, the results were rather mild, but many were content with what they got. For Nic's Pokémon, it was mainly specialty foods like top-quality Poke Puffs with swirls and chipped sprinkles and chocolates on top, one for each of the, though they decided to hold off and save for either tomorrow or for the week. Mawile got some Honey, and Sliggoo and Venusaur got some Lava Cookies with a side of Oran Berries fresh and ripe. The rest of the Pokémon got other treats such as Berry Juice, which was hard to come by unless you had a pretty penny Jewel to pay up.

Vanessa got some towels that were soft to the touch from Nic. While Nic got some soap to use in the shower to make him smell citrusy after a long training session. From Vanessa, the elder Pularis sibling got a small sketchbook and some pencils so that he could draw when he felt like it. His latest piece so far was a Whiscash on Route 19.

Erza got a new romance novel to add to her collection. A collection which she kept literally underneath the bed. This one was top-quality, at least to what Nic said.

At the time, Kecleon was all snug on the rug, already sound asleep atop of her stomach with the tail stretched out. As her tongue dangled by the side, Staraptor was nearby, the avian's right side like a pillow wall. Mawile was sprawled along one of the couches, her mouth hung wide open. Sliggoo and Braixen were pinned up against Venusaur, sleeping on either side. Barely anyone was awake, yet Nic, Erza, and Vanessa were all still up.

"I think this Christmas turned out really well…although technically it's Christmas Eve." Erza chuckled. Her body was sprawled atop of Nic's. Her head was in the crook of his neck as he laid on his back against the cushions.

His head faced the fire, watching it flicker on and off. It was weak, despite Braixen and Charizard igniting it several times over. His hands were holding Erza's waist, snug as her hat was on his chin.

A short silence passed before he spoke. "Erza…would you like your big present now?"

The redhead looked up at Nic full of wonder. "Really? Wouldn't it be more sensible for the morning?"

"I know…but I thought since we'll be busy tomorrow, I thought we could have just one more gift open."

Though curious, Erza complied with Nic's wishes. Both got up and scurried on over towards the Christmas tree. As they passed by others, Honedge was dosing off, barely able to stay awake. The Steel and Ghost-type was laying sideways on the rug as she watched her Trainer get up and walk.

"Which one did you have in mind?" Erza asked.

Nic looked around at the presents still left over. There was maybe one or two written to him, three more for Vanessa, and maybe four left for Erza, including the one that Nic desired to have opened up just for this occasion. He worked his way around the tree, getting the biggest present, almost equal to Krookodile's gift.

"This one?" Erza sounded surprised. She didn't think Nic meant _that_ one. Of course, the prospect could perhaps be of its own meaning.

"Okay…" It looked heavy, but Nic's strength was of its own caliber. With one arm, he hoisted the large box and carried it over his shoulder. Erza could've sworn she heard some clanging from inside.

Everyone's eyes opened back up as Nic moved the heavy present towards the center of the rug, just in front of the glass coffee table. Setting it in front, Nic stood back as Erza closed in. The redhead stood tall in front of the present that was as big as her, almost exactly.

Erza reached to open it. As her hand glided along the wrapping paper, she felt a hard casing, almost like glass. She looked back at Nic, seeing how he had a placid, expectant look. Although even despite how he looked, she could see how anxious he was to meet her expectations. She looked back towards the large gift and everyone watched her open it up, or at the least, remove the wrapping paper.

As Erza moved the wrapping paper out of the way, her eyes slowly widened. It was perhaps the most shocking present she may have ever gotten, perhaps in her whole life. Sure, the most shocking thing to have ever happened as a whole was her ending up being with someone who understood and trusted her, but this gift nearly knocked the boots off her legs. As it came to full view, everything about her nearly went into a breakdown from sheer shock. Vanessa looked equally as surprised, mainly because Nic didn't tell what was in the present. Now she knew.

"Nic…is this…?" Erza couldn't find the exact words to manage, but she knew for a fact that in front of her was something that's been itching her for quite some time.

It was a new armor. This armor was unlike anything in Erza's arsenal, because instead of a sword, it had something that left it unmatched. The armor was consisted of a breastplate, waistguard, gauntlets, and leg plates, all in a greenish-silevrish tint, but the light made it look like gold. The pauldrons also son the Fairy Tail emblem, and her leg plates have an intricate decoration. The armor also came with black pants, brown elbowpads, and an olive belt.

It came with not a sword, but a silver jousting lance. The lance had a finely decorative design over the vamplate. The pole was as long as the lance itself, with a heavy-set pommel included.

"A new armor?" Erza always fancied new sets of armor, no matter what kind, but the cost to have them purchased or refined by a blacksmith was so high that it would take weeks to settle in. She just got her Armadura Fairy Armor fixed just after the war, and it was being refined since the end of Grand Magic Games, so well over a month.

Nic stepped back as Erza examined her prize. "It's called the Piercing Armor. I talked to the blacksmith in Crocus, and we had it tailored to your measurements. Right down to the exact numbers." It was their last job they took a week ago in Crocus that he noticed Erza eying the weaponry when it was on display in the shop. It was only a few times, but Nic's eye caught her staring longer than intended.

"It's…beautiful." Erza said. Her eyes were reflecting the armor, dazzled by its many glorified features. She looked all around the glass box, seeing how it all looked so phenomenal.

Looking at the cute face Erza was making, like a child staring at candy, and grinned. "Do you wanna try it on?"

Erza turned towards him with shock. "O-of course." She happily implored.

She happily took apart the glass box and she went to the nearby restroom, where she requipped her Santa attire away briefly. As Erza fixed herself into her new armor, Nic was sitting outside expectantly, hoping the gift would suffice the redheaded knight. AT first he was worried it wouldn't fit her, but as Erza exited the restroom, her new armor intact, his worries were all for naught.

Erza turned around, and she showed her new outfit. Her hair, while a thin layer slicked down her back, she kept some in a loose ponytail that spread down her back. She smiled at Nic. "So, how do I look?" She finally asked.

Nic looked up and down, analyzing Erza's Christmas gift. He smiled longingly at her face. "I think it fits you perfectly." He said.

"It looks fantastic." Vanessa said.

"Not too shabby." Charizard said from afar.

Venusaur nodded in agreement.

Nic turned towards the basement. "What do you say we try it out?"

Erza nodded. "I was going to suggest the same thing."

* * *

Due to the snowy weather outside, Nic elected that they tried out the new Piercing Armor in the basement. The basement had plenty of room, and extremely high ceilings that were fit for battling. Downstairs, it was Nic and Erza, two walking over towards the battlefield in the dead center of the basement. With her intricate lance in hand, Erza put one foot in front of the other, walking towards the center of the battlefield.

Nic stood opposing her. While he didn't like the ideal of combat or fighting on the holidays, one may label this as a test run for Erza's armor for future combat. So in technicality, they weren't battling. It was just a small spar for Erza's sake. It probably wouldn't take long, five minutes maybe.

"The blacksmith instructed that the armor and lance combined can wield so much power that it could destroy an entire forest. However, he cautioned to be wise to use it in spaces with a lot of people around." Nic told her.

Erza held her lance up, pointed directly at Nic. "Right, so just for today, let's start off basic."

Nic complied, beginning by shifting into his Icicle Form. His body on the other side of the battlefield, he slammed his two hands together and then slammed them against the ground. An echo raised against the earth as the battlefield shuddered some as a massive block of ice solidified right in between Nic and Erza. It was large, cold, and was as large as a Regigigas, and as long as four Seviper stretched out.

"Starting out simple I see. Alright then." Erza aimed her lance at the spot she wanted to strike, which was the dead center of the large piece of ice. With a harsh battle cry, the knight sprung ahead, her lance jutting ahead.

The lance landed a great deal of devastative force. Nic made sure the ice was thick, but when Erza made contact, the entire piece of resistance shattered apart. Chunk upon chunk fell to the ground as Erza was in the center of the battlefield. She stood opposing Nic with her lance unhindered.

"That felt pretty sufficient." The knight said. "Gripping's good, and the focus point of power is as sharp as I had hoped."

Nic glowed again, shifting from his Icicle Form into his Stone Form. "Alright, then let's see what a stone wall is capable of, shall we?"

Erza nodded. "Of course. Odds are fortresses are comprised of stone. This should do the trick!"

Dragged by insistence, Nic slammed his palms together and slammed them against the ground. Another echo ran through the basement entirely. The battlefield shuttered some before it began to spout stone walls in consecutive fashion. One by one, ten-foot thick stone walls stacked against the other. The total was three, and thus Erza had to go through all of them.

Erza pointed the lance at the stone walls, readying herself. "Okay, here we…GO!"

Taking a massive lunge, the knight let out a battle cry as she made contact with the stone wall. She dove deeper, making the three huge slabs of rock immediately shatter and fly all over the place. The dust and flying rock sent at Nic like a massive plume. The shockwave blew his way, but in prep, he swiped his arm, and the shockwave dissipated like it was a fog – gone like the wind.

With the dust cleared, the spear was aimed for Nic, with it being a foot away from his face. With the battlefield cleared out, Erza was seen in a struck pose, not even panting as she completed her second run She didn't at all exhausted, as she saw Nic standing there without much of any flinching.

She smirked. "It looks to me that a forest is the least of one's worries." She mused.

Nic grinned back. "I'm glad that worked out."

Erza flashed and requipped back into her Santa outfit, and following suit was Nic, who reverted to his holiday attire as well.

"Nic! Erza!" Vanessa called from upstairs. "You both okay down there?"

"Yes. We just finished testing the new armor." Erza called out in a reply.

"I made a small batch of brownies for the night. Why not come try some?" Vanessa asked.

"Sure!" Erza and Nic looked at one another, both of which shared a similar satisfied expression. Erza wanted to test her new Piercing Armor out more, but knew that since it could at least break through large ice blocks and stones for starters, they could save the heavy stuff for another day. They may as well celebrate the rest of Christmas Eve with what little time was left.

* * *

Once the two made it upstairs, Nic and Erza were met with the small chocolate slices Vanessa managed to conduct. It was just a small tray, no bigger than a quarter of a regular tray. The brownies were thin, but they had slathered brown frosting on top with green and red sprinkles.

"It wasn't much, but I used the last of the ingredients you guys had in stock to make this small batch. Would you like to try some?" Vanessa insisted.

Looking around the room, nobody seemed to be in the mood. Krookodile was in the corner, sleeping hard as his stomach was comprised of nothing but cookies. Nic's Pokémon all seemed to be dozing off rather than spoil themselves. Vanessa's remaining Pokémon were just too tired and too full to cooperate.

Erza picked up a piece of brownie, smiling as her gloves felt the moisture in the brownies. "How lovely." She smiled as she reached and began to eat a bite out of it.

Nic turned towards Vanessa as he stood up. "I think I'll have one tomorrow. I have some dishes to take care of. You care to help me?" He asked.

"Of course." The young Pularis sibling volunteered.

As Erza took another bite of a second brownie, Nic and Vanessa were in the kitchen. As Nic used a sponge and cleaned the dishes on one end, Vanessa handled the drying and stacking. The foam bubbles were washed off of every plate before being passed to Vanessa. Nic passed another after thoroughly cleaning off the sprinkles.

"Here you go."

"Thank you."

Brother and sister working together. It was the little things that mattered, and to the Pularis siblings, these little moments were beginning to make up for the years of only Vanessa doing stuff. Nic always looked out for her, even when he was supposed to look in the corner, and Vanessa appreciated that. Never had they engaged in family activities, even when Nic still had the Plates inside of him, but with the months that have passed, and his mission long over, the two were closer than ever. They've been going on missions sometimes, sometimes including Sophie and Erza if felt obliged, and they were spending the holidays as a family, just like they should be.

Nic watched the snowfall outside become subtle once more. "It looks like it's going to be another six inches this hour."

"Maybe a foot tonight." Vanessa said as she put a plate off to her side.

"Where is he?! Where is anyone?! Graahh!" They heard shouting from inside the living room, immediately getting their attention.

"What?" Vanessa said.

"That's Erza!" Nic said in his startled demeanor. Both rushed for the opening, where they slipped their heads to the side to peek in and see what all of the commotion was about. To their horror, they found Erza sitting atop of the coffee table, and she looked angry.

"Hey! Where is service around here! Someone get me more brownies!" Her tone as aggressive, and her face was all red as she waved the empty tray of brownies around.

Nic's eyes widened. "Erza?" He questioned.

Vanessa's shock surmounted with her brother's. "Nic, does she seem…"

Nic's brows furrowed. "I can't be sure, but…" He turned towards his sister. "Vanessa?"

"Yes?"

As Erza continued to rant on, spouting in her angry frustration, the redhead was oblivious to the other Pokémon, in which there was a mixed reaction. Vanessa's Pokémon were all shocked, some scared even. Sliggoo was downright terrified by how Erza was, and Mawile was caught stiff. Nic's Pokémon, however, merely had their eyes open, but only glanced over as the redhead wobbled left and right. Clearly they were far calmer than Vanessa's.

Inside the kitchen, Nic turned towards Vanessa. "How did Erza get intoxicated? I could've sworn that there were no adult beverages around when I picked her up." He figured.

Vanessa nervously turned and looked around. "I-I don't know! How could the brownies be so intoxicated? Was she liked this with the sugar cookies?"

"No, can't be. She was fine beforehand." His eyes widened. "Wait, what did you put in those brownies?"

Vanessa blinked. "I followed the recipe Michael and Joanna gave me when I left home years ago." She looked around, finding the ingredients and the exact boxes they were in. "Eggs…brownie mix…water…I don't see what I did wrong." She sounded anxious and worried. The sound of Erza yelling got louder.

Nic turned towards any suspicious culprits. His mind immediately went for the one possible place: The trash. Heading over there, Nic found a number of things, but the most recent items that laid atop of plastic plates were two bottles. "What?" He reached in, realizing that the bottles were different. He held both in the air, one reading vegetable oil, and the other with a label that struck him shocked. "You mean…"

"What?" Vanessa went over, seeing what Nic was referring to. When she saw the two bottles, her eyes also widened. "The vegetable oil! That's what went awry! I ran out as I was pouring some in and…" And then realization dawned upon her. She sweat dropped nervously, her face nearly paling at the mistake she's made. "What have I done?" She muttered.

Nic looked down at the vegetable oil in one hand, seeing as how it was empty, and then he looked over towards the other hand, which had the bottle Vanessa used as a substitute. Apparently, Vanessa grabbed the wrong bottle as a substitute, and even though the contents were small, it was a huge factor. Sake.

"It must have been in the back of the shelves this whole time." Nic speculated. He dropped both empty bottles into the trash, being sure to tie up the bag in the process. "It must have been when the house was completed and we threw that party. I thought we rid of all of those beverages." He looked despondent. "There was that one straggler I'm afraid."

"Mmmm…" A hand latched onto Nic's shoulder, sending a shiver down his spine. Nic and Vanessa alike went wide-eyed, realizing they weren't alone in the kitchen. "Nic~." Erza sultrily chimed from behind.

Nic slowly – very slowly – turned his head around, seeing how Erza's hostile expression was replaced. She looked drunkenly happy, with her cheeks flushed a nice pink, and her eyes soft. She looked a little _too_ happy. The redhead was the exact same height as Nic, so she didn't have to get in her toes as she leaned in from behind and closed in onto his left ear.

"The holiday spirit still goes on you know." She cooed drunkenly, but her breath tickled Nic's ear that it made him go stiff.

"Erza…?" Nic questioned. "Now hold on, you're drunk ag-!" He was cut off when Erza's arms that were over his shoulders began to drag him. The redhead retreated away from the kitchen, slowly taking Nic away from the tiled flooring.

Vanessa sweat dropped. "Oh dear."

Erza turned the corner and used her hands as she waltzed towards the hallway. "The night is still young! There's still holiday cheer and gifts for us to share, Nic!" She declared.

Nic was in no room to protest due to Erza being drunk. As much as he wanted to protest, the pushy redhead's iron grip was like a steel trap. He could yank himself out, but that would only serve to upset her. He ended up dragged into the hallway, and he knew it was best not to get the others involved.

Greninja opened one eye to watch Nic get dragged off by his drunk girlfriend. He got a notion of what might transpire, and he'd best not have his brothers and sisters alike get caught in the pointless melee. "Alcohol…" He groaned as he tried to fall back asleep against the wall.

* * *

The door to Nic and Erza's bedroom slammed shut, and immediately Erza pivoted and grabbed Nic's face, pulling him in for a deep kiss. The redhead's eyes were shut, and she pressed herself up against HIM, making sure she was latched on and wasn't gonna let go. Nic was still unable to put up a fuss as his companion was probably not going to let him escape. Still, despite the taste of a mix of chocolate and strawberries, the kiss still felt intense. Suddenly, before Nic could return one, Erza practically threw him onto the bed. "Oof!" Nic grunted at the brashness of the hurl. He fell on his back, head against the bottom of the pillows. He heard of how wild Erza could be when drunk, and very forceful, but he would think wild may be putting it lightly. He didn't have time to process a heavy weight falling onto his body. Again an "Oof!" escaped from his throat.

Erza found her place atop of a startled Nic, her large breasts against his neck. The close proximity of Nic's face against her monstrous cleavage, and the fur trimming did no help. As Nic's face got redder, Erza found herself quite comfy on her boyfriend. She wrapped her arms around his head, holding him as her cheek was against his black hair. It was very short, yes, and spiky, but at the same time…soft.

Erza moaned softly as she twiddled her fingers in Nic's hair, not bothering to understand her violation of space. Eventually, she picked herself up at long last and looked down at Nic, who was pale and looking uneasy. The redhead only served this look as cute in her opinion and licked her lips as she hovered him.

"Time to have our own little Christmas party." She cooed.

"Erza?! Erza! Let's talk about this-!"

What exactly went on that Christmas Eve? No one knew, not even Greninja or Braixen or Honedge. Everything in the bedroom was silent, as was the night. All across Magnolia, Christmas Eve turned into a silent night, with everyone snug in their beds. The Strauss siblings were all fast asleep after a nice holiday meal, while many others such as Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and Juvia, and the others that Erza left, were all still sprawled in exhaustion. The Nic and Erza household was perhaps a mixture, because the living room was comprised of the Pokémon, while the end of the hallway had spirits dancing with Christmas cheer. One thing that was for sure, that it echoed throughout that one room.

* * *

The next morning, the snow piled up outside, high enough to bury the very tips of the shrubs beside the house and walkway. The living room was very quiet, filled with Nic's Greninja and the others sleeping soundly like babies, eyes shut and not well disturbed on such a holiday morning. Vanessa's Braixen and her team was sound asleep, much more sprawled all over, with Krookodile sleeping with his stomach still grumbling. In the guest bedroom, which was the first room to the left of the hallway, Vanessa was sound asleep, sleeping hard. Sprawled on the bed, she had her facemask on, sleeping on her side in fresh pajamas, her Christmas attire in the laundry. Her lips were parted, her body doing what she loves most: Sleep in.

As the morning sun was starting to come up, and birds began to chirp, Erza began to come around. Her eyes opened up and sat up. "What happened? Why is my head…throbbing?" She groaned. "I had brownies, and then…then what exactly?" She noticed that her body was comfortable, the blanket covering her. Looking down, she saw that Nic was right beneath her, sleeping ever soundly without clothing, just like she. She scanned his body, noticing how he had more scratches than she remembered.

As she looked around the room, her surprise surmounted gradually. Whatever happened, the blinds to the windows were toppled over, giving way to sunlight entering the room. Erza looked over and found that her nightstand had fallen on its face, the drawer on the other side of the room. All around the bed was scattered clothing from last night, save the Christmas hat Erza still miraculously had on her head. Nic's was sideways, barely hanging on the side of a lamp. It was like an animal waltzed in and played with junk.

Erza looked down at Nic, her confusion at a peak. "What happened last night?" If she was honest, she didn't mind much, mainly because of what Nic said earlier. It was that time of year, and people tend to go nuts for gifts.

One thing was certain, Erza certainly had merry spirits to share with Nic this wonderful Christmas.

* * *

 **Merry Christmas/Christmas Eve! Since you guys love me so much that you can't live without my works, I've decided to throw a little bone with everything in it. Ultimate fluff with a small sprinkle of angst, with a touch of active combat (somewhat), and since it's the holidays, a little innuendo at the end.**

 **As I was working on this little gift for you guys, I was looking back in the prequel. I noticed a difference, and it's not the fluff. It was the chronological background in every chapter. This sequel gave me far more free space to do a vast number of omakes compared to** _ **The Fairy Contender**_ **, but I wouldn't call that a bad thing, because I'm using any opportunity I can to get the NicxErza relationship to stay deep.**

 **Also, I decided to go for a small twist and give Erza's Piercing Armor a little background. I don't remember seeing it before the Tartaros Arc, so I gave it some history of how it came to be Erza's.**

 **I'm going to be honest guys, the Christmas chapter in the Fairy Tail manga makes me a little sad. It isn't the plot, no, it's actually how it all started with Erza. When you think about the dynamic, it all started because Erza didn't have anybody to love; and while I am not Jerza in the remote slightest, I felt that there should've been someone there for Erza to love so she wouldn't feel so upset. The new OVA 9 Fairies Christmas also exemplifies my point. That's why OCs are made, so that gap could be filled for Erza to love someone. I tried to do a little bit of incorporating the Christmas OVA in, but otherwise, I kept it all original and made sure the NicxErza fluff was extra.**

 **I'm thinking of maybe one more omake before moving onto the next big arc in the story.**

 **To all, Merry Christmas! Comments and review your thoughts as always! :)**


	28. The Last Calm

Droplets of water echoed through the spacious domain of white tiling refracting light in various angles. The white walls were moist from the wet air that resonated from the steaming hot air. The water dripped to a slow stop, but the accumulation left a pool of hot water that steamed enough to fog up the entire horizontal mirror on the opposite side of the bathroom.

Erza stretched her arms overhead, getting her muscles to loosen up. "Mmmm, this is just what I could use." She moaned to herself. Her head laid against the one end, which was caved in to act as a headrest; a small feature Nic requested. "This water is phenomenal. I can feel even my soul soaked to its core."

Letting out another sigh, she began to reflect on her day. Her morning was just like any, waking up atop of Nic's chest, with time to spare before the sun arose to train with Honedge. The Sword Pokémon's No Guard Ability has been something she was still getting used to, despite having Honedge for a few months now. The Steel and Ghost-type has been improving drastically. Job after job, day after day, Honedge has been training, learning new moves.

Honedge learned so many new moves that Erza lost count how many moves were forgotten to begin with. If she remembered correctly, Honedge currently had Fury Cutter, Swords Dance, Shadow Sneak, and Slash. Slash came recently of course, replacing Autotomize. As the redhead mulled over her thoughts of Pokémon, she looked up at the ceiling. _'I wonder what's going to happen if we keep learning new moves? Nic said there might come a time when Honedge might evolve.'_ She thought of Vanessa's Krokorok evolving into Krookodile a long while back. _'I wonder what Honedge might turn into…?'_

A small rumble trembled the bathwater, getting Erza to turn her head towards the wall. She knew something like that meant one thing.

"Are Nic and Vanessa outside?" She wondered. A knock came at the bathroom door. "Who's there?" She called out.

"It's me." Erza recognized the voice, letting her guard at ease.

"You can come in."

The handle turned, and inside came Honedge. The sword hovered by the doorway, sheathed as she turned towards Erza. "Erza, if it's not a bad time, we're running low on supplies." She commented. To any right-minded individual, when a woman or anyone was in the bathroom, you're not supposed to enter. However, Erza wasn't like all women. Her privacy issue was a trait she apparently learned to pass onto her Pokémon. Lucy and every other girl is conservative f their bodies, but the redhead never minds her guild mates about her body, despite their respective embarrassment. She now sometimes bathes with Nic, but only when he doesn't feel like using the shower, which was located right next to the bathtub. Erza never minds having her Honedge come in, and after so many months with Erza and her own quirks, seeing her Trainer nude doesn't faze the sword in the slightest.

Erza smiled. "I'll make sure to head to the market before it closes."

Honedge nodded. "Thank you. I'm sure Nic and Arbok would very much appreciate it."

"They are home, right?" Erza clarified.

Again, Honedge nodded. "Yes. They just got back from another high-pay job about half an hour ago. They're out front with Vanessa."

Erza raised her feet, letting the silky-smooth skin shine with water. She used the other end of the tub as a pedestal for her feet as she put her arms and hands behind her head. Another smile came across her face. Nic set out on another job earlier, one with a fair deal of pay. After the holidays came to a close, Nic and Erza have been busting themselves up and running themselves ragged for a week just to stockpile on food money. It was arduous with the number of mouths that needed to be fed, and the appetites to be met with, but to compensate, they needed to work.

Still reeling from her job from yesterday, Erza knew Nic coming back meant she would have to take the next one, but that could wait tomorrow. For now, she sat back and closed her eyes, relishing in the bathwater's liquid embrace.

* * *

Mawile appeared above, going for another downwards swat with her giant jaws. She brought the iron horns overhead, only for Arbok's tail to swat at her from the side, brushing away the incoming Feint Attack like it was a fly. Mawile flew off to the side, sliding across the battlefield. As she slid, she hopped back up and slid on her feet to a halt. She grunted as Arbok hunched over and turned to hiss at her. To add insult to injury, that swat was lazy, meaning Arbok wasn't using his full physical strength.

"You're being too predictable in your approaches." Nic reviewed. "Remember, your opponent can have a number of blind spots, but you also need to consider their characteristics, experience, and possible defenses. Arbok has reflexes and strength levels that are of immense levels. He can brush off and break away without even looking if he had the desire to do so. Also take into account how Arbok can smell and sense everything round him. He can feel vibrations with his physical body, and detect heat levels and smells. If you combine all of those, you have yourself at a significant disadvantage."

Vanessa was leering on as Nic was telling her of the number of flaws she had compared to his. She needed to take in personality and characteristics, as well as physicality. If she wanted to access her Pokémon's fullest potential, she had to know them inside and out. Nic knows Arbok so well that it was like looking through his point of view.

' _Against such an experience level, all we can do is just defend. Arbok has no blind spots, especially with his unmatched speed, brute strength, and blinding reflexes. Mawile has her iron horns, capable of backwards defense, and she has deceitful capabilities, so her maneuver to frontal attacks is her weak point.'_ Realizing the flaw, Vanessa seemed to be getting tensed.

Mawile patted the dust off her legs, glaring at Arbok again. "You're such a snake." She sassed.

Arbok only hissed in retort, retaining a singular coil like he did from the very start of training, He hasn't budged, not even an inch, and that unnerved Vanessa and Mawile alike.

"Maintaining such a guard to attack in any positon." Vanessa thought aloud.

Nic nodded.

"Sssssso, what do exxxxpect to do now?" Arbok rebuffed.

Mawile stepped back, her uneasiness unfolding. After coming home from his job, Nic promised to help Vanessa with a little battle training. If Vanessa wanted to become a great Pokémon Trainer, and to hold up against other Trainers back in their world, she had to train. She needed to get faster, stronger, and get a better understanding, a deep understanding that Nic has with his Pokémon.

Nic insisted that they used the basement's battlefield to do some training, but Vanessa wanted to try the battlefield outside since Fiore was hit with a warm front, melting almost all the snow in less than two days, leaving only patches of slush here and there. Still a little cold, they all persevered and Nic used his Flame Form to heat up and make sure the battlefield was dry.

Vanessa extended her arm ahead. " **Crunch!** "

Mawile turned around and opened her jaws to Arbok. The rows of teeth glowed and elongated, and she went lunging ahead after Arbok. The Cobra Pokémon and his Trainer didn't move an inch as Mawile closed in with a lunge.

"Now!" Vanessa commanded.

Mawile suddenly stopped right at Arbok's lower area. The Poison-type glanced down as the jaws were aimed up at him. Mawile sprung up, but as she went to Crunch his lower jaw, Arbok's tail again appeared from the side, again swatting from back to front instead of side to side like a windshield wiper like before. Mawile gagged as she was sent flying, barely regaining herself as she spiraled in the air, screaming outwards.

"Too petty." Arbok implied, not using nearly as much effort like before.

Mawile landed on her back with a thud against the battlefield. The Deceiver Pokémon's body was exhausted, and she was being pushed to the limits with this training. Not even fifteen minutes, and she still couldn't find an opening. She cursed with whatever consciousness she could muster.

Vanessa clutched her fists. "Mawile, please, up to your feet." She implored. Her Mawile complied, though her slight wobbling and lightheadedness didn't help at all. Vanessa extended her arm out. " **Feint Attack!** "

Mawile spread her legs and disappeared, like a ghost. Arbok remained steadfast and hissed as Mawile had yet to reveal herself. The Poison-type remained still, keeping himself calm, calculated, and expectant of what might come.

Mawile suddenly appeared behind in midair, directly behind the hood. "Hiyah!" She reeled back a fist and punched forward.

"Arbok!" Nic commanded.

Arbok's glance went behind and narrowed. As Mawile closed the gap, Arbok leaned left, dodging the incoming punch. Mawile looked flabbergasted as she was momentarily suspended right beside Arbok, who had an opening. _'Oh no!'_

Arbok turned his hood, uppercutting Mawile with the right side. As awkward as it looked, the uppercut scored on Mawile's abdominal region, sending her skyrocketing straight up. The Steel and Fairy-type screamed out as she gained altitude.

Vanessa's eyes widened. "Mawile!"

Mawile met a certain altitude before she was in momentary free fall. The exhausted Mawile's eyes looked down and caught sight of Arbok, who was looking up at her. He waited for her to come down, expecting her to make a move. Mawile's gaze narrowed. _'I'm not done…not yet!'_

As Mawile descended, she went down like a rocket, yelling aloud as she plummeted onto Arbok. Nic and Vanessa looked up as Mawile was descending, seemingly gaining momentum.

"She's coming in fast." Nic warned.

"Mawile, slow down!" Vanessa warned.

The Deceiver Pokémon whipped herself straight, her iron horns finally near 90 Degrees. She began to spin them around, like a helicopter would, gaining greater momentum as she descended at a steady pace. The two Trainers watched as Mawile swung her horns around, the air around swirling. The horns began to take in pressure, almost seemingly solidifying into a shiny coat.

Vanessa's eyes widened. "Is that…?"

"I see it as well." Nic said, wide-eyed. "Is Mawile…"

As Mawile stopped spinning her iron jaws and began to vertically flip now, they were solid iron. She closed in on Arbok again, the iron jaws swirling in the vertical flipping.

Vanessa's eyes remained shocked. "Mawile…" She grinned. "Then let's try it." She extended her arm ahead. "Use **Iron Head!** "

"You're mine!" Mawile slammed her Iron Head overhead, closing in on Arbok.

Simultaneously, Nic and Arbok's eyes narrowed. "I congratulate Mawile on learning a new move…"

"Ssssso we'll just have to hit harder!" Arbok hissed in a roar. He again brought his tail around, this time wind following. The purple tail went from back to front again, smashing against the incoming Iron Head. A ripple of air exerted between the two, and it exerted outwards, the impact so powerful and Mawile's Iron Head immediately dissipated, and her iron jaws felt a crushing force, one that could've bent steel girders or fall a full-grown tree trunk. Mawile suddenly went blasting past Vanessa, dragging winds and making Vanessa's hair shift madly. The younger Pularis sibling turned behind to see Mawile shoot across the field of grass and crashed onto a mound of slush. Slush splattered everywhere, and Mawile was seen laying face-up in the slush mound that was now a pile.

Vanessa's eyes widened. "Mawile!"

Wobbly and weakly, Mawile raised her right hand. "Ugh…mercy." Her hand fell, as well as her consciousness.

Vanessa put hands to her hips, grinning sympathetically. "Oh dear."

Nic walked up right beside Arbok. "Don't worry. We didn't hit her too hard. We made sure of that." He looked back at Vanessa. "You wanna call it in for now?"

Vanessa smiled at her brother before getting out a Poke Ball. "I'm afraid so." She pointed the Poke Ball at Mawile. "You take a nice rest for the day." The red laser traveled, finally reaching Mawile and turning her into energy. The energy retreated to the Poke Ball, and Vanessa put the Poke Ball away.

Nic turned and grinned as he put a hand to Arbok's head. "Thank you for all of your help, Arbok." He properly thanked.

"The pleasure isssss all mine, Nic-ssssama." Arbok hissed, accepting his Trainer's praise. Nic pointed the Poke Ball at Arbok, recalling the Poison-type back to rest,

Nic put the Poke Ball away and looked towards his sister, who stood ten feet away. "I think we have a long way to go, but it's best we stick with that gift you gave us." Vanessa said.

Nic didn't at all seem displeased by Vanessa's decision. If anything, he supported her. It's true that at his physical level, and his Pokémon, the chances of Vanessa keeping up were absolute zero. She needed much more experience. Even though she had six badges, the younger Pularis sibling needed to do better.

"If that's what you intend, I hold nothing against." Nic said. "Out of curiosity, has it been used?"

Vanessa looked up to the sky. The sun was getting wayward west, almost reaching the far mountains and hills in the distance. "Everyone is using it. Krookodile was so tired chasing it around in the backyard. Though he did get a Speed workout, he fell asleep."

Nic smirked. "How energetic." He mused.

Vanessa put a hand to her giggling mouth. "He is. At least he can control himself…" She turned to look over at Nic, who just looked at her, hands in pockets with a raised brow. Vanessa followed up with a sweat drop. "In terms besides his aggression."

"Nic." A familiar voice rang from the house. Nic and Vanessa turned around, seeing Erza on the balcony part of the porch on the right end of the house, a perfect view to watch battles. The call resonated from Erza, who was adorned in her casual white blouse and blue skirt. She looked refreshed. Honedge was right beside her.

"I'm heading to the market before they close. Do we need anything?" She asked.

Nic began to tread towards the pathway up towards the house. "Specifics you mean?"

"Yes."

"No, but we are running low on food."

"Exactly what I pointed out." Honedge beamed.

"Alright, then I'll find what I can that's for sale." Erza noted. "I'm heading out right now."

Nic stopped in his tracks and turned towards the pathway leading towards Magnolia. "Then how about you allow me to accompany you? I needed to stop by the guild hall. The Master said he wanted to talk to me after I came back from my job."

Erza smiled. "What is it?" She walked down to the front and stepped off the porch. As she walked down the trail, Nic followed beside her. Vanessa tagged along too.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Nic continued the conversation. "But the Master said nothing more than he wanted something important to share when I come back to the guild hall."

"And you didn't ask?"

"If I asked, then maybe I wouldn't like the answer." Nic said.

"The Master has ways of keeping us guessing." Vanessa added in.

"True." Erza smiled. "He is a wise and great person."

Nic and Vanessa shared a grin, both complying with Erza's statement.

* * *

Hand in hand, Erza and Nic interlocked fingers as they traveled through town. Hey seemed very much tranquil with their conversations. Nic went on to talk about his latest job, which wasn't at all hard for his experience level. That and he had Greninja by his side anyway. When you're the same duo who comprises the seven - or fourteen – who saved the universe, and ridiculed the strongest mage on the continent of Ishgar, you're basically assured nothing holds you down that easily.

When they got far enough into town, Nic and Erza split, with the redhead escaping towards the food market with the Jewel they covered for the week, Vanessa heading home, and Nic making his path for the guild hall.

Nic opened the doors to the inside, where he was greeted by the sights and the sounds of another scuffle that was bestowed by the ever-so rambunctious Dragon Slayer and Ice-Make Mage; namely, Natsu and Gray. It was another guild brawl, the second one today as a matter of fact. Again, tables went flying, along with some broken glass, a few mugs every now and again, and flying bodies crashed against walls. A most recent one being Gajeel as he was thrown by Elfman.

Gajeel got back up, iron teeth gritting with vicious intentions. "Oh you just went there, pal!" He clutched his fists, flying back into the scuffle.

Nearby, Levy sighed. "The second time today. I swear, this is not good for our health."

"Not to mention damages to be paid for." Lucy added in.

Lisanna was on the far right of the three who watched from a safe distance. "Well, at least you know it's still us." She looked off to the side, seeing Nic walk passively by, ignoring the mug that nearly missed him by a hair's length. "Hey, Nic."

"Lisanna, how is everything?" He asked.

"Oh, you know, same old, same old." The youngest of the Take Over siblings commented. "So did your job go well."

Nic nodded. "As well as we hoped."

"So, why're you stopping by?" Lucy asked.

"The Master said he needed a word with me. Is he around?" Nic answered.

"He's probably in his office. You should start there." Levy noted.

"Thank you." With another thanks behind him, Nic walked away from the bar, just in time to evade another hair's length worth of a flying chair. The sudden furniture made Lucy shrieked as flinch away.

"Hey! Keep it down!" Cana shouted from behind the bar, in the sanity corner. She turned back down with another sigh, holding onto the three mugs she kept by her side. "Man, they're rowdy as ever."

"Better safe than sorry." Sophie added, she too in the sanity corner.

* * *

Inside the confines of the Master's office, Makarov was at his desk, hearing the volume of the rowdy guild make way even through his wooden door, which was built to be extra sturdy and thick. Makarov didn't mind, but his 'children' could use a few lessons when it comes to volume control. He could've sworn he heard some unprecedented language from a few members.

His hand brushed another pile of paperwork off to the side. "What I wouldn't give to have these letters expunged from my memory." He sighed.

A knock came at his door, catching his attention. "Enter." He announced.

The door handle turned, and inside appeared Nic. He entered slowly, with slight caution. "Master." Nic greeted.

"Nic, glad to see you're not part of the scuffle down there." The old Master mused.

Nic smirked. "If I was, I probably would've set a rather low example."

"Ain't that the truth."

The air between the S-Class Mage and Master became stale, the small air molecules silently blitzing around, waiting for the one to speak. Nic was thankfully that one.

"So, you wished to see me?" He asked.

Makarov nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so. Do you have a minute?" He watched as Nic took a step closer towards the Master's desk. It was a clear yes, at least to what Nic's serious face had to say. "Good, now this news may come off as surprising."

"There's no need to sugarcoat. What's so drastic about this call?" Nic persuaded.

However, certain calls don't always proceed with the answer one wants.

"It's the Magic Council."

Of all the numerous things Nic could be hit with, the blow that was worse than a Brine combined with a Mystic Water caused what one could say a critical hit, at least not superficially. On the outside, Nic was seen with a straight face, though the slightly widened eyes gave some clue to what he felt inside. His heartrate increased a little, but his body almost shut down with shock. He still had problems with authority, and he may as well remain that way for the rest of his life. The Magic Council was the last thing he wanted to hear about, especially after the mess they've conducted with Gran Doma's abolishing Pokémon campaign and war. Even after Gran Doma's death and the Council shutting down for a few months to sort itself out, Nic was still – and possibly will forever be – weary of the Council. He'll still never forgive them, never in his life. He retained a calm composure and allowed himself to settle down.

"What is it about the Council?" That was all he asked. Makarov could hear the flat tone he gave off, and he didn't blame him. He powered through with dignity.

"They sent me a letter regarding the new standards. Thankfully, all these new codes and laws are loose, especially when it comes to you." Makarov looked down at the paper in his hand. It wasn't too long, but skimming was required. "The Council sent us another apology letter addressed to you. They still hold themselves accountable, and Org is acting as Chairman now, and he seems to have given us a few words to keep in mind."

Nic said nothing, allowing the Master to go on.

"According to what he had to say, God Serena was reported to have left the continent. They still have no proof of his whereabouts, but they can confirm that after the war, he is most likely no longer within reach. This means that his Wizard Saint title remains revoked."

Nic was already catching on. His eyes narrowed.

"So in compliance to what transpired, there are several seats open to the recommended title of Wizard Saint. I have been giving it some thought, but perhaps if you-!"

"I refuse." The answer from Nic's mouth was fast; plain and simple. No meant no. Makarov could still feel the vibe Nic was giving off, which was more or less a defiant one, with a tint of irritation. Makarov should've known better than to think Nic would've said no to begin with. Even with the Council reformed and having their errors corrected, Nic had no desire to become their own personal scapegoat if situations went awry. He'd sooner use Outrage than be locked into chains or comply with a sentence by them. His sense of stubbornness was perhaps one of those traits that started the whole war to begin with. He loathed titles. He could've been labeled Champion in the past, and then Wizard Saint, but he tossed those out like old gum wrappers.

Understanding Nic's nature on the subject, he relented. "I understand. I'll let them know." He said.

Nic turned his head away, eyes barely narrow. "If that's all, I'll be…"

"There's more, Nic." The Master followed up. Nic was about to leave, but he stopped in his tracks and looked back at Makarov. "The Council has been looking for more people to fill the empty seats in the Wizard Saint position. There's more than enough to start a scuffle. Since you're above such a title, the Council has also been wondering about you being an ace of Ishgar."

Nic stared ahead. "Ace of…Ishgar? You mean deliberately label me the strongest fighter in all of Ishgar, let alone the world?" Nic questioned. "Sounds a little over the top, wouldn't you say?"

Makarov snickered. "A stretch, but you did save the world and universe in the past. Is that a no still?"

Nic looked away, a frown appearing on his face. "Please, I just want them to understand I have no desire in their persuasion."

Makarov knew Nic would say no one way or another. If it was up to him, he'd leave Nic alone and never bother him again in his lifetime. However, the Council was looking to Nic's consolidation, and as much sugar as they put on it, their case was only leaving insult to injury. A Will-O-Wisp's burn effect will only hinder so long as there's no Burn Heal around. He brushed all of the Council stuff aside, complying with Nic's wishes. He knew the Council would be displeased with Nic's answer, but at the same time they held respect or his decision. Luminous was the only title he could tolerate.

"I understand." Makarov looked towards another piece of paper, reading the contents before looking towards Nic again. "Nic, I'm sorry you had to bear that."

Nic nodded, lightening up some. "It's not your fault. You just needed an answer, that's all."

"Shall you take your leave then?"

"Yes, if that's okay with you." Nic finally turned towards the doorway and exited upon his own accord. The door went shut behind him, leaving Makarov to stare at the wooden piece of shield for a couple moments before turning his gaze back down towards his paperwork. Barely coherently, he muttered beneath his breath.

"Damn Council. Even after reforming, they're still suck-ups. Kissing up to Nic and begging for forgiveness. If only they learned their lesson the first time."

* * *

Cana sipped from her next mug, sipping as another man flew over in the crowd hording the center of the guild hall. Not far from her, Sophie sat quietly, reading a book that brimmed with wealthy knowledge. The duo sat in the confines of the sanity corner, watching as Nic came along, a mellow look on his face.

"What's up?" Cana asked, which was followed by a hiccup.

"So how was the talk?" Sophie asked.

Nic took his place right across from Sophie, his back against the wall. He crossed his arms and took in a deep sigh, ignoring Gray hitting the bar stools lined up outside. The thud did make Sophie lurch some. "It was…eventful, for a lack of better wording." He said.

"Really?" Cana chimed. "You know, I'd give ya a drink, but I rather value myself." She mused.

Sophie sweat dropped. "You just had to bring that up." She remembered Nic's rampage all too well, twice. The guild hall so long ago was one, and the recent one being on that big job to stop that Zeus Cannon. Sophie knew it well, but Cana didn't wanna go through that again, never. She was scared the first and second time.

Nic brushed off the concept and looked down at the ground, grinning weakly. "I appreciate your concerns."

"Well that's what friends are for, right?" Cana winked.

"Speaking of concern, I'm worried that our bills for repairs might be high if we don't stop this fighting sometime soon. It's been reaching a climax for over an hour now. It's honestly getting tedious." The blonde Memory-Make Mage said. She even looked irritated to show the part.

Nic looked up, noticing Elfman hitting the top of the bar area. Suffice to say that there was a large dent in the wood.

"Alright. I'll 'settle' this scuffle." He said. Standing up, he glowed, shifting into his Toxic Form. He turned and looked back at everyone, mainly Natsu and Gray in the center of it all. He jumped over the bartop, leaving Sophie and Cana to relax a little.

Cana put her hands behind her head. "Ah~. Maybe now people will start cleaning up after themselves."

"You said that before and it never happens." Sophie corrected. "That's the 17th time and they still are forced to pick up the broken pieces." She deadpanned.

"Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?" The brunette shrugged.

Sophie raised a brow of inquiry, both looking with straight expressions as an explosion of purple erupted, rattling the guild hall. Screams of pain flourished wildly like flowers as a Sludge Wave got everybody, exclude Gajeel, who stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing Nic finally intervening.

Cana laid back, legs stretched out. "Music to our ears."

"One could say that." Sophie mumbled, turning to the next page.

* * *

The rest of that day went by rather passively, with Nic watching over everyone clean up after themselves. S they cleaned, Nic made sure Natsu and Gray were on opposite sides of the guild hall. Sophie and Cana didn't have to help per se, but they were supervising, just to be sure that no funny business went around. When everyone finished, Erza was around, and in her arms were several large bags of groceries that carried an assortment of breads, meats, and everything and anything amongst the food groups needed for a healthy living machine. Nic and Erza retired just as the sun began to set, the sky a brilliant array of colors.

Nic helped carry the groceries home, noting how surprisingly heavy are; then again, they were stocked to the brim. They eventually made it home, and immediately the two had begun a light dinner, with a side of a few of the meats Erza recently purchased.

Erza prodded her fork into the diced steak prepared. "So, the guild was at it again?" She decided to make a conversation, with Nic on the other side of table. She took a bite as Nic began to speak.

"You'd think Cana would learn to use her abilities to use her Card Dimension for a little time-out." Nic said, cutting up his steak into larger diced pieces.

"Well she is a capable mage in her own right. I'm sure there will come a time and place when she feels suited to take action rather than horde alcohol around." Erza mused.

Nic lowered his head a grinned, using his fork to move the steak in the steak sauce. "I guess patience is a virtue."

"And Rhyhorn needed to evolve requires patience." Kecleon chimed in, her tongue coiling around a few chunks of steak and retreating to her mouth.

Charizard used his index finger claw to pick up a piece of steak. "So, what's the plan tomorrow?"

"Since we got back from a job today, it'll be Erza's turn next to head out on one." Nic stated.

"That meanssss the ususal, jusssst the way we like it." Arbok hissed.

Honedge nodded. "We'll be sure to ascertain more good pay."

"If it works well, I think it's best that we have a fair amount of Jewel before the month is over." Erza said after swallowing. She turned towards Nic as he was chewing. "We should have enough money now to at least cover two weeks, right."

Nic swallowed and turned towards her. "As long as we don't have to resort using our funds for expenses…"

Currency. That was one of the few things Nic couldn't give a damn about. He never liked money, let alone the fortune and misfortune it can bring at times to certain people. He never liked money, and he never had a lot of it to spend, even on his journey. The only way he got any worth of money was by beating other Trainers and getting prize money at the end. But being together with Erza meant another sacrifice to be made, and that meant he had to worry about having the Jewel to feed everyone around him. Greninja and the others sympathized with his sacrifice, but they couldn't offer input to their Trainer's heightened responsibility. Erza herself was aware that Nic gave no care to currency as well; though she is on the same boat that Jewel is needed to get by at times.

For now, it was best that the redheaded significant other changed the subject. "So…how did the talk with the Master go?"

There was a strong moment of silence before Nic finally spoke aloud. He momentarily sat the fork down, staring at his now empty plate of steak sauce still spread about on the white china. "…the Council wanted me to become a Wizard Saint."

Erza looked up at him, her movements halting on the spot. She, once again, found herself with another sympathetic note for Nic. She knew that after everything the Council had done to him, he would never forgive them. She was also aware of his reluctance of titles if optional. "…I see. And you declined?"

Nic continued to stare at the plate. "Erza?"

The redhead raised a brow.

"If you had the chance to become a Wizard Saint, would you seize the opportunity?"

Erza found herself a little surprised by the question. In her mind, she was more or less uncomfortable with the prospect; in her career as a mage, she never entertained herself with the notion of a Wizard Saint title. Perhaps in the Tower of Heaven to refrain from the screams of death engraved into her soul, but the reality of a Wizard Saint never crossed her until she thought about it just now. She knew that a Wizard Saint meant being regarded as one of the ten most powerful mages in all of Fiore, however after the war ended, her opinion on them changed. For Wizard Saints, they didn't deserve any means of respect, especially for the trouble they caused for her guild mates.

"I…" Erza watched as Nic gave an expectant, but also curious, look. She wasn't fond of objecting to Nic's predicaments, but her opinion has changed. She disliked Wizard Saints, mainly because their power was never as right as their heart or conviction; the only exceptions being Master and Warrod. Ultimately, she came to a conclusion. "I would say such an honor isn't worthy amongst Fairy Tail. We're above them."

Nic looked a little better. "Really?"

"Of course. Don't get me wrong. Such a title is such an opportunity, but even after the reforming of the Magic Council, I prefer to remain pacified in my own rights than the Council having me as a leash to keep us in check."

Nic looked at Erza another few seconds before snickering.

"What?" She asked.

"It's nothing." Nic figured. "I should've known better than to get worked up over a trivial title. Come on, let's wash the plates." He got up, his worries behind him as he and Erza ended up washing all of the empty dishes and plates that night.

* * *

Nic stepped out of the bathroom, his whole body refreshed after a hot shower. With nothing but his dark purple pajama bottoms, his naked upper body was exposed, again showing his toned and stern body looking like it could bend steel. Running his hand through his very short spiky hair, he took in a breath of fresh air as he treaded along the carpet on towards the bed. He crawled into the bed, with Erza waiting patiently.

"It's been quite a day, hasn't it?" She said as she turned her body towards him.

Nic's body faced hers. He looked at her and grinned. "I can relate. My feet needed a nice soaking after that job."

Erza's eyes softened. "I'll be sure to make the next job as quick as I can."

"Don't worry about it. You just make sure to strive to make the world a better place to live in. Isn't that part of a job?"

Erza smiled. "Of course. I'd be a crying shame to overlook that factor." She pulled herself in towards Nic, taking in his fresh citrus wash he just used. The two embraced the other with nothing more than the sound of the ceiling fan moving at high speeds to keep the two cool. The silence was comforting in a way, but nothing was needed to be said between the two.

Their faces were so close that they were feeling their breaths mix. Erza's body moved so that she was sprawled over Nic somewhat. Despite her pajama bottoms, her skin still felt smooth.

Eventually, sleep succumbed the two, with their windows shut so that the shivering night air wouldn't leave them feeling like being in Frost Cavern. Nic slept on his back as his chest was seen rising and falling, with Erza soundly pressing herself atop of him her head in the crook of his neck. All was serene yet again in the Nic and Erza household.

* * *

Everything was pitch-black, nothing but the sound of ears ringing, echoing vibrantly through the hollow space that divided and cut off serenity from dread. This space, this confine, it was like a void, a void that was worse than a night of pure darkness, worse than the howling of carnivores in the wilderness. Something about this seemed off, and far from pleasant in any way.

In the darkness, a single human being was sought floundering aimlessly in the dark. He looked lost; confused, but cautious. This darkness, he may have ceased it from destroying the universe and itself, but walking around in it was no less disrupting.

"What is this?" It was Nic, and the entire dimension seemed far from tranquil. He looked around, left and right, noting how everything around wasn't as it may or may not seem to be, at least to him.

"Is this…my subconscious? Why is it so…dreary? This can't be another nightmare now, can it?" He looked down at his hand, noting how he was fully aware and turning it over. "I can feel my body, and yet I can't seem to think that I'm dreaming…?"

His eyes narrowed, his suspicions on the rise.

"You are not wrong, but this isn't a dream one might put it." An unknown voice announced.

Nic's eyes widened, his guard rising higher than ever. He turned around, looking around, heavily weary of what was going on around him. "Who's there? Show yourself!" He called out. However, no one was behind him. He again leered left and right, seeing as how no one was within the confines of the dark space but himself.

Another silence came to pass until the voice came back around. "Greetings, Nic Pularis."

This second time was clearer than before, and resonated from behind his back. Nic felt an ominous chill run down his spine, but he persevered and looked over his shoulder. However, what he saw, he did not believe.

His eyes slowly widened, the smirk of a familiar man bringing him a startling discomfort. If he didn't believe it before from the voice, then the picture in front was vivid proof. The smirking man looked at Nic's shocked face, seeing his uneasiness arise.

"It's been much too long since our last meeting, hasn't it?"

Nic was still paused. "You're…" He recognized him, but the fact that he did only meant he knew who he was, and he wasn't liking where this was going.

Zeref.

Knowing full well of the Black Wizard's reputation, Nic slowly turned around, retaining caution. He knew Zeref was literally nothing compared to what he had to deal with in the past, but that didn't mean he had to forsake something possibly dreadful approaching.

In contrast, Zeref retained a smirk. "At ease, Nic. Quell your anger. I can't harm you if I tried."

Nic maintained a guard, though he did comply with the Black Wizard's words. "…what are you doing in my thoughts?" He demanded.

Zeref closed his eyes. "Your guess is as good as mine. If you chose to do so, your conscience could erase me in a flash, but then again, I'm not really here."

"So like an ethereal message one could say? A Thought Projection for the mentality?"

Zeref's smirk widened. "I honestly never looked at it that way before. Perhaps that might be the case." He noticed the look on Nic's face, seeing how dead serious Nic was. "I suppose, but I have come for a reason."

"For what purpose?" Nic speculated.

Zeref turned his head off to the side. "That…it can be describe as an examination…and a warning."

"What?"

Zeref turned his back towards Nic, facing the pitch-black in his mind. "When you think about it, you're perhaps the most powerful human with Pokémon powers in the known universe. I've witnessed your many battles, especially against the one that dared to not be mentioned."

Nic knew who he was talking about, but allowed Zeref to press the matter on himself.

"With his powers and sheer hatred far greater than my own, he and those four slaughtered those dragons without blinking, and to add fuel to the fire, they nearly killed Acnologia without trying. Your powers, your heart, and those six Pokémon you carry…they embody what could hold the universe itself together. I have no doubt in my mind that you could potentially save the world a second time, possibly from Acnologia and myself."

Nic wasn't liking his notion. It's true from Zeref's standpoint. Everyone dared not speak of Lysandre, for his monstrosity was so terrifying that Zeref and Acnologia's reputation were savagely hindered. Lysandre was getting a larger picture in terms of the universe than the world. He wanted the definition of genocide and apocalypse to be eradicated; nothing upon nothing itself was to come…until Nic and Greninja, Charizard, Kecleon, Staraptor, Garchomp, and Arbok stopped his infinite darkness, a feature not even Acnologia and Zeref could do, not in a million years…or ever. He may have the power to defeat Acnologia, or even Zeref, but this notion was still giving ominous appeal.

"Where are you heading with this? What's going on?" Nic demanded.

Zeref turned around, facing him in the eyes. To Nic's bewilderment, Zeref's smirk was gone. "Beware Nic Pularis, though there is the chance you can in fact destroy me and Acnologia, there is something of you that even you will be terrified of." He looked towards his left, and then his right. "I sense something equally as petrifying. I have great worry if I can keep myself from trembling any longer."

"Something…petrifying?"

"Yes, I sense a dark force, and it's far below the heart. You may not see it yet, but I can feel it." Zeref looked startled a bit. "I have many Demons created, including my most powerful one…"

Nic's muscles tensed up considerably. "E.N.D."

"So you've heard. Yes, E.N.D is in fact my most vile Demon, but even he would be of no match for Lysandre, or for what's to come."

Nic's patience was running thin. "Zeref, are you foreboding a dark premonition of something worse than you to come?"

Zeref looked down, a shadow over his eyes. "Yes. I have little time to say this, so I hereby warn you. Something dark is coming. Something that will make you realize that even the light has darkness in its core. You'll learn something about yourself that will never leave you the same again."

Nic stepped forward. "Zeref, this 'something', tell me! What's dark to come that'll make me different?!"

Zeref began to fade away in the darkness. "Someone is coming for you. What you will see will open your eyes to the monster dormant in your heart…" His figure faded away fully. "Lysandre was the most sickening…but this one will bite you at your core…"

His echoing voice faded away, leaving a distraught Nic standing stiff in the darkness. As Zeref's ethereal message left, Nic was leave baffled beyond comprehension. _'The worst is yet to come…?'_ Just then, he too was fading from the darkness.

Nic's eyes opened, up, a slight hitch in his breathing proven sharp as knives. With eyes wide, the first thing he took into account was that he was in his bedroom again, no longer in his mind. He saw the ceiling fan circle around seconds upon seconds. _'What was that just now?'_ He tried to make sense of the 'dream' he had, or the message he got from Zeref. He looked distressed with his narrowed eyes. _'Zeref…even he fears my powers. There's a darkness undermining me…?'_

He felt a weight suppress him, keeping him from getting to the bathroom to wash his face. Looking down, he saw Erza's head on his chest still, her arms draped around his neck, keeping him tightly towards her, as if he were to fade away from her forever.

The redhead adjusted her head, moaning in her sleep. "You won't take him away…not ever…" She muttered in her sleep. It looked like she was in a battle to protect Nic in her dreams.

Looking at Erza and taking in her strawberry scent, he knew he wasn't dreaming. He stared at Erza with a frown, slowly embracing her with his left arm draping around her waist and pulling her closer. As Erza slept, he looked up at the ceiling as the late night came to pass.

' _Whatever is coming, I won't face it alone.'_ He thought. The darkness of the room drew silent, but it was no longer comforting. Nic stared all around, his anticipation on the rise.

* * *

In the darkness of the cavern, the only guide leading the lone figure through the hollow crevices was a lone candle. The small flames flickered, hollow winds keeping them small, as if the flames themselves knew of fear. The air was stale, as it was always meant to be.

Imaci walked passively down the hollow chamber, making the long, narrow stretch seem infinite. He stayed silent as he trekked down his course, leading towards the path where Alpha had taken. "He wasn't in his quarters. Perhaps he went out."

Following his own sound logic, he continued even further. It was perhaps another still five minutes until he heard the sound of dragging. He stopped in his tracks, peering into the pitch-black up ahead to notice the figure coming into view, dragging two beasts behind him.

Imaci looked emotional the entire way. He watched as Alpha walked with a dark shadow looming over him, hauling two severed deer carcasses on the ground. The dragging of the dead and unrecognizable beasts left blood staining the ground, and he didn't mind the organs revealed to be falling out sometimes.

"How was the hunt?" Imaci asked.

Alpha stood in front, his face still locked within the confines of the shadows. "As you can imagine…unsatisfying."

"I see."

Alpha's eyes narrowed. "What now, Imaci?" He let a dear carcass drop as he held up a clutched fist, pure dark aura glistening. "Well?"

"Fernando has made fresh calculations. He wants to debrief you before anything occurs."

Alpha retracted his hand, allowing it to slip and grab the severed carcass, feeling some skin tear as he pulled it by the broken leg. "…get Ivy and Mariah as well. I know Saboth and Vermilius are already present. Come!"

Following behind, the floating ghost appeared out of the shadows, smirking as he led the man onwards past Imaci. As he past him, he stopped again, with Imaci still unemotional.

"And Imaci…" Alpha paused. "…this upcoming event…make sure nothing is out of place."

Imaci kept his gaze forward. "I will, sir."

With that, Alpha continued on, fading into the darkness and away from the flickering lights that Imaci had, which went out as soon as Alpha was gone. The candles didn't dare to cascade a light on his face, which held the entire left side in a monstrous scar. As he walked on, his ghost leading him, he began to think of those two pictures.

When he thought of Nic and Vanessa, those two images, those very two images were what drove him mad. He couldn't describe it, but it was like an infinite adrenaline source. He loved it. He could barely contain himself. He craved them for some reason, but not in a good way. Something about them felt so mysterious, and yet it was those yes. Those warm blue eyes the siblings shared were what he hated the most. They were so sincere, so serene, that he wanted to gouge them.

As he continued his dark course, never looking back, his body began to shudder. His breathing became pants. "I've been waiting for this for so long…so long…" His eyes, were wide, his pupils dilating. They were shrunk, and far worse than one could describe as feral. "…you two…I loathe…I want…you both I despise, yet I can't stop being intrigued!"

He clutched his fists so hard that his dark grasps made the fur on both the deer legs rot off, and the bare skin also seemingly peeling away. The blood began to dry, and then all that was left was bare bone on the singular legs. He clutched harder, snapping the legs in two and right off the other. The two deer carcasses dropped back to the floor, thudding with the sound of slight splatters.

His body shuddered violently. He was looking down as he was beginning to sweat. His pupils were so shrunk they far from recognizable. He looked like he hasn't even; nor slept in days. He looked hungry – thirsty for the fresh blood. He slowly turned around, gazing with a shuddering monstrosity down at the severed carcasses. "Blood…the world…I will have it all burn…with blood. Art will be red…RED!"

Unable to contain himself in the slightest, he plunged a dark fist, creating another fresh hole in a deer. He clutched the insides and crushed them. The organs on hand turned to putty and he ripped them out, flinging them wildly. He hissed darkly as he grabbed the neck, clutching so hard that he snapped it off, completely decapitating it from the rest of the body. He savagely tore up the deer, blood splattering all over his face and body. He hissed eagerly as his bloodlust got the better of him. Once he was finished after several minutes of maiming and gore, he panted like a savage animal. He looked down, seeing everything of the two carcasses in shambles. His eyes were bloodshot, cracks could be seen.

The look on his face…his eyes…his large smirk…this was far from the face of a serial killer. This wasn't the look of a psychopath, nor a sociopath, not even someone who was human. No, the face drenched in fresh, hot blood, even the waterfalls falling from the corners of his mouth, was that of someone who had no morals. This was far below a monster, far below a Demon. This was the one who could not be called man, but the spirit of the damned who sought even a devil's blood. No conscience bared. He – it – wanted to end all until there was nothing but dead bodies for him to gouge, maim, and crush with every delighted fiber.

"The blood moon shall come! Impure Underworld shall be on the rise once more!" His maniacal shouting echoed through the hallway, with his ghost companion watching with a dark smirk at his master's excitement.

* * *

 **And so, I begin the newest arc. The Impure Underworld Arc. I've been thinking about this arc for a very long time, back when I was still writing** _ **The Fairy Contender**_ **. Just like the Tartaros Arc, the Impure Underworld Arc is going to have very dark and bleak material and genre. It'll undermine everything amongst Nic, Vanessa, and Erza will be dragged into this as well. I've been foreboding this arc since the first chapter, so you all have some understanding of the antagonist potentially involved.**

 **I want to thank everyone for another great year of writing. As of January 3r, it'll be my 2-year anniversary of joining FanFiction and writing stories. This year, I've left a profound mark on all of my stories. I've completed** _ **EDventures in Kalos, The Fairy Contender**_ **, and I did** _ **One's Road to Remembrance**_ **. I did the last 35 chapter of** _ **The Fairy Contender**_ **, 27 chapters in** _ **EDventures in Kalos**_ **, and I got 30 chapters in** _ **One's Road to Remembrance.**_ **Including the** **28 chapters I did for this story.** **This year, I've managed to make a total of 120 chapters combined. That's over 100! I can't begin to tell you all how proud I am for making that many chapters! Thank you all so much!**

 **I also want to take this time to thank you for reaching the 200 reviews mark for this story. You guys rock!**

 **Alright, hope you guys have a Happy New Years, and I'll see you next chapter with the start of the Impure Underworld Arc. Brace yourselves! :)**


	29. Prisoners of the Shackles

The waves of the isle shores swept in and out of the sea, swaying discarded trash and seaweed that happened to wash up on a whim. One could find a number of handicapped valuables, but not much besides crushed pop cans and unkempt dead sea plants. The isle was a large stretch, the beaches stretching narrow, but evident. There were large craggy mountains in the distance as well. It was the most repulsive beach perhaps on the very brink of Fiore, barely bordering Seven.

This isle just so happened to be where three people were at the moment. They were none other than Nic, Erza, and Vanessa. The two Pularis siblings walked with the redhead, all of them walking along the isle.

Nic looked out to the sea, the smell of salted water making him less than appealed, especially considering the atmosphere had him…on edge. "The ocean air certainly isn't welcoming." He said.

"I'll say. The aura in the plant life around here doesn't seem bothered, but at the same time it isn't healthy either." Vanessa deduced, using her magic to sense to life of the clumps of crabgrass growing in patches of sand.

"It's probably due to the lack of attention this beach has gotten." Erza said. "Akane Resort has fresh beaches of its own, perhaps because the residence kept it spotless to attract tourists."

"More than likely." Nic said. Still, brushing off this disgusting sea air was going to take some getting used to. "So the job we took, it never specified what a setback it had beforehand."

"If it wasn't for Sliggoo and your Splash Form, I wouldn't think that drought would've ended." Vanessa grinned.

Erza lowered her head, hand to her chin. "Still, what could've caused such a calamity this far up? And what's more, how drastic did that stretch of land reach until the border?" Their job was a very peculiar one, and one that forced them all the way up to the northeastern Fiore parts. Their job was to deduce and fix a calamity in the reaches of the wastelands. There was a small town that governed the nearby province, but aside from that, they had no power to eradicate the miles upon miles of roots that spread across their crops, and worst of all their own town. It was overnight. It was so sudden that nobody didn't notice. They needed help of mages, and Nic and Vanessa decided to answer that call, and it just so happened that Erza was available, so she tagged along. With efforts of Nic's Meadow Form, he was able to get the roots to rot away, leaving them thin enough for Erza and Honedge to slash through. That left Vanessa to call on Sliggoo to use Rain Dance and bring rain, hence Nic using the nutrients in the soil to sprout and replace the lost plants.

"Yeah, and what troubled me was that those roots. You felt them too, didn't you?" Nic asked.

"Those roots…despite them being so thin, they were brimming with some aura. It was like a plague. A virus that would've spread if not contained." Vanessa answered.

"Perhaps it was an accident, but we can't say for certain. If it were a mage, then they'd be long gone by the time we've arrived. I doubt something like this will keep us under superstition though." Erza said, managing to keep the group from sinking further into the depths of the mystery.

Nic took a second before a smirk came across his face. "You're right. Maybe we're just overthinking. We have the threat neutralized. That's what counted the most." He looked ahead, seeing a small alcove beyond the rugged patches of grass he keeps trampling over. "I think I see a place where we can relax for the time being."

The group traveled a few minutes further to find a small alcove indeed. The rocks and land formation made it hard for enemies to sneak up on them, and the beach sand was mildly smooth. No crabgrass sprouted as well. The group found fortune for the time being, and Nic and Vanessa weren't sensing anything lurking around…except the few small crabs that scuttled along the shores.

"It's a little late for any means of travel." Vanessa commented. She looked up at the sky, for it was cloudy, and has been that way since they've been along the isle. The sun may be at dusk point, hence why the cloudy sky was a dark blue, borderline a luminous gray.

Looking up and back down at the others, Nic agreed. "Yes, I think so too. Let's have ourselves a little dinner and we'll have Charizard Fly us back in the morning." He turned towards Erza. "Erza. Did you bring the essentials?"

Erza grinned. "Why of course. It'd be foolhardy to go on a quest without proper provisions."

Nic nodded. He turned towards Vanessa who also reciprocated the expression. All of them reached for their Poke Balls. All three tossed them up, and out came the thirteen Pokémon; Ni's, Vanessa's, and Erza's Honedge. Each one let out a small grin, looking ready to dine.

It didn't take long, but by the time the meat was cooked, the night sky had already arisen. There was a moon in the sky, a waxing gibbous. Underneath the moonlight, everyone was around the campfire that Charizard was able to provide. With the amount of mouths to feed, Nic and Erza had to take the time and the effort to get the meats and the goods all cooked well. Vanessa helped where she could, though she mainly applied plates that Erza requipped.

As the Pokémon ate lethargically and relaxed, Nic and the two girls sat on small rocks as makeshift stools. On their laps were their small plates, but with sizeable portions that Erza managed to pack.

"It was generous of the townsfolk to supply a sale for us at their market." Erza said as she held up her fork.

"Better safe than sorry. I was worried we'd have to wait until we got home tomorrow to eat." Vanessa admitted.

Nic ripped apart a large slab of meat from the sirloin on his plate. The juices spilled from his lips as he munched and chewed. Granted, he was somewhat civil now, but that didn't mean his appetite needed tending to. Right behind him, Greninja, Garchomp, Charizard, basically all of Nic's six took large quantities and chewed and swallowed.

Vanessa looked over at her elder brother and smiled. "Someone's hungry."

Erza smiled. "He's always like this. He's not Natsu, but his appetite is another story." She admitted much to her chagrin. "I don't mind, but I wouldn't say it isn't healthy to hold off and train through lunch hour." Of course she was talking about earlier today. Nic was so engrossed in tree jumping exercises this morning that it went all the way into the noon hour before heading out on the job.

Nic sheepishly looked away, a small tint of pink in his embarrassment.

Vanessa giggled some before smiling again. "Well of course. Hard working individuals deserve no less than a good pay and generous rewards." She looked out at the sea, seeing the crabs scuttling back into the sea as a tide washed them away. "If only there weren't such harsh people who would give their hard workers the rewards they deserve."

Nic smiled down at his plate. "I think that relationship is more in depth than one could imagine."

Vanessa and Erza looked at him.

"When you really think about it, it's nothing like a work-wage relationship, at least to business people. The way I see it, it's nothing like that. For me, as a Pokémon Trainer, it's not about control, nor is it about winning battles to earn the prize money." He looked by his side, seeing Greninja right beside him. The two looked at one another, grinning. Nic continued. "It's about working alongside my family, to bring out the best in them, as they do for me. There are selfish people who barely feed Pokémon, and it pains me not to have such hard workers not getting the respect and praise they deserve from their battling partners." At the same time, their heads lowered. "Team Flare was no different I'm afraid. Willing to risk benefits for a better, cleansed world."

"But not all of us are the same. That's why we stand and fight, so long as there are those who respect and thrive for cooperation and fair play." Greninja summarized.

Erza smiled. "As long as there's darkness, there'll be some light to shed and break those shackles. That's one of a guild's main duties after all. Job rewards are for how much we pour our dedication into our battles and missions."

Vanessa nodded. "Mages and Trainers, we all make sure we do our best or the others we want to see be happy."

Nic looked back at Greninja again, and at the same time, they both looked back over their shoulders, seeing the remaining five smiling and smirking at them. Clearly they felt no different from what Nic said. They were behind him 100%, and dare they wait to pass up a meal and better battle on alongside Nic instead.

The two smiled. "Yeah, that's all too true." Nic said.

* * *

The evening had long since passed, but the three humans were generally aloof for the time being. The Pokémon had already been returned to their Poke Balls, perhaps soundly asleep after a hardy meal. The campfire crackled with the few planks of wood burning still. Nic was beginning to doze off, his eyes barely half-open.

Meanwhile, Vanessa and Erza were making some light talk.

"So when you were on the ropes against this Gym Leader named Korrina, your Braixen's Blaze activated?" Erza summarized.

"Right. You saw Blaze before, haven't you? Nic's Charizard has that Ability. His Greninja also has Torrent, and my Venusaur has Overgrow. When exhausted and low on strength, their strengths enhance their respective attacks that match their types."

"Sounds like a last resort." Erza said.

Vanessa smiled. "I wouldn't say that…but it is handy when you're in a pinch." She then smirked. "There's also a move called Last Resort too."

Erza's eyes widened. "R-really?"

"Sounds like a typical jinx on yourself." Vanessa chuckled.

Erza raised a brow. "Is that so? Then perhaps I recall there also being a Pokémon that goes by Jynx." The two broke into a small laughter as they mused about the Pokémon and their Abilities and typing, all while Nic began to sleep.

As the elder Pularis siblings began to succumb to his slumber, the unsettling erupted. His mind shut down, the only recollection of the past had arisen, like an eruption bursting from beneath the land that was new memories made.

" _Don't give me that face!" The father smacked Nic across the face, so hard his head slammed against the wall. Nic fell down, his head bruised._

" _Vanessa, sweetie, don't feed that thing." The mother seized Vanessa's plate of fresh vegetables as she had Magneton lower down over a small Nic's head, ready to shock him._

" _Piece of crap! Damn that casino and its damning booze!" In his frustration, the father took it all out on Nic, bringing his mighty fists down on the defenseless boy's head. "Screw it! I'll just keep trying! If not, then I'll force those damn guys and machines to cough it up!"_

 _A cooing three-month-old Vanessa cried as her bottle spilled, and the mom and dad loomed over the 4-year-old Nic, immediately casting blame. A sharp kick from the mother's heel to his tiny abdomen and he hit the stairs o the basement, rolling down them straight into the closed dryer, knocking it over with a loud thud._

 _The mom and the dad, both very shabby after coming home, their shadows cascading over their eyes, closed in on Nic as the child stood in front of a crawling Vanessa, who was still in her diapers._

"Nic? Nic?"

Nic's eyes widened. He snapped back to the reality and found himself slouching in front of the fire. It took a moment for him to come to, but he got wind. _'A dream…'_

"Nic?" Hearing his name, he looked over and found Erza and Vanessa staring at him. Both looked worried, much to his own dismay. "You were dozing off. Are you alright?" Vanessa asked.

"Oh, uh…sorry to startle you. What were you saying?" Nic asked.

"You were wincing. It didn't seem too blissful." Vanessa pointed out.

Nic wanted to digress, he really did, but when Vanessa brought that up, there was little use of hiding it. If they could let it slide, then it'd work, but given how severely close he is with his sister and Erza, there wasn't much to do but just come out with it. He stared down at the small fire, which began to dwindle away slowly. The crackling sound o charred wood filled the air, small embers rising as Nic's thoughts sank, a contradictory of a burning present and a grim history.

"I guess…times that will haunt me to my grave." He confessed.

It didn't take even two seconds for the two to comprehend what Nic meant. Vanessa's eyes softened as she began to frown. Erza looked on despondently, recounting how she was maliciously treated back in the Tower of Heaven.

"Our parents weren't kind folks, weren't they?" Vanessa's rhetorical question lingered within the stale air.

Nic cascaded his glance off to the side. "The past is never something so easily to keep down it seems. It always is there, just…haunting us." His vision narrowed. It was very rare these days that he got such nightmares. "We could've changed it sooner if we had the strength, but it can't be helped now."

Erza looked down at the fire as it crackled louder. "We can all relate to that…" Nightmares of the Tower of Heaven were long-gone, but it still made her get goosebumps from just thinking about them. "But we were all kids. We never could've done something ourselves unless we had help from others." Another uneasy memory occurred for her, specifically the time Lysandre maimed Nic's gut in Kalos, and she had no power and Nic's Pokémon had to kick his ass for the time being. It made her swallow a lump. "Memories are for as long as you see them. We all have something that'll drive us on, but reflection won't hinder us as long as we learn from it, and better ourselves for a greater fight."

Nic and Vanessa managed to grin, albeit weakly. It was still hard at times when thinking of the times Nic could run or call police, or yell for a neighbor, but the monsters of parents always lingered in his mind some. Still, he seemed better than before.

"Yeah, I suppose…it's best we sleep it off." Nic said.

That somber note was left in the winds, leaving Nic, Erza, and Vanessa to finally doze off as the fire began to burn away.

* * *

Imaci wandered through the darkness of the cavernous halls, the high ceilings dripping with water. A drop touched his skin, evaporating the split second of contact. The lone man had no candle, and so he had but the guide of himself to carry himself to his destination. Still, it looked as though he was content with the darkness. He stepped over a small vermin that scurried away and kept on going. As impossible as it may seem, especially with the time of night, he was maneuvering through the darkness like a bat. The man's hollow gaze remained still, his odd ornaments floating behind his back like they were part of him.

He stood in front of the pitch-black shadows, looking into the wall. "Alpha, are you in here?" He got no answer from the hollow void. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I would like to inform you that the first phase has begun."

He still got no answer.

"Sir…?" He began to proceed on ahead, but the second he stepped towards the dark shadow, he reeled back when something came out. It wasn't Alpha, but instead was his ghostly friend. The large smirk on his face was so large that it was nerve-wracking. His upper body prodded out of the darkness, glaring at Imaci.

Said man remained unemotional to the ghost's astonishment. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you, but perhaps you know where your master is?"

The ghost leered at him, seemingly unresponsive. His ghastly figure shifted left and then right, creepily eying Imaci. He chuckled at the unemotional man, seeing as how nothing has changed; both of their behaviors contradicting one another.

"I see. Well if he's not mingling with those portraits or devices, can you tell him Crowhaw and Ivy have been sent out as he asked? I would appreciate it. Thank you."

Without another word, Imaci turned and left, leaving the ghost to leer at him with mild distaste. The ghost never had appeal to unemotional humans. He yearned for the gift of frightening anything and anyone. The temperature around drops whenever he's around, which is why it's rather cold wherever he goes. The more he scares, the greater his power grew. Imaci was a killjoy, but nevertheless he complied with said person's wishes. Something important as this information had to be passed onto Alpha.

Retreating behind the pitch-black shadow, he suddenly found himself inside the chamber that was Alpha's little hobble. The ghost remained silent, continuing to smirk as his master was sitting there on his bed, his legs against the ground and again hunched over.

The candle light flickered as it illuminated Nic and Vanessa's drawings. For so long now, the man yearned to just break them apart, but for the past few months it seemed, he didn't have the strength to do so. Something was still driving him to restrain, something he hated, yet it felt like something he just couldn't wait to take form. It was tough to say, but as he stared, the candle wasn't reflecting the darkness in his eyes.

It took a long minute, for the man was interlocked with a staring contest until he found his ghostly comrade right there. "What do you want now?" He asked.

The ghost's eyes narrowed. That was all Alpha needed.

Slowly, Alpha began to sit upright. His eyes began to widen. "The time…?" He looked down, a scowl and a mix of shock on his face. It seemed hard to comprehend at first, but to him, it was clear now. There was a waxing gibbous in the sky. The time drew near. "It's…actually…" Slowly, a dark smirk came across his face. A small snicker escaped his throat, one that could send chills down a single spine. His chuckling went on for maybe half a minute, but within that time span, his ghostly friend began to snicker as well. Together, their sinister snickering began to engross the small chamber.

Eventually letting up, both glared darkly into the norm, their massive heinous eyes and smirks equivalent. "Crowhaw. Ivy. Fetch!"

The ghost scowled in contradicting delight.

* * *

Along the bizarre isle, Nic, Erza, and Vanessa were long asleep. Their bodies were all on their sides, with Nic facing Erza as the knight faced him in return. Nearby, Vanessa was sound asleep as well, her head facing Nic's. The fire nearby the trio had long since been reduced to charred smoke. All that remained was cindered black wood, small embers glowing, and little rising smoke.

It was quiet, but the appeal of the isle was making it hard to sleep soundly. Vanessa turned onto her other side, a small discomforting look on her face. Even in her sleep, the aura is ever flowing. However, Vanessa couldn't feel it at the moment, because she was locked in a small dream of her own.

All she saw was red, and the images of mom and dad were all blurry and distorted, making them look demonic. Despite her being so young, she did nevertheless see one of them reach out and have Magneton deliver a painful shock. A howl emitted from the figure in the background, and she knew who that was.

The dream faded, and Vanessa opened her eyes. The young Pularis sibling found herself stiff and lying on the ground. She felt no pain, but she most certainly didn't feel well after that nightmare. She could only stare out at the horizon, watching the small patch of grass whisk in the late-night winds. The 16-year-old turned over, her other side now in the compacted sand. _"I guess…times that will haunt me to my grave."_ The conversation with Nic earlier seemed to linger around, almost like a parasite. She wanted to view it as trivial, but it was really the opposite.

" _The past is never something so easily to keep down it seems. It always is there, just…haunting us." His vision narrowed. It was very rare these days that he got such nightmares. "We could've changed it sooner if we had the strength, but it can't be helped now."_

Vanessa's eyelids stayed halfway open. She was nothing more than a spoiled princess, and while she didn't have to do a single thing to contribute to anything, it honestly pained her heart to see her brother always constantly in pain just for her sake. Even though Nic took every beating, he never held anything against her. He loved his little sister, and tended to her whenever he could.

She quietly sat up and looked over, seeing Nic sleeping placidly in the sand, out like a baby with Erza sleeping right in his face. Vanessa watched the two sleep while frowning. _'Even after all this time, it still stings.'_ It wasn't just her wounds from that day of rebellion, but she referred to Nic getting pummeled and stabbed repeatedly. _'We didn't have the strength, did we? We've grown since then, and we've gained many new experiences along the way, but even then, this is still nothing more than a dark embroidery around our necks, choking us.'_ She couldn't make much sense of what she was thinking, but thinking about them sometimes does make the air stale. _'We've got many strong Pokémon by our sides, and we've gotten independence…'_ She looked back at the sea, huddling her knees to her chin. _'And yet…the past is always there when we least expect it. Can it really not be helped?'_

A sharp wind passed in the breeze around her, one that shifted her hair a little. The Aura Mage's eyes widened, her chin picking itself up. There was a small yet sudden change, and by no means did it appease her.

She stood up, her magic picking up something. "This isn't good. Nic! Erza!"

Instantaneously, Nic and Erza's eyes snapped open. Without so much as a yawn, the two pounced to their sleep, as though they were momentarily knocked down instead of sleeping soundly.

"What is it?" Nic asked.

"An enemy?" Erza followed.

"I don't know, but I just got aura signatures." Normally, if it were crabs or other fishes, it'd be nothing but a pointless matter, but in cases as these, they're what startled her.

"What kinds are you speaking of?" Nic asked cautiously, yet sternly.

Vanessa took a sharp pause and her Aura Magic had gotten considerable grand. She felt it, and it made her uneasy. "Malicious…one somewhat lacking in demeanor."

"So we're dealing with enemy slackers?" Erza speculated, requipping a sword in hand.

"Hard to say. I sense mainly ill-will. Everything else I'm trying to get about their aura is blocked out."

"From where?" Nic asked, readying himself.

Nearby, an unknown force was making way through darkness, pushing sand and snaking its way to parts unknown. Elsewhere, something else seemed to be moving in, making a hollow sound as it went through the air past a field of crabgrass over a hill.

Vanessa closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. Her Aura Magic was feeling shrilling negativity, and nothing benevolent by any means. Nic and Erza was beginning to feel something as well, all of their eyes all over the place. Nic was feeling a strong negativity, and Erza was getting an unusual flow of Magic Power, possibly in the sand. To them, this energy felt all over the place.

"Everyone! Dodge now!"

Vanessa's shout was supported by the ground beneath them bursting by a sudden impact. Nic, Erza, and Vanessa all jumped out of the way in time as a black tower of roots sprouted. Time slowed down as Nic went wide-eyed. _'Roots?'_ Erza also saw the realization, her eyes also widening. The Requip Mage and her boyfriend both slid backwards, away from the wiggling monstrosity. They looked up at the top, watching it swerve around like serpent's tail.

Vanessa found her footing, her shock also evident. "Are you guys okay?" She called.

Erza's eyes momentarily picked up something like a hollow wind heading right her Vanessa from above. "Above you!" She warned.

Just in time, the younger Pularis sibling brought up her Aura Guard, the shield of pure aura bouncing off the hollow darkness that shot down at her like a black mist compressed. The impact bounced off, making the hollow black mist remain stable in the air above. The black mist and the black root stayed in position, looming over the gathered three.

Nic clutched his fists. "Show yourselves!" He demanded.

Erza adjusted her sword stance. "We won't ask a second time!"

The enormous black root bent over and went to slam its tip down onto them. As it came lashing down, Nic slid in front and had his finger glow and elongate.

" **Slash!** " Raking his sharp claws, he left a long arch trail as the root's tip was sliced off like it was butter. The large tip fell to the ground in front while Nic adjusted his position.

Above, the large remnants of the roots hissed and howled in agony. It clearly did not like that attack. Erza glowed and requipped. Adorning her Heaven's Wheel Armor, she went sailing to reach the large root's height.

"Now! **Blumenblatt!** " Erza blitzed through the air, slashing her two swords in hand, and at least twenty more following suit. Shimmering winds glistened before they were sliced up along with the massive root. The fragments of the fifty-foot-tall beast fell like building blocks into the sand.

She turned in midair, catching whim of the black mist. It sped right for her, blitzing with all of its might. Erza stopped it in time by using her swords as a barricade; crossing them, she intercepted the mist, but rather than disperse, it stayed clumped and surprised Erza. The mist was actually putting up a fight.

' _It's a gas, but it's like being hit by a battering ram!'_ She mentally scowled before the mist backed off, cancelling out her blockade. Erza began to fall down, her momentum lost.

"Erza, hang on!" Vanessa reached up, using her Aura Magic to stretch out a solid teal beam that met Erza. The teal beam seized her, grabbing the mage and making her fall stable. Vanessa lowered the retracting aura, getting Erza down right beside her and Nic again.

"Are you alright, Erza?" Nic asked.

The mage nodded as she requipped into her default armor again. "I am, but that manifestation up there has some power in such a form."

Nic looked up at the black mist, watching it descend slowly towards the rugged sand beneath. The stump of the root began to come apart at the scene, turning into hundreds of smaller, thinner roots that had begun to slither around like snakes until they began to converge into the center, making a small dome ingrained in the sand.

"Do you feel that?" Nic asked.

"I do. I'm getting an unusual amount of Magic Power." Erza replied.

"Their auras are matching the level too. They're here." Vanessa warned.

Within the swirling dome of black roots, there was a sultry voice. "Ugh, seriously, couldn't Alpha pick someone else for this task? Seriously."

"Enough complaining, Ivy. It's best you let it slide." The black mist insisted. "After all, this is Alpha we're talking about."

The dome began to open up from the side, the ingrained roots beginning to withdraw into a pair of sleeves. "I suppose you're right." A pair of mature lips and light skin complimented the other. "It'd be a shame if I didn't contribute my share, otherwise I wouldn't hear the end of it from Mariah."

The mist became a small swirling manifestation until the ghastly vortex took form of the one called Crowhaw, his conical straw hat keeping him hidden for the most part. "That's enough exaggeration. We have our eyes on the prize."

There was a long standoff, of which left sand blowing behind Nic's group. They were met with an incredible mass of energy, and yet the calm and quiet one seemed to be doing a good job holding off the flow, as to where the other one was emitting a random fluctuation.

Ivy was a woman who looked rather young. She had wavy hair that was like strawberry blonde color. She had dull eyes and mature lips. She had a very voluptuous figure, of which was hugged by what seemed to be an attire that seemed very much like a Shinigami. The sleeves, however, were folded somewhat so that her skin was shown smooth and light. Her waist had a giant red sash keeping her thin.

"Who are you?" Erza interrogated.

"They don't look friendly." Vanessa said.

Nic's eyes narrowed. "Statements and questions are all up in the air."

Vanessa looked uneasy. "Then what do you propose we do?"

Nic stepped forward, confronting the two mages. Maintaining a high guard, he glared at them warily. He could already tell that the vibes they were giving off were far from welcoming. "I take it that you have hostile intentions with us. We're sorry, we had no intention on staying in your territory."

The long-haired woman whipped her hair. "Now isn't that just a gentleman."

"Invading our territory, no. There wasn't such an inscription anywhere here, was there?" Crowhaw asked.

Nic was getting an uneasy nerve. "…so this is free-range then."

"That is correct." Crowhaw answered.

"Then why have you gone and attempt arson? Could it be you're just petty thieves who prey on the misfortunate?" Erza stoutly deduced.

Ivy smirked. "Misfortunate?" She barely held back her snickers in a mocking fashion. "Well young lady, a word such as that does describe you three…" Her glare hardened. "But thieves? The only thing we would dare to steal…is your lives."

In unison, Nic's group spread their legs and narrowed their vision. Ivy found this quite cute.

"Don't be so dramatic. We're not here to kill you." She followed up. "If we did that, we'd be the ones ending up dead."

"Ivy, I think you're provoking them." Crowhaw warned.

"Oh, don't be such a drama-king, Crowhaw. It's not every day I get to see new faces."

"But these faces are different." He scolded. "Look, just do your part."

Again, the female huffed. "Alright, geez," She spread her legs apart, taking a stance, a smirk returning to her face. "Besides, I could use the little workout. Gotta keep this body of mine in good form."

Nic glowed, shifting into his Toxic Form. His warm blue eyes glared daggers as them. "I don't know who you both think you are, but if you intend to insult us, we're not ones to tolerate such negligence."

Erza stepped forward, requipping into her Black Wing Armor. "If it's a fight you really want, then so be it. We'll cut you down right here!"

Vanessa stepped forward, her teal aura coating her hands.

Crowhaw's tattered coat shifted in the air, the ends like a torn rag, but at the same time mischievous. With his one eye, and the other eye over what seemed to be an eyepiece equipment, he darkly glared at the trio long enough to suppress any attempts of a sucker punch.

As the silence went on, the dark sky began to move, the waxing gibbous moonlight began to arise, illuminating the ground and water.

"We have our priorities, let's get to it! HAH!" Ivy slammed her hands against the ground. The ground shuddered as wavy black roots with glowing red spots crawled in and out of the ground, eventually reaching Nic. Using his reflexes, Nic cartwheeled left, dodging the slanted pillar of black roots.

Grunting and getting to a singular handstand, he opened his mouth. " **Sludge Bomb!** " As he twisted himself, starting from the handstand, he fired purple heavy blobs of sludge that blitzed through the air like high-speeds missiles. He slid along the ground sideways, firing more of his Sludge Bomb. The Poison-type attack was aimed at both, but Crowhaw turned into a black mist and vanished like a ghost, evading a few that blitzed ahead and obliterated the few large boulders behind. Ivy swiped her arm to the side, where the humungous pillar of black roots curved and went around.

"She can control the plantation at will?" Erza exasperated.

The giant root made it in front, but the Poison-type attack made contact, and a massive purple eruption occurred, swallowing up the location in front of Nic. As winds went flying, he remained steadfast as the muggy black smoke dissipated. When it did, the sand was leveled, and the entire root section used to cover her was obliterated, but Ivy was nowhere to be found.

Nic's vision narrowed. _'Just as I thought. She used a scapegoat.'_

He looked down, getting another energy. Without further hesitation, he jumped, dodging another, more bulbous root that sprung up straight beneath. As he was in midair, he saw the clumps of roots beginning to unfold and peel away. Maintaining a gaze stiff as iron. He watched as Ivy emerged, reaching out to him. He back flipped away, maintaining distance.

"Erza!" Nic called out.

"Right!" The mage charged at Ivy while on her peeled post. She let out a battle cry and sped on in.

Ivy's gaze turned towards Erza. "Oh, please~."

"HRAH!" Erza slashed her sword, but before it could make contact, a black mist converged right before her eyes. Solidifying, Crowhaw deflected her sword with a single swipe of his arm. Immediately she withdrew from the proximity.

"You seem to have forgotten that there is but two of us." Crowhaw said.

Vanessa extended and reached out her palms cloaked in teal. " **Emanation Beam!** " She fired a blast of teal aura, fixated solemnly on Crowhaw. The enemy mage dodged the beam of aura, which continued on towards Ivy. Startled, the mage summoned a thick black root, which acted as a shield for Emanation Beam. The teal attack made contact, but it didn't break.

Ivy had a boisterous smirk on her face. Suddenly, she got a knee to the ribs, and a hard one at that. The blow was so powerful and so fast she didn't have any warning. Time briefly slowed down as Nic was revealed to have kneed her, making her fly into the sand and creating a cloud that spouted like a geyser.

Nic landed on the ground, glaring at the dust cloud. "You'd consider you have more than uneven odds in terms of abilities. There's still the matter of who exactly you're up against." He watched as Ivy got back up, her body taking more than a few dirt spots. "And then…"

The black mist converged behind Nic, becoming Crowhaw as he was ready to strike. "We're not interested in you applying our flaw-!" He was caught stopping when his eyes widened upon an impact. It was never even seen coming. He got a gruesome blow to the abdomen, in which was a black fist surrounded by a purple aura, all made of pure shadows.

The man shot backwards, flying into the sand several meters away, a cloud rising as Nic's fist was facing him, but at the same time Nic wasn't looking his way. He was adorned in his Spooky Form, having done a Shadow Punch faster than what the eye could trace. "And then…there's you." He finished.

Ivy's eyes widened. _'He's that strong? Crowhaw didn't stand a chance against something like that!'_ Her teeth gritted as Nic turned away from her. "Don't ignore _me_ now!" She called out, summoning half a dozen black roots out of the ground, an offense similar to Frenzy Plant as they all curved in the air and went driving themselves towards Nic's back.

A harsh flash went in a slicing motion, cutting down the roots into diced chunks. Ivy was met with increased shock as Erza was there, supporting Nic's back turned. Her harsh glare could make anyone paralyzed. "There's also me."

Crowhaw struggled to get up. That blow was critical, it left his abdomen burning with pain. _'There was so much effectiveness. I can barely feel my core.'_

"Vanessa, can you and Erza handle her while I deal with this one?" Nic asked.

Vanessa glared at Ivy. "Yes."

Ivy grunted at them. "Tch! You think you can put me down just by increasing your numbers? That's nothing more than cliché!" She got to a knee, slamming her right hand down on the sand. The ground beneath Erza and Vanessa shuddered vibrantly before two massive pillars of black and red spots sprouted. The two tall roots with lashing tips went down, and yet Erza slashed and Vanessa swiped her arm, sending a crescent of aura in a fashion like Psycho Cut. Both pressurized attacks sliced the roots off, leaving them to fall to the ground.

"You're right, it is cliché, but do they work efficiency when two become a team? The answer is yes." Erza pointed her sword at Ivy, who was beginning to quell herself of her overwhelming disadvantage.

The enemy female smirked. "Well, guess two dollfaced piglets have to settle with a hungry wolf. Careful, I bite. And so do these!"

Swiping her arm again, she summons a sideways barrage of black roots manifested into a serpentine dragon head. The large snout was like a battering ram, coming in with such vivid velocity. Erza coped with Vanessa as the Pularis sibling extended both arms out, creating another barrier. The aura manifested into the shield barely held together as the dragon root charged at full blast, strong enough to make shockwaves fly across the sands and out to the sea.

Vanessa grunted. "It's…got so much Magic Power!"

Erza pivoted, giving a quick glance at Nic as he quarreled with Crowhaw. Self-assured, she retained her focus and turned her back towards Vanessa as a secondary black root sprouted, like a tail.

"Attack! **Dragon Root!** " Ivy bellowed.

The root dragon bellowed out as it closed the distance between it and Vanessa as her shield let up, as to where the tail went to puncture Erza. Both closed in, and it seemed grim, but then in a few seconds, there were teal and flashy glints. Erza and Vanessa were still in place, holding their ground as they both swiped, having teal crescents and Erza slashing the tail off severed the dragon's neck and tail alike.

Ivy grunted. "Now you're just bugging me."

Erza adjusted her stance to have her. "That makes two of us."

Meanwhile, Crowhaw tried to get up. Managing to his feet, the mage found the strength he needed to face Nic. Nic stepped forward, his glare keeping his adversary at bay for the time being. _'This human's power, and the pressure he's emitting, what caliber. I never dreamed that I could be made in contact with an outsider, yet he punched me like it was second nature to him. Perhaps this task is far less in our favor, but as long as we hold out and find an opening, then by any means, we'll have what Fernando states in necessary.'_ "You surprised me there. I had the wind knocked right out of me. It's not every day that I encounter someone who finds me tangible."

Nic spread his legs apart. "I wouldn't go so far as to consider it a compliment." Getting his arms behind, he blitzed and sped along the ground, his speed at racing across the sand. His enemy leered on as Nic closed the gap, but then shockingly sped right past him.

' _What?'_ Crowhaw turned around, only to have realized Nic had already pivot and somehow ended up overhead.

" **Shadow Sneak!** "

Crowhaw's shadow thickened and it stretched up to get him. Faster than what Crowhaw could accomplish, the Ghost-type move got Crowhaw in the gut, again knocking the wind out of him. The attack made him end up in midair, matching Nic's height. The 20-year-old fired a kick, scoring it across Crowhaw's face, sending him soaring back into the sand with a booming thud.

Nic remained floating in midair, much like a ghost as his coat shifted in the moonlit breeze. He said nothing as he watched Crowhaw struggle to turn over from his side.

Crowhaw's ghostly body was in trouble. Again struggling to push up, he found himself at a disadvantage. _'This isn't how it was intended. I am at a disadvantage if I last much longer. His ghostly powers, if I can't hold out much longer, then it's up to Ivy. I'll have to buy time for her then…'_ To do so, he became black mist again, managing to evade Nic within the darkness.

Nic's eyes narrowed. "He's trying to use evasiveness…it compensates for his physical form. Where would he come from…?"

Ivy lashed another black root that resonated from her sleeve, which Erza and Vanessa successfully dodged. Both women went sprinting across the sand, with Erza getting more momentum as she requipped into her Morning Star Armor. Taking and leap, she pointed both swords at Ivy, a large amount of energy starting to brighten like the star. While Vanessa held both palms in front and a mass of teal aura remained stable in front.

" **Photon Slicer!** "

" **Trace Shot!** "

Together, a blast of what looked like bright static and a sphere of teal aura went blazing onwards. As both attacks closed in, Ivy raised a clutched fist.

" **Extirpate!** "

All around her, hundreds of little black roots sprouted like wildfire. The growth was so fast that they became large roots in mere seconds before their attacks made contact with the mass in front of Ivy. There was a bright flash, momentarily blocking Erza and Vanessa's field of vision. As the bright flash dialed down, their eyes widened when dozens of black roots went at them, like a deluge that stemmed from the earth.

Erza slid in front. "I'll handle this! **Requip!** " She transformed into her Adamantine Armor, which she used to make her shield. She took the torrent of black roots, despite the tons of heavy pressure it was going to cause. The attack was gruesome for certain, as the shield managed to hold, but it made Erza slide back constantly along the sand, unable to hold her own ground. The attack continued to pound away, pouring more black roots that were beginning to wear down her defenses.

"Are you done patronizing me? You know I don't take kindly to hints." Ivy sneered. She suddenly felt a small pressure from her side, catching her by surprise.

Vanessa fired a teal beam of aura that arched its way after Ivy, but in the nick of time, the mage put up a thick wall of roots to intercept.

The attack, however, did give Erza the split second she needed. _'There's my chance!_ _ **Requip!**_ _'_ In a flash, she disappeared, having the roots continue to bore into the sand where she formerly stood. She ended up in front of Ivy when the latter's guard was down, now adorned in her Flight Armor.

"Now! **Sonic Claw!** "

She passed Ivy, leaving behind a flurry of slash marks. As Erza slid along the ground, she looked back, managing to seize hold and hold herself up. The mage watched as Ivy still had her back turned towards her. _'That should stop her.'_ For some reason, however, Erza began to feel her foot slip. She caught herself just then. _'What was that? Did I just feel slight fatigue that moment? But the battle just started…'_

Vanessa began to feel something around her. It wasn't right. Her eyes remained unchanged, but at the same time she was unable to comprehend this bizarre aura. _'What is this aura? All around me, everything is weaker than it was a minute ago? And for some reason, I can sense her Magic Power and aura alike; not just in her body, but seeping through the sand. What is she?'_

Ivy uncovered herself, looking down at her arms. They were bleeding out from her cuts, and yet she looked so casual. "Oh, look at that…you cut through my flawless skin." She moved her arms, seeing the blood drip into the sand, staring darkly and giving off a foreboding aura.

Vanessa's eyes widened. _'Her aura pressure just changed!'_

"She wasn't affected?!" Erza exasperated.

Ivy let out an exhausted huff. "Really now. I go through all pf this trouble of dragging you guys out here, and I get rewarded by a nice young man kneeing me on my side and another woman cutting me like a cake." Ivy's eyes closed. "And when you get through my body…" Her eyes opened, showing a green glow. "That's when the line is drawn."

Erza turned around, her shock evident. "Her Magic Power is shifting. Wasn't she serious before?"

Ivy huffed again, grinning. "Hmph! Well I guess I have to do the one thing I never thought I would have to do, listen to that boredom of a name. Now, what did Fernando say was the best strategy again?"

"Fernando?" Vanessa asked. "Does that mean those two aren't the only ones?"

Ivy looked joyful as he pounded her own palm. "Ah, yes! That's what he said! Divide and conquer!" She took a pause, the energy in the air again growing stale. The pressure began to swell, a grin along her face. "That'll make this retrieval mission much easier."

Erza and Vanessa both looked shocked before all around, hundreds of black roots with red spots arose. The wiggling of them all had a rhythm, and they began to swirl around in a large area, trapping the two women in a large cylindrical area of tall black roots coiled up by one another.

Looking over briefly, Nic went wide-eyed as he saw the large amount of energy swelling into a cylinder. "What is…?"

"Seems Ivy is finally listening." Crowhaw nonchalantly said, having been in his physical form.

"What?" Nic looked back to him, obvious frustrated.

"You see, Ivy is typical one of the laziest amongst us. Since she's starting to divide them, it's clear she's taking this mission seriously now."

"Damn you…" Nic looked back at the large black area. "Erza! Vanessa!"

Inside, there were two sides divided by an abundance of black roots. Erza was on one side, with Vanessa on the other. Both were separated, and that left them weaker.

"Damnit, she divided us." Erza cursed. "Vanessa! Are you there?!"

"Yeah! I'm alright!" Announcing from the other side was Vanessa, who was seemingly unhindered. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, but it appears the enemy has us divided." The redhead requipped, her Flight Armor becoming her Robe of Yuen. Her bisento was held upright, ready to cut. "You stay there, I'll try and come to you."

Suddenly, as she begun to move, the ground had begun to vibrate. Her brown eyes looked down, catching a small burst of sand moments before it became a giant black root. She flipped, dodging and landing on her feet. The redhead looked up, shocked somewhat as she had an obstacle in front.

"A diversion?" She wondered. She was cut off when the ground behind her erupted, sprouting a second large black root, the tip lashing around like a whip. She looked left, and then right, respectively seeing two more in the rise. "She's getting me cornered?"

On the other side, Vanessa could sense the aura signatures. "Erza, be careful!"

"You should really be more caring about yourself."

Vanessa's eyes widened. Before she turned around, a black root was fired from a sleeve, lashing her hard. The Aura Mage yelled out as she went sliding in the sand.

Ivy stood some distance away, smirking as roots wiggled while stretching out of her sleeves. "You know, Fernando and Alpha made it specifically clear to make sure to not get so rough. If it was with that man, I wouldn't mind a little rough if you know what I mean."

Vanessa got back up, her body beginning to emit a teal aura.

"Oh? Shouldn't you be flattered?"

"Sorry, but my brother and I are nothing more than insulted by your innuendoes." Vanessa raised her arms, teal aura gathering. "You may not have it rough, but we prefer to not reciprocate, especially after what you started."

Ivy looked away. "Oh please. Didn't we go through this before? I'm not that interested in a fight. We're just here for something." She groaned. "If you weren't so reluctant, this wouldn't be necessary."

Vanessa extended her arms out, not hesitating a single second as she went to offense. Teal beams shot from her palms like lasers, but Ivy quickly made a shield of black roots to intercept, managing to avoid an explosion that rumbled the earth. Vanessa remained calm, despite her attack leaving the shield into fried fragments that shielded Ivy.

Ivy narrowed her vision. "Looks like I got you right where I want you…" She began to reach for something, which was located within the valleys that was her breasts. Vanessa narrowed her vision, finding the hiding spot awkward, but as Ivy pulled out some form of material, the young Pularis sibling's eyes widened.

"What…?" A bead of sweat ran down the side of her head.

Still in midair, just outside the confines Ivy made, Nic and Crowhaw continued to square off. Both were two ghostly men who were in the moonlight, glaring daggers.

"I have no reason to believe I wouldn't fall so easily, which is why I'm merely stalling." He confessed.

"Stalling?" Nic wondered.

"Yes. You see, the information we ascertained proved that your level of energy and experience would indeed surpass our own. That much we were guaranteed by Fernando. Our objective is clearly not to do battle, but to retrieve something that you can't seem to understand just yet."

Nic's eyes narrowed. "And you're saying I have something that belongs to you?" He sounded deeply offended.

"I'm not saying anything outside of my jurisdiction. Your questions are but no matter to me."

"You tell me. Talk!" Nic cloaked his right arm in a Shadow Claw. He disappeared and ended up reappearing behind Crowhaw in no time. He slashed, trailing darkness in a fashion similar to Slash. Crowhaw, however, became a black mist and dodged just before contact. Nic remained stable in the air, keeping a serious face as Crowhaw reappeared and became visible farther down.

Crowhaw put his hand over his left shoulder, trying to alleviate to sustained damage. He grunted in great pain, which was resonating all over his left side. _'This kid…he's faster than I am, even when as not a solid. If the order was reversed, then this would be much smoother. What's taking Ivy so long…?'_

Nic made a black and purple sphere of energy. " **Shadow Ball!** " He threw the sphere with great speed and momentum, speeding like a zipping rocket. Crowhaw became a black mist, evading as Shadow Ball hit the sand, creating an explosion of sand and darkness below.

Becoming a shadow himself, Nic dissipated into a similar energy. He streamed through the atmosphere, zipping left and right, flying in and chasing Crowhaw's residual energy.

Erza slashed her way through a single root, managing to cut it off. However, another dark root lashed at her one side, knocking her back down into the ground. She slid along the earth with a thud, getting to a halt before she found her momentum again. Rising up from the dust cloud, she had no spare seconds to think but dodge and evade another lash of another large dark root.

Landing, she saw she was surrounded by three massive roots wiggling like tail whips. _'I see, so the enemy is using her magic to distract me. Just as I cut down that one root, I could feel less pressure, but more strength being thrown at me. Does this mean it's like an energy conversion, where one's energy gets transferred? If so, I have to cut down the other three, quickly.'_ She pulled out a Poke Ball from behind, managing to toss it out.

"Honedge, I request your assistance!" She announced. The Poke Ball popped open, and out in front of her appeared her Honedge, floating in front of her, awaiting commands.

"Use **Fury Cutter!** " Erza commanded.

Honedge's blade became a bright white as she ascended. She saw one giant root snap down and lash at her, but Honedge attacked using the Bug-type move. The result was simple, with Honedge cutting the lashing root in two, borderline bifurcating it. Honedge backed off as the root began to crumble away.

"Come on!" Erza charged again with her bisento, her and Honedge charged for the remaining roots standing in their way.

Ivy pulled out what looked like cuffs police used to restrain criminal hands, only they were seemingly thicker, and the most shocking part was the color wasn't black or silver. It was red. Blood red. The odd pair of cuffs she had got Vanessa's attention, and not in a good way.

"You look so surprised. Are you three always so easy to astonish?" Ivy feigned shock at the revelation she created.

Vanessa narrowed her vision. "What are those?"

"Sorry, but I can't spoil those details just yet. I have a job, and my throat is sore from all of this talking." Her eyes narrowed. "Thanks for entertaining me. **Dragon Root!** "

Vanessa looked down and watched dozens of small rising black roots escalate into a dragon head with a ram-like snout. The howling monstrosity went flying in towards her, mouth open. Vanessa hurried and countered with a swipe of her arm, sending a crescent of aura that blazed across the midriff of the serpentine figure. She managed to slice it, making the root fall forward instead. She jumped away, evading the winds and the root alike.

Vanessa landed, but as she did, her body began to wear out. She hunched over briefly, her energy suddenly fluctuating. _'There it is again.'_ She grunted in thought. _'For some reason, the aura around is weakening the more power she exerts. How is this possible?'_

Beneath her, a small black root snagged her right foot. Her eyes widened and gasped as she found herself in no position to dodge. "Oh no-!" The root shot upwards, driving Vanessa into the air. She screamed out from the strong force and went spinning downwards. With a harsh slam, she hit the sand, making a small cloud erupt.

The cloud cleared out moments later, revealing Vanessa barely on her feet. She winced in agonizing pain from that shot-fall. _'She got me from underneath. I have to get help.'_ She reached for her back, reaching for a Poke Ball. However, she went stiff when a dark shadow loomed behind her.

Ivy had the cuffs in hand, her smirk darkening.

Erza slashed her bisento, while Honedge used another Fury Cutter, both successfully splitting the massive roots into pieces. Both cried out as they raced to the massive wall. Screaming out louder, they slashed vertically downwards, their attacks stronger than before. With trailed followed downwards, and following was the whole wall of black roots splitting in half. They both jumped through, reaching the other side.

"Vanessa-!" Erza looked ahead, ready to pounce, only for her body to go stiff. Her mind momentarily shut down as her eyes widened. Honedge was left speechless as well, shocked. Both Mage and Pokémon couldn't believe what was before them.

Nic raced through the midnight skies as a black shadow, streaming like fire, blazing left and right. He caught up with Crowhaw's residual energy that was all around, each particle he slammed into enlightened in black static. He took a sharp turn, chasing after a small haze, barely visible in the night. Crowhaw took another curve upwards, but Nic's shadow-like form altered direction, adjusting trajectory and intercepting the escaping Crowhaw. A shadow uppercut that got a direct hit in the dark haze, and said haze dissipated and became Crowhaw, gaging blood.

Nic's upper body became solid. He went flying skyward. " **Shadow Claw!** " He slashed again, but Crowhaw raised his arm, bringing it down as he made a sword of thick black energy. The impact of both attacks was evident as the air shuddered, but Crowhaw retreated as his makeshift dark energy sword broke from Shadow Claw, making him fall and hit the ground.

Crowhaw struggled to stand. He panted profusely as his fatigue was coming around.

Nic glared down and went after Crowhaw, his fist coated in dark aura with purple outlining. He blitzed, his lower half still a shadow blazing towards Crowhaw. The distance between the two began to diminish before a few seconds was all that was left. The look Crowhaw saw, the one ye he had that saw Nic's face illuminated by the moonlight; it frightened him. _'Is this it…?!'_

Nic thrust forward. " **Shadow-!** " And then the most shocking thing happened. Moments before drawing closer, Nic's body suddenly stopped moving. A pulse went through him, one that crackled like fireworks. Eyes widened in horror and shock, Nic found his entire being unable to respond. He was left petrified in midair, his Shadow Punch unable to respond. His mouth gaped, his breathing erratic, and the one thing he had great need of: control.

"What…what's happening? My body…it won't…move…" He strained to say.

Crowhaw uncovered himself, a small grin coming across his face. "…she's done it."

Nic's petrification left his mind stiff as well, a very unforgiving handicap. He fell to the ground, his Shadow Punch dissipating and body returning to normal. He glowed, becoming himself again. He slammed against the ground, falling onto his side. He didn't even feel the blow; his body was still too in shock to feel anything but revelation. His eyes were still wide, the warm blue yes themselves shuddering.

The root barrier created began to uncoil, the gigantic structure beginning to dwindle away into nothing but small black twigs that retreated into the earth once more. The massive barrier hid the one evidence that Nic was most startled of. With his head facing the direction behind Crowhaw, he was left shocked further into the heart to find Ivy standing over Vanessa. The younger Pularis sibling was also on the ground, her hands over her head, red cuffs on her wrists. Her body was incapacitated, her mind feeling a stinging sensation.

"Vanessa!" Nic spouted.

"N-Nic…" Vanessa strained.

Ivy put a hand to her hip. "Well isn't this just satisfaction. Fernando was right all along. We just had to go for the younger one."

Erza clutched her bisento tighter. "Damn you…!"

"Erza."

Erza looked over, her eyes again brimming with horror. Her shock surmounted, the knight and her Honedge baffled in a distraught manner. "Nic!" Erza screamed.

"Wow, it worked like a charm after all." Ivy teased.

"That's enough, Ivy." Crowhaw grunted. He was on a knee, his attire somewhat torn up.

Ivy looked towards him, raising a brow. "Wow, he sure roughed you up. If I hadn't gotten those Blood Shackles on in time, you'd been dead."

"Blood…Shackles?" Nic grunted.

"A cutiepie who catches on fast. Sorry it had to be this way, but orders are orders." Ivy said.

Erza aimed her bisento at Ivy. "Damn you!" She went and attacked, lunging at her. As she closed the distance, Ivy whipped her wrist without looking. A black root reached up from the ground, lashing at Erza and making the redhead shoot backwards.

"Erza!" Honedge cried out.

Nic struggled, but he was unable to move. "Erza!" He shouted.

Crowhaw stood up, dusting himself off. "You may be wondering, how is it that even though we have your precious sibling in cuffs, you're also bound? It's simple." He looked towards Vanessa's cuffs. "Those are called Blood Shackles. Think of it as Organic Link Magic with hyper acupuncture sensitivity, only on a mental caliber that suppresses your will to think, see, and do anything straight. It's an artificial weapon Fernando had devised for this phase; to retrieve what you have that we need."

Nic's gaze sharpened. "What?" He couldn't understand half of that for some reason. His mind was half-blank. He was unable to focus, thus rendering his mental powers and abilities shut down.

Crowhaw continued. "The Blood Shackles…bind their victim, transmitting and analyzing their blood type and genetic makeup. Its caliber is extreme, for not only does it limit and restrains nerve and veins, but also has the most important factor…" His eye narrowed. "It incapacitates blood-related individuals in the area, regardless if they wear cuffs as well."

Shock amongst the group went viral. They were unable to comprehend what was going on. They knew it wasn't good, but they didn't have the time. Erza and Honedge didn't have the time.

"Give them back! Release them!" Erza slashed, cutting the root that whipped her. She advanced, but her body suddenly gave in, her senses dulling once more. Her speed lowered, her fatigue rising. Panting, she was left with little energy. "My body…it's getting tired again…"

Ivy smirked.

"You…! What did you do?!" Erza shouted.

Ivy turned towards Crowhaw. "Do we have everything then?"

"Yes, it would seem so." Crowhaw answered. He looked down at Nic, seeing him in pain. "As long as those cuffs stay on, we'll get good word for Fernando and Alpha. And I do believe we've applied minimal damage, just as Vermilius requested."

"I swear, that scythe-carrying carnivore always gets his fun." Ivy pouted.

Erza wasn't gonna let this matter slide. She had to act. "Honedge! **Slash!** " Honedge followed her command. She raised her blade as it glowed a bright white and went at Ivy. She closed in, but right beneath her, half a dozen black roots shot up and struck her below. Honedge cried out as she was sent to the ground, the roots holding her against the sand.

"You on the other hand are a slow learner." Ivy scowled.

Crowhaw went on over and seized Vanessa as the young Pularis sibling was unable to respond. The Blood Shackles bound her spirit, and she was seeing very little. Her shock began to make her unable to hear the struggle Erza was putting up against Ivy and her black roots as the constant whips lashing left Erza with no opening.

Ivy had her back towards Crowhaw as he carried Vanessa towards Nic. "What do we do about the girl and her sword?" She asked.

Crowhaw continued to walk on. "Alpha has no interest. Leave her."

"Hold it!" Erza screamed. With one last swing, she sliced harshly through the black roots that kept Honedge suppressed. She and Honedge went chasing after them.

Crowhaw dropped Vanessa right beside Nic, both beginning to feel their senses dull. They tried to call the other's name, but all that came out were incoherent phrases.

"Ni…ic…"

"Van…ess…a…"

"Let's hurry and return to give Vermilius what he asked for." Crowhaw said as his body began to become a dark vortex that rapidly expanding, engulfing Nic and Vanessa.

"I won't take long." Ivy huffed. "The longer it takes, the longer Alpha or Fernando might bite off our ears."

Nic grunted as he and Vanessa were starting to get swallowed by Crowhaw's darkness. The last thing he saw was Erza chasing after him. He wanted to reach out, even if just a little, but he couldn't. The Blood Shackles dulled everything with him and his sister.

"Er…za…" With those words, Nic and his little sister were taken into the darkness, much to Erza and Honedge's own horror.

"NIC! VANESSA!" Erza screamed. She reached out, barely making it into proximity, but the distorted dark vortex dissipated, leaving nothing but thin air left.

Erza was caught stiff. Her mind was breaking down. That last image of Nic fading got her right in the heart. How did it come to this? How could she have let it happen? Her eyes were still full of many emotions. It was hard to take in, especially with how stiff she's felt for such a long time.

Ivy whipped her hair around. "Well, I guess my work here is done. I think I'll just leave you be with a little warning."

Erza turned around, facing Ivy. Her face, it was brimming with an emotion she hadn't felt in a while: Anger. Her rage was boiling, her eyes were only seeing red. What she saw wasn't a dream at all. It was all too real. It was revolting. "You…" She angrily pointed her bisento at her. "You tell me before I drive this through your soul! What did you do to them?!"

"Us? Nothing. We were just doing as told." Ivy feigned sarcasm, and she was good at it. "We just simply took what was needed. If you're going to stress, I'd do so on the far side of Earth Land. We don't need stowaways such as yourself here. Now, why don't you go crawl back home?"

Erza held her ground. "WHERE ARE THEY?!" She bellowed.

Ivy raised a brow. "I can see where this is going. Well, I did my part anyway, no use in holding out any longer." For some reason, she was getting hundreds of small dark roots to grow and rise up around herself. "I wouldn't worry. They're not dead…not yet, at least…"

"What happened to Nic and Vanessa! Coward!" Erza ran ahead, requipping into her Heart Kreuz Armor with her grip on Honedge. "Honedge! **Slash!** "

"Tell us!" Honedge demanded as her blade glowed a bright white and Erza swung her around.

Ivy smirked as the dark roots began to encase her. She watched in glee as Erza began to near-trip again, a sign of what she's done. "If you live long enough…you'll learn the truth of what is to behold…Titania." Her voice vanished as a solid dome of dark roots overtook her.

Erza grunted as her footing was staggering, but her didn't let up as she swung Honedge with a harsh shout. With a single Slash, the top half of the black root dome was chopped off, only for it to be revealing nothing underneath. It was empty. Time slowed down for Erza to realize that in her shock, Ivy had also retreated.

The black dome crumbled, cracking and breaking apart like expired twigs and sticks, leaving an empty space of nothing but sand and possible new firewood. As Erza stood there, slightly distraught, the waxing gibbous disappearing behind the dark clouds of the sky. Honedge dropped to her side, the clanking hollowed out on the sand.

Erza stood there with her bangs covering her eyes. There was a long pause as the waves rolled in and out several times. Honedge looked up at her Trainer, realizing the shock that must be going through her at the bitter moment.

"Erza…"

Erza was dead silent. Slowly, her fists balled up, her anger rising. Her frustration reached high levels, and thus she furiously got to a knee and punched the ground. "Damnit!" She cried out. "How could I let this happen?! How?! They took them away from me! Nic! Vanessa!"

Honedge floated in front of Erza. "Erza."

Erza grunted, and not from the fact her body was still recoiling somewhat, but from the fact of her strength. She devoted herself to Nic, and this was all she was worth? What did she do to deserve this? How could she have been so outmaneuvered? It was uncanny, and she couldn't tolerate it.

Her eyes opened, revealing her brown eyes set on resolution. "I won't stand for this…" She muttered.

Honedge stepped aside as the knight began to rise up from the sand.

"Whatever is happening, whatever is going on, whatever means necessary, we will find them." Her eyes narrowed harshly. "You can bet on it."

Honedge could tell her Trainer was doing her absolute best to hold up against the pain. Honedge has been with Erza long enough to know she needed Nic, and like it or not, Vanessa was someone who had to be saved. She had to save the siblings. As long as those Blood Shackles are on them, Nic won't be able to use his powers to use moves like Trick or Switcheroo to get them off. Those things dulled his senses, and strained his vital points. One wrong move and Nic's arties may as well tear up. And if anything happened to Vanessa, the odds were that Nic would just be in despair. She can't have any of that happen. Ivy's last lines still lingered around, and by the sound of it, Nic and Vanessa were in a terrible spot if they weren't gonna die…not yet, at least. She wasn't gonna take this lying down.

Turning towards Honedge, she looked resolute. "The enemy may not have left much of any trace, but they can't be too far away."

"We will find them." Honedge declared. "We will find a way. And I will help you get them back. No matter what."

Erza looked down at her sword, the resolution in her eyes as sharp as Honedge's blade. The Sword Pokémon meant what she said, and Erza couldn't thank her enough for her dedication. This made her calm down to a degree.

Taking a deep breath, the Requip Mage found her mind speeding down. "You're right. Thank you."

Honedge nodded again.

"They can't be too far away, that much I am certain of. We have to start looking, now. Come on!" Erza carried herself with the winds against her, with Honedge following behind. The duo hurried and raced along the isle as the night grew darker. The shore thus washed up some crabs. Dead crabs.

* * *

Nic slowly felt himself coming to. His consciousness was beginning to resurface, but his vision was still blurry. It took a sharp blink before his vision resurfaced. "Where…? What happened…?" He lifted his head, finding his hearing as silent as a grave. All that could be heard was water dripping from the ceiling.

He was getting his surroundings in check, taking into account how dark it was. The air was cold, like a winter night. It was making Nic feel dreadful, and not in any means a good way. He noticed how the location was carved into what looked like a chamber.

"Are we…?"

"Mmm…"

He heard moaning from his left, meaning he wasn't alone. He gasped, eyes widening when even in the candle light illuminating the sides of the chamber, there he saw her. His sister. "Vanessa!" He blurted out. He was horrified, his heart pulsing beats to no end. Vanessa was half-conscious, and much to his greater shock, her feet were chained to the floor, and her hands were overhead, chained by the same red cuffs overhead towards the ceiling. Her blue top was off, as was her sky blue shirt, revealing her black bra.

"Hey! Vane-?!" He gagged, her brain pulling a nerve. His pain flowing, he was forced to recoil. His body felt tight, though it was internally. He panted as the pain flared for a few brief moments. "Wha-?!" Again, as he tried to focus, another nerve was pulled. His body felt tight again, making him grunt in more agonizing pain.

Vanessa's eyes began to open. "Gnnnngh…huh? Nic…is that…?!" Her eyes widened, a gasp coming from her throat. Her warm blue eyes were big with horror and sheer confusion. She looked to find her older brother chained up. The chains and the cuffs on his hands and feet were red. She looked shocked as he was shirtless, revealing his whole right side scar. Vanessa looked down as well, realizing she still had her lower attire at least, but she was down to her bra for the top. While she was embarrassed momentarily, her shock surmounted so much she was caught straining like Nic did.

"Nic, w-what happened to us?" She strained, trying to fight through the pain.

"I don't know. I can't think straight." Nic groaned. "My body and my mind, it's like my blood cells have got some virus that contracts our nerves…but, I don't know…" He never felt this way before. Disoriented, sure, but nit this long.

Vanessa winced again when she tried to move her legs, but to no avail as they stung. With a shout, they sprung back into place. "They…they did something to us. I remember that woman getting behind me, and then she slipped on those cuffs…"

Nic's eyes were barely open. "Yeah, it's coming back now…yeah, I was facing the other…and they put these Blood Shackles on us…" If he could mentally scold himself right now, he would, but the cuffs were cutting off the siblings and their senses and will to think. "How could they forge such monstrous material?"

"The better question is how did they get it to understand our bloodline?" Vanessa groaned.

"You have my colleague Fernando for that." The intrusion brought on by an unfamiliar voice caught their attention.

"Who's there?" Nic demanded.

He heard the sound of slow and heavy breathing, the candles in the room beginning to whisk uncontrollably. Vanessa could hear it, but the more she tried to zero in, the more the Blood Shackles restrained her, causing both siblings to earn more strain. A dark figure slowly walked into the chamber, moving the stone aside that acted as a door. The sight of him in a grim cloak made him look too much like the Grim Reaper. His scythe was staggering as well since it had that little skeleton end.

The figure slowly entered, his dark Magic Power making both Nic and Vanessa uneasy, especially since they could not fight back.

"Who…are you?" Nic asked. As he tried to move, another strained pain flowed, which was inflicted on Vanessa as well. Both siblings were again hurt by their will to try and process.

The hooded reaper stood in front of the two victims, glaring lowly at them. His silver gauntlets glistened in the candle light, making them look like silver bones, a feature that startled Nic and Vanessa alike.

"Nic Pularis…Vanessa Pularis…I welcome you to the days that dawn the coming of your grieve." His black and red carved mask made it hard to discern his face, and the hood made it that much harder.

"Our grieve?" Vanessa muttered.

"What is this? What have you done-?!" Nic strained again, causing him to bounce back into place.

"Conceive no strength, for such strength shall only strain your being. I shall be your guide for the duration of your life. I will be the one to show you the truth of where you belong."

"What are you talking about? What's happening?" Vanessa asked. As much as she wanted to struggle, it was futile. Her nerves and joints were so tightened that they could snap. Already it was hard to breath.

"I am Vermilius, and I welcome you to the Rivolta." Vermilius introduced.

"Rivolta? Never heard of it." Nic muttered.

Vermilius was unfazed. "The name no longer matters, and the will that you have been entrusted shall be lifted."

Nic looked down, trying to get to his Poke Balls. When he looked down, he went wide-eyed when all of his Poke Balls were lying on his coat some feet away, but each one was suppressed in a small red cube. "Greninja…Charizard…" He muttered unsoundly.

Vanessa looked off and found her upper body clothing, finding her Poke Balls in red cubes as well. Her shock surmounted. "What did you do?" She coldly asked.

"It is not I who is to blame. He who is responsible for crafting has been Fernando." Vermilius explained. "With his knowledge, the man has done a great deal in crafting the Blood Shackles, and the Blood Cubes. Now you can no longer call upon your little pets, for they to suffer the strained fate inside of their capsules."

"You bastard!" Nic yelled. He budged, but yelled out again as he felt a nerve pull. It almost broke apart, and he could only recoil. Vanessa herself yelled out, the nerve nearly being cut like a string.

"Your threats and wails are but on deaf ears. I said it before, I shall be your guide for the duration of your life that is left." He slowly began to draw his massive scythe with the sickening sickle on the end.

Nic's eyes widened. "What are…"

"You have but no reason. You have no will that will guide you to Hell. Hell is the place where one who sins even once belongs. The gift you carry, it is what we desire." He raised his scythe, the sickle glistening in the candle light. "It's been long since I last had such welcome in my stay. Now…give to me what I seek, what Rivolta craves…give to us your _**rage**_!"

Vermilius slashed his scythe, cutting into Nic's abdomen. Nic screamed violently in pain, his bellowing so grand his mind momentarily went blank from the superficial cut Vermilius had inflicted.

"Nic!" Vanessa screamed in horror. Her shackles pulled on her nerves tighter, and as such, Nic gagged as his nerves got tighter.

Vermilius pulled back and twirled his scythe around. "More!" He slashed again at Nic, cutting another wound onto him. The heinous slash, it was like he was being ripped in half. It was agonizing. Nic screamed in pain again, the metal against his blood burning like lava.

"Stop it! Stop it right now!" Vanessa begged.

Vermilius looked over his shoulder to glare at the younger Pularis sibling. Her eyes widened at the sight of the makeshift reaper. Vermilius jabbed the other end of his weapon at Vanessa, which was the demonic skull end. The skull's mouth opened up, his sharp teeth sinking into Vanessa's shoulder. Vanessa screamed out in pain, the nerves being torn into making her feel worse.

Vermilius looked very pleased. "You have no say. You have but no right except to get violent, as the future demands!" He turned towards Vanessa, again violently slashing at her abdomen. The woman screamed out in violent cries of pain, her nerves pulling at her for the umpteenth time.

"NO!" Nic bellowed. He fought against the strain the Blood Shackles gave him, but nonetheless he was still feeling like he was splitting in two. Nic gagged blood as the end of Vermilius' weapon, the demonic skull head, bit into his left arm over his head. Nic shouted out for the umpteenth time, feeling his nerves snap. He screamed out, small bits of blood spilling from his wounds.

"STOP THIS!" Vanessa screamed out.

Vermilius sneered. "…no. There's still a ways to go." He raised his scythe, beginning another assault superficially. Nic and Vanessa's eyes widened in horror as Vermilius' sharp teeth were evident. "I won't let you die. I never let my victim's die unless they bore me. Their screams are the sounds I relish in. The louder and more blood that bleeds out, the greater my entertainment has become. Bring out your bottled rage! Cry!"

The stone door was shut, but even with it shut, one could hear Vermilius cutting into the prisoners that were bound by their own blood. Nic and Vanessa screamed so loudly in pain as their nerves were cut, their horror reaching and echoing through the black corridor.

* * *

Walking down the dark hallway of the manmade caverns, Imaci was unemotional as always. He proceeded towards a very open chamber, one that was like a massive gathering place. When he reached the end of the hallway, he entered and stood still. His eyes shut. "I have arrived." He announced. "Sorry for making you wait."

A silhouette was seen in the shadows. She appeared to be the same one who had a familiar cloak on with hair in a bud. "It's to our fortune that we have some sense of patience." She said.

"The moment has arrived. Yes, I know." Imaci answered as he continued only a few steps forward. Once he took those steps and halted, he came face to face with his colleagues. "But for me, the biggest surprise was how it's been executed."

In the darkness, another silhouette adjusted his glasses as he was sitting down with a game board in hand. "Execution? My friend, I believe that you have only met the definition at a superficial level. It takes a leveled hand to guide a piece to its right position, naturally the lowest ones guided are nothing more than the pawns."

"We are aware, Fernando." Imaci said.

"Grrr…" A low growl came from behind. Imaci turned to find Saboth against the wall, looking somewhat angry. "I have no need for your words. We have heard long and enough of them, yet do they draw the enemies closer? If you ask me, the time for talk has long since expired."

Imaci still wasn't fazed. "We have two days. I am for certain you can tolerate until then, Saboth."

Saboth held up a clutched fist. "No one dares to challenge me, for the world itself is but of cowards. Why is it that Vermilius has the chance?"

"Because you'd end up killing them on the spot. And as such, the wrong move could lead to your next turn to never come." The one with the glasses revealed himself. The shadow lifted, revealing him to be a somewhat kempt individual, with dark eyes and slicked back blue hair. A brighter blue-colored bang was so long and so oddly shaped that it went around the back of his head like a planetary ring. He had black gray gloves that contradict his white coat. Underneath was a tight black shirt. He had gray pants and black leather shoes. "You have never been wise to think of nothing else than the mightiest with that blade, has it not?" Fernando mused.

"Enough." Imaci warned. "Keep in mind that Alpha demands we keep them alive. They have what we need. Until we seize it, we can do nothing more than have Vermilius break them."

"I can agree." The second silhouette revealed herself. She had a dark cloak like Imaci indeed, but it had white and red intricate marks carved and flowing into one another. She had sandals, and the rest of her figure was conceived beneath. The high collar showed nothing of her neck, but she did have mature lips, yellow eyes, and periwinkle hair kept in that singular bud. Two bangs framed her face; the right far longer than the left. "If we are to follow Fernando and his calculations, we're to best hold out."

Fernando smirked. "My ways have never doubted you, have they not?" He looked down at his board game, noticing how he himself was subconsciously moving two pieces into the convention of a single spot in the center. "And Crowhaw and Ivy are to arrive right now."

On cue, the two came through the other dark corridor. Crowhaw was steady despite his injuries, while Ivy stretched her arms overhead.

"Mmmm…feels good to be back." The laid-back mage admitted.

"We are sorry for any inconvenience that happened along the way." Crowhaw apologized.

Mariah turned her head, her yellow eyes noticing Crowhaw's wounds. "It would appear dealing with them was not easy."

Crowhaw reached up and tilted his conical straw hat, hiding himself.

Ivy patted his back in glee. "Don't be such a wimp. You got Nic distracted long enough." She praised. "And speaking of…I must say, Fernando, those things you made worked like a charm."

Fernando chuckled as he overlooked his board game. "I am not one to be taken likely, you know."

Ivy raised a brow. "How did you get those things to react to them and their DNA alone?"

Fernando looked towards a piece with a scythe, seeing it as Vermilius torturing the smaller, shabbier pieces. "Now Ivy, if you were paying attention from when we went over this, you wouldn't be asking a needless question against a superior. Your turn of questions have been limited to one."

Ivy turned away. "Oh, whatever. It doesn't matter now anyway. We got them." She let out a small sigh of relief as she lethargically went past the others.

"And where do you think you're going?" Imaci asked.

"After setting up that bait and dragging them all the way back here, I think I might faint from working so hard." She said. "Well I think I contributed more than enough of my share. Mariah, can you be a dear and handle reconnaissance for poor old me?" She pleaded.

Mariah turned away, not looking in the least bit interested. "The laziest asking for help? Though I guess you aren't wrong." She paused. "Very well, but someone has to tell Alpha what we have."

Crowhaw stepped up. "I will. I will report to him."

Saboth got back up from the wall and stood affirm. He watched Mariah walk away. "I shall go and search as well. My blade and spirit begs for the thrill of death."

Fernando maintained a smirk. "Well then, our positions are set. The circle will be drawn once we have what we desire. Be sure you all are here for the ritual. I assure you once more, Vermilius can break them in less time than you can imagine."

"He's an expert at torture, I'll give him that." Ivy said as she began disappearing to her quarters.

"Then Alpha will finally bring those accursed objects forward once more. There's no mistakes to be made." Imaci said. All of them starting to hide away, they began to smirk and grin at his comment.

"Phase 1 of the Rivolta has been complete. We have but two nights before the blood moon rises. We must follow every step if we are to ensure Impure Underworld draws the world to its own conclusion."

* * *

Erza and Honedge ran along the isle, hoping to find any luck. As they ran along the sand, the unsound wind howled. The breeze that was ominous left Erza uneasy, and her sword felt a very harsh feeling. Erza couldn't say, but for some reason, she could feel the scorn, and at the same time Nic in agony. It's been too long, and if she didn't find them, Arceus knows what she would do. She had to get to them, no matter what. "Nic! Vanessa!" She screamed. Again, she felt a terrible ache in her heart; as though Nic's own pain had called to her. Her eyes widened, and her spine crawled. "Nic…" She ran faster, hoping to find answers. "Nic! Vanessa!"

The waxing gibbous of the moon gave note to the hollow start of the torment of what's to come.

* * *

 **Sorry for the small wait, but this chapter consumed more time than I had anticipated. I had to make this first chapter highly effective and open up to the darkness of the Impure Underworld Arc.**

 **On another note, the Impure Underworld Arc is** _ **before**_ **the Tartaros Arc, so keep that in mind.**

 **It's been officially over 2 years now that I've joined FanFiction and had made so many influential stories. I'm proud to be exploring depths of my own works and will continue doing so. Reviews and comments are always appreciated guys, thank you, and let me know what you thought of the startling start of the Impure Underworld Arc!**


	30. Raging Omen

There was no telling how long Alpha had been staring in that particular direction, let alone how long he's been staring without blinking. The darkness engulfing his quarters was like a plague and yet the only thing that wasn't pitch-black was his own entity. He was half-grinning; no smirk, no frown, just a placid vibe. At the same time he was looking at Nic and Vanessa's portraits, he still had that lingering feeling that pulled him into a purgatory state. What compelled him to keep those two objects this entire time? Even now, he did not really understand, despite having drawn multiple conclusions.

"Those faces…the faces of those who remind me of truth, why is it that no matter how many lies that are created, you always stay truthful?" He asked the pictures. He looked at the sunglasses in front of Nic's portrait. "Your picture, you do not conceal your vision. Perhaps that would've been better. If you had kept those on, I wouldn't be loathing you like this. It's nothing but twisted demeanor, even which that I cannot fathom."

He stared longingly at the portraits just a little while longer, perhaps a few precious moments. With those moments out of the way, the next thing that compelled him, it was of sheer instinct. Alpha slowly raised his right armored hand, heavily reaching out towards the portraits and Nic's devices. He finally touched Nic's sunglasses, though it only took so many months to accomplish.

It was a moment that he was like a curious child. The wondrous man, he who has no heart, found the will and strength to finally press on and unfolded the sunglasses. Slowly, he put them on his face, shielding his eyes. He looked around, noticing how the sunglasses made it that much harder for the dim candlelight to penetrate his eyes. What drove him exactly to finally break that barrier between him and the portraits and belongings alike? Could it be that the time has finally arrived? Was it his instincts or potentially his nanoscale of minimal humanity finally breaking for just a limited time. Finally, he smirked. "…say, not bad."

A few moments passed on before he realized something. While it did conceal his eyes from light, it made him frown to know it was that man who wore the sunglasses. Alpha closed his eyes, lowering his head and finally relenting. Back _exactly_ where he put the sunglasses, and even after folding them, that left the last object: the phone and earbuds.

He finally relented one last time, slowly uncoiling the earbuds and gently putting them on his ears. They felt weird. And cold. The cold felt good. He inserted the earbuds into the device, and as he looked at the black casing to protect the phone from weathering and weather alike, what did get noticed was the power button. Turning it on, he had to wait a whole thirty seconds before he got a picture of Nic, Erza, and Vanessa cropped in it. The sight again made his senses sting, but he continued to explore and find that the home menu had very limited selections. There was only Phone, Videos, Internet, Photos, and finally…Music. Pressing the screen on music, he saw window open up to a number of songs.

It took a minute for him to scroll on, but at last he pressed on a song name. At that instant, his ears were given voice to heavy metal. It was music that pumped blood through him, music that made him smirk. There was heavy and yet melodic guitar, violent drums, and screaming. There was a lot of melodies that screamed into his ears.

As the song went on, he smirked. "Not bad taste."

Within the pitch-black of the cavern, Crowhaw appeared. "Alpha, sir." He said abruptly.

Immediately, Alpha's eyes widened. He looked towards Crowhaw, his eyes hollowing into a mixture of shock and anger. "What?!" He harshly snarled.

Crowhaw – though he was curious – dared not belittle Alpha with tampering with Nic's devices. Clearing his throat and lowering his head, he dared not look Alpha in the eye, for he did not want to lose his own head.

He kneeled. "I sincerely apologize, Alpha, sir, but I have come with word of warning."

Alpha raised his head. "What?" He demanded.

Crowhaw raised his head…but only by a little. "Ivy and I have come back with them. Vermilius is currently in the works."

Alpha's eyes slowly widened. "They're…here…?" He slowly straightened up, staring at the portraits one last time. Slowly, but surely, his smirk came, the bloodthirsty look arising. "Well, well, well. It would appear…that this would be our last talk together." He looked down, powering down and turning off the device by holding onto the power button. He proceeded taking out the earbuds. "It was fun chatting, but now…it is time we part ways, and I carry own my duty." He coiled the earbuds and put them back on the phone, and back next to the sunglasses.

Standing up, Alpha smirked maniacally before he lifted his cape. "Phase 1…" Whiffing it, the candle light went out. "Has ended. Get me Fernando. It is time I pay them a formal visit."

Crowhaw turned away and retreated into the shadows with Alpha following behind, leaving the photos and devices in the dark.

* * *

The cell where Nic and Vanessa were kept was constantly being filled with the sound of the one thing many relished in: pain. Another harsh masculine grunt was made verbal, followed by the sound of another slash sound.

Blood spilled from Nic as he screamed out in pain. The Blood Shackles bounded him, straining his nerves so that he went numb. Nic screamed even louder as he felt a vital nerve snap. His eyes shot wide, bellowing out as his stomach bled out.

"Stop! You bastard! You scum monster!" Vanessa cried out, tears coming from her eyes as a mixture of pain and heartbreak.

Vermilius turned towards her, his demonic feral slits making her nearly suffocate. Vanessa could've sworn she was gonna throw up. Unfortunately her oxygen was momentarily cut off when Vermilius extended the end of his scythe towards her. The demonic skull with sharp teeth bit the side of her neck, making the younger Pularis sibling open her mouth wide as her neck sustained another harsh blow.

Nic's eyes shot wide open. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Nic screamed. The Blood Shackles bounded him, making his eyes widen even more. His will was suppressed, him and his sister alike feeling their nerves thin out in their wrists. Both gasped for air again when both recoiled.

There was no telling how long they've been at this for. To Vermilius, time was irrelevant. To Nic and Vanessa, their sense of distress and incapability rendered them useless in critical thinking. Was it hours? Minutes? Time seemed to be going on pass them and they were stuck bleeding out. Nic and Vanessa were panting, gasping for air constantly, both on the verge of suffocation. A mixture of drool and blood dripped from the corners of their mouths. Their eyes were wide, any sense of comprehension beyond that in the norm.

Vermilius took a step back to observe his work. Nic and Vanessa had a large number of open cuts; some deeper than others. On their arms, legs, on the sides of their faces, and dominantly their abdominal region. Any normal human would've expired from blood loss at this point, but all Nic and Vanessa could do was endure.

The reaper let out a small huff as he raised his scythe. Not a single drop of blood was on it. "Your plea is but on deaf ears. Cry, shout, or mangle yourselves; the only thing that matters now before I guide your corpses to Hell…is for you to get angry!"

He swung his scythe again, inflicting another superficial cut on Vanessa. The younger Pularis sibling screamed out violently as she continued to bleed.

Nic's eyes were wide yet the pupils were nearly shrunk. The pupils themselves were bouncing all over his eye like a madman. Beads of sweat and red poured down from his cut forehead, his sanity borderline shattered. Vermilius twirled his scythe again, bringing it around and cutting into Vanessa's leg for the umpteenth time. Again she screamed in agony, tears pouring out.

Seeing his younger sister in pain, sadness, grief, and in no position to fight back, everything about Nic shutdown.

Vermilius stopped just as he was about to give Vanessa another wound. "Hm?" He felt it. He felt the dark air changing at long last. Even the reaper himself was left startled and astonished as the temperature seemingly dropped again. He turned back towards Nic, both him and Vanessa seeing a small black haze around Nic's body.

The man was snarling, huffing like a wild animal. His eyes were becoming bloodshot to the point where he saw nothing but sheer red. His pupils were becoming a small sense of vermilion, a mixture of his warm blue and the bloodshot red surrounding him. His body was shuddering, a death-like aura engulfing him. His head was angled so that he looked deranged, and the veins all over his body were popping out. Just looking at his hostile expression was enough to make Vermilius feel unwelcome.

"I said…I said…" Nic's mouth widened, more drool and blood spouting. He lurched ahead, baring his sharpened teeth. " **I SAID STOP!** "

It sounded like a bellowing animal, one that had no reason to stop. The dark aura around him flared as he snapped at the air, his body and mind lost in his own immoral rage. Vermilius, however, seemed to be taking delight. "Ah, so this is your rage? Good, very good…" The reaper himself had to admit that even his bones were somewhat chilly. Seeing the bloodthirsty snap of Nic's jaws nearly made him flinch, but the animal thrashed about, disregarding the veins and the nerves that were snapping all over his body.

Vermilius raised his scythe. "I want more! Both of you! Scream for bloody murder!" He slashed at the enraged Nic, getting him across the chest. Nic bellowed out again, eyes wide as veins popped again out of his monstrous anger.

"NIC!" Vanessa cried out. "STOP THIS! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!"

She could only watch Nic get slashed at again as the bellowing animal was unable to defend. The screaming, the torment, the anguish, the despair, all of which were unbearable traits that made her unable to act. Nic was being cut into, and what was she doing?

Her eyes became feral, her face darkening. Her teeth gritted so hard that they could bend metal. "Leave…my brother…alone…!"

Vermilius stepped back again, the mood again shifting into a more eerie and ominous sensation. Like Nic, there was a savage and bloodthirsty aura emanating from somewhere. The older Pularis sibling continued to snarl out and snap at the air as the reaper himself looked back at Vanessa.

He smirked, seeing her aura emerge. Only it was like Death, like Nic's. "Now we're cooperating."

The younger Pularis sibling snarled like a monster, her feral eyes matched with the dark aura around her. Her eyes were bloodshot, her rage peaked. Like Nic, she too had snapped.

" **YOU MONSTER! I'M GONNA RIP YOU APART!** " Vanessa bellowed violently, her veins popping out and her bloodshot gaze boring into Vermilius.

Both Pularis siblings roared out like savage animals, their anger getting the best of them, the rage that was very rare; the rage that makes many tremble, the kind that makes Ursaring run away, the kind that Gyarados were nothing compared to. Vermilius himself, he was startled as his spine was tingling from seeing the bloodied animals.

Nevertheless, he resumed smirking. "This is what Alpha wishes to see…how lovely." He raised his scythe. "I'll spill more of your blood! Roar! Threaten! Bleed and cry out for the other!"

He continued his torture, the incapacitated Pularis siblings roaring out in anguish and bloodthirst throughout the corridor.

* * *

The entire isle was unsound, like a graveyard. Erza had been searching left and right, with her Honedge following on tow. Her boots pressed against the mixture of dirt, sand, and crabgrass, churning the minerals with pressure in every step taken. The eerie winds that howled could not begin to move the crabgrass she stepped in, like spirits crushed themselves.

"Nic! Vanessa!" She cried out again, but as it's always been, no verbal response. She stopped and looked around in her spot. "Where could they have been taken to? If only they left behind a clue…"

Honedge floated up next to her. The Sword Pokémon looked up at Erza, seeing how she was momentarily open. "I'm sure they have to be around here somewhere."

Erza looked dead ahead, disregarding how the moon was waning away in the sky. "There's no telling what atrocities were committed. It's been hours and we haven't found a trace. Not even a fragment of Magic Power."

"Well it couldn't have just up and left."

"I know, but still…" The redhead went silent for her own sake. It's been hours, far too long since she has yet to find anything useful in her quest to find Nic and Vanessa. She was beyond the point of desperate. If she were asked to fork over any amount of Jewel just to know where they were, there was no doubt she'd do it. Nic was her everything one might say. If he was hurt in some way, there'd be no telling what she'd do.

The color of the sky had begun to change after searching for so long, changing from a cloudy night to a very dark gray. It was becoming morning. Erza hadn't noticed it because she was too engrossed in her task, and it was best left that way. The more she worried about time, the more time would be wasted rather than find them. Erza needed a clue, bad. She needed a miracle…and in some miraculous form, it seemed she got one.

However, it wasn't a miracle one might say.

The atmosphere in the climate had grown colder the farther in she walked into the depths of the unkempt isle. When Erza took a random step inland again, her body felt a drop in temperature. Her eyes widened, feeling a spark within her brain.

"Erza, what's wrong?" Honedge asked.

The redhead's eyes showed signs of worry. They were showing immense shock that was fueled by the this underlying vibe that made her spine shrivel. "This feeling…I can't explain, but I know it from somewhere." She said, surprising herself a little.

"You do?" Honedge asked.

Erza's fists clutched. "Yes…but I only thought it was gone, completely erased. Seems I misjudged this power." This overflowing dread that went through her, the S-Class Mage felt it many times before, especially in particular battles. The thought of Nic especially when he was up against a certain monster beyond any boundaries of inhumane. "This dark feeling, it's faint, but I know it's coming from somewhere close by." Her yes narrowed, her search taking her inland again. _'This anger, this overflowing rage…'_ She thought of Lysandre. _'It's not like his infinite rage. This sensation is enough to give me goosebumps, but not enough to render me paralyzed out of fear. Where could this be coming from if not from him?'_

She stopped over a little hill, overlooking a scenery that again left her surprised. Again, her surprise backfired on her. Her lips parted, seeing an unfamiliar site.

Honedge noticed how still Erza was and looked out, her singular eye widening as well.

Bothe were looking at something in the distance, something that spelled trouble. At the bottom of the hill, far away, there lied a conjunction of hills, like crags compressed. There was a very small opening to it at its base. Looking inside was nothing but hollow darkness. Erza and Honedge felt a strong sensation crawl along their backs when looking into the cavern.

"Erza." Honedge said.

"Yes…I know. I can feel it as well." Erza paused, a hollow wind shifting around. "There's a cold pressure resonating from it, no doubt about it."

"Where do you think it leads to?"

"Only one way to be sure." Erza began to forego her path against the cold pressure that rattled her senses. With every step, she drew silently closer towards the eerie energy emitting from the cavern entrance. Only a fool would go so far as to enter the cavern. You can venture through the many entrances, but the cold-hearted feeling that seeped through Erza like poison did not dare keep her down. When Nic is on her mind, she will fight any malevolence to keep him. She won't have him taken away, no matter what.

Erza eventually stood in front of the fairly-sizeable cavernous entrance, looking into the darkness inside. She could feel a very dark energy; darker than the average Darkness Magic. She fought against the goosebumps sprawling inside her armor and let her fortitude be her guide.

' _The energy inside is most grim indeed. I can sense it flowing out of here, like water. But what I can't begin to understand is how closely related it feels to this overwhelming dread, it's like I know this feeling, but the question is where is it coming from exactly?'_

At that instant, she could've sworn the air darkened, along with the sound of anguish. Her eyes widened.

Honedge looked up to Erza once more. "What is it?"

Erza's heart felt a vivid pounce. For some reason, her senses just knew from that wind that brushed past her bangs that something was wrong inside. And no doubt that it had something involving Nic. That energy, and that painful roar – no matter how antagonizing – she knew Nic had something to do with it. Again her heart felt heavy.

"Let's go!" Erza wasted no time in venturing in. Without a word otherwise, Honedge followed behind. The two proceeded into the depths, drawing away from the light gray outside. Into the depths they went, no fear, no retreat.

' _Nic, Vanessa, I know I'm drawing near. I can feel it.'_

The redheaded knight ran through the cavern, noticing how mildly spacious it is. There were stalagmites and stalactites alike, water dripping from top to bottom; some droplets pierced on the tips. All around, little rats and mice scurried away from the ensuing Erza as she advanced.

Erza's eyes widened and she stopped at a point. Her guard was up, her stance adjusting to makeshift a form of defense. Upon recognizing her Trainer's stature, Honedge got into Erza's hold and readied for battle.

"Who's there?!" Erza announced, her voice echoing through the caverns.

There was an ominous Magic Power coming from up ahead. It wasn't the source, but the fact that she could sense it being so large meant she had someone in the way. Appearing from behind a stalagmite in the corner was Mariah. The yellow-eye woman with the high-collar barely disclosing her mouth kept herself turned off towards the side.

Erza spread her legs. "And who might you be?"

"Who I am?" She asked. "I can be many things, but to you, I can be something…yet nothing."

"I'm sorry, but I am in no mood to handle your riddles." Erza berated.

Mariah glanced towards her, her emotions unable to be read by any means. Erza's gaze hardened as Mariah slowly turned to face Erza properly. The woman in question remained silent as the dripping of water filled the background. "I understand that you have an obligation to attend to, am I right? It is best that you attend it elsewhere. This is no place for which you are allowed to trespass on. I implore you, turn back."

Erza, however, held her ground. "I cannot comply with what you say."

"And why is that?"

Her grip on Honedge tightened. "Because I have some friends that I need to tend to, and I have reason to believe that they are inside here." She answered.

Mariah kept a still gaze. "…I understand. I would have to apologize, for I cannot comply to your wishes."

Erza was ready to strike. "And why is that?"

Mariah's unemotional gaze remained hardened. "Because, like you, I have business of my own that has to be attended very carefully. What you seek is just a comprehension that is to be forgotten and disregarded, for soon its use will be limited."

"Nic. Vanessa." Erza scowled.

Mariah's eyes finally narrowed. "It would seem our paths have crossed at critical times. This will be your warning, retreat and begone. If you wish to intervene, there is no guarantee of your survival if you persist."

Erza rushed ahead, having Honedge by her side. "I'm not leaving until I have them back safe and sound! Honedge, **Slash!** "

Honedge's blade glowed and glistened. Erza took a large leap and slashed the Steel and Ghost-type. The attack went down on Mariah, but the female standing still did nothing as pink material came in between them. Honedge made contact with Slash, but the Sword Pokémon and Erza alike bounced right off, backing away against the ground.

Erza's eyes widened for the umpteenth time. "What's this?!" She looked to see that the wall in between her and Mariah was solid and pink. She looked towards the spot where Honedge slashed, seeing a jagged mark and some of the material chipping off.

"I warned you. You do not belong here." Mariah nonchalantly advised. "Continue persisting, and the ultimate punishment will become evident."

"So I take it that you want me out of your business, is that it?" Erza inquired. She let go of Honedge and begun a Requip. "What you started is what must be finished. This became my business the moment you took Nic and Vanessa from me." Her Requip faded, revealing her new Piercing Armor. She pointed the lance at Mariah, and the solid pink wall in between them. "If you won't give way, then I'll have to force myself in!"

Mariah let a slight hitch from her breathing escape. The mage was caught surprised by Erza aiming her sharp lance ahead and sprung forward with a harsh battle cry. The material that comprised the wall shattered like glass the instant Erza made contact. The odd rock went flying like it was caught in a hurricane. Dust and winds blasted in all directions, the Piercing Armor Erza being in continuing on like an unstoppable Mamoswine using Take Down. Underneath, ground shattered and the cavern corridor itself shuddered from the roaring of the lance.

Mariah was still caught onto how Erza was closing in so rapidly, but the mage didn't make any subtle moves. The ground brightened into a glistening pink before a bright flash erupted, sending dazzling rays all around. Honedge sheathed herself, refracting any of the blinding rays and sustaining minimal to no damage.

Everything settled in the next couple of seconds, with Mariah still standing still, but her position was a step back from where it was originally. Even now, she did not smirk with what's happened. "Force your way in? Were those your words?"

In front was Erza, the mage was stuck with her lance encased in a pillar of pink material. She was caught by surprise with her attack suppressed, albeit barely. Everything around her was demolished. Except for Honedge, the spikes rocks and ground was in shambles. Cracks ran all over the place, and yet the tunnel was still standing.

Erza yanked, but her lance wouldn't budge. "What did you do?" She demanded.

"I did nothing in particular. It is my defense that shot up and intercepted your assault." Mariah explained.

Erza grunted as she struggled to pull her arms, hands, and lance free. The mage gritted her teeth as she pulled harder, using her might to its fullest. She grunted louder, pulling that much harder. With another powerful yank, the pink material finally started cracking, and when Erza gave one final yank, part of the large pillar chipped off into tiny pieces, freeing Erza and her weapon of choice. The woman stumbled backwards, barely maintaining her stance. She looked down at the pink rock around her, realizing that it wasn't what she intended it to be.

"Wait, this is…" Erza slowly followed her gaze from the ground towards the chipped pink pillar in front. Her eyes widened upon realization. "Crystal? You use Crystal Magic?"

"An accurate testimony. With this magic, I can be granted the usage of reforming matter into crystal, from the physical matter surrounding me to your very breath. It grants me cellular levels of power, so that I can even solidify my targets, provided their body type doesn't have rejection. Allow me to observe one of the many capabilities that I have explained." Mariah raised her arm straight up, holding it out. In one swipe, she made the pillar disappear in a shattering flash. All around her and Erza, everything suddenly became crystal, right down to the tiniest grain of debris.

Again, the Requip Mage was caught surprised when looking down at the ground.

"You should've backed down like I told you. Now like this component, you to shall shatter." Mariah extended her same arm forward, firing a volley of crystal shards as sharp as spears at Erza.

Erza glowed, hurrying in her Requip to evade. Transforming into her Heaven's Wheel Armor, she wielded two swords in hand, parrying shard with sword. Everywhere she turned, she blocked and parried funnels of shards in split seconds. Her swipes and slashes were fast and unwilling to let up. Without blinking nor missing a beat, she defended herself.

Mariah narrowed her vision. "Annoying."

A bright pink flashed engulfed Erza's front, momentarily startling her. When it faded, it revealed her gauntlets and swords were both crystalized, encasing them in a heavy mass. "She crystalized by blades?!" Hurrying for a defense, she jumped, barely missing the long, jagged crystal needles that jutted from the ground. Erza landed several feet behind, right beside her Honedge.

Mariah stepped forward, making the needles dissipate. "Most intriguing, but I cannot allow you to pass, no matter how much you plea, less you wish to die."

Erza grunted in irritation. "Then I guess I'll have to beat you myself if I am to get to them."

"Get to them? That is intangible unless you have the resolve. Even if you did, you have just sealed your own fate. Once one enters into the Rivolta, one cannot venture out."

"Rivolta?" Erza wondered.

"All of which is none of your concern. Unlike the many who lurk within these depths, I do not sully myself so easily when spilling blood. I was generous when offering to spare your life, but now you're going to perish!" Mariah flicked both wrists forward, sending a solid wave of pink crystals traveling along the ground like a torrent of water. The attack had such a wide range, and the way it was made like the flow of water startled Erza again.

But nevertheless, she hurried. "Gngh!" _'My arms are so limited right now. Have to barricade somehow until I get this crystal off.'_ "Honedge, **Swords Dance!** " At her command, Honedge looked battle-ready and illusionary blue swords circled around. After a full loop, the swords crossed overhead, a thick, red aura amplifying her Attack power.

The wave closed in, that's when Erza bellowed out the next attack. " **Fury Cutter!** "

A vertical line went down in the blink of an eye, slicing right into the wave and splitting I in two. It was revealed to be Honedge as she vertically slashed with the powered-up Bug-type move, saving Erza by slicing down the middle, shattering crystal and sending specks flying.

Mariah's gaze narrowed.

Erza remained stern as she saw the opening. She took no other chance as the crystal torrent dissipated on a whim and extended her reach outwards. "Now, **Fury Cutter!** "

At her command, Honedge rushed on ahead and had her blade shine brighter than before. The Steel and Ghost-type brought her blade around and attacked, leaving a flashy white arch as she swiped horizontally. At the last second, however, Mariah used her magic to summon and conjure a stack of thick crystals to get in the way. They were tall, thick, and massed with great defense. Honedge slashed horizontally with her increased might, slicing straight through the stack of firm crystals, leaving a thin, white trail that separated the top from the bottom.

Mariah watched the top half topple right off, shattering into many pieces. Though was briefly saved that one time, she did consider Erza. Her senses picked up on the scarlet-haired mage in the air. Looking up, she saw Erza taking flight and surrounded by a wheel of twenty swords. Her arms and swords in hand separated and indicating she had broken free of the crystal.

The swords around the mage spun rapidly, pointing at Mariah. Erza extended her arms forward.

" **Circle Sword!** "

All the numerous swords at her disposal went flying in swift fashion. All of them showered down onto Mariah, and yet despite the raining swords, the mage didn't deter. Her eyes shut. "Predictable." Her eyes opened back up, bright pink flashing briefly before all the swords that were still flying down were turned to crystal. In midair, all of them shattered into a million pieces.

Erza was surmounted by her own shock. "She…turned my swords into solid crystal?" Her Honedge was equally as startled, left to be dumbfounded.

Mariah's gaze resumed its uninterested expression. "As I said before, you will shatter before you take a step past me…"

As both squared off against the other, there was a hollow shout from far within the depths. The pressure in the air momentarily shifted, making Mariah and Erza alike go into shocked states.

"What was that?" Erza questioned aloud. Another dark shout was faint, but it could be heard. The tone sounded all too familiar. Erza recognized that shout anywhere. "Nic!" She yelled.

There was another shout; a scream of bellowing rage and anguish, the same as Nic. Mariah turned around, her expression calming. "This dark sense, I suppose this means Vermilius is already starting to break them."

Erza grabbed Honedge without a second's delay. "What are you doing to them?!" She demanded to know. Again, she heard another scream of rage, causing her spine to shudder.

Mariah glanced back at her, eyes narrowing. "Those that you hold dear, their fates are being guided by the reaper. Shall they persist and apply any use, it matters not, for like any living matter, their use is limited. Once the screaming stops, there is but a short time left."

Erza's rage began to boil. "You wouldn't dare…!"

Mariah turned away from her, walking off back towards the dark sound. "I'm sorry, but I have no desire any longer."

"Wait!" Erza charged ahead again.

Mariah, however, continued her walk. "Saboth can take over from here. Do as you please, I have to ready myself for the upcoming ritual."

Erza brought Honedge around, readying Fury Cutter for the umpteenth time. Within the darkness of the cavern, passing Mariah's unfazed body, was the samurai. Saboth jumped overhead, raising his blade and letting out a dark-toned shout. He slammed his sword down against Erza's, making static flare all around in a fashion like Discharge.

Erza was caught shocked. "What?"

Both backed off, their feet planted in the crystal ground. Erza and Saboth were far apart from the other, their opposing stares evident. Mariah continued walking behind and a pink crystal shot up from beneath, engulfing her. The crystal shattered, becoming pink specks that swirled around and dissipated, like a ghostly teleportation.

Erza cursed herself for letting her get away. "Damnit." She muttered.

"Having Mariah hand this situation over to me is the least of your worries, fool. You now must hand your life over now to my blade." Saboth demanded.

Erza raised Honedge. "I take it there's more of you?"

Saboth was unfazed. "That is not your business."

"Then can you at least tell me what your plan is with Nic and Vanessa."

"I don't comment further with pesky fools like you. Raise your sword and die with dignity!" Saboth presented his blade with one hand. The blade that Erza saw was of surprise to her. Saboth wielded a unique samurai sword, one that had a design unlike any other. The pommel was but a broad spike, with the long grip being a black with red carving on opposite sides. The guard was concaved and blood red, with four small spikes in the corners. That left the really long samurai blade length in a shimmering silver tint.

Erza analyzed the samurai sword, eyes narrowed. "That's quite the sword you have." She expected a comment, but instead Saboth took no time dealing with a verbal apply. The samurai went flying in and attacked, swiping his sword. Erza hurried with a counter. " **Fury Cutter!** "

Her Honedge in hand, guided her to block Saboth's sword. Both unique blades clashed, making static discharge all over the terrain. Despite Fury Cutter being amplified to high levels, for some reason, Honedge was feeling a very deep struggle. The static clanging against her was leaving her vaguely harmed. Saboth followed through, making Erza and Honedge slide backwards against the crystal ground. As Erza stopped her skid, Saboth reappeared in front, his sword overhead and swinging downwards again. Erza had little to no time but use Honedge's Fury Cutter again, intercepting in time to lower the strength of the crushing blow. For a third time, the blade began to overwhelm Honedge, eventually causing the Steel and Ghost-type to deter, eventually leading to the samurai sword overpowering her again. Once again Erza found herself sliding back, requipping into her Heart Kreuz Armor.

Erza stopped, looking down to find her Honedge badly wounded. "Honedge, are you alright?" She asked.

Honedge's blade and hilt was covered in scratches. With the amount of damage she received, she was lucky to be holding on. Her one eye opened up, showing wear. "His blade and strength…it's so strong."

Erza looked back at Saboth, who had his sword stretched out to the side. "What is this you're doing?"

Saboth reached out again, holding his blade tip towards her. "The blade that is my spirit, it is but the one blade in the world that cannot be deterred. This is my spirit; my soul: Demon Karbia." He announced. "The stronger my challenger is, the stronger my blade becomes, until it becomes infinite."

"That's absurd." Erza denounced.

"Your opinion matters not. What matters is only conquering any and all with this one weapon. Dead or alive, any who has a head will lose it to Demon Karbia." He brought said blade back. "Now, relish in your despair!" He slashed Demon Karbia from where he stood, sending a long-range crescent of darkness at Erza. The longer the distance, the greater its range got, and the brighter it was.

Erza found herself incapable of defense and everything around her shattered from the slashing shockwave. She, along with Honedge, went flying through the atmosphere with chunks of crystal still left all over the cavern floors and ceilings from Mariah earlier. Erza struggled to regain balance, her Honedge was another story as she went swirling through the atmosphere.

The redhead reached out to her Pokémon. "Honedge!"

Honedge's eye opened and she managed to pull herself together. She readied to retreat back to Erza, only for Saboth to appear behind. Startled, Honedge turned around to meet the menacing black and red samurai's ghostly face. Honedge could've felt her whole body go numb from the pure sight of the beast with his sword overhead again. The Sword Pokémon was unable to dodge due to her No Guard Ability, and she was already without her Trainer's reach. Saboth's Demon Karbia grew dark static and the samurai growled in midair.

"Erza! I'm sorry!" Honedge cried out, moments before Saboth brought the blade down on her, unleashing another flashy discharge of negative energy.

Erza landed, her eyes wide with horror and mouth gaping with exasperation as the air in front was struck by the shimmering slash of Saboth's blade. "Honedge!" Erza screamed loudly.

The static in the air lifted, and Saboth landed on a knee facing away, Demon Karbia stretched out to the side. Meanwhile, Honedge plummeted to the ground, thudding and clanging against the crystalized earth, her sheath also fallen beside her. Her swirling eye indicated that she was no longer able to continue.

Erza ran over, sliding to a stop right next to her fallen Pokémon. On her knees, she picked up Honedge and saw that she was greatly wounded. "Honedge." She muttered. She inspected her defeated help and valuable friend, but saw that she needed to get rest.

Erza's gaze softened as she pulled out her Poke Ball. "Thank you for your efforts. I will be sure to pick up from where you left off." She recalled Honedge safely to her Poke Ball, just mere seconds before Saboth gave her a kick in the face, sending the redhead lying into the nearest wall. With a cry of pain, the shock to her face and face alike momentarily paralyzed her.

"You 'pick up from where you left off'? That is a wish I dare not pity." The samurai berated. "Your sympathy left you weak and vulnerable. Distracted so easily leaves you as an open target."

As Saboth readied his sword, Erza scrambled to her feet, requipping into her Lightning Empress Armor. "You think that my humanity is a burden. My humanity and my nature is not something to mock!"

Saboth attacked without another word of rebuttal. His sword drenched in Magic Power slashed, but Erza flipped overhead in time to evade the terrorizing blow that eradicated the wall behind, leaving a large, deep crevice within the rock.

' _He cut straight through the wall, even when crystal covered it, like it wasn't even there!'_ Erza thought in the middle of her flip. She landed several feet behind the samurai. _'Just how powerful is that sword?'_

Saboth turned around and faced Erza, lunging ahead to strike. Erza rushed ahead and attacked with her spear coated in Lightning Magic. Static dispersed from the tip as it was launched like a lance. The sword and spear collided, the impact so powerful that a shockwave dispersed throughout the location. Crystal all around shattered in the electrified winds. Light blue and black static discharged, one side being Erza and one side being Saboth. The two warriors were engulfed in an unstable discharge that led to a bright flash.

When the smoke erupted in the aftermath, Erza jumped backwards, her spear still crackling, but otherwise its tip had been destroyed. The chipping pieces of it continued crackling until they finally dissipated. Erza watched as Saboth emerged from the smoke, completely unscathed.

"Humanity and sympathy _is_ a burden." The samurai berated. He raised Demon Karbia and began slashing again, and Erza could only parry and block with her broken spear's stave. Each collision had sparks fly. "The only tools that one must use in battle is skill and will. Anything else is but a distraction. You must have the desire to fight and kill. It is those two raw instincts that divides the weak from the strong." Finding an opening, he slashed upwards, breaking Erza's stave in two. The chunks went flying in the air, leaving Erza to falter backwards. "The win is all that matters!"

Erza shifted and dodged another harsh slash. Without a second thought, she clutched her fist and drove a right uppercut to the samurai's chin. The connection made him falter backwards, giving Erza the space she needed. The samurai's shock left him open as he reached for his chin and received a boot to the chestplate. Regaining himself on a knee, he looked up to notice how Erza was giving off what one could call an insidious glare. Her hardened gaze was accompanied by the red aura around her body. "It's those thoughts that leaves you and I divided. There's no honor in pride if all you relish in is ambition. The world does not revolve around that concept alone. Humans can fight for more than just themselves; they can protect and raise arms against a common enemy." Her requip altered again, becoming her Morning Star Armor. "We're not as barbaric as you so accurately prescribe us to be. You need to live a full life and open your eyes to see beyond the darkness, and to realize that winning is never the true answer to your self-centered desire."

Saboth clutched Demon Karbia tightly, a scowl coming across his face. "I never listen to whatever a weaker human has to say! I say and fight, those are what drive me." With both hands, he clutched the grip of the blade, holding it out as it was brimming with a death-like aura. A massive swell of black-colored ions began to revolve around the blade from the guard, like a helix shape. The dark helix began to expand as it arose, gathering negative energy within the air in the crystalized atmosphere.

Erza spread her legs apart, readying for the extreme pressure Saboth was charging up. Still, the amount of darkness he was taking in was a major shock. "I have to do something about this. I can't dwell anymore on this matter." Even within the sounds of the sword vortex, she could still hear the roars of anguish; faint as they were, she could tell they were of Nic and Vanessa.

Her resolve set, her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I don't have for this."

Saboth raised his sword overhead, the helix now compressing into a thick swirl of darkness from tip to guard. His gaze was set solemnly on Erza.

" **Deign Slay!** "

He brought his sword down like a hammer against the ground. Instantaneously, the shockwave went throughout the entire corridor. The pink crystal Mariah conjured was effortlessly turned to nothing but pink specks that churned with the shattered ground. A black blaze traveled along the linear crack within the earth, the black shockwave now aimed for Erza and splitting apart the earth in a train of rampaging dark force. Erza watched as the dark shockwave drew near, and she let out a loud and mighty cry, her Morning Star Armor unleashing a very bright light, so bright that Saboth had gotten momentarily startled and blinded by the attack. He covered himself up as the dark shockwave erupted upon impact of something. The cavern shuddered and quaked violently, palpitating haphazardly as dark winds blew all around. Saboth's momentary blindness left him unable to get a good reading on what happened until the explosion subsided.

His eyes opened back up. "Hm?" He saw that there was split ground leading towards the cavern walls, showing there was a huge chunk of it missing, leading into darkness of another chamber corridor that was meant to be a dead end. He looked around, noticing Erza wasn't present. "What? What was that light just now?!" His hollow yellow eyes widened, the realization upon him. "Of course, she blinded me just within those few moments to escape…!" Of course this left him peeved. Clutching Demon Karbia, his sharp teeth grinded against the other.

"Grrrrr…! Mark my words, this is not over! Whoever you are, weakling, I will find you!" He yelled loudly. "You can't hide from me! When you enter this place, there is no hope for escape! It will be I who shall finish what has been started! GGRRAAAAHHHH!"

Within the corridor, Erza ran off in her Heart Kreuz Armor. She had no time to waste on the demonic samurai. What concerned her now was the retrieval of Nic and Vanessa. With that on her mind, she charged off towards the unpleasant sound.

* * *

"So, this is what Alpha has been wishing of you." Vermilius muttered. "It's as though your pain is nothing, yet it's everything. The more harm, the more threats, the more wounds I cut open, the more rage and anguish you pour out." He could barely hear himself over the loud roars and howling of the deprived animals in front of him. Dark shadows cascaded Nic and Vanessa's eyes as their heavy bloodshot gazes were unlike those of primal men or those who were below humanity. Their eye were wide, red cracks, as though they had no food, no sleep, and no prayer. Vermilius longed for this look; this was the ultimate obsession for the reaper. He watched and broke them. They snarled and screamed so loudly by now that they were spouting blood from their vocal chords. It was hard to tell if they even felt the pain, because their voices were as loud as carnivorous roars.

"DIE!" Vanessa screamed.

"I'M GONNA TEAR YOUR HEART OUT!" Nic bellowed.

If it wasn't for the Blood Shackles, then Vermilius would probably be in for hell, however, the Pularis siblings couldn't even feel them with all the nerves that were pulled and snapped. By now they probably couldn't feel their limbs anyway. The reaper twirled his scythe in the air above, bringing it to his side. He stared at his handiwork, ready to strike again.

The stone cell door opened from behind, catching the tormenter's attention.

"Vermilius, this roaring makes me mad. I hope that you're doing your part." The voice belonged to someone as unpleasant as being sentenced to Hell. The jailor turned around to take a good look at the entrance of Alpha and Fernando, the latter in tow with some strange mechanism in hand.

Vermilius stepped aside. "Alpha. Fernando."

The man wearing his cape stepped in front, looking at the bloodied work of the reaper. He frowned, looking at Nic and Vanessa. They looked like broken bodies, yet they were roaring and bellowing like primal animals. He could see the red drenched all over their bodies. He saw the monstrous, psychopath-like gazes they were giving off, one that rivaled his own.

"So, this is Nic and Vanessa, the two in person." He said.

Fernando grinned. "Well, while they do have an important role in this game to the top, they sure don't look the part."

"Indeed." Alpha mused.

Fernando glanced at the leader. "I must say, you're handling this very well."

"Trust me, Fernando, it's taking everything within me to not rip out their throats. Anger to anger, that's been the dominance of nature." Alpha's gaze narrowed. "But preservation is an important asset even I find most unfortunate if misused." He walked closer towards the siblings, disregarding their bloody, cold, demonic stares. He glowered down at them, as if piercing blades into their souls. He was looking at nothing more than heartless beats that had emotions overcome them.

"How ironic, to think that your wills to protect one another so deeply required your emotions. You know it's not nice to point fingers and cast the blame to where it only lies within you, you wretched crap-baskets."

" **SHUT THE HELL UP! BASTARD!** " Nic raged. Suddenly, Alpha's gauntlets gripped Nic's throat, cutting off the broken man's oxygen.

" **LET HIM GO SO I CAN RIP YOU APART!** " Vanessa shouted to the man.

Alpha smirked as he looked away from Nic's gaping mouth. "Threaten all you like, roar if you must. You both are nothing more than spouts of vain. You might as well accept the fact you both are just gonna die." He taunted.

" **NEVER!** " The Pularis siblings bellowed. Brother and sister roared like animals, red seeing from the corners of their mouths.

Alpha let go of Nic's throat and stepped back, watching their legs and arms bleed out internally. They should've at least died or fell unconscious from blood loss, and yet here they were standing their ground out of blind rage. Alpha could feel his boiling blood bubble again upon seeing the rugged 'tools' go rampaging in vain. No matter what, if anything was alive, anything out of his jurisdiction of usage, he'd kill it. He'd slaughter – maim to the point of tearing off the flesh and snapping bones – leaving nothing but corpses unrecognizable. The smell of decay would be like an aroma to the monster. Call him a monster all you want, but he'll smack you around and gouge you into shreds.

To him – to Alpha – there's a reason he's called that. He's at the top of the food chain.

The man continued to smirk. "Well Vermilius, you didn't do too bad." He praised.

Vermilius grunted, believing it was best to stay taciturn for the time being.

"Fernando, hurry it up! Before I change my mind." Alpha threatened, the boiling energy around him pressurizing.

Fernando and Vermilius knew full-well of the sheer bloodthirsty pressure Alpha had. He was deliberately keeping it in check. If not, then perhaps the pressure could be so great that the cavernous hills would reshape.

Fernando complied. "Right away." In the hands of the man was a small mechanism. It was a medium-sized black box. It had green lines all over it like it compiled data with a green circular core. His glasses refracted light with glistening pride. "The Blood Shackles was nothing. Their DNA was all I need to make these come true. The reality was that their gifts are what will kill them, along with Earth Land."

Nic and Vanessa screamed out again, gagging somewhat in between. The sight was making Alpha twitch.

"Hurry up!" He demanded.

"Yes, of course." Fernando said hurriedly. He held out the black box to Nic and Vanessa, who were only struggling to break the box, their bling and sinister rage unable to make them think in the remote slightest. Fernando smirked proudly some more. "Your use as tools is over."

The green lines on the box glowed. The box itself began to open like a Poke Ball, the section above the green core popping open. A bizarre energy that was inside began to draw Nic and Vanessa in. Alpha stepped back as winds from all around began to surge into the box, that went for the candle flames as well. The Pularis siblings continued to roar through the howling winds, but as the box tilted towards them, something went wrong. Both stopped bellowing curse words and threats, their bloodshot eyes unable to change, yet their bodies went completely numb. Their mouths were gaped open, their throats seen. Suddenly, their limp bodies began to twitch vigorously. They looked like they were choking…because they were. Pularis offspring alike began to gag, their pupils beginning to fade away from their eyes. Nic and Vanessa's veins around their faces began to protrude out of place. They were unable to move, their beings beginning to rupture. Their gagging began to grow into hollowed screams of agonizing pain. They felt nothing but pain. Pain itself was nothing like they were feeling. It was feeling like their stomachs were coming up their own throats. Both screamed out violently in their own wretched agony. The Pularis siblings had mouths open as something was coming out of their mouths.

Alpha smirked maliciously like a sociopath as he witnessed a slow, thick energy flow out of Nic and Vanessa. There was some black, blood red, and dark purple energy; raw energy. Vermilius and Fernando alike were caught paralyzed by a mixture of dread and shock as they witnessed the gruesome sight. The horrific energy resonating from them slithered into the open box, slowly making its way inside. Nic and Vanessa gurgled and gagged, borderline screaming as they couldn't breathe. The energy continued to flow out of their bodies in an agonizing flow until the tips could finally be seen. At long last, the energy finished seeping out of them, slithering like serpents howling like bloodthirsty animals into the box. Once the tips made it inside, Fernando hurried and shut it. The green all around thus turned a blood red.

"There-GAH!" Fernando dropped the box as he recoiled. The box remained shut despite being tipped over, though it was violently shaking. The brainiac stepped back as his gloves were sizzling. He looked down, seeing his gloves were almost completely burnt off, and his hands were barely burned.

The box shuddered uncontrollably on the ground, leaving for Alpha to slowly walk forward and kneel to seize it. He maintained a malicious smirk as he picked it up, surprisingly he wasn't being burned by the demonic energy. It was as if the energy itself was tamed by his own sinister will.

Fernando grunted but kept a well-endowed composure. "Well…success."

"Mmmm…for the most part that is, yes." Alpha said as he looked at Nic and Vanessa. "We got _most_ of it anyway, but the amount in this box is what we need. Well done, Fernando."

Fernando chuckled. "Well, contribution from a certain someone's DNA did bring this game's rules to a-!"

"I said 'well done, Fernando', not to hear about these damn details." Alpha interrupted.

Fernando turned away with a frown. "R-right. My turn to move the piece has ended."

Alpha huffed. "Anyways…" He looked back at the two. Nic and Vanessa were both pale, though you couldn't tell with their bodies soaked in dried and fresh blood wounds. Their mouths were still wide as their breathing was faint. The eyes were bloodshot, both unable to even look like humans. Blood dripped from the corners of their mouths as their eyes slowly shut, everything in the world to them fading away. Alpha watched them lose consciousness with glee. "I have to thank you both, though not sincerely. Look at you, you don't even look like the portraits themselves. I saw happy, proud, and strong humans, and what is this I see? A farce? A lie? Was art created just to cover up your sense of shame? I wonder, but not that much." He carried the box underneath one of his armpits and turned away. "You know, normally, I'd let myself do the slaughtering right here and now…but, seeing as how you contributed one of the most vital components to the Rivolta, I will give you both a reprieve." He began to walk off. "After that reprieve is up, Vermilius, you know what to do."

Vermilius nodded in understanding. He looked back at their unconscious bodies, not bothering to wince now that their rage has been stolen. No longer was this confound sensation crawling in the atmosphere.

"Come along." Both Fernando and Vermilius answered their master's call. The two exited the cell, shutting it, leaving Nic and Vanessa in no light, for the candles were out.

* * *

Fernando adjusted his glasses as he continued walking. "That went better than expected."

Vermilius grunted.

"What's the matter? You wanted to continue your little hobby with your pawns?" Fernando teased.

"Pester me not. I have had my fill will relishing in their screams. When the time comes, I thus guide them to Hell." The reaper stated.

Alpha looked over his shoulder. "Well if you wanna get technical, Hell is gonna come to us. After this ritual gets underway that is." He maliciously smirked.

Vermilius seemed very delighted, though with the mask it was hard to discern any emotion besides dread.

"You were right all along. Their energy does rise when infuriated. Not an increase, but it surfaces. Keeping it surfaced like that for so long, we were fortunate that my course of action predicted such an outcome." Fernando commented.

"Fernando, we get it, now shut up." Alpha grunted. "Enough of the details, enough of these facts. We have it now, that's what matters."

Fernando nodded in understanding.

As they continued to follow into the corridor lighted by candles, each row of candles went out when Alpha passed them. "Fernando, keep an eye on those pieces. As for the rest of Rivolta, gather them…it's time we forge the circle." Alpha continued to grin. "And after we draw the circle, Vermilius…make it as brief as you can. Otherwise I'll just have Saboth run along and ruin the moment."

"Yes, sir." The reaper answered.

"Good." Alpha pressed on, his minions disappearing behind him as they traveled down separate halls. The candles behind them went completely out.

* * *

Nic's hearing rang like a bell. His head hung down like he was dead, only he was barely clinging on. His vision was severely blurry, rendering him blind before he realized the room was completely dark, barely any visible like entering. He felt nothing, not even his own heart beating.

"Nnnnnnnngh…." He struggled to open his eyes. His consciousness was barely stable. He hardly knew if he could last another second, but somehow he managed. His blurry vison finally came around and he raised his head with whatever strength he had, which in this case wasn't very much. He was lightheaded, no doubt from the severe blood loss he had to endure.

He looked over lethargically, seeing his younger sister in the same boat. She was covered in cuts, deep and superficial. She was bleeding no less than he was. Her face was drenched in the offensive liquid, her eyes barely open. This fight they struggled in, it was a torment after the other.

"Van…essa." Nic muttered, suppressing the urge to cough.

Vanessa looked over at her brother, seeing his struggle to live. "N-Nic?"

"Yeah, it's me."

Vanessa frowned heavily, the mood too grim for words. "Nic, what happened to us?"

Nic lowered his head, his gaze down towards his stomach, which had numerous cuts. "I don't know. I was…so angry, and…then something happened."

Vanessa looked down at her torn figure as well. "All I know…was that we were screaming…and shouting…anything other than that…I can't…I couldn't…"

Nic closed his eyes. "I can't feel my limbs. My nerves are torn apart from these shackles."

"Mine too. I can't even process what happened without a small sting in my…!" Vanessa lurched, the memories coming back. Another sharp pain flourished through both siblings. Nic and Vanessa grunted in agony before they felt panting for perhaps another minute.

When they calmed down, Vanessa lowered her head. "Nic…"

Nic looked over, his eyes widening in horror. It was something he hated to see, especially from Vanessa. The younger Pularis sibling had her head drooping, her lips quivering…and tears beginning to flow.

"Vanessa…"

"I'm so sorry…I…I just can't…" She looked up at him, her eyes pooling with tears that streamed down her face. The tears were mixed with red from her still somewhat bloodshot eyes. "Nic, I am so sorry! I couldn't do anything!"

Nic shook his head, the guilt of the incidents beginning to make him mist up a bit. "Vanessa, don't you dare be sorry-!"

"But I am! This is all my fault!" She relentlessly shook her head in shame. "If I wasn't so weak, if I had more strength in me, I never would've had myself get cuffed to begin with! I got us in this mess because I thought we could handle them until we got divided! Now look at what I've done…" She looked down at her body, her tears dripping onto the cavernous floor. "We're shackled. We're imprisoned…look at what happened to us, Nic. We got shamed…beaten…disgraced…humiliated…and no matter how much I shouted, no matter how much I wanted to, no matter how much I…cried, I couldn't save my big brother! I couldn't save myself! Why does this keep happening to us?! Why do we always face torture no matter where we go?! WHAT DID WE DO TO DESERVE THIS?!"

Nic couldn't stand to see his little sister cry hopelessly. A singular tear fell from Nic's right eye, sloping down his cheek. He had nothing against what happened, but at the same time, he bared nothing against his little sister. What she did say was true. Nic was constantly humiliated and beaten to a bloody pulp, but what Vermilius did was relentless. The reaper showed them darkness. It showed them what monsters they were. Whoever that guy was, he brought torture to astronomical levels. Still, this was not her fault.

Nic looked down at the ground as Vanessa continued to sob. "Vanessa, listen to me…"

The younger of the two sniffled before looking up to see Nic lamenting.

"Vanessa, don't cry." It was a cold plea, especially from his broken tone. "If anyone is to blame, it's not you. I am to blame for what happened. I couldn't save my sister, no matter how hard I tried. I struggled and fought, but in the end it only made things worse for us. I watched my little sister get cut; I watched her scream for help; I watched her cry; I watched her suffer. That shouldn't have happened. I should've been there, but it turns out nothing has changed from when I turned 15. I let my anger fume, and even after struggling we got ended up hurt in the end."

"Nic…"

"Just what kind of a brother am I? I was supposed to look after you, but I hopelessly failed. I watched you cry and scream, and I wasn't there to hold you. Vanessa…" He looked up to her, his face contorted with a sense of guilt and shame. "Blaming yourself isn't gonna make you feel better in the end. It wasn't your responsibility. You did your best, and I was doing what I could…but what they did was unfathomable." His face – no matter how much it hurt – turned serious. "Vanessa, what you and I are doing…the real blame are those monsters. They let our emotions get the best of us. Whatever they did to us, whatever they were after, they wanted us to get enraged. They're the true culprits in this crime." He hung his head again, his pondering look turning soft. "Look, even after everything that's happened, you're still my sister, no matter how humiliating of a brother I am."

Despite the pain she was enduring, she actually did something Nic wasn't able to do: grin. "You were never a terrible brother. You were the one family that held me like glue. Even if something goes wrong, Nic, I can _never_ put you at fault." Her eyes began to mist again. "I'm the luckiest sister alive, even now, because even though I was humiliated…at least I wasn't alone."

Nic finally managed to smile at his sister, proudness unfolding within him.

They heard footsteps coming, their focus immediately shifting over towards the cell door. Both siblings on the verge of death had their bloodshot gazes and warm blue eyes focused on the sound drawing closer. It sounded rushed, but then they saw a dark shadow on the outside.

Their eyes narrowed, whatever strength they had was to embrace for the reaper to come back.

The door flung open, revealing someone Nic and Vanessa were shocked to behold. They thought they were hallucinating, but no, it was all too real.

Erza had entered, stopping at the entrance with a pant in her breath.

"Er…za…?" Nic muttered.

"Ni-!" Erza took a moment's pause and her rush finally hit the brakes. The Requip Mage's eyes went wide with extreme horror. The shock could not begin to surmise the blood that's been splattered all over the walls and floors. What she saw was something she can't get rid of so easily. Nic and Vanessa had wrists and ankles in red chains, but the legs and arm looked like they were internally bleeding. Hideous scars were all over their bodies, and their eyes were bloodshot, their vision, especially all the cuts and marks on their bodies, was blood. Not anywhere was there a spot that bled. The redhead's shock soon shifted into anger as she clutched her fists. Without a moment to spare, she hurried on in and stood in front of them, slashing off and cutting the Blood Shackles on their knees and wrists.

Both boy and girl fell to their knees, but before they could fall over, Erza caught them. "I got you!" She caught both of them, holding them close.

Vanessa's eyes were weak. "Erza…" She muttered.

Nic continued to wince. "You came." He whispered weakly.

Erza narrowed her vision. She looked down at them, noticing how they were brimming in their own blood. Even her own armor was covered in the offending color, and yet she didn't bother. "Both of you, what happened? Can you stand?" She pleaded.

Nic and Vanessa tried to move, but instead they went limp and fell to the floor. Erza's eyes shot wide upon seeing their wrists and ankles bleeding. More horror surmounted. "You…you can't even…"

Nic managed to open one eye. "The Blood Shackles…we struggled so much that our nerves tightened to where they snapped. We can't feel anything anymore." He informed.

Erza took another look around the room. "And this blood…it's all yours?"

Both said nothing. That was all Erza needed to know. She remained on her knees, her fists balling so hard that the armor covering her palms started to dent a little. She was beginning to fill with anger, an emotion she preferred to never let get the best of her. "What they here, was unforgiveable. This calls for retribution. This will not be looked over, not for a second." Her eyes narrowed. "Whoever did this to you, they will pay with their lives."

Nic's breathing was getting unsteady for the umpteenth time. Both lost so much blood, they probably only had minutes before the unthinkable happened. Erza couldn't let that happened. If Nic died, she'd wither away without him. And if Vanessa passed, god knows how both could survive.

"Nic, can you use Recover?" She pleaded.

"Gngh! Let me try…" For once after so many hours of thinking and hardship, Nic Pularis was finally able to think to himself. His body had lost so much blood, and his nerves were severed, but for the most part, he could use the one move that can save his life.

Erza's heart skipped a beat as Nic's body glowed a bright yellow. She watched as her lover was beginning to process the healing move, his ability to comprehend his body's state without the Blood Shackles disarming him of any will. The wounds he'd been inflicted with, the bleeding, altogether stopped. The wounds closed, the blood drying up. The nerves that were snapped and cut had begun regenerating, healing the physical wounds and regenerating the lost blood cells and cells in general that he had been deprived of.

After Recover finally ceased, he stopped glowing and was no longer panting. He still looked very banged up though, with the exception of several cuts. Nic winced again, albeit with a lighter tone. "Damn that reaper…" he muttered.

"What?" Erza asked.

"Nothing." Nic groaned, rising to a knee. With some strength restored, the Trainer remained on the one knee, huffing somewhat. _'Okay good, I can stand at least. Now I have to see if I can change form again.'_ He took a deep breath, so deep that it had to be so that the stress of his little sister's condition wouldn't get the best of him – which it was. Hurrying, he finally altered, becoming his Mind Form, his coat flying on the Poke Balls becoming said Form coat.

He extended both arms out at Vanessa, who looked like a fish out of water looking for safety. " **Heal Pulse!** " Without a delay, Nic _desperately_ – nee needlessly – used Heal Pulse. The attack that had been used so many times in the past did not follow another route. On Vanessa, the pink waves transmitted. The sparkling pink residue flourished all around her like the works of Arceus. Like the effects of Recover, Vanessa's breathing came back, her functionality restored. She felt her wounds close, her bleeding stop, and her cells and nerves regenerating. It a number of second, near minutes, but when it all settled down, Vanessa was at last cleansed…somewhat.

Nic lurched over towards his sister, grunting as he fumbled. "Vanessa! Please, tell me you can stand!"

Vanessa grunted as she started to get feeling back into her arm and wrists. She hadn't felt her limbs for hours that it made her feel like she's been without them her whole life. Pushing up slowly, she got to her knees. The younger Pularis sibling winced again, clutching her right arm. "I can feel again…" Her eyes widened. "I can think properly again…!"

Suddenly she was cut off by a sudden force embracing her. Again met with shock, the younger Pularis sibling was caught surprised by the fact her brother was embracing her.

"Thank god. That was far too close." He muttered ever so quietly.

Vanessa offered no rebuttal for Nic's actions, but then again, she couldn't blame him; in fact, she felt the exact same way. After everything that's been told to the other, after the cruelty, there had to be some sense of comfort, even if for a few precious moments. As pleasant as the brother and sister were at their little comfort, they had no more time.

Nic's eyes widened and he pulled away from embracing his sister. "Wait, we still need to get out of here!"

Vanessa's realization also dawned upon her. "Yeah!" She looked around. "Where's my top? And my Poke Balls?"

Nic glowed, reverting back to himself. He hurried on over towards his belongings, finding all his Poke Balls in the same Blood Cubes as before. Getting his hands together, he spread them, making Cut. With one swipe, the needle blazed and cut into the cubes, shattering them like glass. In midair, Nic caught all of his Poke Balls in one hand, clutching them tight before wincing and nearly falling over.

"Nic!" Erza rushed over and supported Nic just before he could fall over.

Nic opened his eyes again and grinned at Erza. "Thank you." With Erza supporting him, his signature coat was on and his Poke Balls were back in his pockets. Not far from them, Vanessa got her top dressed, finally finishing with her short blue jacket.

"Nic, my Pokémon." Vanessa cued.

"On it." Stepping forward, he swiped his arm again, using Cut. The needle was swiped horizontally, shattering the Blood Cubes and the Poke Balls fell into Vanessa's palms. Catching them, she smiled.

"We can save the sentiments for later. Right now, we need to evacuate." Erza said, turning towards the exit.

Nic turned towards the stone cell door. "You're right. There's no telling how long we have until they come back again." He turned towards his sister. "Vanessa, can you at least walk?"

Vanessa nodded in agreement. "I think I can. What about you."

"Yeah, but I don't think I can keep up so well, not while I'm still…!" He winced again, still showing signs of damage Vermilius inflicted. The girls looked weary at the only man present, but he opened his eyes again.

"Nic?" Erza questioned.

Nic was up on his feet, but he looked back at the sheer amounts of blood he and Vanessa lost within the waning hours. There was no way this was gonna go unjustified. He looked at the Blood Shackles scattered all across the floor, the sight disgusting him. It made him empty, and worse yet, he was still feeling bitter scorn from the images of Vermilius making Vanessa cry.

His fists balled. "There's no way this is going to go without fair punishment." He declared.

* * *

Fernando was sitting on a small rock, overlooking his board game on the small makeshift rock table he's made. Sprawled all over it was what one could describe a labyrinth, with an abundance of entrances and corridors that led to another spot. There were dozens of pieces with numbers of ornaments around each design. On a far corner section of the labyrinth of caves and tunnels, Fernando watched as he moved a red with a red top to where a piece with adorned black and purple carvings and another with black with a curved yellow top was.

He placed his cheek onto his gloved hand, which he had recently fixed. "Well, this game has acquired a new player. Unfortunately, the pieces gathered are no different from pawns, such pitiful waste of space on my precious board."

As he mused over his thoughts, he felt a ghostly energy converge behind him. Without even looking, Fernando moved a piece with the conical straw hat on it right next to his own. As the piece was placed, the ghostly man appeared behind.

"Fernando, what is it?" Crowhaw asked.

"Oh, nothing, my acquaintance." He said. "Alpha did say to gather up the pieces to the center now, did he. I'm just making sure where everybody was."

"Or are you just toying with us?" Crowhaw rhetorically questioned.

Fernando never ceased his chuckling. "Well, nothing describes life better than a splendid game where one's turn is full of surprises." He glanced over, seeing Nic, Vanessa, and Erza's pieces were positioned farther away from the end of the board. He casually smirked and scoffed as he daintily picked up another piece with half-rings and a full orb on the back. "Fret not, would you? Pester with those pawns no longer."

Crowhaw looked away, unamused by Fernando muddling with the pieces. "Do as you like, I'll go get the others."

Fernando adjusted his glasses for the umpteenth time. "As I."

Crowhaw turned to leave, which left Fernando to move the piece from before in front of the three pieces that were escaping. "Now, let's add a little playtime, shall we?" His smirk widened. "The superior pieces relish in pawns toppling over."

* * *

Vermilius trudged down the hallway, the reaper seemingly rushing to get somewhere. He made haste, but the fact was that he was not much of a runner, more like a death stalker; slow and raspy. News spread quickly, more or less thanks to Crowhaw spreading it towards him personally. With the mention of the extra piece Saboth let slip by, there was no doubt trouble was stirring. "No thanks for Alpha, though he allowed me to check as the ritual circle was drawn." He muttered. Making it down the dark corridor, he opened up the cell door, realizing that it was open. "Wha…?" He looked inside, seeing that it was vacant. "What did this?! How did they get out?!" He demanded. He growled, the reaper slowly clutching his scythe with his silver boney hands. Growling, he inspected the room or clues, only for his third step inside to trigger the unmentionable.

Vermilius stepped onto the ground, a sudden burst of small explosions at his feet. "GRAH!" The reaper stepped backwards from the inflicted damage. He stepped off to the side only to touch the ground, again triggering a small landmine of small explosions. The reaper grunted in pain as he retracted his footing. "What is happening? Landmines?!"

Suddenly, there were things moving along the sides of the torture room. Vermilius turned to find that while his feet hurt and stung somewhat, he went wide-eyed when large floating rocks emerged from the ground in the darkness and began glowing white, showing perhaps four or five.

"Where did these come from-?!" He covered up as the floating rocks converged, crushing him and making a small white rupture. He grunted as the smoke dispersed. When it all cleared out, Vermilius uncovered, but it looked as though he was only a little dirty. The reaper looked around, realizing that Nic and Vanessa had escaped…though not without a parting gift it seems.

His feral eyes glowed, his hands shaking. The reaper's blood began to boil, his scorn for both rising to unbearable levels. He looked exceedingly angry for someone whose face was concealed in a mask and hood, but the wrath he exerted was enough to make the pebbles beneath him quake.

"So, you wanted payback on the reaper?" His eyes narrowed, his scythe stretched out. "Well that's as far as you go. Survive long enough when Impure Underworld comes around its final stages, then I shall present you both with the fitting demise you thought you could run from. Like I told you…I will see that you are guided to Hell."

* * *

"Come on, this way!" Erza ran down the corridor, hoping to make enough time to escape and make a plan. Behind her treaded Nic and Vanessa, who were barely keeping up with the Requip Mage. Nic dared not let this recent event slide, in which he hurriedly make a small Spikes and Stealth Rock surprise. For some odd reason, the agony in both lifted somewhat as they ran, as if satisfaction was just delivered.

Erza looked back over her shoulder. "Nic, what's wrong? Aren't you able to move faster?"

Normally, Nic would be so fast he could outrun her and Vanessa put together, but the fact was that he and Vanessa were still reeling from not having recovered all the way. The more they huffed, the more they felt slight stinging sensations on a constant basis.

Vanessa was no different, but then her ankle caused her to trip. She began falling forward onto the ground, but Nic managed to catch her. "I got you." He said.

Erza stopped for a moment and looked back towards them. "Can you both go on?"

Nic looked up at her. "I'm afraid running in haste is out of the question-!" He winced again, still very recoiled from the sudden movements he had to endure all the way from the chamber.

"Nic." Vanessa muttered.

Erza lowered her chin, looking crestfallen at her breastplate. "What they did lowered your stamina. I can't believe they'd bind your nerves and thought processors. It's taking some time for your thoughts and movements to react in unison again."

Nic managed to stand on his own, with Vanessa managing on her own included.

"We can't afford to catch a break. Right now, we need to get out and warn the guild." Nic said.

Erza nodded, though she did hesitate. She was worrying quite heavily of Nic and Vanessa's condition, but they didn't want to be a burden, add in the fact they were slower than before. She had no choice but to keep her worries low until they found cover. She turned around, continuing on with the path against a rock wall and a slope straight down into the darkness on their right.

"I'm sorry…"

All three of their eyes widened, their bodies coming to a halt before they could further advance against the ledge path. They heard more footsteps coming from up ahead, revealing someone in a cloak and half-rings floating behind him. He stood several feet away from Nic's group, staring at them unemotionally while they showed surprise. It was none other than Imaci, and he seemed unamused one might say.

Erza adjusted her stance, getting in front of Nic and Vanessa. "Who are you?"

"It would appear Mariah and Saboth have let an intruder slip from their grasps. Alpha won't be pleased it seems." His eyes narrowed, in which Nic and Vanessa and Erza all got their guards up. "Well now, guess since I was on my way towards the gathering…I suppose I can spare a second's notice to handle the situation myself."

* * *

 **Here's chapter 30, so how was it? With this arc, one of the important aspects was Rage Nic. It's been a long time since I wrote about his enraged state, and it's been equally as long for Vanessa. Yes, I admit this arc so far has been gory and dark, but if you guys haven't got the big picture yet, the Tartaros Arc was dark and people died as well, so I really don't get if you can comprehend the Tartaros Arc, why not stomach the Impure Underworld Arc? Also keep in mind that while Nic had great character development, it's been a while since he's been emotionally broken, so this arc is testing his breaking point, as you have seen. And trust me, if you guys think this is dark, just know I'm just getting started. There's a whole lot more hell to come that you better prepare for!**

 **As for how long the Impure Underworld Arc will be, I haven't got a clue, but I write accurately, maybe a good 13-15 chapters.**

 **As usual guys, review and drop long comments! Thanks for reading another thrilling chapter! :)**


	31. Unprecedented Welcome

The mage in question opposed the three who were making an escape, being the obstacle to keep them in line for they have gone thought they could get away from them so easily. A dark chill – darker than what the cavernous labyrinth had in mind for – crept into everyone's spines, though in Imaci's case, their startled states was a sign they were far from prepared with any confrontation.

"So I take it that you're with that renegade group earlier?" Erza interrogated.

"What you call renegade is not us. We have deliberately expunged ourselves from the face of society in order to preserve our secrets." Imaci explained.

"Who are you? And what are you doing?" Nic demanded, only for Imaci to remain unfazed.

"An explanation would take too long, and we have no further use of you. Do take this into consideration. We didn't mean to drag your redheaded friend into this."

"Take into consideration?" Vanessa repeated. "What can we possibly consider? Your cult deliberately…" She trailed off upon the notion rising. She'd rather not think of what happened, especially with the torment she and her brother had to endure. The mere thought left her shivering down to the bone, almost petrifying her. She glanced over to see if Nic caught onto her, in which he looked calm and unfazed. Though even she knew how he felt. "What you did was inhumane." She finished.

"Inhumane? Humanity doesn't exist in the Rivolta. It's a discarded concept, for the world is nothing but inhumane scum." Imaci explained.

"You have no place to say or talk of such a term…considering your kind is below scum." Nic berated.

Imaci's eyes narrowed at him. "You describe Vermilius and Alpha. I don't disagree with your statement, but at the same time, you can't comprehend the quality of each and every one of us."

"Who says we have to?" Erza scolded. Holding up a sword, she pointed it at Imaci. "Stand aside, or we shall eradicate you."

Imaci's body began to emit a small flow of Magic Power, which began to manifest into a gravity force so peculiar that his level of power was literally making his hair flare and his cloak flap. "Then it would seem we have reached an impasse."

Vanessa's eyes widened. _'This Magic Power, it's vibrating through the atmosphere.'_

Erza could feel such an intense pressure from the purple waves cloaking Imaci. It was startling her as to how thick and potent his Magic Power was that it was even making the small pebbles around the mage float. Regardless, they had no choice.

Nic stepped forward. "Then we'll have to force our way to-!" He spread his legs apart, only for his body to sting again. A sharp pain flourished through his being, stinging terribly.

Erza's eyes widened. "Nic!"

Nic caught himself before he could fully collapse. "Damnit. My body is still reeling from its recovery."

Erza looked at him in heavy concern. Of course Nic could fight, but with how exhausted he still was, his stamina was still greatly damaged from the hours of torment he endured. Odds were that Vanessa was no different. They were in no condition to push themselves, but at least they could stand somewhat.

Imaci saw Nic and Vanessa's struggle to keep their postures set. "Seems Vermilius has done a well job in damaging your stability. This should be easier than I thought."

Erza growled and readied to advance, that is, until Nic brought his arm off to the side, blocking her.

"Erza, why don't you step back. Vanessa and I can do this." He said. "You've done more than enough getting yourself in here and breaking us out. Now…" He pulled out a Poke Ball. "Let us help you out. Vanessa?"

Vanessa pulled out her own Poke Ball. "Right."

The siblings simultaneously threw their Poke Balls. "Let's go!" The capsules spun out and opened, and out came energy that manifested into Nic's Greninja and Vanessa's Magnezone. Greninja had arms crossed and a straight posture while Magnezone floated up and down. Both Pokémon glared at Imaci and the Magic Power he was emitting on such high levels.

Imaci's eyes narrowed. "So, it is true…"

The Water and Dark-type spread his legs, uncrossing his arms. "For what you did to us, we promise to show no mercy."

Magnezone twirled his magnets around. "You're gonna pay for making us having bear witness to what we couldn't do."

Imaci extended his hand out, static brimming in between the fingers. "I'll keep that in mind." Extending his fingers, he fired a long, sharp bolt that discharged thousands of small lightning cracks in the air around.

Nic swiped his arm across. "Greninja, **Water Shuriken!** " Greninja crouched his knees and made compressed stars of water. Swinging his arms in opposite arcs, he let out a shout and flung them with razor-sharp might; the winds created from his arm swipes briefly scattering nearby rocks. The two shuriken were like two sonic blades that traveled across the ground kicking up dust. The attack met the bolt in the middle, slicing straight through it, bisecting the magic and continuing on at massive speeds.

Imaci watched his bolt dissipate. _'He cut through my attack like it wasn't even there!'_ Initially shocked, he covered up as the Water Shuriken made impact, enveloping him in two small explosions of blue. The force was so strong that it made Imaci skid backwards with bits of his sleeves torn up. _'That was so fast so strong as well!'_ He slid to a stop and was met with another attack.

"Magnezone, **Flash Cannon!** "

Following Vanessa's command, Magnezone gained a little altitude and gathered light into his red eye. With the energy converged, it discharged into a long beam of silver, white, and light blue. The Steel-type move went blazing through the atmosphere until it reached Imaci. However, Imaci reached out, his palm against Flash Cannon and unleashed a massive discharge of lightning. A blinding light erupted, making silver and rock shatter all around, brushing and flying over everyone's heads. Everyone covered up from the sudden eruption and winced from the force of the shockwaves.

The light fade, revealing bits of the sloped wall and parts of the ground chunked off. Imaci was unmoved, but then extended two fingers and slowly directed them from the side up above. "Not bad, but I have more than a few tricks of my own."

Looking up, Nic and Greninja saw glints of bright lights, ones that they recognized without much of any thought. In a hurry, Greninja disappeared, vanishing as dozens of beam-like bolts blazed down from the darkness high above. The attack crackled as its randomized trajectory showered down all across the terrain in front of Magnezone.

"What's this?" Erza questioned, covering up from a bolt that nearly struck her on her left.

Dozens of bolts raged down and crackled, booming across the hollow terrain. Imaci was seen unfazed. "Every second, at least one hundred bolts rain down, shower if you will. If you wish to advance, then be my gue-!" He was cut off by a sharp elbow to the gut, the force so potent that he lost momentum and went wide-eyed upon shooting backwards against the churned gravel. Imaci slid on his back, his attack no longer showering down and sparing everyone. Everyone saw the culprit being Greninja as he had closed the gap without any means of sound.

"You'll have to be faster in your attacks than your own speech pattern." Greninja warned.

Erza looked on amazed. _'He really didn't make a sound. He's faster than the lightning itself.'_

"You wish to concede and have us pass through?" Nic questioned.

The dust cleared, revealing Imaci up on a knee. His high collar cloak revealed blood coughed up. Panting, he managed to stand, albeit with some sense of haste. _'That frog was faster than my lightning, and yet lightning moves faster than sound. If he closed that distance and dealt a formidable blow…just what kind of potential does he have?'_ His questioned were cut off when he heard commands shouted out loud.

"Greninja, use **Night Slash!** "

"Magnezone, **Spark!** "

As Magnezone was cloaked in vivid electricity of his own, Greninja put his hands together and spread them apart, creating a very long bright purple needle. Jumping, Greninja pivoted and spiraled and came vertically down. Imaci jumped away again as Greninja's Dark-type assault slammed against the ground, trailing purple and creating a bright purple eruption within the ground, making bits of rock fly as Imaci was forced to back away. With an opening on the scooting foe, Magnezone rushed in from above and tackled Imaci. The impact made direct contact, causing him to scoot back and become enveloped in static.

Vanessa smiled. "Alright, we have him on the ropes."

Nic remained silent, as if inquiring the possibility.

Imaci finished skidding back and remained standing. He remained tall as the static brimming all over him was uncontrollable, and yet he didn't look in the very least unfazed. Staring at them with a tired look, the static around his body began to turn from yellow to blue. "You're very intriguing. You have such prominent energy swelling within your systems. If I am honest, I can barely keep up with the tenacity you're showing off."

Vanessa's eyes narrowed. "His aura…"

"Vanessa, what is it?" Erza asked.

"His aura, it's beginning to subdue the paralysis, like it's becoming part of him. I can't explain it, but in a way, I think he's turning the paralysis against us." She took a pause, watching as the blue electricity began to disconnect from his body and begun to conduct into his sleeves. "His Lightning Magic, it's…! Hurry, everyone take cover!"

Her warning reacted well to the others in time. Everyone who was in front of Imaci watched as several loops of electricity surged all around him. There were dozens of circular loops, almost like portals. His dull eyes briefly flashed blue.

" **Ion Dance.** "

Long, dense beams of pure blue lightning blasted from the dozens of little rings of blue lightning. The combined beams blazed through the atmosphere, discharging many bolts that went in all directions. The many beams traveled along the ground, heading towards Nic's group. Small pebbles that floated were turned to ash on the spot.

Still, Nic and Vanessa had to do something to keep themselves from getting hit. Nic could defend, but sudden movements would sting and recoil him. He had to think sparingly. He knew that there were still obvious methods; so obvious even Vanessa could do it.

"Greninja, **Night Slash!** "

Greninja's eyes turned dead serious for a moment. His call heard, his heart thumped and disappeared in a flash. Without a sound, the Ninja Pokémon reappeared and blindly defended. Of all of the dozens of beams that went their way, glints of bright purple were seen and then Greninja reappeared in a crouch position close to the ground. Above him, all of the blue beams got separated, turning unstable before exploding in the atmosphere in between him and Nic's group. The many ions discharged in the atmosphere suffered a familiar fate, erupting a brilliant fusion of bright blue and purple. Nearby pebbles were flung into the darkness.

Nic and everyone again was saved as the blue static in the air dispersed, leaving Greninja to stand back up and sheath Night Slash.

Imaci was left unemotionally surprised a bit. "I cannot lie when I admit I have no knowledge of what phenomenal prowess you may have, but you do pose as a threat if you continue to persist as such." He threatened.

"It feels like the other way around, considering that you're the one being outnumbered here." Vanessa said.

"A fact that is only of pure luck. Luck itself is like human life – limited. Any and all limitations can only be achieved so many times before they expire. Machinery for example, it may burn out, or one's physical prowess, you can only handle so much weight before you end up getting crushed by your own fault." Imaci retorted. "There is a limit and a time where one can exceed so little, and a price is paid. If you can't pay that price…then you end up paying with your life."

Nic and Greninja shared a similar posture, now upright and fists clutched. "You have a very sheltered position on that term. Not everything has a limit. A bond itself has no limit, it can be infinite if it wishes to be so." Greninja looked back over his shoulder as Nic continued his speech. "You can say that there's a limit to everything, and you may be right, but as long as you can do better, as long as you can improve, you can always achieve beyond limitations."

"Which is why you won't stand in our way any longer." Vanessa extended her arm forward towards Magnezone. "Now Magnezone, **Flash Cannon!** "

Magnezone followed her command and raised his altitude, firing yet another Flash Cannon. The Steel-type move closed in on Imaci, but all he did was remain steady and unmoved.

His eyes closed. "Is that all you have to say? Because for those who are stubborn…" His eyes opened just a little. "Your words preach so little behind your actions."

A raging blue bolt, one as thic tree trunk, shot downwards and struck the Flash Cannon, intercepting the beam with its head the shape of a dragon. The blazing bolt roared upon impact, creating blinding flashes that shot spears of silver and blue charges in all directions. They were like small comets from a meteor that had just crash landed and showered over everyone's heads.

Nic's eyes narrowed as he looked up. "What a powerful interception."

Magnezone remained steadfast as he readied himself. He certainly didn't look pleased once the smoke cleared, revealing Imaci without further injury. The Magnet Area Pokémon looked ready to unleash another attack.

"You have tenacity. By now, the vulnerable would've been fallen." He commented. "Seems we are underestimating your willingness to cling onto life. Very well…" Imaci's Magic Power began to shift again, one that made him levitate the small fragments of dust and debris around his area. His body was drenched in the purple energy starting to swell around his being. "It would appear that I will have to start trying some more."

"What's he doing? I'm getting an unusual Magic Power." Erza explained.

Nic nodded in agreement. "Yeah, everybody stay sharp!"

Greninja got into a fighting stance and prepped.

Vanessa looked ready. "Magnezone, keep your guard up! Throw him off balance with **Zap Cannon!** "

Magnezone complied with his Trainer's call and his red pupil began to charge up and generate an orb of some sort of yellow-green with a red center. As he charged up, Imaci's chin was lowered and he readied to unleash more potent Magic Power.

Suddenly, Greninja's eyes darted up towards the dark slope. "Incoming!"

"What-?!" Magnezone was cut off when a large black and purple sphere went passing in front of him. He went wide-eyed and was thrown off concentration, his Zap Cannon attack dispersing as the attack launched struck the ground nearby, erupting slightly. Nic, Greninja, Vanessa, Magnezone, and Erza's eyes widened at the attack unleashed intercepted them. By no means did that look friendly, and no matter what, they knew from past experience…

"Was that a…?" Vanessa trailed off.

Imaci was left unemotional even after another one of those attacks rained down diagonally. It passed his front, not even grazing his nose. The move erupted and Imaci's Magic Power began to retreat back into his body. He turned his head up towards the darkness of the high slopes of the pathway. "So, you came all the way here? And for what purpose do you have in mind?"

"Hehehehehehehe…" A sinister chuckle echoed through the darkness, the silence following in and out unnerving Nic's group yet again.

Erza's eyes narrowed. "That attack just now, I've seen it before."

Nic was also momentarily baffled. "What's going on here?"

Vanessa was unsettled, and then her eyes widened. A harsh gasp exited from her throat. For the most peculiar reason, the atmosphere around her, and the aura alike, the shivering feeling had just dropped yet again. It was cold before, but now the young Pularis could feel her goosebumps rise. Her shock was all too evident, and it forebode something to come in a sense.

"Vanessa, what do you feel?" Nic asked, his own instincts feeling a slight chill in the air.

Magnezone looked up in the atmosphere, seeing nothing but darkness. It didn't seem like there was nothing, but the cold temperature and the ensuing laughter proved otherwise. At long last, Magnezone's eyes widened when something began to slowly float down from the darkness.

Greninja and the others looked up to see something floating down as well, the second individual being one that left Nic and Vanessa to go further wide-eyed to the point their pupils nearly stuck out. "What…it can't be…" Greninja muttered.

"But how?" Nic asked.

Vanessa swallowed. "Is that what I think it is?"

Greninja's eyes narrowed. "There's no mistaking it."

Magnezone was still stuck in his own awe as he and everyone watched as a human-sized dark purple ghost floated down from above. It had dozens of ghastly spikes on its back and had stubby legs. Nonetheless, its massive smirk and large red eyes gave them the sense this was by no means a joke. It had small black pupils, ones so small and contradicting to its large red eyes that its appeal only made it send more ominous shivers down spines.

The ghost chuckled down at the shocked faces, seeing how they were hardly comprehending its appearance. "Heehee!" He mused.

Imaci looked up at him. "Yes, what is it?"

The ghost's eyes narrowed. "You've sure been taking your sweet time."

Imaci looked away without care. "I apologize. This matter seemed to have gotten me sidetracked."

"Hehe! Alpha's gonna lose his patience!"

As the ghost continued to chuckle and sneer in ghastly delight, Erza continued discerning to the best of her abilities. "I can hardly believe my eyes. Is that thing really a…?"

Nic's muscles intensified. "Yeah, it has to be…a Pokémon."

Vanessa swallowed as she pulled out her PokeDex. The device slid up, revealing a hologram of the ghostly figure floating above.

" _Gengar, the Shadow Pokémon._ _Hiding in people's shadows at night, it absorbs their heat. The chill it causes makes the victims shake."_

Nic clutched his fists. "A Gengar…should've known right from the start. No wonder where that Shadow Ball came from." He cursed. Of course Nic had fought a few Gengar owned by Trainers in the past before, but who said there were Pokémon in Earth Land other than his own and Vanessa's…and Honedge.

Gengar smirked chuckled at Imaci. "Alpha wants everyone present right now. The ritual circle is going to be drawn."

"I understand. I'll come along." Imaci turned towards the confused enemies. "I'm sorry, but it would appear you have made me late. Regardless, like I said, your lives have been limited…and you shall meet your fates."

Nic stepped forward. "Wait-!" But before he could get a question in, Imaci closed his eyes and then discharged himself, becoming a blue streak of bolts that shot up into the darkness and seemingly dispersed. "Damn."

Magnezone and Greninja looked at the Gengar in question. Both looked ready to fight, but the Gengar however, he seemed to have other plans. The Ghost and Poison-type chuckled and smirked maliciously at them.

"Why so serious? It's not like I'm here to fight you. I just came to fetch a few strays is all." The Shadow Pokémon said. "Wish I could stay, but we got business to attend to." Slowly, the Pokémon became to merge and descend into the shadows. "So long~."

"Wait!" Magnezone zipped on ahead to reach Gengar, but before he could catch him or use a move, Gengar was already gone. That left Nic's group all alone again, surprisingly.

There was a small silence creeping around. Not one of uncertainty, but one of ominous appeal. Nic's eyes again narrowed, borderline wincing. "What was that just now?" He looked down at the ground. "A Pokémon, and on top of that being a Gengar. Something's wrong here…very wrong."

"What's a Pokémon doing in Earth Land? That's my question." Erza said.

"That's one, and my question is, who was it that we fought just now?" Vanessa speculated. "Both had a very ominous aura around them, like hollow ghosts."

"It doesn't help that Gengar was a Ghost-type." Nic added. "Still, what's this talk about a 'ritual' that they had? And why is it so important?"

Vanessa closed her arms, looking away. "Honestly, I don't wanna go back there and figure it out right now…" She looked back up to Nic. "This dark energy I feel is appalling, and you feel it too."

"As much as I hate to say it, you're right." Nic agreed. "We need to keep retreating and make a plan of action."

"We need to get out of this cavern and get back to Magnolia as fast as we can. Odds are that we probably have time against us if they were called to their personal ritual so suddenly." Erza said. "Can you two still manage?"

Nic and Vanessa nodded. "Yeah, I think we can keep up. Lead the way."

Erza nodded. "Alright, then let's hurry so they don't pursue us!" In haste, the Requip Mage was followed by Nic and Vanessa. Behind them, Greninja and Magnezone retreated into their Poke Balls for time being.

* * *

Smirking all the way through the midst of glory; relishing in satisfaction of one's own will to move and change whatever your heart desired. Overlooking the small world that you created, shaping it and making it either a warzone or a game. Some Gods were bent on war, some believes the world's humanity and players could be set as pieces of a game until one side completely dies. Whatever happens, no one is bound by their own will and is never secured as long as someone breathes down their necks. That's the one person none shall stand. That person best describes Fernando. Smirking, the mage whose attire is much like a scientist overlooked and discerned the pieces of the board game he had going on. He seems to relish in it, find it all too amusing to even look away from. In all of his time with the Rivolta, even beforehand, one can't begin to fathom how he could possibly find a board game so addicting.

With a gloved hand, each finger guided and slid one piece of everything around. "Oh sweet desires fulfilled." He moved another piece towards the center, resembling Imaci. "Must you be so easy to fool and manipulate? Even a marionette has to get tangled to make matters complicated, and yet here I am, with no strings attached." He moved Gengar's piece towards the circular center of the labyrinth.

His glasses glinted, his attention brought on by Nic's group pieced together and somewhere on the board. "Now then, I believe that it's your turn."

* * *

"How long have we been walking down this path for?" Vanessa wondered.

"It's hard to say, it feels like quite a while, hasn't it?" Nic answered.

Erza looked off towards the dark trenches down below, observing. By all means, she remembered running down this way, but the atmosphere around was more than a little discomforting, especially given the evidence of a Gengar showing up earlier. Nevertheless, she guided them towards a tunnel up ahead. She maintained a steady pace for Nic and Vanessa's sake, and while she didn't mind, she knew staying immobile would get them nowhere. The more they continued running along, the more Nic and Vanessa were starting to pick up some speed, showing signs of progress.

"Up ahead, that's where I veered a left to come down this way!" Erza shouted.

The group followed her and made the right into the tunnel not far down from the one that lead to an escape from the sloped pathway. They continued to run forward, with Nic and Vanessa being in no position to question her.

…

Fernando moved Nic's group's pieces slowly down at hallway, smirking maliciously as they were coming across a two-way. "What do you say would happen if we make another course of action valid?" He picked up a small brown block and placed it in the middle of the two-way. With not even a breeze or a strong shove, he toppled the brown piece over."

…

They continued ahead, rushing themselves in a very hurried state. Nic's body still stung, but to him, that was the least of his worries when he noticed Erza going wide-eyed, a small hitch from her breath escaping.

"Erza, what's wrong?" He asked.

Vanessa noticed something up from up ahead. "Look, up there!"

Everyone advanced in a hurry and saw that there was something peculiar. All coming to a halt, they stood in front of three separate tunnels. Nic and Vanessa were confused by all means, but Erza was perhaps to most complexed.

"What happened?" Erza muttered.

"What's the matter? Didn't you say there was a two-way?" Nic asked.

Erza looked discerningly at the three tunnels, trying to compare the mental map she made for herself with the geography. "It doesn't add up. I could've sworn there were two path choices." She put a hand to her chin. "…I think."

"Did we make a wrong turn?" Vanessa asked her brother.

Nic wasn't buying it. He knew something had to be wrong. He knows Erza's sense of direction is…askew, but when she says something, she's normally never really off. Their levels of intellect are top of the line, so if Erza said there was a two-way, something had to be up. "For our sakes, let's try and veer to the far right, that should be left if you came from the direction, right?" He asked.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Erza looked towards him and nodded. "R-right." They all stepped forward towards that way, but after that singular step, the tunnel had miraculously faded away, as though it was replaced by a solid stone wall, or faded from the caverns like a ghost.

"What?" Erza exclaimed.

"It just vanished!" Vanessa exasperated.

…

Fernando mused over his own chuckling. He had just placed a brown block in front of the right path, leaving himself satisfied. "Well now, aren't pawns despicable? They clearly have no idea f what's going on around them." He spoke aloud to himself. "Is it not true people are much happier when as a bunch of clueless duds? I would most certainly buy that." His dark smirk widened. "And yet…even so, people are so mistreated by my hand, and the way they are moved all around by my works like a bunch of puppets…how proper."

…

Erza's fists clutched. "Just what is going on around here? Why has the path vanished? Is this some kind of farce?"

Nic looked off towards the other paths. "We don't have many options. Right now, we have no choice but to improvise our course. Everyone veer to left." Without much of a say or do against the prospect, Nic, Vanessa, and Erza all ran down the far left path and dared not look back.

…

Fernando moved the three pieces along the far left path that led towards an open chamber it seems. He maintained a dark smirk. "No need to let this game get boring. Let's mix things up a bit, shall we?"

…

Nic continued down the tunnel, pressing on with Erza right beside him. Vanessa followed behind by a foot, keeping up despite her injuries still making her lack. If Nic was honest with himself, there really wasn't a right course of action. Whatever logic has been made if by no means present. What mattered was making it out alive, get to the guild, and make a plan. As far as Nic and Vanessa alike are concerned, they needed to flee and get away from this Rivolta. They had to get their minds back in order if that is to happen.

The group made their way into a chamber it seemed. The large area of rock and open space showed nothing else. Nic and everyone looked around, seeing no signal nor sign of the enemy.

"You guys see anything?" Nic asked.

"I don't sense any Magic Power." Erza answered. "But I think we also made it to a dead end."

Nic crossed his arms. "This isn't getting us anywhere. Where are we going? As far as I can tell, we could very well be…" He trailed off when a small chip of rock fell in front of him, the fragment making contact with the ground beneath his footing.

"Nic?" Erza asked worriedly. She had also begun trailing off when a second larger chunk of rock began to fall, catching her off guard. It went past her nose, thudding against the ground.

Nic was getting a very bad feeling. A few more chunks and dust fell from above, making him back away. At the same time, more rocks began to fall out of place from above, their small sounds beginning to accumulate to make it feel worse than a simple rainstorm. The first sound of a massive rock slamming against the ground somewhere and shattering got their attention.

The three got back to back with one another, their bodies against the other and watching the many rocks fall and accumulate around. Nic looked up, his eyes widening as the ceiling was chipping off rock chunks. "It's a trap!" He shouted. The rocks got larger, large enough to mistake them for Rock Slide almost.

Vanessa's hands glowed teal. "I'm on it! **Aura Guard!** " Using her magic, Vanessa's aura manifested into the dome that protected her and everyone else. The rocks constantly rained down, so much that they were unable to even see straight. It was like heavy weights against a bulletproof window almost.

"We need to get out of here!" Nic shouted.

Erza nodded. "Right-!" They all began to turn and leave, but their shock surmounted for the umpteenth time when the tunnel they had taken was miraculously gone. Nothing but a solid rock wall layered all around, no means of escape available to them. Erza's surprise was evident. "Our path…it vanished!"

Nic's teeth began to grit. "Again? Who's behind all of this?"

Vanessa was starting to falter for a little bit, her shoulder starting to wear down. "Gngh! Guys, hurry! I don't think I can defend for much longer!" Vanessa was holding up to the best of her abilities, but alas she had her own limits. She didn't have much longer until Aura Guard gave out, and then they'd get buried alive – or crushed – beneath rocks.

Nic immediately took action. "Hang on!" Glowing, he transformed into his Earth Form, finally gaining some momentum. Crouching and getting his hands ready, he called out. "Everyone brace yourselves! **Dig!** "

Nic immediately dove into the ground, as though it was nothing but a swimming pool. Hands first, he tunneled fast and dust and dirt flew around. The ground gave in, creating a massive hole that opened up beneath.

Everyone began to feel the ground beneath the shield crack apart, despite Nic going only two feet. Erza and Vanessa felt wobbly. "N-Nic-!" Erza reached out towards Nic down below, but he didn't resurface, and the ground finally exploded into dust and rock.

All three plummeted down into the darkness directly below the chamber, leading into depths unknown. As they plummeted, the rocks all piled on, covering the massive hole created.

…

Fernando wagged his finger back and forth, tisking with a smirk. "Now is that really a way to spend your turn?" He overlooked Nic's pieces as he moved them off to a blank area on the board, where it was all pitch-black, leaving the spot they were just in with a brown block and a small pile of small rock grains Fernando improvised with.

"What a shame." He continued. "And here I hoped you'd be more entertaining, but it matters not now." He clasped his hands together. "Now, let's say we…"

Before he could resume his delights, he could feel the temperature drop from all around lower somewhat. He frowned, making no sudden movements as his glasses concealed his eyes. The one who controlled the board frowned. "What is it now?"

Popping out of the shadows was Gengar, smirking mischievously at his associate. "Come on. Alpha is expecting you."

Fernando closed his eyes and let out a small sigh, groaning in annoyance. "Oh, I suppose it can't be helped." He looked back down and smirked at his board game. He moved his own piece towards the center, where the many were gathered. "I was hoping to see what more I could do with my little pawns, but I suppose they are of no use now."

Gengar turned away. "Tch, just get moving. Or Alpha will rip your head off." With that, he retreated back into the darkness, leaving the temperature to increase just a little – though it was still shivering cold.

Getting up from his seat, Fernando turned away and went walking off. "The turn that we shall play shall eradicate all other players. The pawns of this dump shall be wiped off the face of my precious board, no matter what."

* * *

Droplets of water plopped down from the darkness above, one drop hitting the back of Erza's head. "Mmmmm…" Groaning, she opened her eyes, a slight throbbing sensation that left her dizzy. "What happened?" It took a moment, but soon realization came back to her, making her go wide-eyed. "Wait! Nic! Vanessa! Where are you?!"

"Gnnngh…" Beneath the knight, she heard Nic groaning. She got up and moved out of the way as Nic had begun to sit up. "Erza?"

Vanessa wasn't too far off. She groaned and sat up. "Is everyone alright?"

"It looks like it." Erza said.

Nic got up on his two feet, assisting his younger sister in getting back to her two feet. Once up, they began to take note of the new surroundings. As odd as it was, the cavernous domain was far more spacious, large enough for a dragon to roam. It was also slightly warmer. They ended up right next to a sloped hill that seemed to go up into the darkness above.

Erza looked up to analyze the situation. "Seems there was a lower section beneath the chamber. We must've survived by rolling down the hill."

"That seems to be the case." Nic looked around, uneasy. "But still, now the odds of finding an exit seem slim."

Vanessa looked over, recognizing Nic still in his Earth Form. "Hey, hold on now. Nic?"

"Hm?"

"You're still in your Earth Form, right? Can't you pick up on our surroundings?"

Understanding his younger sister's logic, he nodded. "It's worth a try." Kneeling and readying, the older Pularis sibling spread his fingers and slammed his palm against the ground. At that instant, invisible palpitating waves went all around, expanding incredulously through the domain like some type of radar. Like echolocation, the vibration waves traveled until they reached tunnels and chambers, until they proceeded back towards Nic. When they all came back, Nic's eyes widened in shock.

Erza saw the look on Nic's face, and by no means was it good. "What's wrong?"

"It's worse than I thought. We're nowhere near the surface. There's only a few tunnels that lead to other chambers, but otherwise, this entire cavernous domain we're in is no different from a labyrinth with many points cut off."

Vanessa put a hand to her chin. "Then that means making our own exit would only get us lost. We could try heading straight up on Charizard, but…" She thought back to what brought them down to begin with. "That unknown force just now, whoever was behind it knows where we are."

"That's accurate to say. That cult may know the terrain better than anyone else. They could very well have someone who is manipulating the terrain to their desire, trapping us like mice and pinning us down." Erza speculated. "Whoever they are, they sure don't want us to leave."

Nic looked up at the darkness above. "But that fall just now, it is possible we may have evaded them, for now at least…"

Erza began to walk off. "Well talking about it right here won't prove any means of benefit. Let's move it." Not much of a say for Nic and Vanessa as they followed behind. As they began to walk, but siblings were still lagging some of their own weight. Showing that they had some recoil from their 'welcome' from before. Erza knew that even after that fall, they were in less condition to battle much. Until they find cover at least, they had to remain on the run.

And on they went. They pressed on, taking every step with as much caution as possible. They were still able to see for the time being, but the minutes of walking turned into a matter of a few hours. The hours of walking seemed to be going on, but Nic kept soldiering on. The exit was far up ahead still, at least from when he analyzed the domain they were in.

As they walked on, Vanessa slowed down, catching Erza's attention.

"Is there something wrong?"

Vanessa looked at the ground around her with an uneasy vibe. "No, it's nothing…it's just…does anybody else feel something?"

Nic looked around, fixated like Vanessa. "You mean this dark energy?"

Vanessa remained silent.

Erza looked ahead. "How strange. How is it that I can barely sense this ominous feeling you both mention?"

Nic's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean you can't feel it?"

"Regrettably." Erza admitted. "But of it's as bad as you guys feel it to be, then it's best to indicate it might be selective."

"It's…possible." Vanessa said. As they kept moving on, there was some sort of foul air, one that got Vanessa's sensory on edge. The younger Pularis recoiled at the repulsive smell. "What is that smell?"

Nic continued advancing until his nostrils took in some crude scent. His eyes narrowed as he ducked away. "It's repulsive."

Erza tried to cover her own nose as the rotting smell was weak but was there. "I don't know, but it's from up ahead."

Nic's group looked forward to see that their path had been leading all the way towards a ledge, and beyond that, it looked like a giant chasm of sorts. As they slowly trudged on, the smell had gotten worse.

"It's worse than Natsu when he wasn't bathed for a week." Erza bitterly admitted.

Nic couldn't even swallow. "I've fought Garbodor and Trubbish before…but this is just wrong."

Vanessa could sense a rotting aura, in which she picked up the face. The younger Pularis trekked on despite the sickening smell. She continued to notice the smell that was beyond repulsive, but no matter what, she had to know what this unknown aura was.

Vanessa finally made it to the top, finally reaching the site. Her eyes widened, her horror so massive she gasped.

"Vanessa?" Nic wondered from behind.

She paled, her eyes still massively shuddering. "No…"

"What is it?" Erza asked with heavy intent.

Vanessa was starting to step back, the white in her face overwhelming. She looked as though she was gonna throw up. Still, she was petrified beyond comprehension.

Nic finally reached the upscale ledge. "Vanessa, what is…it…" Nic looked out ahead, his voice trailing off. His eyes slowly widened, his mouth beginning to gape apart. His warm blue eyes were shuddering, all sense of decency had been erased as his skin paled. The horror was beyond comprehension. Erza was opposite of Vanessa, her expression no less horrific.

"What…is this?" Erza muttered.

"Oh my god…" Nic muttered, trying to hold down his need to gag. Vanessa, however, looked as though she was gonna lose balance.

Before them was the sight of a huge chasm, or chamber one might put it. But the chasm they were overlooking was not of a welcoming sight. It wasn't some ritual site, nor was it a sacred, holy shrine…but a tomb. It was a graveyard, a graveyard of nearly a thousand things they wished they didn't see. Bodies. Spread all around beneath, hundreds of dead bodies littered the ground. They were raw, decaying, dried blood and iron flaking all around them. Bones were seen, and to add insult to injury, what was the most grotesque part was that even as they laid dead, some had crushed skulls, appendages ripped off and laying in tiny pieces, some didn't have jaws, their bones were turned to dust. Many who had heads were lost. The skin was rotted away, making it almost purple.

At least now they knew where the smell came from.

Vanessa sank to her knees, shutting her eyes. "What sort of monstrosity did this?" She muttered.

Nic and Erza were still finding it hard to fathom a graveyard of unburied bodies littered amongst the group. It was sick. It was unholy. It was inhumane. No words could describe the treachery they were seeing.

"What…did this?" Nic growled. "This is beyond sick!"

"Wait…" Erza's eyes narrowed. "No, this can't be, can it?"

"Erza, what is it?" Nic implored.

Erza still looked petrified, but nevertheless continued talking. "It was only a couple of weeks ago, but I only heard a single rumor about a small army that came from Bosco. It was somehow tied to that war that the Wizard Saint Cruzer was in; apparently they wanted revenge and was gonna start making territory for guerilla warfare…looks to me we now know where they ended up."

Nic looked back down at the site of sickening dead. "This mess…there can't be any accusations…but do you think it was _them_?"

Vanessa slowly nodded. "It has to be."

Erza knew what they talked about, but if course they could be the ones she had to deal with, namely Mariah and Saboth. She clutched her fists, her anger boiling. "They were right about one thing…they have no humanity if they slaughtered and laid them here like some sort of garbage."

Nic closed his eyes, no longer wishing to see anymore of the gory and dried blood that was littered. "Come on. We can't stay here anymore." He shifted into his Sky Form, having his wings spread and ready to take flight. Without a word of argue, Erza and Vanessa nodded and were carried by Nic as he flew above the chasm of disembodied corpses. Erza and Vanessa dared not open their eyes a single time until they made it to the other side.

Even after making it to the other ledge on the far end, they dared not stop and look back.

* * *

About another hour of flight came to an end. The trio were still on the run, but exhaustion and time left them vulnerable. It was time to rest up. Erza found a secluded rock for coverage. And with Nic's Stone Form, he managed to create a small concaved wall to elude them from any possible enemies. It was then and there that they could calm and recollect themselves.

Erza was the first one to start. "Are you both…alright?" She could've said fine or not hurt, but then that wouldn't justify what Nic and Vanessa had been through. Though subtlety wasn't her way. She wished it was for Nic's sake.

Cross-legged, Nic looked down at the ground. It was a hard-pressed question, but he managed to answer. "We're…alright." Physically, yes, they were okay. With the seclusion, Nic healed himself with another Recover and used Heal Pulse on his sister. While both were back to manageable physical condition, their mental wounds were still lingering like scars. Vermilius was somewhere in there, but what left them startled was their unspeakable arrival at the 'tomb'.

"What's going on here? This doesn't add up." Vanessa frowned mournfully.

"There was the capture of us, the torment, then something about our…rage? It's still hard to explain. Then there was that Gengar, this talk about a ritual, and now bodies. None of this adds up. Is there some key we're missing?" Nic wondered. "What does a Pokémon have to do with whatever is going on here? And who were those foes?"

"Let's try and piece this as best as we can." Erza insisted. "So far, we know that there are names we can decipher. From the secondary sources, we know that the ones called Ivy and Crowhaw were sent after you two. And then there were the two who I confronted, namely the one Crystal Magic user named Mariah, and that battle-crazed samurai that's called Saboth. That makes four. Add the Lightning Magic Mage that momentarily intercepted us makes five."

"Then there's what happened with Vanessa and I." Nic followed. "There was that reaper who was our jailor called Vermilius. And within our…situation, Vanessa and I encountered the supposed leader."

Erza's eyes widened. "You did?"

Nic nodded. "It was hard to say, but I think he went by Alpha, and the one beside him who managed to extort our rage it seems was the scientist I think. That makes a total of eight. If you count Gengar, that makes a total of nine."

"Nine." Vanessa repeated. "What are they planning with what they extorted from us you think?"

Erza crossed her arms. "That's a question with no answer. I'm afraid that as long as we only rely on guesswork, we won't get anywhere. And to make matters worse, our enemy has an overwhelming number advantage and unbelievable dark Magic Power. Just what can they accomplish if they were able to exterminate a whole army?"

Nic's eyes narrowed. "As far as we are aware, they may look human…but they have no humanity in their hearts."

Vanessa looked at Erza. "Erza?"

"Yes?"

"Did you say your Honedge fainted?"

Erza looked down. "It was all my fault." She couldn't help but blame herself; after all, A Pokémon is a big responsibility for a Trainer to handle. If anyone feels horrible about that, it may as well be herself.

Vanessa could understand. She lost a few battles herself, and she feels responsible almost all the time. If she had trained and gained more experience, it wouldn't be that hard to win, but still, what's done is done. Vanessa reached into her pocket, getting something out. "Here." She presented it to Erza.

"What is it?" Erza asked. In her palm was a small star with golden spokes on almost all corners.

"It's a Max Revive. It's an item Trainers use to fully restore a fainted Pokémon's energy when they've fainted." Vanessa explained. "Experienced Trainers have a few of these on hand in case of tight spots and there's no Pokémon Center around. It should be used to get Honedge floating again."

"Thank you." The redhead pleaded. "I know Honedge will put this to great use."

Vanessa nodded and began to look drowsy.

Nic's eyes were halfway open as well. "If we continue like this, we won't have any conserved strength." He muttered.

Erza looked out, seeing as no one was around. "In that case, I'll keep watch." She announced as she stood up. The redhead turned and saw nothing of any sorts. "I understand that you both have a lot to consider, given you've had enough. Still, it's best that I have you conserve yourselves more than I…" She turned around, hearing the sound of bodies shifting. Curious, the knight turned around, finding that to her disbelief, Nic and Vanessa were already sound asleep.

Nic and his little sister, despite what they went through, they were both fast asleep. They were out. Their eyes shut, the Pularis offspring were both back to back, supporting one another, like a family should be doing. Shoulder to shoulder, the backs of their heads touching, both held up the other through the dark and hollow caverns.

Erza smiled warmly at the family scene.

* * *

"Is that it?" Alpha asked.

"Every incantation has been written down." Imaci said.

"Hehe! This is going to be fun!" Gengar sneered.

Ivy let out an exasperated huff as she stood back up. "Honestly, must this be all work and no play?"

Finishing an incantation, Saboth growled. "There."

"That should make the final outer layer set." Crowhaw said.

"Then it looks like we haven't a moment to lose." Mariah answered. "The sun had just set, and the moon has risen upon the sea."

Alpha smirked. "I've been waiting for this day for such a long time. It's been a long wait, and I do apologize for that, but now the patience has lifted, and now we indulge in this little trick finally perfected."

Fernando smirked. "It's nothing but perfection."

All nine were accounted for. With Alpha in the dead venter, all around him, there were layers upon layers of magic circles drawn into the earth of the giant chamber. With the high ceilings and the space that is twice as large as a Gym, the conditions were just right. There were hundreds – nearly thousands – of small ritual incantations inscribed into the dirt. Not a single one was misplaced it seems. With each incantation embedded in the bedrock, all seemed right with the preparations made.

This was it. This was the day Alpha and the Rivolta had been waiting for so long. They knew it was to happen eventually, but they never thought it'd actually come to pass. Though secluded from the world and hidden in tunnels lit only by candles, the ancients of the past couldn't fathom what would transpire next. In the past, many knew of clandestine activities, but this one required a ritual of dead language. This language was expunged, erased from existence, and the blood ritual itself was beyond barbaric. Alpha gave no damn, for this was the one thing that mattered, and nothing more, and nothing less. This was the time. With the near-full moon beginning to rise fully along the sea, the leader of the order stood firmly still.

"Now, has everybody understand what will happen?" Alpha asked them as the box right beside him still had blood red lines.

"Absolutely." Imaci announced, speaking on behalf of the order.

"Well then…" Alpha's smirk grew. "Present me with _them_."

Gengar understood as he vanished into the shadows, sinking like a rock. He reappeared right behind Alpha, this time with the picture frames and the sunglasses and phone and earbuds in hand. Hurrying Gengar dropped them and retreated back into the shadows, returning to where he was originally.

Alpha took in a deep breath before finally exhaling. He removed his gauntlet. As he did that, he had begun the dead language. "Sklu bah, sko rabneh ke ah. By alla, kenster y ellaby nos for ay. (At night, the rampage will burn. In day, sun will cease to exist.) He grabbed a dagger right beside him, holding it up to his palm. Slowly, he began to press, beginning to cut some blood out. "Sklu bah! Jesreket forla gin! Die rin! (At night! Dawn shall perish! Heaven falls!) He cut himself, extending his palm out on one of the incantation letters. The blood dripped and hit a dead letter. At that instant, all of the other letters had begun responding to Alpha's call, the lettering beginning to glow blood red. Imaci and the rest were pouring Magic Power by pressing their hands against the ground, stabilizing the contents.

"By alla, ski kenster…ke fluern!" (By day, the sun…will burn!) The crazed look on Alpha's face began to intensify. The bloodlust and veins forming was a result of the pressure rendering him unsteady, but the order leader could feel the negative call flourish.

"The alibi of Heaven and Hell means nothing anymore! It is but the death that drives the world to end!" At this point, it was now the call of his own language, with the circle responding and small lines crept towards the center, where he was. "There is no retribution, and the ideal of good has been rewritten! The only good in the apocalypse! No understanding, no salvation, and no call but to monsters that will purge all life that beats!"

He was then engulfed in a pillar of blood red energy, the catastrophic winds that were emitted beginning to pick up. The winds were making the skin on the many present feel like it was peeling off, including Ivy. Gengar smirked, his body steaming as the dark energy was making him glow. Along with Alpha, Nic's phone, earbuds, and the sunglasses began to glow – but only Nic's DNA prints that were engraved. Alpha's eyes began to grow bloodshot, and the man's skin looked to be paling. As though some kind of ghost.

And then came the important part. Alpha had part of it, making the blood red turn violet in the pillar, but then he raised his foot against the box beside him, which was shuttering violently. With one violent stomp, Alpha pressed down, shattering the box. At that instant, the entire pillar went completely black, the winds howling like a monster. The roars were howling and making Fernando frown at the knee-crippling intensity being unleashed. The energy that Alpha had contained from Nic and Vanessa had was combined with the spell, making its potency flourish.

Outside of the caverns, the remaining crabgrass along the isle had begun to reduce to dust.

Alpha's eyes were completely blood red, his mouth glowing red from the hollow and vivid force being unleashed. He never felt so much hate before from others. It felt fantastic.

"NOW! MAY THIS BLOOD BATHE THE WORLD IN RUIN! HAVE THIS DAMNATION BECOME REALITY, AND MAY THE BLOOD RISE UPON THE MOON!"

All at once, everyone raised their arms.

" **Rise! Impure Underworld!** "

The black pillar and now black lettering shot an immense, thick pillar into the cavern ceiling, rippling pitch-black darkness bellowing all through the chasm. Beyond that, the spell's dark energy of pure hatred reached outwards, becoming pitch-black ripples that engulfed the skies, making it become distorted. After a whole minute, the darkness and rippling within the atmosphere and in the dark night skies vanished.

In the caverns, everyone frowned, while Alpha was smirking. The picture frames were lying around, surprisingly they weren't shattered, as were the devices. Alpha was within a dark cloak of raw, negative energy. In a way, very similar of Lysandre. All around him, the nearby bats in the area fell down, dying from exposure to the immense hatred magnified.

Imaci's eyes widened. "It's started."

Fernando adjusted his glasses. "As the turn had us. Now, we wait…"

Saboth turned away from Alpha. "We must rest now. We have used our whole reserves and hatred to stabilize the incantation alone."

Mariah closed her eyes and nodded.

"The blood moon is to come, so let us wait and see how the next day comes…when the dead slowly arise. Starting with the bloodline." Crowhaw said.

Alpha smirked, watching as the dark distortion in front of him began to manifest into two. The two manifestations began to take shape from the distortions, with Alpha looking pleased more than ever.

"Now, go and slaughter. Welcome them." He ordered.

The two unknown figures walked off, carrying the picture frames and the sunglasses and phone with them. They had only one place to go to, and that place was where they were directed. Alpha watched on as he remained in the center of the circle, the incantations still glowing a weak blood red color.

* * *

Erza couldn't explain it, but the temperature suddenly dropped. Her spine was shivering, and her heart rate had suddenly increased dramatically. _'What's this scary sensation? It's like a ghost is looming over my head.'_ Even in her armor, the mage was feeling uneasy. _'These goosebumps, it's like they're shrieking uncontrollably. This energy from before, I can't explain, but it's back, and it isn't good!'_ She looked behind her, hearing the sound of groaning. To her, she saw that Nic and Vanessa were still sleeping, but they looked to be wincing somewhat.

"No…stay away…" Nic muttered.

"Stop it…" Vanessa whimpered.

At the same time, both siblings arose from their most recent nightmare. Both jerked up, their eyes wide with heavy exasperation from the unpleasant dreams they had.

"Are you both alright?" Erza asked.

Nic looked towards her, adjusting so he began to sit up. "Y-yeah…how long were we out for?"

"Just a few hours." Erza explained.

"I see."

Vanessa narrowed her vision and looked around with uncertainty. "What's this aura?"

Nic looked at his sister. "Vanessa, what is it?"

"It's…just that there's this odd aura in the air. It's faint, but it's also foul…savage…and pitch-black."

"Pitch-black? Like a void?" Erza asked.

"Like no life is meant to live."

Nic looked down at his own skin. To his shock, it was getting goosebumps. But how? He felt that the temperature was lower and all, but the energy alone, was that all it took to leave him petrified? "Something's wrong. Where is this strange energy coming from?"

Erza looked around, her eyes narrowing. "This magic? No, it can't be. I can't understand, but I know this odd feeling from somewhere."

Vanessa had no way of knowing what was going on. She was already confused, but whatever was happening right was not being kind. Suddenly, she began to pick up something by means of her Aura Magic. Her eyes widened, her sensory picking up and making her stand. "Everyone, I feel something!"

Nic turned towards her. "Enemy?"

Her aura got back to her, making her eyes narrow. "Hard to tell. I can't sense negativity from them for some odd reason."

"What?" Erza asked.

Two figures were heard walking down the giant chasm. They couldn't be seen as of yet, but for the most part, one could hear their footsteps. They were loud, meaning they weren't wearing shoes. Slowly, their figures came out of the darkness, slowly embarking closer towards the trio.

"Can you see who it is?" Erza asked.

Nic's eyes narrowed. "It doesn't look like anyone from that group that hurt us." He said. Although, it did leave him stumped that there were some figures down here to begin with. It left him piqued, but at the same time, he was left perplexed with how the figures got closer, they began to take a very resembling shape. His eyes narrowed further, trying his best to inspect the figures as more steps were taken.

Their bodies and faces finally came into perspective, but who they were left Nic horrified. A dark wave hit Nic's mind, his mind momentarily shutting down. He stared ahead, flabbergasted. Eyes were brimming in horror at the two figures advancing.

"No…no…!" Nic muttered.

"Nic?" Erza asked, "What is it."

He began to step back. "This…this has to be a joke. Illusion? A farce?" His back reached the end of the rock, horror unable to define his expression.

"Nic? What do you-?!" Vanessa turned to look at what was coming her way. Like Nic, she too had paled and was rendered incapable of talking. Her mouth gaped, her shock insurmountable to the limit. She could not even begin to describe what was coming her way. She nearly began quaking in place, her breathing so sharp it was like she was suffocating.

Erza looked in the direction they were seeing, and so she too had seen the figures, albeit with slightly more confusion. "Who are they?" Her eyes narrowed.

The man of the two had green eyes, though they seemed calm. He had a goatee shaving, and short, spiky black hair, though somewhat unkempt. Despite how he was seemingly a little muscular in the stomach area, he looked like he had a fair physique. He had a long-sleeved white shirt with a blue vest, and he also sported green cargo pants and black boots.

The female had blue eyes, long wavy blonde hair, and she had no makeup. She was fair weight, though one could say she was a little too thin. She had camouflage green pants, brown boots, and what one could say a brown shirt. Like many from Nic's world, her bust was…deplorable.

Both stood in place when they reached a certain proximity. They only stared at Nic and Vanessa, their shock all to bewildering. The siblings stared at what they thought were ghosts. Their bodies were starting to quiver from the unspeakable shock piling on them. Erza could tell this was getting bad if Nic and Vanessa were paralyzed in fear.

"It…it can't be…" Nic muttered. Slowly, his shock began to boil slowly into scorn. "What the hell is this?! What is going on?!"

Vanessa couldn't swallow, for she was unable to comprehend what was going on. She had no way of telling if their aura was lying, but nothing was wrong…except them being present. "You…"

The man looked at them, remaining unemotional. "Can't say I didn't see this coming. Right, Laura?"

The woman, now revealed to be Laura, grinned. "Well I can't say we blame them, Mark."

Nic's eyes widened further, his exasperation making him shudder. "Laura…Mark…but that's…!" He slowly walked on ahead, his angry demeanor slowly boiling. He stood next to Erza, his gaze fixated on them alone. He didn't look pleased at all. "Is that really you?"

"Hello…Nic." Laura said.

"Don't you dare talk to me so casually like that!" He patronized. "After everything, you expect me to give you a proper greeting?!"

Vanessa shot right next to him. "You can't be here! You should be in jail! No, a mental institute!" She yelled.

"What is this?" Erza asked. "Somebody tell me what is going on? Nic, who are they?"

Nic looked coldly at them, his fists balled at the calm yet slightly frowning faces of the individuals in front of him. By no means were they bringing back any good memories. Still, Erza asked a question. "What are you doing her…Mom? Dad?"

Erza's eyes shot wide. "Mom…Dad…?" She turned towards the two up ahead. "Wait, they're-?!"

Mark lowered his head. "Hello, son."

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Laura said.

Nic looked angrily ahead, immediately shifting in front of an equally angry Vanessa. "What the hell are you here?! Get lost!"

"We never wanted to see you again!" Vanessa shouted. "How did you escape from prison?!"

Mark backed off a step. "Hey, both of you, try and calm down a little…"

" _Us_ calm down?!" Nic unsheathed a Cut, getting the needle ready. "It was _you_! You guys did this to us!"

Vanessa's aura flared in her hands. "Monsters!"

Laura narrowed her eyes. "Hey, come on! Slow down!"

Suddenly one of Vanessa's Poke Balls popped open. Right beside her was Magnezone, and he had a very hostile expression. The Electric and Steel-type looked peeved as electricity manifested in between his magnets. "You!" He yelled.

Mark's eyes widened. "Is that…?" Realization dawned upon him. "Wait. Is that you…Magneton?"

"You evolved?" Laura gasped. She looked towards Vanessa, shocked at the revelation. "You mean Vanessa has-!"

"Shut up!" Vanessa screamed. "Magnezone!"

"I'm not taking orders from you anymore!" Angry, he began to charge up some light, manifesting it into a Flash Cannon. Upon firing, a shocked Laura and Mark went wide-eyed and dodged the Steel-Type move. The attack created a small explosion which kicked up dust.

Mark slid off within the smoke and nearly lost footing. Suddenly, a hostile Nic lunged through the smoke elbowing the father in the gut. The dad went flying backwards and slammed against the wall. Mark didn't get a chance to recover as Nic's arm pinned his neck against the wall again, a Cut at his throat. The father winced in pain as Nic growled at him.

"Mark-!" Laura was cut off by a teal beam that was solid. The attack sent her flying until she was pinned to the cavern wall, the teal solid strip gripping her and suppressing her. At the end of the trail was Vanessa, who looked displeased.

"Nic! Vanessa! What is wrong with you?" Erza shouted.

Nic's teeth gritted as he pressed his elbow against the father. "After everything that you guys did, what did you have to achieve by coming here?!" He yelled. "Why are you here anyway?!"

"I would answer if you just gave me a CHANCE!" The father gagged at the last word as Nic pressed harder.

The mom grunted as Vanessa pressed her against the wall. "Vanessa!" She yelled.

"You can't be real! This has to a farce!" The younger sibling exasperated. Both brother and sister tried their absolute best to shut out the parents, and as they did, Magnezone was glaring coldly at both of them, twirling his magnets around and readying to fire any necessary attacks…on Vanessa's command that is.

Mark grunted, his fists balling. "Will you all just stop…FOR ONE SECOND!" He yelled so loudly as he pushed Nic off himself. Nic slid several feet back, his Cut dispersing. The shock from his yell was so harsh that Magnezone was caught into what he said, though he was reluctant to back down. Vanessa hesitated, but she was starting to loosen up a little.

"Vanessa." Laura said, glaring at her daughter. "Stop…for just this second."

Vanessa wanted to testify, wanting to use her Aura Magic, but nowhere could she sense any means of deep hatred, nor negligence it seems. Although she did sense something along the lines of remorse, it was nothing like their parents. Still on guard though, Vanessa released her hold and stepped away with her back towards Nic.

Mark and Laura took in deep breaths, so massive that they were starting to calm down. Nic and Vanessa leered at them, the four – five – were in a deadlock for what appeared to be the longest time. Until finally, Nic spoke up.

"What is the meaning of this?" He asked calmly. "Who are you?"

Mark raised his arm to form a negative gesticulation, but Laura put a hand on his shoulder. Mark looked over, seeing her reluctant face. Following suit, he backed down, looking away in shame. Both mother and father looked waywardly at the ground, uneasy.

Nic and Vanessa looked at each other briefly, before Laura finally spoke up.

"Nic…Vanessa…let's have a sit-down, like grown-ups."

* * *

Sitting on rocks, secluded from the world, Nic, Vanessa, Erza, Magnezone, Mark, and Laura were all present, all having an uncomfortable staring contest towards the other. They've been that way for some time, but no one dared to make a move nor budge due to the shrilling intensity within the atmosphere. Finally, Erza broke the silence.

"So, you're the mother and father of Nic and Vanessa?" She clarified.

Laura nodded. "Unfortunately." She confessed.

"What do you mean 'unfortunately'?" Nic asked wearily, taking offense.

"It's not like that." Mark told his son. "When we mean unfortunate, we don't mean by the likes of you, we mean under these circumstances."

Erza's eyes narrowed. "Still, how can you be so…this?" She gestured towards them. "You're nothing like I witnessed in one of those memories."

"That's one of the reasons we wanna talk." Mark said.

"What is there to talk about?" Vanessa asked sourly. "You've made me acquire no social skills, and you treated my big brother like he was some sort of ragdoll! For 11 years, it's been that way!" She yelled. "You expect us to believe that you're the same mom and dad who we thought you were?"

Nic didn't talk, but his menacing glare with shrunken pupils clarified his intense frustration.

"We owe you nothing! There, happy?" Mark said in a rude tone. "Look, we don't expect _anything_ from you two. You can be angry for the entire time, and you don't have to feel sorry! All we ask…is that you just listen."

Nic's glare softened, his wonders piqued. "Why would we listen?"

Laura leaned in against her rock seat. "Do you want to stop the Impure Underworld Spell, or what?"

At the mention of the spell, Nic and everyone backed away from the hostility, instead replaced by wonder.

"The what?" Vanessa asked.

"I'm sorry, did you say Impure Underworld?" Erza asked.

Mark and Laura nodded in confirmation. Laura continued. "It's a lot to take in, are you sure you're up for it?"

Magnezone twirled his magnets. "How do we know you're not lying or swindling?"

"We're in no position to even consider such a thing." Mark said in a tired tone. He pinched the bridge of his own nose. "We really raised stubborn ones."

"They get that from both of us." Laura deadpanned.

"How do you know of this Impure Underworld Spell?" Nic asked. "And on top of that, how are you even here to begin with? Has this something to do with time and space?"

Laura looked down. "Not exactly."

Mark put his fingers together and pondered against the ground. "This spell…? It's got its own story, and believe it or not, it's got a lot of its own downfalls like we did."

Nic quizzically looked at him. "Downfall?"

"Mo-Laura." Vanessa caught onto her own sympathy. "Sorry, but weren't you arrested and sentenced to life in prison?"

Erza leered at them. "And on top of that, with all of your harassment, how did you not getting into catastrophic circumstances.

Mark and Laura looked at one another for a few brief moments before they came to a conclusion. It was best to tell them now, get started somewhere. When they looked at the Pularis and Scarlet trio, for some odd reason, said trio had felt an ominous shiver run down their spines. That's when Mark spoke an unholy sentence.

"The truth is…we're already dead."

Those few words. Not even 10 words and they already knocked the winds out of everyone. Nic and Vanessa went horrifically wide-eyed, and Erza gasped. Magnezone was unable to move, immense disbelief traveling across them like a circuit. The darkness in the atmosphere thickened, a black chill-like virus creeping along everyone's skin.

"What…did you just say?" Nic asked, still unable to comprehend.

"You heard me." Mark looked down, gesticulating lethargically with a 'what can I tell ya' kind of hand gesture. "We died."

"But…but wait, how are you…?" Vanessa could see and feel their aura, and by no means were they dead. "You can't be dead! You have aura! That means you're alive!"

"For now at least." Laura warned. "Though we're not alive one might say. Purgatory is maybe the correct term."

"Purgatory? Impure Underworld? You died?" Nic was unsettled beyond comprehension. Goosebumps rattled his spine as he sat on the edge of his seat, looking as though he was ready to run. "You guys…start from the beginning...what is going on here?" His eyes narrowed. "And what happened to make you guys like this?"

Laura looked to her son, seeing as how he was looking as though he's seen a ghost. "…alright. Nic…Vanessa…listen…what I'm about to tell you is something that was meant to be forsaken, and forgotten long in the dark ages. This cult after you, it's what's been dormant inside of you and passed down from you from the beginning. In ancient times, this very fragment of bloodthirst is what divided us from humanity and even monsters alike. It's what the Pularis have that no one else does…"

Once more, a dark shiver went around the atmosphere, again darkening the mood. Erza remained on guard as Nic and Vanessa looked wearily at one another.

Mark stared at his offspring. "Let's start from the beginning, a very, very, long time ago…"

* * *

 **Tada! I added MASSIVE suspense! How was it? If you have so many questions, they'll be answered within the next two chapters as Mark and Laura explain the Pularis bloodline history. You guys will flip out.**

 **Guest: Yeah, I watched that, including the recent new episode.**

 **As usual, throw in a review and comment! Thanks! :)**


	32. Pularis I: Ancient Chaos

The world of Pokémon thousands of years ago had a different face to it. Back when Sinnoh was created, there were no such things as Poke Balls, no concept of battles or trades, and there was barely civilization. Like Pokémon, humans had to adapt and evolve to survive and thrive until their species was on equal grounds with Pokémon. All methods were unorthodox, and any knowledge of Pokémon was that of prehistoric. It was believed barely any humans sought Pokémon as equals, and the rest of mankind suffered confliction with the matter, resulting in a never-ending answer: War.

There were those who used Pokémon as slaves and for their own means of fighting in their stead, these were more oppressive means, and an unfavorable balance in order. Some who had more reason and understand fought alongside Pokémon in wars, rather than rely on them altogether. The two sides waged war, hoping one side would come out on top and decide the outcome of Pokémon.

However, through the thousands of years of war that were passed onto another generation, humanity had not come to a firm understanding of what made them earn a relationship with fellow Pokémon. That word was trust.

There was no one to trust, and chaos reigned. It was an era of trial and error, and it seemed to go on forever. Men and Pokémon alike perished in pointless conflicts, but no one stopped them.

Until a forgotten legend resided at the one time, 50 thousand years ago precisely.

One man was all it took. One man, a beating heart, and the will to understand. Still young he was, but his will was that of a thousand men. He stood away from all possible sides, away from influence. He wanted his own way. He wanted a method only he wanted to exploit, but at the same time, he didn't want to do it alone. His kind heart and calm persona was a prime feature of his charisma, and that's what drew Pokémon to be by his side. He really never questioned himself or what he was doing. He just…did it. This was a man who reached for the stars many said, a star that flared high in the sky. This was the birth of the Pularis bloodline.

Kowalski Pularis was the first man to have made the bond with Pokémon. No one knew how his prowess came around, but some speculated it was around the time he was an infant and ended up alone in the mountains, abandoned. He grew up alongside countless other Pokémon, earning and reciprocating trust. Arceus knows how, but it was a miracle that bonds were established.

The undying will he had was what allowed him the privilege and phenomenal right to tame Rayquaza. The Sky High Pokémon was constantly coming down to attack due to the constant energy the earth had mixed with human and Pokémon strife, but the Dragon and Flying-type had given the Pularis a chance, and he never disappointed.

Kowalski finally decided to settle the war, entering unexpectedly as the third party. With the Pokémon he's bonded with, and Rayquaza at his beckoned call, the war came to an end in no time. He decimated both parties, ending all confliction and starting the era of influence, an era where he was a hero.

Humanity and Pokémon learned to coincide in a dedicated society, stemming from the beliefs and the watching of the Pularis bond without any question. Everyone had begun to get along, the world finally revolving once more on its axis

* * *

"So…our ancestor was…the first ever to tame Legendary Pokémon?" Nic repeated.

"Not only that, but he was the first to reach out a hand to them." Like Nic, Vanessa was left with shock and bewilderment at the same time.

Mark nodded slowly as he looked down at the ground. "Yes, I'm afraid so."

"Kowalski Pularis was the first person to open up and tame numerous Legendary Pokémon at the time. Regigigas, Heatran; the point is, that he had a gift for loving and understanding Pokémon, and in return, he's become the most influential and prominent person in his time." Laura continued. "Was he a golden child? Doubt many believed that. Natural instinct is what encompasses a human's need to live. Guess that's where Pularis intensified it."

Erza put a hand to her chin, pondering profusely. "Still, to earn trust for being amicable…what a trait." She couldn't help but turn towards Nic as she paused. For some reason, Kowalski sounded much like Nic. Both had Legendary Pokémon at their call to turn tides, and what's more impressive was their charisma.

"But there's something I don't understand. If this guy was so powerful, then what made him go dark?" Vanessa asked.

"I think the answer is more tied to the present." Mark said.

Nic and Vanessa raised their brows, but remained silent.

Laura pressed on. "As you know, there's Dialga, the Master of Time; and Palkia, Master of Space. Both were created from the origins of Arceus himself, to govern and lift the burdens of his power. But there was something else, something that was meant to be forgotten, and that was the third kin."

"Third kin?" Nic asked.

"Yes. The three components Arceus created was Time, Space…and Antimatter. Dialga and Palkia were not alone, for they were accompanied by Arceus' last kin; the bringer of chaos."

Erza's eyes widened at the realization. Antimatter was what triggered the sensation as her spine shuddered. Only one Pokémon was capable of ruling that concept. "Giratina."

Mark nodded in Laura's stead. "Yeah. Giratina was…different. He had the power to make more than what Dialga and Palkia could create. They create Sinnoh, but Giratina created a whole other world." He paused to see the look on Nic and everyone's shocked faces. "It's a ridiculous story, but it's true. He created the Reverse World, a world of different gravity, where he was all alone. And yet, ruled like a king. And that's when it hit him."

"What did?" Vanessa asked.

"If Giratina could create his own world and live freely there, then why not have more? That's the time of questioning went through his head. He watched as Arceus allowed humanity to continue struggling for its own sake, constantly quarreling. If he was a god, then why not make up a decision. So, Giratina became angry, contemptuous over what Arceus had done. Not only did the god himself refuse to make up his mind and leave things be, but Dialga and Palkia supported him, despite their constant struggles against one another. The clashes between Dialga and Palkia was exponential, the time-space clashes harming the Reverse World that Giratina created. The three had their own powers, and they constantly destroyed without any intention of doing so. Giratina had to bide his hate, for thousands of years now. He hated what Arceus had created, because if things were gonna get destroyed, then why not leave it at that? Therefore, Giratina's spirit turned devil, and sought to permanently destroy what Arceus had created."

Laura pressed on. "In that time of chaos and war, Giratina fed off of human hatred, consuming it and becoming lustrous for more. His own rotting power escalated, because the negative emotions and bloodlust human and Pokémon spilled converted into antimatter. Thousands of years since the dawn, Giratina has been growing powerful from the violence that he yearned for and spilled…and then Kowalski came around, and then the negative energy diminished because he stopped the pointless conflicts."

"Giratina sought to end the universe, and he couldn't tolerate positive outlooks. He wanted death, destruction; chaos. But even more so…he wanted all life to end, an infinite void." Mark said. "So, Giratina was after Kowalski, slaughtering and killing all life around, even nature itself turned grim. This got the attention of Dialga and Palkia of course, and there was this riot that transpired. At the top of Mt. Coronet…this is before Spear Pillar was created. It was a barren plateau of stone…where everything of Kowalski Pularis…came to an end…"

* * *

The skies were a swirling blood red in the sky, the particles of negative energy so massively potent that the darkness itself was bubbling with dark red. Literally. The blood red swirling sky had clouds of pitch-black with thunder of blood red crackling bolts that shot haphazardly across the high altitude plains. All of Sinnoh was encompassed in swirling dark skies, blood red bolts firing down setting everything ablaze. Many had already perished, and many more were having it hard to breathe with this foul, chaotic energy intoxicating their lungs. Yet the ones having the most trouble were the ones fighting atop of the mountain that divided Sinnoh: Mt. Coronet.

Giratina howled out, his bellowing screeches sending chaotic shockwaves all around. The massive energy shuddered the ground, making black shadows erupt like fire within the cracks beneath.

Kowalski had warm blue yes, eyes full of resolution. With short, spiky black hair that ran wild and slightly slicked back – yet upright – and a bare chest showing many battle scars, the man extended his arm ahead. "Rayquaza, **Dragon Pulse!** "

Following command, the Sky High Pokémon behind him let out another loud roar, energy surging into his mouth. Once ready, he unleashed a blast of dragon-shaped, multicolored energy that roared across the area, heading for Giratina. The attack made contact, engulfing Giratina in a powerful explosion in colors.

The Renegade Pokemon stepped back from the smoke cloud, howling out for the umpteenth time and bellowing out so harshly that the smoke cloud dissipated. The shockwaves of energy ran so deep that Rayquaza and Kowalski barely held their ground.

"Don't give up!" One of his supporters yelled.

"You can do this!" A female supporter shouted.

"You have to win!" Another bellowed.

Kowlaski managed to keep his footing adjusted, his teeth gritting. "I know what's at stake…that why losing is not an option!" He extended his arm forward. "Let's go! **Air Slash!** "

Rayquaza circled around and had his jet-like wings lash and fire dozens upon dozens of aerodynamic saucers of white compressed energy flourish through the airspace, slicing through the dark winds. Giratina, however, let out a sinister bellow, the shockwaves he generated becoming dark, and howled louder, via Ominous Wind. The Air Slash and Ominous Wind met in the middle, a hurricane of shredding winds engulfing Kowalski, Rayquaza, and Giratina alike. The supporters behind Kowalski all covered up and waited for the winds to dial down.

When they did, Kowalski was seen on a knee, struggling to stand. Rayquaza struggled no differently, but nevertheless both got up.

Giratina was already up before them, his blood red stare sending chills down everyone's spine. "(You…impudent living creatures! DIE!)'"

Kowalski narrowed his eyes. "That's what you think…Dialga! Palkia! **Dragon Claw!** "

Giratina suddenly went stiff, his Satan eyes widening when he felt two harsh energy signatures suddenly erupt behind him as two portals of pink and blue began to manifest. He turned around, only to get slashed at both sides as Dialga and Palkia flew through the holes, engulfing Giratina in a wild explosion of greenish-blue. The renegade howled in massive pain as both of his sides were raked harshly, leaving him to falter forwards.

Kowalski now stood with all three Legendary Pokémon overhead, all of which roared and glared at Giratina as the beastly chaos himself was at a disadvantage.

Struggling, Giratina snapped back at them all, snarling in disgust. "(You ignorant swine! Siding with these low-lives that only end up killing one another! Blood will be spilled for eternity! Eternity itself is a false concept! ALL MUST END!)"

"(Enough!)" Dialga roared. "(You think not only humans, but Arceus and the universe must end? You think the void should be reduced to zero? Even I know that is a fool's ambition!)"

"(We'll stop you and banish you again if we must!)" Palkia declared.

Giratina looked down at Kowalski, glaring at him with a hateful, venomous stare. The supporters behind him were crippling in fear, some passing out on the spot. Many could already feel themselves go blind, and still, many were trying to persevere behind their fearless Kowalski. Giratina hated every little thing about him. He couldn't take it. His courage, fortitude, and especially the goodness in his heart. He wanted it all to die. Everything must die. He'll kill him by any means. He'll have the world perish once Kowalski himself dies.

The energy around Giratina began to bubble, a black and dark mist with hints of blood red starting to crackle. He hunched over, growling lowly as he could feel his own hate surging up a catastrophic storm. Kowalski could feel his own spine crawl, his own heart rate skyrocketing out of the blue.

"(You…all good…needs to die…)" Giratina was beyond no return. The energy he was giving off was more than just a death-like aura, but something he could feel that can rot flesh. "(Your gift…you may have it…BUT NO MORE!)" Giratina raised his head, letting out rippling shockwaves through the atmosphere, shuddering the entire Mt. Coronet. The energy was so chaotic that all the grass in the area was reduced to dust. He opened his mouth, the death energy around him starting to converge.

"(See how everyone loves you! No love shall be bared for you again! Hate all! And seek only the destruction of everything and everyone! Bellow your rage and massacre!)"

Giratina compressed the energy all into a single, blood red spear with black crackling lightning. The assault was massive in potent energy, that Rayquaza, Dialga, and Palkia all went wide-eyed at the concentration. It was immense, enough to kill hundreds of lives if not contained. Giratina bellowed again and launched the spear, pulsating it across the earth, splitting it apart into fragments. The spear drew closer, engulfing everything in front of Kowalski in darkness.

The spear pierced his chest, Kowalski feeling unimaginable pain. It was like having every one of your bones crushed and grinded apart, and then everything goes numb, but your pain receptors are beyond repair. His eyes bounced all around the pupil, bloodshot and yelling out in a howling, roaring agony. The spear dissipated, vanishing like a ghost, the small whiffs still barely noticeable entering the hole in his chest.

He slowly fell to a knee, his bloodshot eyes still wide as the black in his center turned darker. The next thing Kowlaski felt was…nothing, nothing but cold going through his body.

Dialga and the other Legendary Pokémon roared out in distaste. All of them were beyond angry. Rayquaza unleashed a Dragon Pulse, and Dialga did not waste a single second with his ultimate attack, Roar of Time. Both attacks charged, Dialga's membranes expanding and the diamond on his chest glowing. The Temporal Pokémon assaulted with a monstrous beam that was Roar of Time. All of the energy went pouring through the atmosphere, coupled with Rayquaza unleashing a supportive Dragon Pulse that ran alongside Roar of Time.

With all the dark energy Giratina had for now severely diminished, the renegade was left wide open. His eyes went wide as he was engulfed in a bright explosion. A pillar of rainbow energy shot up, shockwaves splattering throughout the entire atmosphere. Everyone who was there got down as the howling shockwaves traveled over them.

They traveled across all of Sinnoh's dark skies, blue energy rippling as the bolts setting everything ablaze stopped; even more shocking was how they dissipated. The darkness in the sky had begun to turn to a dark gray color, and all ancient residence within catacombs and ruins looked up, the sensation of fear starting to diminish somehow.

The smoke and dust diminished, revealing shattered ground and Giratina lying on the ground, groaning weakly. He was unable to respond, leaving him wide open as Palkia descended down onto him. The ground shuddered, and all the Legendary Pokémon got around the fallen enemy.

One of Kowalski's supporters opened his eyes, seeing the sky above starting ti thin out from the pitch-black. "It…it's stopping?"

A woman's eyes widened in shock. "Does that mean…?"

"Alright! We're alive!" Another supporter shouted. "Yeah!" Many couldn't help but cheer alongside him. They all felt so relieved to be seeing daylight again. The past few hours have been beyond scary, and yet they survived by following Kowalski into battle.

One of the supporters, however, came to a realization. "Wait! Kowalski!" Upon the notice, the many loyal followers realized that victory was not theirs to claim, as Kowalski was still on a knee, the hole in his abdominal region still bleeding profusely.

A couple supporters ran up to his side, kneeling down to assist him. "Hey. Hey! Are you okay?"

"Say something? Are you hurt?"

They weren't getting responses, rather Kowalski was just staring at the ground, his eyes small, bloodshot, and he was shuddering violently. His breathing was like that of a ravaged animal, one that was out for blood.

Another supporter leaned in. "…sir-!"

Suddenly Kowalski grabbed the neck of the man, lunging right up and holding him there. The hero let out a howling screech as he gripped in one fell tight grip, crushing the neck and bones, letting the man drop dead like weight.

Many were shocked by the horrific scene. They all scooted back, baffled as Kowalski ended someone's life without even a beating glimpse of who it was. In the midst of the shock, another supporter was grabbed by the head and Kowalski brought him back. With one monstrous bellow, he thrust the man's head into the ground, crushing his skull into pieces.

"NOOO~!" One woman supporter shouted.

Kowalski turned towards another, howling like a monster and attacking with full might. Everyone looking in horror saw it. They saw the look on his face, and they were beyond appalled with what they bared witness too.

Kowalski's eyes were blood red, with feral slits. With sharp teeth, and an insidious pressure around him, he let out a violent, animal-like howl as he pounced on them all. "I'LL GUT YOU ALL INTO BLEEDING PIECES!"

As he terrorized his supporters, tearing them limb from limb, Giratina looked on with what little consciousness he had left, smirking weakly.

"(All of you rot beyond Hell.)"

* * *

The stale air in the atmosphere grew silent as a grace, the grim feeling despondently creeping over everyone's shoulders like a virus ready to infect them with terror. Nic and Vanessa paused, their shock even worse than Erza's. They knew about Giratina back when he was mentioned in Kalos, but never would they have expected the beastly monster to have it out for them since the dawn of time.

"What…did you just say?" Nic asked. "You're saying…"

"We're saying that our bloodthirst resonated from Giratina." Mark said.

Vanessa swallowed hard, perhaps her fifth lump in less than five minutes. She and the others recalled what happened to Lysandre when the Dark Legendaries manifested every ounce of their energy into him, and look what happened to him. He became a killer, and someone powerful enough to taint the most powerful being in the universe. Now they realize that same thing happened to their ancestor?!

"At the time, Giratina only had a small fraction of malevolence compared to the energy he had when he went to kill the universe not so long ago. It was all of the bloodthirst and negative energy he had, but with it, he shot it and Kowalski…well…" Mark trailed off, leaving the couple to go silent.

Erza looked down at the ground, her teeth gritting as the suspense could be seen clearly in her field of vision. "So it was Giratina who was responsible for making the Pularis go feral. Is there no end to such a monster?"

"It's always infinite." Laura said. "That being said, the results done to Kowalski since then were…disastrous. The negative and howling energy was so powerful, that he lost all reason. He was angry, mean, and no matter what…killed anything he could get his hands on. Almost all of his supporters were slaughtered, and he was roaring and spouting killing and ending every bleeding heart. The rage was more than a hundred Gyarados, and even they turned tail and ran when Kowalski's feral eyes glared at them. This resorted to his body unable to shut down. As you know, the human brain wears out until you can't be angry anymore, and instead you're tired, right? Well…this dark energy was snapping that part of the brain, thus he didn't eat, didn't sleep, and not for a single moment…did he calm down. He killed, and nothing else. He was so violent that all the Machamp around was no enough to suppress him. Chains weren't enough, and no amount of Sleep Powder was working. He was invincible, and there was no way for it to quell. Eventually, after a few days when his body was depleted, his anger was still never-ending, thus leaving him to spout until he bled. With his body broken, the villagers were able to suppress him in chains and rocks…until he yelled so violently and went crazy that he perished within the depths of a cave, eyes still wide and feral."

The tale sounded gory and uneasy to cope with. Craig didn't want to believe it, but the part about the negative energy influencing to infinite levels was no different from Lysandre. The man was always violent, and no one stood a chance at stopping him.

"Then, wait…" Erza questioned. "If he perished, how did he pass on his genes?"

Mark put his elbow to his knee, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. "You see? That's something that's beyond unorthodox."

"What do you mean?" Vanessa asked.

"Well you see, even while a vicious monster to the end of his days, he was violently shuddering and pulling to no end. Any human wouldn't be able to do that for so long, but what Giratina's malevolent energy did was shocking to where it goes onto no end. A few suiters took advantage of his incapacitated state, and…well…" He rolled his eyes. "Even while _that_ , howling went around."

Despite the sexual innuendo, Nic and Vanessa weren't at all amused. They remained silent as the parents continued.

"So, because of that, the Pularis bloodline pressed on, with each predecessor as violent and savage as the last. Each one was uncontrollable, and unable to be accepted in life. Everyone knew they were beyond monsters, for they would end up killing them. They were ostracized, and were chained. Many thought they should be killed, but the Pularis bloodline never died. Even though they were sought as monsters, we always had a suiter when young apparently…before the bodies give out and the brain goes dead." Laura said.

Nic looked at his parents with heavy discern. "So our anger…it truly is hereditary."

"Hereditary, yes, but there was a catch that even Giratina couldn't fathom." Mark pointed out.

"And what might that be?" Erza asked.

"Our family normally had a single offspring, just because of the…complications on our blood and negativity. But eventually, the darkness was also affected by something that even it was not called to be tamed by…time." Mark answered.

Laura continued. "Even though darkness was surfaced on us the entire time, the Pularis bloodline carried many features that Kowalski had. Underlying the darkness was still the fearless heart, those eyes…and adaptive instincts. Our bodies with each few generations began to adapt to the malevolence."

"So our minds were tainted and destroyed, but our hearts were still pure, is that what you were saying?" Nic asked.

"I'm saying that our purity was buried behind our poisoned exteriors." The mom said. "But remember what I said about adaptability. You see, after a few generations, maybe every century or so, the darkness in our bodies began to…wear down one might say. At the start, our ratio of darkness was a full 1, but after maybe one-hundred years, the ratio decreased by .01; sometimes .02 Our hearts were starting to get to the surface as time went by. By the time 25 thousand years rolled by, the ratio was around .51."

The more this dragged on, the harder it was for Nic and Vanessa to comprehend. Yes, they were baffled for a lack of better word. How do you cope realizing that your long-dead ancestor 50 thousand years ago was turned savage like Lysandre? And to make matters all the more insulting, that was hereditary. Nic and Vanessa didn't _want_ to fathom it, but they couldn't explain otherwise how their eyes turned feral red and their minds shutdown with rage.

Laura pressed on with the talk. "Eventually, as the hundreds of years went on, the rage and bloodlust began to settle, the ratio getting lower and lower with the few generations that are produced."

"Remember what we said, our bloodline was a thin thread, so if you're expecting others to be like you somewhere else, be glad there aren't." Mark noted.

"So…then what happened?" Vanessa asked.

"Then, after that, things began to settle…to a degree that is." Laura said. "The genetics mixed with the deterring lust for destruction began to unbalance the power, eventually with the heinous power being so weak that it's an above-average anger point. Then, it dwelled to a moderate anger, and then the ratio went lower, and lower, until we integrated into society once more. We were accepted, our origins long since buried and turned to dust." She turned towards Mark, passing along a small grin. "Our generation 50 thousand years later, we have a percentage of .03."

"So we have only 3% of what raw lust for destruction and untamed prowess had?" Nic's eyes widened at the realization.

Vanessa began to look a little worried. "Then, what happened…?"

That's when Mark and Laura both frowned heavily, the tale of not so long ago beginning to unfold in their minds. They look back towards their shocked offspring, ready to spill more insanity. "By the time your grandparents married, it was the father who inherited the rage gene, but was otherwise a very passionate man. He was devoted and loving to us and your grandmother. His ratio upon birth had depleted to .03, which was passed down to me." The mother said. "And…someone else."

Nic raised a brow. "Someone else…?"

* * *

Approximately 25 years ago, this was the tale of how and what made the difference for Mark and Laura, the grandparents, and the last mentioned.

It was a placid day; sunny, warm, and very nice out. You could sleep out in the sun…provided you had sunscreen or a Pokémon with Chlorophyll block you. Wingull sailed high overhead along Route 8, catching a very nice breeze along the cliffs.

Down on the white sandy beaches that went on for miles, the Dwebble scuttled about, finding nice spots to rest and hide back in their shells or sleep. The oceanic waters flourished as a few Shellder were seen flying out of the water, only to fall back in. It was this beautiful scenery that Laura and Mark loved, almost as much as they loved each other one might say.

Laura adjusted so that her head leaned against Mark's shoulder, smiling as the nice air blew past them. "It's so wonderful." She said.

"Yeah." Mark pulled her close, holding her by the waist, the two romantically watching two Luvdisc joyfully leaping out of the water.

"Mark, sweetie! Look!" Laura pointed at the two Water-types.

Mark's grin widened. "You don't see that every day."

This was Mark and Laura, years ago. This was a week after the two had already gotten wed to the another. They were no younger than maybe 22 it seemed. The two had just got a house in Vaniville Town, and now, they were enjoying their lustrous honeymoon. Back in these times, they had much better figures to go by. Both were happy, healthy, young adults. Mark's short black hair was much thicker, and his body was toned with a healthy physique. He wasn't pale, and he had a kempt disposition with his small goatee. Laura was a woman that many men would've craved for. She not only had the smile of pink lipstick, but her figure was sublime. She had more than a couple good curves, back when her body was ripe for the taking. With her face as healthy as could be, her blonde hair was wavy, and very silky.

As the new couple were making the best of their time together, Laura's mom and dad were making do with what they provided.

The mom was proudly sitting on a flat rock, watching as her daughter was enjoying her time with the man she ever so learned to come to love. This was Nic and Vanessa's grandma, so long ago. Cierra Pularis, a gentle woman, who had knowledge beyond her years. She had blonde hair, but was slightly dimmer than her own daughter's. Her brown eyes and glossy lips reflected every beam of light. She, like her daughter, had a casual and comfy dress.

She had a hand to her jaw, smiling warmly. "To be young and in love…" She looked over towards her husband, Laura's father. This was Terrence Pularis, a healthy adult male. He had thin dark blonde hair as well, his blue eyes having a similar color to that of the sky. He had a healthy complexion for someone his age. A simple blue jeans and green shirt was what characterized him. Cierra smiled warmly to the man that was her age, which was rather old.

He was on a miniature grill he brought along, the steaks and meat sizzling to a cooked degree. He grinned all the way and noticed his wife staring at him. "Yes, dear?" He asked.

Cierra looked away. "Nothing, just…happy."

Terrence looked away from her and cascaded his attention towards his daughter and new son-in law. He had to admit that he was exceptionally leery of Terrence when he was introduced, but in the end, it all worked out. "…me too."

Unfortunately, the large explosion of shattering rock in the distance was what broke the uneasy tranquility. Dust bloated and caught the attention of both married couples.

"What was that?" Laura asked. "A battle?"

Mark sat upright, looking over towards the sand in the distance. "I think it's him again."

"Oh brother."

The explosion settled, revealing a wild Dwebble that was struggling to stand. Its opponent was a Gengar, smirking wildly at it. "(Heh, heh!)"

His Trainer had dark hair, which was kept spiky and slicked back, if not deemed wild. He was older than Luana it seems, but younger than the parents. He had a good physique; fit enough to run laps if given motivation, otherwise he looked sloppy with a simple brown shirt and gray cargo pants. By no means was he all that attractive, especially with his stubble so thick. He had a Mega Ring it seems as well, which was attached to his leather arm gauntlet.

The Trainer roared with a laughter most unpleasant, one that one could describe as deranged. This unnerved the Dwebble, but Gengar didn't seem to mind. "Now, what to use next?" He rhetorically questioned with a big smirk. He put a hand to his chin. "Hmmmm, how's about…another **Shadow Punch!** "

Gengar followed the command and his fist was compromised within dark shadows shaped by a purple aura outlining the large fist. Gengar punched forward, firing the fist as it expanded and stretched out towards Dwebble. The Ghost-type attack sped across the sand, reaching Dwebble's rock shell, sending the Bug and Rock-type flying backwards. The little Pokémon landed on its little claws and slid back, sliding back with a few bruises sustained. It shook itself back to reality, glaring at the Trainer.

"Hohohohoho…" The Trainer chuckled to himself as he rubbed his fingers together, grinning. "Easy Exp." He adjusted his posture, ready to commence yet another attack. "Now, let's finish this off with-!"

"Vince!" Terrence called out.

"Vince, get over here!" Cierra shouted.

The 25-year-old, revealing himself to be Vince, raised a brow and turned away. "What?!" He called back. "What now? Can't you see we're-OOF!" Vince was cut off when he felt a heavy force hit his side like a car. The impact of his own Gengar to his side left both yelling out as they slid in the sand, leaving Gengar and Vince alike groaning. The two were so incapacitated and dazed that they didn't realize where the blow came from it seems.

Dwebble landed on the ground after its Feint Attack landed a successful shot on Gengar. That was just the distraction Dwebble needed before it scuttled off, blending into the rocks of the terrain to recover.

Vince opened his eyes alongside Gengar, both human and Pokémon frowning and looking despondently at the rolling sky above.

"Probably should've seen that coming." Vince despondently figured.

"(Yeah.)" Gengar said.

"Okay, upsy-daisy!" Vince scrambled back to his feet, his Gengar managing to use his Levitate Ability and float like a butterfly gently overhead, giving Vince a relief. The man stood up and shook and brushed the sand off his pants, thus leaving him decent enough to get back to the issue at hand. With an irritated look, he sharply turned back towards the group in the distance. "Look at what you did! You let it get away!" He retorted.

"Vince, we told you to _not_ train while we're on our honeymoon!" Laura scolded. "What does it take for you to just sit down?"

Vince rolled his eyes. "Sorry, sis." He grumbled.

"You tried to battle on purpose, didn't you?" Cierra asked.

"It's not like it's against any rules." Vince blabbed aloud.

"Vince!" Terrence scolded. "Don't you dare say you're still recovering from yesterday's lost against that Trainer's Beedrill."

"Oh, shut up, Dad! Like you're one to talk!" The offspring retorted. Although he was right, he lost bad to an experienced Trainer who knew how to command his Beedrill. The fact that it knew Agility and Assurance really didn't help in his case either. "You wouldn't know since you haven't commanded a Pokémon in your entire stinkin life."

"Hey!" Cierra yelled. "That's enough!" She looked back towards her husband. "Both of you."

The dad looked at Vince, with Vince returning his own.

"Look, I admit that yesterday may or may not have been the best for you. But losing once doesn't mean you can make a fuss."

Mark looked over his shoulder. "Actually, that was his fifth time in a row."

"Not helping." Cierra scolded her ne son-in-law, to which he whipped his head back forward. She groaned and turned back towards Vince. "Look, Vince, the point is, that even though you've been stressing, I think it would be very pleasing to us and your sister if you could lighten up for the time being."

"What?" Vince questioned, not following.

Laura began an interjection. "I think what Mom is trying to say is…if you can't settle down and let these losses drift for her or Dad, then could you at least do it for me? Please? It's a family honeymoon." She looked back towards Mark, who reciprocated a smile of satisfaction. The wedded pair seemed to feel the atmosphere lightening up once more. Laura looked back to Vince with a plea in her eyes.

"Please?"

Vince had crossed arms and looked ill-willed. He stared at his mother and father with defiance, but when he looked towards his sister, she looked sad. That's the ultimate kicker for him. The longer he looked at the expectant and plea from her, the greater the guilt trip he's been receiving. He's hated lectures, and has been that way since he was born. In all honesty, he was never a good listener, but another honest fact was that he never meant harm; that meant he never wanted to cause Laura trouble. And this was a special time for her, and that meant making another sacrifice for the younger of the two. Finally, he relented and looked down. "Fine." He pouted. "Come on, Gengar. Let's go…" He hesitated to find something 'relaxing' to think of. "…lay in the sun or something."

Gengar frowned, but understood the situation. Whatever Vince said goes, but he never wanted to cause any trouble either…to a degree.

Cierra smiled. "That's better. Now, why don't you help cook with your father?" She suggested.

Terrence's grin returned. "Come on, Vince, these burgers aren't gonna fry themselves ya know!"

Vince rolled his eyes as he walked on over, with Gengar in tow. "Yes, Dad." He groaned.

* * *

Nic and Vanessa were caught speechless for the umpteenth time now. What could they possibly say? What was there to say? First, there was Giratina, then there was their tainted bloodline, and now one of the toppling predicaments overall. And this one was perhaps the most crucial blow of them all.

"Y-you mean…you had a brother?" Vanessa managed to say.

Nic's eyes widened further. "We…"

"That's right." Laura said calmly. "You had an uncle."

The whole world stopped revolving and all sense of time transcended into lightyears. It took forever, and forever took eternity, and the sand hourglass shook up and down in Nic and Vanessa's conscience. Which way was up? Which hand was their right or left? What have they been missing this whole time. Nic looked down at the ground, a bead of sweat dripping from his chin to the ground. He was mentally slow at processing.

"Giratina tainted us…the darkness deterred to less than 3%...and now…" His eyes widened incredulously, the realization. "We have an uncle…"

Erza looked towards Nic with worry. "Nic…"

"What the hell is this?! Is this some idea of a joke?!" Nic snapped, standing up on his feet. His fists were clutched tightly. One could very well see the veins coming out of his body. His teeth gritted, skepticism at a peak. "You mean to tell Vanessa and I we had an uncle, who we never knew existed, and yet you say like it's some kind of farce!" He pressed forward, growling at his mom and dad. "I heard it before. Vanessa asked the same question when she was little. 'Did we have any relatives other than Grandma and Grandpa?' And what did you say?!"

" _I'm sorry, Vanessa, sweetie…but it's just us. No aunts. No uncles."_

"That's been drilled into me clearly, and now you're saying that was a lie all this time?"

Mark opposed his son with a glare, sitting down while his offspring was emitting hostility. "And why did you think we lied? Huh?" He barked back. "If we told the truth, then what? You'd go find him? You know there's a good reason why we never told you of Uncle Vince, and you're smart enough to know that if you cut us off from here, you'll be denying the truth."

Nic was too skeptical, but a part of him knew that his supposed-deceased Dad was right. Knowing there was an unknown relative was one thing, but he had to tread lightly if wanted to know why Vince wasn't brought up beforehand. With a steadily gaze, Nic relinquished any ill-will and sat back down. Calmly.

Vanessa was still shaken, but she seemed to be fine. "So this…Vince…was our Uncle, and your brother…?" She asked.

Mark hunched over, relaxing elbows against thighs. "Yeah, my brother-in-law."

Nic straightened his posture, managing to come around with solid sentences. "So what kind of a man was he? He sounded brash."

Laura raised a brow. "Takes one to know one."

Nic's eyes widened a little.

"Vincent was my brother, yes, but in all sense…he was much like you, Nic. You yourself has so much in common with him that it was almost frightening." Laura paused to see the nervous look on Nic's face, as it was priceless. She couldn't help but grin. "Vince was born a few years before me. He was 25 when I got wed to Mark at 22. Even as a small child, he was…uncontrollable. He did as he wanted, always put up a rebellion against your Grandma and Grandpa. He was stubborn, rude, and had no respect for authority."

"Sounds like stubborn and rebellious fits Nic perfectly." Erza commented. That only served to fluster Nic.

"But behind his rebellious nature, he did take priority in family. He always treated me as his 'biggest responsibility' as they would say. If I was picked on in the nearby playground, he'd always chase off the bullies. It was always such a tormenting approach, but it showed that even though he hated being told by authorities otherwise, he'd stick his neck out for me."

Vanessa turned towards Nic, another small grin coming across her face. _'Sounds like Nic to me.'_

Laura lost her grin. "But there was another trait that Vince had. One that separated him from all of us together. Two traits when you think about it." She looked back towards Mark, seeing his own expectant stare. After looking at him, she looked back at Nic and Vanessa and Erza. They all shared the same awe. "What separated him was the first trait. He was the first Pularis to return to Pokémon Training."

Nic and Vanessa's eyes widened in surprise.

"Ever since the incident thousands of years back, the Pularis bloodline fell apart from Pokémon. Millions of us through 50 thousand years…and Vince broke that chain."

Mark began to snicker loudly. "Man, was he a riot!" He laughed.

Laura, however, groaned. "Right…anyways, yeah. His skills were…fair. He didn't stink, but he wasn't good either. He found and befriended a Ghastly when he was 15. Since then, he's been training and doing battles. Safe to say he didn't know what he was doing almost the entire time. It took hours upon frustration and torment, but they ended up as a team. Vince wasn't a bully, no, he cared for it. He didn't like the losing part, but he and Ghastly were fast learners. Still he would lose battle…and almost win others."

"I'd rather not say this, but to put it bluntly, he stunk." Mark said. "But you know what, no matter how many times he lost, no matter how many times he got beat in the dirt, he never stayed down. He always got back up. You can push him down a thousand times, and he picks himself up a thousand and one."

"He was a trier." Laura said. "Despite knowing he wasn't good, that didn't weigh him down. He never gave up. He kept battling and losing and trying again, over and over. He pushed beyond limits, something we didn't think was possible."

The more Nic was told about his uncle, the more his interest began to grow. At first, the few traits were feeling like coincidence, but the more Laura and Mark commented on his authoritative issue, rebellious, stubborn, and the nature to keep going despite hopelessness, even felt more than a little shocked by the resemblance. It sounded like they were talking about him in person.

However, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Then, what happened to him…?"

The talk about the failure-trier was done, and the duo of Laura grimly looked down.

"You wanna know how we know this spell." Mark said. "It's far more complicated than you'd think. This is really the second time we had to deal with this spell." He looked back up towards the trio, seeing them at attention. "At the exact same time we were at that precise location, two paramount factors were occurring. The first was on Earth Land, here. In this general area, there was a war, and this was the resurrection of an askew attempt at Impure Underworld used before." Even with uprising shock, he dared not stop for questions. "And the second primary fact, was that there was another violent between Dialga and Palkia. You can say that from that point on, the coincidence was too good to be true."

* * *

At the time on Earth Land, there was chaos and strife in the isle hills. The concept of the great Black Wizard Zeref was all that spread throughout the land. Many sought him as a god who had become man, punishing those who ever deceive his own aberrations. And so, many who decided the best course of following Zeref forged together, making themselves dedicated in making a land fit for the ruler.

Armies were mobilized, and already towns were slaughtered. Blood rituals required sacrifices. Any means of humanity was discarded when it came to appreciating Zeref's ambition. Eventually, the armies dedicated to Zeref converged to the unkempt isles, where they were met with a little rebellion from nearby forces.

"Attack!"

"Kill them all!"

"Stop them once and for all!"

Enough numbers with any sense of sanity came to fruition and waged warfare in that territory. The battle was graphic one might say, with so many defending their own beliefs and so many more dying because of them. It all transpired all around the isle's caverns, in halls and chambers alike. In a very large chamber, beyond clandestine means, there was a large group, maybe half a hundred if not double. Each person was stationed where they were supposed to be, which was in small circles around thousands upon thousands of incantations carved into the ground.

In the center of the group, there was a tall man with black hair. It was comely clicked back, his dark narrow vision giving him a charismatic appeal underneath his white robe. The man looked all around, seeing all the preparations are set.

"Is everyone ready?" He asked.

Rather than verbal answers, many looked at the ground, while others nodded. They were all adorned in white robes, men and women alike. All were prepared for the sacrifice to be made.

He grinned. "Very well then."

"Brother!"

The man turned his gaze towards he who was stepping over the incantations, marching on over towards the ringleader. This man charged with shoulder-length golden blonde hair, which was surprisingly wavy and had bangs equally as wavy. He looked to be in the mid-40 range, but his facial hair was kempt and gave him a mature and god-like disposition. He had an armored vest that covered only his upper body, and not the shoulders. With shoulders and triceps bare, he had on brown leather bandages around his arms. He had a waistguard, held by a leather strap over his white baggy pants and brown boots.

The man confronted the leader, leering wearily. "Brother, what is this madness?"

"Hiruzen, I thought I told you." He said.

"Alpha…" His eyes narrowed. "What is it that you are really doing? You told me that you have found a way to end the battle."

"Yes, I did."

"But you never told me what this taboo is!" Hiruzen shouted. "I thought we had weapons; magic to gain a hand!"

"This is magic." Alpha pointed out. "Brother, what you see before you is preparations for the spell that I have been dedicating myself to for my entire life. This was the ultimate ancient spell that we shall bring to life once more."

Hiruzen grabbed Alpha's shoulder. "By sacrifices? Brother…"

"You have made this decision to sacrifice whatever means you have when you joined this brother and sisterhood. You understand, don't you? I'm doing this to prove that the might of Zeref cannot trump us."

"But you're making the dead rise!" Hiruzen stammered.

Alpha raised a brow, a stiff moment of silence passing overhead. "…and what would be your point? They're dead."

Hiruzen's eyes widened.

"It matters not, because the dead cannot be harmed. This spell was forgotten, yes, but only because the weak-hearted could not survive. But I am not them. If I do not survive, then that means nothing has been accomplished. Zeref will remain in power."

Hiruzen began to slowly step back, his shock overtaking his pint of view. "You say you want to beat Zeref with this spell…but you, you're no better than him."

"Sacrifices are meant to happen." Alpha turned away, his feet in the ready position. "Now, if you excuse me, I have an army to lead."

Hiruzen had morals, but alas, Alpha, the head of the brotherhood, what has he been doing all this time? Was the brotherhood only forged to make this one spell work? It's old, forgotten, and who knows what'll happen with Alpha trying to use it. Unwanted, and refusing to sacrifice his own righteousness, Hiruzen began to retreat.

"It dare not work! Farewell to you!" With that, Hiruzen escaped to the nearest corridor, making way down the candlelit hall.

Alpha dared not look back at him. "So be it. Let's begin."

Everyone reached into their sleeves, pulling out knives. Slowly, they left weak and little cuts in the palms of their hands. The single drops of blood ran down their hands, dripping into lettering random lettering. Alpha closed his eyes, beginn9ng the ritual.

"Sklu bah, sko rabneh ke ah. By alla, kenster y ellaby nos for ay." (At night, the rampage will burn. In day, sun will cease to exist.) "Sklu bah! Jesreket forla gin! Die rin! (At night! Dawn shall perish! Heaven falls!) The blood on Alpha was the last to drip and hit a dead letter. At that instant, all the other letters had begun responding to the chant, the lettering beginning to glow a feint pink. Alpha's face began to intensify with his eyes sharpening.

The pink glow had begun to pour into a blood red. Static ran through the letters and shot up like a Discharge. The ground picked up in a whirlwind, a maelstrom that engulfed everyone around Alpha in a blood red vortex. Alpha ignored the screams and agonizing wails of his colleagues and pressed on with the spell.

"Now! Zeref shall fall! He dare not live to bear witness to a new era! **Impure Underworld-!** "

Suddenly, static began to discharge violently, almost blasting him on his side. Startled, the mage turned around, looked to see that he was encompassed in a cyclone of blood red. "Wait! No! It's too unstable! Did I do something wrong?! That can't be!"

Finally, the vortex went nuclear. No pillars of blood red shot around, but a violent explosion of sheer blood red. The howling shockwaves and catastrophic raw energy was like a supernova one might say. It traveled and obliterated walls, beaming all throughout the hills, where the fighting men on both sides stopped and screamed in sheer terror as they were engulfed in the annihilation wave.

Hiruzen looked over his shoulder, feeling a maleficent force. He couldn't help but feel his own spine shudder. "Alpha…"

…

Within the confines of time and space, there was nothing. This was a place far beyond the reaches of anyone; beyond clouds, beyond particles, beyond imagination. This was known as Space-Time Rift, a reality that defies all imagination. An alien world that spread to reaches unheard of.

The rift was black and gray, where nothing but the constant lightning flashed from particles colliding into one another. As lightning flashed, two sets of glowing yellow eyes belonged to two horrific monsters, their black silhouettes flashing their true images when lightning bolted, revealing the dwellers and supreme masters of time and space. This was Dialga and Palkia.

It was another violent clash, a collision between them, their own individual rifts having met once more. With Arceus not attending them, it seemed like destiny that they collide again. Pink and blue auras transcended throughout the domain as both Pokémon were glaring at one another.

Palkia let out a violent roar through the space, sending harsh waves all around. Dialga followed, sending a hostile roar that transcended time. Both entities glared coldly at one another, scowling as to intimidate the other, only to realize that the other refused to back away. This led to what Arceus warned them only a few times…violence.

Both ancient deities rammed into the other without a nee otherwise. They collided head on, making pink and blue shockwaves travel on opposite sides, two forces that countered the other. Both recoiled and shifted backwards, making the two colorful flashes in the norm fade. Going on the special offense for their struggle, they decided to attack there. Palkia's pearls on his shoulder began to glow, transcending power into his claws as he launched an Aura Sphere. The pink sphere traveled through the norm, making contact and engulfing Dialga in an explosion of pink energy. The howling of the Temporal Pokémon was clouded by the bright flare as it faded, but he nevertheless sustained injury. The explosion faded, leaving Dialga to falter backwards.

Using this opportunity, Palkia didn't let up as he charged right for Dialga within the darkness. He met him head on, tackling the Steel and Dragon colossus and making him go flying back. Dialga again howled in agony as he was being shoved, but Palkia wasn't letting up.

With the close proximity between, however, Dialga found his right claw mobile still. Reeling it back, it was cloaked in Dragon Claw. The attack struck the unexpected Palkia from the side, slashing and making s volatile blue explosion that made smoke bellow. Palkia faltered backwards, losing momentum.

With extra room, Dialga roared for the umpteenth time and opened his mouth, gathering light and hurriedly unleashed it as his Flash Cannon. The Steel-Type move made a direct hit, hitting Palkia's side and enveloping him in another explosive scenario. The bright flash that was Flash Cannon spread all across the rift. Sending immense silver flares around.

When it all cleared out, Palkia turned back towards Dialga, wings spread and looking like nothing worked. He didn't even have a scratch; likewise for Dialga.

Both draconic forces either opened their mouth or put their hands together, resonating charging energy from light particles or from spheres. In less than a second, Dialga and Palkia fired Flash Cannon and Aura Sphere, meeting in the middle again, where the umpteenth unstable eruption of power began to fluctuate. The energy around them intensified to drastic measures, which erupted into more abundant lightning flashes within the vicinity.

As the energy dissipated, Dialga and Palkia glared at one another, their bright eyes showing and manipulating immeasurable strength. The deities were monstrous with whatever force they had; time and space was infinite, and thus they could use it however they pleased. The clashing dared not back down. Dialga's chest diamond glowed, an energy that transcended the confines of times into power. The membrane on his back was engulfed in a blue aura and energy swirled and surged into his mouth. Palkia's pearls glowed a bright pink, gathering spatial particles and unleashing stabilized pink energy from the armor on his arms. Dialga reeled his head back, while Palkia brought his right arm back.

"(DIALGA!)"

"(PALKIA!)"

Roar of Time was launched at the same time Spatial Rend was. The two attacks sailed toward one another, colliding in the middle. The shockwaves of the most powerful moves that could transcend time and space sent massive waves that could splice apart an entire sea and split the sky altogether.

Millions upon millions of Unown in the dimension scattered and were blown away as the particles and shockwaves continued to spread.

…

"Alright, that should do it." Terrence stood up and wiped away the bead of sweat starting to form on his forehead. He had just finished setting up the table and looked towards the small makeshift grill. "Alright, Vince, how do they look?"

Vince flipped another patty over, grinning in delight as he took a whiff of the sizzling meat. "Smells good enough to me!"

The father turned and nodded, then looked back at Laura and Mark. "Alright guys, lunch is ready!"

Mark just received the frisbee from Laura, who was fifty feet away. They've been throwing it back and forth for almost fifteen minutes now. With a little exercise in their day done, everyone began to converge on towards the makeshift table Laura and Vince's dad lugged all the way from the car. With chairs set, everyone sat down with their burgers being made.

"Smells pretty good." Laura commented.

"I do fancy a good burger." Vince beamed.

"Gotta say, these look pretty damn good." Mark smiled.

Cierra raised her plastic cup, coincidentally having pink lemonade inside. She smiled as she raised her arm. "I would like to say something. Now I know we all may not be the brightest, nor are we the smartest, but I can say that beyond my years, I can't be anymore proud of my baby girl finally taking a leap of faith into a new and happy light." Cierra looked towards Vince. "Vince, I'm honestly proud of how proud of a brother you've become. I am so glad to see that you were willing to accept Mark as a brother." She turned towards Mark next, her smile wider. "And Mark, I can honestly say that I am so happy that you were someone that my baby deserved. I wanna welcome you into the family…my new son."

Mark was starting to see his mother-in-law getting misty in the eyes. He could've said something to throw a joke about, but he'd rather not ruin the moment. He smiled as Laura tenderly joined his hand underneath the table, their fingers beginning to interlock slowly.

"And so…"

Before Cierra could finish her toast, the air in the atmosphere had suddenly changed. The calm breeze stopped, like a wall had been placed there, sucking up pressure from all around. Cierra was unable to finish when the odd sensation began to stir sand around, like some form of ghost was snooping around. The temperature around dropped, and all sense of time began to alter.

Terrence looked around wearily. "Do you guys feel that?"

"Yeah." Laura said.

"I don't know what it is, but it's making the breeze stop." Mark noted. He then looked at Vince. "Vince…?"

Vince looked back at him, realizing he was becoming the center of attention. "Hey, come on! Label me the party-pooper, but I'm not doing this!"

"Where's that Gengar?" Terrence asked.

Vince furrowed his brow and lifted up Gengar's Poke Ball. "Right here."

A little shocked, Laura began searching about. "So if you're not the culprit, then who is?"

The family suddenly saw the actual space above them starting to distort above them. The sky, clouds, and cliffs all began to actually turn and twist, like alterations were being made.

"The sky!" Vince shouted, shooting up from his seat. "What the heck?!"

"Is that distortion?" Mark wondered.

Laura's eyes narrowed. "What's going on…?"

Suddenly, the bending of the sky went so far that directly above them, a tear in the confines of space was seen. There was sparkling pink and blue particles that began to rain out of the bright white portal, followed by a shockwave of powerful winds. The family covered up, screaming as the winds made hair flare, and the burgers all went flying. The grill toppled over, clanging against the sand. No one was prepared as the shockwaves were so powerful that they couldn't move. They honestly felt like they were gonna fall backwards.

"Mark!" Laura shouted, holding onto her husband.

"Laura, hand onto me!" Mark held her tight, embracing her and daring to not let go.

Vince's eyes widened as he looked up, seeing the bright light expanding. "Oh crap…!"

The light blinded everyone, making their screams fade away along with them. The bright flash faded after a long agonizing minute, revealing the table turned over, the seats all fallen over.

The tear faded away, repaired, but leaving something out of place.

* * *

Vince was seen lying down, eyes shut and seemingly unconscious. "Mmmm…" His moan of anguish was weak, but it meant he was coming around. He turned towards his side, feeling his 'mattress' to be on the lumpy side. "I gotta get a new freakin mattress…" He groaned again, turning his head to the side. "Dumb Whiscash…"

Laura knelt to him, nudging her brother frantically. "Vince? Vince? Vince!" She shouted. "Come on, please, wake up!"

Mark knelt too, padding Vince's cheek with a backhand. "Wake up!"

Vince snapped back to reality, jerking back upright. "What-?!" His eyes wide, he immediately was met with Laura and Mark. "You guys…!" His head throbbed, a major pain flaring again. "My head! It's throbbing..."

"Well it's good to see you're doing okay." Mark pointed out. He looked towards his father-in-law and mother-in-law. "Are you guys alright too?"

Terrence helped Cierra to her feet. "You okay? Can you stand."

"Yeah, I think I can manage." Cierra got to her feet, albeit with some struggle. "These old bones aren't keeping up."

Mark and Laura looked around wearily, there they checked their new surroundings. The new weds looked around, taking in their latest surroundings. It was all completely dark, the caverns completely filled with ongoing tunnels and a repulsive air. It left them all completely unimpressed, but at the same time, in a panicked state.

Laura remained close to Mark, the cavernous domain giving them immense chills. "Mark…"

"Yeah, this place gives me the creeps." Mark nodded.

"Where are we?" Cierra asked. "Dear?"

"I…I don't know." Terrence said. "I can barely remember what happened."

Mark looked down at the ground. "I think…we were having a toast…and then…"

"Something bright was over our heads." Laura pondered.

"I…I think so. Wasn't the sky bent or something?"

Vince got to his feet, putting a hand underneath his chn and cracking his neck as a means if loosening up. "I don't know what's going, and I certainly do not like it…but what I _do_ know is this: We're not dreaming."

Laura looked at her brother with worry. In a sense, he wasn't wrong, but at the same time, she prayed he was. The realm was too dreary-looking. The shock and confusion was leaving everyone in a state of craziness. Laura looked like she was gonna start panicking, but she was an adult, so she had to stomach the lack of light and try and make sense of the situation.

"Everyone, calm down." Terrence advised, getting in the center. "Please."

"What do you think we do now, Dad?" Vince asked.

"I say we analyze where we are first." Mark advised.

Vince looked at him despondently. "We're in a cave. A literal cave!"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious, for being such a _big_ help." Mark exasperated. Vince just crossed his arms and looked away without a care to the criticism.

Cierra lifted her hand, feeling a thick air. "This air is so heavy. It's a miracle we can even breathe."

"At least we have oxygen." Laura said. "But where did that portal take us? This doesn't look like Terminus Cave…could it?"

"I don't see any sign of Pokémon around. Terminus Cave should be crawling with Ariados and Sandslash. Are we in that secret place that people say is a myth?" Mark asked. "What was it again? Chamber of Emptiness?"

"Wherever we are, we need to find an exit." Terrence advise.

Laura nodded. "Alright, Dad."

Vince rolled his eyes. "Fine, let's go and play follow the leader."

"Vince." Cierra scolded.

Laura turned towards one of the ends of the dark tunnels. "Hm?" She was catching something, though it was hard to discern, she could definitely see a silhouette coming from afar. Her eyes narrowed, her guard up. "Guys, I think someone's coming this way."

"Maybe they can help us with direction." Cierra delightfully figured.

Terrence narrowed his own vision. "Let's be careful now…"

"Yeah, we don't even know where we are, or who's there." Mark said. "For all our sakes, let's hope they're willing to listen to our plea."

Vince remained on guard. He for sure was not liking where this was going. If anything, he was ready to take the initiative, but like everybody said, he had to calm down. With knees bent, he looked to be reaching for a Poke Ball. He reached it just as the figure came into view. To his – and his family's – shock, the reveal of the warrior-like man was as paramount as the man's own shock, seeing the faces of the unknown norm that revealed the five faces of oddly-clothed humans.

The man, little their knowledge, was Hiruzen, who was badly scraped and bruised, but otherwise sane and well. He had narrow eyes, discerning the intruders.

Mark was the first to act, but only saying a simple question. "Who…are you?" He asked.

* * *

 **Surprise! How was this for a shocker? So here's part I of the Pularis history. I WAS gonna try and manage to squeeze the full history into two consecutive chapters, but after overviewing my plans and how I've established the history – add in my detailed style of writing – I really have no other choice than to make the Pularis history into three chapters rather than two. This is a pain for me, but I'd rather not scorn over making a fuss over really long chapters again, at least for the time being.**

 **I am gonna try and start part II tonight, but as usual, I might (and probably will) digress considerably. I might barely get 1K in because the only other thing I do besides work is play Pokémon Y, and I'm excessive on link battles at times, so that drains up my brain power. Although, I am open to battles if you ask, but I don't use Legendary Pokémon on my team, so keep that in mind.**

 **Here's a random fact for the day, I like Poison-types. You all are shocked beyond comprehension now.**

 **So as always, drop a review and share your thoughts on this chapter. I'll try and make the next two as quick as I can, so for now, review and hope you enjoyed!**


	33. Pularis II: What A Loser Can Do

"We didn't know at the time, but we ended up in Earth Land." Laura continued. "When that Impure Underworld Spell's negative energy was unleashed, it happened at the exact same time Dialga and Palkia's powers collided. Those two forces emitted some form of a distortion, and that resulted in a short window that we crossed over."

* * *

"Halt!" Hiruzen was on guard, wearily glaring at the group of five trespassers. Sheathing the elongated sword by his side, he pointed the tip at Vince. "Identify yourselves at once." He took not a step further out of intuition, unaware of the predicament that was rolling about. However, his threats were catching the Pularis family off guard, given not only his stature, but as well as his command.

Vince, however, was not one to take authority well. "That depends, who wants to know?" He asked in return.

"Vince!" His father retorted.

"You dare retort back. You must have guts to squander this territory." Hiruzen taunted accusingly.

Vince raised a brow. "Squander? This isn't the time of knights, you know. And if I were a knight, I'd sure not serve under the same king."

"Vince, stop encouraging him." Mark insisted.

Hiruzen raised his blade to Vince's neck. "I serve but none that is a king. What in the name of Earth Land gives you command over myself, young one?"

Laura looked perplexed. "Uh…Earth…Land?" She reiterated.

Mark put a hand to his pocket. "I think he's got his English mixed up, because I know for a fact that we don't live on Earth Land. It's Earth…right?" He looked towards Laura for clarification, but all his new wife did was shrug.

Vince cocked his head to the side. "You must really love to hear yourself talk in that funny manner. Because you're just as incoherent as Pokémon talking to this guy's ears." He pointed a thumb to himself for identification.

Hiruzen quizzically narrowed his eyes. "Pokémon? What magic is that?"

"Uh, magic?" Terrence asked. To intervene further, he had no choice but to step forward. His wife wanted to dissuade him, but he already began to advance forward. "Uh, sir?"

"Hm? What do you want?"

"I'm sorry to have intervene, but out of wonder, do you happen to know where we are?" Terrence asked.

Hiruzen was taken back by the man's question, as if it were common knowledge. "We are in the northeastern hills of Fiore's coastline. Just bordering Seven." He answered.

"Bosco? Fiore?" Vince turned towards the others. "Are those other Pokémon regions?"

"You seem as perplexed as I am it seems." Hiruzen finally lowered his sword, allowing his guard to withdraw. "You speak as though you are not familiar with our customs. Are you not aware of my Magic Power even? Does that not intimidate you? And what is it with these things that you call Pokémon?"

Vince put a hand to his hip. "Unless your Ability was Intimidate otherwise. And what's this 'Magic Power'?"

Terrence looked at his equally confused foe's facial expression. It was clear both were at a loss for words. Thankfully, they managed to pick up pieces to realize both were puzzled about their diverged knowledge. "I believe we have things that we may need to share." Terrence advised.

Hiruzen sheathed his blade, making it clang in his pocket. "Agreed."

* * *

Mark looked at Nic, Vanessa, and Erza as they were all stocked to the brim with surmounting surprise. "That's when we encountered Hiruzen. At the time, it was chaos and strife. Were we to trust him? What was gonna happen? So many questions with so little answers. If it were up to Vince, he would've battled his problems out using Gengar, but luckily our Dad was able to…persuade more plausible methods. Eventually, we came to an understanding, no matter how shocking it was."

* * *

Hiruzen's eyes widened. "So, if I can understand, these 'Pokémon' creatures, they have magical powers and abilities that all differentiate? And they manifest in shapes and forms of various kinds?" He repeated. "Why, have I not heard of such a twisted belief."

"You're no different either." Mark said.

Laura stared down at the dark cavern floors. "This world is called Earth Land, and people use magic like spells…how?" She finally asked. "Magic Power? I'm just confused. What am I supposed to believe here?"

"I'd rather not accuse the same for you. I could mistake you all for psychopaths sent here as clueless spies." He put a hand to his chin. "Yet your eyes all say something about you that say you are innocent."

"You prefer proof?" Cierra asked.

"Be my guest."

Laura nudged her older brother by the elbow. "Vince." She cued.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Geez." He got up from the rocky wall he sat against and reached into his pocket. He pulled out his Poke Ball, the capsule grasping Hiruzen's attention. Watching with discern, Vince tossed the Poke Ball up. "Alright Gengar, say hello!"

The capsule opened, releasing an energy that poured down and manifested into Gengar. The Ghost and Poison-type chuckled as he came out, the appearance of a Pokémon shocking Hiruzen so much that he scrambled to his feet out of instinctive caution.

"What sorcery is this?!" He exclaimed. " _This_ is but one of hundreds of these magical creatures?"

Vince shrugged, like it was no big deal. "Yeah, pretty much." He lethargically spoke.

Hiruzen slowly maneuvered around the smirking Gengar, looking ever so shocked. "I have never seen such a creature in my life…and that device." He looked towards the Poke Ball Vince had in hand. "No matter the size, that equipment is able to store and have you carry around one for you to use for disposal? I have never seen such technology, not on Earth Land."

Laura crossed her arms, raising a brow. "Some are powerful, some can evolve, and what you would think are 'spells' are what we say are 'moves'." She leered at Vince and Gengar. "Though _some_ could use a little work."

Gengar and Vince looked back at her. "I take high offense to that." Gengar sneered. "…Vince more than me."

Although, Vince took more offense to that comment than the previous one. "Oh yeah?! Look who's talking ya…!" He broke off from there, realizing something completely awry. Eyes narrowed, his brain starting to turn. "Wait a sec…" He turned towards Gengar again, eyes widening in sheer shock, the realization hitting him harder than a Swords Dance and Double-Edge combo. "GENGAR! YOU JUST TALKED!"

Gengar looked equally as perplexed. "I did?" His eyes widened. "Hey, I did!"

Everyone – amongst the Pularis that is – was caught shocked. Was this really a dream? Was it a nightmare? How in the world could a Pokémon talk?! First, they get transported to some unknown world, then Gengar was able to speak. How could anyone cope with both situations put together? Terrence and Cierra were the only ones who seemed logically sound…externally that is. Like their offspring and son-in-law, they too were succumbing to dark prospects. The mature parents didn't like this at all. If this was a dream, shouldn't they be up by now? And what's going on? So many questions, and so little answers still.

"Y-your Gengar…did it just talk?" Laura asked shakily, her finger pointed towards Gengar for clarification.

"Was it always able to talk?" Mark exclaimed.

Vince looked at him wearily, but at the same time, with angst. "How should I know?! Do I look like a miracle worker to you?!" He yelled.

Mark looked back towards Gengar, looking at him discerningly. He pointed an accusing finger at the Shadow Pokémon. "You! Say something else!"

Gengar blinked. "Uh, okay? Your breath smells worse than a horde of Stunky on a rainy day." He couldn't help but laugh aloud at the tease he threw at Mark. Careful what you ask for, that's where Gengar pushes that line.

Mark despondently sulked, while Vince laughed at Gengar's insult. Laura herself couldn't help but chuckle. "You know, I liked it better when you could _not_ talk." He said.

Cierra, however, did not seem amused. "This isn't the time for jokes. We have more important matters to attend to." She motherly scolded, though in a more commanding tone due to stressful circumstances.

"Your mother is right. Now everyone, let's try and make sense of what we have gathered." He turned towards Hiruzen. "Uh, sir…"

"Call me Hiruzen, if you may." He answered.

"Yes. Now, Hiruzen, rather than these Pokémon, you all can use actual magic, yes? So you can manipulate for and wind, like that kind of sorcery?"

Hiruzen nodded. "Yes."

"Are we sure this isn't a unison dream?" Laura asked. "I don't mean to be rude, but this all sounds so…"

"Ridiculous?" Mark finished. "Laura, I know how you feel, I really do. But don't you remember?" He faced her directly, staring inter her blue eyes. "This is really happening. Now I really don't want to believe, I really don't, but look around you. There's a cave that smells, there's this odd energy in the air, and Gengar is speaking. As much as I don't want to believe it…we have to accept." Without hesitation, he comforted his distraught wife, holding her hand with his own. "Laura, remember our wedding? Do you remember what we said?"

"Our…wedding?" Laura took a sharp pause, recollecting the wedding they had. It was small, nothing fancy, with the blue sky and the Fletchling chirping overhead; several seats filled with only a few friends and some from their school days. It wasn't much, but a small wedding was what they wanted, so no big deal. Still, the recollection was as sweet as Honey.

Mark nodded. "Yes. We promised good or bad, we'll stick through it together. You know what time this is? This is the bad times. Laura, if there was ever a time we had to test our marriage…let it be now." He leaned in closer. "Are you with me?"

After all of that was said, it felt like the ominous air was beginning to lighten up. Even Hiruzen was perplexed by this affectionate change in the climate. Laura could feel her worries shake off. Looking at her husband, she found security, not matter how big or small. Mark made his mark on her, the two finally coinciding with a big smile on the other's face. At last, Laura nodded. "Okay." She said.

Both spouse closed in on the other, embracing the other warmly, their arms either holding the waist or the neck.

Everyone else warmed up at the sight. Even Vince felt fuzzy inside from seeing a positive relationship.

Terrence turned towards Hiruzen. "Now, I think the matter to sort here is how exactly do we find our way back home? That's my inquiry."

"Terrence is right. As much as we thank you for everything that you've done. We have to find an escape, Hiruzen." Cierra said.

"I can vouch for your predicament." Hiruzen put a hand to his chin, looking down at the leveled ground. "Still…what shocking timing."

"What's that mean?" Vince asked.

Hiruzen looked back up towards them. "My friends, this may sound peculiar, but your arrival was almost instantly after this wave went through these walls. I fear that might relate to the distortion that could in fact be correlated to your unprecedented arrival." He explained. "I could also be wrong…but I have a hunch where that might have resonated…"

"You…you do?" Laura asked in disbelief.

"What?" Mark asked.

Hiruzen looked to where he came from, dwelling in the darkness of the long tunnel. "It is my brethren. I cannot say for certain, but the spell they have attempted to use must have backfired. I could feel a corrosive and corrupted energy pass through the air. It's sick." He said.

"What spell?" Cierra inquired.

"I have a bad feeling…this Magic Power…hurry!" Hiruzen took off in the direction he came from. "There's not a moment to lose! We have to be sure!"

"Wait up!" Vince yelled, running behind. "Come on, Gengar!"

"Fine!" The Shadow Pokémon exasperated, floating in the air and following after his Trainer. Without much of a say otherwise, the other married couples followed behind, carrying themselves down the dark tunnel.

As everyone followed Hiruzen, they were beginning to take in more features around, and not just about the man leading them. The air, while stale and foul, had an energy that made them tingle all over. Fused with a stink that made their nasal cavities shudder, the ethernano in the atmosphere made their lungs get an exotic scent that lingered and went through their blood. It was much to take in of this magical land, but there was more to come, and unfortunately, they couldn't shy away.

Hiruzen saw something up ahead, an opening. "There!" He passed through the cavernous front, entering the massive chamber where the ritual was made. The mage stopped in place once he saw that the surroundings had altered. The others followed behind, they too steering to a halt.

All went wide-eyed at the drastic scene that laid waste before their gruesome gazes.

Laura looked flabbergasted. "What happened here?"

"It looks like the thing he talked about." Mark muttered. "But I never thought it'd be like _this_."

The energy in the air was at a climax, all baffled within any means of comprehension. There was no telling what will happen to their minds, even Gengar, for he also had never seen something as odd and corrosive as this. The thousands upon thousands of lettering was a dim red, but glowing and glimmering like billions of ghostly lights. Every single one of the society members laid on the ground, dead. Not a single one looked in the least bit alive.

Hiruzen's heart pounced. "Brothers! Sisters!" He ran away from his group, making it towards the nearest member, who was a female. The white robes they wore were tarnished, all their skin completely pale, borderline periwinkle, like they were buried for a few months. Upon touch when turning the dead body over, Hiruzen could feel her skin as cold as ice, but at the same time, it also stung, like clinging to shark skin. He inspected her, seeing purple veins all over her body, like some virus overtook her.

Cierra looked away, getting closer towards Terrence, paling at the sight. "Oh my goodness…"

Vince looked around, his eyes widening. "What happened here…?" He couldn't help but look at the sight; though it was gruesome, it was also odd to not look at. He was draw in by the awestruck the damage made. He and Gengar alike were both staring ahead, frowning.

At last, Vince put hands to his hips. "Looks crazy here."

"Gross…but impressive." Gengar agreed.

"What spell was this? How could it have been so disturbing?" Mark asked. He looked around, his green eyes discerning the details of the other bodies. He could feel a shiver crawl up and down his spine.

Hiruzen lifted himself promptly as he was setting the dead body back down. "Impure Underworld." He answered, there lying a hint of regret in his tone. "This spell was what you all may seek as inhumane. I am afraid it did not work out." He closed his eyes, looking away from the scene. "I told them that this was wrong!"

Laura looked away from Hiruzen's pity, noticing something in the dark shadows. "Huh…?" She slowly advanced while retaining caution, but only by a few precious feet. She looked worried as she saw a dark figure within shadows that arose from his body like fire. It looked to be a being that spelled great pain.

"What is that?" Terrence asked.

"Everyone, stay together." Cierra enforced.

Hiruzen slowly advanced, his heart rate beginning to increase as every step intensified with vivid shock. He looked a little closer, analyzing the skin cloaked in darkness. The creature was on hands and knees, panting like a savage beast. For some reason, its figure was almost the exact same as someone he knew. He couldn't be sure, but he didn't want to make any wild guesses.

He took another soft step forward, his boot slipping, kicking a soft pebble that plopped against the ground. The panting of the seemingly savage beast stopped, its head raising like it was some form of instinct. Hiruzen stopped in place, wearily remaining calm while retaining shock. Slowly, he was beginning to witness the beastly figure getting to its feet like it was possessed.

Hiruzen remained silent as he recognized the hair, and yet the skin was so white. "Brother?" He asked. He got no answer. He took another pause, slowly pressing his foot forward. He leered with a sense of anxiety. "Al-!"

The beast turned around and howled out at him, screeching a high-pitch bellow that grated ears that was worse than nails against a chalkboard. The bellowing waves echoed out, startling Hiruzen so much that he jerked back out of sheer surprise, eye wide. Everyone covered their ears as their ear drums rang with a sickening feeling. Mark, Laura, and Vince all grunted in pain as the soundwaves grated them harder than before. Gengar could feel his eyes bounce all over as the waves crashed against his sense like Rock Slide.

Once the bellowing stopped, everyone's ears uncovered, the echoing ceasing for the time being. Hiruzen uncovered, looking ahead with surmounting shock as he recognized the face and body. The robes were all tarnished, revealing blood red veins pulsing through the being before him. Nothing but blood red went through the system, every vein popping. The eyes were pitch-black, the iris being blood red and the slits going feral. The skin was a pale color – borderline dead purple – and what was sickening was that he appeared to have claws elongated from his nails. The spinal chord's bony ridges stuck out, making protruding bony spikes appear out of the back going all the way up towards the neck. The teeth of the monster were sharp; every single tooth was pointed, long, and the canines were defined so heavily that they were no different from a wolf's it seemed,

Hiruzen stepped back, his worries overcoming his judgment. "What is this madness?!"

"What is that thing?" Cierra discerned.

"Is it even human?" Terrence asked.

Mark extended his arm off to the side, cutting Laura off. "Laura, get behind me." He said. She complied.

Vince was staring at the monstrous sight. The intensity in the air was drastic, his heart rate on the rise. He never felt so much dread resonating from a supposed human being. T the same time, he couldn't help but feel impressed. "Whoa…"

"Awesome." Gengar muttered.

The feral Alpha snarled as he slowly crept his way towards Hiruzen, prompting him to step back. "Alpha, what has happened to you?" He asked.

The beast crept closer, snarling for blood.

"Brother! It is me! Dare not say you don't recognize me!"

The beastly man stopped advancing, taking his spot in the bloodied circle, where he stood from before. As he stood there, the dim red glowing lettering down beneath and all around began to respond, becoming a little brighter. As the lighting beneath intensified a little, Alpha snarled once more.

"Brother-!"

"RIP THEIR GUTS OUT AND SPILL THEIR BLOOD! BATHE IN IT AND WATCH THEIR BONES SNAP!" Alpha yelled. His yell exerted violently, roaring like a howling dragon who was hungry.

If the situation wasn't bad before, it was now. The foul air intensified with not only a pungent odor, but also the hissing of something crawling beneath them. Laura stepped back, her body beginning to crawl with an uneasy dread…worse than usual. A shocking hand-like feel gripped her ankle, causing her to scream out and nearly pounce in shock.

"Laura!" Mark shouted. He looked down, seeing the hand belonging to one of the dead members. Mark went wide-eyed, but recovered quick enough to react and stomp on the wrist, crushing it beneath and making the dead man hiss in anger. Laura was freed from her hold, caught by her father.

"Laura, are you alright?" Terrence asked.

Vince began to step back, along with his Gengar. "Uh, I don't want to spoil anything, but…" He pointed to the area ahead, seeing all the bodies beginning to move and get up. "Is it me, or are they supposed to be dead?"

Hiruzen backed away with the group, all seven starting to retreat as the pale bodies began to arise. They were all hunched over, their eyes opening. Mark and Laura felt their hearts jump several times over once they saw the elongated fangs, and the eyes were pitch-black, and the iris were blood red with feral slits. They were all drooling blood, craving it at the same time. Their purple veins grew, their eyes shrinking to where they were barely anything put small glowing blood red dots.

Cierra could feel her face growing light. "My go-!"

" **HRRWWAAHHHHHH!** " All of the dead men and women roared at them, roaring and hissing like savage animals.

Vince and Gengar both stared with an equally large facial expression, both startled. "Run." They said in unison.

Everyone turned back towards the cavern they came from. They all made a break for it, with Alpha roaring out ahead and extending his right arm in a slashing motion. All of the figures followed along, some running on all fours, while some ran like berserk, like feral swine or jaguars chasing after prey. Their howling and monstrous screeching did not deter as they reverberated off the walls, echoing down and through the caverns.

All seven ran, not daring to look over their shoulders and back at the horde running after them. Their screams were terrifying enough. Their bones were quaking so much that even their goosebumps were unable to contain themselves. Their bodies shivered, and by no means were they able to do anything rationally, to some degree that is.

"How far are they behind us?!" Mark shouted.

"Don't look back! Just keep running!" Laura yelled.

The inhumane beings were relentless in their pursuit. They howled and went tearing through the caverns. Their dots for eyes were like the beating glimpse of the devil reincarnated within each disturbing individual. They had no senses whatsoever, nor could they feel. They could neither care, nor hear, nor have any means of right and wrong. They sought the living figures, wanting to tear them, gut, and rip their fangs into their throats. They wanted to tear their flesh apart, watch it all rip and fling red around and on the walls, and then snap the bones and organs and grind them into putty. Death is what describes them as basic.

As the seven ran, the smell of decay and rotting flesh filled their nostrils. They all had to hold back their urge to heave in order to survive. Vince and Gengar pressed on, hurrying with the adrenaline as their only means of added fuel.

"You see something?!" Mark shouted.

"There! I see!" Hiruzen spotted a small light up ahead, a tunnel entrance finally in view. Finally, after minutes of running, everyone looked as though they were gonna get out in one piece…

"They're gaining on us!" Terrence yelled, his labored breathing only serving to slow him down some more.

"Terrence!" Cierra shouted.

The monsters closed in on Terrence, their sharpened claws beginning to swipe as they weren't even an inch away.

Hiruzen suddenly turned around, facing the monstrous men that were once alive hours ago. His fists were balled tight, a pressure beginning to swell so intense that everyone was starting to feel it. It was so powerful, and they could feel the intensity expand.

"What are you doing?!" Laura yelled back over her shoulder.

"Buying us some time! HYAH!" Hiruzen let out a vivid and loud shout, all fingers spread out and firing a white net ahead. A bright white flash erupted upon contact with the monstrous humans. They all howled as they were struck by the magic, the walls and dust particles alike exploding, making the section of the cavern shudder violently.

Vince went wide-eyed as he saw what he did. "Whoa! What the heck was that?!"

Hiruzen looked back over his shoulder towards the group. "It's my magic, Crash Magic." He heard weak howling from the falling specks of rock, prompting him to act. "Talk later! Run!"

"Hurry, Terrence!" Cierra urged.

Finally catching his breath, Terrence managed to gain speed. The group had managed to gain ground and they all were making a quicker pace towards the exit. They saw daylight, something they thought they'd never see, not after the darkness they've been through.

Nearly ten feet and closing in, Vince let out a hefty laughter. "HAHAHAAA!" He unstably laughed. "In your faces, freaks!"

"If we make it outside, we can scatter and find reinforcements." Hiruzen pointed out.

Laura smiled. "Yes! We can get answers we've been-!"

"HRAWWAAHHH!"

"AAAH!" Laura was cut off when she was abruptly assaulted from behind. The woman felt her momentum get loose when a heinous man-like beast attacked her, managing to get hold of her. To everyone's sheer horror, Laura was caught by one of the beastly men who got ahead of the other, finally having his nails dig into her, though superficial at the moment.

"Laura!" Her parents exclaimed., horrified as the howling bloodthirsty man got hold of her.

Laura struggled to break free, but she was unable to keep herself from feeling the nails digging into her collar bone. She pulled away, but the man opened his mouth, blood rather than saliva spill out all around as he howled, all of his sharp canines.

"NO!" Mark yelled. He wanted to act, he really did, but looking at those eyes – those monstrous, horrific, bloodthirsty eyes – he was caught wide-eyes a brief paralysis clinging his feet to the earth. _'Why…why can't I move? Why am I too afraid? Is this terror!'_

Laura screamed again loudly as the man was ready to rip her throat off. Suddenly, before anything could be done, a harsh hand gripped the hair of the monstrous individual, clutching so hard the beast felt another howl exert as its neck was pulled back. Laura felt herself slip, the monstrous man letting go and having her fall forward.

Mark managed to catch her. "Laura!" He caught her, making sure he was holding her tight. He didn't have time to worry, because he and his wife looked up, seeing Vince grabbing the beast by the back of the head, ramming him face first into the wall.

"Keep your filthy, decayed hands off my sister!" He roared, his venomous tone disrupting even the heinous flow of the energy around. His eyes were fueled with a passive anger, his eyes dilating as they were also slightly red from his fueled rage.

The beast howled back at Vince, unable to answer to reason.

"You little…!" Without warning, he threw the monster overhead, flying out of the caverns and outside, where the man slid along his back against the crabgrass and sand. Vince stepped forward in front of everyone, his panting signaling his rage. He looked like he was gonna jump back in there…until Hiruzen extended his arm out to the side.

"Wait!" He announced. "Look!"

Vince and everyone looked out, witnessing the monstrous man sitting back up. It went to step towards them, but the sunlight from above was so bright and so radiant that it beamed out of the clouds. The monster began to twitch uncontrollably, his massive mouth and fangs open. It looked to be having trouble before its ghostly white skin had begun to slowly turn gray. It howled out in agony, its actual cold skin beginning to sizzle and burn in the sunlight. His ear-piercing howling screeched up to the heavens as the skin turned charred black. Everyone watched on as the figure then suddenly began to dry out, its skin becoming a dirty gray. The whole body turned gray, and then it slowly began to reduce to dust. Everyone – especially Mark and Laura – were baffled and struck with sheer bewilderment as they witnessed everything about the man reduce to dust. The only thing that wasn't reduced to anything was the clothing, which was the tarnished white robe in blood. The dust scattered in the winds, leaving horrified faces.

"What…what just…" Laura covered her mouth, her baffling shock surmounting her will.

"He-it turned to dust when he went outside." Mark said.

Hiruzen turned around, realizing they were still not out of the woods yet. He saw the numerous monstrous men and women alike lunging on either fours or two feet. They were all bloodthirsty, the look still unnerving the man. In a hurry with what he witnessed, Hiruzen extended his arm up, a bright glow briefly emitting and transcending towards the roof. The roof to the tunnel sudden began to crack up, eventually getting diced white outlines before the section of the roof finally went toppling down.

The monsters all stopped as the ceiling collapsed in between them and the victims. Sunlight went through, catching each and every single man and woman that was monstrous howling in a panic as they were feeling themselves burn up intensively. All of their screeching reached their ears, reaching a pitch so high that could shatter glass. Like what happened with the one outside, sunlight dried them out, turning their ghost white skin to charred black and then to dried gray. They all were reduced to dust, their tarnished white robes the only thing remaining the fell to the ground.

Everyone was caught astonished beyond comprehension. It took a minute, but everyone was beginning to catch their breath. Mark help his wife close, thanking Arceus that she was alright, save the small scratches from that scary assault.

"What…was that?" Terrence slowly muttered.

"Whatever they were, whatever just happened…" Mark slowly shook his head. "I swear, that was not human."

"Humane is more like it." Cierra said.

Vince looked up at the sun, watching as the clouds begun rolling in. "So these freaks die by sunlight, huh?"

"We can't be sure. For all we know, that was our saving grace, this time around that is." Hiruzen commented. He momentarily looked at Vince, recalling that brief flash if undefined rage. Those blood red eyes startled him.

"What?" Vince asked.

Hiruzen looked away. "Nothing."

"So, what now? We continue on as planned?" Laura asked, her composure back.

Vince glanced up at the disappearing sunlight, seeing gray clouds roll into view. His eyes narrowed once more. "It is possible. Now that we know of such a weakness, perhaps we can be safe…but this forecast calls for problems."

"Then what? What now? How are we supposed to get home?" Cierra asked.

Gengar looked away from the concerned group, noticing something underlying amongst the bloodied clothing left behind. "Huh?" The Ghost and Poison-type curiously took a step forward, getting a closer look at the scene.

"Hey, Gengar, what's up?" Vince asked.

Gengar turned back towards his Trainer, pointing at the tarnished clothing. "You see that?" He pointed to something hidden beneath the clothing. Amongst the wrinkles, you could see something in the shape of a pouch stand out. Suffice to say Vince took a shine to this new light of information. Curious and impressed by his Pokémon's good eyes, Vince began to advance slowly.

"Vince?" Cierra warned.

"Vince, whatever you're doing, stop doing it." Terrence warned. "Get away from there, right now." However, their son was still not listening. They were about to go get him until Hiruzen stepped forward with a watchful eye.

The warrior saw Vince pull out something from the blood; a leather bag like a bookbag. His eyes widened with shock. "My word…"

Mark looked up to him. "Why? What did Vince find?"

The Crash Mage was still watching the scene unfolded.

Vince knelt and inspected the leather bookbag. As he did, he grew a despondent brow. "Huh, seems these freakshows left a little parting gift for us." He mused. "How convenient." He opened up the top, flipping it so that he could peek inside. Its contents comprised no more than a few pieces of paper held together by a paperclip. He and Gengar took a look at the letters, barely able to make them out. "What the heck is this language?" Vince wondered aloud.

"Don't ask me, I can't read." Gengar pointed out.

Vince's eyes narrowed. "You know, you're not a big help."

Gengar returned the look. "Oh, and you're not?" He retorted.

"My young friend, may I see those for a moment?" Hiruzen politely asked. Without much of a delay, Vince let out a groan as he rolled his eyes away, handing the papers towards Hiruzen. Hiruzen took a good look at the archives that Vince and Gengar were able to find, and as the seconds went on, the more shock seemed to be traveling through the man's eyes. "This…this cannot be…" He muttered unsoundly.

"Is there something wrong?" Terrence asked.

Hiruzen turned back towards the father of offspring and presented the papers. "These are the archives that Alpha used to make the Impure Underworld Spell a reality." He exasperated.

Laura raised a brow. "Alpha? You mean that guy back there?" Her eyes widened in realization. " _He_ made all of this happen?!"

"Aye, what a deplorable method he has uncovered." He looked back at the documents in his hands, carefully examining them. "As far as I can tell, it would appear the Impure Underworld Spell has failed him, and that appears to have cost him greatly."

Vince put hands to his hips. "Okay, I'll bite. Impure what now?"

"Impure Underworld. This spell has been forgotten long since for years. As far as I can tell, it's as old as the ancients that resided before the confines of Zeref…at least to these revised documents say." Hiruzen answered. "You see, as of now, this Zeref, he has numerous followers, and this caused great rifts. That's where war was waged and it ended up here in this exact spot. Alpha knew that we were at a disadvantage, so to reduce the casualties on our side, he decided to unmask the Impure Underworld Spell. I can say that this may very well be the most terrifying taboo spell ever devised by man. It's designed…to bring the dead to life."

Slowly, Mark and everyone's eyes widened. "Resurrect…the dead?" Mark muttered.

"Aye. At least to what our knowledge has to say. The spell makes the dead 'reborn', fit to be undead, with no sense of pain, and care only to kill anything that moves…though, I am afraid we have seen that the spell had backfired on its own. That unstable wave that hit before your arrival, I am afraid that must have been a fallback. A lack of Magic Power is certainly one thing that must have occurred. The level of Magic Power and the will needed affects the area. The greater, the wider the area will be, at least to what these archives are saying…" His eyes narrowed. "It also says here that a certain chant, but did Alpha do it correctly? Whatever happened, the unstable energy clearly killed them all."

Laura was looking worried. "So, if it's as bad as you say…then of those guys were dead because of that spell…did you think what happened to them, with those features…would've happened to the actual dead?"

Cierra could feel her own skin crawl. "It's like those horror movies with zombies…"

"Terrible time for references, guys!" Gengar pointed out.

"The ghost is correct. For all we know, what the spell can really do is kill off the living and turn them into what we saw…" Hiruzen put a hand to his chin, looking off to the side. "Now that I think about it, perhaps the archives are wrong."

"It doesn't matter of the documents are right or wrong." Mark said. "Those guys ended up dead, and they were turned into monsters that wanted nothing more than to kill. That might be Impure Underworld itself, but we have to survive and make it back!"

"Right." His wife agreed.

Terrence looked back towards Hiruzen. "In light of this information, I hate to say it, but our best bet for answers and clues as to how to get is to investigate this so-called taboo spell you say."

Cierra looked towards him with intense worry. "Terrence, no." She pleaded.

"Cierra, I honestly feel the same…but if this spell is tied to how we got here, we have to know so that we may have even the slightest chance at getting home." Terrence persuaded. "It's dangerous, I know, but we've managed to evade them and learn a weakness. This may very well be our only safe bet here."

Nobody liked to go along with what he had to say. How could they? They have to survive a spell that may actually kill people and morph their bodies and souls into heartless monsters bent on manslaughter. Besides that, they may not have much time before the so-called monsters make their way to other fragments of Fiore, killing without feeling any pain and falling over. It was a risk that had a double-edged sword written all over it. Still, the father did bring up a valid argument. If they just run, they won't get answers.

Vince pointed at himself. "Well I think we better stay and find out for ourselves."

"Heh." Gengar sneered.

Mark and Laura looked towards one another, nodding at the other's confirmation. From the looks of it, they were in as well.

"Very well." Hiruzen shoved the leather bag away, giving it to Vince with all the documents inside. Yet the force of the shove did make him nearly fall over. "Then we haven't a moment to hesitate. Come, new friends. We must hurry while we can!" With that, Hiruzen embarked down the way they came.

"Hey, wait up!" Mark shouted. "Come on, Laura!"

Laura followed behind. "I'm hurrying!"

Terrence followed behind, beside him was Cierra, as both middle-aged man and woman were looking more than a little weary. "We're getting too old for this…"

* * *

"That's what we speculated." Mark told his children. "We couldn't draw conclusions given we had little to no say in the matter, but what kept our bones shaking was that even now, that foul air left our noses retched and we had it hard breathing. At any rate, we suspected that this Impure Underworld spell could kill off the living and turn them into savage sociopaths. It felt like forever as we tried to find our way, but we had security in the hands of Hiruzen, who had a proficiency in this so-called Crash Magic. So we were alright to resume our investigation." His eyes narrowed. "However…"

* * *

"What is this odd air? We've been feeling it ever since we've arrived here." Mark said.

"I'm not sure. Could be the foul stench this Impure Underworld is giving off, or something like that." Laura suggested.

Vince didn't bother with questions. Rather, he was more inclined to his own 'studies' one might say. It was extremely rare for Vince to take a liking to something other than getting hostile, but this was something none would ever expect of him, for he was reading. Reading! He could read, but he just doesn't like it. However, ever since venturing into the depths of the recent events, he's become more inclined to understand what's been happening. His eyes narrowed upon discerning yet another line.

"Sklu…bah…Jesre-reket…for…la…gin…?" He repeated. "Man, I don't understand this at all. It all sounds so…stupid." He muttered grumpily.

Gengar floated right by his side. "That face you make when you're stumped is stupid." He teased.

Vince looked despondently at Gengar. "You know, maybe there's a reason why Pokémon don't talk in the first place."

Hiruzen was walking down the tunnel, making any attempt to find a correct path. "Did that spell alter every course? I can barely recognize where I'm going…" He turned left and right, looking at the various cavernous walls. Every spike he recalled, every dimension seemed completely different. It wasn't good in his opinion, but he still knew that they were getting somewhere. The air was getting retched, so that meant they were burrowing closer to somewhere. He just had to rely on sensory for the time being.

Terrence took a moment to glance forward. "Uh, Hiruzen?"

The mentioned turned to look over his shoulder. "Yes, what is it?"

"I've been wondering. Uh, how is it exactly that humans in this world or realm can use magic?"

Hiruzen couldn't help but grin at the innocent question. "That's a good question." He turned back forward. "Alright then, guess I can give you a little secret. It's only fair to spread knowledge, right? Magic resonates from the air. In this world – Earth Land – there is a particle all around called ethernano. An element that one is actually capable of channeling through their bodies. They can make it into whatever they hope it to be, whether it's fire, lightning, it all varies. Sometimes, magic can be hereditary. It all depends honestly."

Terrence took a second to collect what he was told and raised a brow. "And that's how you learned this…uh…Crash Magic, yes?"

"In a sense, yes." Hiruzen slowly stopped, his frown returning. A sense of seriousness came crashing down again, weighing heavily against everyone. The air was starting the intensify, the smell of decay beginning to fill everyone's nostrils. They all sniffed the air, the horrendous smell making them unsound.

Laura pinched her own nose. "What is that smell?"

"I don't know, but it's worse than Garbodor and Muk on a hot summer's day." Mark said.

Cierra pointed up ahead. "I think I see an opening!"

Everyone looked forward, seeing the tunnel coming to a close up ahead. They could see the numerous figures up ahead, but what were they exactly? Were they friends? Were they foes? There was no way of telling. They all retained caution as they slowly went forward towards the tunnel opening. They closed in, reaching a spot where they looked over the scene. They all came to a halt, with their view something they wished they didn't have to see.

Vince looked up from papers he had in hand for a brief moment. "What now? Can't you see that I-!" His eyes were fixated ahead, his shock beyond any level of paramount. His eyes widened, the blue in them shrinking very slowly, his skin beginning to feel its color drain. He could've sworn that at that moment, his own heart stop.

Laura and Mark stepped back, their shock too immense. "No…" Laura whispered.

"Oh my god…" Mark muttered.

Cierra and Terrence held the other close, praying to Arceus that they were only witnessing an illusion. They weren't.

Before them was where the battle took place. It was a monstrously huge chamber, where you could fit thousands of men and soldiers alike. However, all around was something that grossed even Gengar out: Dead bodies. There were thousands of dead bodies lying there. Some were already murdered and bleeding, while a majority was still in one piece, but like the ones that attempted to rip them apart, their eyes were black, with blood red irises. They all had purple veins, their skin ghostly pale. They all smelled of blood, decay, and rotting flesh, a smell that would taint the lives there indefinitely.

Hiruzen looked all around, sweat dripping from the side of his face. What he was seeing was something he thought couldn't possibly be there, yet it was. It was tormenting, and he was feeling sick to the bitter core. "My…brethren…" He stared out, seeing every single person dead. "This…this cannot be."

Gengar stared ahead with uncertainty. He was a fanatic to scary situations, but he was overpowered considerably. He was fine with scaring, but he was the scared in this case. He nervously stayed still, but he jolted when the sound of clasping. Everyone turned around, their shock continuing to surmount.

Against the wall was Vince, the leather bag and documents in hand hanging by his side, his entire being trembling. He looked petrified, and beads of sweat were starting to pour down his face. He stayed close to the wall, looking out at everyone with wide eyes and a scared expression.

"Vince?" Terrence asked his son.

"Vince, what's wrong?" His mother asked.

His body was shuddering, his psyche more or less hit hard. "Those…those…d-dead…rotting…decay…" He paled, feeling the temperature all around dwindle.

His sister looked with worry. "Vince…?"

Vince clutched his sides, his nerves rattling like cages. He couldn't even swallow, because lumps were choking him, at least to what it felt like. He was far on edge; off edge if one gets technical. Vince could remember all the time he's been scared, but truth be known, it's only been a few times. He was fearless, as he was rebellious against authority. He hated being told what to do. He wanted his own way, and he didn't want to take a scolding for typical advice from anyone; not from his mom, not from dad, not from his former schoolteachers…and look at him now. He was mentally flipping out. This was an unorthodox predicament for him. To him, he always enjoyed seeing others scared, perhaps flustered. He taunted constantly, and he never mind movies that involved more than a little fake blood. Those drastic images were what he saw in his sleep sometimes and it never bothered him. Thrillers are what he lived for…but _this_ was beyond any movie, and level of war. Everything looked dead, and this was beyond the caliber of zombies, to him that is. He was the one thing he never thought he would be of anything…scared.

His composure was lost, his face paling. "My god…"

"Vince! Get ahold of yourself!" Laura shook him, but no matter what, Vince was still looking down with wide eyes, hos skin cold. "Vince! This isn't a game!"

Vince couldn't even hear his sister calling out to him. He wasn't able to hear anything nor anyone. He was lost in his own shock and horror. What's been going on is heavily graphic, and if the people turning to ah wasn't bad enough, the fact that they were at a graveyard was worse.

A sudden blow to his cheek made him feel like a thousand Beedrill stung him back to reality. The man was so lost in his own distraught experience that he didn't realize his own dad walked up to him and gave him a hard smack across the cheek. The blow was just what the doctor asked for.

He fell to the ground, pain stinging. "Ow!" He yelled. He blinked, looking back up at Terrence. "Dad, what's the big idea?!"

Terrence glared down at his own son, his eyes brimming his hostility. "Damnit! Come one, boy! You can't lie down on us like this!" He yelled.

"Terrence." Cierra said.

"Wake up! I know you have it in you! What's with that look on your face. You look like you gave up! Look her, Vince, you always have your way of getting underneath my skin, and it always bugs me, but yet you still retain the one quality that you lost there at that moment! You lose, and you keep losing! But why is it that you always keep trying?!"

"Dad…" Vince muttered.

"You always lose, you and that Gengar of yours never succeed, but you always comeback! You just don't stay down! How do you think we've coped with that scene with those dead bodies previously?! Simple, you!" He pointed towards his son. "You always try to get past defeat, now we have to do the same! Now come on, be a man and face your problem again with that Pokémon Trainer dignity!"

It took several seconds, but as Vince was gaining composure, he looked at his Gengar. Both had a similar look in their eyes. Yes, they were indeed losers, but they failed with style. They always got back up after a victory, no matter how sour apparently. Vince finally had a serious look on his face, getting back to his feet and facing his parent dead in the eye.

His eyes had a determination back. "Okay."

Terrence smiled. "That's my son."

Cierra, Mark, and Laura smiled happily as their 'gracious loser' was back.

Hiruzen looked back out at the chamber. "I believe we'll have to tread carefully. Everyone, stay close."

Though extremely uneasy, everyone complied and followed behind Hiruzen. The Crash Mage took the initiative and lead his new comrades slowly through the rotting graveyard. They all had to stomach whatever they could in order to not wind up vomiting in the end. Gengar's Levitate Ability made him ascend so that he wouldn't be so close to the grotesque abundance down below; plus it gave him good aerial surveillance. The whole group remained careful in hurrying through the field, treading lightly with swift pounced to evade every single open-eyed dead human being. Vince kept a gaze forward, while still having a twisted face.

He looked down, taking another whiff at one of the decimated corpses. The smell got to him, making him cringe. "Phew!" He rolled his eyes away. "Yup. Dead."

"Aye. Stay close. There's no telling how long we have." Hiruzen warned.

The group pressed on, with the entire party watching where they tread. Every limb they passed, they had to progress carefully, which took every strain of focus. Mark and Laura remained close, having the other's back. They looked left and right, opposite sides all the time. They remained careful, but that remained in the air for Laura when she suddenly stepped on an arm when she wasn't looking.

A harsh gasp escaped her mouth, the shock making her recoil. Mark ws fortunate enough to catch her.

"I gotcha." He hushed.

Laura looked back over her shoulder, her eyes still wide with shock. "Mark."

Vince looked back, hearing the gasp and seeing the cause. He raised a brow. "Well, that ain't good news."

Gengar snickered up above. "Someone wasn't paying attention."

"Everyone, focus. You cannot stop!" Hiruzen exclaimed, getting the Pularis family's attention up front. The warrior's gaze was rather harsh and demanding. He slowly began to look back forward. "Good…now, let's hurry, and don't step on anymore-!"

He pressed his heavy boot against the ground as he ventured, only he ended up stepping on yet another limb, a leg of an enemy apparently. The Crash Mage's eyes widened upon his own mistake.

Vince crossed his arms with a raised brow. "Well isn't this a bad case of irony."

"Shut that mouth of yours." Hiruzen harshly whispered, scolding the fool. However, Vince only gave a mocking brow and a leery face back. Hiruzen looked back ahead, slowly, but suddenly went wide-eyed as the howling started.

"Hiruzen, look out!" Cierra shouted.

One of the dead men lying down sprung up in front of Hiruzen, mouth gaping with sharp teeth and sharpened claws. The howling man went full throttle and attacked Hiruzen at the legs. Hiruzen went wide-eyed and initiated his reflexes, enabling his Crash Magic to be used. His fist clutched, he socked the monstrified man, enveloping him in a catastrophic white glow and howling once more as he fell backwards. As he did, Hiruzen saw dozens upon dozens were hissing and howling. Their mouths spit blood, sprinkling it all across the ground and glazing everything in a dark color. The beasts all roared out with a blood-curdling bellow, one worse than ancient predator birds.

" **KKRROOAAAAAHHH!** "

Terrence held his wife close as the mentioned felt her heart pounce out of her chest. His eyes were wide and struck with vivid horror. Everyone gathered around one another and remained close as Hiruzen jumped away from another swipe from a dead beast.

The man stopped in front of the group as hundreds upon thousands of other beastly undead began to run towards them, mainly on all fours. He clutched his fist and raised it overhead. "Everyone, hold onto one another!"

Complying, everyone latched onto the other and knelt for cover as Hiruzen punched straight down into the ground. His Crash Magic went through the earth, shooting up a bright light and white beams that struck down many of them, obliterating a lot of the numbers in one fell go. The diced pieces of the earth went shooting upwards, crushing and sending bodies flying into millions of pieces. The earth rattled and shook violently as the shuddering waves went all throughout the chamber. Millions of howling screams reverberated throughout the walls, echoing and sending chills through the decaying air.

Vince and everyone's eyes opened back up once the shockwaves ended, their surprise being that they were able to evade the flying rocks that crushed many of the numbers in one go. Everyone slowly got back to their feet, looking all around them with a slight sense of awe.

"Wow." Laura muttered.

"Amazing. This is what magic can do?" Mark inquired. "It's like an Earthquake happened!"

Vince looked on with a raised brow. "Uh…" He pointed towards the pile of rocks in front of him. "Is that supposed to happen?"

Everyone looked at where Vince pointed to. Their eyes widened in great shock when they saw the rocks beginning to move. A large one crumbled to pieces, but underneath, a body in one piece howled out, spilling blood as it howled out at them.

Laura looked away. "Oh no!" She turned to look elsewhere, but more bodies were on the rise, slowly crawling out of the rock mounds and decimated area like insects. On all fours, they howled and hissed alike, making their way slowly towards their prey, which was gathered in the center.

"Some still made it!" Cierra yelled.

Terrence looked back at Hiruzen. "Can you make the ceiling cave in like you did before?" He asked.

"You fool! I could get us buried alive!" Hiruzen yelled.

"This doesn't look good!" Vince voice, recoiling as one beast came close to him. "Whoa! Okay, that does it!" He pointed ahead. "Gengar, I don't care how! Just get rid of them!" He ordered.

The Ghost and Poison-type responded to his master's wish. "That I can do! Hrah!" Gengar's fist was cloaked in black shadows that stemmed from all around. The aura shaped with a purple outline, becoming a ghostly fist that Gengar brought down and stretched out. It expanded and attacked the monster close by, socking its face and making it sore right back into another body.

Gengar remained high in the air, making his two hands morph a singular sphere of black and purple. "Then how's about a **Shadow Ball!** " He threw the Ghost-type attack, colliding with the same target as before. The sphere of darkness engulfed the monstrous man in smoke and black energy, shattering bits and pieces of rock.

Gengar landed in front of his Trainer, with Vince unstably laughing and pointing at the smoke cloud. "HAHAHAHA! Eat that!"

The smoke cleared, and the beastly man was hunched over. It snarled back, blood dripping from all around the body. It roared out violently, howling with bloodlust and the urge to kill.

Vince's eyes widened. "Nothing?!"

Mark clutched his fists. "So they really don't feel pain then."

Laura was to his back, looking wearily out. "Then how are we supposed to beat them and get out of here?!"

"HAHAHAHA!" Vince unstably laughed. "Come on, freaks!"

"Vince, your laughing is not helpful! Or encouraging!" Mark warned.

Hiruzen brought back a fast. "HHRRAAH!" With his Crash Magic infused into his fist, a shockwave exerted when he punched a guy. He sent the man flying straight through the hundreds of more right behind. "Everyone stay close! We have to keep trying and make an escape route! We won't last long like this!" He used Crash Magic in another arm, hitting another beastly figure that went sideways, knocking hundreds of more down like bowling pins, as well as incapacitating them all with shattered bones.

As Hiruzen tried to make cover, attacking with whatever might he had, there were still the ones right behind, which closed in the savagely attack the group. In an instinctive twist, Mark turned and grabbed a sharpened rock. "Go away!" Using the sharpened rock, he attacked a monster that went running straight for him, socking it right across the mouth, spilling more blood and knocking out the teeth.

Mark looked at the blood on the rock, his face paling. "Gross." He said. His eyes widened when another attacked, forcing him to act and use the rock again.

"Dear, are you able to go on?" Cierra asked her husband. She made a quick maneuver and shoved the incoming beastly man away, shoving him into the others, which were all drenched in red and rotting decay. They all fell down, giving her room.

Terrence let out a slight huff and hurriedly kicked a monstrous man's chest. The impact went through the body, sending the man backwards, hitting others, and subsequently making them fall over and have the residual rocks piled all around topple over them. They were buried, and Terrence hunched over, panting. "I'm getting…too old for this…"

Laura picked up a rock that was sharp and swiped. She hit two at once, making them fall at her feet. "Hurry! Hiruzen!" She shouted. Their savior, however, was engrossed with the one's coming from upfront.

Vince pointed forward with a wicked smirk. "Have this! Gengar, **Shadow Punch** again!"

Gengar unleashed the familiar Ghost-type attack, making many in the way get socked across the face, making them fall over. The Pokémon and Trainer alike mockingly snickered at falling more foes, but were interrupted when Vince suddenly saw an incoming beastly man, howling like a monster. The impact made Vince fall onto his back, rendering him momentarily incapacitated as the beast was trying to claw and bite ay him, hoping to tear his flesh part. It constantly howled even when Vince was pushing with his feet to keep distance.

"Get off!" Vince shouted.

He heard more screams, ones that he was able to recognize. Vince's eyes widened and he turned his head against the ground, seeing his brother-in-law getting slashed in the arm, making him bleed and fall over.

"Mark! No!" Laura cried. Her distraction rendered her open for a monstrous man to startle her on her side. The shock made the Pularis girl get pushed down, leaving her to barely use her legs as a similar defense as Vince.

"Get off me! Aaah!" She screamed, but to no avail.

Terrence and Cierra both kicked and punched respectively, yet they were only able to get them low, leaving only a small blockade before Terrence finally got to a knee. Apparently his age wasn't agreeing with his health. Cierra looked in horror as she and her husband were getting cornered.

Gengar's fist glowed a bright purple. " **Sucker Punch!** " The Dark-type attack disappeared, reappearing faster than what the eye could've perceived. This lead to a direct hit, in which the target was socked in the head, faltering backwards into others.

Gengar snickered, but then he saw from down below that his Trainer and family were in a bind. "What the-?! Vince!" Gengar shouted.

Vince tried to constantly kick as he was on the ground, but he wasn't able to do more until he let out an irritated cry and sprung back up. Without delay, the irritated man punched the beast trying to claw at him with a right hook. While successful, his knuckles were bleeding. That one punch touched cold skin, which was also somehow sharp. He ignored the pain and continued exerting his wrath.

"COME ON! I AIN'T SCARED! COME AT ME INSTEAD!" He bravely declared, his body fueled with heavy adrenaline. He looked around, his blue eyes having a tint of red. He was gritting his teeth, wanting to decimate them all. He was ready to fight back., ready to destroy.

"VINCE!"

A loud shout got his attention. The Trainer went wide-eyed and looked back over his shoulder, realizing that his sister was barely kicking, and yet the beast was digging his claws into the pants. Laura struggled, constantly fussing as she was unable to gain ground. The beast dug deeper into her skin, making Laura cry out in pain.

"Laura~!" Mark cried, before he was clawed at again, his arm ascertaining red slash marks.

Vince looked at the scene. His sister was getting maimed, and his brother-in-law was wounded. He sharply turned towards his parents, seeing how despite they were seemingly doing well, his dad was too tired out. Vince was really the only one standing, save Hiruzen, who was engrossed in dealing with the endless horde in the distance. As many men flew overhead, everything around began to slow time, like the dark world was turning oblivious to him. He was feeling his senses dull, his eyes shuddering. As many were gathering around to savagely tear him limb from limb, he was even unaware of Gengar calling out from above, constantly warning them of the predicament. Yet, Vince was seeing something he was used to; something that he never liked, but it was like a balance.

Losing.

It wasn't just him who was losing the battle, but looking around, his entire family was succumbing to defeat. His eyes slowly widened further. "No…" He was, in fact, a loser. He was a suckish Trainer, yes. He normally lost battles, but his ego was a major culprit. But lost after lose, after lose, after lose, after lose, after lose, after lose, after lose…it's amazing he's still somewhat sane. He never mind losing anymore, but this wasn't Pokémon, this was another world, and their lives were on the line. There was more at stake than what he wanted. "No…!"

He was never fond of his parents, but regardless, they were still family. His dad was the one who snapped him out of his inexperienced shock after all.

"Guys…"

When they first met, Mark and Vince got off on the wrong foot. They were ready to butt heads at Vince's insistence, yet Laura managed to get Vince convinced to get along. And now look, they were basically brothers.

"This can't…I can't…"

And then came Laura, his little sister. At first, when she was born, Vince disliked her. He was a problem child, but he was always given attention, which he didn't mind. And then she got it all, and that made him resent everything about her. Vince couldn't even look her in the eye…until he was forced to hold her. When he did, he looked at her, and she laughed. The baby girl that was his little sister had big blue eyes, and a cute little smile. It honestly broke him. How could he hate something so innocent? Yes, he was ignorant, a psycho, and by no means a nice guy, but his sister was so precious. He would do anything to keep her safe. That's what he needed to do now.

"VINCE!" Laura shouted aloud.

Something in Vince snapped. Eyes wide, his history began to unfold. "Laura…Mark…Mom…Dad…Grrrrrrrr~!" A pressure emitted from Vince as he stood there, fists clutched. Gengar and everyone could feel a pressure resonating as it made Vince's tattered clothing float and wave about in a crazed fashion. A shadow was over his eyes, a dark wave overcoming him. The energy flared from his body like fire, his pressure growing the longer he stood there.

Hiruzen looked back after socking another guy and saw Vince's predicament. "Wait…is that…?"

"Leave…" He hunched over. "Leave…my…family…" His eyes widened, showing dark purple. " _ **ALONE!**_ " With a violent shout, Vince released all the pressure that his body had taken in. He was engulfed in a pillar of dark energy. The dark shockwaves went outwards, spreading like an explosion. His family saw their lives flash before their eyes, and then they too were engulfed by this purple wave. They all closed their eyes as a cool wind overtook them, and the beasts that were maiming them all were seemingly vaporized within the shockwave. The pillar of darkness went up to the ceiling, making rock fall and break apart.

Hiruzen covered up as the shockwave of raw purple energy passed him, He used his arm as a shield and grunted. _'So much power…!'_ Behind him, the numerous other monsters howled as the shockwaves continued to travel, vaporizing them in an instant. When they all faded and the bright eruption stopped, with Gengar uncovering and looking down with shock.

"Vince?"

His body was cloaked in a bright purple, and though he was heavily breathing, he was thankfully standing. His body was transcending so much power from that explosion, even he didn't realize what it was. "What did I…? What happened? What is this feeling flowing inside me?" He looked down at his arms and hands, seeing his body engulfed in a bright purple aura. The feature shocked him. "Is this…aura? Or is this…?"

Laura sat up, miraculously in one piece and unharmed. "Vince? What was that?" Her mouth emitted a gasp when she saw her brother in an aura. "Vince! What's wrong with you?" She looked down at her own body, realizing it was glowing blue. "What's wrong with me?!"

Mark looked down at his body, seeing there was a green aura encasing him. "What's this pressure? It's all over my body." He looked over at Cierra and Terrence, seeing that Cierra was in a yellow aura while Terrence was in an orange aura. "You both alright over there?"

Cierra got up, miraculously feeling this odd feeling. "Oh my…for some reason, I feel so alive."

Terrence looked down at his orange flaring body, turning over his hands. "What's going on?"

Laura looked back at Vince, seeing how he was looking at his glowing purple body. "Vince…what did you do?" She asked.

Vince stood and investigated his body. For some reason, he wasn't feeling weak, and he wasn't feeling hopeless. Though he snapped, that unleashed something. He was too perplexed to answer. His Gengar floated down right to his side, but even he had no claim as to what happened.

"Magic." Hiruzen said, revealing himself with only a few scrapes from that shockwave.

Terrence looked up from his orange glowing body. "Our…magic?"

"It seems Vince's body and conviction finally coincided with the ethernano in the air. Even with the limited time span you all had here, it seems your bodies were able to respond to that shockwave. I might be wrong, but it appears Vince was unconsciously transcended that power to you all."

Everyone looked down at their hands and bodies one more time. They were all puzzled with all this talk of magic, ethernano, and spells, but that didn't matter now. Whatever happened to them, they had to make it work while they could.

Gengar's eyes widened and turned around upon hearing the rocks shift. To his surprise, he saw several monstrous men starting to arise once again. They all bellowed out, snarling out for blood.

Vince looked down at his hands, looking back and forth. When it hit him, he looked back to his sister, Laura. He stared at her, though she in return was a little confused. He had to protect her. While she was still an adult who could look after herself, she still was a priority. Noting what must be done, the energy around Vince manifested and converged into his fists, glowing brighter than before. He faced the monstrous man in front, closing in steadily.

"You leave them alone!" He extended both arms forward, letting out a shout as the pressure in his hands was released. He released a purple beam of aura, the projectile attack making its mark on the beast, engulfing it in the pressure. It let out another howl as it was seen vaporized by his magic.

"He destroyed it!" Mark exclaimed. He looked back, seeing a monstrous man close in. "No you don't!" Instinctively, the green around him drew into his hands, where he exerted a green beam of aura, which was successful in vaporizing the monstrous undead man.

Cierra and Terrence looked ahead, seeing more monsters heading their way. The middle-aged couple turned towards the other, giving affirmative nods before they turned back towards the enemies.

"Ready?"

"Ready!"

Together, Cierra and Terrence allowed the ethernano to draw out in a similar pressure beam that was released unstably out. The orange and yellow blasts of Magic Power bolted and contacted a horde of the enemy, resulting in a booming explosion.

Hiruzen could not believe what he was seeing. He was staring at some alien group, who hasn't even been here for three hours, and yet they uncovered Magic Power, like it was only second-nature. It was beyond comprehension. _'Who are these folk? They developed magical pressure that would've taken months, or years for one to understand or master, as I did. Yet these five, they uncovered their own magic in literally no time.'_ Despite the situation, he couldn't help but grin. _'What a strange bunch these guys are.'_

Vince let out a loud shout as he exerted another blast of purple energy. The attack boomed through the air, reaching and exploding upon impact with a monster man, howling to its demise. The 25-year-old pumped a fist. "HAHAHAHA! In your faces! Who's the loser now, huh?!" He pointed ahead. "Gengar, **Sucker Punch!** "

His Gengar responded by balling his fist and glowing a bright purple. As miraculous as it was, Gengar disappeared like a ghost, reappearing as a monstrous man went on all fours towards Vince. Gengar appeared directly above, lunging straight down and punching the man's head, hard. The beast howled as Gengar's attack worked, and the beast couldn't move as Gengar jumped back in front of his Trainer.

"YES!" Vince declared.

Mark looked around, seeing many more running from a distance. "Laura, everyone, we need to find an escape route!"

Vince smirked over his shoulder. "Way ahead of you!" He turned back around, managing to spread his legs apart. He held his left wrist up, the Mega Ring glowing a little in response to his plea.

Hiruzen raised a brow. "What in heaven's name is that?"

"Vince? Is that what I think it is?" Terrence asked.

Vince raised two of his right fingers. "You bet, Dad. Now sit tight. We'll make this quick!" He tapped the Key Stone, and at that moment, a radiant rainbow glow began to fluctuate in a dim light. The energy began to suddenly alter within the area, an energy that Hiruzen again felt as miraculous. The Crash Mage looked back to see the Mega Ring in Vince's wrist. It was even more shocking when everyone saw the rainbow beams beginning to morph into light waves.

"Gengar, let's go!" Vince yelled.

Gengar's body began to emit a dark purple array of light waves that began to expel from his front abdomen. The Ghost and Poison-type snickered as he was beginning to draw in power. The more the energy increased, the louder his snickering became.

"Gengar…Mega Evolve!"

The energy within the vicinity once again altered. The grim energy had begun to turn to a spacious quality, in which said energy transpired when the light waves of the Key Stone and Gengar united. The remaining group stood there shocked, wide-eyed as they watched Gengar get engulfed in some form of light. That's when they saw Mega Evolution occur. Gengar's features began to alter considerably. They began to witness Gengar's entire lower half diminish and morph into some peculiar end with a spiked tail. They also witnessed Gengar's arms grow nearly three times as long, and thicken as well. The spiked ears grew and slicked back.

The brilliant ghostly light of Gengar's Mega Evolution at last diminished, revealing a powerful explosion. Everyone covered up as the exploding light emitted shockwaves, making Cierra and Laura cover and keep their hair at bay as Mega Gengar appeared.

Mega Gengar was much different than they'd expect. As Mega Gengar, the energy he emitted was much denser than it was before, startling Hiruzen. Also, the main shockers were the features he had. A portion of his body sunk into the ground, quite shockingly. The lower lower-half became a reddish-purple color, and what was shocking was he had a third eye, a small, oval, yellow one, right on the forehead. Mega Gengar's spikes grew in not only numbers, but also size and slicked backwards in pointed protrusions. That included his long, pointed ears as well. Additionally, Mega Gengar ascertained spikes near his hand and tail.

"It's about time!" Mega Gengar declared, exerting a ghastly breath, cold as ice. Once again, everyone could feel the temperature drop yet again.

"Mega…Gengar?" Mark repeated.

"Wait…!" Laura's eyes widened. "He can Mega Evolve?! When did you even get the Gengarite?!"

Vince gave a cocky smirk. "Oh, you know, some creepy lady when I visited Laverre City. Something like that." He faced forward. "But that's not important! Mega Gengar, let's do this!"

Mega Gengar's lower half and fingers were dipped into the ground, where everyone could see the space actually rippling, much to their shock. They heard rumors that a Mega Gengar can travel through the Third Dimension, but what they saw was more than a little shocking.

"I normally save this trick for big fish, but this'll have to do! Mega Gengar, **Shadow Ball!** " Vince commanded. Mega Gengar opened his mouth, where a large black and purple energy began to swirl and intensify. Everyone could feel a great pressure swell within the orb as Mega Gengar's mouth was open. The Shadow Ball was twice as large as it was when fired as Gengar, but as Mega Gengar, it had far more pressure. Mega Gengar fired the sphere, having it travel in a zooming fashion. It blitzed across the battlefield like an overgrown bullet. The black sphere disappeared somewhere within the far reaches of the group of monstrous men coming closer, and then suddenly a dark shockwave erupted. A black and purple explosion sent many flying, while engulfing many more.

Hiruzen covered up as the dark shockwaves were as cold as the feeling that went down his spine. "Such power!" As the winds dialed down, he looked back at Mega Gengar. "Is this really the power of this so-called Mega Evolution?"

"Hiruzen, focus!" Terrence warned, swiping his arm to make an arc that turned into a translucent aura shield that deflected another monster.

Hiruzen nodded. "Right, my bad." He faced forward again, raising another fist. White energy began to swirl and transcend into the fist. "Now!" He once again punched the ground, the land beneath roaring with the sound of thunder. A linear white shockwave went traveling in front of the area, splitting apart the ground, as well as the monstrous men in front of them. All howled in roaring agony, the ground dicing up as a results. The momentary shock was just what distracted the horde.

Hiruzen turned around, facing everyone. "Quickly! Use your new power and release it!"

"What do you mean?" Laura asked.

"I mean create a large enough shockwave to distract them while we escape! Hurry!" Hiruzen warned. "If you need a motivation, look at one another."

As Mega Gengar fired another Shadow Ball, which exploded onto ghostly fireworks in the distance, everyone did as told, and they all began to look at one another. It wasn't much, but it was enough. They weren't looking at other human beings, rather they were looking at their own flesh and blood. They were looking at their own family: Brother. Sister. Husband. Wife. Mother. Father. Daughter. Son. Family. What they saw, they saw as a complete whole. It was them, and thus they had to do wat they could to preserve their family.

With their resolves set, everyone turned around, all facing the monsters that were coming around after getting knocked down and around like ragdolls. Everyone slowly began to manifest their new-found Magic Power, which in turn began to glow their respective colors. The colors of aura began to thicken around everyone, engulfing them all in pillars of light.

As the light got brighter, Mega Gengar looked back, seeing his Trainer and everyone engulfed in powerful aura pillars. Slowly, his shock turned to a smirk. "…heh."

"Everyone let out a powerful shout, middle-aged people and young adults alike let out powerful cries as they exerted the pressure in a full blast, engulfing everything around them in an expanding dome of rainbow energy that engulfed a large number of monsters. All of the beasts began to vaporize, provided they were within reach of the shockwaves. The rainbow energy shattered the ground, the entire chamber caught in a hurricane of cosmic aura.

When the dust faded, it revealed leveled land, and lying around, there were still twitching bodies. The bodies were all still bloody and bleeding, but that mattered not to them. They were groaning, hissing in anger and bloodlust. Some craned their heads up, but to realize the moving flesh in the center was gone.

Elsewhere, as the howling roared, Mega Gengar lurked in the shadows, snickering as his horns protruded from the earth, following the group as they ventured down a dark tunnel nearest to them.

* * *

Vanessa stared in shock at that section of the tale. By no means was she expecting such a thing to occur.

"That's when we learned that we can use magic." Mark said.

"As proud as we were at being fast learners, it really wasn't anything to be proud of, because we barely had control over our new Aura Magic." Laura said. She looked back at Vanessa, seeing her daughter's heavy astonishment. "What's with the face? Did you not think it was hereditary for your Aura Magic to come to you?" Despite the question, the mother did manage to weakly grin. "Well, if you wanna get technical, you can always thank your Uncle. He's the one who discovered Aura Magic I suppose. He just passed it along to us."

"Our bodies had to adjust to the surrounding ethernano in the atmosphere, so I guess that's what happened to you, Vanessa." Mark said.

Erza put a hand to her chin, looking down at the ground. "I guess it makes sense. It took nearly a month for Vanessa to finally discover her Aura Magic. Even then, it was all for an incentive." She recalled how it was her and Juvia and Vanessa and Goomy against Meredy, and it was only when she threatened to kill Nic that Vanessa snapped and learned about her latent Magic Power. But none would have ever thought it would be under such circumstances.

"So Vince was the first of the Pularis to pass on an original magic to you guys? And Grandma and Grandpa?" Nic asked, with squinted eyes full of wonder.

Laura nodded. "Yes."

Vanessa was met with another realization. "And he had Mega Evolution. I never would've thought he could do such a thing."

"You weren't the only one." Mark snorted. "Your Uncle surprised us big time."

"That gracious, psychotic loser pulled through." Laura mournfully smiled. "If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have made it."

Nic crossed his arms, eyes narrowed. "Then…what happened?"

The mood shifted yet again. That was when Mark and Laura frowned. Both looked at each other with worry, but then that worry was directed towards the other three and Magnezone. Mark picked up from where he left off. "It was after that, we soon took a small reprieve from our running. We had little time, but thankfully, that little time was enough for us to rest and recharge ourselves. It was during those times that your Uncle Vince dug deeper and continued to look at the Impure Underworld Spell. It wasn't much though, barely useful at such a time…" His head drooped down.

"But…then we came across something that changed everything from then on…"

* * *

Back on their feet and making progress, Hiruzen led the group down the chamber, looking over his shoulder at Mark and Laura. He seemed pleased. "So, these Pokémon, some can actually a temporary power-up." He said. "How fascinating."

Vince grinned down at Gengar, who had reverted back to normal some time ago. Both shared the same cocky yet proud looks on their faces as they walked side by side.

"Some can't though, though none are sure why." Mark looked back towards his brother-in-law. "I'm sure there's a reason, but if it wasn't for that trump card Vince had, we wouldn't have been given enough distance to escape."

Terrence looked at Cierra, and both seemed to have a similar reciprocation. They smiled warmly, looking back at Vince as he was only a few paces ahead of them. "Vince?" Terrence said.

"Yeah?" Vince looked over his shoulder.

"We just wanted to say…thank you." It wasn't much, given the strain Cierra and him felt in the past with his behavior. "Your mother and I are very proud of what you did back there."

Cierra smiled warmly at her son.

Vince smiled back. Not cocky, nor confident. But…warm. "You're welcome."

Hiruzen continued on. "Hm?" But coincidentally, the Crash Mage halted. Everyone behind halted as well, following his lead.

"What's wrong?" Laura asked.

"More of those things?" Mark inquired.

With their new powers, everyone got ready. They all slowly crept their way towards the front, remaining weary as Hiruzen was staring at the end of the tunnel, right into the center of a large chamber. They all got a good look around, where the walls were surprisingly smooth, with another couple of tunnels around here and there. There was again no sunlight, but enough light for them all to take notice of that despite the spacious setting, it felt…wrong.

"What is this place?" Mark asked.

Hiruzen slowly went forward. "Aye, I think I may know where we might be now."

The abrupt saying that came out of nowhere shocked everyone to say the least. The light in Laura's eyes brightened.

"R-really?" She asked.

Hiruzen nodded as he investigated the walls. "Aye. This is more or less a conference hall. This is where we have vital decisions and overlook our status." He looked left and right while observing the few blood stains here and there. It was still gross, but it was dry. It was clear that the individuals in the room were affected by the spell as well, but who knows where they have gone? His surprise continued to mount when his gaze cascaded towards the center of the room, where there was a rectangular rock, carved with seats to fit only two individuals; one on either side. In the center of the structure was what got Hiruzen's interests.

Terrence saw how intrigued the Crash Mage was, which unnerved him. "Uh, Hiruzen?"

Cierra came closer. "Is everything alright?"

Everyone slowly drew closer as Hiruzen looked down at the center if the rock slab. They saw it, the look on Hiruzen's face. His eyes were narrowed, but they could see his dark eyes shuddering with a weary look in them. What he was looking at was something that was clearly bothering him.

Vince looked down at the structure, seeing an uneven terrain of stone slabs with black and white pieces on it. This only served to confuse him. "A…board game?"

* * *

 **Here's part II of the Pularis history. Hope you enjoyed! I'm hoping to finish the Pularis history by next chapter, so hope you wait until then. As always, review and thanks for reading!**


	34. Pularis III: Hero to the Bitter End

The group of humans and a Gengar gathered around, wearily looking at the black pieces that were directly across from the white ones. The unleveled battle terrain of rock formations made it look like some actual war piece game. The most peculiar part, however, was a black piece was in the middle, lying on its side.

"What's this?" Mark asked. "Is it really a board game?"

"Looks like it, but it's not like any board I've seen." Laura figured. "It doesn't remotely look like chess."

Cierra looked wearily into the gameboard, the complex look every bit shocking. "Whatever this is, I find it a little disturbing. What is a piece like this doing in such a place as this? That is my question."

Mark turned towards her. "Well remember Hiruzen saying that this was a conference room or something? Maybe it has something to do with that." He figured.

Hiruzen took a small step closer, hovering over the piece of the puzzle left in the open. It didn't make sense to the others, but to someone like him, the great Hiruzen knew full well what this meant. Quietly, he muttered it aloud.

"Beggars and Choosers."

Laura looked towards him. "Huh?"

"Hiruzen, I'm sorry. Did you say Beggars and what now?" Mark asked.

"He said Beggars and Choosers." Vince corrected, quite frankly in a matter-of-fact kind of tone.

Hiruzen nodded at the confirmation. "Aye, that is true." He mournfully answered.

Terrence and everyone circled the rock slabs, looking at the various pieces. "What is this game, exactly?"

"Well…I suppose that you have a right." Hiruzen figured. "You see these white pieces on this side of the board? Those are we label as the Choosers; the side that is supposedly the right side, the superior of the two sides in a war. They believe that they are the ones more likely to succeed." He then looked over towards the other side of the board. "And over here, these are what is known as the Beggars. They are the black pieces, the inferior; those who are impure compared to the Choosers. They are the ones who we see as the least likely to win." The Crash Mage put his hands together, pondering further as he inspected the individual pieces. "…who would win a war? Who would overpower the other? The desperation of Beggars, or would it be the law and will the Choosers set? The Choosers are superior, but the Beggars have the will and heart to never give up, thus rivaling the Chooser's might…but there are those who have the knowledge, the right to choose between right and wrong."

Vince looked down at the board game again, his interests piqued yet again as he put hands to his hips. "So it _is_ like chess." He figured.

"Something like that." Hiruzen stated. " _But_ , Beggars and Choosers has three sides rather than two."

"Two?" Cierra repeated.

Hiruzen nodded once again. "There are the Beggars, the Choosers, and finally, the Bargain." He looked down at the middle black piece, taking a closer look to see the head of the piece chipped off. "The Bargain, as I said, it is the one piece on the board where it has no place. It is deserted, but it can be from either side. In other words…the traitor to one side."

Terrence was appealed to how the war game was played, but at the same time, he picked something up. "Uh, Hiruzen? Why is that there is only one black piece as the Bargain?" He asked.

Hiruzen grimaced as he heard the question infiltrate his ears. "Well…the Bargain only has so few numbers, before they get picked off by both sides."

Cierra frowned as she saw how the piece was broken. "Then why is the piece broken? An accident?" It was only after she asked that they could all feel the silence following turn into a somber, stale, foul air.

Hiruzen delicately picked up the broken black piece, holding it in the palm of his hand. He stared discerningly at it, leering at it with every fiber of his focus. "Because, Choosers don't take Beggars, and Beggars cannot accept Choosers. So in the end…the Bargain is dropped." He slowly loosened his hold, allowing the pieces to fall. "The Bargain is always dropped."

The pieces clanged against the middle of the board, the two pieces becoming three when a section of the lower half split upon impact.

"In other words…they always die."

The group began to understand where Hiruzen was going with this, and it only made them regret asking more questions. Laura could feel a tension decimate her calm composure.

"Then…who's the Bargain?"

Hiruzen looked towards his allies, staring mournfully at them. "That would be me."

Once again, the group was met with a despondent shock. The board game tested two sides to a war, and there is always more than likely a traitor, but some form of compromise had to be drawn. They would've thought a form of ransom would suffice, but no. The price paid was always death.

"My side, in this case, was the Beggars. We had so much desperation to stop the army of Zeref, that we banded together to resort to any means it took to eradicate them. That's when our leader, Alpha, found the archives to the Impure Underworld Spell. He thought it would bring an end to this carnage. Everyone agreed. But I…" His eyes grew hollow from just thinking of the recent events. "I chose to value my life. I valued humanity over desecrating the deceased. I was a deserter amongst our beliefs. It seems Alpha saw this even before I abandoned the ritual. And now look…I may be destined to end here."

"Hiruzen…" Terrence muttered.

Hiruzen turned back towards his friends, a grin on his face. "But I would gladly make that claim, if it means maintaining my humanity. It is better safe than sorry. I would make this decision a hundred more times, and look away every single time."

Everyone present seemed rather worried. Yes, they were concerned about getting home somehow, but also they were worried about their comrade. He was from another world, but he's been nothing but a kind soul. They wouldn't have gotten anywhere and may have ended up dead if it wasn't for the self-righteousness warrior who just wanted to protect his own home. If he was turned traitor against his own, then so be it.

The moment was shattered when the foul air intensified. Gengar's eyes widened, an intense energy in the atmosphere getting his attention. He couldn't verbally answer – though he actually could – because his teeth were shut tight. His ghastly entity was feeling a very dark and very uneasy negative energy.

Terrence and Cierra's eyes widened, their new magic sensing something extremely dark. "Do you feel that?" Terrence asked.

Dark footsteps approached from behind, hollow yet so ear-gritting. Every churn of grain and gravel went into the ears of the group, howling like millions of microscopic ghosts. They all felt their spines crumble, goosebumps on the rise. The footsteps behind only grew louder, and the sound of slow breathing reverberated through the atmosphere.

Behind the group was a pair of razor-sharp teeth, matched with equally deadly claws. A death-like aura could be sensed, but more so than that, for it could be smelled for some reason. They knew there was something with a strong sense of bloodlust behind them.

Hiruzen swooped around, pivoting alongside everyone else. They all went wide-eyed with who was present, their hearts stopping, and faces paling drastically. They were all ghost white when they looked into the hollow eyes of the monster who snarled at them. It was none other than Alpha, and his skin was more sickening to look at than before, with the color a darker shade.

"Alpha!" Hiruzen exclaimed.

Alpha snarled, his entire body cloaked in a blood red wave of energy. "Hiru…zen…" He bitterly snarled his name, the constant fluctuation of unstable tone underlying him evident.

Hiruzen put his hand up. "Alpha, listen to me!" He yelled. "This isn't you. It's the spell. It's nothing but a dark twisted game played on your senses." He got no verbal response from Alpha. "Brother?" Again, Alpha was only bitterly snarling. The lack of communication was beginning to make Hiruzen's eyes narrow. "Answer me, damnit!" With no further explanation, he lunged ahead after the foe. "ALPHA!"

Cierra's eyes widened. "Hiruzen!"

Everyone gasped in shock as the Crash Mage went blitzing into his former brethren with hostility.

Alpha's response was him raising his right claw. The claw balled into a fist, and the darkness engulfing the man compressed into the fist. As Hiruzen punched forward, initiating Crash Magic, Alpha howled out, attacking with a dark energy fist. Both fists met in the dead center, where a blinding flash erupted. Vince, Mark, and everyone else covered themselves from the attack as a pillar of bright white and pitch-black shot up, two walls engulfing the other. The explosion of the black and white energy resonated from the small center, where Alpha and Hiruzen were. Hiruzen gritted his teeth, yelling with everything he had. Unfortunately, the immense dark energy was too much, and Alpha's attack overpowered him, making the bright white energy give in. The Crash Mage yelled as the fist collided with his face, making him soar backwards, back sliding against the ground to a stop in front of his allies.

"No! Hiruzen!" Laura shouted.

Mark knelt down, helping Hiruzen up. "Come on, man! Get up!" He managed to push Hiruzen up to where he could sit upright. The Crash Mage groaned, and looked back at his opponent with shock surmounting him.

"He…overpowered me so easily." Hiruzen muttered. "What monstrous power. I didn't even lay a single scratch on him."

Alpha snarled as he raised his fist, the bare hands crackling as he moved the joints back and forth. "I cannot die." He lowly stated. "I hate everything about you all, including those beating hearts. I want to rip every single one out, and tear it apart. You can burn me, and you can freeze me over…but no matter, for I won't die…"

Hiruzen shout back to his feet. Without delay, the Crash Mage sheathed his large dagger on his side. He twirled it in the air and threw it with all his might. As the dagger blazed through the foul air, Alpha remained open, unmoved. The equipment impaled him, straight in his heart, or at least where it would be. The blade stayed there, the blood slowly oozing out. Hiruzen and everyone remained weary as they waited for Alpha to fall over dead.

After several intense seconds, Alpha casually looked down at the dagger, and gripped it. He yanked it out like it was no problem, the hole in his pectoral region fresh. He looked back at Hiruzen with a menacing smirk, the red seeping from his wound and spit alike.

"Impossible." Hiruzen muttered, his horror at a peak. "That was straight to his heart…"

Laura began to feel her knees quiver. "Is he…really dead…?"

Vince's eyes narrowed. "More like undead."

"Alpha, is this true?! How?! You're a corpse bent on killing?!" Alpha shouted. "What has this accursed spell done?!"

Alpha opened his mouth and exerted a violent roar. The roar was blood-curdling, and it echoed all throughout the terrain. Everyone's ears covered up as to prevent the ear-splitting feeling. The frequency was highly immense that it left them numb it seemed. Once the roar began to subside, monstrous men that were engulfed in the attack earlier began to flood into the room, howling as they marched on all fours like wild animals.

"Here they come!" Gengar shouted. At once, the Pularis family raised their fists, their magic cloaking their fingers and fists alike in respective colors.

"Gengar, **Shadow Ball!** " Vince commanded.

Gengar remained still as he opened his mouth, where a black and purple sphere began to emerge. Without delay, he fired Shadow Ball and connected with a large number upfront, making a powerful explosion of darkness and smoke arise. But as the few were taken down, more came flooding in, startling Gengar and the others.

"There's so many coming!" Laura yelled.

"Everyone brace yourselves!" Terrence shouted.

The monsters all closed in, pouncing for their attack. At that call, the Pularis family engaged them as well. This was the umpteenth time now that they had to deal with these sorts of predicaments, and now they were in it again. Thankfully, thanks to the last confrontation they had, they were able to get experience.

Monstrous men swiped at Hiruzen, but the mage ducked and reeled back a fist. He brought it forward, a shockwave pulsing straight forward. The energy blew the several monstrous men to the side, as to where some that were engulfed in the blast wave were slammed into the rock wall.

"Everyone, stay together!" Terrence yelled. He fired a beam of aura at more monsters coming from in front. He fired in rapid fire succession, going in an arch from left to right, encompassing a large area in an orange explosion.

Cierra swiped her arm, making a shield of aura that deflected a swipe from the men. As the shield shattered apart from the flood coming in, Cierra put her hands together and created a sphere of yellow aura. The monsters all broke through, attacking her.

"HA!" Cierra faced them all and unleashed her yellow aura, engulfing everything in another yellow explosion that bellowed outwards. The energy, however, made her recoil backwards.

"Heh!" Gengar reappeared behind the falling mother, pushing her back up and onto her feet. Cierra turned around, facing her son's Pokémon with shock.

"You save me." She said in disbelief. "…thank you."

"Heh…huh?" Gengar picked up something from behind. Without any say, he pivoted and had a Shadow Punch ready. He shot it at three monstrous men heading his way, and thus knocked them down. He used his Ability and floated back up, getting antsy. "They're coming from all sides!"

Laura fired her blue aura, a concentrated beam blitzing and vaporizing the monsters in front. She did her best to keep her distance, but as she kept firing her magic, she was open from behind. When half a dozen went running on all fours after her, she went wide-eyed as she caught her mistake.

"Laura!" Mark slid to her back, unleashing a green beam of aura in a pressurized fashion. The attack worked as the monsters behind were vaporized by the pressurized beam, resulting in another explosion that made a green dome in the distance.

"Mark!" Laura exclaimed in disbelief.

Mark looked back at her with a smirk. "No one's having my wife."

Laura smiled from that affectionate call, but that was all she allowed to distract her as she went back towards the front, her fists glowing blue, as to where her husband's glowed green.

"BAAAALALALALALALAAAAAH!" Vince let out a hostile cry as he attacked, violently kicking left and right, blitzing all around with a tantrum of purple swings and nailing dozens after dozens. He wildly went nuts, pivoting and swinging like a Vigoroth gone mad. "You want some more?! Take this! HA!"

He punched again from the side, knocking another in the jaw. His swing was cut short, however, when a monster man slashed at his ribs. They impaled him, making Vince recoil at the intense pain.

" **Shadow Ball!** "

Gengar shot a Shadow Ball from above, attacking with another black and purple sphere. He shot the one in front that got his Trainer, making the beast go flying and knock into more mindless undead beasts.

Vince clutched his abdomen as Gengar floated down right to his side. "Thanks, buddy." He thanked.

Gengar gave a thumbs up.

Vince pointed ahead, at the horde beginning to march and close in. "Now! **Shadow Punch!** Don't stop!"

Gengar did as told and both his fists gathered shadows, dark ones that converged and were outlined in purple. Gengar reeled both fists back, and then fired them in a repeating blitz. He punched left and right, every second, a volley of Shadow Punches thrown and making a blockade erupt. Gengar kept firing, some shots expanding wider than others, purple flares erupting with every strike.

Vince turned around, digressing from his wound and going on the offense. He let out a shout as his fist was cloaked in purple and he punched forward, sending a beam towards the fray.

Hiruzen unleashed more of his Crash Magic embedded into his fists. He extended his arms out, both unleashing concentrated nets of white that reached out and passed the opponents in front. All of the dozens of monsters there were decimated into pieces. Hiruzen turned around and went on the attack yet again, punching and going on offense with his Crash Magic. One pivot and a shockwave went outwards, pulverizing everything as diced and split rock erupted, crushing far more numbers than any would've guessed.

Hiruzen took a paused and panted. _'Damnit. I'm running low on magic. I'm not sure how much longer I can-!'_ He was cut off when he received a harsh kick from Alpha, who miraculously was able to evade the onslaught. "GAH!" Hiruzen shot backwards again, sliding on his back to a killer halt as he jumped and slid several feet back on his heels. He remained hunched over, grunting in pain as Alpha was glaring with pitch-black stares.

"Your Magic Power is limited, you heart-beating fool!" Alpha sneered, blood spilling constantly. "I get my power from KILLING! I feed off everyone's misery! The anguish wails are what I can't get enough of! I want more! MORE! **MORE!** " He unleashed another bellow, in which was again ear-splitting, sending dark shockwaves around the vicinity. Dark energy waves trampled over many who were already dead, and the dark, corrosive waves hit Hiruzen and many others. The dark shockwaves were icy-cold, but at the same time skin-burning. Laura, Mark, Vince, and Gengar were all affected, as they went soaring off with the monsters.

The dark dust rampaged as Alpha pressed his hands against the ground, summoning two pillars of pitch-black and blood red energy down. The earth rattled as he was bellowing out hysterically, his eyes bouncing all over the place in the hollow sockets.

Hiruzen tried getting up, grunting as he barely managed to do so. Behind him, Vince and Gengar were barely able to get up, with both sustaining injuries. He looked over, his worries intensifying as Terrence and Cierra were panting profusely, the middle-aged couple barely able to get hands to the floor.

"Come on…" Laura was supporting Mark, who had his arms and forehead sustaining atrocious liquid.

Hiruzen looked forward, his face still completely perplexed. He stared with clutched fists, ignoring how his abdominal armor was destroyed, his attire tattered. He glared his former leader, his bloodthirsty need due to the spell.

"Terrence! Come on!"

Hiruzen looked back once more, Cierra urging her husband to stand. Hiruzen looked over once more, seeing the struggling offspring and son-in-law. He was running out of liable options, and that left him unnerved. If he didn't act, there was a good chance they would…

He heard a clanking noise down below, where he looked down at his feet, revealing that there it was – his black broken piece. As shocking as it was, the fragments all remained together.

Hiruzen looked up once more, his eyes narrowed. This was when he must make that chance come to reality.

"KILL THEM ALL!" Alpha angrily shouted. All of the monstrous men all howled, the rampaging beasts all beginning to close in on their targets.

Everyone looked around, their shock surmounting when the six were seen up on their feet, yet they had sustained too much injury. Vince and everyone looked around, and then back at one another, their worries surmounting. The married couples grabbed the other's hand, squeezing tightly.

"GRAH!" A sudden shockwave was fired. Everyone around covered up and winced as the ground shuddered beneath. The group had bent knees as rock went flying overhead. All around them, the walls shuddered and the enemies all howled as rock pounded their faces. Alpha howled as tons of shattered land beneath bombarded him, howling as he was crushed against the wall, alongside the numbers still present.

The dust cleared, revealing the group of 6 still thankfully in one piece.

"Is everyone alright?" Cierra asked anxiously.

"I think so. Laura, are you?" Mark asked.

Laura nodded.

Vince looked down at his hands, seeing he was still alive. "What happened?" He looked back up, him and the other family members perplexed to see Hiruzen there in front of them. Thankfully, he too was in one piece. His arms were down by his side, fists balled, a stoic face plastered on him.

"Hiruzen!" Mark exclaimed.

Hiruzen spoke as he continued to stare out at the piles of rocks. "All of you…you need to run."

Terrence was caught perplexed. "Run?"

"Go. The cave you are in front of, that's the passage that should be a straight shot to the chamber where the spell was casted. You all need to make a break for it." He looked back at them, a seriousness in his eyes. "You might get answers there."

Laura took a few steps forward, her worries skyrocketing. "Wait, are you doing what I think-!"

"Laura…" Mark reached for his wife, but she only evaded him and stepped forward once again.

"We came this far because you were there. We survived because of Vince. We got our magic because we learned so much from you. What are you gonna do? Tell me!"

Hiruzen shut his eyes. His silence was ever grimacing.

Cierra's eyes shuddered. "My goodness…"

Hiruzen slowly looked back up towards the rumbling terrain in front of him. "This is where I thus make my last stand." Despite the predicament, he managed to grin. "You guys…my friends…I will be forever blessed with your fortitude. I am very proud to have been by your side. It is with my great honor that I see behind me such prominent humans who can survive hell." He pulled out the elongated dagger he carried once more, looking at Vince. "You."

Without anything to say, Vince was tossed the dagger. It bounced around in his palms before he managed to catch it with both hands, eyes wide.

"It is up to you all to get back home. I was a Beggar…but Beggars can't be Choosers." He showed once more his stoic grin. "But my choices are the one thing I dare not regret." He turned around, fists clutched. Whatever Magic Power he had was white and surging within his fists. "Now, the rest is up to you! Go!"

"Bu…" Laura wanted to protest, she really did, but she looked out and saw the carnage beginning to slowly dig out. The few that were still able-bodied began to hiss frantically as they were out for blood. They all leered Hiruzen as he stared at them. She at last conceded, a mournful look in her eyes.

"…thank you." Laura turned away, beginning to run. "Thank you!"

Terrence looked at Hiruzen, knowing full well what was about to happen. "…hope we see the other again someday."

"Aye."

Vince clutched his fists, one hand holding a dagger. He gritted his teeth, but he knew that Hiruzen was doing the right thing…no matter how painful it was. Gengar looked to his Trainer and saw the plea, but he knew that this wasn't a joke. Eventually, they saw the monsters close in again, some limping towards Hiruzen.

Though it pained them, they turned their backs without anymore hesitation. They ran down the dark tunnel, heading to where their adventure started previously. Hiruzen got farther and farther away, leaving the seven down to six.

Hiruzen smiled. "Well…where were we?"

The monsters all howled and roared. They ran on all fours and attacked Hiruzen. In the distance, some rocks shattered like glass as Alpha emerged. The beastly man roared in violent retort as he wanted to kill them all, and all living beings.

"COME ON!" Hiruzen lunged in, his fists embedded with Crash Magic.

The battle had begun, and Hiruzen jumped right into the fray with the mightiest battle cry he could have ever given. It echoed loud and proudly as he piled on and smashed hundreds of monstrous men. He dipped into the fray, spilling blood as his cries deafened. Blows after blows were dished out, and even as he had his back turned, he spilled blood from being bit into, and fangs biting his neck. Still, even with his limbs barely in one piece, he made no objective to stop when he came face to face with Alpha, despite the tears and scars freshly dug into his bare upper body. With a harsh cry, he ran up to Alpha, just as the beastly man howled back with a primal roar.

Death one every side spilled left and right, and as the howling and tearing went on, Hiruzen's black piece completely shattered before a spill of blood covered it.

Everyone just ran as fast as their legs could carry them. They all bolted down the small tunnel, not daring to look back at what they were hearing. Everything began to grow silent for them, a silence that was of distant unsound and silent mourning. The reality of the situation was clear. Hiruzen was gone. They couldn't stop, for if they did, they knew they'd forsake the sacrifice he had made to buy them time.

After a few minutes of running, while retaining whatever sanity they had from breaking down. The group of six eventually made it to where the giant chamber was, where the spell was cast. All around, they saw blood, but the dead bodies were again gone.

"This looks like the place." Terrence looked around, seeing the vacant space. "I can remember those weird letters on the floor."

"I see them too." Cierra said, looking at the massive center.

Mark and Laura held hands as they were clutching them tight. Both were still reeling from what just happened, but nonetheless, they looked determined to finish what had been started. Vince and Gengar looked around too, seeing every stain that's been dried up. It was a massive chasm of sheer terror upon the site. The lettering was still an unstable red, which often times crackled with electricity at times.

"What's it doing?" Cierra asked, noticing the few sparks of static.

"I could be wrong, but I think this may have to do with the spell's energy." Terrence quoted.

"That's the most likely bet. They're also unstable that it's too hard to tell if it's because of this spell or how it functions." Mark said.

Laura clutched a fist. "What matters now is that we see if we can get home somehow."

They all closed in on the circle, being sure to be extra careful when stepping over lettering. They all took big steps, and some little steps, eventually leading them carefully towards the center, where there was a glowing blood red in the center. The six encompassed the circle, looking down from the sides, the glowing energy brightening their faces. They could feel it, the immense energy. The Magic Power all around was staggering; being able to sense it now, it was beyond anything imaginable.

"So much residual energy. It's so concentrated here." Laura figured. Her hair stood on end as a static flare zapped just at her shoes, startling her.

"We gotta figure how this thing works, and fast!" Mark said.

Vince grew a grin, despite the panic that was beginning to flare. "Well, I was glad I picked this up along the way." He reached down to his side, right into the leather bag that hung by his side. Everyone looked at him in question and saw him pull out the documents that were stashed inside.

Terrence's eyes widened. "Wait, aren't those…?"

"Those are those papers! Vince, you had them this whole time?!" Laura exclaimed in shock.

Mark smirked and began to pat him on the back. "Now way to think ahead, buddy!"

"I do have my moments." Vince beamed with pride. "Now, where was I?" He looked down, beginning to look through the documents he had on hand. He narrowed his vision and continued looking. After several minutes of mulling over the paperwork, he was beginning to mutter, barely coherent.

"What's it say?" Laura asked.

"Mmm…incantation…residual energy…age…Magic Power…" He was scrolling as fast as he could, trying to find the right information. His eyes stopped at a certain mark, where he saw the few contents that might be useful. "I think I found it!" He announced.

"What is it?" Terrence asked his son.

"It says here that the Impure Underworld is much like a constant generator of negative energy. The more agonizing it is, and the more wailing and howling; basically the more fear provided, the greater the charge." He explained. "Also, there's a need for continuous Magic Power."

"Okay…" Mark questioned where he was going with this, but allowed him to press on.

"The energy is transmitted at first through the one who was in the circle, which is also known as the catalyst. As long as the catalyst is active, the energy will pour out." He looked up from his work and looked at everyone else. "So I guess if we end up killing him…it _might_ stop?"

"But he's already dead." Cierra pointed out.

"I know, Mom! I'm still looking!" Vince shouted. "Eh…Magic Power…catalyst…how about this? Use it a second time!" He exclaimed.

Everyone's eyes widened.

"A second time?!" Terrence exclaimed. "Are you out of your mind?!"

Vince put his hands up. "Just hear me out!" He looked down at the documents again. "It says…!" He stopped at one part it seemed. As the energy is the atmosphere continue to rise, Vince stood there, looking heavily down as the words he read were shocking, making him shudder. "What…is this?"

Laura's eyes narrowed. "What is it?"

Mark reached over. "Okay, my turn!" He seized the papers, even while Vince was staring at the contents with sheer surprise. Even after the papers were taken, he was still looking in shock. It was like he had just witnessed the apocalypse one might say.

The brother-in-law hastily looked at the documents, discerning them with so much rush. "Uh…magic…where's how to shut it off? Where?" He narrowed his eyes, his composure beginning to break down. "I can't find it! It's not here!"

Laura's eyes widened. "Wait, you're saying…?"

Mark looked towards his wife. "I don't know how, but this thing won't turn off!"

Vince continued to look down at the ground while everyone was getting frustrated. What he read was still lingering around in his mind. He was visibly unable to respond as he was lost in his own world. With himself mumbling about the contents that no one else could have seen, a sudden beam of black and dark red shot from the cavern tunnel they came from, blitzing towards them. Vince's attention drew towards the attack, ducking.

Terrence and Cierra gaped their mouths and they too dodged, barely. Laura and Mark barely escaped the large beam, allowing it over their heads and beam into the wall behind, creating a massive explosion in the distance.

"What the…" Mark was in shock of what transpired, but felt something off in his hand. He looked down at the contents, realizing something was wrong. Very wrong. The papers, unlike them, were not as lucky.

"The documents!" Laura shouted.

Everyone watched the documents turn to ash from being engulfed by that abrupt assault. Their hopes of success dwindling away as the papers were no longer there.

Gengar looked back, seeing Alpha slowly crawl out of the tunnel on all fours, his arms and hands covered in red. He gurgled, dark red spit dripping onto the cold hard ground, sizzling like acid upon touch. The heinous beasts followed behind him, ready to kill and slaughter all lives within their line of sight.

Everyone jerked to their feet, their shock again surmounting as the time they were bought was gone.

"Now what?!" Mark exclaimed.

"Mark! I swear to god, shut up!" Vince yelled over his shoulder, startling his brother-in-law. "Now _you're_ not helping!" He turned back towards the front, his foot losing ground as the snarling monstrous men slowly crept towards them. His fists balled hard. "This is bad. The sun's already set. If we go anywhere, they'll thin out and slaughter everyone. We gotta stop them."

"We know, Vince, but we also gotta get home." Cierra urged him to think otherwise.

"Don't think I already know that!" Vince yelled. He faced the incoming horde, hurrying to his position. With legs spread apart, he raised his left wrist, signaling what he was intending to do now. A fighter must go on, even with insecurities. A rebel must fight any odds stacked against him. That's what Vince does best, and now he proves it.

He tapped the Key Stone in his Mega Ring, rainbow beams of light beginning to glimmer and glisten. "Gengar, you ready to go?" He asked, the energy resonating from him escalating.

Gengar's abdominal region began to rise with intense power, the dark, ghostly purple beams from before starting to wiggle wildly throughout the atmosphere. As the rainbow beams became light waves, Gengar's and the Mega Ring's light waves wiggled towards one another in the atmosphere until they connected with the other, becoming bright waves that traveled down towards Gengar and become energy waves that was the Mega Evolution light.

"Mega Evolve!" Vince declared.

Gengar went through the various morphing phases for his Mega Evolution, yelling and grunting as he released a lot of energy, exerting it into his new form. Once again, another bright wave exploded, shattering like glass. A shockwave exerted outwards, blowing many enemies away, slamming them into others.

Vince and Mega Gengar stood beside one another, looking at the enemy with a fire in their eyes.

Alpha snarled out as he saw the ghost and the man side by side. "GNNNGH! Must…rip you…apart…!" His body was shuddering, the energy within him flaring like a dark fire. He slowly stuttered up to his two feet, craning his neck awkwardly. "I MUST KILL EVERY LIVER AND BRAIN CELL THAT DARES BEAT!" He yelled violently. He unleashed yet another dark howl, the shockwaves screeching through the atmosphere and becoming darkened blades of wind that shredded the ground all around, as well as shred through several subordinates that were nearby, making them all bleed out. Even so, they felt no pain, their mouths hanging open as they craved death.

Laura held up her fists, blue aura beginning to manifest. "Looks like we have no choice now." She grunted.

"Looks like it." Mark agreed. He had green aura encompass his wrists, ready to battle.

"Come on!" Vince declared. "Bring it on!"

The monstrous men all ran on all fours and begun charging towards them. For the umpteenth time now, the Pularis family had engaged in another heated battle for survival. Vince let out a violent shout as he beamed a purple ray alongside Mega Gengar's Shadow Ball. The two attacks blitzed across the terrain, enveloping many in a powerful eruption in the distance. A dome of purple and darkness shot around, rattling the space.

"HRAH!" Again, Mark and Laura combined their powers, shooting back to back green and blue beams of aura that shot all around, again attacking the enemies.

"Gngh!" However, Mark grunted from his earlier wound, the blood continuing to seep from the scratches on his arms.

"Mark!" Terrence went wide-eyed, but found that there was no room to look away. All he could manage was step back and blast away orange beams at the adversaries within the vicinity. "Are you okay?" He asked over his shoulder.

Mark panted, trying to get up. "Y-yeah. I could be asking the same about you, old man." Mark wasn't wrong though. After unleashing a beam, Terrence panted profusely, his health and age alike not being a liable asset at the moment.

Vince pointed ahead with his left hand, while pulling back his bright purple right fist. "Mega Gengar, **Sucker Punch!** " He yelled out. Like his Trainer, Mega Gengar's right fist was cloaked in bright purple. Both assaults from Trainer and Pokémon alike were brought forward, a unison punch done on so many done at once. A bright purple explosion of aura and darkness flared, vaporizing more numbers.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Vince unstably laughed.

As the raging battle ensued, Alpha looked around, his bloody look shaking as he watched the monsters either get blown away or vaporized by compressed energy. Looking left and right, he saw that it was still not changing. Vince and Mega Gengar fired either beams of energy or a Shadow Ball, obliterating obstacles.

Alpha began to huff in and out, his panting skyrocketing. The black fire-like negative shadows around his body began to expand slowly, his elongated canines flaring with dried blood on them.

" **KRROOWWWAAAHHHH!** "

As the dark flames around him flared, the static all around the vicinity began to discharge uncontrollably. The energy within the atmosphere drastically increased, the actual energy showing pitch-black rays emitting from underneath the earth. The cracks began to spread apart, the dark energy expanding further.

"What's happening?!" Cierra shouted. The mom jerked away from one of the cracks that opened up from the side, shooting a pillar of darkness straight up.

Vince and Mega Gengar looked around them, their eyes widening in shock. The beams and pillars of darkness shot up constantly, the massive discharge of energy waves engulfing a fraction of the numbers remaining. The howling beasts were reduced to dust, even as static flared.

Terrence looked towards his left, seeing more static discharge, the temperature somehow flaring. "What could be happening?"

"Oh no…" Vince muttered.

"What?" Laura asked. "Vince?"

Vince stepped back, gathering himself alongside his weary Mega Gengar. "There was something I just read before Mark took them. Something very important."

"Important how?" Mark asked.

"The fact that the spell was performed with unstable sources was one problem, but the catalyst didn't supply enough negative energy, thus the unstable energy intensified! Alpha is discharging so much unchecked energy that the spell is collapsing on itself!"

"But-!" Terrence veered right, dodging another bolt of static that shot from the ground. "Isn't that a good thing."

Vince looked back at his family, horror striking his face. "…not unless you wanna get caught in the 1000-kilometer explosion."

At the explanation given, everyone could've sworn that their hearts stopped. The one piece of information they wished they never heard of, and by god it left them stricken with terror. There was a number of reasons why the Impure Underworld had been forgotten, and by god, the unstable risks were just too great. Giant buildings that collapse could send a shockwave throughout an entire city. What were the odds of a massive unstable power from long ago could pretty much decimate half or less of a continent?

"1,000…kilometers?" It sounded so unreal, but Cierra was being flabbergasted with anxiety.

"Then…" Mark's eyes widened. "Oh no. We're all gonna…!" He flinched when the cavern walls began to shudder, the electric waves from the static discharging from the thousands of letters engraved into the ground beneath.

Laura held herself up, but at the same time, she closed herself around Mark, her worries making her shudder. "No…"

Alpha snarled, his body twitching haphazardly. Waves of black energy erupted and traveled all throughout the atmosphere that the ground was starting to shake yet again. The entire isle began to shudder as dark static had begun traveling through the dead sand and grass.

* * *

Within the confines of time and space, the reality dimension where two deities continued to clash continued to brim with flashy bolts of lightning generated from the exerted energy. Unown within the dimension scattered into millions of different directions. They all were helpless to act as shockwaves transcended beyond reality and throughout everywhere that could possibly exist.

Another flash of pink and blue exerted, separating briefly, revealing Dialga and Palkia. Both creatures looked at one another, roaring so loudly that their shockwaves produced blue and pink, which clashed against one another.

As the energy began to diminish, the two shared another long pause, glaring in a territorial manner at the other. The two rammed into one another again, heads colliding with more vibrant colorful flashes erupting. Palkia was the one to digress this time, jerking away from the exhaustion of their long battle. Who knows how long they've been at it? A day? Hours? Minutes? Seconds? Time and space were but a different story, as those two concepts were irrelevant now. Between time and space, both were distorted with them unchecked with their own powers.

Dialga opened his mouth, generating another Flash Cannon attack. The Steel-type move flared up and was unleashed, becoming a silver and white beam that traveled through the space between them, but at the last second, Palkia's wings spread and the Water and Dragon-type sailed over the Flash Cannon, diving right at Dialga. His claws glowed and exerted a green energy that radiated to elongated energy claws, which was Dragon Claw. Palkia's right claw made a direct hit, enveloping Dialga in yet another explosion of smoke that engulfed his face and neck. The Temporal Pokémon reeled back and roared in agonizing pain. He lowered himself down several feet, regaining himself as Palkia circled overhead, ready to counterattack. Fortunately for Dialga, he had a clear shot with Palkia's wings spread just over his head. He opened his mouth, where a sphere of blue aura began to generate, via his Aura Sphere. Dialga let loose the blast, sending it fast upwards towards an unsuspecting Palkia, where the Fighting-type move got a direct hit across the face and neck, resulting in another small explosion with a smoke cloud. The shockwaves from said smoke cloud stretched out, sending energy waves so massive that if there was a forest, then it'd be obliterated.

Palkia let out another howling roar, which Dialga returned in spite. Both Legendary creatures glared at one another as they saw the other's look, as they refused to give up.

Dialga's diamond glow, and Palkia's two pearls began to glow, generating temporal and spatial energy alike. Both creatures of time and space roared out at one another, their attacks finally fully charged.

It was then, Roar of Time and Spatial Rend connected…for a second time. A bright flash erupted, blinding everything in the realm.

* * *

The monsters kept coming, and everyone was starting to wear down. Mark dropped to a knee as he felt his brain black out for a moment's notice. He gritted his teeth, grunting at the pain he was feeling in all of his limbs.

"Mark!" Laura exclaimed. Suddenly, an odd sensation crawled all over their skins; worse than usual now. The group of six stopped in their tracks, a foreboding feeling twisting within their guts. They all felt a similar – but equally as scary - energy, one that rivaled the dark energy manifesting around them.

"You all feel that?" Terrence asked, his eyes widening.

Cierra looked around, the cavern walls beginning to distort it seemed. "Yeah."

"As static flared, Vince and Mega Gengar looked up, their surprise mounting as they saw the darkness actually twisting with rainbow colors, some cracked, and some swirled. In the end, it was still distorting. _'This is…'_ Vince looked over towards the source of the distorting energy, which was behind the elder Pularis couple. Everyone turned around towards the tunnel that was supposed to lead outside, but in front, there was a crack in the very air, a bright white could be seen inside. As amazing as it was, they realized that it was similar to what brought them here.

"Is that…?" Laura's eyes widened.

"The portal!" Mark shouted.

True to what they yelled, the shattering commences, and a tear within time and space was seen. Blue and pink rays radiated, swirling in and out of the bright light that came from inside.

"Home!" Laura shouted. At long last, they could escape, get home, and leave the ugly mess behind. Everyone was glued to the portal that would bring them home, so much that they momentarily forgot what was happening.

As Vince smiled at the glimmer of hope, his senses snapped back to reality when a static trail zapped across him. He jerked back. "WHOA!"

"Vince!" Mega Gengar shouted. Suddenly static ran across him too, momentarily cutting him off from the others as well.

Everyone snapped out of their shock when they heard those two shouts. They turned to look behind them, realizing that while there was still the portal, they were still in danger. Pillars of darkness continue to pour into the atmosphere, filling the air with a toxic sensation.

Terrence looked to his wife, grabbing her by the hand. "We need to go, now!" He hurried and pulled his wife, the woman following behind in a vivid rush to get to the other side. Behind them the young adults followed, panting and barely pulling themselves together. As they ran, the monstrous beings with ghost white skin and a horrid look beyond demons weren't letting this opportunity by. They dare not let their prey escape. They ran of all fours, closing in from the sides. They all howled in bloodlust as they were getting closer towards Laura's right side. The Pularis panted and ran as her head craned towards the direction the beast pounced from.

Before it could connect, however, an aura blast of purple got it, striking it down and blowing it away, falling limp into a manner that tripped many more coming.

Laura turned around, her eyes widening. "Vince!"

Vince smiled at his younger sister as they continued running. With that little save, Laura managed to pick up speed once more.

"We're almost there!" Cierra screamed.

As they closed in, Mega Gengar miraculously reappeared out of the ground, like some form of a window. He ushered to the tear in time and space behind him. "This way!" His eyes widened suddenly, a gasp erupting from his mouth. When he looked behind, he saw that coming from all sides were monstrous men who were bent on killing them. The numbers, despite being heavily reduced, were still much too large. The scariest part, however, was that they were all picking up gradual speed.

"Guys, behind you!" Mega Gengar shouted.

"What?" Mark turned around to look, horror hitting him hard when a claw raked at him from just a few feet away. "WAH!" He jumped ahead, but the hands and mouths reached out farther for him. The same could be said for everyone else. The monstrous undead was just a little faster. They all were nearly an inch away, with Laura's hair barely scratched.

In a unison effort, everyone pivoted. "Now!" Mark screamed. He, and the rest of the Pularis family, got their hands upfront, where colorful shields unfolded before them. Purple, blue, green, yellow, and orange rectangular shield were set up, all of the monsters running into the shields like they were bulletproof windows. They all bounced off, but the ones behind took full advantage and trampled all over them, clawing and yelling at the shields. They all were so heavy, and the worse was yet to come.

Everyone struggled as they tried to hold the shields up, but the monsters were all clawing with so much corrosive energy. They wanted to tear them apart, and they were beginning to do so by leaving deep scratch marks engraved in their translucent shields.

"G-guys-GNGH!" Laura hesitated as one monster smashed its head into the barrier, making Laura shudder momentarily. "They're holding us down!"

"Darn it! We can't move!" Mark grimaced. "If we do, our concentration will collapse. And…"

"Don't you dare say it!" Vince retorted. He too, however, winced as his barrier shuddered.

Terrence grunted as his footing was beginning to loosen up. "N-no! We can't lose this opportunity! We gotta get home! We need to stop these things, now!"

"But Terrence, if we hold up-!" Cierra momentarily stuttered from her barrier getting a deep wound. "…then we'll only end up filling our world with these monsters! Vince is right, we have to stop this spell _and_ get home!"

"But Mom, how are we-!" Glass shattered as Laura's blue aura ascertained a small fracture before shattering. A tiny piece of her shield shattered, leaving an opening from a single arm to try and reach for her constantly, only to barely end up scratching her. "AAH!" She screamed as the gross arm was mere inches away from her shoulder.

"You idiots!" Vince scolded. "I said it, and you read it too! The spell has to be done again!"

Terrence, who was right beside him, looked at him angrily. "And what do you propose we do?! We don't have much time left!" True to what he said, small cracks were beginning to form on all of their shields. "We need to get home while we can! And we can't risk these things coming with us!"

Vince grunted at his dad's lecture. He hated lectures; so much that he'd normally walk right out. When it came to school, he was never a good listener. Even now, he hated talks like this, especially when life or death was on the line. Vince gritted his teeth, his Magic Power dwindling as his shield began to fracture. The eldest child looked all around him, realizing that as time began to slow down, he realized that they were all cornered. These creatures that were trying to kill them were not only bloodthirsty, but fast, and may very well plague Kalos. No one would be safe. It'd be an undead apocalypse. The problem now was that he knew how the spell could be stopped. If the spell could be used again, then not only would that save them, but also everything within 1,000 kilometers.

He looked over towards his left, seeing his little sister struggling for her life as another hole appeared in her barrier. She had red painted on her shoulder, and worse yet, her face. Vince couldn't hear anything as he slowly cascaded concentration over towards everyone else. He began to look back at Mom and Dad, the two people that brought him life. He was born because they loved each other, and in turn loved him, no matter how big of a pain he was. He was wild, impulsive, and extremely hostile, and yet, he never meant actual harm. He looked towards his sister, but something was different. Instead of seeing the 22-year-old beautiful young sister, Vince saw the little baby that he watched over. He could still remember when he first saw her wrapped in a little yellow blanket, her blonde hair all fuzzy. When she first laughed upon seeing her brother, that's when his duties of being a brother became his life. He would do anything to keep his sister safe…anything.

And now, with everyone's life on the line, something in Vince told him to act. His eyes slowly grew a worried gaze, full of insecurities. He knew what had to be done, but it was borderline crazy…to him that is.

He slowly turned back towards Mega Gengar, his eyes meeting the Ghost and Poison-type. "Gengar…"

Mega Gengar looked all around, realizing what was happening. He looked back towards his Trainer, his frown actually dead-serious. He nodded towards Vince.

Understanding that Mega Gengar was behind him, Vince nodded back. The Trainer looked back ahead, smirking as he let up. His shield went down, startling everyone.

"Vince!" Mark shouted.

As the monsters began pouring onto him, Vince extended both arms out, bright purple erupting around his body. "LIGHT IT UP! **Shadow Ball!** "

Mega Gengar opened his mouth and made a massive Shadow Ball to cope with his Mega Evolution. As he fired it, Vince unleashed a great swell of Magic Power. An explosion of purple skyrocketed all around, shattering the barriers aligned together, and more shocking, the monsters within the vicinity were engulfed in the attack, blown away by the destructive force.

As the dust raged, Terrence was barely standing. "What the-!"

"Whoopsy-daisy!" Vince grabbed his Dad and gave him a harsh shove backwards. The sudden assault from the son that went through the dust cloud made Terrence falter backwards, surprisingly meeting with all the others.

"Dad!"

"Dear, are you alright?"

Terrence got up thanks to the two women in his life supporting him. Back on his feet, he looked towards the smoke cloud. "What in the world was that?" He asked.

"I don't know, but I felt a harsh shove." Mark groaned, feeling his back sore.

Cierra looked around, realizing that something was wrong. "Wait, where's Vince?" On cue, shockingly, the dust cloud in front dissipated, revealing the numbers again shortened, but Vince also standing alongside Mega Gengar, both facing the incoming monsters that regrouped alongside Alpha.

"Vince! What did you do that for?!" His father yelled.

However, unlike a cocky grin he always gave, he gave a modest, mild grin as he looked over his shoulder. "Sorry, Dad. I never was a good listener now, was I? BWAHAHAHA!" He faced forward again as the monsters began to close in. The atmosphere crackled as the discharge of static was making the ground continue to crack apart. The blood red lettering around the chamber had begun to change, turning darker. It was only a matter of time before the explosion came.

The beasts were all nearly ten feet and closing from Vince, but all he and Mega Gengar did was smirk at them. The former encased his fists in his magic.

"I have a message for that Beedrill Trainer!" Vince announced gradually. "Tell him, Vince Pularis said good battle!"

On that note, Mega Gengar unleashed another Shadow Ball, blitzing in a hefty fire that struck the horde in front of Vince. Many were down, but there was a brief path that Vince took and charge on in, swinging his arms around and striking monsters across their faces.

Alpha saw Vince advance, and opened his mouth to shoot a beam of darkness. The attack was focused on Vince, but as it traveled through the army, Mega Gengar appeared as though he uncloaked himself in midair, shocking Alpha. The Mega-Evolved creature's fist glowed bright purple and shot a Sucker Punch, making direct contact and erupting yet another cloud of smoke. The interception was what left Alpha startled, but at the same time wide-eyed.

Vince looked off towards the side, seeing beasts lunge at him. "Yup…saw that coming." He made a quick jump and the beasts fell over. He landed on their heads before making a sharp pivot and unleashing a spinning blast of aura that went outwards, giving him room as well as blow many others away. However, he wasn't out of the woods unfortunately. A beastly man slashed from the side, getting his arm. The harsh impact dug right through Vince's skin, making him yelp and reel away. In response to the situation, Mega Gengar reappeared besides the beastly man who was gonna lunge again, only for it to receive a Shadow Punch, the attack making it fall over.

Vince and Mega Gengar then both jumped away at the same time as another dark pillar abruptly shot up from beneath the ground, engulfing another few monstrous individuals.

The family was watching in shock and horror at what Vince was doing. They saw him evade several explosion in the distance, but in general, what they were seeing was startling them with immense comprehension.

"What the hell is that guy doing?!" Mark yelled.

Terrence was taking a really good look at what was happening. He was seeing his own son, his baby boy, his little stinker, his first-born child, making a break for it. The father's eyes widened in slow, horrific manner when he realized what Vince was doing.

"Vince…" Laura muttered.

Vince ran past several monstrous men, seizing weapons from their pockets as he hung low. He evaded a swipe and continued forward, clutching a fist and shooting a purple beam dead ahead.

Above, Mega Gengar's front-half reappeared, firing another Shadow Ball at the fray ahead. Again, dozens more were struck, enveloped in another purple explosion and clearing another path for Vince.

Vince pivoted against the sparking and rattling earth, turning back towards the beastly men following him and threw the two knives that he had seized earlier. He threw them right at the foreheads of two monsters, making them fall over and trip dozens more following. Following that, a massive piece of cracked ceiling began to fall, completely crushing the dozens underneath with a monstrous thud.

Mega Gengar reappeared through a dimension again by Vince's side, both snickering at them successfully crushing them. "HEHEHEHE!"

Suddenly, Vince was slashed from behind, making him yelp and fall forward as his shoulder gained another fatal wound. He caught himself and was surprised when monsters were directly in front, but then another dark pillar shot up from between them. Vince and Mega Gengar were left shocked and veered and maneuvered around at static bolted and flared above their heads and around their feet. They practically hopped about, evading slashes until a dark pillar again emerged, this one large enough to exert so much energy that it shot through the ceiling, exploding into the atmosphere.

The dust settled, revealing Vince shaken, but very much alive. He was dusty, bruise, and bleeding in several spots. He looked down at his injuries, and then looked back ahead, seeing all of the monsters focused on him and him alone.

Mega Gengar growled at the monstrous horde that still remained, disregarding the several bolts going left and right. He looked ahead, determined.

Slowly, Vince's eyes grew narrowed and clutched his fists. "Come on, Mega Gengar! Let's show these bastards what a _real_ Trainer and his Pokémon can do!" He grabbed the dagger Hiruzen gave him and had it pointed outwards. With a mighty and loud, hysterical battle cry, Vince and Mega Gengar both ran on into the massive monster men horde. Nothing could see seen as static filled the atmosphere, but through the howling and the assault, all that were seen where purple explosions, bombarding things here and there. As the seconds progressed, the explosions got farther away.

"Vince!" Laura cried out relentlessly, her heart aching as she watched her older brother dive into the fray. "Don't do this! We gotta get home! Get back here right now!"

However, her call fell on deaf ears when her brother made more explosions in the distant fighting. Fortunately for them, the monsters were attending to Vince and Mega Gengar, leaving them sound…for now.

"Vince!" Laura lunged ahead, but she was unable to make progress when an arm grabbed her own arm. She looked back with shock, seeing her mother hold her. "Mom!"

Cierra shook her head. "It's too dangerous!" She scolded.

"I don't care! Let go of me!" Laura struggled to pull free, but Cierra was maintaining a grip on her daughter. No matter how much she swayed about, Laura couldn't shake her mother off. She began to grow desperate and began to yank excessively; so much that she almost dislocated her shoulder in one fell yank.

All anyone could do was watch what was happening, but Mark was clutching his fists, his frustration growing. "Damn idiot…"

In the horde of monsters, dark pillars shot around, sometimes disintegrating the beasts here and there, while static flared like a lightshow that was so powerful the ground continuously vibrated. Within the carnage and the mayhem, Vince slashed the elongated dagger given to him by Hiruzen, that last swipe finally breaking through the flood, alongside Mega Gengar. Vince's body was littered on wounds, which comprised of scratch marks, blood, and open wounds. His face had a flesh wound across the cheek.

As he panted, trying to catch his breath, he slowly limped over towards the glowing red center of the spell. The massive energy discharging kept many others away, enabling him room to make it to the very center.

He looked down, a calm look on his face. For some reason, it looked like he was at peace. "Okay, let's do this-!"

A sudden force went through him, and by god did everything about him hurt all over. His eyes widened.\, the shock from the sudden blow so fast that he was only feeling the norm. What he did realize, however, was that he couldn't feel his spine. Because part of it was gone.

Alpha was there in the middle, having appeared out of pure speed. The horrific deed had been committed, and his right claw went straight through Vince's stomach, appearing from the other side.

The Pularis family felt their hearts stop. Everything they treasured seemed pointless now, as one of their treasures was just taken away. They all stared ahead, their horror beyond compare.

Cierra and Laura screamed out in terror upon seeing Vince dealt a fatal wound.

Mark and Terrence could only stand to watch in vivid despair. Slowly, Mark began to shake his head. "No…no, no, no! NO!" He bellowed. "VINCE!" He rushed ahead blindly, carrying himself forward, but before he got too far, however, the cracked ground spouted more pillars of darkness that erupted haphazardly. The sudden eruption blocked his path, cutting off the family members from Vince and the horde that was trying to get close.

"Damnit! You idiot! Don't do this!" The brother-n-law shouted, but his call also fell deaf through the noise pollution.

Alpha glared at Vince, his own expression of thirst for terror meeting Vince's pained gaze. The Pularis grunted as he was unable to feel anything, and yet, he felt his innards violated. The monstrous man narrowed his eyes, looking on with victory.

Vince abruptly grabbed his arm with his left one. He had a dark shadow over his eyes, making it hard for Alpha to tell what he was thinking.

"And what were you doing, fool? This is _my_ spell! You cannot win! All will die! All will perish! _ALL_!"

However, Vince suddenly smirked.

"Hm?"

The darkness over Vince's eyes lifted, revealing his eyes still active and not even glimmering dim. "Heh…" Something seemed to be stuck in his throat, as he was then seen like choking. He lurched a couple times, before his cheeks began to puff. Alpha was getting weary as he saw his face. The next thing that happened…was Vince opening his mouth and spewing a wave of blood off to the side. The wave was shockingly thick, and splattered all over the blood red circle, camouflaging within the depths of it.

"What?" Alpha stuttered.

Vince's lips were drenched in thick blood, dripping constantly, but he still managed to smirk proudly. "Now, let's undo this."

Alpha scoffed at the claim Vince made. "How are you gonna stop me? I can't lose, remember?"

"You seem to have forgotten something." Vince's eyes narrowed. "I read all the archives." When he saw Alpha's eyes widen, he knew he had him where he wanted him. "And now I know how to undo it."

Mega Gengar fired another Shadow Ball into the fray, keeping them all away. He momentarily looked back at his Trainer, ready to hear what was to be done.

Slowly, Vince had begun. "Sklu bah…" He winced. "…sko…rabneh…"

Alpha's own horror began to fill his senses. "No, no!"

"…ke…ah…" The static discharging from the thousands of letters all within the chamber suddenly began to stop, as though responding to the beckoned call. The static waves began to wiggle about in place, flowing uncontrollably through the air like noodles. The blood beneath Vince that he had spilled suddenly began to thicken, darken into a layer of dark red that had begun to slowly cover the blood red circle he and Alpha were atop of.

"You fool! No!" Alpha hollered. "GRAH!" He violently yanked his own arm out of Vince, making Vince lurch and gag, more of his own blood layering the ground. The Pularis faltered and hunched forward, but even so, he didn't fall. Dark red had begun spreading throughout all of the lettering, the manifestation of new energy reacting strongly. The static within the atmosphere had begun changing course, all which beamed from various places into the dark red circle, like a conductor.

All around, the dark unstable pillars began to adjust their own courses, their foul energy bending and turning towards the center. Straight above, they all converged, like fragments of various arches that dove straight down like a spear. The combined dark pillars hit the dark red circle, making it suck into it like a void and made a violent rupture beneath the surface.

The beastly men all around stopped in place, all violently twitching and shuddering. They all howled and wailed in terror and horrific shrieks as they were starting to go charred black.

On a knee, Vince winced in pain again, his vision getting blurry. Still, he pressed on. "By allah…kenster y…ellaby…nos…for ay."

"THIS IS MY SPELL! DIE!" Alpha raised a claw that was layered with sharp claws. He let out a hostile screech as he came around from the side and swiped with all his might.

KTCH!

Alpha's eyes widened when his left claw was stopped in midair. As shocking and terrifying as it was, he was halted by not only Vince's own fist, but what he had in it. In his clutches, there was the long dagger, but not just any dagger. A dagger bent on the one man who defied him all that time.

Alpha recognized the equipment piercing his hand, rendering him unable to move, making him shudder. "Hiruzen."

Vince continued to pour in as much Magic Power his body had. All of it. With his body beginning to fail him, he had little time to waste. He hurried and continued pouring all of his power, making his destroyed attire flare as dark electricity conducted into the earth, while violent winds had begun surging with the dark pillars retreating into the circle beneath. Alpha could feel the black fire all over his body beginning to pour into the circle, his unstable power beginning to pull away from his body.

"Sklu bah! Jesreket…" Vince paused as blood was coughed up. All around him, the beastly men were beginning to turn dirty gray, beginning to dry out, slowly turning to hollow dust. Their clothing, however, stayed, but was whisked by the winds generated.

"Vince!" Laura cried out.

"Forla…gin!...DIE RIN!" Vince finished. "Now! Let's make this end, once and for all!" His eyes dilated, the last of his will pouring out. " **Impure Underworld!** BEGONE!"

Right by his side, Mega Gengar was there, smirking as the negative energy was making him falter away. The Ghost and Poison-type never lost his grin, even as the dark red energy beneath began to become a bright pink, with all of the discharged energy and dark pillar energy finally inside. The entire cavernous hills violently shook as rocks began to fall from the ceiling.

Terrence had to fight every ounce of ache as he watched his son stop the spell, while buying them time to get home. He gritted his teeth, so hard that his gums were starting to ache. "No…"

Mark's eyes began to mist. "You're gonna die! Stop!"

Cierra was beginning to break down, hands over her mouth as she watched her son try and save lives.

As Vince was feeling his knees burn up, small sparks of static running through him, he grunted in agonizing pain. He endured, the one thing he could only do now. However, he was still not alone. Alpha's arm reached out and seized his neck, gripping it tight, making Vince suffocate with whatever life force he had left in him.

Alpha bled from the stab wound he had from the dagger still lodged in his left claw, but still, he had bleeding innards and blood dripped from his mouth onto his knees. "If I'm going down…you're going down with me!" He violenty yelled.

As the claws dug into his neck, Vince could feel his breathing get cut off completely. Still, he smirked. "Fine by us."

"Us?" Alpha questioned.

Mega Gengar latched a hand on Vince's shoulder, grunting, but still smirking alongside his Trainer. In the end, Mega Gengar and his Trainer had the same large smirks, despite the immense pain and demise that was to befall them now. That's when Alpha began to grow insane as his own body began to turn a charred black.

"YOU'RE BOTH INSANE! THIS IS MY SPELL! I WORK IT! NOT YOU! YOU'RE INFERIOR! I AM THE SUPERIOR! I REIGN EVEN OVER ZEREF! I REFUSE TO DIE! I CAN'T DIE! I WILL LIVE, AND SEEK THE WORLD IN A NEW ERA WHERE I DECIDE EVERYTHING IS DEATH AND STRIFE!"

Even through the yelling, Vince continued to grin. "Well you're right about one thing…I've always been a loser."

Alpha's eyes widened.

Vince looked at him proudly. "But I always stuck my neck out for my family…that's exactly what I'm doing. I don't take crap from those above me. That's why this loser will end up kicking your ass to Hell." The ground beneath began to get swallowed in the bright pink, the lettering starting to vanish underneath the valiant pink light.

Tears streamed down Laura's face, watching her brother's neck get crushed by the bloody claws. Even so, Vince did not seem to be dead. "NOOO! VINCE!" She cried. She desperately wanted to get to him, but Mark held her tight, both husband and wife barely standing with all of the shuddering and energy flourishing around.

The bright light began to engulf a wailing Alpha, followed by Mega Gengar, and lastly Vince. With the few seconds left in his life, Vince began to recollect his history one last time. He reminisced in his childhood, where he always was the problem child. He always broke windows, pouted, and kicked shins of those bigger than him. When he was given lectures by his parents or teachers, he'd never listen, and end up swatting or kicking them. If he could manically laugh at that part, he would. Then came his sister, and how they grew up. He began to recollect the numerous battles – and loses - he had with Mega Gengar when he was only a Ghastly. They stunk, but despite being losers, they never gave up, no matter what. As of now, they were no longer failures. The only thing they failed at ever was perhaps behaving…to them, their biggest success.

He craned his head, the light finally enveloping his face. As he saw his despairing family, he took in the big picture of all four family members. His eyes began to mist up. His body was surprisingly getting warm. His mind was starting to go white. Was this what death felt like?

He smiled softly. "Guys…I always was a problem…wasn't I…" He took solace in the ones around him one final time as his eyes shut, the light fully enveloping him. _'Be safe.'_

At the same time, Alpha, Mega Gengar, and Vince's bodies were all vaporized, the last one's body being literally reduced to nothing before everyone's eyes as the dark explosion went outwards, sending dark shockwaves that shattered the ground. Laura screamed out, shrieking so loud that it rivaled the shockwaves. She had tears flare as Mark watched as his brother-in-law disappear within the explosion. The dark shockwaves of negative energy and the edge of the explosion stretched out towards Mark and Laura, making them both shout in pain as they felt the negative energy flare along their burning skin. The husband and wife duo yelled as the dark shockwaves and explosion shot them away, bumping into their parents.

"Mark! Laura!" Both parents shouted as them and the two young adults shot backwards into the tear as it faded away, barely making it as the explosion engulfed the entire chamber. All around, the hills collapsed and caved in, engulfed in an immense explosion that rattled its landscape. Thankfully, only it, and nowhere else.

* * *

Waves crashed against the shoreline. The waves brought in seawater, and at some point a Skrelp. Said Pokémon took it by surprise and lunged back into the sea. The beach sands alongside Route 8 were ticklish on one's toes. You could lay on it if you wanted to. The waves washed in and out, the constant moving of back and forth arousing the four people lying in the sands. Around them, the sand was partially red.

Terrence was the first one to get up, his eyes opening. "Gnnnnngh…" He sat up, managing despite his fatigue. "Where…where are we?" He looked around, seeing the night sky and starry night. "What happened? Cierra?" He looked over towards his side, seeing his wife come around.

Her eyes opened up, sitting up. "Terrence?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's me." He answered lowed.

"What happened?"

"I…I don't know." He rubbed the top of his head. "Everything is still hazy."

Cierra gasped as she looked at her husband.

"What?" He asked. Seeing her shock, he knew something was wrong. He looked down at his body, seeing dried blood marks, instantly startling him. "Blood?" He whipped around, seeing Cierra also having a few dirt and red stains around her body.

It didn't take long for both to take a deep breath and recount what happened. Both mother and father began to recall the events that transpired. They remembered being in another world, and having magic, and Hiruzen, and…

Their eyes widened. "Vince!" They shouted in unison. They jerked back to their feet, looking around to find that besides them, there was their daughter and son-in-law. Other than that, no one else was around.

"Vince! Where are you?!" Cierra shouted. "Vince!"

The father's fists clutched, a dark shadow over his eyes. "No…this can't be a dream…can it?" He clutched harder, his frustration surging. "Did that all…really happen? Hiruzen, Alpha, Impure Underworld, and now…" His teeth gritted, trailing off from his mourning.

Cierra's eyes began to mist. "No! Don't say that! Don't you dare say Vince is gone!" She looked frantic as she turned left and right, looking around in hopes of finding Vince. Sadly though, this was reality. "Vince? Vince…?" She looked down at her kin; her daughter. She saw her daughter on her hands and knees, panting alongside her husband.

"Laura…"

Laura was crying, her shuddering body giving way to tears as the memories came around. They were all too real for even her to deny. She gritted her own teeth, her shock leaving her to break down. She stared wide-eyed at the sands below, ignoring her own voracious injuries. Right beside her, Mark had fists in the sands, his forehead no different. He had tears silently running down his face, his frustration and sadness so great he couldn't bring himself to go nuts.

"Vince…" Laura sobbed. She quietly sobbed, her mouth open as she bawled out her grief. The reality of the situation was clear. Vince's sacrifice was too great to take. All was unnecessary as the Pularis offspring mourned for her protector.

"Damnit! Damnit!" Mark cried. He pounded the sands in frustration, his rage building. "You selfish psycho! Why did you have to be the hero?!" In truth, he knew why Vince did it, but accepting he did it only to die was unbearable.

The couple sobbed and mourned while the mother and father got to their hands and knees, beginning to sob as well. They began to mourn for the first life they brought into the world, and now they saw that it was lost. They remembered like it was yesterday when he was a newborn baby laughing in his little blue blanket that held him together. They didn't know that laugh was a trademark maniacal laughter that would be Vince enjoying pain…dishing it that is. They never liked his unstable laughter, but when they look back at it, that's the one of many things they can't ever forget. They're missing his laughter, like they miss him.

Terrence allowed a tear to fall as he remembered his son. "…Vince, you weren't a loser."

Cierra sniffled and her puffy eyes looked towards Terrence. "…Terrence."

"Hm?" The father looked down to where his wife was looking at. On his bloodied jeans, he saw something sticking out of the back pocket. It looked to be folded, like a paper would be. He reached back, pulling the piece of paper out of the pocket.

"A letter?" He asked.

"What's it say?" Cierra asked.

Curious, and doing their best to drown out their daughter's screaming and wailing, Terrence opened the letter. To his shock, he recognized the handwriting. His eyes widened in horror. "Wait, this is…!"

Cierra looked over, recognizing the barely legible calligraphy. "When did he…?"

 **Mom, Dad, Mark, Laura,**

 **If you're reading this, I guess that's bad news for me. Sorry, but I couldn't let you guys go back home with those things following behind. You may be wondering why and when I made this note. I'll tell you. Remember when we were taking that quick break to rest? Well, I was getting worried, so I looked into the archives and I found some disturbing news. Those things won't die completely, and we'd end up getting killed in the end if it ended up being unstable. A lot of lives would've been lost that day, and if we didn't make it back home some way, we'd end up dying. I was the only one who knew how to stop the spell, and I couldn't let you guys think I was gonna do this out of selfish circumstances. I wanted to keep you all alive.**

Cierra's eyes widened. "He knew this was gonna happen?"

 **Hiruzen taught us to be brave, I taught you guys to never give up. I had to try to the bitter end. I did a lot of things in the past that I'm sorry for, but I couldn't rest in peace knowing I wasn't the same stubborn and rebellious guy you all grew up with. I know you guys will be sad, but there's something I need to ask of you, so pay close attention…I want you guys to forget me. I know it sounds dumb, but I want you to forget about everything that was done by me. I've been a burden long enough, but if Mark and Laura end up with kids of their own, I don't want them growing up knowing what a sorry jerk I was. I'd be a terrible Uncle, so please, don't say anything about me, it'll only complicate the future. I've never told you guys this, not even once, but I want you guys to know…I love you guys,**

 **Be safe,**

 **Vince**

A drop of rain sprinkled on the paper, giving it a damp spot. Another one appeared, and then another. Cierra and Terrence looked up with tears rolling down their faces. They looked out at sea, quietly crying, forgiving Vince for everything that's been done by him.

Mark and Laura's eyes were wide with grief and horror, both of their eyes red with anger, and in Laura's case, anger. The bloodshot eyes emerged, her red eyes flaring as she screeched out. Unable to control herself, she ran on over towards the picnic table they were at before the whole mess started. The burgers and food were already gone, with Wingull flying away with the crumbs.

Laura began to visibly decimate the terrain, smashing apart the table and chairs. "GAH! GAAAAHH!" Her bellowing reached out as she smashed a chair against one of the rocks. Joining her, a roaring Mark with red eyes used brute strength and ripped the grill into pieces.

The roaring and tears shed howled through the night as rain began to pour.

* * *

Everyone listening was left shocked. It was written all over their faces. What the tale had told was what crossed time and space. It was unfathomable to say the least, but at the same time, it was staggering to know how they were aware of the knowledge they had.

"Your Uncle…didn't make it." Mark sadly admitted.

No one said anything for that short time, as Nic and Vanessa were still processing what happened to Vince. It was still _so_ much to take in, with having an Uncle, only to realize he died with a wish to have never been mentioned again.

Laura looked despondently at the ground, deeply frowning as the tale had come to an end. She looked at the dark ground longingly. "When that dark shockwave struck us, a reaction occurred in our bodies." She confessed. "For a moment, it felt like we were burning up, but in our case, it was the remnants of Impure Underworld. The negative energy released entered our bodies in a severely weakened state. We made it back alive…but at a price." She had to take yet another second to adjust and try to keep herself focused. The recollection of her brother dying was still fresh with her being in the same location from 25 years ago. "…Mark was affected at a superficial level. It made him temperamental, and our nervous systems amplified our rage. As for me, with my bloodline, the Impure Underworld's affect had gone and amplified our ratio."

Nic's eyes widened. "Your genetic ratio…was amplified?" He parroted.

"Yes, I'm afraid so." Laura confessed. "Our ratio that was passed down from the very beginning was .03, but the spell's death-like affects correlated to Giratina's will." Her eyes shut, letting out a mournful sigh. "…our ratio skyrocketed to 15%."

To others, 15% didn't sound like much, it wasn't even 1/5 of what Giratina had in mind. However, Nic and his group were not like others. In terms of Pokémon, even a 10% chance was critical. People are generally scared of attacks like Flamethrower and Scald because they have chances of burning ranging from 10 to 30. No one likes a chance of that. This factor left Nic and Vanessa unnerved.

Regardless of how many felt at the time, Mark pressed on. "Then, sometime later, I caught a Magneton." He looked towards Magnezone, the Magnet Area Pokémon staring at his former Trainer with a blank expression. He looked at the large magnetic creature, but his gaze was soft. "I just…I wanted to honor Vince somehow, make his sacrifice worth meaning. So, got myself a Magneton, and I _was_ gonna consider traveling."

"Then why didn't you?" Vanessa asked. "I know Vince wanted you to forget him, but why-!"

"Let me finish." Mark interrupted. Vanessa backed off, allowing the father to resume. "I wanted to honor Vince. I know it didn't sound right given his final request…his only request…but I lost a brother. I couldn't let him go away in vain. But then…" He looked towards Laura, the two sharing an equally as guilty gaze. "It was too late."

"Too late?" Erza asked.

Laura looked towards Nic, her blue eyes looking at his. "I was pregnant with Nic."

Nic said nothing in response. Erza looked at him and wanted to say something, but with how the circumstances were drastic, she could only stare in question and remorse at Nic.

Laura looked away, mainly in shame. "We knew that my heritage was gonna get passed down, but we hoped we could ascertain control, but sadly, it wasn't that easy. Before we knew it, Nic came into the world. What was most shocking…was that he was a boy." She thought back to the hospital, the day Nic was born. The little body wrapped in a baby blue blanket with fuzzy black hair was asleep, looking peaceful. "At first, we didn't mind…but then…" Laura swallowed, the graphic truth coming around. "When you woke up, you smiled and laughed."

Nic narrowed his eyes, staring in quizzically at his mother.

"You could've cried, or you could've whined…but the first sounds you made were of laughter. It was like you enjoyed being alive." She stared up at him, her motherly gaze turning sour with narrowed eyes. "That was how my brother was born. When that happened…we just lost it." Her intertwined fingers meshed together tightly, trying to keep her together. "You reminded us so much of Vince, that it was like life was tormenting us. We couldn't take it. We couldn't handle it. You were a fussy child, always doing whatever you wanted, exactly like Vince. Our genes kicked in, and we ended up supplying violence; add in our ratio and we were doomed to have no control."

Mark pressed on from that point onwards. "Then when you were almost 4, Vanessa was born. And then things only got worse from then on."

Vanessa stared at the parents, her gaze cold but nervous at the same time.

"Like Vince, Nic would do anything for his little sister to keep her happy. We feared at times you were Vince incarnated, and that only made us want to deny it out of violence. Consequently, we got Magneton in it too I'm afraid." He took a quick look at Magnezone, who was looking hard at Mark, but even that façade was just so he wouldn't have to look at Nic, because the guilt was rising up. "Everything you did, Nic, it was like Vince. You were rebellious, a stinker, but Vanessa was always looking up to you." The recollection of Vanessa as a baby was another somber memory. He recalled her being rocked in her crib back and forth gently as she slept with a pink blanket, her hair black with a single blonde bang on her forehead. The parents could remember the 5-year-old Nic rocking her back and forth gently to sleep with a brotherly smile. The guilt was growing, and Mark clutched his fingers tighter. "And that's all she rode."

Laura looked off to the side, frowning mournfully. "And then came our Mom and Dad's untimely death in a car accident. You know all about that."

Nic and Vanessa could still remember that day like it was yesterday. They were devastated. Vanessa was crying in her bed, and Nic couldn't even go to the funeral because it was like he never existed to the world. All he had was the phone and earbuds given to him the day before they died. When the two thought about their grandparents, it was like a fantasy. As shocking as it was, Nic always hitched a ride in the car and spent time with his little sister at Grandma and Grandpa's place. Their noodles and mashed potatoes were the best. But all they were now was a memory.

"So…that's it." Nic said. "That's what happened?"

Laura nodded. "Yes. That brings us to now."

Nic and Vanessa had their heads down, shadows covering their eyes. They couldn't say anything from what they heard. It all sounded so ridiculous, and yet it also looked nothing like a lie. What could they have said in response to what they heard.

Erza turned towards the parents in question. "So, you brutalized and terrorized Nic's own childhood…not because you took delight in it."

"It was still our fault. We just couldn't control ourselves." Mark pointed out.

"My ratio thankfully weakened when it passed down to Nic and Vanessa, but I was still left insecure." Laura said. She looked at Erza, taking a moment's pause. "Wait…so who're you?"

Erza looked with a seriousness in her eyes, glaring at them. "I am Erza Scarlet."

"I see…" Laura looked towards Nic, and back at Erza, noticing how Erza was close in terms of proximity. "So _you're_ the woman who took Nic and held him close." She smirked. Despite her attempt at a tease, Erza didn't seem in the very least fazed.

"Yes, and I could say that I'm grateful to you for giving these two life." Her eyes narrowed. "What you've done was reprehensible."

Mark's brows furrowed. "You're serious. Never thought you'd be Nic's type."

"I'm more than insulted with you questioning our relationship. What really bugs me…is that this was all a misunderstanding." Erza retorted.

The parents said nothing in response. Rather than them speaking, it was Nic who voiced.

"It doesn't matter."

Vanessa looked at him with shock. "Nic?"

"What are you saying?" Erza asked.

Nic stood up from his seat, an angered gaze plastered on his face. "You let me get this straight. I was despised and ridiculed all because I was like my supposed Uncle, that I can understand and relate. I was rebellious, and I hated everything with authority, which scared you guys. All of that, I can understand. But what perplexes me the most…was how this whole time, it was seen as a _misunderstanding_." There was a lot of spite in Nic's tone on the last part.

"Nic…" Mark spoke, but was cut off.

"You guys can lie to me all you want; you can strip me down like you did and dunk my head in and out of the toilet, you can leave me out to sleep in the rain and snow using the empty trash bin as my only cover, you could have me zapped to where I passed out…but you made the biggest lie up just now." His accusation was immense, it startled everyone. "You lied about Vince. We never had an Uncle, but in truth we _did_? And you mean to tell me that you've been to Earth Land and barely made it out alive, correlated to Dialga and Palkia's fight? How did you know that was happening? What makes you think that-!"

"SHUT UP!"

Nic went wide-eyed and reeled back a step as his mother was shuddering. Her eyes were wincing from the likes of pain and harsh scolding.

"I know…we know you're pissed. We know we lied. But how did you expect us to honor Vince then, huh?! He was a jerk and a rebel, but he had heart too! Part of me was gone that day, but most of me was still here, alive because of him! I had to lie, there was no other choice! Every day I look at you, I saw Vince, my dead brother! It pained me! You know your anger stemmed from me, and I am at fault every step of the way…SO SIT DOWN AND LET US THINK!"

Nic never heard his mom so desperate before. It was shocking to say the least. He again was caught shocked as he saw the one thing coming from her that he never saw from her or dad. Tears.

Tears began to stream down her face as her eyes misted. "It's hard enough that we were terrible parents because our anger got the best of us…but you could never understand the pain fueled from death! What would happen if Vanessa died, or if Nic died?! How would you two feel?!"

Nic and Vanessa looked at each other wearily. The two stared at the only saving grace in their childhood. To them, the other _was_ their childhood. If Nic or his sibling passed away for some reason, of course they'd be shattered. This only served to make the two all the more guilty. Nic complied and sat down.

Mark clutched his fists, gritting his teeth in frustration. "You're both not dumb. We didn't raise dumbass children. We gave life to two beautiful babies, and they have the Pularis heart running through their veins. You both can tell that we're not lying. We can't lie!" His eyes misted as he looked down at the ground and not at his son or daughter. "You have no right to forgive us for what we've done. We have no right to call ourselves parents. We were nothing but your prisoners…no. We were prisoners ourselves, shackled by our rage and frustration. By now you know what it feels like to be angry. The Pularis anger shuts down everything and makes you want to destroy. If you want to destroy us now, we won't stop you…we couldn't even if we tried."

The two looked over towards their mom, who was dripping tears from her eyes.

"I don't understand how…but we shouldn't even be here. We should be dead. We should've seen Vince up there, and Mom and Dad…but no! Why wasn't he there?! He couldn't have gone to Hell! I don't know how either, but Alpha survived that explosion! He should be dead, and yet he has Vince's Gengar too! THE NERVE OF THAT MONSTER! HE CAN'T USE MY BROTHER'S MOST TRUSTED POKÉMON! HE DESECRATED MY BROTHER!"

"Mom…" Vanessa muttered.

Mark's veins began to pop out of his eyes. "You can see us as enemies, but we hold nothing against you. Alpha is to blame. He somehow survived…and now that monster's gone too far and off the deep end." There was immense remorse in his tone, his eyes showing a deep fire like no other. "He may have brought us back…BUT THERE'S NO WAY HE'S GONNA KILL US ALL A SECOND TIME!"

There was an intense silence falling between Nic's group and the parents. They were all stiff, the tension in the air at astronomically high levels. This, of course, left Nic and his little sister uneased greatly. Magnezone was no different, he never figured he was commanded under such a passionate man.

Mark hunched over, grunting in frustration. "We're not the parents you thought we were. Our lives have been a lie." He closed his eyes. "We wanna die again, but we wanna see Alpha pay…guess the choices you make aren't picked by you alone."

A sudden pair of feet got up. Everyone's eyes opened up to see Nic looking down at his mom and dad with a dreadful and menacing gaze.

"Nic?" Erza asked.

"You're right, both of you. We have every right to end you a second time. You lied to us, and you made Magnezone guilty all these years. You misused Pokémon worse than Vince apparently. You have no place to consider yourselves leadership material."

"Nic…" Vanessa muttered.

"…but." His fists clutched, his anger rising. "If we did that, we'd be no better than you. We would regret it for the rest of our lives." He disregarded his mom and dad's questionable looks and resumed his monologue. "I can't overlook what you guys did to us in the past, and I can't trust your words…not at this point at least…"

"Nic." Laura muttered, hope returning to her eyes.

"I hate you guys for hurting my little sister and keeping something that made our lives a lie, but I hate Alpha more. What he did exceeded worse than humanity, worse than what you guys did. He made pitiful examples of human beings used for monetary gain and selfish ambition. He made my sister cry…he made us bleed to death by that reaper." The recollection of that man left him and his sister alike with a shiver down their spines. "He used our anger against us. I despise those who use one another for selfish gain, and I makes me want to spill justice how I see it fit." His eyes narrowed. "We have a common enemy, so as much as I dislike it…we're better off together."

Erza looked at Nic with shock. "Nic, are you sure about this?"

Nic looked back at her. "I've learned many things in my time here, but one of the most crucial things that I've learned…" He thought back for a moment, recalling Gajeel, Laxus, Magnezone and especially Jellal. "That everyone deserves a chance at redemption. If they can right their wrong, then they have a chance to move on."

Magnezone floated in the air, touched at Nic's speech. Naturally that included him on the list of those who deserve redemption.

Vanessa was the next to stand, her face full of pride. "They hurt my big brother. If we lost our Uncle as you say, Mom, then I might know that feeling…I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

"Nic. Vanessa." Both parents were so touched with their offspring and their proclamation. Ten of course, there was Magnezone.

The Electric and Steel-type floated up, glaring at his former masters. His red eye in the center actually glowed out of his emotion. "All this time…I was living a lie…I was afraid of you guys if you hurt me. I was scared because not even fire scared you. You bent steel with single blows. I was living a life of fear. I was Nic's jailor and shocked him…and the sickening part was that I was watching him grow up, and it was like shocking your own nephew."

"Magnezone." Nic said.

Magnezone pointed all of his magnets at Mark and Laura. "I have every right to destroy you right now! I want to! But…I wanna redeem. Even though what I did was a lie…I still feel guilty for hurting a happy child." He lowered his magnets, backing down. "I am not yours to command anymore, I belong to Vanessa now. And since she's going along with this, I have no choice but to follow along. I must repent in full."

Laura out hands over her mouth, shocked beyond comprehension. "Nic…Vanessa…thank you…" She wanted to break down in joy that her children and Magnezone could cooperate despite the pain they've been inflicted with. They've gotten so strong.

Mark stood up, grinning. "I'm glad…"

"Don't get the wrong idea." Nic warned, downgrading Mark and Laura's satisfaction. "I still find your beliefs to be weary. Even if you are Mom and Dad, that doesn't mean I'm trusting you fully. We can't overlook what's been done, but we have a familiar enemy. So we're keeping an eye on you."

Mark and Laura looked down at the ground, a smile on their faces. They were hurt with Nic and their own daughter not trusting them completely, but it's what they deserve. They only accepted the burden.

"If that's what you want." Mark said.

"There's still questions that need to be answered. Like how did you both die to begin with?" Vanessa asked.

Laura took in a deep breath, recounting what lead to their demise. "Well, let's start from the beginning. After we were arrested, the ratio in our body went unstable from our continuous rampage against the cops. It was so graphic it wasn't allowed on the news. We broke apart our own cells, we rampaged with violent and massive energy. We broke through walls and yelled and screamed like Gyarados. We were so unstable that even tranquilizers didn't work."

"Was that because of your genetics and effects of the Impure Underworld?" Erza asked.

"Yes. It took more than five Machamp to suppress us. The scariest men in the cell were all too petrified by fear to come anywhere near us. We were roaring and our eyes were feral red. We caused them all to get therapy."

"You know those jackets they use to suppress you?" Mark asked. "Well as shocking as it was, tazers and those jackets had no effect on us. We broke out of those and our bodies expelled the voltage out of blind destruction. We even took a couple bullets here and there and we didn't stop. We nearly broke every bone in every single being before we made it to the doors before our bodies and minds succumbed. We were deemed so lethal that we couldn't go to court. We'd end out killing everyone. So, we were transferred to a vicinity in Lumiose City, the mental institute, where we were barking and roaring as we had reinforced prisons together. We were there for the duration…for another week or so."

"What happened then?" Nic asked, getting a very bad suspicion.

Mark pinched the bridge of his nose. "…what happened to all the other Pularis in the ancient times. We ended up dead when our bodies gave out one week in there. All that struggling and torment made our anger flourish, and that killed us from the inside. Our hearts and brains went dead on the morning of December 27th…not long after Nic left for his journey."

Nic and his group were quiet, silently taking narrow eyes between their mom and dad. The way they died sounded so inhumane, then again…they weren't in control.

"Then how were you reincarnated? Why aren't you…angry, or…?" Magnezone trailed off, the notion received.

Mark put his hand to his chin, pondering. "Hmm, that's a good question. Even after death, those energies lingered in our bodies and cells like a parasite forever. But how we were purified? That's tricky." He grinned. "Even we barely know."

"Well that isn't very helpful." Nic deadpanned.

"I know this sounds ridiculous, but think of it like this: I know you were never good with math, Nic, but what happens when you multiply a negative by a negative?"

"You get…" Nic's eyes widened. "A positive." He gasped.

Laura nodded. "Yeah. That reaction had something to do with how the spell worked in the past. We were only partially affected in the past Impure Underworld, the one Vince used to reverse the effects of the first one. That was similar to a vaccine you can say. So, when this Impure Underworld was unleashed, we were…how do I put this?"

"Purified." Nic answered.

"Yes, thank you."

"Speaking of reincarnated, what is the Impure Underworld? What does it _really_ do?" Erza asked. "You said it was unstable and performed incorrectly. How did you know?"

"When one is revived from the Impure Underworld Spell, it is true that they're no longer of reason and bent on killing, but at the same time, they're 'programmed', to put it simply." Mark answered.

"Like blueprints?" Nic asked.

"Yes. So we can understand to follow the caster's motif." He grinned. "However, the flaw in the spell this time…is that it has a solid weakness."

"You two." Vanessa pointed out.

Laura nodded. "Yes. We are under the effects of the spell, and are imprinted with its functions, but we cannot go bloodthirsty. Giratina's vendetta is no longer guiding me through anger." She then frowned. "However, this brings up your actual question about the spell."

Erza's eyes narrowed.

"Impure Underworld…it is perhaps the – if not one of – the oldest spells ever made in terms of magic in this world. It is a spell whose true identity is bringing the dead to life."

"The dead…to life?" Nic gasped.

"Just like what happened with you guys." Vanessa wheezed.

"Yes. It was a spell forged long before Zeref was born." Mark answered.

Erza stood up, baffled. "But how? Zeref created the R-System. He was the one bent on resurrection."

"And where did you think he got the archives from?" Mark retorted.

Erza tried to find an answer, but she was left unsound.

"As I thought. Only or two archives remained after the 400-year period. The spell was forgotten because of its apocalyptic side-effects. The archives were destroyed, and humanity and dragons nearly died out when it was used in the past. It was originally designed as a weapon to bring the dead to life, to make an unstoppable army that felt no pain and only sought to kill. But the damage was too great. The spell was cast in so many unstable manners that half a continent was eradicated from the atomic malfunctions. To even have someone have any clue as to the existence of the Impure Underworld, a spell even before Zeref's time, is a 1 and a billion shot. To think Alpha is doing just that."

Laura looked towards her children with discerning looks. "Remember how we said the spell cast then was unstable? Well, it's because the conditions were not met."

"Conditions? As opposed to what?" Nic inquired.

"Well, for one thing, it lacked Magic Power. It needed a huge amount, which can rival Etherion if not more." Laura pointed out. "You need an immense amount to even stay stable. Second, the incantations were incomplete. Alpha only managed to get half the script correct."

"So there was more to the chant. If so, it had to be modernized to even be legible." Erza figured.

Mark nodded. "Yes. The spell also required two very important factors…and one of them had to deal with you." The tension on the depths they were in intensified, making Nic and Vanessa grow weary as they were pointed at.

"Us?" Nic replied.

Laura lowered her head. "Yes. This spell, dare I say it…" She looked up at them, meeting them both in the eyes. "It needs an immense amount of pure, negative, hateful energy. It needs a power source to fuel bloodlust. That's what Alpha lacked before, and then you two came along, and that's when it hit him. He needed _your_ dark blood that was passed down from you. And I'm afraid he got what he needed." The mother took a pause to allow Nic and Vanessa to stay in shock. Even Erza couldn't say much. How would you feel if you were used only to bring the world to an end? If you didn't want that to happen, then you'd feel very guilty. The two siblings looked down at the ground, eyes fixated on what they felt back in the cell. It was graphic, painful, and they could've sworn a part of them was seized and torn off.

"That was…" Nic clutched his fists, his frustration boiling. "Our anger."

"He used us." Vanessa's eyes narrowed. "They're lower than monsters to used emotions and anger for their own selfish gain. They nearly killed us just to merely provoke our negative blood."

"And since it's passed from Giratina indirectly, that makes it a great power source born from destruction." Magnezone noted.

"Which brings us to our last crucial point." Mark said. He looked up to the dark cavern ceilings above. "The moon."

Nic's eyes narrowed. "The moon?"

"Yes. The Impure Underworld has to be timed precisely. Very one of those requirements needs to be met, but the moon has the role of being its own catalyst." Laura said. "The spell took place in the day, which is why those creatures reduced to dust in sunlight, so if the spell was cast at night during a moon, they'd develop a resistance within the hours and the sun would have no effect on them."

"There's one other thing." Mark added. "The spell has to be done…on the night before the blood moon rises."

"Blood moon?" Vanessa asked. "Isn't that a special eclipse that occurs very rarely?"

"Yes. The blood moon will amplify the Impure Underworld that night. Once the energy around has been gathered, the blood moon will transfer it with its color, and amplify the energy to make it spread, not just in Fiore…but around the world. Think of all the great mages and most powerful figures that were dead in the past."

Erza looked down at the ground, pondering. "Lucy's mother…" Her eyes slowly widened in horror. "Simon…Grandpa Rob…" She looked back at them. "You mean-!"

"They'll all be resurrected. Every human that's been dead in the current century will rise, and be reincarnated into solid ethereal forms…and they will bloodishly slaughter every living being, family, and anything that moves. They will have no reason, and all…will die."

Nic and everyone felt chills up their spines. The spell was gonna bring the apocalypse, a literal apocalypse. It was designed to kill off any and all enemies. Undead, the caster may very well be the only one alive. This could very well bring the end of an era.

Erza stared in horror, eyes wide. "Are you saying millions are gonna rise? But how? That's insane!"

"Not only insane, but it'll destroy the world." To Nic, he was briefly worried about the dead rising, mainly by one person, one who could kill everything and everyone in the blink of an eye…it was Lysandre that Nic feared, but when he recounted the final battle, his own existence, the negative energy, and his soul was erased. So he was briefly thankful about that.

"We gotta stop it, now!" Vanessa urged.

Mark pressed on. "Remember what we said, the spell needs a one-day charge. Since it just activated, it's slowly manifesting magic from the earth. By tomorrow night, the blood moon will rise at full peak."

Laura continued. "The spell also works in stages."

"Stages?" Nic said.

"Yes, and we just so happen to be the first stage. The Impure Underworld's power source runs on a memory core. Or in your case, genetics. The so-called 'memory' of the last Impure Underworld correlates to the power source. So since we were there, and your DNA was used…"

Nic put a hand to his chin. "Then that means you were the first reincarnated."

"Yes. Exactly." Laura finished.

"Once the first stage is manifested, the second stage starts in several hours afterwards." Mark told. "The first stage must stay low as the caster considers for them to spread energy like a virus, which correlates with the area. In other words, the dead in the area will rise shortly."

Nic swallowed. He did _not_ seem pleased with where this was going. If the dead was gonna rise in the area, and Mom and Dad were here, then who knows how much time was left before an army of monsters come after them? Vanessa was scared, but she looked calm outside, the same with Erza. Both woman looked calm, but inside, they knew the undead army was not a good thing.

"And then comes the last stage…the night of the blood moon, when the energy is at full power and released that night into the world." Mark said.

Nic straightened up, staring at his deceased parents. "We don't have much time. If what you say is true, then we don't even have a day's time left." He took a step forward. "Tell me, do you know when you were reincarnated?"

Mark and Laura looked at one another before giving their son narrow eyes.

"It's been about four hours, meaning we have twenty hours left until the spell reaches full power." Laura said.

"Then we haven't a moment to waste." Erza picked up her sword. "Move it!"

"Right!" Everyone shouted. They all began to run off, but before they got too far, Nic spread his arms out to his side, stopping everyone else.

"Nic, what's wrong?" Mark asked.

Nic turned to face his parents, a frown on his face. "Remember what we said, we don't fully believe much of your tale…not yet, but like I said as well, we're keeping an eye on you; therefore, you're gonna lead us to that chamber." He told them.

Nobody was shocked about this, honestly. In a sense, he wasn't wrong, but Mark and Laura were also caught in a predicament. They were still untrustworthy, and yet they were imprinted upon revival. If they know the way, they need to make sure everybody else knew about it. Though grinning, both parents stepped forward, the two leading the way.

Magnezone floated behind them, magnets to their heads. "Don't make any false mistakes. Like he said, we're watching you."

Still, Mark smiled. "Don't worry. We know."

On a weary note, Nic and his group followed the reincarnated parents, Magnezone ready to blast them if they stepped out of line. They all disappeared into the darkness, deep into the caverns.

* * *

Fernando frowned as the five grouped pieces were seen on the board. The pieces were all moved very slowly away from the center of the board, towards more sections of the gameboard. "Well, isn't this problematic." He nonchalantly said. "Seems our dice has been rolled with the wrong set of numbers."

Ivy rolled her eyes with a long huff. "English, please?" She sighed.

Fernando adjusted his glasses. "The pawns had a small breakthrough when it was their turn."

"Seems dumb luck has saved them this one time." Mariah quietly said.

Imaci was close by, kneeling against a wall. "Indeed, but this setback can't be overlooked. We have a weakness now in our spell. That can spell bad news if we make a wrong move."

"Agreed. However, they are only two humans. We can turn the tides against them." Crowhaw pointed out.

Imaci opened his eyes to look at Crowhaw. "Not until we've restored our Magic Power. We've used it all up for the charge for Impure Underworld, remember?"

Saboth stood tall, his Demon Karbia in hand. "I must have my full strength if I am to crush any who stand in my way." He retorted. "When my power comes around, I will trump them all."

Vermilius leaned back against the rocky wall, his massive scythe on his back. He had crossed arms and head hung low. "Everyone, conserve yourselves. We must give Alpha his time."

On that note, everyone looked at Alpha, who was in the distance. The foul, rotting sensation was always around, but even Mariah felt slightly nauseated when she looked at Alpha. The leader was against the wall, his figure cloaked in the raw, black, negative energy. He was growling and snarling feral. His eyes were blood red, the feral slits dilating as he panted.

He clawed at the wall, howling in the dark. It sounded like a dying dinosaur. He panted, his energy inside still critical, and yet his anger was boiling, his blood red eyes fueled with a glowing light. Littered all around him were dead animal that were exposed to even being around him. Wild bats and cave spiders were dead from being exposed to Alpha's raw negative energy. Nearby, the blood red incantations on the ground continued to glow in the night.

"Damn you…Mark…Laura!" Alpha grunted. He left deep claw marks in the side of the cavernous walls, slowly scraping like nails against chalk. "Grrah!" He yanked away, his frustration fuming. He whipped away from the wall, walking away. "I failed to think you'd be immune to this. I was a fool." His eyes narrowed. "Fine…help your _precious kin_ , while I rip all of your guts out!"

Nearby, appearing from the shadows, Gengar's upper half appeared, chuckling as he watched Alpha walk over and tear a dead spider's limbs off, watching its innards splatter on the ground for the leader to step and crush on.

Fernando looked away from the gory sight, taking delight in the gameboard rather than hear the sound of tearing limbs in the distance. He smirked as he slowly moved the pieces on the board. "Don't worry, everyone. Leave it all to me." His smirk grew sinister. "I'll make their time her shorter than they think."

* * *

 **Here's the last of the Pularis history! I made this chapter massively long, almost 20K, mainly because the plot – to me – has to be fit in minimal chapters if I can manage. Anyways, how was it? Does it answer most of your questions? Hope you guys continue to enjoy the thriller that is the Impure Underworld Arc! As always, comment, or detail review, or review in general. Thanks!**


	35. Give Us A Chance

Step by step, the group pressed on through the caverns. Nothing but bewildering darkness and the ever-present smell of decay and dead animals making them want to heave on occasion. Regardless, their agenda outweighed their own concern for fresh air. It was one foot after another, each step taken carrying them behind the footprints of the guides that were the deceased Laura and Mark. Magnezone floated behind them, making sure they didn't try anything funny. So far, it's been steady, but who knows for how long.

Nic and Vanessa followed behind their parents, an uneasy and awkward silence that has long-since engulfed them. Their road was no less dark nor more silent than that of a grave. It was haunting them. Both siblings had to either directed their attention up front, or towards their parents' backs. They glared left and right like little daggers, and yet the deceased souls weren't affected at all. Every constant minute dragged them through the trails engraved by the torment that tugged at their hearts. What were they supposed to feel? Remorse? How could they? Sure, they felt terribly sorry for their circumstances, but redemption comes from a long ways when it's hung over your head your entire childhood.

"Nic?"

Nic glanced over at his younger sister, taking notice of her subtle hushed tone. The look on her face said it all. He didn't have to speak aloud to answer her back. Rather his head drooped. "I know. It's okay, I'm here."

The younger sibling pressed on. It was like this off and on again. Nic and Vanessa were hard0pressed on speaking aloud about the circumstances that brought them to where they were now. If they were completely honest with themselves, they weren't sure exactly what to say, or do, other than follow their parents' footsteps…quite literally. Not only were they uneasy about it all, but the way their mom and dad were casually strolling along like they don't give a care in the world was perhaps Brine to an injured Rhydon, in a manner of speaking.

Just as Nic was starting to lag from the seed of doubt, a hand held his own. His eyes widening, his pulse actually palpitating a small fraction. They were so warm, so inviting. The fingers began to intertwine with his, holding his will together. He looked over, seeing Erza pacing herself right beside him, her smile on her face.

"It's gonna be okay. I won't let you falter, not while we have a world to save." She sounded so soft, yet so comforting. The strong warrior could see the insecurity in Nic's heart just by observing him. It was pulling him in all sorts of directions.

"Erza…" Nic's body began to get a little warmer.

Erza's armor-clad shoulder met Nic's. Even the metal was warm from her own body. Her long red hair was straightforward, like her resolve and undying loyalty towards him. Her smile was filling his mind with a bunch of Butterfree flapping along casually. "We'll get through this. You can trust them, you know that, right? If you can trust me, then trusting them will help us all." In a way, she was speaking on behalf of experience. Trust was never one of her strong points, especially in the past when joining Fairy Tail. The Tower of Heaven and Jellal really hit her hard. Trusting an enemy that was once someone close to you was a hardy repair. It took some convincing on Erza's part to learn and trust Jellal again, but she couldn't have done it without her friends. Now, it was her time to repay the bill.

Nic stared at her longingly, for trust was his own issue. When it came to Erza, there were times in the past when he lost trust in her because she hurt him. And yet look at them now, they were inseparable. They fell in love with one another, and now they have a house – an over-the-top kind of house at that! If Nic can put his faith into her, then he could at least ease up around his parents.

A grin came onto his face, something Erza hasn't seen in awhile. She missed it. A sudden hold on her hand got her attention. The redhead looked down, seeing Nic's fingers intertwined with her own.

"I can manage. Thanks." Nic thanked.

The two walked side-by-side holding themselves together while their warmth radiated over towards Vanessa, who was smiling at the trusting sight.

"Hey, what's the hold up?" Mark called back. Immediately, everyone looked back ahead, startled.

"Hurry up if you want to save the world." Laura called out.

"R-right. Sorry!" Nic fastened his pace, hurrying back up to speed with the two other girls. The younger trio eventually made it back up to speed, their focus shaken off…for now.

"So, Erza." Laura asked, her question and inquiry resonating from out of the blue.

"Yes?"

"How long have you been seeing Nic?"

Erza's cheeks turned a small tint of pink. The question surprised not just her, but left Nic a little embarrassed. "W-what brought that up?" The redhead shrieked.

Laura didn't seem bothered. "No reason. Just out of wonder is all." She said.

Erza tried to regain her composure. The temperature in her cheeks was starting to lower a little to where she didn't seem all that fazed. It wasn't often her relationship with Nic was the topic. "…about six months." She answered.

Laura looked over her shoulder, getting a good look at Erza. Unlike herself, Erza was just stargazingly beautiful. Her porcelain skin and brown eyes complimented the other, and her long red hair was so silky, and the color itself was so unique. Not to mention her bust and other various larger assets. It's a mystery as to how Nic got hold of such a woman.

"What?" Erza asked, noticing Laura's stare.

"Oh, nothing." Laura waved off. Her grin remained plastered to her face as she carried along. _'_ _Does this world have a bunch of women with those things?'_ Laura looked down at herself, noticing how her bust, among the other women in her home world, weren't all that fascinating. Not even remotely. Yet Erza was the whole package; a glance at Vanessa, and she had larger breasts coming along than her mother. It's probably Earth Land's influence.

"So, Nic?" Mark asked, his own turn for inquiry ahead of him. "How old are you now?"

Nic didn't respond right away, but he was willing to comply. "…I just turned 20 not too long ago."

"I see…" He looked at a nearby crevice in the passing wall, seeing nothing. "And how old are you, Erza?"

"21."

Mark raised a brow. "Is that right?" He sounded so nonchalant, like it wasn't a big deal. After processing the numbers for a few brief moments, he snickered.

"What's so funny?" Nic asked.

Mark grinned. "Nothing…just never thought Nic would be into older women." The comment ran like fire that nearly turned up the heat around a certain couple. Nic was perhaps the most baffled, let alone embarrassed. His eyes widened, his cheeks turning red. At his own son's shocked expression about his interests, Mark snickered.

"Oh relax. It's no big deal." He teased.

Nic looked away, his cheeks still brimming with red. His actions looked cute, to Erza of course. Nic was trying his best to huff it off, it was so adorable. She could only smirk at him and his flustered state. She of course never found their age a big deal. If she ended up 7 years older than him, then she'd still pick him a thousand times over.

Vanessa managed to uphold a small grin of her own. "So, Mom?"

Laura looked back at her daughter with a curious gaze. "Yes? What is it?" To her, being called 'Mom' right now might be a stretch, but at the same time, it was at least an attempt to get along. She powered through the unworthy title and listened to the daughter.

"About this Impure Underworld, if what you said was true, then should we still be in the first stage? You said it took a period of hours for deceased to arise, but you never specified that. How long have we been walking for the begin with?" Vanessa asked.

Laura's head slowly cascaded down towards the ground. It took her some critical thinking to tell exactly how long they were traveling down the caverns for. From her own blueprints that were detailed upon her reincarnation, she could automatically countdown to the spell's full power, but timewise, she was finding it hard t tell if it was daybreak or night still.

"I can't recall the last time I told of the spell." She admitted, albeit with some shame in her tone. "Last I checked, it was another twenty hours." She turned towards Mark. "Mark, what did you count?"

"We have another seventeen hours left until the blood moon rises." He informed.

"Are we any closer? That's my question." Erza added.

Nic looked around the walls, his eyes narrowing. "It's been hours, and it feels like we're in a loop. Are you sure we're not taking another trail?" There was an underlying bit of doubt in his tone when he addressed to his parents. In correlation, Magnezone twirled his magnets, initiating his defense on behalf of the doubt starting to stir.

"We're telling you, it's this way." Mark hurriedly rebuffed. "We came down this corridor, and it took us a few good hours. It'll take us right to the ground level. That we know for a fact."

Nic and the others backed off, assured of what they heard. If it's right to believe, it has in fact been a few hours since the spell had activated, which has reason to believe that it took three to four hours to venture down the way they in fact are going right now. They should be on schedule.

"Then we should move it. Faster, everyone." Erza declared.

"You got it." Mark pressed on with Laura, both maintaining a quickened pace to comply with the increased demand. No matter what, Mark and Laura had to assure Nic and the group that they were on their side. It was gonna take a little more time, but at least Nic nor Vanessa were willing to strike them in retribution. That's a good sign.

As they walked, Mark slowly gained a smirk. "Hm."

"What is it? You sense something?" Nic asked.

Mark shook his head. "No, just wondering is all."

Erza's eyes narrowed. "Wondering what?"

Mark looked back over his shoulder, giving the couple a mischievous smirk. "Just who always ends up on top."

It didn't strike them at first, nor anyone for that matter. It never crossed Nic or Erza's minds as to what he referred to until a couple precious moments passed. That's when Nic's eyes shot wide, his face a full-blown red with embarrassment.

Vanessa looked to her brother with inquiry, catching his red face. _'_ _On top…?'_ She thought in repetition. Eventually it clicked, her own eyes widening. _'_ _Oh.'_

Laura sharply glanced at her husband. "Mark!" She shrieked. She nudged his arm in reprimanding him, the elbow strong enough to make him yelp.

"Ow! What?" He asked. He looked back around, seeing his son's face. If that was funny before, then Magnezone looming overhead with body crackling certainly killed the mood. Catching onto his fault, he raised his hands up like he was arrested. "You're right, you're right. Sorry I asked." He sighed.

The group went on, assuring themselves towards their destination. It took a little while as they pressed on, but Nic's blush began to subside. As Vanessa powered through the awkwardness, the other female merely smirked at Nic. Erza – granted – was a little embarrassed to admit, but she found the mildly inappropriate question cute, mainly because she got to see Nic's face in this time of crisis. Her smirk never left her face.

 _'_ _I'm always on top.'_

* * *

Alpha was seen huffing in frustration on his hands and knees. Back in the circle, where the spell had been cast, the energy was more potent than it has ever been. Slowly, it increased with every second that passes by. The negative, black energy around his body and core thickened just a little just a few minutes ago, his red eyes nearly bulging with bloodlust. His teeth were sharpened, his will and instinct making him see everything in a harsh red.

Panting like a wild animal, his wide eyed inspected the Impure Underworld circle. The incantations engraved into the rock were beginning to glow a darker shade of blood red, and has been for past hour now. As the letters bubbled like boiling lava, Alpha was mesmerized with every bubble popping. He could picture a skull exploding, or a life ending. The more bubbles that arose from the blood red lettering, the more lust he drew into his core, making him grow stronger. He continued to pant in the darkness, no candles illuminating the grotesque features of his insanity.

Not too far off, Imaci overlooked Alpha's condition, ignoring every dead bat and spider in the area. "His power is continuing to multiply." He bluntly stated. "Is everything on schedule?"

Fernando was overlooking his board, the single candle barely lit enabling him to see the pieces move the way he wanted them to. His malicious smirk never left his face as the chuckle kept it as such. "As it always is."

"I see." Imaci gazed off towards Mariah, who wasn't too far off. "And what's become of the others?"

"Our magic reserves are slowly recovering. It shouldn't be too long until we have our capabilities restored." She quietly informed.

"I see."

A loud yawn resonated from the hollow corridors of darkness. Imaci, Fernando, and Mariah all turned around and looked at the approaching figure, who was none other than the laid-back Ivy. The buxom and sleepy mage stretched her arms overhead, greeting a pull on her muscles.

"Man, now that's what I call a nap." She moaned. "Oh, hey guys."

"Hello, Ivy. I trust that you're feeling well?" Imaci asked.

Ivy out a hand to her hip. "Oh, don't worry about little ol' me now. You're all just a bunch of busy bees, working hard." She feigned such a sarcastic demeanor, it was almost priceless. "So, how's the big guy doing?"

"See for yourself."

Following Mariah's innuendo, Ivy looked over, seeing Alpha panting like a wild beast. The nearby dead bats and spiders had long since been ripped to unrecognizable shreds, and he had dark blood stained on his face. He looked nothing like a human, not that he was one to begin with. On his hands and knees, he lowly growled as the blood red lettering all across the floor was thickening to a slowly violet color. The sight was equally as gruesome as it was petrifying.

Fernando used his gloved hand and daintily moved Nic and the other grouped pieces, slowly, one by one.

"Six hours have passed. That would mean we should well be into the next phase of the spell if what's inscribed is true." Imaci noted.

Mariah nodded in agreement.

Ivy whipped her orange hair around, raising a bang framing her face. "Am I the only one who's got no track of time or something? It feels more like 10 hours rather than 6." She complained.

"That's because you'd rather use beauty sleep as an excuse to pass time." Mariah deadpanned.

"It's not my fault I'm so beautiful. A girl like me can't afford to get wrinkles from anxiety. You should try it sometime, Mariah." Ivy gave a small, nonchalant laugh, but Mariah bluntly stared, unamused.

"Stop fooling around. The others should be resting. You included." Imaci said.

Ivy protruded her lower lip and gave a childish pout. "Oh pooh, you're no fun. I was just giving a few good laughs."

"I believe the bishop should mind which cards she plays." Fernando advised. "The king of this game does not take wrong turns too well. You wish to turn into an expendable pawn?" His warning reached her ears, and with that little reality snap, Ivy gave up her laid-back intentions and sighed.

The black root woman turned away, back down towards the corridor she came from. "Fine. You should be too. We got a busy day ahead of us people!" She yelled as she disappeared down the dark tunnel. Once she was gone, that left the trio once more. As the cold air left them unfazed, a distilled silence brewed amongst them. Thankfully, it didn't last long as Alpha howled in the violet darkness.

"I believe Ivy has a valid point." Fernando said.

"Agreed. I shall retire for a short while." Imaci turned to walk down the same corridor Ivy went into. "The second stage of the Impure Underworld is about to begin. We'd best not be around Alpha when that happens."

Mariah followed behind. "If that is a must."

Fernando's hand overlooked the board, but eventually he recalled his needless grip in a pawn to bend to his will. "I suppose…I too better my own judgment." He sighed. "If I wish to overrule my board, no false moves dare be by my own weak mind. I shall withdraw for now."

As the three ventured off towards the unknown darkness to recover more of their strength and Magic Power, that only left Alpha in the massive chamber left. The ballistic excuse of a human being had already shown signs of the second stage of the spell beginning to boil. The dark and negative aura around his body thickened, and his pale skin began to show very small violet veins popping out. His cape flared like fire as he was catching his breath. Every cell in his fiber was screeching, his instincts making his blood red gaze shudder almost. Regardless of how much pain he's feeling at the moment, Alpha was feeling so much power. It didn't matter what was happening to him so long as he killed and slaughtered everything. He wants everything dead, but there was still some sense of what needed to be done in mind conscience. Rising up on his feet after several hours in the state he was in, he clutched his fists and snarled. Black mist flared out of the sides of his mouth like Mega Charizard X. It lasted for a brief moment before his eyes flashed pitch-black, a howl exerting so loud that it made the entire chamber shudder. At that moment, the lettering changed to a full dark purple.

The screeching bellowed all the way down the corridors, sending dark waves crawling alongside the walls. Imaci stopped for a moment as the dark waves passed him, his hair standing in end, but his face remained unemotional. After a minute, the dark waves finished transcending all throughout the caverns and hills like ripples, and Imaci went along like nothing happened.

"The second stage has begun."

* * *

Vanessa's stomach growled, the youngest in the group maintaining a slightly annoyed face to façade her hunger.

"Someone's hungry back there?" Mark called out.

"N-no. I'm fine, really." Vanessa implored.

Laura looked towards Nic for answers.

"Vanessa's right. We can keep go-" He stopped mid-sentence when his own gut let out a small growl of its own. "-ing." He finished on an awkward note, his face contorted with despondence. "Excuse us." He apologized.

Erza looked towards him with sympathy. "Come to think of it, when was the last time we ate?"

"Not since the other night…regrettably." Nic answered. He wouldn't mind having an omelet right now. Diced ham, onion, vegetables, cheese; just one of those ingredients is enough to intensify his hunger, not to mention thirst. He was feeling parched at the wrong convenience apparently. Surviving torture by the skins of their teeth took a lot of their energy away.

"Do we need a break?" Mark asked, his tone hinting inquiry and slight concern.

Nic abruptly looked ahead, his composure back. "No, we're fine. We can't waste a second." He reminded the group. "We can hold out." It was a weary sensation to say, let alone think of. Nic and Vanessa, in truth, were starving, and thirsty. They wouldn't exactly give anything for water nor food, but they needed to focus. All they could do was fight the urge, just as they have been this entire time. Fight. Struggle. Survive. The basics of life. That's all they could muster when they were imprisoned and maimed into ribbons by Vermilius; the thought of the reaper himself was enough to quell their hunger. Such daunting memories are enough to make one lose their appetites. It was an unfair practice, but the duo didn't have a choice. It's either fuel to the fire, or no fire at all.

"So, Laura, Mark, have we gotten closer? We've been down this path for quite some time." Erza said, changing the subject.

Catching on quickly, the deceased parents looked around the walls and tunnels. Mark raised a brow. "Well, it might be…uh…" He looked at the other wall, his inquiry on the rise. "Uh…"

"Mark?" Laura looked at her husband, seeing the confused look on his face.

Mark looked around, his worry starting to catch up to him. "Now, hang on now…"

Nic, Vanessa, Magnezone, and Erza looked at him with weary gazes, bad ides rising in their spines.

Laura looked at the walls, unable to recognize the rocks that were sprawled all around. "Wait, did we come down this way? I remember that crevice all the way back there. Did we go too far…?"

Vanessa looked ahead with a straight yet serious face. _'_ _Not good.'_

Nic took the initiative, speaking up on behalf of everyone and their confusion. "Everyone, stay calm." He insisted. He walked up towards Mark and Laura as the duo were trying to comply, but the surroundings were making them weary.

"This way?" Mark pointed.

"No, no. This way." Laura pointed out.

"I don't remember that spike being there."

"Don't tell me we went the wrong way!"

Nic stepped up behind them. "Mark. Laura." Catching his parents' names made the mentioned turn around, facing their son. The deceased duo looked wearily at Nic, seeing his serious face, but from the way he also looked, there was a hint of unsettling demeanor. "Both of you, relax. I can say it right now that I'm having weariness of what's going on here. You guys _do_ have an idea as to where you're taking us…right?"

Magnezone hovered right by Nic's side, a threat of which he responded accordingly.

Mark and Laura looked at one another, staring at the other in hopes they had answers to resolve their dilemma. Even after a minute of looking at the other – and Nic's increasing worry – nothing could be said. No answers compelled the two as they saw their surroundings one last time. Finally realizing their problem, they mournfully looked at their son.

"We're sorry, Nic. We…we don't know where we are." Mark regrettably said.

Everyone there grew a little shocked, but the shock was more tamed and instead showed through narrowed eyes.

"Is this a farce?" Magnezone asked in a territorial tone.

"No, no!" Laura pleaded. "You got it all wrong! We're trying, honestly!"

"Well then try harder."

"We were reincarnated with knowledge of the spell, not with maps!" Mark told the Magnet Area Pokémon. "Give us a break!"

"Everyone, calm down." Erza pleaded, but the heat was already rising.

"You informed us that you can lead us to the surface and help us. If you really wanted to help us, then you wouldn't be dragging on aimlessly! For all we know, we could be going in a giant loop!" Magnezone retorted to his former Trainers.

"It's better than staying still. If we stayed in one spot for too long, then god knows what would happen once the second stage starts!" Mark countered.

"We're doing what we can, okay? We're not perfect, nor will we ever be!" Laura exclaimed.

Magnezone's magnets twirled, his demeanor skyrocketing. "You always have to yell. That never helps-!"

"Magnezone, enough!"

Magnezone went wide-eyed at Vanessa's commanding tone. Everyone remained quiet as the Pularis sibling continued.

"I'm sure Mom and Dad didn't mean to drive us off course. We know better than to berate them for their lack of orientation. You know to."

Magnezone backed off, lowering his magnets and retreating right beside his Trainer. The Magnet Area Pokémon looked down in shame, allowing his own anger and past frustration to boil up. He knew Mark and Laura were terrible, but even after the story of why they were as such, he should've been better and set an example. "I-I'm sorry." He genuinely apologized.

Mark and Laura looked off to the sides, small sense of shame getting to their skin. "No, Magnezone. It…it was our fault. We should've known better." Mark said.

Nic looked past everyone, slowly stepping around his parents. "It's fine. It's nobody's fault…" He continued a few more paces in silence before resuming his speech. "But Vanessa does have a point. If you both didn't know which way you were going, then you should've told us the minute that happened. It would've saved a lot of hassle."

The parents looked silently at their son. It wasn't often that a mother and father get scolded by their own children, for better or for worse reasons of course. Nic scolding them while keeping it light was a mild approach rather then what Magnezone did, which was a good thing. They both knew that Nic was still weary of them, and it pained their hearts that was the case, but they were to blame in the end, no matter how much Nic insisted them not to be.

Nic looked back at them, a half-grin on their faces. "We'll find another way up, even if we have to dig. That's how far we'll go."

Erza smiled at Nic's declaration.

While the parents were getting smiles back on their faces, their little relief of very weak forgiveness went downhill when an ominous force blew through the cavern. All their eyes widened as their spines tingled, the uneasy feeling crawling up and down their bodies like poison. Nic's eyes sharpened, his heart rate suddenly increasing. He wasn't the only one, however; Erza and Vanessa could feel their spines shudder from this awesome and discouraging might. The dark energy that was already at astronomical levels began to multiply. Erza could feel the ground shudder from fright even. It made the knight uncomfortable.

"Does everyone feel that?" Vanessa asked, her voice hinting fear.

Nic looked back, his gaze hardened. "Yeah…" Over his and everyone's heads, the dark waves and some wailing screeches ran from the direction they came from. Everyone turned around, their surprise – and spines – shuddered like they got hit by Blizzard. The screeching bellow passed then, the dark ripples all along the walls and the ceilings, echoing through the darkness lying high above them all. The dark ripples pressed on, which continued through every corner of the isle, spreading like radar ripples even aboveground.

Once the ripples faded away once far and deep enough, the dead silence rolled in.

"What was that?" Erza asked.

"I don't know…but the aura in the atmosphere suddenly weakened." Vanessa pointed out.

"It what?"

"It's hard to explain, but I guess a simpler way of putting it is that the life essence all around weakened. It's nothing more than a cold chill now." The younger Pularis sibling narrowed her eyes, her suspicions leaving an unfit chill down her spine. "But, I still can't help but feel…"

Mark's eye narrowed. "This is bad."

Everyone stopped and looked towards him, hearing what he had to say on the matter at hand.

"What is it?" Nic questioned. He was getting a severely uneasy feeling that left his gut a little light. His small sense of hunger died off with this overwhelming dread.

Of course, there was no easy way to say it, but Mark had to come out upfront. Laura could feel it too, but instead allowed her husband to continue. "The second stage has begun."

Everyone, yet again, was overcome with absolute shock. Their eyes widened, unbelievable discomfort overpowering them.

"What did you say?" Nic questioned, slowly and with worry.

Erza's fists clutched, her armor shuddering. "The next stage has begun? Already?"

"This is indeed bad." Magnezone agreed.

"It's bad enough that we end up lost, but now the spell is only one more phase away from full power." Vanessa cursed.

Laura managed to intervene. "Everyone, let's just take a deep breath, okay?" She implored. "Now look, the spell shouldn't have transcended too far within the area. Remember what we described the second stage as. We have to move as far as we can to spread our energy, like a virus. Since we haven't gotten that far off, we should be safe to know that it shouldn't affect any areas other than this one."

"True, but then that leaves us in a tight spot." Nic pointed out.

Laura looked down at her feet. "We're well aware…"

Erza took the initiative and began her trek. "In that case, we need to get moving, now-" She was cut off when a faint sound hollered from behind. It was low, but it was loud enough to catch her and Nic's attention. Both stopped in their tracks, looking back with wide eyes.

"Erza, did you hear that?"

"Yes, I did."

"Hear what?" Vanessa inquired.

"Was it something behind?" Magnezone wondered. Their answer came to its own conclusion when the same sound was heard, only this time, it was louder than before, enough to get full attention. Once again, it caught everyone wide-eyed.

"I think that was obvious." Mark deadpanned.

Nic sniffed the air, his face twisting with the need to recoil.

"What is it?" Laura muttered.

"That smell of decay, it's getting stronger." He said. Right after he said that, everyone could feel their stomachs get queasy when they too smelled the increasing fleshy stench.

The sound resonated once more, echoing through the area like a banshee screech. The blood-curdling shout was like hearing the voices of the damned. It rattled everyone's spines yet again. The sickening tension that spilled into the air was giving them all a good guess as to where that sound resonated.

Slowly, Nic began to clutch his fists. "Don't tell me…"

Vanessa's wide eyes widened yet again when something in the distance was coming into view. Despite how dark it was, those hundreds of blood red eyes left her goosebumps to spread. Her skin paled. "My god…"

Everyone stared in shock and horror upon seeing their misfortune arise. The banshee-like shouting came from the darkness, which housed the misfortunate that were supposedly deceased. Coming into their view, they saw armored warriors, gladiators, and a mix of both. They all had their bodies intact, lethargically advancing forward. They all glared at Nic's group, their pitch-black eyes and blood red pupils the only thing that was looking out of place apparently.

Magnezone remained still in the atmosphere. "Are those…?"

Erza's surprise didn't stop surmounting. "Could they really be?"

"They don't look it, but…there's no aura." Vanessa stated, her instincts telling her to out alive.

Nic stared at the several hundred men that were lethargically heading his way. He narrowed his eyes, getting a better perspective. He noticed some things were out of place. For example, despite their various ages, all of them and their armor alike had no damage, as though they had never been into battle before. Another thing he saw – and this was the most obvious – that their eyes looked dreadful, like they were bent on manslaughter, the eyes of Giratina. The memory of the beast that cursed his ancestors left another chill down his spines.

"Nic? Vanessa?" Laura was cautiously waning away.

All of the hundreds of warriors opened their mouths, showing their sharp teeth, another modification. They all let out banshee-like screams as they spotted Nic's group.

"Run!" Nic yelled.

Everyone turned tail and ran as fast as they could. The warriors that were behind them followed in the chase. They all hollered out like wild beasts as they ran after their next targets. Their lethargic pace altered as they ran, which made them look more like athletes and slouchy reincarnations. Nic and everyone were thankfully much faster. Nic lead the group, and behind him was Erza. Vanessa was keeping up with all her might, and Magnezone was taking up the rear. They panted and took quick breaths as they tried to run away from the hundreds following behind.

Mark looked back, seeing the menacing gazes of everyone that was hollering and having their eyes brighten. It made his reincarnated spine again shrivel, but he hurried despite the small lag he had.

"What are those things?!" Vanessa shouted.

"Don't look back, just keep running!" Erza exclaimed.

Nic continued to run ahead, glancing over his shoulder towards his mother. "Laura!" He shouted. "What's going on?! Why do they look that way?!"

Laura panted as she barely kept up with the group along with Mark. Both were cursing beneath their breaths as they weren't in better shape than the younger trio. "It's another side-effect of the spell! The Impure Underworld fully reincarnates the dead to make them look like living beings rather than zombies! It works great when subtlety is still fresh when the spell begins!" She yelled back.

"But the way you guys described them, it sounded like they were zombies!" Vanessa countered.

"Because the spell wasn't performed correctly! The energy was unstable back then, but now that the Impure Underworld-!" She paused as she almost tripped. She hurried back to her pace. "Has been performed correctly, their appearances are fully restored! Now shut up and run!"

Everyone continued to run as fast as they could down the dark tunnel. They all made it onwards, evading the numerous warriors with spears, swords, and maces as they saw an opening far up ahead. It looked spacious.

"Hey, I think I see an open chamber!" Vanessa pointed out.

"We can maneuver our way around from there!" Erza yelled.

Vanessa pivoted and turned around, catching everyone off-guard. She reached out, giving a command. "Magnezone, **Flash Cannon!** "

Magnezone did as commanded and he turned around along with his Trainer. He manifested light that converged to his red eye, in which he shot in a concentrated beam of bright light ad light blue. The Steel-type attack closed in and engulfed the midsection of the mob in a silver explosion, making some of the numbers go flying and stalled them.

Nic pivoted as well. "Good work! I'll take this!" With a jump and a flip over everyone's heads, Nic glowed and shifted to his Stone Form. Upon the constant vertical flipping, he landed on a knee with a palm slammed to the earth. Up ahead, the mob was howling as they were trying to get back on their feet, but as they finally managed to rise once more, a sudden, thick wall of sheer stone arose from in front, all the way to the top. The blockade worked as it cut them off completely.

"You did it!" Laura praised.

"Looks like we gave them the slip for now." Mark said in relief.

Nic got up on his feet, glowing and shifting back to himself. Even after that save, he still turned towards them with intense weariness. "This is no time to feel safe. Who knows how long I've held them off for. Hurry!" He turned and went blazing back towards the front, everyone once again following his guiding ways.

"The chamber should be up ahead!" Erza shouted.

They all made it towards the cliffs of the chamber, where they found their fortunate stroke of luck to have been dismantled when they saw what the chamber held.

Nic's eyes widened, a brief gasp exerting from his choking throat. He could find no words to appease his shrilling discomfort at the sight.

Vanessa and the others were still catching up. "Nic, what is it?" His sister called out.

"A way out?" Mark questioned.

Nic said nothing as he continued to stare out ahead. The look on his face left even Erza worried. She and the others eventually caught up to him, and when they did, they sure weren't pleased to know why he looked so exasperated. Like him, their faces also fell.

Erza stared with intense shock, equal to that of Nic's. "It can't be…"

"You've gotta be kidding me." Mark grumbled.

Laura and Vanessa remained silent as they stared at the gruesome image that lied ahead. No wonder the decay smell never left when the stone wall went up. Because in the chamber but beneath the low cliffs, there was the abundance of dead warriors and guardians alike. All of them were seen with their complexion just like they were of they were alive.

Upon their arrival, the group caught the eyes of almost all of them. They hollered and hissed like wild predators. They all had blood red eyes and sharp teeth, their fixation set solemnly onto the living. Many were already taking slow steps ahead.

Nic looked back behind, eyes weary and cursing beneath his breath. "Damnit."

"We're caught between a rock and a hard place." Mark grunted. "How ironic." He despondently added.

Laura could feel the uneasiness rise as the temperature fell. "This isn't good. Already, we're cornered."

Erza requipped a sword, facing the army of reincarnations afoot. "Don't let your guard down. Everyone, focus!"

As she rallied everyone, Nic readied with high highest guard up. There was no room to slag, not that he ever did to begin with. "We need to strike hard and fast. Most if not all are armed, so don't hesitate in the slightest…" He trailed off from his strategy when he noticed that the stone wall he put up behind had begun to rumble. The quaking exponentially intensified, and Nic looked back with unsound dread.

"In the slightest what?" Mark asked.

The wall had begun to cease its small rupture, the sudden break seemingly relieving the group…but Nic and Erza weren't convinced. It was at that instant they ducked.

Nic shouted. "Get down-!"

BOOM!

A shockwave brimming of dust, rock, and wind shot through the tunnel, an explosive wave that raced after Nic and the others. In a flash, Nic reached out, creating Protect. A translucent turquoise shield materialized, a great salvation for the group as rock and dust blew right past them. Still, everyone ducked their heads, keeping their positions low so as not to get killed with heavy rocks flying. Once the blast wave was over, Nic lifted Protect, the only thing bare ahead being the dust cloud and crumbling debris.

Nic slowly couched up, steadying upright. "I everyone alright?" He asked.

"Yeah…thanks." His dad thanked.

"What was that just now?" Vanessa wondered.

"How could they have gotten through? Did they actually have weaponry capable?" Erza questioned.

A banshee-like shout resonated from behind, making everyone's attention divert towards the cliffs up ahead. There, they saw the warriors from down below reaching up. Several arms extended up wards and they clawed at the cliffs, daring to get grips sturdy enough to have them reach the top. A few bodies hunched over as they barely made it atop.

"Get back!" Erza stepped in front, blitzing ahead with her requipped sword by her side.

The monstrous reincarnates that made it so far advanced immediately, stopping at nothing to tear Erza apart. Thankfully unarmed, this gave Erza the advantage and she slashed at them, cutting them down and making him falter backwards, where they fell over the shallow cliff. But when they wanted it to end, more bodies began to crawl upwards, this time carrying swords of their own, hissing frustration and evil evident in their eyes.

Nic looked over his shoulder, seeing the dust settle and the debris uncovering dozens of the reincarnated men. Some still had weapons in hand, but some were unarmed. That still didn't make them any less dangerous. His teeth bared anxiety, his actions sharp as his wits. He turned around, facing the incoming group.

He opened his mouth, where it began to glow bright for an attack. Suddenly, two beams went traveling right beside him, both colors of green and blue. His attack stopped as his shock surmounted. He didn't get a chance to strike as the blue and green beams vaporized the incoming threats, engulfing the area in blue and green energized ruptures.

"What…?" Nic slowly turned around, eyes wide as he saw his parents standing there, both palms stretched out, sizzling a little from exerting their Aura Magic. Nic saw something he hasn't seen on their faces the moment they saw one another: anger.

"Don't you dare come closer." Mark growled.

"If you're dealing with one Pularis, you're dealing with all." Laura testified. Normally, when they were hostile, or excessively angry, they'd be having red eyes and giving off an immense pressure. However, they had none of those traits. It was as if they were whole new people, with whole new traits. Laura continued glaring ahead at the oncoming monsters, her determination and purpose profound.

"Nic, you're not fighting this battle yourself!"

Nic just stared at his parents, his shock still leaving him at miles on end with wonder. Clicking back to the task at hand, he turned ahead and saw a warrior with a groggy bellow reached out to strangle him. Without much of a blink, he used Cut, swiping horizontally with a white needle he pulled out of thin air. He left a trail as Cut's swipe knocked the one warrior away, as well as the incoming four or five from the energy produced from it.

"…alright, thanks." He said. "Now let's get to work!"

"Right!" Everyone shouted.

The reincarnated savages all began to close in once more, the residual energy given off riling them up even more. Nic, Vanessa, Erza, Laura, Mark, and Magnezone all fended to the best of their abilities. Erza requipped in her Flight Armor to cut down and push back as many as possible, while Vanessa blocked and deflected other using Aura Guard. On offense, Nic used a Swift, striking and burying multiple targets upon golden impact. Laura and Mark, despite their lack of experience, managed to use their regained Magic Power and manifested aura like it was second nature.

A horde of the reincarnated closed in, in which Nic opened his mouth again. "Everyone cover your ears!" He loudly warned. " **Hyper Voice!** "

The group ducked and covered up as Nic's glowing mouth exerted rippling soundwaves that traveled through the domain; a large, high-pitched energy transmitted and split apart boulders and created cracks along the shuddering earth. Nic continued bellowing, sending soundwaves so large on a scale that they blew away the nearby numbers. Dust and debris splattered everywhere, in which the monstrous men all went sailing away over the cliffs, where the shockwaves made many falter.

Erza turned towards the cliffs, seeing an opening. "Hurry! This way!" She slid down the cliffs, heading towards the bottom. As she slid, she requipped into her Flame Empress Armor. As she stood there in a battle stance, everyone joined her as they slid down and jumped to her side, making a full circle, with Magnezone floating atop. Facing them were the numerous foes afoot.

"Now we got elbow room." Laura exaggerated.

"Alright, let's finish what's been started." Mark said.

Nic's hand reached for the pocket right beside him. "We couldn't agree more." He pulled out a Poke Ball. "Vanessa!"

Vanessa nodded in understanding. "Right, let's go, Magnezone!" At her beckoned call, the Electric and Steel-type hovered right in front of her, looking battle ready.

Nic spread his legs and swiped his arm in the opposite arch, tossing the Poke Ball. "Go now, Charizard!" He shouted. The Poke Ball spun and popped open. An energy flowed out and manifesting in front of Nic was his Charizard. Once out, Charizard waved his head around, exerting a loud, heated roar. As his presence was given priority, the cold temperature suddenly increased. His intimidating heat made the nearby beasts hiss as they held daggers or swords.

"You guys cover the rear, we can handle the ones coming this way." Nic said.

"Got it!" Mark, Laura, and Erza all said. They all turned around to face the incoming monstrous men, who hopped and went running from the cliffs to attack. All three had themselves in position to strike hard, strike fast, and dare not let up.

Nic and Charizard glared ahead, their eyes reflecting the incoming threats, their justice countering their adversary's dark will. "Let's go! Charizard, **Flamethrower!** " Nic commanded.

No time to waste, the temperature suddenly shot up as Charizard opened his mouth and launched a blistering blast of roaring fire that scorched and engulfed many men in flames. The area up ahead was incinerated in an instant, enveloping all within the area in a whirlwind of heated energy.

Vanessa reached out in front of her. "Magnezone, **Flash Cannon!** "

Magnezone gathered energy into his red eye, where it had begun to exert energy in a compressed beam as performed earlier. Magnezone yelled out as he gave all he had, engulfing so many in an explosion of silver energy, sending harsh waves through the spacious chamber.

As the smoke took over, a long silence brewed about until at last Charizard spotted several lunging through the smoke, racing ahead with spears and maces and other various weapons. "Here they come." He growled.

Nic glowed, shifting to his Meadow Form. "I see." His forearms and fingers alike glowed a bright green, sharpening into heightened blades, meaning Leaf Blade. Nic sped into the fray with his arms cloaked in Leaf Blade, while Charizard sped right by his side with Dragon Claw. Both Trainer and Pokémon made one more lunge as they met and collided with the vast number ahead with strong-armed shouts.

Meanwhile, Erza's blade met another monster, her skills and fire attribute overpowering by a good margin. Erza deflected another blade with her own, parrying the vast numbers that were swarming the area. Even with the number disadvantage, they at least had more power. The question was, how long could they last for?

Erza abruptly backed away as a mace nearly split her skull into pieces. She adjusted her stance with what little breath she had. _'_ _Their numbers are steadily increasing by the minute. Even though we have Magic Power, we don't have the others to rely on. It seems we're on our own this one time.'_ Jumping out of her thoughts, she swung her fire sword, sending a crescent of fire at the incoming fray.

A spear went darting from one end of the chamber towards Erza. The Requip Mage turned and gasped as the spear was moments away from her face.

"Look out!"

A blue, translucent wall shot from the side, intercepting the spear and keeping Erza safe. The glad note was that Erza was able to see her fault, but another question came to her mind, more precisely who did that. She looked over and saw Laura using her left arm to make the shield, and her right arm to use a blue blast of aura that vaporized incoming reincarnations.

Erza's eyes widened. "You…"

"Are you okay?" Laura shouted. "Can you keep on fighting?"

Erza's eyes widened when she felt a spike of ominous potential from behind, where it was revealed three warriors with the same sword weaponry went to stab her. Pivoting, Erza slashed her sword, sending a wave of fire that engulfed the deceased men, making them howl like banshees. With her serious face in the opposite direction, she could feel her confidence return. "Yes. Thank you." She replied.

Laura smiled at Erza, glad to see even she wasn't showing as much wear on her unlike Nic.

Mark pivoted and swiped his arm in a long arch, sending an expanding crescent of green aura that was like a razor blade, cutting down men and weapons alike all around him. Once his attack dissipating, he grunted when he saw the numbers left still skulking. To add insult to injury, he was looking worn down. "This…is getting redundant." He panted.

"I know." Laura half-grinned nearby. "We should've worked out while we were still alive."

A howling warrior closed in as they had their backs turned. Both parents' eyes widened when the screeching reached their ears just as the man pounced. Both could feel their dead hearts suddenly beat once out of shock as they turned.

Before they could act, an Energy Ball shot out of nowhere at the speed of light. The flashy green sphere of natural energy struck the reincarnated warrior, engulfing him in a green explosion, all that remained after the smoke hurriedly dissipated being tints and shards of the shattered armor.

"What did-where did that attack come from?" Laura turned around, eyes widening when they saw Nic not too far away, arms reached out as a sign of offense.

Mark showed equal shock as his breath came back. "Nic…?"

"Focus!" Nic raised his leg and performed a back kick, not wasting a second nor a single step as dozens came around with swords and other melee weaponry. With heightened precaution, Nic evaded, shifted, and easily countered when he found the dozen close enough for him to jump midair, where he used Leaf Blade and spun a full 360, cutting them down like trees. Once he landed, his back was facing them.

"If you both are truly serious about helping us in our cause, you can't digress for a split second. You gotta show that you mean what you say, otherwise nothing will get done." He extended his arm out. "Charizard, **Heat Wave!** "

In the air, flapping his sturdy wings, Charizard reeled his head, neck, and wings back, only to bring them forward once more and unleash a powerful tempest of hot winds with blistering flames. In front, spreading to endless degree, a hurricane of flaming winds engulfed the hollering monsters, reducing them to charred bits. The excessive heat resonated so far that the shockwaves themselves instantly made Mark and Laura sweat.

As the flames dialed down, Nic's figure was seen facing the fire and the enemies afoot. He didn't deter. "Now let's get this done!" He pounced over the wall of fire ahead, which had four other enemies behind. Taking them by surprise, Nic glowed and shifted to his Sky Form, whereas he flapped his wings and unleashed Air Slash. The Flying-type attack sent saucers down that struck without hesitation.

Mark and Laura looked at each other, shock momentarily taking them over from Nic's spiel. It was so surprising to say the very least. Nic didn't seem willing at first due to reasons that are obvious and in the open, and yet here he was, battling and combating to prove his independence. In a sense, Nic was showing what he was capable of, despite him not thinking that way. In reality, Nic was trying to protect his own, fending for not just himself, but those he treasured, while assured that they had their own independence; Erza and Vanessa were examples, and now his mother and father.

Their heads back from cloud nine, Laura and Mark retained their composure and turned around, ready to resume their quarrels with the incoming numbers.

"Laura!" Mark shouted.

"Right!" Both their arms and fists glowed green and blue, and they brought them around. With one fell swing and a shout, together, they unleashed a tempest; a cyclone of green and blue aura swirled around with high acceleration and continuing to destroy numbers at will. Serious looks were on their faces as they remained focused, balanced, and not worrying about their insecurities of their son or daughter.

Vanessa swiped her arm in an opposite arch, sending a powerful teal crescent out that decimated dozens in front of her. The 16-year-old mage narrowed her vision once her attack finished, sensing a dark force behind her. With her back facing two bloodthirsty beasts, she seemed open, until suddenly she closed her eyes, concentrating Magic Power.

" **Nugatory Burst!** "

Her body cloaked in a teal aura, Vanessa conjured her strength and summoned pillars of teal aura underneath every single monstrous man around her area. They all howled as they were vaporized by the immense Magic Power within the teal energy.

Opening her eyes, Vanessa saw the pillars diminish, and still some were still pushing through. "Magnezone, **Spark!** "

Magnezone came zipping from the side. His magnetic body cloaked in electricity. Charging ahead with all his might, he collided and electrocuted the few that were still wanting to tear his Trainer apart. They all fumbled over, electricity cloaking them, meaning paralysis.

Erza glowed and requipped to her Purgatory Armor. She slammed her mace down, making a powerful shockwave that splattered the ground to pieces, as well as break apart the several that were at point-blank. As dust shifted through her hair, she held her mace tightly. "We've caused considerable damage already."

Nic was flying in the air, his wings glowing and using Air Cutter to slice up spears and swords shot at him. The attack showered down like ongoing bombs, sending crescents of sky blue in a straight line and cutting up prey. "We're getting there, but stay sharp!"

"Copy that!" Charizard said as he soared above everyone, evading a spear as he glided right.

Everyone fought to the best of their abilities, with Nic seen glowing and becoming his Iron Form, using a Flash Cannon of his own, as opposed to Charizard swinging his tail, breaking apart so many muscles and bones of a single warrior that it couldn't move. They all pressed on, using their resources and conviction guiding them.

* * *

With Alpha once again cooled down, the temperature was so cold that one could see their own breath. Everyone was already asleep, but Fernando wasn't so willing. Despite the few hours lack of sleep he was to get, he didn't leave his board alone too long. Sitting in a chair, glimmering down at his prized board, he had a prideful and confident smirk as he had Nic and everyone else's pieces gathered in the center of one of the large chambers on the gameboard. "This game is getting boring. Let's add a special guest." He used his gloved hand and moved a singular piece in front of Nic.

* * *

Nic used Iron Defense, his entire body becoming sheer iron with a blue outline, shimmering and holding him firm as numerous men lunged and went to pierce him with swords. They all made contact with various parts of Nic's body, but rather than make his blood spill, the tips of the swords broke off, deflected from Nic's raw ironclad defense.

" **Iron Head!** "

Nic's hair solidified to iron, each individual tiny spike in each hairpiece becoming spikes iron bristles that he headbutted one man with square into his face. The impact was so potent that it shot the man away, hollering as he erupted in a dust cloud from impact with others.

Nic stared ahead, Charizard right beside him, looking undeterred from the numbers he incinerated.

A sudden eruption from the tunnel entrance surprised them all, sending white waves of energy that rumbled the atmosphere and earth alike.

Erza went wide-eyed as she looked up. "What?"

Vanessa looked back with her Magnezone, her surprise continuing to pile on. "What was that just now?"

Nic's eyes remained wide, his heart rate increasing by just a little. He, as well as the others, could feel it. It was strong, even after that rupture. They could still feel the earth quiver, as though it were scared. _'_ _What in earth is this Magic Power? Where is it…?'_ He looked back over his shoulder, looking up at the cliffs. _'_ _From there?'_

Mark and Laura looked up at the cliffs as well, picking up the residual traces of such awesome Magic Power. "…" They remained silent, and yet their bony structures were shuddering. This trembling feeling, and this exotic pressure, it's what made them both feel an uncertain fate approaching.

Slowly, footsteps pressed on through the tunnel, each step shuddering the atmosphere and walls. Small rocks fell from the ceiling as a dark figure loomed out of the tunnel, barely visible by Magnezone's eyes.

"I think I see someone approaching!" He called out from above.

Everyone could feel each step resonating a thunderous appeal. The land shuddered with every step, Magic Power seeping in a misty silver haze from within the tunnel. Narrowing their eyes, Nic, Erza, and Vanessa watched as the mysterious silhouette emerged out of the tunnel.

As his steps made individual craters in the rock beneath, Mark and Laura's eyes slowly widened upon realizing who the new attacker was. Their horror intensified when they saw the pitch-black eyes and blood red pupils as well, but the Magic Power they were feeling was another story that left them struck with sheer despair.

"No…" Laura muttered.

Mark gawked up at the low cliffs, unable to swallow a lump. "This can't be…can it?"

They recognize the wavy hair, and the face. Everything about the man was all too familiar, if not for the fact he's standing there with a bloodlust gaze. Venomous Magic Power made the ground continue to rumble to a low magnitude, keeping everyone on their toes as the one responsible was none other than an old friend, Hiruzen.

Erza stared with absolute astonishment. _'_ _This Magic Power, it's crippling.'_

Nic showed reluctance as he glared up. "This is getting worse by the minute." He turned towards his parents, seeing their faces brimming with unwillingness. "What do we-"

"Run." Laura's low muttering put the brakes on everyone's vendetta. They all looked at her and Mark to see dread, a feature not once that Nic was aware. He looked perplexed, but at the same time, understanding.

Nic looked back ahead, getting another sense of this formidable foe's Magic Power. "Who is he…?" After a second, his eyes widened upon realization. "Wait, is he-?!"

"Yes." Mark slowly nodded. "I'm afraid so." The figure above glared down, the white flare around the body making the quaking expand further. "What you see is none other than Hiruzen, our old friend…or what was left of him."

Erza's grip on her purgatory mace tightened. "So he was reincarnated because he perished in this vicinity in the past."

Vanessa looked wearily at Hiruzen, his formidable presence making her shudder. "I don't sense aura. He's far from alive…"

Charizard stepped forward, albeit lightly. "I'm getting a bad feeling again."

Magnezone's eyes widened. "Look!"

Hiruzen raised a clutched right fist, where swirling white energy compressed into immense pressure built into the center. As the hordes began to close in on Nic and everyone in their shocked states, Hiruzen began to crouch.

Nic's eyes widened as a gasp escaped his throat. "Everyone, take cover!"

Hiruzen jumped into the air, crashing down against the earth with a fist engraved into the rock. At that instant, Crash Magic flourished like fire that showered in all directions. Diced ground and white energy expanded all the way out in a multitude of directions. Not only were the shockwaves powerful, but with the magic embedded within every particle, the warriors were not safe. They all hollered as they were reduced to diced fragments, split into pieces along with the earth. Nic shifted his Stone Form, making as much time manageable as the shockwaves traveled through the area as fast as lightning. By slamming his fist against the earth, we made a sheet of stone slant straight into the ground, creating a walk-in, diagonal; bunker by using the thick rock ground as a shield. Everyone dove in, evading shockwaves and diced parts while Charizard and Magnezone took to the air.

The ground shuddered and all were covering their heads, evading anything that could potentially destroy them. As several rocks crumbled, the shaking stopped. It seemed placid for the moment, so as the dust settled, Nic and everyone looked back up.

"Is everyone alright?" He asked.

"We…we seem to be in one piece thankfully." Erza huffed, her heart skipping miles on end. _'_ _That was too close.'_

Above, flying in the air, Charizard noticed how the area was completely leveled, exclude the bunker Nic managed to make. All of the warriors – though not many left – were completely gone, vaporized by Hiruzen's magic. The Flame Pokémon looked all around, acknowledging the sheer force applied. "This guy…he's just like Powerhouse." He said, recalling the almighty Gildarts, and how his Crash Magic applied to such a scenario.

"In terms of magic, yes. I agree." Magnezone looked down, heavily weary on the situation afoot.

Mark peeked over the bunker, looking to see Hiruzen eying them. The reincarnated father's eyes widened. "Everyone, look alive!"

Vanessa's breath hitched as Hiruzen raised a fist and brought it back. With a powerful banshee-like screech, the deceased Crash Mage rammed another fist into the ground. A white linear light blasted through the rock and ran straight into their safe zone. Everyone sprung out of the bunker, sprawling and clearing way as rock flared everywhere in a bright white explosion.

Nic slid along the ground towards his left, shifting his heels to dig into the earth. Once he stopped, he looked ahead, realizing that Hiruzen miraculously appeared with such high speed. His senses on high alert, Nic brought a forearm up, blocking a downwards hammer fist. The impact was so powerful that a ripple exerted out, the rock beneath dicing up yet again, but Nic held his ground, though he did falter some with crouched legs.

Nic barely held on continuously. _'_ _He's not only strong, but he's fast on his feet.'_ He brushed the fist off his arm, using the proximity between them and scored a blistering punch to Hiruzen's abdominal region. The blow made the Crash Mage lurch as the raw Nic Pularis strength made him step back. He angrily looked at Nic and opened his mouth, releasing a bellowing banshee-like yell that sent rippling soundwaves at Nic. In haste, Nic covered up as the screech pushed him back several feet.

Finding his footing as he shot back, Nic opened and eye, and clutched a fist.

" **Stone Edge!** "

Nic punched the earth with a hard fist, rattling the area like Hiruzen has. As the ground shook again, pillars of thick rock shot up from underneath, heading towards Hiruzen in a linear fashion.

Hiruzen once again punched the ground in response, again sending Crash Magic pouring ahead in a bright white line. The shockwave split the ground to pieces, and dust raged from Stone Edge and the incoming force. Both attacks met in the center, where an explosion of rock and white erupted exponentially. Diced debris and smoke flared in all directions, cancelling the other out by raw power.

"Erza! Now!" Nic enforced.

Lunging through the smoke, Erza let out a battle cry as she brought her mace back. She closed the gap between herself and Hiruzen, swatting at him with her spiky black purgatory mace. Her impact went overhead, colliding with Hiruzen's forearm that he used to block. The ground beneath Hiruzen suddenly caved in, making his altitude lower a little.

Erza's surprise escalated again. _'_ _He shattered the ground to cushion the impact? Didn't this happen with Natsu when he fought Gildarts?'_ She planted her feet against the earth, bringing her own mace back. _'_ _This spell made him as sharp in wits as he was when he was alive!'_

Bringing her mace around she batted against Hiruzen, but the Crash Mage blocked with one hand. Catching her mace, the bloodthirsty mage opened his mouth, snarling like a demon forged from the depths of hell. The mace had diced outlines all around and fell apart, leaving Erza open.

" **Flamethrower!** "

A blast of streaming hot fire blazed from a high angle, catching Hiruzen's attention. The Crash Mage extended his arm up, reaching out as the explosive Flamethrower made contact with his hand. The heat was massive, exploding upon impact. Flames burst everywhere, giving Erza cover as she got away.

She looked up, seeing the Flamethrower coming from Charizard as he flew in from above. "Charizard!"

"You're welcome!" He hollered as he soared passed her at breakneck speeds.

Erza looked back ahead, seeing the explosion simmer down and the actual flames dicing apart. She jumped away back by Nic's side, where Charizard also joined up at. The three were accompanied by Laura, Mark, and Vanessa, who weren't far behind, with Magnezone nearby and hovering in the altitude above. The flames dissipated at last, revealing Hiruzen with veins all purple and giving off a banshee-like shout.

Nic glared at man, seeing as how Charizard's attack did considerate damage, despite the fraction being moderately superficial. His clothing was tarnished, and parts of the skin were charred. "He's far stronger than the others we've faced."

"Long-range and short-range doesn't matter in this case. Crash Magic will just obliterate everything." Vanessa pointed out. "The best we can do is-!"

Hiruzen leaned forward and lunged at her. He exerted another hollow roar as he went for her. The Pularis sibling's shock made her heart skip a beat as her opponent was charging right at her.

"Vanessa! Look out!" Laura shouted.

Vanessa extended her arms forward. " **Aura Guard!** " She summoned a dome of teal aura, which saved her from Hiruzen as he went head-first into the barrier. The whole structure nearly fell apart, but the shield held out with severe cracks. As the dome shuddered, so did Vanessa, where inside, she got to a knee, Hiruzen's shocking strength rendering her momentarily still.

"Magnezone, hurry, **Spark!** "

Magnezone came flying in from the side, cloaked in electricity. He soared with all his might, rammed into Hiruzen. However, the deceased man glared over, his menacing and bloodthirsty gaze belittling Magnezone. The Magnet Area Pokémon was caught slowing down in shock, leaving Hiruzen to left hook punch him on the side with immense force added with his Crash Magic. Magezone's electricity faded, and he constantly flipped as he soared into a nearby wall, making rock splatter.

"Magnezone, no!" Vanessa shouted in horror.

Mark looked at Magnezone as the dust settled, showing how he was shuddering in pain while caved into the wall. "Magnezone…" He looked back at Hiruzen, hoping to find another distraction to buy his daughter some space. "Hey! Eyes open!"

Hiruzen sharply turned his head towards Mark next, seeing an incoming blast of green aura. Instinctively, Hiruzen reached his arm out, using his Crash Magic to dice up the beam launched at him. However, what wasn't expected, was that the attack itself was a diversion. The beam was merely a decoy for Laura to get in close. As the aura dissipated, the mother's fist was reeled back with blue energy and brought it forward.

"HRAH!"

Using her Aura Magic, the compressed blue energy shot forward in a powerful beam. The blue energy expanded and swallowed up Hiruzen, continuing onwards as it blazed into the nearest wall, creating another explosion of blue.

"It worked!" Vanessa shouted.

As the dust settled, Nic didn't look so convinced. "Not for long apparently…"

The dust instantly blew away in a powerful gust as Hiruzen swiped his arm, standing in front of the wall as though he had already embraced it.

"That did nothing?!" Laura shouted.

Erza glowed, requipping into her Robe of Yuen. "Seems he's more powerful than we anticipated. With that kind of formidable prowess, it's no wonder he's survived such attacks."

Nic looked wearily ahead as he shifted back to himself. "I hate to admit it, but with that Magic Power, he may be equivalent to Gildarts."

Erza smiled. "Well I hate to say this as well…but we got those stronger."

Nic looked towards her in slight awe and wonder, realizing that her confident smile was to him. He knew instantly then what she was talking about, and he smiled back. The one answer that's solved a majority of stuff so far. Pokémon.

Looking back ahead, Nic gave a command with a half-grin. "Let's go! Charizard, **Fly!** "

Spreading his powerful wings, Charizard followed his trustworthy Trainer and aided him side by side. Taking flight, he shot up high into the dark cavern tops, speeds so fast that he was nothing more than a vast orange blur. Heated winds beneath and a cracked earth left a few startled, in which they included Mark and Laura.

Hiruzen sped forward, lunging at everyone yet again, his right fist reeled back in Crash Magic. He let out another horrific shout as he closed the distance between yet again. Nic lunged ahead, reeling his own fist back and having it cloak in a swirling silver-white energy.

" **Mega Punch!** "

Hiruzen punched forward, but Nic knew better than to go in blind and meet head-on. Taking a suited approach, he leaned off towards the side, dodging the attack and getting his leg beneath, gaining momentum for an uppercut right to the chin. The impact was so powerful that it made the ground beneath cave in once more. The uppercut made another air ripple exert outwards, sending Hiruzen soaring into the air.

With Hiruzen sneering in midair, time slowed down, and rocks and pebbles twisted and turned as the reincarnated Crash Mage lost balance and looked like he was gonna fall onto his back. Nic looked up at the darkness. "Now!"

An orange glint was seen in the darkness high above, similar to a flaming star. The glint came crashing down, soaring with a velocity that broke the sound barrier. A closer examination, and everyone saw that it was Charizard, their surprise being how fast he was flying down onto Hiruzen. "You're the one who'll be eating some foot!" Charizard soared down and smashed his heel into Hiruzen's ribs. Upon impact, the bones in Hiruzen's body snapped and broke apart, the ribs especially reduced to unrecognizable pieces. The deceased man let out another scream of unimaginable pain, howling so high that if windows were within a mile, they'd all shatter. Hiruzen smashed into the earth, the ground beneath spreading apart and quaking to bitter levels. A massive dust storm raged as the ground nearly cracked, including the walls.

Charizard landed on the ground right next to Nic, making the ground thud.

"That was a good move." Mark admitted, shocked at not just how well-trained Nic's Charizard was, but also how cooperative they worked as a team. It left him in silent shame compared to him and Magneton.

"Did that do it?" Laura asked.

Nic and Charizard stared at the raging dust, watching it settle. As it began to diminish, felt couldn't help but feel a strong, ominous change in the atmosphere. It made them reel back a few inches, their guards on high alert. A dark figure inside the cloud could be seen, having blood red eyes bent on one thing – destruction.

A white glow emanated from the cloud, so bright and so compressed that the ground could barely quake as it didn't keep up with how the velocity of the omnidirectional blast wave. Nic and Charizard went wide-eyed as they only saw white.

Staring in horror, Vanessa snapped to the horrid reality. "Nic! Look out!" She screamed.

An explosion of white brought up the entire ground. Everything became diced and shattered to a million pieces. The explosion picked up Nic and Charizard, making them scream out on pain as the white area flourished like dynamite went off. The sound of Hiruzen screeching could be heard louder than the explosion itself.

"Nic, no!" Erza cried out, barely able to hold herself together as rock erupted everywhere. She saw Nic and Charizard fall out of midair, both flipping and barely managing to land on their heels. Both Trainer and Charizard slid backwards harshly with the dilating rock blasting everywhere, sliding to a halt and on a knee.

Both ascertained some damage, but nothing they couldn't handle. They had a few scrapes and damaged bruises, but otherwise, they didn't wince at the few injuries sustained. Nic looked towards his Charizard, seeing him on a knee just like him.

"You alright?" He asked.

Charizard opened his eyes, looking down at Nic. "Yeah, nothing I can't take." He assured.

"Both of you! Look out!" Vanessa shrieked.

Nic and Charizard looked ahead, realizing what Vanessa was referring to. Blitzing ahead towards them was Hiruzen, Crash Magic embedding his entire body. The deceased yet mighty man closed the gap between him and his two targets. He reeled a howling fist back, ready to deal instant blows. Nic and Charizard caught on, but before they could take any action, they were left perplexed with a sudden spike of pressure.

"NO~!"

 ** _WHAM!_**

A bright white explosion howled like a raging beast, making impact against two figures. White enveloped them, making them beam off and race along the dirt and splattered rock in all directions. The white expanded, enveloping everything in blistering, earth-shattering energy. Everyone who wasn't targeted covered up as shockwaves made them get to a knee. Vanessa put up an Aura Guard to shield herself and Erza to refract damage.

As the bright light diminished, Hiruzen stood there, hunched over as he used up a great swell of magic in that one attack. The beastly man lurched and growled as the dust cleared, revealing a long trail engraved into the dirt, where it led all the way to the wall on the far end of the chamber. The beastly figure howled out, bellowing to see more death as he saw two figures still standing.

Nic and Charizard opened their eyes, looking at their bodies, realizing they weren't damaged. "We're…fine?" Nic asked, perplexed beyond comprehension. He looked at Charizard, seeing him in one piece. The Flame Pokémon reciprocated the shock, looking at Nic with bewilderment.

"They're alright!" Vanessa shouted, a slight glimmer of happiness shown in her eyes.

Erza, however, looked ahead with wonder. "They're alright, thank goodness." She then looked at the dissipating trail. "But, if they weren't hit, who was?"

Realization dawned upon Nic, turning towards the trail that was made. He went wide-eyed and horror filled his heart and insides when he realized someone else had taken the blow instead. He sprung back up, staring at the end of the trail, where he saw his mother and father side by side, both their backs against the wall, their bodies severely wounded.

"No…no…!" His disregard to the situation, he ran back towards them, his heart pulling him towards wayward links that guided him down a stern path. Following not far behind was Charizard, following his Trainer's concerns.

Hiruzen hollered in bloodlust, his bellowing again catching deafening ears if too close. The Crash Mage was cloaked in his magic and went after Nic, but a sudden blast of teal aura and a silver sphere intercepted him, making another explosion that obscured the unstable force to be reckoned with.

The growling man saw the smoke clear, revealing Vanessa, Erza, and Magnezone, the last mentioned pried from the wall some time ago. They all stared at Hiruzen as his focus shifted towards them now.

"Sorry, but my big brother is off limits." Vanessa threatened. _'_ _Nic, tell us they're okay.'_

Erza twirled her weapon and held it beside her, glaring harshly at Hiruzen. "For a dead man, your age hasn't worn your honed skills." She commented, acknowledging his Magic Power. She and the others thus engaged, as opposed to Nic and Charizard racing back towards Mark and Laura.

Nic made it towards them, sliding to a knee. He looked closer at their figures, seeing intense wounds. Despite them being dead and possibly unable to feel pain, it still looked like it would hurt to move.

"Hey, stay with me!" He called out. He looked at their eyes, which were thick with shadows, making it hard to see. He called out again. "Mark! Laura! Can you hear me? Can you see me?!" He still didn't get a response, it was beginning to make him frustrated.

A bold move was made when he grabbed his father's shoulder, nudging him. "Guys? Guys! Are you al-!"

A sudden force pushed him in his chest, shoving him back. He felt time slow down as he looked ahead, eyes wide as his mother and father both had one arm each reached out, the source of the shove evident. He slid backwards, hunched forward and barely holding his shock together.

Charizard looked with equal shock, looking at his Trainer before diverting towards Mark and Laura, seeing their arms retract.

Nic caught his own surprise, managing to pull himself together and look at Mark and Laura again, this time, standing still. He said no words, as no words could be described the unimaginable predicament he bared witness to.

"I knew he wouldn't recognize us…" Laura's voice was so quiet, but it was hard-pressed to decipher if it was from pain or from guilt. "We brought this onto ourselves."

"This is what we deserve, nothing less. It's the least payment to be handed to them." Mark mournfully noted.

Nic saw his parents looking away, unable to even face Nic himself. He stared at them with bewilderment, his heartbeat stopping. "Guys…"

"Don't talk to us with such sympathy!" Laura snapped, eyes soft as she still looked away. "You know what we did was wrong, we did to." Whether it was the past or what just happened, Nic remained silent as his mother powered through. "We couldn't control ourselves. What made us tick at times? Why did we deserve such cruel fates? Why did the universe have to turn our lives to ruin?" She shook her own head slowly. "No, no more. This is what we deserve."

Mark closed his eyes, his teeth gritting in frustration. "Nic, you know that it takes it takes more than a few good hits to knock sense into someone, and it takes more than a few wounds to lead to scars." Hs eyelids opened halfway. "Well as human beings, as those who gave offspring, we can't call ourselves parents…not to you."

Nic's brow furrowed in sadness.

"We hurt our own son in so many ways. We've insulted him with just our looks." Laura spited. "We're not parents, we're prisoners. And yet at the same time, we were jailors. It was unfair for us to relate you to Vince, but that very reason is what twisted our reasoning. We aren't fit as human beings if we couldn't tend to our children, or teach them how to survive." Her eyes shut tight. "The only good we did was give you a life of endurance."

"Now we have to endure what you had to bare. It's the least we can do." Mark said, his head hanging low. "Sorry won't begin to make up for our selfishness, but even though we did wrong, we regret ever not doing the right thing. We messed up, and if taking a few broken ribs for you will begin to make up for the shards of glass and stab wounds we've given you, we'll take it a hundred times over! If it means giving you the one chance to prove we can be actual parents looking out for their child!"

Nic stood there, eyes wide with nothing less than absolute shock. What could he say to compensate for what they said. They just got their bodies badly battered in one attack, and now they say it was the very least to prove they are the real parents that Nic and Vanessa deserved. The years of heinous pain and wailing on his own face flashed constantly in his mind, but at the same time, every punch and kick he received to every region of his body, was one less beating that could give his baby sister the safe childhood she deserved. When he looked back at it, he saw two demons, and yet right in front of him were two human beings given the only chance in their miserable lives to do the right things.

Nic lowered his head, eyes covered by shadows. He stood completely still, processing his mother and father's will of redemption.

Meanwhile, Vanessa and Erza were doing their best to fend against Hiruzen, but no matter how many slashes Erza drew, or what shapes Vanessa's aura made, Hiruzen's Crash Magic blasted through them. Even when Magnezone got an opening for a Mirror Shot it was still no good as Crash Magic reduced it to cubic slices.

Erza backed off, her most recent bisento reduced to the end of its dark poll. "There's no end to this." She cursed, unable to find any way around his destructive force.

Vanessa slid right next to her, the Aura Mage's breath unable to keep up with her body. "It doesn't matter what we use." She huffed. "He'll just blast his way through." Though Vanessa barely saw much Crash Magic from Gildarts back on Tenrou Island, she could tell that it ws supposedly one of the most lethal forms of magic, because anything would get reduced to diced bits. Nothing stands in a mage's way.

Anything that was deemed an obstacle must be torn down. This very same principle is what revolves around the art of Crash Magic. Annihilation.

"If he were still alive, he'd make for a high-ranking Wizard Saint." Erza noted.

Vanessa reached her arm in front. "It doesn't matter now. Magnezone, **Zap Cannon!** " Magnezone hovered overhead and his red eye gathered electrical particles, making a sphere of yellow-green electricity stabilize. The red core was barely noticeable, but it's what kept it intact. Magnezone disregarded how the Zap Cannon was making hair stand on end for the two girls and fired with all his might, unleashing a fast-moving projectile angled towards the ground.

Hiruzen's fingers twitched as he snarled at the Electric-type move heading his way. The blood red-eyed figure opened his mouth, letting out another banshee screech and decimated the Zap Cannon with the arm stretched out. The Zap Cannon was mere feet away when it was reduced to diced chunks and exploded in a yellow flashy glint, sending yellow smoke with a ripple that scattered dust in the vicinity.

"He blocked that too?!" Erza exclaimed.

As the electrical explosion diminished, Hiruzen lunged straight through, hunched over and stampeding through the smoke. The smoke split into pieces, and Hiruzen's magic surged around him, warning Erza and Vanessa to clear way if they didn't want to get vaporized. Both digressed as Hiruzen continued stampeding past them, making dust flare and powerful winds that made the two girls fall over.

Erza thudded onto her stomach, barely managing to use her arms as support. She looked up, her eyes shrinking and her heart tearing when she saw Hiruzen's true target. "Nic!" She warned.

Nic stood there, fists clutched. A dark shadow was over his eyes, looking unrecognizable as the ground quaked with every step Hiruzen took to get to him. The 20-year-old seemed stiff as a statue as Hiruzen was but feet away, his magic surging in his palms and hands, ready to annihilate Nic, and then everyone else.

"Nic! No!" Vanessa and Erza shouted together.

Hiruzen howled as he closed the distance, but then a powerful force struck him square in the nose, shattering the bone cartilage inside. The attack resonated from Nic's fist as he pivoted and struck him without so much as looking at him. His head remained low as he followed through with his punch, the strength he emitted annihilating the airspace. Hiruzen shot backwards, flying in midair, falling into his back and succumbed to another dust cloud.

Everyone stared at Nic as he held his fist out. He didn't look at all appeased, and yet at the same time, he looked resolute. The shadows over his eyes lightened up, revealing a shaky glare.

"Nic." Laura muttered.

Charizard looked towards his Trainer, seeing him in a hesitant state, which was uncharacteristic.

"I know!" He snapped. "I know you guys deserve nothing less than what you've gotten, don't make any second guesses! You both treated me like a ravaged beast than an actual son, and I know you couldn't keep your emotions in check. But…" His body began to shudder, his teeth barely gritting. "At the same time, I feel the same way you do."

Mark and Laura stared wide-eyed, but offered no input.

"I've been nothing but a jerk. An unreliable one at that. It's my fault that I made you guys feel so horrible. You can change your own fate, and you can change your future if you work hard enough…but you guys didn't have that choice then. When I first saw you guys reincarnated, I thought the past wanted to haunt me to where it would come back to life. I wanted it to end, I wanted to move on and learn from my mistakes." His footing straightened out, his fists still balled. The fist he punched with was still a bright red. "Humans learn from their mistakes, but I never saw you guys more than animals. I discriminated those who gave me life, I offered no value to your help." His head lowered. "Now look at what I've done. I've become the jailor."

"Nic." Vanessa looked at her brother, her eyes brimming with regret and sadness over her brother's perspective.

Nic's blinked, his gaze turning serious once more. "You guys, you've done enough for now. We'll finish the rest…count on it."

At that innuendo, Charizard stepped by his side, growling at Hiruzen. The Fire and Flying-type let out a loud roar at Hiruzen as he arose from the dust cloud, a sign that it was time to get back into the battle.

"Charizard…" Nic led on.

"Yeah."

Nic slowly brought his left forearm up. "For the pain that Hiruzen, an old family friend has brought, and for ourselves, let's make it right. We'll hold nothing back." His left fist clutched, but at the same time, his Mega Wristband was evident. "Charizard!"

Charizard spread his legs, wings, and claws, letting out a loud roar and answering his Trainer's call. Already, his power began to increase.

Erza looked over, shock and surprise taking her over. _'_ _That's the Mega Wristband!'_ She gasped. _'_ _Is Nic really going to…?'_

Vanessa looked equally as perplexed. Already, she was feeling the pressure within the atmosphere alter. "Mega Evolution." She muttered.

Nic tapped the Key Stone embedded into the rubber material. Once he did, rainbow lights shined like a concert was going on. The colorful display flared constantly, turning into rays of bright light waves that wiggled through the atmosphere. In correspondence to the level of power, Charizard's body gave off a blue glow, in which the Flame Pokémon exerted blue light waves that wormed all the way back towards the Key Stone light waves, connecting.

Mark and Laura stared in shock, their son performing what Vince was able to do. "Is that…?" Mark trailed off.

"Charizard, Mega Evolve!" Nic yelled.

The light traveled down towards Charizard, where it was then he was engulfed in the light of Mega Evolution. Charizard's roar could be heard through the drastic power change. The ground and the debris all around began to levitate and break apart as the immeasurable power flourished like fire. Charizard's roar tone darkened a little. His wings began to ascertain pointed edges, the arms and legs alike becoming more pointed. His horns grew more pointed, and spikes formed on his neck. The temperature in the area began to rise again, turning the residual floating debris into ash. Blue fire flared all around the mouth, exerting a small wave that made everyone cover up.

The light finally erupted, revealing Mega Charizard. The blue flames erupted like firecrackers, his red eyes opening up and releasing a heated roar. The ground shuddered in fright as the area around him scorched to ash. The ground cracked apart, blue fire flaring, yet it didn't deter Nic nor the unreasonable Hiruzen. The rock around him in a large radius was sizzling, reduced to char.

Mega Charizard glared at Hiruzen, blue flames burning on the sides of his mouth to unimaginable extremes. Hiruzen shrieked back in response to the growing heat of battle.

The true battle has just begun.

Nic swiped his arm to the side. "Let's go, Mega Charizard!" He yelled.

Mega Charizard let out another loud roar, making the airspace shudder from his intensity. "Let's hit him where it hurts!"

Hiruzen let out a bloodthirsty screech as he charged after Mega Charizard, the Crash Mage again making the ground at his feet turn into a giant crater for footing as he leaned ahead and lunged after him. White energy filled the man's fists as he ran up towards Mega Charizard, but the recipient wasn't gonna sit around and wait. Mega Charizard used his bulky legs with immense strength and ran ahead towards Hiruzen, light footing thanks to the constant and swift running he always did with Nic. His speed much faster, Mega Charizard caught up and used his right claw to intercept the punch, stopping it cold. Even the Crash Magic embedded into it diminished. His hold dared not loosen.

" **Dragon Claw!** " Nic yelled.

Mega Charizard's left claw glowed a green-blue energy, and made claw-shaped energy form and become twice as long as his arms. Mega Charizard swept his left leg in front and slashed with all his might. He struck Hiruzen in the face, making an air ripple shatter rock beneath as well as shoot him back yet again. Hiruzen howled as the attack made a trail within the earth again, deeper than the ones made previously. Hiruzen slid on his back to a startling halt, breaking a large boulder into several pieces.

Mark stared in shuddering awe. He could not believe that with a single Dragon Claw, Mega Charizard suppressed his foe. "What power." He muttered.

"That's Mega Charizard's Ability, Tough Claws." Vanessa noted. "Mega Charizard's physical moves are a lot stronger now."

The dust settled as Hiruzen jolted back up. The deceased zombie-like mage snarled as the right side of his face was badly wounded with a long, diagonal scrape. A normal mage such as Gildarts would've been put in his place, but Hiruzen felt no pain, and no reason. He only cared about death and killing.

He hollered out at Mega Charizard, extending both palms out and releasing a white beam that was nothing but sheer Crash Magic. The ground beneath diced apart as the white beam closed in.

" **Dragon Claw!** " Nic countered yet again, having Mega Charizard use Dragon Claw a second time and thrust them ahead like spears. The white beam of magic made contact, but Mega Charizard's raw strength and ability bisected the Crash Magic beam, leaving him unharmed. He slashed in opposite directions, dissipating the beam entirely.

"Amazing…" Erza muttered.

Nic reached out, giving a follow-up. "Mega Charizard!"

Mega Charizard followed Nic's call. He flapped his powerful blue and black wings and soared into Hiruzen with great speed. As he flew a few feet off the ground, he closed the gap so fast that it put Erza's Flight Armor to shame. Hiruzen let loose a punch to decimate some part of Mega Charizard, but the Fire and Dragon-type used his left claw and used the incoming fist as a balance. He performed a singular handstand right on the Crash Mage's arm, bewildering Mark and Laura at how flexible and reflexive Mega Charizard was.

Mega Charizard narrowed his eyes and pivoted on his claw. His stomach facing Hiruzen's front, he bent and upside-down knee struck Hiruzen in the head. With all his might, he shattered the cranium, making the ground itself tear apart as Hiruzen sunk to his knees. Before he could face plant, however, Mega Charizard followed up with whipping his tail from behind, smacking and shattering the spine in the back and sending Hiruzen flying in everyone's general direction.

" **Flamethrower!** " Nic shouted.

Mega Charizard opened his mouth, where one could see blue flames inside, swirling like a typhoon. He brought his head forward while still flying, retaining his position as an ocean of blue fire blazed through the atmosphere. The entire chamber shook and the diced rock beneath the raging Flamethrower instantly melted upon passage. The raging fire engulfed the fumbling Hiruzen, but the Flamethrower didn't stop there. It kept on going, and everyone cleared way as it hit the wall, making it erupt in an explosion of blue. Rock either melted or reduced to ash, the blue heated shockwaves making everyone – even Erza – slide away from the inferno.

Mega Charizard stared at the crumbling blue flames, watching them dissipate from the trail made all the way towards the wall. "Is that more like it?" He enforced.

The flames diminished at last, revealing Hiruzen there, on all his knees. The man grunted, the Magic Power around his body barely intact. It was white still, but that didn't save him from Mega Charizard's attack. On hands and knees, rising in a crippling manner, Hiruzen's entire body attire was tarnished. All that was left was tattered pants. The abdominal armor was melted off, and his body was charred.

Just when things looked bad for Hiruzen, things got a whole lot worse when he suddenly shrieked out in pain, making the ground thunder as flames briefly burst from his body before retreating.

Vanessa stared with astonishment. "That's Flamethrower's additional burn effect!" She gasped.

Nic and Mega Charizard glared at Hiruzen, the man who was craning his neck like an unstable demon. Again, the bellow raged, and the Magic Power around him cloaked him in a weak light. With all that was left in him, Hiruzen shrieked as he charged for Mega Charizard once more.

Mega Charizard stood there, face brimming with seriousness. "Come and get some!"

Nic did a throwing motion. "Mega Charizard, throw him!"

"You don't gotta tell me twice!" Mega Charizard happily obliged, snatching Hiruzen's weakened punch again. Hiruzen's Crash Magic didn't even help. With a strong hold with his right claw, Mega Charizard pivoted and threw Hiruzen into the air above.

Nic stared at the ascending Hiruzen, seeing the distressed reincarnation barely hanging on. "I'm sorry about this, Hiruzen." His fist clutched tighter. "Please…go back to sleep. Mega Charizard… **Heat Wave!** "

Mega Charizard spread his legs and reeled his head and wings back. Knowing that this was in fact for the better, it was time to put him to rest, once and for all. Mega Charizard saw Hiruzen reaching a high enough point and angled perfectly, and then the Flame Pokémon unleashed it all at once. The wings and head were brought forward, unleashing a lethal hurricane of immense blue, fiery winds. The maelstrom of blue howled like a dragon, making all the blood in the area boil with frightening awe.

Erza, Vanessa, Laura, Mark, and Magnezone all watched with bewilderment while covering up from the hot shockwaves. Some rock nearby shattered apart, and some melted. They all stared up as Heat Wave made a flaming mess in the atmosphere. Everyone gawked, though Nic and Mega Charizard stared at the raging force that burned the walls and atmosphere alike.

Hiruzen wailed in pain as the Heat Wave engulfed him. As the air vaporized from the scorching heat, so did the deceased puppet. The beast let out a violent shriek so loud that it was equivalent to the raging Heat Wave. His body and shriek vanished in the Heat Wave, his reincarnation vaporized by Mega Charizard.

The flames soon vanished, the heat still resonating, yet nothing but ash from rock burned from the cliffs and ceiling fell. As the blue flames diminished into flaring embers that fell like snow across the chamber, it was a sign that the battle was now over.

Mark and Laura stared at the ceiling longingly, remembering the brief images of their family friend who helped them in the past. It pained to see him go once more, but the circumstances were much more graphic. "Hiruzen, please rest in peace." Mark mournfully said.

Nic looked at Mega Charizard, who began to glow a rainbow light, shimmering gleams as he reverted to being normal again. Charizard faced his Trainer. Both could see how proud they were at winning the battle, but neither knew it was a time for such a thing. It was a family friend, someone who helped them. And this was how they repaid Hiruzen, by sending him back where he belonged.

Nic smiled at his Charizard. "Charizard, well done. Thanks so much." He praised.

Charizard grinned back. "Going that one mile is always my thing." He reminded.

"True." Nic snickered.

Just then, Vanessa, Erza, and Magnezone all gathered around, all of which were thankful the two were still in one piece.

"Nic, are you alright?" Erza asked.

"Yeah." Nic nodded. "We can manage." Of course Erza meant just him, but he would've preferred his Charizard to be worried as well; still, it was implied.

Vanessa managed to grin at her older brother. "So, that was Hiruzen."

Nic looked down at the ground, his eyelids waning. It was a hard-pressed question. One could say open-ended. "…I'd say that was him, yet it wasn't."

By all means, he wasn't wrong to say. The message got through as Erza and Vanessa nodded in agreement.

The sounds of grunting and panting reached all their ears. Everyone's attention diverted from the aftermath towards Mark and Laura, both managing to get to their feet, barely. Laura held up her husband as he struggled a bit more than she did. Regardless, the two were holding out just fine.

"Can you stand?" Laura asked worriedly.

"Yeah…I think." Mark was leery on his condition, but despite how much it was supposed to hurt, his reincarnated form kept the pain at a dull minimum. He stood on his own, managing with small breaths until he stood upright once more.

Both mother and father then looked to see them being approached by Nic and the others. They all closed in on one another, the attention mainly on Nic and Vanessa. The Pularis family stared at one another for what seemed to be the longest time, neither side unable to say much of anything. With the conflict at its end, they could at last see the resolves in one another. Battle proves to be a helpful tool in understanding someone, whether it'd be for personal or combative reasons. That exact method was what's been exploited in Nic's perspective. He was perhaps the most influenced as he stared at those who gave him life. He didn't seem chipper, but at the same time, not so mournful either.

Laura looked at her son as he and Vanessa stood some feet away. "Nic, we…!"

A sudden wind shifted, despite there being no wind transcending in the underground. It was so fast that no one saw it coming. Erza and Vanessa were shocked, but perhaps the most baffled was Mark and Laura. Their eyes widened in shock when Nic had his head in between their shoulders, his two hands holding the sides of the parents' faces. He frowned and stared with an unemotional look straight ahead.

A long silence passed, the shock rendering everyone perplexed. Charizard looked on in silence as Nic was doing what he could to compensate his own fault.

His eyes closed. "I'm the one who is sorry." He said over their shoulders. "I'm not to blame for your misfortune, but I am to blame for being a blind man. I didn't consider anything less than a curse has befallen me. I don't have excuses to heal the guilt I've given and inflicted onto us."

"Nic…" Mark and Laura quietly styed still while Nic pulled away. His voice was strong, but at the same time, soft.

Nic stared at them, continuing to frown. "No one is to blame but Giratina. He was a fool. He disgraced our legacy. He made us look nothing less than scum. Why is it that the past always comes back? Why does the universe have to choose us to hold in all this guilt and frustration from the dawn of time? I thought I would find the answers by moving forward…" He looked mournfully ahead. "But I was wrong. It took me years to realize, but it turns out that by moving forward, I have to reflect and make the past benefit while I can."

Vanessa stared at her brother, his speech simply divine. Philosophical, yet true to form. She said nothing, but she was no different from her brother's standpoint.

Erza stared with a mournful yet serene look, seeing her Nic finally pressing on. Like she did with Jellal, she has finally seen Nic was doing the one thing he struggled with – forgive.

Mark looked down at the ground, a mournful smile crossing his face. He couldn't believe that for the second time, Nic has declared his own truth. It was a long time coming, but finally repairs were being made to their broken family. "…look." He started. "Let's just take a moment and think clearly. We're not at fault, and you most definitely aren't. It is true that we can indeed blame Giratina for his desire for destroying everything, but if we stayed mad at yourselves and each other, there won't be a compromise, right?"

Nic managed to feel a smile tug at the corner of his lips. "Right."

Vanessa stepped forward towards her parents, equal footing with her brother. "So, what do we do now?"

Erza requipped back to her Heart Kreuz Armor, having a hand to her chin. "Well the obvious suggestion is to resume our path. We just need to keep going I'm afraid."

"I'm not worried." Everyone looked towards Nic as he half-grinned. "It's true that we're on a deadline, but worrying won't solve anything. Let's take down the spell…" He glanced at his mother and father. "Together."

"Together…?" Laura muttered. She couldn't help but feel so overjoyed to see Nic finally forgiving him…in a way. Her smile, however, grew mournful. She could feel her own insides quiver from recollecting the remnants of beating her precious baby boy. She had no right to say she was a mother still, but at the moment, fortune smiled down on them. "Nic…"

"Hm?"

Laura began to reach for something behind her. Mark looked towards his wife and saw what she was doing. He followed suit, pulling something out of his pocket. What were they getting out? How could they still be intact after that devastating battle? Why now? No one said, rather they watched as Mark and Laura pulled out two objects.

As they began to pull them out, Nic's eyes slowly widened. "…what?"

"It can't be…" Erza muttered, seeing the two objects. "Impossible."

Vanessa looked quizzically at the two objects the parents held in hand, her inquiry met with equally perplex. "Aren't those."

In Laura's hands was one of the treasures that belonged to Nic, his trademark sunglasses he discarded that one night. In Mark's hands, there was the phone, and the earbuds coiled up with them.

Nic's head looked at his parents. "How did-?!"

Laura looked away in shame. "That supposed raft washed up along the isle here. It got the attention of the Rivolta, especially with what you had on it." She said.

"Wait…" Nic's eyes narrowed, taking a split second to recall the raft. It wasn't just him who was pondering, but Charizard also recalled, his shock equal to that of his Trainer. Nic's horror sprung into the norm. "Then-!"

"Sadly, yes." Mark mournfully said. "The raft and everything was destroyed. All that remained…was your possessions that Alpha had by his side this whole time."

Erza looked at the two possessions left. She then looked at Nic, who could only stare at the sunglasses and earbuds. A dark shadow was once again over his eyes, making his pain much harder to see. "Nic…" She remembered that night, the night Nic and his team gave a unreal to Future Nic and the rest, finally freeing his burdens and crying them out. Even after letting them go, they came right back to him.

She slipped her hand onto his shoulder, running a warm touch through his body. Her hold was of mourn and comfort, keeping Nic together. In a way, she was.

Thanks to Erza being there, the shadow over Nic's eyes softened, revealing his eyes full of resolute as he stared at the earbuds and phone, then at the sunglasses in his parents' hold.

"We wonder that question as well. Why does the past always come back to you?" Mark wondered. "We deserved to be buried away, deep into your memories. All we wanted to be in the afterlife was but buried thoughts. But the universe pulled us back together." He looked up at the dark ceiling. "Why does fate bring us together? You moved on from the past…but I guess the past isn't done with you."

"Maybe fate had us follow you to the present for a reason." Laura figured. "The past won't disappear, it'll always be there, but maybe it'll be relieved if you are able to finally cope with it, end it. We were reincarnated to kill you, but our past brought us back to the place where my brother gave himself up for our future. This place, our past, your past; it's all intertwined here. This is where you and Vanessa will end this accursed fate…" She smiled. "Perhaps that's something Arceus saw in you."

Nic eyes widened in shock.

Mark continued then on. "I know it's time to move on, but Nic, the future won't become a reality until Alpha and the Rivolta are finished. We must _all_ finish what was started, a very long time ago. So…" He extended the device out towards him. "Nic, Vanessa, Magnezone…this is our only chance – our very last chance – to make things right. So, let us finish this, as a family. This once, and only time."

A strong silence passed by, transcending through the confines of the chamber. No one said anything, nor nothing for that matter. An answer was expected to come eventually. Mark and Laura remained stiff as they were all given stares by the younger generation.

At last, Nic grabbed and took the phone. Mark's eyes widened. "Okay." Nic slowly uncoiled the earbuds. "If fate will finally put this curse and you guys at peace, then it's worth a shot." He bragged the individual earbuds and put them in his ears. "Grandma and Grandpa meant so much to us. We'll end this not just for all of us, but for them as well. My phone and my earbuds, they were the last gifts they gave me…so it's only fair, that we end this with a little piece of them still remaining."

"Nic…" Laura's breath hitched once the power went on for Nic's cellular device. Already, Erza and Vanessa could hear the extremely faint sound of nu metal running through Nic's ears. Charizard heard it; he could even remember the song.

Nic at last grabbed the sunglasses, slowly unfolding the sides. He held them up to his face. "This only time, let's bring the past and present to where it can be one." He finally put on the sunglasses at last, black lenses shielding his eyes once more after so many months. It was comforting to have the old routine back in the saddle, even if it was a limited time ordeal. He smiled at his parents. "Let's do this. We'll end the Rivolta…Mom, Dad."

At last, those two words were heard, Erza smiling proudly at Nic finally accepting his parents. She couldn't be anymore proud of Nic right now.

Everyone made their declaration and was ready to fight back against Alpha, this time, as a family. No one was left out. Magnezone and Charizard cheered with their Trainers as the Pularis family and Erza raised their fists and readied to find a way up, ready to end Alpha's plans once and for all.

* * *

It was hard to tell what Fernando was thinking, given his lenses deflected light, but from the frown, he seemed distressed. On the gameboard in front of him. The lone candle flickered weakly as Hiruzen's piece broke apart. He had fingers folded and supporting his chin. He stared quietly, a dark, menacing aura around him. This was a sign that made it all too clear. He was angry. The genius was losing his patience, his frustration brimming at full length. The corners of his mouth could be seen with gritting teeth. As he relucted to move Nic's pieces, his fingers twitched.

He constantly wanted to move them, but he always retreated his hand, like he was being weary. He was faltering, and that was something he never felt. He hated it. The light faded away from his glasses, revealing an ironclad glare of pure anger. "Dirty, filthy pawns." He growled. "I am the king on this board. This is my game. You pawns better behave, or else the king is gonna swat you off his board." He finally moved Nic's piece first down the chamber tunnel, heading towards a thin area on the gameboard.

"You've played well on your turn…but this next turn is mine. I am the king, and no one ever takes my throne. It's mine, and mine alone…" He bitterly threatened as the candlelight flickered in fear of his monstrous demeanor.

* * *

 **Hi guys! I am SO sorry for not updating all of February! It's my fault, but please forgive me! All February, I either worked long days, or I wrote** ** _One's Road to Remembrance_** **. I managed to finish the recent arc in said story, which took another three chapters, and half of February while at it. So for the rest of February, I'll be working on this story, so another 2-3 chapters will be pouring in.**

 **Also with my job, my FanFiction pacing has drastically slowed down. Normally, my stories take 3 days to make, but as of late, they've taken 4-5 days, which hinders my progress on plot development. This chapter took 5 days to make, if you were wondering.**

 **One of the traits I picked up in Fairy Tail was that those who did bad at some point always find a way to redeem. Jellal, Laxus, and Gajeel were examples. I realized this trait, and the supposed jerks of Sabertooth were also seen in new light. So, I made that trait manageable with Laura and Mark, characters who were jerks, but I'm starting to make (hopefully) into a more likeable perspective for you guys.**

 **I forgot to ask this last chapter: Who do you think had a worse family history? Nic, or Erza? Just wondering.**

 **Fun fact: As I played Pokémon Y, I used a Butterfree to beat Lysandre's Mega Gyarados. A BUTTERFREE! No lie. And in a link battle, my Arbok defeated a Mewtwo all by itself, a coincidence since I made Nic's Arbok defeat Mega Mewtwo back in** ** _The Fairy Contender_** **. The universe works in so many weird ways lol.**

 **Hope to hear a comment or review. Tell me what you guys thought of all this, and thanks for reading another chapter! :)**


	36. A Dangerous Game

"How much farther again?" Vanessa asked her brother.

"Another few miles."

"The air is still stale, but at least we were able to draw a large enough number in to clear a path." Erza noted, regarding that massive battle in the chambers.

Magnezone hovered overhead, looking at the darkness ahead with a still gaze. "Undoubtedly." He agreed. He wasn't at all stern around Mark and Laura like he was before, which was also a sure sign of transcending boundaries from enemy to ally. Wounds as such don't heal easily when you're treated as a slave for years on end, but change does come around if one endures long enough. At long last, Magnezone didn't have to feel vengeful, though he still felt responsible and must repent for the sins committed.

Traveling through the dark corridors of the expansive tunnel was one matter to deal with, but navigating was another. They all could only resume their path on foot, heading down the other side of the chamber mere minutes after the aftermath ensued from that grieving confrontation. Nic was able to pinpoint themselves using the Earth Form after their resolution was made, and that brought him to being the guide. With Charizard in his Poke Ball after that battle, Vanessa used a Hyper Potion, restoring Magnezone's energy after the energy he exerted. With Nic also using Heal Pulse to heal everyone, followed by a Recover, he and everyone resumed their search to get to ground-level.

Mark grinned. "Nic, I didn't know your Charizard could Mega Evolve."

Nic half-grinned in compliance. "I guess there's a lot we haven't caught up on then." He said.

"Well given we've been dead all these years, it's really no surprise." Laura joked.

"There's a big duh." Mark deadpanned.

Erza walked right beside Nic, keeping her pace with his, no matter what. She was there for him then, she was there for him now. If there were questions, she didn't mind answering. She knew so much about Nic that it was like she knew him from the day he was born, although technicality would be stretching it. Still, case and point for the redhead was that if she slept with him and loved him, then what's there not to love about him.

She had a soft smile on her face as she watched him and his family catch up.

Laura looked towards Vanessa with a questionable gaze. "So, Vanessa."

"Hm?" The 16-year-old looked up at her mother.

"Is it true?" She let a small pause reign as clarification followed. "You became a Pokémon Trainer too?"

Vanessa nearly stopped in her tracks, the question being so out of the blue. Then again, this was their clueless parents. If they were gonna be real parents just this once, they may as well deserve a little clarity as to what their children are professionals at.

"Yes." She answered. "Though…I wouldn't say I'm quite there yet."

"Come now, no need to be so modest." Erza chided proudly. "Your Gym battle against Valerie deserved genuine praise. It's not often that one manages to subdue enemies with Toxic and hold out for a victory with all three Pokémon remaining."

Mark and Laura looked back at their offspring with shock. "Really?"

Vanessa smiled nervously, caught shocked by how interested they were in her Pokémon Trainer status. "W-well, yeah." She looked over towards Nic. "But it's nothing like what Nic had to endure. We beat Diantha, the Champion."

Nic's smile wasn't at all nervous, but he seemed a little perplexed his sister now diverted the attention back at him.

"What?" Mark pivoted and looked at his son with greater bewilderment than before.

"Nic, you mean that not only did you find yourself a girlfriend, but you also became one of the best Pokémon Trainers?" Laura could barely hold in her own shock.

"I was surprised myself." Erza admitted. "He's overcome so many obstacles and held out in the end. He and Greninja even defeated one of the strongest in all of Ishgar if that counts as something."

Nic began to show signs of fluster. "I wouldn't milk it that much." He said. He then looked towards his parents, seeing their eyes wide, their faces brimming with such delight at their son's achievements. He was getting a little nervous about all the upcoming questions and stories. Good thing the sunglasses he had on shield his look of bewilderment. The questions about him and Erza was one thing, but now he was in deep water.

"This may as well take a while." He said low. This was gonna be a lot of explanation to cover up.

Erza and Vanessa smiled behind him, watching as we began telling his tales.

* * *

The sounds of panting were clear. As the gray skies outside darkened slowly around the isle, as they always were, Alpha was inside with the group, still intertwined with the circle he inhabited. He snarled and panted similar to an animal about to snack on helpless lamb. He was standing tall like a human being at last, though the effort put into it was rather gruesome. It took a lot of willpower for him to stand and take note of his surroundings, but he was able to adapt. He looked down at the dark purple lettering, eyes narrowing as he could feel the countdown until full power emerging.

"Ten hours." He muttered coldly. "Ten hours left, until this world and every bleeding heart is brought to its bitter end." He glared over at the Rivolta, who were all remaining sound in a safe-enough distance from the group. "…you all, do not pretend to be lions ready to strike fear. I feel it from you, and you do too."

"Feel what, exactly?" Imaci inquired.

"Explain." Mariah suggested.

Alpha smirked, seeing all of them stare with uncertainty at their feared leader. "…you all are afraid."

Saboth's yellow eyes widened. "What?!" His fighting spirit was restored, his rest catering him well to his and everyone's magic reserves. He wasn't gonna take crap, even if it was from his leader. His bloodlust tempted him to step forward, but a hold onto his shoulder made the predicament go south.

"Please, refrain yourself." Crowhaw enforced.

Saboth looked over his shoulder, staring coldly at the ghostly man all that was worthless of him. His eyes narrowed. "Are you holding me back?" He threatened.

Crowhaw retracted his hand. "I am merely warning you not to push your luck."

"Luck does not win my battles." Saboth countered coldly.

Out of the blue, Ivy have a grieving sigh. "Honestly, quit spouting your ideals already. You're giving me a headache." She ran her fingers atop of her smooth, wavy head of orange hair.

"This conversation is getting us nowhere." Mariah pointed out. She turned towards Imaci. "We have ten hours. That means whatever time we have in between, we cannot make a single mistake."

Imaci nodded in agreement. "Agreed. Has our little entertainment been contained yet?"

A small chuckle came from not too far away, resonating from Fernando. Thanks to that little sound made, he's gained the audience of his peers. There was a small shadow over his gaze, which still reflected white to make it so that it was hard to see his weary eyes. The scientist snickered as he glared at his board game, his teeth evident.

"I am taking care of that as we speak." He told the group. He once again moved Nic and the other pieces in sequence, slowly sliding them down on end to what appeared to be a labyrinth if not else. "I must say." He added. "This has to be very amusing. It's not often you get such worthy adversaries."

"Amusing? Now there's a first." Ivy questioned.

Fernando turned towards her, frowning. "What are you on about?

Ivy put a finger to her chin. "Well I don't mean to pry in your little focus there, but isn't it a little…excessive to declare this as fun?"

"Amusing." Fernando corrected.

"You never have fun." Ivy deadpanned.

Fernando looked away, disinterested. "The words of she who has lower rank mean nothing to the king of the board game. Rest assured, I have these desperate pawns right where I want them."

Vermilius glared over from the shadows, his massive scythe hidden in the darkness over his shoulder. "That's what you thought hours ago."

Fernando shot a glare at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Imaci took a step closer towards his comrade. "Fernando…" He reached out, but Fernando suddenly looked towards him next, his harsh frown telling him to back off.

"Stay away from my board." He threatened.

"Sorry, my apologies." Imaci said, holding noting against the game itself. "It's just…this behavior of yours, it's very much insecure. Have you been resting well?"

Fernando turned towards the gameboard once more, letting out a huff. "I assure you, I am more than well." He protested. "You are referring to one who has never let a pawn overcome him in his life."

"And yet the anxiety you have now says otherwise."

Imaci's note left the air silent. The Rivolta stared in silence, an uneasy pressure settled amongst them. The constant questioning was dragging heavy weight down on its peers. Alpha took notice and looked at them with a weary disposition. The distinction between awkward and shocking was clearly visible. Was this shocking? Definitely, yet Imaci said it so bluntly.

Fernando stared ahead at his gameboard, eyes wide as he processed what went through his noggin. He blinked, finally coming around. "…what are you implying?" He speculated. He slowly turned around to face Imaci with an exasperated look. He glared at him, his eyes showing not only the lack of prosperous sleep, but also increasing flares. "Are you saying that my abilities have been…inadequate?"

"It's not like that." Imaci defended. "I mean to say-!"

"Silence, pawn!" Fernando cut him off, and on such a sore note. "You're forgetting who is the king here. You seem to be forgetting who was it that helped inventing those mechanisms to suppress the almighty rage of the Pularis. You are forgetting who was it that planned every single move. You are forgetting, _who_ has never made a single mistake in his life!" The scientist's eyes narrowed at Imaci. "I shall declare this once, so thus pay attention – I. Do. Not. Make. Mistakes. Ever." His eyes widened, somewhat shuddering to a small degree. " _Never_." He spited.

No one talked, nor could they possibly, especially with Fernando's patience wearing thin. Mariah could've said something, but knowing how calculative Fernando was, odds were that whatever she could say wouldn't help. Ivy wouldn't be much contribution, neither would the rest of the Rivolta. They all could only stare in deafening silence as Fernando's craze look was focused on Imaci, who continued to stare at him unemotionally.

At last, Imaci turned away, eyes shutting. "If what you say really is true, then I am sorry for pressing the matter."

Fernando let out a snort as he leered at Imaci's back. "Feeble apologies from a pawn?" He looked away, taking consideration of the situation. "Fine, the slate has been expunged, you can retain a knight. But mark these words. All of you. I have never made a feeble mistake in my calculations, and the die rolled will forever be cast with my hand." He raised his right hand, his fingers flexing themselves in and out continuously. The wrinkles beneath the middle-aged man's eyes seemed evident.

"I will not rest, until I have crushed these good for nothing scoundrels that are nothing more than wasteful space on my board. This…" He began to pick up a brown block, similar to the ones he's put up in the past. "…is _my_ game, and therefore _my_ rules." There was an immense spite in his words, thicker than venom itself.

Gengar snickered from the shadows, looking at Fernando dominating the board game, his own little reality. "Hehehehehe. Looks like the scientist lost it." He snickered. "Seems as though Nic's really pushing his buttons."

Imaci kept his back turned towards his associate, looking away as the candle flickered around the gameboard. His eyes showed a dreary look in them, half-open, and barely regarding everyone else. _'The fool…'_

Mariah looked away in a sense of disgust and shame. She said nothing that could alleviate Fernando's fixation on reality.

"I am a king on this board. I have been, and always will be." Fernando said. "No one, will be anything above a king." He picked up a second block. "And these five pests – these pawns – have played their cards to where I cannot bare them any longer!" His eyes were seen again, the pupils small and dilating out of anger. "My rules, and no one breaks my rules and gets away with it."

* * *

"I get it now." Mark repeated. "So you turned down the Champion title because you'd rather be something purely of yourself than let a position take control of your life and reputation."

"And these so-called Wizard Saint titles you were given numerous chances of they were no different." Laura reiterated. She had a lot to process about her baby boy's adventures; his last few stands in Kalos being him against Lysandre in the far past for one thing, and how he's gone into a complicated roller coaster with Erza. "These stories are so wild, but I guess we should've known."

"Don't worry so much about it." Nic assured. "Granted, all these thrill rides have been arduous to handle at times, but we're all still here. That's what matters, right?" He looked ahead, grinning in mild satisfaction. "It's as a saying goes. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"He isn't wrong. It's really more drastic here than it is back home." Vanessa noted, still following behind her older brother's steps.

"A lot of tough calls, but we did whatever it is that we could to assure ourselves we'd make it out in some way." Magnezone said.

The group had continued their travels down the long tunnel, still taking the few miles by foot. It was long, arduous, and feet were getting sore. The only way to assure they find a way to pass time before they reach their destination was telling stories of Nic and Vanessa's adventures. Despite the several hours left until hell pounces out and takes over, it was reassuring to speak so tentatively with two devils turned angels.

"I'm still stuck on how you trained an Arbok to fight with its hood. And to top it off, jump through trees and lift several massively heavy objects. From the way you make it sound, it's like it lifts Golem for morning exercise." Mark exaggerated.

"Well, there's one way of looking at it." Nic said.

"At any rate, Nic and I eventually made a decision after the war to build a house, and-!" Erza stopped in her tracks, unable to finish her sentence as her body and senses were getting something. Following right behind, Nic did too. Their sudden stops made a chain reaction. Something was up.

Magnezone looked back, confused. "What's wrong?"

Erza looked around with a weary gaze. She looked right, and left. "Something isn't right." She looked towards Nic. "Nic."

Nic nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I felt it too."

Mark and Laura turned towards the other in suspicion, eyes full of uneasiness. Whatever was transpiring, their Aura Magic wasn't picking anything up other than the same, skin-crawling energy that's been looming like fog all throughout the chambers and tunnels. Vanessa was apparently in the same boat, figuratively of course.

Nic looked around and up to where he noticed the darkness and pitch-black in the ceilings. It was true that they fell quite a ways, but for some odd reason, he and Erza's sixth senses were feeling it, and it wasn't liking them one bit.

"Are you sure it isn't nothing?" Magnezone inquired.

"Mom, Dad, are you picking up anything?" Vanessa asked,

Laura shook her head. "Not as far as we could tell." She regrettably admitted.

Back to back, weary of this odd sensation, Nic and Erza looked in all directions, unable to let this energy go over their heads. For some odd reason that they can't describe, it was as if they felt this strange energy before, but the question was where?

"…"

They all remained desolate as an unsubtle silence loomed over their heads.

…

Fernando narrowed his eyes and smirked maliciously as he tenderly put a block behind the pieces grouped together.

…

The tunnel began to quake unexpectedly, the vibrations resonating at an unfair level.

"What's all this shaking?" Mark exclaimed.

"Earthquake?" Laura wondered.

Nic's eyes widened as he and Erza stared over their heads. "No! Look up!" He warned.

Everyone did as told. They all looked up at the darkness over their heads and saw rocks coming down, a fashion similar to rock slide. They all began to fall and crumble behind Nic and Erza, prompting them to leap away as the rocks began to pulverize the earth. They both reeled back with the others, seeing how they were back far enough to avoid falling rocks.

Mark began to reel in the opposite direction of the falling debris. "Quick, everyone, this way!" The father got to his heels and began to run.

…

"Oh. No, no, no." Fernando flicked Mark's piece, making it fall over.

…

Mark gagged as he suddenly tripped, his haste getting the best of him. He fell onto his stomach, making a loud thud that rattled through his inners.

"Mark!" Laura shouted.

…

Fernando's smirk intensified. "Now to seal the deal." He placed a piece of block that rivaled the same one from before in front of Mark. After that move, his smirk darkened and his eyes widened. "Worthless trash!" He knocked both blocks down, falling into Nic's group pieces.

…

Rocks suddenly started falling at a faster level than before. Several were starting to come down onto Mark, which was barely on his hands and knees trying to get up. He gasped as several heavy rocks were starting to make way onto him.

Mark was too slow to act. He was gonna get crushed to bits. Thankfully, there were those who were reflexive. A teal wave of aura stretched out of the blue, solid as can be and snatching up Mark by the abdomen. The deceased man reeled back as rocks fell in his place, where they would've buried him. He thudded loudly as the aura dissipated.

"Ow!" He grunted.

"Are you okay, Dad?" Vanessa asked, kneeling down at her close call. She and her father were starting to push up, only to realize that above them, hell was coming down.

"What's going?!" Laura exclaimed.

Nic glowed, shifting to his Fist Form. "Ask questions for later! Everyone, make a break for it!" He exclaimed.

Immediately, everyone began to make way through the falling rocks. They all hurried with what speed could carry their individual legs. In Magnezone's case, magnets. Magnezone veered left and right, constantly dodging falling rocks and floating his way towards the end, where the rocks were piling on.

A rock fell in front of Nic, but it wasn't something he couldn't handle. " **Jump Kick!** " He lunged ahead, crouching and driving a glowing knee into the thick boulder. The large structure instantly shattered apart, blowing chunks all over for them to trample on.

Erza requipped a sword, slashing through a falling rock that would've crushed her. Following her lead, Vanessa used her Aura Magic, beaming rock overhead and clearing a path. Magnezone was firing his Mirror Shot attack in conjunction with his Trainer.

Mark and Laura dodge another rock, diverging and running around it. They pressed on running disregarding how they were lagging behind.

The rocks ahead piled on, creating a wall with crumbling rock afoot. They were all met with shock as all around them, they had little room left. They could only go straight, and unfortunately, this was no easy way out. But thankfully, Nic was there.

Gathering focus as fast as possible, Nic spread his legs, put his arms together, and began manifesting a bright ball of energy. The energy gathering inside made it give off a shimmering veil of light. Without hesitation, he threw it. " **Focus Blast!** " The projectile Fighting-type attack shot like a cannonball, flying through the atmosphere and making way for the rock wall that piled on. The attack made contact, evident destruction afoot. The rocks all crumbled, exploding into a dust cloud that everyone tried to take full advantage of.

"Come on!" Nic, Erza, Vanessa, and Magnezone all made a break and jumped, all of which sprung through the dissipating dust cloud. Everyone there saw the other side as they flung themselves through, sliding their way towards the other side.

Erza looked around, seeing Nic and Vanessa present. "Are we all okay?"

Vanessa gasped, her eyes widening as she turned around towards the area where rocks were falling. "Wait! Mom! Dad!"

Nic whipped his head around, looking with shock as he saw his parents jumping around falling rocks. They both hurried to the best of their abilities, barely dodging another large, boulder-like rock. The husband-wife team hurried as small pebbles showered down onto them, yet they were holding out.

"Almost…there…!" Mark grunted.

Erza looked up, her shock again surmounting. "Look up!" Her warning caught the note of Nic, Vanessa, and Magnezone, all of which saw what she was referring to. They stared in shock as massive boulders the size of Steelix now crashing down, making way for Mark and Laura.

"They're not gonna make it at that speed!" Magnezone worried.

Nic pulled out a Poke Ball. "We say otherwise!" He threw the Poke Ball outwards. "Kecleon, reel them in!"

The Poke Ball popped open, revealing Nic's almighty Kecleon. The Color Swap Pokémon appeared on the ground, blinking. "Rocks are heavy!" She exclaimed, pointing out clarification. She opened her mouth, lashing out her long, sticky tongue with a small bulbous end. The long tongue blitzed through the falling rock like a beam, making its destination at Mark and Laura. The tongue coiled around their waists, holding them tight.

"Woah! What the-?!" Mark's breath hitched. As he felt a harsh tug. He and Laura suddenly found themselves pulled through the falling rock, without their own doing. The pink tongue brought them back in time as the wall of rocks came down again, crumbling and making a solid space of rock that would've reduced them to mush.

"Oof!" Mark and Laura fell on their rumps as the sticky tongue retreated into Kecleon's mouth.

Nic and Vanessa knelt down, the respective genders picking up their father and mother by supporting their shoulders. The two needed a moment to catch their breaths, barely doing so from that bewildering experience.

"Are you alright?" Erza asked.

Mark breathed in and out, managing to find some solace in the fact that rocks weren't constantly hitting his head. "Y-yeah. Thank you." He looked towards his son. "Nic, thanks."

Nic grinned. "You're welcome." He allowed his father to get up on his own. He and Vanessa backed away from them as they stood up once again. He looked down at Kecleon next. "The actual thanks really belongs to Kecleon. She's the one who pulled you both put."

Laura looked towards the Normal-type. "I see." She bent down, graciously smiling at Kecleon. "So, you're the one who pulled us out, aren't you?" She said. "You're Kecleon."

"Thank you for saving us." Mark grinned.

Kecleon tilted her head off to the side, blinking. "Stick and stones break bones." She said in her creepy and near-monotone voice, like a child.

The odd statement made Mark and Laura blink. Both looked at each other, trying to process what she was saying.

"That they…do?" Laura said nervously.

A strong silence passed around the group, the awkward statement of the infamous Kecleon hanging in the air. Kecleon tilted her head in the opposite direction, adding a follow-up.

"Wooden doors make for good use on hard knock days."

Mark and Laura turned towards Nic for answers to Kecleon's logic, but all he did was shrug.

"She says she was found fortunate enough for this occasion." He pointed out for all to understand.

"Oh." Mark said. "Uh…okay…?" He looked behind, looking up at the stone wall of rock. None were falling it seemed, but they didn't seem steady either. "Guess we got one way then."

"Very well, we'll have to make do." Erza said. She turned around, requipping her sword away. She walked right next to Nic, managing a small grin. "Shall we resume?"

Nic grinned back at her. "Let's."

Everyone thus resumed their trek down the tunnel, the one-way apparently their only option. Magnezone and Kecleon followed behind, the latter straightening her head.

* * *

"Damnit…" Fernando growled in frustration. "Damnit…" His anger was getting the best of him, teeth gritting as he looked down at the gameboard. The block pieces that were intended to fall onto the group were on the sides, while Nic's group pieces held the other up, unhindered. The sight of what was meant to happen did not occur, nothing like Fernando would understand. "Damn it all…!" He had fists clutched on the sides of the gameboard, careful enough to bang against it so as not to make anything jump out of place.

Mariah looked at Fernando, seeing his growing flare. She remained unemotional, unafraid. "What has happened?"

Fernando stared at his board game, eyes wide. He remained silent.

"Fernando?" Crowhaw asked.

"Uh oh, looks like someone's got a little screw loose." Ivy warned.

"Watch it." Vermilius warned.

At last, Fernando straightened his posture, his gaze partially dreadful to look at. "My turn has been…been…ended too quickly." He digressed.

"Fernando…" Imaci spoke, but was cut off.

"Quiet! My theories and my calculations on the board are indisputable!" He snapped. "I can assure you, our adversaries merely had aces stored away from us, we just hadn't been prepared to intercept early enough."

"And yet you didn't see it." Saboth interjected.

Fernando harshly turned towards him. "Silence! You implying this is a -"

"Mistake?"

Once again, another unsubtle silence dawned as Ivy pointed out the interpretation. She was so blunt about it, yet the case and point was evident all throughout the gathered group. The pressure was set on her, yet the female put on a straight face as Fernando diverted to her direction.

"Let's face it, Fernando. We all know these so-called 'pawns' are putting up a fight. Look at yourself, you went through sleep just to dispose them because they made such a big deal for you." She put a hand to her hip. "We know they're strong, but if you couldn't se-!" She went to talk, but she suddenly fell backwards. An unknown force made her fall over, making her squeal as her thud to her back felt very harsh.

Everyone part of the Rivolta stared ahead without emotion, unable to even show emotion, as they witnessed their own harshly shoved down when Fernando was seen flicking her piece. There was a dark swell of aura around Fernando, the scientist's eyes beneath his gaze looking abstract. He didn't bother straightening up her piece.

Ivy tried getting back up, despite how much of a struggle it has become. "Fer…nando~..." She growled.

"Idiot animalistic pawn." At last, he arose from his seat, straightening out the legs so as to turn and face his colleagues properly. "All of you!" He turned away from Ivy, referring the Alpha. "This is my game. No one goes unnoticed on my board. Nobody, and nothing. Every little abstract concept is always there. Our little pawns are merely using their experience to their advantage. I was able to calculate the chance of the dark energy backfiring, and look what happened. You dare question me for the last time?" He looked so delusional, though his forehead had a grimacing shadow so no one could really tell how in-check his sanity was.

"Fernando, quell yourself." Crowhaw insisted.

"Do not patronize me!" Fernando spited. "I am always 100%, as a king must be if he wishes to rule his subjects, and kill enemies who dare defy his order." Fernando's eyes narrowed. "Are you all not aware of the term subjugation?"

As Fernando spouted in the background, Ivy managed to stand. The mage winced as she tried to get her footing, managing without attracting the attention of the scientist. She looked at him, her face showing anger, hostility, and perhaps frustration. "That miserable fool. No wonder he needs glasses. She can't tell the difference between his own and mice." She muttered beneath her breath. As she bitterly thought of the deranged man, her attention drew down to the gameboard right beside her.

"Hm?" The orange-haired woman looked at the various pieces of the board. She never realized until now, but the gameboard was so detailed with so many labyrinths and so many pieces. She didn't notice before because her and the Rivolta normally wouldn't go anywhere near Fernando's precious game. She looked back at Fernando, seeing him bitterly telling off his own. She looked back down and mischievously smirked.

Saboth was ready to draw Demon Karbia. "You dare treat us as such mere mice?"

"We don't go scurrying around and squeaking, less we want to be food to predators." Crowhaw pointed out.

"And yet you speak as though _I'm_ the mice?" Fernando shouted in exaggerated shock. "Good heavens, has anyone been paying attention? Did you or did you not look and see all the work I have done?! I have invented mechanisms to trap the most potent energy in the universe! The king has always been planning ten steps ahead in every single probability, that you cannot deny. You have no say in what I have achieved as I overlooked the pawns and knights on my board."

"Remind us again why we don't have a look." Mariah insisted.

"Because it's mine!" Fernando countered. "Only one gets to rule the board, and that one is the king!"

Vermilius huffed from inside the dark shadows, his animal, like demeanor contained as he narrowed his eyes. "Then who is the king exactly?"

Alpha stared at the commotion from the dark purple lettering all around him. He remained quiet, eyes focused, and he looked more than a little intrigued as to what was being said, sort of speak. Gengar was watching as well, intrigued with Fernando's insistence.

"Well if it's not obvious, the king is…" His voice trailed off when he heard the very faint sound of a piece leaving the solid board. His eyes widened, his upset look turning around towards Ivy, his shock leaving his heart to turn black when he was seeing her do the unthinkable.

Ivy was picking up a brown block, one of the many Fernando has been using this whole time to intercept paths for Nic. She was looking at it suspiciously, turning it over with a quizzical expression. "Huh, I wonder what these are used as?"

"Ivy!" Fernando fumed, his rage was intense from the sound of that shout. "Drop that right now!"

Fernando's exasperated shout traveled through the atmosphere. Ivy went wide-eyed and nearly jumped from the bellowing of the one who uses the board. The piece in her hand fumbled in her constant grasp, until at last, the piece twirled and fumbled down onto the gameboard. The small instrument of manipulation slowed down as Fernando looked as though he's seen a ghost. The horror on his face was all too clear.

The piece landed and bounced in place right besides Nic's piece. The brown block landed flat on its side, making a small connection from one segment of a chamber towards the narrow direction Nic's group was taking. The Rivolta had mutual shock, but otherwise never showed it, the only one who seemed to be in shock was Fernando, his so-called game ruined.

"…no."

* * *

"So that's how Nic lost his left eye?" Mark asked.

Erza nodded sadly. "The same could be said with that scar across his right side. A crude battle, but at a great cost."

Laura looked at the ground, trying to make sense of it all. "We never knew Lysandre was really a nutcase. How tragic for him."

Nic didn't say anything to compensate the mourning going around. Lysandre was delusional, as he had no faith in humanity. While he can't deliberately say he is aware that everything is limited and conflicts arise, he doesn't believe that killing off the consumers would benefit. If you can survive without it, at least you know you can live in a world where selfishness and greed doesn't affect you.

Mark looked ahead, grinning. "Mega Charizard and Mega Gyarados. Now there's a battle I'd pay to see." He mused.

Erza was walking right beside Nic, smiling as she kept her hopes high, grinning as Nic was still thankfully with her right now.

A sudden rumble caught their attention. Nic and Erza abruptly halted as they felt a harsh tremor shake up everything around them. The vibrations were strong, likewise for what transpired earlier.

Kecleon was atop of Magnezone, looking up at the ceiling. Despite a few fragments of dust, nothing was coming down onto them, which was a relief. The Normal-type tilted her head and looked towards the wall right beside them, seeing the rock cracking apart.

"Look!" She pointed out.

Everyone turned towards the side, seeing the tunnel right beside them opening up. They all began to retreat towards the other end as the rock from said wall was splitting open, coming apart at the scene. Nic readied to attack in the events of any circumstances like last time, but he and the others remained still as the rock crumbled to dust, revealing a dark incline.

Everyone stared ahead in awkward silence, but they slowly walked step by step towards the small, dark tunnel that manifested.

"What…just happened?" Vanessa wondered.

Nic looked all around with wonder. "Hard to say. If I could make an accurate assumption…perhaps whatever was behind that cave-in." He said.

"That's a safe bet. These circumstances can't all be on a whim." Erza speculated.

Laura looked up at the steep climb up the smooth trail. "Where do you think it leads to?" Her eyes narrowed. "No, the better question is, is this a trap?"

Erza began a slow walk in towards the location afoot. "Only one way to be sure."

Kecleon tilted her head. "Fallen trees make for good bridges." She pointed out.

Nic remained steadfast as he advanced. "Kecleon is right. We'll make do with what we have. If it'll give us a way up towards ground-level, then it's worth the shot. Come on." And thus, taking a gander at the problem unfolding, Nic and everyone – reluctantly of course – began their trek up the dark incline. Nic and Erza followed first, using their own senses to pull themselves ahead, with the last ones being Mark and Laura. All ascended up to where they may find a glimmer of hope, if not a trap.

* * *

"Well, that happened." Ivy bluntly said.

"This isn't good." Crowhaw said. "They're making way as we speak."

"Not helpful, but I do agree. This situation's caliber has steadily increased." Mariah added.

Ivy looked ahead and saw Fernando standing there with a stiff look. He was paling, his body shuddering in place, barely moving. He was helplessly reaching out for his board game when he could only take in the realization that a single piece has been moved out of place. Horrific truth was, that someone took his reality for a small moment. There was a mistake he made, a single mistake, and it cost him terribly.

Ivy raised a brow. "Uh, Fer…nando-!"

A harsh force smacked Ivy across her cheek. The mage didn't even have the mentality to realize that she had already fallen to the ground before the pain caught up to her. Her cheek and her back flared with pain, the traumatic revelation of Fernando slapping her.

"You miserable bitch!" He scolded. "You ruined it! You ruined everything!"

Ivy tried to sit up, her eyes wide with shock. She had a hand across her cheek, where Fernando gave her a beating. "Fernando! What is wrong with you?!"

He accusingly pointed at her. "You're all too dumb! That's why you're a pawn who never learns from the king's hand! That board, and all of its pieces were mine, and mine alone!" His hands were stretched out to the side, violently shuddering. "Do you know what separates the king and the pawns? You know why has the power over the other? Why beggars can't be choosers? Have you thought about that?" He retorted, his Magic Power starting to fluctuate. "It's simple. Their capacity and lust for domination. A king has anything he desires with the authority and power behind him, anything that is beneath him is nothing more than a tool that he must diligently use, and dare not make a single mistake." His gloves were balling, the blood beginning to cut off. "But now…a mistake, on _my_ board, has been made. And I don't make mistakes! I am the king of the board, and I will dispose of pawns like you!"

"Fernando, enough of this!" Imaci warned.

"Shut up, pawn!" Fernando began to manifest his magic, raising a hand to attack, but he was cut off from his path to her when a Shadow Ball passed him. The attack hit the wall, making it quake just a little. Fernando stood there, turning his head with shock.

"What…?" He looked to find Gengar standing there, a large smirk across his face from seeing Fernando's intentions being shown. As Gengar let a single scoff escape, Alpha began walking passed him, slowly and quietly marching towards Fernando. "A-Alpha, sir…!"

"You need, to get a grip." The leader threatened. "Now."

Fernando looked back towards Ivy as she was getting back to her feet. His head shuddered as he looked back and forth between her and the fearful ruler. "B-but, she…she ruined my plans!" He pleaded.

"I don't care who tarnished you. Whether or not you made a mistake and refuse to accept it is on you, because as of now, we have ourselves a situation that is now beyond our control." He announced. He walked passed the baffled Fernando, disregarding his personal shame and walked slowly towards the remainder of the Rivolta. Everyone there gave affirmative looks, not daring to look afraid and look him dead in the eye; the face of death it seemed. If they showed fear, odds were he'd end them.

"The spell has not even half a day. If these fools intend on proving themselves a hassle, then we shall dispose of them properly. Everyone, be prepared." He dismissed the Rivolta, making sure that they got the message.

Nic's group was being a real nuisance, and so if they can't rely on Fernando and his _perfect_ calculations, then it's the old fashion way.

They all exited, and when they all departed, Alpha turned away from Fernando, who just stood there with a stiff gaze. "As for you, Fernando…" He looked over his shoulder, eyes glaring like that of Satan himself. "This is _your_ mess, so I expect you to fix it."

Fernando glared ahead, his supposed sanity at last in check. "…that's exactly what I intend to do."

* * *

The narrow passage was dark and nothing more. Like the rest of the caverns, the air was cold, and exceedingly foul. The temperature and the decaying odor did not sit well with everyone's stomachs as they trudged up the path. How far up were they heading exactly, they didn't know. The farther they went up, the more the temperature began to differentiate. It was getting warmer, only to drop off like a bomb.

Still leading them was Erza and Nic. The two and their pacing was pretty much inseparable, neither slowed down, nor did they speed up. They were a constant, just like their solidified bond. They were maintaining a weary disposition as they charged up the incline, going on for what felt like miles on end.

Mark and Laura looked from in the back, seeing their son and the long-haired redhead seem passively fine with the way things are now. When the parents looked at them longer, they could feel their hearts softening; warm and inviting.

"She is…beautiful." Laura pointed out, noting Erza's brown eyes and red hair.

Mark grinned. "I never thought I'd see our boy become a man."

"What was that?" Vanessa asked, looking over her shoulder towards her parents. She seemed perplexed. "Something about Nic being a man?"

"Nothing." Mark waved off, hoping Vanessa wouldn't catch on. By the looks of her turning back ahead, it worked.

"We've come quite a ways up. You suppose we've managed ground-level?" Nic wondered.

"I hope so, for all our sakes." Erza hoped. "With this Impure Underworld, and the fact we don't even have nine hours left to go, we can't rely on the guild. We'd never make it there and back with reinforcements."

"That means we're on our own." Nic said.

"As unfortunate as it is."

Kecleon tilted her head. "The lone tree with its sharp leaves houses salvation." Despite their low numbers, they pack a deadly punch. Looks can be deceiving, another point the ever-side Kecleon has configured.

Vanessa's pace jerked, her sudden jolt making her pounce.

"What is it, Vanessa?" Magnezone asked. "You sense something?"

Vanessa's pacing was slowing down a bit, but not too much. She wearily trudged on, unnerved by this bizarre energy looming around in the air. It wasn't so much as an odd energy, other than Impure Underworld's potency reaching high levels; rather, it was the aura. "It's…it's odd. I'm getting aura."

Mark began to use his aura, getting an unusual energy vibe. "Yeah, now that you mention it. Laura, can you?"

Laura nodded. "Yeah, I think we're just about there."

Nic halted for a moment, eyes widening upon realization. At the far top of the incline ahead, he saw a dim light. It wasn't much, but he could see it. "Hey, I think we see the exit." However, he added a follow-up. "Everyone, watch yourselves."

Erza slowly trekked besides Nic. "We'll be careful." She smiled. "We won't let anything happen to each other."

Nic smiled back at her, feeling his concerns get soaked up by the knight's own confidence in him. If they could hold hands, they would, but alas, this was a serious time, so their affection would have to wait…for now.

Once everyone had reached the light, they found themselves standing in a chamber once again. This chamber was still dark, but manageable. They looked around, finding that everything around them was flat rock, the sides still seemingly clean of blood, though the stench was another grotesque story.

Vanessa looked around quizzically, her nerves still standing on end. "Does everyone else feel that?" She suspiciously asked.

Nic looked around, inspecting the area. "Yes. This Magic Power is potent compared to down there. I think we're closer to that spell than we'd thought."

Erza, Magnezone, Kecleon, and the others looked around, seeing the chamber empty, all but something amidst in the far end, which captured Laura's attention. The mother took a small step in said direction, looking with squinted vision at the other side of the chamber.

Nic looked at his mom, noticing her look. Getting the idea, he looked where her eyes followed, and he too saw something at the far end. His eyes narrowed beneath his sunglasses, seeing a dim candle. "A light." He said low.

"Is that a candle?" Vanessa asked.

Everyone got a little closer, being sure to maintain a safe distance away from the possibility of a trap. They all looked steadily at the shocking reveal of what they could've sworn been…chess pieces.

"Are those…board game pieces?" Mark wondered.

"It looks like it. Right?" Laura turned towards her son for his thoughts, but all Nic did was glare at it.

"Hard-pressed to say. A flat game board lit by a single candle. Whoever pictured this has a very skewed perception."

"But why is a game in a chamber such as this? It just doesn't make sense." Erza said.

Kecleon tilted her head. "Seven."

Magnezone looked down at her. "What? Did you just say seven?"

"Seven." Kecleon pointed straight ahead, directly at the pieces gathered in the center of the gameboard.

Nic followed his Pokémon's criteria and stared at the seven pieces. "Seven…there's seven pieces." His breath suddenly hitched, his eyes widening with sudden realization. "And there's 7 of us…"

Erza began to feel a cold chill run up her spine. She caught on as well. "Seven pieces…and seven of us?" She looked ahead, eyeing the gameboard. "What's all of this? It can't be a coincidence, can it?"

Mark was looking around, seemingly more distracted compared to the others. He was brimming with curiosity, his Aura Magic picking not just the unknown aura that dies off with the animals, but a feeling that felt…familiar. He looked slowly around the chamber, getting a bad feeling.

The shift in caliber made his spine crawl. "Now wait a minute." He began to count down the reasons. "Spacious chamber…aura…gameboard near the center…!" His eyes flashed open, his horror brimming bright as he turned towards his family. "I know where we ended up!"

"You do?" Vanessa asked.

"Where are we?" Laura asked. She was suddenly clutched by the shoulders, her husband holding her and staring at her dead in the eye. The look he gave unnerved her greatly. It left her almost shaking.

"Look around. What do you see?" He told her.

Laura looked around with a raised brow. "Hmmm…?" She looked at the walls, which didn't look appealing, and then checked the aura, which felt her uneasy. Then she looked at the board in the distance. She thought about it for a second and looked down towards the earth, her gaze zipping left and right, gathering up the pieces and finally recognizing the place. A gasp escaped.

"No…"

Nic looked back, worried. "Mom? Dad? What's wrong?" He turned towards them. "What is this place?"

Mark and Laura remained close to one another, their uneasy gazes all around the chamber. Mark couldn't look at his son, for he was getting paranoia it seemed. "This chamber…this is the same exact one as where we found that board game."

"You mean Beggars and Choosers?" Erza questioned.

Mark gave a slow nod. "…and where we were ambushed."

Nic and everyone remained stiff as they suddenly felt a strong and uneasy pressure dwell behind them. All of them went wide-eyed and felt another harsh energy shift in the atmosphere. In the single flame-lit area where the game was, a dark figure was seen, barely having the very gloves visible.

"Very perceptive…for a meddling fool."

Vanessa could barely swallow. _'This aura, and this Magic Power…!'_

A smirk could be seen. "And thus, the king meets his public." Everyone slowly turned around, facing the man who was speaking in such a low, venomous level. They glared with surprise at seeing Fernando with fingers folded and glaring coldly through the dim light with a cocky smirk. "Hello, _pawns_." He greeted.

Nic immediately spread his legs, taking a battle stance. "You." He growled. "I remember you."

Vanessa's glare at Fernando proved she also recalled him, though she offered nothing to say.

Fernando reached for something in his pocket, maintaining his smirk. "Well now, Nic Pularis and colleagues, I believe you have made it this far. It's only fair you get acquainted with the ruler of this divine game we call life." He placed his piece, a kingly one, in front of the 7 pieces. "I am Fernando, and I welcome you to the Rivolta."

Erza held her sword, not letting her guard down. "So you are affiliated with them after all."

"Affiliated? Now, now, what an acute term that is. I prefer 'manage' or 'guide'. Call me their game master if you'd like." He picked up a brown block. "After all…" He put the brown block in front of the block Ivy had suddenly dropped onto the board. "It's not like anyone else has been watching over your every move."

Nic and everyone heard crumbling from behind. They sharply turned around to see the entrance they took to reaching ground-level suddenly crumbling, getting piled by rock constantly, until finally, the crumbled entrance was nothing more than as such. Nic and everyone slowly looked back at Fernando, keeping themselves uneasy.

"Hold on…" Nic looked at the seven pieces, and the brown blocks, and back at Fernando. When it came together, his shock intensified. "You mean, this entire time we've been going in circles?"

"You set up those blockades and got us lost on purpose!" Vanessa gasped.

Fernando let out a hardy scoff. "As expected. It took you all long enough to figure out you've been playing in my backyard. I have to say that you all have been pretty entertaining for me to move around the board. It does tend to get dull when turns end too quickly."

"Where are you going with this?" Erza wondered.

Kecleon had her head straight. "The puppet master with too many strings to pull."

Fernando let out another hardy scoff. "Puppet master? No. I am a king, and you all are my pawns." He corrected, though his tone held a strong level of spite. He gestured to his board. "What you see before you is the reality of what is life."

"Life?" Magnezone questioned.

"Life is governed by a ruler. They're the ones who alters one's destiny, as they're destined to rule on their throne without exception. They make all the decisions, and all knights and pawns have no say in what the almighty demands. He controls their lives, as he controls their destiny. If they are chosen to be his noble horses to saddle up on, then no exceptions…and the same can be said for discarding the useless pawns that they bend to their desire."

Nic's eyes narrowed. "Destiny?"

"Destiny. Let me ask you, Nic Pularis, was it your destiny that was chosen by your hand, or was it Arceus who chose it for you, hm?" His inquiry left Nic a little startled.

"Whoever chooses my destiny cannot tame my life." He answered. "Arceus may have chosen me, but I made it my destiny that I changed for the better."

Fernando could be seen frowning. "You say that, but that's false."

"What?"

"You say you chose your path, but Arceus pulled you into one way without exception. You had to do anything and everything to keep him alive, isn't that true?"

Nic remained silent, not wanting to answer.

"Precisely my point. You see, the king decides who is moved to where, and who shall be expendable. Not one pawn has a say in his destiny, because the king shall kill him off if the pawn makes the wrong move. That is why the king makes every move, for everything, and everyone."

"You're speaking about manipulation!" Erza retorted.

"Anarchy!" Kecleon shouted.

"No one cares as long as they get to make a move in the end, that's all that matters. I've been moving your pieces accordingly, and you say it's what now? I do not accept words of pawns that I can bend to my will, because that's how all life is treated." He looked towards Kecleon and Magnezone. "Just look at those two, they're pawns. And what does that make you to them? Their kings and queens? Did they have a say when they were captured? Allowing their destinies to become subjugation to your desire?"

Nic's patience was growing thin. You can insult him, but you don't go and insult his family, nor his Pokémon. "You were wrong."

"They _chose_ to follow us." Vanessa retorted.

"And who made that choice for them? Themselves? I doubt mere brainless pawns can't think for themselves if they abandoned themselves to the likes of human affiliation."

Kecleon and Magnezone growled at Fernando, but all the scientist did was smirk like he didn't care.

"You've all been pawns. Fate and god – the king of the game – has been guiding you and every word you say. You have no say in that, because on my board, you're the pawns, and I can't begin to tell you how foolish such unique yet annoying pests you've become."

Nic's fists clutched tighter. "What gives you the right to decide others and how they do things."

"Humans use one each other all the time for selfish gains." Fernando countered. "I don't see how this is any different."

"You're a monster." Erza lowly roared.

Fernando smirked. "It doesn't matter what a pawn like you says, because it won't change your fates. I decide it all, because this is my game."

"You're a madman." Mark growled.

"I can understand your plight, but alas, I don't care." Fernando sighed. "You're nothing more than pawns that we needed from the start. Your purpose has long since ended, so make use of yourselves and die."

Nic stepped forward, bitterly defying Fernando. "You have a very skewed perception on who defines what. Everyone gets to have a say. We get to decide our own moves." He began to glow. "If you truly believe we are nothing more than pawns…" He revealed himself in his Mind Plate Form. "Then we shall do the right thing, and banish you from your so-called throne."

"Ban the tyrant!" Kecleon shouted.

Magnezone slipped forward. "You're gonna regret declaring us subjugated."

Mark, Laura, Vanessa, and Erza stepped forward, ready to fight with Nic to stop Fernando.

The scientist's smirk suddenly dropped, his frown appearing. He let out a sigh as he began to get up from his seat from the stone table. "You all have been entertaining, yes…" Began to walk around the table. "But this king of the board game has lost his patience with you all. This was my game, and you've pushed your luck too far when you had the audacity to make me do something that I never thought I'd do…you made me make a mistake in judgment." His eyes narrowed. "I intend to make retribution unfold. Die, worthless pawns!"

Nic reached out ahead, Kecleon following the innuendo her Trainer was giving. "Kecleon, **Screech!** "

"Magnezone, **Spark!** " Vanessa followed up.

At their call, Kecleon darted ahead, while Magnezone floated through the air towards Fernando, his body cloaked in electricity. However, Fernando only stood there with eyes barely open, as though he looked bored already. "As expected, send in the pawns first." He looked disinterested as Kecleon jumped into the air and her mouth inside glowed orange. She exerted a high-pitched screech, sending red shockwaves that expanded out. Fernando grunted as he reluctantly covered his ears, feeling distressed from not even able to defend against the sound-based attack. His defense lowered, leaving him open for Magnezone to swoop in from a steeper climb.

As Screech came to a close, Fernando opened one eye, seeing Magnezone close in. "Naïve!" He extended his arm out towards the incoming magnetic creature, fingers stretched out. Out of the blue, dark beams blasted ahead at Magnezone, closing in with greater speed than he was going at.

"Hang on!" Vanessa reached out, extending her Aura Magic and making her Emanation Beam launch teal energy at the dark beams. The intercepted made an explosion, which made Magnezone back off.

As the smoke engulfed the area between them and Fernando, Erza glowed and requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. She sprung through the smoke, making a solid path as she was followed by a number of other swords.

" **Blumenblatt!** "

Fernando smirked. "Hmph. Predictable." He reached out and snapped his fingers, pointing his index finger at Erza and summoning lightning all around him. The dozens of bolts discharged towards her, intercepting every swords with a massive jolt and deflecting them all elsewhere.

Erza's eyes widened. "Darkness Magic, now Lightning Magic?" She gasped. Making haste, she stopped her attack and ascended into to air, dodging the large discharge of ions and lightning that made the ground flashy. She glared down at Fernando who scoffed in delight.

Nic extended his reach outwards. " **Psychic!** " His eyes glowed blue, and then Fernando was outline din the same kinetic energy. The scientist found himself abruptly shot backwards with a small air ripple exerting out, the speed so sudden it wiped the smirk off his face. He slammed into the wall, suppressed by Psychic. The powerful force left him grunting.

"So you intend to make the dead rise?" Nic emphasized.

Fernando's frown turned to a smirk. "I don't answer to pawns." His eyes narrowed, concentrating his sight and magic at Nic's feet. Nic looked down and began to feel the earth rattle. He could feel the energy swell, and then he abruptly leapt backwards, dodging a pillar of rock that shot straight beneath. The sudden dynamics of focus was enough to free Fernando, letting him fall to the ground and land on his heels.

"Earth Magic?" Nic figured.

"He's got a lot of variety in magic. There's no telling what he has proficiency in." Laura cursed.

Fernando's sneering smile never failed to unnerve them. "You're all too naïve to know…" His body suddenly faded into a thick air that misted away.

Nic's eyes widened. "Air Magic." He sensed something behind him, in which there was Fernando, ready to throw out a kick.

"That a king has to be versatile!" He finished. He brought a roundhouse kick around, but Nic swiftly pivoted and caught the boot without a moment's hesitation. He didn't waste a breath as he threw Fernando overhead, leaving the scientist open to attack.

"Let's go, Laura!" Mark shouted.

"Right!" Laura followed in pursuit of her husband, both gaining afoot and firing green and blue beams of solid aura at Fernando as he was still in midair.

Eyes opening up again, Fernando swirled around in the atmosphere. "Saw that, pawns!" He swung his arm diagonally upward, summoning a crack in the ground that split apart, revealing a diagonal water geyser. The geyser was fairly pressurized, becoming an interception that blocked off the aura blasts that one time.

"And now Water Magic." Erza said.

Fernando landed safely on the ground, huffing at them. He smirked maliciously, raising his arms to eye-level. "Burn away to ashes!" The ground caught whiff of a few embers, which ignited into fire. The fire flared and spiraled around, a fashion similar to Fire Spin. The small vortex of fire encompassed Nic and the others, trapping them inside.

"And now Fire Magic. Well isn't this nice." Mark rhetorically chided.

Nic didn't hesitate as he glowed and shifted to his Splash Form. He got to a knee and slammed his hands against the ground. " **Muddy Water!** " He summoned brown water that spiraled all around the group, closer than the fire itself. Nic forced the cyclone out, making a full-scale bloom of brown water dissipating fire. As the fire fizzled out, no one seemed to move, neither was Fernando, who was scoffing.

"You mind telling us what's so amusing?" Nic interrogated.

"Why, the fact that you pawns are not aware of the varieties of magic that I have studied. Don't you know the basics of battle? Knowing is half the battle…or in this case, it's all the battle." He answered.

Nic didn't bother with a reply. There was no reason to speaking to someone who didn't appeal to others and their reasoning. If anything, they needed another plan of attack. If Nic kept swapping forms, Fernando would catch on. They had to get close, as per how they'll manage. He swiped his arm across.

"Kecleon, use **Slash!** " He commanded.

"I'm a butter knife!" Kecleon dashed ahead, her claws glowing and expanding out to be almost three times as long.

Fernando reached out towards Kecleon. "Die already!" He fired darkness beams from thin air yet again, closing in on Kecleon, all the beams closed in and Kecleon just kept dashing forward like she didn't give a care to the world. Fernando watched with utter shock as Kecleon pointed her claws forward and darted right down the middle of the dark beams. She bisected them completely, slipping through them like she was a knife cutting into cake.

"What's this?!" Fernando exasperated.

"Like I said, I'm a butter-KNIFE!" Kecleon slashed through the darkness completely, making a white trail follow behind her attack. Slash made contact with Fernando, in which the professor of sorts felt a sharp and destructive force hit him hard. He shot backwards again, sliding on his back, the back of his coat getting tattered up.

Fernando got up to a knee, putting a gloved hand on his open wound, his eyes showing anger. "You dirty good for nothing pawn…!" He growled. "Know your place!"

Erza dashed ahead, taking full advantage of Fernando's setback. " **Requip!** " She turned to her Morning Star Armor, blitzing ahead with two katana in hand.

Fernando sneered as he raised a palm and slammed it against the ground. He made the ground around him protrude with various pillars of lightning that zapped straight up. Sheer lightning sprouted like geysers towards Erza, the assault prompting her to take evasive action. She veered left and rushed ahead, darting towards Fernando. She abruptly dodged by jumping to the side, almost losing footing as another pillar of lightning shot up.

"Damnit! He's not letting up!" She scowled, finding herself surrounded with various lightning pillars.

Nic glowed, shifting to his Earth Form. His body briefly flashed a glowing bright light. " **Earth Power!** " He got to a knee and punched the ground, sending large cracks with a shimmering golden light erupting its way towards the area ahead. The golden lights and the sundering cracks ripped through the lightning bolts, engulfing them from the ground up, saving Erza.

"Pests." Fernando scowled.

" **Emanation Beam!** " Vanessa blasted teal aura again at Fernando, the attack traveling in a pressurized form.

" **Flash Cannon!** " Magnezone followed it up with his Flash Cannon, the attack beaming in a silver light alongside Vanessa's attack. The two attacks met up as they traveled, swirling and becoming a blast of teal and silver. The ground shuddered as both attacks combined created a large area succumbed to its might.

Fernando's eyes were wide with shock. "A combination attack?" He turned the look over for hostility. "If so, then how about this!" He brought his gloved hands together, clapping them aloud, the sound reverberating through the quaking atmosphere.

Suddenly, his hands swirled in fire, which began to expand into a massive cyclone of fire that howled like that of a raging wild beast. His flaming attack met the combination assault Vanessa and Magnezone performed, all three assaults at last making a stand. An explosion erupted again, breaking the ground and making a large veil of smoke and cloud spit outwards, obscuring vision.

Vanessa and Magnezone grunted as they were engulfed by the smoke cloud, standing completely still.

Fernando's gloved hand was engulfed in darkness, his smirk definite. "I see you-!"

" **Astonish!** "

Fernando's eyes widened when he heard the attack name called to his right. By the time he turned around, he was too late. A dark ghost face resembling Nic's with glowing red eyes and a red aura expanded outwards, hitting Fernando. As the smoke cleared, the scientist reeled back, his face brimming with shock and pain as he was hit abruptly by that Ghost-type move.

"He's flinched! Everyone, rise up!" Nic declared, revealing himself in his Spooky Form. "Make your counteroffensive hard and fast!" He readied a ball of black and purple energy, manifesting a lot of energy into the ghastly attack.

"Right!" Everyone thus readied themselves and they began to charge up and fire their attacks. At once, they all unleashed them.

" **Shadow Ball!** "

" **Shadow Sneak!** "

" **Photon Slicer!** "

" **Emanation Beam!** "

" **Mirror Shot!** "

Mark and Laura followed up with beams of green and blue aura. All seven attacks stretched out and lunged at Fernando as the scientist was standing there, his shock still brimming from Astonish before.

As they closed in, Fernando was seeing a bright light combined of many attack flow and charge right for him. He seemed lost in his own world as he still recalled the pain inflicted from Kecleon's Slash. _'A pawn hurt his own king.'_ He thought back to how Nic overpowered his lightning assault. _'No…'_ He thought back to the Astonish. _'No, no, no~!'_ He could feel his temper flaring, his sadistic look flaring with twitching eyes. _'I will not be bested. I will win! That's all that'll matter!'_ His eyes widened, "I WON'T LOSE, NOT TO YOU!"

The bright light engulfed him, all the attacks erupting in an earth-shaking explosion. The cavern walls cracked apart, rock splattering about everywhere. Smoke and dust mixed, blowing passed everyone as they looked ahead at their combined efforts.

"Did we…did we get him?" Vanessa wondered.

Erza's eyes narrowed. "It's hard to tell. Stay on guard."

Everyone remained calm and still as the energy in the atmosphere was still brimming with Magic Power. The negative flow flourishing all around was scaling at constantly high levels. The dust and the dark energy alike remained stable as a figure could be seen hunched over, his fixation set on them and them alone.

Nic's eyes widened. "What?"

The dust cleared, revealing Fernando. His entire body was tattered. He was hunched over, eyes unseen by glasses that miraculously stayed intact. He had a bizarre, death-like aura around his body, the energy unnerving everyone.

"But how? We hit him with so much power." Erza emphasized.

"How is he still standing?" Mark wondered.

Laura stepped back, uneased.

His clothing was destroyed, barely in one piece. His body had a sharp number of bruises, and yet he didn't at all seem unnerved. In fact, he was intimidating with how his death-like aura was coping with his odd, catastrophic state.

"This aura, its potency thickened." Vanessa said low.

"What?" Magnezone muttered.

Kecleon kept her head straight, staring at the smirking Fernando. Something about his smirk felt very off.

Fernando opened his mouth, releasing a hot breath of air. His aura misted around his body, dark as vermilion fire. None could see the sanity has completely fell from his grasps. He kept his head angled down as he spoke. "You…you honestly believe that you can take my throne?" He wickedly chuckled. "I'll tell you what you all are. You're all phony losers, delusional from the prospect of hope. Hope doesn't guide you, it's the hand that moves your piece on the board. And that hand is mine!"

His Magic Power continued to rise. The ground beneath had begun to shake, the airspace quaking. An ominous gust blew passed Nic and everyone else. The breeze stung their faces.

"Do you all feel that?" Nic asked.

Erza bent and spread her legs. "Something's wrong with him."

"I know what you mean." Nic's eyes narrowed. "His Magic Power darkened, just as Vanessa said. It looks like he's barely hanging on by means of desperation."

"He's got all screws loose." Kecleon said.

The gust began to subside, in fact becoming a vacuum as air reversed, drawing its way around Fernando as the madman straightened back up. The vacuum around him began to draw in towards the aura around him, darkening to a black wind. The ground constantly shuddered.

"You'll never understand reality. Reality isn't hope, and it isn't dreams. Life is nothing more than mindless manipulation. Every day, humans use one another and discard them after their needs are fulfilled. Same goes for the knights and bishops if they can't serve their king…the same art of subjugation goes to those Pokémon too. Your holy knights who hold faith to their kings and queens!"

Kecleon and Magnezone took a second offense to the claim, but otherwise said nothing. They were smart enough to know he was unreasonable.

"You're the delusional one." Nic protested. "Kecleon and the others deliberately chose to follow us."

"That wasn't their choice! It was their mistakes that made them give up their kingly claims. A winner doesn't make mistakes, and their mistake was choosing to follow brainless pawns who give them orders!" Fernando was being far from reasonable, even though he has crossed that line years ago. "When you lose or an attack misses, whose fault is it?"

Nic glared at him. "It is no one's fault."

"Wrong! It's the pawn, the one who is fighting for his king! He messed up, and made a mistake. He deserves nothing less than to be disposed of. The blame casts on the one doing action, and if the king doesn't do something to fix that, he loses the game. Which is why I am always the winner!"

"He truly is a monster." Vanessa muttered.

"I have proficiency in the elemental magics, as means of planning ahead with calculations and strategy. They are what guided me my whole life. I have never lost a game, not in my life! If you think I'll let this little slip-up happen, I won't accept that! As the king, I will give you the sheer force of my wrath before I kill you! My true magic!"

Nic's fists clutched as he leered at the atmospheric pressure swirling around Fernando's arms. _'True magic?'_

' _He has more than just elemental magic?'_ Erza wondered. _'This is bad.'_

Laura could feel the aura thicken around Fernando's arms, as well as the dark winds. "The energy is converging!"

"I've developed this magic, as it is mine and mine alone. No one else has it, because it's only fit for he who sits on the throne! That's me!" He reached out both arms, where the gusts finally ceased entirely. The ground stopped vibrating as dark galaxy spirals were encompassing his hands. He sadistically smirked at his victims, the true face of a sociopath.

"What…are those?" Mark wondered.

"They look like galaxies almost." Laura speculated.

Erza stared ahead with wide eyes. Her shock never ceased to mount. Seeing the spirals brought back some bitter memories. _'Those dark spirals, and this Magic Power…'_ She recalled the image of a certain someone who had a style very much aligned with the technique used in front of her. _'But how is he able to do such a thing?'_

' _Wait…didn't we see that somewhere before?'_ Nic recalled those dark galaxies, remembering a certain time at a certain place back in Autumn. He only recalled the one time such dark spirals were used, and it left a chill up his spine.

Fernando's sadistic smile intensified. "Now, fall into an eternal nightmare! **Nebula Hold!** " He threw both purple galaxies like saucers that traveled after the group. Instinctively, Nic and everyone else dodged the two saucers as they went blazing across the scenery. They all stopped their footing from sliding and looked back, seeing Mark and Laura still struck with shock as the saucers aimed right for them.

"Duck! Get out of the way!" Erza yelled.

Erza's warning reached their ears in time. They both ducked, but just barely to get away. Mark and Laura fell to the ground as the two saucers flew over their heads, hitting the cracked chamber walls behind them, making a loud rupture that rattled the air.

Mark opened his eyes, blinking a little to look around and see he and his wife were still in one piece. "That was a close one." He huffed.

Vanessa looked at Erza with worry. "Erza, what was that just now?" She asked.

Erza looked back ahead, eyes narrowing at the sadistic Fernando. "…Nightmare Magic." She answered.

Fernando kept a straight face, but even he could've been read so easily. He was shocked.

"It allows him to take over you. If you have a weak constitution, then his magic will make you fall into a comma, and the only way to wake up is by will or him remotely." Erza explained. "This brings untimely memories." She didn't want to think of how Minerva was manipulated back during the Grand Magic Games, but she was glad to get detail on Bellona's magic at the banquet.

Fernando wasn't gonna sit around forever. "Grrrr! Succumb to my rule, fools!" He violently unleashed more saucers, unable to allow the information leak.

"Everyone, look alive!" Nic warned. It was then that a great battle of dodgeball was initiated. Nic, Erza, and everyone else began to dodge, using whatever skills they had in dodging attacks left and right, maneuvering at a constant. Fernando brought his arms back and forth, spitting dark spirals left and right. Each shot was as deadly as the last, and Fernando's psychotic laughter certainly wasn't helping his cause. Purple explosions flourished, bombarding and flaring up a storm. Nic was lunging and shifting constantly, keeping himself on his toes. When a saucer came after him, he became a ghost and faded into a shadow, thinning away and the saucer hitting the wall.

"Whoa!" Mark and Laura were barely keeping up. They were barely hanging on with their lives. They dodged left and right with how their bodies were keeping up.

Fernando laughed all the way, watching as everyone struggled to dodge. Kecleon back flipped constantly and leaned off to the side, the only other one easily dodging. "This is why I'm the king! You all are weak! My board game is survival of the fittest! None are fit!"

As Fernando was spouting his nonsense, he didn't account for his shadow to thicken somewhat. An arm latched out and gripped his leg. Fernando's eyes widened as he abruptly found his attack cut off. His balance was pulled apart when Nic arose from his shadow and pivoted, driving the mad scientist into the ground behind. The brutal impact of back to earth made Fernando gag blood, which Nic disregarded.

As Fernando laid there on the ground, Nic backed away applying vigilance as he inspected his enemy. Everyone was given a breather and regrouped as Fernando was trying to stand.

"You've forgotten something." Nic threatened. "Your magic doesn't help if you can't even touch us."

Fernando got back up, his eyes full of insanity. His sociopath look intensified, his facial expression darkening. "Hands off my throne!" He tiredly scolded. "Get off! Get off! GET OFF!" He reached both palms out, a large, dark spiral forming. " **Reaper's Claw!** "

From the purple galaxy, dozens of massive and long arms with untrimmed sharp claws reached out, reaching out towards Nic as he remained stiff. He made no subtle movements as the attack closed in. When it did get close enough, he attacked.

" **Shadow Claw!** "

In a pace faster than what many could not have foreseen, Nic passed the dozens of dark hands that were reaching him, his right arm cloaked in Shadow Claw. As he slid along the ground, a purple glint resonated from the hands, engulfing them in negative explosions.

"Damn you!" Fernando scowled.

Nic looked back over his shoulder. "Erza!"

"Right!" Using her beloved's back as a stepping stone, Erza gained high altitude, having both swords wield and ready to strike. She came crashing down on Fernando, crossing her blades and slammed into him. The scientist scowled as he barely held her off with his gloves, grabbing the blades by the flat end, but fingertips by the sides. He slid back to a halt, maintaining ground as he held Erza off. He glared at her menacingly with the short proximity in between, his delirious look trying to melt Erza.

"Tell me, how do you know my magic?" He growled. "Tell me! How!"

He was given a response in the form of a headbutt. Erza bashed her head against his own, causing Fernando to recoil backwards from pain. Erza stood there, glaring stoically at him.

"I know because I've seen it before." She answered. "This isn't the first time I've seen Nightmare Magic before my eyes."

Fernando's eyes widened as a gasp escaped his throat.

"Your demeanor and the next to be the best on this so-called gameboard of yours, and this dark magic, you'd think I wouldn't understand, but you remind me of that very same woman. Such bitter ambitions of using others to claim power is despicable." Her eyes narrowed. "To think Bellona's faulty heart would be so low, but to know someone's just as low is deplorable enough."

Fernando suddenly snapped yet again. His eyes widened as his ears rang. He violently planted a boot to Erza's abdomen. "Don't even speak that name, pawn!" He scowled.

Erza screamed as she was shoved back, but fortunately Nic caught her. He helped her stand and they both glared at Fernando as the mention of Bellona rang around.

"Names that define losers should be forgotten. The mere notion of the failure one brings is out of jurisdiction. One must look towards the future rather than the failures that brought him ahead. It's nothing more than discarding trash that just missed its mark in the trash bin of pity."

Mark and Laura looked at him quizzically, the former more inclined as to what he was telling of. "I'll bite, what is this guy's beef?"

"I don't know, but it sounds like he's taken a real hit from just that name." Laura figured.

Erza leered at Fernando, the mad scientist growling ferally at them with dread. "There's something not right here…I can feel it."

"I didn't help give a legacy that can make mistakes. A legacy is meant to uphold tradition, achieve perfection. No one has been able to achieve perfection, no one except me of course. I make no mistakes, so to discard trash meant abandoning mistakes that make themselves useless." Fernando continued.

Nic narrowed his vision. "A legacy…?" His eyes suddenly widened. "Wait a minute…!" Realization dawned upon him, but Erza caught on.

"This odd resemblance in behavior, and this bizarre aspect of life as a board game…" Erza trailed off, overlapping Bellona and Fernando's sadistic point of views. Something was very off, and not just the fact that Fernando's long bang going around his head like a ring had a familiar color. When a suspicion crawled upon her, she gasped. "It can't be!"

Kecleon tilted her head. "A big oak sprouted a rotten leaf?"

Nic's eyes beneath his sunglasses dilated. "No way." He muttered. "At first, I thought it was of preach, but looking at it now, I was wrong…" His teeth gritted, his blood starting to boil. "No wonder Bellona is who she is now. You're her father!"

Shock ran throughout the group as they caught onto said revelation. The very resemblance of the one who Nic and Erza confronted was indeed Bellona, and she was as cruel as they came, but looking at it now, one had to wonder how she got her…issues. Now they all knew the answer.

Laura raised. "So this weird girl you speak of, you mean this guy help gave life to something like him?"

Fernando abruptly lashed out at Laura, kicking her right in the abdomen. "I HAVE NO DAUGHTER!" He shouted. He pivoted to find Mark going on offense as means of getting back, but Fernando swiped his arm, sending a wave of air that sent him in the general direction Laura went off to. "I have no general legacy! I didn't give a legacy to be passed down to others so that they can rule in my stead! Bellona was nothing more than hopeless trash that I got rid of when she realized the mistake she made!"

Nic glowed and shifted into his Zap Form. His body manifested into lightning, which he guided himself and speed through the atmosphere above, trying and hopefully catching Fernando by surprise. His lightning speed was too fast for the scientist to keep track of. "What do you mean by trash? What did you do to her?" He shot down onto Fernando, his quick assault, spouting electric bolts like a discharge all around. The ground flashed as Fernando barely blocked using his forearms, but the electricity flourished through his body with excessive voltage.

Fernando managed to hold his own as the lightning faded, the mad genius grunting as parts of his face and body was charred. His teeth gritted with anger. "Why do you care? She's trash, like you!" He swiped his arms, making Nic backflip away and slid to a stop. "Bellona wasn't a daughter, she was nothing to the likes of a king if she could hold up her own expectations. That bitch got what came to her the moment she made one flaw visible!"

Nic's eyes widened, dilating with frustration. "So just because of her being accused as a mistake, you deliberately cast her aside?" He asked in disbelief. "You're worse than any monster!"

"Shut up!" Fernando made more dark spirals visible, throwing them towards Nic. Without hesitation, Nic gathered lightning into his veins and extended his arms forward, screaming out a Thunderbolt. The massive voltage raged across the ground, making the rock beneath split apart. The two attacks met in the middle, making another burst of lightning and darkness, cancelling out.

The smoke cleared, with Fernando angrily extending his arm out, firing lightning from his palm. "You were nothing more than a pawn of yourself! You, Nic Pularis, were a selfish mistake, whose space was wasted on your own gameboard! The kings and queens thus used you as they saw fit, and finally defaced you from your own game!" He trailed lightning all around to attack Nic, but he just stood there, swiping his arm and using his powers to deflect the lightning, altering the directions to constantly strike walls. "Like you to your king and queen, I disposed my own trash! She disappointed me, and so I forgot about her! Good riddance!"

He ceased his attack, instead spreading his arms out above. Nic and everyone there glared at his insanity.

"Children all other life are but pawns! You all are nothing but waste on my board!" He began to glow a frightening orange-golden light. His Magic Power was once again manifesting large quantities. "Life is nothing but a game that I watch over and muse, because I want life to go my way. Anything I dislike, I can just kill off. My turns are flawless, so one flaw meant the end, and thus I can't be perfect! I _am_ perfection, like a god!"

"He's gone mad!" Nic yelled.

Erza grunted, her fists balling.

"His aura is pitch-black. He's lost any and all reasoning. His sentences aren't even aligned with what he says the previous time. He's saying the same thing over and over." Vanessa said.

Nic stared ahead, Kecleon jumping right to his side,]. They both stare ahead as Fernando's sadistic and insane look intensified to no end. Nic glared distastefully at the man who had no reason left in him. _'So, this is Bellona's superior…'_

A golden and massive magic seal was made over Fernando's head. "It's over for you, pawns!" The markings were all so intricate on the magic seal that it resembled something unpleasant, and not just because the color, something more ominous that brought unpleasant times.

Erza's eyes widened. "That spell…" Her heart pounced. "This can't be!"

Vanessa turned towards Erza. "What is it? What is that spell?"

"That's the Abyss Break!" She answered. "He's gonna destroy the whole chamber with that size, including himself!"

"Fernando, stop this!" Nic implored.

"NEVER!" Fernando psychotically laughed. "NEVER! I DECIDE YOUR FATES! AND I SAY YOU ALL DIE! OFF MY BOARD!"

Everyone prepared for the unholy, but suddenly, Fernando went wide-eyed and screamed out loud as explosions erupted behind him. The assaults seemingly struck his back, rendering him fairly harmed. He fell forward, the Abyss Break circle breaking apart.

"What?" Magnezone wondered.

Kecleon blinked. "Huh…?"

Fernando grunted, his back flaring from the sharp pain inflicted. "Grrr! Gah!" He yelled and looked back at where he was shot. "Who did that?!"

Behind him was Mark and Laura, both opposing the mad scientist as he had no reason in him left. They both had a nasty look in their eyes, one that put Fernando's psychotic demeanor to shame. They looked mad.

"You know, for someone who's lost in his own reality, I can understand where you're going with this." Mark despondently answered. "We know what it's like using others for amusement." He thought of Nic and how he and his wife mercilessly thrashed him. "But unlike you, we've come to accept our mistakes, and learn from them."

"We didn't know better, but hence that reason, we'll do whatever it is we can, and prove that we're not above our own kin, but as equals." Laura announced.

That notion made Nic and Vanessa grin as they knew what they were talking about.

Fernando's eyes widened. "Equals?!" He clutched a fist and socked Laura across the face. He turned towards Mark, angrily punching him in the chest, and next the face. "The world is not of equality, it's of control! Subjugation is what the strong live and breathe! I will use whoever and whomever I desire, and I will make sure that they bleed every ounce of their own existence away if they are not deemed as useful!"

He moved to attack them again, but a harsh kick to the back of his head, sent him flying. The professor flew forward and slammed against the wall harshly. As he laid there, slumped, something fell out of midair, revealing a red stripe. Kecleon turned visible and landed, looking straight ahead.

"The blind leads his troops into fire." She said.

Fernando turned around, his face red with fragments of blood freshly caressed all over him. "You disgust me!" He extended his arm out towards her, sending a fresh wave of water ahead. The stream of water drew closer towards Kecleon, and she merely sidestepped out of the way, evading the stream with no problem. This served to annoy him further. "GRRRRR~! STOP RUINING MY CALCULATIONS! DO NOT PATRONIZE THE HAND THAT CONTROLS YOU!"

Kecleon tilted her own head again. "Keep hands to yourself at all times."

Fernando was panting, his dark aura starting to manifest yet again around his body. "No! This is my world you all live in! Mine!" He brought his hands overhead, gathering Magic Power yet again. "Don't you see?! I am the king, and have been, as I never lose! The Impure Underworld Spell is my only chance to finally achieve my highest point! It is I who was destined to lead this world and manipulate every pea-brained human being! Alpha, the others, all of them are nothing! They are dumb! I am superior! I guided their pieces, as I will guide and manipulate the world as it shall be my gameboard!"

Nic looked wearily ahead. "So that's your ultimate intention…"

"I AM A KING-NO! I AM ABIVE A KING! I AM A GOD! AND MY RULE FOR YOU ALL IS ABSOLUTE!" The dark spiral that began manifesting over his head began to slowly expand throughout the vicinity.

"What's he doing?!" Mark yelled.

"That trash Bellona didn't deserve to know this divine spell of Nightmare Magic! No one does! It's mine and mine alone! **Flash Eclipse!** "

The whole galaxy began to expand outwards, making the ground shake and shudder as a purple wave exerted outwards.

Erza stepped back with Nic. "If we get hit, we'll fall into a nightmare!"

Nic spread his legs, angrily looking at the incoming veil of purple that began to reach him and everyone else. He had no choice. He had to make this fast. He knew what exactly could counter just a distasteful power as such.

Clasping his hands together, his body flared intensively as a bright yellow light encompassed the area. Lightning and electricity flare constantly…

Everything thus was encompassed in pitch-black for that brief moment. Everything went blind and a pillar of purple shot up, creating a hole in the caverns. Outside, the pillar reached up and out, dissipating through the pitch-black clouds slowly expanding outwards through the area.

The darkness began to fade, revealing Fernando as he was panting. His forehead had a number of veins as he was looking as though he was about to explode. He had a wicked smile as he huffed and puffed profusely. Slowly, and quietly, he laughed. He laughed, and said laugh began to break into a steady climb, reaching to where he raised his head, laughing bitterly up towards the skies. His laughter, it was proof that he has lost all means of sanity.

"You see?! You all deserve a fate worse than death! You all deserve to die by the hand of your god! I wiped your pieces off my board and into hell! Sleep and have your bodies decay as you never wake up!" He continued to mockingly laugh as the darkness faded, but as it did, the atmosphere felt odd. His laughter subsided, his frown slowly returning when he felt so much static in the atmosphere. He felt the electrifying atmosphere, his uneasiness expanding. "What?" He looked down at his hand, noticing how it and the ground was brimming with static. "What's with this electricity all of a sudden? Where did it come from?"

The darkness faded, revealing a serious gaze from a certain someone. Nic looked at him through the dissipating darkness. "You've given up on the reality before you."

Fernando's eyes widened in horror. "Impossible!"

It wasn't just Nic, but all around, Erza, Vanessa, Kecleon, and everyone else was in one piece. They all glared at Fernando, and at the same time, the atmosphere was static-brimmed, and the chamber was engulfed in a hue of yellow for some odd reason.

Fernando's hair stood on end. He frantically looked at his surroundings. "What's going on? Why aren't you all lying on the ground?!" He shouted.

"If you'd paid attention, you'd understand." Nic glared. "I used Electric Terrain."

"Electric Terrain? What does that have to do with my calculations?!" Fernando testified.

Vanessa stepped closer towards her brother, her gaze equally as serious. "Because Electric Terrain does more than amplify the power of Electric-type attacks. It has one more quality that you completely overlooked."

"What quality? I overlook nothing!" Fernando denied.

"It's clear now." Nic's eyes narrowed. "Sleep. Electric Terrain nullifies any means of sleep as well."

Fernando's eyes widened, the shock yet again baffling him. "W-what?" He looked at the static in the atmosphere, his horror coming to fruition. "N-no! No! NO!" He looked back at everyone with bitter frustration. "It does not! Die! **Nebula Hold!** " He made another dark galaxy in his hold and threw it horizontally towards Nic. The attack reached him, but upon contact, Nic wasn't forced backwards, nor did he immediately fall to the ground. The vortex dissipated, revealing Nic unscathed. He looked as though nothing happened at all. Once again, Fernando was looking sadistic and psychotic. "NO! I'M CONTROLLING YOUR PIECES! ME!" He blindly rushed for Nic as he had dark spirals in hand. "NONE MAKES THEIR DECISION! YOU DIDN'T GET THE CHOICE! THOSE PUTRID CREATURES DIDN'T EITHER! IT'S NOT DESTINY, IT'S ME! ME! I ALWAYS WIN! I WON'T BE DEFEATED! IMPURE UNDERWORLD SHALL BE MINE TO COMMAND!"

As he blindly closed in, his senses and reason completely gone, Nic narrowed his eyes, only to widen them once more. "Now!"

Erza requipped into her Lightning Empress Armor, twirling her spear around. "Understood! Let's go!" She jabbed her spear forward. "HRAH!" With a strong shout, she attacked with shooting lightning, which the voltage was twice as large due to Electric Terrain.

Vanessa extended her arm forward. "Magnezone, **Zap Cannon!** " Magnezone complied with his Trainer's command and generated a very potent sphere of green and yellow electricity. The discharging energy was manifesting very intensively that the Zap Cannon turned out to be twice as large. When it was unleashed, the attack blitzed across the rocky ground, making rock fly on either side.

Nic put his hands together, generating a ball of yellow electricity. The energy he was exerting made the sphere larger than normal, and it was making more static flare. He threw the sphere with all he had. " **Electro Ball!** "

All three electrifying attacks closed in on Fernando, while he recklessly charged with his desire to win. His conscience was so lost he didn't notice the attacks hitting him. He violently shook as his vocal chords screeched. He screamed in agonizing pain as he was engulfed in lightning and electrocuted to no end. Millions of volts ran through his body, splitting the ground and making an explosion of yellow surge. Everyone covered up as the static flared around the area, and thankfully, they all were safe with the distance amongst the group. The electricity soon dissipated, thud revealing smoke, which revealed Fernando. Is glasses were destroyed, one lens shattered while the other had several cracks. He stood there blindly, body cloaked in static. He looked mesmerized as he gurgled. He slowly fell onto his back, his pupils devoid of anything but white. His mouth hung open, his defeat evident. On the gameboard, his piece was revealed to have been hit by one of the electrical discharges, the piece capsized like he is.

Electric Terrain faded away, with Nic and Erza reverting to their original forms. Everyone looked at one another with some sense of worry.

"Mom, Dad, are you both okay?" Nic asked.

Mark nodded at his son. "Yeah, we're alright. Laura, you okay?"

"Yeah." Laura smiled. "That was a close one."

Vanessa looked towards her Magnezone, smiling. "Magnezone, great job. Thank you." She praised.

Magnezone looked pleased, but offered nothing to say.

Kecleon was right by Nic's side when he knelt down, rubbing her head with delight. "Kecleon, thank you for all your help, again."

Kecleon smiled as she tilted her head. "Spruces keep growing."

Erza smiled at Nic, glad he was able to save them with that one attack. Her attention, however, hurriedly diverted elsewhere. She looked away from the raising group, frowning when she looked at the board. She stared coldly at it, but remained silent. She slowly turned around towards Nic, in which he looked towards her next. The two looked at each other longingly, seeing that while they were happy they were able to take down someone of the Rivolta, it was also true they had work to do.

Erza gently grabbed Nic's hand, in which he offered no resistance. He slipped his fingers through Erza's own, their securities coming back to them. Both of their soft smiles were making the other feel confident on what dark hours were left after this.

Mark and Laura looked down at Fernando, seeing his unconscious form. Both looked with disgust at him. "To think this psycho gave life to another."

"That poor girl." Laura added.

Nic and Erza briefly thought of Bellona and her sociopath-like behavior. Her need for survival of the fittest, and her Nightmare Magic; it's clear now that the resemblance was all too clear. Both looked down at Fernando, their sight equally as grotesque as their own parents. This begs the question if Bellona could still find hope, unlike her deplorable father, who had lost his mind.

Vanessa's eyes widened a little. "Wait…"

Fernando suddenly let out a gasp of air, his sudden regain of consciousness startling everyone.

"He's awake!" Magnezone exclaimed.

Fernando's body was shuddering, his head still throbbing from veins and excessive pain. He looked up at the ceiling, the general direction of which everyone seemed to him. "Stop…looking down on me." He growled. "I'm…the one who is supposed…to be looking down on you."

Nic retained his composure as he glared down at the man. "If only you saw the truth."

"You act as though you were god in your own little world. You were so focused on winning and perfectionism that it completely overshadowed your judgement." Erza pointed out. "Do you know why we won?"

Fernando gritted his teeth.

Erza continued, this time, smiling at Nic. "Because we did this, together."

Everyone smiled with her statement, agreeing with her in full.

"Y-you're wrong! I always win!" Fernando denied.

"You lost." Mark pointed out. "Wake up!"

"Never! I am undefeated! This is my game, and I say I win!" With what strength Fernando could muster in his paralyzed body, he struggled to reach over his coat, but managed. There was a large ordeal to what was left underneath the destroyed clothing, but it was clear he still had a trump card left.

His coat was pretty much destroyed, so that left his tattered shirt. There seemed to be some sort of bulge strapped to the center of his chest. It was glowing weakly. When he ripped off his shirt, it was revealed, and no one liked what they saw.

"What…?"

"Oh no."

"This is bad."

"Tick-tock!"

Strapped to Fernando's bare chest was a small but seemingly potent lacrima wrapped around a metal alloy. It had nine little yellow lacrima, with a big red one in the center. Already, the first little yellow one turned red. "If I can't be god, then no one can!"

"Is that what I think it is?" Laura speculated.

"A bomb!" Mark shouted.

The next yellow lacrima instantly turned red. Fernando laughed maniacally as he lost everything, including faith in his daughter years ago. He just kept laughing, as he knew he won in the end.

"We gotta get that bomb dismantled, now!" Erza shouted.

"Don't bother!" Fernando shouted. "One touch and it instantly goes off! The isle will be blown to smithereens! Along with you all!" His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as the next two went red. "I TOLD YOU, I ALWAYS WIN!"

Vanessa turned towards everyone as her shock rendered her speechless. "What do we do?! He's not gonna listen!"

Nic looked down at Fernando having lost all sanity. He readied an initiative. He could use Embargo, or perhaps use Magic Room and disarm it. He readied to do so, but suddenly, a mix of green and blue aura domes cut Fernando off, trapping him in a half-sphere, where his laughing was muffled.

"What-?" He looked over at his mother and father, seeing as how they were holding their hands out and shielding Fernando. "Mom, Dad, what's going on?!"

Mark gave his son a desperate look, one that Nic didn't ignore. It was a look of regret, but at the same time, acceptance. It was confusing to point out, but when Mark also shook his head towards him, Nic followed along. Though speechless, Nic didn't falter. It was like they all said before, he was beyond saving. This was just one of those times where Nic had to accept that there are those like Fernando who'll take their pride and shame to graves. Like Lysandre all the way back. Those who are ambitious will very well die doing so. It's a virus that spreads and cannot be stopped.

As grim as it was, Nic looked resolved as he thus turned towards Vanessa. "Vanessa, ass a third one, if you can." He asked.

"Right." Vanessa didn't deter either. She knew her brother accepted what was to happen, even though it was unkind. She generated a teal aura shield, her thickest yet. She and the parents closed their eyes and concentrated as everyone stepped back.

Inside the three veils, the second to last lacrima turned red, while Fernando maniacally laughed. "YOU PAWNS LOSE! I WIN! ME!" He yelled.

"Everyone, be careful!" Nic shouted.

Fernando let out a loud, hysterical shout as the last lacrima turned red. At that moment, a click went off, and his look went still, and that's when everything about his entity turned white.

"Vanessa! Everyone, make a cylinder and direct the blast up!" Erza shouted.

The three Aura mages did as instructed and made their three large domes encompassing Fernando reshape, becoming a very thick, three-layered pillar of blue, green, and teal that went up and out above, where the ceiling was broken into.

The bomb went off, and a bright light engulfed everything. The ground shuddered and fell apart, causing Erza to fall atop of Nic and land on the ground. Vanessa, Mark, and Laura all slid back, while using whatever Magic Power they could manage and keep their pillars from breaking apart. The bright shockwaves made their ears rattle, and the blinding light made them unable to see. Violent winds exerted everywhere from the three thick cylinders cracking apart from some places, but otherwise, everything else was white.

Aboveground, a pillar of white and smoke expelled everywhere into the atmosphere, as though an atomic bomb went off. Everything was engulfed in dust, smoke, and bright white. The atmosphere rattled t=like that of a blood-curdling animal.

As the earth raged and the explosion's palpitation ran throughout the hill tunnels, all the Rivolta looked up, knowing full well what transpired. They all frowned, but none cared.

There was a long period of silence that fell afterwards. Nic was unable to open his eyes as his ears rang. It hurt to even think of hearing. "What…happened?" He groaned. "Are we…alive? And why is my cheek warm?"

"Nic? Nic?" Erza urged him to get up, her hand gently against his cheek. "Nic?" She called out.

Finally, Nic began to move. He sat up, with Erza dangerously close to his face. "Gnnngh, where…" His eyes opened up, managing to see his surroundings. With shock surmounting, he found out that there was a large, cracked pillar that looked like it was gonna break apart. "Wait, the explosion." He turned towards Erza. "Erza, are you alright?" He asked worriedly.

Erza nodded with a sincere smile. "Yes. It looks like we've made it out alright."

Kecleon and Magnezone were both against the wall, the latter slumping down from being shoved into it, while Kecleon was engraved into the wall, falling forward with a perfect Kecleon impression embedded into the cavern wall.

Magnezone gently floated back up. "We're…okay."

Her mouth open and tongue sticking out, Kecleon gave a thumbs up.

Meanwhile, Vanessa, Mark, and Laura were all on hands and knees, panting and huffing profusely as they looked like they were gonna pass out any minute. The family trio grunted as they had a few cuts and scrapes, but otherwise, nothing they weren't prepared for.

"Vanessa, you okay over there?" Nic called out.

"Y-yeah! I think." Vanessa muttered. "Mom? Dad?"

"We're good!" Mark announced from the other side of the chamber.

The colorful aura shields went down, finally, letting residual smoke disperse throughout the atmosphere up. The smoke ascended, but at the same time, ash fell to earth, lightly showering the area in a drizzle of cindered fluff. Everyone slowly got up once they caught their breaths. They all slowly gathered around once again, near the same spot where Fernando was vaporized. Not even his glasses remained. All that was in the spot was a deep crater, where it was black from darkness.

All of them stared down in subtle silence. It wasn't a time to praise themselves for killing an enemy. This was the bitter reality of the world. In these dark times, it's kill or be killed. When Nic and Vanessa were taken, they had to make it out with their lives. These people don't know mercy, and thus they deserve none. All them stood in silence, mourning the untimely demise Fernando deserved.

"It didn't have to be like this." Nic mournfully noted. "If we told him that, I'd say there was no other way."

"He gave up his humanity. He chose to forsake this reality for the game itself. He was so constant on winning and treating life as a game that he never expressed any other emotion of love for another living being." Erza said.

Yeah, but still…" Nic thought back to the predicament at hand. "That was Bellona's father."

"He was no father." Mark said.

"He threw his child away. He chose perfection over life." Laura added.

Nic said nothing, silently agreeing with their points.

Vanessa frowned. "Still…we ended someone who helped in giving life to someone who may have a chance." She added.

Nic smiled. "At least now we have a better chance at stopping the Impure Underworld." He said, getting them back on topic.

Erza nodded in agreement. "Yes. If that is correct, then there shouldn't be too many left after this."

Kecleon looked off towards the side, noticing something wrong far ahead. "Hm?" Tilting her head, she walked on over and inspected the spot that was barely intact. She walked on over, looking at the stone table with the gameboard atop. The Color Swap Pokémon looked at the pieces and how they were scattered. She also noted how the board was crooked.

Nic looked over towards his Kecleon, noticing her direction. "Kecleon?" He looked to where the board was. "Wait, the gameboard."

"What?" Erza looked there again, seeing the gameboard still on the stone table.

Nic and everyone met up with Kecleon and looked down at the crooked board, seeing as how everything was labeled out like that of a labyrinth. They could see every one of their pieces either sprawled or lying down from the shockwaves the explosion had given off. Looking at the board, something about it seemed oddly suspicious.

"So, this was how we were watched. He just moved our pieces?" Mark wondered.

"This is why people don't stick with one hobby." Laura said.

"I…guess…" Vanessa wasn't sure about that, but then again, they weren't wrong either. She looked down at the board again, pointing the where their general pieces were. "It looks like we're here." She pointed out.

"That would make sense." Nic looked towards his parents. "Mom, Dad, did you say this was the same chamber you were ambushed? If that's so then from what you recall, that means the chamber where the spell is shouldn't be farther than a mile this way." He referred down the board, where they found a very large center with an intricate incantation in its center.

Laura nodded in agreement. "Yeah." She frowned when she saw something odd beneath. "Nic?"

"Yes?"

"Do you see that?" Laura pointed towards where the board was crooked, towards the stone table. Everyone's attention thus diverted to where the stone beneath was. They noticed something about it, and not the actual stone itself. A small hollow section was underneath the board.

"What the…" Pushing the matter ahead, Erza pushed the gameboard off the table, discarding it and its now-irrelevant pieces to the side. When she removed it, all slowly went wide-eyed. Everyone stared down at the hollow mess inside of the stone table.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Vanessa asked.

Kecleon took a peek, tilting her head, left eye glaring down.

"I see it, but I can't believe it." Laura muttered. "Mark?"

"Dear god…this can't be right."

What they were seeing were black and white pieces. There were nine white pieces, compared to three black pieces. The unleveled battlefield was of several rock layers made it resemble too much of crags and war grounds. In the middle, lying at the bottom, were two black pieces, broken.

Nic's disbelief surmounted. "Is this that game from the past?"

"It looks like it." Erza said.

Laura's eyes widened. "It's déjà vu…"

"Beggars and Choosers." Mark swallowed. "The birth of the saying 'Beggars can't be choosers'."

Nic looked around the little game engraved in the table, comparing it to the gameboard Erza tossed to the side. "You think this was where Fernando modeled his little game?"

"It's possible. He was definite on us not winning, that's for sure." Magnezone pointed out.

Erza put fingers to her chin, pondering. "Something isn't right about this." She looked at the two sides. "The black ones are the Beggars…and the white side is the Choosers. There's three Beggars, and there's nine Choosers. Those exact numbers must mean the number of Rivolta members if we stand to reason correctly."

"Minus one." Kecleon pointed.

"Er-right, eight. Thank you. Anyways, while these three pieces resemble Nic, Vanessa, myself, where does that leave your pieces, Laura? Mark?"

Everyone grew quiet as they looked at Mark and Laura, both looking dreadfully unnerved as they looked down at the Beggars and Choosers game. This very game, this very little existence of a game, it was perhaps a major definition in the eyes of the deceased. This was to separate one side's ideals, and who is deemed the superior, just as Hiruzen told them. They cascaded looks around the pieces, looking at the numerous whites against blacks, ying and yang clashing. They then looked down at the middle, noting how there were two black pieces.

"There." Mark slowly pointed towards the middle. Everyone followed and looked down at the broken pieces.

Vanessa's eyes narrowed. "Those two?"

"But why are they there? And why are they black?" Magnezone wondered.

Nic looked unemotional as he stared down at the two crestfallen fragments of what were two Choosers, meant to end the Beggars with all that they had. Their reasons were different, and that lead them to being traitors. Nic recalled the tale, and how in the end, an unfortunate fate falls upon the Bargain.

"The Bargain is dropped." He said low.

Mark and Laura slowly nodded their heads in confirmation. "It's always dropped." Laura said.

"Dropped?" Vanessa looked at the two pieces. "You mean…?"

A strong silence fell, the implication afoot. The memory came back to them, the fate of the Bargain as it is dropped.

"But why are there two Bargains?" Erza wondered.

Mark and Laura, again, were left in silence, the unbelievable twist of fate unraveling before them.

"They're us." Laura said on behalf of Mark.

Suddenly, the floor began to shake, the energy began to rattle their bones, and everyone backed away from the board, spreading out. The ground began to glow a neon green color. Intricate carvings flowed into one another, the light beginning to glow brighter.

"Wha…what's happening?" Laura shrieked.

"I don't know!" Mark shouted.

The bright light intensified. Nic's sunglasses were thankfully keeping him from going blind. "It's a fail-safe!" He looked back towards Erza, his horror reaching a brim peak. The two looked towards one another before they reached out and tried to grab the other's hand.

"Nic!"

"Erza!"

The light encompassed the whole chamber. In a flash, everyone…was gone. The room was once again desolate, with ash showering through the opening like it were a dark winter.

* * *

Pitch-black encompassed the area. There was a strong silence that fell onto the atmosphere. The floor was dark, and the whole area was barely able to be seen, even by means of night vision.

Nic found himself on his stomach, slowly opening his eyes to take note of what happened. "What?" He got to his hands and knees, looking up to find everything darker than usual. "Where am I? Was that a teleportation circle?" His eyes widened as he gasped at the realization. He got back up, realizing he was all alone. "Erza?" He called out, but no answer. "Erza? Vanessa? Mom! Dad! Magnezone! Kecleon!"

When he got no answer, he had a disdain look. "This isn't good. Wherever that trap sent us, it must have split us up. We need to find each other, and fast. We don't have many hours left until the blood moon rises." A hint of worry came across Nic's concealed vision. "I just hope the others are okay…"

As he looked around, he stood completely still, the cold air suddenly intensifying. He could feel some sort of animal-like potency around, an emanation similar to what's been felt all day. The smell of odor and decay intensified all of a sudden as well, in which Nic's sense of smell suddenly cut itself off from how corrosive it was. Nic's hair stood on end, his eyes widening as a monstrously dangerous energy was making his goosebumps shrivel up.

"What…? What is this creepy feeling? It feels like…?" He can't remember feeling so potently petrified ever since he fought against someone in particular, namely a certain someone who goes by Lysandre. His shriveling energy made those nearby die, all plant life decayed, and the black shadows turned to void. All around Nic, as his heart raced, he noticed how pitch-black the shadows and darkness was. "This is bad…"

He turned around, stopping stiff as another wave off goosebumps petrified him. He stared with shuddering eyes, his sunglasses unable to conceal and shut out the bright blood red stare of eyes. He saw the blood red in them and pitch black sclera, like a wild, untamed monster bent on destruction. The set of eyes glared at Nic wide, not moving as instead the figure who had the eyes was revealed. His presence cloaked in negative shadow-like flaring fire made the ground's cracks flare with a dark purple energy, slowly illuminating the earth and giving view to a pure, bloodthirsty animal.

Nic's horror reached a peak. "You're…"

Alpha smirked at Nic, his blood red eyes fixated on him, and him alone. "Nic Pularis, welcome."

* * *

 **Tada! How was that for a surprise plot twist? Now you know of Bellona's origins, though I intend to get into detail with that and how she was discarded when the Tartaros Arc comes around. At any rate, hope this chapter was to your liking. I got a lot of battles I need to do at once, so be expecting battles unfolding. We're pretty much at the climax of the Impure Underworld Arc, so I hope you guys enjoy what I have in store next!**

 **Fun fact: In Pokémon Y, I have a Rotom whose Attack surpasses its Special Attack. You all are amazed lol.**

 **As always, comment, review, and I hope to hear from you guys! :)**


	37. Perilous Gauntlet

Nic stood in place, petrified as the ground all around him was engulfed in a purple-like fire running through the cracks. They all converged onto Alpha, who had a malicious smirk on his face. The drastic levels of Magic Power were so terrifying.

"I know you." Nic growled.

"Indeed. Vice versa." Alpha replied. "It seems our previous engagement hasn't left your thoughts." His dark smirk turned heavily malicious. "Good." He recalled the _pleasant_ meeting he had with Nic and his sister earlier, in which he reminisced on their gruesome states. Although from the looks of it, the thoughts left him disoriented in horror.

Nic barely held his ground, trying to keep his composure despite how he was failing to do so. While he had such immense power, he can't help but feel torn apart when he's around Alpha. The man has done horrors to him that were indescribable.

"Someone's looking a little unnerved." Alpha taunted. "Are all those tales of how you boldly and stoically defended all of Fiore against the Magic Council's wrath just that? Tall tales?"

Nic's eyes narrowed. "Tell me, were you responsible for that trap that separated us all?" He asked.

Alpha raised a brow. "Trap? Oh dear."

"What is it?"

"Come on now. You can't seriously be that naïve now, can you? Did you really think it'd be that easy to just whisk yourself towards the actual chamber where the spell lies in storing power? I never pegged you for an amateur.

Nic growled, taking offense to Alpha badmouthing his casual, yet clever, brain. All those battles and experience he gained back in Kalos should've sharpened his mind, taking precaution to the wind, yet looking back at it now, he was duped. He was played for a fool from the very beginning. If he were hot-headed like his girlfriend, he'd probably go for an assault, but Nic wasn't like that, thankfully. He knew how lethal Alpha was. If he got too close, the energy resonating around the man could very well rot his flesh, just like Lysandre.

"I take it that you're offended of your colleague being brought down by our hand then?" Nic followed along.

He expected Alpha to throw in some sort of retort, but he got a different reply. Alpha was chuckling coldly, a shiver that traveled down Nic's spine as his snickering demeanor was leaving him once again unnerved. As Alpha's chuckle drew to a close, he became vocal again.

"Offended? I wouldn't go that far, Nic Pularis. In fact, I should be thanking you." He said.

Nic didn't appreciate the cold notion. "On the account of what?"

"Why, for proving that fool was expendable of course. I'll be honest when I admit that Fernando has been the most annoying of the Rivolta. His vendetta of taking me down? Only a fool would think they had the audacity to even think that the darkest of magic could possibly come close to what will happen in these upcoming hours."

Nic's fists clutched coldly. "The Impure Underworld."

"Precisely." Alpha said. "As we speak, the ethernano in the atmosphere is manifesting large quantities of negative compounds and I'm using my own body as the conductor." He looked down at his own gauntlet, seeing that his own fingers were slowly twitching. His malicious smirk widened, his demeanor shifting to a darker tone. "I am above every bleeding heart, and I dare not bother look down on you bugs as I enjoy seeing every cell split apart by my own bloody hand. I will tear the flesh right off everyone's bones…starting with you."

Nic could see the insane look in Alpha's blood red stare. It was unnerving, and by no means was it anything like Fernando. This was looking at Satan himself. While Alpha was graciously calmer than Fernando it seemed, Nic could tell that by his Magic Power, he was a far more visible threat. His heart raced a million beats a second, his anxiety leaving him unnerved as he stared at Alpha's demonic demeanor. They were glaring at one another in a place like the confines of Hell. While still horrified by this immense Magic Power, far greater than anything he's felt before, Nic knew that by experience he could stomach this treacherous, rotting energy.

"Your cause rings a bell, but not in a good way." Spreading his legs, Nic began to glow. "Not only do you abuse your subordinates like puppets, you slaughtered hundreds, if not thousands, of lives in these tunnels." He revealed himself in his Flame Form. "You've made so many mistakes that they're not able to be listed. But one of the biggest mistakes you've committed was desecrating the dead to kill for amusement. You've damaged the Pularis name in all the wrong ways." Fire began to surge around him, signifying his passion and resolve. "You brought my parents back from the dead to make me and the world suffer, you've traumatized my Mom and Dad, but there is something equally as unforgiveable…you killed my late Uncle. For all their sakes, for everyone of Earth Land, I'm ending this spell, and you. Time to finish what my Uncle started."

Alpha dark smirk widened, revealing his sharp teeth that could rip flesh off one's bones. "For your uncle you say?" His eyes narrowed, dark purple shadow-like energy manifesting into dense compounds. "This will be entertaining."

* * *

Erza's brown eyes fluttered open, her attention diverting to how she was facing earth. "Where am I…?" Her brown hair shifted in the cold wind. "It's still cold. This wind isn't making things…!" The redhead's eyes widened, her shock brimming intensively as she shot back up to her feet. "Wind? But that would mean-!" Her attention drew to all around her, the surroundings completely of the norm. She was now somewhere far beyond anyone's reach, as she stood in front of a pitch-black tunnel that led into the base of a mountain-like hill. "How did I end up outside? Where am I?" Turning around, craggy hills were all around, high to where it was a valley. "Nic? Vanessa? Kecleon?" She called out. "Magnezone? Mark? Laura?" Again, she was met with silence. The redhead's skin crawled as her body could feel an overwhelming dread of Magic Power flowing through the cold atmosphere.

 _'_ _What is this monstrous Magic Power? I can feel it in the center of my being. It's so staggering that it feels like it's all around me.'_ She looked towards the sky, noticing something extremely wrong with it. _'_ _Is it nighttime already? The sky is pitch-black, and I can't stop thinking about this bad feeling I have in my gut. Nic, wherever you are, please let me know you're safe and sound.'_

"You should be more inclined to the real danger afoot." A dark masculine voice pointed out.

Erza's reflexes kicked in, swinging her around with a sword brought out of sheer instinct. "Who's there?!"

There appeared to have been nothing at first but stone. Erza remained quiet and focused as she glared ahead at the massive stone boulders nearby, watching them. Though unable to move, she realized there was another sound, a dark, menacing chuckle that didn't sit well in her gut. She shifted left and right, hearing the dark and evil chuckle ring about all around her.

"You have gone too far, deep into Hell's sanctum." The dark voice echoed. "And since that mad loser was not fit, the torch has been passed down to me."

The sound of boots and metal clanging could be heard from behind a few rocks. Erza had her sword ready to skewer if implied. When the dark figure closed in, her eyes widened with horrific blunder. Shock didn't stop mounting over her as she recognized the demon-like figure.

"You're…" Erza trailed offm recognizing the creature being none other than Saboth.

The demonic samurai glared at Erza, yellow eyes shooting her down. "At last, I have found you, weakling." He sneered.

Erza got into a battle stance, ready to fight. "I remember you."

Saboth walked to a stop about twenty paces away. "As I."

"You were with that Crystal Mage back when I ventured inside. Seems as though unfortunate business has attended us a little too conveniently, wouldn't you say?" Erza asked.

Saboth held up his beloved Demon Karbia. Just holding it alone was making him feel strong. A menacing gaze was on his face, one that meant business. "I have been looking forward to this one time." He admitted. "Our battle to the death hasn't been decided, it thus resumes now."

"Enough of your foolishness. Where are we? What happened?" She asked.

"Those fools and yourself…they were all split apart to random locations across the chamber and isles. It is uncertain as to what transpired, but in the end, the result is always the same. They'll be dead soon enough."

Erza's grip intensified. "You're lying!"

"You are all alone. You have no reason to run away, when you have nowhere to run to." Saboth took a simple step forward, urging Erza to fight. "My code is that two warriors who cross dares not let another live. You are one who holds a sword. I thus challenge you to a duel." His eyes narrowed. "This is a battle that neither of us could escape from. It was inevitable that we crossed baths."

Erza took a small pause and looked uneasy. She had to find Nic and the others, and fast, but whether she liked it or not, Saboth stood in her way. If she ran off now, where would she go? She wouldn't know where to start looking. Ultimately, Erza didn't have much of a choice. The resolve in her eyes was all too clear. The last time she crossed blades with Saboth left a bitter taste in her mouth; now she had to do whatever it is she could to use that uneasiness to her advantage.

"…very well. We'll have it your way." She requipped into her Flame Empress Armor. "I remember that you talked so nobly about ambition and fighting. Rather than strive to protect, you slay just for sport. It is that flaw that'll lead you to your grave."

Saboth raised a brow. "So, you intend to stand your ground?"

"You're one of the Rivolta, I have no choice. You want to plunge the whole Earth Land into undead chaos. You want to slaughter every living human being for the sake of lust. I'll put an end to this, and you."

Saboth's malicious smirk returned to his face. "A human who has the thrill of a warrior, bent on clanging arms stacked against the other!" He held Demon Karbia with a bloodthirsty lust. "I, Saboth, shall use the only tools I need, my skills, and my own divine will, to end you here and now!"

Erza held her sword out, ready to attack. "I am Erza Scarlet, and I intend to defeat you and find my loved ones!" She lunged ahead after the dark samurai. "When you fall by my blade, you shall pay for insulting my humanity!"

Saboth lunged at her, letting out a primal scream. "You stand no chance against me, mortal!"

"We shall see!"

Both met in the middle, a single swipe of their blades making a bright flash.

* * *

The constant dripping of water clanged in Mark's ears, the deceased father groaning with every ear-aching drop. He felt unpleasant as the energy and dripping all around him was continuing to grow, finally urging him to get up.

"Grrrr! I'm up, damnit!" He opened his eyes once he was on his knees. His confusion thus began unfolding. "Huh? Where…?" He slowly turned his head left and right, looking all around and throughout the area, realizing he was all alone in a very open chamber, supposedly elsewhere in the confines of the dangerous tunnels. Shooting up to his feet, he realized that he was so desolate.

"Nic?" No answer, but instead, and echo. "Son? Vanessa? Sweetheart? Erza?" He looked down at the ground, the growing frustration making the father uneasy. "Damnit. What happened?"

A gloomy force abruptly entered the confines of the chamber, making the already dark chamber that much darker. The unholy energy made Mark feel dreadfully uneasy, making him stand straight up. He could tell that a sudden power shift just happened, and it was making his already altered reincarnation feel a crippling dread. His eyes wide, the darkness felt as though it was creeping all around him. He wasn't alone, unfortunately.

"Okay, who's there?" He asked quietly.

"You ask a lot of questions, yet you do not consider answering them before moving on." An unknown voice spoke throughout the chamber. "Your brain must be half-rotten if that is the case, the superior Pularis."

Mark felt his body grow cold, and paled, like he was feeling a ghost was looming nearby. It left him with what one could say that feeling where you wanna shudder, yet the energy around was so prodigiously massive, that he couldn't even say words much anymore.

 _'_ _This…this Magic Power!'_ Mark's thought were cut off when something in the air in front of him began to manifest. A dark swell of heinous energy began to swirl into what one could describe as a dark vortex. The vortex eventually dissipated, revealing Crowhaw in the atmosphere, looming down with the fixation of a ghost overlooking a lost soul.

"It would appear that crestfallen souls have been diverged." Crowhaw contemplated, his tattered cloak bottom wisping like there was a wind, only there was none.

Mark looked up at Crowhaw, dreadfully surprised. "What does he mean by 'crestfallen souls have been divided'?" He thought aloud. After a second of pondering, his eyes widened back up. "Wait, we're all separated?"

"As grim as this may seem. That is the unspeakable truth. I welcome you to your final hour of reborn life, Mark Pularis." Crowhaw greeted.

Mark glared up at Crowhaw, not willing to comply so easily. "Where is my family?"

"Your family?" The ghostly man repeated. "Why, you're nothing more than a lone man now."

"What?"

"What you call 'family' is different to other humans. If you mean your offspring and wife, then the odds are that they are alone in their own dwelling spots until snuffed out."

Mark's fists clutched. "Damn you…!" He growled as the prospect of his family separated bit his core. Only a few hours go were they finally a true family again, and now they were separated. That fact was enough to make him bitter. "You're gonna pay for what you've done." He added.

"That is a statement only guided by your resolve. If your resolve is strong enough, then by all means, defeat me, and stop the Impure Underworld. You may search for your offspring, but I cannot guarantee that they will be in one piece. Whoever they get end up with does not matter in the end." Crowhaw narrowed his eyes. "We are the Rivolta, and we have yet to let a single soul thrive even a minute outside our area."

Suddenly, Mark did something that surprised Crowhaw, making the ghostly mage wide-eyed. He smirked.

"What do you find so amusing?" Crowhaw questioned.

"Nothing really. I should be asking you why you separated us to begin with." Mark countered. "Either you were going for divide and conquer, or perhaps you were so shocked of what happened to that last guy that you went separating us just so you'd feel secure about your chances. Something like that?"

Mark's retort hung in the air, with Crowhaw along with it. The Ghost Mage looked down at Mark in silence, his high-collar cloak rendering his frown concealed. Mark's comeback turned to an uneasy frown, his inquiry hanging in the atmosphere with no other precaution.

"The truth is…that if we fought you in one place, we'd all die." Crowhaw said.

Mark's eyes widened in shock. "…what?"

"Each and every one of the Rivolta possesses an unusually immense level of Magic Power. Releasing it in such a conducted confine would only cause the entire landscape to break down upon itself. We all possess some form of power that clashes with one another in that sense, thus we resort to diverted tactics to ensure our range and magic are out of each other's way. That way, killing you won't invoke precautions of the others."

Mark stepped back, looking unnerved. "You all must be pretty selfish if you can't work as a team then, huh?"

Crowhaw descended lower towards the ground, hovering a couple feet over the dark ground. "Teamwork does not apply when it's one-on-one. Now, if you wish to stop the Impure Underworld and see your 'family', then you must defeat me." Crowhaw's body began to exert black mist once more. "If you believe we are weak in numbers, then prove us wrong! Come!"

Mark held up both fists, glaring at Crowhaw and his one eye. "Fine. While I'm at it, I'll make it so that you need two of those eyepieces."

"Insults speak least for barking dogs. Bite as harsh as you howl, Pularis." Crowhaw countered.

* * *

"Mark?! Nic?! Anyone?!" Laura called out through the dark chamber she ended up in. It was spacious, with a few tunnels here and there, and the walls were all aligned with dead cracks with little dried out roots that looked like they could disintegrate just from a small puff of air. The deceased mother continued looking around, turning towards another direction. "This isn't good. We're all alone."

Looking at her surroundings for a bit, the confused woman took notice of the dead twigs and roots barely hanging onto the cold, cavernous walls. She stared at them with a cold vibe going down her back. "What kind of messed up place is this…?"

She slowly took steps forward, slowly advancing towards one of the tunnels in hopes of an escape. She made way, but as she took a singular step, in her trail, a small black root began to sprout, silently rising from the ground and wiggling like a Nidoking's tail. It twisted and turned, slowly rising until it became almost ten feet tall. The height made it seem so obvious, yet it sprouted so quiet that the rock beneath barely made sound for Laura to hear. The wiggling root whipped and lashed through the air as Laura managed to walk off.

Laura herself took a single step away again, which instantly turned on her Magic Power. Her aura sense something foul and erroneous behind, shaped like a root. With her intuition, Laura pivoted and leaned off to the side, dodging the black root tip that shot at her like a spear, aimed to pierce her head. It hit the ground, making it shudder.

"Who's there?!" She called out, looking back towards the root's origins. All she could see was a shadowy figure with a luscious figure where the bent over root was.

"Well, well, not bad for someone that's been a few ages outdated. Seems as though you'll make for a great conversation." The figure revealed herself to be Ivy, the range-haired mature woman flicking a spare bang over her shoulder with a sinister smirk. The root recoiled back to her side, wiggling. "I've been looking for something to do, Alpha and Imaci would be all over me like a bad itch if I slept at this hour." She feigned a despondent pout.

Laura looked at her with a weary gaze, the Magic Power she was giving off was just explosive to the mind. She didn't look it, but she had some rotten aura around her. The mom stayed silent, continuing her constant eying of the Rivolta member.

"What? No hello?" Ivy put a hand to her own cheek. "Poor me, I was really hoping we'd have some form of conversation. A little girl-on-girl talk; it gets so boring when talking to Mariah, she's no fun at all." She pouted.

"Who are you?" Laura asked.

Ivy's smirk grew, the aura around her growing a mischievous color that Laura detected, sending a tingle up her spine. The black root retreated into the earth, and Laura put a hand to her large hip. "Well since you asked, I guess I can entertain you a little. If you don't mind, why not call me Ivy?"

"Ivy? Like in Ivysaur?" Laura wondered.

"A what?" It took a minute for her to realize. "Oh, silly me! I forgot, you had this world with magical animals or something. No wonder, I thought that was gibberish." Ivy gave a hardy laugh, just to appease the mood.

Laura stared at the woman and her carefree nature. _'_ _Is she even taking me seriously? What kind of power does she have, it came out of nowhere.'_ "Well you seem to be enjoying yourself despite the situation."

Ivy stopped her laughing, keeping her smile. "Why not? I mean we worked for a long time to get this far. So why not a few good laughs down the road?"

"Because that road is paved with dead bodies." Laura growled.

Laura reeled back, feigning shock. "My, someone's looking a little defensive. What's the big deal? Did you wake up at a wrong time in Heaven or what?"

Laura stared at Ivy with greater distaste. "You know, it isn't appreciative to others speaking of Heaven when you've never been there, let alone dwell in Hell's pits of sins."

Ivy put a dainty hand to her chin. "Is that so? Well aren't you the hypocrite."

"What?"

"Heaven and sin? Hell? Look, I don't mean to be atheist to the likes of you, but what would you know about sin and heaven? You've been dead for too long to even realize that your precious 'Heaven' that I spoke of before is really nothing more than Hell. Everyone in some shape or form ends up making a sin in their lives, thus they have no obligation other than to fall to Hell. Make no mistake, sins are nothing that makes the guilt you bare wear you away. Scars are forever, like the sins that count up from your time of birth." Ivy's glare intensified just a little. "If you can't bare your scars, then Hell will burn through your skin and make a doll out of your guilty corpse."

Laura, who was intensely glaring, was not having it. Learning from what her son has done this whole time, she brought a foot back, clutching her fists and started to give off Magic Power. Her entire being was outlined in blue.

"For a lazy witch, you talk highly of the views of Hell. Did you forget that with no ying there can't be a yang, or has the caves here made you so blind that you can't see light? I can't tell."

Ivy flashed a sinister smirk of her own in retaliation. "You're right, I never talked so highly of these point of views before, probably because everyone believes it's too obvious." She countered. "If you won't go to Hell, then Hell will come to you." Ivy's body began to emit a foul green aura to match Laura's. "Maybe if we talk a little longer, who knows? Maybe you'll see what I mean?"

Blue aura began to manifest into Laura's hands. "Sorry, but I'm not here to have girl talk. I'm in a hurry to get to somewhere, so sorry to cut this conversation short."

Black roots began to sprouts up around Ivy, half a dozen wiggling and lashing out in the atmosphere. "And where do you think you're going to?" She mischievously implied. "Stay awhile. We have so much to talk about."

* * *

Magnezone was within the confines of another chamber, his peculiar magnetic properties allowing him to ascend to the air once more. Looking around, the Magnet Area Pokémon found nothing but darkness and rock. "…" He turned towards another direction, hoping to find something. "Vanessa? Nic?" He questioned, but his call was clearly unanswered. "What happened? The last thing I recall…is that spell blinding us." He looked in yet another direction. "There's no mistake, that spell separated us."

Unbeknownst to him, there was something leering at him from the darkness. It was very faint, but the smirk was there.

"I need to find a way out of here? Where's the nearest tunnel…?" He looked around in hopes of finding an exit, but then he suddenly felt a sudden spike in energy, resonating from behind him.

A black shadow with purple outlining in the shape of a punch went zooming out of the shadows, stretching out towards Magnezone. Magnezone turned around to see the incoming attack, his shock leaving him to take direct action. He ascended into the air, dodging. The shadow-like fist continued stretching, only to do the unexpected and take a 90 degree turn straight up towards Magnezone.

Magnezone saw the incoming fist, seeing how fast it soared. "It changed direction?" He tried to ascend more, but the fist made impact to Magenzone's underside. The blow made Magnezone falter towards the earth, shouting out in harsh pain briefly. He grunted in pain as he levitated a few feet above ground.

"Where did that come from?" When he regained himself, he turned around to where the fist came from. The Electric and Steel-type glared into the shadows, waiting tentatively for an answer.

A very small but wicked chuckle, borderline sneering, was made heard. The chuckle palpitated, the temperature dropping around Magnezone as he remained in place. The energy and dark level of power began to accelerate all around him, which left him very much territorial. Magnezone's eyes suddenly widened as the uneasy feelings were familiar.

"Wait, these sensations…" Magnezone muttered. "Decrease in temperature…wicked laugh…a-Shadow Punch!" His shock surmounted. "Is that-?!"

The chuckling lowered in volume as something began to walk out of the shadows and into Magnezone's field of vision. Walking and stopping eventually, the figure revealed itself to be Gengar. His devious smirk was making the temperature that much colder.

"Hello…" Gengar lowly sneered.

Magnezone held up a small guard. "It's you." He retorted.

"Surprised?" The look Gengar saw on Magnezone's face made it clear he was. "Hehe, priceless."

Magnezone wasn't here for games, as he had an agenda. He had somewhere to be, and people to look after. And yet a very disturbing obstacle stood in his way. This was no ordinary creature Magnezone was dealing with, for it was no mage as it always was on Earth Land, but a Pokémon. This was an actual Gengar, and to make matters more uncomfortable, this Gengar was formerly Vince's. Talk about insult to injury.

Gengar took delight in the torment on Magnezone's face. "What's the matter? You look as though you've seen a ghost." He teased in irony. "Hehehe."

"What are you doing here?" Magnezone questioned coldly.

"Why, to stop you of course." Gengar answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"No, I mean, what are you doing _here_?" Magnezone clarified.

Gengar out both hands to his hips. "Speak as though I were an idiot, would ya?" He rudely advised.

Unnerved, Magnezone complied. "…fine. What are you doing still alive? I heard the tale, and from the way it sounded, we thought you were killed alongside your Trainer years ago. How is it that you survived?"

Gengar, once again, gave a snickering reply. "Heh, you'd be surprised with what you don't see in the dark. It may as well kill ya."

"Answer me." Magnezone growled.

Gengar crouched and began levitating off the dark floor. "Heh, he who uses Avalanche may get knocked out first." He warned Magnezone with a most ominous anecdote. "If you really wanna know, then come and get me! I'm right here!"

Magnezone's unnerved feeling continued to rise. He wasn't liking where this was heading. "You can't be serious. Surely you jest." He advised.

Gengar's eyes narrowed. "Does it look like I'm kidding?" He smirked.

Magnezone could feel the pressure was already afoot. He didn't like it one bit, but from how it seemed, there was no other recourse. His three eyes looked up at Gengar's, seeing the darkness and the unimaginable dread resonating from within. It was a gross feeling that was tearing him apart, having to fight your former master's brothers-in-law supposed-deceased Pokémon. Awkward and guilty wouldn't begin to describe.

Ultimately, Magnezone stood his ground. An enemy was an enemy, that was that. He looked up at Gengar, a more resolute glare emanating from the non-organic creature. _'_ _What do I do? I know he's our enemy now, but perhaps I can reason with him through battle. That's my only option for now.'_ "Very well then, we'll have it your way."

"Heh." Gengar's smirk widened. "Two Pokémon, no Trainers. This is gonna be fun."

Magnezone raised his magnets, meeting the same elevation as the Shadow Pokémon. "Come!"

Gengar brought his two hands to the side and manifested a Shadow Ball. As Gengar created his attack, Magnezone generated his Mirror Shot. The Ghost-type and Steel-type attacks were fired at one another, creating an explosion when intercepted in the middle, blinding everything.

* * *

Kecleon tilted her head as she looked all around. Her tiny but nimble feet barely made a sound as she paced around the dark chamber she was in. It was surprisingly manageable to see ahead without having the need to squint. She paced down the chamber with her head tilting towards the other side. "We are but a horde divided." She said in her creepy monotone voice. "I am but an Avalugg with no Bergmite on my back. It's a cold feeling…like ice cream."

The Color swap Pokémon continued forwards to the direction where a tunnel was. Her feet were so quiet, so much that it was tough to tell if she really was light on her feet or a ghost at all. As she pressed on towards her path, the creature suddenly made a stop when she was twenty feet away from the exit. A normal man would've taken to his heels and make a break for the exit, but when you're one of the Pokémon who has become part of Nic's family, one could say that a 6th, or perhaps a 7th sense always kicks in.

She looked back over her shoulder, glaring at the darkness looming behind her. It was hollow, desolate, and by no means did it look right. Her head remained stiff as nails as she stared out. _'_ _A very large amount of Magic Power is nearby. It's here, I can feel it.'_

There was a long and very ominous silence, a thriller that was starting to come around, and yet Kecleon frowned and remained calm. She didn't look worried, but her attention was completely solid. After a few strong moments of silence, her eyes dilated just for a brief instant, but then in a flash, she turned invisible and vanished as a wave of energy reverberated through the atmosphere. The rocks and walls in the vicinity, every inch to every molecule, was covered in pink crystal. The energy wave transcended through the area all the way to the tunnel exit, blocking it off with a wall of crystal.

The wave of crystal-like energy subsided, revealing stiff darkness still down on the other end of the chamber. The ground and rock scattered was all reduced to crystal, and something began to walk along the crystal-covered ground.

It was revealed to be Mariah, and she kept an unemotional frown underneath her high collar. "I know that you are there. There is no need to hide, for hiding is impossible." She said.

Behind one of the stalagmites that was covered in crystal, Kecleon remained invisible, the only exception being her red stripe. She didn't respond to Mariah as she rather investigated, peering behind the crystal stalagmites.

Mariah stood in the center of the crystal chamber, still unfazed by the lack of response. "If you are inclined to not answer, that is fine. No matter how silent you are to my call, the crystal tougher than any material will shatter your existence and this earth to fragments."

Kecleon looked all around her, dazing at the pink crystal layering the earth. _'_ _Crystal? So she is the Crystal Mage, the one Erza spoke of. She let out a shockwave just now, emitting magic that froze the molecules themselves into crystal. If I move, then she can snuff me out by covering my body in crystal…'_

Mariah closed her eyes, showing no appealed interest. "I prefer to be more subtle in one's own demise, as I have inscribed myself to, but you have dropped the Rivolta's numbers by one. That is a sin I cannot ignore. I know you are there, so here me well, small one. I am Mariah, and I will make your very existence shatter with the world's ugliness."

Kecleon kept a blank stare while retaining invisibility, looking hard to find an opening.

"If you do not insist on attacking first, then I shall draw you in myself." Mariah reached her arms out, manifesting several dozens of crystal balls that look similar to Ice Shard. The dozens of crystal shards went blasting away at the area ahead, hitting the ground, the stalagmites, and the ceiling crystal spikes until the residual shards hit the rock wall on the other side of the chamber.

Kecleon remained protected behind the stalagmite that she blended with. She remained quiet and passive as the stalagmite began to chunk off some, and then something else caught her attention. The Color Swap Pokémon looked up upon the sound of cracking and breaking. As she looked up, she saw a large crystal stalactite falling straight down onto her, hence the small shards Mariah summoned. The large spike began to fall, and Kecleon had no recourse other than to dodge. She leapt backwards, dodging the spike that splattered and broke apart upon the tip meeting the crystal floor. Crystal scattered everywhere, erupting as though a meteor shatter had fallen. Kecleon covered up as she tucked in her head and vertically flipped nearly a dozen times before regaining balance. While still camouflaged, she evaded scattering pieces in midair, until her feet touched the ground, making her slide backwards.

Mariah's glance was glued towards the red stripe sliding along the ground, leaving small, tiny pieces of crystal to make a clear path. She had her target set. "I see you!" She swiped her arm, sending a wave of thin crystal-like lances at the clearing path's far end.

Hurrying to take action, Kecleon regained footing and stopped her skid. She went lunging ahead, claws glowing bright white and extending out, via her Slash. She passed every fragment of crystal shot at her, her red stripe and invisible body briefly vanishing from sight and reappearing closer towards Mariah. Kecleon was in a slashed pose, her Slash dissipating as the near hundreds of crystal fragments behind her glinted with white before enveloped in small white explosions.

Mariah remained unfazed by what happened, her attention solemnly on Kecleon's red stripe. "You're very fast, a liable compensation for your flaw in the art of camouflage." She said.

Seeing as how her cover was blown, Kecleon remained glaring ahead with her beady eyes as her color returned to normal.

"I understand that you are one of the many Pokémon who serve under Nic Pularis. It is wise to not underestimate me, little one." Mariah warned.

Kecleon maintained a battle-ready stature. "Enemy vessel afoot. Let's sink or swim."

* * *

Nic took in a deep breath before the inside of his mouth began to surge with an orange glow to it. He lurched forward, unleashing Incinerate. A fiery ripple exerted outwards as a fireball with a bright center and black highlights went shooting across the burning ground. When it reached Alpha, however, it dissipated with one swipe of the man's arm. The energy around Alpha was so corrosive that mere contact was only gonna rot flesh and bone.

"Surely you have something else up your sleeve, Nic." Alpha suggested.

Not wanting to take any means of bait, Nic's knuckles twitch, prompting a cracking sound. " **Fire Spin!** " He slammed his hands against the cold earth, making a thin streak of fire shoot across the area until it reached Alpha's feet, where it transforms into a fiery tornado that engulfed Alpha. Nic leapt backwards to maintain a safe distance.

Inside the Fire Spin, Alpha's aura and body alike was unfazed. He half-grinned as he found himself incapacitated. "A binding move now?" He questioned. "Tactful, but nevertheless, pity."

Nic glared from the distance, raising a clutched fist and hitting the ground with it. " **Fire Pledge!** " Upon fist meeting earth, a linear column of fire pillars jutted up from the earth, heading all the way towards the tornado. Just as the last column of fire reached the Fire Spin, the fire from both attacks turned black, as if tainted in foul energy. The dark fire dissipated and erupted outwards, causing Nic to cover up as the heated gust pushed him back a few feet.

As dark embers showered down like snow across the landscape of dark flames, Alpha stood in the middle, his figure and form ascertaining no damage at all. His blood red eyes glared at Nic continuously. "Seriously?" He questioned. "Come on, you can do better."

Nic's brows beneath his sunglasses furrowed. His little incapacitation trick was easily swiped away, hence he got a sizeable measure of Alpha's power. He had to amp it up some, which he did. Clasping his two palms together, Nic began to glow an orange aura. The ground beneath began to shake, a sure sign of Nic's increasing power.

" **Lava Plume!** "

Nic roared out as a pillar of pressurized fire was summoned, scattering an explosion of searing flames and smog in all directions. The ground heated up as Lava Plume expanded. Alpha watched as the attack closed in, his cape flaring from the heat waves generated. Seeing the move draw closer made his smirk return.

"Now that's more like it!" He devilishly shouted. He crossed his arms and let out a large huff. His rotten body and entity flared, making the ground beneath reached greater levels of magnitude. A similar version of Lava Plume exerted, a pillar of darkness summoned while a pitch-black shockwave reached outwards, rippling and reducing the gravel stirred to dust. The two attacks collided in the dead middle, where they stirred and became a flashing display of dark and red-orange flames stirring like a hurricane. The lowling of both pressurized assault equaled that of a dragon, nearly tearing the ground to cracked bits.

As the fire dissipated, there was room above for where Nic could jump. While in a midair leap, Nic shifted to his Draco Form, reeling his draconic wings back and taking a massive flap. " **Twister!** " He generated a heinous twister of air that scoured the large chamber, whipping up a powerful mess that dissipated both searing darkness and fire alike.

Alpha barely covered himself with his gauntlets, glaring through the Dragon-type move's howling ecstasy. "Is that all you-!" He was cut off when he saw that Nic wasn't in the same spot. He could feel his body lurch left and right, the flinching effect of Twister kicking in. _'_ _What is this? He's buying time?'_

Above the tornado was surrounded Alpha, Nic flapped his wings, maintaining a balance. His sunglasses began to glow, his body surrounded in draconic energy that shaped into a dragon. " **Dragon Rush!** " Rather than shoot straight down onto Alpha, Nic instead dove onto the spiraling winds, riding through them like a tailwind current that spiraled all the way down.

Just as Alpha looked up, he found himself dumbfounded with no surprise attack from above. With his momentum gone, the leader of the Rivolta couldn't see Nic blitzing through the spiraling winds, eventually coming in nearly eye-level from the side.

Dragon Rush's long ride through the Twister down met Alpha's side, generating a pillar of draconic energy that erupted outwards, generating shockwave and gusts that dissipated the Twister made.

As Nic slid backwards from his attack, Alpha flew off to the side, smashing into the wall and splattering rock around. The rock crumbled to pieces, and Nic leered at the crater made, awaiting for something to transpire.

A stiff silence brewed about until Nic went wide-eyed, doing an abrupt backflip as a pillar of pitch-black energy shot up in his place. The energy was so potent that it made the airspace and land quake. The dark pillar continued up through the ceiling, howling all the way up to the pitch-black sky.

The ground beneath Nic cracked apart from the corrosive energy, sending shockwaves that made him grunt and slide backwards some more until he reached the wall, slamming against his back with a harsh thud.

The pillar and shockwaves dialed down, revealing Alpha hunched over and standing in front of the crater engraved into the wall. A few seconds passed before Alpha craned his neck up, eyes wide with a lively smile. He was shuddering, and his neck cracked as he tilted his head. "That was clever. Not good…but CLEVER!" He bellowed out at the last word, emitting a howling and roaring wind that could rival a small tempest. Nic found himself pressed against the wall from that rotting wind. He felt his skin burn from that bellow.

Alpha manifested a dark sphere in his palms, static and negative energy with a blood red center made. " _This_ is what I'm looking for!" He threw the sphere at Nic, making it shoot across the leveled ground. As it traveled, the attack began to take in large quantities of pressure.

Taking the initiative, Nic glowed and became his Meadow Form. He put his arms in front and generated a green shield that expanded outwards, creating massive, prolonged spikes. " **Spiky Shield!** " He covered up as the dark bomb reached him.

It was then that an explosion erupted, and a huge one. The entire half of the huge chamber and onward was enveloped in a huge catastrophic explosion of darkness. Pitch-black expanded outwards, obliterating rock and blasting through a large expanse of the hills underground.

The hills shuddered, with Mark turning to look up at the quaking veiling. "What is that?" The thumping was making his spine shudder.

Crowhaw looked off to the side, seemingly unfazed by the assault projected throughout the hills. "It would appear Alpha is testing out what little power he's accumulated." He answered.

All around the cavernous domain, the earth and air shuddered in fright. Laura and Ivy took a pause from their battle and looked around at the catastrophic quaking. Magnezone and Gengar ceased their battle momentarily to sense the palpitating force running through the earth. It made Gengar snicker. Kecleon and Mariah felt the impending rumbling as well, so much manifestation occurred that it bewildered both equally as much as the rest.

Outside the cavernous hills, Erza and Saboth felt the ground shake, thundering with ecstasy. They both stopped to look back and find the hills and valleys shuddering. A grotesque sound resonated from the tunnel nearby.

"What's happening?" Erza wondered.

Saboth raised his head, his inquiry reaching a brimming peak. "Alpha."

Erza looked back at him with sheer shock. "What?" The quaking settled, but the cold dread continued to rattle her spine. _'_ _I've never felt so much Magic Power before, even when it was from a distance.'_ Her worry suddenly intensified. _'_ _Nic.'_

Nic slowly opened his eyes, his Spiky Shield dissipating. "What…?" He looked around, seeing the area around him in large trails. An uneasy feeling crawled on his back, his eyes widening in horror as he stared over his shoulder, glaring at the gigantic tunnel that lead into the unknown. It wasn't natural, and that's what unnerved him. "Oh my god."

The expansive walls and cavern bored by the attack was perhaps twice as grand as a Wailord. It was so large and so deep that there looked to be no end to it. It left a very dark atmospheric pressure to swell like a stench, one that almost cut off Nic's sense of smell.

A very sinister chuckle resonated from behind him, catching his attention. Without turning around, he could already tell where that harsh chuckling came from; it was so wicked, and so blood-curdling, that the ground had gotten colder, making Nic's feet almost quake.

Alpha growled as his blood red eyes glowed with joy and lust, seeing the astonishment brimming around Nic. Darkness and potent negative energy swirled around him like a small tempest. With each and every passing second, Alpha's insanity and inhumanity intensified. "This power is what defines humanity at its greatest. This is what true strength defines the ambitious and the strong." He retorted. "Just think, you had all this power, and you rejected it. What a sick excuse of human waste you are. You need to embrace the darkness, and let it make you stronger. That very same thought and action will help you survive and conquer. You are nothing more than a sack of meat that I will feebly rip limb by limb, and you think there's truly a way to stop the Impure Underworld, when I have just begun?!" Alpha craned his neck up, emitting a malicious laugh that bellowed similar to a banshee.

Nic finally turned around, ignoring the painful bellowing Alpha was giving off. He glared at the deranged fool, showing little to no appeal in his eyes. Nic's blue eyes were opposing the red in Alpha's; innocence and good against wicked and hate. Two embodiments that were perhaps the quintessence of their kind. Immense strength against an unbelievable amount of Magic Power.

"You truly are a sick being." Nic retorted. "You're even worse than that scientist."

Alpha's bellowing simmered down, his smirk so toothy one could see the blood red boiling in the gums. "What a compliment from a worm."

Nic's eyes narrowed. "You truly are a sick man. No, you're not a man to begin with. You're nothing more than a monster with a void for a heart, who enjoys nothing but manslaughter, is that right?"

Alpha growled, his teeth chattering with adrenaline from the word 'manslaughter'.

"I don't know what your goal is with this Impure Underworld other than to bring the world to its end, but this has gone too far already." Nic began to glow once more, signaling a change in power. "You took pleasure in seeing us almost die, and you killed, and you laughed aloud…and you take it as your lifelong job!" Around Nic's glow, the earth again began to rumble, dust and what looked like sand collecting and swirling around him. A glimmering light shot sharp rays through the atmosphere, the blinding light making Alpha hiss like a demon.

The glow dissipated, revealing Nic spreading his legs apart. The dust blew all around him like a tempest of its own that rivaled Alpha's. A small glisten resonated from Nic as he was on a knee, slowly rising up and making the dust veil around him dissipate. "You and I have different views on how the world should be. I can accept the fact that the fight never ends, and that for as long as humanity and life goes on, that fact will always be there; but I won't take it upon you of all deplorable manifestations of Satan to throw off the balance." The glow around Nic dissipated, revealing him in his Pixie Form, only the detailed difference was that the edging everywhere, the belt, and the shirt underneath resembled that of the Earth Form's. "I'll find out what you have in mind, even if it means putting you six feet under! **Fairy/Ground!** "

Alpha slowly lowered and got to all fours, looking more primal than ever. He had the most animalistic gaze set on Nic, his lust greater than before. "You really wanna know? You honestly want to know why I do what I am doing right now?" He questioned. "Because I LOVE it! I only want death, and sickening ways to tear humans and life into shreds! I enjoy watching suffering and fire engulf life, charring skin and animals tearing the world apart. It makes me laugh, it makes me excited! I will kill a million lives, and I won't get bored for a single second as long as I see hearts get crushed! I am the Alpha, and I lead the pack that will plunge this pathetic humanity to splintered bits!"

Nic's fists clutched tight, hearing his reasoning. "…you're just as bad as Giratina." He coldly said beneath his breath. "If you wanna damn the universe and all living life like he did…" He sprung after Alpha. "Then get past me!"

"With pleasure!" Alpha sprung forward with a primal shout, attacking Nic head-on.

* * *

Mark charged after Crowhaw, reeling a fist back coated in green aura. He closed in and punched, but Crowhaw vanished in black mist and out of sight. Mark stopped in his tracks, leering all around in any signs of looking for the elusive ghost man.

"Well you sure are a slippery bastard." He commented. Despite how short their battle was for now, Mark was barely getting any hits in, while Crowhaw was merely evading, taking precaution to the wind. It was annoying after so many tries.

"It is called evasion. It is a tactic many use when they wish to tire out and study their opponents, to see how many openings they can exploit for execution." Crowhaw's voice rattled throughout the chamber, like that of a ghost indeed.

"Why don't you come out instead of hiding in the shadows like a ghost, or rather a coward." Mark announced.

Crowhaw still did not comply. "Taunting proves my point. You are in fact no different from a barking puppy."

The father took a shock to this, though he showed it through gritting teeth. He went wide-eyed when a sudden blast of ghostly darkness swirled similar to a funnel from behind him at a high angle. Barely catching on, he dodged out of the way, evading the cyclone that made a large dust cloud emerge. Mark managed to stand once again, but found himself raptured with dust obscuring his vision. He looked around wearily for answers, but when he turned his back for once, he felt a creepy force spring up from behind.

With a harsh gasp, he turned around to get a lash of dark winds that blew him away. Crowhaw kept his reach outwards as Mark tumbled through the scattering dust, slamming against the ground with a hefty groan.

"If one truly believes they need to be strong, what is the point of patronizing and stalling if they can't use their own will and skill to deal damage for them. The verbal wounds can only go so deep, but the physical wounds are what can decide the battle. That is what you tend to disregard, elder one."

Mark groaned as he slumped back up, clutching his left shoulder to suppress the pain. His breathing was heavy, showing signs of wear over the course of near-24 hours. "Well…sucks you're not the verbal kind of guy then, huh?" He grunted.

"You care to share any more insults? There's still time before I decide to end your efforts." Crowhaw insisted.

Mark frowned, narrowing his vision. "…you know, I have a lot of choice words for a guy like you. But since they don't seem to do any more than add fuel to the fire, guess I got no choice but to drop it all and actually try." By all means, commentary was one of Mark's more suited actions, a trait he picked up from name-calling Nic all those years. Of course he still took action along with an insult or two, but Crowhaw wasn't Nic, so degrading words are out of compounds.

Crowhaw closed his eyes. "Suite yourself, but know this…" He began to fade into black mist again. "Say what you can, because screaming will be all that engulfs this planet." He was gone the next second, making himself intangible to Mark and his line of vision yet again.

Mark looked all around, unnerved as he tried to search for Crowhaw, but he was too elusive. _'_ _Damnit, this just isn't helping. We're not getting anywhere like this.'_ He thought. _'_ _It's been nearly ten minutes and all we've done was yell and vanish. I gotta find another way to draw him out if words aren't enough.'_

A sudden raging tempest of darkness once again funneled from the ceiling down onto Mark. This time, Mark chose another initiative. He raised his arms overhead and manifested a green translucent shield. The Aura Guard blocked the funnel, making it collide against his defenses constantly like a drill. While it remained up, it allowed Mark some time to think.

"Once again, you're delaying the inevitable." Crowhaw announce from high above, where he was reaching out and shooting the funnel from his hand. "If all you do is stall, then this will make things easier for me."

The green shield was shuddering from the constant funnel advancing onto Mark, but Crowhaw couldn't see too well with his attack in the way. Suddenly, the dome's green light intensified, creating a light green light that continued to burn brightly.

"What?" Crowhaw was caught a little surprised by the shield before it eventually shattered. The shards and fractured fragments of green aura discharged with the bright green aura Mark stored up inside. Hundreds of small spears of green aura blasted in all directions, not missing an inch. Crowhaw scooted backwards as the explosion of green shards were closing in on his direction. Retaining caution, the Ghost Mage brought his arm to the side and swiped, sending a dark shockwave towards the green shards. The aura and the darkness collided in yet another explosion, cancelling out both attacks. Crowhaw felt safe for the time being, with what spare seconds he's achieved, yet then his hopes dashed when a green beam shot as fast as the speed of light, engulfing him in a blast green aura.

"GAH!" With a loud shout, the ghostly man faltered back down from the air, sliding on his heels to a bitter halt. He grunted and looked back up to see dust scattering, revealing Mark standing there, frowning with a serious look, one that left the ghostly man uneasy.

"Is that more like it?" He inquired.

Crowhaw straightened his feet beneath his tattered cloak's bottom and glared back at him. "Well now, it seems that you aren't as dim-lit as I pegged you. Seems you have some bite after all."

Mark managed to grin from the corner of his lips. "Now look who's talking too much."

Crowhaw offered no input as he stared coldly at his adversary.

"Now look pal, thanks for a few battle lessons and all, but I also gotta say I don't care about your concept of what you describe as family." Mark's fists glowed green. "I started a family, that's one concept. And then there's Nic, who took it upon himself to make his own family comprised of other creatures. That's another concept. You say that family is only one or the other, well I say it may as well be both. It could be a bunch of Zubat or little Bellsprout, or whatever. The point is, your ideology means nothing to the likes of a Pularis, and I intend to prove it!"

Proving another point, Mark shot his fist forward, shooting a green beam from it that abruptly got Crowhaw yet again. The ghostly man covered up as he took the assault and slid back several feet, maintaining ground, albeit barely.

Mark's fist sizzled as it remained stretched out. "I'm talking to a ghost for crying out loud…then again, I am technically dead."

Crowhaw ascended back into the air, revealing his conical straw hat still barely attached. "And vice versa. Though you are worthy of being an adversary, I stand by the rise of Impure Underworld, and for all to burn."

Mark snickered as he adjusted his stance. "You know, I've heard how my son beat your ass. Let's see exactly what his old man can do. Shall we?"

* * *

"HRAH!" Laura fired a beam of blue aura at Ivy, which traveled remarkably fast. Ivy remained positioned around her forest of wiggling large black roots as they all converged around her and shielded her in a dome of swirled roots. The blast of aura met the shield, but the attack completely bounced off, nullified by the veil set up. The veil immediately unwrapped and became several lashes again, reaching out at Laura with a swipe of Ivy's arm. The several large black roots got closer, in which roles reversed when Laura swiped her arm diagonally up, creating a blue aura wall that the hissing plants ran into.

"Gnnnngh!" Laura grunted as she tried to hold up the shield, but she found herself shoved back a few feet from the roots continuing to advance forward against her wall.

Ivy's eyes narrowed. "Someone's not paying attention, is she?"

A small crack emerged right behind Laura, sprouting into a smaller black root that arose and snagged a coil around her ankle. The mom was petrified in shock as her ankle felt a harsh tug that picked her off the ground. The shield shattered apart and the snared root threw her overhead, making the mom shout as she hit the ground, sliding on her side in pain.

The roots retreated back to Ivy's side, a hand to her hip. "Oh come on, don't tell me your age is backfiring on ya. I was looking for some more fun before you tire out." She huffed.

Laura got back to her feet, grunting as she reeled her right arm back. She reached forward and fired a beam of blue aura yet again, this time in short volleys in rapid succession.

"Alright then!" Ivy raised her head in pride as the dark rooted material around her responded and arched around her, making a shield that was in attempt to block the adversary's attack. The volleys of blue aura bombs closed in as Ivy predicted, but Laura narrowed her eyes, using her magic's aura-like qualities and alter the direction. The volleys suddenly altered course and climbed up the arch like a waterfall, arching overhead down onto a shocked Ivy. The enemy mage looked perplexed, but took it lightly as they closed in.

"You're not getting ahead of me!" Ivy crossed her forearms, instantly making a dome of black roots sprout from around her feet, encasing her just as the harsh volleys bombarded the material. Each impact rattled the black roots, but nonetheless, they remained intact.

"You sure know how to annoy me." Laura pointed out.

The shield and the wall came down, retreating back into the dark ground. "Likewise." Ivy commented. "For someone who's been dead, you sure don't seem to be taking chances."

Laura made her hands coat on more of her blue aura. "Why would I when I have an agenda to accomplish?"

Ivy took a small pause, maintaining a small grin. "…and what might that be? Hmm~?"

Laura didn't bother smirking. "What else? I plan on stopping this spell and do whatever I can to help my son and daughter's cause." She proudly stated.

Ivy smirked. "Aren't you noble." Her smirk turned into a frown. "But it's a little sad."

Laura's eyes widened. "What?"

"Well don't get me wrong, your actions and hopes for stopping us is admirable. I mean, look at how far you've gotten. It truly is inspiring for all who have hope…but hope doesn't exist when you're a dead cause." Ivy gave a despondent look, like all the care was washed away from her. "Poor shame." She snapped her fingers, making the ground beneath Laura shudder.

The Aura Mage looked down at the ground and could feel an intense swell of Magic Power once more. She abruptly backed away as a sharp black root jutted upwards, making small rocks fly in all directions. Laura slid back and glared at Ivy continuously.

"You plan on helping your children to atone for the sins you've committed, yet you didn't take into account that sins are all that you are?" Ivy questioned. "Think about it. Your whole life has been a sin, and you once thought giving birth to that Nic fellow was the biggest sin in the world. News flash girl, every life is a sin in the face of Hell. Hell's only atonement, is by taking you back to where you belong, to the darkness where all sinners are meant to be."

Whatever Ivy was implying, Laura wasn't taking likely. She looked a little flustered of not provoked, but nevertheless, the mother retained what composure she could. "Listen, _girl_ , but my son and daughter aren't the ones who fall hopelessly to their knees. If you believe they belong in Hell, you're making the last mistake ever made." She threatened.

"How so?" Ivy countered.

"It doesn't matter to me or my dear of we came from Hell or not; if anything, I may as well empathize a little with where you're going with this, but even though we've made a lot of mistakes in our lives, Mark and I swore ever since that our babies forgave us, that we'll pull ourselves out of Hell and stare the devil in the eye as long as they do the same."

Ivy stared for a small period of time at Laura, seeing the determination in her blue eyes. Those eyes said it all, those miserable blue eyes. Ivy could stare at them, and it's like gazing into the blue sky, something she despised, let alone couldn't fathom. Her patience was wearing thin, her dreadful own gaze leering back at Laura, her body outlined in a dark green aura.

"You know…as much as I love to talk about how you deserve nothing less than death, I think I made my point clear. It's been fun talking, while I had an interest of course." Ivy said.

Laura's blue aura manifested around her body yet again, becoming dense. "I haven't had girl talk in years. It was refreshing, but I got a world to save. I say we agree to disagree..." Her eyes narrowed, a darkening glare rivaling Ivy's. "Or do you disagree with me there as well?"

Ivy flashed a brief smirk as she swiped both arms forward. "Hmph, does this answer your question?!"

She summoned several more lashes of black roots that rushed after Laura. The Aura Mage retaliated with shooting a full blast of blue aura that met the roots in the center, generating an explosion of bright blue that separated the two women from the other, their eyes set on killing one another, their confident smirks tarnished by the feeling of adrenaline and their own agendas colliding. This was a battle neither could afford to lose.

* * *

There was another section of the hills that was left outside in the pitch-black skies. Everything was dark, the atmosphere howling with cold winds that could leave the might of anyone shivering in their boots and footwear. Erza wasn't the only one who was teleported to the outside world apparently. Far deeper in the valleys and ridges of the hills, there was yet another who had yet to realize she was in peril.

Vanessa looked around the rocky terrain, unnerved but remained quiet. She looked exceedingly unsound with what transpired. She looked left and right in hopes of finding a clue as to where she may have ended up. "How long have I been walking around for?" She quietly muttered. "It felt like an hour. I still can't believe what happened to us." The youngest of the Pularis family continued walking her pace, silently hoping for some sign of the others.

"I can't seem to detect Erza or Nic's auras, and Mom and Dad are out of range it feels." As she walked, she put a hand to her chin, pondering. "Is it because the negative compounds generated by the spell is putting up an interference or something? All I can detect is malevolence."

As her worries intensified, the pitch-black sky thundered. The growling and groaning high in the sky made her stop in her tracks, looking up high in the sky to see the Impure Underworld's sky starting to crackle.

"…thunder?" She questioned.

A fast and loud bolt struck a random spot far away, but it was so loud it startled Vanessa, making her go wide-eyed and face said direction with a skip in her heart. As the thunder echoed, the uneasiness multiplied drastically around her. She took a small step to the side, but she jumped again when lightning again shot down, this time, a lot closer. She turned around to see a large crater that sizzled in the center.

Her gaze remained wary. "What's going on here…?"

Lightning roared one more time, this time, igniting the sky in ions that crackled across the sky. Vanessa turned once more, this time, she was hit with an intense sense of Magic Power and aura, flaring like an inferno from out of nowhere. Her heart nearly skipped two beats when the aura was somehow familiar, and not in a good way. She saw a lone figure standing atop of a ridge, looking down onto her with hollow eyes and a dark cloak as lightning crackled high over his head, echoing outwards.

Vanessa looked up at him with horror. "No…I remember you." She gasped, recognizing the man to be Imaci.

Imaci's eyes were fixated onto Vanessa, the lightning crashing down behind him, darkening his figure and eyes, the face of a rotting demon that silently watched his prey cripple before him.

* * *

Erza slashed at Saboth, but Saboth blocked with Demon Karbia, swatting her away. Erza slid backwards to a halt, barely keeping footing to hold off another attack that was to come. Her sword positioned to defend, she readied, but the sudden sound of thunder and lightning rattled her ears.

"What?" The Requip Mage heard the roaring and bellowing of lightning, far greater in range compared to what she recalled of Laxus' caliber. Her gaze was wary as it diverted deep into the hills in the distance, miles away. "What on earth is going on? The ground's nearly trembling."

Unlike Erza, Saboth was unfazed by the lightning traveling through the sky, ignoring the ground constantly vibrating. He just glared coldly at Erza, zero remorse evident. "It would seem Imaci has found his target." He said.

* * *

The ground vibrated with sheer intensity from the thunder across the sky. Vanessa looked up with a mix of nervousness and awe as Imaci glared down at her with the same emotionless look.

"We meet again, Vanessa Pularis."

* * *

 **As I had promised, here is the last update for February. I hope you all liked it. This chapter was mainly just to set up who will fight who in the next few chapters. We got Nic VS Alpha, Mark VS Crowhaw, Laura VS Ivy, Kecleon VS Mariah, Magnezone VS Gengar, Vanessa VS Imaci, and Erza VS Saboth. Hope you liked the matchups!**

 **There's still a lot of questions that are rolling around, like how the Rivolta members came to be, and who Alpha is and what his deal is, but in good time. I assure that much. I did a rough calculation as to how many chapters should be left in this arc, and I think a good 5 if not 6 chapters left, so hopefully by mid-April is my goal to have the Impure Underworld Arc complete.**

 **So as usual, share your thoughts and review, and thanks for reading another chapter! :)**


	38. Plucking Thorns From A Black Rose

Adorned in her Lightning Empress Armor, Erza twirled her secondary spear as she lunged after Saboth as her other one shattered in the last fight in the tunnels. The spear's tip met the flat edge of Saboth's sword, discharging Lightning Magic in all directions. The large flare wasn't enough for Saboth to back away as he swatted Erza off, but she gained ground again and relentlessly thrust her spear with fast and furious precision, similar to a Fury Attack. Saboth blocked every blow without moving much, his sword anticipating the angles and strikes and deflecting them without so much as generating even a few sparks. When he had found an opening, Saboth slammed his sword down, generating a bright explosion, prompting Erza to leap back and evaded the expanding wave of chaos energy. She slid along the ground against her heels to a halt, hand to the earth.

The dust cleared out, Saboth glaring at Erza with his dull yellow eyes bent on thrill. "Your reflexes are strong." He admitted. "But that doesn't stop me!" He sprung towards Erza, bringing his sword back to slash. With a hardy cry, he unleashed Demon Karbia in a diagonal fashion, but Erza jumped overhead as means of dodging, the large boulders behind sliced in half instead.

Erza landed behind Saboth, but she twirled her spear around, Saboth not wasting a breath as he pivoted and attacked her repeatedly. Every thrust and slash unleashed was packed with tremendous power, eventually driving itself to where the spear Erza held was barely intact. Now it was Erza who was on the defense.

Saboth stabbed again, Erza having no recourse other than using her spear to counter. With a shout, the tips of their blades met, generating powerful electric and static waves that flashed everything up. It wasn't long until Saboth gained the upper hand, driving his superior sword through Erza's spear, shattering it.

"Damnit!" Erza screamed out when Saboth's boot met her face, sending her sliding onto her back several feet away.

"You're dull." The dark samurai taunted. "I was expecting much more from the likes of you."

Erza stood back up, grunting from that last blow. "I'm not through yet." She testified. Requipping once more, she adorned the Flight Armor, blitzing ahead. "I'll just have to prove it to you! **Sonic Claw!** " The Requip Mage suddenly became a blinding glint that slashed repeatedly. She reappeared behind Saboth in a slashed pose with eyes shut. There was a stiff moment of pause before something gave out. Erza's eyes widened when her katana began breaking apart, shattering like glass.

"But how?" She exasperated.

Saboth turned around, his armor not even fazed, nee scratched. "You may have speed on your side, but I have the will and endurance!"

Proving his point, he slashed Demon Karbia horizontally, a bright trail following all around the hills and quarry they were dueling in. Boulders went flying in a straight line while Erza was sent flying from the shockwave, screaming from the raw intensity from the attack. The samurai snarled as Erza fell onto her back with a thud.

"My power derives from my undying will of battle. I crave the lust of battle, it is my will, as it is my life." He held up Demon Karbia. "Ever since this blade was forged, there was nothing if not myself worthy of this holy craft of the works from Hell."

Erza stood back up once more, albeit with struggle. Once she was up, she was trying to catch her breath. Her and Saboth's glare were deemed even, intensity flaring between the other. Once she had caught her breath, she spoke once again. "You seem very fond of the path that you follow. It's sad."

"What?" Saboth asked, highly offended.

"To think that such a powerful will comes from your desire to fight only for yourself. Is the underworld truly that selfish, I wonder. I don't know how narrow your point of view is, but if you've always strayed onthis path alone, then it's perhaps time you learn what it means to gain real power."

"Real…power?" Saboth growled. "Real power?! You're nothing but a delusional doll! Wake up and smell the blood in the air!" He took a small pause, his grip on Demon Karbia getting firm. "In battle, when it's just two warriors, what is it that they must focus on? Must they focus on what their fighting for, or what they are fighting against? You can only choose one, because choosing both is not possible. If you fight for others, where is your self-worth? Where do you stand on the spectrum of self-reliance? Not everyone is by other's sides, not that you could fathom."

Erza's eyes narrowed, listening with a cold heart to Saboth's words.

"If you are all alone, there is only yourself to rely on. If you fight for another's cause, where is your ambition? Don't you matter? Don't you have a say in what compels you, or are you too weak to realize what strength you may possess on your own? How can you be so confident in your own power if you don't test it against great numbers, let alone enemies with their own ambitious agendas? You ask yourself these questions over and over, and after experiencing them, it becomes clear." He moved Demon Karbia upfront, gripping with two hands instead of just one. "It becomes clear…that if you can't find your instincts to kill, then your ambitions are nothing but flaws beaten into you by the outside world's influences."

Erza looked a little tempered. "So you're saying you're stronger because your ambition is ran by you and you alone?"

"Yes. Only one matters to you in battle, and that is yourself." Saboth told her.

Erza closed her eyes, holding back her wrath. "And so I'm selfless, and yet you find selfishness to define battle." Her glare returned, her iron will as intense as can be. "I don't let my own agenda cloud the big picture. It's only a fog that keeps me from understanding what I must accomplish." She once again thought of Mark and Laura's explanation of the graphic Impure Underworld. "If I am to survive, I must find my will and strength…and to do so, I must live for the ones I love."

Saboth let a small growl beneath his lips escape. He seemed angrier with Erza's testimony. "So, you are in fact deaf to reality."

"That isn't true. It is you who is the one in the dark."

"Then how do you intend to live if you do not survive battle? A battle is satisfied only when one stands. Running from a fight leads to no victor, and thus nothing gets anywhere." A death-like aura surrounded Saboth as he leered at Erza, the power around him manifesting into the blade. "I honor nothing but what my own heart tells me, and it tells that I must be content with fulfilling what I love – slaying!"

Erza requipped once more, into her sarashi bandages and hakama pants. She held two katana. "So you'd abandon humanity for ambition, and you'd ignore the world's cause all for the lust that your heart cannot be satisfied with. If so, then we shall never meet eye to eye. You have no heart, only a void that will never be realized."

"Such small words coming from a weakling." Saboth lunged ahead, running towards her.

Erza used her quick feet and sprung and lightly raced towards Saboth, both meeting in the center.

* * *

A shockwave nearly turned the ground upside down, the layer of rock flying haphazardly, quaking the entire chamber and its walls.

The menacing Alpha hollered back at Nic when he scooted back from the shockwave, with Nic reappearing from a dirt cloud. In his hands, Nic manifested a bright pink sphere, gathering lunar energy and pressing his hands towards Alpha, unleashing Moonblast. As the sphere traveled across the earth, a trail of rock and dirt split apart beneath, showing its power.

It closed in on Alpha, but he brought back a gauntlet cloaked in his pitch-black negative energy and thrust forward, piercing the powerful Fairy-type move. The collision of both brutal offensives resulted in yet another cataclysmic explosion, one that engulfed everything in horrific howls of the damned that rattled the earth. Dark and pink waves of intense energy hit the walls and the floor, expanding the rock, let alone thinning it to an extreme.

The dust cleared, and Alpha's tattered cape flared in the cold winds generated. He frowned as his blood red eyes caught note of a thin layer of dirt over a caved-in sector of the ground. It was small, enough for someone to fit inside. He widened his eyes, a powerful, deadly wind expanding outwards and blowing away any means of dust.

The dust went away, revealing a hole. Alpha's sharp incisors gritted, making a very unpleasant sound. "Tch, of course he'd use evasive maneuvers." He looked down at the ground, trying to locate where he may be hiding beneath. He seemed intrigued, but at the same time, annoyed. "Hmmm…"

Suddenly, just when he thought he caught onto something, the ground suddenly began to vibrate with sheer magnitude. The waves of energy made the ground flow up and down like ocean waves, throwing Alpha off balance.

"What the-?!"

Beams of light shot out of the ground, engulfing the ground and atmosphere in a bright rainbow. Alpha's eyes shot from the intense light, burning his rotten skin and screeching like a vivid banshee. He was engulfed in a bright explosion that leveled the ground, shattering everything that stood aboveground. The tunnels ruptured with dust waves expanding outwards.

The bright invasion from beneath faded, revealing leveled ground, and Alpha was hunched over, his skin steaming from the burning sensation. Dark shadows were over his eyes, making it hard to see what he was feeling. It didn't take long until the ground beneath broke apart, a hole popping up and Nic initiating Dig, driving a right uppercut to the deplorable man's chin. The impact sent Alpha flying through the air, while Nic made it aboveground, landing on the flat earth with a small slide back. Alpha slammed against the ground several meters away, quaking the earth with a bone-shattering sound.

Nic stared at the dust Alpha stirred up, unable to see his figure. "Gngh!" He winced harshly, the pain from that contact with Alpha's burning body as harsh as it was touching fire. It was like a rotting virus that Nic flicked off his hand to alleviate the pain.

A strong silence passed before the dust finally began to settle, yet Nic felt no decrease in pressure; in fact, he could actually feel far more intensity in the air as usual. His eyes grew wary and unnerved. The dust suddenly blew in all directions as Alpha was seen up on his feet, hollering with so much monstrous pressure. Dark shockwaves emitted from his throat, rattling the earth and cracking it apart. The intense waves roamed all around, making Nic slide back a couple of feet, but otherwise didn't fall over.

Alpha closed his mouth, staring at Nic like a zombie. His teeth were wide with blood seeping from the black gums. His blood red, feral slits were focused solemnly on Nic.

Nic's eyes slowly narrowed, his will driving in the same direction as it's always been.

Alpha's body shuddered lightly, while craning his neck, snapping it with loud and ear-splitting snaps with every bone as his head turned a full 180 degrees, looking at Nic from a gross angle. His head turning made Nic stare with a distraught expression. _'_ _Is he…even human?'_ He thought in worry.

Alpha snapped his neck into place, standing straight up and firm against Nic. "You know…you're a little disappointing." He admitted.

"What?" Nic questioned.

"Come on. Don't get me wrong, throwing one off with an obvious evasion followed by an explosive dilemma from below seems a little practical…though the insult to injury at the end of that attack did add some spice I suppose. Still, you can do better."

Nic's fists clutched, his uneasiness growing rapidly as he glared at Alpha. _'_ _He's not even hindered by my attacks? He doesn't even look fazed in the slightest, even after Dazzling Gleam and Dig. Is it because of the Impure Underworld affecting his body? I can't tell if he's even half-dead…or alive.'_

"Tell me, are you ever fond of games?"

Alpha's abrupt question left Nic with inquiry. "In what category?"

"Any. Board. Strategy. Kitty games. Even these mind games. Do they entice you? Do they rapture you? Any form of them at all?"

Nic's kept his squinted stare. "Hard-pressed. The only game I had to play at times is strategy in battle." He retorted.

"Strategy you say?" A smirk came across Alpha's face as he hummed aloud. "Yet you make your own rules. Are you unsure about your choice in the matter?"

Nic remained stiff and on guard as Alpha seemed to be toying with him, a mind game it seemed that is making Nic cross lines between his and outdoor logic. Mind games are in fact the most complicated if not wary of your own doubts. This exploration was testing Nic's doubt in his mind, the mind game, one that Nic realized Alpha was doing. Right then and there, he knew that Alpha was amused with mind games.

"Making up ways to overwhelm your enemies; that's the basic agenda of all these games. Kitty games such as tag or hide-and-seek, they test your skills at a young age, seeing how you can evade an enemy for a long period of time, or increase stamina. Evasion let's one devise a strategy, as strategy that plays out like a board game. All the pieces are in place, and now that strategy for had kid game is in place. All those games, they are in full circle. They all share a correspondence with two sides who have a different way of viewing that game."

"And what just might be your implication?" Nic asked.

"My little nuisance that you all took out, Fernando, he viewed the world and its inhabitance as a board game and that alone. He was a fool that I intended to slaughter like lamb, but he was decently useful with providing material for my own game."

"Your game, you say?"

"As you know, the Impure Underworld is a strategy game. Who do you worry about? Who is it that you trust? Can you really kill your dead family members by your own hand? That itself is a mind game. It's amusing to find so many toiled children and helpless worms wiggle until they are plucked out of thin air." Alpha frowned. "Although…I think the equally biggest game next to the Impure Underworld, is the one that inspired the concept; he who cannot beg is no chooser? Ring a bell?"

Nic's eyes widened. "…Beggars and Choosers!" He gasped low.

"Yeah, now you're getting it. A game that bends the mind. Those two meddlesome people, Mark and Laura, your mother and father, they were the center of it all. They were beggars. They were the enemies whose strategy was to beat us at our own game. Then there was the other side…my side, the choosers. It was clear the advantage was ours, and our strategy and mind game seemed swell…then again, we dropped the bargain."

Nic's eyes narrowed in anger.

"Ever since the last time they've interfered with the Impure Underworld, they were always in the beggars' side. They thought that with desperation and hope that they can beat the choosers, the dominant side; my side." He gestured casually into the air, as if showing off. "As you know already, beggars can't be choosers, and choosers who become beggars are unaccepted…but is that much true? This was where the fun began. So, when the spell activated, me made them the deciding bargain. Would the choosers prevail, or would the beggars drop the bargain?" His overzealous gesticulation ceased, staring at Nic with seriousness. "Then…the rules were broken. The mind game was no more, when the beggars actually accepted the bargain, turning them to beggars." His fists clutched tight, seemingly frustrated and escalating. The menacing aura around him climbed to new levels of foul. Decay filled the air, Alpha's hatred brimming. "They were beggars from the beginning, and they will stay as beggars! No exception!"

There was a long silence that passed between the duo. Alpha was looking mad, panting like an animal that was feasting on a tiger with a shuddering gaze. He huffed, staring at Nic as he remained unchanged.

"…you broke the rules created, created by your own hand. That's what deems a hypocrite." Craig retorted.

Alpha growled at him, looking very much angered.

"That's the purpose of your little mind games. You turn a beggar on his own and watch with the choosers as you play god. Yet you broke the rule of accepting beggars, hoping they'd fall for your mind game, that was the first mistake. The second mistake you've made, was thinking us so-called beggars had to believe a chooser chose which path we followed." His body began to emit a strong and pink aura, which made his coat lightly defy gravity. The air around him sparkled with intense force. "Well you're the biggest hypocrite I've ever known, because you played yourself to a corner. When Mom and Dad were the bargain and we accepted them, you thought we'd drop them…unfortunately, I learned something that I thought could enforce, but even which is inevitable. Rules are always broken!"

Alpha opened his mouth, violently hollering at Nic with a sinister dark wave that made small pebbles fly passed him. Still, Nic remained undeterred.

"Choosers such as yourself can play a mind game all you want, or view everything as a kid's game…" Nic lunged ahead, attacking once more. "But we beggars got our own game that we follow, and we got our own rules that defy yours!"

"That's why wars are waged!" Alpha sprung back ahead to attack. "And that's why the world will burn tonight, so humanity and everything will fall apart to the glory of a single chooser!"

"Not if we stand in your way!"

* * *

A bright pink flash sparked between Mariah and Kecleon as they were in close-range. Mariah faltered as Kecleon ascertained the proximity advantage with her quick feet and immense reflexes. With sharp strikes in her hands and claws, she was able to weasel around and evade the knife-like crystals Mariah made. Mariah stepped backwards, faltering from her lack of close-range strength. She let her eyes narrow as she brought her right side around, attacking with sharp and decisive crystal slashes. The blade reached Kecleon's side, but before it could reach her cheek, she raised her left claw, blocking it, nee shattering the crystal blade to sparkling pieces.

Mariah and Kecleon stared at each other with their proximity close. They seemed to be staring at the other, discerning their capabilities.

"Seems as though you have greater strength than what I had anticipated, little one." Mariah said, remaining unemotionally impressed.

"I work out." Kecleon said in her creepy and monotone voice.

"So I've noticed." Mariah squinted, using her magic once more. Kecleon's sharp senses picked up on the pressure beneath, abruptly jumping into the air and back to avoid a thick pillar of dense pink crystal. The chameleon-like organism landed on the ground, but then disappeared into invisibility once more. Her red pattern remained visible, but too fast to be seen as sharp precipice crystals prodded up from the ground, quickly engulfing the chamber in crystal spikes. With each different spike, the ground shuddered. Kecleon remained invisible, evading them all, the distance between her and Mariah fading with the chances of her close-range combat.

"None can escape my Crystal Magic. Whether you see it or not through those eyes of yours…this world's legacy will shatter like glass, just as your existence shall be." Mariah coldly warned.

* * *

Magnezone let loose another Mirror Shot as he circled around Gengar. The Steel-type attack went after him, but Gengar dodged with ease. The two still woven in their battle in the air, they continued circling around one another, looking for various openings to strike. Gengar eventually found one is less than a couple seconds, firing another Shadow Ball that Magnezone leaned away from and evaded. The roles were constantly switching back and forth, with them circling around and finding an angle to fire either a Shadow Ball or Mirror Shot, but after minutes on end, neither side was really getting anywhere.

Gengar veered back, smirking still. "Heh, what is this, a dance-off? Quite trying to play around with me."

Magnezone charged ahead, cloaked in his Spark. He lunged with great speed, but Gengar again ascended, dodging as Magnezone continued on and rammed his huge metallic form into the wall, making static flare as a small crater was made.

Gengar descended and looked back at Magnezone. "You're a lot slower than what I took you for."

"I'm not even warmed up yet." Magnezone warned.

Gengar raised a brow. "So you say? Care to prove my point wrong?" Without a second's worth of hesitation, Gengar shot a black aura fist outlined in purple. " **Shadow Punch!** " The Ghost-type attack shot at Magnezone, striking him hard in the front. Magnezone yelled as he slammed back into the wall.

Gengar chuckled. "Heh, this is getting to be more than a little entertaining."

Magnezone slowly undid himself from the wall once more, a look of twisted pain on his inorganic face as he stared at Gengar.

* * *

The pitch-black skies thundered, crackling various bolts of lightning. The lightning abruptly shot down towards the earth, howling with the impact of a raging Zekrom. The thunder echoed, breaking wind between Vanessa and Imaci as the former stood on a higher plateau than her. It was like he was a god looking down on a petrified mortal.

"So much Magic Power…" The Aura Mage muttered beneath her breath.

"I can sense your hesitation. I hold nothing against you nor your predicament. However, I have circumstances of my own that I must be obliged to carry out." Imaci told her.

Vanessa stared up with bitter uncertainty. "I remember you." She thought back to the caverns, more specifically when they confronted Imaci when Erza was leading the escape route. "You're the one who intercepted us. It's you again." She finished.

"I can say the same. I recall you as well, young one. I take it that you did not heed my warning about the Rivolta?"

Vanessa's eyes narrowed, indicating Imaci's answer.

"As I thought. You were all played for fools right from the start, and even after I warned you of the Rivolta's individual extent of power, you are as blind as bats."

"Now is that really a way to talk to a lady?" Vanessa inquired, raising a row.

Imaci's bizarre eyes closed. "I am afraid your orientation is out of jurisdiction." A small silence engulfed the atmosphere, the pressure slowly escalating between the two. "You mean to say we view even your humanity, which is but a delusional aspect; such aspect does not coincide with our beliefs; therefore, humanity does not exist. The lives on the face of Earth Land has no significance, not to a mortal perspective, not to a hierarchy."

The girl's blue eyes stared up at him, glaring. "You're a very hard-pressed member of this Rivolta group we've had so much trouble with lately. Are you a Dark Guild?" Vanessa asked.

"Dark Guild?" Imaci questioned. "Guilds…Dark Guilds…this so-called Council; all of these, we have no compromise with, nor do we associate in any way with those categories."

"What…?"

"We are of our own design, our own perspective. We are a cult of those who insist on purging the planet of its mortality. We are destined to make it die, with every weak-minded heart that believes they have a pure soul." Imaci told.

"So, you're not a follower of Zeref?" Vanessa inquired, hinting confusion.

Imaci took a small cause, thunder booming above. "Zeref? My apologies, Vanessa Pularis, but speak on behalf of this Zeref. We have no regard to this man. We belong only to the Impure Underworld itself."

Vanessa's fists clutched tight, her nerves beginning to tingle. _'_ _His aura level is showing dark intentions. We really isn't aligned with Zeref. He's honest at least.'_

Once again, lightning showered down behind Imaci, sending shattered rock everywhere. The pieces of rock was like a flashy explosion that made Imaci look more flashy than he ever did before. As his cloaked flapped and shifted, his fixation was rendered unchanged.

"Tell me, are you aware of what happened just now?" Imaci asked.

Vanessa remained silent, unsure as to where Imaci was going with this conversation.

"Allow me to answer your silence, young one. As you know, you have defeated Fernando, which has caught our undivided attention. And so, we basically followed the concept of divide and conquer. Since he had so much complications, that means to ensure that we do not cause cataclysmic damage onto ourselves, nor harm our most treasured artifact. You can guess what the artifact may be given your time here."

Vanessa frowned coldly, looking uneased. "…the incantation circle."

Imaci nodded. "Correct."

"From way you word it, it sounds like you're more independent than we give you credit for." Vanessa pointed out. "Are you sincerely on the same ideal with everyone as you claim the Rivolta as it is?"

A strong silence thus fell upon the two, which caused the growing pressure in the area. There was no wind that blew, it was gone cold. Another shiver traveled down Vanessa's spine as Imaci stared bluntly at the mage inferior to her.

"The Rivolta…is complicated." Imaci confessed. "We in fact have one goal, to bring about the Impure Underworld. However, what we expect after that is out of one's jurisdiction of questioning I am afraid." The lightning in the sky flashed once more, shooting down a large bolt that was fast, furious, and gathered in Imaci's hand. Heinous static flared in his right hand, bright as a high-beam flashlight.

Vanessa's eyes widened. "That's…"

"I shall not lie. I too have my own reasons and my own goals. If they are to be met, I must stay by the Rivolta's code." He brought his electrified arm back. "And that means, no survivors!"

Vanessa's own Magic Power began to rise. "But then what are your goals? Tell me!"

Imaci's glare bored into her soul, leaving the young Pularis to falter back a step, unnerved. "As I had explained before, that is out of jurisdiction. I am sorry, Vanessa Pularis, but I must eradicate you and your soul from the face of this planet." Imaci brought his arm ahead. "The time to purge has begun!"

Imaci fired n intense and sharp beam of lightning from his stretched-out hand, almost striking Vanessa if not for her dodging. The ground shattered and a shockwave expanded outwards, making Vanessa slide backwards and grunt at the blow that made her stop mere inches away from a rock behind. No time was given for Imaci to even think of withdrawal as he kept his arm extended, firing another blast of intense lightning. The horrendous lightning blitzed and electrified the air, yet Vanessa held her ground this time.

" **Aura Guard!** "

Vanessa created a teal shield of aura that took the intense lightning attack. The air roared with a massive booming sound most unpleasant. The ground shuddered as Vanessa winced, barely keeping her barrier intact, even after the lightning dissipated.

"Tell me, why are you aligned with Alpha? Why go to such lengths to bring the world to its end?" Vanessa demanded.

Alpha instead raised his arm. He stared coldly at Vanessa as he focused his Magic Power in the air above. He brought his arm down, and the pitch-black skies above flashed several hundred glints like it were a light show going off. Dozens of beam-like bolts came crashing down onto Vanessa, crackling like firecrackers as they blazed through the atmosphere.

As time slowed down, Imaci narrowed his eyes. _'_ _Lightning flashes faster than the eye could trace. If I recall from our previous confrontation, she is the slowest of the two Pularis offspring. She cannot attack nor defend as fast as the other.'_

Vanessa spread her legs, taking an initiative and spreading her arms out to both sides. Her hands and wrists were enveloped in teal, preparing as lightning came down. " **Nugatory Burst!** " The ground around her suddenly erupted with dense pillars of teal, which shot straight up and met the random blasts of lightning without a single misstep. The lightning and aura cancelled out, engulfing the airspace in a very light cloud of static.

Imaci remained unemotionally impressed by the counter, instead he crouched his legs, thud jumping high.

Vanessa took a stance to ready for his assault. "Seems like I have to coax you to tell me your reasons!" She reached up at him, firing a dense beam of teal aura at him that raced through the sky. Imaci reacted fast enough to extend his hand down, exerting a powerful blast of lightning of sheer force. The two attacks met in the center if the atmosphere, congregating a discharge of bright ions. Both remained undeterred as they seemed neck and neck, but it didn't last long.

Imaci narrowed his eyes. Suddenly the edges of his attack crackled and controlled their own trajectory, guiding themselves down towards Vanessa by following her Emanation seem in a spiral fashion. Vanessa's eyes widened. _'_ _He's channeling his Magic Power through my own?!'_ Vanessa abruptly moved out of the way, ducking as the spiraling lightning reached her spot, reducing the rock behind into crushed bits.

Vanessa slid along the ground, maintaining footing as she stopped.

In midair still, Imaci pointed his left middle and index fingers at the ground, making the two fingers spark. "You aren't the only one who is able to channel magic from means of thin air, young one."

Vanessa's eyes shot wide when lightning beneath was cracking up the ground. Stirred rock and earth rattled as discharged energy had begun ripping through the landscape. Vanessa looked around, feeling an intense pressure heating up the cooled atmosphere; her goosebumps remained bewildered, however.

 _'_ _He can channel so much Magic Power from just two fingers alone?!'_ She gasped, realizing she was out of time.

" **Kage Volta!** "

The ground split apart in an immense explosion of lightning that engulfed everything. A pillar of lightning shot into the sky, sending static through the rocks in the quarry. The explosion traveled through the ground, sending a strong magnitude all around.

* * *

Nic spun into Alpha via Drill Run. As he did, he emitted a sparkling wind around him, creating a pink cyclone that was Fairy Wind. With that as a booster and veil, the winds made Alpha cover up with his gauntlets while Nic's Drill Run struck his actual gauntlets, the increased power making Alpha lose footing and slide backwards. Both slid backwards to a stop, glaring at the other harshly.

Alpha exerted another menacing roar, his sharp teeth prominent as dark shockwaves pulsated through the thick ground. A condensed beam of burning darkness blasted from his mouth, almost like a negative laser beam that disintegrated rock.

Nic jumped and dodged, evading the beam that bored right down the thick tunnel behind, disappearing into the distance. A few moments passed, before a sudden explosion of darkness exerted from the far end, sending dark waves of energy back through the tunnel towards Nic's back. As Nic landed, he could feel his back sting along with his arms as they felt like they were rotting off.

Alpha chuckled as his own backlash was actually very refreshing to him. "You truly are a deplorable scumbag of humanity, freak!" He raised his hands and made darkness engulf the forearms. He slammed them down, sending a shockwave of darkness that erupted out from underneath, eradicating rock and expanding outwards towards Nic.

Nic raised his foot and stomped down ahead. " **Earthquake!** "

Once he stomped down, everything was eradicated. The dark shockwaves met with the shockwaves and raised earth from Nic's vicious assault. Earthquake met Alpha's intense attack. The tunnels all throughout the area had shattered ground that continued to crack. The intensity of the attacks continued to rise as earth and a dust storm blew everywhere, the ground shuddering equally as hard as it was outside. The combined rumbling caused all of the hills and quarry alike to jump briefly, dust flaring from the rocks and tunnels of what Alpha and Imaci alike did.

As the quaking and dust stopped, Nic was seen faltering, struggling to stand firmly on his two feet. It was clear he sustained serious damage. He grunted as he looked through the dissipating dust cloud, Alpha seen standing on his two feet, his tattered cape still behind his back.

Nic's teeth gritted. "You…!"

"You're not too shabby, if I had to say so myself." Alpha admitted. "I was wondering whether or not you were such a threat…" He smirked. "Though as much as you are one, I think I've enticed myself a little too excessively. Don't you think?"

Nic's eyes squinted. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Alpha glared at Nic, his blood red eyes boring into his soul. Nic remained silent as his foe gave an ominous appeal.

"I'd rather answer you…but you see, I have engaged myself with you for a bit much than I'd originally bargained for. It would appear I used a little too much of my new power tested on you. I think I overdid it a bit…for just a mere 10%."

Nic's eyes shot wide open. "What…did you just say? 10%?"

Alpha cocked his head, proving superiority. "Yeah, that's right. I'd hate to do this to myself since I never hold back, but if I don't supply enough Magic Power, the spell will collapse if my amount is…insufficient." He looked off towards the side, his smirk turning serious. "And besides, I'm pretty sure your family is having its own affairs they're having trouble with."

Again, Nic's shock sprung.

"You felt it there, I see it in those annoying eyes that I hate so much. That shockwave, timed just right I might add, that just happens to be Imaci."

"Imaci…?" Nic took a moment to gather up his intellect on the Rivolta, and regarding their names. His shock came to fruition a third time in a row. "Wait, that Lightning Mage!" He gasped.

"Whoever he's facing, they better pray he doesn't unleash his trump card. I'd be surprised if they learned what his real power was." Alpha looked back at Nic, smirking still. "You know, there's something about you guys that intrigues me." He said.

Nic remained silent as he glared at Alpha.

"Your blood is most surprising, in more ways than one. What you see before is me, but then again, who is this 'me' that you are referring to? I am in fact Alpha, as I rule the Rivolta, but what's become of me? Why am I here? Why do I do what I love? Nic Pularis, if you and your comrades can somehow stop us, you may live long enough to learn of these questions." Alpha began to turn away. "But that'll never happen."

Nic stepped forward. "Wait. Hold on!"

"Sorry, fool, but I suddenly lost interest. I'm not like Saboth, I don't take a battle to a finish with one man. If you really wanna finish this…come and find me, or rather go and save your comrades. Your choice."

Alpha then walked into the darkness of the chamber, his menacing red eyes fading away and his signature vanishing.

"Wait…" But it was too late. Nic was left alone in the bewildering darkness of the chamber, Alpha abandoning their quarrel and attending to other needs. "…damnit." What Alpha said lingered around in Nic's mind; the Magic Power looming around, the immense pressure in the atmosphere, and the questions Alpha gave him. "Alpha, just who are you?" Nic's fists slowly balled. "I don't know who you are, or who you think you are, but there's no way that we're going to allow the Rivolta to reign as they please." His eyes suddenly widened, realization dawning upon him. "Wait…Erza! Vanessa!" He suddenly took off running towards the exit. "Mom, Dad, everyone, hang on!"

Nic ran through the dark tunnels, heading down towards the unknown in search of the others. _'_ _As much as Alpha is important, we can't stand up to him divided like we are. I gotta find everyone, and hurry!'_

* * *

The ground sizzled from the attack that was unleashed, lightning crackling continuously in the sky as thunder raged. It echoed all throughout the quarry and hills, with Imaci landing on the electrified ground. He frowned as he stared coldly at the area where the spell was most concentrated, which was where Vanessa was located. The dust and static began to diminish, revealing the youngest of the Pularis family still alive, her body having more than a few scratches as she had labored breathing. What was different from before was that around her was a very think veil of aura, which chipped apart like broken glass in a lot of places.

"You've survived that, pity." Imaci informed. "You've pulled up another of your defense shields at the last nanosecond. Quick-witted of you, but there's no guarantee that it will work a second time."

Vanessa grunted as she was barely on her feet, her uneasiness growing. She was just hit with an immense level of Magic Power, anyone with high reserves could've felt what an enormous amount it took up, yet Imaci used it so casually. What left her near-trembling…was that she still felt so much Magic Power left.

"What…who are you?" Vanessa asked.

"Who am I? I am but a mortal with a name, as are you. We are two entities that can never coexist for reasons. There is humanity…and self-worth." He answered. "Vanessa, I am nothing more than a man that intends to purge the world's dark and light alike, a sense in which all can remain as one entity. A state of purgatory, as opposed…" His eyes narrowed. "To the bitter struggle that will never end between humanity."

Vanessa's eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?"

"It matters not now. If you cannot understand what I am capable of comprehending, then all you need to know is my name, as other questions are hereby pointless." Lightning from across the sky gathered into a single spot, igniting the pitch-blackness in a blue glory.

Vanessa looked up, her eyes wide once more. "This magic…"

"I am Imaci…and this is where you have met your end."

* * *

Alpha's boots echoed through the darkness of the ground as he reappeared in another chamber, a very large one. He strolled ever so casually over large spider and bat organs and parts. Hearing the crunching sounds was music to his ears. He advanced over towards the Impure Underworld circle, seeing as how it's been untouched.

Standing off to the side was Vermilius, his scythe over his shoulder and his hood over his mask-like face. "Alpha." He greeted.

"Vermilius, I trust that there weren't any intrusions with the Impure Underworld while I was out on a small errand now, right?" Alpha's inquiry sounded more like a questionable threat, though Vermilius seemed unfazed by his master's innuendo.

"The silence of graves to be dug was all that was heard." The reaper informed.

Alpha walked passed his comrade. "Very well." Slowly, he approached the circle and entered the Impure Underworld's dark purple incantations, which slowly became a violet color. As he reached the center, standing in the middle of the spell's circle, the immense and deadly decay of flesh and power filled his black lungs with a breath of 'fresh air'. After taking in the power, he began to regulate his own by standing still. "Ah." He sighed. "It's nice to see such terror quell at my feet."

"Shall I leave you be?" Vermilius inquired.

Alpha's bloody glance turned towards him. "No, not necessarily. I need you to stay close by and make sure not a single thing gets within a hundred feet of my spell. Is that understood?" He ordered.

"As you insist." Vermilius nodded.

Alpha snickered as he turned around. "Not even a few hours until the blood moon rises. I'm feeling my skin crawl." His smirk intensified. "I'm intrigued."

"Hm?" Vermilius was rendered curious.

"I wonder if Nic and those Pularis members actually make it to the end like they did before? History would be repeating itself…how ironic." His bloodied eyes dropped. "History repeats constantly, whether we believe it or not. The same trigger is always pulled twice, if not in another time or place. Guns are fired, people perishing…but when the moon reaches its peak, that'll all be eternal. Blood will spill until every life in the seas and land alike are nothing but dim-lit bodies. I will break every bone, rip out every fiber of their hearts and brains, and watch as I crush all their skulls like crackers. And when I'm done…I will stomp on their mush and throw it into a pile for me to obliterate." His shuddering bloodlust went towards the side again. "Those fools coming closer…I dare not let that happen a second time. Purge and rip them apart. Leave no one but myself standing above all…"

His voice trailed off as he was huffing, regulating his adrenaline through his magic that ran through the letters, turning the spell dark violet.

Vermilius turned away, but remained close by as he wanted to savor the need to slowly torture the Pularis with a small grin on his face. He too was getting excited.

Meanwhile, outside over the pitch-black sky that was slowly spreading across Fiore, the moon was slowly rising, being a bloody red color.

* * *

Slowly, back and forth, blasts of green and black misty spheres went blazing in opposite directions. They were constantly paralleled, moving in one direction. It was Mark and Crowhaw as neither was giving an inch as they blasted back and forth with magic as one ran while the other floated in the same direction. They were unable to get a fair shot in because the other was moving unevenly. Eventually, Mark slid on his heels to a halt, shifting to face Crowhaw and unleash a green beam. To counter, Crowhaw turned to black mist, dodging the attack and reappearing above.

Mark grunted as he missed again, but didn't deter. He jumped away as Crowhaw unleashed a misty dark beam down onto him, scooting back towards the wall of the chamber.

Gently, Crowhaw descended to a lower altitude, staring at Mark. "Is that the best that you can do? I had expected more from such a novice of magic." He taunted. He ignored Mark's gritting teeth and reached ahead, exerting a black whirlwind from his sleeve.

"Tch! Hrah!" Mark's hands glowed green and he treated an Aura Guard, the translucent green dome shielding him from the impending black winds that would've slammed his old frame against the wall. When the winds stopped, the shield dissipated, but Crowhaw was right in front of Mark, startling him.

"How did-!"

Mark was abruptly cut off when Crowhaw's hand grabbed his neck and strung him against the wall, making the back of Mark's head throb. Crowhaw remained levitating, choking Mark without any faltering in his hold on the elder-looking man. His stare was so casual that it was frightening. He wasn't even smirking beneath his high collar. "You appear to have a strong will. But that won't save you, neither from myself, nor the world's peril."

Mark struggled to break free, but he was held by the neck, his feet unable to touch the ground. Despite the half-dead man's lack of air, he was able to open an eye. "Grrr…that's what you think, pal!" Crowhaw's eyes widened when Mark's shoes were cloaked in green aura, raising his left one to kick the ghostly man's abdomen. That did the trick as he was freed from his hold, landing on his two feet with a hefty gasp for air. Crowhaw's eyes widened when Mark reeled back a glowing green fist, but he evaded left, and then shifted right, avoided the gorilla-like wailing punches.

When Mark punched once again, Crowhaw floated backwards, carefully landing on the ground a safe distance away from close-range.

"You're a pain." Mark grunted.

"Likewise." Crowhaw retorted.

"How does evading and using cliché choking going to make you win? Choking ain't too fair if you ask me. I should know…" He recalled choking Nic a lot in the childhood, in more ways than one. He shook that out of his head and focused on the task at hand.

"Evasion is an instinct; to a ghost, such a tactic is second-nature." Crowhaw stated. "If you cannot protect your blind spots, you are more than likely nothing more than an open book with pages of loose content."

"Okay then, then how's about reading me? Let's start with this little trick called…chapter one!" Mark punched forward, firing fist blasts of green aura. The small green beams were constantly fired, yet Crowhaw dodged without little trouble and closed in on Mark without so much as turning into a mist.

Time slowed down as the two were shoulder to shoulder, a bright background around them. Crowhaw spoke. "As I said, you are easy to re-GWOH!" He again went wide-eyed as a sharp pain went through his abdomen. Mark smirked, feeling his fist cloaked in aura and scoring a right hook into Crowhaw's gut.

"Heh…!" Mark followed through with the punch. "Don't peg me for a dumbass!"

Crowhaw went tumbling through the air, barely regaining himself.

"I ain't that easy to read, ghost. You think you're a closed book? Well that's a little mistake that'll cost you big time." Mark said. He raised his hands, slamming them against the ground. "We're stopping you, and your little Rivolta just as we said before!"

The ground exerted beams of green aura that shot randomly, the exasperated attack leaving Crowhaw with nowhere to run. The green beams struck him, tracking his aura in the one spot and engulfing him in a small yet powerful explosion. Crowhaw descended from the smoke cloud, rather fall out of the sky with a pained grunt escaping him.

Mark lunged at him, his fist coated in green aura. "Don't you dare underestimate what one man can do!" With a mighty sock to the cheek as the ghostly man descended, Mark followed through with his punch, the intense impact sending Crowhaw flying super-fast into the opposite wall, making dust flare. Mark landed on the ground several feet away and on a knee, his chest expanding and then contracting.

"I'm getting…too old for this…" He panting, nearly lurching from the sudden exercise. He wiped the spit from his lip, his breathing coming around as he looked at the dust cloud. The rocks crumbled to pieces and he stood back up on his own two feet. He frowned deeply at the pile of rocks that Crowhaw was buried underneath.

"You're a tough nut to crack, I'll grant you that. This Rivolta group, it always has a way with humanity. You think that humanity is some form of possession that you can just discard or look over, always seeing how damaged and unrenewable it may be. How ironic, being bent on some deplorable aspect. What a sad life, I pity you."

There was a brief silence then.

"…you don't know the half of it."

Mark's surprise was visible.

The crumbling rock pile began to emit black mist that went through the cracks. The mist fizzled and gathered above, solidifying into Crowhaw as he was standing as he always was, having little damage it seemed. "Humanity is really something that is best left unsaid about our kind. We don't take lightly to what is good about the world. Because as you know, anything good always has a darkness." His one eye narrowed. "If you ask me, it's ironic how I'm speaking to an actual example."

Mark was not appreciating the inquiry. He stared coldly at Crowhaw as he began to ascend a few feet.

"You have seen humanity in all of its graphic colors in the past, have you not? You were there when the last Impure Underworld was unleashed. You saw the hatred and spite generated used as an actual weapon. That very same property is what conspired the usage of one man over another, to fight and wage battles using their arsenal, whether it'd be man or machinery. Essentially, both types are weapons in the end."

"Huh?" Mark raised a brow.

"Man uses machinery. Machinery kills. Man fights over machinery. Man kills machine. It's an always ongoing struggle, and as long as man is sought for power over themselves, they can never be seen in a good light. There's too much filth in humanity. Wars are waged, people die, and there is mourning. This resorts to hate, because when man kills man, hatred erupts."

"What are you saying?" Mark asked. "Are you implying that I'm nothing but rotten humanity."

"I'm saying that however you see it, it doesn't change the fact that the darkness in your heart is always there. As long as darkness and light continue the balance, man will forever keep the chain going. The circle of hate and pain with always be infinite. With the Impure Underworld, the balance can finally collapse. At last, humanity will fall to its bitter colors; its true colors. You can say you deny it, but you are the same as any other heartless man who views hate and pain, at least at one point." When Crowhaw one eye caught Mark shocked, he hit the nail right on the head. "When Alpha killed your brother-in-law, where did you exert that hate and pain to? You foolishly chose to unleash your hate and pain onto your child. You beat him to a bloody pulp because you couldn't save this Vince Pularis; and you punished this young boy for resembling the one good aspect of humanity when it was so dark in the hour. That light was gone, and inhumanity had reigned until your death. Death itself brings inhumane qualities onto those closest to the loved one, such as hate and no forgiveness. Pain is constant and ever-present, yet you can suppress it, but when it is unleashed, there will always be manslaughter an injustice. There is never a true justice, thus man accepts that and resorts to killing and violence. Inhumane never ends, and thus, it must take out humanity's goodness."

Mark clutched his fists tightly, uneasy with what Crowhaw said of him. "You…!" He growled, pained with Crowhaw reminding him of Vince. "What gives you the right to decide to speak so highly of the terrible things of humanity?!"

"Because of you." Crowhaw bluntly answered.

Mark blinked. "Because of…me?"

"You. Your spouse. Your children. You all contribute to humanity's dark side. The turmoil and bloodlust when you feel pain and hate is being used right now and growing to destroy the world. Just having that much bottled up rage and torment is inhumane."

"And yet you cast the blame onto us, when it was really another?" Mark implied.

"It was dealt by your hand. Every human that is born cries or feels emotion. As long as they feel pain or hate to another, inhumane quality will forever plunge the world into chaos. I have accepted this long ago. If the world will forever fight and kill for its resources, then there is no point in trying to fight it." His one eye shut. "I'm sorry, but that is how it must be-!" Crowhaw was abruptly cut off when Mark shot a single sphere of green energy from his palms. Scoring a hit onto Crowhaw, making him hit the wall again.

"Guh!" Crowhaw dropped to his behind, feeling pain from his back. He winced, but he opened his eye as a strong magical pressure could be felt. He looked up, seeing Mark cloaked in a green outline.

"Quit talking smack already, we get it. This ain't our first rodeo with Tauros, pal." The father Pularis said, his fists balling. "Yes, I admit, I hated Alpha, and I always will, for he took a good man away from me and my wife. He left a pain in our hearts, and that only served to fuel our need to fulfill our dark need to destroy and kill… but you know what, we held out for as long as we could. We tried our best, and yet still hurt our kids. We were terrible role models and we went ballistic. That we can say was inhumane of us to do. We can never deny that we've did a lot of things that we regret in our lives…but even as I am dead, that doesn't mean I can always rely on pain and hate for answers. Sometimes, it's the conviction of love from others, like Vince had when he went to prove Alpha wrong. Everyone has wrong in them, but you and this Rivolta of yours, it's nothing _but_ wrong." He recalled Fernando from before, and Hiruzen when he was reincarnated to be a savage killer. "You wanna kill everything and use the dead to make loved ones bitter and cry as they are helpless. You see nothing but bitterness and will be content with blood spilled. If you ask me, you're the true definition of inhumane."

Crowhaw stood back up, against levitating. "And what of this nonsense? Humanity does not belong in the Rivolta's agenda."

The aura around Mark began to intensify greatly. "You may view the world and everything as something that will never achieve peace, but answers vary. You wanna slaughter all so that your answer of no humanity is constant, well I say we defy inhumanity! We will use everything that we did wrong and atone, by saving this world a second time!"

Mark punched forward, sending a blast of aura at Crowhaw. However, Crowhaw was prepared for it. "Pitiful." He extended his sleeve out, exerted yet another black whirlwind that blew ahead, block the singular blast of green aura. The black and green energy dissipated, leaving both yet again at a standstill. "If one truly believes they can change humanity…then they must prove it. Whoever's will is stronger, will survive and reshape the meaning of what they are fighting for. If one is fighting for humanity, then whoever wins proves their side is superior. Failure…is not an option!" Crowhaw extended his arm ahead and unleashed a misty black sphere, but Mark lunged to the side, evading the hollow blast of magic and went lunging after his foe. As he ran, green aura embedded into his fists, and then he took a spring to the air, coming down to a knee and slamming a fist into the ground. The ground shuddered as a linear path of green aura traveled towards Crowhaw, yet he remained calm and didn't make unsettling movements. Instead, he became black mist, disappearing before the attack could hit him. The attack pressed on, erupting the wall behind. Crowhaw reappeared a few feet aboveground, keeping a weary gaze on Mark.

"HRAH!" Once again, Mark unleashed another intense beam of aura.

"Predictable." Crowhaw, once again, morphed his structure to become a black mist. The beam missed, and the Ghost Mage spiraled up the beam, trailing back towards Mark. When he reappeared in front of the half-dead man, he began to exercise a flurry of soft punches, but Mark leaned left and right, dodging each individual punch thrown at him.

When the opening arose, Crowhaw's wrist got caught, leaving his right side exposed. His eye widened, his guard cut off. "You know, it ain't too bright to get close to a Pularis, especially when we're so gifted on close-range brutalizing." His left fist was raised, clutching and drawing in swirling green aura. The power he drew from his aura was heavily intensifying.

Crowhaw remained unmoved, unable to break free. _'_ _His aura is trapping me. I can't break free!'_

"This one's for my family!" Mark let out a primal cry as he punched forward, connecting with Crowhaw's bizarre eyepiece. The material shattered, time momentarily slowing down as the impact made an air ripple exert, making the ground shudder. Crowhaw sailed backwards into a tumble, sliding and flipping unto he smashed into the rock pile he was underneath from before. The impact even made Crowhaw's conical straw hat fly off, fluttering down until it had reached the ground far away, out of sight and out of mind.

Mark smirked as Crowhaw was not moving. "Like I said, humanity isn't a tool you can overlook nor discard."

A long silence was falling down onto the duo, but for some odd reason, Mark was feeling a very ominous aura rising. His eyes showed shock, the atmospheric pressure morphing. _'_ _Wait…what's this Magic Power? It's…it's changing.'_ He looked back at Crowhaw with shrilled horror. "And what's up with this aura of his? I thought I…"

Crowhaw nudged, a groan coming from him. Mark's eyes widened, seeing Crowhaw lift his head.

"You shouldn't have done that." The Ghost Mage warned. There was something wrong with his voice. Normally, it'd be deep and stern, similar to Imaci, but now it seemed more shrilled, like a groggy demon tune in a way.

Mark felt sweat dripping from his side, his horror rising. "What…what is…?! What the hell are you?! What is _that_?!" He referred to what was beneath the eyepiece he shattered, where instead of skin and normal eye, he saw a white bone-like armor skin, and the eye was pitch-black, with shrunken yellow iris and sharp black sclera.

"What you had just undone is something that was meant to be kept on." Crowhaw stood up, standing on his two feet once more. "What you have been fighting was what minimal prowess I could've unleashed. You…have undid my seal."

"Your…seal?" Mark gasped, seeing the slow changes happening to Crowhaw.

Crowhaw's jaws and mouth began to grow visible underneath the high collar, which was tattered. "Tell me, do you believe in ghost?" His mouth was monstrously wide, all of the bony sharp teeth representing Hell itself. "Do you believe in the haunted spirits that would never hope to pass on?" The cloak he had on was starting to tear as sharp white horns protruded from the shoulders. His skin itself was turning bony white, his fingers becoming scythe-like claws. "Ages ago…there was a man who was a vagabond. He has seen many folklore, his parents, family, everyone he knew, he could see their actual spirits, see their souls; their ghosts. As time went on, he became so enraptured in the arts of these ghosts that the more he learned of there being good ones, he realized there were ghosts who would kill other ghosts." As he spoke, his feet began to alter. They became a white tail, wispy like a ghost. His hair was next to change. It was growing longer and spikier, almost the same length as Gajeel's. His other eye became like his right one."My family's ghosts were terrorized by these unhappy spirits, and as I was the last standing, they came after me on a stormy night. Lightning flashes as they clawed at my spirit and soul. I fought as hard as I could, but was my humanity enough to leave me be? No! This was my true power after I came to realize abandoning all humanity was needed. I slaughtered those spirits, but I was never satisfied, I will never be, so long as there's flesh shielding the unkindly good that everyone bottles up and denies! This…is the power of fear!" Crowhaw lurched, opening his huge jaws and exerting a grim screech that bellowed with so much Magic Power. The shockwaves rippled, cracking up the ground.

Mark covered his ears, unable to hear him. "GAH!"

The screeching eventually ceased, yet Crowhaw levitated, his ghostly tail lashing through the atmosphere. "With my seal undone, I have become nearly ten times more powerful." He floated a little closer. "The Rivolta took me in, realizing that I discarded all that I believed to be innocent and good. There is no such thing as a happy place, because happiness never lasts forever, and now…" His hollow eyes narrowed. "You will see why."

Mark's fists balled. He could feel his astonishment grow.

* * *

Mariah stopped her fighting momentarily, looking back in the tunnel blocked off by crystal. Kecleon stopped as well, feeling an ominous force that was coupled by an unbelievable hollowing wail like that of undead spirits.

Kecleon's head straightened out. "Eh?"

Elsewhere, outside, the hollow wail and the spike of Magic Power reached Erza and Saboth, both clashing their blades continuously and backed off briefly as they could feel the magic flare.

The sound Erza heard was most gruesome that it left her uneased. "What…is that sound?" She muttered.

Saboth adjusted his stance, smirking. Heh, seems Crowhaw's seal has been undone."

Vanessa went wide-eyed as her body was covered in scrapes. She looked up at Imaci as he said the exact same thing unknowingly. "His…seal?"

"The man who took you, that was just a façade. The real monster has just been awakened." Imaci warned.

Nic was in his Sky Form, racing down the same tunnel as before, feeling the unbelievable pressure that was just unleashed. His uneasiness has also increased, as did Magnezone, and Laura. All of them could feel the ghastly appeal. _'_ _What's going on?'_

* * *

Crowhaw lifted his long claws to his side, growling as he glared at Mark, tail lashing continuously. He watched Mark look like he was borderline trembling from his immense spike in Magic Power. A malicious shriek emanated from the ghostly hollow, and then everything went pitch-black.

Mark looked around, unable to see anything. "Hey, what the heck?

A cold chill went down spine when he felt a tingling sensation from behind. "Boo."

Mark turned around, terror making his face pale as the pitch-black flickered briefly to reveal Crowhaw inches away from his face, mouth wide open and shrieking like a bewildered demon from Hell. Mark stuttered backwards, pitch-black again filling the chamber. The lights came back on and Crowhaw was in his face again, scaring Mark. Again, Mark faltered in yet another direction. He couldn't stop paling as those images of Crowhaw were always in front of him. He was so psyched out that he fell onto his behind, panting heavily.

The pitch-black around him manifested and converged to a single point in Crowhaw's center. The killer ghost man sneering as the manifested Magic Power released in a pitch-black laser beam that was far more enormous compared to last time. The beam shattered the ground, blitzing towards Mark.

The Aura Mage tried to put up another one of his green shields, but just as the attack hit the shield, it didn't even hold up for two seconds before it shattered, engulfing Mark in a painful and voluminous explosion of darkness that expanded like a massive dome. The atmosphere and walls broke apart, shattering like glass. Mark hollered as his form hit the expanded walls, slamming harshly and falling flat onto his stomach, hitting the leveled ground.

Crowhaw hissed in delight.

"Damn…you bastard!" Mark grunted as he tried to get up, barely making it to his knees.

Crowhaw lunged at him, his tail and bottom of coat becoming wispy black mist as he charged. Mark retaliated as hard as he could, unleashing a powerful green punch as he closed in. When the attack made contact with the head, however, the aura went straight through, unlike last time.

"What…?" Mark muttered. _'_ _How is he evading. I thought with my aura, I could hit a ghost. Did his structure change with his power?'_

The ghost man recoiled backwards and hissed as he arched above, sharp claws stretched out as he slashed. Mark was unable to defend as Crowhaw raked with his scythe-like fingers, creating trails of black with red outlining that enveloped him like fire. The ground again shuddered for the umpteenth time as Mark slid backwards again, his front battered and bruised.

Crowhaw slashed again, making the raking darkness and expanding projectile attack. Mark saw the expanding black shockwave and ducked. He tumbled off to the side, barely evading as it smashed into the wall, making black tear into the rock. A hefty crevice was made, but that only served to startle Mark.

 _'_ _Just how much power did he gain?'_ He wondered.

Crowhaw charged again, his ghostly body swerving through the atmosphere. Mark looked back at him, but was too late when Crowhaw was far faster than what's been anticipated. The man's eyes widened when Crowhaw tore into his body. His fingers clutched and dug into his ribs and skin, impaling them, along with his sharp teeth tearing into his shoulder. Mark could feel nothing, yet at the same time, his body giving out. He remained wide-eyed, unable to respond as Crowhaw continued to push, shoving with all his ghostly might to pin Mark's back into the wall. The impact was so strong that Mark barely blacked out.

The ghost man continued to sink his fangs into his shoulder, speaking. "What good is any man who can't defend himself? If one cannot defend himself, they cannot defend others. You aren't strong, just like the good side of humanity." He dug his scythe-like fingertips deeper, making Mark's body unable to respond. The man was helpless as his half-dead form was barely hanging on.

Suddenly, Mark began to recall the events that transpired in regards to his family with the Impure Underworld spell. He began to recount Vince, and how he sacrificed himself so that they could live on. This recourse of desperate thought made him think back to a certain time when he and Vince interacted, just a few months before Mark and Laura got wedded.

 _It was in Couriway Town, the family taking photos for certain locations in which Mark and Laura could get married. There weren't a lot of beautiful places like Ambrette Town, Couriway Town, or Cyllage City. Right now, Mark and Laura were adoring the waterfalls of the town, smiles on their faces._

 _"_ _Now this is a beaut'!" Terrence smiled as he looked up at the waterfalls._

 _Cierra took another snap with her camera, getting the sunlight glistening over the waterfalls. "It truly is beautiful, isn't it?"_

 _"_ _This is all so amazing!" Laura happily exclaimed._

 _Mark put a hand to his hip. "Maybe we'd ought to find a place to stay here for the summer."_

 _"_ _I think we can make reservations, but I don't know for certain." Cierra said, taking another snap of the waterfalls. More accurately, this was her fifteenth._

 _"_ _I think it's time we head back to the inn. I'm getting a little famished." Terrence said. He turned away, looking back towards everyone else. "You all ready?"_

 _"_ _I guess so." Cierra huffed. "I wanted to take more pictures of the rivers, but I guess tomorrow will be another day."_

 _"_ _You guys coming?"_

 _Mark and Laura turned back towards Terrence, both smiling. "Sure." They said in unison._

 _Terrence looked around, realizing they were short one person. "Er, wait just a minute now…uh…" He looked to see their numbers seemed off, more precisely by one number._

 _"_ _Dear?" Cierra questioned._

 _Terrence let out a testy groan of annoyance. "Where is Vince now?"_

 _Cierra's eyes widened, realizing the flaw as well. "I didn't know Vince went off!"_

 _"_ _If I know him, I'd say he's trying to find wild Pokémon to battle against." The father turned towards Mark and Laura. "Can one of you go find him?"_

 _"_ _Sure. I'll go." Mark volunteered. "I'll meet you back at the inn soon. Make sure you don't start dinner without me!" He yelled as he walked off, waving back to Laura and the rest of the family._

 _About half an hour or so went on, and Mark kept on searching. He met various people, considered where he might be even, but Couriway Town had so many waterways. Where could Vince be? It was a tough debate, but no one could say for certain. Mark continued, not giving up._

 _"_ _Vince! Where are ya? C'mon ya knucklehead!" Mark called out._

 _A splash sound came from not too far away._

 _"_ _Damnit! Not again!"_

 _Mark turned towards the yelling, recognizing the voice. 'Wait, I know that grumpy sound…' He began walking down the paved trail until he made it to the small bridge that crossed over towards the other side of the river. He looked over towards his right to see someone against the fence._

 _There he was, Vince, and he was having an exasperated expression on his face. Gengar was right by his side, leaning back and looking unamused._

 _"_ _There he is." Mark said to himself._

 _Vince casted out the line once more, glaring at the crystal blue water. He looked determined as the smooth current dragged the lure farther away. "Come on, come on…" He huffed. "A Poliwhirl, or we'll even take a Poliwag. Just give us something Mr. River." He insisted._

 _A minute passed and nothing seemed to happen. Vince and Gengar were looking a little peeved, but then the line got a tug, and a splash was seen._

 _"_ _It's mine!" Immediately, Vince got to his feet again, hoping this time for sure that the Pokémon doesn't get away. He pulled hard, tugging with all he had. Gengar stared at the line as something shot up from the water._

 _The line pulled out a Poliwag, and in midair, it let go of the line._

 _"_ _YES!" Vince let out another one of his maniacal laughters before he pointed ahead. "Now, Gengar-!" Before he could point out a command, the Poliwag he fished out abruptly had its mouth glow blue, firing Bubble Beam. The fast Water-type attack was unleashed at Vince and Gengar's feet, making them both fall over and hit the grass._

 _The Poliwag went head first back into the river, another catch getting away._

 _Vince stirred back up, looking exasperated as the Poliwag had gotten away. "OH, COME ON! REALLY?!" He yelled. "That's like…ten times in a row!"_

 _Gengar snickered at his master's failure._

 _"_ _Shut up. Like you can do better." Vince retorted._

 _Mark slowly approached the irritated Trainer. "Hey, buddy." He called out._

 _"_ _Eh?" His concentration broken, Vince looked up to see Mark in front of him. "Oh, it's you." He groaned. "What do you want now?"_

 _"_ _Your Mom and Dad asked for you to come back. It's almost dinnertime."_

 _"_ _I'm fine, geez." Vince ignored without a care._

 _Mark raised a brow. "Have you been fishing the whole time?"_

 _Vince looked at him without much of a wince. "Yeah, so?"_

 _"_ _So…"_

 _"_ _So~?"_

 _An odd silence feel between the two soon-to-be brothers. Mark was trying to insist that Vince must be tired and wanted to rest, but knowing Vince, he may not care until he got at least one Pokémon Battle in before coming back._

 _A question popped into Mark's mind. "Hey, Vince?"_

 _"_ _What? Can't you see that we're busy?" Vince gestured to the river and his Gengar, the latter looking like he was about to fall over out of boredom._

 _"_ _Yeah, I can see…but, still."_

 _"_ _Eh?"_

 _"_ _Why don't you ever just quit? It's not like someone's paying you or bargaining your life on constant Pokémon Battles you know. Wouldn't it be easier to just take a break or someth-"_

 _"_ _No." His tone was so flat, almost like a Body Slam by a Snorlax that silenced the atmosphere around the duo. Mark stared at Vince as he rolled his eyes away, casting the lure once more._

 _"_ _Vince…"_

 _"_ _If you had a Pokémon, you'd understand that you have a responsibility. Yes, I know I stink…and I don't mean just the fact that I haven't showered yet; no! I mean to say, do you know what makes a Pularis? Have you asked yourself that? Have you asked me that?"_

 _Mark looked down at the ground. When he considered it, not once did he think of asking such a question. What meaning was there behind someone's name? Why was it so important?_

 _"_ _I'm not talented, I'm sorry to say, but being a Pularis, to me, means the one thing that I never let myself get drawn away from. You don't quit, no matter what. You can't quit, otherwise your work would've been for nothing. I may have sucked today in fishing, but I'll stay here all night if I have to find and beat a simple Poliwag or Poliwhirl. Hell, I can do this in my sleep." He looked back at Mark. "How did you fall in love with my sister? Why didn't you get loose and find other women? Simple, because you didn't quit. Love is…such a stupid and weird thing, but if it's what makes you motivated to not give up, by all means, go on ahead. Get it?"_

 _"_ _You mean…you don't quit…because you love trying?" Mark's eyes widened at the realization._

 _Vince shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much. I mean struggling is what I'm good at, right?"_

 _"_ _(Amen.)" Gengar sneered._

 _Another long silence fell onto Mark as he stared at Vince, resuming his hopes of finding a Water-type to quarrel with. What he said rolled around in his head, muddling over his comprehension. Vince wasn't usual one to talk so passively, nee talk at all about his family, considering how annoying everyone was to him, yet he held the name in great prospect, not willing to give up without so much as a fight._

 _Mark smiled, appreciating his words. "Alright, just make sure you come back before dinner then." Mark began walking off, leaving Vince and Gengar be._

 _As he left, a low grin came across Vince's face as he casted the line. "Yeah, whatever."_

Crowhaw's sharp fangs and claws dug deeper, but the haunting man saw something completely off. Mark was grinning. For some reason, the man didn't seem to look as though he felt any sense of pain.

"What? What is wrong?!" The shocked ghost exasperated.

"You know, I almost forgot another thing that defines the good side of humanity for a sec." Mark's entire body began to illuminate a bright green aura. As nails and teeth were dug into his skin, said skin began to glow an alien green almost, his aura intensifying in a bright light. Crowhaw hissed at the bright pain flaring inside of his body. He screamed louder as the bright green light exploded, sending powerful beams all throughout the chamber. One of those beams happened to struck Crowhaw, sending him several feet away.

The ghost looked back, hollow-like eyes widening as he stared at the green aura flaring around Mark. He was grinning, disregarding how he was hunched over.

"You know a benefit from being dead? No pain." He said.

"But…but how?" Crowhaw looked shocked as Mark slowly began walking forward. His strides were full of confidence. "You should be crippled ribbons by now!"

"About your question from before…"

"Hm?"

"About ghosts? The answer is…yes, I do believe in ghosts. Ghost-type Pokémon exist, so why not believe in actual ghosts. Sure, actual ghosts are freaky and scare the crap out of ya, but here's a reality for ya, I ain't scared of haunted ghost, because I've been haunted all these years with this curse and my wife bearing the blood tainted by Giratina. So if anything, ghosts like you ought to be scared." He balled a fist, manifesting green aura with heavily compressed power within. "Because there's one thing you seemed to have forgotten. I, am a Pularis!"

He socked Crowhaw's side of the head, punching so hard it was like a wrecking ball. Crowhaw screeched as his body went to sunder into the earth, his bony face cracking up.

Mark stood over the damaged being, his fist glistening still. "You're strong alright, but because of that, I have to put you out of your misery. I am a father, and though I have never been the best role model, it's better late than never to set a good example for the Pularis name. Vince took it to a whole new level, and when he doesn't quit, we get power from him. That 'no quit' talk goes down to my son."

Crowhaw struggled to stand, grunting as pain flared.

"I have a lovely wife, a beautiful little girl, and a badass son with a woman of his own for inspiration. I cherish them all, and because of that, humanity has the one thing that inhumanity doesn't…" He raised his fist again. "Perseverance!"

He rammed his fist down again, hoping to get Crowhaw again. Crowhaw's eyes widened and he became black mist just in the nick of time. Mark's punch made green beams flare all throughout the cracks in the area, brightening the atmosphere.

Above, Crowhaw took shape, opening his bony and horrendous mouth. Black particles gathered and he hissed in scorn as the charged energy shot straight down like a satellite cannon, a compressed black beam making way down onto Mark.

However, Mark spread his legs and smirked. "Gotcha!" He put his hands together and let out a shout, unleashing a compressed beam of green energy. It was narrower, but it was like an arrow. The two energies collided, and Mark's magic met the middle, separating the dark beam into several smaller rays of darkness that showered down like arches on the sides, unable to hit him.

Crowhaw hissed like a snake as he had his mouth open and shot straight down onto Mark. Mark, however, reeled a fist back and green energy manifested. When Crowhaw was mere inches away, the Aura Mage bucked his hips and leaned up, scoring a vicious uppercut straight in the ghost's face. The face itself cracked, the earth rattling from the sheer intensity of the blow.

"This is the power of a Pularis!"

Mark followed through, sending Crowhaw skyward. The injured ghost hollered in pain as he could barely think straight. "Gah! Gaaaah! You twit! How are you even able to hit me?!" He retorted. "Did your magic properties alter to fit my caliber?! Impossible!" Out of anger and turmoil, Crowhaw brought his claws back, making yet another diagonal slash wave of pitch-black with red outlining expand outwards.

Mark swiped across horizontally, expanding a crescent very similar. Green and black crossed in the center, making a shockwave bellow. Whirlwinds of streaming green and black raged throughout the chamber.

The shockwaves dissipated, revealing both sides visibly wounded. Crowhaw panted, barely panting as his ghostly body was starting to give off a black mist. The mist around his body began to draw itself around him like a cyclone, snaking its way around his whole form. His eyes glowed a bright yellow, his mouth wide and yelling out loud enough to pierce sound itself.

"I have had enough of your kind!" He lunged down after Mark, shooting at such great speed. "You are a hypocrite, siding with the side of humanity that has its flaws! Perseverance? Everyone has that! Now, die!" Crowhaw stretched out his misty claws, ready to pierce.

As Crowhaw closed in, Mark pulled back a fist brimming with sheer aura. "It takes more than just a will to keep one on their feet!" Crowhaw and him nearly collided. "It's the fact that you know who and what you're fighting for that intensifies your will! Here's mine!"

A harsh crushing sound was heard, black spilling onto the ground. A sheer silence followed, with everything around the duo spinning. Both men were caught in a blur, unable to read anything more than their own individual expressions.

Crowhaw was frowning, as opposed to Mark half-grinning. Both saw nothing else, nor feel anything else. Another look revealed Crowhaw's sharp claws embodied in black mist piercing Mark's left shoulder right through the skin, bone, and all…yet Crowhaw's entire misty abdomen had a large hole with Mark's fist running through it. Despite the misty and ghastly form, Mark's aura made him tangible, thus mortally wounding Crowhaw.

Crowhaw's eyes shuddered, falling backwards as his claws pried out of Mark's shoulder. Mark grunted and fell to a knee as Crowhaw sunk to his back, the large hole big enough to fit a Quilladin.

Crowhaw gagged, unable to breath as his body continued to mist. He couldn't change form for some reason, his body confined to slowly rotting away. His bony-like face began to crack apart, his body beginning to become purple particles mixed in black vapor.

Mark had his head down, panting. He had one eye open, huffing as he looked to see Crowhaw slowly dying. "You let go of humanity because the dead sought to put you out of misery…" He thought of Nic and Vanessa. "We would've gone down that road to, but there are always those who'll end nightmares if one gives in. It's never-ending. As long as no one quits, we'll all end this inhumane crisis, and keep the balance checked."

"You will…suffer…for this…" Crowhaw's face broke apart. At that instant, his entire body cracked up, hands, claws, and tail. It all shattered like glass, becoming black vapor that wailed like ghosts that were sparkling purple. The particles dissipated, another one of the Rivolta members' lives ending.

Mark looked at the spot where Crowhaw perished, slowly staring back at his conical straw hat. The hat went rolling into the dark shadows, tumbling to a stop, remaining silent in the dark. Mark looked back down, his right arm clutching his left shoulder as he couldn't seem to move it. "Don't worry guys…" He grinned, despite his sluggish movements. "We can do this."

* * *

Elsewhere, Ivy's eyes suddenly widened. The mage could feel something wrong, and it didn't feel reassuring as her battle was still dragging on. "Crowhaw's Magic Power…it's gone." She muttered. She glanced in another direction. "Does this mean…?"

Laura punched forward, catching Ivy off guard and sending a blast of blue aura at her. Ivy caught wind and swiped her arm, summoning black roots to shield her yet again. The aura bounced off, and Ivy looked back to her with a smirk, seeing as how Laura was panting.

"My, your little family is a tenacious bunch now, aren't you?" She smirked. "You're more resilient than I thought. No wonder you've made it this far."

"Why I'm flattered." Laura said in a flat tone. "Why don't I show my appreciation." The mom brought her hands cloaked in blue aura together in one big clap and sent several diffused beams of blue at her opponent.

Ivy scoffed as her opponent showed her 'thanks'. "How thought, but I think I'll pass." She whipped up yet another barrier by summoning linked black roots from below. The diffused aura attack again met the shield, but this time, the shield budged and barely held itself together. As the barrier diffused itself, roots separating so that Ivy could catch a glimpse of her opponent.

For some reason, something was wrong, very wrong, and Laura could feel it. Their battle was dragging on for what felt like hours, yet her body felt like it was gonna keel over any minute now. She was barely standing, breathing in and out while her fatigue was continuing to pile on. _'_ _What's happening? It's like a Pokémon's using Leech Life and sucking up my energy. I can't really be this exhausted. Right?'_

Ivy had her hands to her sides, slowly raising them up. "What's wrong?" She asked factitiously. "Don't tell me that your age is getting the best of you. You should really be careful about your beauty, you look like you're getting wrinkles."

True to what Ivy implied, Laura's face had a couple wrinkles. While she had a couple already from her age before her reincarnation, she looked like she was in her mid-40s, and beginning to accelerate. Laura couldn't seem to fathom it, but she needed to find out what was happening. Fast.

Ivy raised her arm. " **Dragon Root!** "

A towering collage of roots sprouted behind, the end becoming the head of a large dragon with a serpentine body. The whole structure followed Ivy's arm and sped right over her, lunging after Laura with a menacing roar.

Once again, Ivy could feel her body lurch, nearly keeling over. _'_ _This witch, what's my body doing? It's like everything was sapped out of me again!'_ She hurried with what energy her heels could muster and fell off to the side. The large draconic root hit the ground where she stood, diving snout first. Laura was fortunate to have dodged, but the shock from the attack made her tumble along the crusty ground, ascertaining more scrapes along her arms and body. On her stomach, she could barely get up.

"Damn you." She lowly growled.

"My, that looks like it hurts. Shall I just put you out of your misery?" Using her will, she raised the Dragon Root's head and pointed it at Laura's sprawled body. Laura's struggling to gain strength was admirable, but at the same time, pitiful. "Loved our talk, but now I'm bored. Sorry, girl. No hard feelings." She raised her arm, adjusting the root's trajectory. The root opened its mouth and hollered out as it lunged after Laura.

With one eye open, Laura was barely seeing straight. Her energy was continuing to deter from her body. The root closed in, time slowing down as the mom was barely holding herself together. She was processing too much in such a short expanse of time. She began to think of her husband, and then her children.

With them in her mind, both eyes widened with a gasp.

The Dragon Root collided with her, the ground shuddering and dust bellowing out, so powerful that the shockwaves reached out towards Ivy, the strawberry blonde's hair whisked through the raging storm of dust. She stared ahead, grinning ever so lightly as she watched her attack make its mark. The winds and dust began to quell after several minutes of struggling. Eventually, Ivy saw the results.

"Well, well…"

Ivy's eyes widened, hearing the voice. "What…?"

The dust cleared, revealing Laura standing back up on her feet. Her eyes were brimming with wrinkles, and she was grinning mischievously as she had her left arm stretched off to the side, her hand brimming in blue aura as it was wedged in the draconic read of the root. To be more accurate, whatever was left of the head.

"H-how did you…?"

"You know, it really isn't a nice thing to say that a lady is getting old. I'd really appreciate it if you'd rather not say that I'm not full of wrinkles." Laura said. "I can get as old as I want, or feel old, but you've seemed to have misplaced the fact that I'm a mother."

"So?" Ivy retorted.

"So, Hell or no Hell, I don't have to be nor feel beautiful as long as my babies make the world a beautiful place to live in." The Dragoon Root besides Laura suddenly began to glow from inside, a blue energy starting to transcend through the open roots. Blue beams continued to shoot outwards, magic flourishing.

Ivy's shock began to rise. _'_ _It can't be. She's traveling her magic through the aura within the black roots themselves?'_ She continued to watch as the roots continued to shoot beams of blue all the wall down the long body, soon going behind her and into the earth. Ivy's head turned and she went wide-eyed as the aura went into the earth. _'_ _No!'_

The ground suddenly began to shudder, the tide of the battle turning in Laura's favor. "You seem to be fond of having roots come up from underneath. Let's see what happens when the ground doesn't settle!" Laura let out a long and loud shout, the ground itself quaking as her Magic Power traveled beneath the ground. Blue beams traveled up and blasted upwards, sending rock everywhere and Ivy could barely keep herself from moving constantly.

Blue beams shot everywhere, dicing up the earth and yet she tried to cover up. She tried to summon roots from beneath, but Laura's interference made it very uneasy to summon them. "D-damnit!"

As the beam in front of Ivy dissipated, Laura appeared in front, shocking Ivy as she also had a fist in blue aura reeled back. The proximity was drastically close, which was what caught Ivy with heavy dread. "How's this for old?!" The mother thrust her fist forward, quickly closing the gap between Ivy's abdomen and her. With a mighty blow, a beam of blue aura blazed across the battlefield, traveling in a straight path and smashing into the wall. The impact was so gruesome that the mom's attack left hand sizzling as she panted with deep breaths, staring at the open hole straight in Ivy's abdomen. Ivy stood remotely still, as I fixated on her gut blasted out of her. Blood ran down the side of the slender woman's lip, yet she looked remote.

Laura stepped back, grinning as she saw the distraught Ivy's state. "Speechless? Call what just happened a mother's instinct." She wasn't gonna let the Rivolta have their way, not after what they've done to Nic and Vanessa. Justice hit Ivy hard.

A long silence passed, but Ivy didn't fall backwards dead. Instead, she remained standing, grinning.

Laura frowned. "What?"

"Oh dear, it would seem that I have been impaled." Ivy grinned, her face beginning to grow maliciously dark. "Now you've made me mad." Yet despite how sultry her tone was, she was having a dark undertone. She was pissed.

"Wait…what just-you should be dead!" Laura exasperated.

"I could say the same for you. You don't look so good. What's the matter, it looks like something's taking a lot out of you…" Slowly, the hole in Ivy's gut began to repair itself. Laura paled as she watched black roots intertwine and mold together in Ivy's belly, the superficial layer becoming skin. Ivy's dark smirk turned more grotesque than before. "Oh right, that would be me."

Laura felt a sudden pulse in Magic Power. She went wide-eyed and felt horror skyrocket as the ground began to feel like a magnet. Everything around here was intensifying, especially the immense pressure that was escalating around Ivy. Said woman began to exert a dark green aura, her body beginning to morph.

Black roots began to rise out of the ground, snaking in and out of the earth constantly, diverging in all directions from Ivy as her lower half began to grow, becoming a collage of black roots that continued producing more and more roots. "Have you not figured it out yet? That my power does more than just produce these lovely plants around me?" Her shoulder blades began to grow, her attire's back tearing up as massive demonic hand-like wings spread forth, expanding out to give her a more 'angel of death' appeal.

Laura grunted, dropping to a knee as the ground shuddered as roots began to travel through the cavern underground rocks. "You…you mean…?" Her face ascertained several more wrinkles, and her fatigue intensified.

Ivy's smirk came back, her menacing Magic Power continuing to rise. "A slow learner I see. This is what my true power is. In order to produce these roots, I just need to take up nutrients from the earth, and anything that happens to be standing on it."

"What?! That can't be!" Laura exclaimed.

"As we speak, my power grows as I sap from the earth. It's a never-ending reservoir." Ivy narrowed her eyes, her luscious lips and injuries healing.

Laura clutched her fists, her eyes getting dreary. "So that's why you look so…"

"Beautiful?" Ivy finished. "Well, that's too kind of you. Well I guess it's cruel of me to admit, but I do have to thank the life around me for letting me 'borrow' some of their health benefits of course."

* * *

Underneath the bed of rock all throughout the hills and caverns, the roots went on, traveling and taking up nutrients. Any animals in the caverns that happened to be alive barely began to wither away as their life force was sapped by what unknowingly traveled beneath them.

Mariah began to falter, getting to a knee. "What…now?"

Kecleon hunched over, feeling very weary as her tongue out of her mouth. "Feeling dizzy…"

Magnezone and Gengar were unaffected as they were levitating off the ground, but as they engaged with one another, they could feel the Magic Power running through the earth. It was dark and draining away from their surroundings.

Outside, Erza began to falter, the energy from her body suddenly tiring out. She fell to a knee, grunting. "Grrr…what…what's happening…" Her skin began to pale. "My…Magic Power…"

Imaci fell to a knee, the energy from his body draining away as well. He grunted in agonizing pain. "Gnnngh!" He looked towards the mountainous hills with hostility. "Ivy, what are you doing?"

Vanessa looked down, seeing her skin paling, wrinkles coming across her body. "I…I can't…seem to lift my fingers…" She hesitantly said.

Imaci used a nearby rock slab as support, the bags beneath his eyes intensifying. He breathed in and out, barely keeping himself together. "Has she gone mad…?" He muttered. "Ivy, why?"

Vermilius's breathing was getting heavy. He seemed to be standing, but otherwise, he was alright. "Ivy…he has unleashed her strength."

Alpha didn't look interested, nee affected. He casually frowned, rolling his eyes away as the Magic Power's roots and nutrients affect didn't go anywhere near him. "It would appear so. Finally, Ivy's contributing a little usefulness."

All around the isle and quarry, the crabgrass withered away, reducing to twigs that were buried in sand. Small animals began to dry up, like vampires from beneath sucked them dry.

Nic sailed through the caverns, his eyes widening as he got a frightening signature of Magic Power yet again. "What's this?" He stopped in midair, maintaining his altitude and keeping away from the ground as he saw little snake-like roots waving through the earth. It unnerved him. "Those are…" He looked back ahead, his intuition carrying him off towards the unsound reservoir of leeching. "Mom!" He cried out.

Mark fell onto his side, his bleeding shoulder not helping as the iron and nutrients began to seep into the earth. Pain flared as he couldn't move. "Laur…a…" He muttered.

* * *

"You know, I am rather curious." Ivy said. "I am rather curious. Would you be able to stop me first, before every life begins to wither away?"

Laura could feel her energy deteriorate. "You…!"

Ivy whipped her hair around, flicking a lock out of place nonchalantly. "Well since you're going to be sapped dry by a living plant, I suppose I can tell you why _I'm_ so interested in this spell." Ivy looked away, smirking as she could recount the number of lives she's taken all these years, taking away their years to add onto her own, all the while retaining lush beauty. "All I've ever wanted was to be beautiful. Flowers have luscious petals, but then there are those that are prettier and smell much nicer, a fabrication of opinion that proves how selfish the world thinks of beauty. I can't stand not being looked beneath another who may be beautiful. Vanity is important to a girl like me, so imagine what this Impure Underworld Spell can do?" Little by little, she made little plucking motions in the air. "One by one, I get to see all of their faces get turned inside out. Anyone but me will end up rotting away, becoming ugly corpses. And if they're too resilient, I have the honor myself to rob them of their beauty. It's a win-win!" She unleashed a malicious laugh, one that made Laura shudder out of anger.

"We won't let you." The mother growled.

"Oh? You care to try? Good luck when you're so weak. Every second, your body loses precious life force. How long would it take for you to shrivel up? I wonder about that." Again, her smirk turned demonic. "Let's test that theory out!" She extended her arms out, her hand-like wings responded. As she was ingrained to the earth, she couldn't fly, but the pointed ends of the claws or spikes of the wing extended, reaching out after Laura.

Laura gasped, hurrying out of the way. Intuition following, she mustered strength to get to a knee. She extended her arms forward, manifesting a blue aura shield to conceal herself. The spiked roots connected with the shield, piercing it. The translucent shield had eight of so spikes aligned, but were stuck.

"Don't think you're safe!" Laura warned. True to form, while the spikes were stuck, more spikes sprouted from the spikes themselves, curving and arching around the veil to attack Laura from the sides. Laura went wide-eyed, but was unable to respond as her energy had little reserves. The roots snapped at her, sending her flying backwards.

Laura slid along the ground on her back, thudding to a halt against a random boulder. Her back flared with pain, though it was dim due to her being half-dead. The shock on her face was priceless to Ivy, but she was far from satisfied.

" **Extirpate!** "

The ground began to shudder, Laura feeling another harsh spike in power. The energy lingering in the atmosphere had begun to multiply beneath, amounts staggering as Laura again couldn't move. Underneath and breaking through the earth, hundreds upon thousands of little roots rampaged, rising and breaking everything into nothing. Laura was sent flying, only to be swatted in midair by one of the many roots in the catastrophe. She slammed against the wall, falling towards the earth with a weak yelp of pain.

Ivy couldn't help but menacingly laugh at her opponent's blunder. "Oh come on, don't tell me you're down already. I was starting to enjoy myself there." She said.

Laura's body felt like a sack of pudding. She slumped back up against the stone wall, dreary in the eyes and blood running down her lips. Not only was her magic running low, but her body that was reincarnated was low on sufficiency. How much longer did she have? At this point, she was all wrinkles. _'_ _Damn this hag.'_ She mentally cursed. _'_ _I can't even move. How do I uproot this woman?!...wait-!'_ Something in her clicked. "Up…root…"

Ivy smirked. "Sorry, I can't hear you. Maybe this will clarify!" She swiped her arm, summoning roots that were in the rocky ceiling above. They broke through and came raining down in several dozen pairs.

" **Showering Frenzy!** "

They were all spiked and severely pointed at the ends. They came crashing down, but Laura used that torso strength possible and rolled off towards the side. The dozens of roots slammed into the ground, missing their targets. Laura rolled onto her stomach, panting as her body looked wrinkled than before.

Ivy put a hand to her hip. "Ah, tough old hag you are!" Again, she swiped her arm and summoned forth more black roots from the ground, which sent Laura flying once more, slamming her left shoulder into the ground. "You know, I was enjoying our little talk while it lasted, but I'm bored now. It really isn't fun talking to a sick old hag that really is stubborn than what she was supposed to be."

Laura spit out some blood, her insides feeling like mush. Barely sprawled and pushing up at the same time, she abruptly felt a crushing force around her waist. She was yanked up from the ground, suspended and coiled around the waist by a black root. The Aura Mage hung in the air as the black root drew itself closer towards Ivy, slowly drawing the helpless mother in front of Ivy.

As Laura was there in front of her face, Ivy put a finger to her chin. "Hmmm, now what to do with you? I could sap you dry right and now, or should I do what Vermilius does and torture by prodding spiked thorns into your limbs?" She pondered, albeit with fake innocence. "Or…should I rip off that ugly face? Yeah, that sounds like a fine way to start."

Laura was panting, blood dripping from her body. Every attack, nee every time she made a new root, some energy is sapped from the life around her. She was robbing beauty that wasn't her own. She was gaining power that wasn't rightfully hers.

 _"_ _Mark!" Laura called out._

 _"_ _Yeah?" The boyfriend appeared from behind the door, looking at his new wife's attire. She was in a serene midnight blue dress that had bright blue sparkles that stopped just above the knees. Her long blonde hair was straightened and she had a black purse. To say he was amazed would be an understatement._

 _"_ _You look…beautiful." He said, albeit with hesitation._

 _Laura looked towards him with concern. "You no like?" She asked._

 _"_ _What? N-no! No, I love it, it suites you!" He told her in a very flustered manner. "It's just, I haven't seen you wear something so extravagant in…forever."_

 _Laura looked down at him. "You clean up nicely yourself." Taking note of his attire, Mark had tan pants and nice dress shoes. He had a white dress shirt beneath a red and green striped vest and tie beneath a tan coat. He looked handsome to say the least, especially given the fact that he's casually loose with whatever he wears. For their third date, at the age of 16, he didn't look too shabby. "You look very handsome." She commented with a smile._

 _Mark smiled proudly. "Right, thank you."_

 _"_ _Yo."_

 _An untimely entrance of Vince entering the four-star hotel made Mark and Laura turn towards them, shock on their faces. While Laura was looking a little laid back, Mark was more than a little spooked._

 _"_ _Vince?!" Mark exclaimed. "What are you doing here?!"_

 _Vince raised a brow, as though the answer seemed obvious. "What do you mean? This is a suite. My room's on the other side. What are you so jacked up about? You look like you've seen a ghost."_

 _"_ _Vince." Laura narrowed her eyes, a threatening inquiry on the rise._

 _Vince rolled his eyes, holding up Haunter's Poke Ball. "Relax, right here. Geez, no need to get a heart attack on me." He took notice the two dressing up, their attires suiting them fairly well. "Say, you guys going somewhere?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, while Terrence and Cierra are out for the night, Laura and I are gonna go see what else the town has to offer." Mark said._

 _Vince nodded slowly, though he seemed more tired than willing to care. "Cool." He said flat._

 _Laura took a step closer towards her brother. "Hey, Vince." She smiled graciously, twirling around in her dress. "So, what do you think?"_

 _Vince shrugged with a half-grin. "Looking good, sis." He commented._

 _Mark raised a brow. "Uh…pardon?"_

 _"_ _Hm?"_

 _Mark took a step towards Vince, looking seemingly offended. "What do you mean by 'Looking good, sis'? Are you implying that she's just…plain?" Mark asked._

 _"_ _What are you talking about?" Vince raised a brow. "You expect me to say anything else?"_

 _"_ _Well I was expecting you to say something a little more flattering towards a woman." Mark said. "Look at your sister, she's perhaps the most beautiful thing in the world!"_

 _Laura looked away, flattered. "M-Mark." She scolded._

 _"_ _She's your sister, right? I mean, come on, give her a nicer thing to say why don't ya?"_

 _Vince crossed his arms, giving a despondent stare that was as cold as ice at Mark. The younger man seemed a little weary, especially given he's still weary around the punkish older brother. Vince didn't seem to care in the slightest._

 _"…_ _you know, you're being a little crap-ass right now." Vince said. "You're a shallow nimrod."_

 _"_ _W-what?!" Mark exclaimed._

 _"_ _Vince!" Laura scolded._

 _"_ _Hang on, sis, I ain't done." Vince retorted. He looked back at Mark with a stink eye. "You really wanna just stand there admiring someone based off their looks? Look here, I really don't care why or how my sis sees something in you, but all you've been doing was being a kiss-up since you started dating. Left and right, about how she's 'pretty' or 'beautiful'. We get it. It's annoying! We KNOW she's a very beautiful young woman, but rather than milk the Miltank, why not do us a favor and rather get to know my sis rather than throw cheap comments that can throw ANY woman off her feet, otherwise…" He shot a hostile glare at him. "I can just drive Laura back home and leave you here to saunter with another chick."_

 _Mark and Laura stared in shock at Vince's words. While Laura didn't mind being called beautiful by her boyfriend, she would admit that for once that she was asked a question or engaged in more talk with Mark. They've been dating for about a month now, but what Vince said did bring up some long-run terminology._

 _"_ _Vince…" Mark muttered._

 _"_ _Actions speak louder than words, pal. Keep that in mind." Vince began walking away lethargically, leading himself towards his suite. "Beauty is only skin deep. Whether or not they can make something out of themselves is what really matters. Take it from me and Haunter. Some people say that Ghost-type is ugly, but we'd rather not be taken lightly."_

 _With that, the door slammed shut, leaving Mark and Laura in their own suite. It took Vince a lot of convincing by his younger sister to pool some money for a hotel for an out of town date with Mark, yet while he did show scorn, it was for very good reasons. Mark looked at Laura, a worried look on his face._

 _"_ _Uh…" He tried to think of something to say. "Hey, y-you okay?" He asked._

 _Laura smiled at him. "Don't worry about Vince. He wouldn't know a relationship even if it hit him in the head…" She looked away, eyes halfway open. "Though he is right for once."_

 _Mark rubbed the back of his head, biting his lip. He seemed unable to say anything else, especially after Vince's little intrusion._

 _"_ _L-Laura, I…"_

 _Laura shook her head, grinning. "It's okay, Mark." She looked back at him, grinning. "But every once in a while, would you rather say something that defines me that is really more…us?"_

 _Mark grinned. "Y-yeah. I'll try." He looked a little flustered. "You…" He caught himself about to throw nother comment on how she was beautiful. Another cliché move sadly. Laura's face began to fall. "…care to get first pick at the restaurant?"_

 _Laura's face brightened up. "I think I'd like that."_

 _On the other side of the door, sitting back in a chair, Vince's frown turned into a grin._

Laura remained still, her weak form suspended as the hand-like wings of death around Ivy curling forward, the pointed root spikes sharpening to pierce her face. A looked of anticipation was on Ivy's face, it was like a child waiting to open a present on Christmas morning.

"Now…DIE! UGLY BITCH FROM HELL!"

The eight prolonged spikes closed in on her face, but at the last second, Laura's hands gripped four each, suppressing her. The sudden halt of the spikes was a shock, especially to Ivy, who was now incapacitated.

"You…really are a shallow bitch. You know that?" Laura muttered, a grin on her face.

"What?" Ivy asked. "You shouldn't be moving! You should have no nutrients in your system! What are you still doing alive, ugly?!" She yelled.

A dark shadow was over her eyes, Laura barely holding herself together. She raised her head, showing an intense fire. Her glare was intense, starting Ivy. "I'll lose my beauty when I get old, I used to tell myself that very few times back in my youth. I wasn't all that like you are. I probably wasn't the prettiest, nor did I have the caboose like you and Nic's woman has…but yeah is only in the eye of the beholder."

Ivy's teeth gritted. "What are you talking about now?"

"You may think you are the beautiful one, but you're nothing but dead plants under that skin. The reality is that you're the ugliest freak of nature there is." Laura's head lowered. "But I was the same. I've been ugly all this time. I was ugly to my two beautiful babies. They're the real beauty in the family, and in essence too." Her hold on the roots began to tighten, her strength evident. "I don't care about being ugly, because beauty doesn't last forever. I don't take glory nor other's vanity to keep myself forever young. This is where I was you may be a pretty face, but if all you care about is that and Hell, then you're no angel in the face of Satan!" Retaliating, Laura opened her mouth and unleashed a blast of blue aura rather than use her hands. The attack struck Ivy dead in the face, enveloping her in a blue explosion. The plant woman screeched out as she leaned back in her spot, while Laura leaped back, using her revived strength to hold up as best as she could.

The smoke cleared, Ivy looking angry. "You…!" She swiped her arm up, summon linear columns of black roots that bent down after Laura. They closed in, but Laura swiped her arm, unleashing a crescent at the roots. Cutting straight into them. The roots began falling, but the mom ran fast enough to evade the falling roots that picked up dust, obscuring Ivy's point of vision.

"Damnit." Ivy scowled. She turned left and right. "Where-?!"

A harsh hold was stuck onto her back, her eyes widening when a bright blue ring encompassed her waist. Looking shocked and recognizing the aura, she looked behind, dust clearing to reveal Laura a few feet away, her hands attached to a tight band of blue aura.

"What are you…?!"

Laura smirked. "I wondered about something." She thought back to earlier when she used her magic. "When you use your magic, you always have to stay still. You have to ingrain your feet to use the nutrients around you in order to attack or defend, no matter how little. And when you became that form, your body became one giant root. Your power from all around seeps to your bottom half and through you. Now that makes me wonder…what would happen if I uprooted you?"

Ivy's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare." She gasped.

"Oh really? Watch me!" Laura began to pull, squeezing her form aura around Ivy's black, tree-like waist. She was binding and pulling, and Ivy was feeling very harsh pain as her blind spot was getting hit.

The plant woman looked back towards the mom. "Not if I can have a say!" Using her magic and nutrient-stealing maneuvers, she made a medium-sized vine that arose behind her with a bulbous end. Said end had near-fifty little spikes. It was like a Needle Arm, only with a vine or tentacle. " **Prickling Shot!** "

The root lunged after Laura as she was standing still, unable to move properly. She stood her ground, brutally taking serious pain as the fifty long and narrow spikes pierced her stomach, blood spilling behind her spine and back. The spikes prodded out from the other side, getting all the way through. The mom grunted, pain flaring immensely from the abrupt attack. She grunted, though half-dead and unable to feel pain – to a degree – she nearly fell over.

"I ain't letting you steal my beauty I worked so hard to achieve. This spell is going through, and I intend to make Hell deem me the most beautiful!" Ivy shouted.

"Oh yeah-gngh! We we'll see about that!"

It became a tug-o-war battle, a battle of strength of two women. Whoever came out on top would be the prominent. She who was of beauty inside, or beauty outside. As the spikes in Laura lengthened, bleeding her out, Ivy was feeling her constriction and pull equally as painful. Both could feel their Magic Power drain as their individual life forces were sucked out of the other. Laura's body was getting to a knee, and yet the hold was still firm and pulling hard. Ivy was struggling as well, as her form and power was doing all that it could to keep itself sustained.

Ivy shouted as she dug deeper, pushing Laura back a couple of feet while blood covered her entire chin. "Who's the ugliest now, bitch?!" She cried out.

Laura kept an eye open, holding in with what willpower she had left. "…gnnnnngh! You are!"

Ivy's eyes widened. "W-wait-!"

Laura screamed with all her might, the mom fighting through the pain as she remembered what and who she was fighting for. _'_ _Honey! Nic! Vanessa! My babies…your mommy isn't the most beautiful, but she'll make it where it counts!'_ She pulled with the great Pularis strength she had from beating up Nic. With every inch, cracking and breaking apart was Ivy's waist. Which was starting to tear Ivy up.

"S-STOP! **STOOOP~!** " Ivy shrieked.

With one final shout, Laura yanked with every fiber of her reincarnated being. She tore Ivy's upper body clean off, the rooted woman gaping her mouth as the pain stopped for just a brief moment. Time slowed down as Ivy went soaring overhead, off to the side, while the roots all around began to stop moving. The roots all throughout the caverns and hills suddenly stopped moving, ceasing their expansion. The root attached to Laura had also stopped moving, going limp as the mother fell onto her back, her worn-out and wrinkled frame dimming.

At the same time, both women fell to the ground, Ivy onto her stomach and Laura onto her back. They were both in pain, yet as Laura was more stiff and still, Ivy was squirming in place, yelling out in constant pain as her waist down was extirpated from the earth.

"GAAAHH!" She shrieked, wiggling around like a worm. Her roots that were inside her body continued to wiggle and shrieked.

Laura rolled to her side, feeling the blood loss get to her. Though lightheaded, the mom yanked the spiked root out of her gut, dark red and black covering her entire waist and belly. She breathed in and out, trying to keep herself under control.

Ivy was clawing against the ground, slowly and weakly getting towards Laura. As she clawed slowly foot by foot, her strawberry blonde hair began to lighten, almost to where it was a withering gray. Her beautiful and mature upper body figure was gaining wrinkles. "W-what's happening?" She looked down at her arm, seeing her supple skin turning pale and severely wrinkling. "No…no!" She went wide-eyed as she looked back, her wings beginning to rot away. "No, no, no, no! NO!" She coughed up dust in place of dust, her body starting to break down. "My…my roots are strong enough to resist fire or metal! HOW?!"

Laura rolled onto her stomach, witnessing Ivy's power slowly dying. "You know, pretty flowers grow in lush gardens…" She paused, taking a breath. "…you even a single flower blooming in a wasteland is proof enough that one is capable of living in a world of ugliness."

"Nonsense…" Ivy's body began to pale to where it was turning gray, looking like a very old woman. She reached out after Laura helplessly, her vision going dark. "I…was meant…for beauty…alone…" She said her final words before her entire body turned black, black as the roots she's made. She began to crumble apart, like old dirt and twigs, reducing to black ash that sat there, lifeless as a pile of twigs.

Meanwhile, Laura stared at Ivy's remains dissipating. She turned to see the trunk-like body crumbling away. The black roots that spread all throughout the tunnels and area had begun to shrink and wither up like bad raisins. The atmosphere began to liven up, the energy returning to the earth.

* * *

The wrinkles on Erza's body began to fade away, her pale skin returning color. She found the strength to stand again. Looking down, she saw that her hands and Magic Power flourished with life again. "My energy is back." She gasped. "It's like it came back in one go. But, what could've…?"

Saboth stood up straight, looking down at his Demon Karbia once more. "Ivy…have you fallen?"

Imaci found the strength to stand, staring at Vanessa yet again. _'_ _This can't be. Ivy is…'_

Vanessa stood back up, staring at Imaci with teal around her replenished hands yet again. "What was that?"

Mariah, Kecleon, Mark, and everyone else could feel their skin color return, their energy reviving once more. Though weakened by their enemies, everyone was starting to get back up, Magic power and skin restoring back to what they were meant to be.

As he sailed through the tunnels, Nic looked down as the black roots shriveled up and crumbled away, leaving him to blink. "This energy…it's gone." He looked back ahead, staring at the tunnel that seemed to be taking turns left and right like no tomorrow. "…Mom…"

* * *

Laura panted as she laid on her side, groaning as she lost a lot of strength. Her skin and wrinkles returned to normal, the few wrinkles from before even freshening up. It was like a small fraction of youth came back to her…just a little. She smiled happily as she laid there, glad to have helped everyone. "Funny…now I _really_ feel old." She chuckled low.

* * *

Vermilius looked off towards the side, into the darkness and away from the circle. His eyes were wide. "Crowhaw, and now Ivy." He muttered. "They…"

Alpha frowned and closed his eyes, looking away. "Yes, it would appear so." A long pause came from his throat, the only thing that gave off any sound being the wailing and low howling off the deadly letters of the near-black colored spell. "Oh well, they've outlived their usefulness to me. There is still five left that are reserved to put these tenacious cockroaches in the dirt." He narrowed his eyes, glaring at the impending very short hours left.

Outside, the red moon started waning higher into the sky.

"I can't wait." Alpha smirked.

* * *

 **And here is the newest chapter! The first one of March at that. I want to apologize for this chapter taking so~ long to make, as my pacing for chapters dwindled down like crazy! This one took me 5 days to write, which is late in my standards. In order to make this chapter on time, I had to double my quota the last 2 days, meaning I had to write 12K in under 2 days. I'm also sorry for this chapter being over a monstrous 20K; I really want to finish this arc in the minimal chapters possible, so I'm stuffing as much as I can into these chapters. I hope you're all not bothered.**

 **Well anyways, now 3 of the Rivolta has been defeated. That leaves Mariah, Gengar, Imaci, Saboth, Vermilius, and Alpha left. And the hours shortening doesn't help either for the guys. At least I got the parents' fights over with.**

 **What did you guys think of Crowhaw and Ivy? Okay bad guys? Did they make your skin crawl?**

 **As always, comment, favorite, and share your thoughts in a (long and very detailed) review. Thanks guys, you are all the best! :)**


	39. Colorful Prayers to Ghosts

Flying as silent as a Noctowl in the night, Nic flapped his Sky Form wings, twisting and turning with every tunnel that divided into another, and thus split into several directions that Nic had to travel through. From the earlier abrupt decline in Magic Power, he knew something was wrong.

 _'_ _I don't sense anything. It's like all of the negative energy piling on suddenly vanished. Could that mean some of the Rivolta lost its ranks?'_ He thought with a serious front. Internally, he was in a fritz. With all of the chaotic energy in the atmosphere, it would've been next to impossible to detect the family nor anyone in his Meadow Form. The Impure Underworld was being very unkind to the nature energy as everything was either dead or dying. _'_ _I need to find everyone, hurry!'_ He rushed on, flapping faster with every second counting down the precious time they all had left. _'_ _Erza.'_

* * *

Erza slashed one of her katana against Saboth's chest, but her attack merely bounced off and had her sliding backwards. She regained enough ground and footing to leap off towards the side and avoid another vertical swing of Saboth's blade, splitting the massive boulder in the way into halves.

Saboth turned towards Erza as she went for a jump. Overhead, she crashed down onto Saboth with her katana crossed. She slashed in an X-formation, but Saboth did not didge, rather she swung his sword like a bat. Upon the next interception, dark static met sparks, the airspace quaking as the Magic Power between the knight and the samurai were pushing against the other. However, with heavier momentum behind him, Saboth followed through with his swing, making Erza falter back down with a shout and thud painfully onto her back.

"Are you through? What feeble entertainment you turned out to be." Saboth taunted.

Erza opened an eye as she struggled to stand. _'_ _His power just keeps growing. I couldn't get anywhere near a decent scratch on his armor in that last strike. He's even stronger than when we last fought.'_ Erza thought. _'_ _Does his power truly increase as the battle rages on? Or is it some form of magic absorption? Either way I have to hurry and disarm him of that blade!'_

She snapped back to reality in time to see Saboth overhead with his sword raised. Erza rolled off to the side in time to avoid the downward blow that cut into the ground. When she started to get up, she brought her foot around and requipped another katana, using her big and index toe to hold the hilt and swung a roundhouse, successfully cutting Saboth across his grizzled white cheek.

As the samurai recoiled from the sudden counterattack, Erza flipped to a stand again with both katana now on hand. Pivoting, she threw one of the swords like a spear, twirling and managing to knock the distraught samurai's blade out of the gauntlet, twirling backwards into the ground some ways away. With his guard down, he looked back at Erza, to receive a harsh shove by her free hand. The samurai shouted as he flew backwards into a nearby rock.

Erza adjusted her stance, glaring at Saboth. "Seems as though you've lagged a bit there." She berated.

The samurai said nothing back. He was fully conscious, but he was in shock from that abrupt stand. He slowly lifted his fingers towards his cheek, where he found liquid he craved so much dripping. While he loved seeing it shed, he disliked having his own shed. Yet another cold reality came when he turned to face his sword engraved into the ground. What he saw left him with heavy realization that piled on in a familiar form of a redhead that was ferocious and had a warrior's instinct developed, yet he was momentarily stood up.

Erza advanced unknowingly. "If I'm to end this Impure Underworld and see Nic…" She took and extra leap, springing faster than before. "I'll have to end you here!"

Saboth remained motionless as Erza advanced. He could feel her incredible Magic Power flourish into her sword. He became aware as to what was happening, and his shock turned into a smirk. "Interesting." He muttered.

Erza advanced with a loud cry.

"Interesting indeed."

She was meters away, time slowing down as her sword glowed pink from her magic poured into it.

Saboth's yellow eyes slowly shrunk. "Yes…yes…this is what I want. I…want…MORE!"

Erza swung forward, but when she was so close to making it, a brutal force came flying in from out of nowhere in a dark static projectile. The impact snapped her in the ribs, her eyes widening as the midair impact made her feel every none-crushing inch of dark energy paralyzing her nerves. The redhead gawked as she followed through with the tormenting impact, flying off to the side and tumble rolled across the ground to a harsh skid on her shoulder.

The pain she felt was extraordinary in her left ribs. She yelped in pain, eyes wide. As she gasped and gawked in extreme pain, the shocked redhead was paralyzed. _'_ _He got me…but how? He didn't even use his sword.'_ Her brown eyes looked towards the direction where the sudden impact came from, her shock surmounting as she saw Saboth standing with a malicious smirk. Right beside him was Demon Karbia, floating off the ground and coated in dark static.

 _'_ _That sword, it can't be. Telekinesis?'_ Erza thought.

"Fool." Saboth reached his arm out, the demonic sword shuddering in the air and flew back into his grip. Upon contact, static ran down the gauntlet, tickling him. "Are you not aware of Demon Karbia?" He began to slowly pace ahead towards Erza. "This sword is not a sword itself. It is my passion. My will…my everything. This sword is but a life of its own."

"A demonic sword…that has a will of its own?" Erza panted.

"This is Demon Karbia, the sword who bathes in blood. It dares not take weak-minded fools to a liking. Its thrill is what makes its power grow, the adrenaline when two warriors collide. A battle that makes his lust purge any need to hold any thought of mercy to a worthy adversary." His grip tightened. "And now look at what you've done." The ground began to shudder, black static beginning to boil all around, seeping through the cracks of the earth.

Erza remained stiff as her mind went blank from the sudden change in Magic Power. Her eyes palpitated in fright as she could barely move. _'_ _This pressure…just what kind of strength does he possess? It's Magic Power is beyond the charts!'_

Saboth moved both hands to grip the sword. "This sword trumps all. It is the sharp-edged devil that never sleeps. You can scratch it up all you want, that makes it more entertained." The blade began to create a death-like aura, a familiar theme Erza was all too familiar with. A great swell of black ions began to encompass the blade from the guard up, swirling like a helix.

"This move…!" Erza's eyes widened as a familiar chill went down her spine.

Saboth raised the sword overhead, the compressed helix now from the guard to the tip of the blade, huge masses of negative stored. "But when you knock Demon Karbia from my hand…you will suffer an eternity of deaths at the glorious expense of my blade! **Deign Slay!** "

He brought the sword down against the ground, an instantaneous impact erupting everywhere like an atomic explosion went off. Just as before, the horrendous linear black energy shattered and split the ground, exerting harsh shockwaves that smashed boulders apart. Everything shattered as the pitch-black attack was aimed for Erza. The redhead was last seen with widened eyes as a monstrous load of Magic Power grew closer. A dark eruption exerted everywhere, dark winds splattering everywhere. The landscape turned nearly upside down as every rock was turned over and possibly broken into tiny pieces.

As the dust cleared, Saboth showed some excitement as he saw the shattered trail lead up towards the end. "Hmm?" When he got a good picture, his shock was shown, with a hint of scowling, as the end trail was seen actually splitting the large hill that stood fifty feet tall, bisecting it completely. His frustration was seen as his teeth gritted. "Damn that fool. She hid away again, didn't she?" Being fooled a second time was not something he liked, but he knew that he caused significant damage from before. He looked around. "She hasn't gotten far. She's around here somewhere. If I find her corpse, I'll stab her face and skin her flesh off with every fiber of frustration I have." He declared darkly.

Hiding behind a few rock piles, Erza was leaning against the back of the loose gravel, panting as to catch her breath. She looked over her left shoulder, seeing Saboth turning his head left and right and trying to search for her. _'_ _That was too close.'_ She thought as she tried catching her breath.

Her body had taken some deal of damage from Deign Slay unfortunately. While Erza was able to dodge at the last second, the indirect negative energy waves hit her like a wall. The shockwaves left her left arm and side as a whole grizzled, if not battered.

 _'_ _His power just keeps increasing. And I still don't have power to pull out that Nakagami Armor. I don't even know how I was able to from the start. Damnit, what is it that I lack to suppress this demon? And after all of my training?!'_ She frantically thought as she needed a plan. _'…_ _wait, training.'_ Her eyes widened. _'_ _My sword! Honedge!'_ She reached into her pocket, pulling out something clutched into her palm. She brought it closer to her face, inspecting it. Unlocking her fingers, it was revealed to be the Max Revive she had stored away. _'_ _This is what Vanessa gave me awhile back. She said it can fully restore a single Pokémon. I don't have many options left, so this is what must be done!'_

Saboth heard the sound of something being pulled out. He turned towards a direction and saw a glowing golden light, the light itself revealing Erza holding the Max Revive up to the Poke Ball as it began to manifest into energy and become golden sparkles that entered the button of the Poke Ball, restoring Honedge from inside.

"I found you!" Saboth raised his sword and slammed it like a hammer, sending a dark and swift shockwave that blazed across the ground and met the loose gravel. An explosion again sent everything flying, scattering dust in the area. The samurai smirked as he figured he got her, but remained subtle as a few seconds passed.

As dust raged, a powerful white light emerged, blinding him suddenly. "Grah!" He faltered back, just as Erza jumped out of the dust cloud with Honedge in hand with Slash. Erza swung Honedge diagonally downward, slashing Saboth across the chest. While it didn't leave a mark, it did make him slide back.

He looked back, seeing Erza standing a few feet away, confidence as she had Honedge out once more. "That sword again? Impossible." He growled.

Honedge's eye traced back to Erza. "Thank you, Erza." She thanked.

Erza nodded. "It's good to see you're alright." She grinned. "Now, I do believe we have unfinished business with this rapscallion."

Honedge looked back at Saboth, ready at her Trainer's words. "Absolutely."

"Tch, whatever you summon it matters not. My sword dares not fall to a puny mortal. Prove to me of your power!" Without any delay, Saboth raced after Erza, with the Requip Mage lunging after Saboth for the umpteenth time, this time with her Honedge yelling outwards for the fight to rage on.

* * *

Gengar floated above, snickering mockingly as he conjured yet another Shadow Ball at a steep angle. With great precision, the Ghost-type move was fired, and Magnezone barely had the space to slip off to the side to evade the attack that encompassed the ground in a heavy explosion.

"That was too close." He remarked cautiously.

"You think that was too close?" Gengar warned. Magnezone looked back up, Gengar coming down with yet another Shadow Punch. The Ghost-type move met its mark, the downward fist to Magnezone's head making him falter lower towards the ground.

The Electric and Steel-type regained balance and adjusted himself as Gengar lowered his own altitude, snickering.

"What's the matter? You're looking a little stiff. Is the cold air finally getting to that tin can body of yours?" Gengar taunted.

Magnezone grunted, unable to find a verbal response appropriate for the predicament.

"Heh, well here's your wake-up call then!" Gengar put his hands together, manifesting a jumbled mess of dark rings with purple outlining. The material was unleashed in a dark beam of rings that traveled across the airspace towards Magnezone. " **Dark Pulse!** " He shouted.

Reacting with haste, Magnezone began to manifest metallic energy around his body, the energy waves rippling towards his center in the form of an orb. " **Mirror Shot!** " He countered.

The two attacks met in the middle, a mixture of darkness and silver-white exploding in the ar. The infused explosion expanded outwards, kicking up dust and blinding Magnezone for a brief's moment. The living magnet opened one eye as the dust settled, revealing Gengar to be gone.

"What? He's gone!" Magnezone exclaimed.

"Boo."

Magnezone went wide-eyed as he jerked his body to angle down, staring at Gengar's face as he was perpendicular and his upper body out of the dark floor. The look on Magnezone's face made him chuckle.

"Man, you're such a riot. You're almost child's play." Gengar laughed. He disappeared yet again, this time into the shadows once more and leaving Magnezone clueless. Gengar's voice began to echo throughout the chamber. "We can keep this little game going for as long as we want, I don't mind. I got all the time in the world." He echoed. "Picking on wimps isn't my forte, but it's amusing to see their faces when they get spooked."

Magnezone looked back up, somewhat startled. "Who are you calling a wimp?" He called out.

"Why, you of course." Gengar slowly fazed out of the darkness of the wall far in front of Magnezone. "Who else would I be talking to? Myself? I'm not _that_ psychotic."

Magnezone narrowed his glare. "Just what are you up to?"

"I can ask you the same question, wimp. When you think about it statistically, don't we have familiar Special Attack?" Gengar inquired, keeping the topic off course. "We balance the other out. You're a stubborn thing, but why isn't it that you've been giving it your all? Are you holding back deliberately?"

Magnezone took action and raised his magnets. "I take offense to such a distasteful accusation!" He denied.

Gengar raised a brow. "Distasteful? It's a cliché mock." When he picked up on what Magnezone was feeling, his malicious smirk intensified. "Oh, I get it now. It's because I was your former trainer's brother's Pokémon now, isn't it?"

Magnezone began to brighten his body in static.

"As I thought, you really are a wimp." Gengar huffed.

"Gengar, why are you doing this? What is your purpose with siding with the Rivolta? Please, I insist, let's stop this already." Magnezone said.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Gengar replied. "Stop what? This battle? The spell? You've gotta be a little more specific, pal."

"Enough of your foolish games!" Magnezone snapped. "You know exactly what I mean!"

Gengar floated in the air, staring at the Magnezone in front of him who lost its cool. The ghost frowned, looking bitter as Magnezone continued.

"You should come back to us. Return to the side that was once the one you fought on, the side that is meant to stop the spell, like it has before. Why waste yourself over someone who killed your Trainer? Your compulsion was misled, Gengar. Did you forget Alpha was the one who lead Vince to his death? Why are you persisting in following that fool? Tell me! Tell me so that I can understand and help-!"

Magnezone was cut off when another Dark Pulse was fired. Startled, he veered out of the way as the Dark-type move crashed into the ground, erupting rock everywhere. Magnezone came to a halt, stammering as he looked back from the crash towards Gengar. The look of seriousness on his face said it all. Gengar was unamused.

"You really should've kept that tin can mouth of yours shut." He exasperated. He was glaring at Magnezone with a death-like sentence, sending a chill through the inorganic lifeform's body. "I didn't ask for your help now, did I? I didn't ask for it, nor do I ever need it from the likes of some pin-headed twit who doesn't even know the first thing about Vince!" There was intense venom in his voice. He was mad. "Come back to what? Strife? Anguish in defeat? A repeat of all those years ago? I'm sorry, but I ain't falling for that hardy tale. I have a new purpose now, and I intend to stay by Alpha's command until the end of our existences."

Magnezone was looking more tense than before. "Gengar."

"I can poke you with your own stick. You are you siding with your Trainer's daughter? Wouldn't you have rather been better off somewhere else? Why stay with a familiarity that only hurts the guilt inside?"

"My convictions got nothing to do with this." Magnezone argued.

"Then why tell me how to live my life when I have made my own choices? When the purpose was gone, guess who was there. It was Alpha. If I have to forsake everything to follow him now, then so be it, but it won't matter if Mark, Laura, or the likes of their own pets mingle around, because they're dead to me, as I was to them." Gengar began to conjure yet another Shadow Ball. "This isn't about redemption, it's about purpose, and my purpose, is to take down this accursed family that stands against me and Alpha!"

He threw the Shadow Ball once more, only for Magnezone to apply a counter as fast as he could with Flash Cannon. Both Ghost and Steel-type attacks met their mark in the center, another silver-black explosion erupting. Shockwaves blew about with high wind velocity. Magnezone and Gengar both backed away, remaining in the air.

Magnezone's glare was as tense as Gengar's. "So, you follow Alpha now because of your purpose. And your purpose is to follow him like a lost Lillipup? You and I see things very differently, Gengar, but…" He ascended, getting above him quickly. "I won't quit!" In front of him, a Zap Cannon was being made. "My purpose is to seek repentance. Even though I have hence forgiven my Trainers for their crimes, I must still repent for my crimes. If you're a crime, then I shall repent for you!"

Gengar infused into the shadows just as the menacing Electric-type move went flying after him. The attack exploded against the earth, sending eruptions of static and lightning in all directions. Magnezone remained stable in the air as he looked down at the dissipating electricity, seeing as how Gengar got away by the shadows yet again. Magnezone looked up, seeing Gengar popping his head upside down from the ceiling, his malicious smirk appearing on his face once more.

"You sure do talk big for someone who isn't going all out. Fine, let's continue playing some more…brother." Gengar said.

"B-brother?" Magnezone stammered.

"Why the face? Our Trainers were brother-in-laws, right? So, wouldn't you find it fitting that as their Pokémon, we call ourselves brothers?" Gengar pointed out. "After all, if this is a family feud…then naturally it'd be hard to press matters onto a brother who you find 'struggling', right?"

Magnezone's eye narrowed. "What makes you think that after everything that's happened, that I would call you something that you're not?"

Gengar snickered while still upside down. "So serious. Good…then this is going to be more fun for me, brother."

* * *

Kecleon went to get closer as Mariah stood completely still. The Color Swap Pokémon jumped onto a crystalized formation for higher attack altitude, and then came down with Slash. Mariah stayed completely still, closing her eyes.

By this time, Kecleon was certain to have Mariah figured out. While Mariah was not a close-range fighter, her long-range tactics and usage of crystalizing the atmosphere gives her a solid defense. If she could crystalize anything, including the air, invisibility was out of the question, and using her sticky tongue if vulnerable would crystalize it solid. In all honesty, Kecleon found herself at a disadvantage, but kept on fighting.

" **Slash!** "

Kecleon passed Mariah as she made no attempt to dodge. She posed behind as the Crystal Mage shattered to pieces, exploding to a million little fragments of pink crystal, much to Kecleon's shock. _'_ _A crystal clone?'_ She thought.

"You are very adept to analyzing my attacks. Clearly you are not as profound to simple as I sought you were." In the distance Mariah stood, still adorned in her cloak and unscathed by her opponent's assault. She remained passive and calm as her body shimmered like glass for a moment before solidifying. "I praise you well for upholding such a high and proficient montage of attack combinations, little one, but the inevitable is always constant. What's inevitable here, is that my crystals will find a way to you, one way or another."

She extended her arm out, her finger stretched out. " **Brush Comet!** " Suddenly the shattered crystal clone pieces behind Kecleon remained stationary in midair before they started to swirl and expand out like a twister of little rocks. To counter, Kecleon looked towards the ground for answers, seeing crystal layered everywhere still. Using her raw strength, she axe kicked the ground, scraping up two solid chunks of pink crystal and used her toe claws to grip them. Turning to a handstand, she pivoted and spiraled in place, moving the tow sheets of crystal around and blocking the tempest.

When the attack subsided, Kecleon swung her legs around then beneath, flicking one of the dense sheets at Mariah. The sheet was dodged as Mariah shifted left, allowing the projectile to hit the crystalized wall. Kecleon regained her footing while still holding the one sheet of crystal on her toe claws.

Mariah extended her fingers out, unleashing a pulsing wind similar to Fairy Wind, the particles crystalizing and making way towards Kecleon. Kecleon lifted the sheet with her toe claws and it acted as a shield, taking scattered particle pieces and defending them against her.

 _'_ _So, she's using my own crystals as defense. A clever tactic for her, she's smart.'_ Mariah pondered, adjusting her stance. _'_ _However…'_

Kecleon readied for her next attack, but as luck would have it, her reflexes kicked in. She sensed a strong swell of power coming from the sheet she had on her toes. Pivoting and kicking, she sent the sheet into the air, where as it twirled, the pink crystal rapidly expanded into a large mass of spiked crystals, which then shattered and became pink specks in the wind.

Kecleon back flipped away, maintaining a distance from the sudden change in dynamics. _'_ _I saw that, but just at the last moment. She used her Magic Power to make the particles on the crystal sheet I used to defend to rapidly expand. Like dough when it's heated.'_ She looked down at herself, also the ground. _'_ _If it isn't just the particles she sends out, then she can very well turn the atmosphere and ground into crystal, even if there was a base to begin with. When she also attacks, her attacks manifest close to her, possibly where the concentration of crystal is at its greatest.'_ Her head tilted. "You are very confusing." She said.

"As are you." Mariah commented. "But what is it that you really know about me? Rather…what do you know about yourself?"

Kecleon tilted her head. "I am a Kecleon. And I have many colors." She answered.

A moment passed before Mariah's stare finally succumbed to tiredness. She had eyelids half open. "That was a rhetorical question." She said tiredly. "…but, since you did bring up a point, it makes fallible sense."

Kecleon's head tilted back up. "The operator for this phone is pending."

"Tell me, do you know why my crystals are pink?" Mariah asked. She turned away, staring off into space. "Are you aware that crystals come in a variety of colors, yet mine are primarily pink? Pink is a mix of two colors; two of which were once separate entities. The purest entity of them all, the color of light and refinement. White. White is a simple yet complete color. It is the good side, the side that is of no fault." She began to flashback to when she was a small child in an orphanage, whereas all the other kids played and got along, yet the smaller Mariah was by the window, painting a canvas completely white. She didn't look in the least bit dissatisfied. "It is a color of innocence, where all seems right. However, red is another color. Red is…" All of the simple days she's spent in the orphanage went up in flames, literally. The orphanage where she resided was burning to the ground by Alpha and Gengar as they were scouring the lands residing near the isles. She could still remember the children screaming in anguish as fires engulfed them, their blood staining the ground, including Mariah's face and canvas. She looked so scared, but at the same time wasn't moving. Her white canvas was forever stained in splattered red, burning along with the building and town. "…a very powerful color. It resembles heat, passion, flare for one's ambitions. It is a color of fire that burns intensely…but, fire also burns. Red may have passion, but it more than exemplifies passion. It exerts the color of blood. As fire burns, blood spills. The color red is of anguish and turmoil, confliction that spills its color around…like a drop of blood."

Kecleon remained silent as her opponent continued to speak.

"White is a pure color, but it is also sensitive. When the anguish of red spills into it, the white is no longer pure. It is stained. It is ruined. And nothing will ever be white again." She remembered to when she developed Crystal Magic as Alpha guided her off. The eleven-year-old girl was emotionless, as she was in the orphanage that night. Years later, the color was still pink. "What the colors are matters not, but their own mixtures that taint the existence of another color. To many who wander, life is short and but a gray cloud." Her eyes closed once more. "But gray is a color made from two others. White, of purity, and then the color that swamps all. There is no color with greater power than it. Red itself is hopeless against…" Her eyes opened back up. "Black. The color of death." Around her, the crystal began to quake. The cracks began to glow a crimson color. "This is the cold reality that I have realized. Nothing is pure! The world will never be, neither is a soul or fragment of nature! Black takes everything and darkens it! And now, you too will be encompassed in black!"

Kecleon noticed the Magic Power change has happened. The Color Swap Pokémon began to grow worrisome as this pressure change had begun to affect her. Her legs began to feel weak, and her energy was starting to decline. It was like darkness was spouting all around her, acting like a Leech Life. Her beady eyes stared at the wall behind Mariah, seeing the crystal wall cracking.

"…dark colors, disgustingness has increased." Kecleon said wearily.

The wall was suddenly stabbed with black crystals prodding outwards. The crystals were large, like a sideways Stone Edge. Mariah looked more than a little hostile as she glared at Kecleon.

" **Black Crystal Arts: Gaia Mayhem!** "

The four black crystals all extended their reach and went speeding after Kecleon like thing spikes. At the last second, Kecleon dodged, not wishing to take chances as the elongated black crystals prodded into the ground, sending shattered pink crystal everywhere. The fragments of pink became black slowly. Kecleon stared with surprise. _'_ _They did a scene change.'_

Mariah raised her arms, looking somewhat intimidating. "This is the Black Arts that transcends to crystal. The color of death washes over everything it touches." She informed. "Everything turns to black eventually, one's life has black in it, no matter how pure white it may seem. Nic, the Pularis family that has been around, its colors are black as death. They were that very color. And yet they intend to brighten things up!" She swiped her arm across, sending a crescent of black crystal that traveled across the ground. The crevice embedded into the earth was dark as an abyss. Kecleon dodged by veering left, evading as the crystal crescent met the wall nearby, scattering black crystal everywhere. Mariah continued to swipe her arm in a slow yet long arch, this time making black crystal pillars shoot up from below like Stone Edge. As Kecleon raced across the ground, her little feet were swifter than ninja. She constantly shifted, avoiding the ever-growing crystals that wanted to stab her from below.

"You're only delaying the inevitable. The Impure Underworld shall make the world see its truest color, as black as the dark side of the moon. It is forever there. Infinite. And thus, you too shall see black."

Kecleon's beady eyes widened as she caught the sensation beneath. Just as the ground shattered, she jumped and shot upwards, evading the black crystal that tried to stab her. She used the pink crystals that were sent flying as footholds and jumped upwards constantly, getting further away from the ground.

As Kecleon found herself high above the ground, Mariah did an intricate hand sign, where middle and ring fingers were curled inwards while the thumb, index, and smaller fingers connected like drawbridges. " **Black Crystal Flying Ryu!** "

Shooting out of the ground beneath were three very large serpentine black crystal dragons with yellow eyes. They arched up in perfect formation, attacking Kecleon head on.

 _'_ _She made me fly on purpose!'_ Kecleon looked up towards the ceiling, noticing that the pink crystal layer was several feet above her head. Taking evasive action, Kecleon swiftly opened her mouth and used her long sticky tongue to extend out. The tip coiled around stalactite, allowing Kecleon momentum that she used to reel herself up, successfully dodging the three dragons that rammed into each other head on. Small fragments of black crystal spread everywhere, but Kecleon was well out of range as she dug her claws into the ceiling crystal spike.

"She's avoided using her tongue than means of invisibility. Clever." Mariah admitted.

Kecleon stared down at her, trying to ponder in her awkward and exotic mind. _'_ _What doors does she have that I can't find keys to? Must I go through the window? But what if the door has no window?'_ She began to think back to the start of the battle, where she began to formulate a plan. Her opponent turned to crystal, and she turned everything else into crystal; Kecleon didn't have much experience in terms of crystal, especially with how Carbink had Clear Body so her Screech wouldn't be of my help at all other than break other forms of crystal around the Carbink. That's when it hit Kecleon. _'_ _Wait…'_ She thought back to when she used Screech before. _'_ _Okay then, I'll pick this lock to her door.'_

The pressure in the atmosphere shifted yet again, the battle's intense climax at last reaching a peak. Mariah glared at Kecleon with an unemotional gaze plastered on her face. Her demeanor was back to being calm. "Are you ready to accept the color of death? Maybe I'll had to persist you."

Kecleon pried her claws from the crystal spike just as a sharper pink spike expanded from it. She began to fall, where Mariah summoned black crystal geysers that shot up at Kecleon.

Kecleon faced the incoming geyser of black crystal and her mouth glowed orange. " **Screech!** " She exerted red soundwaves that rippled out from her mouth, reaching the pillars and expanding all the way out towards the area encompassing them. Mariah covered up, the Defense-lowering attack getting to her ears. The black crystal pillar beneath Kecleon began to crack up, eventually breaking apart, shattering like glass.

"The crystal…!" Mariah uncovered her ears, just as Kecleon landed and stopped her attack, the intense soundwaves produced lowering her momentum to a safe falling speed.

Kecleon faced her, darting ahead with blinding speed. As she maneuvered, she became invisible once more, her red zigzag still there. She opened her mouth once more, following with yet another high-pitched Screech.

Mariah swiped her arm forward, summoning another black crystal prolonged spear that shot from behind her. The dense and long spear of black went into the soundwaves, but upon reaching the Screech, the intense soundwaves made the spell shudder, the pink flooring also giving in and cracking apart. The spear shattered once again, the invisible Kecleon shrieking as Screech continued to produce high frequency soundwaves. Mariah covered her ears, grunting in searing pain. As she winced from the intense soundwaves piercing her ears, her eyes began to dilate, her arms and her cheeks beginning to crack up.

Kecleon's Screech eventually stopped, but Mariah wasn't taking chances. She lashed her cloaked arms around, summoning and funnel of black crystal that eventually surrounded her until it was a dome of black.

Kecleon stopped outside, turning visible as she glanced at the dome of sheer defense. "She put up another door…"

Inside, Mariah was surrounded in darkness. "This is the **Dome of Dark Jade**. Attack it physically if you'd like, but know that you shall be covered in dark crystal."

A short silence fell upon her. It was quiet, too quiet to be more or less accurate. She got no sound from outside, which began to unnerve her.

"What is she doing? Why isn't she attacking?" Mariah pondered quietly. "Has she conceded? Or rather-!"

She was cut off when the dark flooring shot a black shadow beneath, striking her abdomen. The intense impact was so powerful that Mariah could feel her insides shatter. Her eyes were wide, her shock surmounting as the shadow extended upwards, until she shot straight through the dome ceiling in a sharp angle into the wall, smashing into the weakened crystal and gasping in shock. She faltered towards the ground, grunting as her abdomen and body was covered in cracks.

"B-but…how…?" Mariah looked up, seeing her crystal dome shattering like glass and falling towards the ground. As the specks slowly showered down onto the cracked pink earth, Kecleon slumped ahead, walking forward steadily and tilting her head.

"Crystal is like rock, but it is like glass too. It is fragile, like ice." Kecleon pointed out. "Screech is pitchy, and thus it shatters like glass when the pitch is too much. Defense goes down." She straightened her head. "And you can't get away after you use black crystals." She recalled as to how she made crystal clones, but they were all pink. "Your structure becomes the same color and property of the crystal used. You can't change into a clone…a dark outlook is bad for your health."

Mariah winced, unable to move. _'_ _She…she figured it out?'_ Mariah tried her best to stand. "N-no. I can't give up yet. For the sake of the spell, and what I can persevere left. I refuse to lose."

Kecleon dashed ahead, her claws elongating and brightening. "Your true colors are splattered! Your art is but gray voids themselves! **Slash!** "

Kecleon closed the gap almost instantly, time slowing down as she had her right claw brought back and her posture set. Slowly, Slash was brought forward towards Mariah, but the Crystal Mage was smirking.

"Hm…"

A stab sound was made as everything for Kecleon had turned black that very moment. The chameleon-like creature's vision returned in a blurry manner, her beady eyes dilating as she felt a cold chill running up and down her body. "Wha…chilly…?"

"You've misplaced the judgment of the situation." Mariah said.

Kecleon looked down, her eyes widening in shock. Her green skin almost paled as she saw that Mariah's abdomen had a black spike protruding from it, connecting all the way to Kecleon's belly, stabbing her.

The Color Swap Pokémon backed up, another bolt of pain exerting from her. She Began to feel cold circulating into her veins, her body growing numb quickly. It wasn't just a typical paralysis, but something on a much grander scale, one that disturbed her greatly. The black spot that was now a layer of black crystal rapidly began to grow on her body.

"Black, it's…making me heavy…" Kecleon looked towards Mariah for an answer, the Crystal Mage staring with an unemotional gaze.

"Your fate is sealed, lizard. This is the potential of the Black Crystal Arts. Any and all who are touched by it cannot escape. It will slowly start at a superficial level, and then works through your cells, turning them to solid crystal. Once it reaches your heart…it's the end of the line for you."

Kecleon's eyes widened.

"You may have discovered my weakness to frequencies, but even your soundwaves cannot penetrate the black crystal when it gets to your throat." Mariah finished. Her eyes narrowed. "Worthy as you were, this is the end of the line for you."

Kecleon's body grew weak, getting herself to a knee and grunting in agonizing pain. The black crystal began to spread all over her body like a swift virus. She grunted in agony, her weird little mind going nuts. _'_ _The leaves on my trees…they're withering away…I can't make them bloom. The season is too great. Nature is formidable…'_ The crystal grew until it began to encompass her figure and eyes, trapping her as though she was within stone. Before she knew it, her hopes were swept away as the crystal fully engulfed her body, trapping her beneath a sheet of black crystal.

Mariah stood at the large black crystal the harsh edging, encompassing her foe inside. This was the fate she always sought the world to realize. Black takes over everything eventually, death succumbing life, with nothing left but for a shattered existence. That's what Mariah saw. "I will give your regards to your Trainer if I happen to come by him." She turned on her heels and walked off, no remorse for the fate she had put Kecleon in.

Inside, Kecleon was paralyzed, unable to move. She was in crystal, and it felt as though it was burning away at her skin, but in the case she was in now, it was merely the fact that the crystal was getting to her skin, literally.

 _'_ _Darkness is getting under skin. If I had thicker bark on my tree and sturdier roots, I'd…'_ She could feel her numbness enhance, her eyes wincing in pain. _'_ _Nic…'_

* * *

As Nic traveled down the corridor, something in him began to hurt. His eyes widened, surprise mounting on his shoulders. He stopped for a moment, his momentum gone as he could feel a small pain and emptiness beginning to grow inside. _'_ _What was that just now?'_ He thought. He could've sworn his heart plopped into his stomach, the sickening intensity increasing. _'_ _Did I hear Kecleon just call out my name?'_ He looked towards the sensation's source, his face looking pale. "Kecleon."

* * *

As hope was dying on the chameleon as crystal began to eat at her cells, she began to recollect some vivid memory. For some reason, her body's temperature stopped dropping.

 _Route 6, the very same route where one could capture a Honedge. The grass was tall, very tall, and all the Pokémon were living their lives in the grass as shelter from others. Espurr, Sentret, and Oddish were aboveground._

 _Kecleon's species could only be found in Route 6, and their chances are very slim. Add in the fact that they turn invisible makes the case all the more impossible to stomach for a Trainer to put up searching for._

 _Other Kecleon were busy doing whatever they had to do, while the Kecleon in particular was standing at the base of one of the Berry Trees at the base of a hill. It was a female Kecleon, and she tilted her head, looking at the berry from another angle._

 _The way her head always tilted, made the other Pokémon gathered around the tree feel awkward. She opened her mouth, lunging her long tongue up and getting a piece of fruit. With a quick yank, it fell down and into Kecleon's mouth, another lunch to settle into her._

 _"_ _(The tank must add more fuel.)" She said._

 _"_ _(What the heck is wrong with her?)" A Nincada asked._

 _"_ _(She's weird.)" An Espurr pointed out._

 _Kecleon got this a lot. No wonder everyone didn't feel comfortable around her. Her wording and creepy monotone voice wasn't helping. She couldn't help it, it was just how she communicated. Even after hatching from an egg, she was always the odd one. It was never fair to her, but she couldn't do a thing about it._

 _"_ _(Hey, freak show.)" Kecleon turned around, facing a grumpy-looking Nincada. "(Whatever your beef is, are you done? Because you're in my way.)"_

 _Kecleon simply tilted her head in another direction. "(Glaciers melt too quick if the sun gets hot.)"_

 _"_ _(Grrr…just move it!)" Nincada swiped his arm, using a Scratch attack. Kecleon evaded by leaping towards the left, but then her momentum was lost and she ended up tumbling down the hill's steep side. As Kecleon rolled off, Nincada nodded with a huff. "(Serves it right.)"_

 _"_ _(Ow! Eeeh! Ah!)" Kecleon regularly tumbled, sliding down the hill until she ended up on the far incline of Route 6, near the northern hills to be more accurate. She grunted in pain, feeling dizzy with spirals for eyes._

 _"_ _(Round and round my brain goes…)" She groaned. Once she was back up to speed, she shook her head and blinked, trying to get a sense of where she was at. While she knew she was on Route 6 still – obviously – tall grass always made it hard for her to understand where she was._

 _"_ _What's the meaning of this?!"_

 _She heard a masculine voice, her eyes widening and her invisibility activated, leaving her red stripe open. She looked up at the hill behind her, staring beyond the bushes and at the huge estate that seemed to be as expansive as anything that's been relevant. With herself cloaked, she stared at the gates that were far off in the distance, seeing a 15-year-old boy with sunglasses and sleeveless coat being pushed out of the gates._

 _The butler in charge guided Nic from behind. "Sir, you must depart, the owner's orders." He said._

 _Nic was shoved out of the gates, looking back at the butler. "Didn't you hear what I said? I don't care! We need that Poke Flute if we wanna rid of that Snorlax!" He insisted._

 _"_ _Not our problem. If you wish to apologize for saying his Furfrou looks unhappy, then we can arrange for that…plus a doubled fee." The butler said._

 _Nic's eyes narrowed. "This is a public museum. You can't do this, it's unethical."_

 _"_ _Good day." The butler closed the gates on Nic, the railing slamming in front of his face._

 _Nic stared out at the gates, his furrowed brows showing his intense irritation. He had hands to his hips, his foot tapping the ground. "Prissy ignorance slob. Two-faced primidone." He cursed beneath his breath. He hated the rich so much, and although inexperienced at the time of not even a couple months, he's already met plenty of people and Pokémon, and won hundreds of battles so far. His Frogadier – which evolved just recently from Froakie – and Charmander have won a good share of battles thanks to Nic's training, which was still growing for them. People like the owner inside Parfum Palace, those were the kinds that he wanted to punch in the face. They had no value and only cared about money and glory. Nic could've told that the Furfrou inside was unhappy and spoiled, and even when he spoke up, he was thrown out, leading to now._

 _Nic glared up at the palace. "You wanna play hard ball, fine."_

 _Kecleon tilted her head, looking suspiciously at Nic. "Huh-?!" She slipped, causing her to fall back into the tall grass._

 _Nic's eyes widened upon hearing rustling sounds. "What?" Wondrous, he walked away from the palace gates, now intrigued by that loud thud pass the bushes. He looked tense. "Who's there?" He called out, but got no answer. He peered over the hill ledge and bushes that bordered the hills of Route 6 and Parfum Palace. He saw nothing, but his eyes narrowed beneath his sunglasses, leering at something running away._

 _"_ _Hold it!" Taking a big leap, he flew several feet into Route 6, jumping nearly ten feet from the inclined hill down into the tall grass._

 _As the invisible Kecleon tried to evade, Nic abruptly ended up in front of her, making her shriek in shock. The Kecleon lost her focus, showing her true colors, literally._

 _Nic's eyes widened, seeing as how it wasn't a person. "A…Pokémon?"_

 _Kecleon blinked, tilting her head. "(A human…)"_

 _Nic tilted his head, following Kecleon's head turning. He pulled out his PokeDex and analyzed the Normal-type._

 _"_ _Kecleon, the Color Swap Pokémon. It can freely change its body's color. The zigzag pattern on its belly doesn't change, however." The PokeDex announced._

 _Nic looked back down at Kecleon, perplexed. "A Pokémon that changes color…?"_

 _Kecleon began to fade away back to invisible, her red stripe fixed, just as the holographic device announced, much to Nic's surprise._

 _"_ _Wow…!" He stared at the red stripe as it began to slowly walk backwards. "It's alright, I have no quarrel with you…for now." He enforced. He looked back up at the hill, looking peeved. "Right now I have bigger problems to deal with."_

 _"_ _(Bigger Magikarp to catch than me?)" Kecleon tilted her head again._

 _Nic looked back at the red stripe in the distance. "No offense to you, sincerely."_

 _Kecleon stopped backtracking, blinking. '(He…decoded my encoding?)'_

 _Nic began to walk off towards the incline of the hill. "While would love to battle, I'm afraid I have to go and teach someone some manners…as in my standpoint, he gets Fs all around."_

 _Kecleon's eyes widened in shock. She never heard someone speak somewhat like her. And she understood!_

 _As Nic began to walk up the hill, the invisible Kecleon slowly leered at Nic as he went on his way, staring up with eyes wide._

 _…_

 _The owner stood in front of Nic and Frogadier, guards behind him and looking peeved. "Aha! I caught you!"_

 _Nic and Frogadier clutched their fists, standing in front of the glass casing with the Poke Flute in one of the lavish rooms in the palace._

 _"_ _You're coming into custody." The owner said._

 _"_ _I defy everything you say." Nic bluntly said. "You don't understand. A Snorlax is blocking the road, and that road connects patrons and everyone else to-"_

 _"_ _Not our problem." The owner cut him off. "Everything here belongs to me. My elegant Furfrou here, he's just the best…and you mocked him." He growled._

 _Furfrou rolled his eyes, groaning._

 _Nic spread his legs, looking to fight. "Then it looks like we have no choice. Ready, Frogadier?"_

 _Frogadier got a battle stance ready. "(As I always am!)"_

 _The owner extended his arm out. "Apprehend this naïve fool at once!" He demanded. "Let the police know that my property has been stolen!"_

 _At that instant, the guards ran for Nic and Frogadier. Nic and Frogadier trained for this, as they intended themselves to. There were only a few guards, but they both had strength. Nic took care of two, while Frogadier took care of two more with a Quick Attack. As men went flying, Nic threw a guy with all his might, hitting another guy, and swiftly turned around and elbowed a guy in his face._

 _Quickly, the battle was a distraction, while the casing began to remove itself unexpectedly._

 _The owner's face grew shocked. "Wha…what's happening? Why are you defying authority?!" He shouted._

 _Nic punched down another guard, with Frogadier at his back. They both glared at the owner and the butler beside him. "You wouldn't understand." He murmured. His glare hardened, sending a chill down the owner's spine. "Like I said, Camphrier Town is depending on me, and no matter who I am up against, police, you, or anyone, you won't stand in my way."_

 _The owner was losing patience, he wanted to get Nic out of his sight. "You…! Yoou~…!" His face turned red, his anger spiking._

 _The butler adjusted his glasses, seeing something off. "Master!"_

 _"_ _What?!" The owner exclaimed. His eyes widened as Furfrou barked, seeing the spot behind Nic and Frogadier. The Poke Flute was missing. "The…the Poke Flute! It's gone!"_

 _"_ _What?" Nic looked behind, seeing that it was missing._

 _Furfrou began to bark._

 _"_ _What now, my adorable Furfrou?!" The owner exclaimed. "Can't you see that I'm-!" Suddenly he was raked across the face by an invisible pair of claws. He recoiled in pain. "GAH!"_

 _The butler looked baffled. "Master! Are you-!" A long visible tongue with a flute at the end conked his head, making him fall backwards._

 _Furfrou shuddered, not understanding what was going on. He saw a tongue, and now Nic and everyone was going crazy. "(I-I'm getting out of here!)" The Normal-type went running off, scurrying away._

 _Nic and Frogadier faced the tongue dangling the flute above. Nic's eyes narrowed. "Is that…?"_

 _The Kecleon flickered, revealing herself for a moment's notice. "(The pine tree has its pinecones!)" She happily announced._

 _Nic's eyes widened. "It is Kecleon!"_

 _Footsteps could be heard, and running towards Kecleon was the owner. The Normal-type looked over, seeing him reach for the flute stuck in the air. "Gngh! Give that back! It's not yours!" He shouted._

 _"_ _Neither to you." Nic pointed out. He began to take strides towards the owner, who was beginning to lose it. "You stole that important piece of music from someone who has more appreciation and free spirit than what your Furfrou will ever have. You are a selfish snob."_

 _Flustered and nowhere to go, the owner made a last-ditch attempt and sprung after Nic and Frogadier. "Get out of here!" He shouted. He punched forward, Nic leaning right without much effort._

 _Nic clutched a fist. "Sorry, but you need to understand." With a left hook, he socked the owner across the face, knocking him down and out cold._

 _"_ _(We're in big trouble.)" Frogadier pointed out, looking at the owner and the guards._

 _"_ _(Even decayed Rawst Berries can be used for juice.)" Kecleon said._

 _Frogadier blinked as he stared at Kecleon, simultaneously, both tilted their heads; Frogadier more along the lines of wonder._

 _"_ _(…uh, yeah. They'll appeal to reason, I hope.)" The Water-type said._

 _Nic looked down at Frogadier and Kecleon. "I think we've gone a little overboard, but we at least got the Poke Flute…" He looked around, inspecting the damage. "Explaining this will have to take place in Camphrier Town I'm afraid." He then watched as Kecleon began to head towards the window leading outside. "Kecleon?"_

 _Kecleon held onto the flute as she went towards the ledge. When she began to pick up pace, she took a big leap. "(I'VE NEVER FELT SO ALIVE!)" She descended, much to Nic and Frogadier's shock._

 _Both shrieked and went towards the edge, eyes wide as they looked down at what happened to Kecleon. She had thankfully landed on one of the bushes planted outside, her sticky tongue still on the flute. She laid on her back against the bushy shrub, sighing with a carefree and creepy composure as her head was turned towards the side._

 _"_ _(This mattress is a little itchy.)" She said._

 _Nic and Frogadier looked at each other, blinking once and looking back at Kecleon. As they did, they saw how she looked enthusiastic. They both smiled, along with Kecleon down below._

 _Eventually police arrived, and of course Nic got in some serious trouble, but Camphrier Town and the karate man's case overruled anything the owner implored. While there wasn't property damage, the owner was still outraged, but he was overruled and Nic got the Poke Flute, at the expense of Camphrier Town observing Snorlax waking up at the karate man's music and attack. As shocking as it was, Kecleon battled beside Nic rather than Frogadier or Charmander, much to Nic's own shock included. Miraculously, they took down Snorlax and drove it back into the mountains, and it was only after the battle that Nic, Frogadier, and Charmander unanimously agreed that Kecleon was more than welcomed with open arms._

For some reason, Kecleon began to grin, the warmth in her body returning. Her body began to give off some altered energy relevant to the color turquoise.

* * *

Mariah continued to walk away, but behind her, a blue light began to erupt. Her eyes widened, her shock evident as she turned and saw the black crystal beginning to shimmer a turquoise-like energy from within. The light got brighter and brighter, eventually, beginning to seep through cracks forming.

"Impossible…" Mariah muttered. "Just how did she…?"

The crystal split apart, shattering like glass and expanding outwards, crumbling at Mariah's feet. Still left shocked, she turned up and saw Kecleon was still alive and unhindered, standing with her head tilting to the side and her body surrounded by a dome of turquoise energy. Kecleon looked all around, seeing as how she was unharmed and the translucent turquoise energy shielding her faded away.

"Protect?" Kecleon inquired. "I…learned Protect."

"Whatever you did, it won't happen a second time. I'll make sure of that." Mariah announced. She extended her left arm out, sending a linear expanse of black crystal jutting after Kecleon. Kecleon jumped into the air and dodged, flipping to land atop of the crystal spikes without hesitation. As Kecleon began leaping from crystal to crystal. Mariah was caught startled as the chameleon wasn't solidifying a second time.

 _'_ _What's this? She isn't solidifying like before? But how?'_ Mariah wondered in astonishment. She was met with Kecleon appearing in front, bringing a knee back.

" **Thief!** "

Mariah saw the kick coming around, but summoned a thick wall of black crystal between her and Kecleon. Kecleon kicked the wall, making it shudder and crack apart. The pieces went flying everywhere, with Mariah covering up while Kecleon back flipped away to a halt.

Mariah had both arms out and brought the palms together with a clap. " **Black Crystal Flying Ryu!** "

Once again, she summoned three large crystal serpentine dragons that had Kecleon in the center. They all roared and arched down onto her, but she made no attempt at moving. Instead, she put her arms up.

 _'_ _Now to unseal this new delivery.'_ " **Protect!** " Once again, a turquoise shield erupted around her, shielding her from all three large heads, which shattered upon impact. Protect faded, and Kecleon looked up to inspect the pieces. She jumped again and leaped from shattered speck to speck.

Mariah could feel her patience wearing thin. She was getting almost nowhere with her opponent. "She's touching the crystals again, but I don't understand. How?"

Kecleon got to a high point after lunging from another large spike of black crystal. Using her tongue, she snapped it at the large piece beneath her and got a hold of it. She pivoted in midair, and dragged the humungous structure all around. She whipped it at Mariah, sending it at high speeds. Mariah, however, dodged and avoided the impact, but the scattered crystal bits went everywhere like an explosion of needles. She took a couple harsh shards to her shoulder and abdomen, leaving her with severe cracks on her body.

Kecleon landed, tilting her head. "I have different colors. Though not pretty, they are what make me similar to your colors."

"Similar…colors?" Mariah's eyes narrowed. _'_ _Wait, I remember our Master's Gengar having an Ability of Levitate. What is this one saying? How did her skin get to be immune to touching black crystal?'_ She began to think deeper, but no answers came.

"I have Color Change. My type changes when my opponent's attack hits me." Kecleon said. "Meaning my skin has absorbed crystal compounds." Kecleon tilted her head. "I'm more than 50 shades of gray…or black…or both."

Mariah's eyes widened. _'_ _No…if her type changed, it must have occurred as she was solidifying! Not only did her skin cells absorb the black crystal components to make her feel like a crystal, but with the cells running through her body, she's immune to the Black Crystal Arts permanently.'_ She cursed. _'_ _That was like a vaccine. I should've known. This is bad.'_

Kecleon began darting ahead after her, head straight. "So what if white is tainted. Nothing is perfect!" Her speeds were shocking, startling Mariah. "Just because white is a different color doesn't mean it's gone! Life is full of beautiful colors other than black! I've seen them all, and I say art isn't for destruction! It's to make the world a more beautiful place!"

"Stay away!" Mariah extended her arm out, sending a pillar of black crystal at Kecleon. Kecleon's claws glowed and she went slashing through the pillar, dicing it in split seconds, much to Mariah's horror as Kecleon was lunging in midair.

"Beautiful is in eye of beholder, and I shall make you behold my art! **Slash!** "

With a strong battle cry, Kecleon's claws glowed and elongated further. She let out an awkward shrieking yelp. Mariah had nowhere to hide, and her body was unable to hold itself together due to Kecleon's earlier Screech attacks – while she still had that move – made her almost shatter. A harsh and bright flash erupted, with Kecleon posing behind Mariah with her Slash fading. As she straightened her posture, she tilted her head, just as Mariah's entire right side was diagonally shattered, revealing black crystal inside. Kecleon looked away as Mariah stood puzzled and in shock of her defeat, her fragments sparkling bright as time slowed down.

A long few moments that seemed like eternity eventually ceased, and the Crystal Mage continued to speak.

"…I have lost." Mariah said. "Seems black arts has turned me into hollow crystal after all."

Kecleon, while have her head tilted, looked over her shoulder towards Mariah. "My Trainer, he is a good artist. He sees a lot of colors, but his mind and conviction…are what crystals are prettiest as. Clear."

Mariah stood there facing away as her body was cracking up. She took the last moments she had to process what Kecleon said. Out of all the years, black and pink were all she saw were her preferred colors, her purity stolen. Yet imagining something clear, it was like looking through diamonds, a rich mineral superior to crystal. Water was crystal clear, so long as those who cared for it keeps it filtered.

"Crystal clear…" She grinned. "What an interesting color."

Finally, Mariah shattered, black crystal sprinkling everywhere. Kecleon stared over her shoulder as her opponent was no more, becoming black specks of dust that fluttered everywhere. While the black specks dissipated, Kecleon noticed that the crystal in the room started to fade away, the magic fading with Mariah's life.

The chameleon turned around, looking up and watching the last speck turn a shimmering bright before fading. She tilted her head slowly, blinking. "Colors are wonderful…and so are potatoes."

* * *

For the umpteenth time, the chamber ruptured, the land quaking as the attacks kept pouring out. Dust raged, yet Magnezone and Gengar were still in their heated confrontation. Attacks were shot left and right, mainly of those that both were able to dodge. It was a dance with the devil that kept stalling for Magnezone as Gengar was slowly gaining ground. With Gengar having the superior speed, he was literally battling circles around Magnezone. He had him cornered eventually, where Magnezone was against the wall, and Gengar standing several yards away, snickering as his energy was brimming.

"Heh, well brother, didn't peg you as a scaredy cat underneath that heartless tin can." Gengar taunted.

Magnezone grunted, finding himself in a tight spot. "Quiet! What makes you think that I would call you a brother if you turned your back on us?" He retorted.

Gengar raised a brow. "Oh, trying to assure dominance I see. Who's the role model here, I wonder. Is it me because I got you saying 'brother', or is it you, good old repentance?"

"More like the stinker versus the honorable if you ask me." Magnezone corrected.

"One might look at it that way." Gengar smirked. "Well then…" Gengar enthused, he dived back into the shadows, giving Magnezone little clue as to where he would pop up. Having a sizeable hunch, Magnezone pivoted and turned around, floating backwards away from the wall as Gengar appeared.

" **Shadow Punch!** "

" **Mirror Shot!** "

Both attacks were launched. Shadow Punch stretched out as Magnezone discharged his sphere of metallic energy. The fist and orb attacks met in the center, engulfed in yet another explosion. Ultimately due to both preferring long-distance fighters, Magnezone's Steel-type move got the upper hand, and Mirror Shot went into the wall, engulfing it in another small burst of silver energy.

"Did I get him?" Magnezone questioned.

The smoke and dust began to settle, but no sound came out. Gengar's figure was seen, frowning, but then it grew into a smirk. "Not quite there." He huffed. "My Shadow Punch minimized the damage. So tell me, got more juice left?"

Magnezone glared hard at Gengar, grunting in frustration. "Don't sell me short yet!" He began to charge up for a Flash Cannon, silver light beginning to reach his red eye.

The smile on Gengar widened. "Now we're talking!" He put his hands together, creating another Shadow Ball.

Both Pokémon charged up their attacks until they met the right amount of infused energy. They yelled out just as they unleashed their moves. Magnezone fired a more concentrated blast, narrower, yet faster, while Gengar added a spin to his move, making the Shadow Ball spiral up and around the incoming attack. Both Magnezone and Gengar were engulfed in the opposite attack, both screaming out as a black and silver explosion that erupted in the respective airspaces. Light and dark infused into one another, the two explosions overlapping and making a far larger explosion, one greater than before.

Magnezone shot back fast, slamming harshly into the opposite wall and slumping towards the ground. Gengar slammed against the opposite wall as well, his back aching. The explosion's dust settled after minutes went by, but as before, Magnezone and Gengar both began to get up, grunting.

"You're…persistent…" Magnezone said. "Just like this Vince once was."

Gengar stood back up, a few bruises on his ghostly form. He grunted, but then evolved into a boisterous laughter. His chuckling uproariously evolved into something much more sinister, a malicious laugh that could rattle bones. Magnezone went wide-eyed, seeing Gengar going mad.

"What…?"

Gengar stopped laughing, his smirk wider and darker than ever. "Now we're talking! This was a battle I've been craving for a very long time!" He shouted. "I haven't had this much of a thrill since battling the easier ones back in the old days. N speaking of such…" His eyes narrowed, piercing dark daggers that rendered Magnezone uneasy. "You forgot that it's just us now. Mark and Vince aren't here! And I ain't too thrilled of you speaking of him as though you knew him, because you didn't. You're just offending me. That isn't nice." A small swell of pressure began to alter around the Ghost and Poison-type. "Perhaps your _brother_ should teach you some manners!"

Magnezone's eyes widened. "What…what is this pressure?"

"Alpha!" Gengar yelled.

In the far caverns, within the chamber that housed the Impure Underworld circle, Alpha stood there, smirking knowingly as he could hear Gengar's call. He smirked, pleased to hear the ghost's call to arms. The energy around him began to become more gross, and at the same time, began to electrify dark static from his body. "Yes, Gengar. I hear your call. And since we're starting to run short on supply, then it'd be in our best interest…if we pick up the slack a little, right?" He removed a compartment from his right gauntlet, revealing a Key Stone. He brought a finger around, pinching the Key Stone. When he did, it exerted a rainbow light, hence immediately turned into an expanding wave of the Mega Evolution energy. It gave more depth to Alpha from the angle it was at. "Now, Gengar, show them what our true power can do!" He raised his arm, the light shining brighter than before. "Mega Evolve!"

Gengar unknowingly began shuddering, growling as his body was undergoing Mega Evolution. The light encompassed him, his presence giving birth to a dark veil around the light.

Magnezone stared with shock and horror, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. _'_ _Impossible.'_

Spikes began to arise from behind, the tail elongating heavily, a third eye appearing. The arm elongated and thickened with smaller spikes. His lower body had ripples going into the ground, sinking a little. When the Mega Evolution light faded, there he stood, with a big monstrous smirk and menacing eyes. The shockwaves reached out, expanding and bowing away nearby rock and turning smaller components to dust.

As the dust settled, Magnezone could feel the immeasurable power difference. "You…you Mega Evolved?" He stammered. "This can't be…"

Mega Gengar opened his mouth, releasing a ghastly purple breath of foul air with a hefty sigh. "Shocked? I don't blame you. Mega Evolution is a good perk to have, especially if you have a Mega Stone." He snarled.

"But…how?!"

Again, Mega Gengar maliciously smirked. "Guess no one told you. When the spell killed everyone, it wasn't like the Key and Mega Stones just got disintegrated. They were still spotless. So Alpha and I decided to work with it." He explained.

If Magnezone had hands, he'd be clutching them so hard right now. "And that's basically trading one bond over another. Mega Gengar, why are you persisting? Where's your morals?!"

Mega Gengar opened his mouth. "Morals? Heh, that's funny coming from someone as weak as you who doesn't have the guts to take down someone who is family! How's about this for morals!" Dark energy intensified around the mouth, converging to one point and a dark sphere was evident. " **Dark Pulse!** " He fired a larger version of Dark Pulse, making it expand and shatter the ground beneath as it raced after Magnezone.

Shocked with how grand the attack was, Magnezone floated up in a hurry, evading Dark Pulse, but the shockwaves expanded into a large field of darkness that shot heinous winds everywhere. The winds pushed Magnezone up some more, the draft making him dangerously close to the ceiling, where a lot of spikes were.

"And where do you think you're going now?! **Sludge Bomb!** " Mega Gengar opened his mouth, where he fired a barrage of large balls of brown sludge packed with poisonous potency. The Poison-type attack shot at a high angle, but Magnezone was caught shocked.

 _'_ _Wait, doesn't he know Poison has no effect on Steel?'_ Magnezone wondered.

Mega Gengar's eyes narrowed. "Gotcha!" His Sludge Bomb drew closer, but Magnezone watched the attack go overhead, bombarding the ceiling with consistent assaults left and right. The chamber quaked, and Magnezone found the spikes above plundering down onto him. Shocked, he had nowhere to go as the harsh spikes stabbed him. While they didn't penetrate him, he did feel constant barrages of rock shattering atop of him.

"Heh! How's that? Now for the good stuff." Mega Gengar slowly went forward, his upper body vanishing as though going through an invisible doorway.

As Magnezone felt the assault stop, he opened his eyes, grunting as he was barely any means of stable. As he felt intense agony, an unfamiliar vibe was arising beside him. Mega Gengar's upper body was revealed, his mouth wide open for a large Shadow Ball to be forming.

"Say 'Ah'!" Mega Gengar yelled. " **Shadow Ball!** "

Magenzone's eyes were wide, but his metallic guts told him to make a break for it. Ascending once more, he dodged the Shadow Ball, the sphere and its dark static flaring as it traveled at such vivid velocities. It struck the wall. A menacing explosion of darkness erupted, in which the shockwaves expanded out behind Magnezone, leaving him speechless as he looked back at the deepened wall.

"What…what power." He muttered. He turned around to face Mega Gengar, but he wasn't there anymore. "What?! Where did he-?!"

"Heh." A cold chill came from beneath Magnezone, but the injured magnet had no time nor capability to cover his blind spot. A fist coated in thick black aura and purple blazing outlining manifested, with Mega Gengar snickering. " **Shadow Punch!** " He drove an uppercut up, the Ghost-type attack hitting at a point-blank range. Magnezone's world went white for a moment as everything in his conscience faltered as his body flipped and he went sundering down towards the earth, shaking the landscape beneath.

Magnezone regained his consciousness, but he found himself wedged into the ground. Mega Gengar reappeared from his dimension on ground-level and glared at Magnezone with a heinous smirk. The odds were thoroughly stacked against Magnezone, with his will broke and his metallic body feeling nothing but hollowness. Not even his Sturdy Ability was helping him.

"It's a shame when you think about it." Mega Gengar spoke. "Just look at you, where's all that bravado you had when you charged in with everyone against the Rivolta? Are you not strong independently? Where's your wild Pokémon instincts? Or did being punished by Mark and Laura made those magnets of yours rusty?"

"Shut up." Magnezone grunted. He managed to wedge himself out, but just barely. He thudded against the earth before bouncing back a few feet into the air. He hesitantly looked at Mega Gengar, distilled ambition interlocked with frustration. _'_ _Damnit. How am I gonna be of much help of I can't beat him? Why am I wasting my time here?'_

Mega Gengar raised a brow. "Turning your back. Big mistake."

As Magnezone was very slowly backing up, an unknown force suddenly halted him. His body repulsed back forward with a shove. "Hey, what was…?!" He turned around, revealing nothing was there.

"When I become Mega Gengar, my Ability changes." Mega Gengar explained. "Instead of Levitate, I have Shadow Tag. You can't escape, even if you tried."

Magnezone grunted. _'_ _He got me cornered. Damnit!'_

"Did you really think hiding from me would work? I have a third eye. I can see through another dimension and see your every angle." He slid slowly forward, similar to a step. "There is no hiding from the Rivolta. I honestly thought that myself, but why leave such a place when Vince left a legacy for me to carry out. I can't dishonor that so easily now, can I? I mean, as you said, he is family." His head raised itself, beaming with mocking pride. " _But_ , even you had a small glimmer of hope, what then?"

Magnezone looked confused. "What are you saying?"

"Let me ask you this. How many of us are left? Hmmm? From what I could sense, I'd say…maybe Saboth, Imaci, Vermilius, Alpha, and of course myself. A few already kicked the bucket, but what of their sacrifices? But if I ended up defeated by your hand, what do think would happen?" Mega Gengar's smirk loosened some, a sense of seriousness coming across him. "Do you think I'd side with you? Did you think Alpha would never forgive me? No, no. You see, unlike natural battles, I have a…certain consequence to pay."

The wat Mega Gengar worded it unnerved Magnezone. It left his 'brother' unnerved.

"What might that be?" Magnezone powered through.

"I'll die."

Magnezone again was met with shock. He jutted back, startled with much after a single gasp. "You…you'll die?" He repeated. "But how? That's foolhardy!"

Mega Gengar's smirk widened. "Believe it. When the Impure Underworld activated, I underwent a little metamorphosis you can say. You see, Ghost-types do generally last a long time, but my structure conflicted with the spell's negative energy. If you recall that Crowhaw is a living, well, guess I'm pretty much the same. If I get defeated here, I'll end up dead like that guy." The intensity around him and Magnezone thickened, darkened almost. "And I know being a repentant means you'd hate making sins such as killing, and you can't bring yourself to kill your brother now, can you?"

"No…" Magnezone didn't have the words. For someone who was inorganic, having emotions was hurting him worse than all those attacks from earlier.

"So what's it gonna be? Are you gonna suck it up and do what you think is the best put me out of my misery, or are you gonna be a wuss and I kill you instead? It's your choice." Mega Gengar opened his mouth, another Shadow Ball forming. "I'm sticking with Alpha, because I know loyalty just as much as you! For Vince, I'm ending you here!"

The Shadow Ball was fired, blasting towards Magnezone with fury. The energy began to increase and expand the Shadow Ball as it closed in. All that came at Magnezone was darkness that was like a wrecking ball that would break him apart. He wanted to move, but he was too paranoid at what Mega Gengar said. _'_ _This can't be. Shouldn't he be working to stop the spell? What has the spell done to him? If he's permanently warped like this…'_ He began to think back to when he tortured Nic, and how he flailed with each constant Spark. _'_ _No, there has to be a way, right? I can't make another sin cause harm! Not to family!'_

"Goodbye, brother!" Mega Gengar heinously shouted.

Shadow Ball blinded Magnezone, a purple light encompassing the Magnet Area Pokémon. His eyes were wide, the purple becoming white. He began to hear silence, and epiphany on the rise. _'_ _What is…what am I feeling…?'_ Silence took over as a memory began to flow, back to a time where it all began to change for the better.

 _The doorbell rang, echoing through the household._

 _Sitting on the couch watching a romantic comedy was Michael. Raising his head, he looked over towards the door, hearing the bell loud and clear. "Hm?" He inquired._

 _Joanna walked out of the kitchen with a pink apron on, a mixing bowl in hand. "Who could that be?" She questioned._

 _"_ _I don't know." Not wanting to be rude, Michael hopped on up from the couch. Standing on his two feet, he raised a brow and walked on over. He made it in front of the doorway and turned the knob. Despite it being around 2 or three in the afternoon, they almost never get visitors, especially since their next door's incident a few years back. "Hello?" He opened the door, seeing a police officer standing there. Shock came across him with wide eyes._

 _The officer tipped his cap. "Good day, sir."_

 _"_ _Uh, good day to you." Michael parroted. "Can I help you?"_

 _"_ _I understand that you are in custody for Nic and Vanessa Pularis, am I right?"_

 _"_ _Uh…y-yes?"_

 _"_ _Michael, who is it?" Joanna called from the kitchen, with a 14-year-old Vanessa right by her side, learning the concepts of baking._

 _Michael turned to look back. "Honey? Can you and Vanessa come here for a sec?"_

 _His call was answered, and sure enough Vanessa and Joanna set their stuff down and came towards the door, the two gathering with Michael in front of the police officer._

 _The officer looked at the man and two girls, seeing as how they were one man short. "And what of Nic Pularis?"_

 _Michael furrowed his brow, looking at Vanessa, who frowned. He looked back at the officer. "I'm sorry, but Nic's been on a journey. He hasn't been here since."_

 _"_ _Well, is he wanted for contact information?" He asked._

 _Joanna stepped up. "What's going on?"_

 _The officer took out a notepad and a pan. "Well, you have a very special visitor for them today, so I thought it was best that they were both here for this visitor." He explained._

 _"_ _A visitor?" Joanna questioned._

 _"_ _Who is it?" Vanessa asked, looking more than a little interested as she weaseled her way to the front._

 _The officer stepped to the side, allowing the special visitor to be visible. Floating in the air was a Magneton, and it made no movements other than stay completely stiff, staring with its three large eyes at the three family members._

 _"_ _A Magneton?" Michael inquired._

 _Vanessa blinked, staring at the Magneton. Something about the Magneton seemed odd. It wasn't moving magnets or making any sudden movements, as if it were frozen, only to awaken by a command. It did, however, blink._

 _"_ _(Hello, Vanessa.)" Magneton greeted._

 _Vanessa didn't seem to understand it at first, but then the symptoms became all too clear. Her eyes widened, a gasp escaping. She stood stiff, as if paralyzed by intense shock. "It…it can't be…" She muttered._

 _"_ _So you do recognize it. This is the very same Magneton of your father and mother." The officer said._

 _All three household members went wide-eyed. The foster-parents zoomed in front of their unnerved foster-daughter, Michael looking more assertive than before._

 _"_ _What is it doing here?" He demanded to know. "Why did it come back?"_

 _Magneton remained silent, cascading its gaze towards the ground._

 _"_ _It shouldn't be here, not after what it did to Nic." Joanna testified._

 _"_ _Look, just give me time to explain." The officer implored. He saw the looks on all three. Though Michael and Joanna were only present by staying away from the fence during the crossfire of Mark and Laura terrorizing the police, they could still only imagine the horror of the pain they inflicted, the kind of torment no human being should go through._

 _"_ _What is it?" Vanessa asked._

 _The officer took out a notepad, with some aged scribbling and notes inscribed on it already. "Now, if I recall, let me run down with this analysis." He cleared his throat, beginning the review. "Now, Vanessa, was it true that three years go, Magneton did NOT engage in battle with the forces?"_

 _Vanessa looked at Magneton, seeing the Electric and Steel-type still floating and remaining silent. She felt unnerved still, but was calm enough thanks to her foster-parents being there. "Y-yes?" She answered._

 _"_ _And from what you and Nic answered from before, it ONLY attacked upon commands by the parents? And otherwise did not do anything besides that?"_

 _Vanessa nodded, again another point made._

 _"_ _And as you detailed, it did attack Nic once he rebelled ONLY because it was threatened to do so?"_

 _The memory still hurt, but Vanessa powered through with yet another nod. "Yes."_

 _The officer flipped to another section of the notes stockpiled. "So, if this sounds accurate, Magneton was a docile Pokémon who only served out of fear. Unlike Mark and Laura Pularis, Magneton willingly surrendered, and was taken into custody to the Informant and Constructive Institute. There, we have been observing Magneton diligently."_

 _Magneton nodded for once in agreement._

 _Michael still looked unnerved. "Then…what?"_

 _"_ _Well, according to the sentence, Magneton was to be observed, and judging by how it reacted, its sentence could either be a decade, life, or perhaps instant release. Well, according to our staff here." He pointed at the sheet he held in his hand. "Magneton was very docile, otherwise sat without much food or nutrients. It's been described as a very guilty Pokémon, however, it did not lash out and accepted coping treatments with full compliance."_

 _"_ _It was?" Vanessa looked at Magneton with wonder, but Magneton looked away._

 _The officer pulled out a yellow certificate, with two squares in ink as Magneton's signature. He handed it to Joanna. "This certificate signifies that Magneton is fully recovered and has been released from his sentence early. Three years is up, and it may now do as it pleased."_

 _Michael narrowed his eyes, his own sense of security risen, yet staring at Magneton didn't seem to be an equivalent ideal. "Then why is it here? Shouldn't it be conducting its service near Route 15? Or sent back to Lost Hotel?" His question certainly had a hitch of spite, which Magneton accepted humbly._

 _The officer looked back at Magneton with equal wonder. "We tried, but when we tried sending it back there, it resigned itself to staying. We would think that after getting a psychologist to come in, we've deduced that Magneton would rather see the Pularis siblings and apologize. What else it wants is another wonder entirely."_

 _Magneton looked around, seeing that it was just Vanessa. "(Is Nic not here?)" It looked back at Michael and Joanna, inspecting their faces. "(Oh, that's right. Nic went away. I was hoping to apologize for what I've done.)"_

 _Vanessa stepped forward, her eyes narrowed in discerning Magneton._

 _"_ _Vanessa…" Michael reached forward, but didn't advance and Joanna held him back. When he looked towards his wife, he saw her shaking her head._

 _Everyone remained silent as Vanessa and Magneton stared at one another, glaring intensely in the case of Vanessa. Her blue eyes met Magneton's, hers as pure as could be._

 _"_ _(Vanessa…)" Magneton said. "(I know this is wrong of me to say, but I-)"_

 _"_ _You." Vanessa interrupted. "Magneton, I have many things that I wanna say, but some other things I also want to say, so listen well." She started._

 _"_ _(I'm all ears.)" Magneton braced itself, ready for any means of berating._

 _It thus started. "Magneton, you were older than me, older than Nic, and of us two, you hurt him. You hurt him in so many ways that I have nightmares of. You shocked Nic to where he couldn't feel his nerves. Looking at you is nothing more than a hurtful reminder of what Mom and Dad have done to a caring brother and real family. Your actions are not forgivable. If I want to, I'd want you to get out, and never see you again."_

 _"_ _Vanessa…" Joanna muttered._

 _Magneton stared at Vanessa blankly for a few moments, but then closed its eyes. While he was sad of what he was told, his humility and need to repent was what it cost. "(I understand. I just wanted to see you just one more time before I depart is all.)" Magneton began to turn away, ready to finally follow the officer and go back to Lost Hotel, where he was caught all those years ago._

 _"_ _But!" Vanessa added, stopping Magneton and making him turn around. "I made a promise to Nic. I made a promise that I couldn't break." Her fists began to ball up. "I…promised that I would grow up, and get more independent. I could learn for myself, and be a big girl, and learn from the mistakes I've made. If I overlooked what you did, I'd have a painful pill to swallow. I wouldn't be biting the bullet. I wanna leave the past behind for good. But every time I go outside, I always look at the field that was once the hell that was our house. It'll always be there. I have to see weeds grow, but I can deal with that, because grass grows over barren lands someday." Her eyes started to mist. "I wanna blame you so much for what Mom and Dad did…but you're not them, and if I can't see that, then how am I growing up?"_

 _Nobody said anything. They just stood there quietly as Vanessa continued her prolonged speech. By the looks of things, they were shocked._

 _"_ _Magneton, you feel the same, right? You know an apology will never begin to make up for hurting family. Hurting Nic was like hitting a nephew or son you never had. I know Nic wouldn't accept you as family as easily as he did with his Pokémon over these years, but you're Pokémon too. You were just following orders. I can't forgive you so easily, but leaving a broken heart untended would be wrong. It just…would be wrong." Her fists stopped balling and relaxed, her composure coming back. "So here's what you need to do…when I go on my journey very soon, you're accompanying me."_

 _Magneton's eyes widened. "(What?)"_

 _"_ _What?" Michael, Joanna, and the officer exclaimed._

 _"_ _Making up for what you did goes a long way, but moving forward and doing the right thing is what must be done. Hurting family may have been easy for Mom and Dad, but I value my life, so if you know what's right and wrong, then you know that doing the right thing isn't hard, but it means growing up. So please, if you wanna truly mean that you're sorry…I will give you this one chance. I know Nic would've appreciated this."_

 _Magneton stared at Vanessa, shock on his face. It was at that moment that everything changed for the better for the Electric and Steel-type._

A powerful explosion engulfed the atmosphere, erupting rock and sending a powerful shockwave through the chamber. Mega Gengar's spikes bristled consistently and he had a large smirk on his face, watching with awe as he saw a huge cloud of dust and darkness erupt upwards, as though a dynamite bomb went off.

"Whoa. I think I may have overdone it a little." He said to himself.

The dust began clearing, revealing a figure present. It didn't seem like anything at first, but it was shaped in a familiar sense. Mega Gengar's snickering and smiling dropped to a frown. The dust cleared, revealing Magnezone, coated in static and brimming with electricity. The hefty magnet had a harsh glare from his eyes, his red eye glowing with a new sense of passion.

"Impossible." Mega Gengar growled, barely maintaining much calm. "How did you survive that?!"

Magnezone gained elevation, his body brimming in electricity.

Mega Gengar's eyes widened. _'_ _Of course, he must have used Spark to weaken the blow. That was bold of him, but he survived nonetheless. Not shabby, but still…'_

"This once." Magnezone muttered.

"Heh? What are you saying?" Mega Gengar growled.

"Just this once, I will commit a grave sin." Magnezone announced. "This once, for the greater good of repentance."

Mega Gengar didn't seem to understand at first, but as he stared longer into Magnezone, his smirk returned. "So, you got yourself figured out there now? What's it gonna be?" He asked.

Magnezone floated higher, as if glowering down onto the ghost itself. "Mega Gengar, you are indeed powerful, and formidable as you say you are. You may be my former Trainer's brother-in-law's Pokémon, and that would make you family, but I also see something else in you."

Mega Gengar quizzically narrowed his eyes.

"You were infected by the Impure Underworld. Whether you like it or not, if this fails, you may end up dying anyway. You were a good Pokémon at heart, even for a Gengar, but I will honor your life, and saving your grace by returning you to your side with Vince. It's time to move on." He raised his magnets. "It's time to fully pay my debt…brother!"

Mega Gengar's smirk widened. "Heh…return me to Vince you say?" He spread his arms. "I'd like to see you try!"

Magnezone and Mega Gengar gathered energy, each firing Flash Cannon and Dark Pulse. The two attacks rushed into the other, blitzing across the earth and generating a bright flash. Much the Mega Gengar's surprise, the two attacks cancelled out, despite their difference in power. However, his surprise only made his grin stabilize.

As the bright flash dissipated, Magnezone charged ahead, which Mega Gengar lunging through the space and dimension to quicken the gap closure. Their heads and bodies met in the center, their individual forces, colliding once again.

This was no longer a battle between two Pokémon, but instead, it was a battle of dead and alive, brothers as one could say quarreling for ideals. Siblings fight, but that never changes the morals that they must care and look out for each other. Magnezone may care, and that's why he knows the pain Mega Gengar feels, thus he will make sure he helps him, by being a saving grace and end the misery of being parted from Vince.

As Magnezone's body was cloaked in Spark, Mega Gengar retreated back into the dimension, reappearing several feet above Magnezone, though only his front half.

" **Shadow Ball!** "

Mega Gengar fired another Shadow Ball downward, but Magnezone shifted towards the side and evaded the explosive attack. As the shockwaves blasted about, Magnezone used the dust as a tailwind and zipped faster towards the right.

" **Mirror Shot!** "

Magnezone unleashed a metallic orb and used the drifting as angular fire. His attack met Mega Gengar's side, enveloping him in a silver explosion. The Ghost and Poison-type yelled out as the explosion enveloped him and shoved him out the dimension, his entire body thudding against the hard. Dark ground.

"Gngh! Lucky shut." He grunted. A blue aura enveloped him, his body wincing from the attacks. When he opened his eyes, Mega Gengar's vision was a little blurry. "Wait, I can see fine. What is this?!" He looked all around, everything fading either into doubles or becoming singular.

Magnezone looked at his disoriented state with no signs of falter. "Mirror Shot's additional effect. Your accuracy declines. Try aiming now." Not wanting to waste a second, Magnezone covered his body in electricity, diving at Mega Gengar in Spark. While he did have formidable speed, the ghost proved to have an advantage as he retreated backwards into the dimension, making Magnezone cease his advances. Mega Gengar reappeared behind him with a Shadow Punch. As he swung forward, Magnezone turned around, meeting the fist with his magnet. The electrical and dark static collided against the other, neither side bending into the other's will. Magnezone's fierce glare rivaled his Mega Evolved adversary, again breaching another stalemate and resorting for both to back off.

As Magnezone slid to a halt, he felt his energy fade, faltering some. Mega Gengar snickered, but his body suddenly was engulfed in yellow static. "W-what?!" He winced, his nerves struck by the electricity coursing through his ghastly body. "Paraly-sis!" He grunted again, finding himself faltering some. "Gngh! Damnit!"

Magnezone began twirling his magnets, manifesting large amounts of electrical energy. It began to surge into an orb with a core, high voltage unleashed in a single blow.

" **Zap Cannon!** "

Magnezone fired Zap Cannon, making static flare in the surrounding atmosphere as it traveled. Mega Gengar opened his mouth to intercept with a Sludge Bomb forming, but it retreated as paralysis got him. He faltered again, leaving him wide-eyed as Zap Cannon made everything flash green and yellow. The Electric-type attack exploded with intense voltage rampaging everywhere, rattling the atmosphere and dispersing rock. Mega Gengar shot backwards, slamming his back against a large boulder still in one piece. He slumped down, his lower half in the dimension.

"D-damn you." He growled. He struggled to get back up. "So what if I'm paralyzed now and accuracy lowered?" His left arm was cloaked in Shadow Punch. "Shadow Punch never misses, remember?"

Magnezone's body was cloaked in electricity, via Spark. Mega Gengar lunged ahead, with Magnezone meeting in the center. Both hollered out as they collided, electricity and shadows mixing as they passed the other. As the world slowed down for a brief moment, the mixture of compounds generated another rupture, expanding outwards. The shockwaves made both Pokémon fly haphazardly, both tumbling and sliding against the ground to painful halts.

Both struggled to stand, nee keep their eyes open. They were battling hard, and it was clear both were on their last legs. They had no juice left, and yet they knew failure – for either side – was of no option. Both knew their options were down to what their next attack had in it.

As Magnezone got into the air, Mega Gengar stood back up, panting in heavy pain. "You…you are becoming a nuisance!" He opened his mouth, Dark Pulse beginning to swell into a large jumbled energy. "It's time we finish this! This is where I make my mark as the superior, brother!"

Magnezone remained motionless. "Then what are you waiting for…" He spread his magnets out. "I'm right here! Come at me!"

Finally reaching his wit's end, Mega Gengar widened his mouth, the Dark Pulse expanding. "That does it! This ends here! **Dark Pulse!** "

With that loud yell, the ground rumbled as Dark Pulse was unleashed. The rings of darkness blitzed into Magnezone, yet he made no attempt to move. Instead, he remained firm, ready for whatever he could've possibly handled. _'_ _I may want to repent, and have forgiven everyone, and they've forgiven me as well.'_ The Dark Pulse made impact, a direct hit in which dark streams showered everywhere as Magnezone stood his ground, unwavering as the cold pressure was like a hammer denting metal. _'_ _I have yet to have forgiven myself, that was what's been missing.'_ He began to lose ground, an intense agony rioting with so much pain that it felt like he was gonna break at any given moment, yet he persevered. _'_ _Mark, Vanessa, you both mean well, and I was proud to have been passed down as a sign of being a guardian. A role of a guardian is important, but I came to realize that Vanessa is far above me. She looks out for me, and took me in, and I took the concept of family in a deterred demeanor. That's why right here…'_ Dark Pulse finished, yet Magnezone was still in one piece. His vision was hazy, but he didn't falter. _'_ _I will put my guilt at rest, along with the pain the Pularis family had endured.'_

Mega Gengar's eyes widened in astonishment, his opponent severely grizzled, yet still in one piece. "Impossible. How? Not after all the attacks he's put up with." He stammered.\

Magnezone had a confident glare, staring at Mega Gengar as electricity began to diffuse from his body. The yellow electricity around his body began to turn silver suddenly, converging into a swirl and becoming a rectangular mirror.

Mega Gengar's eyes widened again, horror brimming brightly. _'_ _It…can't be. Is he…instead of Spark, he's using a different move. He's learned a new attack?!'_ He looked exasperated as he saw the residual dark energy from Dark Pulse converging onto the front of Magnezone's mirror. It began to compress into a dense energy, one of which was so pressurized that the small rocks around began to defy gravity.

Mega Gengar opened his mouth, making another Shadow Ball. "Die!" With one last attempt, Mega Gengar fired his Shadow Ball attack, making it blitz across the battlefield in a familiar fashion.

Magnezone focused all of his power and the mirror glistened.

" **Mirror Coat!** "

With what strength he could summon in his loud scream, the mirror brightened, and the Dark Pulse unleashed from before reappeared in front, unleashed in double the size and pressure. The Psychic-type attack blitzed in a harsh and dark beam that met the large Shadow Ball. The repelled Dark Pulse ripped through the Ghost-type attack, shooting even faster in a straight line and compressing at it closed in on a paralyzed Mega Gengar. The adversary attempted to move and evade, but his fears came to fruition as paralysis from the Spark from before – when Magnezone still had it. Mega Gengar's entire world went wide as he was hit with full power in the smallest beam possible. It hit him straight in his third eye, his weak point. At the point of impact, it tore right through the Mega Evolved Pokémon, the Dark Pulse blitzing out from behind his head and hitting the wall.

Mega Gengar stood there as his eye and head was penetrated, purple cracks appearing around his body as he began to glow a bright light. The Mirror Coat ceased, and Magnezone began to back away, but the bright light resonating from the now-screaming ghost intensified. The bright light strengthened, engulfing Magnezone as he also screamed.

Eventually, complete silence took over. A white space was all that could be seen as Magnezone slowly opened his eyes. He blinked, realizing that he was not in the chambers anymore.

"Where…where am I?" He questioned. He looked all around, seeing that there was white and gray, as if it were a dense fog. "I can't see what happened? Wait, what did happen anyway?" He was stuck in confusion, unable to recall much other than the battle taking a turn. "I used that move, and then…"

"Heh."

Magnezone looked ahead, his eyes set on the appearance of his adversary. Strangely enough, it was Gengar, regular Gengar. He wasn't in his Mega Evolved form, which again shocked Magnezone.

"Gengar?" Magnezone sounded shocked, if not surprised.

"Tch, looks like you got me good." He modestly admitted, his smirk wayward. "I gotta say this, you are one tough bastard, for a tin can of course."

Magnezone kept a blank expression. "…I suppose." Whether he meant it in a mocking tone or an honest one really didn't matter at this point. From what happened, the battle ended, so Magnezone didn't seem so easily offended.

"Guess there's no easy way for me to say this, but you won." Gengar smirked. "I had fun."

Magnezone looked down, looking a little modest of not a little sad. "Yeah, I suppose so. I haven't had a battle like that before."

"It's those kinds that always keeps you guessing. Vince and I gave it our all, and at times we got the feel like we did in our battle, just like when he stormed that spell years ago." The memories of Vince came to Gengar's mind. While there weren't pleasant times, he still wouldn't have it with any other human. The image of Vince made his insides hurt.

"I'm sure Vince appreciates you." Magnezone said. "Even if you did stray with Alpha, I'm sure loyalty means no bounds."

Gemgar's smirk returned, a snickering muddle escaping. "Heh…if only you knew."

"What?" Magnezone asked. He began to notice Gengar's ears starting to fade to purple specks, dazzling as they ascended upwards. "Gengar-!" He warned.

Gengar closed his eyes, snickering low. "Guess my time's up. Sorry, brother. Wish I could've gotten to hang around more."

Magnezone looked on in sadness, but said nothing as he knew this was meant to happen.

"Guess the Pularis have something to prove after all. Vince and I embrace negativity and used it as our strength. That was really all that we fed on it seems…" Slowly, his forehead began to fade away into purple specks. "Guess that's what led us to where we might go." Still, even in this time of turmoil, his smirk was still there. "It's time for me to say goodbye, but before I do, there's something I've gotta say."

"Something to say?"

"Alpha is more than meets the eye. There's a reason why I hung with Alpha, more than just because of the Impure Underworld." His legs, tail, and arms were all gone, leaving only his face. "It's best that you see for yourself of what I mean. It'll surprise you."

Magnezone's eyes went wide. "See for myself? Wait, what-"

Gengar closed his misting eyes, his face starting the glow and fade. "See ya around, and be safe…brother." Gengar's form faded away, leaving a shocked Magnezone as he watched him pass on. _'_ _Alpha, forgive me. You can go on.'_

The white space faded, and Magnezone realized he was back in reality. He didn't process the surroundings as he instead stared ahead with a distraught gaze as Gengar was gone. The only thing that was left in Gengar's spot was the Gengarite. Magnezone stared at it, watching the Mega Stone crack apart and disintegrate into purple specks, glistening just like what happened with Gengar.

Magnezone lowered his head, mourning for the loss of family. "Goodbye…brother. I hope to see you again someday."

Just then, Magnezone's energy began to drop, he fell to the ground, unable to get up and his strength gone. He had to rest…for now.

* * *

The Key Stone in Alpha's gauntlet shattered on its own. The fragments broke down, disintegrating into smaller fragments. Alpha had his head hung low with eyelids cascaded in what one could describe as a disappointed mourning. He remained silent, staring in sadness of Gengar's fate. It was bound to happen at some point, but Alpha couldn't help but feel distasteful of his comrade's defeat so soon. Even with Mega Evolution, it didn't change. To have the Rivolta built with Alpha and Gengar as the first ones; this sparked a connection. For once, Alpha felt sadness. He said nothing, maintaining a despondent frown as two more members of the Rivolta met their ends.

* * *

Nic continued his course through the caverns, his path treaded by his quick feet. His eyes widened, his path halted by the revelation that unfolded just now. He stood still, feeling a cold energy fade away, a familiar one that he sensed not long ago.

"Gengar…" Earlier, he sensed an energy dissipate, but that wasn't a familiar one. This energy was indeed Gengar's, and if it faded away, it could only mean that he's been defeated. The link that could've led to answers of Vince was gone, but at the same time, sadness and relief flourished. It was for the best, and safe than sorry was a priority. Nic balled his fists, silently mourning for his Uncle's Pokémon.

He wasn't the only one. Mark and Laura felt it as well. They laid on the ground, still badly injured from their fights from before. The two were down in their chambers, silently misting in the eyes as they could feel Vince's Gengar pass on, finally at rest after all of the hardships he's endured. Both parents knew it how grim it was, but it was for the best, much to their own dismay.

Nic raised his head, his eyes no longer narrowing in sadness. He silently mourned Gengar as he continued on, his objective still a clear priority.

* * *

Lightning flashed above, the battle still raging as another lightning bolt zoomed down from the pitch-black skies. A show of constant flashing erupted without stopping, making it bright for Imaci and Vanessa as they continued their quarrel.

Imaci's eyes narrowed. "You haven't got much time left. Have you exhausted yourself already? Because if so, there's no shame in a mercy kill here."

Vanessa panted, her 16-year-old frame barely keeping up with heavy labored breaths. She adjusted her footing, her teal aura forming around her hands once more. "I…I won't stop." She declared.

Imaci maintained his glare, unamused. "Well then, the devil will dance this night in your blood." His eyes widened. "Vanessa Pularis, the demons that you see will be the last things that will flash before your eyes. Show me, prove me wrong otherwise!"

Vanessa hesitated, but the Aura Mage readied herself for her next duel against Imaci as lightning flashed above, howling like a monster.

* * *

 **And FINALLY! Phew! This chapter took me so freaking long to make. I am so sorry this took me forever to wrap up, but I got very easily distracted by a number of reasons. I just got over a small cold this weekend, so that's one; the second is bluntly the fact that I digress and don't pay attention to what I do. I got sidetracked by listening to heavy metal songs. I am going to try REALLY hard to wrap up this long arc by mid-April, so maybe if I pace myself, a good 4 to 5 chapters to go, if I pace myself fast enough.**

 **If you guys saw what I did in this chapter, I made Kecleon and Magnezone's forgotten moves make a profound impact. So long to Screech and Spark, but at least I made those two attacks go out with a big bang. So now Kecleon has Protect while Magnezone has Mirror Coat. If you guys haven't figured it out yet, Parfum Palace is the location in the game where the player gets the TM for Protect, so the flashback had some relevance to Kecleon learning Protect.**

 **So now the Pokémon fights are out of the way, that just leaves Erza and Vanessa left, and then there's Alpha and Vermilius to put up with. There's isn't much time until the blood moon reaches its peak. Big surprises still to come! With Honedge back up to speed in Erza's battle, things will be a lot more fun!**

 **So share your thoughts and tell me what you thought about this chapter. Hope you were enticed by it! Until next time!**


	40. Turning Against the Devil

The moon high above the land and sea had continued to move slowly, the color of the moon being that of blood. The signal was coming, and yet with the pitch-black clouds encompassing the isles and sky, no one was aware of the incoming depth of the horrific tale that was to unfold before them. It was bull a red marble that was to be set over a black blanket that would spell disaster. Slowly, in the dark night, the stars were being shut out by dark clouds that rolled in from the northeast of Fiore, where the energy concentration expanded. To the naked eye, one could barely see it, but constant flashing of demonic lightning surged, lighting up the night.

Lightning howled like that of wailing demons from hell that sought vengeance. Thunderbolts showered down, shattering rock all around Imaci and following his arm's direction. The bolts dragged themselves across the land, closing in on Vanessa. The youngest Pularis extended her arms forward, equipping another veil of teal aura to defend herself. The bolts clashed and flashed against her shield, intense Magic Power managing to subdue Vanessa as she found herself getting a knee. Fortunately the shield held up just to where the bolts ceased.

Imaci looked at Vanessa's exhausted state, undeterred from his own lack of expression. "You have persistence." He admitted.

Vanessa remained on a knee, still keeping palms out as she conjured more teal energy. " **Trace Shot!** " Using her stable concentration, she dared not hesitate as she unleashed a fast blast of teal. The attack quickly closed in, but with one swing of his arm, the aura dissipated upon contact. Vanessa gasped.

Imaci narrowed his eyes, static and lightning flaring around him. Without much of a word, he summoned a pillar of lightning on Vanessa, the girl screaming in intense voltage running through her body. It only lasted a few seconds, but she hollered and shrieked in terrifying agony. The blast wave that struck her sent her flying onto her back, thudding as static flared up on her limbs.

Imaci glowered with a chilled disposition. "Pain is inevitable in the end. However you see it, it is not possible for two sides to hold in pain. Whenever there is a conflict, no matter how soft, one side always ends up hurt, whether it's physical or emotional."

Vanessa struggled to sit up. Though she managed. She still felt hard-pressed to move. She breathed in and out, trying to offer a rebuttal for Imaci's point of view. Sadly she couldn't muster up more than a few words. "What are you saying?"

"Love and pain sound contradictory to one another, but the fact is that they are very much alike. They both affect no less than one person, and to what may be the greatest concept; love is perhaps the gravest pain to ever exist."

Vanessa's eyes widened. "What?"

"When two people fall in love, what if one perishes, or one departs for another spouse? One in the end is left with a broken heart, a very painful feeling. Love can be an asset to many eyes, but what if family dies? What of your brother died? What would hurt more, your own heart, or the fact that I'm strong for you to divert that pain too?"

Vanessa could feel her stomach go sour. Whatever he was implying, she disliked it. The thought of Nic getting torn to pieces by Lysandre flashed in her mind, her aggression starting to spike. Her fists balled, rising to her feet. "Leave my family out of this. We've been through more than our fair share of love and pain." She voluntarily threatened.

"You say that now, but here is the sad truth." A bolt of lightning came crashing down behind Imaci, quaking the ground, and making Vanessa's heart skip a beat. "Pain never ends, as does the battle. The torment, the anguish, the chaos, all of that is constant. When one fight ends, do you really think it ends there? That's a foolish dream. In retrospect, peace never exists. Quarrels are infinite, and the devil never sleeps. Take Nic Pularis for example, he ended that monster known as Lysandre, correct? But did the pain and fighting stop there?"

Vanessa gritted her teeth, her opponent's sense of logic sound yet still unpleasant.

"As I said, the fight never ends. Devils and angels always clash, light versus dark, hope against despair. This is what our battle defines. Vanessa Pularis, as you are the angel, I am seen as the devil, but to your eyes. Reality can never decide what is right and what's wrong, it's humanity that makes its own course of altercations. There is always a devil lurking inside doubt and heart, and when they find the chance, they will bring sorrow and pain."

"I…still don't understand." Vanessa said, eyes narrowed. "I fail to argue with the fact fighting never ends…" While she disliked the concept that Fairy Tail strives for peace, she stands by her own battling experience that the world can't see peace the way they want it to. Still, she persevered. "What do you mean by devils?"

Lightning flashed above, flickering constantly and startling the young woman. She began to feel another swell of Magic Power as circuits began to flare to a single point in the pitch-black sky.

"When the Impure Underworld rises, that's when devils devour angels. There will be no love, and no hope. Salvation lies in death alone. The spell only has a few precious hours until true devils arise…" Despite lightning thundering and booming at a constant, a death-like silence fell onto Imaci and Vanessa. The two had cold gazes, with Imaci looking unfazed. "This will be the birth of a purge."

Lightning flashed above, circulating to a critical point. Vanessa went wide eyes as she stared above, watching as the lightning in the sky flared and flashed like an upside-down sea of lightning. The center had a vortex of lightning that caved inwards, where all of the power began to grow and altercate the particles in the shocking atmosphere.

 _'_ _This…this power…'_

Imaci's eyes narrowed. "I will purge the devil in your heart. The angel nor devil is safe from my wrath."

* * *

Deep within the treacherous caverns, in the chamber with the spell's circle, Alpha and Vermilius were staying put, taking notice of the Magic Power in the atmosphere.

"Alpha." Vermilius said.

"Yes, Vermilius, I take it that you took notice as well then." Alpha smirked. "Imaci certainly is a teaser."

The reaper kept his back facing his master, obeying his one job and keeping sure no one got near the circle. "A man of few words certainly doesn't boast, but with Imaci, who knows what goes on in his head. He's harder to read than what Fernando was."

"True to form." Alpha replied. The heinous man's abominable skin began to show veins, black blood circulating through them. As they went to his head and face, he felt a cold chill turn his body temperature into a freezer. He liked it. He wanted more.

A small silence brimmed between the two as the Magic Power in the poisonous atmosphere enhanced. Eventually, Vermilius spoke up again.

"Alpha. You believe Saboth and Imaci will prevail?" He asked.

Alpha didn't bother looking at him. "Don't worry about those two. Worry about yourself why don't ya." He snorted. "You better value yourself while you're around me…" His fingers twitched, his uncanny desire to rip flesh and tear everything into nothing starting to win him over. As much as he loved to rip Vermilius or anything in his path at the moment, he was pacified with the spell. He only had to hold himself for a few hours. "Although…"

Vermilius glanced over his shoulder.

"I can't argue with Imaci. He's a strange one. So much potential…so much deadliness…"

Alpha began to think back to the early days, when the Rivolta was just made. It was just him and Gengar at the time, but even he was shocked when someone who was barely a teenager at the time ended up lost and in front of the cave. As much as Alpha wanted to slaughter him on sight, his judgment wavered when he felt the boy's magic. It was twisted as he could recall. Demonic; a word that describes himself, but barely. He was clearly lost in an abandoned world where he had no place. That's when Alpha gave him the choice of joining forces. To this day, Alpha questioned Imaci of his emotionless character, let alone how he ended up second in command over the Rivolta. Whatever odd prowess he had, he learned about it when there was an army that came towards the isles in hopes of vengeance. That's when Alpha slaughtered half, Gengar got a few good men down, and Imaci did the rest. It was amazing how a boy's Magic Power could shape into something so monstrous. It amazed Alpha.

"So, Imaci, what is he you think?" The reaper asked.

Alpha's smirk dropped to a casual frown. "Well he ain't ordinary, and he ain't the son of a devil…especially since his magic was made to put devils in their own place." He paused, a stiff pressure slowly rising. "But it's his true power that I'm inclined with."

Vermilius lowered his head, shading his mask and sharp fangs. "The second in command. Whoever is against him, will realize that his soul is but the incarnation of gods."

Alpha's fingers twitched again, his breath becoming exasperated. Black mist came out of the corners of his mouth.

"After tonight, no god will be safe."

* * *

Erza slashed Honedge with Slash, meeting Demon Karbia and making the samurai back off. Erza stepped back to gain some leverage for her next swing, but once again, her advances were cut off by the abrupt sound of howling thunder in the far distance.

Honedge's eye traced the blue flashing of lightning beyond the miles away. "Huh?" She inquired.

"What is it now?" Erza looked over, seeing a large cyclone f lightning in the pitch-black skies above. Her eyes widened, the thundering roar of the magic in the sky flaring up her nerves. Thankfully the thundering shuddered the ground and made her feel perplexed. "This Magic Power…!"

Saboth's hold on Demon Karbia was strong, stronger with the intensity making him excited. He looked over to where Imaci's battle was taking place, his inspection of the raging omen in the skies confirmed. "It would seem Imaci has warmed up."

Erza turned back towards the samurai. "What's going on?" She demanded.

Saboth looked back at her, glaring harsh daggers from his dull yellow eyes. "Fool, are you not aware of the second in command's power?"

Erza narrowed her vision. "Second in…command?" The thought of Imaci returned, a hitch in her breath escaping.

"What you sense is no ordinary lightning. Unlike Fernando, who studied various types of magic, Imaci's lightning is beyond casual caliber. It is lightning granted by the devils themselves. The superiors that wish to use him to exterminate the weak species of demons and dark kin. The atmosphere charges with the lust fresh of a devil's rage."

Erza grunted, unable to comprehend her adversary. "What are you saying? You're not making sense at all! Magic that eradicates demons? Just what kind of…" Suddenly an abrupt memory resurfaced. It wasn't so long ago, yet at the same time, it was giving her hints. She began to think back to the Village of the Sun, more specifically Atlas Flame's speech of a certain someone who froze him with ice, an Ice Devil Slayer as he described.

A prickling feeling made sweat go down her cheek.

"There is of magic that expels dragons, and those who expel gods, but of demons, there are those that will purge the good and evil alike. Imaci has found it, and tamed it. He is but a devil that cannibalizes his own." Saboth announced. "Imaci, the Lightning Devil Slayer. It's over for you."

* * *

Vanessa gasped and had a distraught gaze as Imaci was standing tall, still unemotional as he was before. "A…Devil Slayer?" She repeated.

"Lightning Devil Slayer, to be more or less accurate." Imaci corrected.

Vanessa could hardly swallow the lump stuck in the back of her throat. She remembered Atlas Flame talking about a Devil Slayer, but she never saw one, let alone sensed what magic they may have. It certainly lived up to its demonic name, that much was certain.

Imaci raised his right arm, which brimmed in lightning. High above, the cyclone of thundering lightning crackled profusely, brightening up everything in intensifying casual lightning that began to change color, revealing demonic purple.

 _'_ _The lightning's color and properties changed. Is this his Devil Slayer power at its peak?'_ Vanessa thought.

"This battle has dragged out long enough. And for that reason, I shall use my full extent of Devil Slayer power to exterminate you in this one attack." Imaci remained placid as the purple lightning in his raised palm jutted elongated bolts, all of which transcended into the sky. The purple lining streamed into the vortex above, crackling brightly in a fireworks display that had Vanessa captivated and scared at the same time. "I will now unleash one of my power powerful forms of attack. Come!"

The lightning in his palm shot a thick spark-like bullet into the center of the vortex above. In that instant, a bright purple flash erupted and glistened in mere seconds in the sea of purple lightning above. Nothing seemed to be coming down nor happening other than crackling lightning in the sky. Suddenly, a loud demonic howl was heard from out of nowhere. A terrifying image lowered itself from the vortex, which could very well rival the size of a Wailord. A purple Chinese Dragon-like manifestation of purple lightning emerged, having yellow eyes and a menacing growl as its upper half hung out of the clouds. What was more scary was that its face and body had what seemed to be demonic armor coated of brighter purple lightning.

Vanessa had wide eyes, petrified by that haunting demonic dragon manifestation. She couldn't believe her eyes. "What…is that?" She muttered.

The spell roared down at her, shuddering her spine to the point where she couldn't move.

"Under normal circumstances, I would've preferred a more humble end to you…but you can be an exception." Imaci clutched his raised fist brimming in lightning. "Goodbye."

Vanessa's heart skipped yet another beat. "Wait-!"

" **Lightning Devil's Thunderclap Judgment!** "

Imaci brought his fist down, and the armored manifestation howled down at the scared Pularis. Vanessa's only saw a bright blur before it came crashing down. The ground broke apart in milliseconds as purple lightning executed itself onto the land. Everything then was blown up. A catastrophic pillar of purple lightning erupted into the atmosphere, booming everywhere, the radius of the sound as grand as Gajeel's own roar back during the Grand Magic Games. The thunder clashed against other particles, blowing them all away as Imaci's vicious attack came down from the heavens.

As the attack faded, it revealed that the nearby cliffs and valleys of the quarry have all been completely leveled. As far as it looked to be, it was shabby rocks and boulders lying around in a barren wasteland. As rocks crumbled, Imaci slumped to a single knee, his breathing labored as the purple lightning in his downward fist eased and faded away. He panted profusely as the rocks and boulders cleared away, revealing an open space where Vanessa lied down. Her face and forehead was against the ground, and she was petrified by the shocking static around her body.

Imaci closed his eyes for her. "The angel and devil alike has been appeased." He muttered.

Vanessa was motionless, possibly dead as inscribed. There was a long, hollow wind that went around and silence took over. "I…wouldn't think so."

Imaci's eyes widened with intense surprise.

Slowly, Vanessa's frame began to twitch. She struggled to stand, but after she got to her knees, she managed to look up, one eye open. "That was…too close." She panted.

Imaci's shock began to give birth to shock and suspicion. "Impossible." He scowled calmly. "That spell hits one with no less than 50 million volts. How could you have survived such a powerful confrontation of a caliber that grand-?!" His eyes widened when he spotted something not far from Vanessa, beneath a small pile of rubble. He and Vanessa watched as the small rocks fell down, crumbling as something yellow began to emerge.

The paw came out, covered in a few scratches on the fur. The creature slowly resurfacing, revealing herself to be Braixen. The Fire-type huffed a grin. "Did we make it?" She grinned. A small rainbow shield flickered a bit before dissipating.

Imaci looked shocked as he glanced back at Vanessa, just in time to see a copy of it fading away. After careful inspection, his eyes narrowed. _'_ _Now I understand.'_

Vanessa panted as she was able to keep herself up. "Good work…Braixen." She panted. _'_ _That was close. I was able to put out Braixen with Light Screen at the last second, but even so, that wouldn't have been enough. My Aura Guard was barely hanging on after that.'_ The Pularis girl balled her fists, staring at her baffled opponent. _'_ _If that attack had hit before…'_

"You defended yourself just before the attack had struck. Excellent execution, I must admit that hardly anyone stands tall and alive after my most lethal spell in cast. You are certainly a glutton for punishment." Imaci said.

Vanessa maintained a serious stare if possible. She glared ahead as Braixen joined up by her side, giving a similar glare. "We're many things as you say, but you're calling us labels we are not." She spread her legs, getting a battle stance going. "For someone who uses Devil Slayer Magic, I find it ironic that you are working with the devil himself. Personally, it sickens me."

Imaci was starting to wear down. Whatever magic he had left, it wouldn't have to be used like what he did before. Her aura was strong, and he realized it. Behind his unemotional gaze, if one could read minds, a sense of worry crossed him. Vanessa sensed it with aura, making the battle's tide change in her favor.

"Don't be the naïve fool you keep saying you're not." He rebuffed, trying to hold his calm in. "I merely can and will expunge all the devils that everyone has in them. Purge is inevitable-!"

Once again, Imaci cut himself off from the ground beneath him starting to swirl in fire. His eyes widened, his shock rising when the small cyclone of fire at his feet suddenly spouted into a tornado, trapping him. "What?"

Braixen was seen smirking as her wand was towards the ground. " **Fire Spin!** " She declared.

The vortex incapacitated the second in command, leaving him nowhere to run.

Vanessa began to concentrate her Magic Power into her palms once more, teal aura bright as flashlights. "Just because your intentions are valid doesn't mean you can force the wrong side of humans out by force. We have our own paths we follow, and you think that because you believe you have more power that you can bend me to do what you want. How deplorable!" Vanessa widened her eyes.

" **Nugatory Burst!** "

Within Braixen's Fire Spin, the ground began to glisten with teal, much to Imaci's horror. "No!" He yelled out. Moments later, a pillar of teal erupted from beneath, engulfing him and encompassing Fire Spin, making a teal tower in a tornado of fire. The harsh attack lashed and leaned around in a number of directions, spinning and pulsating intense heated pressure that not many could hope to handle. The Fire Spin eventually travelled backwards into the far quarry cliffs, making them rattle with sheer intensity. Vanessa and Braixen stood side by side as the dust cleared, revealing Imaci to be on his back, eyes shut.

The two stared at their adversary who has seemingly fallen, panting as they managed to deal a deadly blow onto him after so long of a struggle.

"Did we get him?" Braixen asked.

Imaci remained silent, unmoving. Vanessa had a suspicious gaze, using her magic to sense his aura. It was faint, but he was still alive. Whatever kind of power he had, it wasn't gonna help him in his condition.

Vanessa closed her eyes. "We should be okay…for now."

Silence fell for a moment, her and Braixen trying to pull themselves together.

"Is that it?"

Vanessa and Braixen's eyes widened yet again, shock reaching them when they heard Imaci's weakened voice. They both looked up and stared in shrilled shock as Imaci rolled onto his side, slowly finding momentum to stand.

Imaci managed to his knees, grunting in pain. His breathing seemed labored, presumably from his spells used. "You're certainly strong. I've underestimated you." He said as he stood up. A weak purple flame-like energy began to engulf his body, a weird energy that wisped faintly like a Litwick flame.

"He…he's standing?!" Braixen shrieked.

"That's impossible." Vanessa muttered. "And what's worse, I can't make out any of his Magic Power decreasing."

Braixen looked at her with horror. "What?!"

Imaci gave a small grin, showing an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time – relish. He was enamored by such a will that never gave into despair, it was so captivating, yet he hated it; an addiction like a horror that you wish to forget but lingers to the point where all you can do is accept and possibly lose sanity. His smile was small, but the translucent purple flames around him intensified. "I think Alpha's ambitions are starting to grow onto me. You really are interesting, Vanessa."

Vanessa was trying her best to stay calm, but her opponent's Magic Power was making her knees nearly shudder. She couldn't feel much of anything other than a choking sensation. She's felt magic before, but this scale just kept rising.

"As courtesy to your efforts in coming this far, I am going to reveal to you my most powerful form of magic." Imaci told her. The flames expanded once more, but then some ethereal lines that were thick began to materialize and encompass Imaci. It began to shape into that of a giant rib cage. Around that, a large ethereal purple skeleton took shape, it's whole size staggering, and it was but the upper half. "Remember my speeches about my soul? There is a truth behind what I said." The skeletal structure had begun to grow something from the eyes. The bright yellow eyes gave out horrendous black vines that rapidly spread around the skeleton, coiling, twisting, and tensing up, as though they were muscle or tissue.

Vanessa paled. _'_ _What kind of magic is this?'_

"Are you familiar with the term Second Origin?" Imaci asked. "At age 11, I have come to realize that my soul can be exposed to my power and wishes. It does not wish to be protected from devils, rather, it strives to protect me instead. It is my own armor that I now wear. My Second Origin, and my true strength."

As the materializing began to occur, Imaci began to float off the ground, rising as the lower body was starting to shape as well. The rise in Magic Power didn't stop, reaching measurements that nearly made Vanessa sink to her knees. The creature stood at a hundred-feet-tall. It was all purple, with a purple mask with a long nose and horns. It had many purple plates scattered around its body, purple armor that had black lines beneath the attire. A purple aura was around the gigantic creature as it had hakama pants and a robe, like a cross of samurai and Shinigami alike. It had two giant wings with square-shaped scales, and shoulder-length purple hair slicked back.

Imaci opened his eyes. "Behold. **Soul Armor: Lyn Raseri.** "

The giant with Imaci at its center let out a devastating and blood-curdling howl, bellowing so harshly the ground rattled and thundered beneath.

* * *

Alpha remained still within his circle. He seemed to be grinning with his back turned. The energy and Magic Power was all too familiar, but at the same time, it made him feel enticed. "Seems as though Imaci has finally gotten serious. Personally, I never thought it'd come to this."

Vermilius kept his back turned towards his master. "Imaci's most powerful weapon. Lyn Raseri, or Lightning Rage in modern language. His Soul Armor is the most powerful form of offense and defense. All of his Devil Slayer power enhances to unrecognizable levels; an amplification."

Alpha glanced off to the side. "More or less. Even I don't know the details. What I do know, is that whenever he uses it…" His eyes squinted. "No one is safe."

Deeper within the caverns, Nic went wide-eyed, stopping for a moment with his head low. The ground was shuddering, whether it'd be from battle or the intense Magic Power. _'_ _This magical pressure, it changed just now.'_ He looked back ahead, into the darkness. _'_ _Is this the Impure Underworld? Is it accelerating?...no, it can't be. The pressure isn't dreary and death-like. It's something different. Whatever it is, it's got to be the most concentration of Magic Power in one place.'_ In Nic's gut, the sickening pain intensified. "Vanessa…"

Mark and Laura were feeling the ground shudder, but they had no say in what was happening. There was so much pressure swelling, and what was frightening to the undead parents was that it had an aura signature.

"What…what kind of man has this much power?" Mark gagged, trying his best to get up.

Laura was lightheaded, and though unable to feel physical pain, her head throbbed from the immense magic swelling. "This aura…"

Erza stopped in place once again, her body coming to a shocking halt as she could feel an unimaginable pressure erupt. "There's that same pressure again…" For some odd reason, Erza was holding Honedge, but she couldn't move. The ground was vibrating, and this overwhelmingly massive magic made her eyes wide. She remembered fighting Hades, and a lot of people with harsh levels of Magic Power, but this much compacted into on e man, it was unfathomable. She could barely keep herself from shuddering. _Just what kind of human possesses such intense Magic Power. This is insane!'_

Even Saboth was unnerved. His hold on Demon Karbia intensified after he just loosened it. "This Magic Power…Imaci has unleashed his Second Orgin."

"His what?" Erza gasped. "That can't be!"

"The devil has awakened." Saboth stated.

* * *

The towering ethereal figure looked forward, but Imaci's gaze high above was cascaded down onto a shuddering Vanessa. He could see the terrified expression on her face. Braixen was no different. They were in Earth Land ever since before Tenrou Island incident, and the only time they felt like this was around Lysandre, Hades, and Acnologia. This level of Magic Power was not only natural, but deadly.

"You have brought this onto yourselves. Prepare for the judgment of my soul." Imaci said.

Vanessa tried to keep her calm, but even with her calm barely hanging on, she was still feeling a dark pit of uneasiness intensify in her gut.

"Vanessa…" Braixen muttered.

"I know, Braixen..." Vanessa trailed off, hoping to evaluate her predicament. Her adversary was overwhelming with so much pressure, but even so, she had no recourse but to fight, even against unpleasant odds.

"Vanessa." Imaci said. "If that wasn't your strongest offense, then it is best you do so now, otherwise, this fight will be over."

Vanessa's fists clutched. She was in a corner and unable to react properly.

"Is that so?" Imaci inquired. His eyes closed. "Very well…" The giant began to move its right arm by itself, without Imaci moving his own body. The right fist entered the palm of the left hand, and it visibly swiped and unsheathed a long purple blade of lightning, fitting for its gigantic size.

Vanessa paled at the size of the lightning blade.

"My power is amplified to scales befitting that to my Soul Armor. Allow me to show you…" The armor raised it arm high, ready to attack. " **Lightning Devil's Sunder Blade!** " The manifestation brought its long lightning blade down vertically, hitting it against the ground. The ground from miles around cracked and dispersed large levels of voltage running through the area. The lightning blade slit apart the ground an unleashed a lightning shockwave in a linear fashion, creating a seismic-level high enough to be seen miles away.

Vanessa and Braixen screamed as the paralyzing shockwaves ran pass them. Their world was ripped to sunder and they flipped about constantly, both feeling harsh blows when their shoulders and backs met the ground.

Imaci retracted the spell and had it dissipate. He watched Vanessa and Braixen attempt to stand yet again, but Vanessa could barely get to a knee. He closed his eyes and sighed.

" **Lightning Devil's Rage!** "

The mouth to the purple masked creature opened up, and let out a loud bellow. Vanessa and Braixen were unable to respond and saw a large purple blast exert outwards. The area ahead of the giant was engulfed in an unimaginable level of purple lightning so flashy that it boomed everywhere without restriction. A maelstrom of lightning surged and blitzed in a scale that could equal a dragon's breath attack.

In the distance from Erza's fight, a large dome of purple could be seen, but she couldn't question it as she was busy parrying Saboth's intensified swings with Honedge.

When it faded, Imaci and his manifestation towered above a leveled field of rock. Miles on end it seemed, the hills were disregarded as the quarry itself was leveled down. Imaci looked among the carnage and devastation he's created, secretly admiring it as the dust cleared. Within the confines of the rubble, Vanessa and Braixen were sprawled upon the ground, large fragments of rock scattered in front and around them. Despite how devastated both were, even with Light Screen still lowering the blow, they were still in one piece.

"I see, so you hid behind the nearest boulders to minimize possible damage." Imaci calculated. "Efficient, but still…" The giant raised a fist and brought it around. "Pointless!" He slammed the fist against the ground in front of Vanessa and Braixen, sending them both screaming and flying backwards. They again slammed against the ground several feet away. "You cannot win, not with the way you are now. Face it, the devil will be awakened and poison this world…that is when the purge begins, and no one will stop this calamity, not even a so-called angel that you seem to be!"

Vanessa got to a knee, struggling alone just to stay alive. She was on the brink of blacking out from her low concentration of Magic Power that she's used up. Something in her didn't feel right, and in spite of all the lurching she's been going through, she coughed up a small spray of blood, dripping from the side of her lip.

"You've sustained serious damage. You continue to resist, yet you still have less power." Imaci said. "That's what separates fools from brave hearts. If you simply let things be, you may just end up wasting your value in vain."

Vanessa didn't listen. She grunted as she struggled to stand. She had to fight on. She couldn't stop, for too much was at stake. If she gave up, what would everyone say? She had a lot bent on her. She had almost nothing left in her, but she had to try. As she stood up once again, Braixen was beside her, ready to aid. Inhaling, Vanessa found a quick moment to strike.

" **Emanation Beam!** " She fired a beam of teal aura. "Braixen, **Psyshock!** "

Braixen stuck up her wand and fired several elongated purple beams that reached out from the end. The beams of both attacks stretched up and struck the belly of the beast, erupting upon impact. Both narrowed their vision, but nothing as the smoke cleared, Imaci was still seen inside the translucent purple center, unfazed.

"Not…not even a single scratch?!" Braixen shrieked.

Vanessa faltered again, hands and knees sunk to the ground, her body eventually thudding against the hard earth.

"Mere Magic Power alone isn't enough. This is my Soul Armor. It will take far more than something as a flunk as that to defeat me." Imaci sounded so confident, but the truth was that after he said that, he lurched, showing signs of faint faltering. Once he caught himself, he began to wince. _'_ _This power is sapping me further. I have to finish her now before it's too late.'_

Braixen looked down at Vanessa, her condition worse than the Fire-type's. "Vanessa? Vanessa! Get up!" She urged. "Please!" She looked back ahead at the threat, and her worse intuition came to pass. The giant's fist was balling, purple lightning beginning to surge and manifest into yet another blade. Every strand of fur on Braixen prickled.

Imaci's eyes were starting to show fatigue, but he looked calm and ready to end it. "You should've stayed down after the Thunderclap Judgment. Now you die, so that I purge the world."

Braixen looked back at Vanessa in sheer worry. "Vanessa? Vanessa! Hurry! Get up! Please!" Unfortunately, her calls were on deaf ears as her Trainer could only lay on her stomach, unable to find any means of strength to stand.

Her Magic Power was gone, she and her Pokémon were exhausted, and what did they get out of it? A beating? Death? Too much to bear, and Vanessa's eyes began to mist as she laid the side of her head against the ground, silently pondering. _'_ _I can't beat him. He's much too strong. If I wasn't so dependent on others and tried harder, would I…would I have survived longer?'_ Her eyes shut, her fate decided. _'_ _Nic…brother…I'm so sorry.'_ Her mind thus went black, everything going silent…

Suddenly, her conscience began to brighten up, like a heavenly white light. Vanessa began to see the image of her brother's back facing her. She stood there, shocked as she was picturing her older brother. _'_ _Nic…'_ His image gave off a blinding light once more, making Vanessa see more images. Her memory was like a mental movie playing in her head. She watched an incident where she was just a baby, fresh to the world. She laid in her crib in the living room, crying outward as she was all alone. Nic, three-years-old, came out from nowhere, looking at his new baby sister with wide eyes. He stared at her in deep curiosity and wonder, catching the baby's attention. When Vanessa looked at Nic, her crying stop, cooing and fussing at the older person. Nic tilted his head, and the baby followed, making her coo in an almost giggling fashion.

She saw another image, when she was learning to crawl. With the parents upstairs, she was in the kitchen, crawling when she saw a cloth hanging from the side of the sink. Curious, she pulled it, making a large plastic plate of veggies and fruits fall over. At the last second, Nic hurried. "Vanessa!" He pulled his baby sister and rolled over, saving her from the hefty plate. She cried as Nic held her, until Mom and Dad came down and exact the usual onto poor Nic.

Vanessa, 6-years-old, was trying to make a sandwich, but couldn't reach the peanut butter. Nic smiled as the 10-year-old smiling as he helped his sister reach the peanut butter, helping her make a sandwich. They made a giant one thanks to their sibling teamwork, and Nic gave her the first bite. Before Nic could get a fair share, Mom and Dad spotted him, dragging him off and accusing him for stealing Vanessa's food.

Another image was the day of Vanessa's ninth birthday. Her parents got her a nice big cake, with streamers and everything. She looked pleasant as she sat down and ate the cake, but she didn't get any presents until later on. She got a DVD of a princess movie about a Wigglytuff and a Golduck, but that was all. Later on, Nic gave his present when Mom and Dad weren't looking. Big smiles as he gave her a handmade birthday card with big hearts and Nic's signature, though the cursive was crude. To Vanessa, something like that was what she wanted all alone, something made by someone else's efforts, really hard earned.

 _'_ _Nic…'_

She recalled the day of the rebellion, and how not even the next day the parents went violent on the police. By next week, she watched Nic leave her behind. _'_ _You were always there for me. When I came into the world, you were really the only one who picked me up on my feet. You were my guardian.'_ She remembered the day she finally reunited with Nic, after almost 4 years. Tears spilled down both siblings' faces as they cried their hearts out. _'_ _Even when you were hurt, you always smiled, because as a big brother, you always looked out after me. You kept me safe, no matter what.'_ She thought of her 16th birthday not too long ago, and the times Nic and her went out on jobs. The warmth in her heart began to come back. _'_ _You always protected me. You took care of me, even when I thought I didn't. I thought that if I depended on you, I could be fine…but ever since we've come to Earth Land, I learned that I have to be there for myself. I have to keep myself up, even when you're not there.'_ White began to fade, bringing darkness back to her consciousness. _'_ _No…I can't go down like this. Not after what I've done.'_

Vanessa's eyes widened wide, finding herself on the ground. She struggled to stand, but after so much perseverance, she managed.

"Vanessa." Braixen called in surprise.

"So, you're back on your feet." Imaci said. "Are ready to face defeat?"

Vanessa panted, wobbling as she looked unrecognizable. She grunted, but she persevered. _'_ _I can't let it be this way, I won't!'_ She raised her hands, struggling yet managing to bring the palms together. Imaci and Braixen frowned, both curious as to what she was doing.

"What now?" Imaci asked.

Vanessa hollered out, trying desperately to draw out her magic. Her volume intensified, yelling louder a second time as she was trying super hard.

"It's pointless. You have no power left. Give up." Imaci demanded. "This is your end. If you really believe that you could defeat me, you should know devils always dance the deadliest!"

Vanessa screamed louder, drawing out everything within her. She began to run through the memories of her training, the time when Ultear unlocked their Second Origin. _'_ _I don't know much about Second Origin, or how powerful it is, but right now, I don't care. I have to try, try and stop Imaci and save everyone!'_ The ground around Vanessa began to shudder, the pebbles beginning to levitate as her body was starting to give off a teal aura once more, flaring like fire. _'_ _Because that's what a guardian does!'_

Imaci watched with a hardened gaze as Vanessa was desperately drawing out more power, and to his surprise, he was astounded with the teal light around her body. The pebbles in the atmosphere around her began to crumble away, shockwaves exerting as her Magic Power began to rise.

Braixen backed away, the pressure and gravity around her getting so heavy that she had no choice but to retreat to a safer distance. She leaped away and watched from a safe distance as Vanessa was standing tall, screaming and using her Pularis willpower to strive. _'_ _Her passion and will to strive. Her aura is actually responding to her call.'_ The fox couldn't help but feel awed by Vanessa drive, watching as the teal flare began to brighten around her. "Vanessa…"

The light around Vanessa began to brighten yet again, small streams of teal circling around the teal flare.

Imaci was feel the ground quake as his own concentration on his magic began to decrease. The lightning in the area began to decelerate. "It can't be. How is she…" He was witnessing the willpower of a true hero, once who was willing to risk everything to go beyond the limit. "Just what is she?"

Vanessa poured out all her heart, using every bit of her will and tenacity, her aura responding to her passion. The fierce look as she cried was as deep as ocean trenches. She glared ahead, her concentration at a peak. _'_ _Nic. You've protected me all your life. Now, it's my turn to repay the favor…because that's what family does!'_ "HRRAAAAAAH!"

A blinding light erupted, a bright teal pillar of thick aura shooting into the sky. The pillar reached the pitch-black clouds, sending teal ripples that clashed with the purple lightning. Thunder howled, clashing with aura waves and eventually submitting. The blinding light kept up after a minute before finally diminishing.

"What is this?" Imaci uncovered his eyes as the light diminished. As he looked at what happened, everything he had hoped dropped completely. His eyes were wide with shock, disbelief evident. "No way…"

Braixen's eyes diverted slowly up from the ground, seeing the tower of aura fade. Her fur again prickled with shock. "This is…is that Vanessa's…"

Vanessa had her body surrounded in a teal energy, eyes shut as she finished unleashing her power. She flashed open her eyes, giving Imaci the most serious glare she could possibly have given anyone. Vanessa was in the center of a hundred-foot-tall giant, equal to the size of Imaci's Soul Armor. It was all teal, and nothing else. It was humanoid, having lips concealed by a cloth mask, with a durable teal mask with a thick ridge for the nose that connected to the horns atop, which were shaped like a Mega Houndoom's horns. The eyes were blue, the rest of the mask sturdy all around. It had long hair like Vanessa, giving it feminine appeal. It had teal armor on with massive chest plates to fit its buxom fixture, where there were straps on the shoulders connecting to the extra-large plate on the stomach, where Vanessa was located. The shoulders and triceps were covered by massive scale-like plates, like old-fashioned warriors. The legs had pants it seemed with pauldrons and shin guards connected to the boots.

The huge figure stood motionless with fists balled. Its long hair was flickering teal flames. The ample guardian stood far away from Imaci, which was unable to comprehend the situation.

" **Aura Guardian!** " Vanessa confidently announced.

"Whoa." Braixen went wide-eyed at her Trainer's new weapon.

Vanessa looked at her arm and held it up. As she did, the teal female figure followed her similar motions. As Vanessa flexed her fingers, so did her spell. "So this is my Second Origin? I never expected it to be so…grand." She admitted.

Imaci had his gaze narrowed, his tolerance wearing thin. "Do not ignore me so fast, fool!"

He extended his arm and the blade of lightning integrated recharged fast. The Soul Armor slammed it down against the earth, sending a powerful lightning shockwave ahead, traveling across the ground at high leveled speeds. When it reached Vanessa, however, she and the ethereal teal figure extended their left arm, making a far larger version of Aura Guard, nullifying the immense lightning blade.

"How?! Did her aura powers enhance to extremes?!" Imaci baffled.

"I have a lot on my shoulders right now. I have a big brother looking out for me, and I also have Mom and Dad here to make it up to us." Vanessa balled her fists. "That's why I intend to make it my turn to protect them from someone like you. You keep talking about a purge, but the Rivolta really wants death and destruction. You have no heart."

Imaci narrowed his eyes. "So you say…very well." His eyes widened, his final confrontation with her set. As a little drip of blood came from the side of his lip, he declared war. "Come!"

The Soul Armor responded. With long and wide strides, the giant raced across the ground, heading for Vanessa. Vanessa in turn leaned forward, her Aura Guardian copying and racing after Imaci with equally long strides, like two giants with heavy weight against the earth. Vanessa took a leap into midair, reeling back her right fist as Imaci did with his left. Vanessa came down with a punch, colliding with Imaci. Both giants' fists rattled the airspace, making thunder roar and shockwaves travel at disastrous consequences, including blowing away the debris all around. Once Vanessa landed, Imaci reeled back his giant's right arm, making another blade of purple lightning.

" **Lightning Devil's Sunder Blade!** "

The blade came down, But Vanessa parried by making her giant's right arm formulate a teal shield and block. The lightning scattered in various directions in the atmosphere, and Vanessa drew the left fist back and left hooked Imaci's giant across the face, making another booming rattle. The Soul Armor stumbled backwards. The Soul Armor giant slowly reeled ahead again, only as Vanessa's giant brought the right arm around, delivering another blow, this time to the stomach of the beast, where Imaci was.

Though the impact didn't hit Imaci, his giant slid back once more. Imaci's body lurched inside.

"Damnit." He growled. " **Lightning Devil's Rage!** "

The Soul Armor opened its mask-like mouth and unleashed a large blistering beam of sheer purple lightning befitting its size. Vanessa extended her arms ahead to block.

" **Aura Guard!** "

A large teal dome appeared around the giant, the blast making impact with the shield itself. While it did defend Vanessa, the Magic Power unleashed caused her to slide back against the ground, the shield breaking apart just as the attack stopped.

With the distance between, Imaci's giant adjusted footing and spread its folded wings, finally gaining some leverage to fly. Slowly, the wings flapped, strong winds blowing away rock and debris below. Braixen hid behind a stable rock as the tempest raged, peering out from the corner of it to see the giant finally rising into the sky. No words came to mind as she watched the purple and teal beasts quarrel it out.

Imaci flew higher and higher, each flap pushing him to greater heights. As he reached a peak, his wings remained in position as his giant looked down at Vanessa, who had no wings. An arm up, purple lightning began to conjure into the sky once more, stretching from miles on end and converging to the palm.

Imaci extended his own arm down, aiming for Vanessa. " **Lightning Devil's Chaos Lance!** "

The Soul Armor brought its arm down and the huge sphere of purple lightning showered a dozen dense rays of purple lightning; a less numerous but heavily superior version of Sting's Holy Ray. Vanessa narrowed her gaze and her giant followed her stride inside. She took long and huge running motions, evading the lances that struck the ground like meteors. When she found room and got to a stop, she looked up at one spare arrow diving down onto her.

" **Emanation Beam!** "

A concentration of aura gathered in front of the sealed masked mouth. A high-pressured volume of teal aura launched itself at the arrow, intercepting in the center. An intense explosion scattered throughout the sky, rattling the airspace and creating a smoke cloud. The momentum shifted when Imaci's giant came falling through the dispersing cloud, planting a foot against the guardian's face and sending it flying backwards. Vanessa yelped as the back met the ground, sliding harshly and depressing the earth. From that one skid, the landscape changed.

The Soul Armor reached out and unleashed a thick beam of purple lightning from the palm. The attack raced after Vanessa as she sat up, but the girl's own vessel proved to be a little more quick to react. It settled to a knee and Vanessa swiped the arm, unleashing a horizontal crescent of teal that cut the beam in half, making it explode in between the two. As the attack dissipated, both contenders took hesitant breaths as they had to regain themselves, but only for a moment.

Both never felt so pushed before, not even once. Imaci couldn't remember the last time anyone has been able to push him beyond his capacity. The Soul Armor was his most lethal weapon, and yet the way he was now, he could barely manage to stand. Slight red continued to seep down from the side, his body feeling like a hunk of meat. Meanwhile, Vanessa was like a hardy vessel, yet she felt almost nothing inside as well. Nothing to hide, and nothing to hold back. She had to strive. That was the cost of power.

Vanessa's towering giant stood back up, charging after Imaci for a second time. Imaci and Vanessa's giants balled their fists, infused with either purple Devil Slayer lightning or teal aura. Both screamed out as they dealt passing blows, their attacks hitting the other's face, shaking the landscape for what be the umpteenth time. Both warriors fell backwards, hitting the land yet again. They struggled to stand, especially with their conditions deteriorating. Ultimately, Imaci was the first to sit up.

The mage panted, huffing in exasperation and exhaustion. He watched Vanessa struggle to stand once again, his opportunity afoot. _'_ _This is getting precarious. I don't have much time left. It's now or never!'_ He coughed again, his breathing getting heavier for a moment's lack. He took in a big breath and his Soul Armor shot up to a knee, clutching an electrified fist. He drove it into the ground, sending boulders and rock flying as a discharge ran wild.

" **Lightning Devil's Demolition Flash!** "

The shockwave of purple lightning traveled across the ground, picking up rock and went straight at Vanessa. Her Aura Guardian was still getting up, barely able to pick up on the eminent attack. A blinding light emerged upon impact, thunder raging and bolts shooting up in a pillar into the sky. The rapid discharge of lightning eventually dissipated, revealing Vanessa and her magic covering as a sparkling rainbow window was in front.

Vanessa uncovered, watching the mirror fade away. "Is that…?"

In the distance off to the side, Braixen was perched high atop of a cliff, her wand stretched out and looking serious. If Vanessa wasn't pleased before, she most certainly was now.

Like in front of Vanessa, Braixen's Light Screen faded yet again. "Vanessa, are you okay?!" The fox shouted.

"Y-yeah! Thank you, Braixen!" The Trainer called out.

"You're not in this alone you know." Braixen smiled. "Remember, we're a team. Let me be there to give you a hand."

Vanessa stared at Braixen with slight shock. While she knew this was her fight, she knew that as one person, she only had such limited strength. Pokémon needed strength in return, but can't properly bring it out unless they have a Trainer and are given care and befriended. Vanessa grinned. "Alright." She said.

The Soul Armor was back up, using its large wings and flapped once against the ground, picking up a tempest. It glided against the ground, heading after the Aura Guardian. It created another long needle of lightning and slashed at Vanessa, but at the last second, the teal manifestation ducked and rolled off to the side, evading the blade and rolled through the cliffs; Vanessa managing to grab Braixen with a large palm as she followed through and tumbled to a slide on her feet several more yards away. Now attached, Vanessa raised her hand to her shoulder, where Braixen stood atop of and held on. With both ready, they had serious looks and readied to attack.

Imaci used the Soul Armor for a frontal assault, ramming its shoulder into the Aura Guardian. Vanessa caught him, but slid back several feet due to momentum. The Aura Mage bent her knees, getting the shoulder to the head.

With Braixen positioned, Vanessa gave a call. " **Fire Spin!** "

Imaci's eyes widened when he realized the fox was ready to attack. A tornado of fire was unleashed from the wand, spiraling after the head. The Soul Armor ducked to the side at the last second, evading the tornado. This tactic lead to Vanessa gaining momentum again, much to Imaci's ignorance. Vanessa's figure did a left palm strike to the chest, pushing back the Soul Armor and Imaci.

"Damn you!" Imaci cried out, stopping several hundred yards away.

Vanessa went attacking head on, running again with deep strides. Her adversary's mask-like mouth opened up and unleashed a volley of purple lightning bombs. They all hurled like asteroids as Vanessa charged, but Vanessa persisted and dove right through the volley, tackling Imaci successfully. Both man and woman fell over; the former on the back and the latter on the stomach. Braixen held on, despite the shift in balance.

Vanessa and Imaci could barely stand. If they were both completely honest, if not for their willpower, they'd probably be dead. Both had little to no strength reserved, but with what they could manage, Vanessa and Imaci pushed off the ground, both glaring at the other, severely breathing.

Imaci covered his mouth, coughing up blood that spilled all over. For a moment, his Soul Armor seemed to falter.

Vanessa took notice, eyes narrowing as her lungs expanded and contracted. "That spell of yours…it seems awfully…risky." She huffed.

Imaci stared at her, hazy in the gaze. "Be as true as it is, there is no return from this point on." The pressure around him intensified, purple lightning exerting from his body. "I'm going to end this in one shot. This is where we either fall together, or you die."

The purple lightning traveled all around the limbs of the giant. It surged like blood, converging the deepest portions into the arms. The arms raised to a 10 and 2 position, purple lightning flaring like flames as the arms came together in the front, the trails together making a massive purple V. The arms retreated towards the sides, keeping the V stationary as an arch connected the angles.

Vanessa grunted as she had to counter, and this she did. _'_ _He's conducting whatever Magic Power he has left into this next blow. I'll have to shape my aura into a strong weapon as well.'_ Trying to do that, Vanessa closed her eyes and began to concentrate her Magic Power. The left fist of the giant began to have all fingers spread, an intricate circle with several spokes and a hollow center hole revealed. "We can do this. Braixen!" She called out.

Braixen help up her wand, ready.

Vanessa brought up her left arm, her right arm clutching space behind the intricate symbol. In the center hole, teal aura manifested into a burning huge arrow, teal flames exerting. Vanessa brought the end back, making strings and elongating the stave of the bow.

Imaci glared ahead, ready to finish what has been started. "This ends now!"

"Never!" Vanessa declared. She and Imaci both unleashed their attacks.

" **Devil Slayer Secret Art – Raijin's Voice of Banishment!** "

" **Aura Guardian - Kali Arrow!** "

Braixen added to the arrow. " **Fire Spin!** " She unleashed a tornado of fire, which traveled and circled around the arm. The Fire Spin traveled all the way up towards the arrow's tip, making it a spiraling fire arrow.

Both attacks were launched at the exact same time. The aura arrow and the purple V met in the middle. When that occurred, there was a brief silence as white flashes flickered on and off. Seconds passed, as everything even from the distance seemed coldly silent. Until finally, a catastrophic dome-like explosion of purple and teal erupted. The explosion gave off a pillar that expanded towards the sky, making it roar and crackle with so much intense lightning discharge that the land and clouds alike howled in searing rage and pain.

The shockwaves and howling traveled everywhere, even through the caverns. Nic, Erza, and everyone went wide-eyed, the ground shuddering and roaring from the most shocking earthquake. At least one that didn't come from Arbok.

Vanessa, Braixen, and Imaci were all engulfed in the blast wave, screaming that became muffled as the explosion collapsed on itself, disintegrating gravel and large rocks. The ground leveled, everything destroyed. High above, the pitch-black clouds that ruptured with thunder slowly began to fade, the pitch-black skies showing the impending blood moon.

The dust down below settled, everything leveled, and from miles all around, the rock and quarry was as distant as mountains. Vanessa's Aura Guardian faded away, the girl falling onto her front with a thud, laying there with a hazy gaze. Braixen was no different, the Fire-type unable to respond. Imaci landed several yards away on his front, his Soul Armor gone.

All three laid there, unable to move, blacked out, possibly dead.

Eventually, Braixen was the first to act. Her paws twitched, groaning as her stained fur was withered from that last attack. "Mmmm…" She managed to sit up, despite the struggle it took. "What happened? Are we-?!" She gasped. "Vanessa!"

"Gnnnnngh…" Vanessa winced, barely responding.

"Vanessa, wake up! Wake up!" The fox implored. "Please! Vanessa!"

Vanessa began to stir. "Braixen…I thought Venusaur was keeping Krookodile calm." She mumbled.

Braixen sighed in relief, her heart finally resting. "Thank goodness." She huffed.

Vanessa opened her eyes at last, up from the yelling. "Braixen-?!" Vanessa winced, her body stinging when she pushed up. "Gah!" She nearly fell back down in not for her forearm. She struggled to stand, but managed to sit up. "Braixen? What happened?" She asked.

"I should be asking you that. What was that last attack? Braixen replied.

Vanessa cascaded her gaze downward. "I…I don't know. I just…did it." She couldn't understand how or why, but she made a devastatingly new attack. Perhaps benefits came out in the end after all.

"I see that you are both up. Good." A weak voice announced.

The nature of that voice shocked them both, forcing them to whip their heads over and see Imaci on a knee, his skin appearing pale and cracked.

"You…!" Vanessa growled.

"That would be enough, Vanessa and acquaintance. It is clear that we both have exhausted our Magic Power completely." Imaci grinned. "You can't even see straight, or is it just me?"

Vanessa would admit that she is a little hazy in her vision, but she said nothing instead. She looked at her opponent, feeling his aura weaker than ever before.

"Regardless. I commend you. You really are strong, despite the devils that have haunted you since your birth. If only I could've handled them up front as you could." Imaci closed his eyes, coughing as he spit out more blood. The splattering substance pilled at his knee, making Vanessa uneasy. His face again began to show more cracks.

"What's going on?" Braixen asked.

"It must be that Soul Armor." Vanessa said.

"What?"

Vanessa's glared at Imaci as he huffed, his body looking as dry as a desert. "There was something that bothered me when we battled. That first Devil Slayer spell, it was infused with Soul Armor, which made it much stronger, but I also noticed that as he used the actual Soul Armor, his aura has been getting weaker. It's as if the soul itself was being sacrificed." She said.

Imaci was unbalanced, looking at Vanessa from a leaned angle. "…unfortunately, great power comes with great sacrifice. In a sense, you are not far from the truth." Imaci diverted his gaze to disclose. "My Soul Armor is a forbidden tactic that is indeed powerful, but as a taboo type of magic, it has long-standing consequences." He paused, his composure barely standing. "The more I use it, the more of my soul that has to be paid. Over the years I have used this, the more it accumulates. It is a spell that one could say bets one's soul."

"You mean your life force." Vanessa corrected.

Imaci slowly nodded. "Yes. Your Aura Guardian thankfully does not shorten your life span, but it seems that using it involves every ounce of magic in your body, unlike my Soul Armor. How unfortunate indeed." He mourned.

Vanessa frowned at her adversary's misfortune. She was glad she didn't develop any type of taboo spells or magic. If she did, it'd mean turning her back on the ones she loved and grow with. That wasn't her, she isn't selfish.

She looked towards Imaci, wondering of something. "Imaci."

"Yes?"

"Your aura, there is hesitation in it. Even through everything you say, there is still something I don't get…if you hate devils and angels alike so much, why help make the Impure Underworld?"

There was a long silence, time passing as the blood moon waning above was slowly getting closer to the position intended. Imaci had no wide eyes, but as his skin began to crack apart, and the layers began to chip off. His eyes closed, his subconscious feelings realized.

"So you're onto me. Very well." He grinned. "I guess since I only have so much time left, I can tell you." He began to rethink of the time he was abandoned in the open, his family of unknown people leaving by boat to another land afar. "My culture, they believed that magic is but a curse from the devil. Magic was but sorcery forbidden, revered as a hoax, freaks to the likes of them. It's ironic when I realize that my clan was wiped out by a tsunami two days later after leaving me here in the isles. I didn't care, I embraced my Devil Slayer powers to exact what I believed and eradicate all devils, no matter how many numbers…unfortunately, no actual demons applied." He briefly thought about demons, angels, and the vague stuff he was preached for the first 6 years of his life. "As far as I was concerned, the real demons are not of distinctive qualities such as hell or of this one you call Zeref. I refer to the dark side of humanity, where the real demons and devil reside. I wanted to use the Impure Underworld…and purge the devils that show their faces."

Vanessa's eyes widened.

Imaci began to recount the early days when he met Alpha. "When I first met Alpha, I stood beside the devil himself. My aspects changed, everything I was taught was destroyed, all because the devil was present. And I was again brought to question with Lysandre. Demons and devils were real, but even I knew that with my own power, I stood absolute zero chance against Alpha or anyone." He recounted all of the conversation he had with Vanessa throughout their quarrel as his body parts were shipping off and fluttering into thin air like paper. "That's why I have sold my soul to the devil. If I cannot beat him, I can at least gain power from him to destroy him, even if it meant my life was at the expense." He lowered his head, in hands and knees. "But now…I see that was but a selfish thing. I am but a coward, who can't face a devil like you can."

Braixen looked at Imaci mournfully. "So you really wanted to destroy darkness from the beginning."

Vanessa and Braixen couldn't necessarily keep him at fault for his mistake. While they were skeptical, they can't be labeled hypocrites. Vanessa could relate to Imaci. If she were honest, she was a lot like him. Scared, tormented, unable to find the power to defeat the devils that enslaved her brother. She didn't have strength, nor the will, so the only option was to obey. That was Imaci, and that was her. Two entities who had no place to stop the darkness from spreading through the heart of man.

Vanessa looked at him, a calm washing over her as she looked up to the sky. For some reason, she smiled. "It was never fair to either of us, huh?"

"What?" Imaci wondered.

"I honestly thought that beating the devil would solve problems too. Believe me, I wish it was that simple…" She thought about earlier, when Mom and Dad were reincarnated. She reflected back to the times when they bonded, and they all managed to get along throughout their battles and hardships. "We all think that way, but we'd be running and not confronting our problems. Defeating the devil in us would only leave us empty and with by a path with no hope of guidance. I know it sounds weird, but even if there was a devil inside everyone, killing it would be killing a part of you."

Imaci's eyes widened as Vanessa continued.

"You want to expunge devils, but you can see that you were never at peace with your own devil. If you have made amends rather than distrust it, you'd probably have done the right thing. Even if it meant dying to achieve harmony…" She looked back at him, smiling as her eyes softened, showing purity. "Of course that's just me."

Imaci stared at her long and hard. He was so blind, so senile. He didn't see the comparison before. It baffled him, but at the same time, it made him see that he had never made his own choices because the devil in him told him to not do anything until it all ended. In retrospect, he should've made peace with his darkness and confronted it with no qualms.

"You're a strange one." He said in a chuckled voice.

"I might be." Vanessa agreed.

Despite his body starting to fade, Imaci wasn't feeling pain at all. Now that he realized his faults, his soul and body didn't feel empty. It was like a part of him had returned. A side he had forsaken. Happiness.

"Vanessa Pularis, if I may…" He sat upright, almost formal if possible. His body was slowly glowing purple, specks rising from his body. "If I can request one thing from you, it's this: Please, stop Alpha. End this spell, end Impure Underworld. Make sure that these devils find their place once more."

Vanessa looked with surprise. "Imaci…"

"Can you do that?" He intervened.

Vanessa didn't need to think twice. She was going to from the very beginning. Yet with Imaci fading away due to his life force sapped from his spell, mercy on the enemy was as needed. She nodded at him.

"Good. I leave the rest to you then." His face began to fade, along with his body. "This time…things can be done right, with the angel and devil…at peace and balance."

Vanessa's eyes remained wide. "Wait, Imaci-" She reached out towards him, but Imaci's body faded completely, purple specks fluttering into the dark skies. Vanessa and Braixen looked up with slight sadness as they watched the specks twinkle like stars in the gloomy hour.

 _'_ _You and your family, make peace with the devils inside you, and use your strength to bring the world to balance. I know you can do this, because your souls are with no bounds.'_

Vanessa stared up at the sky, unable to move. While mourning for her opponent, she still had an obligation to fill. Barely able to stand, she looked towards her Braixen, serious expressions on them.

* * *

Magnezone panted as he was barely keeping himself off the ground. He was perhaps bouncing, one may see it that way. His bottom always clanged against the ground. He either went up or went down, but he constantly hit the ground with a thud.

"Damnit." He cursed. He had almost no strength in him. No fight left after that intense quarrel with his adversary…well okay, some fight, but one scratch at him and he's down. Learning Mirror Coat was great, but he had low health, and he was in very bad shape. He didn't make it very far from his original position far back where the chamber was, but he knew going down one way was better than staying put.

As he struggled to make it through the area, he picked up on something.

"Who's there?!" He demanded, pointing his magnets ahead. "Reveal yourselves!"

However, he got no response. It was odd, he had good sensory, and the waves he was picking up was making it certain he wasn't alone. He shook his head.

"I must be imagining things." He figured.

He heard another sound, this time rocks being stepped on. Instantly, he got back to his stance.

"Enough games!" He demanded. He readied a Flash Cannon, ready to strike. "I'll only ask this one more time! Who are you?!"

Rocks turned, yet he couldn't see anything in the darkness. He was getting weary. He couldn't fight well in his condition, not with the energy he had left in him. All he could do was make sure to get a good shot in.

A long silence passed, until the rocks turned in front, making his eyes wide. He appeared to have been too late. The next second, Kecleon appeared.

"Hello." She greeted.

"GAH!" Out of shock, Magnezone accidentally fired his Flash Cannon, unknowingly aimed at Kecleon. Without even flinching, Kecleon tilted her head, materializing a Protect and the Steel-type move dissipated.

Magnezone breathed in and out, startled by Kecleon. "Kecleon?!" He gasped.

Kecleon's Protect faded, straightening her head. "My name starts with K."

"Kecleon, what a relief." Magnezone sighed. He then realized what startled him. "Don't go freaking me out there. You scared me." He scolded.

"The good puppet in the wrong hand?" Kecleon asked.

Magnezone sweat dropped. "Uh…I…I guess…?"

"…" Kecleon tilted her head again, an awkward silence passing by them once more.

"Have you seen Vanessa or the others yet?" Magnezone asked.

Kecleon shook her head. "No. Did you?"

Magnezone shook his head. "Not me either. Seems we'll have to keep searching." Magnezone advanced, but as he passed Kecleon, his eyes widened and he faltered, pain flaring.

Kecleon rushed to his side, shocked as Magnezone's magnets were looking heavy.

"Damnit." He cursed. "I can barely keep myself up."

Kecleon looked at Magnezone, tilting her head. "Hm…" She tilted her head in the opposite direction, this time blinking. "Okay." She got beneath Magnezone, bending her legs and using her arms to push up. With nothing but her strength, she held up Magnezone.

"Whoa! K-Kecleon?!" Magnezone yelled.

"Broken bridges need strong ropes to support them. Let's go find them" The way she kept saying everything in a creepy monotone. It made Magnezone baffle at the fact that she could lift him as though he were a cardboard box. Just what kind of muscle has Nic given her?

"Kecleon, uh…t-thanks, but I'm fine. I can go on." He insisted, but it was too late as Kecleon started walking. To make it creepier, she turned invisible, giving Magnezone the illusion of him levitating.

"You can't use Rain Dish without Rain Dnace." Kecleon said.

"Kecleon please, this is embarrassing! I'm telling you, stop! Kecleon, put me down! Kecleon~!" Magnezone yelled.

* * *

"Imaci's pressure, it would appear that he has been defeated." Vermilius said with his scythe resting against his shoulder, though the position made it seem that he was ready to draw it at any given moment.

Alpha frowned, eyes closing as he looked away. "It would appear so. How unfortunate." However, his tone seemed to make him consider otherwise.

"All that Magic Power gone to waste. Unfortunate indeed." Vermilius complied with a dead tone, showing no sympathy for the dead. "When you think about it, wasn't he the most responsible?"

Imaci being the subject didn't pique interest in Alpha. The dead mattered not, his tools and lackeys being picked off one by one only serving to aggravate and make Alpha want to rip material apart. Nevertheless, for the sake of destruction and all he wanted to do, he knew waiting was better than waste energy. They were so close to that time, so incredibly close. Alpha's skin was all pale, his black veins pulsing dark energy within his entity. He was craving blood, destruction, any sense of negative feelings as an act of food. The dark aura around his body made it hard to breathe, almost to the point where the air felt intoxicating to take in. If one got a good picture, it was reminiscent of a certain someone after a certain group used him to end the universe.

"One hour left." Alpha muttered.

Vermilius glanced over his shoulder.

"One hour, until every single bloody bastard rips his own heart out and crushes skulls. The world is gonna enjoy red and black. I'm gonna make every single life on this miserable planet rip itself in half and chop it into pieces." His insane smirk was evident, his wide and blood-curdling eyes boring deep into space. "So what if the Rivolta failed?! I'll savor every bit of flesh that I rip from their corpses!" He maniacally laughed.

Vermilius looked over at Alpha as his back was turned. The reaper had no say, but deep down, he knew that this was his opportunity to reap the world of lives. The clothed entity of Hell looked away as Alpha turned towards him, not wishing to die by looking into a true Satan.

"Vermilius, cut them to pieces if you must. There is still one hour left."

The reaper stood up from the rock he sat on at the time, holding his scythe out to the side. "As you command. I'll make sure their lives end slowly and painfully." Underneath his bizarre mask, the reaper smirked, recollecting the sweet memory of cutting and slicing into Nic and Vanessa. Their screams were so amusing. It made him shiver in excitement.

* * *

Saboth slammed his sword down, but Erza parried with Honedge using Slash once more. Erza slid backwards, barely maintaining footing as Saboth was upon her once her. Saboth and Erza parried blow after blow, the samurai pushing Erza back with every strike against Honedge's blade. Erza constantly found herself on the defensive, only managing to block blows rather than dodge thanks to Honedge's No Guard Ability.

Eventually, Erza did find an opening after deflecting the Demon Karbia to the side and raised a foot, kicking Saboth in the abdomen. The assault shoved the samurai back a few feet, giving Erza room for a command as she held Honedge out. "Honedge, **Swords Dance!** " Her blade answered, and around her, illusionary blue swords circled around and crossed overhead, disappearing as a red aura engulfed Honedge briefly.

Saboth adjusted his hold on the blade. "You believe powering up will save you? You are but a slow learner. I already told you…" A menacing aura engulfed the sword he held. "The stronger and resilient my opponents are, the stronger I am!" He lunged back ahead, sword thrust straight at the chest.

"Honedge, use **Fury Cutter!** " Erza commanded. Honedge's blade glowed a bright white and she clashed yet again against Saboth's thrust. The edge met the dark sword, making her falter from that one overpowering blow. When Saboth swung from the side, Erza adjusted Honedge to block the next blow, this time reaching a stalemate. Both backed off, but then they lunged back at each other and their blades met in the center, white and dark static mixing and spreading everywhere. A blinding flash erupted in between, the amplified Bug-type move making the dark sword's power collide and sent them and their masters flying off and slamming on their backs.

The burst of light faded, Both the redhead and samurai struggling to stand. Their individual swords were damaged, but Honedge gave a brave face, despite the pain she felt.

Saboth got back up, clutching his blade tightly as dark static crackled around the edges. He raised it behind, ready to swing.

" **Shadow Sneak!** " Erza called out.

Honedge obeyed, and as Saboth swung, a black shadow struck his abdomen from an angle beneath, making him falter backwards in agony. "GAH!" Unable to finish his initial attack, he was open, and Erza let out a scream as she charged after Saboth, her Honedge making Slash and swiped diagonally, making a trail as Erza posed behind the samurai, his armor finally slitting and prompting him to fall to a knee.

Erza looked back, glaring over her shoulder at the damaged samurai. "You should've considered that there's more to life than fighting. There are those who risk their lives for others and live happily. You wouldn't understand, considering you have no heart." She reprimanded.

Saboth slowly arose to his feet, growling. His white face huffed heated dark breaths. "As I said…all I need is my need for fighting. No heart or material possession matters." The Magic Power pulsated around him, dark static emitting from his blade. Demon Karbia was actually shuddering, much to Erza and Honedge's confusion.

"I told you before. This spell will bring about my desire, to slay infinitely to my content! And I refuse to have anyone like a mortal such as yourself stand in my way!" Saboth raised his blade, dark energy magnifying it to extremes. The blade glowed and elongated in dark energy, towering at such high levels overhead.

Erza's eyes widened. "How much strength does he have left?" She gasped.

" **Mortal Disaster!** "

Saboth brought the fifty-foot-tall blade down, hammering it against the earth with a thundering roar. Dark cyclones shook the landscape around him. As rock and debris was picked up by the dark wave, Erza and Honedge were sent flying, screaming by the impact of the sword dealing great deals of damage. The fall made Honedge and Erza separate, both nevertheless hitting the ground close to one another.

The dust cleared, and Saboth stood tall. "My spirit is this blade itself. It cannot be defeated. It can be scratched, but breaking my spirit is impossible for a mere fool with a heart to attempt. If you don't live to kill, then you will never survive."

Erza struggled to stand, her body under intense pain. She had an elbow beneath, labored breathing exerting in and out. "Damnit. I can't break him." She cursed beneath her breath.

Honedge wobbled back up, grunting as she felt fully exhausted. She hesitated, but she saw Saboth advance slowly towards Erza. Her instincts kicked in, the Sword Pokémon flying forward with extreme prejudice.

"I won't let you!" Honedge declared, her blade glowing bright white. " **Slash!** "

Saboth looked off to the side as Honedge came speeding in. He brought his Demon Karbia around brimming in dark static of intense pressure and casually swung it in an arch, brushing Honedge off and sending the sword twirling in the air in pain.

"Honedge!" Erza cried out.

"Is that all?" Saboth taunted. With Erza distracted, he kicked her cheek, sending her back several feet into a flat boulder. "My patience with the likes of you are now spent. You bore me." He was upon Erza, in which the redhead narrowly saw him advance, her vision a little hazy from that kick.

Honedge laid on the ground several feet away, barely budging. "E-Erza…" She muttered.

Erza hunched over, using her own strength to stand. She slowly raised her head, her expression exasperating Saboth. She was smirking, despite the wounds all over her body. "I've got to say, you are powerful. And while I am lenient on pride being a key in battle, it's my spirit and light that'll guide me through my ways." She briefly thought of Nic and his smile. "If you truly fight for yourself and desire nothing but blood, then you are a sad existence and failure as a living being. You're nothing but a devil in armor that I'll have to break through, one way or another."

Honedge went wide-eyed. "Erza."

Saboth snickered, amused by Erza's declaration. "Is that so? Pity, to think that I was amused by our little war. If you do not intend to find strength from your desire to kill…" He brought back his arm, raising Demon Karbia once more. "Then I will take that power all for myself until there is nothing left of you!"

Erza used her Requip Magic and summoned a spare sword. With what vigilance she had in her, she swiped at him, but with another casual swipe, Saboth snapped her sword in half.

"Summon as many swords and shields as you'd like. I will destroy them all. I will destroy all who stand in my way of battle. Nothing will ever break my sword and spirit." Saboth again brought his blade around, black static intensifying to high concentration levels.

Honedge's fears were starting to rise. "Erza, look out!" Unfortunately, her Trainer wasn't hearing her calls. Erza stood still, not backing down as her Magic Power outlined her body in red.

"If it means defeating you to preserve this world and what humanity it has left, then so be it." Erza declared. "If none of my swords will ever work, then I will use my own two hands to bring you down in I must." She declared.

Saboth growled, his tolerance at a low point. "No one dares defy me!" He lunged at Erza, blade in hand and ready to finish her.

Out of impulse, Honedge went speeding ahead. "NO!"

Saboth drew closer, and Erza readied herself.

"Erza, I refuse to let you do this alone!" Honedge cried out. "I'm in this with you! I won't let him get pass me again!"

Erza's eyes reflected Saboth as the blade was reaching her face.

"ERZA~! I am your sword, and I will cut until my last breath! I swear~!" Honedge's loud shrieking and high speeds paid off, but as she closed the gap, her body gave of a powerful blue glow. The light was dense, and it was so bright as Honedge intercepted Saboth's dark swing.

Erza and Saboth's eyes widened, startled by Honedge not only intercepting, but her glowing as well.

"Honedge!" Erza gasped.

"What?" Saboth questioned. Honedge didn't budge from her spot, so Saboth leaped away for precaution. The blue light was giving off a vibrant energy wave of intense power surprising the samurai. "What is this light?" He demanded.

Erza stared in shock, her Pokémon's appeal beginning to alter. "Honedge…" Realization dawned upon her, the light the sword giving off surprising her further. "This light! Honedge, you're-!"

Honedge didn't respond, instead, he began to change form. In her blue glow, her body was beginning to split, as if a clone of itself was being made. Meanwhile the sheath got bigger and thicker than before. Despite not much of a size difference, Erza and Saboth were feeling a power increase. When the light exploded, the two were again baffled.

Honedge had now become two swords identical to one another. Each one had a pink eye and a singular linear pupil on the hilt, including the tassels now a pink and no longer blue. The sheaths were crossed on a plaque, which were on a plaque held in one of the tassels.

The double swords opened their eyes, glaring at Saboth. "You will not have your way, fiend." They both declared in a unison voice.

Saboth glared at the transformation, gritting his teeth. "Impossible." He berated.

"Honedge?" Erza questioned. "You just evolved…" She began to ponder about how Vanessa's Krokorok evolved. _'_ _Just like what I saw that one time. So now Honedge has evolved.'_

"I am Honedge no longer." She responded. "I am now Doublade."

"Doublade." Erza repeated. She pondered of this new species name, a grin coming across her lips. "I like it."

Saboth raised Demon Karbia. "Do not ignore me further!" He demanded. He lunged to attack again with his blade, but Doublade turned around, facing him and both blades glowed, indicating Slash. Doublade's one sword parried and blocked one strike, whereas the other blade swung from the side, cutting across Saboth's abdomen and making him slide backwards.

The samurai looked down at his wound, shocked by realization of the Doublade maneuver. "Impossible."

Erza looked with shock at her Doublade. _'_ _Incredible. Her perception and strength has increased. I couldn't even tell which direction that swing was coming from.'_

"As Doublade, we now hold a telepathic link." Doublade explained. "We can now initiate complex maneuvers and attack from any direction. And now there are two of us; three including Erza."

Saboth growled, frustration rising as dark static enveloped his sword once again. "GRAH! It matters not what you are. You are a fool nonetheless, and as a samurai, I will slay you and your master here and now." He readied a stance. "Nothing stands in my way."

Doublade veered backwards. "We'll see about that."

In front of Erza, the knight could understand what was going on. She looked down at Doublade, who seemed ready for battle. With a nod of approval, Erza grinned, her confidence on the rise once more as she grabbed Doublade's crossed grips and held her two blades up, ready for battle once more against the samurai.

"Fall!" Saboth shouted as he charged ahead.

"Let's do this, Doublade!" Erza cried out. She also ran ahead, her pacing fast. " **Fury Cutter!** "

Doublade complied, both blades engrossed in a bright white. Erza and Saboth met once again in the center of the leveled quarry, their blades clanging loudly all throughout the vicinity. The two were in a harsh stalemate, but Erza was feeling more durable thanks to Doublade's increased Defense. Erza followed through, crossing both blades and making Saboth skootch backwards. She advanced and slashed again with the right blade, which Saboth parried with a bunt. Her left blade followed her own course, swinging against Saboth's torso, making a small cut.

Saboth rocked back from that show, leaving him open as Erza used both swords for another Fury Cutter. Saboth again blocked, this time blocking both blades, but for only a moment until one of the blades got loose and glided across the edge of Demon Karbia, cutting horizontally across the bridge of Saboth's nose. The samurai slammed a foot into the ground, using his momentum and striking Erza's face with his helmet, shoving her away.

The grip on Demon Karbia intensified, dark energy glowing around it and expanding its mass and height once more. Saboth pointed it up, where the glowing dark blade towered high overhead.

" **Mortal Disaster!** "

He brought blade down atop of Erza, but unlike before, Erza and Doublade were prepared. Holding her ground, Erza crossed Doublade while still using Fury Cutter. The huge black sword met the crossed Bug-type move, and the ground quaked at the intensity of the attack. The area beneath Erza depressed a little from the pressure, but she tolerated it, and with one powerful swipe, Doublade crossed Fury Cutter and cut straight through the dark blade, dissipating the energy, only for Saboth to reappear in front.

The samurai drove a knee into Erza's stomach, sending her sliding back again.

"HRAH!" With a loud shout, Saboth swung Demon Karbia, sending a dark crescent that continuously expanded as it reached for Erza. As Erza was wincing in pain, Doublade pried herself from Erza's hold for a moment and spun in a rapid clockwise fashion, using Fury Cutter and bisecting the dark wave that continuously pushed. As Doublade rotated and sliced, the dark energy eventually subsided, fading away and sparing Erza.

Regaining herself from that blow, Erza clutched Doublade's blades again, lunging after Saboth. "This ends now! Let's finish this together!"

"Right!"

Saboth ran after Erza, roaring with a killer intent as his blade was engulfed in dark magic. "Fools, you are no match for me!"

" **Swords Dance!** " Erza command. She crossed both blades in front, illusionary blue swords circling around her and Doublade, crossing overhead and Doublade's Attack prowess enhancing further.

Saboth swung Demon Karbia at close-range, the downward blow against both blades as they used Slash, stopping the dark wave of slicing energy as its flickering darkness rumbled the earth, splitting apart the ground all around, making a large number of crevices and rocks split. Through it all, Erza and Doublade cancelled out Saboth's attack, making both falter to a knee, each exerting heavy breaths.

"This…is impossible." Saboth growled. "I am the…strongest…I am the strongest!"

"If what you say…is true…then I will break that sword, along with your spirit." Erza held up both blades to her sides. "Doublade!"

"Yes, Erza!"

The mage sprung into the air, jumping with all her might. Above Saboth, Erza held Doublade tight, her edging shimmering in the red moonlight.

" **Slash!** " Doublade's blades glowed bright right and Erza soared downwards with both blades onto Saboth. The samurai looked up and saw the furious redhead come raining down, yet he dared no falter.

Saboth lunged up, letting out a demonic shout as he readied Demon Karbia. "I will not lose!" He declared.

"Let's go!" Erza screamed.

Both warriors howled at the top of their lungs, bellowing primal beast that attacked one last time. Saboth swung up while Erza swung Doublade down, a bright flash followed by a midair explosion. The airspace ruptured within the flash, which slowly dissipated and revealing Erza and Saboth passing the other. Both landed on opposite sides, facing away and on their feet. A strong silence fell in between them both, until after a long period had finally stopped.

Erza faltered to a knee, but held Doublade in hand. Like her, Doublade was scratched up very bad. Saboth looked over his shoulder, scoffing with a proud smirk. When his sword began to crack, it was now his turn to be shocked.

"No…" The sword's cracks intensified. "No…" The cracks reached the tip. "No~!" Demon Karbia, the demonic sword that had its own divine bloodthirsty spirit, enhanced only by killing, had finally shattered to pieces, breaking like glass.

Erza took in a sigh, the sound ringing through her noggin. It would appear that she had won. She turned towards Saboth, her and Doublade both going wide-eyed.

Saboth shuddered, his body drawing towards a knee. " **NO~!** " He screamed at the top of his lungs, a gust of darkness whipping up around him. As he screamed out at his defeat, his head craned up, black lightning coming out of the mouth and eyes and shot into the sky. It flashed repeatedly, exerting volatile shockwaves that made Erza and Doublade barely hold their ground as Saboth looked to be in agony.

"What's going on?!" Doublade shouted.

"I don't know!" Erza screamed.

Saboth continued screaming as the gust around him dissipated, the samurai getting to both knees and his body beginning to fade away. The armored man fell onto back, his entire body slowly whisking into small streams of dark steam as the screaming stopped. Erza and Doublade stared in horror as Saboth dissipated on the spot, both were left shocked after the energy and gust stopped and all that remained was the shattered pieces of the sword.

Erza stared with narrowed eyes, inspecting the bewildering spectacle. "What was that?"

"He…disintegrated after the sword shattered." Doublade answered.

From the broken pieces, a bloody mist began to rise, the bloody and dark mist howling and snarling like a blood-curdling animal. The sound made Erza and Doublade go wide-eyed, the Magic Power the mist had startling them. The mist remained stable until it screeched louder and went after Erza, but the knight was too in shock to do anything, let alone too exhausted to counter.

"Look out!" Doublade shielded Erza, but the mist stopped in its tracks, howling in agony as it swerved and slithered in place. It screeched louder, wailing at unimaginable levels.

"What…?" Erza questioned.

The mist screeched out one last time, cursing Erza as it faded away, perishing into the thin, unpleasant air.

A silence fell, both the swords and Trainer staring ahead as the sword fragments were whisked away by the howling winds, gone like Saboth.

"Saboth…" Erza muttered, her eyes narrowing. "So it was true all along. Demon Karbia really was a sword sealing a spirit."

"Looks like Saboth was just a physical form for the sword." Doublade speculated. "A demonic spirit whose life was bent on the blade."

"That's why when we broke it, Saboth was no more." Erza finished. She lowered her head, quietly mourning for a moment. While she had no appeal to Saboth, she did get stronger thanks to him. That was all she had to be grateful for with the samurai. "Demon Karbia…what a cruel sword."

"Curse sounds more appropriate." Doublade commented.

Erza looked down at Doublade, managing to pull off a smile. "Doublade, thank you." She praised. "You were wonderful."

Doublade looked back up towards Erza, looking pleasant from the praise received. "Thank you."

Erza looked back to the sky, frowning as she saw the position of the red moon in the pitch-black sky. "We don't have a lot of time left, look." She referred to the moon, in which Doublade looked up at the moon, seeing how red it was. "We need to find the others, fast."

"Shall we proceed?" Doublade asked.

Erza turned back towards the cavernous entrance far in the distance. "Let's." She and Doublade pressed on, making their way back inside, heading towards the Impure Underworld spell, hoping to find everyone in time.

* * *

Nic ran down the hallway without any delay. While he hurried towards the exit, he was also quite subtle this time around. He had no idea what was around, so he panted as he ran silently in search of his family. Nothing held him back as he was going down tunnel after tunnel, guiding him towards the bizarre energy that made his blood rush with anxiety. Wherever he was going, he knew it was the right direction.

His eyes widened upon seeing an opening up ahead. _'_ _There it is. That must be the exit.'_ He maintained a pace, speeding so moderately so that the anxiety doesn't hurt his stomach. He made it to the tunnel, passing through and entered a large, hollow chamber, one similar to the deep underground ones he fought in a while back. He looked around, inspecting everything as his goosebumps shivered.

"Where is this?" He questioned. Far up ahead, he could feel an unimaginable level of power. His body was cold, and this Magic Power he was getting was beyond recognition. _'_ _I've never felt so much Magic Power in one place before. I can't even stay still…'_

Pairs of footsteps were heard from afar, catching Nic's attention. Two figures were seen entering from one of the tunnels.

"Nic!" One cried out.

Nic went wide-eyed upon seeing Mark and Laura hustle out of the tunnel. The two were supporting the other, their injuries looking severe.

"Mom! Dad!" Nic replied.

The three met up in a hurry, all of them looking at each other and seeing how wounded they were.

"Are you okay?" Laura asked Nic.

"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Nic implored. "I should be asking you that." Looking at Mark's shoulder was one thing, but Laura's abdomen was another. If not for them both being undead and not feeling much pain, they'd probably be collapsed.

"They were tough bastards." Mark huffed. "Freaky ghost gave me the spooks."

As the three caught up, Vanessa, supported by Braixen, came limping in from afar. Seeing her family gathered made her go wide-eyed. Her gasp caught everyone's attention.

"Vanessa!" Nic exclaimed.

"Nic! Mom! Dad!" Vanessa replied. She winced again, unable to move.

Braixen adjusted and supported Vanessa the best she could. "Please, don't exert yourself too much. You've already done enough." The Fire-type insisted.

Nic stood in front of his sister, seeing her injuries. They were just as – if not worse than – Mark and Laura. Unlike them, Vanessa was pale, her Magic Power completely exhausted, though she did get a little from the time she took getting here.

"Vanessa, are you okay?" Nic asked, deep concern in his voice.

Vanessa looked at her brother, managing a grin. "Yeah, I think so."

Laura out a hand to her chest, the mother relieved. "That's good. Our babies are sound."

Mark crossed his arms. "Yeah, but there's still a few more, aren't there?" He pointed out.

Braixen's ears twitched, her head turning towards another tunnel. "Hey! Over there!" She pointed out.

As Nic took his turn supporting Vanessa, the four Pularis turned towards the tunnel and saw Magnezone moving slowly. Once again, surprise mounted as the magnet caught sight of them.

"Vanessa! Everyone!" The Electric and Steel-type called out.

"Magnezone!" Vanessa sounded very pleased as Magnezone remained stationary in front of her. "We're so glad you're alright." She frowned. "But look at you."

"I know. It wasn't easy." Referring to defeating his so-called 'brother' was something touchy as of this moment. Everyone could tell by the notion and they rather not play the blame game. Still, they managed to power through. "Is everyone else alright?" He continued.

"Yeah, for the most part." Mark answered his former Pokémon.

Vanessa looked around, her eyes narrowing out of wonder. "Then that leaves Erza and Kecleon left, right?"

"I wouldn't say that." Nic said.

"Huh?"

Nic bent down the best he could, grinning at the space below Magnezone. Everyone raised their brows as Nic seemed pleased at the empty space. "Kecleon, are you well?"

Upon the notion, Kecleon became visible, looking up at Nic once more. She seemed happy. "Nic!" She exclaimed in her creepy monotone.

Collective shock surmounted everyone.

"Whoa! I didn't see it there!" Mark gasped.

"It was so dark I couldn't see that red stripe." Laura said.

"Nic knew Kecleon was there. Wow." Vanessa stated, impressed that Nic could tell without so much as batting an eye that his Kecleon was right in front of him.

Braixen sweat dropped. "But…why is she carrying Magnezone?" She nervously asked.

Kecleon tilted her head. "He's pooped."

Magnezone did his best to suppress his annoyance and embarrassment, although the red on his face said otherwise. Vanessa's giggling only served to fluster the exhausted magnet further. Kecleon sat Magnezone down gently, leaving him to rest on the ground.

Nic knelt down, petting Kecleon's head with a concerning smile. "I'm glad you're alright." He said.

Kecleon again tilted her head. "Morning dew drips on, even into the afternoon." She responded.

"Nic! Everyone!" Another voice called out from afar.

Nic turned towards the voice, his eyes widening upon recognizing it. Out of everyone who was accounted for, Nic was looking the most shocked as a figure was seen hurrying through another tunnel. "That voice…" He muttered.

Erza came running out, Doublade in tow.

"Erza!" Nic exclaimed in shock and relief.

"You're okay!" Vanessa cried out.

"Hallelujah!" Kecleon exclaimed to the ceiling above.

Erza caught up, meeting with everyone. She stood in front of Nic, his look of worry making her smile as she felt the attention set on her. She smiled at him happily. "I'm okay, sorry for not making it sooner." She apologized.

Nic shook his head, grinning. "Don't be. We're just glad that you're in one piece." It's been so long since Erza's seen Nic, his voice and smile filling her with warmth even after the treachery of the dark hours they've spent fighting alone.

Her eyes softened. "I'm glad too."

Mark and Laura smirked at the little affection the two were giving the other; Mark snickering at young love.

Vanessa looked over to the side, seeing Doublade floating next to the long-haired redhead. Her curiosity was piqued. "Wait, is that…" Her eyes narrowed, recognizing the two swords, though tweaked a little. When she realized it, she stepped back in shock. "Honedge?!" She gasped.

"Huh? I didn't know she had a Pokémon." Mark said with honest surprise.

Kecleon tilted her head. "Doublade!" Clearly she knew the species due to battling a few in the past.

Doublade nodded modestly. "Yes, it's me." Both her swords answered.

"They…they both talked!" Braixen exclaimed.

"I've never seen a Doublade before. This is a first." Magnezone remarked.

Nic looked down at Doublade, showing honest surprise. "So Honedge evolved. This is very coincidental." He remarked.

"You can say that again." Erza said.

Vanessa reached back and pulled out her PokeDex. The top half slid up and the middle showed a hologram of Doublade with all of its characteristics presented.

 _"_ _Doublade, the Sword Pokémon. The complex attack patterns of its two swords are unstoppable, even for an opponent greatly accomplished at swordplay."_

The device's sense of information piqued Erza, making her raise a brow and put a hand to her chin, grinning. "If so? Well then, perhaps I should rise to the task and train more if that's the case." She calmly said.

Nic looked back around, inspecting everything within the area. "Okay, good. Looks like this is everybody." He glowed, showing his usage of Recover. The few wounds he had disappeared, and his status move eventually faded, revealing him fully healed.

Once he was restored, he glowed and turned into his Mind Plate Form, hands stretched out towards everyone else. "Everyone stay still now. **Heal Pulse!** " Like what he did numerous times in the past, he healed everyone's wounds with sparkling pink waves exerting from an orb in between his hands. The sarkles met everyone, and instantly, Erza, Vanessa, and everyone's wounds closed up and disappeared. Mark and Laura's grizzly injuries became minor scratches. And for good measure, and to the relief of Magnezone, Nic used Heal Pulse a second time in a row, thus recovering everyone's energy. Not a single scratch was on them.

Erza flexed her wrists, feeling energized. "Thank you, Nic. Your Heal Pulse sure does wonders for us at time like this."

"I can actually feel my shoulder again." Mark moved his shoulder in loops, proving his point. "Thanks."

Laura looked down, seeing only tattered clothing. The blood and open holes were no longer there, fully healed. "I feel so much better." She sighed.

Kecleon looked at Magnezone. "Can you stand?" She asked.

Magnezone ascended once again, this time, his health fully restored to maximum levels. "Yes, it would appear so." A small silence fell, only brief, and he looked down with dignity. "…thank you. You know…for carrying me." He finally said.

Kecleon smiled. "You are welcome."

Nic glowed and reverted to himself. "Okay, good. Now that we're all healed, we should be able to combine our forces and repulse whatever is left of the Rivolta." He said. "Look ahead." He pointed at the odd dark circle in the far distance. "That energy, it's all too familiar."

Erza looked dead serious, but she was also seen clutching her fists. "This Magic Power…" It was so dark, so ugly. It was making her skin feel cold again.

Mark and Laura frowned, knowing this energy, since they were reincarnated from it of course. They both stared at the far end of the chamber, uncertainty written all over their faces.

"There's no mistaking it." Mark said. "That up ahead, that's gotta be the circle."

"Really?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah. We remember this chamber now. We came down this way after being reincarnated." Laura answered. "The chamber is much different from before all those years ago. The space is far larger and wider. It must have been from that reformation from the last time it's been undone."

Nic glared ahead, his gaze so serious that anything in between him and the circle up ahead may as well spontaneously combust. The energy was horrendous, so much that his spine shuddered. So much Magic Power, far greater than any he's dealt with, even worse than God Serena. This sensation was like fighting Lysandre a long time ago, but this energy was much weaker. There was no mistaking it. Alpha was there, and no matter what, things will be set right.

"Let's go." Nic said.

"Right!" Everyone pressed on, advancing on towards the circle.

They all advanced maybe a few yards in advance, making careful timing as the temperature grew colder. They all remained quiet, discomforted as they closed in on their target. Which was still so far away, and where Alpha lied. Even from the distance, they could hear his deranged bellowing.

Kecleon and Nic stopped, catching everyone's attention.

"Nic?" Vanessa inquired.

"Everyone, get down!" Nic yelled. At his call, everyone suddenly jerked down and ducked as a scythe went swinging horizontally like a saucer. The scythe went flying back into the shadows, where they heard a loud clang and some sparks flare.

Everyone got back up, hearing deep breathing. They all uncovered and looked at the dark shadows, unnerved as the scythe caught them all by surprise. The harsh breathing and menacing panting left the group ready, but as they heard footstep, Nic and Vanessa seemed to be the most unnerved.

Slowly, they all saw a figure emerge from the depths of pitch-black. "The misguided will be sought with the error of their ways." The dark and demonic voice stated. "There is but I to guide you all down the path."

Nic's eyes widened. "This voice…" He glanced over towards Vanessa, as she was shuddering from fright. He looked back ahead, seeing a familiar and unpleasant face emerge.

The reaper that was Vermilius emerged, growling as his scythe was extended outwards. His glare was menacing.

"That's…" Erza trailed off, catching wind of his reaper-like figure.

"That's gotta be the other Rivolta left." Laura stated.

Nic and Vanessa stared at Vermilius, teeth gritting in frustration. The longer they stared in shock, the more unpleasant images emerged from the backs of their traumatized minds. Screaming. Roaring. Anguish. The reaper reaping. Scythe and teeth spilling their blood. Crying. All these emotions and actions constantly flashing in millions of seconds. They were petrified, unnerved as Vermilius leered at them, as if smirking beneath.

"We meet once more, and with this one time, I will guide each of you step by step down the red path to the fires of Hell." He growled.

* * *

 **Tada! Chapter 40! How was it? So finally, I decided to make Honedge evolve into Doublade. I know it's been awhile, but it's finally happened. Hope it was worth it. And what did you think of Imaci and Saboth? Their fights were good?**

 **Be honest guys, out of all the Rivolta characters I made, who were you most interested with?**

 **So now there's just Vermilius and Alpha left. The odds are there's only 2-3 chapters left until the Impure Underworld Arc ends, so be expecting some crazy stuff! :)**


	41. The Apocalypse Unfolds

The reaper had his hood over his shadowed mask, his pointed black goatee the only legible thing to the human eye. Nic and Vanessa gritted their teeth, unpleasant memories of what happened crossing their minds. They couldn't forget, no matter how hard they tried. Vermilius wasn't showing any pleasure, but the way his teeth curved gave evidence.

"The scorn on your faces are signs of waver. That is the right direction of which you will take." The reaper huffed.

Erza immediately clutched Doublade, holding the two identical swords tight. "So you're the reaper we've been told about." She growled. "You're the one responsible for torturing and putting Nic and Vanessa on death's door. Disgraceful."

Vermilius held his scythe with both hands, the fanged skull end at the bottom. "I am merely doing my part." He insisted. "A reaper's true goal is to make sure all life dies and he guides as many to the underworld as possible. The road there is an agonizing and wailing terror. Reaping them slowly and painfully will make them more durable on the way to Hell where they burn for eternity, otherwise they'll be reduced to ashes."

Nic's teeth gritted. "You're beyond deplorable."

"It's my word against yours." Vermilius said. He began to twirl his scythe with one hand, making crude wind sounds. "Now, to do as I must." He slammed the scythe into the ground, making a crevice that the blade rested in. The ground ruptured, scattering Magic Power throughout everyone's feet. Erza, Nic, and everyone were caught off their feet and looked down as the ground rattled with pressure. Suddenly behind Vermilius, long chains ran out of the ground, speeding at such astronomical speeds and snaked all the way to the ceiling, latching on. One by one, the chains clipped to the surface, crossing and straightening themselves until the way to the black energy ahead was barricaded by a jail yard. From left to right, the path was blocked, with Vermilius standing unfazed.

"Chain Magic?" Nic inquired.

"He blocked us off!" Mark exclaimed.

"What a swine." Laura growled.

Magnezone and Kecleon got ready, their stances clear.

Vermilius again twirled his scythe, whirling it around overhead until this time the demonic three-eyed skull end hit the ground. Upon contact, dark ripples stretched out like waves that faded into the ground. Once again, the ground began to rupture.

"Now what?" Mark grunted.

Erza's looked startled. "I'm getting a rise in Magic Power!" She yelled.

Vanessa looked ahead. "Look!" She pointed out.

Ahead, everyone was seeing chains shoot out from the ground again, but this time there were pillars of hundreds of little ones. The pillars had large areas within them, though to tell if they were hollow or solid chains was hard, even to Nic's point of view.

"Now it's chain pillars? What's this guy's idea?" Laura muttered.

Nic's eyes widened, a very ominous pressure suddenly falling onto the atmosphere around him. He was looking uneasy as the cold goosebumps on his arms hardened too look like rugged skin. _'_ _This dark energy…'_ He looked at all the pillars scattered across the area around Vermilius, his fists clutching tighter than ever. _'_ _What's in those pillars he summoned?'_

Vermilius' feral eyes narrowed. "Let's have some fun."

The chain pillars suddenly sunk back into the earth, plunging and leaving in their places groups of pale warriors with black and blood red eyes. The numbers were not only staggering, but the dark energy they gave off in their screeching made the evidence all too obvious.

Erza's eyes widened. "Reincarnations?!"

"I knew some reinforcements would come in handy. I have no qualms with any of you…yet of course." The reaper had his sights set on the two Pularis he had a ball with before. The venom in both their eyes enticed him, it drew him in, and he wanted to see more. "I must finish what I have started with these two."

Nic and Vanessa glared at the hooded monstrosity. They were ready, and no one could say otherwise. The parents, Erza, and Pokémon could feel their intense vibes as they glared at Vermilius. Clearly they felt the same way.

Vanessa looked down at Braixen, putting her Poke Ball in front. "Braixen, take a break for now. We'll need it later on."

While the request was shocking to Braixen, she knew that even with her help, there'd be only so much to handle. Rules were that one Pokémon at a time, and while there were no rules here, Braixen was also aware that Vermilius was just gonna wear them down. Better safe than sorry. "Okay." She said in despondent understanding.

With that, the red laser took Braixen and returned her to her Poke Ball, leaving only Kecleon, Magnezone, and Doublade to cover for her. They all needed their strength for Alpha.

"Go!" Vermilius pointed his scythe ahead, all the screeching and growling reincarnated beasts he gathered in the few hours crawling and running on all fours after Nic and the others.

As they closed in, Mark and Laura got in front, their fully restored selves gathering green and blue aura in their palms. Both swiped ahead, creating translucent green and blue barriers made up of their aura. The barrier was wide enough to fend off the numbers up front, while others ran around to attack.

Erza prepped. "Doublade, **Swords Dance!** " Her Doublade in her hands gave off illusionary blue swords that circled around and crossed over Erza's head before vanishing, a red aura appearing briefly afterwards and enhancing Doublade's Attack. Erza raised her and lunged ahead. " **Slash!** " Erza passed numerous reincarnations, sending them flying with harsh cuts on their bodies.

Kecleon tilted her head as she got in front of Nic. "We preheat the oven while you get cooking!" Her claws glowed, indicating Slash before she became invisible. She went in, attacking many more with the same attack Doublade used.

Magnezone advanced, passing Vanessa. "We'll clear a path. You both stop that man and undo those chains!" He went speeding in, ascending and getting momentum to launch Mirror Shot, sending a metallic sphere downwards and erupt against several men at once with intense potency.

Nic glowed, shifting into his Spooky Form. "Let's go, Vanessa!" He became pitch-black, dissipating into thin air.

His younger sister nodded. "Right!" Using what little magic she was able to retain while finding her way, she used her teal aura and created an archway over the skirmish. She took a step and began running over the battle like trolls beneath a bridge; the bridge fading behind her every step.

Vermilius growled, bending his knees as he readied for the two Pularis siblings.

Nic reappeared from thin shadows overhead, making a Shadow Claw in his right hand. " **Shadow Claw!** " He brought the claw down overhead, but Vermilius used his stave and blocked the claw, the intense pressure barely mustering a scratch on the black stick. The reaper pushed up, making Nic jump and land on his feet. He pressed his hand against the ground, making the ground blacken. " **Shadow Sneak!** " Behind Vermilius, a dark shadow jutted up and struck him in his back, making the reaper fall forward.

Nic veered out of the way without looking, his sister coming down with a teal fist of aura. She cried out as she punched ahead, but Vermilius used the momentum from falling forward to pivot and swing his mighty scythe. The aura met the scythe, with Vermilius easily overpowering Vanessa and making her scoot backwards, her smooth hand having a long, harsh cut along the fingers.

Vermilius twirled his scythe constantly, making a dark ring as he spun the object in front.

" **Chaotic Cyclone!** "

A funnel of darkness pulsated from the scythe, blitzing after Nic and Vanessa. Nic got in front, shifting into his Meadow Form. His body gave of a weak green aura as he began to spin in place.

" **Leaf Tornado!** "

As Nic spun in place, a whirlwind of green wind and shining green leaves began to whip into a medium-sized twister above Nic. The winding Grass-type attack tilted downwards, the Leaf Tornado and Chaotic Cyclone meeting in the middle, exploding and dissipating green shockwaves all around. Vermilius slid back several feet.

 _'_ _What power this one has!'_ The reaper thought, his attack overpowered by a little.

Nic reached out ahead. " **Vine Whip!** " Thin green vines arose out of Nic's sleeves, stretching out after Vermilius. The reaper didn't hesitate to counter. His scythe moved to his left hand, his right sleeve stretched out a long glowing chain that he gripped. He lashed it, moving at breakneck speeds. The chain and Vine Whip met in the center, lashing and deflecting the other. Nic's secondary whip went speeding ahead at Vermilius with his guard open, but the reaper moved his scythe in front, blocking the end of the whip, but the straight-on attack again had so much muscle that Vermilius scooted back.

Vanessa made a sphere of aura in her hand, readying her target. " **Trace Shot!** " She fired the blast of teal aura, shooting for Vermilius. As the sphere of teal carried itself, the reaper leaned ahead, bringing his scythe around once again, slashing and bisecting the aura. As he followed through, the separated attack exploded behind, and Vermilius pressed on without flinching.

He closed in on Vanessa, scythe reeled backwards and ready to slice open her chest.

" **Grim Reap!** "

His scythe glowed a dark purple, trailing dark energy as it followed around. The scythe went around, meeting something with a loud clang. Green and purple sparks flared as Vanessa was caught stiff, wide-eyed as the pointed tip was mere inches from her cheek.

She looked ahead, seeing her brother protecting her with Leaf Blade crossing in front of him. He crossed them again, ending the interception and making Vermilius back off. "Nic!" She exclaimed.

Nic glared at Vermilius, taking note of his sister's concern. "Vanessa, keep your distance. I know you're low on Magic Power after your battle. I'll handle close-range." Nic narrowed his eyes. "And watch out for chains."

Vanessa nodded in understanding. "Okay."

Nic glowed, shifting into his Insect Form. He spread his legs and went to attack Vermilius. He ran with his hands glowing blue and crossed them. " **X-Scissor!** " He went beaming after his adversary with a big X with magenta outlining materializing. Vermilius, went attacking as well, swinging his scythe as he met Nic in the center, creating a large discharge of sparks that flared and ruptured the ground.

 _'_ _He's got so much Magic Power.'_ Nic thought as he continued the stalemate.

Vermilius was doing his best to hold up. _'_ _The Pularis bloodline is strong.'_

In the skirmish that followed, Erza passed several reincarnations with Doublade, ensuing Slash for the umpteenth time. The sliced monsters fell behind, but once again they got up, disregarding their bodies being sliced into ribbons. They stared with visions of red, seeing Erza as something with a beating heart that they must rip out, no matter what the cost.

Erza looked behind, seeing them up on their feet. "They're still willing?!" She exasperated through the howling.

One of Doublade's swords glanced behind. "Huh…! Erza!" She warned.

Erza turned around, seeing another reincarnated savage lunge after her. The redhead, aware of her Doublade's No Guard, slashed the two swords and made trails of white as the man fell backwards.

"That was too close." Erza noted.

"There numbers aren't shortening, even after we slice them up." Doublade cursed, turning to see her and Erza surrounded yet again. "Is this because of the Impure Underworld reaching its climax?"

Erza clutched Doublade's hilt and held her up. "I don't know, but we have to hurry. Doublade, **Fury Cutter!** " She yelled. Doublade's swords glowed brightly once more, facing the surrounding horde without any relenting. With a string cry, Erza lunged straight ahead, slashing Doublade. "Nic!"

Farther away, Mark and Laura were again back to back, glaring at the reincarnations lunging at them.

"Ready?" Mark asked.

"Yeah." Laura nodded.

Both husband and wife reached palms out and cried out as they pivoted. They both blue and green aura waves, widening their range as they pivoted and cover all the angles, engulfing many in a vaporizing explosion.

Even after the aura dissipated, the numbers were still high. The vaporized were replaced with many more crawling towards them with bloodthirsty teeth.

"Damnit. They're as persistent as we are." Mark grunted.

Laura raised a brow. "Well dear, they did use our former dark energy, remember?"

Mark didn't look any better. "Yeah." He grumbled. Despite the predicament, both fired more beams of aura that got more numbers vaporized.

" **Flash Cannon!** " Magnezone gathered light and fired a powerful beam of silver that was like a laser. He brought it in an arc, creating rising silver explosions in a straight line. Unknowingly, he was open behind, where another reincarnation raised its blade to slay, much to Magnezone's shock.

" **Protect!** "

Kecleon reappeared in front of Magnezone as he turned around, creating a turquoise shield that deflected the downward blow and disappeared afterwards. Kecleon got to a knee and sprung up at the reincarnation.

" **Thief!** "

She kneed the reincarnation in the face, so hard that Magnezone could hear the nose and facial bones crack, possibly break, much to his disgust. As the fiend fell backwards, Kecleon seized his sword and used his falling face as a stepping stone to get higher ground. Overhead, she came crashing down on many more. "FEAR MY SPLEEN!" She declared.

She passed many of the reincarnations, her speeds unparalleled. The reincarnations fell behind her as she rushed back into the fray, returning to invisibility, being but a red stripe and floating sword that swayed left and right.

Magnezone watched her disappear and turned back around. "Thank you." He said. He ascended, gaining altitude and gathered electrical energy, making a Zap Cannon and fired it at the large numbers below.

Nic was parrying blow after blow with extreme prejudice. His arms were glowing, making glowing lances via Twineedle, parrying every blow of Vermilius' scythe. The blade clashed constantly with the lances, but nothing broke. Instead, each blow left and right had bright sparks before backing off. Even after the reaper swung from the side, Nic had his arm out, the lance blocking and the scythe and its master retreated back a step.

With the room, Nic clutched his fists and reached ahead. " **Pin Missile!** " He sent white orbs streaming in green energy almost like pointed arrows at Vermilius, converging on towards the man.

Vermilius growled at the projectile Bug-type move. He put his scythe in front, twirling it again and making Pin Missile collide with every blow. A bright green explosion erupted, rattling the landscape and making the reaper appear unscathed as the green waves dissipated with a swipe of his scythe.

Time slowed down when a teal light closed in on his face. In his path a teal beam went blazing as Nic shifted towards the side. _'_ _It was a diversion?!'_ He yelled out in agony, hit hard by the attack and went sliding backwards with a harsh slide. "Gah!" Dust raged, disclosing him.

Nic looked behind, seeing his sister on a knee, her hands sizzling as she used her magic. "Very well done, Vanessa." He praised.

Vanessa smiled at her brother, but that soon changed to a frown. She looked back at the opponent on the rise. "Look." She warned.

Nic instantly pivoted not a second sooner as the dust cleared, revealing Vermilius standing on his feet, scythe in hand. He glared at his adversaries, unamused by what happened.

"You are a very persistent set, aren't you?" He questioned.

Nic's glare was as serious as could get. "Persistent is rather superficial, wouldn't you say?" He retorted.

"Aye…" Vermilius' glare narrowed. "Then how about this?"

Vanessa suddenly went wide-eyed, sensing an ominous Magic Power. The ground beneath her prodded with several chains that arched, getting her surrounded. Nic looked back in shock to see his sister being targeted by the onslaught of chains. Vermilius smirked.

" **Aura Guard!** "

Vanessa hurried and countered, creating a teal dome around her. The chains clamped down on the veil she manifested, keeping Vanessa out of harm. She grunted, feeling tense pressure as her magic was still low. Around her, the Aura Guard was beginning to crack.

"Vanessa!" Nic cried out. "Hang on!" Showing a darker glare, he whipped back around to face Vermilius. He most certainly didn't like seeing his sister pinned down. "You…!"

Vermilius twirled his scythe, the sickle facing the ground as he looked at Nic with a gaze of readiness. "Come! **Skeletal Jail!** "

The ground sent out small shockwaves that rippled from Vermilius all the way towards Nic. The ground cracked in a few spots, chains with skulls with sharp teeth at the ends. The chains waved about in the air, directing themselves towards Nic and elongating. Nic glowed, shifting into his Zap Form. With his body covered in static and lightning, he hit the ground, pressing a foot and sending volts to charge his muscles. With no seconds to waste, he lunged ahead, becoming a static blur that zipped passed the various skeletal entities attached to chains. He made his target too clear, as Vermilius' sleeves began to move on their own.

" **Thunder Punch!** "

Nic reappeared in front of Vermilius, hand clutched and lightning materialized. He brought the fist forward, his Electric-type assault colliding with the reaper's bony gauntlets that he used to block. The bony claws dug into the Thunder Punch, making Nic grunt.

Vermilius narrowed his vision. "Heh." From his sleeve, several small chains snaked and snared themselves around the two fists, locking Nic and Vermilius together. The chains were dangerously tight, making Nic feel more pressure. But this was Nic Pularis, someone who wasn't lying down just because of pressure. Despite his hand hurting, he kept pushing, his fist covered in electricity beginning to make the bony hand and gauntlet ascertain static.

"Hm?" Vermilius went wide-eyed, not liking where this was going.

" **Thunderbolt!** " Nic screamed out, engulfing him and Vermilius in lightning that flared like a star. The intense waves of lightning discharged volts everywhere, brightening the chamber and making Vermilius scream out as electricity scorned his body inside and out.

As Erza swung Doublade's Fury Cutter horizontally, falling another reincarnation, she looked over, noticing the Thunderbolt from afar. "Nic?" She questioned. She looked over towards Vanessa, who was struggling to hold herself against the chains. "Vanessa!" She turned and slashed at another reincarnation, falling it and pivoted to lung in the general direction of Vanessa's turmoil. "I'm coming, Vanessa! Just hang on!"

Vanessa opened one eye. "Erza-!" She winced, the pressure on her dome beginning to make cracks; some of which chipped off.

Mark was back to back with Laura, screaming as they both exerted powerful green and blue aura in all directions. "HRRAAAHHH!" The father shouted as he pulsated Magic Power within his bright green aura, moving it horizontally. Laura did the same, shouting as she pulsed her Magic Power through the area, creating an equally massive beam that she moved horizontally, engulfing every reincarnation in the light, vaporizing them in their howling anguish.

When the aura beams faded, the set of parents panted, huffing and puffing as their hands were sizzling. They exhausted a majority of their Magic Power in that assault, but the results were worth it. The reincarnations were thankfully limited, and Mark and Laura consequently felt their bodies sink to their knees, exhaustion taking them over.

Kecleon reappeared from her invisibility, dropping the few axes and swords she's 'borrowed' and looked at the deceased parents. She tilted her head. "Are you okay over there?" She questioned.

Mark panted, Magnezone lowering right beside him. "We got the numbers destroyed, but look at you." He warned.

Laura's eyes were twisted, her vision a little hazy. "I think…we overdid it there." She panted.

Erza slashed Doublade, using Fury Cutter's full strength and making white trails and broke apart the chains and Vanessa's shield alike. The chains fell to the ground around Vanessa, the Aura Mage staggering to the side from ware.

"Vanessa. Are you well?" Erza asked.

Vanessa huffed and puffed, trying to hold herself together. "I'm okay…" She looked ahead. "But Nic…"

Erza looked ahead, seeing the dazzling display of Thunderbolt wearing down Nic and Vanessa's torturer. She, the parents, and Pokémon all looked in the distance and saw the reaper starting to wear to his knees, grunting in harsh agony.

Nic remained sturdy, unwavering as he continued to electrocute his adversary. "You've tortured my sister, and you made us feel emotions we've suppressed for the longest time. You've made a mockery of a reaper." Nic's glare hardened. "Now, we're settling things with Alpha once and for all!"

Vermilius grunted, feeling the electricity get to him. While on a knee, his scythe was only held by a couple fingers. He felt pain, but at the same time, he felt revitalized with every jolt in his gory system. He glared up at Nic, narrowing his vision as he reached into his sleeve. "That's what you think." He growled.

Nic went wide-eyed, seeing something blood red being unsheathed from within the sleeve. When Vermilius pulled out a pair of cuffs attached by a blood red chain, Nic again felt his spine crawl.

"Those are…" Nic went silent.

Vermilius smirked.

Nic looked back, a horrified look on his face. "Vanessa! Mom! Dad! Get out of here!" He yelled back.

Laura showed a hesitant look. "Nic, what's wrong?!" She yelled.

"What are those?" Mark questioned. He looked towards the others for answers, but Vanessa's eyes widened with shock and horror, Erza sharing a similar one.

As the youngest Pularis stared at the item in Vermilius' bony hand, she paled and felt a cold shiver run up her spine. It was like staring at a ghost, the blood red material making her stomach feel queasy. "Nic…" Her tone and voice increased in volume. "Get out of there!"

Nic attempted to materialize into lightning, but for some reason, he couldn't. He gritted his teeth, his fault in the matter revealed. "Damnit! I got careless!" He yelled.

"Yes, you have. You've wanted to end the spell so badly and take me down that you've overlooked yourself. The psychological terror I imposed onto you has clouded your judgment allowed me to get you right where I want you." Vermilius explained. He looked towards the chains around Nic and his own wrists and arms. "And these just happen to be my **Ethereal Bind**. You can't change your cells or compounds as long as this is connected to you."

Nic's glare hardened. He intensified the Thunderbolt, but even the extra voltage didn't stop Vermilius as he continued to talk.

"You think that even after your experience that you're considered untouchable. You were proclaimed so calm and so calculative, but here, I see otherwise. I see a cocky showoff whose lost his place in this world. Someone who can easily be bent when their psychology is stabbed where it hurts. You've seemed to have gotten carried away the moment you and your colleagues made it towards the isles. You truly aren't as precise as when you fought that monster Lysandre! And now I'll take that sin and stab you with it!"

Too in shock from Vermilius pointing out his error Nic was too slow to react as Vermilius swung his arm around, the Blood Shackle snapping and clicking onto his open wrist. He stared with a horrified gaze, shock rising as time went still for him.

"No…" He muttered coldly.

"Nic!" Erza gasped.

Vanessa gaped her mouth. "No-!" Her pupils shrunk, a pulse suddenly infiltrating her body and paralyzing her. Her voice was shut off as everything in her strained. Her movement was no more, her mind straining just as much as her body was. She shuddered, her body falling towards the side.

"Vanessa!" Mark shouted. He reached for his daughter's body, but then he found himself unfortunate. His eyes dilated, his shock starting to make his numb and body go numb. His mind underwent a terrible sensation, stinging as though Beedrill stung him in the same spot ten times over. He felt his nerves tighten, falling over.

Laura was next. Her eyes shot wide as her shock began to overwhelm her body. The Blood Shackles effect spread to the last Pularis, making her gag as everything in her body throbbed and stiffened. "What's…happening…Mark…" It was too late for her, as she succumbed to the blood-related effect.

Erza, Kecleon, Magnezone, and Doublade all looked around, everyone down for the count. They turned left and right, with Erza kneeling down and trying to budge Vanessa. "Vanessa! Vanessa!" She called out.

Vanessa wasn't responding. She was staring ahead with wide eyes, her mouth gaping as Erza's hands were against her tightened veins and muscles. It was like spiked grinders against her back. The girl shrieked in pain, causing Erza to recoil with a gasp.

As she felt the pain, Mark, Laura, and Nic all felt the tightening strain of the touch, their backs feeling their numb nerves crackle like fireworks. They all shuddered weakly as they were all on their stomachs.

"No!" Magnezone yelled.

"It's the incident all over again." Kecleon said. She tilted her head, facing her Trainer's fallen figure. "Nic!"

"What happened to them?!" Doublade exclaimed, looking at their gasping figures. They looked like Magikarp gasping for air, only shuddering instead of splashing. "Is it because of those shackles he's placed on Nic?"

Vermilius glared up at Erza and the others, looking at them with a venomous gaze.

Erza clutched Doublade, lunging after the reaper. "Get those cuffs off of him!" She demanded as she closed the gap.

Vermilius merely scoffed at her. "Hm, child's play. **Skeletal Jail!** "

He extended his reach ahead, pulsing Magic Power through the area. Around him, the ground cracked apart, chains with fanged skulls lunging out of the earth and at Erza. They rushed after her with blinding speed, the fangs snapping onto Doublade and dragging the two swords out of her reach. Doublade went flying overhead, slamming into the ground, hilts and guards pinned to the ground by vicious fangs.

"Doublade, no!" Erza shouted.

Vermilius narrowed his eyes. "Watch yourself, girl."

Erza faced him once again, only to be attacked by the chains as well. The skulls bit into her arms and sides, making her fly backwards and scream out in agony. In her harsh screaming, she thudded on her back, her arms and legs suddenly suppressed by huge teeth bent inti her skin and body alike.

"No!" Magnezone hurried for an attack, but his back magnet was snatched by the attack from straight beneath. "Curses!" He yelled as he went downwards, hitting the ground with a thud. As he was momentarily suppressed, chains with skulls sprung out of the ground, arching over and snapping on his opposite sides; some of which snapped to the ground to anchor him.

"Magnezone!" Kecleon's beady eyes widened when she picked up on something. Her sensory made her jump and dodge a skull chain that sprung up from beneath. She used the forehead as a springboard and back flipped away. As she flipped, another chain shot from beneath, shooting straight up towards her rotating figure.

" **Protect!** "

In the midst of her backflip, she made a turquoise shield, deflecting the skull and shielding her as she went into a slide along the ground. As she slid on her heels, a skull teeth jutted from beneath, snatching her right foot, much to her shock. "No!" She shrieked, her foot going numb as another chain arched from behind and snapped its teeth into her shoulder. She fell forward, anchored towards the ground like everyone has been.

Vermilius overlooked everyone around him, seeing them all struggle for their lives. "Those skull fangs produce a toxin that infiltrate your system. You cannot move as long as they're on you." He explained.

Erza strained to open an eye. She glared with so much angst in her gaze. "Damn you…!" She growled, unable to break free as her muscles could feel the toxins kick in.

Vermilius cascaded his attention down onto Nic, seeing him lie on his stomach. He was gasping with wide eyes, the muscles and mental strain pulling everywhere. It felt like everything was shut down and was suffocating. He couldn't process what he was seeing, let alone feeling until it's too late.

Vermilius huffed, raising his skull end of the scythe with its mouth wide open. He slammed it down on Nic's neck, the sharp teeth edging into the back of his neck. Nic screamed loudly, yelling in riling agony and strain.

"NO!" Vanessa cried out. But the effects of the shackles got to her. She felt Nic's strain, and she tightened everywhere. She could feel nerves tear apart, causing her to cry out as well.

Mark and Lara struggled to endure as their children did, but even they felt it. They bellowed out, pain searing.

Vermilius grabbed Nic's head, clutching hard and applying pressure. It nearly made him black out as numbing pain flared. He lifted the man to his face, staring intis shuddering, horrified eyes of terror. "You know, it took me a long time to understand, but I think I finally understand Saboth's logic." He threw Nic, sending him tumbling off right his sister's side. With every grain of gravel he hit, the pain intensified. His skin became red, the nerves torn apart, the red starting to make way through the family members as they felt double the strain. Mark could feel his ribs being stabbed.

"If I had just finished you off, I wouldn't have this much impatience bottled up. Perhaps there is mercy in killing you quickly, but…" He raised his scythe, the sickle reflecting the images of Nic and Vanessa alike. "That is not my style. The Rivolta is but a cult of those who despise humanity. We give no damn to the Underworld itself or the Overworld. Both are irrelevant!" He brought the sickle across Nic and Vanessa's backs, shimmering loudly as it cut into their backs. Both siblings cried out in pain, their nerves that were straining their backs sliced open.

Their screaming reached everyone's ears, the parents horrified as they were suffocating. They were gasping for air, eyes wide with their nerves and will bent backwards. When Laura moved her fingers, her hand felt like it was gonna snap off.

"STOP IT!" The mom screeched.

Vermilius had a venomous gaze as he raised his scythe once more. "We have no hearts!" He relished in Nic's scream of anguish as the tip of the sickle pierced his back, deep. It was so loud that it made Erza shiver. "We want only the natural to become prominent!" He pierced Vanessa's back this time, closer towards the spine. Her scream of agony and terror filled the chamber.

As Vermilius slashed at them repeatedly, their screams shrilled and bellowed. Their blood-curdling anguish reached out towards the circle, where there was a pitch-black dark cloud, where blood red teeth curved to make a smirk of joy. Music to his ears.

Vermilius stuck the skull end this time into Mark's shoulder, the horns piercing his skin. He yelled out in agony, his mouth spitting out blood as the vocal chords were strained to where they were starting to bleed somewhat.

"This is my passion!" the reaper announced. He twirled his scythe overhead, bringing the sickle down onto Laura's back, piercing her skin and making it bleed. She shrieked in agony, red spitting out from the sides of her lips. "Scream for mercy! Wail in agony! There is no mercy for the world! Tonight, everything dies! Demons and all things horrifying themselves will plunder! They will have no sanctum!" He pivoted, slashing his scythe at the back of Nic's leg. "Bleed out! Slowly succumb to the anguish that you all deserve! Scream!"

He slashed back and forth against all the Pularis, taking no shame in using her vulnerable state and making them pay for what they have done. They have gone far deep into a ditch that they dug as their own graves. Erza and the others couldn't do anything as their numb nerves restrained them. Erza gritted her teeth, frustration rising as for this was the second time she had to hear the monstrous shrieking of Nic. She never heard his cries so painful, not in a long time of course. There was nothing she could do. Her heart sank into a million pieces as Vermilius slashed at the family constantly, spilling red all over their clothing.

"Nic…" Kecleon muttered.

"Vanessa…Mark…I'm so sorry…I can't move." Magnezone grunted, the chains suppressing him. Due to being an Electric-type, while he was immune to paralysis, he couldn't withstand the pressure of chains holding him down.

Vermilius kicked Nic onto his stomach, the pointed shoe to his gut making him shriek yet again in pain. A large bruise was on his belly. All over him, thin and deep cuts were scattered. On his face, on his back, arms, everywhere imaginable. Red covered the ground in some parts around him, some of his blood even ending up on Vermilius' cloak. The reaper stared down at Nic with ecstasy at his gasping foe.

"You were carried away this one time. Your desperation to win made you go dark inside. You gave into your rage. You wanted to avenge what you had lost long ago. You wanted to forget all about your pain, but the cruel reality is that just by releasing it and turning it away, it'll come back." The reaper's eyes narrowed. "You were never that strong. You're a coward who can't face the darkness a second time."

Nic remained stiff, his shuddering eyes unable to focus. If he did focus, strain would make them burn. He tried desperately to move, but nothing worked. His Zap Form's anti-paralysis meant absolutely nothing when it came to blood. His form's clothing was all tattered from being sliced into.

Vermilius held the scythe's tip to his chest, the pointed tip resting where his heart is to be. His heartbeats were slow, but the slow pulsing was what Vermilius wanted to have fun with, but his tolerance with the stubborn family was aggravating him. Many of his prisoners usually expired long after three or four slashes, but cuts and fang marks were all over their bodies. His eyes narrowed. "I will relish in your one final scream. I want to hear it loud and bellow with anguish as I pierce your heart. Prepare to die."

Erza's eyes widened, terror reaching her. "Leave them alone!" She bellowed. "Stay away from them, right now!" She desperately tried to move, but again, the toxins and fangs embedded only made her manage to get her head and neck up a few inches before hitting ground.

Mark, Laura, and Vanessa panted as they could feel their torn nerves bleed. They felt very lightheaded, and they couldn't feel much of anything. They had little willpower as their minds were strained as well.

"I will send you to Hell now, burn to a crisp, fool." Vermilius raised the scythe overhead, ready to end Nic.

The scythe went downwards, Nic still wide-eyed an unresponsive.

"NIC!" Everyone cried out.

Blood sprayed in a small area. A shrilled silence came to fruition as a white blur faded. Red dripped down from the sickle, meeting skin. The sensation of Nic's skin losing more blood made him feel a lot happier, but the reaper raised a brow, noticing something off. "What…?"

He witnessed an unholy spectacle, as did everyone else. The light in Erza's eyes revitalized when she and the family witnessed Nic gritting his teeth, his right hand clutching the sickle, bruises and purple all throughout the arm as he held the sickle off.

"Vermilius went wide-eyed. "Impossible!" Vermilius exclaimed.

The pain Nic felt was unlike anything he's felt. Just bending his arm felt like it snapped. It was feeling as bad as the time he fought Lysandre on Tenrou Island. With a huge shout, he raised a foot and kicked Vermilius in the abdomen, the brutal kick packing as much profound force as it could have. Vermilius went flying onto his back, yelling in pain.

Everyone stared baffled, shocked at what just happened. No one said anything, and their gazes remained fixated on the act of defiance.

Vermilius clutched his abdomen, gagging and coughing from that sudden blow. A pair of feet pressing against the ground caught his attention, making him look up to see Nic on his two feet, his bloodshot eyes fixated on the reaper. "But…how?" He asked in disbelief.

Nic had his head down, holding back the urge to throw up. He breathed in and out, repeating the process as he tried to catch his breath. He was hunched over, a thin shadow over his bloodied eyes. The sides of his mouth were dripping in red, and his leg and arm hurt like crazy. The pain could be felt by the other Pularis members, their twisted nerves bending again.

"You were right." Nic muttered, his body shuddering as his nerves were on fire. He ignored it all. "I am a coward. I got carried away. I'm nothing but a hit and run weakling who can't face his demons." It was such bitter truth, especially since it came from Nic of all people, but everyone remained quiet as he spoke. "People say that I'm brave and bold, but when I once tried to face the darkness, I failed. I couldn't protect anyone, not even myself." She recollected the treacherous days of being ruthlessly attacked and stabbed, and then thrown out the window. "I failed once, and I ran. I thought I could do everything by myself, take my challenges to new heights and overlook my darkness…but ever since I came here, I've realized those were the things that I should embrace, and accept with what dignity I can harbor." He clutched his fists, the wrists flaring as the nerves in the fingers strained. Again, he defied it. "Many people paid because of my selfishness. When I thought I could do things alone, I ended up getting hurt, my sister got hurt. My Pokémon were the only ones who fought with me; edged inti my soul they were. I thought only we could understand and endure future pain in battles…" He began to glow once again, into his normal attire and self. "But that only serves of me being selfish. A coward who didn't want others involved and leave the past behind. But I've learned too much for my strained self to make sense of." He recounted the events of the past two days. "I nearly died along with my sister. My darkness that was my past I was able to work together with. Our diverged ideals came to be. And through it all-" He reeled back a fist and socked Vermilius, shockingly sending him on his back again. "I will not run away from my terror again! If I end up getting others hurt, I'll pick myself up and think of them as I fight for and with them. I won't be in this alone. Not ever!"

"Nic…" Erza could feel the shocking speech edge into her soul. She grinned. "He's back. That's my Nic."

Kecleon smiled as she tilted her head, despite the numbness entering her neck. "I like sharing kidneys."

Vanessa and everyone looked with brightened skin, their spirits revived. Coincidentally, the pain by the Blood Shackles.

"Mom! Dad! Vanessa! Can you me?! I got you guys into my pain! I won't leave you put of it! Let's share it, and make the reaper understand what true pain is!" Nic enforced.

Blood gurgles from the relatives as they opened their mouths and panted openly. They got up gingerly, the bending of knees making crude snapping noises of the joints and veins. They all got up in a crippled manner, huffing and exasperating as headaches raged. Veins popped and they all looked dizzy, but even with the shackle effects, they were still moving, fighting internal breathing.

All four stood against Vermilius, the reaper in shock.

"This…can't be!" He exasperated.

"You Rivolta are powerful on your own, but you lacked one resolve that we all shared that we used in our fights." Nic said.

"It was the mere thought of each other." Mark added.

"Not that you would understand. You've all abandoned heart." Laura stated.

"You've messed with the wrong family. And that will be your last mistake." Vanessa said.

Vermilius stepped back, the reaper in desperate shock. "This can't be…!"

Nic narrowed his strained vision. "You were right when we were desperate, just like a beggar. But you say you're a chooser, and to that-" Nic's fist glowed bright blue, making claws. "Us beggars say we can change that! **Crush Claw!** " He slammed his arms down, hitting the reaper's shoulders and shoving him back, driving him to a knee once again.

Nic could feel his arms snap, veins and a lot of nerves tearing. Blue and purple were seen from the inner skin, revealing internal bleeding. He gritted his teeth, fighting to the bitter end.

The reaper held his scythe up, agitated. "Your senses and your bodies should be tensed to where they can't move. How are you moving even when the nerves are snapping? That's suicide!" He yelled.

"Doesn't matter to us!" Mark balled a fist.

"We parents are dead anyway!" Laura followed suite.

Both cloaked their fists in aura, both advancing while nearly falling over. The recollection of Nic's speech filled them with willpower, fighting savagely against their bleeding bodies. They punched Vermilius with their aura, again making him falter back. "But you hurt our kids! Now it's payback time!" They both embedded aura into their legs and kicked again, the snapping of nerves heard as the reaper blocked with his scythe's flat side, making Mark and Laura back off.

Vermilius was visibly frustrated beyond comprehension. He hasn't felt so vulnerable before, so open. He always used chains and tortured. Overpowering concepts in numbers was never his thing.

Vanessa got to a knee, slamming her hands against the ground. "You always chain others down than use your own strength. That's what makes you the bigger coward here! **Nugatory Burst!** " A pillar of teal aura engulfed Vermilius, more pain flaring as the reaper shrieked out in pain.

In the distance, a frown could be seen from Alpha as he was within darkness, his skin almost all white with black veins barely visible. He seemed visibly disturbed.

Vermilius swung his scythe, dissipating the pillar of aura. "GRAH! You impudent brats!" he exclaimed in anger, readying his scythe. "Chans bound your mortality! I am merely trying to-!" He was cut off at the last second as Nic went forward with a Mega Punch, his fist in a bright circling aura. He blocked with his scythe again, deflecting and slashing, only for Nic to duck at the last second in return. "Damnit!"

"This is for hurting my sister!" He shot an uppercut, making the reaper spill blood as his mask cracked. "This is for Mom!" He socked the reaper in the face harder, cracking the mask again. "This is for Dad!" He punched again, the mask shattering fragments to reveal white bone. Despite the gross feature, Nic powered through, facing the dark monster. "This is for Erza, Doublade, Magnezone, and Kecleon! For all of them powering through the darkness we ran through!" With one last punch to the face, the mask shattered, the punch sending Vermilius flying backwards on his back and yelling out in pain as his white bony face was exposed.

Erza looked amazed. She watched Nic fighting the cuffs' effect, enduring the internal marks all over his body. _'_ _Amazing. He's overcoming his weaknesses once again.'_ She thought. _'_ _And not alone, but with his family. His whole family.'_

Vermilius was back on his feet, pain felt everywhere. He never felt so much anguish in a long while. He hated it; it served his anger to take control as he stood up once more. "You miserable beasts with feelings! I'll spill every ounce if your blood!" He brought his scythe back, his sickle glowing purple.

" **Sagnant Ilesca!** "

He swiped his scythe, sending an elongated energy crescent to and fro, slashing against all four Pularis' in one go. The slice wave dug into their skin, openly making them bleed out deep gashes into their abdomens. Nic and Vanessa took the worst of it since they were alive. They all went wide-eyed yelping as they felt pain unlike anything before. It was like being chopped in half. Nic yelled out the loudest, the bloodshot eyes widening in extraordinary pain.

"Nic!" Erza shouted.

Everyone faltered, Vermilius' counterattack hitting them where it hurt. The four Pularis members got to knees, panting in pain. Vermilius brought his scythe around again, twirling it. "I'm just getting started."

Once again, Nic and the three others began to slump back up, heavily panting with bleeding marks fresh on their abdomens. They had lost a lot of blood, much to Vermilius' shock, but they didn't fall back down again.

Nic raised his wrist, feeling pain once more as he moved his arm to wipe blood from his lip. "Well we say otherwise." He growled.

Frustration finally brimming, Vermilius brought his scythe back, lunging at the Pularis family with all his might. With a last-ditch attempt, he brought the scythe back, ready to slice them apart.

"When you mess with one Pularis…" Nic and his family charged ahead; Mark, Laura, and Vanessa engulfing fists in aura and Nic's with a white aura with the torn muscles in depth, via Strength. All four Pularis passed Vermilius, punching with unison might and the reaper's scythe shattered into pieces upon Nic's strike. "You mess with all!"

Vermilius gaped his mouth as his pupils turned white. Time slowed down as his fractured face and gauntlets chipped pieces off. His sharp teeth were widely shown as he fell backwards, slamming against the ground one final time, signaling the end of the scuffle.

Nic and everyone hunched over, groaning as they won, despite the sheer wreckage their bodies were. The Blood Shackles on Nic's wrist cracked up rapidly, shattering apart to pieces. As the pieces reduced to irreparable fragments, Nic and everyone fell forward, thudding against the ground.

"Nic! Vanessa!" Erza shouted.

"Mark! Laura?!" Magnezone called out.

The chain barrier Vermilius made earlier loosened, the large and numerous chains falling towards the earth like crumbling towers. The chains coiled and piled up in front of everyone. When they laid there for a prolonged period of time, the chains all cracked apart, shattering into ill-existence. The skulls and chains around Erza, Doublade, Kecleon, and Magnezone began to crack apart as well, shattering to pieces. With themselves unbound, they all ran up and gathered with the fallen four.

"Nic!" Erza exclaimed, sliding to his side.

Kecleon jumped in front, inspecting her Trainer. "Tell us your glass is intact!"

Nic opened his eyes, little consciousness retained. He groaned, looking back up at Erza and the others. "Erza." Having his will and body unbound and no longer have to fight against it, he was able to move without needs of pull, though easier said than done. He leered at his hand as he laid down, seeing how there were blood scrapes. Closing his eyes, he began to glow. " **Recover**." He regenerated his cells, closing up all his cuts and wounds as though nothing happened. He turned towards the others, on a knee and repeated the protocol of Mind Form and using Heal Pulse. Like him, the others were relaxed and restored, nursed to a quick extent.

"Looks like we did it." Mark said with a chuckle.

Vanessa looked over her shoulder, staring at the defeated reaper. She was no longer shuddering, though goosebumps still ran from the cold air. "Yeah." She said. "We hope so."

"With that, that means there shouldn't be anymore of the Rivolta in our way." Magnezone said.

Kecleon tilted her head, blinking. "The batters are out. It's top of the 7th inning." She said creepily.

Despite the anxiety, Erza was managing to grin. "Looks like we've come far. I can't believe that we've finally managed." She couldn't believe it, not even two days ago they were sleeping soundly without notice of the perilous trials awaiting them all, and now she's witnessed so many things revolving around Nic, Vanessa, and their lineage. It was a lot to take in.

"Yeah." Nic's lamenting faded as he turned towards the dark energy that lied ahead. "But now there's only one of the Rivolta left…and we all know who that is."

The dark and suspenseful tone he gave off made everyone leer ahead, staring at the pitch-black energy veil around the lettering. Even from afar, the group could feel their skin crawl, if not burn from the rotting sensation. It burned. The smell most certainly didn't help.

After a long silence and everyone finally holding their grounds, the ground began to shake with a fair magnitude. They all barely held their balance, the exception being Magnezone.

"What is this?" Mark asked.

The ground began to crack, the torn earth emitting glowing black and blood red. Intense and terrifying pressure was creating an unholy maelstrom right beneath everyone's feet. They all looked around, chaotic sparks and howling beams of energy weakly seeping and pouring up like walls of burning lava.

Nic turned towards his parents. "Mom! Dad!"

Laura looked unnerved, feeling her insides quiver with uncertainty. "This pressure…this magic…Alpha!" She whipped her head around, facing the veil of pitch-black as it began to wave in and out, rippling in place and sending dark pulses through the cavern walls. As they passed Nic and the group, the walls and ceilings shuddered, terrified and cracking up out of fear one might say.

"The spell is nearing completion?!" Magnezone exclaimed.

"How long?" Kecleon tilted her head, her creepy monotone showing hints of worry.

"From what we are able to tell…" Mark hesitated as he stared at the brimming darkness. "Ten minutes."

Everyone's shock was all too clear. They were too occupied with Vermilius, and they paid the price. They had ten minutes until it all went downhill and the deceased begin to arise. Nic and Erza could feel their hearts race with adrenaline, especially given the ominous and insane level of Magic Power they were feeling from all around, the source being from Alpha.

A harsh screeching sound was heard from within the veil, the rattling of the soundwaves making the domain shudder and crack up. Nic and everyone again went wide-eyed, feeling a terrifying rage as the screeching bellowed through their ears for some time.

The veil suddenly opened like a door, sliding open, releasing a toxic haze that disperse at knee length. The energy in the atmosphere suddenly intensified in pressure, making it that much harder for everyone to breath. Vanessa nearly got to a knee, but kept herself up.

A pair of footsteps clanged against the ground, sloshing like damp mud, only the steps trailed blood. Alpha was hunched over, his cape all tattered, his gauntlets and armor alike cracked, and some parts were even chipped off, revealing bare white skin with black veins jutting outwards. His head was craned down, his throat gurgling a bubbly growl.

Everyone stepped back, their horrors realized.

"That…!" Vanessa gasped.

Nic could feel his fists ball up. "Alpha." He growled.

Erza readied Doublade, but even with her stance, she could still feel goosebumps.

Alpha stopped ten feet away, craning his head up, like a jolt. His eyes were pitch-black and blood red, feral slits glaring at them all like prey. His body shuddered weakly, tilting his head like Kecleon normally does, but his neck bones crackled loudly. Bloody flares exerted from the side of his mouth like a Mega Charizard X. His glare shot individually towards everyone, catching note of how everything looked red, and he could feel their hearts beat. He hated it. He craned his head back into place, slowly opening his mouth and allowing his saliva to drip to the ground. It steamed, similar to acid as small holes were poured into the earth.

Once again, he bellowed out, a menacing shriek that emitted powerful shockwaves that forced everyone to flinch and cover their ears. Again, the area around cracked up, ceiling spikes breaking apart and shattering to dust. The soundwaves traveled through the caverns, the walls cracking up from the magnitude and intense force brimming.

When the screeching ceased, he glared at Vermilius, seeing the reaper still lying on the ground. Seeing the scared look on his skull face made him look like prey. "Vermilius." He growled.

Vermilius helplessly reached up to the dark caverns, unable to respond. "A-Alpha…"

"You have failed me." Slowly, Alpha's mouth widened, eyes shrinking. "Die for your weakness and cowardice!" Dark energy manifested from the atmosphere in front, a frequency pitching through everyone's ears.

Nic's eyes widened. "Everyone, get out of the way!" He yelled.

Alpha shrieked as his gaping mouth unleashed a pitch-black beam of intense death-like power. Nic and everyone lunged and ducked out of the way as the beam fired like a laser, breaking apart the ground and shattering crumbling rock as it made way towards Vermilius.

The reaper's eyes shuddered as the blast wave was heading right for him. He was too late as darkness began to engulf him. "ALPHA~!" He gave one last shriek before a gag was all that was heard as his cloak and materialized form disappeared into the beam, vaporized as darkness erupted, spreading everywhere in a burning explosion.

Nic and everyone covered up, still distraught for a moment as shockwaves again blazed through the area. When the dust cleared, nothing but a trail to a large crater was seen. They all stared with great surprise and horror mixed alike.

Alpha smirked.

"You…" Magnezone went wide-eyed as she looked at Alpha. "How could you kill your comrade?"

Alpha craned his head, cracking more bones. "Comrade…heh." He growled. "The Rivolta, everything, **everything** is but a tool for me. I will use whatever I want, and I will take and kill whomever I please. If I don't like you, I'll obliterate you. If you fail or step out of line, you die. Everything and everyone is but hopeless…pitiful…rotten…garbage."

"What malarkey he's committed." Nic said.

"You truly are a monster." Erza grimaced.

"It doesn't matter what a pointless weakling says, because I will rip the flesh off of every single one of your souls and spill your blood and bathe in every drop." Alpha sneered.

Vanessa was borderline shuddering. She never felt so much accumulated and deadly Magic Power before, not even when she and everyone was near the Eclipse Gate a long while back. _'_ _His aura is so dark. It's worse than dark purple. It's pitch-black. It's a deadly void. How is he still maintaining a conscience?'_

"Preserve the spleens. That is what we must do." Kecleon said.

"Yeah…at least I think so." Magnezone stumbled some. "Uh…anyway, we have to stop Alpha, and we barely have eight minutes to do so!"

Everyone scrambled back to their feet, ready to take on the big guy himself. Alpha sneered again, red saliva mixed with blood pouring down and burning the ground. The flaring energy around his mouth burned with blood red tips. He raised his head, posture straightening and he glared at everyone.

An intense, bellowing silence went around. Everyone could feel such ominous Magic Power make it hard to breathe that they were all borderline laboring with pants. Ignoring the hard to breathe dilemma, they all persevered, willing and able to take on Alpha.

As the blood moon was just mere inches from the peak, the atmosphere was brimming with an intense energy. For some reason, the pitch-black night sky began to turn red, very slowly.

Nic glowed, shifting to his Splash Form. He spread his legs and took in a big breath. " **Scald!** " He fired a powerful blast of boiling, steaming water in a blitz, but as the attack went for Alpha, the maniac opened his mouth, emitting a blistering roar of dark ripples that expanded outwards, intercepting and creating a cloud of steam that shrouded everyone from the other.

Alpha glanced around with his maniacal eyes. Though he couldn't see them the way they were in clouds, he saw their fear. That was all needed. He narrowed his vision.

Erza reappeared behind within the mist, slashing Doublade with Slash. Both blades touched Alpha's back, but Doublade's assault suddenly bounced off, prompting Erza to skid away.

"Doublade!" Erza exclaimed. She looked down, seeing her Steel and Ghost-type wincing as her metallic blade was steaming with intense burn marks. _'_ _Her body rotted almost.'_ She gasped. _'_ _Just like with-'_

"Erza!"

The warning came in time as Vanessa shot a teal ray from around Alpha as he extended his arm forward, sending a dark orb at Erza. Vanessa's hold got to Erza, yanking her out of the dispelled steam cloud as the dark sphere of energy hit the ground where she once stood. A dome of volumized darkness erupted, breaking the earth once again in a mind-shocking display.

With Alpha's back turned, Mark and Laura ignited their fists in aura, bringing them both back and firing ahead, their blue and green beams streaming towards Alpha and meeting up in the middle, becoming a swirl of green and blue.

Before the attack hit, however, the beam turned pitch-black, dissipating into thin air. Mark and Laura were the most shocked.

"Our attacks! What happened?!" Mark exclaimed.

"Even with his back turned?!" Laura testified.

Nic stared with widened eyes, a bewildering sensation unfolding. _'_ _That strength and power…he turned light into netherworld darkness.'_ The thought of Lysandre easily turning all light into darkness ran through his mind quickly.

Alpha straightened his posture again, turning his head. And his head was the only thing that turned. Vanessa could've sworn she felt like throwing up when Alpha's head turned 180 degrees, a venomous smirk of pure torment and anguish is what he longed for.

"Who is he?" Magnezone murmured.

"More like what." Kecleon corrected.

Alpha turned his body, snapping his neck back into place and slammed his hands against the ground. With a bloody shriek, he sent a linear shockwave of intense darkness that roared like a monster as it raced towards everyone. It grew, becoming a rampaging wave that shrieked with hefty magnitude.

Nic had his arms spread out, slamming them together and pressed them against the ground. " **Muddy Water!** " Everyone behind kept a couple feet distance away as the ground shuddered louder than before. Running side to side was brown water, rising and following Nic's arm movements, becoming a giant wave that ran and crashed into the incoming dark energy. The two seas of elements collided, roaring like tidal waves as neither side gave in. Eventually, they broke apart, the pitch-black and water spraying and Alpha appearing in front of everyone.

"DIE!" His arms and broken gauntlets cloaked in searing darkness, he lunged and stuck them both out.

"Kecleon, **Protect!** " Nic commanded.

"I will save our livers!" Kecleon reappeared in front; not of invisibility, but of blinding speed. A turquoise shield appeared in front, taking and blocking Alpha's attack. The shield dissipated with both Kecleon and Alpha landing on the ground.

Alpha brought his hands together, conjuring dark and corrosive energy. With a powerful and overwhelming bellow of a banshee, the ground split apart beneath as a huge dark blast pulsated across the earth.

Magnezone abruptly got in front, readying himself. "Now it's my turn!" He boldly declared, the beam compressing onto him.

The Pularis parents and Vanessa went wide-eyed. "Magnezone, no!" All three gasped, but Magnezone persevered.

" **Mirror Coat!** "

Using his new move, a rectangular mirror appeared in front, shimmering as the dark blast of energy connected with him head on. The attack enveloped him, making the magnet yell out as he was enveloped in the darkness. Everyone stared with shock at the attack hitting Magnezone, but then their shock and horror turned surprising when the explosion of darkness began to spiral and converge away from Magnezone and into the mirror. With a loud shout, Magnezone released all of the darkness back at Alpha. The intense dark blast was twice as large as before, shaking the cavernous walls as the attack engulfed Alpha, who saw his attack repulsed back at him with a raised brow. The leader of the Rivolta was in the center of an immense explosion, one that made a pillar of pitch-black darkness echo out, breaking through the cavernous hills of the isle and sending pulsing back ripples through the atmosphere, making the sky roar.

Inside the caverns, Nic was sprawled against the ground, in his normal self apparently. He grunted, his body stinging from all those shockwaves that he and the others were hit with. "What power…" He looked towards his side, noticing Erza there. "Erza!"

Erza groaned as she got back to her feet within the dust. She looked at Nic, easing his worried look. "I'm okay." She answered. "More importantly, did that injure Alpha?"

Mark was on a knee as Laura, Vanessa, and Kecleon were behind him, all looked shocked as the deceased parent panted as his green aura shield was mothing more than a broken small window, which shattered as he hunched over to catch his breath.

"Dad!" Vanessa worriedly exclaimed.

"I'm…good." He exasperated. "What was that just now?"

Magnezone was severely damaged, his body covered in bruises. He grunted as he was slouched a little, his scrapes more gruesome in front than all over. Mirror Coat should've done a lot, but at a grave cost. "That should've done the trick." He panted.

"Magnezone!" Vanessa caught up with the fatigued creature. "Are you alright?"

"That was Mirror Coat." Nic examined. _'_ _It looks like we've all learned from our scuffles.'_ He recalled his Kecleon learning Protect, though she no longer had Screech. Victories had to come with sacrifices, forgetting handy moves being one of them.

The dust began to settle, crumbling rock revealing the dark explosion's residue energy around the atmosphere. The pressure in the atmosphere didn't depress, rather it strengthened. Everyone was seeing dust clear, and Alpha was seen standing, hunched over with his head constantly craning with a malicious smirk.

Everyone's eyes widened in terror as the dark energy Magnezone released back didn't harm him at all. Not a single scratch. In fact, the dark energy around him was drawing in the energy released, and doubled at that. The bonus extra made his shrunken pupils dilate with joy. He began to maliciously laugh, raising his head and yelling out loudly.

Erza looked startled. "He's not damaged at all."

"Impossible." Mark testified.

"Did he seriously recover with his own power turned against him? How is that even ethical?" Doublade wondered.

Nic's eyes narrowed, his inner frustration on the rise. "Did he…" He could remember full well of Natsu and what Dragon Slayer's can and can't do. One of the prime "Slayer" prospects is the fact that they can't eat their own magic, otherwise they'll only hurt themselves. "What kind of power is this?" He muttered.

"GAHAHAHAHAHAHA~! NOW THIS IS GREAT! THIS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT! MORE POWER! I CAN FEEL MYSELF SO ENERGIZED!" Alpha screeched. He looked so unnaturally demonic.

"He fed off his own power?" Erza gasped.

Alpha leered at everyone, silently smirking with vigorous angst. "You all make me sick. And there's only six five minutes left." His gaze hardened. "There's that much time, but it honestly feels like an eternity…but I think I'll watch you tear yourselves apart." He reached out towards Nic and Vanessa specifically, his hand out to them leaving them fairly unsound.

"You two."

Nic and Vanessa tensed up. Upon their indication, Magnezone and Kecleon shifted to intercept.

"You know, I must thank you. If it really wasn't for you both, the energy could never have been no vile, so indecent, that I wouldn't be feeling this grand. It's more fitting if I killed you for myself, but I realize that with this spell, and with your dark signatures, I can do something a little more…unique."

"And what gives you that right or conclusion without evidence?" Nic leered.

Alpha clutched his fingers, turned his palm up and black veins pulsed dark energy into his palm, where two spheres of blood red were generated. "This…"

Nic and Vanessa looked ready, but suddenly they felt their bodies pulse once again. They went wide-eyed gasping at the unsound sensation as the world around them stopped spinning. They began to gag, if not choke. Kecleon and Magnezone turned their backs, bewildered by their Trainers getting to their knees in agony.

"Nic! Vanessa!" Erza shouted.

Both had bloodshot gazes, the two gagging as they could feel a straining amount of pain. The siblings began to roar, their bellowing loud and casual. Pain flared in their screams, but as they screamed, as the volume increased, the tone darkened, almost demonic. They raised their necks and yelled up to the heavens, their bodies quivering and dark veins coming out of their faces. Their eyes rolled back, the extraneous pain flaring to no end. This uneasy feeling, both could've sworn this was déjà vu. They knew this feeling from somewhere, but they couldn't process as it was like their stomachs were coming up.

"Nic…" Kecleon was feeling an uneasy vibe. The chameleon could barely keep herself from trembling.

Another scream, and their eyes gave off a blood red light. Their mouths exerted the same light, at the same time something gross began to slowly sprawl out of them. They both gagged and choked as some amorphous energy began to slither out into the air above. Erza, Doublade, even the parents, were all mortally petrified by shock and terror at the unsound energy flowing; its hissing and low wailing wasn't helping either. Not one person was calm. The energy was so raw and so monstrous, venomous like the Dark Legendaries. Once the prolonged energy finally finished seeping out of their mouths, everyone's horror and shuddering selves diverted towards Nic and Vanessa, who both fell over with paled skin.

Everyone ran on over, getting to their knees and overlooking Nic and Vanessa as they were severely incapacitated.

"Nic!" Erza tried to nudge Nic, but he could only gasp for air as his eyes slowly rolled front again. "Nic!"

Laura held her daughter. "Vanessa! Vanessa!" She was panicking, her daughter gagging as drool and blood were going down her sides.

Mark glared angrily at Alpha, his green eyes helplessly piercing. "You…!" He lowly yelled. "What did you do?!"

Alpha snickered as the two amorphous black, blood red, and dark purple blobs manifested into human forms. They held great evil, and Alpha held his hand out, allowing the two small spheres of compressed energy to guide themselves through the air into their backs, fusing with them. The two amorphous blobs arose and took human shape as Nic and Vanessa were coming around.

Both had drool and blood as they panted, Erza holding Nic while Mark and Laura tended to the Vanessa. They had to catch their breaths, but all they did was cough.

"What *cough* happened?" Nic coughed.

Erza leaned closer. "Nic, can you stand?"

Nic tried. "Y-yeah…I think so." He tried to, but he almost fell over, that's where Kecleon and Erza supported his sides, making him stand up once again. In Vanessa's case, Mark and Laura tended to her support. They remained stable at least, but both were looking more than a little dazed.

"How do you both feel?" Magnezone asked.

"Like-!" Nic winced, feeling a dark surge of pain in his gut. "I feel…hollow. It's like, some weird part of me was just ripped out."

Vanessa clutched her abdomen, feeling pain. "Why do my insides feel so…empty?"

"What?" Mark wondered. He turned towards his wife for answers, but Laura shared the same bizarre inquiry as him.

Kecleon was able to sense a prickly sensation, and it wasn't good in the slightest. There was something odd and deadly; more than usual with Alpha and the Impure Underworld manifesting. She turned around, her beady eyes staring at something she never thought would cross her unparalleled mind.

Unconsciously, she poked Erza's ankle, catching her and Doublade's attention. Both were about to question until they too gasped in shock. What they saw spilled terror. "No." Erza muttered.

Nic coughed. "E-Erza?" He strained. He looked ahead, his eyes widening out of sheer horror. If fatigue and wind got knocked right out of him. He was too shocked beyond recognition. The shock made him nearly lose color all over again.

Vanessa shuddered. "It can't be…"

"This is insane." Laura shook her head, refusing to believe.

"Why am I shuddering so harshly?" Mark muttered. "I can't understand. Is it because of…those two?"

In front of them were Nic and Vanessa, hunched over, but there were significant chances. Their hair was all greasy, and they had long, sharp nails. As they had pitch-black and blood red eyes, they resembled way too much of Giratina. The very same look Alpha had. They had bloody teeth, incisors set on destruction and violence. They had low growling, a sinister tone that resonated too loudly to sound like human beings.

Alpha smirked maliciously. "Nic, Vanessa, I'm sure you were aware that I had taken a large fragment of your power to use for the spell, correct?" Alpha lead on. "Most of it that I collected is used right now, but this small fraction I saved is what I needed to draw the rest of those dark genes out of you. Pularis and colleagues, meet the bitterness and dread passed down for several millennia!" Alpha bellowed victoriously as both Rage Nic and Rage Vanessa roared out, exerting dark energy.

Nic was beyond shocked. "You mean…" He thought back to those very bleak times he went angry and berserk, not including drunk. "This is…"

"Our inherited anguish?" Vanessa gasped.

Once again the two screeched out, seeing lust for blood.

Nic and Vanessa managed to stand on their own, stumbling some as their hollow forms shuddered as they stared at the pure hearts of them both. Mark, Laura, and the others backed away, will Nic and Vanessa held their ground, with Nic glowing and becoming himself.

Alpha turned away, huffing. "I'll let you enjoy your final few minutes with you slaughtering yourselves." He lethargically waved back. "I would say nice knowing ya, but…I give no crap." He paced back to the spell's dark veil, as it was looking like a dark cloud. Bright red static flared on occasion, thunder crackling in the oxygen-less atmosphere.

"Wait!" Erza went to go after Alpha, but she hesitated as she looked back at Nic.

"Erza, go!" Nic shouted.

"But…" Erza's eyes narrowed as she looked at Rage Nic and Rage Vanessa, both snarling and exerting blood-like saliva.

"Don't worry about us. Vanessa and I will handle this from here on. You, Mom, Dad, and the others just focus on stopping Alpha. He can't make the spell happen!" Though he was talking to Erza, his eyes were set on his dark self that responded to his rage. "No more running away from our pain, right Vanessa?"

Vanessa nodded. "Yes. We'll settle this, once and for all."

Both of them stepped forward, willing and able. As they were ready, Erza nodded and went dashing with Doublade. She and the others scrambled passed the angry forms of the torment and hate inserted into their ancestor and molded into them. They all went to stop Alpha, while Nic and Vanessa readied to deal with the misguidance.

Nic stood tall beside his sister, glaring at the snarling duo ahead of them. "Tonight, this is where the cursed bloodline ends."

Once again, Vanessa nodded in agreement. "Let's put our anger at ease. Let's make things right."

Rage Nic bellowed yet again, hollering as Rage Vanessa made black aura, unlike the casual teal. All four went racing after the other, both Nic and Vanessa meeting with their demonic selves that have cursed them for so long.

As Alpha lethargically walked towards the veil of darkness and negative lightning, he panted, looking somewhat pleased as could ever be. Surrounded by his rotting aura, he pressed on, not noticing his shadow was blackening.

" **Shadow Sneak!** "

Kecleon's shadow sprouted from below, rising and striking Alpha in the back. However, her shadow stopped, as though hitting a brick wall. Even from a fair distance, the sound rattled through the chameleon's ears as she felt saw her shadow dissipate. Her tilted head went wide-eyed.

Erza slid in front of Alpha's path, Doublade in hand. She glared intensely at the man with such disastrous prowess and went lunging after him. She hollered as she crossed Doublade and slashed. However, the same went for her. Alpha kept on walking ahead, his dark energy shielding him and deflecting her attempt.

"Damnit! Go down!" Erza went to slash again, but Alpha remained unmoved like a tank. When Erza and Doublade connected once again, they pushed much harder than they could have before, but the stalemate didn't even last a few seconds before a weak pulse of darkness sent them flying overhead. That "weak" pulse, however, was packed with such intense force that Erza and Doublade smashed against the ground.

"You bastard!" Mark and Laura slid on opposite sides, both parents ignoring their hefty breathing and extending their palms forward. They unleashed rapid fire volleys of green and blue aura, the multitude of shots bombarding Alpha from both sides. They exploded constantly, rattling the ground and creating a lightshow that was as bright as fireworks.

The smoke cleared, but Alpha was still without a single scratch. He continued on with his course, ignoring them.

"Grrr…!" Mark growled.

"Our attacks are ineffective!" Laura yelled.

"We have to keep trying. C'mon!" Erza urged. "Everyone, full throttle!"

Above, Magnezone got a great angle. He twirled his magnets and created a sphere of metallic energy. " **Flash Cannon!** " With what energy he had in his reserves, he focused a lot of pressure and unleashed a silver light beam that rattled the airspace. The attack pulsated down towards Alpha as he continued on with an animalistic look. As that attack closed in, Erza, Kecleon, and everyone else ran from behind, all of them having attacks of assortments ready. They all let out shrilled cries as their attacks closed in on Alpha.

Alpha remained on his course, several feet away from the veil if pitch black that killed off anything near it. He blinked, sending a catastrophic pulse wave all around, the dark waves stretching out and making the ground shatter. The waves made Flash Cannon turn into darkness, dissipating to thin air and sent everyone else flying in all different directions. Erza, Mark, Laura, Kecleon, Magnezone, and Doublade all hit floor, separating themselves from Alpha by a long shot.

He continued on, looking blindly ahead as his veins pulsed chaotic energy into his eyes, making them glow with hate and despair. He snarled low as he entered the veil of darkness, disappearing. At that instant, the intensity of the dark veil began to compress, even more Magic Power pluming, making it expand as dark and red lightning flashed all around.

Erza gritted her teeth, unable to forgive herself. "Damnit. We weren't even close."

"He…he's too strong." Laura cursed.

Meanwhile, things were unpleasant with the Pularis siblings. The Rage Nic was on all fours, screeching up hysterically at the real Nic. Nic attacked with a knee, but rather than dodge, the beastly-him opened his fanged mouth, sinking teeth into the knee. Nic grunted, getting the momentum to kick Rage Nic in the stomach, getting him to let go and jerk back with anguish. Rage Nic hollered, feeling pain.

Nic got to a knee as well, panting as he was already exhausted, but the bite mark was brutal. He pressed his palm against his knee, trying to suppress the wound. For a few minutes now, the two were at qualms, and even with all the pushing, kicking, slamming, and assaults unleashed, neither side was giving in. To add insult to injury, Rage Nic was looking more powerful with all the attacks dished out.

 _'_ _That me, it isn't slowing down!'_ Nic jumped away, going on defense as a touch hand pressed where he was. It made the ground depress. Looking at his angered self, he was looking pale. _'_ _To think that this is…me.'_ It seemed ridiculous at first, to believe that he was fighting another version of himself. Nic Nebulus was one thing, and battling ethereal versions of others from a Wizard Saint is another. What startled Nic now was that this was all the hate and anguish he had taken, the stress passed from Giratina indirectly. He gritted his teeth, unable to find a way around. "Damnit."

Vanessa and Rage Vanessa collided, black and teal aura fists connecting in the middle and making static flare. Vanessa hesitated, but Rage Vanessa shrieked out in anguish, bellowing more power and followed through, making Vanessa slide back. With momentum lost, Vanessa dodged another raking nail of her dark-self. She was just as hesitant as her brother was.

Something didn't seem right at all about this. Any of it. The shrieking of both, the pain as the earlier assaults, the despair, torment; the Rage Nic and Rage Vanessa, it was their embodiment of hate. The years of guilt Vanessa had, the pain Nic endured, everything else that was from the lineage passed down from Giratina, it was all there.

Both panted as they were right next to each other, exhausted as they had a few wounds from their dark-selves.

"Vanessa…" Nic said.

Vanessa narrowed her eyes. "Our attacks are only aggravating them. Look at them." Rage Nic and Rage Vanessa were on all fours, hollering in shrieking agony and the ground around them shuddered. "Their auras are the darkest I've felt."

Nic clutched his fists. "We aren't doing any damage other than emotional. It's like they're transcending our own wills and power into their anger."

Nic and Vanessa were silent as their dark-selves crawled towards them, readying another deadly attack. Their strides were cold, shuddering the ground and making their spines crawl. The air was cold, as cold as the heartless monsters that they were facing.

As they charged at them, Nic and Vanessa remained still as they began to reflect. For the oddest reason, everything began to unfold. The experiences of when they were kids, Nic's beating, his anguish, the mistrust, everything revolving around violence and despair. Something didn't feel right in the least bit. The energy in the atmosphere, the chaos, the intensity of the darkness and mistrust that's unfolded, everything that has been put on the line.

Nic looked down at his sunglasses on his V-neck. It was a long time since he discarded it. He thought releasing it would help, to believe letting go of the past and moving forward would help. But instead, this case, this adventure, it was the point that he couldn't see until a short while ago. He embraced the darkness that was his past, which came to him, an even in the darkness, there was redemption. He forgave the despair that Mom and Dad brought upon him, and yet here was the last darkness of his past, the kind that he wanted to confront. Given his conditions and style, he wanted to fight the darkness and destroy it, just like Lysandre and the Dark Legendaries…yet Nic knew that after such pondering what had to be done.

Vanessa began to reflect on what she said to Imaci, how the man became at peace as he passed on. She remembered her thoughts on darkness, and how she coped with it. She wasn't gonna turn back now. The part of her that was misguided was right in front of her.

Rage Nic and Rage Vanessa pounced for the two, ready to destroy them.

Suddenly, Nic and Vanessa did the one thing no one expected them to do. They held their ground, arms out, and caught themselves…in an embrace. Nails and teeth sank onto their shoulders and sides, but Nic and Vanessa had no negative feelings about it all. They both embraced it, frowning as they both bled out. No matter what, they held onto themselves, holding the embrace.

"It hurts." Vanessa grunted. "Your aura, you're both bent on destruction and pain, because that was all you knew."

Rage Vanessa struggled to get free, as did Rage Nic, but the siblings didn't let go of their dark-eves. Their skin burned from the hatred and vile monstrosities, but even as their skin felt on fire, they were embracing the pain.

"Your both but darkness and hate, and we resented you for that. It was just those two things that we despised, and we wanted to rid of you." Nic muttered. "But…" He fought through the increasing pain in his side and shoulder, his hold strengthening. "The truth was, we were hating ourselves. We were just too blinded to see that we were in our own darkness. We've tried to discard our past, and you were part of it. We're ashamed." Nic's gaze faltered as his eyes shut. "You have every right to have the desire of destruction and anguish, because of what you've seen and been through."

Rage Nic and Rage Vanessa's feral slits narrowed, both sinking their claws and teeth deeper. The pain flared, but all Nic and Vanessa did was open their eyes, their pupils misting.

"But it's also because of what you've been through and seen that you could never truly desire destruction." Nic added.

"You…you both-!" Vanessa winced, still smiling as she could feel her flesh get sunk into. "We've been through a lot of pain and agony, and that makes you part of us. You may be us, but you aren't Giratina. You're _our_ embodiment, and we're not Giratina."

Rage Vanessa's growling weakened some, as did Rage Nic. The two manifestations that supposedly had no conscience or ideals felt a very off warmth enter their shivering and bitter forms. The hands and arms of Nic and Vanessa were surprisingly warm, and the memories of the anguish and darkness the two had unleashed began to flow into their own heads. They felt disturbed as they saw every single frown and bad emotion, and the times they were exerted. The image of Giratina ran through their heads, his red eyes of bloody hell making them snarl louder.

"We're not Giratina! We and you are the same!" Nic declared. "We're Pularis, and just as Vince has, we take pride in that! We may have taken in pain and anger…but it was thanks to that we were able to find a future." He began to think of Erza. And not just her, his Pokémon and sister as well. "We were freaks in history, but even as he had no trust, we carried on. The Pularis will gave me something many did not think would be possible; my uncle believed this as well – hope!"

Rage Nic and Rage Vanessa went wide-eyed, the image of rage and anger finally starting to wear down, think back to the torment. Even with the passing of Giratina's will, it has become so weak as it passed from one Pularis to another, that the darkness and anguish itself began to mull over the survival of the bloodline. Was there truly hope in mistrust? Can people still be happy when they don't want despair.

"It was hope that guided us through hell." Vanessa stated. "You guys helped us become strong. It was because of you that we can finally make peace, not with evil, but with ourselves. There will always be evil, and we accept that there is evil in everybody. There can always be blood…" Vanessa winced again. "And there will always be struggle…but no one should be alone to burden that sorrow."

Nic turned towards his sister, smiling. Bittersweet days of their childhood resurfaced. "As long as you have at least one other to be around and accept their darkness with no regrets, you can fight through the bitter days."

The two manifestations began to falter in their grips, their lust and visions of red beginning to become normal. Nic and Vanessa's words began to pull through. The two cruel figures began to loosen and relax.

"We thank you both, and we accept you for who you are." Vanessa said. "Because of you guys, we were able to realize who we truly are."

"We can forgive you, and we trust one another to cooperate. Trust is what made us happy…" Nic's smile widened. "Thank you, both of you."

Rage Nic and Rage Vanessa finally relented. They felt their loose bodies feel a generous warmth for the first time. It wasn't hot, but comforting, like cotton. They never felt such a thing, probably because they wanted to kill it first. Who knew the human heart's purity was so lovely.

Both Rage Nic and Rage Vanessa glanced at each other, the red in their eyes turning blue, as pure as Nic and Vanessa's. Both could see clearly once more, seeing not red, but clearly. They looked at their counterpart's heads, finally smiling, acknowledging their ideals.

Slowly, they turned towards one another, smiling one last time, before they closed their eyes, their bodies fading away and their anger at peace.

With them at peace, Nic and Vanessa looked up, seeing the last bit of blood red of the two fade into oblivion, the energy dying off, just like what happened that one night. Nic and Vanessa looked at each other with smiles, relief spilling. The hollow feeling they've had began to fill.

A shockwave made the ground crack apart. Killer dark energy spilling like giant waves rom down beneath. Nic and Vanessa looked all around, the rumbling increasing drastically to where the cracks and rivers of bloody darkness ran even through the ceiling.

"What's happening?!" Vanessa exclaimed.

"The spell!" Nic exclaimed.

The isles and hillside were cracking up. The magnitude of the spell was transcending large areas, shuddering massive quantities of Magic Power that poured all throughout the cracks. Blood red lightning crackles outside of the cracks, setting the actual sand on fire. The opening in the hills revealed the blood moon, properly in position. The walls and ceiling crumbled, the veil of the spell becoming a solid pitch-black sphere with a typhoon of blood red and dark purple winds surging everywhere. The wind burned skin, making Nic and Vanessa get to a knee and yell out in agony.

Erza struggled to stand, even as the cyclone of catastrophic energy began to lift her. "D-damnit! Why?!" She yelled.

Kecleon dug her claws into the earth, anchoring herself. "My colors are on fire!" She screamed in pain.

"What's going on?! GAH!" Mark could feel Magic Power so intense that the rock around the spell depressed into a crater. The very color of the rock even turned black, much to everyone's horror.

"How did he have so much power?!" Magnezone yelled.

"It's…it's too late!" Doublade yelled.

Erza gritted her teeth, her body shuddering as she was unable to stop Alpha. Close by, Nic and Vanessa stared at the horrified revelation before them. Their time was up. The blood moon was at its peak. It was time for the world to die.

"Nic!" A worried Vanessa exclaimed.

Nic clutched his fists tightly as the dome of darkness slowly expanded. "Alpha…!" Nic growled.

Inside, there was no oxygen, only a pitch-black void of wailing terror. Blood red eyes and teeth were only seen. Alpha was feeling so alive, ironic since he was gonna kill everyone. He began the final incantation.

" **Sklu bah, sko rabneh ke ah. By alla, kenster y ellaby nos for ay. Sklu bah! Jesreket forla gin! Die rin! By alla, ski kenster…ke fluern!** "

His menacing vocals echoed outside. The ground shuddered louder as the dark waves flowing through the cracks blocked out Nic and everyone's shock and yelps.

" **The alibi of Heaven and Hell means nothing anymore! It is but the death that drives the world to end! There is no retribution, and the ideal of good has been rewritten! The only good in the apocalypse! No understanding, no salvation, and no call but to monsters that will purge all life that beats!** "

"NIC!" Erza shouted.

"ERZA~!" Nic screamed back as the dark waves overtook them all.

" **NOW! MAY THIS BLOOD BATHE THE WORLD IN RUIN! HAVE THIS DAMNATION BECOME REALITY, AND MAY THE BLOOD RISE UPON THE MOON!** "

Several glints flashed throughout the isles and hills.

" **IMPURE UNDERWORLD! DIIIEEE~!** "

At that one instant, there was hollow silence…and then the isles, the quarry, and the caverns alike, were all decimated. An explosion shot upwards, pitch-black, rattling the seas and shores. The explosion expanded outwards, and earthquake of darkness destroying the quarry, leveling it, flattening every grain of rock from miles on end. The dark and heinous shockwave exerted itself at ground level. Destroying the underground caverns and hills, leveling every grain of dirt if not reducing it to ash.

A pillar of pitch-black, blood red, and dark purple shot straight up into the sky. The blast wave could've been seen from space, as well as the pillar reaching the stratosphere. The pillar of darkness dissipated into a weak ray as it ascended, soon reaching the ozone layer and disappearing. At the point of vanish, a red lens exploded in the sky, magnifying as a blood red color. The lens encompassed the atmosphere all over Earth Land, where everyone who was still up at night noticed that the night sky with stars suddenly became blood red.

All over the world, the sky, no matter what time or day, became a bloody red, and the moon was in sight.

* * *

At the guild hall, it had closed for the night, but up on the roof, Mavis was sitting straight up, looking at the blood red moon. She didn't seem happy, rather, she was unnerved. _'_ _The moon. I don't understand, but it feels like something bellowing is going on.'_

She gasped when she was suddenly hit with an intense flow of Magic Power. This Magic Power made her go wide-eyed, her ghostly heart pouncing, if not stopping. She shuddered, feeling her spine crawl as the sky began to turn blood red. Whatever was going on, the ghost was feeling ultra morbid.

"What…?" She shuddered constantly, the Magic Power as dark as the netherworld. _'_ _What is this Magic Power? It's so dark…where did this evil sprout from all of a sudden?'_ She sprout to her feet, staring up at the moon, as it looked like the eye of a bloodthirsty demon. This caused her to pale, any sense of good or suspense replaced by overwhelming fear.

"What's happening?" She gasped.

* * *

In the confines of some spooky terrain, there was darkness in a hall, and a man cloaked in the shadows of his throne had little to no light as he was unrecognizable. He was smirking, but suddenly, his smirk faded, a frown plastered as the sky turned blood red. The magic in the atmosphere began to enter him, as he was inhaling tainted particles. It was hard for the man to breathe. He shuddered, feeling overwhelmed with widened eyes at this bizarre and deadly spell.

Nearby, a few hallways down, Kyôka was walking down the hall, until she suddenly stopped in place. "Hmm?" She went wide-eyed, her body ascertaining goosebumps for some reason. "What…what is this?" She whipped her head towards the nearest window, looking up at the sky. "What happened to the sky?!" She went down the hallway, hurrying towards a certain chamber. "Lord Mard Geer!"

The doors slammed open, Kyôka entered, seeing her Master in the shadows. "Lord Mard Geer! What is…" She trailed off, her form shuddering as the undisclosed leader being Mard Geer was wide-eyed in the darkness. Whatever he was sensing it, it wasn't pleasing. _'_ _Lord Mard Geer…'_ She began to recall the incident back in July, the night if Ragnarok Lysandre. The thought made her pale. _'_ _This energy…no, no it can't be! Can it?'_

In the darkness, Mard Geer was feeling his body shudder. Darkness was his calling card, but this darkness was something that recollected that night as well. _'_ _This can't be…'_ He thought.

* * *

In the mountains of the unknown reaches of the world, the sky was blood red, the moon as red as the color many sociopaths craved to see. Hidden in the caverns, all alone and wanting nothing to do with society, there was but one man.

As blood red filled the atmosphere, the intoxicating air entered the nostrils of the man. He sniffed the air a few times, his head slowly rising. "Hm?"

He rose to his feet in the darkness, slowly venturing out. His dark eyes were seen, and there he had light blue hair, long and spikey just like Gajeel. Unfortunately, the rest of his body was adorned in a black cloak. He smelled the air, the deadly aroma of despair and blood beginning to spread all around. It intrigued him. It made his nerves crackle.

He remained motionless as no winds blew, as they too were terrified. He raised a brow, smirking in anticipation. "Smells like something's up." He growled.

* * *

On the shores of Akane Resort, the blood red moon made water look that color. The water swayed left and right, going in and out of the shores. On the shores, something began to emerge from the depths. Two misty dark figures flared as they approached the sand.

The two figures took shape, revealing Rob and Simon. Both were hunched over, craning their necks up and revealing their eyes pitch-black and blood red. They had a venomous look in them, growling low and seeing everything in blood red. They craved to see more of that color.

In the Heartfilia Estate, in front of Layla's statue, a black and bloody mist began to surge. It swirled, manifesting into a beautiful lady with blonde hair in a bun. She looked just like Lucy. This was her mother, and she smirked, blood red slits in her pitch-black eyes.

On Tenrou Island, a black mist was made, bloody as it twisted and became Zancrow. Zancrow was hunched over, hissing with bloody eyes.

Nearby, at the base of fallen earth, in front of a white tree, there was Azuma. He had a malicious look, red slits in pitch-black eyes as well. He bellowed out, screeching for the beginning of destruction.

In graveyards all over Earth Land, even as loved ones were visiting, black mists were starting to manifest, becoming actual people again. All of them had the same disastrous look in their eyes. To those who were petrified in shock, unfortunately, with them seeing family and other mentioned, they were doomed as they screeched with sharpened nails and pounced.

The terror then on had only begun.

* * *

Nic slowly opened his eyes, feeling a throbbing sensation in his body. "Gnnnnngh!" He grunted in pain. He winced, feeling a hefty amount of shivers down his spine. "What…?"

"N-Nic…?" A groggy voice called out from beside him.

Nic's hazy expression began to quell. "That voice…" He turned his head, seeing a hugely busty red mop. "Erza?"

Erza's gaze fizated onto Nic, shock surmounting. "Nic?" She pushed up, getting to a knee. "Are you okay?" She worried.

Nic pushed up, managing to a knee as well. "Yeah, I think so." He stared at her with equal worry. "What happened?"

Groaning was heard all around, Nic and Erza diverting their attention to the side. Several feet away, managing to get up, there was Kecleon, Magnezone, and Doublade out. All three were badly scratched and wounded one way or another. Regardless, at least they were in one piece.

"Kecleon!" Nic stammered. "Are you alright?"

Kecleon seemed dazed, but alive. She tilted her head, but almost fell over in the process. "Bruised fruit in some areas doesn't mean they're not edible still." She answered.

Erza looked towards Doublade. "Doublade? Are you hurt?"

Though badly scratched up, Doublade's two swords were still able to float. "Y-yeah…I think." The two swords answered groggily.

Magnezone looked around, noticing the dust dissipating. "Wait, if we're here, then where's Vanessa and the parents?"

Nic went wide-eyed. He looked around, gasping as he was searching for his sister and his parents. He jolted up, staring at the dust in the air. "Mom? Dad?" He wondered. "Vanessa?"

Erza looked around as well, her attention brought up ahead, where she saw three figures lying down. "Over there!" She pointed.

Nic whipped around, seeing them. "Everyone!" He and the others sped on over, regrouping as they surrounded all three Pularis. Mark and everyone down was covered in bruises and blood just like them. They struggled to open their eyes, groaning in agony.

"Gnnngh…what…?" Mark managed to push up on his own, mustering to power to sit up. "Is everyone okay?"

"We could be asking you the same thing." Magnezone said. "What happened?"

Erza's eyes narrowed. "Wait…hold on. Did you all…?" She was drawing a conclusion a little too early, but the situation was driving her nuts.

Vanessa was on her hands and knees, panting. She had to take a moment to catch her breath. When she did, she looked up, seeing Mark and eventually Laura getting, barely. She managed to her knees, but she began to fall over, yet Magnezone supported her at the last second.

"I gotcha." He said.

"Thanks." She thanked. She got to her feet slowly, but still held onto Magnezone for support.

"Vanessa, did you and Mom and Dad shield us?" Nic asked. Many could tell he was drastically unnerved with the prospect, even though it was something that saved their lives.

Vanessa looked at him with a serious face. "Yeah. It was a super close call, but we managed to make a thick Aura Guard at the last second. It didn't hold up though." She said in regret.

"At least we're still alive." Doublade pointed out.

Kecleon looked up, tilting her head. "The night is not."

Everyone looked up towards the atmosphere. Something was wrong, _very_ wrong. They could see it with their own eyes, and they began to shiver as the cold air brimmed with a low howl. The bizarre part was that it wasn't even windy. The blood red sky and moon gave bad omens, and the magic in the air made it much harder for anyone to breathe.

Nic's eyes widened, staring at the blood moon. No words came to mind. He felt many things aside from failure. Pain was one thing, another the need to throw up. It was tough to breathe for another, and that was just scratching the surface.

Mark and Laura looked up at the sky, seeing blood red everywhere. "The Impure Underworld." Mark muttered. "We're too late."

"Damnit." Laura cursed. "How?"

Magnezone turned towards the others. "So now, the dead rises?"

Mark lowered his head. "Aye. I'm afraid so."

In the Brine to the wound one might say, Nic realized something else. He looked towards everyone, again surprised. "Wait, Alpha!"

Everyone's surprise surmounted.

"Alpha?!" Erza looked around, not seeing any signs of the berserk man. The dust was still rampaging far ahead, swirling and slowly settling around something up ahead.

Everyone turned ahead, the Magic Power of drastic caliber hiding ahead. The land was lightly shaking. In fact, as they looked around, they realized that their surroundings were all gone. They were so busy worrying that they didn't realize that the caverns and isle were destroyed, along with the quarry hills not far behind. All life was gone, and instead, for miles and miles on end, it was barren dirt and rock. The underground was destroyed as well, reshaped, unrecognizable beyond any means. The isles were all rock now, with the smooth sand in the water.

"Where is Alpha?" Doublade wondered.

"I'm not sensing any aura around." Vanessa said worriedly.

Everyone turned left and right, unnerved. However, in their struggling to find out where was anything, there was a menacing, demonic growl. The growl was loud, and it entered everyone's ear canals and spines rattled with unpleasant vibes.

Nic went wide-eyed. "Wait." He whipped around, looking at the dust cloud ahead. "Did you all hear that?" He asked.

The group heard another growl, this time, much deeper. The dust settled, where everyone could see a knife-like long tail wave high in the air. It was black, and the sharp edging was blood red. The figure inside the cloud revealed itself, and it stood where Alpha once was.

Everyone looked on, terrified as their minds almost went dumb.

Erza nearly dropped Doublade. "What is that?"

Nic's eyes were shuddering. "Oh my…"

"God." Laura gasped.

Kecleon straightened her head, snapping it into place with beady eyes shuddering. "…uh oh."

Magnezone's magnets were stiff. He had no way of controlling himself. _'_ _Was this…was this what Gengar warned me of…?'_

Two pitch-black eyes opened, revealing blood red eyes with thin black slits. The eyes had black ripples, giving it a far more bizarre appeal. In Alpha's place was a screeching monster underneath the light of the blood moon. It was slightly larger than Alpha in terms of height, but was on all fours. It had black spikey hair that went all over the place, sharp as iron bards; worse than what Gajeel had. The skin turned to a dark tan, almost sandy brown. Black veins ran like rivers all through the skin of the creature. Its throat and neck were huge to compensate its gargantuan mouth with hundreds of small, sharp teeth. The nails were dark purple, almost six inches long. The elbows and shoulders had blade-like spikes, as did the knees, which had a pitch-black set of armor-like pants with bare feet. Black armor was covering the spine all the way to where the pitch-black tail was, where blood red spikes ran towards the base of the knife-like tail. The scariest part was that five huge appendages waved on his back. The appendages, while large and thick, had dark purple spikes. Running along the appendages were small hairs that were like millions of little spikes. They resembled a lot like Giratina's Origin Form's wings.

The monster shrieked out, screeching instead shockwaves that split the ground beneath. The Impure Underworld circle was gone, vaporized from the explosion of the spell. The only thing that remained of the circle was the creature standing atop of it. Not a letter or incantation left after total-annihilation. As it howled out, its jaws were massive in size, like a snake. Everyone was fixated on the spike-like teeth, which sent shivers down their spines.

When the winds finally passed them, their skins were steaming, the dark energy so intense that it was making their skin boil.

Erza was looking at the eyes as they glowed. They were disastrous. _'_ _What kind of….! What a monster has been unearthed?!'_

Nic was feeling his nerves crackle, his teeth gritting. _'_ _My heart is racing…'_

The embodiment let out a weaker screech, making dark winds pass by the group, snapping them out of their trance. They all covered up, trying to remain composed despite their forearms and tassels and magnets burning, more or less.

The creature pressed a hand against the ground, making the ground quiver. The appendages and tail wagged weakly as it stared at the group. The monster snarled, its bloodcurdling figure having bone-snapping sounds as it curled up. It stared at everyone with a grotesque red in its eyes.

"Everyone, be careful!" Nic warned.

" **You.** " It said.

Nic went wide-eyed. _'_ _Wait…what did it just say?'_

" **You.** " It pointed at Nic, and then at Vanessa. " **And you.** "

Vanessa was unnerved to no limit.

The beast remained on all fours, arms raising it to make it stand like a crouched Frogadier. " **I must thank you worthless brats.** " He said. " **If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't feel so gross…it's perfect. This is perfect. This what I've wanted. I can feel the terror even from here.** " He lowered his head, his feelers on his appendages tingling. They were picking up the screams from miles away, the wailing and sounds of bloodshed bellowed, and the small hairs caught them all. " **Tonight and forevermore, the world shall see red for eternity. And they shall all…PERISH!** " He raised his head, craning his large mouth and spilling out dark ripples. The atmosphere above was intense with purple waves exerting all throughout the landscape. They traveled over the water and land alike nearby for a few miles at such huge speeds, making both elements shudder.

It looked at Nic and company again, snarling monstrously.

Laura uncovered, looking at the beast of disasters once again. Her eyes narrowed. "Is that…Alpha?"

Erza bent her knees. "Alpha?" She parroted with caution.

"So Alpha's transformed. That's the personification of the Impure Underworld itself now, right?" Magnezone questioned.

"We better hope so." Nic answered.

Alpha moved his eyeballs side to side, looking at Nic and Vanessa yet again, his focus directly onto him. The beast bloodishly began to chuckle. His chuckle was slow, low, and was growing steadily. It soon became an uproar, one was left everyone's bones rattling inside. Even his bloody laugh had Magic Power exerting, which made the ground shudder beneath. Eventually he did let up, and he glared at Nic and Vanessa.

" **You're all slow learners. You would think one had figured it out by now.** "

"And what would that mean?" Nic testified with a glare.

Alpha lowered his head, his angle managing to make him look all the more intimidating. " **The fact is that I'm called Alpha for a reason, not that it's my actual name. I am Alpha because I used the Rivolta. I controlled it like a pack alpha. I am a leader with iron claws, but that makes me wonder…** " He pressed his hand against the ground, making a small cracked depression beneath. " **I wonder what face you would make if you learned of Alpha's true course?** "

"What's that mean?" Vanessa asked.

Alpha suddenly roared again, his large mouth scraping bellows into everyone's ears, but the shockwaves exerted made them all slide back several feet than fall over. He ceased his sudden roar, glaring at their unnerved selves.

" **Do you both remember those Blood Shackles? You probably recall that box that sapped your dark energy, if you were conscious of course.** " He made Nic and Vanessa recount the unpleasant memories back in the torture room, back where they were bound, and they were sapped of their energy as samples for the spell. Of course they vaguely remembered much about the box part since their darkness was taking over them at the time. It was maybe one glimpse and that was that. " **Both were mechanisms Fernando made. The catch was, that they needed an energy and DNA relevance.** "

Nic leered with uncertainty. "A DNA relevance?"

Alpha's eyes narrowed, his tail and appendages wagging in the brim bloody skylight.

"Wait." Vanessa said. "You mean that you needed samples of our lineage or DNA in order for those two materials to work?"

" **Correct. But now connect the dots. If we needed the dark energy sample** ** _and_** **DNA alike, how could we get it if you nor your parents were present?** " Alpha was leading them on. His hinting was leading to heavy anticipation, and it was continuing to unnerve the group.

Everyone looked confused, but within that confusion, an epiphany was slowing evolving in Nic's mind. His eyes dilated for a moment, shock bewildering him for a single instant.

"Wait." Nic said, his body unable to move due to the rising revelation. "You mean…"

Alpha smirked.

Nic's eyes widened further, shuddering with heavy anxiety. "No…no…" He shook his head, his skin paling. "This can't be…!"

Alpha's huge mouth curved into a smirk, the rows of teeth leaving a chord plucked in everyone's anxiety once again.

Erza turned towards him. "Nic?" She asked. "What's wrong? Who is he?"

Nic pressed his foot against the ground, barely controlling his shock. He was clutching his fists, mentally cursing himself. "How could I have not seen before?" He thought back to when he battled Alpha, recounting certain quotes of what appealed, and why the interest was onto Nic. There was also the hair, and the odd scar that his Mom described that he got in his battle against the horde ages ago.

"Nic…?" Vanessa looked ahead, staring uneasily.

Mark and Laura leered at Alpha, their staring trying to make them recount the events. For parents with lack of much intelligence, even they knew much when it came to DNA and dark samples. There was only one other human who had the same energy as Nic and Vanessa had – formerly.

When it hit them, the Pularis family paled in unison, shock so great that they nearly blacked out. They all nearly shutdown from disbelief.

" **Looks like you've all figured it out. So now, Nic, Vanessa…** " Alpha's smirk darkened, eyes widening with sheer intimidation. " **Say uncle.** "

* * *

 **Ultimate plot twist! Here is the newest update! Surprise! There's been a big mystery of who Alpha was, and now you all realize that it's been Vince! You are all now shattered beyond comprehension.**

 **So now the Rivolta is pretty much dead, leaving just Alpha/Vince left. The spell had activated, and the carnage and apocalypse had begun. As for Mard Geer, that'll give you a small notion of what'll come for the Tartaros Arc. You can guess who the man in the mountains was if you've read the manga. And as for the ideals of Nic and Vanessa finally conquering their hatred, this also means that this also marks the end of Rage Nic and Rage Vanessa (as some of you refer to them). So from this point on, no more feral rampages when provoked.**

 **I am hoping to conclude the Impure Underworld Arc next chapter, so for all who were dying to see the finale to this thriller of an original arc, the wait is here. Of course with how to conclude, that means the chapter will be long, so I hope for about a week. I'm excited to have made it so very deep into an arc brimming with suspense, which I take full pride in.**

 **Throw in a comment and share your thoughts on the chapter and the arc if you want. Until the next update!**


	42. Our Demons at Peace

**Get some popcorn and snacks, because this is going to be a dangerously long chapter/conclusion of the Impure Underworld Arc.**

* * *

The entire group standing there nearly lost their footing; not just from the astronomical Magic Power Alpha gave off, but from the revelation he had unveiled. How could they possibly comprehend the fact that the one psycho who had no humanity, no mercy, and only sought to destroy the world and drown all in blood, was to be the late-uncle of Nic and Vanessa. The blood red moon and sky were giving the nightmare real life feelings. If this wasn't a nightmare before, it was now.

"You…" Laura shakily pointed at Alpha. "You're…my brother."

Vanessa's eyes shuddered with deep anxiety. "Our…uncle?"

Alpha – now revealed to be Vince – narrowed his eyes, glaring with a sinister growl. Again, everyone's spines rattled.

"What's the meaning of this?! Is this your idea of a farce?! A hoax?!" Nic's yelling surprised everyone as equally as Vince surprised them. The man in identical question just smirked as Nic swiped his arm. "How can you possibly be our Uncle? Our Uncle Vince is dead!"

Vince narrowed his eyes. " **Well, to say that I died wouldn't be a stretch.** "

"Who are you? Because from what we've seen, you're nothing like Vince." Mark testified, his impatience rising.

" **Is that so…?** " Vince opened his gargantuan mouth, emitting yet another high-pitched shriek of terror. The dark soundwaves that went through the air this time were so potent that everyone, including Nic, fell backwards. The sudden spike in power left everyone off guard as the supposed-Vince wagged his tail, whipping it slowly from side to side in anxiousness. " **Then you may as well learn from what happened.** "

Erza leered with uneasiness. "This pressure spike…"

With barely any conscience or ideals, Vince began to recollect the days he survived the spell. Or rather…Alpha. Everything before that was utter darkness. Any sense of consciousness or ideals of the past beforehand were memories that he wanted to rip apart. " **Those rodents of spouses that gave birth to you, yes, they were in fact my sister and brother-in-law, an ideal that I gave no damn of. Just seeing them now…** " His body shuddered, the pressure around intensifying to where the ground once again depressed around him. " **The fact was that I was 'reincarnated' from Vince. You can say that the Impure Underworld that engulfed me and Gengar at the time read my dark signature deep inside, and the spell did something that even I could not comprehend, but don't care of.** "

"Re…incarnated?" Nic muttered. His eyes widened at the other part. "Giratina's dark will!"

" **So you caught on, you brat.** " Vince berated. " **It was the most beautiful thing that I've ever felt. It felt so corrosive, that my body was deteriorating, the spell sensed and fueled the dark energy inside. And since Gengar was around me, you can say this spell had altered his structure, and by the time we came around, we realized we were the only ones not vaporized.** " He remembered when he emerged from the debris of the reshaped isles. He had a devilish look in his gory eyes. Blood was all over his body, his skin pale, black energy flaring all over his skin. He even recalled Gengar's equally malicious energy around them, both having bloody desires as they snarled at the cloudy sky. " **I will kill everything. Everyone. Every little grain of cells that dare call themselves living, and rip up all fabric of everything…everything…** " Underneath, the land began to shudder. From the cracks beneath Vince, red lightning crackled, small flares of blood red wavering up and down. " **I** ** _AM_** **THE IMPURE UNDERWORLD ITSELF! I WILL BE THE DEAD THAT WILL RIP OUT HEARTS AND TEAR LUNGS INTO PIECES! EYES WILL GOUGE, AND I WILL KILL ALL!** " His blistering screeching made tremendous magnitudes, ones that unnerved Nic and everyone. They all got up, badly shaken as Vince's revelation and Magic Power were out of this world.

Vanessa narrowed her eyes. "But…this aura…" She muttered.

Nic glanced at her. "Vanessa, what was that?"

Vanessa turned towards Mark and Laura, a heavy discern on her face. "Mom, Dad, do you sense any aura?" She asked them.

The parents looked back ahead, trying to disregard the uneasy tension shivering their lower spines. Even though it was cold and they shuddered, they could still get a read on the aura. It made then shudder even harsher than ever.

"Blood red…p-pitch-black…" Laura was barely comprehending what she was saying as the magic was making her dead skin crawl. "A-and dark purple." She finished.

Nic looked back at them. "And what was Vince's aura before…" He didn't finish, everyone getting the implication as a hollow wail bewildered the atmosphere.

Laura put a hand through her hair, trying to recollect the unforgiving times shared the last time the spell manifested and took away everything. "I…I think it was purple."

Mark went wide-eyed. "Hey." He gasped.

"What, Dad?" Vanessa asked.

He turned towards Vanessa and Laura. "Tell me, is that shade of purple familiar?"

Erza's eyes widened. She looked back at Vince, while stomaching the grotesque look on his face. _'_ _That's right. Their aura are different colors. Vanessa's is teal, and Mark and Laura are green and blue. If that is the case…'_

Vanessa raised a brow. "Perhaps…"

Laura gasped. "Honey."

Everyone looked at her, as if she's once again seen a ghost.

"That shade of aura, it's like a darker coating of the purple that belonged to Vince."

"As I feared." Nic said aloud.

"What?" Magnezone asked.

Kecleon tilted her head. "Open the nutshell."

Nic glared ahead, back at Vince. He tried to remain as calm as he possible could manage in front of this chaotic energy. "I remember long ago, back when I saw that flashback with Lysandre. He was tainted, and I know this may be a critical claim, but I would assume his aura altered color and potency because of that."

Erza looked at her boyfriend discerningly. "I remember that too." She began to recollect on the past, more specifically beyond the times Lysandre was the subject, and revolved about the trip through Kalos. "All those Legendary Pokémon we've fought…" She recounted their names, vaguely. "Zygarde. Moltres. Xerneas. Yveltal. They all had tainted auras."

Nic's fists balled even tighter. "I honestly do hate to say it…but I fear he may be telling the truth. That may very well be our Uncle Vince." Nic said. "Or at least was."

"How can you be so sure?" Vanessa asked.

Nic's face got more serious. "It's as Mom said. Vince's aura was purple, so to say it becoming a darker shade means it's been tainted, like what happened in the past with Lysandre. In other words, I believe that he truly is dead."

Suspicion crawled up and down everyone's spines as the palpitating energy was blood-curdling. Wails and howls of anguish went through the sky as the blood red moon governed the world.

"I'm afraid you might wanna retry, Nic. We're not sure we get it." Mark said in regret, Laura nodding in agreement.

"I think I understand what happened. Remember that the spell amplified Mom's Giratina vendetta? I could very well guess that it amplified Vince's vendetta as well, but to a drastic caliber. From the way he's been reacting at times, I say at least 40%." His eyes narrowed. "But I can't say for certain. Whatever percentage it's become, he needed our dark energy to fill that gap all the way to 100%."

"But what does that percentage and this tainted aura have to do with Vince?" Magnezone asked.

"The same with Lysandre. I'm saying Vince is half-dead." Nic answered.

Collective shock ran through the group. Meanwhile, Vince wagged his appendages, each one crackling like snapping bones as they waved left or right.

"Half-dead?" Mark looked back at Laura and vice-versa. The pair shared a unison look of confusion before Mark looked back at his son. "You mean like us?"

"Yes, something like that…it's cruel to say half-dead, but there's no other word for me to describe. As far as what I can see, he's nothing more than a corpse with a tainted soul of the Impure Underworld's unholy spirit using him as a puppet and his state of mind. It's as I said, just like Lysandre, I'm afraid."

Given the traumatic experience, Erza, Vanessa, Magnezone, and Kecleon couldn't disagree; if anything, they actually agree full-heartedly. Lysandre was dead until the Dark Legendaries put him in a half-dead state and used his corpse and tainted soul to exact the universe into oblivion. People say history should never repeat itself…unfortunately, déjà vu has collapsed on the world.

"…I see." Erza finally said. "So it is true. This is like that man."

"It seems everything revolves around that monster." Kecleon dejectedly said, head straight, but drooping towards the ground.

"That was the past. This is now." Nic said. "Vince isn't Lysandre, but nonetheless, it's the same concept as before."

Vince screeched out once more, starting from a low roar, and the volume began to grow exponentially into impending winds that burned everyone's faces. Despite the sensation of sandpaper against them, they persevered.

"So what do we do?!" Vanessa shouted through the winds.

Nic held his ground, readying as he glowed and transformed into his Iron Form. "We do what must be done." He glared savagely at his Uncle, his hostility for the half-dead man at a peak. "Even if he is just a conscious corpse, we can't let the deceased be used as mere tools! We're putting this all to rest! Whoever Vince is now, we've gotta remember that he's nothing but a tainted spirit of the Impure Underworld! Does everyone understand?!" He yelled.

Laura straightened her posture. Her hands coated in blue aura. When she looked ahead, the black hair reminded her of Vince. Yes, it was his face and body she remembered somewhat before the spell began, but the rest was but a twisted Vince that would kill anything that moved. Ultimately, the deceased mother knew what must be done.

"Yes." She answered.

"We remember now that since the incantations and spell circle is no more, that makes Vince the catalyst." Mark said. His dead body tensed up. "We have but one recourse now."

Vanessa nodded, a hint of reluctance as she knew what to do. "Let's not make this go to waste. Lives are being lost right now."

Erza held onto Doublade, both knowing what must be done. "Let's do it."

A strong tension fell on the atmosphere, everyone staring down the monstrosity that was Vince.

* * *

From afar, within the distance overlooking the battle to unfold, someone was perched on a high point. His toga or white drape hung as he stared down the disaster that was beyond cataclysmic. It was revealed to be Zeref, his eyes red as he had an unsound look plastered on his face as he was witnessing perhaps an unholy spell.

"Impure Underworld. I had warn them of such a dark calamity, but never in my wildest dreams could I have foreseen _this_ level." He said. He briefly thought back to Tenrou Island, when he confronted Lysandre, but was of no match for him. The deadliest mage in existence, and nothing to prove. He closed his eyes. "Seems everything is around the darkness of this Giratina and those Pokémon. Am I and Acnologia truly not capable of holding a legacy of the destruction of humanity?" He questioned as he opened his red eyes and looked up at the bloody sky.

"This is the second time now, that I fear the calamity brought by another that is not I will end existence." He went silence, the Magic Power and the dark atmosphere howling like shrieking banshees through the atmosphere. The Black Wizard remained stiff, feeling goosebumps as he watched the battle unfold. The mere sight of Vince and his grotesque features made him leer.

* * *

"Now let's move!" Nic led the charge, going in for the attack and blitzing with the group towards Vince.

Vince in return bellowed out yet again. He raised both arms high, slamming them against the ground and crawling towards them with long and large strides. The ground shuddered as each hand pressed against the earth, and yet the rattling didn't deter anyone.

Nic jumped into the air, allowing everyone to pass beneath. He opened his mouth, gathering light energy. Magnezone was right beside him, gathering the same compounds.

" **Flash Cannon!** "

Both fired powerful beams of silver light. The two beams traveled so close to one another that they combined, making a larger Flash Cannon. The attack went beaming down, but Vince stopped in his tracks on all fours, head lowered to make him look intimidating. Mere feet before Flash Cannon made it, it turned pitch-black, dissipating into nothing.

"He has the same dark compound transformation too!" Nic shouted.

"Which means no matter what light hits him will have no effect at all." Erza figured as she dashed. She crossed Doublade's blades in front of her chests. " **Swords Dance!** " As she ran, Doublade used the move, making illusionary blue swords that circled and crossed overhead. She jumped up, bringing the two blades down. "Now, **Slash!** " She raised both glowing swords overhead, bringing them down onto Vince.

However, Vince repelled Erza at the last second, lashing one of his ten appendages like a casual swipe. The impact repulsed Erza backwards, Doublade following.

 _'_ _So much power, in just one swipe!'_ Erza figured as she slid back on her heels.

Kecleon reappeared in midair right in front of Vince, momentarily invisible and bringing a leg around. " **Thief!** " Doing a roundhouse kick and landing a direct blow onto the forehead. It sounded like bones snapping from the head, and Kecleon was stuck there, trying to overpower him. However, much to her shock, he wasn't budged, not even an inch. She leaped away in a backflip in time as one of his appendages went down above, plunging into the ground instead.

"Ready?!" Laura raised her hands, creating blue aura.

"Right!" Mark repeated the same motion. "Vanessa!"

Vanessa made teal aura in her hand, nodding with her parents. With a loud shout, all three pressed their hands against the ground, sending a pulse of aura that rattled the stone and dirt. Rock and ground picked up and cracked apart as the cracks and colorful auras raced underneath Vince. When they got to him, a pillar of blue, green, and teal shot up, rattling the airspace yet again.

"Yes!" Magnezone cheered.

Nic narrowed his eyes, discerning the predicament unfolding. He seemed to think otherwise. "Guess again."

True to what he said, the pillars suddenly broke apart, Vince roaring with his gargantuan mouth wide open. The soundwaves rattled the airspace, harsher than what the pillars did. The specks of aura went flying everywhere, making the three users cover up and get pushed back.

Nic got into a landing stance and abruptly sprung from the side, his short, spiky hair becoming hard metallic barbs. " **Iron Head!** " He dove after Vince, in which Vince shot a deadly glare without moving. Without hesitation, and appendage moved and went to intercept. As the last second, Nic jumped again, dodging, but a second appendage went after him, but even then, he twirled and maneuvered atop of it, using it as a springboard and managing to get above Vince.

"Iron Head was to get close!" Laura yelled in surprise.

Erza smiled. "That's my Nic."

Nic flipped in midair, becoming his Fist Form. As he followed through with the vertical flip, his knee glowed.

" **High Jump Kick!** "

Nic brought the knee down onto the exposed back, but when the blind spot was open, it was all a ruse. The ten appendages curled backwards into a bud, making Nic hit harshly against the disclosed defense. A ripple of air exerted from the bone-crushing force. Nic grunted as he connected, but his knee and body were sent flying when the appendages uncoiled.

Vince looked up, glaring at Nic, who was still high above him and blocking the blood moon. He snarled, seeking to destroy and lashed his knife-like tail from 6 o' clock. The tail stretched towards Nic.

"The tail!" Mark warned.

"I know!" Nic twisted in midair, evading the tail strike. As he fell downwards, he yelled out again. "Vanessa!"

Vanessa spread her legs, both palms facing forward. A teal sphere manifested, growing to be Aura Sphere size. " **Trace Shot!** " She fired a volley of teal orbs that went flying at Vince. They all closed in onto him, making direct contact and bursting instantaneously.

The dust raged, but Vince roared again and made the smoke vanish, rattling the earth yet again.

"No damage." Vanessa grunted. She swiped her arm. "Magnezone, **Zap Cannon!** "

Magnezone did as told, getting leverage and manifesting his most powerful attack. Yellow energy collected, manifesting into a sphere of green-yellow energy with a red core. When it was ready, he fired with what strength he could manage. The Electric-type attack went blitzing so fast the airspace rippled upon firing.

The Zap Cannon went so far towards Vince, but once again, he glanced at the incoming attack. He watched it get closer, like watching a bowling ball slowly roll towards bowling pins. He looked disinterested, and the creature with little ideals raised a clawed hand, flicking at the Zap Cannon when close enough, sending it zooming off to the side at a faster pace when fired.

Everyone went wide-eyed at what happened. They were all caught dumbfounded as the Zap Cannon disappeared from sight, exploding in a sparkling display in the far distance.

"He-it…deflected Zap Cannon?" Laura gasped.

"And with just a flick?" Erza exasperated.

Vince roared out again, hollering through the atmosphere once again as he went charging after them. He began to crawl towards them yet again, rattling the earth.

On a knee far away, Nic glowed and transformed into his Meadow Form. "No you don't!" He slammed a palm against the earth, where up in front of Vince, a wall of vines and roots erupted. The whole thing stretched for a long ways up and across, providing an interception.

Vanessa extended her arm forward, manifesting a shield of aura as an added layer. The double set of aura and 10-foot thick vines and roots towered over Vince as he crawled on, like it wasn't there.

"That should slow him down." Doublade grunted.

Erza bit her lip in desperation. For all their sakes, she hoped it did. Even Nic was lenient on the prospect.

The whole wall shuddered from left to right, as though a wrecking ball had hit iron plates. Rattling sensations bored through the domain. The pressure somehow altered some, which caught everyone on an unnerved level. Suddenly, the teal shield in front of the vines shattered like glass as Vince appeared in a lunge-like stride, tearing through the vines and shield like they weren't there to begin with.

"He didn't even flinch!" Mark exclaimed.

Vince raised a claw, ready to strike and tear through them, until Kecleon reappeared in front with blinding speed. With her claws brought back, they glowed and elongated. Time seemed to have slowed down for the green chameleon as Vince and her were set.

" **Slash!** "

Kecleon slashed with all she had, sharper than the most fulfilling set of blades. She and Vince's swat met in the center, where a bright flash glinted and the victor was decided within mere moments. Much to everyone's shock, Kecleon was sent flying off to the side, yelling as Vince easily overpowered her. She slid along the ground, making a long trail that led to the dust cloud she laid in.

"Kecleon!" Magnezone shouted. He looked back at Vince, a metallic growl emanating. "You…!"

An appendage struck Magnezone from the side, knocking him away as though he were a tin can. Like Kecleon mere seconds ago, he went soaring, sliding on his backside far away.

"Magnezone!" Mark and Vanessa shouted. The father/daughter duo took their worry and looked back with anxiety and readiness at Vince, whose appendages flailed as wildly as his tail. The two pivoted in opposite directions, their auras pointed in opposite positions. "Now!" They fired their attacks at an upwards angle, their courses nowhere near Vince.

Nic stared as they attacked, but he had to take advantage of the fact that they could alter the course of the attack. _'_ _Alright, if they got the sides, then that means…'_ He acted fast, glowing and becoming his Stone Form. He pressed his hands together, making a red aura around his body. _I have to go all out, and hit hard!'_ The glow was coupled with a stone made of thin air appearing and gradually getting larger until it was as large as Nic.

" **Rock Wrecker!** "

Raising the stone overhead, he threw it with such intensity. Rock Wrecker traveled like an asteroid would, making the ground split and crack underneath its path as the red aura around it swirled and intensified as it drew closer towards Vince. As that attack closed in, the teal and green waves that Vanessa and Mark launched curved, arching at a downwards angle onto Vince.

Vince's eyes dilated weakly, his bloody gaze catching everything around him. As the attacks closed in, one appendage on each side pointed at the arching aura beams, turning them pitch-black as they traveled. They dissipated into oblivion, dispelling them as his knife-like tail swayed casually from behind, the simple swing meeting the Rock Wrecker, disintegrating it into nothing more than crumbled rocks.

Time again slowed down as everyone went wide-eyed, flabbergasted at the immense strength. If they weren't surprised by the sheer strength before, they most certainly were now.

"No way…" Mark muttered.

"One of the most powerful Rock-types attacks was just swatted away?" Vanessa gasped. It was enough her magic had no effect, but she was sure Nic could've handled the assault from behind. Unfortunately, Vince was far deadlier than they anticipated. One could say that those who were present during _that_ night were starting to think he was on eth same level.

Vince remained in his position, unmoved as his eyes dilated for the umpteenth time. He recognized everyone's uneasiness, their paralyzed terror making him feel like a predator, ready to make a devastating move.

"What's going on? It's like none of our attacks has left a single mark." Nic leered with uneasiness, him still behind and at a safe distance. "He's got ominous durability."

"None of our attacks are even coming close to touching him." Magnezone wheezed as he tried to get up, with Kecleon on her hands and knees right beside him.

"And when they do, they turn black and rot." The Color Swap Pokémon said.

Laura was biting her lip, her own frustrations becoming brim. "Then how are we supposed to…?"

Erza grunted, spreading her legs and readying herself. "Alright then." She began to use her Requip once again, glowing. "Doublade, back away!" She yelled.

"Right!" Obeying her Trainer, Doublade recoiled and backed off, allowing herself to fixate on her guard.

Erza requipped successfully, her fixed hair flowing as she stood tall in her Piercing Armor. With the lance pointed at Vince, she bent her knees, converging her magical prowess into her lance. Golden tassels could be seen waving around her lance as she had her sights sets on her target. As she gathered Magic Power, her comrades were getting startled by her pulsating pressure.

"What's she doing?" Laura asked.

"It looks like she's gathering magic into her lance." Mark evaluated.

Nic saw his girlfriend gathering her magic and focusing it onto a single point. He was startled enough with that she'd use her Christmas gift, but was even more shocked that she would use the spell she had just completed thanks to Nic's help a week prior. _'_ _It's that spell.'_ He thought. _'_ _Will it be enough?'_

Once gathered, Erza let out a strong shout and went onwards, lunging across the earth towards her target. Gold shimmered in twirling streams as she speed with speeds rivaling an Aqua Jet, though in actuality, her spell looked all too similar to a Giga Impact. She showed so sense of backing down as she closed the gap between her and a snarling Vince.

" **Delta Pierce!** "

The tip met Vince's face, engulfing them both in a flashing display of golden light that erupted upwards. The land shuddered as the shockwave from her attack exerted passed Vince, dust and wind riling everywhere and expanding towards Nic. He summoned a thick wall of stone to defend himself, ducking as the shockwaves from Erza's piercing attack reached beyond that point, expelling the dust and wind into the sea. A few rippling waves echoed out, swaying the blood red water side to side.

The shockwaves died off, Nic lifting his barrier to see the results. "Erza."

"So, did she get him?" Laura asked, hesitation and uneasiness in the mother's tone.

The dust settled, with Erza standing with a struck position. She stared at the dust ahead of her, waiting the results of her lethal attack that could've leveled a forest. She heard a sound, a crackling one. Her lips parted, looking at her lance, seeing dust settle and the tip was shown to be destroyed, almost half of the lance itself in shards.

Her eyes widened, looking ahead to see that Vince was still on all fours, glaring with a sinister growl as the pieces fell at his forehead, which was without any signs of damage. "Impossible. No damage?" She gasped. "He can't be indestructible-"

Vince cut her off with his right hand palming her. That shove slammed her against the ground, the impact of both hand and earth breaking her armor into pieces. With no time to gasp and take in the damage, Vince's gargantuan mouth with razor-sharp teeth widened up, coming straight down onto Erza to devour her in one bite.

Nic swiped his arm. "Kecleon!"

Kecleon opened her mouth from the distance, extending her tongue and snatching Erza's wrist. With one yank, Erza was snagged away as Vince's mouth clamped down into the ground. She pulled Erza to her side, uncoiling and putting her tongue back where it belonged.

Erza looked in shock. "Kecleon!" She realized what happened, as she was gonna be torn to pieces in one bite. With the fate evaded, she requipped back to her sarashi and hakama pants "Thank you." She thanked.

Nic glowed, shifting to his default. He leered at Vince from behind, unnerved of his indestructible demeanor. "What's his weakness?" He muttered, eyes squinting. "Does he even have a weakness to begin with?"

Vince's eyeballs glanced backwards towards Nic, the monster turning his unkempt form against the hero. The tail swayed like a whip as he pivoted, sending a gust around that stretched out, rattling the land and getting everyone else to hold their grounds. The freak of nature stared at Nic, his purity making him sick. The beast's eyes twitched, getting a highly intoxicating measurement in his center.

He spread his arms out, lowering himself and puckered only briefly before opening his mouth as wide as before, revealing the darkness that was his insides. This caused distress within Nic as he got his guard up.

"What's he doing now?" Mark sked, his patience wearing thin with the advantage belonging to Vince.

Vanessa caught whim of a distressing force. She could sense so much Magic Power flow from the center of Vince's gargantuan opening. "Look!" She pointed out.

Everyone followed her gaze, their hearts momentarily stopping as a bright sphere manifesting from black Ethernano in the atmosphere was forming. His eyes brightened as a high-leveled frequency was heard. A hysterical turbulence of residual dirt and gravel got sucked into the sphere, which compressed into a sphere that packed into the size of a baseball.

Nic could've felt such destructive Magic Power, his heart pulsing far too many beats a second. _'_ _This is…!'_

Erza felt it too. _'_ _Is this magic equal to…!'_

"Nic! Move!" His mom warned.

Vince closed his mouth briefly, devouring the small spherical destructive wave. Nic leaped off to the side, dodging as Vince opened his mouth yet again, unleashing an intense, pressurized blast of destructive darkness that shrieked and tore through the air. The attack's mass and force was as big as Vince himself, and it destroyed the ground, and Nic ducked and rolled off to the side as the beam went blazing outwards, extending far out to the sea.

When the ray disappeared, everyone looked to where it was fired, their horrors only beginning when they saw a bright light in the distance. The light was engulfed in an atomic explosion of darkness that shot up in a number of explosive domes. The destructive force made the explosive fields seem so big, even from miles away.

"What…?!" Magnezone gasped.

"That range…and that power…" Erza was at a loss for what needed to be said. She was paralyzed by this sensation she was trying to hide. Fear. The fear of the world actually ending back to be a realization to her. With that power, and without much any magic used, there was truly nothing limiting the destruction of the Impure Underworld.

Thankfully, the shockwaves were too far away, yet strong tides splashed against the edge of the flat rock that was once the terrible isles. Nic was stunned by what could've been his annihilation if that had hit. "What…what was-"

Vince roared out at Nic again, not at all looking exhausted for suffering any recoil. He opened his mouth again, making another blast conversion.

"He's doing it again!" Mark warned.

"Nic! Move!" Laura shrieked.

Vince closed his mouth, ready to fire. He opened up, unleashing yet another pulsating blast of sheer and raw energy of unbelievable rotting evil. The blast of tainted Ethernano pulsed with no need to stop. It went towards Nic, but Nic was prepped as he covered up and used Protect. The turquoise shield manifested, becoming a barrier successful in shielding Nic, but the monstrously huge laser separated upon contact, diverging its range into comets that rained elsewhere through the sea; some of which reached the mountains several miles over.

The blast ended, and the results happened. The ground beneath Nic depressed again, creating a cave-in that allowed some seawater to gain access. Meanwhile, several pillars of destruction happened in the seas, rising at unbelievable heights. The lasers that traveled into the sky were seen as giant spheres that brightened up the sky. Those that were blown into the mountains were obliterating, the mountains no more than flattened land. All the blasts went off at once, earth quaking and splitting into pieces as the explosions were illuminated in bright red.

No one was safe, not even Nic nor Erza. They all fell to the ground, thudding and barely holding themselves together as shockwaves from all around were cracking up the landscape. The group hollered as the winds of chaotic and destructive force was burning them, like getting sunburned or fried alive.

Vince arose onto his hind legs letting out another venomous shriek of terror. With nothing holding him back, the terror of the blood moon opened his mouth and bellowed at the quaking earth. He had all of his appendage stretched out, straightened almost. His head craned high, bloody red and dark purple energy began to boil and thicken at his mouth. Meanwhile, the same energy of the same color began to materialize at the tips of the ten appendages. The Magic Power levels just didn't stop growing, and the terror continued to rise as the ground beneath Vince caved in from the dense magic that he tore from the earth. Magic was alive, and yet he was killing it, turning it inti a catastrophic force to end the world and every single life. The spirit of the unholy spell had no remorse as all shall perish at his feet.

Nic and everyone saw that the tips of the appendages had spheres relevant to the blasts earlier, and the one from the mouth is larger and shaped like a coned gem. They all got down and ducked, screaming and yelling out as Vince fired the blast from the mouth straight up, while the ones from the appendages shot randomly into far away distances.

The individual blasts shot miles away, hundreds of miles even. They soared over the skies, across the seas, and they were so fast that meteors rivaled their speeds. Whether it was mountains, the sky itself, or some important capitol, they all exploded, reaching Bosco and places all across the continent and sea. Eleven monstrous pillars erupted, the shrieking and terror at high levels as lives all over the world were being stripped by the reincarnations bent on destruction and sending everyone to hell.

* * *

From the oceanic coast, there was a disastrous explosion erupting from afar. From rocks near the shores, Crime Sorciere was observing, but even with the awesome display of raw power, they were by no means pleased.

Jellal, Meredy, and Ultear were all terrified, wide-eyed as they were witnessing the blood red sky with their own eyes. This power that they were feeling, it was the epitome of unholy terror. Meredy's spine shuddered the most.

"What's going on?" Ultear asked, staring at the explosion in the distance.

"I don't know." Jellal answered. "But whatever is going on, I fear that this may be the worst to come." His eyes narrowed, mentally cursing as he could not have foreseen such a hazardous magic. He's sensed something bizarre about the moon and its color on this night, but he got nothing to prove the sheer darkness. "How could we not have seen this?"

"I don't know. But…" Meredy looked at Ultear with worry. "What's gonna happen to us?"

Ultear looked equally as worried. She can't let anything happen to Meredy, and she had to do something. She suddenly picked up on some familiar, yet darkened, magic sense. She whipped her head back towards the sea, getting a very uncomfortable feeling as something emerged from the water.

"Everyone watch out!" Jellal shouted.

They all backed away from something that looked like a black mist, but the mist of bloodiness took shape, transforming into something unholy, especially for Ultear.

The creature craned her neck up, pitch-black and blood red feral slits for eyes glaring at Crime Sorciere. She saw them as prey, and Ultear was the most terrified.

"Is that…?" Meredy trailed off.

Ultear's eyes shuddered, her disbelief mounting as her skin paled. "M-Mother?"

Ur let out a bellow equal to that of a monster. She shrieked, sending chills down everyone's spines.

Jellal's teeth gritted. "What's happening here?"

* * *

All over the world, terror was evolving. Foreign countries, adjacent, it mattered not. The deceased that died as if the year X700 onwards arose from bloody mists, ancestors and deceased parents of offspring had no remorse as they followed the Impure Underworld, annihilating everything. Those who couldn't defend were overwhelmed, eventually having their blood pave streets.

It was a never-ending turmoil, even in Mermaid Heel, as reincarnations attacked. Millianna and Kagura were confronted with two figures that left them near breakdowns. They were unable to bring themselves to process on this terrorizing night as the reincarnated Simon and Rob were present before them.

"G-Grandpa Rob?" Millianna squealed.

Rob snarled, hissing so sinisterly that Millianna gasped.

Kagura was on the brink of tears, looking at Simon as if seeing a ghost. "B-brother…?"

Simon shrieked back, both reincarnations assaulting the two mages. The Mermaid Heel mages had no prayers as their past loved-ones went after them.

At Blue Pegasus, the audience was flabbergasted as Hibiki's Archive Magic was picking up near-infinite levels of Magic Power, and on such a dark and unforgiving scale. They all were struck stiff when the reincarnated Karen entered with Hibiki's back turned, snarling as she had sharp nails, ready to spill everyone in the one color that was needed: red.

Hibiki turned towards Karen, his uneasiness and stomach turning as the spell had made everything that much harder for him. "K-Karen…?"

At the Magic Council, the frog staff were going nuts. The Rune Knights were running all over the place, terror reaching them as Doranbolt and Lahar were standing in front of the Magic Council, the late night session now run by Org having doors open, revealing the reincarnated Gran Doma.

Org was at a loss for words. "G-Gran Doma?"

The deceased chairman attacked, the frog staff trying to collect data from all over the world barely keeping up with Rune Knights swarming the place to stop the reincarnations from taking out all of Era.

As for people in Magnolia, they too had to deal with those who were reincarnated in front of Kardia Cathedral. Gray, Juvia, even Natsu had to fight on. They all used whatever magic possible, but even when engulfed in magic, the reincarnations didn't break. They kept on going. Even with Gajeel pinning many to walls, they pried off, even with the nails in their wrists, much to his paling horror.

Lucy had Loke out at the time, but even Lucy was paling and left petrified in terror when coming face to face with her deceased mother, Layla.

"M-Mom?" Lucy gasped.

Layla screamed out, bellowing like a monster. It almost made Lucy recoil if not for shock still on her face.

"Mom? Mom! It's me!" Lucy shouted. "Don't you even recognize me?!"

Layla had long nails, lunging after her daughter to rip into her.

"Mom!" Lucy shrieked.

At the last second, Loke intervened with a fist engulfed in light. He caught Layla's fist, managing to suppress her. He grunted, barely holding on from the sheer strength.

"Loke!"

Loke leaned back, Layla hissing in front of his face. She tried to snap her fangs against his nose, but Loke was too far. "Gnngh! It-it isn't nice of me to do this, but beating up a lady isn't one of my strong points! Sorry about this, Lucy's mom!" Loke kicked Layla in the abdomen, making her slide back. The mom of Lucy shrieked back at Loke, immediately running back to attack.

"Loke! Stop!" Lucy insisted.

"I can't!" Loke caught Layla, trying to fend her off by grabbing her wrists. Again, the pressure in the mom made him lean back. "Whatever this thing is, even if it is a woman, it ain't here to talk!"

Lucy was misting in the eyes. She couldn't believe it, even if she tried. "No! Mom! It's me~!"

Layla bellowed out again.

"Mom!"

Unfortunately for everyone, they had the same luck as Lucy. They all faced terror as their loved ones and others assaulted, been on the Impure Underworld's blood red moon.

* * *

Vince shrieked, even louder when he did it a second time. The land trembled, and ripples of dust exerted in all directions. The explosions all over the world dialed down, mountains no more and leveled land and desolation unfolding.

Nic looked with terror at the measurements of Magic Power he had to deal with. He was beyond shocked, as he was on a knee. "This…this is the raw strength of the Impure Underworld." He muttered with exasperation.

Vince fell back on all fours, facing Nic with a gaping out with more chaotic energy swelling into the core. The dark flow caught Nic's attention, and before he knew it, the monstrosity gaped wider, sending a disastrous laser at him.

"Nic!" Erza shouted.

The laser went blitzing at high speed, but Nic held his ground. He already used Protect, so using it again would be a 50/50 shot. Odds with what he faced were futile. Instead, he improvised. He opened his mouth, gathering disastrous energy as it reshaped into an orb in front of his mouth. It was a black sphere and he focused it in the center.

" **Hyper Beam!** "

To intercept, he unleashed a black and purple beam o destruction of equally hazardous mass. A ring of purple exerted from the mouth as the ground split, the attack pulsating through levitating rock and meeting the laser in the center. The attacks met in the center, creating a bright flash. A dome-like explosion shattered the ground for the umpteenth time, erupting ripples of sheer explosive energy into the atmosphere. Everyone could barely hold themselves together, let alone stay standing as that attack blew them back several feet.

The shockwaves made Nic slide backwards, his balance completely faltered as Hyper Beam barely weakened the explosive results bent on him. He leaned back, but regained himself in a slide, yet smoke was sprouting from every corner of the area.

Before he had time to counter, Vince swung his tail, immediately blowing away the smoke in a powerful vacuum that Nic had to cover up from. The waves of energy made him slide back for the umpteenth time, and yet he still couldn't move.

 _'_ _Damnit, Hyper Beam's additional effect is making it hard for me to recharge.'_ He cursed mentally. _'_ _I gotta hurry, and fast!'_

Vince hollered as he leaned towards the ground, his tail whipping through the air in some disoriented manner. It confused Nic and everyone until he plunged it into the earth. Startled, they all tried to maintain a safe distance, but Vince picked his tail up, whipping it and sending rocks flying as he catapulted his estranged form towards his at remarkably high velocity.

"Look out!" Mark warned.

Rocks went flying down onto the group gathered, but Mark and Laura used their powers and manifested domes of aura to shield themselves. It worked thankfully as the hefty rocks cracked and crumbled apart against the dome, but that left Vince lunging towards Nic as he was still barely able to move.

Nic went wide-eyed as the disaster blitzed right for him. His heart and mind were racing a million miles a second. He could finally feel Hyper Beam's effect finally wearing off as Vince was closing in from such a close proximity. Time for Nic and everyone slowed down as Nic attempted to pivot and turn, his left side flowing away from the swipe of Vince's claw.

Unfortunately, déjà vu again horrified Erza and Vanessa.

Everyone felt their hearts sink into their stomachs as Vince passed Nic, yet Nic in return couldn't move. He looked to be silently screaming, if not his mouth gaping widely open. His eyes shuddered, the pain beyond measurements as Vince's left claws did in fact meet skin.

Vince slid along the ground, pivoting and snarling back at Nic. His left claws were drenched in blood, red coating his claws. This wasn't remotely enough for the monster to be appeased. He looked ahead, looking as Nic faltered towards the side. His right waist, where one could say Cana's guild mark was located, was severely torn into, blood and torn clothing drenched and starting to spread weakly all over Nic's belly.

Erza and everyone felt terror shrill and mingle through their beings. They couldn't believe it. How could they? First, his entire right side was torn, then losing his left eye, then he gets a slash scar on his back along with Greninja, and now…

"Nic-!" Vanessa reached out towards him as Nic fell onto his back, but Vince suddenly appeared in front of Nic, mouth wide open.

Nic winced and managed to struggle for an eye open, seeing the displeasing red eyes of Vince. His figure looked black in the shadows of the blood moon. If Nic could move right now, he would, but unfortunately, he was lost in his open wound.

"Damn you-!" Nic's eyes went wide and white, with Vince slamming a clawed hand against his chest. "GAAAHHHH!" Nic screamed in riling agony as Vince's claws dug into his chest, crushing into his sternum and causing oxygen to get cut off from Nic.

"Nic!" Erza shouted. She immediately grabbed for Doublade and went rushing ahead to help him. "You leave him alone!" She shouted.

Kecleon dashed right beside her, readying Slash.

Nic's pupils returned, his attention towards Erza and Kecleon. "No! Stay away!" He ordered.

Vince raised his head, roaring in bloodlust for the umpteenth time. Without acknowledgment, he whipped his tail, striking Erza and Kecleon. The two went flying backwards, slamming their backs into the earth in front of the remainder of the group.

"Erza!" Laura knelt down, assisting Erza in support.

Vince looked back down at Nic, growling in irritation at him. Nic's gritting teeth, his defiance, his own sense of justice against justice itself. What was he? Who was he? These factors mattered not. He was a living being, and Vince deemed on ripping him open.

He added more pressure, gradually making Nic scream in a louder agony. The pressure and sudden pressure made small dust waves layer them in mist.

"No!" Vanessa cried out. She felt so hopeless in this situation. This was the countless time again that she was pinned against a rock and a hard place. She had no Magic Power left, and she couldn't have Magnezone get back in there, for that's be suicide. She and the others were severely overwhelmed, and no one was there to help them as they were overwhelmed by a greater force that even Erza couldn't handle. It was all Nic who was taking the hits again.

Lying within the dust cloud, Nic's vision was hazy. Nic mouth was closed, but the teeth were shown within, gritting as the pressure was bone-shattering. _'_ _Damnit.'_ He grunted. Vince was mere feet from his body, inspecting his kill. He raised his right claw, the nails so sharp they could tear Nic's face off in one swipe. If those claws touched him, it's game over. Nic struggled to break free, but couldn't. He was getting desperate for a solution at this time, but no matter how many seconds passed, nothing was helping.

 _'_ _I…I can't let it end like this! Never!_ ' He was trying his hardest to gather energy quickly. _'_ _This monster is my Uncle! Even if he is family, he's still a corpse! This spirit that tainted my family, it wanted to use Giratina's vendetta and destroy the world again! It wanted to use pure evil to destroy with no remorse! I…I…'_

Vince brought his claw down, ready to kill. As Erza screamed out, it fell on deaf ears as everything went black.

 _'…_ _I know what I must do.'_

Mere nanoseconds before the claws could go for his skull, an immense pressure built up suddenly. The pressure around Nic intensified, making gravity diffuse and alter. As pebbles began to rise, Vince snarled as Nic's sudden surge of pressure began to repulse him. The maniacal natural disaster was suddenly picked up, and everyone nearby was feeling a very intense pressure.

Vanessa's hair picked up from this power Nic was surging. "What is…?"

Mark's eyes widened. "What in the world is going on?"

Erza's eyes dilated as she stared at Nic, the energy around him beginning to alter the gravity and make a repulsive veil around him. The land shuddered beneath her feet. _'_ _What is this unfathomable strength. What is Nic doing?'_ She noticed Nic beginning to manifest black streaming energy from the atmosphere. A turbulence of darkness began to encase his body. _'_ _Wait, I recognize this form of transformation!_ '

"This power…it's dark." Magnezone muttered.

Doublade was barely keeping her blades from shaking up. "What is this power? It…is this what I think it is?"

Laura looked at her son as he began to encompass more dark pule and blood red energy. _'_ _His aura is intensifying, and its potency is-!'_

Nic slouched up, huffing as shadows were over his eyes. The veil of darkness around him whipped like a cyclone, but it was like he wasn't budged in the slightest. As the energy began to rise, the veil thickened.

"I've realized something just now." He growled, his tone darkening a little. "This was something I learned when fighting my own demon. If I just use light to embrace darkness, nothing but eternal conflict will unfold. But now…" The veil around him encompassed his entity in full. His body inside was looking to be nothing more than a black shadow. "I must use this one chance that I have made for myself-no! What my family has made for itself, we must use our own darkness, and we must turn it against you."

Kecleon tilted her head, seeing Nic morphing. "Whoa…"

"We'll fight darkness with darkness. You may be our Uncle, but your spirit is nothing more than something you stole from us. From this point on, we'll act your way, and if you want to fight _with_ darkness…" The veil began to distort, becoming a wavy energy that began to shape something dark and all too familiar inside with grotesque wings and a crown. "Then we'll use it as well. To end this!"

Erza's eyes widened. "He couldn't…"

Mark's eyes narrowed. "Is that…"

Vince screeched out at the cyclone, but then it exploded, releasing pitch-black, purple, and blood red omnidirectional energy waves. The atmosphere had gotten far colder than before, and instantly, Erza and everyone got down and met the ground as the blackened shockwaves passed over their heads, annihilating almost everything. In the atmosphere. The chaotic energy in the atmosphere hollered and shrieked like ghosts as the energy waves stretched out.

As the energy dissipated, Erza uncovered, a gasp escaping as her shock overwhelmed her. What she saw, was something she never thought Nic would do.

Vince's tail wagged back and forth, a snarl escaping his throat as he stared at the beast with a blood red aura around his own body. The wings were black, and jagged with red protrusions on the bottom. They unfolded, revealing the screeching might of a familiar entity. It was Nic, but he looked completely unorthodox. He had a golden crown in front and around his face. His upper face above the lips was dark gray with black lined flowing from the lips towards the hollow eyes with glowing blood red pupils. As he stared at Vince, a hollow breath exerted from his mouth, making black mist exert and dissipate in front of him. The lower jaw was as gold as the crown around the head. The neck was gray, as well as the arms. The coat had become gray with black lining. There was an opening underneath that showed black and red stripes for a shirt. In the center to replace the belt was a black line. Below the line was the remainder of the coat, which was gray with black edging. The pants were a darker shadow of gray, with golden brackets around the knees. The feet had cleats, with were of golden toe claws. He had a long tail, with two black lines near the tip. The hands had becoming golden claws, and golden ribs covered the actual ribs.

Vince stopped wagging his tail, ceasing as he glared down the threat. No words came to mind, as none could've been said.

Magnezone couldn't believe what he was seeing. He nearly fell to the ground completely. "Is that really…?"

"No way." Laura muttered.

Kecleon straightened her head. "Fight fire with fire…too hot to handle."

Erza stayed quiet, disbelief mounting all over her. _'_ _Could that really be…Nic…?'_ It was hard for her to make sense that her hero – the one who risked everything – would resort to using such a form that wanted to destroy everything. Even after everything that's happened, Nic has embodied that monster. _'_ _And this power…it's off the charts!'_

 _'_ _Nic.'_ Vanessa thought.

No winds blew as Nic glared at Vince, snarling like a monster. His bloody-looking eyes were hollow, as though no soul was present. " **Legendary Force – Giratina!** " He snared, but his voice was unclear as it was too hollo-sounding.

Vince's tail began to wag again. His appendages crackled as he was starting at Nic. He looked bloodthirsty. He wanted to rip him apart, to tear him to morsels. Vince let out a menacing roar, while Nic was unfazed, even his wings didn't move as dark soundwaves passed him. The land behind broke apart, the rocks swiping and breaking up.

Now it was Nic's turn. Slowly, his wings spread out. When they stretched out completely, gusts manifested, and all because of the stretch of wings. The ground on either side shattered, the energy ecstatic as the rocks depressed and crumbled to bits.

Everyone covered up and held their ground as the surrounding area was unable to hold itself together. They all stuck together, unable to get between the unfolding raw power.

Vince roared out at Nic for the umpteenth time. His appendages crackled as he flailed them insidiously. They stretched out towards Nic, but before they reached him he vanished.

In the blink of an eye, he was beside Vince, the monster of no ideals unable to process anything but red as Nic's right arm was cloaked in Shadow Claw. In one harsh swipe, coupled by a screech, the ground was engulfed in searing black and purple aura waves that ran horizontally and stretched outwards, engulfing everything in the harsh wave out towards the sea. A tide picked up, splashing red water into the surrounding atmosphere.

When the power subsided, Nic was retracting his arm, while Vince was seen at the end of a skid trail several yards away, still on all fours. The dust raged on, but he glared on and went trudging towards Nic in a crawl. Nic responded by disappearing once again, becoming shadows and reappearing in front a second time. As Vince stretched his arm out, Nic did the same, both palms and claws meeting and making rings of shockwaves depress the ground underneath as both stood there. It wasn't until another dust burst that they at last separated, both sliding back to a stop.

Vince's spikes on the appendages glowed as he raised onto his hind legs briefly. He slammed down on the ground, plunging the spikes into the earth. The ground began cracking apart, splitting into several pieces as beams of darkness shot up randomly. The beams and shattering earth went towards Nic, making cataclysmic magnitudes in an expanding fashion. Nic, however, brought his wings back, letting out a huff as he flapped them once. The beams of darkness and rattling of the earth subsides as the shockwaves from his wings cancelled out everything in one big cyclone.

The winds even reached back to everyone, but they all barely held on. Even with Mark and Laura attempting to put up another aura veil, they weren't able to hold for more than eight seconds. Thankfully, the winds stopped by the time the barriers went down.

Within the dissipating cyclone, Vince surprisingly appeared in front of Nic, hollering as he had an arm up. He shoved Nic in the chest, against causing the ground to give way as gusts raged. Nic went flying on his back into a skid on the ground, hollering like a deranged banshee that was the wailing train. Vince dared not stop as he used his appendages and stuck them into the ground. Getting leverage, he sprung into the air, ending up far above and went pouncing down on Nic as he continued sliding.

"Look out!" Vanessa yelled.

Nic used his golden claws and gripped the ground, holding himself from the suppressing assault. On a knee, he looked up and opened his mouth, where a blue sphere of intense shining aura manifested. With an Aura Sphere ready, he fired it, making the Fighting-type move hit Vince's incoming underside. Vince was engulfed in the attack, a ripple exerting outwards throughout the flat terrain. The energy was massive, and it created a shining blue light in the sky.

The attack managed to dial down, revealing Vince falling. Nic reappeared out of thin air and his golden claws glowed with Slash. He relentlessly slashed at Vince, raking at him in midair. He dared not stop, for he could not resist. He hollered and shrieked as left and right, raking into his body. Still, even with Slash, Vince was not ascertaining damage, which was intensifying Nic's anger. The Legendary Force clutched his right fist and dealt a punch to Vince's face. The monster went falling back to earth far away, again making dust flare.

Nic went blitzing at disastrous speed, heading for a frontal attack. He flapped his wings and sailed much closer, but as the dust dissipated, the knife-like tail swung from the side, scoring a skull crushing blow to the side of the crown. Nic broke into the ground once again, making pieces fly haphazardly.

As Vince roared at the monstrous Nic, the mentioned arose as well, barely wounded from the attacks dealt.

Vince opened his mouth wide yet again, the same form in which a bright form of darkness began to compress. The compression was matched with Nic opening his mouth, creating an Aura Sphere. When ready, Vince unleashed a laser of volumized darkness. It ripped through the airspace and made several rings as it went towards Nic, and Aura Sphere made a ripple of energy exert as well. The blue sphere and laser collided in the center, where there was a bright flash erupting before another explosion shot upwards. A huge pillar of darkness encompassed the air, ripples flying all over the skies above, they bellowed like the wrath of a god. The earth shook as everyone else screamed in terror.

Kecleon got in front of everyone, managing to put her hands in front. " **Protect!** " Her defense worked as the turquoise shield made defended the group from the apparent shockwaves. The winds and dust made cracked the earth all around, again, leveling everything from within a mile radius at the very least. Everyone held on as the brightness faded at last, the interception subsiding.

As the jet-like sound ceased, Nic and Vince met in the center, fiercely roaring the other's face as the earth shook yet again. Both had glowing red eyes, snarling like the demonic monsters they were.

The group stared and watched on as it was a back and forth struggle. Both sides were ferociously ripping at the other, with Vince slashing at the golden ribs, barely causing a scratch. And Nic swung his tail, hardly causing dents on the side. Their claws were everywhere, animal instincts overwhelming them all.

"Something's wrong here." Vanessa said, a clutched hand to her chest. "Something about Nic doesn't feel right."

"Yeah, I can see it too." Magnezone said. "He's a little too…violent."

Nic screeched as one of the appendage struck the side of his crown, causing a piece to chunk off.

Erza narrowed her eyes, looking more than a little unnerved as she watched the two tear into the other, merely superficially. Vanessa wasn't wrong. Something about Nic was getting above the food chain. The beast that was supposed to be Nic hollered and fought claw to claw, snarling and yelling in Vince's face and vice versa. Her vision was resolute, her fists clutching by her sides.

"You're right. That's not how Nic fights." She said. "That isn't Nic."

"Not Nic?" Laura questioned.

"His aura seems too red. I can't be certain about it…but maybe Nic's doesn't have much control." Vanessa mournfully noted.

Kecleon looked ahead, tilting her head. "…mental struggles."

Erza bit her lip. She had to pray for the best. Nic had to get control back. It was the only way he'll be able to overpower Vince, because right now, the uncle was keeping the monster on his toes. _'_ _Nic…'_

Vince suppressed Nic to ground, the hand digging into the golden ribs, finally making them crack. The pain meant nothing as Nic hollered and screeched out, trying to escape. The excessive shrieking could make anyone deaf as all that was seen was red, bloody red as Vince had his mouth wide open.

* * *

There was a black void. No sounds, nothing but black. It was a hollow feeling, one that could not easily go away. A simple drop of water would make a man jump in shock if possible.

Inside the empty void, there was but one figure, looking confused, though one couldn't tell from the serious look he gave off to the side. Nic looked left and right, noticing the familiar yet still unpleasant scenery. He slowly turned left and right, analyzing the disturbing pitch-black all around him.

He slowly turned left, and then right. "This place." He said. "It's…"

The void suddenly shuddered, as if an ethereal earthquake happened. Nic was caught off balance for a moment before regaining himself. The sound of faint howling

"What was that?" He wondered.

His spine crawled as another silence fell in the empty space.

" **What a disgusting species you truly are.** " A voice announced from behind. It had perhaps the most sinister tone that could make Vince's shrieking a melody.

Nic nearly jolted, but instead his eyes widened at the voice from behind. His heart pulsated from the deepness that ran like vibrant chords through his nerves. He could've sworn he felt paralyzed from that one sentence. _'_ _That tone. That voice.'_ He began to feel the temperature dropped to where he needed a jacket. His widened eyes began to quell, his answer all too clear. _'_ _I see…'_

Behind him, there was a menacing figure, and he was leering down at Nic with a grotesque growl. He levitated above the space, his slithery figure with many abhorrent wings waving through the slightly distorted void. His bloody red gaze that could paralyze demons shoot daggers to Nic's head and back.

Giratina, and in his Origin Form.

" **Nic Pularis.** " The monstrosity growled.

Nic maintained a calm expression to help him with what insecurities were brought up. He looked over his left shoulder, staring up towards the beast. The angle in which he looked didn't help him feel too whelmed in looking into the insidious eyes. "Giratina." He replied.

" **I can sense your anxiety. You're afraid.** " The gargantuan beast said.

Nic's stare didn't deter. He tried to play along. "…you sure sound pleased to know that much about me." He responded in a serious tone.

" **One could say that.** "

An ominous silence fell on the two, but within that silence, the distorted void that was Nic's sub-conscience shuddered, making Nic leer upwards in slight shock.

" **Quite the amusing scuffle you're having out there.** " Giratina taunted. " **A battle worth having fun.** "

"To the likes of you, it can be. You and I have very different aspects on 'fun', Giratina. I fail to see how an apocalypse could be so joyful to one's heart. And quite frankly, even if I did understand, what would I have to gain out of it?" Nic countered.

Giratina's dark pupils dilated for a moment. " **Everything must end. If it must end eventually, then make it an eternity of nothingness. That serious and stupid look on your face is what I despise about humans and Pokémon alike.** "

Nic remained silent. He and Giratina were never alike in the slightest. One could say they may as well be the opposite. One wanted to preserve what is hope, and yet one abandons all hope and extinguishes any signs of life. The being of Antimatter pressed on.

" **If I could kill you right now, I would happily tear you apart. Unfortunately, thanks to what Arceus did to us, we can never harm anyone for the duration of eternity. And it's all you and your dumb, weak, and pitiful heart that you gave to your Pokémon.** "

Nic did want to question what Arceus did to Giratina and the Dark Legendaries, but after the events of the Dragon King Festival, he was better left not knowing. "I don't necessarily appreciate you insulting what we had to bear through to stop your universal apocalypse. We were doing what felt the right thing to do."

" **Hmph! And what might that be? Stop me, or preserve an eternity of life and chaos?** " Giratina retorted.

"Neither." Nic paused. "It's true humanity and reality is a cruel and cold place, but just killing it off won't solve anything. You knew that someday, even if you did accomplish that, it would eventually return, that's why you wanted to expunge all universal life into an eternal void, so that the cycle could remain in one place." Nic's eyes narrowed. "I am aware of what brought you down your path, and as much as I want to hold everything against you, all I can say is that you're more than a selfish devil."

Giratina didn't move in the slightest. In fact, being called a devil by Nic seemed to have made him feel satisfied. " **Heh. Am I to feel ashamed of what I've done? I bear no guilt to what I've done to your ancestor, and I would gladly do it an eternity longer. To have your entire family and bloodline bent on destruction, to have the millions that had come before you be cursed living a life of blood and anger. I broke human nature into pieces, just as I have with the world before. When you think about it, there is no need for a conscience or ideals to know in your name that I have been your worst enemy before, and I will forever be the scar edged into your soul.** "

Nic continued to look over his shoulder, but his sub-conscious mind began to fall back to the beginning, when he struggled against his parents. Then there was the Edolas to Kalos incident, then Lysandre, the Dragon King Festival, and finally now.

" **No matter how you see it, I have always been the end of you. The bane of your feeble existence. I have neared the end of the world many times now, and even now, my power lingers inside of that so-called Uncle of yours. I have been the cause of nearly all the apocalypse that have transpired in your life up till now.** "

"And yet every time, you've been thwarted by my family, one way or another." Nic countered.

Giratina's eyes narrowed. " **And what would happen if you thwarted me this last time?** "

Nic furrowed his brow.

" **Think about it. If you defeat your Uncle, my residual energy is forever expunged. And do you know what will happen if that'll happen?** "

Nic didn't seem to understand it at first, but the more he began to think, the more consequences he would bear witness to. His eyes widened when he came to a conclusion.

" **That's right. Seems you've figured it out. You don't have the heart to fully end your Uncle's life. That heartfelt conviction is exactly why you can't control yourself as of now. This is will be your end. And humanity will expunge itself…all thanks to my powers and your family legacy.** "

Suddenly, Nic smirked.

" **What is it, human? What do you find so amusing at this point?** "

"You know…" Nic reached for his pocket. There lied his earbuds and phone. The small vibrations were the heavy metal that ran through the earbuds. "It's funny you say all those things, but in the end, I have come to realize something…"

Giratina remained quiet as Nic spoke aloud.

"In retrospect, you've actually proven humanity's strength through us. As much as I despise you myself, I have everything to thank for because of you."

Giratina's eyes widened. " **What…did you just say?** "

Once again, the space shuddered like an earthquake, but Nic ignored it.

"You heard me. Thank you." Nic turned away, still grinning as his sunglasses rested on his V-neck, and his hands were still on the phone. "Humans naturally struggle, but even as you put my blood relatives and ancestors in a hole you dug for them to fall in, we managed to survive. Yes, it was perhaps a gruesome struggle, but within that struggle, we still ended up here. You guided us down a dark road that we still managed to live in. You wanted to kill us, but instead, you only proved humanity can cope and get stronger with darkness enveloping lives." Nic looked down at the dark flooring. "There are sacrifices that I myself wished to not have made…" He thought back to Future Nic, and how he afterwards sacrificed his sunglasses and earbuds. "But they always mean something in the end. Even if Vince is my Uncle, he's in pain…just like you put _him_ through." He glared back at Giratina from over his shoulder once again, his smile gone. "You've guided us on this pat, and I learned that to grow stronger, I can accept my demons…and that means I can accept what you did. Whether you like it or not…you've actually provided good."

Giratina stared down at Nic, nothing but sheer shock and bewilderment came across the monster's face. The hundreds of millions of years that he's been around, he's seen foolish humans; those who thank bad guys before, even after all the harm they've committed to them, those who went nuts over others like obsessions, and then there's Nic. How could someone like him actually thank him when he's cursed him, even when his dark energy was no longer there inside him. Nic made peace and dispelled the dark blood, something Giratina loathed him for to no end.

The two remained silent for what seemed to be an eternity, until at long last Giratina spoke up.

" **Tch, you are a fool. I hate you.** " He admitted in a deadpan tone. Slowly, the figure's body began to fade away. " **I really do…despise you…Pularis…** " The entity that had cursed him for so long had been forgiven, and Giratina's ethereal essence faded away, leaving sound at long last.

As he looked ahead, the black void that was his conscience finally began to shine a bright light, casting away the darkness and guilt forever.

* * *

In the reality of all things, Nic's body was lying embedded into the earth, unmoving as the eyes were dull. All his armor and crown parts were either cracked or chipped, while his attire was scratched and dirty. He remained unmoved as Vince pressed a claw against his face, crushing him with massive force. The monstrous spirit snarled down at his defeated adversary, ready to finish him off.

Erza clutched her fists tight. "Damnit…" She was shuddering. "Damnit…" The longer she stared, the more anxiety ran through her. She couldn't take it anymore as she grabbed Doublade. "Damn you!"

"No! Erza!" Laura shouted.

Erza didn't listen. She didn't care. All she knew was that she had to get to Nic. With Doublade, she rushed ahead to attack, but as she drew herself closer, the knife tail around Vince wagged once, as he was drawn towards Nic. His swing to the side made a powerful gust, one that forced Erza backwards.

"Erza!" Vanessa used what magic left in her to summon a weak teal strand. It reached and snatched Erza's waist, pulling her back and keeping her in place. The teal energy dissipated, leaving Vanessa huffing.

"What are we gonna do?" Laura questioned worriedly.

" _Is_ there anything we can do?" Mark wondered, his hope starting to die off.

Kecleon looked worriedly at her Trainer as he laid there, unable to respond. "Nic." While crestfallen, she dared not give up on him, even to death.

Vince opened his mouth, gathering energy as darkness and dark purple manifestations transformed into a sphere of compressed energy. The high frequency beam was in front of Nic's face, getting smaller and smaller, until it was the size of a baseball when ready.

Vanessa's eyes widened in terror as she was still seeing no sign of Nic coming around. "NIC~!" She screamed in terror.

Suddenly, a golden claw stamped against the massive and open jaw, causing Vince to point upwards, where the blast misfired. The abrupt bomb fire shot into the sky, shooting out of range and disappearing, only to be seen as a dark purple explosion that illuminated the far distances. The residual clouds above dissipated from the ripping energy.

Erza stared with shock as her hair whipped around from that blast in the sky. "What…?"

"Was that…?!" Mark was petrified as he couldn't find words to say.

"That wasn't a misfire." Vanessa said.

"That…" Erza whipped her head forward, witnessing with a brightened look as a tail slam from Nic's body smacked Vince's face, causing rippling pressure that made a trail that Vince trailed through as he slid back.

The maniac growled as he felt that attack. He turned his head to face Nic once again, finding him already on his feet and with a shadow over the eyes. The 20-year-old was silent as he had his head down, his gaze closed off from the others.

Vince hollered in the earth again, the primal shout rang at dangerous volumes. As the airspace shuddered abruptly, Nic was still undeterred.

Vanessa looked ahead with uncertainty. "Nic…?"

A long silence fell as Nic didn't respond. Eventually, he picked his head up, the eyes a normal shade of red. Not of glowing murder nor a dull deadness, but of a red that spelled passion. His gaze was fixated on Vince. Ready to battle, he spread his wings out once again, small gusts breaking out and kicking up rocks.

"Is that really…?" Laura trailed off, unable to finish.

"Yeah, it's me." Nic finally answered. His lips made a small smile. "Sorry, it took me awhile…but I'm finally ready to deal with this demon."

Erza stared at Nic, the light in her gaze vaguely returning hope onto him. He was back. Whatever he had to deal with, the look on his face gave her the confidence she wanted. Nic was back to finish what's been started.

Nic stared at Vince, ready to end it all right then and there. His glare was as harsh as the comparison to Giratina. "This ends here…Uncle. This time, it's my turn to be the hero you taught us to be." He said.

Vince snarled at Nic as he watched his nephew flap his shadow-like wings, depressing a small fraction of earth as he ascended. When Nic was at a high enough elevation, he flapped in place as Vince planted his limbs into the earth, getting traction as he had all the appendages aimed at Nic. There, several dark spheres with high frequencies began to converge.

Nic remained passive as all the spheres were fired, ten astonishing lasers of rotting darkness heading his way. The beams vaporized molecules, and Nic back-winged the ten beams in one swipe. In simultaneous directions. The ten beams faded in the multitude of distances, exploding far away in giant spheres or pillars that demolished mountains or seawater miles away. The shockwaves from the attacks picked up waves and cyclones that whipped around in the atmosphere, causing the group to again cover up.

Nic dove down onto Vince, hands raptured in Dragon Claw. He met Vince's claws shortly, the pair in a deadlock of holds as Nic's momentum made his Dragon Claw overpower briefly, making Vince trail on his hinds legs several feet. As they flew backwards, Nic opened his mouth, loops entering his mouth as a blue orb manifested.

" **Dragon Breath!** "

He engulfed his adversary in an explosive blue beam that radiated upwards like blue fire. The pillar of blue shook the air as Nic recoiled backwards, sliding against the ground. As he halted, his attack subsided, revealing Vince swiping and dissipating the attack himself.

"He's so powerful." Laura muttered.

Vince screeched as he whipped his tail around, the lash of the knife tail went flying overhead, curving down onto Nic. Nic's claws glowed, using Slash and he parried with one swipe to the side, deflecting the tail. Vince didn't stop his rampage as he used his appendages to assault. Nic never stopped with Slash. He relentlessly assaulted with no sense of stopping his deflection. Slash parried many spiked appendages, yet some still managed to get through. A few spikes struck some parts of the abdomen, enough to penetrate skin, but all it did against Nic's body was give him a few scrapes. Their back and forth parrying didn't last too long as Nic brought his wings back once more.

" **Ominous Wind!** "

Nic brought his wings forward, summoning a tempest of dark winds. The dark purple winds of scorn pulsated all throughout the terrain and air, encircling the area above in a cyclone of purple winds that were almost like purple clouds, meanwhile the Ghost-type move's shockwaves and residual winds diced apart the earth, extending towards everyone else, who were pushed back against a rock.

The winds subsided, revealing Nic and Vince several feet apart from one another. Both snarled with venomous growls, each possessing extraordinary power. Their inhumane qualities began to make the earth quake yet again. The isle began to rattle, the seas nearby rippling as dark purple aura encompassed Nic while pitch-black surrounded Vince, their eyes both glowing red and looking like bloodthirsty demons. Fortunately, at least one was sane.

No one said anything. No words came to mind as their pressure was continuing to quake all forms of matter. The dark matter in the atmosphere began to cloud overhead. They noticed the few purple clouds became a large circular bed of darkness that circled overhead. Its range seemed to have bent for miles on end. The two energy signatures Nic and Vince gave off made the tides themselves wash away, much to all their disbelief. The tides – the sea itself – was afraid.

Both dashed into one another in the blink of an eye, their heads colliding making another fearsome dark wave bellow out and over everyone's heads as they ducked for cover.

Nic brought his left arm up with Dragon Claw and slammed it down against Vince's head. While more earth scattered beneath, Vince roared at Nic, sending dark soundwaves all around and making Nic slide backwards against the ground. As Nic stopped his skid, another tail swipe from Vince went streaming from the front. Applying a counter, Nic readily disappeared before it made contact.

Vince growled low, not regarding that his shadow was thickening and had disastrous red eyes.

" **Shadow Sneak!** "

A streak of dark shadows struck Vince's underside. This time, the shadows didn't rot away like Kecleon's did. Vince was brought up to his hind legs as Nic emerged from the shadows beneath with darkness in his right claw.

" **Shadow Claw!** "

In one swipe, the uppercut trailed darkness as he slashed at the monster, grazing his abdominal area.

"A hit! Finally!" Mark exclaimed, expressing satisfaction.

"I never would've believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes." Laura said.

Erza looked perplexed as she watched Nic duke it out. "I have a theory, and I think Nic just proved it."

"Theory?" Doublade inquired.

"Remember that it was Giratina's dark will that was also a requirement for this spell. And given this…power, it seems the only thing capable of leveling with this dark power in the world is…" She trailed off, the implication noted as the dark purple clouds overhead continued circling. Given the evidence and energy given off, it was the only explanation. This energy resembled much of what transpired months prior, so it was only natural to assume that to fight fire, you use fire as well.

Vince opened his mouth, the incoming compression again unfolding. A high frequency sphere shrunk as he closed his mouth. When he opened his mouth, rings of power nearly broke the ground as another humungous laser went firing across the field.

The beam closed in one Nic, but he stretched his hands out, the huge laser engulfing him. He was surrounded by a white flash for a brief moment, the landscape shuddering haphazardly as the energy swelled, spiraling suddenly into Nic. The converging energy that roared violently was manifesting into Nic's center, returning to being a sphere, this time in his possession.

Everyone again felt shock arise as the energy could kill anyone upon contact, but not the likes of using Giratina's prowess.

Nic swiped to the side and sent the sphere off towards the distance. The hand-sized sphere went flying through the sky, arching as it disappeared from sight out towards the sea miles off. Minutes after disappearing, a giant pillar dozens of times larger than Crocus shot up towards the atmosphere, making a giant dome of darkness that bellowed the earth from all around.

"How much power does he even have?!" Magnezone exasperated.

Vince opened his mouth again, making yet the same energy. However, this time, he didn't close his mouth. The sphere was so small, but it unleashed several smaller blasts from it like a barrage. They were all fired one after another, hyper-consecutive order at sped towards Nic.

With one flap of his wings, Nic used Ominous Wind with a high-pitched screech, shuddering airspace once again. The chaotic maelstrom of awesome prowess manifested a heinous cyclone that whirled like a full-grown twister in between Vince and Nic. The barrages were all swallowed in the Ghost-type move, spiraling all the way up towards the tiptop. They all reached the pinnacle and they went flying overhead, flinging off to distances unknown as before.

Same as before, they scattered dozens if not hundreds of miles apart, the tiny spheres hitting either land or water, enveloping everything in chaotic explosions. Giant pillars of rotting darkness encompassed a large amount of area, rattling all elements.

Nic clutched his fist and used Dragon Claw, socking Vince across the face. "You are not my true Uncle!" He yelled. He was countered with Vince opening his gargantuan mouth, snapping razor-sharp teeth down on the abdominal area and making Nic screech in agony as teeth penetrated his skin, though superficially. The chipped rib armor wasn't deterred by much. Regardless of his power and defenses rivaling Vince, he dared not stop.

Next was Shadow Claw as he brought it down overhead, hitting Vince in the head and sending him into earth, depressing and shuddering it greatly. "The Vince I was told of was never a psychotic overlord! The Vince I was told of-" His Shadow Claw met a strike from a frontal claw assault, making bone-crushing force exert in a ring that shuddered air between again. "Died loving his family! The Vince I know-" Nic swung his tail from the side, knocking away Vince. "Had a heart unlike anyone who was ever out there! He may have been a loser in his own eyes, but not to me! To all of us, he was the truest hero! His legacy made us to where we are today, and we owe it to help him in every way we can and will manage!"

"Nic." Mark and Laura quietly eyes their son. For a brief instant, they could've sworn that his image looked a lot like Vince.

On Vince, there were several scrapes, bruises, and one or two openings, revealing pitch-black inside. Dark steam leaked out of his pores as he breathed in and out. He looked towards Nic again with exasperation. The unholy spirit's red eyes shrunk, the mouth widening as largely as possible. The cataclysmic energy encompassing the area began to converge one last time. This time, the small sphere that was supposed to be the projectile attack enlarged. Becoming a size of a Wailord overhead. Vince shrieked like a banshee, making everyone cover up.

Winds surged as the sphere nearly touched the dark sky. Erza's brown eyes nearly went hazy from overwhelming Magic Power. The magical energy was not only extraordinary, but so dark she was feeling as though her skin was gonna burn up.

"No way…" The redhead muttered.

Kecleon looked startled. "This pressure."

Vanessa sunk to her knees. As she stared at the giant sphere Vince was making, she could feel levels of pressure so enormous that it made those several shots before look like small fry. "What kind of power is…?"

Vince screeched out louder, ready to kill everything. The several small spheres from before could take out locations the size of Magnolia, and slightly larger ones the size of Crocous, but a sphere as grand as the one he made could very well destroy half the continent.

Nic gritted his fangs and sneered up ahead. Readying himself, he lunged upwards. "No you don't!" He fired himself towards the giant sphere in the sky.

Vince roared up at Nic as his appendages were holding up the gargantuan bomb. With his mouth free, he sent several dark comets streaming through the air curving up towards Nic. All the heinous streams went zooming at speeds that rivaled Rapidash, and yet Nic disappeared in shadows as he was flying upwards, safe from harm.

He reappeared above the giant sphere, glaring down with glowing red eyes.

"This ends here!" He yelled. With a strong shout, the dark aura around his body returned, swirling like a helix. The energy encompassing him gradually increased, making the dark clouds in the sky swirl. They all began to swirl into the vortex over Nic's head, much to everyone's disbelief.

Erza looked in astonishment. "What is he…?"

"Nic, what are you-?!" Vanessa trailed off, her brother gathering the cyclone from above. The dark clouds that swirled above began to fall, the whirlpool in the center curving down and entering Nic's body. Drastically, the whirling darkness began to escape from the atmosphere and entered Nic's entire body, until finally, every vapor ounce had entered his body. The helix around his body was turning to a misty black as he snarled low like an animal. His eyes glowed brighter.

"He…he absorbed all those dark clouds made from their residual energy." Erza stated.

Vince glared up at Nic, ready to destroy him. The power meant nothing. He was an entity, and one way or another, he shall die and he will savor ripping him to shreds.

Nic then did the most shocking move ever. He looked down and crossed his arms, swiping them in opposite arches. With a loud huff, the giant sphere beneath followed his arches, and the entire thing began to tear into two, right down the middle until fully separated.

Again, everyone gaped their mouths.

The diverged bomb slowly fell over on opposite ends, and it was going to erupt due to that breakage, but then they turned red and purple. They became ethereal energy that swirled into Nic's body above. Again, he was absorbing the dark energy, ready to use it at his accord. All that power of darkness and pure evil, and Nic took it all in.

The misty helix around his body became a dark aura that encompassed him, becoming pitch-black and made only his glowing red eyes available. The energy began to take shape, morphing into the shape of a smaller version of Giratina.

No one said anything. What could they say? This was baffling. They had no concept of this unorthodox battle. This was the second battle ever that it was out of this world.

Vince bellowed up again, unable to admit defeat. He still had plenty of immeasurable power left, and no matter what, all shall die.

The Giratina figure that was Nic flapped his wings and the crest the was the crown began to glow. He began to dive down once more. "Time to free my Uncle! Begone with you, tainted spirit!" The space between Nic and Vince suddenly cracked, and the distortion around it became prominent as the cracked space shattered, revealing spiraling purple and shadows inside. Nic dove in without a second thought, the space swirling back into a fixed state.

Vince glared ahead, seeing space crack in front. He hollered ahead, watching more space crack apart. Without a second thought for himself, Vince went crawling towards the space, readying to slaughter.

Meanwhile, the space finally shattered, the glass shattering to small pieces as spiraling darkness was seen inside. Nic went lunging out, head first as he was ready to finish it once and for all.

" **Maxus Legendary Arts – Shadow Force!** "

A screeching Vince lunged at Nic with mouth wide open and claws stretched out, and Nic hollered the same disastrous tone of Giratina. He met Vince in the center, and with one last shout from the heavens to hell, Nic picked up speed, pitch-black shadows flowing behind as he passed the monstrosity. As he passed Vince, his left arm was stretched out, tearing something that looked a lot like the creature right now was. The shadow of the figure was torn in half, the shadow and pitch-black eyes that it had bellowing in howling, barking agony as Nc followed through, ripping fully through in a slashed pose.

The torn shadow remained motionless, as was Vince. Both their skins went blood red, the two violently shuddering and their wide mouths exerting a red light. They craned their heads high, the light breaking into the atmosphere.

Both let out one final scream, bloody and mind-destroying, and then the shadow was engulfed in an atomic explosion. The explosion was all of dark purple, blood red, and pitch-black, screeching with every morsel of anguish stockpiled into the spell. Kecleon used Protect and shielded everyone was the ground diced up yet again, and they too screamed as the shockwaves went over their heads. As they stretched out, it scattered into the sky, wailing like demons and crying out as they faded away into oblivion forever lost.

The blood red lens over Erath Land that was the Impure Underworld suddenly began to fade away. With the spirit gone for all of eternity, the spell was forever lost.

Back on the ground, the dust waves began to settle, Erza and everyone else coughing. "Is…is everyone alright?" She coughed.

"Yeah, I-I guess so." Mark wheezed.

Kecleon lifted Protect, head straight. "Intense."

Vanessa managed to open her eyes, looking ahead at the scene. "Did we…did we win?"

Ahead on a leveled plain, there was Nic, his Giratina Form finally turning rainbow and dissipating, revealing himself all battered and scraped up. His left waist was still holding the disastrous wound, but he powered through as he managed to stay straightened up. Behind him, there was what looked like a paled man. His armor was broken, revealing a withered body with a few scars all around. If anything, his dull black hair could tell how dead he really was.

Nic pressed a foot ahead as he fell, keeping leverage. He took in a big sigh of relief, his success finally afoot.

"Nic!" Hearing the sounds of everyone, he turned around to find Erza and everyone running towards him and his shabby state.

"Guys-GAH!" He turned towards them, but he was instantly met with a happy and ecstatic embrace of both Erza and Vanessa. Their hold on him was tight.

"We're so glad you're okay." Vanessa said, trying to keep herself together.

"You had us worried there. Thank goodness you're in one piece." Erza said, her tone so full of anxiety. "We thought you…you…"

Nic wanted to pull away from the embrace, but the two most important girls in his life were worried sick. He couldn't pull himself away despite his need to breathe. He powered through the embrace, resting his chin between their shoulders. "It's okay. I'm here." He said.

Kecleon walked up to her Trainer. She looked up and tilted her head. "I like hugs too." She hugged Nic's leg, her tongue hanging out from the side.

Magnezone, Doublade, and the parents smiled warmly as they were also thankful that Nic was in one piece.

Erza looked down at his wound, noticing how lethal it looked. "Nic, your wound."

Nic put a hand to the wound, trying to hold in the pain. He continued to smile at them. "I'll manage." He said.

"He's a manager." Kecleon said.

Nic looked down at her, smiling that she was also okay. He petted her head, making her feel relief.

"Gnnnnngh..." An uneasy groan caught everyone's attention.

Everyone turned towards the body lying on the ground, seeing as how it was barely alive. They all began to frown, a sense of worry coming across them as they began to gather around the corpse. They kept a small distance away from it as precaution, but for the most part, they remained in front so that they could see his face.

The eyes opened weakly, revealing a hazy yet warm blue. He blinked, before coughing up a small spout of red that dripped to the side of his lip. He breathed slowly, very slowly. He remained quiet, silently looking up at the sly, seeing the red slowly fade away.

"What…what did I…?" Vince muttered. He looked to be himself at last, Nic having destroyed the Impure Underworld spirit and the last bit of Giratina's dark will. He frowned, staring up at the sky with dread. "I…"

Nic looked towards Vanessa. The two frowned mournfully for their Uncle at his lifeless form. They looked back at him, and slowly walked towards him.

"Hey, wait-!" Mark reached for them, but Laura stretched an arm towards the side. When Mark looked towards her, she too was mournfully frowning for her brother.

Nic and Vanessa walked up towards him, standing over his body. They both looked down at his troublesome state, not at all afraid after what they've been through.

Vince looked up at them, his blurred vision clearing up just enough for him to see Nic and Vanessa. He turned his head slowly left and then right. "You…you two…" He didn't need to ask, just looking at them was enough. His eyes narrowed. "Those eyes. There's no mistaking it."

Nic and Vanessa continued to remain silent at their Uncle's bewilderment.

Vince managed to half-grin. "I can't believe it…I have a nephew and niece." He smirked. "I must really be getting old." He joked dryly.

Laura's frown turned to a sour grin, shaking her head. "Sour humor. He's back." She thankfully said.

"I never would've guessed that Mark and Laura would actually make two kids to run around and scream like wild Pansage. I never thought I would see the day…" He frowned. "Just look at you two." He paused, allowing himself to take full view of the bloodied nephew and the dirty niece that was by his own hand. "So horrid, and it was by my hand. Why? Why even after I stained your own blood, do you both hold your heads high?" His eyes began to mist. "I made you into monsters. Why am I feeling so…disgusting?"

Nic lowered his head again, frowning deeper. What could he say? What would the Vince he was told of say? It didn't take long before an answer came.

"Why would we hold our heads high? Because it's something you would've done in the face of defeat." Nic said.

Vince went wide-eyed.

"You hurt us, but that wasn't you. It was the spirit that you willingly sacrificed to. You aren't to blame for anything that you've done…no matter how clear nor blind we may seem to you."

Vanessa nodded at her brother's words. "You've saved us. We were just returning the favor." She said.

Vince looked at them, a small silence passing before he grinned yet again. He seemed to be taking the situation very well despite what's been done. He relaxed, his gaze cascading up towards the sky. "I've dealt with the darkness in my heart, and look where it got me. I lost." He slowly blinked, keeping his misty eyes from spurting liquid. "I was desperate when it came to winning, that I thought for once when I stopped the spell…it would feel like a victory. I managed to preserve my sis and bro-in-law…but at too great of sacrifices. How frustrating." Despite his annoyance with how he felt like he won, he honestly thought he lost again. "I actually lost the game, big time…was I that desperate to become a Chooser?"

Beggars and Choosers. Nic and Vanessa cursed that game, but as much as they wanted to, it can't change the outcome. In reality, Vince – looking at it in one way – had in fact turned from a Beggar to a Chooser. But even afterwards, he lost. Beggars really couldn't become Choosers, and their bargain is dropped.

Trying to find comfort, Vince smiled again. "But…I can't help but feel…" He looked down at Nic and Vanessa once again, staring at their serious and mourning expressions. He grinned. "Happy."

Again, Nic and everyone frowned.

"Maybe more than happy. Perhaps I feel proud. Proud because of what path I chose…I was able to see my beautiful niece and nephew…and see this stupid curse of ours be lifted." His smile widened a little. "I didn't wanna put anyone in harm's way ever again because of my selfish mistakes, but even then, you all stuck your necks for me." He began to recount his earlier days, back when the last Impure Underworld was made. He thought back to his noble sacrifice, and how that was the start of it all. "What a legacy." He mused.

Nic remained silent for just a little longer, before speaking up again. "You've done good." He quietly said.

Vince snickered. "I don't deserve such words. The only thing I'm to be thankful for…is opening and closing dark wounds." His eyes got hazy, the last bit of energy starting to fade away. "But…I guess what I'm to be thankful for…is…is…"

His eyes began to tear up. Everyone's frowning intensified as Vince began to finally cry. Not of sadness, but of joy.

"…for finally seeing my family…just one last time. Finally…I got to see what beautiful children my sister had." His eyes began to shut slowly. "You sure got the looks." His body began to glow, slowly, his figure was beginning to give off sparkles. "Losing…really does have greater benefits in it…I really am happy." He cried. "Thank you…thank you…everyone…thank you…"

As his body began to glow, tears ran down the side of his face. He began to think back to the times he's shared countless battles with his Gengar, to times where he tending to Laura when she was a toddler. There he went to the times he was just being himself and influencing Mark and Laura. Even afterwards, he began to sheds tears of seeing images of Cierra and Terrence, along with Hiruzen. He thought of his sacrifice, and he pictured Mark and Laura in front of him, only for them to fade and become Nic and Vanessa.

"My only regret…" His body was fully purple, glowing brightly. "Is that you didn't get to know the real Uncle Vince that helped you grow up."

Nic and Vanessa's heads turned upwards as small winds picked up as Vince was engulfed in a pillar of holy light. His body began to fade away, his eyes closing one last time as Nic and Vanessa mournfully looked at him. With nothing else to say, his eyes finally shut, a smile on his face as his body at last fused with the light. With his body gone, an ethereal image of him edged into the pillar of light looked down with pride as he stared at his family.

 _"_ _After so many loses, I still didn't quit. I guess I was worth something after all…so this is what a true victory feels like."_ His voice was a weak telepathy through the airspace, barely for anyone to hear. _"_ _It feels…"_ The pillar of light faded away, dialing down for only a few specks of purple to dazzle the now black night once again. They twinkle like stars. _"…_ _good."_

Laura shed tears as she watched her brother pass on in peace. Mark held her close, comforting her as his gaze was of deep sorrow.

Nic and Vanessa stared up with nothing to say of their Uncle's passing. With him finally at rest, meeting Granma and Grandpa at long last, they could take comfort in his peace in mind as he could watch them grow.

Nic's eyes closed, but his head was held high. "Farewell…Uncle Vince."

* * *

All over the world, the lens over Earth Land faded away, revealing the stars and sky once more. Effects began almost instantaneously. With many panicking families in the chaos, the ones living fended against the reincarnated, until suddenly they all went stiff. The deceased suddenly were paralyzed by some odd force.

All over the world, lights were enveloping the land. Pillars of light that were deceased ones that were dead in the century. They all screeched as golden light pillars engulfed them, their bodies becoming golden sparkles as they faded away to nothing.

Crime Sorciere stared in awe. With themselves battered against Ur, Ultear was the most shocked as her mother suddenly stopped her ravage assault and was engulfed in a golden pillar of light. "Mother?"

Ur's eyes went from bloodthirsty red to normal as she began to fade. She looked down at her daughter, seemingly half-grinning if she had time. "Ur…tear…"

Ultear reached out as her mother regained herself, but she was gone. The pillar dissipated, and that left Ultear staring with shock at her Mother returning to the afterlife. Her comrades stared with equal shock.

Zancrow, Azuma, Gran Doma, Karen, and all the others regained themselves at the last minute, their eyes wide as they took in their surroundings before they were engulfed in golden lights. Their bodies faded, returning to the afterlife of wherever they were meant to be.

Layla's body remained motionless, her body on a golden pillar and her body sparkling. Lucy and Loke stared with shock at the scene. Lucy saw the blood red in the eyes fade, revealing Layla's eyes once again.

"Lucy…" She muttered.

"No way…" Loke muttered.

Lucy was nearly breaking down. "Mom…?"

Layla smiled at her daughter, the pillar of light encompassing her at last as she faded. "You've gotten so beautiful…Lucy…" Her voice faded away.

Lucy's eyes shedded tears. "Mom!" She cried.

The pillar faded, leaving specks of gold in the atmosphere. Lucy stared up at what was her mother returning to the afterlife. She slumped down, tearing up and looking at the sky, recalling the last words Layla said to her daughter.

* * *

Erza and the others regrouped together, all of them looking at each other and feeling the dark magic in the atmosphere fade away.

"Can you feel that?" Erza inquired.

Nic raised his head, feeling the intoxicating atmosphere become fresh. "Yeah, I can. It seems that the Impure Underworld is finally subsiding."

Kecleon tilted her head. "I feel hungry…for life."

"The energy is returning to normal…that's good. Very good." Mark said, his tone melancholic.

Laura nodded. "We've done it. We've stopped the spell. The deceased should be returning to where they belong."

Nic looked at everyone, a proud smile on his face. When he looked towards Erza and then Vanessa, both smiled at him with pride and joy. Erza leaned into Nic, mustering up what bliss and thanks she had into giving him the embrace of warmth that he desired from her. Her head hair on his cheek made him blush a little.

Doublade looked towards Magnezone and Kecleon, all of them smiling.

However, in the midst of their little celebration, some odd sensation began to surge. Small golden sparkles floated up from Mark and Laura, catching them by surprise.

 _'_ _This…!'_

 _'_ _This light…'_

The golden buds began to twinkle, catching everyone's attention. As Nic and Vanessa looked towards them, their eyes widened.

"Mom! Dad!" Vanessa gasped. She looked up and down, seeing the specks intensify. "What is…"

"Why are you glowing?" Erza asked.

Nic inspected them as well, looking equally as baffled. However, he remained still, as if aware of this dire scenario.

The parents looked at each other mournfully, their frowns as evident as their realization. The time had finally come.

"The spell's been stopped. We're so glad it did." Laura said. "But it looks like you forgot something else. We were reincarnated just like anybody else."

Mark looked down, saddened. "It seems…our time has come once again."

Everyone stared in deep bewilderment. They couldn't believe what they heard, not in a million years. Nic and everyone had shock written all over their faces, though Nic's was humbler. It was one of the consequences he realized when Vince and the Impure Underworld was gonna be taken down. The chain reaction has met its end, and the price was all too great to bear.

Vanessa could barely pull herself together. "You mean…"

Erza's mood began to go blue. "So this is it?"

Mark shrugged. "Yeah, one could say."

"We've done our part. There is nothing else for us to say nor do for you." Laura said. "This is truly the one time we can say this. We're sorry."

Nic stared at his mother and father, seeing the specks around them intensify. He remained silent with a stoic face.

Vanessa's shock began to turn to sadness. "Wait!" Her fists began to clutch. "You mean…just like that? You're sorry?"

"Yeah." Mark said bluntly.

Vanessa's gaze hardened. "You mean after all this time, now you say that you're truly sorry? After everything that's happened?!" She couldn't believe her ears. The youngest Pularis was in disbelief that even after the hardships as a child, all that Mark and Laura could truly was a simple apology. It was beyond superficial. "What kind of an apology is this?"

"Vanessa." Magnezone muttered. He agreed with her to a degree, and he has forgiven them for what they've done, but even after the time that they've spent together, it was still harsh for the parents to say just that.

"You have every right to be angry with us. We still hold nothing against you." Laura told her child.

Vanessa stared at her. "Mom…"

"Even after all this time, we have every right to be branded as terrible parents. We weren't in the best of shape to begin with. Look at us." Mark gestured to his glowing body. "We could barely keep ourselves alive."

Laura looked away, a smile on her face. "Even after everything that's happened, we still never expected forgiveness from you. It's alright if you don't forgive us, really. We just wanted to make things right for one time in our lives." There wasn't a lie in her word.

Nic moved towards them. "Mom-!"

"No!" Laura intervened. "Let us finish!"

Surprised, Nic relented. He and the others continued to watch the lights around them intensify.

"We were given another chance to repair what broken pieces we've scattered, but even then, pieces are still unrepairable. There's no other way for us to make up for the terrible things we did other than what happened." Mark said. "We were never fair to you, neither of you. We screwed up, and we paid the price. This is merely our upcoming."

Somebody wanted to say something, they honestly wanted to say otherwise, but Laura began to mist in the eyes.

"We were designed to destroy, but in the end, we were salvation in some form that could help others. That's enough for us. We just wanted to be given the chance to show we can be human beings and not the monsters you both came to despise and try to throw away." The mother looked off to the side in shame. "This was our own battle, a battle that was to decide our own forgiveness. But even after winning the fight, we can barely forgive ourselves."

Mark frowned. "We have no rights in two world to call out you our son or daughter, but even so…you're far stronger than what we could've been." He confessed. "You were able to forgive your monsters, and fight with them. It was a dream that you turned into reality. I know Grandma and Grandpa wished they could've been here to see this day."

Nic silently began to move towards them, his sister following in tow. Both siblings had the same look on their faces. They were serious, and while shocked, they looked more than a little exasperated.

"Nic, what are you…?" Erza wondered what was happening, but all she did was trail off as she saw them approach their parents.

Nic had his fists balled. He glared at them harshly and kept a tough trek towards the parents. All Mark and Laura did was just frown.

"We are no longer able to influence you." Mark said in grief. "Vince already did that much. You can flail as you'd like on us. We won't fight back this time…promise."

Nic and Vanessa stood in front of them, staring at their glowing bodies. They didn't have much time to do what had to be done, but with what precious moments they had, they could finally give Mark and Laura what they thought they deserved all those years ago. They both closed in quicker, Mark and Laura bracing for what they deserved.

 _'_ _Even if we aren't given…we still-!'_

A sudden warmth draped around their shoulders. Their eyes widened, their bodies not in pain. Far from it actually. When it came to pass, the reality was that they were feeling both their offspring's embrace.

Erza stared from afar, startled with the others. The only one who seemed closer towards the group of four was Magnezone, as he floated several feet behind them.

"You're wrong." Nic pointed out as he and Vanessa's arms held onto them tightly. "In truth, you were terrible parents. You weren't fit to even be labeled as such. But the more we feel that way, the deeper we've come to realize…that it was all thanks to what you did that we've made it here."

Mark and Laura remained silent, their widened eyes shuddering. Nic continued.

"It wasn't just Vince that was an influence on us. It was you. Your ways were crude, but look at what we learned out of them. You didn't teach me anything valuable to help me sociably, but I've become stubborn…and persistent…and I learned to be tough in darkened times. I became durable…you even taught me how to take a good hit or two."

Mark couldn't help but snicker at that last comment. "Yeah. You've been a tough nut from the start, even when you didn't have food."

Vanessa spoke up. "You didn't give me any independence. You attended me and I didn't get any space…but I was still able to tolerate just as much as Nic had."

Laura smiled at her daughter. "You're a brave girl, Vanessa." She said. "You really do have an amazing brother who would do anything for you…just like what I had."

The light encompassing Mark and Laura began to glow like a golden aura. Their time was running out.

"With all of us being here…it brings back memories, huh?" Vanessa's note was truly more of a sour inclination. It was a bad time of grief as they all recounted to abusive days of Nic taking every possible beat down and smack across the head. Despite that, Nic still persevered for his little sister. To see a smile on her face was enough for him to hold out. The bad feelings were passed over by everyone else.

"Indeed." Magnezone said quietly.

"You never said anything that parents should've said to a child, but you've given us life. We can be thankful by that much as you say." Nic said.

Mark closed his eyes, accepting his son's words. "That's all we want to be grateful for."

"You really are good children, you know that?" Laura said. "Really…" Her eyes began to mist. "There was so much more we could've done…but this was more than enough for us."

Nic and Vanessa pulled away from their Mom and Dad, their bodies glowing slightly brighter. Nic, however, still had much more to say.

"Do you remember when it was my 14th birthday?" He asked. "Do you remember Grandma and Grandpa's gift?" He pulled out his phone and earbuds, presenting them to everyone.

Laura's eyes widened. "Those are…"

"They told me that one day, I will find something more precious to care about." He looked back at Erza, who was facing him with an endearing face. She was remaining calm, but even then, she looked as sad as Nic. He faced his parents again. "When I first discarded these, it was a sign that I was not caring for the past, and cared about the future…but now I see that what I've done was wrong. I still care, deeply…" He half-grinned. "But now I see what should happen."

He reached for Mark's wrist, his palm open. Nic looked down at his earbuds and phone, staring at them longingly. He saw his reflection through the cracked screen. The heavy metal was still going on when attached to the earbuds, the battery's life near its own end. He wasn't at all reluctant as he finally blinked slowly, and he finally rested the dying earbuds and phone in his Dad's palm, closing the fingers and holding it tight.

Mark stared with deep surprise, but said nothing. He could only watch as Laura had begun to breakdown as Nic moved to the sunglasses on his shirt and placed them in her open hand. He retreated to Vanessa's side, frowning with her.

"Nic…" Erza muttered from afar.

"When you see Grandma…and Grandpa…tell them I found what I was looking for." He said, managing to smile, no tears apparent, no misting, but a strong, stable look.

Mark and Laura unconsciously clutched their son's treasure's tightly, they too glowing like them. They too were ready to move on.

"Tell them also, that we're healthy." Vanessa added. "That we're strong…and very brave. We've made a bunch of friends…and got great Pokémon by our sides too." Nearby, Magnezone lowered his head in comfort.

"We've come across great people…and been to all sorts of places. It was hard-fought…but we found lives and others we wanna care for the rest of our lives." Nic thought long and hard about the last part, and last said it. "Tell them also…that we're so proud."

Mark and Laura's eyes widened.

"We're proud of what our parents became in the end. How proud we are that they showed us that they can change, that we can acknowledge them…and tell them…how proud we are, to at last be their son and daughter in the very end."

Mark and Laura were mentally breaking down. At long last, after such a long time, their son had finally shown full commitment, proving how much he accepted them. Tears were flowing down their faces, but even as the parents cried, they nodded in compliance.

"We will." Mark said, maintaining strength and not choking. "We'll be sure to tell Vince and Gengar all about you too."

Laura looked back at Erza, seeing the redhead with Doublade by her side. She looked so beautiful, and with a lot of thick caboose to boot. Her smile was warm towards Nic's girlfriend. She looked back at her son. "You've finally met that special someone. She looks like a keeper." She acknowledged. "Erza, was it? She sure is stubborn…but she's got the heart for you."

Mark looked at Erza proudly next. "You…Erza."

The redhead blinked. "Yes?"

He half-grinned. "Please…take care of these two. Make sure you love Nic, and don't let go of him. He's a sweet boy."

Erza's eyes began to mist up. She nodded slowly. "I will."

Laura looked at Kecleon, smiling warmly. "You've truly met and kept some Pokémon that work hard for you. You both truly are amazing Trainers."

Kecleon tilted her head. "Expired milk…its half-gallon was recyclable and helped the environment. Thanks you."

"Magnezone."

Magnezone looked at his former Trainer, eyes wide. "Mark…"

"I've put you through a rough relationship. You need to repent for what we made you do." Mark shook his head. "There's no need to feel guilty anymore. Your penance has been paid…in full."

Magnezone's eyes began to mist. "…thank you." He thanked his former Trainer. At long last, Magnezone no longer had to feel guilt.

Finally, the parents looked at their children, seeing Nic and Vanessa frowning and remaining stationary. If anyone should be crying, it's them, but the parents were managing to shed some silent tears as they smiled.

"We've never told you this, not even once…but let us make this right…for the final time." Mark said, the pillar of light was beginning to engulf him and Laura, but they smiled on. "For this last truth…we want to tell you, from here on…no matter what happens…no matter what you become…or what you think of us…" Their smiled widened.

"…we will always love you." They both said in quiet unison.

Nic and Vanessa's pupils shrunk out of shock, their parents revealing their ultimate feelings for their children as their bodies faded away, engulfed by the pillars of golden light. The merged, becoming one big pillar.

Within that pillar, Nic's phone finally died, battery gone. The metal going on finally fell silent.

The ethereal figures of Mark and Laura looked down at Nic and Vanessa as they looked up at them. The parents smiled, but the children frowned. They ascended slowly, not taking their eyes off of them.

Nic's left arm began to move, to reach up to them…but he recalled it, letting it fall to his side.

 _"_ _This truly was…our last chance."_ Mark's telepathic voice said. _"_ _We're truly grateful, that we…"_

Both Mark and Laura began to think back to a long time ago. They thought back to their wedding, how they had their honeymoon. Their memories began to go forward, towards the time in Earth Land, to Vince's sacrifice beforehand. As time ran out, they began to remember Nic's birth, then Vanessa's, and their parenting issues. They recalled their agonizing deaths in jail, and how they were reincarnated. They both thought of all the battles they've fought alongside Nic and Vanessa, and how they overcome their grief and demons, defeating everything together.

Their smiles widened. _"_ _Thank you both, so much."_ Laura thought.

Mark closed his eyes. _"_ _Being able to finally be a family again…it made us truly…"_

The pillar and their figures dissipated, fading into oblivion. The only remnants of them left were of green and blue specks sparkling like fireflies in the atmosphere over Nic and Vanessa's heads.

 _"…_ _happy."_

A long silence passed over the flat rock land that was the new isles, a sleet of flat rock stretching for miles. Waves rolled in and out, soothing seagulls as they flapped in the distance. Erza had misty eyes as she, Doublade, and Kecleon stared somberly at Nic, Vanessa, and Magnezone. While the last mentioned was looking saddened, Nic and Vanessa were still staring up, shadows over their eyes. Their lips weakly quivered as their shoulders shuddered.

At long last, the Pularis curse had come to an end, but the victory was beyond pyrrhic.

* * *

One week had passed since the spell had been broken, and so much devastation was still being recovered from the apocalypse. Celebrating was far from everyone's mind. Grief and heartbreak was all that the world had faced for several days. The reincarnations and all those attacks Vince unleashed had cost populations to decline. According to statistics, approximately 1.5 million people worldwide had perished altogether. The millions upon millions in Earth Land, it didn't seem like much, but that didn't make things better for anyone. To this day, the world didn't know what happened. The Magic Council tried to investigate where the strongest semblance of Magic Power from before was recorded, but unfortunately they had absolute zero traces. It was gone, just like what happened so long ago.

The only ones who knew what happened was Fairy Tail, at least the personnel of Master Makarov and Erza. She told the guild and everyone about the spell, and what transpired because of it, but she never specified any specifics. Some parts she reluctantly lied about, like how she got caught up in it.

The redhead was currently standing in front of the Master's desk, the old man getting another report after a few days. "The Council have absolute zero record of this spell. And you're sure this what really happened?" He asked her.

Erza nodded. "Yes."

Makarov looked down at the several papers and reports scattered all over his desk. He was not pleased to know there was a spell that has been long forgotten that could've destroyed the world. "Impure Underworld…what deplorable consequences." He growled beneath his breath.

Erza didn't blame him. She felt the same way. The spell was thousands of years old, and to say it had such an impact to destroy populations with no remorse was all too true. Thankfully, she didn't specific the conditions nor how Nic and Vanessa played a key role in the destruction.

Makarov let out a grieving sigh. "How frustrating that your investigation didn't lead up to the answers we sought in time." He exasperated.

Erza head sulked. That part was a lie. "I'm…sorry." She apologized.

"It's alright. I just wished we had more clues to lead on before so that we could've prevented this calamity." He slowly shook his head side to side. "All those lives…what pity. I hope to never bear witness to something like that ever again."

"Don't we all."

A small silence fell between the two. It wasn't of comfort, but really more of what the topic should really be about.

"So…any word on Nic or Vanessa?" Makarov asked.

Erza shook her head. "No."

Makarov rubbed a hand on his head, raising a brow. "Huh. I had no idea Nic and Vanessa were that sensitive when it came to the mass of population. What a harsh guilt…though I suppose I can't blame them after everything that's happened."

Erza began to pivot. "If it's alright with you, Master, I would like to take my leave."

Makarov watched Erza turn, but chose to end the discussion there. "Very well. Take care, and don't push yourself too hard."

Erza left the office, heading the steps and seeing Fairy Tail being itself once again. She looked down to see Natsu sitting with the rest of the team, Wendy included. They all were looking better than three days ago at least, Lucy especially.

"So what kind of job are we getting?" Natsu asked.

"Not sure. Is it even right to get one at this time?" Gray asked. He was shirtless again, but has been that way for almost an hour now.

"I'll go on a job with you if you go." Juvia declared. She was clinging Gray's side, and it was taking Gray forever to try and make her let go.

"Geez." He grumbled.

"I'm with Natsu on this one. It's better than staying put and mulling over the damages." Lucy said. Of course, it was also a nice distraction of seeing her mother. "And besides, we need to keep trying."

Wendy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm sure all the other guilds are like us."

"The damage is great, but I suppose we should put on brave faces for all our sake." Carla imposed.

An added member came sitting right by Wendy's side. "Mind if I have a seat?" It was Sophie, and she seemed to be in a mellow mood.

"Oh, Sophie!" Wendy looked surprised, but she allowed herself to comply. "Sure." She scooted over, allowing Sophie some room to sit with the team.

"So what's up?" Gray asked the blonde.

Sophie shrugged. "Nothing." She said flat. "Just a little bored is all."

Lucy raised a brow. "And we're your option?"

Sophie took in a deep breath, in and then out slowly. She looked down at the table, looking a little despondent. "It's just a little quiet over at my place is all. Vanessa hasn't come back…it's not as amusing without her." She wouldn't be the first to admit that she missed her roommate. It was always amusing to wake her up in the mornings, seeing her jump or fall out of bed. And those mornings with her Braixen, Venusaur, and others were all things that she missed. It was dull, and she didn't like that.

"Yeah, now that you mention it…" Lucy looked around, realizing that the space was not compromised of the mentioned. "Where is Vanessa?"

"Heh?" Natsu crossed his arms. "Where the heck is she?"

"Yeah, I haven't seen the chick in awhile." Gray commented.

Juvia felt her heart pounce. _'_ _Chick?!'_ Once again, her mind began to skulk down the wrong road. _'_ _Is my beloved seeing her?!'_

"Aye. What's going on?" Happy asked, muffling due to fish in his mouth.

Sophie looked down with sadness. "I wish I knew. She and Nic both have been really out of it. They haven't been to the guild hall in ages…a week according to what I remember." She corrected herself.

Natsu looked annoyed and off towards the side. "Man, what's up with those two? What the heck is their deal?"

"Is the spell really that big of an impact? It wasn't their fault. Nobody knew about it." Lucy said.

Erza caught some fragments of the conversation as she was closing in. She frowned in remorse, but she remained silent as she passed them.

"Hey, Erza!" Natsu called out.

The redhead stopped in her tracks, looking back at her team. "Everyone." She greeted.

"Hey, what's up? Leaving without saying hi?" Gray raised a brow.

"Aye. We aren't invisible." Happy teased.

Erza cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little…"

"Hey, don't be like that. We're just messing." Gray said. "We know you're out of it."

"Is that supposed to be amusing?" Erza questioned. Though the inquiry sounded more like a threat. Gray paled.

"Anyways~." Lucy managed to drive the subject in another direction. "We were looking for a job. You wanna tag along?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun." Wendy insisted, clasping her hands together. "Some fresh air should be nice."

Erza frowned. While she was inclined to spend time with her team, she's been too clogged up with thoughts of Nic or Vanessa. Ever since they came back from their life-changing adventure, Nic and Vanessa haven't been seen much, let alone in Erza's point of view. They've been away, as if hiding. If left her saddened. She knew that after everything that's happened with their family now at rest they needed a lot of space, but after so much time, it was starting to feel like neglect.

A hand waved in front of her space. "You who? Earth Land to Erza?" Natsu called out.

Erza blinked, drawing herself out of her sullen rapture. "Hm? M-my apologies. I uh…I must have spaced out again." She pardoned.

"You really ought to try to stop worrying, Erza. I'm sure Nic and Vanessa are fine. Really." Lucy insisted.

"Yeah, so you in or not?" Natsu asked.

As much as it pained her, it would've scorned like fire if Erza didn't settle the uneasy feeling in her stomach. She felt sick just giving Nic and Vanessa the space they needed, but it's been so long. They needed her, if not Nic.

She knew where her heart lied and followed it. She turned away, heading towards the exit. "I'm sorry…but I'm afraid I'm needed elsewhere. Please forgive me." She darted off, leaving her fellow friends.

Lucy reached out. "Erza, wait!"

"Let her go." Gray insisted.

"Huh?"

"Whatever's bugging her, we obviously shouldn't be getting in her way." Gray watched her go off towards who knows where. Her red hair whipped around as she fled. "I'm sure she needs Nic, and vice versa."

The intensity on his arm strengthened as Juvia's hold on him grew tighter. "I know we need each other! Always!" She cooed.

"Would you get off?!" Gray shouted.

* * *

Birds chirped in the forest, making the desolate location slightly more serene. It was deep within the confines of the forest not too far from Nic and Erza's house. Beyond lush bushes and trees, there they were, sitting at the base of a tree. It was Nic and Vanessa, their backs touching and knees close to their chins. They were huddling, staring at the grassy ground with dull eyes. Magnezone was right above, his gaze on a somewhat healthier scale.

When one got a closer looking, they could see how unhealthy the siblings were. They were pale for starters, and they had lack of food and water. They weren't eating right, and while their Pokémon tried to make them eat before, they were too spacey to even listen to reason. They couldn't blame them though, the war against the Rivolta and the torture of Vermilius left their psyche drenched in scars. So many mental scars were open and closed in less than three days' time. Although the physical scar Nic got had already healed, recollecting the image of it made it sting worse than a Beedrill Fell Stinger.

Porlyusica reluctantly came rolling by five days ago, but when she got close, the siblings gave her the cold shoulder and made her get lost somewhere else; even Magnezone aimed his magnets at her.

For the past week, the two have been lost in their own little world to realize weather and time going by. Their childhood memories bubbled and popped in their heads. They constantly thought to the hateful and spiteful things their Mom and Dad said, and how they overturned their feelings for them to good ones in the bitter end. It was heartbreaking, but at the same time, it left Nic and his sister all torn up. They didn't know what to think. Were their whole lives a lie? Did they truly despise their parents only to accept them as equals once more? They wanted to believe it was a dream, but the reality and experience made it all too real.

"Nic?! Vanessa?!" A voice called from the distance. Despite how resembling it was, neither budged from their spot. Erza emerged from within the forest, finally reaching her destination after searching three different times within the perimeter.

"There you both are." She got a little closer, her eyes showing surprise at their slim figures. "Nic? Vanessa? Have you been eating well?"

She got no verbal response. She was getting more than a little anxious. First of all, Nic hasn't even slept with the redhead in the past week. _'_ _Have they been here the whole week?'_ She tried calling out again. "Nic? Vanessa? Are you well?"

Again, no answer.

She took a step further. "Nic…"

Suddenly Magnezone budged. His magnets twirled and flared. "Who's there?!" He exclaimed. He looked at Erza, recognizing her. "Oh, uh, Erza." He stammered. "I-!"

"Magnezone, did you just now realize that I was here?" She asked.

Magnezone remained quiet. He looked more than a little guilty of the actions he's made just now. "…yes, unfortunately." He said. He too was lost in his own world. To be obeying under treachery, to learn to forgive and accept your deceased master is something fairly uneasy to stomach. It's been bugging him that the conception ripped him apart over the years. With his purpose now fulfilled, it was like he was an empty shell. Now he just had to be Vanessa's Pokémon like anyone else.

Erza raised a brow. "Where is Kecleon?"

"In her Poke Ball. Why?"

Erza shook her head. "I-It's nothing." She said. _'_ _I keep forgetting. Even though Kecleon stuck through to the end, she wasn't tied to the family matter as keen as Magnezone was.'_

"You shouldn't be here. We're a little…held up at the time being." Magnezone insisted. "We're not feeling so well."

"That's why I came here."

Magnezone seemed surprised. Before he could speak up, Erza stepped a little closer towards Nic and everyone else. "Nic?" No answer. "Vanessa." Even she turned towards her, no compliance. She could see how lost in their senses they were. She could relate to how mortally scarred they were. "Can you hear me…? Please." Her plea was low.

Still, Nic and Vanessa were lost, recalling their Uncle and parents departing to be with their Grandparents.

Erza rested on her knees and sat down quietly. She stared passively at Nic, awaiting their reactions. "I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I'm here. I've been here since the beginning, and I've been by your side to the end. I know…that you're hurting right now. You truly are." The statement seemed to have gotten through since the hold on Nic and Vanessa's arms tightened on their forearms. "But there's something you both need to know. You have the biggest and purest hearts that I have ever met. You've faced your devils and managed to make peace with them, and vice versa. I myself am very proud of what you two did…I wanna see more until days end." Her head lowered. "You both made it such a long ways. It was just like yesterday that our house was made. Remember that, Nic? We got share a lot of memories, even if they weren't that long in that house." Her cheeks managed to blush, certain 'memories' that were left unmentioned within the confines of Nic and Erza's bedroom. When her temperature cooled down, she cleared her throat and powered on. "You've made it through the darkest days that we've ever seen before. That's beyond extraordinary. We never gave into despair and worked beside hatred, and we saved the world."

Nic and Vanessa began to recount the passing of Mom and Dad, and their minds went briefly blank. When they blinked weakly, their vision began clearing, and they were hearing Erza's speech, no matter how vague.

Erza's fists clutched. "You remember what Mark and Laura said, don't know?" She tried not to shudder. "You remember, that they told me to beside you, Nic, and to hold you dear. I will stay by that promise. I will, even to heaven and back! And I know it's painful moving on…" She momentarily thought about the Tower of Heaven, and how she joined Fairy Tail and had to leave her old family behind. The thoughts mixed with how she sympathized with Nic and Vanessa's hearts were making her eyes mist. "I…I wanna move forward, but I can't do that without you. For all our sakes. Would you feel the same?"

There was a long silence that fell one last time. It was despondently quiet, and Nic and Vanessa had shadows over their eyes. Magnezone remained quiet and unemotional as well.

Erza looked down at the ground, sad. She feared that the shock and trauma from the Impure Underworld may have wrecked them for good.

Footsteps were heard, increasing in size to where Erza could hear. Her head whipped up, eyes widening as Nic and Vanessa were seen standing right in front of her. The light in her eyes was back.

"Nic…Vanessa…?"

They looked down at Erza, small tears running down their faces. It was heartbreaking for them all. Nic was hesitating, but after weeks of holding in all the anguish, he finally began to shed more tears that dripped down his cheeks. His body shuddered. "Er…za…"

Erza smiled. "I'm here."

Nic's teeth gritted. Tears ran down hard. He sank to his knees, with Vanessa following behind. Both sunk in front of Erza, both of them holding onto the one comfort they've been denied for days, that they so desperately needed.

They both cried. That was all they could do. As they were holding onto Erza, she pulled them closer to her chest, holding both brother and sister with a warm smile. She rubbed the back of their heads. "It's okay. It's okay." She leaned her head towards Nic's shoulder, the side of her head touching Nic. "I'm here."

Nic and Vanessa continued to feel comfort as their sobbing echoed through the forest. Magnezone nodded, feeling better as he too silently wept.

* * *

That night, everyone slept as soundly as possible. To Nic and Vanessa, it was perhaps the best sleep they had in weeks. With all their sorrows and grief gone, Vanessa returned Magnezone to his Poke Ball, and she slept as soundly as a newborn baby in her room at Sophie's place, much to the woman's surprise. Sophie was sure by the way Vanessa came home with dried tears that she wouldn't bother her.

It was also that night that Nic finally slept soundly with Erza, her body pressed against his sending warmth instead of chills. With no psyche damaged from Vermilus' ways, Nic was feeling every fiber and attention he was deprived from his lover. Erza held him tight, holding him and ensuring that her hold was tight. The smell of strawberry filled the room as the night sky was free from any sign of moonlight.

Everyone slept soundly, Vanessa with a smile on her face, cozy in her blankets and sheets. Nic was bandaged where his new scar was, but otherwise, his and Erza's naked upper bodies were so close the other's hearts were beating.

* * *

Miles away, where the battle had concluded, there was the flat isle. The waves crashed against the shores, where moss had started to grow. The isle was much different, as in the passing days, clouds never appeared as often as before. There was normally blue sky, and the flat dirt and rock that stretched to the reshaped mountains had bits of grass growing. For the first time, as oceanic winds breezed through the isle, new life itself was given a chance. Grass growing wasn't wild, but neat. It was barely any growing in cracks, but still grass nonetheless.

There were three monuments all in one place. The three wounds were of cylinder black rocks with three tiny crosses on them. They were wide open right in the spot where the Pularis family had passed on. Side by side, two tiny crosses read aloud.

 **Laura**

 **A Good Mom**

The one right next to the cross had a different saying on it.

 **Mark**

 **A Good Dad**

And right beside Mom's monument was of a cross that was slightly bigger than both.

 **Vince & Gengar**

 **A Good Uncle/Pokémon & Great Heroes**

The isle from then on lost its ominous appeal, and the birth of lush life had begun.

* * *

Miles away, in another location where ruins were located, there were perhaps a few weapons and crosses covered in snow. The furious blizzard that ran through the area was nearly blinding and freezing. However, within the freezing temperature, there was a solitary man, standing in front of a cross covered in snow. "You had to have bared witness to what happened, haven't you?" He spoke to the cross, as if it were a person. "I'm sorry I couldn't see you again. No one, not even the likes of you should've been victimized to that moon."

Someone else entered the territory. He was more reptilian-like than anything else. He was like a lizard cloaked from the cold. "Excuse me, Lord Silver." The man said, kneeling to a knee before the powerful man. "Headquarters wants you to rendezvous with them."

The man in question raised his head. "I'm busy paying my respects…so let me be alone for a bit longer. Ifyou don't mind." He replied. The small hint of annoyance in his tone made a shiver run down the lizardman's spine, and it wasn't just the cold this time.

"S-sir…please." He insisted, "Forgive me for this, but all the Nine Demon Gates have been called to this meeting." His shivering intensified, dreading what would happen if he pressed on. "S-so please…I beg you. Return to this meeting at once, Lord Silver…"

"Don't get all dramatic like that, I'm not gonna eat your soul if that's what you're thinking." The man revealed to be Silver began to arise from his knee to the grave. He stood up, his white cape still shifting in the violent winds, but his body was unfazed. He was a tall and well-built man with dark eyes and hair, which had a number of locks shifted back, a style very similar to what Vince had. He had a stubble, and on the side of his left eye was a large scar that reached up to his forehead. Ears had pendant-like earrings on the ends. His attire was black skin-tight clothing with a fur collar underneath silver upper body armor with the words "Absolute Zero" on the left breastplate. The pauldrons were branded with hollow hammers crossed that was Tartaros' guild symbol. Aside from the side pauldrons going to his knees and dark pants and boots, he had gauntlets as cold as his powers of ice.

He turned towards his shivering associate, smirking. "Put your fears to rest. I feast only on demon souls alone."

* * *

 **Well guys, it's been a long 3-4 months, but here is the conclusion to the Impure Underworld Arc. How was it? Be completely honest with me? Was it a great thriller? Was it more intense than the anime/manga Tartaros Arc?**

 **I will point out that I had to use a number of references for Vince/Mark/Laura's passing, such as the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon endings, and that scene from Naruto where Itachi bids his final farewell to Sasuke. I had to impose great emphasis on Nic finally accepting and moving on and allowing his sunglasses and phone to be sent to the afterlife with his parents, as well as everyone coming to cherish Mark and Laura as a family again, including Vince. But at long last, I finally got all of Nic's trouble out of the way, and he finally came to accept what Giratina started and he ended was worth it in the end.**

 **This arc was also to help make everyone involved develop. So in short, Nic, Vanessa, Erza, and Magnezone primarily. Kecleon was mainly a bonus, but I never once regretted adding that loveable oddball to a vital role in this arc.**

 **So finally I can kick back and chill for a bit knowing I've accomplished this arc. I'm diving straight into the Tartaros Arc without any fillers; that's right, full throttle into the Tartaros Arc! However, I won't be going there yet. I'm gonna reprieve for a while and relax with some art and get a few chapters in on** ** _One's Road to Remembrance_** **, so maybe by the end of April is when my batteries will be charged again and I will have the Tartaros Arc all planned out.**

 **Like I said, let me know if this arc was amazing and left an immense impact on you guys! Until next time! :)**


	43. The Cometh of Tartaros

In places of unknown, there was a barren landscape. Everything was either rock formations or spikes protruding from the earth. It was a land of desolation, and Silver walked right into it without any signs of regret nor fear.

His cape shifted as he stood in the distance of a large castle-like structure. It looked deserted, fitting for places where one desires loneliness. "Every time I look at it, it still gives me the creeps." He muttered, still grinning all the while. "As the old saying goes, there's no place like home." He joked at that line being extreme as he ventured inside.

* * *

The Magic Council of Era, a place that has been known to house the one and only Fiore Magic Council, was stationed high on top of the hill. It has been a wild rollercoaster ride for the council for the past few months, but after their defeat in the Council War, their new policies and reformation has now settled. What subjugated them now was what happened just recently.

"So that's all that Fairy Tail has been able to scrounge?" A councilman asked.

"It would appear so." Another responded. "Despite being such pains in my opinion, I still find it shocking to find them in the center of this 'Impure Underworld' spell."

"To think such a spell still existed. And its magic was so potent that we haven't sensed it until the last minute." Another wallowed.

Lahar and Doranbolt looked at each other with serious faces. They too were a little frantic with what happened not too long ago, especially with Gran Doma being briefly reincarnated to kill. Those matters were best left unsaid at this time.

"So to summarize, the Impure Underworld is a spell well over one thousand years old. It requires immense Magic Power, timing with the moon, and a malicious dark energy…" One read the report, scrutinizing it. "Is that all?"

A councilwoman read the papers in front. It was because of this that over 1 million people perished. Casualties have never been that high in a single night."

"And all those explosions that traveled over Ishgar and the seas, was that the work of the spell as well?" Another councilman questioned.

A gavel banged against the wooden desk at the end, catching everyone's attention. "Everyone be quiet." The chairman ordered.

The council turned in shock towards Org. They went silent, hearing him out. It's been well over 6 months that Org had taken the role as chairman after Gran Doma's death, and so far, he's been a fair man of judgment, if not too lenient on the council's decision making.

"This has gone on too long. Take a moment to think about it. Have any of you noticed that the concentration of power all over the planet dissipated after that night? Even after scouting the strongest concentration reading beforehand, we found no evidence. It's obvious that it still happened…but it's also because of that reason that we must destroy any recent records of this spell."

The council grew astounded. Many stood up from their seats, ready to oppose to his order.

"What are you talking about?! What farce are you playing at, Org?!" One spoke up.

"If this happens again, we need to know what makes it work!" Another shouted.

"My point exactly." Org rebuffed.

The council went silent.

"This happened because evidence somehow survived that we were not aware of. A spell like that must never exist again. We thank Fairy Tail for providing us with what happened on that night, but if the contents spill in the wrong hands, history will repeat itself. It's better safe than sorry; no hands than any hands." He banged the gavel against the desk again. "I hereby sanction the destruction of these documents at once!"

The Magic Council looked at each other with worry. Some were opposed, but when they thought deep, if some twisted mind wanted to bring the world to an end, then it'd game over if a conspiracy theory arose. If they knew and had details, they'd be extorted. Realizing it was the right thing to do, Lahar and Doranbolt confiscated the documents on the table and a Fire Lacrima was handed from a sachet in Lahar's pocket. The documents that were of barely a thick stack reduced to ash, the info of the spell forever lost.

Org turned to look at everyone else. "Does anyone else know of the spell and its details?"

Everyone shook their heads. They never spoke to frog servants nor Rune Knights. It was safe to move on.

"Very well. With that threat expunged, let us move on with our next objective…Tartaros."

Everyone's focus shifted, a more intense vibe filling the atmosphere. Lahar and Doranbolt backed off, nervousness creeping along their spines.

"As you may know, guilds that have been following Tartaros have all been expunged over the last 7 days. We have yet to find the culprits…but if anyone happens to have theories, then share."

A councilwoman spoke up. "If it's a legal guild, those would be of retaliation."

"This is nothing like Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart. I say it could be the work of that Independent Guild…uh…Crime Sorciere!" Another opposed. "That's a possibility."

"Is it fair to bet Fairy Tail is involved with this? I know they have been troublesome in the past, but…"

"I bet even they aren't stupid enough to go against that jurisdiction."

The council was talking up a storm with one another. Others imposed possibilities, but others backfired. It didn't last too long until the conversation turned into an argument amongst the council itself. Bickering and senile excuses that revolved around suspects, but it was getting them nowhere.

Org tapped his index finger against the desk. He was pondering, and when he thought up of a conclusion, he raised his voice. "Everyone, silence." He ordered. They all did as told, and they turned towards him. "Now there are numerous possibilities, and deciding on one hastily will not benefit…but I propose my own theory."

A councilman crossed his arms. "And just might that be? Hmm?"

"This is a hypothesis, but let's think in a dark guild's perspective, shall we?" He walked them through the perspective detail, many of which did not like. "Now if you were the top dark guild with all the power, would you happen to find your followers unworthy? Would you discard them?"

A councilman's eyes widened. "You mean…"

"Cannibalism?" Another finished.

Org nodded. "Like I said, it is plausible, but not definite."

A councilman raised a brow, snickering. "I think you're going senile Chairman Org." He laughed.

Org leered, his growling managing to subdue the laughter of his colleague.

"I know, but like I said, it's plausible. Now listen up!" He slammed the gavel once more. "Tartaros is perhaps on its own, and as head of the Baram Alliance, if we bring it down, everything will collapse upon its defeat. This is our moment of triumph! Let us find the cause and-!"

Suddenly the doors to the upstairs overlooking the room flung open. "Sirs!" A frog assistant cried out. "This is terrible!"

Lahar and Doranbolt turned towards the servant. "What?!" They exclaimed.

Org looked up with a disgruntled expression. "What is it? We're in a meeting!"

"I-I'm sorry! Forgive me!" He said. "But, we have a problem!"

Org blinked. "A problem?"

"Y-yes! There's an intr-!"

He never got to finish. A bright flash erupted from behind, and before they knew what hit them, the entire space in the council room and the headquarters was ensued in a wave of explosions that boomed ears. The explosion waves engulfed the HQ, destroying everything in their paths. Structures collapsed, frog assistance were running and were engulfed in explosions. Fatality and death happened because of explosions and falling objects. Nothing was safe.

As the dust began to settle, Doranbolt began to stir. "Gnnngh…uh…" He groaned, his body covered from head to toe in bruises and blood. "Uh…" He aroused to his feet, managing to stand on a knee and covered his right eye, which ached. "What…what in the world-!" He realized the one body that lied right beside him was Lahar. "Lahar? Hey…ever heard of emergency?"

Lahar didn't respond.

"Lahar? Hey!" Doranbolt crawled over, picking up his colleague. "Lahar! Laha-!" When he turned over his friend, he went wide-eyed. The look said it all. His glasses were shattered some feet away, his face exposed with scrapes and a paled expression. His eyes were open, and that was all that he needed to know. "No…no! You're…!" Doranbolt's teeth gritted, his frustration peaking. He was too late, and he looked up at the carnage, realizing with sheer horror that the room was…well, there was no room!

Everything was blown to bits! Open skies, and as everything laid on the ground, so did the morbid look of it all. Doranbolt's terror maxed out when all the councilmen bodies were scattered, all dead, and lifeless.

"It can't be…" He muttered. He whipped his head round. "Is anyone there?! Hey!" He called out. He went to move, and he got up to his feet and managed, but he only reached another twenty feet before collapsing again. "Gah!" He fell face first, pain flaring.

"D-Doran…bolt…"

Doranbolt's eyes looked up, recognizing the voice. Straight ahead was Chairman Org, sprawled on the ground. His hopes were restored. "Chairman Org!" He smiled.

"You…!" Chairman Org was cut off when his head was plunged into the ground by a clawed hand. The look on Doranbolt's face was sheer shock.

"Chairman!"

Atop of the chairman, some wild creature's smirk widened. A snicker passed his lips. The creature had sharp teeth like a jackal. His blonde hair of many bangs had ears atop of them surprisingly. He has a scarf of camouflage color around his neck, over his green tank top. He had a yellow furry tail with the bottom covered by a green jacket around the waist, over black pants with edged white at the knee downwards. Hands were black and became spotted as they traveled up towards the elbows. "Sorry, geezer…you aren't allowed to live, not on my watch." He sneered. "We gotta take all of you out after all."

"What?!" Doranbolt screamed. "No!"

Jackal's pressure against Org's face tightened. "See ya around." A bright light engulfed the arm and Org's head.

Doranbolt reached out. "No! S-stop it!" He cried out.

Org grunted. Despite the pressure, he was holding up. "D-Doranbolt…run…run!" He wheezed.

Doranbolt shut his eyes, prying this was a dream. "No! I…I can't! I can't do that to you!"

Org struggled as the light was engulfing him completely. "You must! Think of what will happen if you died for a cause such as this!"

The man's smirk widened again. "Heh. Futile, as no one can escape my explosions. Your gooses are cooked." He made the light intensify, the explosions readying.

"Doranbolt!" Org cried.

Doranbolt hesitated, as he could bear to think otherwise. His idol was gonna perish, and there was nothing he could do.

"The name is Jackal, Jackal of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros." The demonic smirk darkened. "Remember that name. Relish it in Hell, as the name of the murderer of the council!"

With his last breath, Org gave one final cry. "LIVE, DORANBOLT! LIVE TO IMPEDE THE JUSTICE YOU DESIRE! DO IT! FOR ALL OF US!"

Doranbolt looked up, shivering as tears were rolling down his face. "Org…Org…"

"This'll get Nic Pularis' attention." Jackal said. "Goodbye!"

"I'M SORRY! ORG!" Doranbolt made one final shout before he teleported away, moments before Org and the rest of the building was again engulfed in a catastrophic explosion. The explosions completely leveled the hill, alerting all of Era in a terrible frenzy.

And like that, the Magic Council was rid of.

* * *

Back outside of Magnolia, things were as calm as still water. However, certain individuals were starting to get back into the swing of things, more or less.

At home, Nic was seen with his shirt off, revealing his scarred body, including his new one the size of his hand on his left waist. From the looks of things, he was in his Meadow Form, only without the coat.

" **Bullet Seed!** " He fired a rapid succession of glowing seeds from his mouth, all heading right for Staraptor, who was his sparring partner for the time being.

" **Steel Wing!** " The Predator Pokémon's wings spread and glowed a metal-gray light. She folded them over in the air, blocking the seeds that didn't budge her from her position in the air.

Nic stopped his Bullet Seed, seeing as how it was ineffective against the Steel-type attack. He switched to a more lethal move as he opened his mouth again.

" **Seed Bomb!** "

This time, slightly larger variants of seeds went firing at Staraptor. The range was similar, but Staraptor changed her approach. She dove after the Seed Bomb with Steel Wing still, making a spiral and deflected the Grass-type assault in various directions; not a single one missed her line of sight. With her continuing to spiral, Seed Bomb was deflected like paper against fans and she met Nic. Nic grabbed Staraptor by her steel wings, but her immense strength made him slide back several feet.

Nic grunted, but so did Staraptor. Even though her wings were incapacitated, she had a beak and talons. She raised a talon and kicked at Nic, but he lurched left and broke into a pivot, throwing Staraptor towards the side, but as he let go, she spiraled and remained stationary, sending a backwinged Steel Wing that Nic ducked from at the last second.

Not too long had passed since Nic and Vanessa had recovered from the psyche trauma of the Impure Underworld, and already they were back into routine, though their resolves were a lot stronger than ever. Getting back to his own basics, Nic was in the spacious backyard south of the waterfall with his Staraptor, training hard to exceed their mastery of hand-to-hand combat skills.

However, as a means of ascertaining greater experience, Nic remained in a single form that was at a disadvantage against Staraptor, while the latter was training to polish her Steel Wing and that move alone.

" **Steel Wing!** "

" **Leaf Blade!** "

The metal wing swung down in a chop, meeting an upward chop of a long, green blade made by Nic's fingers. Both moves collided, and Nic wasn't faltering back in the slightest as a gust from impact scattered throughout the area.

Both backed off, with Nic jumping back and Staraptor landing on the ground, staring down her Trainer.

"Nic!" A third person added into the fray. Nic and Staraptor stopped immediately, turning towards the house to see Erza standing at the doorway.

"Erza." Nic grinned.

The redhead walked out closer until her toes were barely touching the grass, smiling back at him. "Doing some training?"

"Yes." He answered with a pant. "We were working on type disadvantage and polishing up Steel Wing."

Staraptor nodded in agreement.

"It's been well over an hour, I'm sure you both are exhausted. Why don't you come inside for awhile, before you get sunburned?" Erza stepped back inside, just as something that sounded like a 'ding' went off. "Lunch is ready."

"Alright, I'll be there in a moment." He replied as Erza walked back inside, sliding the door back shut. He turned towards Staraptor, smiling at the progress made. "Well, we managed to adapt to our situations at least. That's a start." He glowed, shifting back into himself, minus the top once more. He reached into his pocket. "We were fortunate to find these on our last trip to Kalos. Haven't used these for a while now" He admitted.

In his palm were a few small berries. They were ripe, red and yellow berries with two leaves springing from the top. They were Leppa Berries, and lately, Nic's been harvesting whatever berries he's been collecting in Kalos since the Impure Underworld incident, in certain cases that they needed something to snack on or an emergency while on a job.

"Here." He tossed two Leppa Berries towards Staraptor. Beak wide open, she caught and ate them without much of a fuss. He held out her Poke Ball. "Let's take a reprieve. Staraptor, return."

The Normal and Flying-type was sucked back into her Poke Ball with a grin, and Nic thus went back inside. Once in his home, he hopped into the shower quickly, and came out fresh as a ripened berry fit for plucking.

With his default dark blue baggy pants and gray V-neck, he made way into the dining room, where he was met with Erza on the end of a small wooden table, already taking small bites of the baked ham and cheese sandwiches that had a unique spice that she's been trying to perfect for three days.

"Using the leftover ham from last night?" Nic asked as he sat down.

"Yes. I know you would've liked omelets, but I would've considered something more practical for a lunch hour. Hope you forgive me." She insisted.

"Don't apologize. I actually think they look great." He looked at the plate in front of him, smiling passively. "Thank you."

Erza smiled and lightly blushed. "I-it was nothing." She said.

Nic took a bite. As he chewed, he could taste the sliced ham and the swiss cheese, and the added zing in the spice on top made his taste buds nearly melt. He swallowed. "Don't be modest, it's much better than it was last time."

"Really?" Erza's eyes widened with hope.

Nic smiled sincerely. "Of course." There wasn't a lie in his words. Erza was so happy that Nic savored the recipe she got from a cookbook after the Grand Magic Games, but haven't found the opportunity to try it. To see Nic praising her and enjoying her cooking made the knight feel so happy as the love and care she took into making something was worshiped.

The sandwiches on both their plates were eaten with time and consideration, nothing rushed; this was opposed to Nic's voracious appetite, but he's been doing well in not making a small mess, unlike a certain Fire Dragon Slayer.

After lunch was settled, Nic found himself on one of the sofas in the living room. He let out a long sigh of relief, eyes shut as his arms were overhead and black socks against the cool leather.

Erza walked around the sofa, smiling down onto Nic. "Are you tired?" She asked.

"A bit." He muttered. "Just need a little breath of fresh air, nothing to worry about."

Erza stood in front of him. Her gaze turned slightly serious, which Nic caught onto in nanoseconds. "I worry." She countered. "Your health concerns me greatly. If you are not feeling well, just tell me."

Nic moved his head towards her. He looked up towards her, remaining calm and laid-back. It was always reassuring to see Erza care so much about him. Despite being stoic, she can always be loose and very caring for him; a feature that he admired about her.

"It's been a long morning I suppose." He pondered. "I think it's best I cut back on my morning exercises for a while."

Erza took a small breath of relief. "I can't say otherwise."

Nic snickered. "Seems Vanessa's sleeping-in habit is starting to wear on us…" His smile widened. "But I don't see anything bad about in these times."

Erza was a little lenient on sleeping in rather than do early morning training with her Doublade, but it was making her more than a little groggy when it came to when she and Nic had to go to bed. Although, the lack of the hours of sleep necessary would only make her get wrinkles; when that issue comes up, she refuses to allow some younger-looking hussy to seize Nic from her iron clutches. However, Nic wasn't unfaithful, and that was her relief. "As opposed to our activities during the day, perhaps it's best that we do try and-!" The redhead was cut off when a quick snatch by Nic got her tripping onto him.

Erza's eyes widened as she blushed as Nic's little act of mischief made her on top of him. "N-Nic?!"

Nic smirked at Erza, but said nothing. His smirk wasn't of mischief or malevolent purposes, but satisfaction. "You mean relax like this?"

Erza was confused at what he meant. The temperature in her cheeks simmered down as she found herself on the couch, and she was – in a way – relaxing. Days of jobs and training, there hasn't been much room for her to just lie down or take a vacation.

As the feeling of warmth sank in, the redhead looked back down at Nic, smiling with equal sincerity. "Yeah…" She wrapped her slender arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to his face. "Like this."

The two stared into the other's eyes for a short while, just taking in their significant other and everything they had to offer. Nic's hands snaked behind Erza's back and he held her close. A weak blush came on his cheeks as he tried to disregard her monstrous boobs against his – close to his neck given her position – but powered through. Erza eventually leaned down, her body at last loosening up as her lips connected with Nic's. The two shared the other's passion, their lips gently pressing to where it almost tickled. The sweet fragrance of strawberry filled the atmosphere, again as a sign that it was Erza, the true Erza that Nic was living and breathing under the same life with.

Their lips parted, with Erza resting her head against Nic's shoulder. She breathed on his neck, which of course tickled his nerves. After a few minutes, Nic moved his head so that the side of his jaw was to Erza's forehead. The two remained that way, taking in their supple touches. Not brash at all, just silent and passive. This was relaxing.

After what felt like a long time, Erza hummed out. "Nic?"

"Hm?"

"You want to head to the guild soon? We haven't been there all day. I'm sure everyone wants to see us."

Nic's grin widened. "I'm sure." His hold on Erza loosened, his hand moving to her humungous and wide hips. "But I'm sure they'll understand if we keep them waiting a bit longer…right?"

Erza moved her head so that she towered over Nic again, her smirk almost teasing. "You're right." She lowered her head, her lips again meeting Nic's.

As the two were starting to hum in their little moment of bliss and relaxation, the front door knocked, almost forcefully.

Their kissing stopped, and Erza looked over her shoulder. "Who could that be?" She asked.

Nic blinked. He was a little annoyed their moment was ruined, but didn't bother showing it. "I'll go see." He got up from the couch after Erza got off him. He walked towards the door as the knocking echoed. "Why are they knocking so harsh?" He muttered.

He reached for the doorknob, turning it to find an unexpected visitor. The visitor was none other than a panting Sophie, and the look on her face spelled trouble.

"Sophie?" Nic questioned.

"Nic." She wheezed in between breaths.

Erza approached from behind Nic, looking at Sophie's face to find the Memory-Make Mage's worried expression. She looked like she's seen a ghost. "Sophie, what is it? What's wrong?"

The air began to churn to a sour note as Sophie was catching her breath. In her clutched hand was a newspaper, a copy that Jet and Droy found and rushed to alert the guild about. She held up the paper, her face spelling fear.

"We have a huge problem." She said.

Nic and Erza stared with shock at the notion of what Sophie brought on.

* * *

In Era, the citizens were beyond frightened, as they should be. Their beloved council headquarters was bombed, and every person inside was killed. It was only about a couple hours before the Rune Knights came around and began to collect the remaining bodies still intact.

Unlike the headquarters, its basement and lower levels were untouched. Down where the cells were located, Doranbolt walked with heavy footsteps with his tattered coat shifting behind every step. He dreaded this place, for it held the lowest criminals there could ever hope to be.

When he came to a certain cell, he looked inside, glaring down at the one man who he came to see. Cobra of the Oracion Seis. Surely he had the information he needed.

The Poison Dragon Slayer slouched back, smirking and acting all relaxed. "Oh, thought I heard your footsteps. Been some time, hasn't it?" He nonchalantly asked, but unlike him, Doranbolt was far from amused.

"I presume you 'heard' what happened?" He asked in a dreaded tone.

"Give me a break. You know I can't use magic in this cell, I just heard a rowdy bang." Cobra testified.

Doranbolt didn't buy that for a second. His glare was as cold as ice. "You know why I came down here."

"Explain it to me as though I were an idiot."

"I demand to know of Tartaros."

Cobra leered back with his one good eye left. "What is this? Amateur hour? You gotta give to receive you know. I'll talk…but under the condition that you release the Oracion Seis." He bargained.

"I don't have that power." Doranbolt reasoned.

"Well then, talk to those old farts. Sure they'll scoop up some change."

A deafening silence fell between the two. Doranbolt nearly choked on his next sentence. "The councilman…they're all dead."

Cobra's eye widened in shock. He knew the damage was drastic, but the news of them all dead still staggered his mind. He eventually smirked. "Boy, they sure got your sizes down."

Doranbolt's patience ran thin. He teleported into the cell, ending up behind Cobra with a knife to the surprised Dragon Slayer's neck. "I lost a dear friend and many colleagues today. I don't have time for your squabble. Spit it out or I'll end you in this cell." He growled.

Despite the circumstances, Cobra smirked. "I told you, I ain't spilling anything on them unless you let the Oracion Seis go."

Doranbolt's eyes narrowed.

"I got pals of my own ya know. You don't think they're important to me?" His teeth showed through his widening smirk. "But how about this? I'll give ya a slip of a note, on the house…"

* * *

Within the unknown lands, there lied the seemingly abandoned fortress. Everything was quiet and dark, fitting for predators like crows to caw overhead. However, within those walls, it was a whole other story. Kyôka walked through the walls, her walking followed by many of their troops in armor and masks. She took notice of their welcomed member walking down the hall and looked surprised.

"Silver. It is you." She greeted.

Silver turned towards her, a mischievous smirk on his face. "If it ain't Miss Kyôka. You're as stunning as ever I see." He replied.

Kyôka and Silver went on ahead towards another open room, leaving their soldiers behind. "It's not too often I see you in your human form." The former admitted.

"You surprised? I think it's manly to stride with this figure."

They both stopped in front of a dark yellow figure. As far as figure went down, he was mostly round with a helmet over his head, concealing his single yellow pupil. Orange insignias ran over his body as he had a cane and shoulder armor. He also had large red lips.

"Ah, Franmalth. Been a while, old friend." Silver greeted. "How's the guild been since…?"

"Ah, Lord Silver, got to see ya." The creepy man greeted. "Everything is as it should be. Chaotic and ripe for plucking. Oh~, how much will we collect?" He mischievously asked.

Kyôka looked around, seeing some members absent. "Are Tempester and Jackal not here?"

"They're out on their own special missions as we speak." Franmalth explained.

The female demon's smirk widened. "Lord Mard Geer, it would seem that he has finally recovered from the shock of the Impure Underworld." She could remember that night, where the sky went bloody red and her master shuddered at the terrorizing power. It was too familiar, as it made everyone recall July 7th, of another familiar incident of universal end. She powered through. "We've been in the shadows too long. The world may have been saved before, but now it's time for our operation to stir up the chaos."

Behind her, more of her fellow demons began to emerge. One was another slender woman with long purple hair. She had the feature of golden horns atop her head. She also had a dark curve with dots on the sides and a large circle on the forehead. She had a beige leopard-printed kimono over her large breasts, bearing decorative marks on the shoulders. A thick ribbon tied the kimono at the waist, and had thigh-high socks. This was Sayla.

Another was a skeleton man with a humungous high-collared robe. His mouth was stitched shut and he had a crown-like headpiece. He carried a stave with rings that jingled like keys. This was another colleague, Keyes.

There was a much larger man in terms of bulk. He had a fish-man appeal, like a certain Celestial Spirit Nic is associated with similar blade-like elbows, only he was a purplish shade. He had a feather-edged coat with short sleeves and triangular marking all over. He had a yellow beard that looked to be made of iron. Aside from his lizardman and shark muscularity, he had a huge red fin on top. This was Torafuzar.

Lastly, there was another male demon. He had black-ringed tattoos all over his shoulders and upper arms. He was mostly a light shade of green, with an open hole through his chest, where a chain surrounded it. He had four arms, and a spiky head and shoulders. His lower body was nothing other than octopus tentacles. Ezel, another demon, and he was looking smug.

"Very well." Kyôka pressed on deeper into the castle, her colleagues following behind. "Hell has kept us suppressed long enough! With humans still roaming after the two instances of Hell's rampage, we Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros shall have our turn at long last. Nic Pularis may have stopped Hell's wrath, but let's see how he deals with Tartaros now."

* * *

Cobra's smirk darkened. "Every member of Tartaros…they are all demons, risen from the Book of Zeref. Their master is E.N.D., Zeref's most powerful demon ever created."

Doranbolt's eyes widened, startled and horrified by this unveiling of information Cobra slipped out.

* * *

Within the walls of Tartaros' lair, everything was as it should be. The air was ecstatic with the news of their member Jackal annihilating the Magic Council, and many of demons were willing to celebrate. Many more of the Nine Demon Gates had their own reactions.

Franmalth was snickering with overwhelming joy. "That Jackal! There he goes with a bang as loud as ever!" He heartedly exclaimed. "Just how much are those lives worth? How much?!" He was salivating at the corner of his lip, getting a little too excited.

"Franmalth, that confounding mouth of yours is annoying. Have you no dignity as a demon?" Torafuzar berated.

Ezel's arms were pumping back and forth, flexing with overzealous energy. "Like demons give a damn about dignity! Send me next! I wanna massacre me some humans next!" He demanded.

"Now Ezel…" Sayla remained clam, a stark contrast to Ezel. "Every story has a prologue. Within each sentence, we draw closer towards the first chapter. The preface to be more accurate."

Kyôka turned towards Ezel. "Sayla's right. Do try and contain yourself."

"Grrrr!" Ezel's teeth were gritting out of anger and frustration. "I wanna have first shots at Nic Pularis! I wanna kill him already! Why can't we just find him and do that?!"

Keyes stamped the bottom of his stave on the ground, the jangling of the key rings echoing all throughout the chamber. "Pray…whispers…" He murdered. "…these lines have been neglected twice, screams and prayers drowning the subtle road."

Sayla's glare darkened. "We all are aware of what happened, and it is against the rules to speak of _that_ name." She testified. Everyone went quiet, even Ezel, as they all knew of whom she referred to. "That man and those monsters, they have risen and damned Hell itself. They have made a mockery of our good name. We have suffered shame, and even as they have been expunged, that leaves the Hell destroyer himself that stands in our way. Nic Pularis."

Silver remained silent. He instead cascaded his attention towards a large, bony cross that towered in te chamber with a demon skull at the intersection. Aside from the webs and grotesque vine at the top of the ceiling, at the base were various sizes of stones with intricate ancient texts and symbols. It was like standing at your own grave.

"Our beloved Lord Zeref has been frightened and shamed by this power now erased, now we must rectify and make sure humans now learn that we shall be the ones to rise Hell." Kyôka announced.

* * *

In another small town of abundance of citizens, there was a restaurant, well known as the 8 Island Restaurant. It was a nice little restaurant, known and owned by none other than former councilman, Mr. Yajima. This was his idea after retiring from the council, and he savored cooking. However, things were grim on his face as he looked at the newspaper in hand. "This is the most disturbing news I've seen." He mumbled.

Freed was present, currently wearing an orange uniform and a chef's hat. Looking away from dicing up a radish. "The council was destroyed?" He repeated.

Bickslow was stirring soup, but he heard the news as well. "Yeah, and all the members died big time."

Yajima's face leaned closer in an inspection of the paper. "That's only the start I'm afraid. 118 dead, wounded and all…it's a deplorable cataclysm."

"Well be glad you quit that joint, right?" Bickslow smiled.

"Show some respect to the council, would ya?!" Yajima snapped.

"I suppose that in terms of respect, no one reciprocates after their act of arson in the war." Freed said with his back turned.

Yajima let out another sigh. "I suppose you are right. Still a shame. The council really did a number on its reputation, going so far as to you Phantasm to lock Fiore and everyone up. Etherion, Phantasm, and then the loss of the Council War against Nic Pularis and all Pokémon. It's bad enough they had to rebuild policies from the ground up, but this was most unfortunate."

"Ahem!" Another voice called out. Everyone's attention turned towards Evergreen, who was wearing a server girl's outfit, quite revealing for her legs and buxom. "Even though there's no customers here, keep your jobs in mind. This is something serious we're doing." She reminded them.

Bickslow and Freed shot her a look, looking unamused. "What?"

"Sorry, Ever, that getup isn't good on you." Bickslow said. Freed nodded.

"Well so~rry! Suck it up will ya?!" Evergreen angrily exclaimed. She sat the empty dish down on the counter for Bickslow to wash when he got the chance. "And besides, you're the ones who were complaining about the flooding of hard jobs to take. So what's so hard about this job? It's easy, right?"

Freed grinned at her reasoning. "Hm, well…" He chopped faster than before. "Cooking is one of my passions."

Bickslow swiped his arm, tongue hanging out as his "babies" sprinkled spice all over a fresh order. "And I can rock up a nice arrangement, baby!"

"Arrangement! Arrangement!" His dolls repeated as they set up food.

"Well I guess I can use my looks to bring in the customers." Evergreen winked, getting into a sexy pose across the counter.

"By the way…" Yajima added. "Hasn't that fool Laxus come back yet?"

Bickslow scratched his head. "Yeah, now that you mention it, he went to get some supplies, but hasn't come back yet. He must've gotten lost or something."

Freed smirked. "He can fight Dark Guilds and Wizard Saints all day, yet he can't run simple errands…" He chuckled. "How hopeless can he get?"

The door opened up, the clanging of the bell catching everyone's attention.

Evergreen smiled. "Laxus? We'll speak of the-!"

Instead of Laxus, it was another man, one of large height. It was hard to make out his face due to the hood and cloak he had on, but his presence was something most…ominous. He had a beard and an odd nose, something everyone caught on to pretty fast.

His bizarre appearance, coupled by his odd pressure, left everyone silent. Yajima was fortunate enough to speak up. "Uh…can we help you?"

The man walked towards the center of the restaurant, not answering Yajima's question. Instead, he lowered his head. A strong silence again fell over, before the mysterious man whistled. Nobody even had time before a summoned tornado burst from his body, exploding and destroying the restaurant in a raging cyclone.

Yajima's eyes bulged out of his head as he saw not only his believed restaurant destroyed, but the Thunder God Tribe was caught up in the tempest, thrown in various directions.

As the cyclone diminished, the man made another "whoosh" sound, cloaking his body in a cyclone and swerved through the air towards Yajima.

"What are you doing?!" Yajima cried out.

"Look out!" Evergreen shouted.

Freed and Bickslow managed to intercept at the last second, blocking off the man in the cyclone. However, he pressed his two palms against their chests, making another "boom" sound from his lips. A shockwave emitted, engulfing them and sending the two men flying in agony. Both screamed in pain as they felt the pain most in their chests.

The man, with no distractions, stood in front of Yajima, another fist embedded in cyclones. Yajima, being a master of Flattening Magic, made his body as flat as paper, swirling around the mysterious man's arm. "That won't work!" He shouted.

The mystery man whistled again, this time summoning a gust of fire that blew Yajima away in yelling agony.

"Mr. Yajima! No!" Freed cried out.

Evergreen got up, jumping and swiping her arm. " **Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!** " She summoned hundreds of needles that went flying towards the mystery man from behind. The mysterious figure looked back and whistled again, summoning another cyclone from his arm that ploughed through Evergreen's offense and struck her. The woman screamed out in agony yet again as she crashed in a pile of broken wood.

"Damn you!" Bickslow cursed. He and his friend tried to move, but they were too weak to move. That left the man and Yajima all alone.

The man towered over Yajima's quivering body. He looked unfazed as the old man was looking with terror at the attacker, who was without any words. "Who…who are you?" Yajima wheezed.

"I have no name." He answered. "I am one of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros, the calamity."

"What?"

Freed was rendering only to his elbows. "This power…what is this?"

"Even though Hell's gates have been broken apart long ago and terrorized, there is still the chance for Tartaros to walk through them to your human race." The man picked up Yajima by the throat, choking the poor elderly man. "Humanity had its judgment, but now we shall be the judge." Cyclones around his arm began to arise yet again.

"Tartaros?!" Bickslow shouted.

"Mr. Yajima!" Evergreen cried while sprawled on the ground.

Freed's eyes widened. _'_ _Wait…no, it can't be! First there was the Magic Council, and now…!'_ His heart stopped. "They're after former members as well?!"

Yajima couldn't break free. He couldn't even breathe. The cyclones were about ready, and the man muttered weakly. "Fall…" The cyclones in his arm bellowed, spinning straight up his arm and attacking Yajima's chest and neck. The man screamed out in pain.

"NO!" Bickslow exclaimed.

Yajima's screams bellowed as the cyclones reached his neck.

Evergreen began to tear up. "MR. YAJIMA~!"

As Yajima cried out, the man looked back around, sensing something. A sudden lightning strike from above shot down and dissipated the cyclone, freeing Yajima and relieving everyone. As Yajima fell backwards, the Thunder God Tribe began to realize that particular lightning. The magic was too clear as day itself. Evergreen began to smile.

From behind, Laxus was there, hand clutched with a bag of fresh produce and groceries. In his raised fist was lightning, and lightning again shot straight down, this time far harder and fried the man in flashy lightning.

As the lightning simmered down, the hooded man looked back with wide eyes, unfazed by the wake-up call.

Laxus dropped the bag of groceries and glared. "I lost track of which way I had to go…" He raised a fist of crackling lightning. "But when it comes to dealing with punks like you, I know my way."

Yajima sat up, looking beyond relieved. "Laxus!"

"You've made it." Freed smiled.

"Now that punk's asking for it." Bickslow sneered.

The man growled, him and Laxus in a stare-down. He didn't look pleased, but neither was the Lightning Dragon himself.

"Be careful! He's from Tartaros! They're after the council and its former members!" Evergreen warned him.

Laxus raised a brow. "You don't say?"

The mysterious man could sense Laxus' power, for it was staggering. He knew his assignment, and thus would carry it out swiftly. He reached for his cloak, something Laxus grew weary of, and tore it off. With every piece of fabric taken, Laxus grew equally as shocked. He was a of massive height, with long shaggy blonde hair that went down his huge back. Attached to his shoulders were two large plates and some black lines. He stared at his adversary, his form unveiled.

Laxus' eyes widened. _'_ _He's…not human?'_ He wondered in his shock.

"I am to destroy the former councilmembers, but my secondary assignment is to draw Nic Pularis in. Let's see if this gets his attention…" He said.

"Nic?" Freed muttered.

With another whistle, the man went blazing after Laxus in a cyclone. He went to punch Laxus, yet missed when he jumped and dodged. The man redirected himself off the floor towards Laxus. Suddenly, Laxus vanished, appearing upside-down behind the man, delivering a kick embedded in lightning against his back, sending him crashing through wood mounds.

The demon got back up, turning towards Laxus. "You…"

"Looks like you've got things backwards." Laxus was again behind the demon, towering over him with lightning. The demon of calamity turned around to face him, but end up with clutched fist embedded with lightning instead.

" **Lightning Dragon's Jaw!** "

Laxus smashed his clutched hands together and brought them down against the side of the demon's head. The creature was sent towards the ground as the earth itself caved in, making a large crater that rumbled like thunder and lightning shot down at the same point of impact. As the attack subsided, Laxus remained towering over the demon, who was down for the count.

"That's our Laxus!" Freed announced. He and Bickslow were able to move to where they could sit up, though the latter was on a couch that was surprisingly intact.

"Now that's our badass!"

"Laxus, you're a real man!" Evergreen swooned.

"Achoo!" Unknowingly, Elfman sneezed back at the guild.

Laxus turned away from the adversary, looking at Yajima. "Hey, Mr. Yajima. Wheer you want this thing?" He asked, referring to the attacker.

Yajima was managing to sit up, crossing his arms in pondering. "Hmmm…well, the council is down for now, so we don't have anywhere to put him." He began to gloom. "My poor restaurant." He sighed.

"Hey, come on, don't be like that. I'm sure the council's got other branches that are functional, your restaurant branches included, right?" Bickslow tried to cheer him up.

Freed turned. "I say we bring him back to Fairy Tail for interrogating. Something he said troubled me."

"Oh? What might that be?" Evergreen asked.

"Well…he mentioned getting Nic's attention. That's something that bothers me greatly. If he was really aiming for the council and former councilmembers, why try and draw Nic out at the same time?"

Evergreen put a hand to her chin. "That is a good question. Couldn't they do both if they wanted to?"

Bickslow lowered his head. "I can't be certain, and I sure hope I ain't…but maybe do you guys think they wanna go after Nic?"

"After what he's accomplished, I guess that would make sense." Freed agreed. "When you think about it, he's saved the entire universe once, not to mention defeated God Serena, the most powerful mage on the whole continent. He's also the reason the council had shut down for a while to reform. When you add the recent events of the Impure Underworld's devastation halted by his hands as well, that would make him enemy threat number one."

"Looks like they're targeting the big fish then, huh?" Laxus figured. "Well these clowns picked a wrong fight to take part in, that's for sure."

The man groaned, regaining consciousness at long last. "Gnnngh…Nic Pularis…Fairy Tail…"

Laxus looked down at his heels, seeing the man regaining himself. "Back up already, are ya?"

The man leered up at him with heavy eyes. "You humans…we only factored Nic and the Pokémon into our equation…we didn't perceive any others to have…this level of power…" His gaze narrowed slightly. "Looks like I'll have to die again."

"What?" Laxus raised a brow.

"Just remember, human…you're the one who has things backwards." The demon's body began to turn to black, before it suddenly burst into oblivion, leaving a black mist all around instead.

Laxus stared at what happened, the demon gone just like that. "What?!" He exclaimed.

"He self-destructed?!" Evergreen gasped.

Yajima, Freed, and Bickslow went wide-eyed in horror of the demon disappearing. The black mist began to expand, the particles in the atmosphere beginning to turn black and thicken. It was engulfing everything, and no one looked safe.

"Black smoke?!" Freed exclaimed.

"It's spreading in the area!" Bickslow warned.

 _'_ _Humans cannot defeat a calamity.'_ Laxus looked over his head, hearing the demon's voice in the passing winds, like a ghost. _'_ _What you see before you are Magical Barrier Particles. They feed and poison everything that has ethernano in it…and then destroys it.'_

"But then…" Freed's eyes widened. "Every living thing has ethernano-!" He coughed, beginning to feel an inhaling of some. His coughing grew haphazardly.

Evergreen covered her mouth, but before she knew it, it was already too late. She began to cough. "Then…our magic is poisonous!" She wheezed.

Yajima began to choke himself, the effects already beginning to take effect. He was suppressing any means of coughing. Bickslow was no different, as he was gaging.

 _'_ _This virus is very lethal, especially to those who are mages. The poison will spread, and consume you from the inside. The only downside…is that I have to return to headquarters to regenerate.'_

Laxus narrowed his wincing gaze, blood dripping down his lip. "Damn you…"

 _'_ _I'll see you in Hell…'_ The demon's voice faded away, leaving only the Magical Barrier Particles to thicken and spread rapidly throughout the area.

Freed used his sleeve to shield his mouth. "Don't inhale anymore!" He muffled.

Evergreen fell to her knees, coughing. "At…at this rate…" She couldn't finish; it was already starting.

"The town…it's gonna be consumed at this rate!" Bickslow warned.

Yajima coughed wildly. He was looking he'll keel over. "We need to get out o here…" He coughed. "Hurry…" Before he could make the first step, he collapsed.

"Mr. Yajima!" Evergreen called out, but she also followed, falling onto her side. Unfortunately, Bickslow did as well.

"Bickslow! Ever! No!" Freed cried out.

Laxus was pale, but unlike his colleagues, he wasn't falling over. He looked down at his clutched fists, veins pulsing with anger an adrenaline. "No…I won't let this happen! Over…my dead body!"

Freed look at Laxus with terror. "Laxus, don't breathe anymore in!"

Laxus instead, did the exact opposite. He took in a huge breath, sucking in Magical Barrier Particles. Streams of them glowed into his mouth, like a vacuum that wouldn't shut off.

"Laxus!" Freed cried out.

 _'_ _I got…Dragon Slayer lungs for a reason ya know!'_ Laxus announced, the particles diving into his being. _'_ _I'm taking it all in!'_

Freed's eyes shuddered. "Laxus, stop! Your body, it can't-!"

"Freed!" His associate went silent as Laxus smirked at him, eyes bloodshot and veins popping out of his head. "Get everyone home…that's a direct order." His order came with him opening his mouth one more time, effectively sucking up the last of the particles, making them disappear in the atmosphere. Laxus fell over with a large thud on his stomach, making Freed tear up.

" **LAXUS~!"**

* * *

It didn't take too long for word to spread to the Fairy Tail guild. Everyone heard word of what happened and Freed followed his fallen leader's orders as instructed. At the moment, everyone was on edge as Porlyusica was tending to their needs; she had Nic tag along due to the poison, and so they had to work fast with everyone eventually getting a result.

The door to the infirmary opened, revealing a frowning Porlyusica and Nic, whom was in his Toxic Form.

Makarov was the first of any of them to run towards her for answers. "Porlyusica! Nic! How are Laxus and the others?! Are they alright?! What?!"

Everyone behind him was gathered around, unnerved of what transpired. They all counted on them for answers. "They're alive, that much we know." The elderly woman answered without the need to shout.

Everyone was relieved…for the moment.

"They had Magical Barrier Particles in their bodies, and even the weakest quantity is known to be gruesomely fatal." She added.

"I was able to absorb their poison and neutralize it, but even that took some time." Nic didn't go into detail for how dreadful it was for the Magical Barrier particles to mix with his poison to make a weak vaccine. "Their lives aren't at risk anymore, but even after Heal Pulse, I'm afraid they won't be able to recover or move for a while."

Makarov's eyes widened. "So…?"

"Those particles aren't lethal anymore…but they're still inside of them. Nic just neutralized their poison and healed their cells was all. Laxus' portion was the heftiest of them all." Porlyusica turned back towards the sleeping Laxus, his chest moving up and down. "By all accounts, he should've been dead before we made the anti-poison."

It wasn't a good note for Fairy Tail. This was a big blow to them. By all accounts, they were fine now that they weren't poisoned, but those Magical Barrier Particles were still an issue. As long as they were inside their bodies, who knows if they'll make a recover?

Elfman was holding his worried sisters as they grew nervous. Erza was shaking out of anxiety and worry that she couldn't do anything, and Natsu was no different.

The group of mages looked over, seeing Freed shift in his head, just enough to get attention. The Enchantment Mage was sweating profusely due to exhaustion, and he was just tired due to the bags under his eyes.

"Master…" His voice was raspy.

Makarov moved to his bedside. "I'm here."

"Laxus…he saved the entire town…I not for him…"

"I know." The master acknowledged. "I'm proud of you, Freed. You've managed to bring them back, for that I am glad."

"If not for Laxus…they'd all be…"

The Master turned his attention towards the panting Laxus. Like Freed, he was also sweating up a storm. The anti-poison Nic made was fighting and neutralizing the Magical Barrier Particles, but the process was getting gruesome inside for them all. When he thought about it, his grandson's sacrifice was…meant for nothing. In reality, the Magical Barrier Particles had spread, and Hargeon was caught in a death spell that caused it to go under quarantine. But that didn't stop lives for being lost.

…

A contamination unit had masks on, flooding all over Hargeon.

"Keep your distance! Hargeon is obscured with Magic Barrier Particles!"

"Hey! We need backup! The western end is really bad!"

"Four more victims over here!"

"That's the total over 100 now!"

"Even those without magic are affected?!"

"What happened here?!"

…

Freed looked desperate for an answer. "The village…it was saved…right…?"

Makarov looked down at his "child" with a stone face. Internally, he was grieving for the loss of lives, but at the same time, it would only hurt Freed to know Laxus' efforts were for nothing. Erza and Nic looked down at their Master, expecting him to say what was needed to be said for Freed. Everyone looked down and hoped for the same answer.

"…yes." He lied.

Freed's eyes began to mist up. He smiled with joy. "Then…it was worth it."

Depression overturned the whole mood of the guild. Everyone was either giving looks of grief or on the verge of tears. They all couldn't feel anymore sorry for what happened, even though it wasn't their fault. Even after the millions of lives lost after the Impure Underworld, the grieving only grew darker as this was insult to injury. Cana put her hand on a misty-eyed Wendy's head, while Gajeel gritted his teeth in anger.

Vanessa looked relaxed, but her distilled gaze was another story. "Tartaros…"

"They said that they were after the council, and on top of that…" Sophie trailed off, the blonde's attention diverting towards Nic. Everyone's gazes turned towards Nic; one of the reasons Tartaros was after them. "Nic."

Nic maintained a calm but frowning face. It was no question he'd be unnerved, but attacking one of his own friends than going at him head on was a coward's play. They wanted to present themselves in a way Nic could recognize them as a threat. _'_ _Tartaros…'_

Erza looked towards Nic, a tightened expression on her face. _'_ _If they're after former councilmembers…then they might be after Jellal.'_ Jellal was the least of her worries, considering that Tartaros had Nic on their top priority to kill list. _'_ _They want to kill Nic so we'd feel inferior. I won't let them have him. No matter what.'_ She declared.

Natsu's fists clutched out of the bittersweet frustration he was feeling. His friends were hurt, and he can't let that happen a second time. He turned his back from the others, his veins popping out of his head. "Gramps…" He growled. His fists clutched so much harder that blood circulating. The look on his face showed blind rage. "This means war!"

* * *

 **So here's the start of the Tartaros Arc. As you saw, I didn't diverge from the canon too much, other than mix up a few lines here and there. So I made it pretty clear that aside from their usual objective, Tartaros is also out to get Nic's attention and prove they are an equal threat as the ones before. I also made it so that I gave Staraptor a little attention; I felt she needed some more interaction in the story, but just a little was enough. And as I had meant it to be, the return of the always happy NicxErza love.**

 **Story-wise, I made this chapter under 10K for once, just a breather after the huge amount of words I stuffed into the Impure Underworld Arc, but don't expect it to be like this for the rest of the Tartaros Arc. But as usual, throw in your review and thoughts and thanks for reading!**


	44. Diving Into Depths Unimaginable

Within the layer of Tartaros, everything was stale, dark as an abyss, and certainly as gross as one. Within a section of a building, there was a bizarre room with tons of tentacle-like roots that scattered across the floor and against giant canisters. Within one of the many canisters, in liquid and several tentacles attached to his disemboweled body, was the demon Laxus fought, at least what remained of him. Half of his body was gone, yet parts of his arms and legs were separated from the body, remaining unmoved.

He looked with his one eye still intact, the contents bubbling inside the canister and his body slowly regenerating. "My apologies that I couldn't do more…Kyôka." He said, his mouth at the very least regenerated.

Standing in front of the canister was Kyôka, hands to her hips. "It's no trouble Tempester, you did a fine job." She grinned.

"Tempester?" He asked. "…so that is my name." He looked down. "No matter. With every new body, my memories fade into nothing. Kyôka, when shall I be fully recovered?"

"Hmmm…" Kyôka speculated. "Under normal circumstances, the process would take about a day. However, we're running another experiment at this time, so I'm afraid it'll take longer."

Tempester's curiosity piqued. "Experiment? Care to explain?"

"Why sure…" Kyôka smirked as she turned away. "Rather than another casualty, we have…an added guest. More like a new child of mine…"

Within another canister right beside Tempester was a familiar figure, and her body was stripped bare of any clothing as tentacle injected veins into her blood stream. Her eyes were closed, her consciousness gone as her sky-blue hair was spread through the canister. It was the one who nearly sank Sabertooth into darkness, Bellona.

"Bellona, the newest addition to our collection." Kyôka said. "She has a lot of power that'll be of some use to us."

"Heh!" A third party entered the chamber with a cane, the person being Franmalth arising from the shadows. "Just hope she's not a dud like Doriate.

"Franmalth." Kyôka acknowledged.

The round demon smiled wide as he looked up at Tempester's state. "Throwing Magic Barrier Particles recklessly is a waste of profit you know. Just how much is this gonna cost? What a penny for us to drop thanks to you."

Tempester didn't answer. All the demon could do was lay quiet and continue to recover. However, his glare darkened. "…Fairy Tail." He swore beneath his breath.

Kyôka frowned. "Fairy Tail?" She parroted. "Is that what you said."

Swishing was head from nearby, catching Kyôka and Franmalth's attention. They looked over, seeing tentacles convulsing to restrain a restless Bellona. She looked angry, which intrigued the two.

"Oh~, looks to me this one bites at that name!" Franmalth exclaimed.

"That's the same guild that Nic Pularis belongs to." Kyôka's smirked returned, this time more mischievous. "Looks like two birds with one stone for us."

* * *

Fairy Tail was in the process of equipping itself for its arduous mission ahead of them. This could very well spell disaster if this didn't work out in their favor. They all readied their weapons, and they all had their assignments. It was thanks to Loke, who – through explicit means – knew a few former councilmembers' locations. Due to secrecy, getting a few was hard, but with some research thanks to Levy and Lucy, they were able to pinpoint one of the ex-chairman. With the information assessed, Makarov assembled to high ranking teams and everyone stood in front of the stage.

Porlyusica stood beside the Master, looking at everyone. "Alright everyone, listen up. Thanks to Loke, we now have several councilmembers whose locations we know. What's important is that we investigate and extort as much intel s we can. These former councilmembers are sworn to secrecy, so expect resistance, but do not forget, we have to get as much addresses as we can if we want to know why they're targeted by Tartaros. If you come across the being that Laxus fought, make sure to collect a blood sample. I won't be able to fully exterminate the Magic Barrier Particles without it." With her word getting everyone's attention, she stepped back to allow the master to step forward.

He cleared his throat, and then his glare grew deadly serious. He raised his fist high, declaring the authority he possessed. "Everyone! To this day we go to war! Our enemy is Tartaros, as they are the last of the Baram Alliance! But as you have known, they should have learned from the Oracion Seis and Grimoire Heart's mistakes, for they knew better than to pick a fight with Fairy Tail! They have made an enemy who now can fight back, this time to swear our roles as family and risk our lives to preserve the light of our kind! Nic, for he has the strength that can bring that last pillar down! Well if they want to get to him they must trample over all of us first! Our comrade's blood shed is our blood! Their pain is ours! The anguish and treachery they have given us will be the bane that will fuel our paths to fight! This is not of justice that guides us, but the wills and burning souls within our hearts! Make them rue the day they crept out of the shadows! We shall use our bonds and crush all our enemies once and for all!"

Everyone roared in unison, complying and readying them for the fight that dawns.

"You will have one hour's time! Make the last preparations needed! Our path is clear!" Makarov said before everyone departed.

With the little time left, after the announcement, the guild did all that they could to prepare. Mirajane and Elfman used their time to enter the infirmary.

Elfman stood by Evergreen's bedside, watching her sweat, yet she seemed to be fine given the poison was neutralized. "I swear to you, as a man…" His fists balled. "I'll make sure that Tartaros pays for what they've done."

Mirajane stood over Laxus' bed, seeing his sick state, yet she smiled. "I heard what you did from Freed…you've really become attached to everyone's hearts, haven't you?" Her smile grew warmer. While the two didn't get along over the years, she felt his pain, and for that she acknowledged what he's done. "We won't ever forget your bravery."

* * *

In Nic and Erza's home, the two went back to make the last of their preparations needed. With their supplies packed, they closed the door behind them. They both stood on the smooth porch, looking at the other next.

"Are you going to be okay?" Erza asked. She reached for his cheek, resting her armored hand against his warm face.

Despite the armor, he felt her heat. He leaned into her palm and rested a hand on hers. "I'll be okay." He smiled. "I have my Pokémon after all."

Erza managed to smile back. "You do. As do I." She knew that Nic knew the reason why she asked such a question. The remnants of the Impure Underworld incident was the cause, and yet it was also that time span Nic and Vanessa almost died by the hands of the reaper. Erza didn't want to leave Nic, but she trusted him, good and bad. Nic felt the same way, as his trust was as extreme as her own.

"You and Mirajane are going to visit the former chairman, I'm going to visit Leiji. If anything happens, we'll be able to find our way to each other." Nic's smile grew more determined than before. "No matter what."

Erza nodded in agreement. "Always." She pulled Nic in, catching his lips in another kiss. Nic savored her taste of strawberry, but also savored the luck she poured into the kiss. Once satisfied, she let go and Nic walked down the porch steps, pulling out a Poke Ball.

"Come out, Charizard!" Nic tossed the Poke Ball high, popping open and the Flame Pokémon spread his wings in the air, letting out a brief roar.

As Charizard descended, Nic looked back at Erza. "Vanessa is with Sophie on standby with the guild. If anything happens we'll all have Communication Lacrima. I'll let you know if anything vital comes around."

Erza nodded. "I'll do the same." She smiled. "It's time I rendezvous with Mirajane to encounter the chairman. Nic…" Her eyes grew soft. "I'm counting on you."

Nic's smile reciprocated, his eyes also softening. "I know. Me too." With their objectives set, Nic knew he had to hurry. Unlike the other chairman, Leiji was much farther away compared to the others. He would go in his Draco or Sky Form, but using Charizard would help conserve energy. He hopped onto the Fire and Flying-type's back, ready for takeoff. "Charizard, **Fly!** "

Charizard spread his wings and shot into the sky. He soared off as fast as he was trained to be, leaving Erza to watch them depart.

With them gone, Erza walked down the porch and towards the guild to depart with Mirajane.

* * *

In a matter of a few hours, Nic and his Charizard arrived at one of the northern realms of Fiore. Nic found himself in front of a large home secluded from a town nearby thick forest regions. It wasn't extravagant like a mansion, but it was two stories, with a lot of windows on the first and second floor. Aside from the flat roof, there was a bulbous dome on top for sunlight to come through.

Nic knocked on the door, the nice wood echoing quite loudly. "Excuse me, is anyone here?" He announced.

He got a small yet long silence in response. He reached and tapped his knuckles against the wooden door once more. This time, he heard a voice on the other end.

"Yes? Hold on! I'm coming!" A deep voice announced.

Nic stepped back as the door opened, revealing Leiji. The man frowned as he glared at Nic. He had dark, round glasses over his eyes. He had some facial hair beneath his chin and had dark black hair that curved on the sides of his head beneath his hood. His dark stare was down onto Nic, his surprise mild.

"You…?"

"My apologies for being so sudden on my arrival, but I am-" Nic was going to continue, but Leiji intervened.

"I know who you are." He said. "Everyone knows who you are. You're Nic Pularis, I remember you." He recalled a very long time ago when Nic and Erza were brought into trial, suffice to say the memory wasn't one he was particularly fond of given his seemingly unpleasant tone. "We were all there when you took on that monster and scarred us for life."

Nic wasn't budged by how blunt that statement came out. Before he could speak, another voice spoke up.

"Grandpa?" A voice called out from inside the living.

Leiji looked back, seeing a woman approach from afar. She was tall and possibly the same age as Nic. She had long, dark hair like Leiji, but it was wavy and two bangs curved and framed her face on both sides. She had green eyes and red lipstick, a red dress and white skirt hugging her curvy figure.

"Lena." Leiji gruffed.

Lena approached Nic, bowing towards her superior. "Hi, it's a pleasure to have you here, Nic Pularis." She greeted. "You'll have to excuse my grandpa, we don't get visitors too often."

Leiji cleared his throat. "Mm-hmm! R-right, sorry about that." He apologized, realizing how unwelcoming he was to the situation.

Nic didn't seem too bothered. "It's alright. No trouble at all."

Leiji turned back towards Nic, looking at him in the eyes. "So then, what brought you here? And how did you learn of my address?"

Nic glared at Leiji, his reasonable mood gone. He was giving a look of seriousness that Leiji grew weary of. Within a matter of minutes, Nic was allowed inside, where he sat across from a chair in the living room where he and Leiji talked. Nic gave the rundown of what's transpired, eventually bringing them to now.

"I see…" Leiji looked down at the small table between them. "So the former councilmembers are also at risk."

"In short, yes."

Leiji took a small pause. "…I suppose I owe you yet another apology. The Magic Council has caused a lot of trouble. As much as I dislike your meddlesome guild, I can certainly agree when Gran Doma took things too far when war was waged."

"It's water under the bridge. But far as the council goes, I'm afraid we're not drawing many conclusions as to why Tartaros is after them to begin with." Nic said.

Leiji raised his head, staring at the white ceiling. "I can understand your confusion. I'm sure that there's a reason why they went after people such as Yajima."

Lena sat in between the two, a small teacup in her hands. "Grandpa." She got Leiji's attention. "Didn't you used to be part of the council? Could you imagine this being a means of revenge?"

Leiji didn't seem fazed. "The council has imprisoned many mages and guild members alike, not to mention the fall of two of the Baram Alliance guilds, at least last I checked. I hardly doubt that in likes of a dark guild, they'd go for a vendetta."

Nic crossed his arms. "I agree. If this was about a grudge, then they wouldn't have gone the lengths of targeting the council than my guild instead. I know for a fact that they deem me as a threat as well, but that doesn't justify why they would still target so many people outside my knowledge zone." He began to surmise possible reasons. "We need to rethink this carefully. The council is a high standing part of the world, but after it's abuse in Etherion and its defeat in the Council War, its reputation has been stained. And not long after, the Impure Underworld was unleashed and lives were lost. And now here comes Tartaros; maybe they're using the chaos stirred up from the recent events to their advantage to throw us in various directions."

"I don't know myself. To think like a monster is not justified. It's not like me, but why would I go for former colleagues? What did we all have access to that made us superior…?" Suddenly, he gasped. "Wait." He said it so brash.

"What is it?" Nic asked.

"The Magic Council had a number of weapons, such as Etherion, but that's no longer functional to this day. Then there's the Phantasm, a sealing weapon that closes off borders and traps any and all in Fiore. They are high-ranking weapons that only the council can access…"

Nic's eyes narrowed, catching onto the inquiry. "If that's true…then they're after one of those weapons."

Leiji's gaze grew wide and weary. "There's one weapon that I know of that might fit this situation…Face!"

"Face?" Nic repeated.

Leiji began to sweat, a trait Nic caught onto and became weary. "Face…Face, oh dear. This is bad." The anxiety on him began to make his elderly heart beat faster. "If they got their hands on it…?" The former councilmember began to trail off, thinking of what would happen if such a weapon was unleashed.

Nic looked suspiciously at the unnerved man. His eyes then abruptly widened, getting up from his seat. He looked around, making the two others unnerved.

"What's wrong?" Leiji called out.

Nic saw outside the windows behind him. It was supposed to have sunlight, but instead, there was darkness. It was a thick darkness that bubbled.

"Wait, is it night already?" Lena asked.

Nic narrowed his eyes, his suspicions on the rise. "No…it's not night." He whipped back around, facing Leiji. "They're here!"

Suddenly the windows cracked apart, shattering and allowing the darkness inside. It rushed in exactly like water would. It hurriedly rushed like a flood, getting towards the room where Nic and the others were. Nic rushed for Leiji and Lena alike, the sudden grab around the waist making the curvy woman blush.

"Everyone hang tight!" Nic glowed, shifting into his Sky Form. He brought his wings back and then flapped them, enveloping himself in a tornado that whirled and broke through the ceiling. Eventually the cyclone of air broke through the stained-glass dome's top and curved out and dissipated with Nic spiraling out with Leiji and Lena, all of which were unscathed.

Once regaining composure, Leiji looked down at Nic. "What was that for?! You couldn't have warned me!" He diverted his attention down towards his house, seeing as how it was enveloped in a huge aquatic dome. His eyes widened. "What…?"

"What is that?" Lena asked in shock. "Water? It looks so dark!"

Nic was maintaining airborne status as he inspected the dome of water that covered the two levels of the house. There was something wrong, something off about the water. It looked and felt so dark and demonic. He could feel a very sinister appeal, yet he didn't appear to feel any form of resemblance. His guard heightened as he watched the dome expand upwards until a pillar of dark water shot straight up out of the entire glass dome, gushing like a geyser.

Leiji and Lena were again brought into shock as Nic flapped his wings and half-somersaulted, u-turning and shooting a distance away as the dark water poured like rain all over what remained of the house. They all were again straightened out and maintained stability – and their lunches – as the dark dome vanished, similar to an illusion almost. Specks of green and purple fell like rain as the water evaporated rapidly, leaving debris and the house barely in one piece.

"What was that just now?" Leiji asked, his face pale from the shock he felt. It all happened so fast that he was lucky to stay conscious.

Lena watched the water fade away to reveal something perched on top of the roof. "Look!" She pointed out.

Nic remained calm as he watched the water evaporate all around the house, the lowering levels revealing Torafuzar glaring up at Nic and everyone. His appearance as well as arrival surprised them all nonetheless.

"A…fish-man?!" Leiji exclaimed. "You mean a fish tried to exterminate us?!"

"A fish?" Torafuzar clarified. "Fool. Are you humans that dense to compare me to some creature that you hunt for food?"

Nic narrowed his eyes as he glared at the demon. His icy stare was resolute, but not severe. "I take it that you're with Tartaros, am I safe to surmise?"

"Yes. I am with Tartaros, as that is the guild I have been born into." The demon answered. "I see that Jackal's efforts have set precautions. No matter."

"Jackal?" Nic repeated. When it clicked in his mind, his eyes widened in shock. "You mean that's the name of the one who desecrated the Magic Council?"

Torafuzar took a step forward on top of the flat roof. "That's right. With them out of the way, Tartaros now has another assignment we must carry out; two in my case." He shot a look at Leii, who went wide-eyed at the demon's eyes penetrating his scared soul.

"What do we do?" Lena asked Nic.

"The question you should be asking yourselves is what is it that you cannot do?" Torafuzar said. "The answer is simple: survive."

Nic leered but remained passive as Torafuzar brought his arm back.

The big guy jumped for them. "Now it is time for me to carry out my duty! Say hello to the likes of the netherworld!" He brought his arm back, the slashing blade similar to what Volans had shimmering in the sunlight.

Leiji and Lena gasped in fright, the fish-man demon reaching ever so closer for them. They prepared for the end, yet they were blinded by a bright light.

" **Grass Knot!** "

Torafuzar was momentarily blinded by the glow of Nic, but he went beyond baffled as he felt his leg get snared and drove into the ground. The land thudded with dust, the only thing visible being an arched twirled glowing green vine that protruded from the earth. The dust settled, and everyone saw Torafuzar laying on his stomach, the Grass Knot retreating back down the hole it came out of.

"What just…" Leiji looked back at Nic, seeing him in a combination of his Meadow and Sky Form. The appearance was similar to his Meadow Form, but the edging, belt, wings, and shoes were that of his Sky Form's. _'_ _Did he really just take him down with just one move?'_

"Amazing." Lena gasped.

Nic descended back down to earth, planting his feet and setting Lena and Leiji down as well. He glowed again, shifting the Sky Form attribute to his Splash Form. " **Grass/Water.** " He announced. With the edging and shoes of the Splash Form, and Dive Ball for a buckle, he glared at Torafuzar but had his words set on the two beside him. "Both of you, get back. His target is also you, Mr. Leiji, so get back."

"Er…r-right!" Leiji did as instructed and his granddaughter followed. The two backed away towards the woods' edge, maintaining a hidden status within the underbrush and trees.

Torafuzar eventually got back to his feet with a huff. He looked at Nic, albeit with the same mild expression as before. "Well, well, seems it looks like we need to second guess our evaluation of you, Nic Pularis. You caught me by surprise there."

"You have strong and bulky arms with sharp blades, but at the same time, that leaves your legs with vulnerable possibilities for me to use that weight to my advantage." Nic said.

"Observant as well. I can tell in person that you aren't such a pushover after all." Torafuzar replied, though the comment Nic wanted to question, he instead let it slide over his head.

"Tell me, why is it that you are after the councilmembers? What are you gaining from all this?"

"Are you really that intentional on standing between us and our goal that you would want to extort us for details?"

"Yes. And I may not have a place to say, but I have a substantial reason why you're after me."

Torafuzar smirked. "That so? Then you know how lethal of a threat you are to us. It doesn't take much human brain power to know what catastrophes you have thwarted. I have two objectives; the first is to eliminate all the former councilmembers, something the likes of your guild managed to snuff out of Tempester."

Nic widened his eyes some. _'_ _Tempester? Is that the one who Laxus fought?'_

"And our second is clear. To expunge you." Torafuzar continued. "We have seen it all, the battle of the monster known as Lysandre, the beast and whose name still makes our demonic spines shrivel. We have been made fools by the dark power that has besmirched our reputation, and you and your Pokémon have proven how much more power you have. And we have heard word of this war the council has brought forth. We don't know how, but defeating the most powerful mage on Ishgar is something we also cannot ignore. It's time for Tartaros to step out of the darkness and-!" The fish-man was cut off when a sudden turbulence of leaves surrounded him. They were all glowing, twisting and turning like a current that cut him off from Nic. The demon looked around, seeing himself trapped. "Gngh!"

Nic was seen outside the wall with a hand reached out, using his Razor Leaf and surrounded Torafuzar. "I'm aware of those reasons. I want to know why you want to exterminate former councilmembers." He clarified. His Razor Leaf surrounded Torafuzar and closed in on the demon, yet all around Torafuzar was an abrupt summon of dark water that was an inner layer. The Razor Leaf and the cyclone of dark water expanded and contracted, eventually, the dark water and Razor Leaf cancelled out, leaving specks to fall before Torafuzar with his arms spread out.

"We have our reasons, but it looks like the time for talking and answers will have to wait…" Torafuzar extended his arms back and forward yet again. "At the brink of your death!"

Behind the demon, a wave of dark water was summoned, sloshing across the open yard and heading towards Nic. The Trainer didn't move as the flood drew closer than ever.

"Look out!" Lena shrieked from behind the trees.

Using the part of him with Splash Form, he whipped his arm around in an arch, the huge tide suddenly curving in the same direction the arch went. The dark tide followed back in a U-turn, heading back towards Torafuzar.

"What?!" Torafuzar saw his attack repulsed and pressurized. The intensified stream of dark water swallowed him up and swerved into the air in a serpent's manner. It smashed into the ground with heavy pressure, splattering and evaporating to nothing and leaving Torafuzar on his back, groaning.

" **Leech Seed!** " Nic took in a quick breath and spit out a swift seed that shot through the air, landing on Torafuzar's chest. The demon opened his eyes to notice the seed plainly on his chest.

"What the…?" The seed sprouted on his chest, wines and thick roots spreading and twisting. The roots and vines stuck onto him, small saps of energy seeping towards the seed's center. "GAH!" Torafuzar could feel his energy drain out of him. His strength was fading, quite fast actually.

Nic walked up to Torafuzar, looking down at him with a frown. "Listen, your guild called a lot of mayhem for all of us. You hurt my comrades; at the very least, you owe us an explanation as to why you're doing this."

Torafuzar was starting to get heavy breaths going. He was panting, his pain in his veins flaring. He looked up at Nic with a struggle, his composure nearly breaking down. _'_ _So this is the power of Nic Pularis?'_ He thought in shock. _'_ _No, it's not even close. He's overwhelmed me so easily. He could very well take on…'_ He thought briefly back to that one night not too long ago, where he and the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros were scarred, confused even as Lord Mard Geer was in the shadows, frowning and shuddering.

"So what will it be?" Nic got into a battle stance, ready to attack and defend.

Torafuzar scoffed at the young adult. "…fine. You want to know why? I'll explain-" He flinched briefly as more of his energy was sapped. "We, the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros. Desire the control of the weapon that is known as Face."

Nic's eyes widened at the familiar sound of that name. "Face?"

From behind the trees, Leiji's unexposed expression grew nervous. He could feel his heart rate excel. _'_ _This can't be…they ARE after Face after all!'_ He mentally exasperated. _'_ _No, this cannot happen. This is beyond bad. How do they even know about such a thing?'_

Torafuzar continued to glare up at Nic. "You have a lot of power, and I have thoroughly underestimated your skills, that I will admit…but…" The demon aroused from his back, standing back up to face Nic. "I will not have you stand in our way. We demons of the netherworld will have payback for being made fools of."

Nic squinted. "Demons?"

"Yes, every one of us is a demon from the Book of Zeref. We all have unimaginable power, and we refuse to lay down and allow the so-called savior stand before our path!" Torafuzar slashed his arm at Nic, but Nic used his reflexes and his left fingertips made a Leaf Blade. He parried the arm slash, deflecting Torafuzar's efforts. Torafuzar stepped back, trying to find more ground. "This will not go unjustified! Once Face is on our possession, we will prove that Tartaros is the apex threat now!"

Nic let out a loud shout as he pivoted and slashed horizontally against Torafuzar's chest. The Grass-type attack left a hefty cut that allowed some blood to spill. Torafuzar shot backwards into the nearest tree, making it fall back under his massive weight.

"So this is your other reason, is it?" Nic asked, retracting his Leaf Blade yet maintaining a high guard. "You were scared like everyone else was about Giratina, Lysandre, and the Dark Legendaries that you're trying to live up to them? That's nothing but a fool's ambition that'll lead them straight into a dead end. You know that. You know what they did and the infinite darkness they possessed will always be the scar that will never deepen."

Torafuzar arose from the tree, struggling to stand up. "So you may say…" He covered his chest wound, but the Leech Seed wouldn't cease sapping his power. "Damn you, human! Very well then! I should take this fight more seriously then!" The fish-man began to encompass himself in a purple aura. Nic could feel an intense swell of pressure and power shifting about, but he remained still. The transformation, unlike many of the lethal powers he's dealt with in the past, didn't make the ground shudder.

Nic maintained narrow vision. "What is he…?"

Torafuzar began to grow much taller, not that he was to begin with. He began to lose his upper body clothing, which tore off as his bulk enhanced. Around his chest and shoulders were where holes were seen. Not only did he have a long tail, but also iron armbands around elbows and wrists. His ears grew to be two large frilled fins.

"Time for you to realize the Demons' awakening of power! Etherious!" Torafuzar announced.

Nic's shock surmounted at the transformation. "Etherious?"

Torafuzar stood strong, glaring down at Nic with a cold frown. "So tell me, how are you going to fight me now that my power has enhanced?"

Nic didn't answer, rather he clutched his fists and glanced back at Leiji and Lena, who were staggering to where they paled behind the trees they used as cover. He knew that he had to stop this demon at all costs, but he couldn't risk having Leiji hurt. He knew facing a threat at such a level was no trouble at all for him anymore with his level of experience, but even so, he will not allow a single mistake to happen on his watch.

He faced Torafuzar, seeing his Leech Seed was still in effect. He could handle him alone, but that dark water was something else. If it spreads with his increased power, who knows what'll happen? Rather than use another move, Nic jumped back, surprising Torafuzar.

"Running away?" The demon taunted.

Nic stood in front of the councilmember and his granddaughter, pulling out a Poke Ball. "I wouldn't think so. We're settling this here." Nic tossed the Poke Ball towards the atmosphere. "Let's go! Arbok!"

The Cobra Pokémon popped out of his Poke Ball, hissing in a low roar as he descended downwards, slamming and shuddering the earth beneath like thunder. Torafuzar was met with his hardened spine shuddering as Arbok opened his mouth and hissed in a demeaning way.

The startled demon stepped back. He could feel even greater power resonating from Arbok. _'_ _This odd pressure, it's staggering. So this is one of the six Pokémon Nic Pularis uses?'_

"Nic-ssssama, what issss it that you dessssire me to do?" The Poison-type obediently asked as he looked at the Etherious fish-man, his tongue flicking constantly.

"Let's finish this, before it's too late." Nic advised.

Arbok tensed up his long body. "Asssss you wish."

Torafuzar growled at Nic with hostility. "You really think I'm going down this way?!" He yelled. The demon tensed up, the holes on his chest and shoulder releasing an odd yet powerful foam that began to engulf his whole body. Everyone there watched with suspense as Torafuzar remained unmoved inside the foam.

Arbok hissed at the foam, feeling a hardening sensation. Nevertheless, he remained unmoved as the foam faded, revealing Torafuzar, but his body had again underwent another change. He smirked as his entire body was now like several shimmering iron plates.

 _'_ _He's transformed again.'_ Nic observed.

"I won't take any chances with the likes of you. So now you will have to deal with me, Torafuzar of the Dark Seas. My defenses are the most powerful in all of Tartaros. " He raised his arms overhead, his glare darkening as dark water began to surround him like a cyclone. "Now, I will plunge you into the netherworld's dark abyss! With my Curse Power at its most powerful!"

"Curse Power?" Nic asked.

"Yes. The demons of Tartaros do not use magic. We use Curse Power!"

Nic looked unnerved by the statement. _'_ _So then they don't use magic at all, just like me.'_

The cyclone around Torafuzar's body began to expand a little. "Meet my Curse Power as Torafuzar of the Dark Seas! **Tenchi Kaimei!** " Torafuzar extended his arms forward, summoning the wave, but suddenly his body lurched, the Leech Seed hindering him. _'_ _Damnit. No!'_

Nic extended his arm forward. "Arbok, **Ice Fang!** " He commanded.

Arbok opened his mouth, where his fangs glowed bright blue and the big teeth became cloaked in larger ice, while four massive aura fangs surrounded the mouth. In speeds that Torafuzar couldn't imagine, Arbok slithered and lunged after him, snapping his mouth and passing right passed the hulking demon, even clean through the cyclone. The Poison-type's mouth shut, remaining still as a second passed, and suddenly the water froze up, and the demon's entire body was covered in ice, his mouth gaping and eye devoid of pupils.

The ice around the demon shattered, becoming specks that surrounded the demon. His hard body had a vicious graze embedded into the left side, as if a piece of the body was missing. The giant demon felt the ice crack around him, his body starting to crack apart as well. _'_ _Lord Mard Geer…Kyôka…they're…too powerful-!'_

The ice shattered and the demon's body fell backwards. The hardest defense of Tartaros fell victim with little to no effort by Nic and Arbok's assistance. The body fell backwards, thudding hard and loudly.

Lena couldn't believe her eyes. What she saw, she could never unsee. "They…they…" She swallowed.

Leiji shuddered. "This is the power of Fairy Tail…this is the power that Nic possesses." He stammered. "Could he really…?"

Arbok slithered back in front of Nic, while he glowed and shifted back to himself, petting Arbok's head proudly. "Arbok, you did well. Thank you." Nic praised.

He and the cobra smiled at the other, but their little happiness was short when they saw Torafuzar's body glow weakly. Everyone's attention was once again back towards him as the hulking demon's body faded away.

Nic's eyes widened. "He vanished?"

Arbok raised his head, flickering his tongue out into the atmosphere. Once he realized his heat and scent was gone, he lowered it. "He'sssss not here." The Poison-type answered.

Nic narrowed his eyes in inquiry, lowering his chin to rest his hand on. "Then what could this mean?" He wanted to know more about what was going on. "First there's former councilmembers, demons from the Book of Zeref, Curses, Face…" He looked back up, looking at his snake family member. "Tartaros doesn't use magic like I do. If that's the case, then they must need their own powers for this Face, or at the very least, what it can do and its effects afterwards I suppose."

"There are sssstill detailssss we have yet to uncover." Arbok pointed out. He turned his attention towards Leiji.

Nic followed his gaze. "Yeah, you're right."

Leiji and his granddaughter slowly came out of the shrubs and trees where they hid. They saw that the threat was neutralized, and yet they were still greatly unnerved by the raw strength that Nic and his Arbok possessed. So many thousands of battles in the past and the training endured brought them here today, and no one had the power to say otherwise.

Lena looked up to her grandfather. "Grandpa, he saved us." She said.

Leiji swallowed. "That…that he did." He remained stiff as Nic and Arbok looked towards him, their gazes equally as leery. Regardless, the former councilmember knew that he had to thank him. "Nic Pularis…thank you." He said.

"You're welcome." Nic said. "Now…" He stepped forward, his added step making Leiji nervous. "It's time for some answers. What is this Face?"

Arbok leaned forward, hissing as a means of "persuasion". Leiji had no choice in the matter; it was time to unveil the truth.

* * *

Makarov was seen on the ends of a Communication Lacrima, his image serious as was the direness all were facing. "Have you two found Master Hogg?" He asked.

Gray was with Juvia for his search. The two had made it to a town in a far land beyond barren landscape. Unfortunately, they arrived too late. Everything was a wreck, all were tarnished, and the desecration of the town couldn't be any worse.

Gray looked down. "Yeah, but…"

Juvia looked back, mourning over the shredded corpses of Master Hogg. "I'm afraid we arrived too late." She despondently said.

"Just how late were you both?"

"Late enough."

"They didn't leave solid clues…" Gray looked out to the ruins of the town, everything was cut up by long crevices, and almost every building was diced apart. "But the town itself wasn't as lucky either."

"Such deplorable acts." Makarov grieved.

"What about you, Gajeel? Did you make it to Belno's place too?" Cana asked.

The image on the lacrima changed to Gajeel, revealing a frown on his face. Behind him was Team Shadow Gear and Pantherlily, but no one was happy as they kept the terrible picture of Belno from view.

"They got to her too." Gajeel reported. The Dragon Slayer clutched his fists in his own self-pity, if he didn't feel like a disgrace before he did now. "Damnit. If only we had gotten here sooner…"

"Gajeel…" Levy looked towards him, but kept herself reserved.

"Seems to me Tartaros has a range of methods for killing other than widespread destruction." Pantherlily deduced.

Makarov's pride had taken yet another blow. The Master grumbled beneath his breath, unnerved and uncertain by the efforts made.

"Then that leaves Yuri, Leiji, and Michello, right?" Laki asked.

"I just hope we're not too late." Sophie prayed.

* * *

In another abode, this one being in a tranquil cottage on top of a cliff pass a river, Elfman was with Lisanna, both looking down with sadness as Elfman was on a knee, holding the deceased Yuri in his hands.

"We're too late." Elfman grunted.

Lisanna clutched a hand to her chest. "So what do we do now?"

Elfman turned towards her. "Get the Communication Lacrima ready. We have to report this."

Lisanna reached for the bag beside her, pulling out the lacrima. As she held it in her hand, the deceased man's eyes opened back up in a flash, his sudden reawakening baffling Elfman.

"Gah!"

"He's…alive?!" Lisanna shrieked.

Yuri stood up, wide-eyed and faced Lisanna. He reached a hand out, using his power and the Communication Lacrima began to crack apart. Lisanna and Elfman went wide-eyed and gasped as the lacrima shattered to pieces.

"What?! No!" Elfman shouted. "What was that for?! That's our only communication with the guild!"

Suddenly the former councilmember dropped back to the ground with eyes still open. His pale body went cold once more, dead as a doornail.

"What…what was that?" Lisanna gasped.

"I don't know." Elfman knelt down, checking his pulse again. For a bizarre reason, it was silent. "Did he just die again?"

"How is that possible?"

"I tried to make it look the best I could, but corpses are ends of stories I suppose." A third voice caught Elfman and Lisanna's attention. Both went wide-eyed and turned around, seeing a horned and busty woman sitting placidly in a chair while reading a book in the study room.

Immediately their guards went up. "You!" Elfman shouted.

"Are you from Tartaros?! What did you do to Yuri?!" Lisanna exclaimed.

The demon known as Sayla turned a page over. "I did nothing but end his story. There was only so many chapters left and the details were aggravating at best." The woman sighed heavily, having closed the book. "These fairy tales are most dull, as that as humans." She sat the book down gently and looked at Elfman and Lisanna. "Your feeble kind needs a demonic twist to the end."

"Lisanna, get ready!" Elfman warned.

Lisanna nodded. "Right!" She moved to ready herself, but suddenly an intense pressure clutched her neck. The force by a big hand was crushing her neck, nearly cutting off her oxygen. "H-hey…what is…"

Elfman looked over, his eyes widening as it was his own arm being used to crush his sister's neck. "What? Lisanna, this isn't my doing!" His hold on her tightened, the little Strauss sibling putting her own hands on his, but was futile. "Lisanna! No!"

Sayla's gaze remained unemotional as she watched the big brother make the younger sibling suffocate. "In a demon's story…there is no such belief or word as 'pity'."

* * *

The Communication Lacrima at Fairy Tail had gotten yet another signal, this one being Lucy. "Finally! Master?! Anyone?!" She shouted through the connection.

Makarov's attention was towards Lucy this time as her image was on the network. "Lucy! What happened?! Is Michello there?!"

"Yeah, he's fine with us."

Everyone at Fairy Tail took in a hefty sigh of relief by the thankful note.

"Natsu managed to defeat the demon that destroyed the council, but he's a little banged up at the moment." Lucy added. In the background, Natsu held up a peace sign, murmuring his concept of how he won with a distilled look on his face.

"The town could've been a lot worse, but wasn't safe either way I'm afraid." Carla added.

"My hair too!" Happy chimed, revealing his damaged blue fur and afro atop his head.

"Where is councilmen Michello?! Did you get any information out of him?!" Makarov shouted.

Lucy turned away. "Well…" Everyone saw the image if Michello, who was sitting against the remains of a wall in the city he was secluded in. He looked to be in immense shock from watching Natsu battle Jackal. He was sweating profusely, pale as a ghost.

"The…the white legacy…Face…" He murmured. He was so in shock that he could barely make out his own words. "I really don't know anything…nothing…"

Makarov raised a brow. "Face?"

The Communication Lacrima suddenly shifted to another person, this one being Nic. "Everyone." He said.

"Is that Nic?" Cana asked.

"What a relief." Sophie said.

Makarov went wide-eyed. "Nic! What is it? Did you manage to find Leiji as well?"

Nic nodded from the connection made. "Yes. He's safe and sound. I managed to stop one of the demons that was after him, but unfortunately his property will have to be renewed." He stepped off to the side, revealing Leiji standing right in front of a standing tree, but he looked very nervous, almost as nervous as Michello was. One reason being that Arbok was watching over him from the side, hissing and rendering him incapacitated.

Vanessa let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

"That means there's only Elfman and Lisanna left, right?" Romeo asked.

"Yeah, but at least we salvaged two." Sophie stated.

"How is everyone else? Did they reach their objectives?" Nic asked.

Makarov's face retained anxiety. "Yes and no. Unfortunately only Natsu's team managed to save a councilmember. Just like you, they've come across a demon as well." He explained.

"I see…"

"Nic?" Lucy asked through the lacrima. "Did you find any clues?"

Nic's gaze hardened. The expression he had was a mix of anxiety, but also dread. Nobody was looking forward to what he had to say.

"I did…but you're not going to be pleased one bit." He explained. "They're after a council weapon, called Face."

Michello, who was barely recovering from shock, went wide-eyed again. "So…it is true…but how…?"

Everyone who was on the network; Gray, Juvia, Gajeel's team, they all listened and grew shocked by this revelation made.

Natsu, who was up on his feet, heard this news from Nic and got closer towards the Communication Lacrima. "Wait, what?! Another weapon?! Why do they have so much?!" He exasperated.

"I can imagine that they want to preserve order of sorts…" Carla figured. "I have a bad feeling about this, but please, continue your explanation, Nic."

Nic turned away from the lacrima and faced Leiji. "Very well, now you tell them exactly what you just told me."

Leiji was shuddering in fright, and yet Nic's demand made him nearly jump. "What?! Y-you want me to tell about that again?!" Leiji wanted to deny this request. "But I…I was sworn to-!" Arbok hissed in a low roar, causing the elder to flinch under threat. "Okay! I'll talk!"

"Good."

Michello looked down still, but he recognized Leiji's voice. "L-Leiji…" He muttered. "We…we can't…"

Leiji looked down in shame. "I'm sorry, Michello…but we're no longer under jurisdiction. We have no choice." The better-in-shape councilmember said. He swallowed hard, readying himself to explain once again, hurrying before Arbok threatened him again. "Face is a weapon the Magic Council has created. There were a few weapons exposed, like Etherion, and Phantasm; those few weapons in their arsenal must be approved by a majority of the council seats."

"But now that Etherion and the council are annihilated…" Jet trailed off.

"Then weapons can't be used against Tartaros." Droy finished.

Pantherlily crossed his arms. "Etherion was destroyed in the battle against the Dark Legendaries and Lysandre. If the council had other weapons like Phantasm to incapacitate, then it's rendered powerless."

"Go on." Makarov urged. "What is Face's true power?"

Nic leered at Leiji, the look in his eyes told him to not hesitate for one second. He shot a look to Arbok, who understood and hissed lowly from behind Leiji. Leiji finally came out with the information needed.

"Face is an anti-magic pulse bomb. It has the power to destroy any and all magic on the continent."

Gray's horror reached its peak. "Gah-!"

Not just him, but everyone who was on the network was exasperating with horrific shock.

"A weapon that can erase magic off the continent?!" Gajeel shouted.

"Annihilate all magic?!" Jet and Droy finished in unison.

Carla said nothing, her shock was too great for her to surmise anything. This was far worse than what she could have imagined.

"Then that would give every mage on Ishgar Magic Deficiency Disease." Cana noted.

"It only gets worse!" Lucy yelled. "The demon Natsu fought says they all use Curses rather than magic!"

"That's exactly what the one I fought said." Nic pointed out.

Lily's face turned dark from the insidious prospect. "A world where every mage would be helpless against Tartaros. Everyone who stands against them would have no chance." Pantherlily surmised.

Vanessa's face showed pain as she looked away. "That would also explain why they would be after Nic. While everyone loses magic, Nic's power is also different, just like Tartaros."

"With him gone, no one could topple Tartaros." Sophie pointed out.

Makarov's face darkened as he stared down at the desk the lacrima stood on. He shuddered at the crimes the council has made; first losing all respect from the world, and now making a weapon to erase their own powers for good. "…what a deplorable weapon." He growled.

Nic turned back towards Leiji, still leering harshly. "Alright, now tell us what else there is about Face."

Arbok hissed behind Leiji, making him flinch yet again.

"F-Face's location is kept secret. No one even knows where it is, not even us former councilmembers. It's that deadly that knowledge can't be in our hands. But I do know that three former councilmembers sealed Face away by the use of Organic Link Magic…but the only one who knows about them is the ex-chairman." He confessed.

"Organic Link Magic?" Happy questioned.

"You mean the kind that made Phantasm operate and the magic used to seal Zero away inside Brain, right?" Wendy questioned.

Gray looked towards Juvia. "Is that why they're killing them off rather than interrogate them?"

"Maybe…but if they didn't ask, could that mean they already know where Face is?" Juvia responded. By the nervous look on her face, she prayed they didn't.

The image on the lacrima turned to Gajeel. "Old man, we better get some more of those addresses before Tartaros gets ahold of Face."

"I know." Makarov answered. The screen reverted back towards Leiji, continuing questions. "You said the ex-chairman knows of who these three are, yes?"

Leiji nodded slowly, confirming Makarov's inquiry. "I hope so."

"Erza and Mirajane are already on route there. I'm going to meet up with them there." Nic said.

"Very well. Be careful Nic, and may the path of will guide you." Makarov watched the screen of the lacrima turn back to green, cutting off the communication network. With their objectives clear, the master turned back around towards his guild. "Hurry! Everyone find those addresses! We need to get those three protected as fast as we can!"

Warren smirked at Makarov with a thumbs up. "No problem, sir! We've already located 16 other councilmembers! We're sending reinforcements to protect them as soon as we can!" He replied.

"Hurry! Time is not on our side!"

Everyone hurried with their work. No matter what, they could not allow Tartaros to get the upper hand in this war. They've already made the first move, now it was time for Fairy Tail to pick up its slack and provide a counter of their own.

Nic put the Communication Lacrima away and turned back towards Leiji and Arbok. He pulled out Arbok's Poke Ball and faced the cobra. "Arbok, thanks for your help. Return!"

Without a beat off course, Arbok returned to his Poke Ball. With him gone, Leiji was able to cool down for a bit.

"So what now?" Lena asked.

Leiji looked down at his granddaughter, unnerved by the situation.

"If you're not one of the three links, you should be okay…but you should still be careful." Nic glowed, shifting to his Sky Form. "I'll be on my way. Take care." Without a second to waste, he took to the skies again, hurrying over the forest far below towards the address of the former chairman. _'_ _Erza.'_

Leiji looked back at his house, seeing many of it in shambles. All he could do was sigh in grief. "I always knew Fairy Tail would be the bane of my existence." He huffed.

* * *

In some forest far beyond Magnolia's reaches, Erza and Mirajane were standing in front of a large elf-like creature they've been riding for hours. As it drank from the stream, Erza pet its side.

"Hey Erza…" Mirajane began. "Are you sure about this?"

"About what?" The redhead replied.

"You know they're after Nic. Wouldn't it make more sense to be by his side?"

Erza began to lightly chuckle as she turned towards the barmaid. "I wouldn't worry too much if I were you, Mirajane. Nic is very capable; even if I were there, I'm sure he'd handle the situation all by himself. He's that capable."

But underneath that confident tone, Mirajane could tell Erza was also anxious for Nic's safety. Regardless of it being whether it was the incident of the Impure Underworld or the fact Erza loved Nic to where she would follow him anywhere, there was Erza's own independence. "What about Jellal? You know they're also targeting him as well." She added.

"Even I wouldn't know where Jellal would be. He's that hard to track down." Erza explained, showing no signs of wear. "And besides, just like Nic, he can handle himself. Our own worries are directed towards the ex-chairman, am I right?"

"I suppose." Mirajane let up. "His life may very well determine ours."

Not long after their rest, the duo reached the ex-chairman's domain. It was a large house that sat atop of a small hill with a dome on the top similar to Leiji's abode, only this was far more extravagant and spacious.

Inside, fresh hot tea poured into a teacup. The sound was tranquil as the tea finished pouring and was passed down to Mirajane and Erza.

"Well, after my service on the council, I managed to take up some hobbies. Cultivating herbs is just one of them." An elderly man said. "This is some chamomile I grew."

"Looks great!" Mirajane chirped.

"Yes, was a sweet perf-" Erza caught herself. "Mhm! Aroma." She corrected. "Thank you, former chairman."

In front of them on the other side of a round table was a tall, burly man with a huge white beard that separated into two down the middle. He had on a huge cloak fitting for a wise man. The former chairman smiled. "Please, no need to address me as such. Call me Crawford Seam." He suggested. "I should apologize to you for such a selfish question to my guests of honor…but how exactly did you receive my address?"

"It was out of jurisdiction, and we're terribly sorry for disrupting your privacy, but we used our guild's resources to find you." Mirajane explained.

"Well then, for top-secret information, sure seems like your guild really has it going for them!" Crawford laughed.

"We're sorry." Erza apologized.

"No need for that. I'm retired, remember? What did you think I would do? Slap you on the wrist?" The ex-chairman laughed again. "Speaking of, I seem to remember you, Ms. Scarlet."

The memory was all too clear. Though long in the past, it still left Erza more than embarrassed with scars of shame sort of speak. Natsu and Greninja made such a big deal, but that's what happens when you're protective of people you care about.

The redhead sulked in her hair. "I can scarcely bare the shame."

"It's fine. It's nothing to worry about." Crawford smiled. "I seem to recall hearing word about your guild traveling through time, that so?"

Mirajane sipped from her tea, letting up with a serious face. "If we may, sir, we have some questions…" Her tone was clear to where they needed to get back on track.

Crawford let out another sigh. "Yes, as I remember it. Face was it? Can't say I wished to never hear that thing's name again." He groaned in defeat. "To be honest, I'm honestly disheartened to hear about the fate of my colleagues. Such a tragedy all for the sake of this domination is so barbaric. At least it warms my heart to see guilds such as your own are taking these matters well."

"Our guild's independence aside, we need to know how to destroy Face before Tartaros gets to it first." Erza said.

"Can you tell us where Face is located?" Mirajane followed up.

The ex-chairman again let out a sigh of pain. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't be of much help."

"What do you mean?"

Crawford looked at them with some grief. "The truth is, even I have no intel on Face's location."

Erza and Mirajane's eyes widened at this revelation. Out of all the surprises, this was not the kind they wanted.

"You may think I'm keeping this from you, but the truth is the truth. Face is so top-secret that I can't locate it. It's such a drastic measure, but who knows."

Erza was hardly convinced by the folly. "But if you didn't know, then how could Tartaros have found out?"

Crawford scratched his head. "That's a big issue right there."

Something about his wording didn't seem right, but if Erza could be Nic for just a second, she would have a gut instinct to know something was wrong. Was there a probable reason why Tartaros got the information? The ex-chairman _must_ know, then how so…? Unfortunately, before Erza could dive deeper into a revelation Mirajane kept the questions rolling.

"Well can you at least give us the names of the three that are connected to Face?" She asked.

"We'd like to protect them with as much vigilance s we have." Erza insisted, her inquiry lost.

Crawford looked down at his tea in shame. "Like the question before, I'm afraid I also have no knowledge of that as well."

"Why not?" Erza asked in disbelief.

"This weapon, Fcae, it's a very powerful one; one that can very well collapse the entire world. So we thought it would be best to minimize the number of those who had extensive knowledge about it. In other words, our predecessors took that secret to their graves."

"So even Tartaros may not know about them." Mirajane figured.

"Then Tartaros will end up slaughtering everyone like a shot in the dark." Erza said.

Suddenly, Erza and Mirajane's expressions grew serious. They glared at opposite sides, startling Crawford. They both shot up, knocking the chairs over.

"What's wrong?" A bewildered Crawford asked.

Mirajane could feel it. "Looks like they just showed up."

Erza clutched her fists. "They got the house surrounded it seems…20, from the sound of footsteps."

Crawford looked bewildered, nervous at best.

"Chairman! Find cover!" Mira advised.

Crawford backed away from them. "Tartaros?!"

Erza narrowed her vision. "Here they come!"

At her cue, the front of the house burst open. The armored men that were part of Tartaros lunged through the wood and open air towards Mirajane and Erza. Their weapons in hand, they closed in. Erza requipped into her Black Wing Armor, and Mirajane used her Take-Over to become Satan Soul. Both slashed at the men incoming, their individual impacts met the men, making them fly out of the house in an exploding fashion.

The whole front again erupted, with the men landing and Erza and Mirajane glaring at their foes with a towering presence.

"If you want the chairman, you must go through us first." Erza declared.

Reinforcements were all around them. They were surrounded by an abundance of Tartars lackeys with weapons and fierce attitudes. Their number were far greater than what the two sensed earlier. The amount was at least double the men.

Erza turned towards Mirajane, smirking. "You know, when you think about it, there really wasn't a time when we worked together, did we?" She chimed.

Mirajane returned the factitious smirk. "There was Twilight Ogre, but that was payback."

"There's always a first time for everything I suppose. Let's show them Fairy Tail's power!" Erza and Mirajane went on the offense, attacking them with all their might.

* * *

Elfman was trying desperately to break free of the unknown force that made him strangle his little sister, but no matter what he tried it wasn't working. Lisanna couldn't hold out, and he was sweating and tearing up. "Damnit! Damnit! Stop it!" He pleaded.

As much noise was being made, Sayla wasn't fazed by Elfman's plea. She kept her eyes closed and seemingly ignored him.

"Lisanna! Hang on! Please!"

Sayla was still not smitten.

"STOP! I'LL DO ANYTHING! I BEG YOU!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.

Sayla's eyes opened up, the spark finally ignited. "You beg?" She repeated.

Elfman lowered his head, his hopes starting to dwindle as the unknown force was making him squeeze Lisanna. He didn't answer but his state said otherwise.

"When humans beg to one another, it is of pointless possession of something…but when you ask that of a demon to beg to, that's when you offer your soul." She closed in on Elfman, seeing his sweaty, teary face. He was scared, frightened, and intimidated by Sayla's growing glare. "Will you offer your soul?"

* * *

In the cell that once held Cobra back in the Magic Council's cellar, there stood Doranbolt. He glared down at the spot where Cobra and him spoke as of recently, only the Poison Dragon Slayer wasn't in reach anymore. It was but an empty cell.

Doranbolt glared at his own shadow darkly, recalling the information that Cobra gave him.

 _Cobra maliciously smirked at Doranbolt. "They want to get their hands Face, the council's most powerful weapon." He explained. "It's a magic pulse bomb, with the power to destroy all magic on the continent."_

With that information, Doranbolt held up his end of the bargain. The Oracion Seis was released some time ago, but the prospects of what they would do as well as Face lingered in his mind. _'_ _I can't let Tartaros get away with this…not ever.'_

* * *

In a wasteland far away from the Magic Council and Era, canyons spread for miles on end. Within those confines, there lied the Oracion Seis. All of them had smiles on their faces, glad to be out and walking about.

Cobra stretched over his head. "Ah~, nothing but sweet air and voices to take in." He looked back at the Oracion Seis. "Am I right?"

The Oracion Seis had an ominous appeal to it, possibly due to its original members back this time. Unlike the Zentopia incident, Brain and Hoteye – or preferably Richard now – were back.

Angel put hands onto her hips. "About time we get some air. I was starting to stale."

"Freedom hasn't felt this good in a while." Racer sneered.

"Our love has transcended all bounds!" Richard chimed.

Midnight said nothing, but he did smirk.

Brain stepped forward, a dark smirk on his face. "Well done, Cobra." He congratulated darkly. "I never pegged you to be a fierce negotiator."

Cobra sneered at the leader of the Oracion Seis.

Brain raised his hands into the air, smiling wide. "Long live the Oracion Sei-!" He was cut off when he felt a very violent and deadly precision in his body. He gagged as his pupils went white and Cobra passed him, swiping his arm with Poison Dragon Slayer Magic with a dark smirk. Brain's entire left side was nearly ripped.

Everyone on the Oracion Seis showed shock of some sort. They mostly went wide-eyed, but otherwise little nervousness for what had occurred. No one spoke out though, even Midnight, who just had hair covering his eyes.

Cobra looked away from his colleagues. "Midnight, no qualms here, right?" Brain fell to the ground with a thud, dead and no longer valid. "This guy ain't our father. He's used us and thought nothing for us but as pawns. I heard it myself." Of course he's heard it in the cell lingering in his mind for a long time, but the prospect of killing him was a big stretch. This was a large phase to take.

Midnight smirked. "No, not at all." He turned towards Brain, walking over towards his corpse. "If you say he used us, then so be it." He towered over the corpse, looking at the white pupils. "The only thanks we shall give you is for freeing us from that accursed tower we were tormented in. That was the freedom you gave us. You may sleep well knowing that, father."

Racer crossed his arms. "So, now that we're free, what's gonna be the first thing we're gonna do?" He questioned.

"I know I wanna take a nice soak." Angel chimed, stretching overhead.

"I want to use my freedom and find my brother. Oh yeah!" Richard admitted.

"Hold it."

Everyone stopped in their tracks with whatever thought they had being on hold. Cobra's warning heed them and they turned their attention towards the smirking man as he eyed something closing in.

"Looks like we got some company after all." Cobra sneered.

Midnight glared at three hooded figures that approached them. Standing before the Oracion Seis was none other than the Independent Guild, Crime Sorciere. Jellal, Meredy, and Ultear. All three had frowns as they stared at the Oracion Seis.

In Era, Doranbolt stood in front of a wooden cross, this one having glasses at the bottom of it. He looked up to the sky, watching clouds roll by. _'_ _I'm counting on you…Jellal.'_

"This is a debt I must pay." Jellal smirked. "I'll do it in full."

* * *

Nic sailed through skies, heading in the direction where the chairman's address was held. He sailed over mountains and rivers already, yet it was still so far away. As he roamed through the vast air, the wind pounding his face did not seem to deter him as he looked spacey. _'_ _There's something not right about this. How could Tartaros have intel on something we don't?'_ He thought. _'_ _Face is a weapon that the council barely knows logic of. If it were so secretive that even former councilmembers didn't know of, and yet Tartaros got word of…!'_ His eyes widened, realization sprouting. "Of course!" The second epiphany made his gaze hardened. "Damnit! How did I need this fact earlier?!" His speed picked up to where he was going so fast that his eyes narrowed from pounding wind. His teeth gritted at his own folly. _'_ _Tartaros must have had someone on the inside from the council! If it were that secretive, high leveled operatives must know about it! That means…'_ "Erza!" Without wasting any time, wind surged behind him. " **Tailwind!** " In a attempt of desperation, his speed went blindly across the sky, becoming a blur.

* * *

Erza and Mirajane stood back to back, adorned in their casual attires; Erza's Heart Kreuz Armor in this case. They stood over their defeated foes, observing their work accomplished.

Even though they've obtained victory, Erza still frowned.

"What's wrong?" Mirajane asked.

Erza leered around skeptically. "Something seems off. Mira, did you pick that up as well?"

"Kind of."

"The chairman is of upmost importance to take out…so why would Tartaros send a low-rank squad to do work rather than send a demon like the ones Natsu and Nic fought? It doesn't add up."

Mirajane began to wobble. "Erza…"

Erza noticed the fatigue in Mirajane's voice and turned. "What is it?"

"I…" The barmaid's eyes shut, her body abruptly collapsing.

"Mira-!" Erza went to move, but suddenly fatigue struck her too. All the energy in her was flushed out and her eyes went droopy. _'_ _N-Nic…'_ She fell onto her side, fast asleep.

Mirajane and Erza were passed out on the ground, surrounded by the defeated army. As they were sleeping, Crawford appeared from the remnants of his home. He looked at Mirajane and Erza's bodies, his frown slowly turning into a large, malicious smirk. "Well, well…what do we have here?" He pondered. He walked on over towards them, and picked the two up in his large arms. He ventured back to his abode, turning towards a Communication Lacrima with a large smirk.

"This is Crawford. Looks like we got some bait." He snickered.

On the other end of the lacrima, the image was none other than Kyôka. The demon empress smirked as she saw the two fish Crawford managed to catch. "I wouldn't expect anything less of you, ex-chairman." She presided. "Hurry back to Tartaros…there is much work that needs to be done."

* * *

 **Managed to get this under 12K thankfully, but thankfully this chips off a bit for me to do for next chapter. I know some of you would think Nic VS Torafuzar was perhaps op, especially Arbok's Ice Fang, but when you think about it, Tartaros never id sand a chance. Nic defeated God Serena, whose power far exceeds that of Mard Geer, and he defeated Alpha/Vince, and the Dark Legendaries with his Pokémon. With all that experience, it's almost a one-sider. At least in what I considered in this chapter.**

 **Also, I needed this small fight between Nic and Torafuzar to get Arbok some screen time. It's been some time since I put him into a battle, and even though not much for him was in this chapter, it was still something for him to do at least. Respect for the Poison-type!**

 **Next one will be up quickly! Review and throw in your thoughts, and thanks for reading another chapter!**


	45. Lair of the Beasts

Nic blasted through the high altitude, his speeds unparalleled unlike any other. His Tailwind kept him sailing in a blur that broke the sound barrier. Despite the rate he glided through the skies, he still cursed himself for not realizing the possibility of a traitor amongst the Magic Council.

Once he had full view of the house on top of a hill, he closed in. In a hurry, he descended like a Swellow dive-bombing. He was so harsh in his descent that it looked impossible to stop him. He landed with a harsh flap of his wings, making a small shockwave of wind graze throughout the area. He ignored the close call as he was in a hurry.

He looked around, realizing the bodies of Tartaros lackeys meant a battle had happened. "Bodies…looks like the battle has already been decided." He figured.

"Hey! Nic!"

"Up here!"

Nic's attention diverted towards the air, seeing Natsu and Happy, surprising him. "Natsu!" He yelled up to the Dragon Slayer as he came into view.

Natsu landed right beside Nic, Happy deactivating his wings to stand on the ground. "Nic, what are you doing here?" The Dragon Slayer wondered.

"I could be asking you the same thing." Nic turned towards the carnage. "I realized that something didn't add up, so I hurried over here to look for answers…unfortunately I think my fears have been confirmed." Among the wreckage, he didn't find any traces of Erza, or Mirajane for that matter.

Both rushed inside the open front, looking inside the big room where the gathering was. "Erza! Mira! You guys here?! Hey!" Natsu yelled. He looked around, seeing nothing but broken wooden furniture.

Happy followed behind, holding his nose. "I don't see them, but I sure smell burning herbs." He muffled.

Nic's patience was starting to reach a thinning point. He eyed the teacup that had splattered contents on the floor, the liquid having a burning smell that left his nose cringing. His eyes narrowed, unnerved of the smell.

"Huh?" Natsu bent over, smelling the spilled tea. His reaction was what Nic could confirm as terrible.

Happy looked at his pal with inquiry. "What happened?"

"I smell drugs." Natsu said.

"Drugs?"

Nic's fists clutched. "I get it now. Mira and Erza…we were tricked and they were drugged…" He gritted his teeth, his anger beginning to boil. "Now Tartaros has gone beyond any means of decent!" His girlfriend and friend were kidnapped, that was one boundary that should have never been crossed.

Natsu's rage began to brim. "Damnit~! SHIT!" Natsu rammed his enflamed fist into the ground, engulfing anything and everything in searing shockwaves. The whole landscape from the wood to the hills rattled, splitting apart from his lack of self-control. The whole palace went crumbling to bits, but Nic was undeterred, shadows over his eyes.

"Whoa~! Take it easy! The house didn't do anything!" Happy warned, dodging falling wood in frantic manners.

"I knew it." Nic growled, the shadows lifting to reveal his hostile and angry vision. "The ex-chairman deceived us."

Despite dodging wood, Happy emerged from a pile he was buried under. "So that's how they got info on that Face and the council."

Natsu lowered his head, his eyes equal to that of a dragon's. His skin was nearly heating up from his rage. "That coward…don't you dare underestimate a Dragon Slayer's sense of smell!"

Nic glowed, but as he glowed another burst of energy was emitted from his growing power. The wood around him flattened and a strong tempest made wood also fly over Natsu and Happy's heads. He was in a Grass/Flying-type mixture, one that had the Meadow Plate's coloration, but belt, shoes, and edging, even wings were that of the Sky Form. As the winds dialed down, he glared ahead menacingly. He was _very_ mad.

"I still can sense their nature energy no matter how far they are." Nic's eyes narrowed. "They're not getting away. Not by a long shot."

Nic flapped his wings, shooting off into the sky, leaving a crater of depressed earth behind. Following not far behind was Natsu and Happy, who flew with haste towards Erza and Mirajane's smell and location with haste and vigilance.

* * *

Erza began to feel herself regain consciousness. The redhead groaned in discomfort as her brown eyes were blurry for a moment. "Mmm…wha…" Her vision came around eventually, but the unprecedented sight of an unfamiliar face close to hers made her blink with shock.

The demon was none other than Kyôka. "I see that you've come to. Good." She smirked.

"What are-?!" Feeling some slight breeze, the redhead felt oddly light. She looked down, realizing that what dignity she had was taken away. She was nude all over, making her blush lightly in embarrassment. "What happened to my clothing?" She gasped. She tried to move, but when she attempted to move or fidget she found her wrists yanking back to place. She looked up, realizing her wrists were overhead and shackled to the ceiling, as were her ankles were to the ground.

"What's going on?!" Erza shouted. She tried to move, but the shackles and chains rendered her immobile. She was stuck and helpless.

"Welcome to Tartaros, Erza." Kyôka greeted.

Erza snapped back to the front, forgetting that Kyôka was there the whole time. "What is…!" It took a moment for Erza to catch up to speed. When she processed what the demon woman said she gasped again. "Tartaros?!"

"Yes."

"Where's Mira?! What have you done with her and the ex-chairman?!" The redhead demanded.

Kyôka only served to smirk darkly. "You sound so concerned. Did you not figure out by now that the former chairman has been aligned with us this entire time?"

Erza's eyes widened.

"Once we carry out our plan, he'll have his place on the new council. You two didn't have a clue, and here I thought you would be smart enough to put the pieces together." The demon woman finished.

"He was cooperating with you?! It can't be!" Erza exclaimed. Internally, she knew something seemed foolhardy about the chairman when he explained details such as the intelligence of Tartaros. She cursed herself for not realizing the suspicious act from the get-go.

The redhead struggled to break her shackles, but it only made Kyôka chuckle. "You can struggle all you like, but using magic is impossible. You see those cuffs bind your magic. As long as you wear them, you can't fight back." She explained.

Erza lurched forward. "Where's Mira?! What have you done with her?!"

Kyôka narrowed her eyes. "Relax, she isn't dead…yet. Like you, she has a plethora of potential. We're modifying her into a new demon we can use."

"NO!" Erza's screams went in vain as Kyôka suddenly clutched her cheeks. She forced Erza to look directly at her as she leaned in towards the captive with a taunting demeanor.

"Shouting won't get you anywhere I'm afraid. But if any words come out of your mouth, I'd prefer them to be answers to my simple question." The demon's eyes narrowed. "Now tell me…where is Jellal?"

Erza's horror drastically spiked.

* * *

Jellal and Crime Sorciere had a stare down with the Oracion Seis, at least what remained of them after Cobra killed off Brain. Nobody moved a muscle for what seemed like an eternity, that is until Jellal gave the word.

"Meredy, Ultear, fall back. I'll del with this sin myself." Jellal said.

"What? Are you crazy?! There's five of them!" Meredy shouted.

"Jellal, don't be stupid!" Ultear urged.

Despite their warning, he still stepped forward. "You have my word, I can handle them all alone."

Racer sneered at the azure-haired mage. "Heh, and here I thought we were the cocky ones. This is just insulting."

"Arrogant is more like it." Angel added.

"I see…" Cobra smirked, "So Doranbolt sent you. Guess bargains don't come up as planned."

"Do you wish to return us to our cells once again?" Midnight asked, but the underlying tone made it sound more like a threat than an inquiry. To this question, Jellal smirked again, startling them.

"Escapees such as ourselves going prisoners? That's too foolhardy for even a joke."

Racer and Cobra stepped forward, dark smirks on their faces.

"I ain't going back there, so I guess we've got one way or the other." Racer snickered.

"Move or we'll make you, Jellal." Cobra threatened.

Richard held up his index finger and smiled. "I swore to live for the sake of love. This fighting is not suiting." He declined.

"Hoteye, what's wrong with you? Is Nirvana still affecting your brain?" Angel besmirched.

"No, of course not. This is the real me." Richard smiled, showing no ill-will.

Cobra looked back in rage. "You useless now?"

"How can you say something like that?!" Racer barked.

"It's fine." Midnight intervened, stepping between the two and watching Jellal.

Angel looked towards him with equal shock. "What?"

"We have all finally obtained freedom, haven't we? As did Richard. To choose to fight is no longer an option, but a choice he can make of his own free will." He explained. "My name is Macbeth, and I dare to destroy any who stand between me and freedom."

Jellal looked calmly as he gestured them with his fingers. "Come."

Racer suddenly vanished, reappearing behind Jellal in a second's time. "Too slow!"

"Jellal! Behind you!" Ultear warned.

Jellal, much to Sawyer's shock, ducked without looking. The Slowing Mage vanished and reappeared in various spots in Jellal's proximity, trying to land blow after blow, but Jellal shockingly had agility and wasn't struck a single time.

"You're fast, Sawyer, I'll give you that." He complimented.

Racer's teeth gritted. "Don't use that name!" He picked up his pace, attempting punches and kicks that continued to miss Jellal, but it was driving him backwards.

Racer suddenly vanished, revealing Cobra using the fake out tactic. He dove at Jellal with a fist drenched in Poison Dragon Slayer Magic. "I can read them all too easily!"

He punched forward, making a wave of poison erupt and shake the air. The poisonous blow faded, revealing Jellal still in place and clutching Cobra's fist with his bare hand. "You're rather easy to read as well, Erik." He used Cobra's shock to his advantage and threw him behind, where Racer reappeared to attack. Cobra slammed into Racer, knocking them both over.

Angel stretched her arm forward, summoning a funnel of doughy, white ghost-like creatures with sharp-toothed smirks. "Angels! Devour Jellal! Reduce him to nothing!"

The "angels" did as told and swarmed Jellal. They began to circle and race around, him, encompassing him. Despite the predicament, he still smiled.

"I see you've learned new magic, Sorano."

Angel's eyes widened at the mention of her given name. She was even more exasperated as the dome of angels that surrounded Jellal now suddenly burst, their contents dripping like water as Jellal had his arms spread out to both sides.

Angel, Cobra, and Racer all stared at Jellal with sheer shock. Already he wasn't looking worn out, and even with numbers, they still were outclassed. Richard's blank eyes opened back up in surprise.

Midnight smirked at the unfolding battle. "Well, looks like we can finally cut loose…more so than a while back, wouldn't you say?"

Jellal frowned and stared at them menacingly. It was time to get serious.

* * *

"I am aware that you two have a bond that goes way back." Kyôka told her captive.

"What do you want with him?" Erza demanded.

Kyôka's eyes narrowed. "Hmph." She used her claws and pinched Erza's side. The pain in her body felt as though she was just stabbed. Her eyes shot wide, a loud scream making her lurch from the pain she was inflicted. The demon smirked at her malicious deed.

"My curse that I use is quite unique. It alters one's sensitivity to pain, suited for situations such as these."

Erza winced and twitched as her body could feel every turn hurting her.

"Where is Jellal?"

Erza looked at her jailor with a dreaded gaze. Sweat poured down her face. "I…don't know…"

"Fine." Kyôka's index finger began to grow into a long whip with a sharp end. She lashed at Erza's bare abdomen, the pain far sharper than it was previously. Erza's body lurched again and screamed out loud. Her shrieking of anguish made the demon smirk once again.

She let out, looking at Erza as she panted. Tears ran down the sides of her eyes, sweat beading harsher on her face. All the sweat began to pour to the floor where liquid caved in. Erza had never felt so much pain before that it was almost unbearable. _'_ _This…'_ Her mentality was still in one piece – barely – and that made her realize the predicament she was in. Her mind dragged itself back to an unforgiving time; the time where she was in the caverns and heard the sounds of anguish before fining Nic and Vanessa half-dead. _'_ _This is what Nic and Vanessa had to endure…I…I have to hold on…I have to-!'_ She was cut off from her thoughts as the demon grabbed her by the hair and yanked her up.

"You seem a little spacey there. Lost in your own world at a time like this? Kyôka mocked. "Perhaps this information will bring you back to reality. We've already figured out the three identities that were used to seal Face. Naturally, we've killed two of them. And now there's only one left…"

Erza managed to strain and eye open. "You mean…"

"Yes, Jellal is that last link. Once he dies, we can unseal Face, and then go for Nic."

Erza's eyes widened in horror. "No…" She tried to break free from her grasp. "I won't let you lay a hand on Nic! Never!"

Kyôka watched as Erza tried to yank profusely. She thrashed in her restraints, the desperation to keep Nic alive being her motivation. "Oh? It would seem I've struck a nerve. Is Nic that dear to you?" Her eyes narrowed. "Well, sorry, but he must be destroyed. We can't allow his power and Pokémon be the only other power to hold us back you know."

"You…!" Erza snarled beneath her breath.

"Nic's threatening appeal aside, perhaps I can persuade you to reason." Kyôka circled around Erza, now behind her back. "If you tell me where Jellal is, perhaps I'll let you and your friend go."

Erza gasped.

"But, if not so…" Kyôka whipped at Erza again, the harsh claw making her open wide and scream out in a harsh agony from the side that the demon lashed at. Erza sweated and struggled to endure as Kyôka walked around, slowly pivoting with narrowed vision. "Then you both will die. So what's it going to be?"

"I…I swear…I don't know…" Erza strained. "Spare Mira…please…"

Kyôka smirked as she raised her claws. "Looks like I'll have to amuse myself some more."

Erza's eyes opened weakly as the demon closed in on her. _'_ _Nic, I'll hold out…but please…now it's your turn to save me again. Hurry.'_

* * *

The empty hallway had rows of open windows that exposed the guild hall to the outdoor skies. Within those empty hallways, there were two figures walking about side by side. They revealed themselves to be Franmalth and the traitor, Crawford.

"Hehehehe!" Franmalth laughed.

"How can you laugh at something like this?! My house was destroyed!" Crawford fumed.

"Calm down, ex-chairman. Really."

"I've spent every jewel I had investing in this operation!"

Again, Franmalth couldn't help but snicker. "Hehe! That may be, but think of how much money you'll have after this whole thing is over. You'll have more than enough to make two houses!" He reasoned.

"Well…" Crawford thought about it, and he gave a large grin, revealing a golden tooth. "Guess it's not a bad thing after all. I could always accuse Tartaros to make me look like I actually was taken hostage against my will after all!"

"See? Easy!"

"Say, what ever happened to Erza? And that other girl…er…?" Crawford trailed off, unable to remember Mirajane's name.

"They're being interrogated by Kyôka right now. I can assure you, they won't make it out alive."

"Be sure that happens!" Crawford snapped. "If they live, they'll reveal my involvement."

"Relax. No one's found this place before, so why worry?"

Crawford was set at ease with this factor. With his role secured and hopes of being the chairman again, he couldn't help but snicker mischievously. The burly man, however, noticed something off as he passed by an open window.

Franmalth looked back over his shoulder. "Huh?"

"Hey, what is that?" The ex-chairman asked.

"What's what?" Franmalth moved to the window. "What are you talking about?"

They didn't want to believe it, but they could see two projectiles flying at speeds that made them almost blind. They were moving far too fast, but the two could tell that what was coming was not friendly.

"They're heading this way!" Crawford yelled.

"I can see that!"

The two figures were breaking the sound barrier, closing in at unstoppable speeds.

"I thought you said we could never be found?!"

"That's what I thought!"

The two figures crashed into the guild hall, making a loud explosion that could be heard from miles around. The rumbling shuddered the hallway as it revealed a roaring Natsu smashing Crawford into the ground with his foot – while his pair of false dentures went flying out as well. Nic smashed his fist into Franmalth, nearly breaking the wall, but did shatter Franmalth's body armor and cane.

"FOUND YOU!" Natsu roared.

* * *

The harsh rumbling could be heard all throughout the guild. Many of demons raised their heads at this sound, but those, especially Keyes, Silver, and Kyôka, turned at the sensation of this power that sent a small tingle down their spines.

"This huge level of power…" Silver's eyes widened.

Keys frowned, his ghostly figure unnerved.

Kyôka narrowed her eyes. "I never expected to see him here so soon. He's swifter than we give him credit for."

As she looked away, Erza managed a weak smile. As Kyôka looked back, the redhead feigned a frown as her eyes went shut.

The demon looked up at the ceiling. "Yakdoriga. Come."

At her call, something slimy and amorphous began to descend from the hole in the ceiling. Descending with many slimy tentacles was some frog-faced demon. Its many slimy arms wiggled and dripped liquid all around the exhausted Erza.

"I'm going to see what all the commotion is about. Watch over the girl, would you? I need to see what all the noise is about." Kyôka asked the amorphous beast. At her call, the creature wiggled one of its tentacles with a smile. The tentacle had an abundance of static and inched closer to Erza. "Don't touch her." Kyôka warned. Out of fear and obeying the demon, Yakdoriga immediately backed off in fright. The demon woman smirked. "I want to have some more fun when I get back."

She exited, leaving Erza be with her henchmen watching.

"Nic…" Erza muttered weakly.

* * *

"WHERE ARE THEY?! WHERE ARE ERZA AND MIRA?!" Natsu roared throughout the wrecked hallway.

Nic got up from knocking down Franmalth. He looked at the fallen bodies of both demon and ex-chairman with harsh leering. "We gotta hurry." Nic said.

"I know! Where's their nature energy leading them?! Well?!" Natsu urged.

Franmalth fell to the ground, revealing his round body to have many spikes on his back. He groaned weakly, that attack from out of nowhere startling him. "Uuuuugh…oh man, what just…" He opened his eye, his shock paramount as the chairman was down and unconscious. "Wha-?!" He looked at the two humans, the one making him pale. "U-uh oh! It can't be!" He reeled back in shock. "Y-y-you're him! Nic Pularis!" He shrieked.

Nic turned towards Franmalth, a hefty look of anger on his face. "You…"

Franmalth could feel so most unbelievable power from Nic that it made him shudder. "N-now just…calm down…"

Natsu stomped to his side. "Alright you jerk, what did you do with Erza and Mira?" He growled.

Nic leaned forward, his wings spreading. "Talk. Now."

Despite their demands, Franmalth was able to calm down. Despite the evident power that was making his body nearly shudder, he knew an opportunity when he saw one. His shock turned to a malicious smirk. "Heh…" He leered at them. "Well now, seems you broke into our guild hall. I don't know how, but you managed to get here. How much is this gonna cost? How much?" He asked. His eye narrowed at Nic. "You will pay for this! It'll cost you everything you had! We got our eyes set on you, so don't think you'll be walking out this alive! Nic Pularis~!"

"Here he comes!" Happy warned.

"Yeah, we know!" Natsu said.

Franmalth extended his dark yellow and red arm, a feat that surprised them momentarily, but Nic didn't waste a beat as the arm reached for him.

" **Air Cutter!** "

Gaining footing, he flapped his wings, unleashed light blue X-shaped crescents that beamed after Franmalth. The Flying-type attack was so intense that the concrete and debris sliced apart, making everything burst as the attack stopped Franmalth cold. The demon yelled out as he was hit by a blade and went flying backwards, tumbling against the ground.

"Oh no you don't!" Natsu took a leap overhead, surprising Franmalth from above with a flaming axe kick. " **Fire Dragon's Claw!** "

Franmalth managed to reel back and dodge Natsu's blow. The flames dispersed and Natsu was on a knee, squaring down with Franmalth. "Sorry pal, but we got places to be." He warned. "Nic!"

Nic nodded. "Alright, be careful!" He glowed, shifting his typing again. This time, he was in his Stone Form and Meadow Form combined. The Meadow Form was the same, but edging, belt, and shoes were that of the Stone Form. His face showed sheer resolve. "You take care of things here. I'll go and find Erza and Mira."

"Bring them home!" Happy urged.

"I will." Nic's body sunk into the ground, merging with the stone in the ground. "I'll find them. You watch the other's backs!" His head merged with the earth, and just like that he was gone, on his way.

Natsu looked back, smirking at Franmalth. "Now, where were we?"

Franmalth began to go frantic once again. "Oh no!" He panicked. "Nic is on the loose! In Tartaros! This is bad! How much will this cost us?! How much?! How much?!" He looked at Natsu with anger. "You…you're paying the price!" His arms stretched towards him. "For letting Nic away, I'll take 1,000 souls!"

Natsu moved out of the way. Evading the narrow, stretchy arm, but it curved around him and stuck sticky ligaments into his back. He looked over his shoulder with shock.

"Gotcha."

Natsu went wide-eyed as he was electrocuted on the spot. His eyes widened and he screamed loudly as the electric shock was hurting him with sheer intensity, but at the same time, he felt his strength depleting. "Gaaa~h! What…my power…it's…"

Happy came between Natsu and Franmalth and bit down on the arm. "OW!" Franmalth screamed.

The pain from Happy's "Bite" attack did the trick, and Franmalth retreated his arm and Natsu rolled onto a knee. "Nice, Happy!" He praised.

Franmalth gritted his teeth. "You've done it now!" He slammed Happy into the ground, making the Exceed gag as he went head first.

Natsu's veins pulsed out of his forehead. "Happy! You bastard!" He darted right for Franmalth to attack, but the demon didn't allow such a thing to happen so easily. He unleashed a barrage of super-fast punches to stop Natsu, but he dodged every single shot thrown at him. Natsu got in close and clamped his palm on Franmalth's eye.

" **Fire Dragon's Grip Strike!** "

The flames exploded at point-blank range. Franmalth was engulfed in a vicious flame explosion that made him shoot backwards. The demon screamed out and slid along the ground until reaching a stop.

Natsu reeled back his fist, looking at Franmalth with a determined look. "Heh, looks like I picked up something from that Cruzer guy awhile back." He thought of that time when Cruzer used that point-blank grip attack and engulfed him and Sting in poison. While the memory still hurt a little, it did benefit for Natsu.

Franmalth was back on his feet, gritting his teeth out of anger. "Ow! Right in the eye?! What's wrong with you?!" Franmalth shouted. "That does it! Now the price is 2,000 souls!"

"Even Natsu's flames at such a distance didn't keep him down?" Happy questioned.

Franmalth grew angry, and yet when he was about to attack, the corridor suddenly got a lot colder. Franmalth, Natsu, and Happy could see an icy mist at their feet that began to make them feel chills.

"Franmalth, relax." A voice called from behind. Franmalth turned around, him, Natsu, and Happy looking shocked at the newest addition to the battle. His icy steps clanged against the ground as he walked passed the chairman's unconscious body. "Why don't you let me deal with this one? I've already alerted Tartaros of Nic's infiltration, so we should be good." The figure put a hand to his hip as he stopped right beside the startled demon. "You should have the former chairman get hauled away."

The man revealed himself to be Silver, and as he looked away, he smirked.

"Lord Silver…" Franmalth said with anxiousness.

Natsu went wide-eyed as he stared at Silver. As he looked at the man, something was off. There was something bizarre about Silver, and it wasn't just his magic nor his raven hair.

Franmalth, with what strength he had, retreated and hauled the heavier chairman away. "Well you make a point. We'll be sure to kill Nic if he comes into sight. As for the chairman, he's got work to do. I'll leave you to it, Lord Silver."

He walked backwards and left a smirking Silver with Natsu and Happy. The man looked at the two, seeing their petrified looks.

"Happy, do you feel that?" Natsu asked.

The Exceed was right behind him, shivering from the misty cold air. "It's gotten cold all of a sudden."

"So tell me…" Silver started. "Was it you or Nic that defrosted that village?"

Natsu's eyes widened at the Sun Village's mention. "So you're the one who froze it over?"

Silver smirked at Natsu for a bit longer, until the Devil Slayer gave an uproarious snicker. "Man, well isn't that a relief!" He laughed. "I'm glad of what you two did! That guilt would've hung over my head for quite some time!"

"Uh…" Natsu and Happy looked at him quizzically.

Silver sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "To think I froze over by mistake. Man, if that isn't embarrassing then I don't know what is!" He laughed.

Natsu managed to ignore the man's actions, more intently focused on his facial features. "Ya know, you look and smell a lot like someone I know." He said.

Silver's expression turned questionable, but then went from questionable to a frown.

When the realization dawned upon him, his eyes widened. "Gray-!" Before he finished, Silver swiped his arm, shockingly emitting an instant wave of ice that froze Natsu solid.

"Natsu!" Happy cried out. The Exceed looked startled as to his disbelief Natsu was defeated by the likes of the Ice Devil Slayer.

Silver had a cold frown plastered on his face. "Don't ever spill out that name." He growled.

* * *

Inside the room where the chambers were, many tentacles and vines were sprawled around the vicinity. In the room that was labeled Hell's Core, inside ventured Kyôka with a frown. The demon woman entered from the shadows, inspecting what work was committed.

She looked around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. "…is there not a disturbance here?" She pondered. "What was all that noise from earlier?" She walked further into the domain, her strides passive and calm as she walked by several empty chambers. "I know Nic Pularis is somewhere here in Tartaros. Perhaps it's wise to put up security around here?"

"I would agree." The voice from behind caught Kyôka by surprise. She turned around, recognizing the sultry voice.

"My, you caught me by surprise there…Sayla." Kyôka smirked, the mentioned demon stepping out of the shadows from elsewhere with a smile on her face.

"Lady Kyôka, forgive me for being so discrete." Sayla apologized.

"It's fine, Sayla, no need to worry." The demon superior said. "But to what you said before, you do strike up a valid point. Knowing the keen intellect and his strength, it isn't wise to leave this place unguarded…" She looked towards the chamber where Bellona was still unconscious. "Especially with all these wonderful specimens that still need their sweet time."

"With all that's been transpiring, wouldn't you believe that we're giving him too much credit?"

"I would imagine."

The two women were in a small conversation, but what they did not account for was the addition of more voices added.

"How foolish." The deeper voice belonged to someone not far away, inside a chamber.

Kyôka and Sayla's talk went stale when they heard and recognized a voice. To their surprise, they saw something inside a chamber. Their eyes widened, the sight of Torafuzar inside a chamber actually catching them off guard. They saw that Torafuzar's arm were still severed and yet to be regenerated, but his entire upper body was intact given the time expanse from earlier to now. Barely his tail was severed and bubbling like the rest of his arms.

"Is that you…Torafuzar?" Kyôka asked.

Torafuzar closed his eyes, not willing to bear the loss of his dignity. "Regrettably so."

Sayla inspected his body, the shock still on her face. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry, my fellow demons, but I was unable to fulfill my duty. I was put in my place." The fish-man mourned in self-pity.

"Wait…" Kyôka's eyes widened. "Don't tell me…"

Torafuzar seemed reluctant to answer Kyôka's dread, but he had to admit when something was wrong. He gave into what was needed to be said. "Yes, unfortunately it was Nic who defeated me." He answered.

"Nic?" Kyôka repeated.

Torafuzar nodded. "Yes, even in my full defense Etherious Form, he easily overpowered me. He's too strong, even for the dark seas to swallow him."

Sayla stepped forward with narrowed eyes. "But Lord Torafuzar, you possess the most powerful defense out of all of us Nine Demon Gates, and you're implying that Nic dealt with you in only a few strikes?"

Kyôka looked down at the ground in deep pondering. "It seems we have gravely underestimated our chances in this fight."

Sayla turned towards her with worry. "What do we do now?"

Kyôka went silent as she looked down at the ground with uncertainty. The longer she thought, the harder it would be for her to understand. She was certain that Torafuzar could handle Nic, but not even he stood even a remote chance. If things were as bad as she saw it, then Tartaros really wouldn't have a prayer against him after all. Once she had come to a conclusion, she turned away from Sayla and Torafuzar and back towards the shadows.

"Gather guards. Spread all around. The slightest sign of Nic, catch him, and destroy him on sight. We can't afford to hold anything back now." She announced. "Silver's already dealt with one nuisance, now we better get to him before he finds his away around here. If he finds our prisoners, then we won't have a chance."

At the mention of prisoners, there was another chamber not too far away. It revealed itself to be filled with Mirajane with her unconscious state. The barmaid remained immobile and stuck to tentacles, but even she was at a possibility of salvation.

"Lamy!"

"Yes~!" At the call of the demon woman, another person entered the area with a beeline. She had a small frame body with dark bob-cut hair with rabbit ears. She had a lab coat and high-heeled boots beneath a dark skirt. She had a tie that also said 1/16. The small demon gave a cheeky smile as she waved at Kyôka. "Miss Kyôka! Hi~!" She chirped.

"Hello, Lamy. I need you to look after things here. Make sure that Nic nor his Pokémon get anywhere near Hell's Core. Do you understand?" The superior ordered.

Lamy clasped her hands and wiggled her hips. "Aw~, and I wanted to play with him! He's so hot! Couldn't we just modify him to make him more handsome?" She pleaded in a small pout.

"You'd be wise to not question Lady Kyôka, Lamy." Sayla darkly threatened.

At the tone of Sayla, Lamy relented, but her expression grew dark. "Grrr~, fine!" She fumed. She turned back towards Bellona, her hyperactive face diminishing. "But why do I also have to remodel her? I'd prefer Tempester or Jackal!"

At her insistence, Sayla narrowed her eyes, the look of darkness making Lamy back off. Despite her hatred for the looks of women, she could not allow herself to be upstaged. But even if she wanted to get to remodel guys like Nic, she knew if she did that, she'd die by Sayla's hand if implied. Lamy sulked, finally admitting defeat.

"Come Sayla, we have work to do. We must find Jellal no matter what and start Face." Kyôka walked into the darkness, Sayla following.

"Yes, Lady Kyôka."

* * *

Down within a corridor, guards were swarming the place. Platoons and ranks of all Tartaros were spreading out to cover every inch of the guild hall. They were all on edge, and no one blamed them. They all had power of their own, but they had no match nor the might to stop Nic.

"Spread out that way! Cover the left wing!"

"He escaped from Lord Silver and injured Franmalth! Make sure there's extra weapons in all hands!"

"Don't let him escape from your sights again! Tartaros will have our heads if we let him slips again!"

All around, guards were weary and looking left and right. As many passed one another, they didn't try to look down, as the shadows they were giving off were either faint or dark. It went on and off; in fact, the dark shadow seemed to be slithering from one host to another, sticking to their shadow as they made way down the corridor. As another host took a recognizable turn, the dark shadow slipped away and slithered into a crack in the wall. Once the guards turned and were out of sight, the shadow slowly crept back out, behind some debris for Nic's head to peer out of the shadows, adorned in a Meadow/Spooky Form. Same features as Meadow Form, yet the belt buckle was the Dusk Ball, and the edging, belt, and shoes were Spooky Form related.

He glanced left and right, seeing as how the coast was clear. _'_ _This guild hall is elaborate. I thought that by merging with the stone I could bore to where Erza was located…but I can't narrow down her energy. It's too faint for me to tell where she is.'_ He began to mentally curse himself once again. _'_ _Damnit. What am I doing? I have to try harder! I need to focus harder on finding my way! Clearly following soldiers around won't do me any good. Time for another approach…'_

Before initiating his next plan of action, he heard voices from nearby. He hurriedly merged his head back into the shadows, mere seconds before he saw three guards wander down the hall with spears in their hands. As they walked by, Nic overheard what they were talking about.

"Heard Lord Silver's orders loud and clear. Didn't you?" A soldier asked.

"Yeah, but I don't get why we were given orders to guard Hell's Core." A second said.

"Better safe than sorry I guess." The third answered.

"I suppose so."

"Hey, did you also hear about the new prisoners?"

"You mean those two chicks the ex-chairman picked up?"

"No, the one Miss Sayla brought back, the one with white hair. I heard she's got a new cellmate."

"Another prisoner? Boy, sure stinks to be Fairy Tail right now."

"Yeah, and it's that Dragon Slayer Lord Silver froze over."

"Hey, I've heard about that! Heard also that flying cat snuck away."

"Oh well, at least we got some more fresh meat to stir in this hell pot."

The soldiers ventured off down into the distance, following their route towards their designation. As they faded into distance, Nic's head peered out of the dark shadows again, but this time, his expression was of subtle dismay. _'_ _White hair woman? Does this mean they captured Lisanna as well as Mira?'_ A second realization dawned upon him. _'_ _And now they got Natsu as well. This is bad, very bad. At least I hope Happy will be able to make it back, but now I have to split my efforts into finding all four now.'_ The task seemed like a hefty bargain to take, but he couldn't take this lying down. He shook his head, forcing negativity out. _'_ _No, I won't let them have their way. If Natsu and Lisanna are in a single cell, I can trace their nature energy. And even though Mira and Erza's feel faint, I can still tell they're around here. I got to keep looking. I need to hurry!'_

Nic merged back into the shadows for the umpteenth time, retreating into the crack of the wall and continued his search in tracing Mira, Erza, and now Lisanna and Natsu's prowess within the dark fortress.

* * *

A cell door opened up, the bars creaking as two guards were present and tossed Natsu into the cell. The Dragon Slayer fell onto his face with a thud, his cry of pain disregarded by the soldiers.

"Enjoy your stay." A guard mocked.

"Uuugh…" Natsu got to his knees, his dizziness subsiding. He was just recently thawed out and his memory was hazy. "What the-?!" Feeling something off, he looked down, realizing he was without any means of clothes, including his scarf. "What happened to my clothes!?" He exasperated, but he blinked it off. "Actually…forget about my clothes! Just give me my scarf back!" He yelled at the soldiers.

The soldiers walked off, ignoring Natsu's yelling.

"Hey! You guys! Give me back my scarf! I'm telling ya right now that if you don't…!" Natsu gritted his teeth in frustration, trying to get the chains off his wrists, but nothing was working.

"Mmmm…"

"Huh?" A moan from behind got Natsu's attention. He turned around with inquiry, but what he saw only surprised him and embarrassed him at the same time. He saw a familiar figure on her knees, and her current condition made him blush.

"Gah! L-Lisanna?!" He shrieked.

Lisanna looked at Natsu, her eyes widening. "Natsu?" She gasped. "What happened to you?"

"Forget about me! Why are you naked?!"

"Huh?" Lisanna looked down at Natsu's notion. When she realized that she was without clothes, she shrieked in fright. Her squealing stretched throughout the cell, and by no means was she going to recover from the blow anytime soon. "D-don't look at me!" She whipped around and sat with her back towards Natsu. The Dragon Slayer turned around to shield his shame. Well to be more accurate, he didn't care about being naked, but on behalf of Lisanna he looked away to make her preserve her dignity…what was left anyway.

"Those assholes, why'd they do this to us?" Natsu growled while being sure to look away.

"This…this too embarrassing." Lisanna brought her knees to her forehead, hiding her blushing face. "Are they degrading us on purpose?"

"So you got captured too huh?" Natsu asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Y-yeah…but I can't remember how it happened." Lisanna admitted.

Natsu's eyes narrowed. "Can't believe this. They got Erza and Mira, now us. And Nic is god knows where by now."

At the mention of the three names, Lisanna's head perked back up. "Wait, they got Erza and Mira too?!"

"Yeah, it's bad."

"You said Nic's somewhere too, right?"

"Should be. He should be trying to find them right now."

Lisanna's head drooped down, her expression growing morbid by the second. "I think Elfman might be captured too…how many of us are already picked off? They're taking us out one after another…is this really an enemy we can't beat like before?" She was so depressed in her talk, it was like her hopes had gone down the drain.

"Don't say that!" Natsu yelled at her. He looked over his shoulder, meeting her shocked blue eyes. "We're gonna make it through this. We never lose a war, and this won't be the first!"

"Natsu…" Lisanna blushed, and her hopes were reignited once again by Natsu's choice of words. As she looked into his eyes with a fire in them, she almost forgot he was looking at him. She kicked him in the face. "Don't look!"

"Sorry." He muffled with a foot in his mouth.

Lisanna retracted her foot and frowned again. She jangled the cuffs on the back of her wrists, seeing as how they wouldn't budge. "But these cuffs are keeping us from using our magic. What should we do?"

Natsu glared at the bars holding him and Lisanna in; the fire inside him was burning hot. "Don't worry. We'll find a way." He assured. "Somehow."

* * *

Jellal crashed into the ground again, the force of Angel's attack managing to topple him over once again.

"Jellal!" Meredy cried out.

"That idiot." Ultear cursed. "I knew he was being too reckless for his own good. He's gonna get himself killed."

As both urged, Jellal stretched his arm out to them. "Now, stay away!" He ordered. The look he gave was that of a fierce Ursaring in comparison. He wasn't gonna get them involved in a sin he must pay for. "I'm doing this myself."

Racer lunged ahead with Cobra, both clutching their fists to attack. "You'll be sorry you ever tried to take our new freedom away!" Racer barked. He and his associate rammed their fists into Jellal as he covered up. Their combined force was so strong that it made Jellal side back.

At the end if his slide, Jellal winced. Before he could muster words, Racer appeared behind and kicked Jellal, knocking him forward, and Cobra swiped at him, earning a severe gag.

Angel raised her arm, feathers conjuring all around her. "We're no longer bound by shackles! You cannot put that key in your hand!" Her minions that were her so-called angels attacked Jellal as he tried to cover up, but he was pushed back yet again.

Mabeth glared at Jellal's misery with no emotion shown. "Our path was forged in the Tower of Heaven."

"GAH!" Jellal fell back from another kick by Racer.

"We all thought Brain came to salvage us, but it was nothing but a lie we walked right into. It was fakery. We were torn from what could've been an open road, and were cast aside like rags to cover Zero's seal. That right there is reality that one can't walk away from. But now, we can be free-!"

"No!" Jellal disappeared suddenly as Racer was using his Slowing Magic. With his Meteor, Jellal zigzagged faster than what Racer could trace and he smashed his fist into his nose. The sound bellowed and shivered the Oracion Seis.

"You're all facing another lie!" His fist slammed Racer into the earth with a blistering thud. He zipped passed the down mage and passed Cobra, knocking his side and causing pain to make him fall over. "There's something I learned a long time ago from a friend!" He thought back to the one who salvaged him from his misery, more specifically to the Council War and those battles they have fought together. "There's always a demon that lies in your heart that feeds off your misconception! If you stay in the past, you'll forever be in darkness and no one will truly move on!"

Everyone watched with shock from not just Jellal taking out two at the same time, but his words had bitter truth to them. Ultear and Meredy knew what he was talking about, but they couldn't say anything against nor with his claims.

A startled Macbeth went wide-eyed. He was outraged by Jellal's constant influence, but at the same time he was fearful that he just might lose.

Several meters away, Brain lied on his stomach dead. As his corpse was remained untouched, the markings on his face slowly began to fade away. His white eyes closed and his skin paled deeply. His eyes opened up, revealing red with an insidious smirk.

* * *

Back at Fairy Tail, everyone had regrouped to reconfigure their findings and come up with another plan of action. Everyone gathered near the stage, most of the groups accounted for with morose news.

"Well, did you find anything?" Master Makarov asked.

Carla regrettably shook her head. "I'm afraid not. By the time we got to the ex-chairman's house we were too late. The place was already tarnished."

"We couldn't find Mira, Erza, Natsu, Happy, or Nic anywhere." Lucy added.

"Their scents were too faint…I couldn't track them." Wendy muttered, saddened by her efforts.

Gray clutched his fists. "What the heck is happening?"

"I wish I knew." Juvia said.

Vanessa looked down with worry on her face. "They've all gone missing. I hope they're okay." She prayed.

Sophie looked down to her crestfallen friend. "Don't worry Vanessa. Nic and Erza are tough. I'm sure wherever they are, they're fighting for us."

"Gajeel." Pantherlily asked. "Could you be able to track them?"

Gajeel frowned as he placed a hand on Wendy's head. "Nah, if this kid can't do it, then I can't. Besides, a smell doesn't last long."

Wendy sighed again.

Makarov crossed his arms, deeply pondering. "Hmmm…"

"I'm worries about Elfman and Lisanna, they haven't reported in." Cana reminded the guild.

"What about the other guys who left to guard the ex-councilmembers?" Max added.

Laki shook her head. "Nothing."

"This is getting us nowhere." Macao crossed his arms. "They're picking us off one after another, and they're eluding us like ghosts."

"Sneaky bastards." Wakaba sneered.

Makarov gave an intimidating look that brimmed with seriousness. "Tartaros…" He grumbled. "Can we not get the information we need?"

"I found it!"

Everyone's eyes widened as there was another entry of a voice. They all looked around, but no one said anything.

Vanessa looked up, seeing a figure fly towards a window. "Is that…!"

"Aye~…" Happy flapped like a weakened butterfly as he entered from the window. He looked tired, exasperated, and dizzy. "I found them! I found them…" He trailed off.

"Happy!" Lucy shouted.

The Exceed fluttered towards the nearest table and his wings deactivated from overuse. He tumbled like a ragdoll onto his stomach. After catching his breath, he shot back up and flapped his arms wildly. "Erza and Mira were kidnapped! The former chairman guy was a traitor! Natsu was-!" He was put to a halt by Carla, who managed to slap him by both cheeks.

"Pull yourself together and slow down." She chided. "Take in a deep breath."

Happy nodded slowly. "A-aye…" Happy allowed himself to calm down for a minute. After the energy was exhausted, he told everything from the beginning all the way to when he flew out of Tartaros before Silver could freeze him.

By the time he finished, Fairy Tail was in greater shock at the revelation.

"Inconceivable! The former chairman is working for Tartaros?!" Makarov fumed.

"Erza and Mira were captured?!" Jet exclaimed.

"And Nic is still left behind?!" Droy added.

"Damnit! Things really are bad!" Warren cursed.

Happy looked towards Gray. "Also, there's another thing…" He trailed off, leaving Gray to wonder what Happy was talking about. Little did everyone know, he was thinking back to what Silver said. _"_ _Don't ever spill out that name."_ Happy's ears drooped at those words shook him to the core. "It's nothing." He lied. The cat began to tear up. "I…I let Natsu get captured. And Nic, he…he's all alone in the heart of the enemy's lair. I'm so sorry."

Pantherlily approached Happy with crossed arms. "Happy, it's not your fault. You did what you could. Now, just tell us one more thing. Where was their hideout?"

Happy shook off his tears and showed a slightly more serious expression. "Well…" He thought back to the base that he flew out of. If it wasn't bizarre to him it couldn't be to anyone. He saw several islands and a giant guild hall…on a giant floating cube in the sky. "It was a giant flying cube that moves around in the sky."

"It…moves around?" Makarov gasped.

"That makes it almost impossible to pinpoint." Cana said.

Levy pumped her fists. "Don't worry! I'll calculate their movements!" She declared. "I promise you, I'll find out where they were heading and their course!"

At this notion, everyone was aroused once more. They were able to find a speck of hope in this dark hour, and at last they could initiate a counterattack. They all counted on Levy as she had gotten to work, and that left everyone to prepare to invade.

Happy continued to sit down, sulking at his own uselessness. "I couldn't do anything. Nic is all alone, and Natsu is…he's…" He began to cry, but as he was starting to sob, Lucy smiled down at him warmly, much like a mother would.

"Happy…" The blonde picked up the Exceed and hugged him to her chest. "You know you saved everyone. You did your best, and it brought you back to us. Isn't that right?" She tenderly comforted him.

"Aye…" He sniffled in her breasts.

Vanessa managed her own smile. "And besides…" She looked down to her waist, where she could see her Poke Balls. "Nic won't be taken so easily. He has his Pokémon with them."

The guild doors opened, taking everyone's attention off of Happy and Levy and towards the front. There, they were astounded as they saw Elfman enter the guild. He looked tired, fatigued at best with the wrinkles beneath his eyes.

"Whoa! Elfman!" Wakaba exclaimed.

"Elfman's finally back?" Sophie said.

"He's okay." Droy said. "But…where's Lisanna?"

Elfman entered the guild hall, stumbling almost. His eyes were wide, and partially gray. He looked dazed and might fall over. Despite his condition, everyone pressed the matter further.

"What happened?! Where's Lisanna?!" Laki shouted.

"Why didn't you contact us?!" Max exclaimed.

Elfman hesitated to answer. "Lisanna…she was captured."

Once again, the guild hall was exasperated and shocked. The guild looked at Elfman with surprise and horror at the news of Lisanna hostage like Mira and Erza, and even Natsu. The situation only turned that much darker.

"No…" Happy whimpered.

"Not Lisanna too…" Lucy gasped.

"We were too late to even save Yuri." Elfman added.

Makarov lowered his head, mourning for the lack of effort they were able to put into stopping Tartaros.

Elfman lowered his head in shame. "Even though I was there, I couldn't…"

"Take it easy." Romeo insisted.

"Yeah, it's not your fault." Gray insisted.

Pantherlily turned towards Elfman. "Levy is pinpointing them as we speak. We'll get Lisanna and the others back, so don't worry." Behind him, Levy had several geography books and a huge archive screen with letters and diagrams. As she moved them around, she was slowly picking up pieces.

Elfman wasn't looking any better unfortunately. "I…"

"Pathetic." Cana berated.

"Cana!" Wendy chided. The brunette, however, didn't listen.

"You come back here tail between your legs and you didn't bother to go after them?"

Elfman began to stumble away. "I…lost sight of them…"

"Lost sight? That's a freakin load of crap and you know it! You can transform into a huge raging beast and yet you couldn't use that to chase them? That's crap!"

"Cana! Stop it!" Sophie shouted.

"But…"

"No…she's right. I deserved that…" Elfman dejectedly muttered as he walked away. "I…I need to rest…please…" He begged them with such pity that everyone just watched him go without a word.

As Elfman left, everyone gave depressed looks. The situation was degrading enough as it was, but with Lisanna captured and Cana turning against Elfman, everyone didn't know who to trust anymore. The chaos amongst them was too great to handle that no one knew what to think of the real situation.

In correspondence, Lucy clutched happy tighter to her chest.

"We've never turned on each other like this before." Carla mumbled.

Gray shot a glare at Cana. "That was over the line."

The fortuneteller ignored Gray's chiding and watched Elfman walk away like a scolded puppy. It didn't add up, something was wrong, or at least something went wrong. She couldn't see it, but she knew something was there.

Vanessa, who remained silent the whole time, watched with what once was a worried expression. As of now, her face showed an expression that rivaled Cana's. She was able to sense something wrong right away the second Elfman entered. Her eyes narrowed as she was pointing out Elfmna's aura. _'_ _His aura…I don't know why, but that's Elfman's aura. It has to be.'_ She thought. _'_ _But something…black is tainting it. Something went wrong…'_

Elfman escaped from his humiliation and ventured down to the guild's basement. Every creaking step brought him closer to the darkness the basement held. It looked very similar to the basement when Phantom Lord attack, aside from it being bigger.

With his glare down towards his travel bag, he pulled out an odd object. It looked much like a purple crystal ball.

 _"_ _Listen well." Sayla warned. She was talking to Elfman, giving him a fair warning as she held an unconscious Lisanna in her arms bridal style. "I will give you one simple job."_

 _Elfman was unable to move at the moment. Sayla was controlling him somehow, and he couldn't find it in himself to break free. All he did was look at the purple sphere that sat on the table._

 _"_ _What is it?" He asked._

 _"_ _This is your task: You will return to your guild with this lacrima." She looked down at the sphere in her possession. "This is an ultra-concentrated ether light lacrima. It has a concentration approximately 500 times the power of a Jupiter Cannon. Your guild shall vaporize in one second."_

 _Elfman's eyes widened in horror. "What?! No, I can do that-!"_

 _"_ _Yes, you will."_

 _Elfman's self-control was invalid. Everything about him went blank and he could feel his willpower drain. He stared at the sphere, unable to control his body as he grabbed the sphere. "Yes." He whimpered._

 _Sayla's glare darkened. "My Macro Curse is absolute. You will put a demon's end to fairies."_

Elfman's eyes shuddered as he stared down at the lacrima in his clutches. His hold was shaking, and his fingers were squeezing surprisingly hard, but he couldn't stop due to the influence he was under. "I…I wanna see Lisanna…I must…destroy Fairy Tail!"

* * *

Within the shadows of Tartaros' guild hall, men were running all over the place. They were searching high and low for the rat that was Nic, but no matter where they went, no one saw him. It was like looking for a mythical beast that probably doesn't exist. They all scouted left and right, yet remaining in the darkness was Nic. Still in his Grass/Ghost Form, he had his eyes shut as he was gathering all natural energy. Everything was dark, yet within it, he could sense approximately four familiar signatures; two feint, but easily distinguishable.

His eyes flashed open. _'_ _I found them!'_ With nothing holding him back, he finally knew where to find everyone. It took time, but searching the energy signatures wasn't all that easy as Vanessa using her aura for tracking. He slithered by a dark shadow into a wall, knowing his next plan of action to free his friends.

* * *

 **Tada! Here's a super swift update! I wasn't that hard to make, but all I really did was just follow bits of the canon while mixing up a few scenes a little. Not much canon deprivation this time, but I added enough scene distinguishing to make it reasonable…in the most reasonable manner within the confines of reason…? Anyways, I'll reconfigure plans since I got a few ideas stirred up again and I'll have the next update as swift as an Aqua Jet.**

 **Review, comment, and thanks a lot as always guys! :D**


	46. Begin the Raid!

The constant banging against metal ranged through the hall. Every other second, there was a thud that clanged against iron. It didn't stop, and it's been going on for nearly ten minutes, at least from the counting of every other clang.

"Natsu, I don't think that's going to work." Lisanna groaned. She still looked away, but her tired expression could clarify her exasperation.

"Gah! Come!" Natsu banged his shoulder against the bars again. "On! You!" Again, he rammed into them. "Stupid! GAH!" He headbutted the iron bars, but the recoil beat him to it. He fell backwards onto his back and let out a grunt of pain.

"You're gonna get bruises doing that." Lisanna told him.

Natsu sat back up, looking over his shoulder towards her. "Well I ain't sitting' around for nothing!" His exclamation was met with a foot to his cheek.

"I told you not to look this way!" Lisanna blushed.

"S-sorry."

"Well I'm sure there's other ways to get out of here that don't involve getting bruises to the bone."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Natsu's retort sounded more brash than what I was intended, but his brain and wits were as limited as his patience. He wasn't in the mood for thinking right now.

A sudden drop of a cloak into their cell caught their attention. They looked back towards the front, seeing the piece of clothing sit at the stone, cold floor.

"What's that?" Lisanna asked.

Natsu looked at the culprit who dropped the cloak into their cell. When he recognized the person to be Silver, his eyes widened. "Huh…hey! It's you!"

Silver looked into their cell with little regard. "Hmph." He turned away with a small smirk on his face and began to walk off. "Sorry, I can't let you escape, but allowing the little lady to be like that would be a disgrace our what decency we have." He said as he went off.

"Hey! I'm not done with you!" Natsu growled. "Come back here!"

Silver walked out of sight, Natsu's calls going unanswered.

Lisanna looked at Natsu with an on-edged look. She seemed worried with the struggling he's been putting up; he looked especially ferocious against Silver. "Natsu…"

Natsu narrowed his unsubtle vision. "That guy. He smells a lot like…"

The wall opposite of the cell began to slowly emit a bulge. It was slowly forming, but it caught Lisanna and Natsu's attention. With the cloak wrapped around her, she wormed her way to the front of the cell, her shock as large as Natsu's as another figure was coming forth.

"Now that?" Lisanna asked.

The bulge began to take shape as it separated from the wall. As it diverged, it shaped into a familiar figure, one that the two were so happy to see as he was supposedly missing. The scarf he had in hand was a bigger shock to the Dragon Slayer.

"Natsu. Lisanna." The figure said.

The two grew shocked expressions as they saw Nic standing up close to the cell with Natsu's scarf. He was adorned in what now was a Grass/Rock Form. The meadow Plate features were as such, but the belt, shoes, and edging was all the same as the Stone Form.

"Nic!" Lisanna shouted.

"Where the heck were you?!" Natsu added.

Nic leered at the two. "Quiet." He hushed in a harsh whisper. Lisanna and Natsu did just that, realizing they were ascertaining possible attention. Nic looked down the left hall, then the right, but no signs of threats. They were in a fortunate clearance…for now. He looked down at Natsu and passed him his scarf. "Here, I managed to find this on my way."

The scarf was tossed into the cell, and Natsu ducked to catch it over his shoulder with a proud smile. "Now that's more like it."

"Nic, what happened?" Lisanna asked.

"I'm sorry, but finding everyone's nature energy took me some time, especially with how faint some were. But I finally managed to track you all down." He raised his leg and used as much force as he could to kick down the iron bars. Lisanna and Natsu fell out of the way and avoided the massive bar door crashing down. "Hurry." He ushered them out, maintaining a calm composure as he watched the nude Natsu and Lisanna arise and walk out.

Once out of their cell, Natsu jangled the cuffs on their backs. "Hey, Nic, a little help here?"

"We can't use our magic with these on." Lisanna pointed out.

In a swift flash, Nic swiped his arm across, not budging one bit as his Leaf Blade sliced their cuffs off. The cuffs fell to the ground and Natsu and Lisanna finally were able to reach in front of themselves again.

Natsu flexed his fingers. "Ah, better."

Lisanna glowed, initiating a Take-Over. She became adorned in her cat Take-Over, with a black and gray tiger-striped bikini bottom and top, maintaining cat ears on top and large claws. She let out a sigh of relief, hunching over. "Finally. That was so embarrassing…" She blushed in shame.

Nic snapped his fingers in a hurry. At his call, the wall behind began to sprout a long, thick vine from a crack in the bottom bricks. The vine grew up, slowly sprouting vines around its thick stalk and large leaves. "Natsu, here." Nic hurriedly plucked the large leaves from the stalk before grabbing the long vine and snapping it off. He handed them to Natsu and waved his arm horizontally, making the stalk immediately rot and wilt away. It shrunk to where it reduced to dust, leaving no traces behind.

By the time Nic looked back at Natsu, the Dragon Slayer had already made a kilt out of the leaves to conceal his lower regions while using the vine like a belt and tying them around his waist to hold them up. "Thanks man! Now I'm fired up!"

"Wait, so that happened to Mira and Erza? Are they okay?" Lisanna asked, though Nic could understand with the hurry in her tone for her sister. He felt the same for Erza.

"I don't know. They're in two different locations, and on different floors as well." He looked away, a serious frown on his face. "I managed to find them and their exact points."

"Really?!" Natsu gasped.

"What about Elfman?" Lisanna asked. "Is he here?"

Nic shook his head. "No. I don't sense his energy. I don't know what happened, but he isn't her Lisanna. I'm sorry."

Lisanna lowered her head, her sadness rising. She was getting worried, not just for her own sake, but also her siblings as well.

"Listen, Tartaros is after me, and they know I'm already here. I managed to get you two out since you were the closest, but I'm leaving Mira to you. Can you do that?" Nic asked.

Lisanna's sadness perked to a small but confident expression. "Right!"

"But what about you?" Natsu asked. Nic looked away from his face, staring down the left hallway. His frown was dark, and his eyes showed an intense inferno of ferocity. It left Natsu baffled for a moment, but the piece soon clicked. There was no answer needed for what needed to do. If they were left with Mira, that just left one very important person.

"I'm going to find Erza, and we're all going home." Nic answered. He sounded cold, the coldest he's ever been. It left a small tingle of unnerved wreck down Natsu and Lisanna's spines. They didn't argue, and even if they did, they'd lose since Nic would most likely want to save her with his own two hands. She was that special to her, and if anyone got between him and his goal, who knew what would happen?

Natsu nodded in understanding. "Alright. We'll get Mira. You just worry about Erza." He said.

"Do you know where Mirajane is?" Lisanna asked.

"Two floors below us. Be careful, there's guards and soldiers everywhere."

In the distance, there was the faint sound of footsteps. It sounded like armored Tartaros reinforcements.

"Hey, I heard something!"

"Over there! I heard it too!"

Natsu and Lisanna whipped around, their surprise surmounting to greater lengths. "Looks like they're onto us." Natsu said.

"Already?!" Lisanna gasped.

"Hurry! Get moving!" Nic turned and went running down the left hall. His lower body began to sink and merge with the stone in the ground. "Be on your guard!" His head dove and merged into the stone, finally gone and on his course.

"We will!" Lisanna turned with Natsu towards the opposite direction. "Hurry!"

"Yeah, I know!" Natsu sped off towards the sounds of guards rushing towards him and Lisanna. He hurried with quick feet towards their new objective. "Hang on Mira, we're coming for ya!" He yelled.

* * *

In a grand chamber, the bricks were white and looked much nicer compared to the dungeons of the guild hall. Perched on top of a high staircase surrounded by technology were two individuals, more specifically the ex-chairman and Franmalth. The two were at their work for more than a few hours, though Franmalth was mainly supervising Crawford.

"Well? Anything yet?" Franmalth asked.

Crawford looked up at the giant translucent globe that was as grand as a Wailord. It looked a lot like a globe, but with numerous pinpoints and archive screens scattered everywhere. "Quiet you! Can't you see that I'm trying to concentrate here?!" He berated the demon.

"Hey, don't get snappy with me! I'm just checking is all!" Franmalth countered.

Crawford seemingly ignored the demon and moved another panel through the air. "Gnnngh…you know my Super Archive Magic takes time you know. I'm trying my best here to search through Ishgar's mages at the moment, so if you would, give me some space."

Franmalth turned away on behalf of his ally. "Hnnngh, you're a real back sore." He smirked. "But it'll all be worth it. How much will we get? Just how much?"

Crawford darkly smirked at the screens in front of him. "I'll find him. It'll all be worth it in the end. Trust me."

* * *

Within the dark hallway of Tartaros's dungeons, at the end of the hallway in a small room, Erza suspended by Yakdoriga wrapping tentacles around her limb. Saliva was dripping from one side of her mouth, as opposed to sweat and dried tears running all down her face. She gritted her teeth and looked away from Kyôka, who had returned for answers.

The demon woman could see Erza's defiance and smirked. "Do it."

Yakdoriga tightened his hold and unleashed another strong electric charge through Erza. Static flared all over Erza and the knight screamed out loudly in agony. Her violent screams were coupled with her body violently shaking from pulses attacking her pain receptors at their maximum levels. She flailed and screamed much to the delight of Kyôka. The tears Erza shed in her anguish was like a symphony for the demon to enjoy.

"Stop, Yakdoriga." She commanded.

Yakdoriga obediently complied and ceased his shocking. He let go of Erza as smoke emitted from her body and she fell to the ground. Her eyes were wide with shock, she gasped breathlessly as she could barely feel anything anymore. Her head rested against the ground as her bottom was up in the air, drool and sweat puddling beneath her. She's never felt this much agony before. Now she knew the chaos Nic and Vanessa felt, but she was unable to think about them at this time.

"Where is Jellal?" Kyôka demanded.

Erza weakly raised her head, her vision hazy. She still had a flare on her look. "Let Mira go…now…"

Kyôka stared down Erza, her expression showing signs of annoyance. The demon looked to her pet. "Very well then, Yakdoriga." The demon frog amorphous slithered his tentacles around Erza's wrists and yanked her back up. Kyôka walked closer to Erza, grabbing her head and forcing the exhausted woman to look at her smirking face. "With Nic on the loose, I'm feeling quite restless. Perhaps doubling your pain sensory again will indulge me."

Yakdoriga continued another shock with double the sensory of pain. Erza screamed far louder than before, to the point where her screams of anguish traveled all throughout the halls of the dungeon.

* * *

Jellal panted as he glared at the Oracion Seis. Despite his best efforts he was begin to wear down from their battle.

"Jellal…" Ultear muttered.

"You'll free us you say?" Macbeth repeated Jellal's earlier statement. "You say we haven't moved on from our darkness like you? Who's to say that you aren't bound by delusions like we were?"

"It's my word against yours." Jellal told. "The truth I bared witness to is something you have been disregarding." He took a swift lunged at the Oracion Seis, his previous statement still bothering them to where they were still in shock. Using this to his advantage he reeled back a fist. "I'll relieve you of past transgressions!"

From what was once Brain, the red-eyed maniac known as Zero arose from the ground behind the Oracion Seis. "You're the one who'll be relieved of this world, you fool!" He bellowed.

Crime Sorciere and Oracion Seis looked back with shock on their faces at the familiar face, but was not in the very least pleasant to be around.

"Master Zero?!" Angel shrieked.

"That seal…!" Racer trailed off.

"Crap! That bastard survived?!" Cobra exclaimed.

Zero disregarded his lackeys and extended his arm out, gathering energy. "You're in my way!" He fired a Dark Capriccio that blitzed in a straight line towards everyone. Oracion Seis veered out of the way, leaving attack to aim right for Jellal.

To everyone's horror, especially Meredy and Ultear, the attack pierced Jellal's abdomen, beaming right through him and off towards a nearby boulder, making it explode. The blue-haired man gagged at the fatal blow, blood spilling from his mouth.

"Jellal!" Meredy and Ultear cried out in unison.

Zero smirked as he watched the distraught Jellal fall backwards to the ground, blood spilling against the rock.

…

"Hm?!" The ex-chairman's eyes widened at the archive panels in front of him.

Franmalth took advantage of his shock and smiled. "Ex-chairman! Did you find what we're looking for? Well did you?!" He shouted.

"Shut it! Quiet right now!" He yelled loudly.

"Jellal! You found him?!"

"Shut up!"

…

Jellal gagged for air as he was unable to move. The blast he took from Zero was fatal to where he couldn't stand. He was in feeble condition, and was less than likely to be able to stand on his own. "This…can't be…" He gasped.

"Jellal!" Meredy began to tear up.

"What in the hell was that just now?!" Ultear shrieked.

Mabeth smirked.

Meredy ran towards Jellal, throwing caution into the wind. "Jellal! No!" Before she got too far, however, Ultear managed to seize her and hold her back.

"Meredy! Stay back!" The mother yelled.

"I can't! Jellal's hurt! We've got to…" Meredy struggled to break free, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't break free. "Jellal!

Jellal mustered up enough strength to turn his head towards his female companions. He managed a weak smile despite his weakened condition. "Gnnngh…U-Ultear…Meredy…run." He ordered.

"We can't! We can't just leave you like this!"

"Meredy's right, Jellal!" Ultear urged. "Quit acting like a hero! We need to get out of this alive!"

Jellal's gaze grew weaker by the second. "Don't worry…we'll…"

Zero descended from above with Darkness Magic cloaked in his fist. He let out a maniacal laughter as he crashed down onto Jellal, darkness exploding close-range and breaking apart the earth. The eruption swallowed Jellal, not even leaving his hands nor body escape.

As time slowed down for the blast to go haywire, Ultear and Meredy gawked with paralyzing terror. Their eyes widened at the unholy sight of Jellal obliterated.

"HAHA! I'M JUST GETTING STARTED!" Zero bellowed within the slowed time.

…

"So you found him? Now?!" Franmalth urged.

The ex-chairman's shock slowly turned into a large malicious smirk as he slowly looked back at Franmalth. "I've done more than that." He sneered.

…

Within the crater, Zero maniacally laughed aloud Jellal was nowhere to be found. He was out of his mind and darkly leering at the ground, ignoring everyone's wide shock. The Oracion Seis – exclude a smirking Macbeth – stood stunned at the baffling sight. Even they were petrified with fear.

Meredy and Ultear were on their knees, quivering in shock and horror as Jellal was vaporized. Tears were on the sides of their faces and their gaping mouth quivered in incoherent manners. They could barely make out words, even after the remnants of Jellal's boot landed in front of them; no words could describe the trajedy that struck their hearts like an arrow and pierced their minds.

"Jellal…" Meredy squealed as tears dripped down from her face.

"Not a trace left." Angel muttered.

Mabeth snickered at the sudden victory. "Well, looks like that's one down."

Ultear shot up in defense, towering in front of Meredy. "Meredy, get away from here!" She urged.

"Ultear?!" The pinkette shrieked.

The Time Mage growled and glared in a wincing manner at Zero. "This monster's gonna pay for the sins he's made…"

Zero continued to mockingly laugh at the world, but suddenly, the space around everyone began to crack, everything involving Zero began breaking apart, like space itself was disrupted. Everyone's hearts pulsed abruptly as the space shattered like glass. Everything, from craters to the terrain itself, was all gone. It revealed Jellal, eyes shut and arms spread out.

Everyone was once again shocked, especially Macbeth. "What?" He gasped.

Ultear was stricken with exasperation. "What just…"

"An illusion?" Meredy gasped.

Oracion Seis was stricken with surprise to see Jellal alive, let alone unfazed by anything "Zero" had done.

"You're kidding." Cobra bluffed.

Ultear didn't understand, but she looked at the corpse of Brain, seeing as how he was still dead. It was like it never happened. "Those were illusions, but how were they broken?"

From Jellal's eyes, blood dripped. He bit the bottom of his lip as he felt such a blinding intensity.

Macbeth looked shocked. "He…blinded himself to break my illusion?"

Angel stepped back. "This can't be…"

"Crap!" Racer yelled.

The Oracion Seis was suddenly caught stiff as they saw seven golden magic circles around them, all within the form of a constellation. They all were once again duped by his magic.

"When did he…?!" Cobra looked around, realizing there was no escape.

Jellal's index and middle fingers pointed at the Oracion Seis fighting him. He narrowed his eyes as he unleashed his full force.

" **Grand Chariot!** "

Several beams of concentrated light shot down from the sky at blinding speeds. They soared right onto the constellation it shaped in. It crashed into the ground, making golden explosions that engulfed the atmosphere around the Oracion Seis.

"C-curse you!" Macbeth shouted.

As they all were still raptured by Jellal's attack, Jellal pointed on arm up and another down at the 6 and 12 position. A small tempest of dust began to circle around his feet and slowly began to expand out from his intense Magic Power flow.

Meredy and Ultear looked up at the sky, seeing dark clouds gather around in a vicious cyclone. The land and skies began to shudder from Jellal's power. The shuddering and rattling of the intensity made pebbles turn over. All went wide-eyed as they saw something like a fireball began to appear from the cyclone's center in the sky.

"That's…" Angel's breath was taken.

"True Heavenly Body Magic?" Macbeth finished.

" **True Heavenly Body Magic: Sema!** "

The meteor came crashing down in a vicious stream of fire and smoke, exactly the same as during the Council War. The meter came down in a blistering light before blinking a couple times. The explosion soon came, and the catastrophic damage rippled all throughout the domain. The rippling shockwaves crushed the ground, sundering the land in an obliterating passion. Explosions and shockwaves sent rocks flying, nothing safe from the True Heavenly Body Magic unleashed. Ultear and Meredy covered up from the intense waves that passed them, barely holding themselves down from being blown away. Richard covered up to as he was just like Ultear and Meredy, not part of the scuffle that his allies are ending up in. The shockwaves and fiery explosion raged on until several minutes passed.

After the dust and smoke began to subside, it revealed Jellal in the same position as before. He was panting profusely as he was standing in the middle of a large crater created from the shockwaves and impact of Sema. All around him, Oracion Seis was still in one piece, but they were all on their sides of backs, defeated.

Richard was baffled at the end result of what transpired. The level of magic that swelled was exhausting. "What a terrifying power…" He remembered helping Jellal so many years ago during the Nirvana incident, it was hard to believe he saved a man with such potential.

The shock on Meredy's face slowly eroded into surprise. "Jellal…you won!" She smiled. "You're really okay!" She began to tear up again, glad he was in one piece. Ultear, however, didn't seem so pleased.

"That nitwit. Making us worry like that." She was fuming so bad that her clutched fist was shaking. "I'm gonna teach him another lesson when he gets his vision back. I'll make him go blind again!"

As Jellal finally caught his breath, Macbeth was petrified on the ground. "You've won." He admitted. "Now finish us."

Jellal caught himself and stood up affirm. "You are mistaken."

"Then…jail?" Angel muffled.

"Again, you are misinformed. I shall do neither."

"Then…what will you do with us?" Macbeth wondered.

Jellal took slow strides towards Macbeth, taking his pace easy so as not to collapse. "…I have an answer. Join Crime Sorciere."

Oracion Seis went wide-eyed at Jellal's request. No one had much strength to say anything, but shock still surmounted them.

"The world turned against your prayers so you turned against the world. You spoke out to freedom with force rather than with heart. That misconception has strayed you from the path of promise and future." He stood in front of Macbeth, kneeling down to grab the shocked man by the collar and yanked him to look him dead in the eye. Macbeth could see his open eyes. As they were bloodshot from the damage Jellal inflicted upon himself. "We have one common enemy who has put us all at fault, and he must pay. Together…"

"Jellal…" Meredy muttered.

"We can defeat Zeref!"

Oracion Seis stared at Jellal, their silence bewildering, but it was clear that given Jellal's previous experience and what he's preached to them, perhaps it was best they stuck with him. The verdict was by means of silence.

* * *

Sitting at the top of the stairway still was Crawford. He had the malicious smirk on his face, but that lead nowhere for Franmalth to follow. "Well? Spill it! Was Jellal found or not?!" He yelled.

Crawford smirked. "Like I said, I've done way more than just found him. I've found something even I didn't know was possible." He looked at Franmalth with a malicious gaze. "I successfully transferred his key."

Franmalth blinked. "Eh?"

"Let's put it like this: Jellal was the last link, remember? All I did was use my Super Archive Magic and transferred his link key to me."

"Yours?"

"Yes! And that would mean by utilizing this same exact principle, I can transfer the link to another sucker. Once that fool is killed, the three links would have been unsealed, and Face would come to be! I'm such a genius!" Crawford mused.

Franmalth gave a leery look. "And just whom do you have in mind?"

"I don't care! One of those fairies you captured for all I care!" Crawford fumed.

"H-hold on just one more second, ex-chairman! You mean to tell me you're now the last key?" Franmalth calrified.

"Of course you nuisance! I've been trying to tell you this whole time!" The ex-chairman retorted. His cheeky smirk returned as he overlooked all the archive panels scattered throughout the space in front of the globe. "And it's all thanks to my Super Archive Magic's extreme power! With this, Face can dominate Earth Land! The world is too easy to fool!"

"Why of course it is." Franmalth snickered factitiously. His leering one way gazed at Crawford like he were to commit some crime. "But you know…you have to ask yourself ex-chairman, how much is this gonna cost you?"

"How much it'll cost _me_? Please, you know I'm priceless!" Crawford laughed.

"I wouldn't be so sure." A familiar voice said from behind.

Crawford turned around, noticing Kyôka walking towards him with a smirk. "Ah, Miss Kyôka, what a lovely sur-!"

He was cut off when a sharp pain engulfed his chest. He went wide-eyed as his body suddenly went numb from what's been committed. Looking down, he saw that his chest was seeping red, bleeding out rapidly as a sharp whip pierced him. He could barely speak out any coherent sentences as his shaky gaze cascaded towards the smirking Kyôka.

"Ky…ôka. What is…"

"To answer Franmalth's question of how much you're worth, I'd say…you're spent." Kyôka sneered. "Thanks for your service, but we no longer need you… _ex-chairman_."

Crawford's eyes rolled backwards as he gasped his last breath before he fell onto his side, dead.

"Well, that worked out nicely." Franmalth chirped.

Suddenly, the entire building had begun to shake, shuddering out of something perplexing that was on the rise. With Crawford's death, the entire floating cube began to shudder at vibrating frequencies.

Natsu and Lisanna were running down a hallway as they easily thwarted the guards that were heading their way. As they continued down their path, the land began to vibrate. "What's that?" Natsu wondered in shock.

Down in another hallway, Nic was speeding as he easily thwarted more guards and soldiers that were now buried under Rock Slide. He sprinted on, the shuddering land catching his attention. "What's going on?"

* * *

In a wasteland beyond anyone's comprehension, the ground began to shudder, either out of abnormality or an earthquake. The ground began to split apart as a fissure opened itself up, revealing a tall white pillar with a masculine face looking towards the sky. All around, three smaller rectangular controls glowed.

* * *

Franmalth began to chuckle as Cube was vibrating. "What's this?!"

"Seems Cube is reacting to Face's seal unleashed." Kyôka evaluated. "What a surprise this turned out to be."

"Then…we've done it! Face's seal is undone! It's activated at last!" Franmalth shouted in celebration.

Kyôka turned towards the archive panels, which were still functional even after Crawford kicking the bucket. "What are the coordinates!"

"Well…" Franmalth skooched towards the panels, moving the trajectory of one panel around; even with the shaking still going on, he was balanced. "What?" His one eye widened out of shock. "Man, we were really off course! I knew we had some margin of error, but not this far!"

"Whatever, activate it so that we can finally stop Nic!"

"Um, yeah, about that…" Franmalth started. The panels were beeping with constant warning signs, flickering to no end. "Uh, it looks like Face has to be activated on site."

The shuddering of Cube began to diminish, and finally everything began to calm down, however, despite Cube quelling, Kyôka was losing patience.

"Hey! Don't look at me like that! It's not _my_ fault!" Franmalth defended. He shot a glance at the deceased chairman. "That guy right there could've activated it remotely, but now it seems it has to be done manually."

Kyôka let out an exasperated sigh and turned away from Franmalth. "I guess it can't be helped. I guess it's my fault, I got a little too hasty there." She mustered a smile. "Very well, send someone to manually activate it."

Franmalth narrowed his vision. "I'm certain Ezel wouldn't mind getting out of the Cube again." He sneered.

"Whomever is sent does not matter." Another voice added into the conversation, this one surprising Franmalth and Kyôka as it turned out to be another of the Nine Demon Gates, Sayla.

"Sayla, when did you get here?" Kyôka asked.

"Worry not, Mistress. I have found the answer, and like a demon's tale, Fairy Tail shall have its own end suited for it…"

* * *

Within Hell's Core, everything went quiet as intended. Lamy was doing as instructed and kept herself close to the chambers where everyone was regenerating. She was wiggling her hips with a dreamy gaze in her eyes. "Oh~, what should I do? What's gonna happen now if they're reborn earlier due to that shake?" She despaired. "…never mind. Worrying is…" She struck a defined pose of arm to forehead. "Pointless!" Almost instantly, she returned to her bubbly state. "Because they made it out already~!"

Lamy turned around to see another figure, this one being a dark-skinned man of average height and of lean bulk. He had shoulder-length blonde hair with a bang hung over his head. He adorned a dark tank-top with spotted bubbles arising. He had dark pants and tattered cloths tied to his forearms by crossed harnesses. The demon looked at his arm, flexing his claws.

"So this is my new body." He said.

"Yessiree! Tempester! My glorious new hunk!" Lamy swooned.

"Tempester…so that is my name." He answered calmly.

Lamy blushed as her hips wiggled. "Yup, and it suits you now with that hunk of a body you have now!"

Tempester looked away from her fangirling, disinterested. "No matter. What I look like matters not."

"Huh? Well isn't this just cruel." Another membered from the now empty chamber he was once in. He stepped out, revealing Jackal. Unlike before, Jackal now had longer ears and a bushy tail. "Don't you think I got the short end of the stick here?"

"Aw~, I don't think so!" Lamy scooted to Jackal's side, nuzzling his arm affectionately. "You've always been super hot!"

"Get off me. You creep me out!" Jackal exclaimed as he tried shoving her off.

Tempester turned towards his regenerated colleague. "Jackal?"

"Huh? What's up Tempester? Still suffering that damned amnesia as always?" Jackal huffed.

Lamy began to weakly sob. "Every time Tempester revives, he always suffers memory loss…" She sniffed. "It's those Magical Barrier Particles. It's so sad…" She again showed seriousness with an arm to her forehead. "But a gift for me!"

Tempester said nothing, but didn't seem amused by Lamy.

Jackal's teeth began to grit, his temper beginning to flare. "Those fairies…" He remembered full-well, unlike Tempester, who did what to him. "That fireball and blue cat are gonna pay big time for what they did to me."

Another set of footsteps was heard, these ones were much louder due to the weight he carried. "Jackal, I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation. This is more than just those two you described."

Everyone looked over, seeing Torafuzar at last regenerated. The fish-man was revived, but due to not looking human for the likes of Lamy, she only made his tail shape similar to a Garchomp, as well as his ears now small fins. "Torafuzar, you too?" Jackal exasperated.

"So you're another ally." Tempester acknowledged.

"How ya feelin', big guy?" Lamy chimed in a peppy pose.

"Though I have regained physical properties, I doubt they shall hold a match for the likes of Nic Pularis." Torafuzar announced. "His power surpassed my own defenses. Even that snake of his has proven most lethal."

"Eh?" Jackal looked taken back by this revelation. "You're saying he kicked your ass like a chump?"

"If what you are saying is true, then this man and pet that you describe will be most troublesome for us." Tempester said.

Again, the sound of footsteps was heard. Everyone turned to see yet another figure venture away from a chamber.

"Another one?" Torafuzar questioned.

"Who's the chick?" Jackal followed.

Lamy looked at the figure as well, showing less enthusiasm compared to before. "Oh! I almost forgot!" She giggled. "I want you to meet our new recruit."

The figure revealed herself to be Bellona, now reincarnated with demon blood. Her sky blue hair ran down her back and shoulders like a waterfall. While the rest of her face looked unchanged, the belly region and arms had a few black tattoos. A dark blue tattered cape was attached to her neck and shoulders. Her huge breasts had two cup colored neon green, but the edging on the bottom and top were both dark green. Neon green and dark green straps also crossed on her abdomen all the way to the wide hips, where they met the white belt that suspended a thin neon green skirt that stopped just below the pelvis region. Beneath that were skin-tight dark green leggings. She also sported dark green gloves and high-thigh heels with intricate neon green edging around the top. The Tartaros brand was located solemnly on her left breast.

The human-turned-demon looked at her claws, inspecting the nails. "So this is the power of demon blood." She said. "It's overflowing my veins."

Lamy looked away with a smugged shrug. "She's just some human Miss Kyôka brought back and wanted to demonize. I think her name was Bellona or something." She explained. "Meh, girls hold no suitable appeal to me anyway."

Jackal smirked at the demon women before them. "Heh, well let's see what you got for us, newbie."

Bellona smirked back. "You're misinformed. I'm no newbie. A newbie is a weak pawn…I stand at the top that is my throne."

Lamy looked away from them, smirking maliciously at another chamber. "Now as for this one…" She chuckled, thinking of malicious contents in store for Mirajane, who was strapped in the chamber and unconscious. "That beautiful of hers, I'll make sure to make it so that she'll be the ugliest caterpillar to have crawled along the earth!"

* * *

Erza was dangling by Yakdoriga's tentacled, suspended and unconscious it seemed. The redhead was not moving and the frog demon made absolutely certain to not make any movement nor shock her, otherwise if his owner found out, he'd be ending up in her place instead.

As things were quiet, the frog demon's head perked up at the sound of guards shouting and armor smashing to pieces outside. He grew weary as the growing sound was shockingly fast and headed their way.

"Garchomp! In there!" An unknown voice shouted.

In a matter of seconds, the door was kicked down like it was a domino. As the metal clanged against the ground, it revealed the culprit of destruction being Garchomp. The Mach Pokémon snarled low as he glared at Yakdoriga, the frog demon paralyzed in shock and fear.

Next to follow was Nic, adorned in solemnly his Meadow Form this time. "Erza!" Nic stopped in his tracks at the entrance, eyes widening in horror as he saw his girlfriend in such a sorry state. His heart nearly stopped at the grotesque sight of Erza seemingly unmoving with shackles wrists and ankles. Horrendous and bleeding scars decorated her naked body. His shock quickly turned to anger as he saw the hideous tentacled demon with its slimy hold on Erza.

"Garchomp! **Dual Chop!** " He yelled.

Garchomp's sharp claws and fins glowed bright green and he rushed ahead in Mach fury. With one slash, he cut right into Yakdoriga's head, practically splitting it apart. The impact of the slash make the frog demon crash through the wall into darkness, where it laid dead with a split head. As Erza fell to her knees, Garchomp used his second Dual Chop and pivoted around, slashing off the chains on the ankles and wrists.

Before Erza fell over, Nic zipped on over and caught her. Her head rested on his shoulder, eyes shut. "Erza…?" Nic gasped. "Erza?" He tried again. "Erza, please…wake up…" He begged.

Erza's eyes began to wince. "Mmm…I…" She mumbled. "I don't know…I don't know where he…" Her weak brown eyes finally opened, but to her surprise, she awoke with the feeling of warmth against her shriveled body. "What?"

"Erza." Nic muttered weakly.

Erza's eyes widened. "Ni…c?"

Nic's eyes softened as he supported her. "Yeah, it's me. I'm here."

"You came…" Despite her baffling condition, Erza smiled. "Thank you."

Nic leaned his head closer to her wet hair. Despite how gross it was or how much of her blood was starting to stain, he was so glad she was alive. However, despite his worries relieved, he began to frown in guilt. "Erza…" He began. "I'm so sorry. I should've gone with you when I had the chance."

"No. Don't blame yourself." Erza weakly insisted. "It was Tartaros. They got us with our backs turned. They did this to us. They're the ones who are to blame."

Nic carefully sat her up and shifted to his Mind Form in a flash. Using Heal Pulse, a strong wave of pink ripples engulfed Erza. Slowly, but surely, all her scars and internal injuries began to regenerate to healthy proportions. By the time Nic finished Heal Pulse, she was able to have healthy eyes again. She looked down at her naked form, seeing many wounds have closed, if not disappeared like magic.

"Can you stand?" Nic pleaded.

"Yeah…" She hesitated for a moment, but eventually she found herself on both feet once more. "Now I can." With herself back up, she mustered up the power to Requip, getting her hakama pants and bandages around her humungous breasts. She took in a large sigh of relief, glad to have finally retained some dignity.

Nic's sentiments were cut short by how Erza ended up the way she did before. "Erza, tell me, who did this to you?" He questioned. By the tone he gave her, he was hostile.

Erza frowned at Nic's emotional distress. "A demon called Kyôka. She was the one who was interrogating me this entire time for Jellal."

"Jellal?" Nic blinked.

"Yes. Unfortunately I learned he was the last link to unsealing Face." She answered. "They want to kill him."

Nic's expression turned from bitter to sour. "What did they get?" He dreadfully asked.

"Nothing. I didn't know his location. No one would." She lowered her head. "But what they've done in slaughter and destruction…it's beyond dignifying."

The two shared a moment of silence of mourn and maleficent province. Their recollection of these events was beyond morbid, especially given how the roles were reversed. It wasn't too long ago that Nic and Vanessa were bloodily tortured and screamed out to get no help, and now it was Erza who had to suffer that same anguish. They were all fortunate they were able to find solace in the fact that they came to the other's aid when they did.

Nic's fists clutched tight. "You said Kyôka did this, didn't you?"

"Yes." Erza nodded. The longer she stared at Nic, the more hostility she was starting to see. She could most certainly empathize with him considering the same state she was in when she found them half-dead.

Nic's hold on himself was tight, so much that blood stopped circulating to his fingertips. If he wasn't purified of his DNA before, he would've gone crazy and bellowed, but now he was more tamed. A dark aura filled the room by Nic's glare of anger alone. "Those demons are gonna pay with their lives." He denounced.

* * *

Elfman was shuddering in the guild's basement as he held the glowing purple lacrima in hand. He couldn't move well, in this case, not at all. He was lost in the desperation that was his assignment, which was simple – the destruction of Fairy Tail. He sniffled and gritted his teeth as his muscular fingers screeched against the glass-like lacrima in his hold.

There was no control over himself. He had no choice. It was time to vaporize.

"Elfman? You there?" A voice called from the stairs. Entering from the staircase was Cana, preceded by Vanessa, who decided to come along as well. While both knew that something was wrong about Elfman in their personal perspectives, they also knew that Cana was too harsh on the middle Strauss sibling. They knew it was best to see if he was holding up, as well as investigate.

"Elfman…" Vanessa trailed off, seeing a bizarre purple light in front of him. "What is that?"

Elfman looked back at them with shock spread all over his face.

"Is that a lacrima?" Cana asked.

"Don't interfere!" Elfman shrieked out as he lunged for both Cana and Vanessa. He used their shock to his advantage and managed to jump close before a teal dome stopped him from advancing onto the two girls.

" **Aura Guard!** "

Vanessa's spell managed and she and Cana were saved, but Elfman was banging profusely against the dome, trying to break it. He didn't stop, and the bizarre, depressed, and hysterical expression he had staggered the two girls. "Elfman, what the hell is wrong?!" Cana shouted inside the dome. "Have you lost your mind?!"

In his control, the bomb dropped to the ground. Upon inspecting, Vanessa's eyes widened. "That's..." Her shock surmounted. "A bomb!"

"You all…perish…PERISH!" Elfman roared. He banged harder, going so far as to do it in a fury in one spot.

Cana clutched her fists. Who knows how long Vanessa could hold up the shield? She didn't have long to jump to a conclusion, it was almost of plain site. "Is Elfman…manipulated?"

"Perish! PERISH~!"

Vanessa narrowed her eyes. "I knew something was wrong. His aura was tainted by another force, no wonder I almost didn't recognize his behavior as unnatural." The young Pularis sibling looked down at the lacrima, seeing its glow brighten…

Back upstairs, Levy had on her glasses and finally got up from her studies. "I've figured out where their base is!" She declared.

"Really?! That's great!" Max shouted.

"Where?" Makarov demanded.

"I've found their speed, direction, and managed to surmise Happy's escape was on the border of Bosco. With that, I found out…" She pointed her index finger towards the ceiling. "Right above us."

True to what she said, outside, citizens of Magnolia were unnerved as they remained wary of the giant cube-shaped island that floated high above Fairy Tail. The gigantic structure not only endangered their security, but it also left them worried with it being over a mighty pillar that stuns Fiore.

"Say what?" Lucy questioned.

"Those guys are…" Reedus looked towards the ceiling. "Above us?"

Gajeel and Pantherlily shared a similar gruffy look. "So it looks like they took the fight to us." The Iron Dragon Slayer said.

"If that's the case, then let's go and help Nic and save everyone." Sophie declared.

"You heard her! Let's hightail it!" Gray yelled.

All of Fairy Tail roared in agreement. They all were gathered and ready to take Tartaros by storm, however, they were unaware of the glow that resonated from the basement. Happy looked back to where the basement was, seeing the light get brighter.

Sayla smirked within the control center. "Their tale…is over."

There was a bright flash that engulfed the guild hall. Everything suddenly went blank and became a meaningless void, and everything then exploded. The guild's sign, bricks, tables, everything was vaporized within a powerful flash of power laced within confines unknown. The ground shattered into a large crater with destroyed decimation and a roar that could deafen a normal man.

The citizens looked in terror and shrieks as they saw from a safe distance of Fairy Tail's guild hall being obliterated within moments. It was Cube arriving, and now they shock of Fairy Tail blowing up shattering their disbelief into oblivion. All gaped their mouths, the many citizens worrying for their lives.

"What was that?!"

"Fairy Tail…what just…"

"It exploded!"

"Is everyone alright?!"

"I don't know! Let's go help!"

"It's too dangerous!"

A giant smoke cloud arose into the atmosphere, where Cube loomed overhead. Inside, the demons of Tartaros smirked at the glee of their enemy's destruction. Sayla was especially pleased with her creativity. She looked over for Kyôka and her approval, and the demon woman smirked as her answer.

"Well done, Sayla." Kyôka praised. "I couldn't have planned it better myself."

Sayla looked ahead, a small tint of red in her cheeks. "Mistress."

Franmalth's insidious crackling was what broke the praise. He smiled wide and mischievously leered at the monitor. "How much were those lives cost?! Just how much?! I need to know!" He exclaimed.

"I we were going to blow them up, then it seemed pointless to bring Cube here." Kyôka figured.

"Oh well, we got a show." Franmalth said.

"Now, with that settled, let us continue our efforts in unleashing Face and destroying Nic Pularis once and for all. The white legacy shall be our needs to give birth to a world fit only for demons, and the only we need to destroy then is the likes of he who would dare defy our return to Zeref."

The sirens on the panels began to go off. The many colors flashed and Franmalth responded by looking at them. "Heh? What's this?!"

"What is it now?" Kyôka demanded.

"I don't know. Or some reason, we're getting a lot of magic readings here."

A soldier looked away from his monitor. "Urgent report coming in! Three unidentified figures coming our way!" He yelled.

"Three?" Franmalth questioned. "These readings say way more! What's going on here?!"

"I don't understand. What is going on?!" Kyôka shouted. "Display on visual monitor! Cube's underside!"

"Yes, Mistress." Sayla did as instructed and pressed several buttons. In a matter of seconds a visual image of Fairy Tail's smoke and crater was seen. The images zoomed in, seeing three figures as described. However, the sight shocked Sayla and Kyôka.

Franmalth's mouth gaped. "Whaa~t?!"

Sayla's shock rose. "This…"

Flying in from below was the surprising twist of Happy, Carla, and Pantherlily. On Pantehrlily's back, however, there was also the surprising unveil of Mawile hanging on.

"Cats?" Sayla gasped.

"I-it looks like it, but what in the hell is that thing?!" Franmalth exasperated, referring to Mawile. "Wait…" He also caught the notion of the blue cat. His image was all too familiar, and he sure didn't seem pleased. _'_ _So Lord Silver forgot one, eh?'_

"You mean those four are emitting all those signatures? But how is this?" Kyôka exclaimed.

"How is this possible?" Sayla exclaimed.

 _Elfman was banging profusely against the dome, but never did he let up. Vanessa looked towards Cana as she had her hands reached out to Elfman, maintaining the barrier. "Cana, you got to hurry!" She urged. "I'll restrain him for a few seconds, but that's all I can do!"_

 _Cana nodded. A second's all I need."_

 _Nodding in understanding, Vanessa swiped her arms across and her Aura Guard dissipated, but the shattered remnants of teal in the space around began to converge onto Elfman as he lunged forward. The streams of small teal swiftly encompassed him by the waist, restraining his arms and making him unable to move._

 _Using this to her advantage, Cana pointed her index and middle finger and swiped them across. "This isn't personal, Elfman!_ _ **Card Dimension!**_ _"_ _Using her magic, Elfman was engulfed in a strong light while yelling frantically. As the light faded, it revealed the distraught Elfman in a handheld card, banging profusely against the dimensional barrier inside._

 _Cana plucked the card out of thin air with a smirk. "I gotta say, learning from that pretty boy awhile back really did come in handy."_

 _Vanessa took another glance at the bomb, noticing how much brighter it's gotten. "We need to warn everyone. Hurry!" The two hurried back up towards the stairs, getting away from certain destruction. Once they've made it to the first floor, there wasn't a second's waste when Cana used the same tactic._

 _"_ _Sorry everyone!"_

 _In a flash, Cana used her Card Dimension a second time, transforming everyone into cards with them inside. They all were left flabbergasted as they realized how much smaller they were._

 _"_ _What-?!"_

 _"_ _The heck?!"_

 _"_ _This magic! That you, Cana?!"_

 _Cana had her arm out and palm facing up. "Now, I return all cards to me!" Upon command, the Fairy Tail Mages trapped inside the cards began to zip back into Cana's hand, forming a neat deck in her open hand._

 _In spite of all the cards that were salvaged, the only people out still were Vanessa, and the Exceeds._

 _"_ _Cana?!" Carla gasped._

 _"_ _There's no time! The guild is going to explode!" Vanessa warned. "You guys, hurry! Carry the cards away from here when the chance comes!" Vanessa pulled out a Poke Ball as the basement began to shine. "Mawile, go!_ _ **Protect!**_ _"_

 _The Poke Ball popped open, revealing Vanessa's Mawile. The Deceiver Pokémon hurried with haste in her order and Cana swiped her arm, making herself and Vanessa into cards that fell into the deck laying on the ground. Mawile used her jaws and scooped up the entire deck, sealing her horned jaws shut._

 _"_ _Everyone hang on! Things are about to shake up around here!" Mawile yelled as she got near the Exceeds and summoned a dome of translucent turquoise, just in time before the while guild was engulfed in a destructive light._

"Let's go!" Happy shouted as he and Carla zoomed towards Cube, with Pantherlily carrying Mawile and her sealed shut cargo.

Sayla looked down at the screen, realizing that her every move all boiled down to a deemed failure. "I...I failed?" She muttered. To make matters more embarrassing for her, it happened in front of Kyôka. "I failed my Mistress…"

Kyôka looked back at the guards in the room. "Activate Cube's defenses! Activate the gravity field on the lower level! All forces divert to the bottom for attack! Don't let them get anywhere near the top!"

As the Exceeds and Mawile were ascending they were inching closer, but suddenly they felt an opposite force. Rather than defying gravity, they suddenly felt themselves being pulled into it. All four went falling up, literally.

"What's going on~?!" Happy shrieked.

"We're being pulled in!" Pantherlily shouted.

"This su~cks!" Mawile screamed.

All four yelled as they met Cube's underside. Happy and Carla had a rough landing on their stomachs, but Pantherlily let go of Mawile and both successfully landed on their feet.

"Well, that could've gone better." Mawile huffed as she dusted off her pants.

"Agreed." Pantherlily said.

"Owie…" Happy groaned. "Hey! Wait!" He shot up. "Why are we upside down?!"

Carla preceded with shock. "Did Face have some defying gravity?!"

Pantherlily turned around, seeing running armies attacking from all sides. They began to draw closer. "We got bigger problems to worry about." He warned.

Mawile looked ahead with a smirk. "Alright, time to come out and play!" She jumped up and whipped her conjoined horn-like jaws around. They opened up and the cards inside went scattering through the air all around.

One of the cards flashed, revealing Cana back in her original form. "Thanks for the lift, Mawile! Now Tartaros…meet Fairy Tail!" Cana swiped her arm again, using her magic again and making all the scattered cards glow. Everyone inside cheered on in delight as they finally met enemy in their territory, and they all emerged from the cards back as solid human beings again.

"Let's get'em!" Cana urged.

All landed on the ground and Makarov raised a fist in the air. "Fairy Tail…ATTACK!" He yelled.

All mages went running towards the fray, ready to engage in battle. As Vanessa and Mawile regrouped and went on the offensive, the only one who wasn't seemingly in battle was Elfman, who was still lying on the ground, blinking.

"What…what happened?" He muttered.

Cana towered over him, arms crossed and a hip swayed to the side. "Looks like you're back to yourself again."

"I…I…" Elfman began to recap what had happened. He remembered Lisanna, the councilmember, and then it struck him with what he's done with Sayla's Macro Curse. The big guy began to tear up, realizing he just obliterated the guild hall. "What have I done?" He whimpered.

Cana turned away. "You wanna save your sisters, then pick yourself up."

Elfman was feeling like a hollow man at the moment, but Cana did have a valid point, blunt, but valid. They needed him, and Mira and Lisanna weren't gonna save themselves. Despite guilt, he powered through and sniffled off his insecurities.

* * *

In Hell's Core, the ruckus from outside could've been heard from within. "Looks like things are getting noisy out there." Lamy huffed. "Whatever…" She turned back towards Mirajane's chamber with a hyper face. "Time for me to uglify this pretty face~!"

Mirajane was still unconscious, but the tentacles all around her body began to inject veins into her body. The dark veins were visible and spreading slowly around her cheeks, buxom, hair, arms, and legs.

"Lamy scrunched her face to the glass, looking sinisterly at the work. "How's it feel having demon blood in that supple skin? Does it make you wanna cry?!" She chuckled with so much glee as Mirajane wasn't responding. "Isn't it horrible?! It's so hideous! I'll make you super hideous!"

Mirajane's eyes suddenly flashed open, a dark look down at Lamy. The glare and angle made the bunny girl flinch.

"Eh…"

The glass shattered to pieces, making Lamy shriek in terror and fall onto her rump as the liquid contents splattered against the ground. Glass broke apart and Lamy went wide-eyed.

"W-what the hell?!" The demon tried to scramble to her feet, but she was met with Mirajane on her two feet with a large tentacle over her shoulder. The dark look behind her glare made Lamy shrink back in fear.

"I'm sorry." She apologized sarcastically. "I already have some demon blood running through me, you can thank Satan Soul for that. But that injection was quite helpful. Thanks for that. Now why don't I pay you back for that?"

Lamy shrieked back and scampered towards the nearest pod still in one piece. She was terrified beyond rational thinking. "N-now let's be cool about this…"

* * *

Kyôka hurried down the dungeon hallway, making haste with what motives she has. With Cube invaded, little options were in the wind. "I do hope Erza could be of some use to us at this time." She said aloud. "Hostages work well with humans in these scenarios." However, when she reached the hallway, she noticed the walls had deep gashes in them, and the walls and ceilings and ground had holes in them, like someone punched or kicked into them. "What's all this? What happened to my guards?!" Kyôka gasped when she looked around, various guards were sprawled all over, cut up, bit into, and far from conscious, borderline dead. She looked ahead, her shock growing when she saw Erza's cell door was no longer there. In a hurry, she entered to find the vacant space and hole present. "What happened here?! Where's Yakdoriga?! How did that hole-!"

She was cut off when a crushing force came down onto her. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and gaped her mouth as she could feel the foot to her spine nearly broke it into pieces. The blood-curdling roar of Garchomp made her gasp in fright as she sundered to earth, wedged in a crater by the impact Garchomp made as he now had his foot on her possibly-broken back.

"GAH-!" Kyôka suddenly felt her limbs get tangled by vines that suddenly grew from the earth beneath. They were thick and had her limbs and neck tied down. The side of her head hit the ground, cracking her helmet.

A dark aura emanated around the atmosphere as Garchomp growled down at his victim. "You sure picked the wrong people to fight with." He sneered in his dark and deep tone. It made Kyôka again feel goosebumps rise.

"You're…" She trailed off when another figure towered over her. She glanced up, her eyes shrinking at the anger she saw in his eyes. "You…" She looked up at Nic in his Meadow Form, and the look he gave her was of sheer venom. "It can't be…"

"I received such generous hospitality in your care." Kyôka could hear Erza's voice, but it echoed from within the dark wall. She walked out, a dark and sinister grin on her lips as she held a sword in her grip. "Allow me to repay you in kind."

Kyoka gritted her teeth, but her body was shuddering from the prowess exerted from Nic and his Garchomp.

"Or if you prefer…" Erza trailed off, seeing Nic tighten the vines around Kyôka's limbs and neck, and Garchomp pressing down harder against the demon's back. "I could leave you in Nic's care. But I should warn you, he can be a little rough."

* * *

 **New update, just as I had foretold! Nothing big this chapter, followed canon a majority, with exceptions of Pokémon such as Mawile and Garchomp shifting things about. Nothing major, but made sure to add my usual flavor.**

 **I forgot to ask this before: Whose torture was worse in your opinion? Nic and Vanessa's by Vermilius, or Erza's by Kyôka?**

 **Anyways, I'll be reconfiguring plot ideas for the rest of the Tartaros Arc. As always, review and share your thoughts! Thanks again guys! :)**


	47. Countdown

Before she knew what happened, Kyôka had found herself in chains like Erza once was. The demon woman had her ankles chained to the floor and wrists and arms chained overhead. Yet to add insult to injury by the psyched-out female, roots and vines also bound her to the cuffs. She mentally cursed herself as she tried to look calm in front of Erza, Nic, and his Garchomp; the former two looking enraged.

Erza requipped a sword and held it up to Kyôka's throat. "Alright, tell us what is going on." The redhead demanded.

"What do you mean? That question is too open-ended." Kyôka answered, though in a sense she wasn't wrong. "Though if you want some hint, I can say that your meddlesome guild managed to worm its way onto Tartaros."

Erza's eyes widened. "Everyone's here?"

Nic, in his default self, turned towards Erza. "Yeah, I sensed a large abundance of nature energy I recognized earlier."

"Nic, go help them." Erza insisted. "I'll handle it from here."

Nic hesitated to comply. He didn't want to leave her again, not after what they've been through, especially with how the two of them nearly ended up dead in their own means of torture; but deep down, Nic could also see that this was for the best. He and Vanessa confronted their jailor, so now it was time he gave Erza the respect she needed and let her deal with her torment.

"…okay." He struggled to say. "You better come back home."

Erza grinned. "I intend to do nothing else after this is all over."

With himself reassured, Nic turned his back to his girlfriend. She knew she'd be alright…for now. He showed his faith and looked towards Garchomp. "Garchomp."

Garchomp raised his head and roared, but not too loudly, but as a sign he was listening.

"Use **Dig!** " His Trainer commanded.

"Down we go!" Garchomp crouched and dove his head and claws into the earth. With his brute power, rock and dust flew in an unstable fashion, whipping up small winds that left Kyôka startled, but Erza was ignored as she wasn't fazed. By the time the dust settled, there was a gigantic hole in the ground, leaving the walls and floor cracked; it was a miracle the floor was still intact to a degree.

With them gone, Erza could now interrogate and pay Kyôka back. "Let me rephrase my question from before. What was that rumbling?"

"That? That was Cube reacting to the unsealing of Face." Kyôka answered.

Erza's eyes widened in shock. _'_ _Face…jas been unleashed already?'_ Her glare hardened. "Then does this you…"

"No, Jellal remains alive…for now." The demon grinned. "We had another method more convenient to us."

"What do you hope to gain from all this?"

Kyôka's expression grew calm and her eyelids narrowed. "It's simple. Face, the weapon that the Magic Council had sealed away. It shall erase all the magic on the continent."

"I know that, but why? Talk!" By the sound in her voice, Erza's patience was wearing thin.

The captive began to chuckle. "Our answer is as simple as the one before." Kyôka again smirked. "For all demons to return to Zeref." She then did the most surprising twists of all, her fingers elongated into whips and she snapped off the cuffs bound to her, and she managed to pry the vines and roots off to boot. The look on Erza's face was of surprise, which Kyôka used to get her advantage.

"How did-?!"

"You fool! These shackles only affect those with magic! It means nothing to those with Curse Power!" The demon swiped at Erza's side but Erza blocked using her left forearm, shocking Kyôka with how she reacted so easily. The tables turned again, Erza raised a foot and brought it down onto Kyôka, plunging her into the ground.

"So I take it that you are followers of Zeref." Erza growled.

On the ground, Kyôka smirked darkly. "Followers in scratching the surface, we're more like his children." She adjusted her footing and shot her whip-like claws at Erza. "We are demons born from the books of Zeref!"

Erza sidestepped, dodging what would've been a lethal blow. Kyôka attacked with another lash, but Erza parried with her sword. Sparks flared as the claws and metal grinded and slid in opposite directions.

"It's only natural for a creature to follow its creator's wishes! Is that not the same as what Pokémon do with those Pularis humans?!"

"Everyone is willing to choose who or what to believe in!" Erza's next slash missed. "But we can't always justify our actions by acting out of accord for a reason!"

"What would the likes of a human know?!" Kyôka jabbed forward, but her attack failed when Erza gave a much stronger slash, this one making the demon slide back several feet.

Erza adjusted her stance, a magical aura pulsing around her body as she glared at the shocked Kyôka. "Humans have their own beliefs and are devoted to others as well…" She thought for a brief moment of Nic, the fire in her eyes intensifying with greater resolve. "But what is important is for you to not lose sight of who you are as an individual! To stand and fight, and not run away!" Erza glowed and requipped into her Piercing Armor, and she unleashed a battle cry as she jabbed the humungous javelin into Kyôka's abdomen. "You're not the only one who sees one path!"

"GAH!" Kyôka violently cried out as the pressure to her abdomen by the fixed javelin smashed her into the wall behind. The pressure intensified in less than a second, ploughing straight through the stone.

* * *

On the underside of Cube, there was a large battle ensuing. The Fairy Tail mages were giving it everything they had in stopping the Face, but they were occupied with the overrun of the hundreds, if not thousands, of many Tartaros soldiers.

Gray put his arms together, gathering magic for ice. "You're starting to bug me!" He reached out at the small army that charged him from the front. Without effort, he froze them all in ice, but one managed to slip away just in time and managed to get behind Gray with a spear at his back.

"How dare you!" Juvia suddenly rushed out of nowhere, kicking the soldier's face with water flowing in her wake. "You dare try and have my Gray all to yourself?!"

Gray looked back at Juvia, a disgruntled expression plastered.

In other parts of the terrain, Gajeel was firing his roar, while Wendy has moving swiftly and launching air assaults, both knocking down men back to back. Makarov became a giant and punched straight through many numbers effortlessly.

" **Memory-Make: Scorn of the Armored Winds!** " Sophie made a chain of memories, and around her emerged small cyclones of iron that swallowed up and struck down numbers within their range.

"Are we even getting anywhere with all this?!" Droy shouted.

"Beats me!" Jet exclaimed.

Levy swiped her arm, summoning the words "STONE" and making them crash down onto the numbers in front. "Everyone be careful!" She warned.

Cana swiped her arm, sending a card that exploded upon impact with a Tartaros grunt. She turned around, seeing herself surrounded by many numbers. "Great." She mumbled.

" **Nugatory Burst!** "

To Cana's surprise, she found the grunts surrounding her engulfed in swift pillars of teal that shuddered the ground. The bright flashes of teal subsided, revealing the many numbers reduced to almost nothing within the area.

The fortuneteller blinked in surprise. "What just…"

"Mawile, **Iron Head!** " Vanessa commanded. At her disposal, Mawile's jaw-like horns became solid iron that she swung over her head. The three grunts charging after her were met with a swatting mass of iron that sent them flying. Mawile landed in front of her Trainer, looking as passive as ever.

"Vanessa!" Cana shouted in shock.

"Don't worry. Just keep going!" Vanessa yelled back. She pivoted and shot a teal beam of aura in a split second, striking even more numbers.

"You heard the girl!" Mawile jumped into the air, raising her horns back and made Iron Head again. She went vertically flipping downward and smashed her jaws onto a grunt, making him fall over. She landed again and her Iron Head faded, and looked back at Cana. "Move it!" She finished.

Cana wanted to question how Vanessa gained so much Magic Power. When she thought about it, she didn't know Vanessa could use her aura like that, let alone sense such extraordinary Magic Power. She brushed off her thoughts about the girl and redirected her efforts into stopping the grunts charging like bulls around the place.

"Are the wounded okay?" Macao asked, turning his back to find Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe still unconscious, but they looked a lot better compared to earlier.

"Napping at a time like this, geez!" Wakaba huffed before turning to use his Smoke Magic and the pipe made a clouded fist that socked a guy.

"They'll be alright! We're here after all!" Alzack exclaimed as he was shooting.

As everyone was fighting, they had little stamina, and their numbers were only going to get weaker. With no way of penetrating forces, they could only fight on.

A sudden shake in Cube again caught the ground in vibrations unimaginable. Everyone briefly ceased their fighting and looked around wearily.

"Wh-okay! Why is the ground shaking now?!" Jet shouted. "Did an explosion go off or something?!"

"I don't know, but it's getting loud!" Warren warned.

The vibrations from beneath pulsed in a vast jolt. When it reached a climax, the ground went silent, then, from out of nowhere, a large eruption of rock and dust spouted. Enemies caught within the blast wave wet flying, the dozens of men went surging through the flying boulders and rocks that cracked the ground several feet all around. From the explosion of dust, Garchomp was seen flying straight up, bellowing out another cataclysmic roar that ranged through their ears. To everyone's greater shock, Nic was attached to Garchomp's backfin.

Everyone gaped their mouths as they saw Garchomp and Nic. "Nic?!" Makarov shouted in shock.

From a critical point, Nic looked down at everyone. "I knew it. It is everyone-!" Nic and Garchomp suddenly felt a sudden force yank them down, or in this case back up. Both fell up back to Cube, where they landed right beside the other on their feet. While Nic landed soundly, Garchomp landed with an earth-shaking thud on his heels.

Nic looked around with surprise. "Anti-gravity?" He questioned.

Garchomp looked around, his sharp teeth bared upon inspecting the many grunts still in shock. "Looks to me the fun is still going on."

All around, the grunts were stepping back; not just from the looks of Garchomp, but the immense pressure they were getting from Nic and the Dragon and Ground-type.

"I-it's them!" A grunt shrieked.

"It's Nic Pularis!"

"Keep your guard up! Our orders are to eliminate him at all costs!"

"Everyone, hurry, round up the remaining numbers! We need backup over here!"

Vanessa and Mawile looked at Nic with surprise from across the gigantic hole Garchomp had created, seeing them out of Tartaros's guild hall. "Nic!" Vanessa shouted.

Nic looked back towards his younger sister. "Vanessa!" He shouted back.

"What happened? Is everyone alright?"

Nic nodded. "Yeah. Erza is fine. Natsu and Lisanna are okay as well. They went to get Mira."

Everyone felt relieved that the captives were now roaming free, but now they had more pressing matters to take advantage of.

"Quick!" Gray urged. "Use the hole Garchomp made and let's get inside!"

Everyone began to jump inside, leaving the outside forces be and Nic and Garchomp to handle the forces rushing in from out of the blue. All went inside, advancing against Tartaros.

"Elfman!" Vanessa exclaimed.

Elfman looked over, seeing Vanessa by his side. "Vanessa, what's up?" The look Vanessa gave was serious, he could tell this was vital.

"I can sense Mira and Lisanna's auras. I can get you there." She requested.

Elfman nodded in understanding. "Thanks a lot. I appreciate it." He looked back down the hole and dove inside. "I'm gonna fix my mess! Hang on Mira and Lisanna!"

As Elfman disappeared into the darkness, Vanessa looked back at her Mawile. "Mawile, let's go." She ordered.

"On it, boss girl." The Steel and Fairy-type jumped down the hole after Vanessa and Elfman, following the Trainer in her quest.

With everyone diving into the hole, Nic and Garchomp began to feel another rumble. To their surprise, cracks were seen not too far away from the hole Garchomp's Dig made. Both looked surprised as the cracks glinted before rock erupted again, followed by an equally massive geyser of dust flaring. Both of them looked up, seeing Kyôka shooting straight out of the eruption while Erza was seen with her javelin, shooting up after her.

"Erza!" Nic shouted.

Managing to subdue Kyôka, Erza looked back down with shock. "Nic?"

"Hey, watch yourself!" Garchomp warned.

Acknowledging Garchomp's warning, Erza looked back at Kyôka, who had recovered swiftly from that attack. Erza found herself wrapped around the elongated whips that were Kyôka's claws. The demon ell back up to Cube, but not before she slammed Erza into the ground, making dust scatter.

Nic moved to help, but grunts surrounded him and his Garchomp. Both found themselves pit against several spears and weapons of shapes and sizes unimaginable. They both were back to back, leering at their opponents without any signs of quell. "Looks like we have our hands full." Nic noted.

"Don't worry." Garchomp grunted. "They'll crumble like tin foil." He raised his head, opening his mouth to exert yet another exasperated roar. The ripples echoed through the air, rattling the earth beneath and making many grunts nearly fall over or stumble off. The ground around Garchomp and Nic cracked up from the pressure of his roar. "Lucky us." He sneered.

Nic managed a grin. "Yeah." He lunged after the ones in front. "Let's get to work!"

"Right!"

Kyôka landed in front of the dust cloud in front of her. She watched it dissipate and retracted her claws. As dust settled, Erza was seen standing up, hunched over and smirking at the demon.

"Seems I haven't properly thanked you for your hospitality yet." Erza grinned. "Well, allow me to show you what I have to offer for my thanks." She reached for her pants, pulling out a Poke Ball. The sight of the capsule perplexed Kyôka. She watched Erza throw it.

"Come out, Doublade!" She cried out. The Poke Ball popped open in the air, revealing Erza's Doublade floating several feet in front of her. The Sword Pokemon glared ahead, eying Kyôka.

"Oh~? I never knew you had Pokémon too." Kyôka smirked. "This shall be most interesting."

"Indeed." Erza had Doublade unsheathe itself and she tangled her two tassels around her Trainer's arms. Erza clutched the grips and she went blitzing after Kyôka. "HRAH!"

* * *

"Did Nic saw two floors down or two floors up?" Natsu asked Lisanna as they raced down the hallway. "I can't tell which way is up anymore!"

"We gotta be close!" Lisanna pointed out. "Look, I think that's the staircase ahead!"

True to what she said, the staircase led up and not down. That was the only way, yet they were hard pressed about the direction. But, unfortunately, there was no turning back for any directions as grunts went chasing them from behind.

"After them!" The head grunt of the five to six men shouted.

Natsu looked back over his shoulder, seeing that they were followed. "Aw cap!" He took a sharp pivot, facing away from Lisanna as she kept running on. "Lisanna, keep going! I'll deal with these guys!" He shouted back.

Though she was initially worried, Lisanna complied with a nod. "Okay!" She raced up the stairs in a hurry. "I'll find Mira!"

"You better!" Natsu faced the incoming men with another fire in his eyes. With Lisanna gone, he can go all out on them. "Alright you clowns, how's about I give you something to laugh at!" He blitzed ahead, confronting the many men charging with swords and spears.

The head grunt raised his weapon to attack, but Natsu had proven to be faster. He jumped overhead and stomped his foot on the guy's face. The foot ignited, and Natsu flipped, kicking up the guy on a spiral kick of fire blazing.

" **Fire Dragon's Claw!** "

Natsu spiraled and landed on his knee, the many other guards screaming as they began to fall from his attack. The Dragon Slayer smirked as he looked back. "That's the power of magic for ya…" The little celebration was cut short when his shock surmounted. "What…"

Natsu could've sworn he was in the midst of a dream, or perhaps Gray's magic made everything invisible, but it couldn't make everything in a black and white hue. The grunts that were about to slam into the ground were frozen in place, suspended, as though time had stopped.

"The heck? Are they all just in midair?" Natsu wondered, but it didn't make sense, not in the slightest.

A sudden pair of footsteps caught his attention. "So you and Nic managed to make it this far. Most impressive." A voice announced.

Natsu's ears twitched and he turned around. His shock surmounted greater as his eyes widened to a greater extent. "What-?!"

The man smirked. "I never doubted you'd make it here…"

Natsu's teeth nearly gritted at the sight…of the dark wizard that has been there since Tenrou Island. "…Zeref." He growled.

Zeref smirked at Natsu, showing no ill intentions. "I welcome you to Tartaros, the city of books that I have forged in all my years."

"What are you…" Natsu trailed off.

"This guild, Tartaros, this happens to be where all my demons reside. Tartaros is one of my prime achievements, though I did little contribution." Zeref said. "It was really all of Master E.N.D's handiwork."

"E.N.D?" Natsu remembered the name, given by Atlas Flame not too long ago. "That's the guy Igneel wanted to kill."

"Actually, it was more like someone who Igneel could _not_." Zeref corrected.

Natsu was again stricken by shock, but he channeled it into his fists. The flames engulfed the hands and he lunged at Zeref with no warning. "Then I'll just finish what the old man started!" His declaration was cut short when his fist met Zeref's face, but when it did, Zeref wasn't fazed in the slightest, instead, he remained unmoved, smirking even.

The recoil made Natsu roll backwards, shock evident. "What…?"

"I believe you just might." Zeref said. "Nic was able to pull through with the will he destroyed. It's no wonder he managed to stop the Impure Underworld."

Natsu blinked. "Wait, Nic's will?"

"What a dark tale he had to suffer, surely he just might be a match for E.N.D, and to believe it or not, myself. I will admit I am weary of his powers. Igneel could not kill E.N.D, could he even? Or you? These questions have little answers, wouldn't you say?"

Back on his feet, Natsu looked at Zeref with inquiry. "Wait, what is it that you're trying to tell me?"

Zeref's body began to flicker. It was like he was an illusion or spirit, yet he smiled all the while. "What I'm saying is, you will decide the path…of life or death." He said as his body became translucent. "I have little time left, so I must take my leave for this short while."

Natsu reached out. "Hey! I ain't through! What are you babbling about?! I don't understand! Tell me!"

Zeref's body slowly began to fade away. "Hm, to think Tartaros was doing all this just to see me. Guess these visits do little for my respect. Such vivid irony" He muttered in a light tone. "I do wonder, who will reach me first…you, or E.N.D…or Nic…?" His voice trailed off, his figure at last gone.

Behind Natsu's back, everything returned to normal. The black and white returned to normal, and the grunts suspended reanimated and plummeted to the ground with loud thuds. Natsu turned around, surprised with time returning to normal.

"What the hell…" His questioning trailed off as he looked back to where Zeref was, finding him gone. "Nic's will? Impure Underworld? E.N.D…what's going on here?"

* * *

"Mira? Mira~?! Come on, where are you?" Lisanna shouted. She managed to make it to the next floor, which coincidentally was the right one, if the chambers and tentacles were any indication to a lab. "Is she here? I hope I find her soon…"

"Hello? Who's there?" Another voice called out.

Lisanna's eyes widened as she finally got a call from another voice close by, this one being familiar. She stood in shock. "This voice…"

From around a chamber up ahead emerged Mirajane, who was properly clothed as before her capture. She walked and turned towards her left. "Lisanna?" She questioned in disbelief.

"M-Mira!" Lisanna shrieked. Without any words or thinking, the youngest Strauss ran on over and hugged a shocked Mira. Her grip was surprisingly tight. "Mira! I'm so glad that you're okay!"

"Lisanna…" Mira was surprised and glad to see her sister again after what happened, but that didn't stop her inquiry from bubbling. "What are you doing here?" She questioned. "And, why are you in your Animal Soul?"

Lisanna pulled away, showing a serious frown. "About that…Natsu, Erza, Elfman, and I got captured."

"What?" Mirajane gasped.

A groan from the distance revealed Lamy, who was passed out not long after Mirajane's breakout.

"Don't worry, Nic assured us that he would get Erza out. He managed to sneak into Tartaros's base and managed to free us and got us directed to you. He should have Erza by now." Lisanna took a pause. "But…I worry about Elfman. Nic said he couldn't sense him here."

"The one called Elfman wasn't captured."

The third voice was followed by footwear clasping against the ground. The two siblings sensed an ominous supply of pressure, making them become unnerved as the one approaching from the shadows was Sayla. Though Mirajane was questionable, Lisanna was looking to be in a panic.

"It's her!" Lisanna shrieked. "Mira, look out! She can control people!"

Mirajane met Sayla's agitated glare. "Oh she can? Lisanna, get behind me."

Lisanna stepped back as complied.

Sayla's glare went blank for a moment as her hair covered her eyes. "Your brother, Elfman, I sent him to destroy the guild." She said. The look of shock was evident on the white-haired women's faces, but she ignored them. "But I failed, not one person was killed. Even after the destruction of the guild hall, there was still human domination." As her gaze was hidden within her seething anger, the sighs of relief Lisanna and Mirajane gave only fueled her rage. Her teeth gritted within her frustration. "I was made a fuel in front of Mistress Kyôka. I've been tarnished because of what you despicable fairies did. And for that…" Sayla raised her head, giving a violently dark sneer that could make her look like the devil. "For your insolence, the debt shall be your sister!"

"You? Take my sister?" Mirajane had a dark look that rivaled Sayla. "Heh~…"

* * *

Franmalth was still in the control room, looking unnerved with how he was so far off when adjusting the coordinates of Face. He moved a panel off to the side to get a view of a diagram of Face. "I know I said this earlier, but I still can't believe how far off we were from Face's location. Why was that?" He asked himself. "I didn't expect such a grand margin of error. How were we so misinformed?"

He heard footsteps coming from the hallway that led to Tartaros's wondrous maze. By the sounds of the faint voices in the distance, he could tell it wasn't of comradery.

 _'_ _Crap! Those Fairy Tail mages wormed their way here! I gotta split!'_ In a frantic panic, Franmalth fled and moved behind the nearest pillar, hiding his prickly round form inside the shadows. As he remained quiet, he saw Happy, Carla, Wendy, Sophie, and Lucy enter the domain, albeit with wonder.

"What's this room?" Lucy wondered.

"Beats the heck out of me." Happy shrugged.

Sophie looked at the walls, seeing many symbols of ancient writing. "These symbols, they're very old. This writing is inscribed everywhere." She analyzed.

"Look at all these control panels." Carla deduced, seeing all the Super Archives screens flickering and many diagrams and numbers. "There's gotta be dozens of them all over."

Wendy pointed at the large globe ahead. "Hey, what's that?"

"I don't remember any of Tartaros having so many technological advantages." Sophie said as she stepped forward.

All the girls, and Happy, approached the equipment and controls, unaware of Franmalth looked over his shoulder with uneasiness. _'_ _Those Fairy Tail bugs dug this deep? Those guards are really good for nothing.'_ He cursed mentally.

"Look!" Sophie pointed at a diagram, just as Wendy and Lucy gathered by her side. Her green eyes narrowed with nervousness. "Is this what I think it is?"

"It looks like…Face has been activated already." Lucy bitterly said.

"Then what do we do?" Wendy asked.

"Maybe we can reseal it with these controls?" Happy advised.

Carla shook her head. "That won't do I'm afraid. We don't know how Face operates to begin with."

Sophie looked around, hoping for an answer. "There's gotta be soething here to stop Face…" She pointed to something that caught her attention. "Wait…it says 'Activation must be operated on-site'." She recited.

Lucy's eyes widened. "Wait, Face has already started?!"

Franmalth smirked maliciously. _'_ _Well done, Ezel, you sure work fast.'_

Wendy looked at something else, something on her right that continued to click. She looked to be paling.

"Wendy?" Lucy asked. "What is it-?!" Lucy went stiff as she looked at what Wendy was so distraught about. It wasn't long before Sophie caught on and went stiff as well.

Before them was a time.

 **41:06**

"This is…Face's countdown." Wendy muttered. "There's only 41 minutes left."

"No…" Sophie gasped.

Carla clutched her tiny claws with uneasiness. "41 minutes…until magic is purged from the continent."

"GAAH! This is terrible! What's gonna happen to us?!" Happy was in a frantic panic. He ran around in circles uncontrollably, retaining no calm. "This is bad! We gotta tell someone!"

"Calm down, Happy." Carla urged.

"But wait, should we just wreck the place?!" Lucy insisted.

"No good! It won't stop the countdown regardless!" Sophie reminded.

"Then we have no choice but to try and get there ourselves!" Wendy urged.

"Aye!"

A sudden jingling of what sounded like keys rattled within the darkness. Lucy and everyone heard it once, and then a second time, followed by what sounded like a stave hitting earth. It rattled through the control room, much to Franmalth's hidden delight.

"Who's that?" Happy pointed out.

They all steeled themselves as they saw the owner of the stave and key jangling slowly enter the control room. His appearance staggered the girls, leaving them paling. It turned out to be none other than Keyes, walking towards them with a sinister stitched smile. "Despair screams of young maidens…are of a choir's chime of the netherworld." He murmured. "With the night of demons on the rise, our radiant darkness cascades beyond lights of stars. May your maiden bodies be swallowed by hades…and float within the eternal sea of purgatory."

As Keyes stared at the girls, they all quivered in uneasiness.

"It…is that…a sk…skeleton?" Lucy squealed.

"I hope…that's just a mask…right?" Wendy murmured.

"This just gets freakier by the minute." Sophie muttered.

Keyes' glare didn't deter, but Lucy took a glance out of insecurity to find the countdown reaching a new number.

 **40:31**

 _'_ _40 minutes left.'_ She thought.

"We can't afford to waste anymore time. We've got to plough through." Sophie said.

"If we don't…" Happy was trailing off, unnerved by the opposing possibility.

Franmalth suddenly jumped from behind Keyes, presenting himself at long last. "Sorry~, ladies. But there'll be no saving the world today." He taunted.

Once again, everyone went wide-eyed.

"Another one?!" Wendy exclaimed.

Franmalth chuckled at their growing insecurities.

"Don't worry guys, we'll breakthrough!" Lucy reached back and pulled out two Zodiac Keys. " **Open: Gate of the Golden Bull - Taurus! Gate of the Ram – Aries!** " Lucy flashed the two keys, summoning her Celestial Spirits as called.

"I'm here for ya, Miss Lu~cy!" Taurus announced.

"I-I'll do my best!" Aries squealed.

Fanmalth's eyes widened, yet Keyes looked mildly surprised.

Aries went first, extending her arm forward. " **100% Fluffy-Fluffy Wool!** " She summoned a thick mass of wool ahead, which engulfed Franmalth and Keyes alike. They were unable to respond, and Franmalth was wheezing from the pink wool in his face.

Taurus began to hold out his axe and spun in a rapid cyclone. His axe kicked up a large mass of wind, dragging wool all around him.

" **Wool Typhoon!** "

The cyclone of wool encompassed the whole area, making Franmalth and Keyes alike get trapped alike. With cover and the spirits fending against the enemy, Lucy began the charge. "Come on, let's get going!" She urged.

"Aye!" Happy hauled Lucy into the atmosphere above, while Carla carried Wendy. Both Exceeds ascended into the air, heading over the cyclone and into the hallway.

"Hey!" Sophie yelled, revealing that she had been left behind. "You guys! I know you can only carry one at a time, but how is this fair?! Guys?!" Her screaming fell on deaf ears, seeing how they were already out if sight. Sophie tried to worm her way through, while retaining some annoyance. "I hope they forget." She sarcastically murmured.

Meanwhile, the four flew at a breakneck pace down the dark hall, speeding without regards to stop. "Come on, we gotta hurry!" Lucy urged.

"I know!" Happy sped up, the worry making him increase his pace.

Lucy and everyone went deeper into the hall, but as they reached a point, their shock surmounted when they found Keyes up ahead, despite what happened back at the control room. "Hold up! Didn't we leave him back behind?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"How did we follow us?" Wendy wondered in shock.

Keyes stayed motionless, unmoved as a dark aura encompassed his entire body. "The dark star…it shall ignite a spark onto-!" Keyes fell silent abruptly by a harsh punch, which knocked off his skeletal body's left side.

"Shut it!" The arrival was by none other than Gray, who turned around to look at Keyes. With the damage, he expected him to die, but Keyes' body remained drifting, the dark aura around him weakly whisking on his left side. _'_ _What? Is he some living ghost?'_

"Gray!" Happy shouted.

"Great timing!" Lucy shouted.

"What? Lucy? Happy? What the heck-?!" Gray whipped his head around, watching them fly right past him. "Hey! What?!"

"Sorry! We have an emergency!" Wendy called back.

"We're going to shut down Face! Thanks for the help!" Lucy shouted. In a flash, they were gone, along with Gray's answers.

The Ice-Make Magic sweat dropped. "What the heck was that about?"

"You…" Keyes murmured. The darkness on his left side solidified back into his body, showing no damage. "You are Silver's…"

Gray's eyes slowly widened. "What?"

A sudden barrage of fire-like saucers went blazing through the hallway, passing Gray much to his shock. The spinning saucers went at Keyes, but all he did was stand his ground and remained unmoved as the saucers fazed through his body, leaving ember holes all over him.

"Now what?!" Gray turned around, looking at the one responsible. Once again, shock surmounted. "Sophie?!"

Sophie was seen panting, given all the running she had to do to catch up. Getting out of the cyclone used a Pyro Saucer technique she needed to spare, but it did save time and effort nonetheless. She looked ahead, glaring at Keyes.

Keyes' eyes narrowed as his body regenerated. "Greetings again, fallen maiden."

"What the hell is going on?" Gray demanded. "Somebody better tell me or I'm just gonna assume you've all lost your minds!"

Sophie walked by Gray's side, standing her ground. "I'll explain, but you'll have to bear with me as we handle this one." She said.

Gray looked forward, understanding the predicament. "Yeah, I gotcha."

"Guess it wasn't bad of them to leave me behind after all." Sophie smirked.

Keyes glared at them both, intrigued with how this would turn out.

* * *

Sayla and Mirajane had already been battling for only a few minutes already, and so far neither side has given the other an edge in the heat of battle. Mirajane was in her Satan Soul Take-Over, and she was face to face with the barrage of book Sayla had summoned out of nowhere. Book upon book, they just kept coming, some of which managed to make their mark, including a recent one that got Mirajane in the face and forced her to slide back.

"Mira!" Lisanna shriek.

"I'm fine!" Mirajane looked ahead, glaring at Sayla before rushing in to counterattack. She passed book after book, blitzing at blinding speeds until she got into close-range with Sayla, much to the other' s surprise. "Take this!" Mirajane swung a leg around, landing a kick onto Sayla, yet the demon blocked with her forearms and slid back.

"Not half bad." Sayla admitted as she stopped her slide. "But…" She summoned more book s out of nowhere and sent them after Mirajane. "I will purge you all, for Mistress Kyôka's sake!"

Mirajane clutched her fist, reeling back darkness and shot the fist forward, unleashing a dark blast of energy that collided with all the literature thrown at her. The two attacks made pages flare about, and darkness from Mira's assault dissipated to reveal Sayla in front of her., prompting Mira to jolt back in shock.

"Wha-GAH!" Sayla swiped an arm downward, making an average sized but super heavy book fall onto Mirajane's head. The shock from the attack left her gagging in shock, rendering her immobile as the book sundered to oblivion.

"You really ought to learn more about a demon. Like how we intend to make you part of our tales!" Sayla made another book shoot at Mirajane's exposed abdomen. The force from the book made the wind get knocked out of her and fall to the ground.

"Mira!" Lisanna shrieked. She moved to help, but Sayla looked at her.

"I order you to not interfere." She sneered.

Lisanna was suddenly stricken with some unknown force. Her body was struggling to listen to her brain, and she could only watch as her limbs went numb. "What…?" Lisanna mumbled. "My…my body…it's…"

Mirajane was on a knee, looking at her sister with shock. "Lisanna, what's wrong?"

"I don't…I don't know!"

"Tada~!" Lamy appeared behind Lisanna, much to the collective shock of the sisters. "She just became a puppet by Lady Sayla's Macro Curse!" She chimed in a peppy tone.

"Curse?" Mirajane parroted.

"That is the magic of my power." Sayla informed calmly. "This is the extent of my Macro Curse. I can control people's actions at how I see it fit. It's a tale that plays out by my rules, and you all will do as I please."

Mirajane's teeth gritted. "So this is how you controlled Elfman into doing your dirty work."

"One may look at it that way, but I prefer to think that it was a fate raptured by context."

"What does that mean?" Mira asked.

Sayla's gaze grew menacingly dull. "Words are powerful, but depending on what you say can lead to conflict. One may mean one thing, but say another; and vice versa. That's the flaw in you humans. You lack the communication necessary to play out your own stories. This is the tale that has no plot and no meaning, whereas as demon's tale has meaning, and strife is not of chaos."

"I don't know what she's saying…but, I think it has something to do with her manipulating Elfman!" Lisanna shouted.

"Ha~HA!" A sudden force grabbed Lisanna from behind, holding onto her with a smug on her face. It was an exasperated Lamy, and she glumped onto Lisanna with a sinister smile. "Lady Sayla said you stay out of this, so you better let it be." She sneered.

"No! Let go you freak!" Lisanna struggled to break free, but with Lamy holding onto her, coupled with the Macro Curse, she couldn't do anything to move.

"That's it, call me a freak all you want. I'll just make sure to rearrange that pretty face into something even more ugly than the hideous bugs that crawl on this planet!" Lamy growled.

Mirajane turned towards her sister and went lunging at her. "Lisanna!" She raced across the ground after her little sister, but a book went flying in front of her, making her turn back towards Sayla.

"You have forgotten who is your adversary." Sayla said.

Mirajane again felt her teeth grind against another with hostility. "Damn you." She murmured.

"Struggle all you want, if won't do you good by standing there." Sayla swiped her arm, summoning a barrage of books that went after Mirajane. The demon of Fairy Tail covered up as the pages and hard-covered books hit her gauntlets continuously, but the force still made her push back several feet.

Lisanna was wide-eyed as she watched her sister on the defensive. She couldn't believe that one of the biggest heroes she's had in her life was getting pushed back, and yet she had power but couldn't do anything to help.

Lamy's smirk darkened as she held onto Lisanna. "Now~, what should I do first?"

A sudden harsh force snapped down onto Lamy's sides, clamping down viciously to where it made the demon squeal in pain.

"YEOW!" Lamy shriek as she abruptly let go of Lisanna and was carried into the air. She was flipped and went flying with shouts of confusion until she went spiraling into a chamber. The force was so brutal that it shattered the chamber when Lamy made full impact with it.

Sayla went wide-eyed at the sudden intrusion. "What?" She gasped.

A teal sphere went gliding past several chambers, like a needle and a thread. It streamed until it was incoming from Sayla's back. The demon turned around to see the teal sphere and pivoted. She blocked with her forearms, but the teal sphere exploded at point-blank. Sayla grunted in pain as she felt a strong pressure, of which shoved her back several feet.

"What is going on-?!" Sayla was cut off when she gagged from wind being knocked out of her system. She slammed into the ground, eyes wide as Elfman was seen stomping down onto her from a jump above, in his Beast Soul. The impact made the ground depress under Sayla.

Mirajane and Lisanna remained shocked beyond belief. While Lisanna could feel her control return, Mirajane lost her Satan Soul and reverted back to herself. Both siblings stared in awe as they witnessed Elfman slowly rising back up from the crater Sayla laid in, becoming himself again.

"Elfman." Mirajane muttered.

"That's for what you made me did." Elfman growled.

Lisanna realized something was off as she took into account what happened to Lamy. Turning around, she saw that Mawile was at her feet, looking up at her like she were a statue. "It's you!"

"Yo." Mawile replied.

"Wait…" Mirajane began to piece it all together. "If you're here, then…" She looked passed Elfman, seeing Mawile's Trainer roll in from the darkness. To their collective shock, it was Vanessa with a serious expression.

"Vanessa!" Lisanna exclaimed.

"Lisanna. Mira. Are you okay?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah, we're fine now. But how did you find us?" Mirajane asked.

"I used my aura to trace and track your own." Vanessa looked down at Sayla, who was struggling to stand in the crater. "Looks like we made it in time."

Elfman looked back at Vanessa with seriousness, but also with gratitude. "Vanessa, thank you. I owe you."

Vanessa shook her head. "Don't be. Let's just be glad we're all okay."

Mawile crossed her arms and nodded at her Trainer's comment.

"Elfman!"

Elfman turned back around, seeing his two sisters run up and embrace him. Their combined might made him almost stutter away, but he managed to catch them with shock plastered on his face. "Lisanna…Mirajane…" He gasped.

Both sisters hugged Elfman, smiles on their faces.

"We're so glad you're okay." Lisanna smiled.

"You came. You really did." Mirajane said.

Elfman looked down at his sisters with a small smile finally growing onto his face. Despite what he's done, he made amends by managing to save his sisters, and that was enough for him. "Yeah." He embraced them both in his big arms. "Sorry it took so long." He took a small paused, feeling his family back together again. "You guys, I did a really bad thing…"

"We know." Lisanna intervened.

"It wasn't your fault. You know that." Mirajane insisted. "You can blame yourself all you want…but it was really Tartaros that destroyed our guild hall."

"You guys." Elfman murmured, nearly verging on tears.

Vanessa smiled at the little reunion, but she was interrupted when a small groan came from Sayla. Immediately her guard went up.

"You…" The demon grunted.

The Strauss siblings went wide-eyed at the voice and broke away from one another, looking back to find Sayla slowly getting up from the crater. She was dirty and panting, but she looked like she could keep going.

"No way…" Lisanna murmured.

"Looks like she still has some fight in her." Mirajane exasperated.

Elfman clutched his fists. "Alright, this time, I'll knock her down with twice the force!" He declared.

"Looks like control freak is up for another go-around." Mawile commented.

Vanessa looked as Sayla was back on her feet. The Aura Mage retained a safe distance as she leered at Sayla, who returned the demonic glare.

"Those eyes…" Sayla murmured.

Vanessa's vision narrowed.

"Those eyes, and that radiance…they remind me of the one Tartaros is most adamant on destroying. Why is it that you possess the same eyes as that as Nic Pularis? Who do you think you are meddling in these affairs?" Sayla retorted.

Vanessa frowned at Sayla, looking bitterly at her adversary. "You've caused such a big disturbance, and we don't appreciate what you've done to our guild or how you handled our friends. For that, you'll have to answer to us." Vanessa spread her legs, with Mawile rushing right in front of her Trainer and ready to do battle. "If you do intend on destroying my brother, or even think of using anyone again…you'll have to answer to us."

"You got that right!" Mawile added.

Sayla's eyes widened in surprise.

* * *

Several minutes had gone by in another sanctum of Tartaros, those one being of a chilling aspiration. Gray and Sophie were working overtime into cornering Keyes, yet the demon had proven himself to be more troublesome than they both bargained for.

" **Ice-Make: Lance!** "

Gray fired a numerous amount of lances that shot at Keyes, but as before, his attack fazed right through the demon, hitting the wall behind and making concrete shatter and freeze over. "Damn."

"Come now, is this truly the power that you fairies possess?" The demon asked. "The dawn of a dark sky is upon us, your fates intertwined with the shrilled pleasure of the netherworld's flickering inferno."

Gray's eyes narrowed. "I can't understand what this mumbo-jumbo is all about. He's making as much sense as that green lizard Nic has."

Sophie pointed a finger to her own forehead. "Why don't I give it a try?" A chain of memories flourished around the mage as she channeled her prowess onto Keyes.

An intrigued look crawled upon the dark archbishop's face. "And what shall the maiden of the hour attempt? Hm…?" He watched with curiosity as Sophie began to make a multitude of translucent black swords with purple wavy blades. The blades blowed a brighter shade of purple as they began to spin in a fashion similar to Erza's Heaven's Wheel Circle Sword.

" **Memory-Make: Spectral Saber Flash!** "

The swords all converged their tips to a single point, and shot at Keyes simultaneously, streaming black and purple, reflecting upon the move Giga Impact. The assault closed in on Keyes, meeting him hands on and swallowing him in a bright dark flash. The explosion shook up the ground, making Gray go blind yet Sophie remained steadfast in her assault.

As the dust cleared it revealed Keyes' body simmering with smoke and dark aura. His mask-like skeletal face was scratched up, but he looked undeterred as he used his stave to hold himself up.

"Whoa, where did that come from, Sophie?" Gray asked in astonishment.

Sophie managed a serious expression. "Something I picked up along the way. That Memory-Make in particular can hit intangible matter."

Keyes looked up, somewhat surprised. "Your story…" He murmured.

"Hm?" Sophie looked at Keyes with inquiry.

Keyes stood upright, a dark aura around his body, though this was faint. "Your story…the tales that you have told…they are converted to memories for you to reflect on. Is that not true?" His inquiry was met with Sophie narrowing her eyes, confirming what he speculated. "Humans can easily forget whatever they deem to be a pointless tale, but with the likes of Tartaros…I am afraid to tell you that despite all the tales you have heard and have been told, you have yet to hear the prologue of Tartaros."

"Prologue?" Sophie inquired.

"What's he talking about now?" Gray wondered.

"You humans, I shall answer your prayers." Keyes' eyes narrowed. "…Tartaros has a prolonged history with Nic."

Sophie and Gray's eyes widened in surprise.

"Wait, you…did?" Sophie couldn't wrap her head around what the demon was telling her, it was almost nonsensical.

"You mean Nic messed with you guys before you went and started this ridiculous mess?" Gray demanded.

"Ridiculous?" Keyes repeated. "Now look at who's the misguided one. That is the reality. Nearly eight years have passed on and the tale lingers within the black heart of our guild. Nic Pularis has intervened with stowaways. The tale of Freesia holds a side tale that merely pointed us to a shining star in the sky."

"Freesia…" Gray began to trail off, thinking back long and hard. "Hey, wait! That's the job Nic took shortly after joining Fairy Tail! He fought this demon that's called The Nightmare or something."

"Correct. Those three miscreants that claimed to be with Tartaros had indeed been part of our jurisdiction, but their actions for the name of Zeref had cost them their value among us. And then not long after, we've learned that Tartaros' ranks in Balsam Village has been neutralized. Such an experiment gone wrong by Miss Kyôka's lack of sight."

Gray looked at Sophie with inquiry. "I think that's the job Nic and Erza took after Phantom Lord struck."

"So then that guy Nic and Erza fought…" Sophie trailed off in realization.

"Yes, the likes of an experimented demon gone astray to make his own story, the prototype of human turned demon, Riftalla. Two instances we have lost seclusion of." Keyes' body began to surround itself in a dark aura that began to most and manifest into a small tempest around him. The winds picked up made Sophie's hair shift. "Tartaros has made its name and threats long ago, but even then, they were foolhardy side stories that befell demons of our kind, and Nic sums up the reasoning."

Sophie clutched her fists tight. "So you've known about Nic since those instances?"

"Despite being flukes of foiled plot, we demons entertain ourselves with stories of humans. Shame as to how demons fell to the likes of humans and Pokémon before. A third time is a time beyond Hell. Now…" A sinister aura of darkness became like a fire around the demon as his face darkened. "The tale of Nic has prolonged long enough! Join him in the sounds of requiem!"

Sophie and Gray got into battle stances and readied themselves as Keyes' aura flared, darkening the corridor.

* * *

Back to back melee intensity, the bottom of Cube was laced with bodies flying and explosions made of tremendous magnitude. No one kept up, and there was no amount of grunts that could keep down the blurs that blindsided them and made them meet unimaginable fates befitting of dark abominations.

Within an obscured dust cloud. Nic and Garchomp were seen regrouped, nearly hundreds – if not thousands – of Tartaros grunts at their feet, and still many more were around them.

Nic adorned his Toxic Form, a violent surge of dark purple swallowing him from the feet up. " **Sludge Wave!** " He swiped both arms out, sending dozens of large dark purple sludge funnels in all directions, hitting far too many guards that sent them flying.

As several approached Garchomp with axes and weaponry of sharp edging, the Mach Pokémon got a foot behind him and his fins and claws glowed green. "Let's see how you like some of this! **Dual Chop!** " He lunged ahead, leaving a crater of which he stood and green lines passed the several rows ahead of Garchomp. Garchomp suddenly appeared behind the small army on a knee, his Dual Chop fading. Once it did, all the guards had their weapons and armor shatter apart and enveloped in a linear green explosion that rumbled the earth.

"Hurry! Gather reinforcements!" A grunt shouted.

"We can't! They were already defeated!"

"What?!"

They both were suddenly swatted by a harsh tail swing by Garchomp, the bone-crushing force making them fling into several others in the distance.

Nic glowed and adorned his Draco Form as he pivoted and looked at a grunt behind. Without a miss of a beat, his hands glowed into Dragon Claw and he swiped across, a green trail following and making the grunt slide back against the earth with tremendous force.

Nic crouched his knees and flapped, dashing ahead at breakneck speeds. He zipped passed a group of 50 men all clustered together, slashing and passing them all, making them all fall.

Garchomp zipped passed an equal number of size nearby, making them fall like bowling pins. As he slid along the ground, he used his claw to anchor and slide to a halt right beside his Trainer. He wasn't looking at all tired, neither was Nic.

He looked at his Garchomp. "Garchomp, are you alright?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine." He answered. He opened his mouth, exerting a powerful roar that boomed throughout the airspace. Many of the remaining grunts could feel themselves tremble before the roar. "These chumps aren't even a morning workout for me." He added.

Nic grinned at him. "That's true." He faced the residual grunts remaining. "Come on! Let's finish them!"

"You read my mind!"

Both Nic and Garchomp sprung overhead and flipped side by side down, both letting out battle cries as they simultaneously came down with a double Dual Chop in the center of the small army left, crushing not only several in one attack, but the pressure was so grand that the ground broke apart and rock and soldiers flew everywhere.

* * *

Erza and Kyôka's confrontation had led them to another location not too far away from Nic and Garchomp's decimation. Their battle took them to the metallic girders around an unfinished sanctum of Tartaros. With Doublade in hand, Erza used quick feet and lunged down a narrow girder she and Kyôka balanced on. Their glares were vicious as they closed in on one another.

"Doublade, **Fury Cutter!** " Erza commanded.

Doublade's blades glowed bright white and she had Erza slash and meet Kyôka head on in the middle. Sparks flared as claws and blades shimmered against the other. Both backed off, but Erza hurriedly went back on the offensive; back to back Fury Cutter with Doublade. They slashed and managed to get Kyôka to lose ground, but the demon smirked as every strike was deflected with backhanded strikes.

"HRAH!" Erza slashed Honedge again, this time Fury Cutter's strength was at maximum. The force of the Bug-type attack collided with the demon claws, but to Kyôka's shock, she found herself pushed back.

 _'_ _What strength.'_ The demon admired.

As Erza advanced Kyôka managed to find an opening before Doublade was swung. She swiped horizontally across in opposite arches, the assault managing to stop Fury Cutter and make Erza collide in a stalemate. The assault left both sides being contenders for dominance, but Erza was fiercely trying to push while Kyôka was smirking.

 _'_ _She's blocking Fury Cutter?'_ Erza gritted her teeth in shock.

Kyôka let a sneer escape before she and Erza backed off from one another. Both stood several feet away, glaring at one another with ferocity.

"Tell me, what is your guild trying to achieve really?" Erza demanded. "You said that you wish to return to Zeref, but what does that mean to you?"

"I said it before, that the return to our beloved creator will put an end to the likes of you lowly humans." Kyôka answered. "Once Face goes off, the destruction of your race will be all according to our plans. The only distraction to advert is that meddlesome Nic and all his Pokémon!" She lunged ahead, almost invisible to Erza's eyes. Thankfully, she was able to cross Doublade in time and block Kyôka's claws.

"Don't expect the likes of you demons to think you'll ever have a prayer in the end." Erza threatened.

"Oh, is that right?"

Erza crossed Doublade again, making her demonic opponent back off. Once again they were several feet apart. "You may think you have the situation in your control, but you know my comrades are stopping you."

Kyôka's eyes narrowed. "Oh?" She let a small chuckle echo. "I have my doubts about that."

Erza managed a grin, much to Kyôka's surprise.

"I have my faith in Nic. I dare not let him down, and he wouldn't either. You'd be a damned fool to not know that you've picked the wrong guild to tamper with." The redhead lunged after Kyôka once more, bringing her Doublade around. "Doublade, now, **Shadow Sneak!** "

A shadow elongated from the Doublade she held out ahead, stretching swiftly towards the demon. It reached out, diagonally attacking Kyôka, but the demon woman blocked by crossing her claws as making the shadow retreat into the ground again.

"How impudent." Kyôka growled, flicking her claws off of any pain. She recovered and backhanded Erza's next slash of Doublade, blocking her assault. Kyôka raised an arm overhead and her claws extended to whips again and they reached up to the next girder. She yanked herself up, managing to tower and smirk at Erza from above with a towering dominance.

Before Erza could retaliate, the land began to shudder again. The rattling of the Cube was what nearly made her lose balance.

"What's going on?" Erza asked.

Kyôka managed another sinister smirk, this one of triumph. "Looks like Cube is reacting to Face being unleashed."

Elsewhere in the battlefield, Nic and Garchomp were the only ones standing among the thousands of grunts, their surprise surmounting with the constant quaking.

"What's going on?" Garchomp asked as he looked down at the ground.

"The island is shaking! Does it have something to do with Face?" Nic wondered.

The rattling and vibrations palpitated even through the corridors, catching all who were inside in a standstill.

"What is this rumbling?" Makarov asked as he towered over defeated grunts.

"Is the whole place coming down?!" Droy stammered.

"Better not!" Jet hoped.

Keyes looked away from Sophie and Gray, the quaking catching his attention. "The new dawn is approaching."

Nic and Garchomp looked around, both equally as perplexed as the time for Face to pulse was amongst them.

* * *

 **Here's a new update! Once again, this was under 10K, which is good for my liking. So far not that many have been over 11K, which is easy to cover in 3-4 days now. As for this chapter, I decided to use my usual "Insane Dominator flavor" and exclude parts that I wouldn't change, or otherwise be of little relevance, like Wendy VS Ezel and Natsu/Lucy/Happy VS Franmalth. So to spice things up, I compensated that fault by mixing up fights, like Gray/Sophie VS Keyes, and Mira/Elfman/Vanessa/Mawile VS Sayla. Let me know what you thought of these dynamics.**

 **Otherwise not much I changed other than Garchomp and Doublade added into the fray. I haven't had Garchomp have major battles since the Council War Arc, so here's his time to tear stuff up again. Speaking of arcs, if you caught onto Keys' dialogue, I made a little throwback to The Nightmare Arc and Balsam Village Arc back in _The Fairy Contender_ , so there's your nostalgia for the day!**

 **Going to have a new poll up soon, so share your thoughts there if you can.**

 **So just like before, thanks for reading another update, and as always, comment, share your thoughts, and hope you stick around for the next update!**


	48. Core

The insidious vibrations among the Cube rattled everyone to the core. Not one person was feeling positive as the sudden rumbling of the floating island made them panic inside. Makarov and everyone were still fighting grunts, but on the outside were still Nic and Erza. The palpitating pressure made them unnerved, though the demons within the vicinity were feeling joyful in the cataclysm.

Within Hell's Core, Sayla and everyone could feel the vibrations shake the chamber they quarreled in.

"What's all this rumbling?" Lisanna panicked.

"Did Nic or his Arbok use one of those Earthquake moves or something?" Elfman wondered.

Vanessa remained passive as Sayla was seen smirking in the distance she held from them. The Aura Mage didn't like how Sayla's aura was reading a confidence, if not arrogance.

"It would seem Face has been activated at last." The demon announced.

All the girls and Elfman's eyes widened in surprise.

"No way!" Elfman exclaimed.

"Face really has been activated?!" Lisanna shrieked. She looked down at her cat form, noting that f that went off, the she'd be exposed…again.

"You demon…" Mirajane growled.

Sayla smirked as the rumbling remained stable. "You only have precious minutes until the demons rule this planet. I suggest you pick your last words carefully, as a way to wrap up your own tale."

Vanessa narrowed her vision, observing Sayla with uncertainty.

Outside, the vibrations of the magnitude produced were as strong as ever, and Nic and Garchomp were looking down at the ground, uneased as they could only assume the predicament was about Face. They leered menacingly – Garchomp's case snarling – as the climax of the rattling came to unfold.

"So what now?" Garchomp asked.

Nic remained in question as he looked around. With Face activating, that would render Erza, Vanessa, and everyone defenseless as Tartaros would be solemnly after him. While he had no doubts about that, he worried deeply as to how and if there was a way to knock down Face.

Before he thought too far ahead, however, the vibrations of Cube finally began to subside. Once again, Nic and Garchomp were found bewildered.

"The shaking…did it finally subside?" Nic questioned.

"Beats me." Garchomp answered.

Nic and the Dragon and Ground-type remained subtle for a few moments, remaining steadfast as they anticipated some form of reaction next, but the ground wasn't vibrating, and they didn't sense anything out of the ordinary. The energy was as strong as ever, it was like nothing happened. They turned left and right, looking around to find everything substantial.

"Whatever's going on, I know it has something to do with Face." Nic pulled out Garchomp's Poke Ball and pointed at him. "We don't have any other recourse than reconnaissance for now. Let's find Erza and see what's going on. Garchomp, return!"

The Mach Pokémon complied and went back into his Poke Ball. Once the capsule was put away, Nic turned away and looked in the direction where he last saw Erza do battle with Kyôka.

* * *

Erza and Kyôka backed away from one another, having finished their most recent clash against the other. As the rumbling subsided, Kyôka smirked down at Erza from a higher point. "This is it! The era of magic is over!" She stretched her claws out and lunged after Erza once again. "Humanity and Nic shall be doomed!"

As she sailed after Erza, she watched the redhead hold onto Doublade tightly, watching at Kyôka advanced onto her.

" **Requip!** "

Erza glowed, something that caught Kyôka off guard. _'_ _What?'_

As the glow faded, wings spread out from Erza and dozens of swords circles behind her as she held Doublade in both hands. She adorned her Heaven's Wheel Armor with a serious expression, the glare sending a chill down Kyôka's spine.

"HRAH!" Erza slashed Doublade, the dozens of swords behind her pointed and attacking Kyôka as Erza sprung at her. The swords met Kyôka's claws, several sparks flaring as they were left in a stalemate in midair for several moments, trying to overpower the other. The gusts picked up burst between them, making both back off once again, sliding to balanced stops along the girders.

Erza pointed Doublade at her startled adversary. "You're mistaken. My Magic Power is as strong as ever!" The knight declared.

"This can't be…" Kyôka trailed off, shock surmounting her. "I thought our plan was foolproof!"

"Well you thought wrong."

Doublade nudged in Erza's hold, glaring at Kyôka. "What's it going to be now?" She asked.

Kyôka growled down at her prey, her patience wearing thin with the predicament. "Grrr…" She trailed off as she turned her back to Erza. "It seems there's no other option." Without considering Erza's thoughts, the demon turned tail and began jumping from rail to rail, fleeing her battle.

"What are you doing?!" Erza shouted. "Coward!"

Kyôka's strides were swift as she ventured away from the duel. Her priorities were to exterminate Fairy Tail and Nic Pularis, but something didn't feel right within her cold gut. She set out to find answers, and that meant leaving Erza stranded. _'_ _I thought for sure Face was foolproof.'_ She thought as she reached the end of the railing and lunged towards concrete. She ran into the castle doorway, heading into confines unknown. _'_ _We have no other choice. We'll have to revive Master E.N.D by force to exterminate the world!'_

With Kyôka out of sight, Erza readied to go after her. "Get back here!" She took flight and begun her charge.

"Erza!" Erza went stiff at the sound of the voice. She momentarily let off from her pursuit and gasped when she recognized the voice and turned back to see Nic jumping from riling to railing towards her.

"Nic!" Erza sounded so surprised.

Nic landed right beside her, finally having caught up to his girlfriend at long last. "Erza, are you alright?"

Erza blinked, surprised by his inquiry. "Hm? Of course I am." She made it sound so obvious.

Nic looked all around, seeing several rails scratched up. "Then what could've happened?"

"I don't know, but I still have my Magic Power. I can only assume that whatever happened, there was a disturbance within Face."

"So I wasn't the only one who thought that." He replied. "At least there's some relief."

Erza smiled. "We can thank our comrades for that."

"Comrades? Don't play us as fools." The entry of a third voice caught their attention. The tone and the pitch were one thing, but physically hearing it rendered them with bitter shock.

"That voice…" Erza said.

"It can't be." Nic's gaze averted up towards the high points of concrete intersections, where the voice seemingly resonated. Erza followed as well, and as they saw the figure, their eyes widened in disbelief.

To their horror, they saw the face of someone who they fought long ago, Bellona. "Titania. Luminous." She greeted menacingly.

"Bellona?" Nic exasperated.

"It can't be." Erza spatted.

Bellona smirked. "Oh, but it is. I welcome you to your new queen – Neo Bellona."

"Neo Bellona?"

"What's the meaning of this? What happened to you?" Nic interrogated.

The demon's gaze averted towards him. "What happened to me you asked? Greatness, that's what. Thanks to the likes of these demons, I have been given a new lease on power, and now I sit at the top of the pyramid. I am the new queen of the game that shall be your end."

"You've lost your mind." Erza growled.

"Pointless trash talk coming from a pawn." Bellona retorted. "Now…" Dark galaxy-like spirals began to manifest around her hands. "I believe it's time that we settle this once and for all."

As the demon prepared herself for the confrontation, Nic and Erza leered at her.

"Erza, it's best that you recall Doublade for the time being." He advised.

Erza glanced towards him with slight surprise.

"Last time we were fortunate to have Honedge and Staraptor gain the upper hand, but Doublade still has No Guard. If Bellona uses her magic to put Doublade in a state of rest, there's no way to dodge." Of course he wouldn't mind using his Pokémon to fight as well in his stead, but far be it from them nor himself to handle a personal score.

Erza seemed to delay herself, but she found the point valid for her case. "Okay." She accepted. "Doublade, take a break for now." She pulled out Doublade's Poke Ball, and the Sword Pokémon complied as she went back inside.

"That's more like it." Bellona sneered.

Erza glowed, requipping to her sarashi and hakama pants, this time with two swords in hand. "Seems you haven't learned from your past blunders. Allow us to correct them for you."

Nic spread his legs out, him and Erza ready as Bellona snickered with delight. "Try. I dare you."

* * *

The vibrations of Cube finally subsided, and with Lisanna still holding onto her cat form, everyone was still within a heated confrontation. Vanessa and the Strauss siblings were still in a quarrel against all odds that Sayla had to throw at them.

Sayla was finally picking up on what Vanessa said earlier before the rumbling. "So then, I take it that you're the sister of Nic Pularis?" The demon questioned.

Vanessa remained passive as she stared at Sayla, her answer confirmed.

Sayla's attention diverted from Vanessa to Mawile, then the gaze transcended to Elfman, then Mirajane, and lastly Lisanna. "One family; the Strauss. Another family; the Pularis. Two who hold powers that dare to defy the likes of a demon. To make matters rectifying beyond means, you went so far as to ruin my story." The demon's glare darkened. "Then by my own hand, I'll be sure to rid of you all with the power of my Macro Curse."

"Macro?" Elfman repeated.

"That's right, I forgot demons possess a different power known as Curses." Mirajane said in a bitter tone.

Sayla grinned. "Then you know what awaits you. I think I'll start with…you." Her finger pointed towards Vanessa. "The sibling of the man who Tartaros deems as the most nuisance. We'll rid of him, after we deal with his family."

"Vanessa!" Lisanna shouted.

Vanessa clutched her fists as she stared at Sayla. Teal aura began to manifest around her hands as she crossed them in front of her. "Mawile, let's go."

"Right!" The Deceiver Pokémon shouted, spreading her legs apart.

Sayla's eyelids fell a little. "How foolish. My Macro Curse is without question." She swiped her arm to the side. "Now…turn against your guildmates."

The order left the Strauss siblings one edge. All of them bared struggling, gritting teeth as they remained careful around Vanessa. The Pularis sibling continued to have her back turned towards them, a widespread anticipation falling onto everyone's shoulders as they awaited to stop Vanessa.

Vanessa's glare didn't deter. "Sorry." She apologized. "But we're not going down without a fight."

Sayla's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

Vanessa extended her arms forward. " **Emanation Beam!** " A teal beam of aura blazed from both her arms and shot straight at Sayla. Completely distraught, Sayla was left open with a gaping mouth and was enveloped in the attack. The demon screamed as she shot back in a harsh slide, her frontside steaming from Vanessa's assault.

"Mawile, follow up with **Iron Head!** " Vanessa added.

Mawile did as commanded. She went running up after Sayla as she finished sliding back and recovered from the attack. When the demon opened her eyes, she was met with Mawile jumping in front and swinging her iron jaw-like horns around. The Steel-type attack swung into the gut, making Sayla gag as she slid back again, this time her back slamming against the glass of a nearby chamber. The shock ran through her back, making her shriek out in pain.

Lisanna was wide-eyed. "Whoa."

"Yeah, you can say that again." Elfman mumbled.

Mira was left with equal shock as she stared at what Vanessa did. The Fairy Tail Demon was left astounded with Vanessa fighting back against Sayla, much to her own disbelief. She could've sworn Sayla gave her a command to follow, so how could Vanessa be defying her?

Sayla caught herself from falling and hunched over. As she was regaining her composure, she looked at Vanessa and Mawile with exasperation. "This is impossible." She denied, swiping her arm to the side. "I gave you an order to follow! Destroy them!"

Vanessa's hands remained teal. "Sorry, but your power won't work!" She raised her arms overhead and combined the two auras in her hands. She dropped to a knee and slammed the palms against the ground. A linear blast of teal traveled across the ground, speeding right inti Sayla. The attack closed in, but at the last second, Sayla jumped out of the way, the chamber behind her instead shattering to pieces upon being struck by the attack.

Sayla adjusted herself, glaring daggers at Vanessa. "I don't understand. How are you able to defy my Curse Power? Is this some kind of a joke to you?"

The look Sayla had certainly showed that she was in no way a good mood. Mawile grinned as she looked at her distressed opponent, because she knew of her Trainer's powers, as to where everyone else was clueless.

"Guess no one told you." Mawile sneered.

"What?"

"It's my aura." Vanessa answered.

Sayla's eyes widened slowly. "Your…aura?" The demon didn't want to believe it, but there was no other explanation. When she got a good look at Vanessa, she saw the Pularis sibling flare her protective teal aura, but only for an instant. The revelation left her speechless. "You mean…she can defy my powers just by using her aura as a shield?"

"Wow! I had no idea Vanessa could do that!" Lisanna exclaimed.

"No that's manly." Elfman said.

Mirajane looked at Sayla with a smirk. "Well now…" She stepped right beside Vanessa, staring at the bewildered Sayla. "Seems as though you're left with two dilemmas now, wouldn't you say? My Take-Over can absorb demons, guess that's how I'm immune as well. Then there's Vanessa."

"No way." Sayla denied. "This is absurd."

Mirajane glowed, transforming into her Sitri Form with a smirk on her face. "So then, shall we?"

Mawile showed an effortless smirk. "Was I born yesterday to you?"

Within the shattered glass and liquid where Lamy lied in fruitless defeat, she gurgled at how she was defeated in a pitiful manner.

Sayla summoned numerous books around herself, swiping her arm and sending them flying after them. The books closed in, but Mawile slide in front.

" **Protect!** " Vanessa commanded.

A translucent turquoise shield appeared in front of Mawile, the shield managing to block ever hard-covered book that went her way. She remained steadfast as the shield faded, and she ducked out of the way as Mirajane blitzed passed her, reappearing in front of Sayla and dealing a powerful kick to the side. Sayla felt the relentless force and shot to the side, barely catching herself in a slide back, unaware that was where Vanessa was.

With another strong shout, Vanessa fired another teal blast, heading right for Sayla's back and enveloping her behind in a teal explosion.

"Alright!" Lisanna fist-pumped.

Sayla fell forward to her knees, wincing in mix of pain and annoyance.

Mawile stood tall, ready for commands. "Mawile, use **Swords Dance!** " Vanessa commanded, and Mawile was surrounded by blue illusionary swords that circled around her until they crossed. As they vanished, a thick red aura briefly enveloped the Steel and Fairy-type. " **Crunch!** " The Trainer followed up, and Mawile's jaws opened up and flipped over her head. She lunged after Sayla with a battle cry and hurriedly snapped her jaws down onto the demon's exposed shoulder, making her grunt at the fangs piercing her skin.

"Going up~!"

Her grunts of anguish were met with Mawile using her momentum and swung her horns around, dragging Sayla around until she finally opened the jaws and sent Sayla into the air. As Sayla sailed up, she was met with Mirajane shooting down like a missile, driving a knee into the demon's abdomen. The impact was of intensity to where a ripple exerted outwards upon impact. The sounds of bones breaking was drowned out by the sounds of Sayla screaming as she shot down.

"Elfman!" Vanessa implored.

Elfman transformed into his Beast Soul Take-Over, taking a huge crouch and went sprinting towards the falling demon. "Right!" Once he was close enough, he reeled back his fist. "Take this like a man!"

As Sayla fell, she opened an eye within her damaged condition. "Catch me!"

Elfman lunged forward, but at the voice of the command, his eyes widened out of shock. His fist reeled forward, but rather than punch Sayla, the fist undid itself and Elfman caught Sayla in his grip.

"What?!" Lisanna shrieked. At the same time, Vanessa, Mirajane, and Mawile looked with surprise at Sayla's Macro Curse saving her own skin.

Elfman tumbled and landed on a knee, his arm still stretched out and his hold finally relinquishing Sayla. Sayla jumped away, maintaining yet another safe distance as she was met with an angry-looking Beast Soul and the girls behind him.

"Looks to me that we got her on the defensive." Mawile said.

"Don't get carried away. Remember, she can still use her Curse Power." Vanessa reminded her Pokémon.

Mirajane smirked.

"You're really more trouble than what you're worth." Sayla curse. "But I'm not done with you…"

The bubbles within a nearby canister began to react, catching Sayla and everyone's attention. The battle came to a small intermission when the bubbles intensified and a face and right forearm were seen inside the canister. The face belonged to an angry Ezel, and he looked beyond pissed.

"That runt!" He yelled inside the liquid.

"Ezel, is that you?" Sayla asked.

"Revive me already! Hurry up! I can't stay in here all day! I need to get back there and demolish that squirt and her cat!"

"What's he talking about?" Mirajane muttered.

"Just wait until I get out of here! I'm gonna skin them both alive and used that cat's fur as a rug, and use that runt's fingers as toothpicks! They're gonna pay for what they did to me!"

The description Ezel gave set sparks that bewildered Vanessa, as she recognized "white fur". "Wendy? Carla?" She wondered.

"You mean the two actually beat this guy?" Lisanna questioned.

"That doesn't make any sense." Mirajane noted. "If they beat him, then how did he end up back in here?"

A squeaky-like chuckle came from nearby, the crackling of the irritable laughing resonating from Lamy, who had regained her consciousness. She was immobile, but that didn't stop her mouth from running. "That's the power of us demons. We have Hell's Core. Badass, right?" She chuckled again.

"What?" Vanessa questioned.

"Since we're contracted with the Underworld King, Tartaros' Nine Demon Gates can all come back here in Hell's Core and instantly be revived. It's a guild of immortality." Lamy stuck her tongue out in a silly fashion. "That's why we demons surpass you in every way."

"A guild…that can revive itself? That's insane!" Lisanna gasped.

"That means they can keep coming back and wear us down." Elfman grunted. "We're screwed unless we find a way to stop their revival."

Sayla let out a small huff of annoyance at the fault Lamy provided. "Lamy, once again your mouth ran faster than your brain." She exasperated.

"Woopsies~."

Vanessa frowned as she glanced back at the agitated bubbles of Ezel. _'_ _So that's why I sensed a bizarre aura signature from around the room. It's alive.'_ She thought. _'_ _We have to shut it down as soon as possible. If we do that, then the chances of them coming back will decline.'_

Mirajane suddenly stepped forward, right by Vanessa's side. "Well now, I think I know what needs to be done." She said. "Let's say we trash the place."

"What are you going to do now?" Sayla questioned, her tone brimming with confidence once again. "How do you intend on stopping us with that declaration?"

Mirajane narrowed her eyes. "Like this..."

At first, there was silence, bringing questioning about Mirajane; but the next second, the canister behind Mirajane suddenly shattered to pieces, not even glass remaining. Sayla looked around with increasing shock.

"What's going on?" The demon inquired.

All the canisters instantly erupted in simultaneous ruptures. Row upon row, the canisters shattered, the tentacles and liquid exploding upon Mirajane's orders, that included Ezel's canister, and the shattered one Lamy was sprawled on. With both demons enveloped in the blast, their destruction was eminent. Glass broke apart and contents vaporized, rendering smoke to fill the atmosphere. As smoke filtered, not a single one was in one piece.

"Alright!" Lisanna cheered.

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Elfman roared.

Sayla looked around with wide eyes, shocked at every single canister being destroyed. "What? No, that's not possible!" She frantically looked left and right, hoping that at least one canister was intact, but every single one, even the tentacles, was destroyed. "What happened?" She glared directly at Mirajane. "What have you done?!"

"Nothing really." Mirajane lied. "I used my Take-Over powers to take advantage over your tentacle demons."

Sayla's gaze began to grow distraught once more. "You mean...this human can absorb demons? That's why my Macro won't work on her!"

Vanessa looked with mild surprise. "Alright, then that's one situation down." She said, focusing her efforts onto Sayla.

Mirajane smirked. "Seems to me that you should reconsider your position, demon."

Sayla's patience was wearing thin. In fact, she was downright fuming inside. She's had it with humans continuing to foil her story, a demonic story. She and demons were always superior, and yet here were humans and a Mawile surmounting her glory. She closed her agitated eyes, focusing her powers. _'_ _My Curse Power won't work on Mirajane, nor will it affect Nic Pularis' sister. Mistress Kyôka, I'm sorry about this. Forgive me…'_ She flashed open her eyes. _''_ _But I'm going to have to do it.'_

A small surge of pressure began to swell around the destroyed Hell's Core. The ground was shuddering once again, this time by the likes of Sayla exerting force.

"What's going on now?!" Mawile yelled.

Vanessa caught herself from faltering and clutched her fists. She glanced at Sayla, seeing a blue light start from her core. It began to envelop her body, catching the Aura Mage by surprise. "Her aura…" Her muttering volumized. "Her aura! She's tainting herself!"

"What?" Mirajane questioned. "You mean…she's controlling _herself_?" She looked on as Sayla was growling and yelling as she was beginning to take shape.

" **Limiter Release!** "

The demon's bright light wasn't blinding, but her looks began to take effect. Her horns had become noticeably larger, and her eyes became a full-on yellow. As her transformation had begun, everyone was staring with disbelief at her Etherious Form on the rise.

"She's…transforming." Mirajane exasperated.

"This is bad." Vanessa warned. By the readings of the aura within the atmosphere, the dark energy had left her unnerved.

Lisanna and Elfman were rendered startled as they watched Sayla undergo a grotesque change. Their skins paled at the Etherious Form.

As the glow faded, it revealed a howling Sayla, who not only had larger horns and yellow eyes, but her hair was wider, and her skin was much darker than it was previously. Her torso clothing was ripped off, revealing her bare chest with intricate tattoos that start from the choker at her neck and goes all the way down to her hips and stomach. The legs significantly changed to stilts that widened at the hips, where two wing protrusions jutted out and feet becoming sharp blades.

The demon screeched out, sending ripples through the airspace above. The shockwaves made everyone cover their ears, leaving them open.

"What-?!" Mirajane didn't have time to finish. Before she knew what happened, Sayla disappeared in a blinding flash, reappearing and punching Mirajane in her abdomen. The shock slowed down time, the gap long enough for everyone to bear witness as Mirajane gaped her mouth and gag blood as Sayla followed through. Time fell forward as Mirajane went flying backwards, the impact slamming her into Elfman. Both siblings screamed out as they crashed into the ground some ways away.

"Mira! Elfman!" Lisanna shrieked in fear.

Vanessa looked back with shock. _'_ _That was so fast that none of us had time to react.'_

"Vanessa, watch out!" Mawile warned.

Vanessa looked back ahead to face Sayla, but even she was too late. Sayla's hand was reached out to her, energy swirling with several intricate symbols around the edging. The bizarre energy suddenly brightened as the palm stretched out towards Vanessa, and to add insult to injury, the palm suddenly opened with an eye.

Vanessa gasped at the eye, before an energy blast was unleashed and exerted onto her. The energy blast was so potent was not only did it envelop Vanessa, but the shockwaves made the ground crack apart, dust rising once again. The rumbling and attack waves went too far out, and Lisanna ended up flying off somewhere among the debris.

The dust cleared out, revealing Vanessa sprawled on her back, several scratches and bruises on her whole body. Her eyes were shut and wincing from the pain she's been inflicted with.

"Vanessa!" Elman roared, having managed to get up before Mira did. Agitated, the gargantuan beast threw caution into the wind and went charging after Sayla. "You're gonna pay for that!"

Sayla turned towards Elfman as he charged for her. As he took a jump and reeled back a fist, he let out a mighty battle roar and was nearly atop of the demon woman. At the last second before impact, Sayla stretched her arm out towards Elfman, a familiar energy, the same as before, emerging. Elfman didn't have time to retreat before the eye opened up once again.

Another energy wave went blazing through the area. Shockwaves sent powerful magnitudes and winds around, once again creating a chaotic whirlwind, that managed to make Mawile lose balance and slide off against a debris pile nearby.

"Oof!" Mawile's back hit the debris pile, shockingly making it feel like a cushion to her. As the dust cleared, Mawile's eyes widened as she saw all four humans lying in agony, sprawled across the ground as Vanessa was picked up from the attack, lying on her side. Elfman was consequently lying on his back, and Mirajane was on her side, both wincing at the pain inflicted as they were forced out of their Take-Over spells.

Lisanna raised a paw, managing to find leverage and peek over a piece of shattered rock that provided cover. "Mira? Elfman?" She asked shakily. Her eyes widened, shock surmounting as she saw her siblings lying on the ground, barely able to move. "Guys! No!"

Sayla raised her head, exerting another vicious roar. The echoing was blood-curdling, and it certainly didn't help anyone that she had a dramatic power increase.

Vanessa struggled to stand, managing to get to her knees at the very least. "That was…" She trailed off as her attention averted upwards, seeing Sayla reappearing in front of her. The demon glared down at Vanessa, but remained quiet to take in the Pularis girl's surprise.

Elfman struggled to get up as well, but he managed to sit up and rub the side of his head. "Man…" He flashed his eyes open, catching up on what his surroundings were. "Where…" He turned left and then right, finding his big sister Mirajane moaning while on her side. "Mira!" He shouted.

Mirajane opened her eyes, groaning as she was coming around. "Gnnngh…" She managed to sit up and get her hands to support her weight. "Elfman?" She questioned.

"Yeah, I'm here, sis." He replied.

"Where's Lisanna?"

"Guys!" Lisanna shouted from far away. Both Elfman and Mirajane heard her voice and turned towards her with shock.

"Lisanna!" Mirajane exclaimed.

"Are you alright?!" Elfman shouted.

"Yeah! I'm fine!" She pointed towards the scene ahead. "But look!"

Elfman and Mirajane turned to look at what she was referring to. When they saw Sayla's form towering over Vanessa, both felt their hearts pulsate a shock so great that the blood jolted them back to their feet without them knowing.

Vanessa looked up at Sayla, meeting her undeterred gaze without a bat of an eyelash. With Vanessa sitting up and on a knee, she was in a more submissive standpoint, as to where Sayla raised her head, her dark pupils returning to her eyes.

"I order myself the destruction of this human before me." Sayla said. She raised one arm, her gaze darkening as she had her claws stretched out.

"Vanessa! Look out!" Elfman warned.

Using what instinct she had, Vanessa went on the defensive, manifesting an Aura Guard of her own just before a claw could reach her face. She covered up, flinching as the first strike grazed the teal dome defending her. Sayla didn't stop after that, she continued to become relentless in her command. She followed her order, slashing constantly to get through Vanessa's shield of aura, no matter how hard it might be.

"You humans are too dangerous to have around! I've had it with you all upstaging the likes of an Etherious!" Sayla's screeched. "I'm taking you all down! I'm killing every last one of you, starting with the sister of the threat that made Mistress Kyôka unnerved whenever she thinks of him! I'm taking you down, Vanessa Pularis! DIE!"

Vanessa was still on a knee, mustering her magic into the shield she made. She grunted as she was barely holding on, her dome starting to show a scratch mark deepening into the translucent material.

"Oh no! Vanessa!" Lisanna shrieked. "Quick guys! We gotta do something!" Unfortunately for her urgings, they fell on deaf ears as she couldn't be of much help, not with her condition at the time being.

"This is bad." Mirajane scowled.

Sayla raised another hand, this time, the eye opened up. "DIE!"

Vanessa's eyes widened in shock. She, and the Strauss siblings were all bewildered as Sayla began to manifest energy into the eye of the palm. The collective energy reached a brightening point, and Sayla reeled it downwards.

"Vanessa!" All three Strauss siblings shouted, watching her end arrive.

"Mawile!" Vanessa abruptly shouted.

As Sayla brought her hand down, a sudden snap of jaws crunched against her head. The force from the abrupt horns made the demon yell out in a wail and her eye palm shutting. The demon nearly lost balance as the top of her head suffered a powerful bite from the abrupt appeal of Mawile.

"Surprise, sucker!" Mawile yelled as she dangled and whipped around from Sayla's anguish. "Whoa~!"

"It's her Pokémon!" Lisanna shouted.

Mirajane held a hand to her chest and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

Finding some ground to cover from, Vanessa managed to get up to her feet while her Mawile continued swinging haphazardly within Sayla struggling. Her Aura Guard dispelled, her space provided once more. "Mawile, keep her distracted for as long as you can!" She ordered.

Mawile continued swaying in Sayla's anguish. "Whoa~! I'm trying to-gah! Do that right now!" The small creature assured as she swayed left and right abruptly. Sayla moved her head and horns around constantly, making it hard for either side to get anywhere.

"You irritating monster!" Sayla screeched out.

"Look who's talking!" Mawile retorted.

As the two swayed about, Vanessa and the Strauss siblings managed to regroup. All four converged around the Pularis sibling, managing to hold themselves up.

"Vanessa, are you alright?" Lisanna asked.

"That was a close one." Elfman admitted. "You had us worried there for a minute."

Vanessa caught her own breath as she stood upright. She breathed in and out, catching onto what was going to happen. If that blast did hit her, it would've broken the shield, and if that happened, Vanessa had little last resorts. Odds were that her Aura Guardian could've been used, but then she'd have no magic for an extensive period of time. She continued to observe her Mawile sway left and right, while at the same time recall Sayla's methods of attack. "Those eyes…" She weakly muttered, beginning to drown her thoughts into the eyes in her palms.

"Vanessa?" Mirajane asked.

"Eyes?" Lisanna repeated.

Vanessa's own eyes widened, an epiphany ahead of her. "That's it!" She turned towards the Strauss siblings, looking anxious. "Everyone, I think I may have a solution!"

The Strauss siblings were caught surprised by what Vanessa proposed, but nevertheless they all knew that any chance was better than no chance.

"What is it?" Elfman asked.

Vanessa looked back at the scene ahead of her. "The eyes." She said. "Elfman, remember when she first attacked you? She had those palms with eyes on them. If we can somehow neutralize or at the very least damage them for even a few seconds…that should give us a window to finish her." She hoped that her plan had a small chance within them, she had to show some form of faith. If there was another way, it would've been renown by now.

The three siblings looked at each other with seriousness in their eyes. While Vanessa's plan had some flaws, that was really the only way to neutralize her Curse Power, for even a few seconds.

"Alright then, let's do it!" Mira proposed.

"That demon is gonna pay." Elfman declared.

Vanessa nodded in understanding and faced the scene ahead once more. "Mawile!" She called.

Sayla continued to sway and try to pry Mawile off, but her Crunch bite off more than what could've been chewed. The demon lost her patience and reached back, grabbing Mawile's stem of her horn. "Get…off!" Using her strength, she flipped and threw Mawile in front of her, the Deceiver Pokémon yelling out as he vertically tumbled through the air.

"Gwaaah~!" Mawile shrieked before her side fumbled on the ground. She slid backwards, slowly getting to a stop and at the end of the dusty skid. Dust split apart, and Mawile got up with hesitant dazed steps. "Man, I'm gonna feel that in the morning."

Sayla snarled at Mawile, her tone making the creature ascertain goosebumps.

"Uh, Vanessa? I could use a good pick-me-up right about now." Mawile called out.

Vanessa nodded. "I know. Let's take care of this." She raised her right forearm, where her forearm band had the Key Stone embedded into its carvings. She had a serious look on her face as the Key Stone began to emit a small radiance. As she was manifesting the strength from her Key Stone, her black hair and single blonde bang began to shift about. "Mawile!"

Mawile began to exert her own pressure as she spread her legs apart."

Sayla raised a brow in question. "What are you up to?" She demanded.

Vanessa closed her eyes, concentrating all of her energy. "Mawile…" She tapped the Key Stone with two fingers, and once she did, the rainbow glints that flared around the Key Stone instantly erupted into shining light waves, brightening up the dark chamber.

Everyone's gaze averted towards the wiggling lights above, each strand channeling great and prominent power, much to their surprise. They felt the pressure intensify as the center of Mawile's body began to exert a small light of its own. Light waves burst from her center, channeling back towards Vanessa.

"Mega Evolve!"

The light waves connected to one another, and the white trails traced back to Mawile, who let out hefty grunts as small winds began to surge, shifting tattered clothing of the Strauss siblings and Sayla. As the light of Mega Evolution engulfed Mawile, her size began to increase, and they watched her hakama fur-like pants enlarge. The shocking part was how her horns were much larger, and how they actually separated.

As the Mega Evolution light flashed and dissipated, it was replaced with a powerful shockwave as levitating pebbles all around Mega Mawile shattered apart. The shockwaves traveled around the area, making Sayla cover up. The winds soon subsided, and she looked back to see Mega Mawile, and she was radiating with so much prowess that it made her go wide-eyed.

Mega Mawile turned her back towards Sayla, here two giant jaws having open mouths. "Now we're talking!" She yelled.

"Impossible." Sayla denied. "You transformed as well?"

Lisanna was left with shock that rendered her stiff. "Did Vanessa…really Mega Evolve her Mawile?"

Mirajane looked with equal surprise. "So then Nic's not the only one who can Mega Evolve his Charizard and Garchomp." She figured.

Sayla snapped out of her shock and returned to her grizzly stare. "Grr! Doesn't matter!" She crouched and went lunging after her adversary, her lunge making dust ripple behind her speed. "I order myself to destroy this Pokémon!"

"Come and get me!" Mega Mawile smirked.

" **Iron Head!** " Vanessa commanded.

Mega Mawile's two huge horns shut their mouths and solidified with a coat of metallic iron around them. Sayla roared as she closed in, and extended an arm out to strike. Mega Mawile swung one horn around, using it at an interception and meeting Sayla's strike. Both attacks collided, manifesting a powerful shockwave that ran through the area like thunder. The ground beneath them depressed from the pressure and winds blew around, making the Strauss siblings.

As Sayla tried to force her way through, she was caught off guard by Mega Mawile's smirking. When she was about to question, Mega Mawile hammered down her second set of jaws onto Sayla's head. The Steel-type impact made Sayla see white for just a split second before the attack's shock finally caught up. A ripple exerted and Sayla sundered to the ground, making a crater.

"Throw her!" Vanessa yelled.

"Alley-oop!" Mega Mawile turned around and grabbed Sayla by the horns with her own two hands. With a sharp pivot, Mega Mawile tossed Sayla into a nearby column still intact, the demon crashing with a loud yelp as the pillar broke apart, burying Sayla amongst its wreckage.

"Whoa! That thing's got some serious power!" Elfman exclaimed in disbelief.

"I didn't know Mawile was _that_ strong." Lisanna noted. _'_ _And here I thought Nic's Kecleon was a surprise.'_

Vanessa glared at the debris, but her attention was to the three behind her. "When Mawile Mega Evolve, their Ability changes." She explained. "Mawile's Ability altered to Huge Power, which doubles her base Attack and strength." Redoubling her efforts, she swiped her arm. "Mega Mawile, **Iron Head!** "

Mega Mawile's two horns slammed shut again and she went charging up towards the debris, the horns turning metallic once again.

The debris pile abruptly broke apart, breaking into chunks that sending flying around. Gunk and grotesque solid matter splattered and Sayla was back on her feet, fist reeled back and energy once again materialized. She let out a scream as her hand jabbed forward, meeting Mega Mawile as she swung her horns around. Both demon and Pokémon were enveloped in a powerful explosion that made the ground beneath break apart once again. The explosion of energy from their attack started as several bright glints before the light compressed and burst. Smoke and debris sailed everywhere, the ground shaking out of pure intensity.

From the smoke, Mega Mawile slide back, several scratches on her body but otherwise in one piece. Hand pressed against the ground, she looked up to see Sayla swipe her arm, dissipating the dust and frowning.

"GRAH!" Sayla continued to follow her own order given, and her arms stretched forward, palms facing Mega Mawile and the eyes sliding open. Energy swiftly converged and two intense beams of energy shot at Mega Mawile. As they traveled across the earth, dust split open on either side.

" **Protect!** "

Mega Mawile obeyed Vanessa and extended both arms out, creating a translucent turquoise shield that blocked the two compressed beams. As she grunted, the beams diverged around the shield, hitting random places within the destroyed level of the base. Several machinery and tentacles still lingering were struck, making them burst from the energy. Through it all, Mega Mawile and everyone were still unhindered.

"Damn you!" Sayla leaned forward, lunging after Mega Mawile and making dust ripple behind her incredible gliding speed. "You foolish humans and Pokémon! Behold the power of a true Etherious!"

Vanessa narrowed her eyes. "Here she comes!"

"I can see!" Mega Mawile yelled.

Sayla closed the gap fast, her two demon eyes on her hands opening at the same time. She let out a maniacal shout that could rattle wild Ursaring to their core. The aura around her body returned, her power fluctuating at greater levels than before as she brought back both arms.

" **Demon Eyes!** "

"Now!" Vanessa yelled. "Mega Mawile, **Crunch!** "

Sayla's arms were inches away from Mawile, encased in pressure-shuddering force. As the demon brought both arms around, Mega Mawile's jaws behind opened and elongated. "Better hope you get an eye appointment after this! Because this is gonna hurt!" She swung both horns around on opposite sides, snapping them down on the hands just as they were about to press against Mega Mawile. The fangs pierced not only the skin, but the eyes within the hands.

"GAAAHH!" Sayla's pupils momentarily faded away as she exerted a very loud and blistering cry of pain. Her screeching bellowed up towards the ceiling as she could feel her hands bleed.

"Now!" Vanessa reached out on both sides, unleashing her Aura Magic that arched around Sayla on opposite ends. The two arched beams converged and held onto Sayla's arms and held them out, rendering her incapacitated as Mega Mawile jumped away.

Sayla swayed her head left and right, but no matter what, she couldn't budge her arms. Vanessa's solidified aura held onto her, and that left her to feel a very dark presence above. "Huh?"

Dropping in from above at the last second were all three Strauss siblings. Lisanna in her cat form, Mirajane in Sitri, and Elfman in his Beast Soul. All of them gave out insidious cries that rivaled a warrior as they fell onto Sayla.

"This one…" Elfman's fist smashed inti her back, followed by Mira and Lisanna's feet stomping as well. "…IS FOR MY FAMILY!"

The impact was so forceful that a ripple of air spilled outwards. The sock Sayla felt was so intense that she gaped her mouth and screamed in pain seconds before she smashed into the earth. The ground beneath cracked and shattered to bits, rock rising and falling in almost every direction as Vanessa covered up from the dust wave that reached out towards her. The violent winds generated nearly blew her and Mega Mawile away, but they stood their grounds long enough until the dust and winds subsided.

In the center of a large creater, lying amongst the rubble, was an unconscious Sayla. Her mouth was gaping and she wasn't making a sound as all three Strauss siblings slowly arose from atop of her. Elfman and Mirajane undid their transformation =s and looked down at the fallen demon.

"A real man never lets his family down!" Elfman declared.

Mirajane nodded.

"Alright! We did it!" Lisanna cheered.

Within the little victory, Mega Mawile looked on with a nonchalant smile. Her body glowed and a rainbow hemisphere encompassed her being, undoing her Mega Evolution and dissipating, rendering her as Mawile once again.

Vanessa walked up from behind and got to a knee. She gently rubbed her Pokémon's head with a smile. "Mawile, you did a great job." She praised.

"Don't mention it." Mawile modestly shook off the comment. With a hefty sigh of relief, she slumped back on her rear and slouched forward. "Thank god, I was beginning to worry I was contributing too much there."

Vanessa chuckled at Mawile's comment. "No, Mawile." She looked ahead, seeing Lisanna getting her brother and sister to get a group hug in. The sight of the family rejoicing was making her smile grow slightly wider. "I think we contributed our fair share. This was their fight."

Mawile glanced up to her Trainer, acknowledging her comment. "Personal is, personal does."

* * *

Down a dark carpet, there was a closed gate-like door. The two sets of doors were held by two pillars on either side with a bony, sword-like cross atop. Row upon row up and down the dark carpet were pillars of some sort of grotesque material. On either side of the gates were windows that housed many candles, and one window was even gushing out water like a sewer line.

Behind the set of double doors, looming in his darkness, there was shady figure, resting his cheek against his fingers, looking bored as he sat on his bony throne. The demonic décor around him was accompanied by tattered curtains behind said throne.

"The demons of the books of Zeref, otherwise known as the Etherious…" The figure spoke to himself. "The day of humans surpassing demons shall never come to pass, the likes of which I shall see to it. Among these humans, there has been their light that destroyed the darkness long ago, and his pawns that are known as Pokémon…" The held an intricate book in his hand, which was labeled with the words E.N.D. His smirk grew. "Master…" The figure was revealed to have narrow, dark eyes and a very cocky smirk. He had shaggy dark hair with numerous bangs that he kept in a high ponytail that touched his shoulders. He adorned a dark coat with bright purple flame patterns trimming the sides. The sleeves were slightly rolled up to reveal white cuffs. Beneath the tattered coat was a high collar V-neck with garments shielding his underside. He had tan pants with belts crossing at thighs and the ankles, strapping his boots down. "I shall swallow them all into darkness, once and for all." He finished.

The doors to the demon's throne room knocked. The loud echoing catching his attention.

"Enter." He announced.

The doors opened with insidious creaking. As they opened, Kyôka slowly ventured inside, maintaining a frown as she presented herself in front of the Underworld King. Once she had reached a suitable distance, she bowed before him by dropping to a knee. "Underworld King, Lord Mard Geer, I've come with disturbing news." She announced.

"Do tell." Mard Geer insisted.

Kyôka bowed lower. "I regret to inform you that our enemies are much more powerful than what we had anticipated. Face has been neutralized, and we have lost Lord Ezel and Franmalth." She said.

Mard Geer's eyes narrowed. "You can add Lamy and Sayla in Hell's Core to that list."

Kyôka's eyes widened. "Lamy?" She parroted. "And…!" Her heart felt a small drop of lead weight inside. Her horrors arose with disturbance. "Sayla…no…" She quietly gasped.

In respect for how Kyoka felt about her, Mard Geer remained smirking in silence, but only for a minute.

"Is there anything else, Kyôka?"

"Lord Mard Geer, I insist, we must summon our master while we can!"

"I'm afraid that's not possible at the moment." The Underworld King remarked.

Kyôka was once again caught by surprise. "But why?"

"I understand your stand point, as I would like to summon our master to finally eliminate the likes of that one light that shines in our path, but he and his Pokémon will have to wait until we eradicate all magic first. Remember this well, as long as there is still magic in this world, we cannot summon Master E.N.D."

Kyôka raised her head, confusion still plastered in her face. "But…Face thwarted. How can we summon him now?"

"Oh Kyôka." Mard Geer huffed. "How I pity you."

"What?"

"You don't get the big picture, do you? Face, it was nothing more than one simple glint."

Kyôka was again startled. "A what?"

"A mere one piece in the hands of which I call my own; something the likes of my tactician skills is not easily challenged by. The fall of Face was but a minor setback." Mard Geer's adjusted his cheek against his hand, looking at Kyôka with a more regal gesture. "Worry not, for in the end, the world will still lose all hope of magic."

"But sir…" Kyôka began.

"Kyôka." Mard Geer intervened. "Tell me, what are we?"

In a state that made her feel like a child to a teacher, Kyôka had a twisted brow raised. "Uh…w-we're Etherious. Forged from the books of our Lord Zeref." It was so obvious, yet her misunderstanding was making her look like an idiot. Mard Geer simply took delight in that concept.

"And what is our goal?"

"The revival of Master E.N.D, and the destruction of Nic Pularis, in order to return to Zeref."

"Good." Mard Geer snickered. "But…as you are aware…" His toe began to darken. "Humans are beneath insects."

The walls around the chamber began to crack in certain areas. Kyôka turned her head towards the crackling ground and walls to feel an immense pressure. Her eyes widened, but she was too slow to react as thorn vines shot out of the ground. They quickly shot at her from all sides, snaring her. The first thorn coiled around her neck, and then the second added on. Kyôka screamed out in pain as she could feel the thorns pierce her skin, and all she could do was choke on thorns as her arms, stomach, thighs, and ankles were constricted around her.

Kyôka gaped her mouth in pain, syllables making out but nothing could describe the sensation she was feeling. "Lord Mard Geer…" She wheezed. "What are…GAH!" She was thoroughly restrained, her helmet being constricted as well, eventually beginning to crack.

"You're such a waste." Mard Geer chided. "You know toying with humans is most unaccepting. You kept her like a pet."

"I-I was only trying to get information for Fa-!" Kyôka was cut off as the constriction around her tightened, piercing her whole body with dozens of sharp thorns. She let out another cry of anguish, which was loud and heard from all throughout the Underworld's King's room. Her helmet cracked up further.

All Mard Geer was watch with a smirk as he punished his subject. As his fellow Etherious suffered subjugation, her took delight in her lesson learned. "You being fond of humans is a weakness. It brings me great displeasure to see the likes of even you, Kyôka, to be meddling with creatures lower than insects. Be sure to not make the same mistake twice."

A fraction Kyôka's helmet chipped off, revealing green beneath. Th demon remained passive and took her lesson in full. She bowed her head, feeling every ounce of remorse with thorns edged into her body. "I understand." She strained. "Thank you for this valuable lesson."

Mard Geer looked away, remaining in the same bored pose on his throne as his thorns finally let go of Kyôka. They all slithered and retreated back into the holes created, the cracks and earth filling themselves up like they weren't even there to begin with. As Kyôka panted with her head down, her helmet chipped before her until breaking apart completely.

"Such feeble humans." Mard Geer sneered. "They had the nerve to upstage us demons. They made a mockery of us far too many times." He began to recount certain instances, especially with events of Lysandre, and most recently the Impure Underworld. He can't lie when their demonic energy wanted to make him shiver in fear, but he had a bold and cocky face. He never felt so much fear before, and s the Underworld King, he was disgraced by beings who surpassed him. "It aggravates me to think they now have someone who has gifts from a god. This will not be looked over by the likes of the Underworld King." His eyes narrowed. "I will make sure that Nic Pularis and Pokémon alike learn that we demons can have some bite of our own. Perhaps it's time for Alegria."

* * *

"Hey! In here!" A voice shouted

"Yeah! I see them!" Another exclaimed

"Hey! Guys?!" Another shouted.

Within the destruction of Hell's Core, Vanessa and the others turned towards the sound of the voices heading their way. To their complete bewilderment, they saw Warren, Jet, and Droy heading their way.

"Huh? Is that Warren?" Lisanna wondered.

"It is." Elfman said.

Mirajane let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

"Guys! Over here!" Vanessa called out. She waved at them, ushering them all closer to where they finally regrouped. With Mawile already returned to her Poke Ball, Vanessa and the Strauss siblings finally were able to catch up and get the rundown on what's been transpiring.

"We're so glad that you all are okay!" Warren said.

"Yeah, that was a lot of shaking." Jet stated.

"So that's what happened." Droy nearly paled. "Boy, that demon went down hard. I almost feel sorry for her."

Elfman grinned as he flexed his muscles. "That's what it takes to be a real man."

Mirajane looked around, seeing all the canisters demolished. "We've managed to hit them where it hurts. For now, I think we have the upper hand."

Warren crossed his arms, a frown plastered. "Hmmm, I wouldn't put all my eggs in that one basket. We're still in enemy territory, so we aren't in the clear yet. I'll go ahead and radio everyone."

Vanessa nodded in confirmation. "Okay." She then turned towards Mirajane and everyone else. "Would it be alright if I leave to find my brother?"

Elfman nodded towards her. "Yeah, just be careful." He said.

"I will." Vanessa turned and began to take off towards the exit that Warren, Jet, and Droy took to get in. She took off in worry, and no one stopped her.

As much as Elfman and the Strauss siblings thought it would've been best to have her stay and regroup, they knew she worried about her sibling, especially after what Mirajane and the others went through.

"Warren sat cross-legged and pointed two fingers at his forehead. " **Can you all hear me? Hello?** "

A moment of silence passed, and eventually a voice was heard. " **Warren?** " It was Gray.

"Is that you, Warren?" Sophie asked, moments before she evaded Keyes' darkness streaming. She moved to the side, evading swiftly.

Nic was in his Sky Form, using his Air Cutter attack and slicing up the dark galaxies Bellona was throwing at Erza. An explosion was heard, but Nic and Erza were able to listen as they fought on. "We can hear you. What's wrong?" Erza asked as she used her two katana and blocked Bellona's claws when the demon lunged at her.

"Nothing, but we have good news!" Warren announced. "We finally got Mira! She's safe and sound with us!"

"Sorry for making you all worry." She huffed in embarrassment.

A lot of cheering could've been heard through the telepathic link. Everyone seemed thrilled to have a member safe and sound.

"Elfman and Lisanna are here as well. Nic!"

" **Yeah?** "

"Vanessa is heading your way. They managed to subdue a demon, but she's regrouping with you."

Nic blindsided Bellona and grabbed her wrist, he dragged her away from Erza and threw her into a nearby girder. The demon woman caught herself before balancing and sliding against the girder towards its edge instead. "Alright. Vanessa, tread carefully." He announced.

" **I understand.** " Vanessa answered.

"Quit blubbering!" Bellona rushed at Nic to slash him, but he made his wings glow. Using Gust, he flapped once, summoning a powerful wind that pulsated towards Bellona, this time knocking her off her feet and making her scream until she hit a nearby girder. The winds generated from the Gust made the nearby girders shudder until many were picked up and engulfed Bellona within the tempest.

" **Warren!** " Lucy announced. " **Can you make it so that the message goes out to everyone?** "

" **I can try.** " He went silent for a few moments as static filtered through everyone's heads, but it eventually ceased. " **Okay, now.** "

" **Wendy and Carla did it! They stopped Face!** " Lucy announced. " **Our enemy's plan are crushed!** "

Once again, cheering went through everyone's heads.

" **So where are Carla and Wendy now? Can we get ahold of them?** " Makarov asked/

"No dice, Master. My range in my Telepathy is 5 kilometers." Warren said.

" **Lucy, Happy, and I managed to stop a freaky soul-eating demon, so that should make things better for us.** " Natsu explained. " **So how many are left?** "

"Vanessa helped Mira and the others stop another, so as far as what 've been told and gathered, about three of those big guys." Warren answered. "We're not out of the woods yet, and there's still-!" Warren's head suddenly tingled. The tingling erupted into a harsh pain that made his head throb. "Gah!" He clutched his head, trying to alleviate the pain.

" **Warren?!** " Erza shouted.

" **What's happening? We're…getting a bit of static!** " Gray exclaimed.

The static sparked within the communication link, and Warren grunted in pain. He couldn't make it stop, even as Jet and Droy were on their knees to shake his shoulders.

"Hey! Buddy!"

"Snap out of it! What's wrong?!"

"I…I…gah!" The sharp pain on Warren's head slowly dialed down, the static at last stopping. He opened his eyes, but only weakly. "What…?"

" **To all airy Tail Mages.** " An added voice announced.

Everyone's eyes widened at the hacker's voice. They knew it wasn't their own, and that's what unnerved them.

"Someone's hacking Warren's Telepathy!" Jet exclaimed.

Elfman rushed to Warren's straining condition, looking pissed. "Alright, just who do you think you are?!"

The unknown hacker could be heard chuckling through the connection, but that only served to annoy everyone. " **I am the Underworld King, Mard Geer. This name that has been announce shall trouble you for all eternity. You shall not live to see tomorrow. And that goes for you as well…Nic Pularis.** "

Nic's eyes narrowed at Mard Geer's prospect.

In his throne still, Mard Geer lowered his head with a cocky smirk still on his face. He raised his right arm and swiped it to the side. " **Alegria.** "

The clouds all around Cube suddenly began to slowly dissipate, moving away as Cube was starting to rumble once more. The entire structure started to rumble low, which escalated into a full-on shuddering. Many of the Fairy Tail mages still on Cube's underside were in a panic.

"Whoa!" A member exclaimed. "What's with this shaking?!"

"Enough of this already!" Another tiredly yelled.

All around Cube, giant spikes jutted out, becoming humungous columns that were borderline mountainous tentacles on the underside. The field of gravity around Cube subside as the energy conversion manipulated the transformation. Many of the unfortunate Fairy Tail mages still on the bottom began to fall, while the core members of the guild were still lucky to have their footing inside of the fortress.

Within the corridors of the reforming Cube, an odd magenta substance began to erode from out of the cracks of the walls. One could've mistaken it as guts or grotesque innards. The began to shoot bits of their material everywhere, from ceilings, to floors, to walls; and unfortunately many were unlucky.

"What the hell is this stuff?!" Gray exclaimed. A strand of gunk shot to his back, and another to his shoulder. "Damnit!" He was pulled back into the wall, much to Sophie's horror.

"Gray!" She yelled. The blonde lost her footing due to the gravity change, and she fell back into confines unknown.

"Sophie!" Gray yelled as she disappeared from sight. He was reaching out, but the gunk hurriedly spread all over his body, putting him in a state of suspension.

Keyes narrowed his eyes in delight. "The requiem of our Underworld King has been sung."

Natsu and Lucy looked around, seeing the walls reform. The field of gravity altered between the pair, and suddenly they were starting to pull away from one another.

"Gah! Natsu!" Lucy reached for him.

"Lucy!" Natsu tried to grab her in return, but just as their fingertips were about to touch, they were dragged apart and screamed out for the other as they disappeared from the other's line of sight.

Nic looked all around, seeing the ground become sticky mesh. "What the hell is all this?" He looked back to Erza, seeing the sticky contents starting to draw itself into her. "Erza!"

"Nic!" Erza reached up to Nic, managing to have more fortune than the others. With a flap of his wings, Nic sprung back into the air, mere milliseconds as sticky laces tried shooting after Erza's feet. The pair managed to get out of range, watching from skies above as they watched the whole structure reshape.

Their gazes were stricken in horror as they saw the structure they were on reform and turn to sunder, meanwhile Bellona maniacally laughed as she was free from the girder pile she was in and watched everything become engulfed around her. "This is it! This is the board game's trump card!" She exasperated. "This game now has a field fit for its queen!"

Everyone, no matter whom, began to sink into the mesh beneath them. They all cried out and attempted to pry themselves free, but it was too late. Happy, Elfman, everyone was enveloped in the mesh.

In the throne room, Kyôka was on her hands and knees, wide-eyed. "But sir…our own men will be killed." She pointed out.

Hundreds of Tartaros soldiers that were still inside were unfortunate. They were all screaming in agony as they were sinking into the ground just like Fairy Tail.

"Ingest." Mard Geer coldly muttered.

Many heads went under the magenta gunk, sealing the fates of many.

"Despair…" Mard Geer got up from his throne, walking past Kyôka. "Hope. Love. Hate. What foolish emotions humans may have, they sicken me. All shall be consumed…within the best that is Plutogrim."

Outside, Cube had become something completely different. No longer was it a cube, but a giant floating, gargantuan monster. The islands on the monster have gotten considerably larger, reshaping to make islands join at the base. On its cube-like back were large scaled protrusions that resembled ears. The lower half had thousands of spikes, and hardened tentacles much larger around the corners. Plutogrim also had a giant mouth, dark and hollow inside, where hundreds of yellow teeth were seen. The beast roared, which shuddered the landscape and skies.

Watching high in the skies, managed to get out of range, Nic and Erza were petrified in terror at the unholy beast that ruled the skies. "Oh my god…" Nic muttered.

Inside, all life was in suspended animation, every single one. Many had poses and mouths wide open with many expression, establishing anguish and fear. The inside was a graveyard of darkness that all were trapped under.

Upright within the guild hall that still housed on top, Silver sat on a ledge with a frown. "Alegria." He repeated despondently. "The word of joy…but it does the opposite." He looked out at the new landscape. "It would seem that our paths shall never cross…" Silver turned away, back towards the castle. "Hm? This magic?"

Kyôka's eyes widened, sensing the magic as well.

Mard Geer stopped in his tracks, frowning in surprise. "Hm?" He looked away, startled by the development. "What's this?"

"Mard Geer…" Kyôka muttered.

Keyes turned away from Gray. "My…how unfortunate." He smirked.

From the tissue, the few strands weren't enough to hold someone. The chords snapping, she plummeted to the ground with a thud. "Oooow!" She groaned upon impact. On her hands and knees, Lucy got up, looking around. "What happened?" Her confusion was met with no answer as she looked at the contents. "Tissue?"

Nic and Erza watched in a descent as they made it back onto Plutogrim, right in front of Bellona, this time having more distress than ever before. Bellona's maniacal smirking didn't help.

Around several tissue strands elsewhere, there was little concrete where the tissue didn't get to. With gravity having shoved her around, Sophie's eyes winced as her consciousness came to. "Mmmm…" She moaned as she tried sitting up. "My head…!" She opened her eyes, shocked at the scenery around her. "What is all this?"

In another part of the flying beast, there was a teal dome all alone that was sunk into the ground. Several strands held it together, but the teal egg-like shape faded away, revealing Vanessa with her eyes closed out of fear. In distress, the Aura Mage slowly opened her eyes, seeing what she got herself into. "Where…what happened here?"

Mard Geer smirked. "It's no surprise that Nic somehow escaped, but with the total of five…those odds defeat one in a billion. What luck…" He raised his head. "No, rather, how misfortunate…to be alone in the underworld…just five misfortunate souls."

* * *

 **New chapter! Breaking what I've done the recent few chapters, I've made this one within the 10-11K range. I was left a little dissatisfied with how the manga version of the Sayla battle went on, and plus I wanted Mega Evolution to return, so I had the focus this chapter mainly of Vanessa rather than Nic. As always, comment, review, and share your thoughts in how you thought I wrote this one out! Thanks for your support guys!**


	49. Celestial

The stare down Nic and Erza had with Bellona was of two opposite appeals; one side was glee, while the other was looking unamused. The two sides were clearly defined by their expressions.

"What happened?" Erza demanded.

"Why don't you focus on more important questions…" Bellona took a strong lunge after them. "Like how do you intend to stop your ruler?!"

Hard-pressed with the matter, Nic was losing patience. He got out a Poke Ball and tossed it. "Arbok, go!" The Poke Ball popped open, revealing the Poison-type emerging on the ground in a partially coiled position.

"Nic-ssssama, what issss it that you desssire me to do?" The Cobra Pokémon hissed.

Bellona extended a claw back, dark energy converging around her. "Out of my way, snake!" She belittled.

"Incapacitate her!" Nic ordered.

"Assss you wish." Arbok obediently complied and reeled back just as Bellona reached out for him. As she fell forward, Arbok's tail tip coiled around her wrist, getting a hold onto the shocked demon. With surprise, Bellona found herself whirled around as Arbok pivoted and whipped her in a circle until finding momentum.

"You're being a nuisssancce!" The Poison-type whipped Bellona and sent her nearly 90 miles per hour, screaming into a pillar of tissue. The demon gagged as she struck it hard in her back, falling to her side. The tower of rock and tissue began to crack apart, slowly crumbling down onto her. The demon went wide-eyed before she went sundering beneath blobs of magenta and debris.

"Let's move! We need to find anyone who is still inside!" Nic glowed, shifting into his default self.

"Right!" Erza followed Nic as he ran off, and Arbok slithered not too far off, following his Trainer towards the true crisis.

Elsewhere, the tissue began to move, small rocks moving around as an arm moved off to the side, making way for an injured Bellona to break her head out of the mess and pant. As she caught her breath, she weakly glanced at Nic and Erza making their getaway, much to her annoyance. "Damn you." She snarled with gritting teeth.

* * *

Lucy looked around, finally on her feet once again after several minutes of shock. "What is all this? Everything's changed." The blonde said. One crucial fact came to mind, and that was she was all alone in the domain. "Natsu?! Happy?!" She received no response, for everything was as desolate as the void itself. She held a hand to her chest. "I'm starting to get a bad feeling about all this…"

Once again, the domain ruptured, making Lucy stagger left and right out of shock.

"What?" Lucy looked out to where she could see a window – surprisingly – exposing the sunlight. What she saw left her stricken with shock, as Magnolia was down below.

The vibrations intensified with the sounds of roaring from Plutogrim, the monster that the guild hall rest on. His insidious roaring bellowed within all ears at the feet of Magnolia. Any and all who were down below, the hundreds of citizens looked up with fear and surprise as the humungous creature floated above the skies of the peaceful town.

"W-what is that?!" A scared citizen asked.

"A monster!" Another yelled.

"Is that what destroyed the guild hall?!" Another panicked.

Plutogrim's roar bellowed hideous shockwaves from his roars. The beast's shockwaves produced echoed all throughout Magnolia, sending strong waves that pulsated through buildings and roofs of houses. Row upon row of houses were destroyed as the creature advanced onto the town. As many tried to get away, they were stricken with terror as the monster roared and sailed a course straight through Kardia Cathedral. The cathedral crashed and sundered to pieces, with many folk running in sheer panic.

"Kardia Cathedral!"

"No!"

"Run away!" Any and all able-bodied folk went running as fast as possible, evacuating the premises as Plutogrim roared on, its destructive course set in stone

Inside the beast, Sophie was on her knees, wincing as her ears rang from the shuddering noise. "Gnnngh! What's all this sound?!" She yelled. She can remember Nic using Hyper Voice and it was something as loud, but it was never directed to her. Within her panic, she began to feel something damp at the base of her knees.

"Hm?" She looked down, realizing that as she was wincing, water miraculously was pouring from somewhere. It hurriedly ran to where its cool liquid washed against Sophie's knees. "Water?" She looked ahead, hearing an ungodly sound, one that made her pale. "Oh god, no…"

From ahead, a sudden tidal wave began to pour. It swallowed up the screaming Sophie and she was carried within its almighty current. The blonde's gurgling and helpless swimming went unanswered as the flood washed her away.

" **Members of Tartaros.** " A voice announced.

Lucy's eye widened as she recognized the voice on the ground, huddling from the rumbling of Plutogrim. "That voice…"

" **Alegria was a success. Fairy Tail has been snuffed out, its forces almost entirely eradicated. The operation will move forward as planned. Face will progress in activation.** " Mard Geer announced.

The remaining Tartaros grunts raised cheers at the sound of their leader.

Lucy looked up, her gaze staggered by the news that rang through her head. _'_ _Wait, did he just say…!'_ Her heart skipped a beat, but out of shock. _'_ _It can't be! I thought Wendy and Carla stopped Face? Didn't they?'_

The sound of rushing water was heard from not far away. Lucy turned to see a weak waterfall from the cracks within a wall nearby. Before she could acknowledge it further, the wall burst, and a flood of water spilled throughout the domain. The blonde was too unfortunate as she was swallowed up in the current, flailing in distress.

"What's going on~?!" She shrieked as she was carried off by the strong current.

" **However, there is one flaw that we now face.** " Mard Geer added. " **We mistakenly misplaced five lost souls within our confine, one of which being Nic Pularis. For those who succeed in slaying these souls shall receive a candidacy for openings in the Nine Demon Gates. Those who succeed in slaying Nic Pularis shall be given a greater reward.** "

Once again, the soldiers were aroused by the proposition imposed.

"Seriously?!"

"Back off! That prize is all mine!"

" **If a Nine Demon Gate succeeds in any of these eliminations, they shall be reward handsomely by myself. To all, good hunting.** " Mard Geer cut the communication of, leaving everyone to greedily open themselves to open season, and they have fairies to hunt.

* * *

Overhearing with Telepathy, Vanessa looked up with uneasiness. "What did he…was everyone snuffed out?" She didn't want to believe it, nor could she, but she cascaded a gaze down, her faint magical presence beginning to sense any traces of aura. Almost none.

The only traces she could recognize were of Lucy, Sophie, Nic, Erza, and surprisingly Arbok. While she was relieved, she was still outnumbered by dark auras emanating around her.

She turned back towards the direction she came from, finding her bath reformed by gunk and tissue. _'_ _Should I try to find Nic still? I'm worried about everyone else. If what he said was true…'_

"There she is!"

"Found one!"

Vanessa's focus diverted towards the sounds heading from the opposite direction. Whipping her head around, she found several forces running up to her, staves in their palms and aimed at Vanessa. The Aura Mage narrowed her vision as they closed in.

"They found me already. These guys must really be desperate." She reached for her Poke Balls. "I'll have to use my magic sparingly, I've wasted almost all of it fighting that previous demon." She pulled back her arm and tossed up her Poke Ball. "Come on, Sliggoo!"

The Poke Ball popped open in the air, summoning Vanessa's Sliggoo – upside down, sticking to the roof of the tissue. "Hi!" The Soft Tissue Pokémon announced her calling card.

Vanessa swiped her arm forward. "Sliggoo, **Dragon Breath!** "

Sliggoo opened her mouth, manifesting loops around her body as an orb was created. Anchored to the ceiling with her slimy body, the Dragon-type unleashed a blue beam that blazed through the atmosphere, traveling and expanding onto the grunts, swallowing them all in a blue explosion. The shockwaves made smoke arise and the corridor shudder weakly.

Behind Vanessa, more soldiers went running towards her, several having staves similar to the first wave. "Get her! And that purple thing too!" A fellow grunt shouted. They all pointed the tip of the staves at Vanessa, firing small beams at her.

" **Dragon Breath!** " Vanessa commanded. Sliggoo obeyed and she made more rounds of loops as she opened her mouth. This time, she stretched her neck down and hauled herself to the ground, landing on her bottom and facing the grunts. She fired a powerful blue beam again, kicking up dust on either side and meeting all the beams in the center. The blue flame-like attack flickered as the beams met and combusted then and there. A miniature explosion erupted, making another cloud of smoke that made it hard for anyone to see.

However, a few beams came through the smoke, having fired after the collision. They all closed in on Vanessa and Sliggoo, who stood in place.

" **Gunk Shot!** "

The order was followed with an immense pressure built up behind Vanessa. To the Aura Mage's shock, she could feel a venomous sensation at her back. Having sensed a familiar aura, she hurriedly ducked – along with Sliggoo – as a black garbage back outlined in purple shot like a meteor straight at the grunts through the smoke, similar to a purple comet. The whole chamber shook at the velocity of the Poison-type attack, and it made the smoke dissipate upon closing in.

The streaming purple comet exploded upon impact, generating a mighty purple, poisonous explosion. The shockwaves the attack made the whole domain shake up, making Vanessa and Sliggoo cover up as the winds traveled in all direction. The purple explosion traveled down the corridor, eliminating all grunts that were unfortunate, as well as expand the bowels of Plutogrim, much to the beast's insidious groaning.

The shockwaves were so loud and so destructive that it made Mard Geer frown in his throne room. "Someone's making havoc on lPutogrim's inners. I wonder that could be?" He questioned sarcastically.

As the shockwaves subsided, Vanessa and Sliggoo looked ahead with shock as they saw a wide cavern with red on the sides and desolation. Turning around, they both saw with shock that it was Arbok hissing, with Nic by his side.

"Nic! Erza!" Vanessa exclaimed.

"Are you alright?" Nic asked.

Vanessa nodded. "We are, thanks. But how did you know where we were?"

Nic glanced at his Arbok. "Arbok here managed to track your vibrations."

Arbok hissed at the remark his Trainer gave.

Erza looked back behind, maintaining her stance. "Looks like we're still not in the clear." At her cue, many men came running from a direction, though their few numbers backed them up.

Nic turned around with his Arbok. "Alright then. Vanessa, you ready?"

Vanessa nodded in compliance. "Okay." She turned to her Sliggoo. "Come on, Sliggoo!"

"Alright!" The Soft Tissue Pokémon slithered with haste as she beside her Trainer, while Nic extended his arm out, allowing his Arbok to hiss and slither in a blur into the fray.

* * *

Lucy was washed away, constantly bobbing up and down, trying to get some form of air. The woman shrieked out and managed to stay atop the water to see a plank of wood in the distance.

"There-!" Another big wave swallowed her under, making her gurgle before resurfacing. Desperate for buoyancy, she paddled herself over towards the plank, reaching out for it before it got too far. Grasping it, she pulled herself on and lurched over, getting her upper body out of the water.

With air now of supply, she gasped in relief. _'_ _That was close.'_ She exasperated. _'_ _But now what do I do? Is it true what he said? There's really only five of us left?'_ She was getting worried, and with her not knowing the way – literally and metaphorically – left her with little room to think.

A sudden splash came from afar, catching Lucy's attention. Her brown eyes widened as she saw a wooden plank bobbing up and down, like it was trying to hold onto something. While surprised by the constant splashing, her eyes widened when she saw a hand reach out from beneath.

"What the heck?!" Lucy shrieked.

The rest of the arm locked onto the plank, hauling up the surprising appearance of Sophie. The blonde lurched onto the board, coughing up water that got into her throat. "Damn…it-!" She coughed, gagging as water spilled out of her system.

"Sophie!" Lucy shrieked.

Recognizing the voice, Sophie looked up, eying Lucy. "Lucy? Is that you?" She spoke before coughing again.

"Sophie! It's me! Are you alright?!" The blonde in question was sure Sophie looked alright…if her smeared makeup meant anything. Due to the flood Sophie was hit with, her nail polish was still intact, but her lipstick was dampened, making her lip color red, and her eyeliner was hazy above her eyes. She was breathing, so that was a good sign.

"I'm fine!" The Memory-Make Mage shouted. "But now what?!"

Lucy was trying to find solutions, but she was caught startled when she and the fellow blonde caught whim of the sound of planks against rushing water. Turning to look behind, they saw a few grunts riding on planks like surfboards.

"There's two!"

"Call dibs on them!"

"Promotion time, here I come!"

Lucy and Sophie managed to get on the wooden planks, prompting them to fully balance. Despite some staggering, both blondes managed to hold themselves steady and began to surf along to water. However, they weren't very fast, and that left them to lose distance.

"Alright boys, hands off!" Lucy reached for her whip, which was surprisingly still attached to her skirt, and used its powers to extend into a river of blue and yellow that acted similar to Vine Whip. The lash was effective enough to send them plundering below.

"Bull's eye!" Lucy smiled.

Unfortunately, Lucy and Sophie spoke too soon. They saw more men heading their way, these ones shooting beams from their staves that they wielded. They were relentless in their onslaught on the blondes, but fortunately they were managing to evade by surfing.

"Looks like I'll have to handle this one." Sophie pointed her index finger to her forehead, creating a chain of memories around her, manifesting into mirrors of ice. " **Memory-Make: Mirrors of Cold Retribution!** "

Numerous dark beams shot from her attack, streaming through the atmosphere and powering through many beams shot by the staves. They all met their marks, making so much force that they plundered into the water like the others.

"Nice one!" Lucy shouted. Her eyes caught something else in the distance. "Huh?"

"What is it?" Sophie looked towards Lucy, only to follow her gaze towards the rapid current. She grew surprised when she saw some short bunny woman cackling and laughing as she spun constantly atop the water's surface. "What?!"

The closer she got, the more she was revealed to be Lamy, having recovered and looking bubbly as ever. "Promotion time! Promotion time!" She chimed.

Lucy blinked in shock. "What is she doing?" Realizing that she was closing in, she grabbed her whip once again, activating its current. She lashed at Lamy, but the tip abruptly deflected elsewhere when it met Lamy's spinning body. Once again, Lucy was met with shock. "How did she do that?!"

Lamy cackled in her laughter some more as she spun closer. "My Slippery Curse can do wonders! Now who should I kill?"

Sophie clutched her fist as the demon closed in. "Got any other ideas, Lucy?" She asked.

"Yeah. Keep her busy." She pulled out a Zodiac Key, reaching outwards in an arch. " **Open: Gate of the Maiden – Virgo!** "

On a plank set adrift by the many guards washed away, Virgo appeared – in a bikini – and began to surf like the others. "I shall deliver punishment for you, Princess." The maid vowed.

"Heh?! What the hell is this?!" Lamy fumed, having stopped spinning and slipped along the rapids. "That's my gimmick! Now how can anyone tell us apart?!"

"We are nothing alike." Virgo countered.

Sophie looked ahead, her eyes widening as she saw the waves rocking. "Whoa! Incoming!" She warned just in time before Lucy and herself were rocked hard by the bump in the water. Both went sailing through the air, staggering their balance momentarily as they passed beneath a bridge of tissue.

There was a brief glint atop the bridge, alerting Virgo. "Look out!" She screamed.

Sophie and Lucy looked up, both eyes widening as they saw the glint leap off the bridge, revealing itself to be Torafuzar as he came crashing down with an arm reeled back, ready to slice into them.

" **Open: Gate of the Lion – Loke!** "

Lucy abruptly summoned Loke at the last second, the spirit blindsiding Torafuzar and cloaking his arm in his magic. He deflected Torafuzar's slash arm, catching the demon by surprise.

"You stopped by attack with your bare hand?" The demon inquired.

"Well, well, seems I'm not the only one surprised." Loke grinned, despite how that one blow managed a cut in his arm, blood seeping out. "Not even my Regulus could fully block it."

Lucy, having been off balance from before, was barely on her side. "Thanks Loke, you're a lifesaver. Are you okay?"

"Don't worry." Loke swiped his arm, the blood flicking off. "I can handle this guy. You two worry about getting away from these clowns."

As Loke made his mark, Lamy turned away from Virgo, drooling at the sight of the kempt spirit. "Ah~! What a hunky-wunky!" She cooed.

"Now I see why I don't correct myself on my previous statement." Virgo commented.

Lamy continued to ignore the spirit and paid attention to the Demon Gate. "Master Torafuzar, please let me take credit for this, won't you?"

"I do not seek glory." Torafuzar retorted, stepping back on the board he found leverage on to evade Loke's punch. He reeled forward another hefty swipe, but again was intercepted. "I care only for my obligation!"

The spirits were engaged in their own battles, and neither side was giving an inch towards the other. Caution was of upmost importance against powerful foes, and as they duked it out, Sophie drifted alongside Lucy, the blonde of equal height looking at Lucy with worry as she was panting in her aching condition.

"Lucy…"

 _'_ _The Princess is aching. Having two gates open takes a toll on her body.'_ Virgo thought.

 _'_ _This isn't good.'_ Loke pondered. _'_ _We're barely holding our ground, and Lucy's exhausted her magic just to summon us.'_

Both their eyes dilated. _'_ _We'll hurry! For her!'_ Both simultaneously struck Torafuzar and Lamy respectively, making their strikes more volatile than before.

Sophie and Lucy continued to drift away from the scuffle, managing to get away from the battle, the blonde who was smeared makeup looked ahead to see another bridge of tissue arching. Once again, there was another demonic figure crossing his arms, smirking down menacingly.

"Well, well…look who I found." The demon revealed himself to be Jackal, much to Lucy and Sophie's surprise. "That blonde chick from last time." His eyes narrowed with delight. "And a clown."

Lucy looked up with shock at Jackal's presence. _'_ _Wait, it can't be! How is he here? Didn't he blow up?'_ She thought about Tartaros, more specifically her battle alongside Natsu against Franmalth. _'_ _That's right, these guys can just keep coming back whenever. This is just great, and I can't summon a third Celestial Spirit.'_

Jackal looked in sheer delight at the two blondes heading his way. "Alright then, let's get this show started!"

Sophie got up to her boots, managing to stand up on her board. "Lucy, get back!" The younger blonde insisted. "I'll handle him!"

"Sophie?" Lucy was barely able to get up given the amount of strain of having two gates open, but she was also in no position to argue. It was up to Sophie to be her last line of defense.

Jackal swiped his arms, creating several spheres of explosive energy. "Heh! You better get out of my way, clown!" He swiped his arm, unleashing all the barrages at Sophie directly.

The mage pointed a finger to her forehead, manifesting chains of her own memories. " **Memory-Make: Jagged Barrier!** "

A giant stone wall arose from in front of the mage, blocking off herself from Jackal. The wall lined with sharp ice spikes hurriedly escalated, blocking al the barrages that went sailing after Sophie. They met the ice spikes, shattering it everywhere, as well as rupturing the wall. The spell's flat side was also enough to catch Lucy and Sophie, making them stop.

Lucy sat up, alleviated by Sophie's save. "Thanks, Sophie."

"Yeah, no problem." She replied. "But…" Her eyes trailed up along the tall wall. "The question is how long can it hold on?"

"Let's not find out. Come on, paddle!" Lucy urged, clawing the water with her arm and steering herself around the big wall. Sophie followed suit, paddling herself with the cover provided.

On the jagged side, Jackal had a hand to his hip, sneering. "Playing hide-and-seek, are we? Well here's something instead!" He moved his arms in opposite arches. "My favorite human story. Sayla and Keyes debate about this a lot, but I think this suits me just fine. I'll huff…I'll puff…" He swiped his arms again, making several flashy glints in front f the stone and ice wall. "…and I'll blow your wall up!"

Numerous explosions went off at once all around the wall. The structure shook within the water's rapids, cracking apart constantly from the shuddering of every explosion going off. The blast waves never stopped, as smoke and more explosions kept pouring on. Jackal had an eager expression as he watched the smoke envelop the entire structure; seeing crumbling bits of rock and ice hit the water made him feel glee inside.

As the smoke cleared, there was nothing there, nothing but the lower half of the wall, which was barely intact. "Hm? Where'd they go? Did I blow them up too soon?"

"You fool! Underneath!" Torafuzar warned.

"Huh?"

" **Memory-Make: Charge Blades!** "

Underneath the bridge, Sophie made a chain of memories as she and Lucy passed beneath. Jackal could feel an odd static tingling within the tissue he stood on, making him look down at his feet. His eyes widened in shock as the ground began to glow. "Gngh! What the hell-?!" He was met with stones prodding up out of nowhere, stabbing him with tips laced in pure lightning. Upon impact with his feet, another explosion of electricity and rock filled the air. The demon's screams were heard loud and clear as he went head first into the water beneath. Rock and tissue sunk down below alongside him, splashing loudly.

"Yeah!" Lucy smiled.

"That should leave him with a setback." Sophie acknowledged.

Among a floating piece of ice from Sophie's previous spell, the water stirred, revealing Jackal gasping for air as he dug his claws into the ice. He clung on tightly, panting as his body was soaked. Once he caught his breath, he looked ahead of the current, seeing Sophie and Lucy drift.

"Alright." He growled. "Now you've pissed me off." He stood up on the ice block, his toe claws digging and anchoring onto the ice sheet. "Let's see how you like this!" He extended his reach forward, targeting the atmosphere around Lucy and Sophie.

Both women went wide-eyed as the glints brightened around, and they hurriedly covered up as explosions went off. The two blondes were encompassed within smoke clouds that raged on through their space, making water splash in all directions. As the smoke cleared out, the currents adjusted, and Lucy and Sophie were seen drifting along still, seemingly unfazed, yet their clothing was slightly tattered.

Lucy coughed at the close call. "Hey, you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah" Sophie coughed again. "I'm fine." Still on her hands and knees, she remained low as a chain of memories was behind her.

Jackal's eyes narrowed. "Grrr! What now?!"

" **Memory-Make: Scorn of the Armored Winds!** "

Metallic tornadoes were summoned around Jackal, the maelstrom managing to trap him in the small space for a short while as he no longer drifted. He gasped and cried out as a cyclone closed in, breaking apart the ice and dragging him through its currents.

"H-hey! Ow! Whoa!" He cried out as the gray shreds in the winds cut against his skin, swinging him left and right with no balance.

"Hottie Jackal!" Lamy cried out, tears running down her face.

Virgo used this opportunity to land a punch in the back of Lamy's head. "Punishment time!"

Jackal gritted his teeth, frustrated. "Don't think you've won this!" He set off explosions inside the cyclones around him, making them all rupture and make shockwaves that nullified the winds, leaving him suspended in midair above.

"No way!" Lucy exclaimed.

"He nullified my attack with explosions?!" Sophie yelled.

Jackal used the falling momentum and landed briefly on a prodding tissue on the side of the wall. He jumped off it and back in the air, where he reached for the blondes. "Told you! HRAH!" At his mark, the boards Sophie and Lucy were n began to glow, much to their horror. They went wide-eyed and were engulfed in explosions that sent them flying into the air, screaming in agony as their rides were destroyed. Jackal swung his arms again, a huge smile on their faces as he created midair explosions. "And there's more where that came from!"

True to his own word, a large explosion engulfed around Sophie and Lucy went shooting down into the water below, crashing with insidious splashes against the raging current.

"Princess!" Virgo shouted.

"Sophie!" Loke panicked.

Jackal's glare darkened as he landed along a drifting piece of debris. He glared at the water with delight, cackling chuckles flaring. "Should've told that clown to stop messing with me when she had the chance. I gotta score with the fireball and blue cat…but I guess they'll do!"

Underwater, Lucy was dragging against the current, washed away alongside Sophie. The blonde mage tumbled through the water, more so than Sophie apparently, who looked to be in a more apparent struggle from Jackal targeting her. _'_ _Sophie…'_ Lucy tried to get ahold of herself, managing to swim out for the mage.

Sophie's vision was blurry, but she saw Lucy swim towards her, her hair unfastened from that previous explosion. _'_ _Lucy…'_ Sophie reached for her comrade, managing to grab hold and the two held on as the current sent them drifting through.

 _'_ _This is bad. Sophie's wipes out, and I'm barely hanging on.'_ Lucy thought. The water shook on, making the blonde wince as she felt her muscles ache. Her hold on Sophie was loosening. _'_ _Every time I needed help, I was always saved…'_ She thought about her friends, and all the times she was rescued, including Nic saving everyone against Lysandre, Flare saving her against Peter, and the many instances where everyone had her back. _'_ _I won't take this! I can't lose the friends I have now! I'd be nothing!'_

Jackal's glare intensified. "Don't go drowning on me!" He began to manifest an explosion in the palm of his hands.

Lucy was barely holding Sophie by the fingertips. _'_ _Sophie, thanks for the save before…now it's my turn to repay everyone for what they've done for me! Even if Nic or Natsu aren't here-!'_

"HRAH!" Jackal fired the projectile into the water, firing at rapid speed and into the water. The blast reached Lucy and Sophie, erupting upon impact. The blast was powerful enough to separate them, causing Sophie to drift apart from Lucy, much to the latter's dread.

"No!" Loke shouted.

Lucy's head popped out of the water, distress on her face. _'_ _I can do this! I have to!'_ "I won't quit!" She pulled out a third key, which glowed with a golden brilliance. Lucy poured what power she had into the key, much to her own will's judgment.

Virgo sensed the power, her shock evident. "Princess, no!" She averted another blow from Lamy.

"Three gates?! Who knows what that'll do to you!" Loke warned.

Lucy's gaze was devastating. She had a ferocious look as she held out a key. Her hair flared and water shifted from her Magic Power. "For my friends! **Open: Gate of the Water Bearer – Aquarius!** "

Everyone stared with wide eyes as they watched the water shift about, much to the Celestial Spirits' horror. They watched with equal shock and surprise as they felt magic everywhere as water swirled around Lucy. As Lucy cried out, the mage's gaze began to grow hazy. She began to fall forward.

"Lucy!" Loke shouted.

"Huh?" Jackal questioned.

 _'_ _Please…please…'_ Lucy slowly fell forward, unaware of the swirling water around her lowered in level shockingly. She felt a small tug, her body held up from falling into the water. "Huh…" Her hazy brown eyes caught a glimpse of light blue hair.

Holding her was the spirit, Aquarius, and she had a deep frown on her face. The mermaid held Lucy in her arms, holding her up as the swirling water around her rapidly accelerated. She glared ahead coldly. "Dumbass." She muttered.

Loke's eyes widened. "She did it…"

With the water level dropping, Sophie coughed as she was coming around. She gagged water, getting every ounce out of her system as she panted. "What just…" She looked down, noting how the water level was weak. "The level subsided?" She looked ahead, seeing the answer lying her before her, Lucy's most powerful spirit.

Lucy opened an eye, smiling weakly at Aquarius. "You came." She weakly said.

Aquarius didn't look down, but instead averted her focus onto the adversaries. "You really are nothing more than a fool."

Lucy sheepishly smiled.

Aquarius sat Lucy behind her, alongside Sophie, and brought her urn back as water surged within it. "You both stay out of my way!" She cried out as she began to manifest a wave around her.

Jackal's eyes widened. "The heck? Another one?" He exasperated.

Sophie grinned. "Lucy, you sure know some interesting spirits."

Aquarius let out a mighty shout as she swung her arms around, summoning a vortex of rapid water surging through the area. The current was immense, spiraling and engulfing Jackal. As the cyclone raged, it reached out, swallowing the torrent ahead, as well as Lamy. Virgo and Loke barely held on within the vortex.

"Lucy! You've done enough!" Loke insisted.

"You gotta close one of our gates! Who knows what will happen to your body!" Virgo implored.

As the torrent raged on, Aquarius narrowed her eyes, seeing a shark fin swerve up and then down, followed by a shark-like tail that dive back in. The spirit grew shocked as Torafuzar swam against her current. "Impossible! He's swimming through my water?!"

"Water is my specialty." Torafuzar noted. He closed the distance between himself and Aquarius, jumping out with a big splash in front of her. Using her shock to his advantage, he slashed at her shoulder, making a wave of blood spill from the cut inflicted.

Aquarius cried out in immense pain inflicted.

Lucy's eyes widened in horror. "Aquarius!"

"No!" Sophie yelled.

Loke and Virgo went surfing against Aquarius's current, hurrying against all odds. "Come on, hurry!" Loke urged. He and Virgo pressed on towards their master, but a shadow loomed behind them, staggering them both.

Jackal darkly grinned. "Your luck's run out!" He reached for both Virgo and Loke and unleashed his deadly explosive assault. Beams of explosions rattled the airspace, drowning out both spirits' cries of anguish.

"Loke! Virgo, not you too!" Lucy shrieked. "Gah~!" She and Sophie were abruptly picked up by a wave that was too powerful to take from the shockwaves. Both blondes went sailing through the air, pain exerting from both on the scratches and bruises they've ascertained.

Time slowed down for both as they saw the situation. Virgo and Loke were severely wounded, both returning to their world while reaching for Lucy and failing. On the cold damp ground was Aquarius, clutching her shoulder to stop the bleeding. Down in one hit, their hopes went down the drain as they were low on magic as well.

Both slammed against the ground, Lucy and Sophie both on their sides with harsh thuds. They laid against the damp flooring, wet and injured as the three demons converged onto them both.

"Heh, looks like those 3 spirits was the only trump card." Jackal sneered.

Lamy clasped her hands together with glee. "Look! They can't even move now! Ha! This is perfect!"

Lucy and Sophie twitched on the ground, barely able to move their muscles. They were overrun with the three demons closing in from in front.

"Let's hurry and finish this, before Nic appears." Torafuzar insisted.

"That's too boring. These girls gotta learn the hard way." Jackal argued.

"Yeah!" Lamy added. "Let's get them to suffer some more!" Her face grew all cheeky. "And I get all the credit~!"

Lucy tried desperately to move, but her body had suffered serious consequences from opening Virgo, Loke, and Aquarius's gate all at once. She was in a grave scenario, and Sophie wasn't faring any better than her. _'_ _No. This can't end like this. Not like this…'_ Lucy urged whatever muscles possible, but all she did was struggle. _'_ _I have to get up. I have to!'_

Jackal snapped his fingers with a smile. "Ha!" At his command, he made a miniature explosion set on Lucy's leg. Smoke and blood ruptured and the blonde nearly blacked out as she covered her mouth suppressing what screams were coming out.

"Lucy!" Sophie yelled. She got to her knees, but a glint was in front of her face. Her eyes widened in terror before an explosion ruptured in front of her, sending her onto her back with a thud. The impact made her gag harshly, much to the delight of the demons.

"Look at their faces! They're so ugly!" Lamy squealed in delight.

Jackal didn't stop his insidious laughing, pleased with his efforts.

"Enough with this stalling." Torafuzar scolded. "We're wasting precious time. We have bigger problems involving Nic. Hurry up so that we can stop him once and for all, or all you too thick in the head to hear a word I say?"

Jackal's ears twitched at the Demon Gate's appeal. "What was that?" He turned around, giving Torafuzar a stink eye matched with the dark shadows over his head, giving him an intimidating appeal. "Well Nic isn't here right now, is he? You better watch yourself, or I won't mind making you into mush first."

Torafuzar narrowed his eyes, calmly looking at Jackal with a cold vibe. The two had a grievous staring contest, seeing how one stood against the other's opinion. Ultimately, Torafuzar conceded and turned away. "So be it. Do as you will then, but I won't be blamed if anything you do goes wrong." The fish-man coldly remarked as he walked away.

Jackal mockingly sneered as he watched him walk off. "Yeah! Like that'll happen!" He yelled.

"Oh~, what should we do first?" Lamy chirped. She pranced on over towards Lucy, holding her up by the arms. "How's about we start with her boobs! They're too big that they could be grapefruits! Let's make them pop!"

Jackal's eyes widened as he slowly reached for Lucy.

Both Lucy and Sophie winced as neither could move. They were desperately pleading, but neither could muster up much words.

Lamy looked so joyful. "Ka-boom! Ka-boom!" She chanted as Jackal's hand reached closer. "Ka-boom! Ka-boom! Ka…" She felt Jackal's hand press against her face. "…boom?"

Jackal smirked with wide eyes as he used his power, and abruptly engulfed Lamy in an explosion solemnly for her. The bunny girl shrieked momentarily before she vanished in a searing smoke cloud, nothing remaining of her, much to Lucy and Sophie's shock and horror.

"Noisy pest. Thank god." Jackal huffed.

Lucy fell back down with a thud, wincing as she tried to keep an eye opened. "You…killed your comrade?" She muttered.

Jackal looked down towards her with a smirk. "Like that really matters to me. You should be more worried about you and that other blonde." He snickered. "Because once I'm done with you, she's getting her turn."

"No…"

A torrent suddenly washed up, flooding the area. Jackal gurgled as he was carried off within the massive current, hardly able to swim back towards Lucy and Sophie. "What the hell?!" He gurgled.

The demon remained underwater until he found the surface inches away. Once breached, he gasped for air and managed to tread water. As he kept his steadiness, he was pushed back by another splash of a wave, but he took it. As the wave diminished, he looked back, seeing the culprit. "You…!"

Ahead was Aquarius, holding Lucy in one arm, while Sophie remained on her knees behind the mermaid. With one arm still free, Aquarius was manifesting a vortex to flood the area ahead, though the arm she was using was still bleeding.

"Aquarius…" Lucy mumbled.

"Just wait until I get over-!" Jackal was submerged under another wave, but his head hurriedly remain afloat.

"Listen up, both of you." Aquarius said. "All I can do from right here is hold him off for a short while. The same goes for the rest of the Zodiac. That's how powerful these demons are."

"We can see that." Sophie noted. She coughed again, getting the rest of the backlash from Jackal's earlier attack out of her system.

"Our odds aren't great." Aquarius noted. "But…there is still one way that we can pull this off."

Lucy's eyes widened. "There…is?"

The mermaid nodded. "Yeah, and it's not Nic." She sat Lucy down in the water behind her, right beside Sophie. She reached out with both arms, using the added force to add strength to her vortex. As she watched Jackal use and explosion and clear water away, only to be rushed again.

"Listen, I don't have time to explain, so I can only say this once, so you better pay attention." She directed her focus onto Lucy. "Lucy, you're strong. Very strong. Strong enough to keep three Zodiac Gates open. And if that's the case…" Her eyes narrowed as her concentration was wavering. "Then you can summon _him_."

"'Him'?"

"Yes…the Celestial Spirit King."

Lucy and Sophie's eyes widened in shock, Sophie's more so than Lucy. Both blondes had their share of conversing with the Celestial Spirit King before, but their cases were very different. Lucy was in the sake of Loke's health, and Sophie was part of the Celestial Crew, where she assisted in saving the Celestial Spirit World.

"I can summon the king?" Lucy inquired.

"Yes. He's the most powerful Celestial Spirit there is. His strike from the stars can obliterate any foe. Do that, and you can bring this hunk of junk down."

Lucy looked down, worried. "But…I don't have his key…"

Jackal made more explosion in the water, managing a few steps forward before swamped again. Even so, he began to find ground.

"That's the trick." Aquarius replied. "The king has no material key. There is only one way he can be called."

Sophie and Lucy looked at Aquarius with anxiety. They knew one way meant something risky, and they didn't seem to like their chances one bit.

"The Celestial Spirit King…can only be summoned once, by the use of one Zodiac Key…by destroying it for good."

Lucy's horror reached a peak. "What…did you say?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Destroy…a golden key?"

Sophie looked with equal shock, but offered no comment.

"GRAH!" Jackal made more water explode, pushing more water out of the way. "This damn water's getting on my nerves!"

"There's a catch to that as well." Aquarius added. "The activation of such thing will only happen…if the bond between master and spirit is most powerful."

"Just like Mega Evolution." Sophie remembered well of Nic using Mega Evolution in the past before, especially with Charizard and Garchomp. The level of power was beyond staggering for her alone.

Lucy got up from the water, looking at Aquarius in disbelief. "You can't be serious!" She exasperated. "What the heck is this all about! I can't break my keys! I can't lose any of my friends again!"

"Break my key."

Lucy went quiet as she stared at the mermaid in increased horror.

Aquarius smirked. "The only thing I trusted you to do is mess up…but we do go way back. So, I guess it'll work out."

"Aquarius…what…?"

"I meant what I said! If we want to protect our friends, then this is the right choice! Besides…" Her head lowered in slight shame. "As a decree, we owe our lives to the Celestial Crew, so I gotta bite the bullet for the clown blonde over there too."

Sophie's eye widened.

"No way!" Lucy denied. "You're my friend too! What you're saying is for me to sacrifice one friend to save everyone else! That's wrong! There's another way! There has to be! We just have to wait for Nic! He's around here somewhere!"

Aquarius's teeth gritted. "If there was another way, do you think I'd suggest this?!" She yelled. "This is the only way."

"NO!" Lucy violently shook her head. "I CAN'T ACCEPT THAT!" She cried out.

Sophie watched as Lucy began to tear up in her palms. "Lucy…"

Jackal began pushing through the current, getting closer with heavy grunts.

"You hear that? He's breaking through! He'll be here any minute now!" Aquarius shouted.

Lucy's body shuddered in the water, tears running down her face. "I can't…"

"Quit being a brat, will you?! Breaking my key won't kill me, okay? It's just that I won't be able to see you again. It'll be like I moved away…somewhere where I don't have to see your stupid face."

Lucy didn't listen. She continued to sob away. "But I…I lost you all once. You were all chained…and…"

"We know! That shame still hangs over our heads!" Aquarius argued. "We know you missed us in the seven years and many spirits lost their lives to _that_ man! But we can't change that now, can we?!" She really didn't want to recall any of the times Lysandre massacred hundreds if not thousands of spirits, the genocide being far too horrific to bear, but even though she was away from Lucy all that time, she was still glad that this time when she is away, she won't be a prisoner to anyone. She smirked. "I for one will be relieved…"

Jackal made more explosions, swiping his arms, only to be swamped once again.

"Your mother, Layla…she was the best master I ever had. When she died, and my key was passed down to you, it was hell. You were childish, and you were easy to cry. You were so naïve to the real world, and you most certainly didn't inherit your mother's grace. But, no matter how I saw it, I tolerated you…because you were Layla's daughter…I loathed you. I despised you…and still, you make me sick."

"I don't care!" Lucy cried, tears flowing down her face. "Hate me for as much as you want! You were my first friend! Aquarius, I love you!"

Sophie wanted to say something, she really did…but something was holding her back. She couldn't explain it aloud, but the sacrifice being made was making her tear up as well. When she saw the situation before her, a memory most bitter began to resurface, and as much as she wanted to defy what Lucy was doing, she stayed silent and began to tear up.

"Lucy! Listen right now!" Aquarius cried out. "I owe a debt, and you have to save your friends! Admit it! Nic and Natsu aren't here! This is all you, so think!" Her argument to a sobbing Lucy was most troubling, but she persisted. "You tell me! What matters most?! Memories?! Keys?! Guilt?! It's none of those! No! It's the power to make sacrifices for the ones you treasure! This is for the sake of everyone, so keep going!"

Jackal pushed through the water, a big smirk on his face. "Heh? What's the matter with you three? You're almost in my curse range…"

Lucy wept silently, taking in Aquarius's words. She sniffled and weakly held out the key. "I love you…so much…Aquarius." She sobbed.

"I KNOW! DO IT NOW! LUCY!" The mermaid yelled.

Lucy cried loudly as she held out Aquarius's key. The water around her and Sophie began to stir once more as there was another power shift in the atmosphere. As Sophie looked on with gritting teeth, Aquarius began to grit hers. _'_ _I hate her. I do.'_ She told herself. _'_ _And yet…why is my heart burning?'_ It was aching, and as Lucy cried out for the summon, it only made Aquarius's feelings to rattle her insides some more. _"_ _Mermaid! Pretty mermaid!"_ Lucy's first words upon getting acquainted with her still lingered around, and as much as she drowned it out…something in her made her begin to quiver in the lips. _'_ _Even though I hated you…'_

Lucy cried out louder than before, Aquarius's gate key shining brightly.

 _'_ _Even though I despised you for having no grace…you weren't half-bad of a friend to anyone.'_ She reasoned. _'_ _I hate these feelings insides me right now, but I can't stop them. It's sickening…more than you, Lucy.'_ The spirit closed her eyes, readying as her key began to crack apart. _'_ _But…to never see you again…it's making me feel…sad.'_

" **OPEN: GATE OF THE CELESTIAL KING!** "

Tears flared as Lucy's shout echoed throughout the airspace. As Aquarius's key cracked some more, the fading spirit looked back to Lucy one last time, this time – and for the first – tears swelling in the corners of her blue eyes. _'_ _Lucy…thank you…for everything.'_

With those last thoughts, Sophie and Lucy watched in grief as Aquarius faded away, all the water dissipating into thin air as the Zodiac Key shattered to pieces, forever broken.

The water around Jackal faded, alleviating his sense of gravity. "What the-?!" His feet touched the ground at last.

Elsewhere, cartwheeling and sideways axe-kicking a grunt square on the head, Nic felt something off. His eyes widened, and he spun backwards and onto a knee. He looked up, his family looking at him from different angles. "What was that just now?"

"Nic-ssssama!" Arbok raised his head, flicking his tongue, catching everyone's attention.

Outside of Plutogrim, there was a golden glint high in the sky, way above the clouds even. The skies cleared out, clouds separating as a golden comet streamed out of space. The comet shot at speeds rivaling a meteor, carrying a blade in its hands. Upon examination, the comet was the king himself, summoned by Lucy as he charged down onto Plutogrim. His blade reeled back, he dove right into the beast.

"HAAAAA! HA!" With a roaring shout, he crashed straight through Plutogrim, passing in front with his sword swiped. Behind him, the monster's mouth was wide open as its center was pierced. The giant creature glinted several times before it split apart, shattering to crumbling bits.

Its rupture was noticed by all inside. Silver turned away, feeling a shuddering. "What was that?"

Kyôka looked startled as rocks began to fall all around her. "Was Plutogrim ruptured?!"

Nic looked around, vibrations intense as the shaking nearly caught him and Erza off balance. "The island…did it split apart?!" Nic acted fast, as he must. His body glowed, becoming his Stone Form. "Hang on!" Using his powers, he manipulated and bended the stone all around him, drawing closer and morphing into a large stone sphere fit for a bunker for everyone around him as the beast went sailing down.

Jackal looked around, shocked at the place coming apart. "What happened?!" He looked at Lucy. "You! What have you done?!"

Lucy cried up in despair and grief, tears shedding like waterfalls as she had lost her friend, for good. Sophie was on hands and knees, eyes shut not see Lucy's pain.

Plutogrim crashed into the mountains, far away from Magnolia as the rubble smashed into everything. As carnage and devastation befell many of the corridors to unrecognizable chunks, all was rock and tissue splattered. However, within the chaos, one man stood atop a stone, smiling as he gazed up at the Celestial King.

"So, is it really you? Celestial Spirit King?" The Underworld King questioned.

"Underworld King." The enormous Celestial Spirit announced.

"I must say, I'm very surprised to see you again." Mard Geer admitted. "I never would've thought someone was capable of summoning the likes of you."

"And I see that you still carry that book around." The Celestial King eyed the book in Mard Geer's arm. "Seems just yesterday, hasn't it?"

Mard Geer's eyes narrowed. "On the contrary, yesterday is long gone. It's the present after all. No sense in dawdling on what happened." His hold on the book tightened. "This book is the embodiment of our Master E.N.D; until his revival, and the return to Zeref, I shall not stop."

"So it seems. You haven't changed."

"I wish I could say the same…"

The Celestial King narrowed his big red eyes. "Mard Geer, what have you done now?" He asked harshly.

"Me? Nothing." He nonchalantly answered. "I merely am carrying out my master's ambition. I shall revive him after tonight, and at long last, we will exterminate Nic Pularis. He's quite the menace that must be dealt with."

The Celestial King looked around, seeing Nic nowhere in sight, but he could still sense the Celestial World's hero's energy, meaning he was close by. The spirit could sense Sophie as well, and he looked down in the nearby rubble, seeing Sophie and Lucy lying on the ground; the latter in tears of sadness. He looked back at Mard Geer, growling. "Is that why my old friends are crying?"

Mard Geer's smirk never faded. "Indeed."

"And, did you do this to them?"

"And what if I did?"

The sun in the distance had faded away, the blue skies no more, and the sky lit up in a red-orange, a sunset that reflected the fire of ferocity and ire between all.

"Mard Geer." The Celestial King held his sword up, readying for battle. "I swear on my contract, I shall stop you from your ambitious gains. With my eternal debt to Sophie Lednick, Nic Pularis, and among the rest who gave their lives to save us from tyranny, I shall eradicate you!"

Mard Geer's eyes narrowed. "Come."

Cosmic power flared around the opposing king, his power so immense that the earth itself was cracking apart. Any normal mage would've quivered at such a level that engulfed the king in celestial magical pressure. As rocks defied gravity, the king glared down Mard Geer. "YOU SHALL PAY!"

The king smashed his blade against the ground, coated in his awesome power. When the blade reached rock, the earth broke apart in an expansive explosion that annihilated anything within its path. The area cracked and shattered to smoldering shambles.

As the explosion shifted, Mard Geer jumped up, evading the rocks and cosmic energy around the blade. As it dialed down, he landed on the sword and jumped again, getting above the Celestial King. With a flip, he enveloped himself in a sphere of his own Curse Power. As he sailed down onto the Celestial King, his majesty swung his longsword around, colliding with the curse sphere. The struggle between both attacks made the airspace shift at the immense strength the king possessed, and he let out a loud shout and swung through the sphere, breaking it apart to bits.

Mard Geer flew back, unharmed by the assault. He backflipped, landing on a rock mound and adjusted his footing. He looked with a continued smirk on his face as the Celestial King adjusted his blade. He raised it overhead, letting out another shout as it came crashing down once more. "Child's play." Arrogant in his confidence, Mard Geer sidestepped, the blade slicing clean into the rock mound. Dust erupted in powerful winds, but Mard Geer was undeterred as the sword was wedged into the rock mound, sliced clean through in a fine chop.

The Celestial King raised his blade back beside him, looking at Mard Geer menacingly. "You're as evasive as ever I see." He commented.

"And you're as straightforward as ever." Mard Geer mentioned. He raised his index and middle finger and moved them in zigzags. " **Thorns!** "

At his command, the ground cracked apart beneath the bulky king. The Celestial King raised his blade to attack, but the thorns pierced him. Similar to the move Frenzy Plant, spiked thorns shot and impaled him in all his vital spots. His head, arms, legs, and chest were impaled. The king was immobile, his red eyes narrowed and teeth gritting.

"You really are such a fool. You think the might of stars scares me?" Mard Geer inquired. "Perhaps I should remind you of recent events, should I? Is it not true that for the last three or so years, your kind had suffered genocides and tyranny from the likes of darkness? The stars were no longer there, power was not in your grasp, and even with what strength you had, you were meaningless; a bore to the likes of the tyrant that slaughtered your kind." His berating didn't cease. "What could the likes of you do?"

The king stared down at the Underworld King, leering with a treacherous growl beneath his tone. "You have us convicted of a crime that was not our fault." He answered. "Yes, I will admit, he who destroyed the stars, he rendered us powerless, he killed off the shining lights and tore friendship right before my eyes. The recollection of so many spirits ripped apart still angers me to this day." He thought bitterly of Lysandre entering the world, where he revolutionized it – out of boredom. "Even with my full power, his darkness still swallowed the light. An impossibility becoming possible…but…I should be the one to consider you of hypocrisy."

Mard Geer's eyes widened. "I beg your pardon?"

"I can see it in your eyes, Mard Geer. Don't you deny it. Despite that devilish smirk plastered on your face, you two were terrified by the infinite darkness that swept the cosmos. Pitch-black that you feared; your beloved Lord Zeref suffering his power swallowed by the likes of he who was aligned by the Dark Legendaries."

Mard Geer frowned. "I dare not recall such times. They only unsettle my goals and what I stand for. Distractions are to be removed, re they not?"

"I was right." Celestial King strained. "You do fear him. You fear the forbidden name of Lysandre."

Mard Geer could feel his spine shudder at the name. His composure momentarily broke apart, just like that one night, where the skirmish and Lysandre's power made him futile. He watched in shriveled horror at the battle from spatial distortions. The power he gave belittled any and all darkness; destruction on a universal level. All Mar Geer was quiver in terror. The recollection – nee, the name – of Lysandre strains him to this day. "And yet you're not? You say I'm a hypocrite." He countered.

"Yes, I admit we still makes me tremble at the thought…but, within that darkness, he was defeated by the likes of friendship." Celestial King said. "You know that it was Nic's power that makes you tremble greater. His power to raise land and seas; to destroy the eternal darkness, it makes you panic. You know that even with your Master's revival, he still holds nothing to him!"

"Shut up." Mard Geer lowly snapped.

"It is to he and the Celestial Crew, to my old friends, they risked everything they had, even their lives. They brought my home back, and they have saved us all. It is with their friendship that they have come far to stop his tyranny…and so…" He began to pivot. "I shall break these brambles…and pay tribute to the lives who saved both worlds!"

With one final grunt, Mard Geer watched in shock as the king swung his sword, slicing through all the thorns. Within his posture, there wasn't a single scratch on him, not even after the thorns pierced him.

"Not bad." He admitted.

Celestial King raised his sword overhead, where an intense pressure built up. " **Meteor Blade!** " He pounded the blade against the ground, the force so powerful a ripple exerted, momentarily making rock fly before annihilated in a linear explosion of cosmic energy. The energy wave ran deep within the earth, cutting to where it was an abyss. The attack stretched far out, beyond the miles of the forests and mountains, stretching several kilometers outwards, breaking apart the landscape into something new.

As the explosions fade, it was revealed a dark abyss wedged into the rock beside Mard Geer, who was revealed unharmed as he moved off to the side with a smirk. "You missed." He chided.

* * *

Lying amongst the carnage that was once the base of Tartaros, all were still ruptured by the clash of two kings. However, despite the earth-shaking confrontation, Lucy was still lying on the ground, sobbing weakly as her beloved spirit was gone.

"Aquarius…" She whimpered.

Sophie coughed, waving the dust away from her face. "Oww…" She coughed. "Where…?" She looked at her surroundings, everything completely broken apart. She looked over to her friend, seeing her cry. "Lucy!"

Nearby, Jackal was looking dazed, trying to get up as his lower body was beneath rubble. "Gnnngh! Damnit! Crap!" He shouted. He tried to worm his way out, but he was stuck good. "Come on…!"

Sophie looked at Jackal, distress written on her face. "This is still bad. We don't have a lot of time." She hurried on over towards Lucy, getting to a knee. "Lucy?"

Lucy continued to sob, tears running down her face. "Aquarius." She still couldn't believe her dear friend – her first friend – was gone. She couldn't believe it, and Sophie didn't blame her. But this was a crisis.

The Memory-Make Mage grabbed her friends shoulder and held her up. "Lucy! Look at me!" She urged some more, but Lucy sobbed on, tears running down her face.

"No! Why did this have to happen?! Why couldn't Nic have come?!" Lucy shouted aloud.

Sophie's eyes widened in shock. "Lucy…"

Jackal tried clawing his way out, but with little succession. "Gnnngh! Just wait until I'm free! You'll be sorry!"

Lucy's hold on the remnants of Aquarius's key remained tight. She continued to weep weakly, unable to do anything for the time being. "Why-?!"

SMACK!

A harsh slap to Lucy's cheek sent shocks to her brain. The blonde went wide-eyed as the pain snapped her out the grief she was in, her body remaining upright as she looked hazily ahead, her left hand gingery touching her cheek, where a red mark was. "What…"

Sprinkles of tears dripped in front of the Celestial Mage, making her blink. Her gaze slowly averted from the dripping of tears to Sophie, who was looking down at her with a look she was never given by anyone before. She looked baffled, as to where Sophie had a furious expression, but at the same time, sadness. Tears ran down the Memory-Make Mage's face, her teeth gritting. "Sophie…?" Lucy muttered.

"Lucy, snap out of it!" The blonde yelled in front of her face. "Get ahold of yourself! What's all this nonsense about blaming Nic about?! This is below you! None of this is anyone's fault, and you know that!"

Sophie's words began to sink in the despondent blonde's head, her shock continuing its hold onto her.

Sophie took a breath, reclaiming what sensitive compensation she felt for Lucy as she knelt to a knee in front of her. "Lucy, look…" Her tears began to stop, blinking away to show a seriousness. "I know what you went through. I've been there, and I've witnessed it all. You're not the only one who lost a Celestial Spirit friend." Sophie turned away, pain in her green eyes as she pictured a certain spirit who held all the morals she's ever known. "Pavo. He was a friend of mine as well, but he was also a comrade who was loved deeply by all of us. By me; by Cana; by Nic; by Greninja, Volans, Lupus, and Corvus. How did you think we felt when he sacrificed himself for us to move on? We were broken to pieces."

Lucy was stricken with surprise once again. She had forgotten for an instant that the genocide and ruling of Lysandre stopped when the Celestial Crew stepped in, and that included Cana and Sophie being dragged alongside Nic and Greninja into the chaos with Pavo. She recalled Pavo dying by Lysandre's hand, and that lead to events afterwards. She stayed silent as the blonde resumed.

"You had it just as bad as we did, Lucy. Aquarius was right, it was the strength of sacrifice that kept us all alive, and that's how we got to where we are today. Think back to when Future Nic and his Pokémon came back, in the end he passed on, and so did Pavo. They gave their lives for those they believed in. They treasured the memories forever, and their strength guided us to now." The blonde was shuddering from her own words, but she tried to persevere. "You have it easier…Aquarius is alive. Pavo is dead."

"Sophie…" Lucy was rendered speechless. By all means, she thought she had it bad with never seeing Aquarius again; Sophie, Nic, and Cana lost a friend, who sacrificed just as much – if not more so – than she did.

"We all cried for our friend just like you did, but we still picked ourselves up and won the world back, because that's what Pavo believed we could accomplish." Sophie began to pick herself up, looking down at Lucy with a serious expression. "Aquarius and Pavo wouldn't want us weeping for them no more. They want us to finish what's been started. So Lucy, I implore you, pick yourself up, and keep going. For your friend."

Jackal finally had it. He used his Curse Power and generated an explosion that erupted against the rocks keeping him at bay. As pebbles and dust fell, the demon stood up, glaring at Lucy and Sophie. "Alright! Enough smack! It's time we finish this!" He reached out for Lucy and Sophie, encompassing them both in explosions. They were enveloped in a flashy display of fire and smoke, much to the demon's satisfaction.

As the smoke faded, however, he saw them both surrounded by a dome of water. "What?"

Lucy and Sophie looked around, surprised by the sphere around them.

"What? Water?" Lucy wondered. The water veil vanished, leaving her again confused. "Was that…?" Suddenly, her body began to give off a vibrant blue light. She looked down at her body, surprised, just as much as Sophie and Jackal.

"Lucy! Your body!" Sophie pointed out.

"The hell?!" Jackal exclaimed.

Lucy began to feel an enormous amount of power swell around her. Her hair shifted as her clothing began to shine. "My body…I can feel so much Magic Power…"

" **I have converted Aquarius's power onto you, old friend.** "

Lucy's eyes widened. _'_ _The Celestial Spirit King?!'_

" **Rise, young one. Rise, for the sake of your friends.** "

Lucy did as told. "I will!" She managed to rise to her knees, getting to Sophie's side with a new attire set. Giving her new powers, she adorned a bikini with a zigzag design. Frilled, dark sleeves adorned her forearms, secured above the elbows by ribbons. She sported a frilled miniskirt with a bow. Around her collarbone was the same insignia that was on Aquarius. Her hair was also in two pigtails.

" **My old friends, may the stars guide you.** " The king prayed.

"I will. Thank you, your majesty!" Lucy shouted to the skies. Her hold on the Zodiac Key tightened. _'_ _Aquarius, thanks to you too. For everything.'_

Sophie looked at Lucy with surprise. "Lucy?"

Lucy smiled at her friend, this being of sincerity. "Sophie, thank you. I'm sorry for making you worry so much." She said. "You were right. I can't cry. Not after what my spirits have done for me. It's time for us to give back! You with me?!"

Sophie could see the fire in her eyes, her smile returning and facing Jackal once again. "Right!"

Infuriated, Jackal screamed out to them. "WHAT THE HELL?!" He extended his arms forward, shifting them constantly. "Die! Die! Die! Both of you!" He made explosions flare all around Lucy and Sophie, making smoke and fire everywhere.

As the smoke dissipated, it revealed Lucy and Sophie standing inside another water barrier, one Lucy created herself. Jackal was at a loss for words.

Closing her eyes, Lucy took in a deep breath. Her body began to radiate a strong cosmic force. A cosmic blanket of hundreds of stars surrounded her as she began to chant. "Those stars far and wide that embody the Heavens. By thy radiance reveal thy form to me, oh Tetrabiblos, ruler of the stars. Let your unrestrained rage flow."

Sophie closed her eyes, her memories flowing in a big chain around her. _'_ _In memory of Pavo.'_ Remembering full well of the battle with Apus, and how she thought of Pavo's bravery, her eyes flashed open, hands reached out and her hair shifting with her Magic Power poured into a flaming, spring-colored energy that gave off a dazzling neon light. The energy was shaped into a peacock, all its feathers stretched out.

"With the 88 Heavenly bodies…" Lucy's eyes opened, the celestial bodies all heading after Jackal. "Shine! **Urano Metria!** "

" **Memory-Make: Peacock Bravery Soar!** "

The hundreds of celestial energy streams were launched with the large neon flaming peacock. The avian sailed after Jackal with the planetary constellations surround it, giving it a sparkling celestial glow as it cawed upon contact with a screaming Jackal. The attack made Jackal shoot into the air, screaming with agony as the neon flames and celestial entities ended him. The sky was encompassed in a lightshow of neon green and flashy streams, which showered down green and golden sparkles onto Lucy and Sophie alike.

As the dimensions and dazzling display ended, Jackal fell to the ground, crashing with a thud, defeated, and dead.

The mark on Lucy's collarbone began to fade, the mage's power officially depleted. She grew blurry, and fell over. Sophie was no different. The two blondes fell over, all their magic depleted and bodies drained.

Despite their conditions, the battle was won.

Torafuzar, far away, turned around at the unspeakable pressure change. "Jackal's Curse Power…it's gone."

"Well, well…" Silver acknowledged.

* * *

Back outside, the two kings were still interlocked with their battle, both not wasting their time dawdling with anymore speeches. Their points clear, they continued their merciless assaults on the other.

The Celestial King swung his blade, again missing Mard Geer, who dodged to have another carving embedded in his place. He looked up at the opposing king, eyebrow risen. "What's the matter? You look like you're sluggish."

The Celestial King gave no words to Mard Geer's comment, instead, he acknowledged the energy drain. _Lucy, my old friend. Have you and Sophie lost your strength? Then I must end this quickly!'_

"Time for you and humans alike to disappear!" Mard Geer swiped his arms, sending barrages of light manifested by his Curse Power towards the moustache king, but every strike was blocked by his longsword, which bunkered him thankfully. However, each barrage made him lose a few feet.

With one slash, he bounced off the attack, retaining space as he adjusted footing for his next attack. He positioned the sword in front, where it was held up towards the sky. Mard Geer watched with inquiry as he saw the clouds above swirl.

"What's this?" He stared in awe as the sky cleared away, revealing an enormous expanse of stars and space high within the confines. "What?!"

"Let the 88 Stars of the Heaven shine now! Starlight Dreams! **Galaxia Blade!** "

From the portal to the stars above, numerous glints shined vibrantly, almost to where it was a giant speck. The light grew brighter as it sailed through space, shooting downwards in a wide area, much to Mard Geer's bewilderment. "An omni-directional attack?!" He covered up as the light swallowed everything along the graveyard of Plutogrim, everything glowing with the might of stars.

From far away in the mountains, it looked like a sun.

As the light show went on, Mard Geer smirked. "Your summoner is nearby! You Want to kill her too?!" He pointed out.

As the light shined down onto the king, the moustache man gave a smirk.

Mard Geer's eyes widened. "Wait…you mean…?!" He looked down at the ruins of Plutogrim, the golden light shimmered through the ground, realization dawning upon him. "No!"

As the light shined on, it soon faded, where Gray was no longer trapped inside. "Gnnngh!" But his lower body was still wedged in the tissue. He yanked his body out, panting.

"What the hell is going on?" Gajeel grunted.

One by one, everyone began to come around, free from their imprisonment.

"Lisanna! Mira!"

"We're okay!"

"What happened?"

"Where's everybody else?"

Mard Geer's frown was evident. "You broke the Alegria curse." He exasperated.

The Celestial King was glowing a bright light, his body starting to grow translucent. "The darkness may have overpowered the stars once, but thanks to Nic and Pokémon, we spirits can now purify all darkness with the stars' heavenly embodiment." The king explained, his smirk still wide. "I leave it in my old friends to handle it from here on."

Mard Geer's eyes widened. "Damn you…"

"Nic; Pokémon; Lucy; Sophie; Cana…may we see the other soon." With that final remark, the king faded away, back to his realm, leaving the fight for Fairy Tail to accomplish.

"Celestial Spirit King!" Mard Geer angrily yelled out as he reached for the sky. The Underworld King was rendered hopeless as his rival faded away, and his surprise mounted as his fingers began to turn to stone. "So then…this is how it is…" He growled, but despite his body petrifying, he smirked. "You really believe that it'll end like this? I'll show you, this malice I share, it'll stain you spirits, along with the humans and those meddlesome Pokémon. They'll all be destroyed…before…me…" Mard Geer's voice trailed off as his body was fully petrified, rendered a statue with a dark, ambitious smirk.

* * *

Torafuzar entered the domain where he last sensed Jackal. He looked around, uneased with the distilled tension in the air. He looked left, and then right, slowly stepping forward. "What happened here?" He came across Jackal's corpse, his eyes widening at the sight. "Impossible. Were Jackal and Lamy really no match for those two girls?" The fish-man looked over his shoulder, unnerved with Lucy and Sophie still bodies lying on the stone. "Their power…it must be more powerful than we anticipated."

Sophie's head nudged, but all she could do otherwise was groan. "Lucy…"

"I can…stand…" The blonde responded.

Torafuzar's body tower over them both, his dark glare fixated on Lucy first. "I knew Jackal should've just finished them off." He raised his slash arm back. "So be it-!"

Before he could attack, something harsh and metallic rammed into his abdomen. The demon gagged aloud as he slid back from the blow, revealing it to resonate from Gajeel, surprising everyone.

Lucy opened an eye. "Gajeel." She smiled.

Torafuzar recovered from the impact and looked with shock. "How? I thought there was only 5 of you?"

"Huh?" Gajeel questioned. Unbeknownst to him, a black mist snaked its way behind, heading towards Gajeel to attack while his back was turned.

" **Water Nebula!** "

Juvia rushed out of nowhere, blindsiding the black mist with a cyclone of water that shot it away. The mist solidified, turning into Keyes as he stared down at Juvia.

"Juvia." Sophie muttered.

A hand stretched out, freezing the water solid. The culprit was a smirking Silver, who appeared. "You need to chill out."

The ice traveled down Juvia's cyclone, about to reach her. Suddenly, the air dropped again, a blue flash revealing ice staggering and blocking Silver's. Ice spikes clashed against the other, the force of both making Silver and the now-revealed Gray slid back.

"Gray." Lucy grinned.

"Silver's ice was cancelled?" Keyes asked in shock.

Silver smirked at Gray, the odd look he gave making Gray's eyes widen. _'_ _That face…'_

Jumping in from above, Tempester landed on a knee. He opened his mouth, firing a fireball that began to expand out towards the group. The flames engulfed everyone, but just as they were about to feel the heat, the demon's flames were rivaled with a slurping sound.

All eyes widened as the fire converged into a familiar mouth, all of the fire drawn into Natsu, who wiped his mouth. "Ah, now that's more like it."

Lucy smiled happily. "Natsu…"

The Dragon Slayer smirked. "I don't know what's going on, but I know you two saved our butts today. Nice one." Along with his smirk, Juvia and Gajeel leered the demons, all of them showing determination. "Alright, we got some badasses over here, and we got a full house to party with. Time for us to bring some punch."

"Count me in on that one." Gajeel sneered.

All demons and the four fairies gathered glared respectively at one another, their targets set and the battle to unfold. They all knew one side was to win and get out alive, but knowing that only made Natsu ignite his fists and ram them together with a smirk. "Alright! I'm all fired up now!"

* * *

 **Here's the newest chapter! So other than changing a few parts, most of it was canon, with the only alterations being Sophie added into the mix. With how I expand almost everything in detail, I crossed the 12K limit again, but it was bound to happen eventually in this arc, despite how well I did retaining under 12K per chapter.**

 **So I'm sure you all have controversies to Sophie at this point, but I had 2 reasons for making her part of this conflict. The first is mainly because I needed to give her the spotlight back. Ever since the sequel started, her major role shifted to a minor, which contradicts how well she performed in the prequel. So as compensation, I gave her a big moment. The second reason aligns with her and Celestial Spirits. She and Lucy have a lot alike, as both lost friends, which were Aquarius and Pavo. I wanted Sophie to convey her experience into this battle, as well as help Lucy back to her feet. Hope that justifies why I need to make Sophie get the attention she deserves.**

 **I know Nic nor his Pokémon didn't get much attention, but I at least had Sliggoo and Arbok have some more credit, at least for a short while. When I thought about it, Arbok participated in minor battles, exclude against Cubellios and against Mega Mewtwo. When you think that way, I need to rethink on getting him some more attention. I'll hopefully find room to give Arbok more major battles after the arc is over.**

 **Also, I changed a small scene last chapter. Nothing big, but I was pointed out that Vanessa was being a little op and taking too much of the Sayla confrontation. Thanks again for pointing that out! :)**

 **As always, comment, review, and thanks for reading another chapter!**


	50. Silver Memento

Demons and fairies squared off against one another, their glares set on the others and their destruction. Only one side was allowed to come out alive, and the other would emerge with either the rise or fall of the status of Face.

As they demons and everyone stared at the other, Silver's glare began to get to Gray. The icy mage looked. "You can't be…" He muttered.

Silver raised a brow.

"Huh?" Natsu looked at Silver, recognizing the demon. "Hey! That's the jerk who froze that Sun Village, and me!" He pointed at Silver to get the person right.

"That's sad." Gajeel pitied.

"Can it!"

The Iron Dragon Slayer turned away from Natsu, looking at Gray. "But now that you mention it, the guy sure smells a lot like you."

Juvia's eyes widened along with her flustered state. "Huh?! H-he has the same parfume as my darling Gray?!"

Gray glared at Silver and vice versa. Something about the older man's face left him unsound, and not in a good way. The ice mage didn't get to pinpoint it well enough to figure it out then and there, but aside from the face, something about him reminded him of someone long ago. Before he could ponder further, however, Silver abruptly lunged at Gray, streaming past Natsu and everyone in a cold stream like Quick Attack. He seized Gray, hauling him off in his hold.

"Gray!" Sophie yelled.

"What the?!" Gray was caught off guard by the hauling of Silver, and he couldn't break free, much to his own shock.

"I'm calling shots on this one. Hope no one minds." Silver blitzed off in a beam of light into the sky, disappearing with a cold chill rippling from his point of jump. No one knew where they went, but Juvia was most certainly not pleased.

"Gray!" Juva shrieked. She shuddered in place, her mind shriveling at the explicit things Silver could be doing to Gray. "The nerve of that man. I like Gray longer than he has." She snarled beneath her voice.

Keyes narrowed his eyes, glaring at Juvia with some level of interest. "Well, what a tale this will turn out to be."

* * *

Within the ruins that was the remnants of Cube and Plutogrim, all forms of rock and boulders were tarnished. As tissue was sprawled everywhere, the formations of rocks were shaped into bewildering shapes and sizes. And yet, there was one rock formation that looked to be a perfect sphere, if not looking like a Golem shell.

As the rumbling subsided, the earlier cataclysmic shockwaves have settled into the land. Inside the sphere, there was a weak hiss as something raised its head inside. It was a muffle from outside, but whatever was spoken made an all clear sign. The boulder suddenly fell apart, becoming leveled fragments that spread across the feet of Nic, Erza, Vanessa, Arbok, and Sliggoo. All five looked well, if not a little dirt that was easily brushed off.

On a knee, Nic looked back at Erza. "Erza, are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes. I'll be fine." She answered.

Nic turned to look at Vanessa, Sliggoo, and Arbok. "How is everyone?"

Sliggoo looked dazed from that landing. All that shaking and that previous crash shook her up pretty good. The Dragon-type looked tiredly at Nic. "I'm good…" She gurgled.

"I'm fine." Arbok answered.

Vanessa was on a knee as well, though unlike Nic, she was looking exhausted. It could've been all the crashing and sundering shockwaves they've felt, or the crash, but it was more of her previous battle with Sayla. That left her vulnerable. "I'm okay." She panted.

Everyone slowly arose from the gravel, managing to pull themselves together. They all managed to get to their feet; lower bodies in Sliggoo and Arbok's cases. Once they recuperated, they looked around to find everything to be a land of tissue in the sunset. The new terrain left many questions, but with little answers.

"What happened?" Vanessa asked.

"I'm not sure." Nic said. "But something brought down Tartaros' base. I can't say for certain, but…it felt…familiar." He couldn't explain it, just knowing that it felt familiar would be enough. He and Arbok were lucky to sense it before it struck Plutogrim. They could've mistaken the comet to be Rayquaza, but Nic dismissed that out of logic.

Erza looked at the alien land with a frown. "You believe everyone will be alright?"

"I hope so. That was a harsh crash we survived." Nic pointed out. He turned towards his Arbok. "Arbok, do you sense anything?"

Arbok lowered his head to the ground once again, his body picking up various vibrations and movement from afar. The Cobra Pokémon hissed once more before he raised his upper body and turned back towards the Trainer. "There'ssss a lot of activity around ussss. There'ssss a large essssalation sssomewhere." He answered.

"That must mean the others are here as well." Erza said.

"Arbok, can you pick up who is in the area?" Nic asked.

Vanessa stepped forward, intervening between him and his Poison-type. "Nic, I think you should leave this to me and Sliggoo." She insisted.

"Vanessa?" Nic inquired.

"Arbok's right, I can sense a lot of aura signatures in the area. I think everyone will be okay, but Sliggoo and I can go search for them. You and Erza should be more worried about this Face project. Please."

Nic was surprised by Vanessa's willingness to do the task, honestly Arbok can pinpoint exactly where everyone is, but Vanessa could too, plus she had Sliggoo for extra sensory. He turned towards Erza and they looked at each other knowingly. They knew Vanessa would be fine, after all, she did bring up a valid point on Face. As they would find answers, she would round up the cavalry.

Nic looked back to his sister, giving her a serious look. "Okay. Be careful. There's still enemies lingering around."

"We'll be careful. Promise." Vanessa walked closer to Nic, giving her brother an embrace. Nic embraced his younger sister back, holding onto hope in a difficult time. Even though they just got reunited, they had to do their jobs and pray they would make it out alive. Once the two siblings were satisfied, they pulled away, and Vanessa turned away and went off.

"Sliggoo, let's go!"

"Coming!" The Soft Tissue Pokémon scuttled as she followed her Trainer into the canyons that were Tartaros' base.

As Vanessa went her own way with Sliggoo, Nic turned back towards Erza and Arbok, the recourse set in stone. "Alright, let's find out what this Mard Geer knows about Face."

"Right." Erza nodded. Arbok followed as well.

"You're not going anywhere!" Another voice yelled from a distance.

All three turned towards the sound of the voice, their attention averted towards the flying dark galaxy that shot in their path. The disc flew at remarkable speeds, but as it sailed through the air, it was still was intercepted when Nic stomped on the ground, using his Stone Form's power to materialize a wall that went up like a mat, which met the galaxy disc. Both the wall and galaxy burst into nothing, cancelling the other out.

As the dust cleared and settled to the earth, standing on a mound from a higher viewpoint was Bellona, who had a hand to her hip. She gave a maniacal smirk as she glared down at Nic and Erza, her prey targeted. Seeing them on their guard made her all the more pleased.

"Bellona." Erza growled.

Dark galaxies spiraled in the rookie demon's claws. "You thought you could run from me?!" She sent them flying once again, the galaxies closing in on their targets. Same as before, Nic swiped his arm, making two arched stone walls arise from the earth in front. The spirals hit the arched stones, again, making a dust cloud that blanketed the space between them.

Bellona rushed through the dust cloud, appearing in front of her prey with a wide smirk. "Running away? Is that your best bet?!" She slashed her claws at Erza, but the knight used her two katana and crossed them, intercepting Bellona's attack. "Bow before your queen!"

As she pushed against Erza, Nic grabbed her ankle with a harsh hold. With a pivot, he threw Bellona, making the demon shout out as she sailed back. She caught herself and regained ground, sliding back on her heels as more dark galaxies were fired from both her arms again in rapid succession.

Nic spread his arms into wide arches. " **Wide Guard!** " A numerous amount of pink hexagons eroded from thin air, manifesting a wall that went far and wide, defending Erza and Arbok alongside Nic against Bellona's Nightmare Magic. The dark galaxies connected with the defense shield, dissipating like fire in a flash.

"Come on! Are you going to play defense all day?!" Bellona chided. "You won't take what will be my castle so easily if all you do is bunker in gravel like the pawns you really are!"

Nic held onto Wide Guard so long as Bellona assaulted them. The Nightmare Magic spell unleashed barrage after barrage, no end in sight as the premature demon woman was solemnly on offense. Eventually though, she had to tire out, and that's when they would make their move. However, Nic had a ways of thinking in various ways, even simplicity was something he could get by.

" **Rock Slide!** "

Above Bellona, the sky began to ripple, and space looked a little contorted as gray rocks slowly wedged out of the ripples. They dropped like flies, tumbling down onto the demon. Bellona was too engrossed in her assault that she didn't acknowledge the area darkening around her. Her assault subsided as she looked up, only to be hammered by the Rock-type assault, burying her under a cloud of dust and a loud shuddering sound.

As dust subsided, Nic's defensive play dissipated, and everyone uncovered to see a mound of rocks in Bellona's place. Erza was the first to show skepticism. "Did that manage?"

Nic remained silent. He looked towards his Arbok, who looked ahead with a harnessed glare. His tongue flicked in and out of his mouth, the air ripe with distaste.

"No…"

" **Goddess Bellow!** "

A great swell of Magic Power erupted outwards, becoming a purple explosion that expanded outwards like a dome. The Rock Slide reduced to smoldering rubble that went flying in all directions; the shockwaves from her counterattack creating tempests that made Nic, Erza, and Arbok cover up and slide back several feet.

Within the bright light of her attack, several black saucers could see seen expanding as they reached out for Nic, Erza, and Arbok. The dark galaxy spirals sped into them, closing in with the purple, goddess-like force as cover.

Nic had his hands stretched out. " **Rock Tomb!** " He was briefly outlined in white, where several gray rocks materialized over his head and moved in a ring formation. Swinging his arms, he sent the gray rocks at the dozens of galaxies Bellona fired. The two attacks met in the middle, creating another dark and dusty rupture that blinded the space between them.

Nic's eyes averted towards Erza, his senses on the rise. "On your left!"

Erza heard Nic and she immediately turned to see a dark galaxy spinning out of thin air. With a quick swing of her mighty blade, she slashed right through the galaxy. However, Bellona reappeared in front of Erza within the dissipation of the assault.

"What?" Erza gasped.

Bellona maliciously chuckled as dark galaxies spiraled in her hands. "Titania!"

Nic had to act fast. Before he maneuvered to attack, however, Arbok looked towards him, both sharing a look of equality. Nic and his cobra saw and read what the other thought. It was a risk that shook them up, but it could very well put Bellona off guard. Nic nodded in approval, and Arbok went lunging ahead.

"Fall into nightmares, Titania Erza!" Bellona reached for the redhead, drawing ever so closer to her goal.

Erza was running out of time. The distance between them was too small, and the saucer-like spirals were so close to her. She went wide-eyed as Bellona maliciously smiled wide as she drew near. However, a giant purple blur intercepted at the last millisecond, the side of Arbok's head struck by Bellona's dark galaxy at close range. The Poison-type's mouth was open and a hiss exerted outwards. The cobra fell over, much to Erza's complete surprise.

The gasping sound she made reverberated, and Bellona was in equal disarray. The demon was in peril as her strike was intercepted, and as she was still in shock, she was struck in the face by Erza's foot. The kick sent Bellona flying back, sliding against the ground.

The redhead looked down in shock at Arbok, who had his eyes shut. No damage, not one ounce, but he was asleep, inflicted by her Nightmare Magic. She turned towards Nic, who was looking as calm as could be. "Nic! Arbok…"

Nic looked unsound, but he didn't show it upfront. He took Erza's shock with mild disposition. "Don't worry. Arbok will be alright." He assured. _'_ _I hope.'_

Erza didn't understand what Nic meant by that, but she knew better than to doubt what he had Arbok do. She looked ahead, unsound as Bellona began to sit up. "Dam you." The demon woman cursed, wiping the blood off her lip. She arose to a knee, trying to stand. "You really are stupid, aren't you? You're pawns!"

Nic and Erza remained silent as Bellona continued her pointless berating.

"You can't use anything beneath you, because there is nothing beneath you to begin with! One pawn can't sacrifice another! Only the higher ups can do that! You're making a mockery of how this queen runs the board game!"

"You're the pawn in this game, Bellona." Nic countered.

Bellona's eyes widened in shock of Nic's retort.

"You may have eyes and ears, but you most certainly do not use them. You can't hear your own words, nor can you see what you've become. Your blind and deaf to the reality that you're in; your reality is nothing but an illusion that's been conducted by your own arrogance and ambition. You speak so highly of yourself, yet you can't hear the words running out of your mouth. Is your psyche truly that downgraded?"

"Shut up!" Bellona retorted.

"Nic's right, Bellona." Erza said. "You becoming a demon didn't solve anything. It only made you all the more oblivious to what humanity you had in you."

"Humanity? Humanity?!" Bellona rejected. "What humanity?! I am a demon-no! I'm the queen of demons now! I am a -!"

"A sore loser." Nic berated.

Bellona once again found herself exasperated within her own bewilderment.

"You heard me. You're scum. You were nothing but a sore loser who refuses to accept reality and defeat. Life isn't a game, and it most certainly doesn't belong on a metaphorical board. You can't pick and choose as you please. You're not a goddess."

As the interlocking confliction occurred, Bellona was completely unaware of the sleeping Arbok, which was giving off green waves around his body. The ripples went from his snout all the way to his nose. Nic took notice, but he retained his focus on Bellona.

The demon woman stammered back a step, her shock rising. "I…I'm not a loser! I never lose!"

"On the contrary. You lost in the Grand Magic Games." Erza reminded her. "You failed to do your part and Minerva even took you down in the Council War. You were even so arrogant as to take on our Pokémon. You took on all of us, just for what?" Her fists balled, her ferocity starting to ignite. "Bellona, just what are you fighting for?!"

Bellona was again at a loss for words. Her teeth gritted as she tried to find words, but nothing came to her at the moment.

"You can fight as much as you want, but it's a hollow victory if you don't fight for a cause! Pokémon battling is different because it brings others to understanding, as well as bring others to grow stronger together/1 So explain to us why you fight only for power and this 'throne' that you speak of?! Was it really that important that you could just give up your humanity?!" Nic argued.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Bellona put her hands over her ears to drown them out. She shut her eyes, blocking them off and drowning into her own reality. "I'm not a loser! I'm not! I sacrificed everything! I deserve a place where I stand above everyone!" She shouted more of her own declarative meaning, but Nic and Erza were unfazed by her rambling. Why was she so distressed about them getting to her? Why was she acting like this? Bellona wanted to deny everything that was said. She hated reality, that wasn't her life. She played to win, no matter what the cost. She would use as many people as she seemed fit to get herself in the right direction. Right and wrong was never her obsession, nor was it something she valued, but deep down, was she really satisfied with her hollow thoughts? Was she truly content with power alone? She hated being told what to do, and she rejected corrections by others; she used them as her pawns and messed with them, but was that justified to her? She never questioned herself this much before. What was she fighting for really? To prove something? What was she proving? She was strong? Independent? Selfish? The reality of the world was cruel, and despite illusions many dwell in they are satisfied with how their worlds – illusions – can make them feel comfort in spite of the reality they are always torn and sowed into. Bellona was looking to be distorted, she just needed another shove, and Nic pushed her in the direction she needed to go.

"We saw your father, Bellona."

* * *

Back where Mard Geer was petrified, there was a crack in the stone. The stone removed itself, coming apart like an eggshell over his one eye. The power he was seeping was too great to hold back, and the Underworld King was slowly freeing himself. _'_ _Face's true form has risen at last. Time to exterminate Nic Pularis.'_

* * *

Bellona's eyes widened in her shock. Even with ears plugged, those words rang through her trance. She unplugged her ears, staring at Nic in disarray. "You…what?"

Erza stepped forward. "We confronted your father. We've crossed paths not long ago." She frowned in the most somber manner. "The way I see it…you've become much like Fernando, but you're not."

Bellona was shuddering, her distraught levels on the rise. "What do you know about that man?" She growled. She rushed forward, diving straight into an attack. "Why should I care?!"

Nic narrowed his eyes. "Now, **Glare!** "

Bellona went to slash, but before she made it too far, her body went stiff. She fell paralyzed with yellow static around her body. Her shock surmounted to levels like never before. "What…" She found it troubling to move around. "Why can't I…?" She slowly moved her head towards what sounded to be hissing. She grew staggered as she saw Arbok slithered up and hunched over in an attacking position. He looked completely unfazed. "But how?! My Nightmare Magic! It should've…"

"If you thought sssomething assss foolish asss that wassss enough to keep me down, you're an even bigger fool than I thought you were." The Poison-type snobbishly retorted.

Bellona struggled to turn her head back towards Nic, looking at him in the eyes with distress set.

"Arbok's Ability is Shed Skin." Nic explained. "With Shed Skin, a Pokémon can heal itself of a status condition, ranging from frozen, to burns, paralysis, even sleep. You were so blind that you didn't realize your desperation led you to where you are now." He glowed, allowing himself to shift back into his normal self once again. He frowned with seriousness, but deep within his stare was pity. "Bellona, I pity you, from the bottom of my heart. I'm sorry for the person Fernando turned you into. That man who was a father was nothing more than a sociopath tyrant that craved control. His reality led to his own demise."

Bellona looked at Nic with gritting teeth. She refused to acknowledge him or what he was saying, but with how she was cornered and having no means of victory was rendering her to be ripped out of her world. Her reality of being a ruler and queen was of consequence, similar to what her father went through. She was conflicted, deep to where she didn't have the words.

"You were nothing more than a pawn to him. You and everyone else he knew was nothing but tools that he desired to manipulate to perceive victory. He was a perfectionist that closed off his world of gods. He was weak-hearted. That he tried to mold onto you it seems."

Nic brought his arm around. "Arbok."

The snake slowly curved his head and hood in a slow arch, heading in front of Bellona. The demon-in-question began to shudder as paralysis took her over, and she was about to accept defeat. _'_ _I'm a queen! I'm a queen. I'm a queen…I am, aren't I? Then why am I so…?'_

"Arbok, **Ice Fang!** " Nic shouted.

Arbok opened his mouth, where his teeth glowed blue and the front fangs elongated in ice. Four fang-like aura protrusions emerged, and Arbok recoiled his body briefly before slithering at high speed, hissing as he closed in on a flinching Bellona.

As Arbok rushed passed her in slow motion, Bellona's word went backwards in a flash. A time of strife entered her mind, a time where she felt more like a peasant than anything else. A princess to a throne, but didn't realize she was but a Wurmple to a Swellow.

 _"_ _Yes, just like that. Nothing else matters." A younger Fernando praised with a smile as his younger daughter Bellona had won yet another chess game without flaw. In an unknown sanctum in a prestige castle, many nobles were currently having many matches and activities, ranging from jousting to arrows, to even board games. And without question, Fernando and Bellona were taking the board games by storm. The father/daughter duo were unrivaled, and Fernando made sure Bellona was perfect._ _ **Perfect.**_ _His image of making her into a successor without fail was all but proven evident. The scientist was renowned for all his achievements and scientific discoveries, and he was showing off his prodigy to all who were his "subjects"._

 _"_ _Yes!" A little Bellona cheered. "99 wins!" The sky-blue hair she had was shoulder length, and she had a dark blue tank top. She proudly looked to her father, who adjusted his glasses._

 _"_ _Very good, Bellona, precisely as I have calculated." Fernando said. "Now, wrap this up with one more so we may return home, shall we?"_

 _"_ _Okay." So that Bellona did. She went up against another child around her age, a little boy who belonged with a lower-class family in the area. He had brow, dirty pants and a gray shirt, but despite his appearance, the town was remarkable with his ability to strategize. He pondered with the pieces in hand, and this was his first big time playing._

 _The match seemed even, and Bellona had the full control. She was knocking down pieces like he were a chump. Of course she deliberately sacrificed her own pieces just to corner his, which she took pride in. Fernando seemed bored…until the boy was down to his last few pieces, and shockingly, he still had a pawn left, a single pawn. Three knights and one bishop…yet in front of the king was a pawn._

 _Fernando sneered as he watched Bellona still have five pieces left, the king and queen still present. "This'll be over soon."_

 _Bellona moved her finger and placed it on the knight, moving it forward. "Hmph!" She chimed._

 _The boy took a big swallow and his heart raced. No matter what, he wouldn't give up. He saw something Bellona was oblivious to: an opening._

 _Fernando saw this, his eyes widening. "No…"_

 _The boy's pawn moved passed the knight in a matter of a few turns, and when Bellona thought she had it, the pawn reached the king, and the boy claimed the king._

 _"_ _Checkmate!" He declared._

 _Bellona stared in shock over her sudden loss. All the high-class families were impressed, clapping as the boy and his family were receiving generous praise. While they received vast jewels as a reward, the only one who was no expression was Fernando, who frowned and looked ahead at his daughter's defeat._

 _Bellona looked up at her father, unnerved. "D-daddy?"_

 _Fernando said nothing._

 _"_ _Da-!" Bellona was suddenly smacked out of her seat, shrieking as the force of the smack made the table topple over. She squealed as she fell on her side, and everyone had shock written on their faces._

 _Everyone watched the smacked girl slowly arise, but she looked dazed and wide-eyed as her skin turned pale at the sight of her father. A dark energy surged around him, his glare down onto her like some prison guard. "Bellona." He growled._

 _"_ _D-daddy?" She weakly chirped. The scientist kicked her in the chest, making her fall back to the ground with a harsh thud. Everyone around grew terrified as the father angrily had the dark aura around his body flare. Many guards around the place came around, but Fernando's Magic Power caught them off guard. No one was safe as dark spirals were gathering around his arms._

 _"_ _Is that magic?!"_

 _"_ _He looks pissed!"_

 _Fernando towered over the tearing Bellona, her look of distraught making him darken. "Wipe that stupid look off that face." He sneered. "Look at what you've done. You've disgraced me."_

 _"_ _Daddy…?"_

 _"_ _Silence!" Fernando roared, making Bellona flinch. His shadow loomed over her, scaring her to a shivering state. "You failed me. You failed! Failed! Look around you, and what do you see?" He gestured all around, to the people, and their attires. "You know what I see right now? PAWNS! These roaches are nothing put PAWNS that YOU lost to! Lost! You were a queen on the board! You were ruling them all…and then you let a PAWN take your throne!"_

 _"_ _Daddy!"_

 _"_ _No child of mine loses! What gives you the damn to call me that you have no right to?! If you really were my daughter, then you wouldn't have made that mistake! I didn't raise a pawn! You're now a waste on my board!" Fernando angrily turned and launched dark spirals at a noble old couple, hitting them and making them shriek before falling over, succumbing to his Nightmare Magic. "You're all pawns! Wasted space on my board!" He fired them everywhere, launching dark spirals that hit even the boy and the parents, the poor family succumbing to his Nightmare Magic._

 _"_ _Stop it! Daddy!" Bellona cried out in fear._

 _Fernando looked back at her, his glare making her tear up and shrivel in terror._

 _"_ _I never lost! I never made a mistake…" He aimed a galaxy spiral at Bellona. "And I never had a successor for what is my own greatness."_

 _The galaxy was launched at Bellona, the girl screaming and crying as her father rejected her and made her succumb to his Nightmare Magic. The only thing she had to remember him after she woke up by Dispel Magic, was the broken board and chess pieces sprawled in front of her. Her queen piece…was broken in half._

Bellona's side was struck, Arbok passing her in a purple blur. The demon woman felt time slow down and she felt the reality sink in. She saw the burning sunset sky, her body feeling sharp pain. The times when she fought Erza, took over Minerva, all of that reality sunk into her noggin in that one instant. _'_ _What have I done?'_ She fell backwards with a loud thud, Arbok turning around and hissing at his opponent's fall.

As Bellona laid on the ground, a grim silence fell between everyone. They all stared at Bellona, seeing as how she was unable to battle further. She faced the sky, yet her heart was sunk deep.

Arbok regrouped alongside Nic as he and Erza stood in front of the defeated demon, the two humans sharing a frown o seriousness for the former human.

"Bellona. You crossed a lot of lines." Erza said. "Back in the Grand Magic Games, you misused and abused Minerva. You tormented everyone as though they were pawns. You disgraced your own guild's name just for glory. Yet I could tell why."

Bellona had darkness over her eyes as she stared up at the burning skylight.

"You refused to ever be a pawn again. You were given a life that never gave you pleasure, and that cost you everything that your father took from you. You've been in a meaningless circle with no way out. This game that you play to win…" Erza shook her head slowly, pitying Bellona's selfish resolve. "It wasn't a game at all. It was you moving yourself without direction; a lost way you've taken."

As everyone stared at Bellona, they watched her body slowly slump forward. Being able to move startled them, especially with Arbok's Glare, but as she hunched forward, she despondently grinned. "Hm…you've always been the pushy one between you and Nic, haven't you?" She weakly said. She continued to grin as she looked away. "Guess so…so please, just kill me and get it over with."

Nic and Erza were taken back by Bellona's request, but nevertheless they heard her out.

"You were right all along. I have been a pawn my whole life. I've always been taught to mistake life as some game that you got to win, no matter what the cost. I sacrificed everything I had, and even so…I've still been thieved by my father." Her eyes grew soft as she recalled the bittersweet abandonment of her father after that one single mistake. "I was promised so much…and then I messed up. I was granted the potential, but that throne my father spoke of, it was never going to be mine. I've been chasing after an illusion all this time, that I've been my own pawn." Her eyes closed, seeing how much darkness she's taken in that became her. She's never felt so much guilt before that her own little reality shattered; the illusion that Fernando molded her crumbling to ruins. All these metaphors of pieces, queens, pawns, they all hit her like a ton of bricks. "I can't go on like this. I've lost my way, and I don't know what to do anymore…please, but put me out of my misery."

Nic and Erza weren't so lenient on the prospect on ending her life, but they most certainly sympathized with her feelings. She was lost, confused, and now that she's faced reality and her world of queens and games over, it was like all purpose she had was gone.

Nic lowered his head to look at her. "Bellona."

The demon looked up at him with a look of a lost child.

"You may have lost your way, but you're nothing like your father. You finally faced reality for the first time. Surely, I know you'll find your meaning."

Bellona looked at Nic with astound shock. Even after the pain she put Nic and Erza through, after the misery she's inflicted, she was still given some sign of warmth in the cold world of subjugation she was taught. How were they able to forgive the treachery she's committed? What did they do to be so strong?

Erza felt something off for a moment. She was soon succeeded by Arbok, and then Nic afterwards. They all felt a very dark force nearby, and it was making their nerves crawl.

"Well, isn't this typical of humans." A voice announced from behind. "Speaking so fondly of life and death. What malice you all perceive."

Everyone slowly glanced back, their surprise surmounting at the sight of the arrival of Mard Geer. The look of shock Erza had amused Mard Geer, but the Underworld King felt cheated as he looked at the calm expressions on Nic and his Arbok.

"Who are you?!" Erza exasperated.

Mard Geer continued to grin. "I thought you would be smart enough by now to know who I am, exactly."

Nic opposed Mard Geer, focus set onto him. "I take it that you're the Underworld King. Mard Geer."

Mard Geer's eyes narrowed. "Indeed. And you are Nic Pularis." He replied. "I understand that you're not unnerved by my presence, are you not?" He was hoping for Nic to at least feel some form of pressure overwhelming him, but much to the Underworld King's dismay, he couldn't detect the slightest hint of hesitation from the one agenda that must be dealt with.

"I'd be a bold-faced liar if I said yes to the likes of you." Nic countered.

Arbok hissed by his side, his tongue snapping at the enemy.

"My, my, you have quite the fierce gaze in those eyes. I understand that you have quite the reputation, yet you do falter from being in front of the Underworld King?" Mard Geer questioned. "Whether I perceive you as arrogant or self-aware matters not. I am fully perceptive of your threat and the power you wield to slay the eternal darkness and the most lethal force on the face of this continent."

Erza narrowed her eyes. _'_ _Is he talking about Lysandre and God Serena?'_ She looked towards Nic for any signs of unnerved, but as expected, shockingly, Nic wasn't budged. It was like sensing Mard Geer's power was child's play to the likes of him. She couldn't blame him though, Mard Geer's power doesn't come that close to God Serena, and it most certainly didn't match up to Lysandre.

Mard Geer's two fingers pointed at Nic, gathering light from his Curse Power. "No more of your meddling. Time for a so-called human to understand us demons and our superiority." He didn't hesitate for a second as a spiral of light went after solemnly Nic.

"Look out!" Bellona shouted.

"Nic!" Erza warned in distress.

As the bright light closed in, Nic's eyes narrowed as he and Arbok withstood their own ground, watching the attack roll in.

" **Territory!** "

All of a sudden, Mard Geer found himself seeing light coming after him, rather than away. He went wide-eyed as the heat from his own attack closed in, engulfing him in a powerful explosion of bright white. Shockwaves ravaged the landscape, making winds flare. As winds dialed within the space Mard Geer was in, Nic, Erza, Arbok, and Bellona all miraculously teleported to the opposite side, more accurately, where Mard Geer was. They looked on with shock as winds passed by them, shifting through their skin and/or clothing.

"What was that?" Erza asked.

Nic's eyes remained wide. _'_ _Wait, I didn't do this. Did I?'_ His shock surmounted once more. _'_ _Wait, this magic-!'_

"Our apologies for being so abrupt." A feminine smile was seen.

"What milady said. We still got here in time." A figure with yellow hair stood tall.

"Pardon our late arrival." A man in a kimono apologized.

Everyone turned around, the group pleasantly surprised with the arrival of some unexpected friends in the area. The arrival of Sabertooth perplexed them to no end, as Sting, Rogue, and Minerva were all present and accounted.

"Yo, guys! How've you been?" Lector cheered.

"Sting? Rogue. Minerva." Erza gasped.

The dust cleared out, revealing Mard Geer standing tall after his attack backfired. He frowned as the winds shifted his unkempt hair. He glared at the reformed group, dusting off his shoulder in the process. "Well, well, uninvited cockroaches?" He muttered.

"Sorry for the late show-up." Sting apologized/

"Indeed. Forgive our intrusion." Rogue insisted.

Minerva mustered a grin. "It seems we have ourselves a net to untangle, yes?" Her eyes averted over towards a bewildered Bellona, who was still staring up at her with shock and overwhelming surprise. Minerva could see the heinous look in her eyes was gone, but her personal issue with Bellona was to be on hold…for now at least.

"It's been quite the long time, hasn't it, Bellona?" The Territory Mage asked.

"Minerva." Bellona muttered.

"You seem to be in quite bad shape there. It seems you had a little pick-me-up from our friends here?"

Despite the neutrality in Minerva's tone, Bellona could see Minerva didn't come to intentionally hurt her. She was already banged up. The Nightmare Mage found solace with a weak grin. "Yes, I am out of shape, aren't I?" She joked.

"Yay~! The gang's all here!" Frosch jumped into the air with glee, but the Exceed was wearing something peculiar, much to everyone's chagrin – dismay on Rogue's part. He adorned the Greninja suit Yukino help made for him, as well as the cardboard shuriken taped to the back.

Frosch looked up to Arbok, seeing the snake look at him with a snobbish expression. Oblivious, Frosch raised a salute. "Hi~."

Arbok turned to Rogue for answers. "Why issss that cat wearing that?" He questioned.

The air around Rogue went stale as he tried to bear his pride wide open. He remained clam, despite the uneasiness hidden behind his face. "It's…a long story." He nervously said. Of course Sting and Minerva despondently looked at him with shaking sighs.

"But I don't understand. Why are you here?" Erza asked, getting everyone back on topic.

"Yes, how did you even get here anyway?" Nic added.

Sting and everyone caught the notion and averted their focus back to the task at hand. The Sabertooth allies faced them, with Sting taking the ropes. "It was that letter Erza sent." The Master answered.

Looking at Erza, Nic could see Erza bewildered like he was. It was true, she did send a letter before the Impure Underworld incident about their last scene with Bellona. They could've done so sooner, unfortunately Nic's birthday and holidays just happened to strike themselves up.

"Oh, yes. I've forgotten." She admitted.

"Uh, yeah, about that…" Lector chimed, though his tone made him a little uneased, if not questionable. "About your letter…it was kind of…how should I say this? Uh…"

"Crap." Frosch said.

Erza's face grew embarrassed and offended by the remark.

"Right. Well yeah, it was weird. It was like a sociopath was writing it, and I mean an _insane_ one at that. We barely had breakdowns because of it." Lector said.

"Yukino tried to read it, but she passed out." Frosch chimed.

"It was the most difficult thing we have ever deciphered. Milady here almost mistook it for a threat letter. Only Rufus managed to understand, but even he was exasperated." Rogue stated.

At the notion of how terrible the penmanship was, Minerva crossed her arms and nervously sweat dropped behind the Shadow Dragon Slayer.

Erza's face was fuming red with embarrassment at the remarks of her handwriting. She was shuddering even. "I-I'm sorry…" She muttered.

Nic nervously scratched the side of his head at Erza's downside. He never brought up Erza's handwriting, mainly due to the fact that even he had no idea what was being said. Of the two, Nic's penmanship was fine. He could even do cursive. Being an artist as a hobby has its perks.

"As amusing as this all is, I'm afraid you have your agendas a little confused." The interjection was by none other than Mard Geer, whose smirk had returned. "Aren't you forgetting about your goal of stopping us from Face rather than comment on calligraphy?"

Erza, having recovered from her embarrassment, faced Mard Geer. "We already stopped Face." She said.

"Ah yes, it is true you stopped _one_ Face." Mard Geer said.

Nic's eyes widened. "What?"

Sting looked at Mard Geer with a frown. "Now that you mention it, we saw a bunch of large white statues all around. They had these strange, freaky faces on them." He informed.

"If that's the case, then there's far too many to count." Rogue said.

"It can't be…" Erza gasped.

Mard Geer sneered at the shocked expressions on their faces. "Yes, it's true. In one hour, all 3,000 Faces will detonate. The world shall be plunged into ruin at last."

Erza and Nic stared with equal horror. They haven't felt this much gravity since they learned of what the Impure Underworld could do, which brings the dead to life. They had no words to detail their exasperation. Sting, Rogue, even Minerva were exasperating at the possibility of magic gone forever. Arbok hissed in hostility.

"If all those Face things really do go off, then we'll be in huge trouble." Lector acknowledged.

"You mean Frosch won't be able to fly?" Frosch worried.

"This is worse than what we've imagined." Minerva figured. "But even so, this sounds too good to be real."

Bellona looked to the side, her shock not present. Rather, she looked amused. "Pff, that a farce." She huffed in her exhausted state. "You couldn't activate it remotely nor on site, so what in the hell makes you think it'll work this time?"

The Underworld King smiled at the traitor with reasonable expressions. "On the contrary. We of Tartaros possess a necromancer amongst our ranks. As we speak, he's using the late chairman to fully function Face as of this moment."

"Wait." Nic caught whim of what Mard Geer said. "Late chairman? Does that mean…?"

"He's dead." Bellona bluntly admitted.

Erza turned towards her with a gasp.

"Yes, but even though I prefer to overlook humans, I find his talents remarkable. Thanks to him, Fcae will go off in one hour." Mard Geer noted.

Nic glared at Mard Geer with a vile venom in his eyes, clearly showing no signs of satisfaction behind the demon's handiwork. "You killed a double-crosser, and now you use his corpse. Disgraceful." He scowled.

"That is but a lowly human's opinion."

Minerva lowered her head, eyes still fixated on Mard Geer. "If so, then I'm afraid we haven't the time to waste. We have one hour."

Sting slammed his fist into his palm. He pushed and cracked his knuckles. "Alright guys, you all go on ahead. We'll pick up the trash right here." He insisted.

"No time to waste. We need to get moving." Rogue said.

Mard Geer raised a brow at the suggestion that the Twin Dragons proposed to their allies. Clearly he seemed to think otherwise. "Really now? You against the Underworld King? What I find to be insidiously foolish."

Sting and Rogue tensed up at his immense pressure.

"As much as I find you humans to be so entertaining at times, I am afraid I have one nuisance I personally must dispose of." The Underworld King's eyes moved to glance over towards Nic and his Arbok. When they met him, his dark eyes narrowed. "You."

Nic and Arbok glared at Mard Geer in return.

Mard Geer extended a palm out, gathering Curse Power. "As the Underworld King, I must rid of you from thwarting my plans!" Without a second warning, Mard Geer made the ground shudder as another blast of bright light went streaming after Nic. As the attack rolled in, it roared like thunder as it blazed across the decimated battlefield, yet as the bright light closed in, everyone saw that Nic and Arbok didn't move.

"Nic!" Minerva moved to use her Territory Magic once more, but a weak grip caught her by surprise. Feeling her wrist held, the mage looked down with surprise to see Bellona keeping her from interfering. Minerva stared with surprise.

"I think you shouldn't interfere this time." Bellona weakly grinned. "Let's see what he does."

Minerva relented and looked back to see the voluminous light beam close in onto them.

As the beam of light drew itself towards its target, Nic extended his arm out. "Arbok, **Gunk Shot!** " He commanded.

The Poison-type hissed as he began to draw in a great swell of prowess. Silver light converged and enlarged to become a big black garbage bag outline in a dense, venomous, purple aura. When charged, Arbok reeled his hood and head back and then lurched forward. A ripple of ripple exerted, making ground depress slightly around him as the garbage back was launched with such force, making it become a poisonous purple comet that soared at high velocity. The attack shot through the beam of light, even reaching Mard Geer, much to the demon's surprise. At the last second, however, Mard Geer sidestepped, allowing Gunk Shot to pass by him, winds shifting his hair.

He smirked. "Please, is that all you got?"

Nic remained unmoved.

Mard Geer looked unnerved by Nic looking unfazed. As Gunk Shot passed by, it hit the area behind Mard Geer. A flash of purple erupted, before a dome of black and purple exploded everywhere. A huge wave of purple poison erupted, making the earth crack up at Mard Geer and everyone's feet. The winds were burning, yet they didn't deter the purple garbage that exploded out of the poisonous shockwaves. Mard Geer went wide-eyed as purple trash feel everywhere like meteors, several of which soared at remarkable speeds into him. Upon impact, a multitude of purple explosions engulfed him. The demon screamed out in a harsh gag as he went blazing off into the ground in a harsh slide, meters upon meters away, until smashing into a rock, making it shatter to pieces, burying him.

The purple waves subsided, leaving the purple explosion and garbage to dissipate into thin air, the huge crater in the distance and cracked ground proof of Arbok's insidious strength,

"Whoa." Sting was unnerved by Arbok's raw strength. He knew Arbok was strong from that battle in Crocus, but he didn't think he'd be stronger. If that were possible.

"Awesome!" Lector cheered. "Big scary snake 1, Underworld King 0!"

"Yay!" Frosch cheered.

Nic balled his fists as the dust began to settle. He wasn't in the mood to celebrate. "We need to hurry, now!" He pulled out Arbok's Poke Ball. "Arbok, thank you for the assist! Return!"

"Asss you wish." Arbok obediently hissed as he lightly coiled up before retreating back to his Poke Ball.

As Arbok was put away, Nic pulled out another Poke Ball instead. "Go, Garchomp!" Out instead, the Poke Ball popped open Nic's Garchomp, who was in midair. The Mach Pokémon stretched his claws and fins out, raising his head and opening his mouth for a loud roar. Air waves ripples and many in the area could feel another pressure spike, as well as the roar that could shatter the earth beneath.

Nic jumped up, catching himself on Garchomp's back. He looked down at everyone from above, ready to take off. "Sting! Rogue! You guys be careful!" He yelled.

"Got it!" Sting yelled back.

"Erza! Minerva! Take Bellona and the rest with you! We'll go and try to physically stop the Faces if possible!"

Erza narrowed her eyes. "…then be careful." She smiled. "And be sure to come back."

Nic smiled back, nodding at his girlfriend's plea. "I will." He looked down at Garchomp. "Garchomp."

"Let's go dismember some statues." The Mach Pokémon stretched out for a split second before he went shooting upwards. As he left at high speeds, an air ripple horizontally expanded, showing the force of his lunge upwards. If any windows were in the ripple's range, they would've shattered, but rocks caved in instead.

Garchomp and Nic sailed off, leaving Erza and Minerva to pick up and support Bellona. The Exceeds followed them, leaving Sting and Rogue to dart after Mard Geer by themselves.

"Let's pick up where Nic left off!" Sting insisted.

"Right!" Rogue charged.

Mard Geer emerged from the rubble, albeit with slight discomfort. He grunted as his body sustained damage, much to his displeasure. Miraculously, he still held the book, guarding it with his life. He looked up at the sky, seeing Nic on his Dragon and Ground-type fade from view.

"Damn you, Nic Pularis." He snarled. He winced again. "I should've suspected you to have something up those wretched sleeves of yours." While he did feel some backlash against Arbok's Gunk Shot, he was thankful to not have been defeated. Unnerved and shaken up. It startled him how that one Gunk Shot shook him up and made him feel pain. "Clearly I've underestimated even your own Pokémon's strength. Well…" He saw the Twin Dragons lunge at him, his frown returning to a smirk. "I suppose I can make this work."

* * *

" **Ice-Make: Vambrace!** "

A sculpture of ice surged around Gray's arm, in which he used as a catapult to swing the steel ball in hand. The steel sphere shot with intense velocity and power, driving itself dead into Silver. The Ice Devil Slayer couldn't keep track as the ball met him with destructive force. A hole went right through his chest, time slowing down as blood spilled from his gaping mouth. The ball smashed into the stone wall behind him, making a large dent within the icy coat.

Silver's gawking expression slowly turned into a smile as he fell backwards, thudding against the ground in defeat.

Gray panted as he looked at the defeated Silver, ice fading from his arm. He was cut and damaged from all the ice he was bombarded with. Nevertheless, the trauma with the so-called "Deliora" was now out of his system.

Silver's eyes narrowed as he was immobile. "Not bad." He praised weakly. "Not bad at all."

Gray was out of breath. All his Magic Power was depleted, and the revelation sank in as he heaved. "Shut up."

Silver closed his mouth and moved his eyes to look at Gray shuddering, much to his surprise.

"Did you really think I wouldn't catch on? Was that much of an idiot to you?" Gray berated. His fists balled, his frustration growing. Throughout the battle, he caught on, and he couldn't believe it. He looked at Silver lying on the icy platform, his eyes burning with anger.

"You're not Deliora…you're my Dad, aren't you?"

Silver laid on the ground, his eyes narrowing at the accusation thrown at him. He was battered and defeated, and yet he still refused to go down having Gray knowing the truth. "Just finish me already."

"Answer me!" Gray snapped.

Silver went silent.

"You're my Dad. I know you are! So what the hell are you doing here?!"

There was a strong silence between the two men, as silent as night. The tension in the air could rival the shivering of a Sheer Cold. A long, grim silence fell into the casting breeze. If Pokémon were in the world, there'd be a Murkrow overhead. It was time for Silver to give it in. His eyes softened as he let it out.

"Yeah, it's true." He admitted. "I was your old man, at one time at least."

Gray's eyes widened, the truth finally out for him to hear.

"But…now I'm not even human, nor can I be called a demon. The truth is…" Silver took a pause. "…I'm a corpse. I'm a living, breathing corpse, for 17 years. I've been dead a long time, kiddo."

Once again, the revelation hit Gray like a Brick Break to his ice.

"That bag bones with the staff, he's the necromancer. He who has the power to use the dead, and I was subjugated to be one of his experiments."

The gravity of the situation kept hitting Gray hard. One sentence after another, he could barely make sense of what his father explains. "Experiments…?"

"Keyes' aim was to figure out how closely he can make a corpse resemble that of a human being. I was just one – among the several hundred – in his experiments. I've lived for this long, or to be accurate, existed." Silver's look began to sharpen as he began to grow anxious of recalling the necromancer that's been keeping him alive all this time. "All I ever wanted was to get revenge, to slay the demons that took the most precious thing away from me…my family." Silver didn't bother looking at Gray's continuing shock as he pressed on. "Ever since I became amongst Tartaros' ranks, I've been slaying demons behind their backs. I've even managed to keep the secrecy going in thwarting a few plans and keep my cover low. I'm sorry about Sun Village, that was my mistake." He coughed weakly, his breathing stopping for a moment. "Anyways, I managed to keep my guise and I climbed through the ranks. Eventually I would want to get started on the demons of Tartaros…" He frowned. "But then…"

He thought to a time when he appeared as a normal man in disguise. Hidden amongst the crowd during the Grand Magic Games, he watched with shock and horror as he witnessed Gray on the lacrima-vision, him and Sophie successfully defeating Chelia and Lyon. As Gray smiled, a tear began to shed from his eyes,

"I learned that you were alive all this time. That's…that's when I realized…" he looked at his hands as he hung them in the air. His quivering voice rang as his gloved hands trembled. "I've been doing all this for a lost cause." He snapped. "My hands were stained in blood that I can't wash away! I wasn't deserving of revenge!"

Gray looked at his father with his shock beginning to settle. Even so, to realize he was "alive" and been watching him left his startled. Tartaros did this, and what they did was just torment his father with false hopes and despair. "…so that's why you wanted to die." He surmised.

Silver began to sit up. "I'm already dead. I'm just a meaningless corpse." He looked down at his boots as he sat up cross-legged. He frowned in sadness. "Please, just put me out of my misery already."

"Stop spilling crap!" Gray instantly denied. "That isn't for you to decide! Why'd you make me go through all of that-?!" Gray's eyes widened, the next realization hitting him like a critical hit Stone Edge. _'_ _Wait…that was…'_ When he thought back to it, the guise as "Deliora" was effective in getting his psyche to move forward, to slay the demon that tormented Gray all these years. _'_ _My old man…he did that to help me move on?'_

"It's gonna be okay." Silver whimpered. "You don't owe me anything." He mournfully grinned as he looked at his boots. He couldn't look at Gray in the eye, not after what he said and did. "I said some terrible things to you. Those words I can never take back. I'm sorry." His eyes softened. "You're better off forgetting about me…your old man died a long time ago."

Gray's fists clutched tightly. He was feeling many things right now, anger and guilt for the most part, but most certainly pity. His lips quivered as shadows were over his eyes. "How can I? You expect me to kill my own Dad?"

"No…" Something dripped within the dwindling sunlight in the background. Sprinkles of liquid left the eyes of Silver as he raised his head. He gritted his teeth, tears weakly pouring. "I'm no father. I hurt my kid. I'm nothing more than a monster."

"That wasn't you!"

"I'm done talking! Pease…just finish me."

Gray looked away from his father who was in shame. The mage understood his pain, but it wasn't seen from his overshadowed gaze. He reached his arm out, using his magic to manifest a sword made of solid ice. He slowly walked closer to Silver, his steps engraved into the ice itself. He stood in front of his father, both unwilling to look each other in the eye.

"This is what you want?"

Silver smiled meekly and nodded. "Please…I just want to be with Mika."

Gray held the sword, the shimmering of the sunset brightening the blade. He didn't move his position, not for an instant.

"I said do it!" Silver snapped. "I am your enemy! I killed those councilmen too! I helped make Face, and that's makes me a threat!"

Gray continued to show no response. He slowly raised the blade. "Yeah…" The blade's tip made it over his head. "Even if you are my blood…" He thought back to Laxus for a brief moment, and how he was expelled before, even though Makarov was his grandfather. "Even if you're family! We still see you as a threat! That's how we protect our guild!"

"That's exactly how you should live." Silver said.

"I know…" Another shimmering splash of water dripped from above. The setting sun set the droplets of tears on fire. Gray raised his head, teeth gritting as his body violently shuddered. "BUT I CAN'T BRING MYSELF TO KILL YOU, DAD!" He cried out, tears pouring down his face like waterfalls. All his emotions just couldn't stay in. They flowed out, and he just couldn't bring himself to kill his pained father. The sword dissipated, and Gray wiped the tears from his eyes.

Silver looked at his son, tears starting to drip down once again.

"I just can't…I just can't…" Gray whimpered.

"You really are a good person, aren't you." Despite his mortal injury, Silver managed to get up on his two feet. He stood before his son, smiling as he ever so tenderly walked up and hugged him. Despite their magic, they were warm. If fate was messing with him, he wouldn't care. He'll take what he can get. It's been so long since he's felt his son's embrace. "No matter what, this body of mine isn't gonna hold out much longer." He mournfully informed.

"Dad." Gray had tears roll down his face onto his father's back. "I missed you so much."

"Yeah…I missed you too, son." Silver's embrace tightened, praying to not let go. "I know your mother is so proud. Proud of the man you've become. You're…our pride and joy."

Gray held onto his Dad, crying weakly for as long as they were reunited.

* * *

Juvia was on her hands and knees, currently in the midst of battle against Keyes. The demon's proven to be more gruesome than what she anticipated. Their body properties are very much alike, that made the battle prolong to where the rain woman was exhausted. As she got back up for another round, she began to deter.

" **Hey, girl.** " A voice into her head.

To the rain woman's surprise, the voice sounded familiar, as it was Silver. " **Huh?** "

" **Just checking here…you're Gray's girlfriend, right?** "

The inquiry made time screech to a halt around Juvia. Her eyes widened at the question, and she could've sworn she heard wedding bells. Her face turned bright red, steam puffing out briefly as she looked dazed in glee. This of course didn't go unseen by Keyes, who raised a brow at her own stupor.

" **U-uh…th-that's way too complicated!** " She denied. " **Wait, is this…his father?** "

" **Yeah. Listen, I haven't got a lot of time to explain this, so I need you to pay attention. You see that decrepit skeleton ahead of you?** " Juvia's attention cascaded towards Keyes, his dark aura flaring around him with intense power.

" **Yes.** "

" **His name is Keyes. He's the necromancer amongst the Nine Demon Gates. He's using the chairman's corpse to activate all 3,000 Faces to detonate simultaneously.** "

" **3,000?!** "

" **Yeah, it ain't pretty. But that doesn't mean he can't be reasonable. Keyes is by far the weakest amongst the Nine Demon Gates. If you can defeat him, the chairman will cease moving, and those Faces won't go off.** "

Juvia was aware of the plan, but Keyes' story about Gray bewildered her. When the realization dawned upon her that Silver was but an experiment by Keyes as well, reality made her petrified. " **But sir, if I kill him…won't that kill you to?** "

" **…** **so you figured that out too.** " Silver acknowledged. " **Yeah. But no matter what, it's gotta be done. Just do it…for the sake of Gray.** "

Juvia was lost. She couldn't possibly do what was told, could she? It was unfathomable to have Gray separated from his own father, and after so long. He was family, and if she destroyed Keyes, that meant she'd be killing the man that was Gray's father, someone who he missed so much. She would never forgive herself.

Before she could think further about the consequences, a dark lash by Keyes went after her. She snapped back to reality and maneuver out of the ay, but the attack grazed her arm, making her wince in pain.

"Your focus is so deluded." Keyes scolded her.

Juvia slid her foot back and gritted her teeth. " **Sir? Can you hear me?** " She got no response. She slipped past another one of Keyes' misty streams and darted right for him. _'_ _I can't hear him anymore. I don't have much a choice here, do I?'_ Though she struggled to admit it, she knew what had to be done. _'_ _I have to! For Gray!'_

"Hmph!" Blasted Juvia again, this time as she dodged, his attack managed to throw her off balance for a moment.

"Juvia!" Sophie yelled.

"I have been well aware of Silver's acts of conspiracy against us." Keyes' revised explanation once again threw Juvia for a loop. "The sole reason he mastered Ice Devil Slayer Magic was to destroy us, one after the other. Even now, that gift for revenge benefited us. His anger and revenge was what allowed him as my test subject to prolong his life." The skeleton managed a stitched smirk. "Fascinating if I do say so myself. A masterpiece of a puppet."

Juvia's anger was on the rise. "You're a monster." She glared.

"Father and son, one dead and one alive…will tear the other apart…" His stitched mouth began to open weakly, revealing black. "Such a story befitting you. You would make for a fine corpse at my disposal."

"Humans aren't puppets! We have emotions as well, and beating hearts!"

"You are research tools, my dear. Nothing but research."

Juvia's patience was out. With water cycling around her forearm, she angrily glared at Keyes to attack. "Humans aren't born to do as you please!" She unleashed a whip of water that went blazing after Keyes, but the skeleton's body became mist and swerved in a spiral, dodging overhead,

"No matter what you struggle to do…" His hollow eyes narrowed as he was upside down in his speech. "Shall you perish, and I use your corpse to destroy what you have treasured."

"I won't let that happen!" Juvia went to move her arm again, but for some reason, she couldn't. Something was grabbing her. Something coiling around her that was damp and cold. When she turned, she saw that it was a black tentacle that came from the center of Keyes' body.

Her eyes widened. "What-?!" She found herself tangled by many tentacles that coiled her feet up. Then around her chest; her neck; her other arm; her body was immobile, and Keyes towered over her with a misty presence.

"Then destroy me. That is if you can live with the guilt of destroying Silver as well." Keyes taunted.

"Juvia!" Lucy was able to get to her knees, but something bony reached for her from behind, suppressing her to the ground. "Gah!"

"Lucy-!" Sophie was suppressed as well. Both mages opened their eyes, seeing cloaked skeletons over them. The skeletons moved at their own accord, pinning them down to keep them from interfering.

"Lucy! Sophie!" Natsu shouted. He momentarily forgot his battle with Tempester, earning him a kick to the face that made him fall over.

Torafuzar used his arm to defend against Gajeel's fist, holding him at a standoff. "This section we are in is the City of the Dead. To Keyes, this is his domain, an arsenal."

"Damnit!" Gajeel was feeling the force overwhelm him, getting him to jump back.

Keyes overlooked the struggling Juvia, looking sadistically at his victim. "Can you do it? Destroy me, and you too shall end the boy's father!"

Juvia struggled to move. The misty tentacles laced around her body began to multiple, the Magical Barrier Particles in Keyes' body eroding and making her struggle.

"Severe the bond of father and son."

Juvia's teeth gritted, finally having tears spill out of her eyes. She knew the consequences, and yet she just couldn't bring sadness to Gray again, not after what she's been told. "…I can't!"

"You humans are so full of foolishness." Keyes' mouth slowly widened yet again. His decrepit mouth salivated as teeth were seen, proving it was no mask at all. The darkness around him intensified. "Human nature itself is but foolishness."

"No!" Natsu shouted.

The tentacles and mist began engulfing Juvia, her figure disappearing as the hemisphere around her solidified. "You all trade in your logic for heart. And you call me disgusting, what pitiful irony. You just want to fuel your own ego."

The hemisphere enveloping Juvia expanded and contracted in a number of seconds; not a single muffle could see heard from within. The rain woman was nowhere inside, and Keyes' menacing smirk widened as the hemisphere of mist vanished, revealing nothing but purple dust to take Juvia's place.

Everyone watching went wide-eyed in sheer disbelief. The emotional woman of Fairy Tail, who had a big heart, and Gray…was taken from them, right before their eyes. Natsu, Gajeel, and Lucy all lost their breaths, startled as Juvia's hat plopped in her place.

"Pitiful. One down."

"…" Lucy was getting tears in the corners of her eyes. "Juvia…"

"She can't be…" Gajeel mumbled.

As Keyes triumphed in his glory, his stomach let out a soft bubble that retracted. "What?" He looked down, feeling a gurgling sensation.

Tempester and Torafuzar looked with wide eyes, bewildered as Keye's body began to swish inside. The sound of boiling water could be heard as his stomach expanded like a balloon.

Keyes struggled to keep himself intact, his coat and dark mist dampen as he could feel his insides turn to water. "Gaaaah!" He screamed in pain.

"Wait…" Natsu was again in vivid shock. "You mean…"

"She's inside him? That's crazy." Gajeel muttered.

"You can't severe the bonds of humans!" Juvia shouted inside Keyes.

"Gaaaah! She's become water!" Keyes yelled in agony. He twisted and turned, agony riling him up as water pulsated all through his expanding body. "How could I have been so foolish?! I was bested by human magic…!"

"Gray's feeling…and his father's…" The rupture within Keyes was reaching a breaking point, and Juvia was swishing violently. "No matter what form…THEY'LLBE IN THEOR HEARTS FOREVER!" With one last shout, Juvia shredded through Keyes, making the skeleton explode. His skull was torn to pieces, the particles dissipating within. In midair, Juvia was seen crying out with tears running down her face.

"Because that's the strength of human love!"

Keyes shattered bits went flying everywhere, his particles dissipating to oblivion. "My tale…it's over…" His remnants of the skull faded into the winds, his fractured remains gone.

The skeletons suppressing Lucy and Sophie fell over, allowing the two to freely plop to the ground again. As Natsu and Gajeel smiled in relief, the demons were more than shocked at what happened.

Torafuzar's eyes widened in disbelief. "Keyes…he's dead…" He muttered.

Juvia remained standing, her body shuddering as tears ran down her face. She felt guilty for what she did, and she couldn't hold it back. _'_ _Gray…forgive me…please. I did it for you.'_

" **You've saved me. Well done.** " Silver congratulated.

Juvia's eyes widened. " **Sir…** "

" **It's been quite the day, huh? Thanks to you, I've been freed from his curse, and you saved the magic within this world.** "

Juvia began to cry harder. " **I…** "

" **Don't say anything…** "

Gray's fists clutched tight. He stared unsoundly and silently as his father was but energy that dissipated into the sky. Shadows were over his eyes as his father's energy faded away.

" **Just take care of my boy.** " Silver requested.

Juvia held her palms to her face, sobbing loudly in mourning for Silver finally passing on. "I WILL!" She cried.

Gray said nothing as he watched with a single tear running down his face, his father's specks glistening into the sky. He showed no other emotion, but he knew this was to happen. "Goodbye, Dad." He prayed. "I hope you can rest in peace."

The ethereal image of Silver smiled down onto his son, proud that he can be free once more. _"_ _I leave the rest to you, my son."_ He echoed. _"_ _I mastered Ice Devil Slayer Magic…for E.N.D…is a fire demon."_

Gray clutched his right fist tightly, a tattoo slowly forming on his forearm.

 _"_ _This power…is from father, to son…"_ With that, the last of Silver faded away, his passing on realized as he went to the afterlife.

Gray had a fire set in his eyes when he opened them, holding up his Devil Slayer tattoo, which misted from the energy it gave off. "Don't worry." He said. "I'll finish E.N.D…because I'm an Ice Devil Slayer now."

* * *

 **Chapter 50! After 8 ½ months! Wow! Anyways, I just mingled with the canon for a bit, but otherwise I had Arbok get recognition. I also originally wanted to do the full Gray VS Silver, but you got the point, so I skipped to the emotional stuff to save time. I got BIG plans for next chapter! Until next time! :)**


	51. The Black Dragon's Challenge

An unforeseen projectile made a jet-like sound as it traveled through the sky. With its figure hidden within the dissipating clouds, people far below couldn't get a glimpse of it, however, its very odd, blood-curdling jet sounds as it broke the sound barrier made them quiver. As the sunset began to fade away, the skies were a dark orange, and growing purple as the figure faded into an unknown direction.

* * *

Jet-like sounds filled the atmosphere in the skies that wandered Fiore. Miles upon miles away from the scene where Tartaros crash landed, a ripple exerted through the atmosphere, making the air palpitate as speed accelerated. Barely hanging on, the figures accelerating was none other than Nic and Garchomp, the Mach Pokémon living up to his species name. Flying at speeds rivaling a fighter jet, the sound barrier broke apart miles after Garchomp sailed through them.

"Garchomp!" Nic shouted through the violent winds. He wasn't telling Garchomp slow down; far from it. With eyes narrowed from cold air continuously pounding his face, he was barely catching a glimpse of something coming to view.

Garchomp's eyes narrowed as they passed over a cloud. Once they sailed over it, they got a good view of the ground. To his and the Trainer's shock, both slowed to a considerate halt. They looked down from high above, bewildered with what they've been taken note of.

"Is that what I think it is?" Garchomp asked.

Nic glared down with vibrant horror, but he didn't take Mard Geer's regard to the _thousands_ of Faces so likely. "He was right…"

Down against the earth, having sprouted from underground, from the canyons they were near to the forests in the vast distance, giant, tall white pillars with faces pointed up towards the sky. The land was crawling with them, layered everywhere, with no end in sight.

"It's worse than I thought." Nic said with a grieving breath. By all means, it could've been a lot worse, considering various incidents that transpired not even a few weeks ago, and months prior. But this particular instance was a pulse bomb that will leave the world in ruin of all magic. Tartaros would have control; but Nic had a say in the matter. "You think Wendy and Carla are alright?" He arbitrarily inquired.

Garchomp's intense eyes glanced up at him. "Beats me. They stopped Face once, but I don't see them anywhere. Possible that we passed over their heads?"

Nic looked down from high above, the altitude not at all unnerving him. Anyone would be scared being so high, but such a high altitude meant nothing to Nic since he's been used to it from the start. "Maybe, but we can't hassle I'm afraid. I hate to say this, but our best action is to physically shut them down since remote won't function." He glowed, making a bright light that faded into his Draco Form. With his draconic wings spread, he ascended and glided above his Garchomp. Both dragon-like creatures glared at the scenery with hostile intentions.

"Garchomp! Time to enact some demolition!"

"You've read my mind!" Garchomp roared out, his rows of teeth shown as he was ready for the biggest task he could manage.

Nic and Garchomp both dove down at sonic speeds that put Talonflame to shame. They were practically dragging themselves down as they went blazing at the valley of Faces. Both didn't slow down for a second as Garchomp's protuberances on his head glowed and exerted an intense, draconic pressure swelled around him and his Trainer. The two were shaped in two dragons with open mouths and spread wings.

" **Dragon Rush!** "

At speeds that couldn't have been measured, both blazed at a sharp angle and dove through the valley below. The Face bombs they passed remained standing, at least until a few seconds passed by. As the Dragon Rush from both diverged, the Face bombs they passed glinted a draconic energy before exploding. The chunks fell to the earth, one after another, and the destructive path followed Nic and Garchomp until their energy passed and they pulled up.

The shockwaves from their simultaneous Dragon Rush brushed everywhere, sending waves powerful enough to crack and shatter a couple Faces around them upon racing up.

As they looked down, their two paths were littered with Faces across the valley floor. While shattered, they were still uncertain with how many they've destroyed.

"The big ones always fall the hardest!" Garchomp counted in his dark tone.

"That's still not good enough!" Nic berated. "No time to stop! We have to keep destroying!"

"Right!"

As both started their next course of action, they stopped for a moment to feel something crawling up their skins and scales. There was an odd sound that they could hear; no matter how low it was like something menacing was growling in their inners.

"Huh?" Garchomp turned towards the direction where it was sensed, staring gravely.

"What do you think that was?" Nic inquired. He wasn't sure as to what to make of the peculiar sound, but he could've sworn it had come from a distance. Despite how it caught him surprised, he had to investigate it later. He narrowed his eyes, bookmarking the insidious presence that faded away.

Slowly, but cautiously, he averted towards the Faces littering the valley. "Garchomp!"

Garchomp roared, following Nic's lead as he sped downwards to confront the white bombs.

* * *

The unknown figure traveling through the skies at high speed caught whiff of something. Its senses picked up on what felt like a familiar power. It was immense, and it was immediately changing course to charge for this raw power. Whatever it was, it knew it had something to do with what it desired. Its conscience lead it towards the familiar and deadly power. It was challenged by this force, and by no means was it gonna allow it to get away. Not this time. Retribution was at hand.

* * *

Walking through the ruins of Plutogrim, Erza and Minerva assisted Bellona in her own salvation. The demon woman was still very much weak from her battle with Arbok, add in the paralysis from Glare and you get a lead weight. Still, Erza and Minerva were willing to haul her, much to the sky-blue hair's chagrin.

"Bellona, do you know which way the control room leads?" Erza inquired.

Bellona had her head low, from a mixture of damage and from guilt. "Nnnngh…to be honest, I can't tell anymore." She admitted. "I'm so new that I haven't been adjusted to this labyrinth. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. We'll just have to continue on with our path." Erza's attention transcended to Minerva, who was walking alongside them, supporting the pair. "So, Minerva…"

"Yes, Erza?" She wondered.

"I've never asked before. How are things with Sabertooth now?" The way Erza put it, it was really an open-ended question. There wasn't a definitive answer as it could range from its activities or status, but nevertheless, both powered through.

Minerva grinned at Erza's question. "As well as it can be." She snickered. "We're quite the lively bunch now, it's still getting some used to."

"I know what that's like." Erza snickered.

"Oh yeah! I mean it isn't as desolate as it was back when Jiemma pushed us around. We're all pretty mellow thanks to Sting's hard work!" Lector beamed.

"Fro thinks so too." Frosch smiled.

Bellona's gaze averted towards her own two feet. She was limping weakly, and that left Erza and Minerva to haul her own height for her. It did leave her guilty, but she knew fighting it would be pointless. She was still bewildered with how her two mortal enemies-turned-allies would help her, despite what treachery she's committed to their guilds. _'The strength to find your meaning, and to hold onto it, huh?'_ The demon woman could slowly feel her guilt turn to enamoring thoughts. She only thoughts humans and all life as pawns, and yet with these new eyes and that illusion thrown away, she was open to the values of human strength. Her frown slowly turned to a smile as they continued their path.

Lector stopped in his tracks. "Huh?"

Frosch looked towards him with a blunt smile. "What's wrong?"

"Look there." Lector pointed ahead. "I think I see something heading our way."

True to what he said, two figures were seen turning the corner up ahead. They were small, but they got everyone on guard.

Erza's eyes narrowed in suspicion. She expected an enemy, but as the two figures drew closer, her caution was alleviated. To her surprise, it was but familiar faces.

Happy and Panther Lily looked ahead, their shock evident.

"Erza?!" Happy exclaimed.

"Happy!" Erza exclaimed with surprise. "And Lily as well!"

"Hey, guys! Long time no see!" Lector exclaimed.

"Lector?!"

"And Frosch as well. Even Minerva." Panther Lily could barely hold back his shock. "What a shocking discovery."

The four Exceeds joined up with one another, all of whom seemed jovial with their reunion, considering the dark hour counting down on them. All of them had big smiles on their faces, and they caught up rather quickly.

"It's so good to see you guys!" Happy cheered. "What brought you here anyway?"

"Simple; we just tagged along with Sting and Rogue and we got to here. Don't worry, we still got Milady backing us up on this one." The Sabertooth Exceed boasted.

"Fro thinks so too!"

Panther Lily nodded with a grin. "We're very fortunate for all of your arrivals." He frowned as he looked at Bellona. "But…"

Everyone turned around, looking at the battered Bellona that Erza and Minerva were carrying. To say they were astonished would be an understatement. "GAH! It's the creepy lady from before!" Happy shrieked with a jump. By all means he wasn't wrong, and Lector and the rest of the cats were unsound with Bellona's presence, but all the woman did was meekly grin in defeat.

"Calm down. She's not our enemy." Erza said.

"Wait…she's not?" Happy questioned.

Minerva looked towards Bellona with a grin. "Although unsound, she's holding up fairly well. Don't worry, she's an ally. That you can be sure of."

Bellona looked away, embarrassed. "S-still…I'm still sorry for what I…"

"It's fine. It's water under the bridge." Erza intervened. "Besides, we have priorities other than apologies, wouldn't you agree?"

Bellona blinked, looking at Erza with some level of shock. Even now, she was constantly amazed with how they had the strength to forgive her. Once again, a smile crept onto her face…weakly of course. "You're right. Let's keep heading down this hall." The demon instructed.

"Then let's be on our way." Minerva said, taking steps, in which she and Erza followed and carried their only possible director.

"Alright! Looks like we're getting our butts in gear now!" Lector exclaimed. "With lady Bellona with us now, things are looking up around here!"

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch smiled.

Happy and Panther Lily looked at each other for a moment in question. Skepticism hung over them, but from the way it looked, Bellona was true to her word. She didn't seem harmful, but in times like these, it was best to take what you can get. This principle in mind, they nodded and followed behind with Lector and Frosch, the group making headway towards the control room.

As they marched on, Panther Lily looked back over his shoulder with a frown of worry. _'Gajeel…'_

"Hurry up!" Erza yelled from ahead.

Panther Lily hurriedly turned back ahead. "Right!" He and the others scuttled on.

* * *

"What happened?!"

"Is everyone alright?!"

"I think so!"

Back with the group comprised of Mirajane, Elfman, Lisanna, Warren, Jet, and Droy, everyone was managing to get themselves free from the tissue. Albeit with some minor hiccups, they all breathed in and out, relieved with their success of escape.

Elfman leaned towards his exhausted sister. "Mira! Are you alright?!"

Mirajane nudged in his arm, groaning as she mustered an open eye. "Y-yeah…"

"That's good." Lisanna sighed.

Elfman looked around, seeing nothing but gunk and tissue and stone littered. "What the heck happened? I thought we were in some cloning chamber or something?"

Lisanna looked behind her, seeing nothing but sheer ruin. "It looks decimated…"

"What the hell~?!" The familiar shrieks of Jet and Droy rang the ear drums of everyone around, dragging their attention back to them, mildly surprised.

"Hey! Jet, Droy, you're alright!" Lisanna chimed.

"F-forget about us…" Jet quivered.

Droy shakily pointed ahead. "J-just what the heck are those?!"

Everyone turned to look ahead, their shock at a peak as they heard laughing, almost crackling squeaking. It was hard of hearing, and yet it resonated not from one Lamy – but dozens! Out of the thickness of the ever-dimming sunset, Lamy cloned wiggled with hefty laughs.

"Eeeeeh?!" The Strauss siblings exclaimed.

"Aah!" Lamy clones wiggled and chuckled, closing in around everyone. With their numbers, they were clouding up someone who's caught Mirajane's eyes. Mirajane caught a faint glimpse of the battered but still able-bodied demon of Sayla, slowly rising and limping away, ducking behind wall for shelter.

"Hey! Wait-!" The elder Strauss was cut off by Lamy clones, leaving her fully intercepted.

"And where do you think you're going?" One Lamy mischievously asked.

"We're just getting started!" Another huffed.

Warren looked around, clutching his fists. "Drats! They got us surrounded!"

"Sliggoo, **Dragon Breath!** "

A blue flame-like beam traveled out of nowhere, blazing across the terrain and hitting all the Lamy that postponed Mirajane's advances. A blue explosion rattled the air, making everyone go wide-eyed as a smoke cloud enveloped what was the Lamy clones.

"Wait, was that just…?" Lisanna turned her head, glancing off towards someone, along with something, heading their way.

Appearing as the smoke vanished was Vanessa, alongside her Sliggoo. The Pularis sibling stared at them, her body still battered from the earlier quarreling she had to endure. Her Sliggoo gurgled as she too arrived.

"Vanessa!" Mirajane exclaimed.

"You came back! Is everything okay?!" Jet asked.

Vanessa looked away, her attention towards the Lamy clones sprawled about them. "We have worse problems to attend to." She looked uneased with how the Lamy clones were all huffing and squeaking, it left her almost nervous. "Just what happened?"

"Hey! It's that caterpillar!" A clone shouted.

"Get her!" Another shouted.

Vanessa's eyes dilated before she reached out. "Sliggoo, **Dragon Breath!** " Upon command, Sliggoo made a round of loops that circulated her body and her mouth fired a blue beam that made dust flare from either side. The Dragon-type move traveled at high speeds, racing and meeting a bunch of Lamy clones, engulfing them in an explosion. Many Lamy went flying in all directions.

With the smoke as cover and the Lamy incapacitated, Vanessa turned to Mirajane. "Mira!"

Mirajane nodded in understanding. "Right!" She darted through the smoke, racing off towards Sayla. "I'm going after her!" She yelled faintly, before she was gone from sight.

Lisanna raised her claws to ready for the Lamy army. "We're counting on you Mira!"

Elfman cracked his knuckles, glaring at the Lamy army. "Yeah! Don't worry! We'll take care of these clowns!"

Vanessa and Sliggoo stood side by side, readying themselves as the Lamy army wiggled and chuckled as the ones still standing went right for them.

* * *

Nic passed several Face bombs, yelling out loudly as his arms were raptured in Dragon Claw. With his speed and power, he slashed in opposite arches, cutting down two Faces down in a second's notice.

Garchomp went blazing at Mach speed, bypassing several Face statues with the shockwaves from his speed causing massive ruptures. The Face bombs he passed shattered apart, roaring in the winds of the dark hour.

It hasn't even five minutes, and both were putting their all into their assaults. Garchomp's speed and velocity allowed him to smash through Face statues and come out unscathed, and his Trainer was equally as impressive, with fast physical attacks shattering them like glass. One after the other, they've covered miles of space across the canyon where Faces were, littering the ground in white rather than dirt.

Nic and Garchomp looked back, both harshly turning after finishing the Face statues that were in a close perimeter. Nic was looking exasperated as they appeared to have destroyed numerous Face statues. It was broken stalk after another.

"Is there seriously no end to these things? They just keep popping!" Garchomp huffed. By all means he didn't mind the demolition, but the effort into destroying them was getting a little tedious. He honestly lost count after destroying 100.

"We've at least managed to get the ones in this area…fortunately." Nic huffed. He looked down at the ground, seeing the dozens of Face statues across the ground. He instantly leered away, facing the Face statues in the distant mountains. "Let's go!"

Nic and Garchomp thus went blazing across the sky once more, with the Trainer hanging into Garchomp as he rushed through the skies, darting for the mountains. They saw no Face statues beneath them as they traveled, and their immense speed got them there in less than a few seconds. They slowed down once they passed over the small mountain, seeing Face statues littering the area.

"Alright, these ugly-looking rocks are in for a world of hurt." Garchomp growled.

Another odd wave of energy was felt, catching Garchomp and Nic by surprise. It was the same as before, and it was a menacing, dark tone to it; exactly as before.

"Hmmm?" Garchomp craned his head, looking suspiciously at the distance ahead.

"Garchomp, you sensed it too." Nic figured.

The energy this time didn't deter. It stabilized. It grew even. For the oddest reason, they both could feel their sensors go on edge. Garchomp raised his head at the intense waves his protuberances were catching. From what he and Nic could sense with their draconic prowess, they both felt their skin and scales rattle.

"This…" Nic's eyes narrowed, but his ears were picking up the faint sounds of growling. It was making his blood churn inside. He could feel his dragon-like prowess react, his hearing picking a dark growl that was all too familiar to him. A fighter jet sound began to increase, raising itself from the distance.

The sun had fully set, the faint roaring in the now dark night skies giving way to an ominous rise.

"Do you feel that?" Garchomp inquired.

Nic looked in the distance far away, his eyes slowly widening as the air pulsated with the jet-like sound. "Yeah…I have a bad feeling about this-!"

" **GRRROOAAAAAHHHHH!** " A monstrous roar shook the skies, echoing loud enough for Nic and Garchomp to hear clearly. Their eyes widened, but the intensity in them increased, eventually leading them to narrow them in the arrival of something black heading their way.

As the figure closed in, Nic and Garchomp knew it. What they sensed was all too familiar to them. It was the one being who hated Pokémon, for what they did to him. Nic could still see the intensity in his eyes, even from the ever-shrinking distance.

"Acnologia!"

In the distance, the Black Dragon unleashed a blood-curdling roar, rattling the earth and skies as he finally caught sight of Nic and Garchomp.

"This is bad." Nic growled beneath his breath. "Of all the times…" By all means, nothing was going to go as planned; anything Nic would've thought some hiccups would occur, but this was no hiccup, it was a bump. They were well-aware of Acnologia and what happened on that night – of course he attacked Tenrou Island as well, but Nic couldn't recall because he was unconscious at the time. But he and everyone saw his awesome power against the Weather Trio. "Just what is he doing here?"

Garchomp narrowed his vision and leered at Acnologia incoming. He opened his mouth and exerted a violent roar back. The air rippled away from his mouth, airspace shuddering in fright from his bewildering might as well. He glared at the incoming dragon, seeing his adversary close in with a thirst for blood in his eyes.

The Black Dragon once again exerted a menacing roar, one that quaked the land. As he sailed through the skies, his wings flapped, creating shockwaves that traveled everywhere in the high altitudes. He ruthlessly bared his teeth at the two individuals in his way, his wings expanding.

As the menace ventured closer, Nic could see the various scars left all over his body, as well as the missing scales from Rayquaza's Dragon Ascent. It was an arduous brawl to remember, and from Acnologia's two confrontations, he had scars to fuel his hate.

"So you have any bright ideas?" Garchomp asked.

Nic squinted as the air shuddered and his ears rang from Acnologia's incoming. Face was a necessity to destroy, but Acnologia was another matter entirely. He could only glare as the Black Dragon closed in. There was no way out of this. "…you know exactly what I'm thinking." He remarked.

Garchomp let a low snarl escape, a sinister smirk crossing his face. "This just might be fun."

" **I see you!** " The Dragon King yelled out. He took a big flap of his wings and ascended high. Nic and Garchomp's heads followed Acnologia towards the skies above, his dark glare positioned solemnly onto them. Once more, Acnologia exerted a powerful roar, one that could rattle sensitive ears from miles away. The bellowing waves reached Nic and Garchomp, their senses going nuts over the dragon's declaration. The skies nearly split apart, air and earth alike shuddering at the dark bellow he's let aloud.

As the roar subsided, Nic and Garchomp kept serious looks as Acnologia descended slowly, reaching them at eye level. His mouth was open, a hot breath exerting from the corners of his mouth. The heat could've been felt from where Nic and Garchomp were.

Nic remained as calm as possible, despite the increase in his heart rate. "Acnologia."

Acnologia lowered his head, glaring at his adversaries. " **It would appear that fate has stirred amongst us. Unfortunate.** "

"Ironically, I agree." Nic rebutted. "I never would've pegged you to be here of all places at this time, Acnologia."

" **Likewise.** "

The two-on-one stare down went on for a short while, time for Face still ticking down as they were caught in their stalemate. The longer they leered, the heavier the anticipation perceived. Time was not on one's side.

"You've caught us in unfortunate circumstances. I wouldn't imagine you'd prefer to understand what's going on?" Nic asked.

" **What you are concerned with does not affect me. I have but my own goals that I must see fit.** " Acnologia declared. " **I have longed for this, and I'd be a damned fool to allow an opportunity such as this to pass by. Pokémon…human…** " Acnologia stretched his wings out, glaring darker than before. " **You shall not stand in my way!** "

"What are you after?! Tell me!" Nic yelled.

" **As long as Pokémon are amongst the living, I shall annihilate! The Black Dragon shall destroy you once and for all!** " Acnologia raised his head, letting out another shuddering roar. The air crackles with vibrant waves that bewildered Nic and Garchomp, but both persevered with no signs of backing down.

"Gnnngh!" Garchomp growled. "Alright. Looks like this guy's looking for a beating. Nic!"

Nic nodded. "Right! Let's go!"

Acnologia opened his mouth, declaring yet another staggering roar. It's blood-curdling appeal stretched for miles, rattling the atmosphere.

* * *

Near the valleys where Wendy and Carla were, Wendy's ears picked up something malicious from far and wide. It was extraordinarily faint, but her Dragon Slayer prowess told her something was off. "Huh?"

"Wendy, what is it?" Carla asked.

"Is something wrong?" Doranbolt added.

While Wendy was skeptical of this odd force, she kept a close eye of the opposite direction of where the sun had just set. Something in her gut told her there was something ominous on the rise, and as much as she wanted to ignore it, she just couldn't. "I don't know." She answered. "Something just feels…wrong…"

She wasn't the only one who had a bad feeling in her gut. Far away, Natsu and Gajeel were in the midst of their own battles with Tempester and Torafuzar, and the quarrel has reached its peak as both sides were in their Etherious and Lightning-Flame Dragon and Iron-Shadow Dragon Forms. As the duel of dragons and demons went on, Natsu and Gajeel momentarily stopped in their tracks, unable to attack as their bodies felt a prickly tingle.

Both went wide-eyed, their battles briefly interrupted with both stiffening, much to everyone's surprise.

"Guys?" Lucy asked.

Torafuzar blinked. "What has them perplexed?"

"Probably because we Etherious have found dominance, and they just now realized." Tempester argued.

"Yes, that must be it." The fish-man agreed.

Natsu could feel something, but not hear it since it was too far away. He was unsound, his fists clutching. He shook the thought out, glaring back at the demons with powerful lightning fire. "Had to regroup there! Now I'm ready!" He declared. _'Still, what the hell was all that?'_

 _'_ _I could've sworn I sensed something wring there. Was it just my imagination?'_ Gajeel wondered. He was intervened from his thoughts when Torafuzar's hardened fist collided with his forearms at the last second. The attack made Gajeel slide back a few inches.

"Gajeel!" Sophie yelled in worry.

"Damnit!" Gajeel regained footing, lunging back ahead into the fray. "Now you've pissed me off!"

"That goes double for me!" Natsu yelled, darting right for Tempester.

Sting and Rogue were dodging thorns from Mard Geer's assault. The Twin Dragons were moving as fast as they could without getting as much as a scratch, but that failed them more than once. This time, however, they were rendered stiff when they sensed something ominous. It was far away, but it got their guts churning.

"Sting, did you feel that?" Rogue asked, having the nerve to clutch his stomach.

"Yeah, I did…" Sting looked down at his stomach, a very gross sensation crawling up and down the belly. He felt nearly sick. "Something doesn't feel right…"

Mard Geer narrowed his suspicious eyes. "You lost your way?" He smirked as he reached out and sent crescents of lights from his Curse Power at Sting and Rogue, making them both yell out as the barrage hit them head on.

Elsewhere, within the crash site, Laxus' eyes weakly opened. They were blurry, but thanks to Nic ridding the poison, he and his team were still out of commission. But that didn't mean he also felt an odd force crawling up and down his spine. His eyes shut once again before anyone got the chance to see them open.

"Huh?" Elsewhere, Cobra turned around, his senses and hearing picking up an ungodly sound. His eyes wide, he got the undivided attention of everyone else.

"Hm? Erik?" Meredy asked.

"Are you well?" Ultear asked. "Did you hear something?"

"Something juicy I bet." Sawyer smirked.

Jellal looked back at Erik - formerly Cobra – and saw the surprised look on his face. He can easily read that the exasperation on said person was kept mild, but it still made Jellal inquire what made him so unnerved. Knowing Erik, he's normally nonchalant about matters or what he's heard. Him having such a surprised expression threw everyone off.

Erik could hear it, as well as feel it from the bleak distance. His senses were prickling like thorns from this draconic prowess that challenged him, but he tried looked back at the others, his hood overhead. He looked calm again, his eyes shut. "Something big, I'll tell you that much." He answered. By all means, he didn't lie, but he tried not to think about it too much either.

With everyone in question, they acquiescently turned back to their course, with Erik smirking behind their backs. "Tch, looks like Nic's having himself a wild ride." He said beneath his breath.

* * *

Acnologia's roar subsided, leaving him to finally confront Nic and Garchomp. The air intensified as the Dragon King didn't hold anything back.

Nic's muscles tightened. "On your guard, Garchomp!"

Garchomp raised his claws, rebutting Acnologia with a snarl most blood-curdling.

Acnologia went ahead, full-on attacking them. He hurriedly closed the distance with his bulk and speed, swiftly diving at them mouth first.

Nic and Garchomp tumble-rolled out of Acnologia's way, spinning besides the large dragon as he followed through. The winds generated from his passage gave Nic and Garchomp trajectory change as they tumbled uncontrollably, but used the momentum and spun back into balance. With Acnologia still diving, Nic's mouth ascertained multicolored energy and he opened his mouth.

" **Dragon Pulse!** "

A dragon-shaped, multicolored energy blast was launched and went down after Acnologia. The beam closed the distance surprisingly fast, but Acnologia caught on and he looked behind. He turned his long body, diving vertically and outwards, dodging Dragon Pulse as it snapped its jaws against the ground far below, creating a weak dust cloud.

Acnologia straightened himself out and closed in once again, this time yelling out as his right claw was extended outwards.

"Garchomp! **Crunch!** " Nic commanded.

Garchomp went flying in after Acnologia, his body folded and his mouth open, the teeth glowing and elongating. The fangs trailed white as Garchomp blitzed right into Acnologia's thrust. The impact of Garchomp and dragon made a ripple exert out of the collision, a white burst of energy exerting out, large enough to engulf Acnologia's hand. As the explosion subsided, Acnologia's hand recoiled from the cloud, and yet Garchomp was nowhere in sight.

" **What?** " Acnologia questioned.

In a blinding pace, Garchomp reappeared in front of Acnologia, surprising the large dragon. With a gruff yell, he brought his knee up and struck the dragon's face, causing an intense wave to flow from the point of impact all over the left side of the face.

"I'm just getting started!" Garchomp declared. True to his word, he swung his tail, slamming it into Acnologia's steel-hard snout. The impact made the dragon feel another point of pain, making him growl back in a recoil. Garchomp didn't stop, even as Acnologia lurched his head back forward to attack. Knee met head, making another ripple exert that could shatter glass. The Mach Pokémon flipped vertically ounce, stomping against the snout, sending another small shock as he flipped off and thrust a claw ahead in one swift jab. The impact again to Acnologia's face and snout made the dragon growl. Knee strike, tail swing, jab, stomping; it all resorted in front of Acnologia in blinding seconds, proving Garchomp's speed. Aggravated, Acnologia whipped his head in the air, forcing Garchomp to back off a short distance away.

Garchomp, surprisingly, smirked down.

" **What are you so happy about?** " Acnologia questioned.

Nic dove at Acnologia, cloaked in draconic energy that shaped into a fast-moving dragon. " **Dragon Rush!** " Nic's impact to the dragon's midsection worked. Acnologia was too distracted looking up at Garchomp that he forgot about Nic, and that caused another draconic burst of energy to erupt at Acnologia's midsection, causing him to lurch.

Nic emerged from the smoke, flapping and regaining space.

The Dragon King brought his wings back, manifesting a strong amount of wind as he flapped ahead. A hazardous tempest went ahead after Nic and Garchomp, both hit by the hurricane that was Acnologia flapping. Both deterred, falling back and catching themselves in time to get a glimpse of Acnologia opening his mouth and gathering a bright blue energy.

"Incoming roar!" Nic shouted.

Acnologia unleashed a devastating breath attack, a blue beam blazing through the sky and becoming a bright light that swelled in front of the two adversaries. Nic and Garchomp diverged, evading the roar that traveled across the skies towards the mountains in the far distance. As the blast faded, a bright blue explosion enveloped the mountains, obliterating them from existence.

Nic was caught startled by the destructive blast behind him. It threw him off for a second, allowing Acnologia to swing his stinger tail around, lashing it at Nic. Nic looked back at the last second, covering up with his wings as the stinger lashed at him. The impact made Nic feel more than hefty discomfort as he went falling head first down below.

"Nic!" Garchomp yelled. The Mach Pokémon looked back at Acnologia, but was met with a large claw. The swat by the dragon smashed against Garchomp, making him fall to earth like Nic in pain.

As Nic descended at high speeds, he opened his eyes. He looked at the ground with narrow eyes as wind pound his face. He was falling extraordinarily fast, but he was quick-witted enough to enact another change.

Still falling, Nic glowed and shifted to his Splash Form. He twisted his body and swiped his right arm into the sky, where down below, a large gush of water followed his command, the geyser spouting right beneath him. Cushioning himself, Nic's speed gradually decreased to where the geyser pushed him back into the air, making him leap and fall to earth at 10 feet. He landed and tumbled, absorbing the softened impact and rolled onto his feet. Immediately, he darted on towards the dragon.

Garchomp, however, easily balanced out as he fell, landing his two feet against a Face statue and lunged at a low angle, making the statue crack apart as Garchomp flew towards his Trainer. The beastly dragon slowed down as he flew right beside his fast Trainer, both making way for Acnologia by low height.

"This overgrown pest is making me mad!" Garchomp exclaimed.

Nic's eyes narrowed. "I've got an idea." He swiped both arms as he ran, summoning more water to pick him up, via Surf. Riding the wave, he was at a midair altitude, right beside Garchomp. "Make sure you stay low. Have his roars exerted and keep moving!"

Garchomp understood almost instantly. While they had to deal with Acnologia's vengeance, they also had the Faces to deal with. And with Acnologia's power of destruction, the Mach Pokémon knew to turn one's attack against them. "Kill two Pidgey with one stone…let's do it!"

Acnologia saw them charging right for him from far below. He saw no reason to not get personal, and he dove down from the skies above. He closed in at a steep dive, looking to smash into the earth itself. At the last second, however, Acnologia pulled up, roaring out as he sailed forward across the landscape.

The winds picked up from his tight turn and raw power made the nearby Face statues crumble. As the dragon sailed across land at such low heights, he made the very dirt and ground split apart. The shockwaves from his darting made tempest pick up to where dust storms picked up across the land.

As all three converged, Nic and Garchomp closed in with eyes widening at the last second. Once they were only several meters from the train-like snout, they jumped up. Time gradually slowed down as Nic leaped right over Acnologia's head. Garchomp followed as well, his feet planting and landing as quickly as possible. And time once again sped back up as both ran down Acnologia's neck, back, eventually running down his stinger-like tail.

The dragon turned up towards the sky, pulling up towards the air once more. Nic and Garchomp jumped off the tail, having run across Acnologia and the Trainer latched onto Garchomp's backfin as he too ascended.

Down below, the rise of Acnologia made the dust waves and violent winds pulsate in all directions. The few Face statues in the area cracked apart at their base, crumbling to pieces as they tilted and fell onto one another. The land was warped in a maelstrom engulfed by loud crumbling sounds and an ocean of dust obscuring the ground.

As Acnologia circled around, Nic and Garchomp ascended from an opposite arch, streaming after Acnologia. "Now, **Dual Chop!** " Nic yelled.

Garchomp's fins and claws swiped, illuminating a bright green. He blitzed into Acnologia, slashing one arm that met one of Acnologia's in return as a block. A bright green flash erupted upon impact. Garchomp slashed with the other arm, but was again met with Acnologia blocking with the other arm in a green flash. The dragon swatted both arms, making Garchomp bounce off and recoil a small distance away.

Acnologia opened his mouth again, swirling light blue energy into another attack.

"Alright, here it comes!" Nic warned.

Acnologia again fired a booming roar. The attack blazed through the sky, heading right for Nic and his Pokémon.

Following his Trainer's motives, Garchomp leaned to the side, evading Acnologia's roar. The Dragon and Ground-type turned and began to dive slowly and across horizontally. Acnologia wasn't going to allow them to get away, and he sought to turn his head and made his roar follow them. His blue beam followed in an arch, tailing Garchomp's immense velocity and stretching out far and wide. As Garchomp pulled out and twisted over the fading roar, the Faces in the distance glinted before they were enveloped in explosions of destruction and mayhem. The dragon's roar instead enveloped the land far away, destroying Faces without the Black Dragon's care.

Garchomp zipped over Acnologia's head, making the dragon look up as Nic dropped from above, flashing into his Icicle Form with an icy blue mist with frost and mist around it.

" **Ice Punch!** "

Nic smashed his fist against Acnologia's head, creating a bright blue flash that exerted blinding frost atop the dragon's snout. Nic's fist continued to put pressure against Acnologia, but the dragon snapped his head, shaking Nic off.

" **Come on! Like that did anything!** " Acnologia huffed.

" **Dragon Rush!** "

" **Wha-?!** " Acnologia looked up, his eyes widening as he caught the glimpse of a destructive draconic energy enveloping a bellowing Garchomp. All he saw was the face of a menacing beast before the Dragon Rush's face opened its mouth and snapped down against Acnologia's head. A large ripple flowed throughout the air, expanding until it reached out for miles on end. Acnologia was swallowed in a horrific, flashy, draconic burst of energy that roared like a dragon. Acnologia's roars of anguish were muffled by the explosion that was super effective against him. The Dragon King was so pushed by the attack that he fell down from the smoke cloud, roaring in pain as he fell into the sea of dust below, creating a geyser of dirt and rock to buffer.

As Nic fell, Garchomp flew out of the smoke cloud, catching his Trainer on his back and sailing to a safe distance.

"Nic work, Garchomp!" Nic yelled through the winds.

Garchomp pivoted and looked back down at the sea of dust, growling low at the stirring rock deposits. He could still sense it, and by no means was his Trainer off his guard as well. They leered down at the dust for several moments, yet all it continued to do was stir.

Nic narrowed his vision, trying to see better, but couldn't get anything. "The dust is too thick, but still…" He trailed off, aware of this dark feeling not going away. "…it's still not over."

Garchomp noticed a glowing blue light hidden amongst the dust. "Hm?"

The light quickly grew brighter, until finally a large blue beam blitzed out of the sea of dust, heading right for Nic and Garchomp. Both foreseeing the counterattack, Garchomp turned and glided off to the side, evading the blast.

The sea of dust split apart, instantly disappearing as Acnologia spread his wings, unleashing a powerful roar that could've broken the sound barrier. While he was hardly looking scratched, the dragon most certainly sustained damage from Nic and Garchomp's combined attacks. He'd be a liar to say his head and snout didn't hurt. " **How two!** " He flapped his wings once more, picking himself up and creating whirlwinds that leveled apart the residual dust and crumbling rock.

Much to Nic and Garchomp's surprise, Acnologia flew to eye level, meeting them in the sky with a towering might. The Black Dragon opened his mouth and let out another rippling roar. The roar was directly into their faces, making both cover up from his hot breath. It was like the sun was creating hot winds at night, and the current drawn from his breath made them falter. The Dragon King brought his left claw back, ready to swing.

Nic's eyes widened in anticipation. "Garchomp, **Dual Chop!** "

Acnologia swatted at their side, but Garchomp's eyes flashed open at the last second, catching Acnologia's open palm. With both his claws and fins glowing, Garchomp brought his right arm fin around and thrust it into the claw. He pierced straight through the skin, stopping Acnologia cold. The Black Dragon raised his head, roaring up again in pain.

Garchomp pulled his fin away and disappeared. He reappeared with Nic in front of Acnologia, his left claw raised. "GRAH!" He slammed the claw down on the right side of Acnologia's face, creating a green trail that exploded with draconic prowess. The smaller dragon reeled away instantly for caution as the explosion began to subside, his Trainer holding as his head popped up from behind the shoulder.

" **Ice Beam!** "

An orb of icy blue materialized in front of Nic. He opened his mouth and unleashed several rays that beamed at Acnologia. The Ice Beam zapped its way through the atmosphere, reaching his neck and making another misty burst of energy that flashed an icy blue.

Once again, Acnologia let out a weak gruff.

Nic and Garchomp remained weary as they noticed Acnologia biding his position, most noticeably from their previous consecutive attacks.

" **Enough!** " Acnologia bellowed, his angry lash-out led to another exertion of shockwaves. The winds expanded out, making Nic and Garchomp cover up. The roaring shockwaves was accompanied by the echoing of Acnologia, who brought his arm around to backhand. As he swiped, Garchomp aught whim and reeled back, evading the claw once more as it winds breezed past his wind-resistant scaled.

Once again, there was an intense stare down between the Trainer, Pokémon, and dragon.

" **I am Acnologia; the Dragon King! I have been known for my destruction of the dozens of dragons at my very claws! No matter how you see it, I shall not allow my own goal to fall like those that I slayed!** " H **e** recoiled his neck and his throat growled, the churning of vocals most disturbing. " **I have no intention on falling to the likes of any dragon, whether it'd be from this world…or the one you derive from.** "

Nic and Garchomp narrowed their eyes in unsettling disposition.

" **Years ago, I vowed to destroy all dragons. That goal has made me thrive for hundreds of years unquestioned. But then these creatures known as Pokémon have chosen to intervene in my achievements. And now I shall make you creatures pay for tarnishing the might of the Black Dragon!** " His wings spread out once again, his head raising and his eyes glowing red from the blood-filled anger he was feeling. " **I will end you all! All I care for is slaying you!** "

"He's gone mad!" Nic yelled.

Acnologia yelled out once more as he thrust his right arm at Nic and Garchomp, prompting Nic to counterattack.

" **Blizzard!** "

In a hurry, Nic inhaled, and then exhaled. A large-scale icy blizzard of bitter cold winds, snow, and ice expanded outwards, engulfing Acnologia in a vicious maelstrom that held him back. The Ice-type move was super effective, as Acnologia could feel his body affected. The Dragon King relentlessly tried to push through, but the bitterness was getting to him.

" **You…** " He tried to push against the Blizzard, despite how the hurricane of frost and ice was exceedingly effective in holding him back. " **This will…never stop me!** " As he declared, he thrust against the attack, swiping his claw at Nic and Garchomp. The impact of his swatting hand hit them both, causing both to plummet with painful screams towards the ground.

"Garchomp!" Nic yelled, holding tightly onto his falling comrade. His Garchomp grunted as he tried adjusting to the fall, and they've managed to straighten and balance out. They were still falling at an alarming rate, but Nic hurried for a defense.

" **Icy Wind!** "

A vast spray of cold wind and sparkles exerted down below from his glowing gums. Just like before, he cushioned the blow, making it to where frost obscured them as they crashed into the ground with an alarming thud.

* * *

Erza was still on her trek with her comrades, trying to find their way through the ruins that was Plutogrim. Something pulled inside of Erza's stomach, something very wrong. The redhead stopped for a moment, looking over her shoulder. _'What was that just now?'_ She wondered. _'It was like something heavy dropped. Is Nic…?'_

"Huh? Erza?" Minerva inquired.

"What's with the stop, Erza?" Happy asked. "Something wrong?"

"You feel something?" Panther Lily inquired.

"Oh! I bet Erza's feeling hungry!" Lector perked.

"Fro is too!" Frosch cheered.

"You think? I just thought she had gas." Happy heard a low growl from his stomach, looking down to find his belly rumbling. He sulked in defeat. "I give. I really need a fish."

Panther Lily crossed his arms, slight uneasiness crossing over him. He tried to power through it, but his own cravings were getting the best of him. "I…I wouldn't mind a kiwi or two myself…" He muttered.

"Everyone, enough!" Erza's glared back at the Exceeds, her eyes making their tails go stiff. "It was nothing. Let's keep moving!"

"Are you sure?" Happy questioned. He could tell something was wrong, but was rendered speechless with Erza's glare paralyzing him. The blue Exceed almost went white. "N-nothing! Never mind" He stammered.

Erza looked back ahead, continuing like nothing happened. Everyone's inquiry still hung up over their heads over Erza's sudden reaction, but they powered on due to time counting down. As the redhead was supporting Bellona, she continued to look distressed, though it was well hidden by the serious frown she had going. _'I didn't imagine that, did I? I know I felt it. Nic, I hope you're holding on out there…'_

* * *

The frost cleared, revealing Nic and Garchomp on a knee. They looked dazed as they blinked once, then twice to get their heads in the battle once again. Despite thrown in a loop, they were back on their feet, in time as a powerful shake and shockwave breezed past them. The strong winds again caught them by surprise, both covering up until the winds gradually subsided, a dark shadow looming over their heads.

Both grunted as they looked back ahead, staring up at Acnologia, who had landed on the ground and loomed over them like a Fearow. He opened his jaws, snarling down at them.

" **I will make you Pokémon pay for upstaging the Dragon King Festival. This is retribution for the dragon race that was mine to slay!** " The Dragon Slayer declared.

Garchomp growled back at Acnologia, his sense of pain beginning to get overwhelmed. His snarling teeth curved, turning to a malicious chuckle. "Heh!" He began to chuckle.

Acnologia was taken back by Garchomp's insidious dark laughter; it perplexed him more that Nic was calm throughout Garchomp's laughter of adrenaline.

Garchomp pressed a foot on the ground, letting a loud, rippling roar. The small rocks in the area reduced to dust by the pressure he emitted. "Now this is fun! Let's see what else you've got for us! Big guy!" He bellowed.

Nic clutched his fists, readying in anticipation. His own heart was racing, but it wasn't out of fear. Despite how he felt in a life and death match, there was always that side of him who longs for the thrill of battle, no matter what circumstances. He's had the will to fight on, and battle to no end. The heat of battle was what kept him going in these time, as it did before in the past. The thrill against strong adversaries, mixed with lives at stake. Of course the latter was much more vital than a passionate battle, but if not for the heat of battle, he wouldn't get to understand how his own Pokémon tick, nor how to defeat foe after foe. No matter what, he had to push himself, just as he's done all these years. He would sacrifice his own powers to ensure everyone would make it out…it was proven when Future Nic and the others gave their lives.

Even so, Nic was not arrogant. He knew better than to let values such as right and wrong pass over his head, and never boast his power like it were a material possession. Even his Garchomp wasn't dumb enough to put his own lust for battle over lives. That's what it meant to have a heart. Their years of battling together, and they wouldn't allow their own powers to get ahead of them, nor endanger others.

"Acnologia." Nic started.

The dragon sneered down at Nic.

"There's a line that is crossed, and that's what separates Garchomp and I from you. You may perceive yourself as the Dragon King, but even to a blind man, you only put yourself on a pedestal that has but no label. Are you really so prideful as to destroy everything? You really wish to see ruin just to alleviate boredom? You may desire destruction and the thrill of battle, but it's a hollow victory if you don't fight for a true cause. You fight for revenge; and solemnly that." Nic looked towards his Garchomp, whose excited stare was back towards him. "We fight for the sake of others; even if we get a thrill in our battles, we would never be satisfied if we didn't achieve it together."

Garchomp growled in agreement, but otherwise turned his head back towards Acnologia. "How's about we show what our power can do? Nic?"

Acnologia raised his head, roaring at the skies once again.

"I couldn't agree more with you! Let's show Acnologia what Pokémon and Trainer can do! Together!" Nic raised his left arm, raising his Mega Wristband. The Key Stone embedded into the wristband had begun to glimmer, giving off a vibrant force that even Acnologia could feel.

Garchomp stomped down once more, raising his head. "Let's get this mess cleaned up!" He bellowed.

Nic used his index and middle finger to tap the Key Stone. Rainbow glints flashed and beamed all around Nic's wrist, but the light from the rainbow gradually began to evolve, becoming powerful light waves that beamed throughout the area. Nic raised the Mega Wristband higher, the beams of light becoming wiggling light tendrils. Garchomp began to grunt as a purple swell of light exerted from his abdomen. Light purple waves suddenly burst from his abdomen. The beams of purple tendrils began to reach back, connecting with the light waves of the Key Stone.

"Garchomp, Mega Evolve!" Nic shouted.

The light waves traveled down towards Garchomp, soon reaching his abdomen. Upon contact, the light of Mega Evolution engulfed him. The radiance of the increase in power made the earth tremble, the ground cracking apart and the small rocks levitating and disintegrating around him.

Acnologia watched as Garchomp was morphing within the light. He saw the tail shape alter, his shoulders and mouth growing to be more angular, and the spikes multiplied all around. The find and claws combined, becoming blades. " **What are you up to?** " The Dragon King demanded.

The light waves finally exploded, and Mega Garchomp was unearthed. Any man's ear drums would've split apart as Mega Garchomp opened his jaws and unleashed a loud, devastative roar. Shockwaves picked up, creating cracks and leveled earth as Mega Garchomp's immense pressure left him in a small crater. The beast glared up at Acnologia, opposing him.

Nic's icy body began to exert a vast amount of cold temperatures. The energy was so potent that the ground beneath him was gradually beginning to turn to ice. Frost exerted everywhere, and the ground around was once again quaking from the immense pressure Nic was giving off. The rattling, frosting earth began to emit mist clouds from the cracks from Mega Garchomp's Mega Evolution. The mist and frost that sparkled everywhere began to converge onto Nic, spiraling around him.

Despite how close he was to the freezing energy, Mega Garchomp sneered as his Trainer was beginning to morph as well.

The air began to crackle around Nic, the particles charging and grinding against one another in a vicious frenzy. The flickering particles evolved into embers, which became fire. The fire in the atmosphere began to stream and circle around the ice-like cocoon encasing Nic. Within, there was a bright orange light, and Nic's bellows were morphing into draconic tones. The cocoon swirled around, creating a cold air that burned amongst contact. Mega Garchomp raised his tail, catapulting himself away from the transformation and into the atmosphere above. The draconic bellows exaggerated, the increasing dome of burning ice reaching outwards, becoming a bright blue flash that enveloped Acnologia, and Mega Garchomp reached up high enough to evade.

Looking down, Mega Garchomp saw the entire ground, as far as the eye could see, enveloped in ice, frozen over, with ice stalagmites pointed away and creating spike waves all around.

Acnologia was seen with his wings shielding him, layered in frost. Much to his own surprise it burned upon contact. He lashed his wings and dispelled the frost on him. " **What is this power?** " He questioned. " **Why has it turned cold? Huh?** " He noticed how he could see his own breath, which he never saw in quite a long while. It was bewildering.

Looking down, both could feel the cold chill, which also burned, resonating from Nic, who was in a familiar form with waves of fire circling him, the stalagmites of ice growing steadily around his icy, white presence. He raised his head, unleashing yet another loud draconic roar. The bellowing was bone chattering. The stalagmites and fire around him shattered apart, shockwaves of frost as searing as flames reaching out at Acnologia's feet, causing the dragon to grunt as the burning sensation yet again.

" **Legendary Force – White Kyurem!** "

The wisps on Nic waved around, the icy cold making a burning sensation crawl along the air. All around, far and wide, the ground was a bitter frost if not frozen. It was so cold to the touch that it burned upon touch. It covered the fallen Face statues, and rock and debris.

Just like the Sun Village, everything was frozen over, and just by a shockwave expanding.

Mega Garchomp descended, making careful landing upon the ice right besides Nic. The ground leveled due to his roaring, both had nothing to be careful of as they glared at the growling Acnologia.

The Black Dragon roared out, angrily defying the cold. " **So is this your plan now?! Just freeze me over?!** " He boasted. " **What lightweights! These increased powers of Pokémon…will not best me!** " He craned his head around, roaring in defiance.

"Mega Garchomp." Nic said.

"Yeah, I know." He answered in a slightly darker tone. "He need to just sink his ship for awhile so we can get moving. So then, let's rock his boat!"

At the same time, Nic's claws glowed, and Mega Garchomp's teeth glowed. As white energy emerged from Nic's claws, Mega Garchomp opened his mouth, both exerting immense winds from the jutting movements created. The winds picked up small ice chunks and scattered them. They both lunged after Acnologia, their footing and combined pressure making the craters crack apart and making dust and icy mist alike erupt.

" **Slash!** "

" **Crunch!** "

Both closed in on Acnologia, zooming at such immense speeds that almost them invisible. Acnologia raised a claw and thrust forward, colliding with both white streams in the center. A ripple of energy emerged between the collisions, whereas the ice beneath them cracked apart and floated from their impacts. Their standoff was brief, but Acnologia didn't give up so easily. The Black Dragon snarled as he swiped, cancelling out their Legendary Pokémon-like might. His swipe caused Mega Garchomp and Nic to fly backwards, showing signs of wear.

" **Is that all?!** " He mocked.

Nic grunted and made a chop signal towards the ground. "Mega Garchomp, **Dig!** "

Mega Garchomp arched his body and went flying at Mach speed into the ground below. He closed in on the ground, head first as the ice and dirt stirred up scattered upon the ground breaking apart. A cloud of dust and mist opened as the ice and rock shattered when Mega Garchomp went underground.

Acnologia looked down as the dissipating dust, seeing a hole where Mega Garchomp dove into. He looked back at Nic, seeing him in a standstill in the air in front.

"Come!" Nic challenged.

Acnologia opened his mouth, exerting yet another roar that beamed after Nic. Taking evasive actions, Nic ascended like a rocket, red streaming behind him from the orange tip of his conical tail. He zipped upwards, yet Acnologia craned his head, making his roar follow Nic. The beam blazed across the skies, but as it followed Nic, he swerved around the attack, spiraling completely as it hideous sounds and atmosphere simmered down. With room, Nic opened his mouth, firing an Ice Beam attack. As the beams traveled, an icy ripple exerted from the point of release. The attack closed in as fast as Acnologia's roar, but the Black Dragon proved he could learn, as he lowered his head, ducking as the Ice Beam missed, beaming at the spot behind him, where a mound of ice emerged.

Acnologia craned his neck up, looking back at Nic. That was when the ground beneath him cracked apart.

A geyser of mist and dust emerged, sending shockwaves all around once as Mega Garchomp emerged from the ground to attack with Dig. Diving head first, he smashed into Acnologia's abdomen full-force. The impact made a ripple of shock that made the Black Dragon gag.

With the Dragon King in shock, Nic used the advantage given and created another icy orb in front. " **Ice Beam!** " Same as before, Ice Beam was launched, blazing after Acnologia. The Ice-type move contacted Acnologia's face, causing another misty burst of energy that caused the king to fall backwards. Acnologia roared as he lost footing, falling onto his back and destroying the mound of ice.

Mega Garchomp arose next to Nic, both watching as Acnologia dug his claws into the dirt beneath, standing back up like nothing happen. He roared at them again, making blistering ripples hit their faces. The Dragon King unleashed yet another beam at Nic and Mega Garchomp, with Nic opening his mouth.

" **Hyper Voice!** "

Opening his mouth, Nic let out a menacing, draconic roar; said roar unleashed out soundwaves that expanded outwards, meeting Acnologia's roar in the center. The two attacks generated powerful gusts that blazed everywhere destroying the earth beneath and the clouds above.

Acnologia's roar kept going, making it slowly overpower Hyper Voice and head after Nic.

" **Dual Chop!** "

At Nic's command, Mega Garchomp got in front, his blades glowing bright green. With a menacing shout, he raised both and slashed them down like chops. As bewildering as it was, the roar diverged around the Dual Chop, separating into two compressed beams that reached out far in the distance, exploding into oblivion behind them.

" **I'm not through with you! Pokémon!** " Acnologia swung his tail around swiftly, the harsh end batting right Nic and Mega Garchomp's sides. Both gagged as the impact was menacing to them, and they both zipped off to the side, streaming like comets that crashed into the earth. In a steep slide, a dust trail bellowed up in their wake, both on their backs and grunting at Acnologia's counterattack.

Acnologia flapped his wings once, taking flight and making another powerful gust that managed to turn Nic and Mega Garchomp over. They anchored themselves to the earth, having sustained the gust until the sand and dirt subsided, revealing Acnologia high above.

" **It would appear that even with these new forms, you still are challenged by my might. How fortunate**." Acnologia taunted.

Nic and Mega Garchomp got back up, glaring at the menace that was the king above them. "Damnit." Nic cursed.

Mega Garchomp leered with aggravation at a peak. "Gnnngh. This is starting to get annoying. He just keeps getting back up!" He lowered his head, but his intense stare remained on his adversary in the skies. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah. We'll have to settle this now." Nic answered. "We have to deal with Face, so we'll put everything we have into suppressing Acnologia, just for a few precious moments. That'll give us a chance to regroup and escape."

"Works for me. Let's bring the hurt!" Garchomp agreed.

Nic and Mega Garchomp crouched and sprung back into the air, ice waving into spread spikes behind the lunge. They set a course for Acnologia, closing the gap fast.

Acnologia opened his mouth, unleashing another devastating roar. The attack beamed, but Nic and Mega Garchomp twisted their bodies into a spin around the beam and closed in. Meanwhile, the blast wave reached the earth below, enveloping a wide range of explosives that obliterated the ice and rock.

Nic opened his mouth, releasing a round of loops and a Dragon Breath. An intense blue beam expanded into a roaring blue fire that raced after Acnologia, but the Black Dragon used his wings to propel himself backwards, the Dragon Breath instead streaming inti the skies above, erupting in a large blue flash.

At eye level, Nic's body glowed as an afterimage of himself separated from his body, manifesting into a swirling sphere of light with a core. " **Ancient Power!** " He threw the sphere with all his might, making it blitz in a silver blaze across the atmosphere. The Rock-type attack closed in, and Acnologia brought his wings in front, shielding himself as a silver burst of energy obstructed him. He unfolded his wings, showing no damage dealt.

" **Is that really the best you can offer?** " He questioned.

"Think again!" Mega Garchomp reappeared in front of Acnologia at blinding speeds, his blades glowing green. " **Dual Chop!** "

With Acnologia wide open, Mega Garchomp slashed both blades in a chop, trailing green from above that collided with Acnologia's chest. The scales were cut into, sustaining serious wounds as a bright green explosion also enveloped him.

Within the explosion, Acnologia recoiled, his chest bleeding weakly as Mega Garchomp recoiled as well, him beside Nic as they were in a rough stare down. Both sides stared coldly, as they just about had it.

Nic let out another roar, icy ripples exerting, crystalizing the atmosphere and making frost fall to the ground. The tips of his wispy headpiece began to glow orange with menacing levels of heat. The spikes on the back of the icy shoulders stretched out and attached themselves to the conical tail behind Nic, where the chords began to slowly pour heat from the shoulders into the tail. The turbines on Nic's tail began to accelerate, and the energy emitted made a reddish-purple aura around his body. The air shook, frost beginning to materialize around him.

Acnologia roared out, unwilling to let the attack follow through. He went blazing through the atmosphere, darting right for Nic and Mega Garchomp. " **This is the end for you! Time to slay!** "

The protrusions on Mega Garchomp's head glowed. "Bring it on!" Intense air waves exerted outwards as the atmosphere around Mega Garchomp flared with a monstrous level of draconic energy. He ascended in a small jump, the energy expanding into a dragon.

"Choke on this, swine! **Dragon Rush!** " Mega Garchomp went blazing ahead, flying in at monstrous speeds as the dragon spread its wings around him, soaring after Acnologia.

Nic raised his head, roaring loudly as the aura around him began to expand into a sphere with intensifying burning energy. " **Maxus Legendary Arts – Ice Burn!** " At that moment, his roaring intensified, unleashing several beams from his body that looked like fire that flared and went as several intense streams ahead.

As Mega Garchomp went surging on, the blazing Ice Burn streams began to converge onto him, The Dragon Rush enveloping him flew directly in the center of the streams of blazing ice, and when it got far enough, the blazing ice converged, merging with Dragon Rush. The air solidified into ice crystals that instantly shattered as a reddish-purple, flaming draconic beast with draconic energy in the eyes and Mega Garchomp in the center blazed across the sky. Comets of icy fire streams followed behind, trailing back to Nic.

Acnologia soared right in, roaring loudly as he and Mega Garchomp collided. Upon impact, the sky lit up in a strong, blinding light that gave off a most sinister sound. The skies around lost all cloud coverage from miles around, and down below, the collision left cataclysmic damage as the ground sundered to pieces. And earthquake of unimaginable caliber rattled the area, as the bright impact in the sky roared louder than crackling thunder.

In the dead center of the collision was Acnologia and Mega Garchomp, glaring at each other in hopes of overpowering the other. Neither side was willing to give up, and they dared not back down from the challenge. The sheer body of Acnologia pushed as hard as it could, while Mega Garchomp viciously hammered the dragon with his attack. Both sides seemed even, but to one side's shock, they were losing ground.

Acnologia could feel his entire body grow cold the longer they were connected. The Black Dragon roared weakly, frost gathering around his body. To his disbelief, the energy from Garchomp grew astonishingly brighter, and the burning sensation crawled all around him. As Mega Garchomp pushes, the Dragon Rush/Ice Burn roared out as it finally shoved into Acnologia's abdomen, soaring like a flaming icy arrow as it sent Acnologia across the distance. The Black Dragon yelled out as he felt unimaginable freezing pain that felt hit to the touch, his screams fading into distance as he and the attack faded from view.

A few moments passed as all was quiet, with Nic watching from the skies. His aura subsided, his finished attack leaving him to pant. In this distance afar, a ripple exerted across the land, a dust wave of frost encompassing everything, layering everything in frost as a bright multicolored dome of cataclysmic energy erupted skywards. Several ripples bellowed out and up, roaring with so much vibrant power that it covered miles on end. The explosion bellowed up, the air instantly getting colder around Nic. Frost sparkles shot everywhere like comets streaming overhead, with Nic looking up in amazement as the draconic icy explosion began to slowly fade away.

A large dust cloud took over the scenery ahead, the rumbling subsided. Nic fell quiet for a moment as he watched with wonder as the dust began to subside. To his surprise, he saw a figure fly out of the dust cloud, looking battered, but this left him relieved.

"Mega Garchomp!" Nic shouted.

Mega Garchomp regrouped with Nic, several scratched and bruises all over his body. But even so, the Mach Pokémon looked fine. He opened his mouth, exerting a powerful roar into the air, rippling haphazardly. Once finished, he looked back at Nic.

"You think that buried him for awhile?" He questioned, looking back at the ocean of dust and frost in the distance.

When Nic looked at Garchomp, he was also covered in some frost that was over a few good wounds. It looked brutal, but Mega Garchomp was powering through the best he could. He didn't nod, however. "Let's hope so." He raised his icy arm, swiping it and materialized a spatial portal.

"Let's regroup! Hurry while we still have time!" Nic said, he turned and dove through the portal that went to unknown reaches.

Mega Garchomp followed, but not before looking back at the dust cloud. "This isn't over! Acnologia!" He yelled before he sped through the portal, closing behind him in rainbow sparkles.

As the dust cleared out, Acnologia was seen on his back, everything around him wedged underneath a thick layer of ice. His body had sustained some injury, and the dragon groaned as he laid on the cold, hard ground, the center of his body enveloped in thick frost that covered a large bruise from that last attack he was hit with. He glanced up at the sky, noticing how Nic and Mega Garchomp were gone. His frustration continued to rise.

" **Gnnnngh! You…** " He growled low. " **You insolent…!** " He opened his mouth, exerting a snarl most blood-curdling. He began to curl up, getting back up, albeit with some hesitation. " **You Pokémon…cowards! I won't let this slip by! You hear me?!** " He was back on all fours, stretching out his arms, legs, and wings, expelling all the frost on his body, minus the cuts he's sustained. " **I WON'T STOP UNTIL YOU'RE ALL SLAYED! YOU CAN'T HIDE FOREVER! I WILL FIND YOU!** "

The Black Dragon took flight once more, shooting up into the atmosphere and disregarded his own exhausted condition. He would've tried stopping, but the dragon was so fuming that he wouldn't dare rest. He was challenged by this energy; this power known as Pokémon. He dominated, and he was stripped by his rivaling force. A force he could not seem to devour, unlike Magic. Angered, he turned and went flying off into another direction, following a faint scent trail, which didn't linger well, but was enough for him to trace from where Nic came from…and possibly went. He roared again, charging into the distance with willpower to drive him ahead.

* * *

The oceanic atmosphere was crisp in the night. Boulders prodded from the sea below, the water reflecting the night sky and its lively stars. Hidden amongst the rocks everywhere, the tall ones housed Wingull nests, with small hatchlings underneath the parents as they slept. In the water, Tentacool bobbed up and down, red illuminating the water at times, making the ocean light up in red stars of its own. Very few islands existed amongst this stretch of ocean, and few had abundance of sand. No green was around, as it was nothing but isles of sand close to one another.

This was Route 133, Hoenn, and it was where in the skies, a spatial portal suddenly opened.

Wingull and many other aquatic Pokémon stopped what they were doing and looked up at the small portal. They saw two projectiles fall from the portal, which closed behind them. They saw something dark with red falling alongside something with an orange stream. The two comets gave off brief roars as they fell into steep dives towards one of the sandy isles. They both crash landed, generating a powerful rumble that made dust and sand kick up. The Pokémon in the area hid underwater, evading the shaking.

As the dust and sand subsided moments later, it revealed a long trail wedged in the sand. It went on from one end of the isle all the way towards the near tip, where at the base was Nic and Garchomp, both back to normal, both eyes closed and dirty from the ground up.

Nic groaned and began to stir on his stomach. "Gnnngh…" He got his forearms beneath and pushed up, managing to sit up. He opened his eyes, catching a view of the isle and the fresh ocean water. The smell of seawater filled his nostrils, quelling his pain. "Where are we…!" He looked over, his eyes widening as he saw Garchomp by his side. "Garchomp!"

Garchomp struggled to stand, but managed to get to a knee and looked over towards his Trainer with a tired gaze. "(I'm fine.)" He exasperated. "(Just a few scrapes.)"

Nic looked relieved to see Garchomp alright. "That's good."

Garchomp disregarded how he was unable to speak English-like and he and his Trainer both up slowly. They managed to get themselves on their feet, the soft, white sand tickling their toes. Garchomp looked around, feeling the oceanic breeze. "(Where are we?)" He questioned.

Nic narrowed his eyes, inquiring his own choice of location. "This is odd. I thought I chose Azure Bay? Did I make a last-second substitution?"

"(Doesn't matter now. We need to think of a plan.)"

Nic looked back towards the Dragon/Ground type, taking the inquiry seriously. "You're right. **Recover.** " Using his healing move, he glowed and began to regroup his energy once more. He felt his wounds close, his fatigue no longer there. He was vibrant with energy once again. Once fully healed and refreshed, he glowed again to his Mind Form and used Heal Pulse, getting Garchomp's scrapes and wounds to close. The scratches and bruises on his body faded away, and Garchomp didn't feel the pain anymore. Just like Nic, he was back to 100%, on his feet and raring to go. Once healed, Nic glowed and reverted to himself.

"This is a very precarious situation we're in." Nic evaluated. "Given our standpoint, we're wedged between a rock and a hard place. We've wasted far too much time in repelling Acnologia. Granted, thanks to him, the Faces miles apart were destroyed, but there's still that large number spread thin across Ishgar. If we don't find a solution soon, we either have to deal with Acnologia again, or we have to find another alternative."

"(Well standing here in the middle of nowhere won't solve our problem either.)" Garchomp pointed out.

Nic took in a big breath. He was getting worn out with the predicament they were in. He originally escaped to his world to find solace away from Acnologia and regroup, but he couldn't stay for long. He looked for an answer as he inspected the isle, seeing the rock and seawater stay all around, in and out. The longer it came in and washed up seaweed, the more a realization began to crawl up his spine.

"Wait a minute." Nic muttered.

Garchomp looked at his Trainer as he walked off, dazed. "(What?)"

"Wait just a minute…" He narrowed his eyes, looking suspiciously all around as he saw every rock and sand wedged in water far across the isles. When he realized it, his eyes widened. "Now I get it." He turned back towards his Garchomp. "Garchomp, I know where we are. We're in the southern waters of Hoenn."

"(That so.)"

Nic nodded. "I'm all but certain…" He began to think back to long ago, when he and Future Nic were swimming in the dark trenches far beneath Hoenn. "This was the location where Future Nic and I plunged into the depths in search of Kyogre. This was the closest we got to his energy signature." He looked away, facing the skies far off in the distance. "And this is also…"

Garchomp craned his head down. "(Sounds like you're hatching a plan. I'm all for it.)"

Nic narrowed his eyes as he stared at the distance far away. "I know who can help us. He can't be too far off!" Nic turned back towards Garchomp once again, a serious fire in his eyes. "Garchomp, I need you to go back and try to continue cutting down those Face bombs if you can. I need to go find someone."

Garchomp didn't need to second-guess what Nic was up to. If it was meant to stop Acnologia, then he didn't have to worry. The Mach Pokémon stared at his Trainer with no sense of doubt in his heart. "(Got it. I'll make them all crumble before me.)"

Nic smiled at Garchomp with a confident smile. "I'm counting on you." He swiped his arm, creating another spatial portal.

Garchomp crouched. Without a nay or say in the decision, he plunged back into Fiore, the portal closing behind his shark-like tail.

Meanwhile, Nic looked back at the skies above, pulling out another Poke Ball. "Charizard, **Fly!** "

The Poke Ball popped open, revealing Nic's Charizard as the Flame Pokémon mouth his mouth and roared into the skies. The flapping of his wings stirred up sand, and he arched his body down and he flew across Nic. Nic jumped onto his back in the process, both sailing off towards the isles over beyond their reach.

Nic rode on Charizard's back, his stare firm as he looked in hopes of their destination afar. _'Don't worry everyone, we can do this!'_

* * *

The water in the area had just vaporized after the fall of Torafuzar, the fish-man sliced apart with a gaping mouth by the steel might of Gajeel. However, the damage Torafuzar did was unimaginable; many mages were unconscious from his deluge of darkness, even Natsu was unconscious. The only one who was standing in the end was Gajeel, who fell to a knee before the fallen Torafuzar.

Panting, Gajeel looked back at Natsu, Lucy, Sophie, and Levy, who were still unconscious. "Crap." He grunted. "There's still one more to-!"

A dark figure stood behind him, catching his attention. The Iron Dragon Slayer whipped his head around eyes widening as Tempester stood in his Etherious Form. With no Magic Power left, he could only remain on a knee. "Damnit."

Tempester raised a claw, ready to strike down the weakened Gajeel.

An icy chill rang through the air, an icy arrow raining down from above. The ice arrow caught Tempester's attention, making him retreat with a jump backward the avoid the ice arrow, which froze the ground in a stalk of ice upon impact.

The demon slid back, looking ahead. "Who dares?!"

Walking in front of Gajeel revealed himself to be Gray, having a serious gaze fixated onto Tempester. He stood tall with astonishing might, surprising the Iron Dragon Slayer. "Gray?" He stammered.

Gray glared ahead at Tempester, a new change in demeanor. The dark eyes he had were no longer there; instead, his eyes were now red, fueled for the hate of the demons that tormented his father.

Tempester looked unnerved as he felt the energy change within Gray. "This human…"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but is this the creep with the Magical Barrier Particles?" Gray asked Gajeel without looking at him.

Taken back, Gajeel hesitated to answer. "Y-yeah." He nodded weakly.

"I'll deal with this creep. You just get those particles to old lady Porlyusica after this is all over, got it?"

"Now hold up-!" Gajeel wanted to question how Gray had such a bizarre power he sensed, but was cut off when the Devil Slayer lunged at Tempester without a second thought.

"I'll make this quick!"

Tempester, not wanting to take another chance, swiped his arm, whistling at the same time. All around Gray, cyclones rampaged, cornering as the winds picked up gravel and debris. With Gray immobile, he watched the Devil Slayer swipe his arm, his shock on the rise when he saw the tornadoes and everything inside froze over. It all turned to solid cylindrical statues, much to everyone's disbelief.

"What…?" Tempester muttered.

Gajeel's eyes widened. "No way…"

Gray put his arms together, conjuring ice. The ice intensified, manifesting into a longsword.

" **Ice Devil's Zeroth Long Sword!** "

Gray slashed the ethereal ice blade across, slashing deeply into Tempester. The impact was so intense that Tempester froze upon impact, gaping his mouth as the cut was wide open, ice barely absorbing blood from the demon.

Gajeel looked with horrific shock. He couldn't believe what he saw, not in a million years. He had the hardest time against Torafuzar, as did Natsu against Tempester; yet Gray downed him in one fatal blow. "What the hell…?"

Gray turned away, the seriousness unfazed in his eyes. "I'll be the one to end Tartaros."

* * *

"Right there!" Nic shouted, pointing down below.

"(Gotcha!)" Charizard took a steep dive and darted right for solidified sand at the base of a large island unknown in the confines of the sea. The Flame Pokémon spread his wings and slowed down, landing with a thud that sent gusts everywhere. The dust subsided, and Nic jumped off his back. Charizard looked back at Nic, seeing his Poke Ball.

"Thank you, Charizard." Nic praised. "Return."

With a nod, Charizard returned to his Poke Ball. As his Poke Ball shrunk, Nic pulled out a second Poke Ball, hauling it over his head.

"Greninja! Let's go!"

The Poke Ball was tossed into the air, popping open the Water/Dark-type. Greninja landed with crossed arms unfolding, his blank eyes blinking once to become the serious red eyes once more. "(Alright, looks like we're here.)" He evaluated.

Nic walked right up to Greninja's side, both looking at the cavern before them. Their eyes averted towards the large black hole that went higher up the island inland, where it housed a giant structure. To someone in Fiore, it reminded them of the Tower of Heaven, given its large, narrow height, but to Nic, it was where he and his future counterpart met and got assistance from a certain someone long ago.

Both glared at the tower, knowing what had to be done.

"Greninja…"

"Yes. Let's go. All the way."

"Right." Side by side, Nic and Greninja walked into the tunnel, disappearing into the darkness that connected them to the preluding monstrous structure that went into the sky.

* * *

 **Here's the new update! Hope this was a treat for all of you who love Mega Garchomp! So I can imagine why some of you would object to how I played out the battle as I did, but Nic and Garchomp VS Acnologia was a sizeable way to get Acnologia to be drawn towards the crash site, since there wasn't much of a lead to begin with. I also thought this would be a nice indication of power between Nic's Pokémon and Acnologia, considering how he stood no chance against Dark Legendaries, yet Garchomp and Mega Rayquaza were. This was also the opportunity to get Garchomp to Mega Evolve once again, as well as give Nic a re-run of an old Legendary Force from so long ago. I could've gone for another one, but I thought White Kyurem was fair enough. I was having some difficulty writing out the fight, but at the end, I made the clash as intense as possible while listening to Power to Strive OST from Bleach.**

 **As you also saw, I completely expunged Franmalth from the scene and forevermore. I wasn't satisfied with how he faked his own demise, especially with how he was revived in the tanks and destroyed in the process. I didn't get it, so I thought he was unnecessary.**

 **I read the latest Fairy Tail manga update, and even now, I am still having mixed feelings, as well as what to do when that time comes; if I get there of course. I have to debate if I should end the story with the manga itself, or go right into a trilogy; what are your thoughts? Should I make a trilogy, or would the story be ruined or be too long because of that possibility?**

 **I got what I needed from my poll, so I'll be taking it down. Thanks for your feedback, and I'll surprise you IF Vanessa gets a new Pokémon or not.**

 **For all of my** ** _One's Road to Remembrance_** **fans, I know you guys might be displeased with how I put the story on hold for a while, but the reason was that I got Writer's Block again. My inspiration is directed towards** ** _A Contender's Bonds_** **, and I am still trying to think of what to do for my OCxCana future plot. Hope you guys continue to bear with me for now.**

 **So as usual, put some canon, but mostly it was all original this chapter. Nothing but the usual Insane Dominator flavor mixed into the recipe. Hope this chapter was worth the wait, and I hope to update in another few days! So as usual, comment, review, and thanks again for reading another thrilling chapter!**


	52. Dragon Pulse

The ruins of Tartaros' base was settled within the earth, yet many figures were already on the move. Many Fairy Tail mages that survived crashed along with Plutogrim, already searching and gathering their numbers. Away from the gathering of mages, the small party comprised of Erza, Minerva, Bellona, and the four Exceeds ventured out of the ruined halls, reaching the shambles of a large chamber with open skies.

Erza looked around, taking in her surroundings with a discerning eye. "You think this is the control room?" She asked.

"Looks like it." Minerva answered, holding up Bellona on her own.

"More like what's left of it." Bellona corrected.

"Huh?" Happy's ears twitched, the sound of consistent beeping ringing from not far. He turned towards the direction of where it resonated from, and to his own shock he found what they were looking for. "Hey guys! Look!" He pointed ahead, everyone following his finger.

Everyone's surprise grew as they laid eyes on the ex-chairman, looking at the archive screen before him. His fingers pressed against keys, moving points across the board.

"The former chairman!" Erza exclaimed.

Crawford didn't answer. As he moved the screens to operate Face, his neck twitched, his eyes devoid of any pupils. Even now, he smelled bad.

"Hey, is it just me, or is he looking a little off?" Lector questioned.

"Fro thinks so too." Frosch said.

Regardless of how, Erza knew "how" wasn't as important as "what". She was aware of time counting down, and she began to urge herself forwards towards the undead chairman. "Former chairman!" She called out as she ran ahead. "Former chairman!"

Once again, he didn't respond. He continued to move dots along the board, like he was mute of deaf to her.

"Something is wrong here." Minerva said. She looked towards Bellona. "Didn't your master say the former chairman was killed?"

"Yes. I was aware." Bellona answered.

Minerva looked back, eyes narrowed as she watched Erza head towards him. "Then this doesn't make sense. If what you say is true, then how is he…"

"You have to stop Face now! Former chairman!" Erza called out, getting closer. Once near him, she began to reach her arm out. "Former chair-!" Suddenly, her body stopped, her feet frozen on the ground. The redhead looked down, her mind bewildered with her body's state of paralysis.

"Erza!" Happy shouted. His eyes suddenly went wide, a gag expelling when he felt an ominous force overpower him, rendering him stiff.

"Happy!" Panther Lily was next to worry, him too succumbing to the paralyzing force. It was him, then Lector, then Frosch, then Minerva. Bellona fell from Minerva's forced hold and fell to her knees, her body feeling the force in her neck.

Erza's hands began to open, slowly reaching for her own neck. "What? My…body…" She strained, her own throat having trouble breathing as her hands reached her neck, slowly grabbing and choking her. The pain and oxygen deprivation began, and Erza strained to get control back, but to no avail.

"Wha…" Happy was gaging as he was choking himself, as though possession laid eyes on everyone else; no one was safe as they all were choking themselves, their necks hurting from their own palms.

"My body…it won't listen!" Panther Lily murmured.

"C-crap!" Lector shouted.

Frosch was tearing up, the pain he was feeling making him whimper.

Minerva raised her head, but the pain didn't subside, it only intensified. "Gah!" She gagged.

Bellona opened an eye, the wincing evident. "This power…"

"You all are nothing but toys that don't interest me in the slightest." The voice belonged to a familiar person. Everyone who was able turned their bodies or glances towards the culprit of the sound, the shocking presence of Sayla unfolding. Beside the demon was another familiar demon. Kyôka.

"Don't kill the red one just yet, Sayla. She's of _my_ belonging." Kyôka smirked.

"Sayla…Kyôka too…" Bellona murmured before bending over, her head against the ground as she felt the suffocation knock her over.

Erza's eyes widened at the unprecedented welcoming of the two. "It can't be…" She gasped. "So the former chairman…!"

"I'm not as effective with dead arts like Keyes is with his Necromancing, but I can make do with my Macro to some extent." Sayla explained. "Even with his dead body, we are within reach of detonating the thousands of Faces thanks to him."

Every victim's eyes widened, astonishment rising.

Kyôka turned her head, smirking maliciously at a weakened Bellona lurched over the ground. "Well, well, Bellona…what a surprise to see you squabbling. And here I thought you'd have some dignity to flee while you still had good condition."

"Kyô…ka." Bellona grunted, unable to accept the taunts thrown at her.

Kyôka turned to face Erza, her smirk turning even more wicked as she leered. "So, Erza, how does it feel? Does unable to move make you remember your time in that cell?"

Erza grunted, trying break free, but she only felt the air and choking envelop her more.

"Yes. That's it. Make it more enjoyable for me…squirm."

Everyone was struggling. Either they would succumb to asphyxiation first or their necks breaking. They were running out of time, and they were unable to move. Not many of them knew what the paralysis condition could do to them, but those who met Arbok's Glare before knew that feeling, and Bellona was beginning to black out.

Sayla weakly grinned in delight. "Your stories shall end here-!" Suddenly, she was cut off as something swift blindsided her. The demon gagged as the sudden arrival of Satan Soul Mirajane socking her in her midsection threw her for a loop.

"Mira!" Erza smiled. If she wasn't glad before that she was alright, she most certainly was now.

"What?!" Kyôka stammered.

Mirajane followed through with her punch, sending Sayla screaming into a wall. The wall broke apart, and at that instant, Erza and everyone else felt their bodies loosen up again.

Erza's hold was let go. "My body!" She breathed.

"I can move again!" Panther Lily cheered.

The late Crawford once again fell over like a sack of potatoes, thudding as his lifeless body was free.

"Alright! The chairman stopped as well!" Lector exclaimed.

Mirajane fell over, her Magic Power depleted. She collapsed on her side, panting as she could no longer get up.

The dust cleared, revealing Sayla on her backside and pressed against the broken wall. Unable to move, she gritted her teeth with an eye closed. "You…" She growled.

Erza rushed on over to her comrade, looking down at the white-haired mage with worry. "Mira! What happened?! You had me worried sick!" She exasperated.

"I'm sorry." She apologized. "I'm okay…but…" She nearly collapsed on her forearms again. "My Magic Power…I don't think I have much left."

Kyôka approached Sayla, frowning as she saw her most loyal and valuable ally in agony. The Macro Demon has always been there for her, and seeing her put up with so much for her left a broken spirit in Kyôka's heart. "Sayla…" She murmured.

Sayla glanced back. "Mistress Kyôka…please forgive me. I tried my best."

"I know, Sayla. I know." She knelt, looking at her straight in the eyes. The look she gave was so sincere that it left Sayla touched. "I'm glad you held up this long for me. I am indebted to you, so let me finish what you've started. Besides…" She looked back, looking at the translucent archives in the sky in the room, resembling that of an intricate face.

"…the chairman has done his job. Those bombs shall go off."

Erza's eyes widened, looking at the countdown with a hefty gasp.

"No…" Mirajane murmured.

"Damnit!" Minerva cursed with clutched fists.

The four Exceeds gaped their mouths in exasperation at the countdown before them.

Kyôka grabbed Sayla's hand, staring silently as the demon was losing her strength. "Sayla…I promise you…" She paused. "We will get through this. With your power, we shall return to Zeref. And we shall kneel before him together." With her hold o Sayla growing stronger, she could feel Sayla coursing the last of her Curse Power through the demon's veins. The increase in strength, though not much, had Kyôka stunned. "Sayla…"

"Win…Mistress." Sayla croaked before she blacked out.

"Erza! Hurry!" Happy urged.

"Face is counting down! We got to stop it!" Panther Lily announced.

"Erza…hurry." Mirajane huffed.

Minerva stepped forward, beside Erza as both glared at Kyôka. "Erza."

"I know…" Erza glowed, an intensity in her eyes as she requipped into her Armadura Fairy Armor. She held up her pink hilt with a glare set on her enemy. "I will stop Face!" She declared.

Kyôka glared at Erza and Minerva, a vibrant force darkly illuminating the atmosphere. "I shall kill you all, in the name of Zeref."

The Face had its clock set.

 **32:11**

With one last tick, all three went lunging at their enemy, with Minerva following behind with green orbs in her hands. Erza sprung ahead of her, her sword in hand as she and Kyôka collided in the middle, sparks igniting when claws met blade. Sparks ignited when the metal grinded against the blade.

"You'll never stop Face. We'll make sure of that." Kyôka sneered.

"We'll see about that!" Erza challenged. "Minerva!"

On cue, Minerva's foot left the ground, springing overhead with a position looking to hold an invisible sword. " **Territory!** " At her magic's leisure, she swapped her and Erza's positions, making Erza atop of them while Minerva was in front of Kyôka. The bewildered demon went wide-eyed at how that didn't even take a split second, but barely enough time to register before she backed off in time to evade Erza's swing from above. Within that little reflex, Erza did manage to slice off only a single hair from Kyôka.

Kyôka slid a safe distance away, trying to recover. _'What was that? Whatever it was, I can't let these humans best the likes of Tartaros!'_ Kyôka stretched her claws forward firing green beams embedded with her pain enhancement powers. Erza dodged to the side and blitzed ahead, her sword pulled back as she closed the gap between herself and her foe.

"HRAH!" Slashed again, only for Kyôka to dodge with a jump overhead. The redhead averted her gaze upwards, but was blindsided with a claw coming down onto her.

" **I RAGD!** "

Minerva used her magic, catching Kyôka in a large spatial explosion. The erupting fireworks rattled the air wave, and Kyôka soared out of the sky in a trail of smoke. The demon yelled out as she crash-landed din a dust cloud with a loud thud.

"Yeah! Go, Milady!" Lector cheered.

"That's Minerva!" Frosch cheered.

Kyôka arose out of the smoke, her claws dug into a broken pillar she picked up. She flung the pillar at Minerva, the Territory Mage startled with how fast it was flung at her.

A bright horizontal glint brushed in front of Minerva, revealing to be Erza as she slashed straight through the pillar, the two folds crashing in different areas.

"Yeah!" Happy cheered.

"Way to go!" Panther Lily shouted.

The three were once again in a deadlock, with both sides glaring fiercely with no end. The one to break the silence was Kyôka, who broke into a smirk. "You're not half bad. I admit."

Minerva chuckled, lightly smirking at the demon's words. "Flattery shall not win you this battle."

"I fancy it wouldn't!" Kyôka sprung ahead once more, her claws stretched out and reached for Erza and Minerva. With both their guards up, Erza shielded with her blade while Minerva used spatial orbs to intercept. Kyôka collided with them, her prowess strong enough to swipe them. Both Erza and Minerva split up, separating in opposite directions. When they regained footing once more, they lunged at Kyôka yet again, spatial fists and sword brought forward to attack. Kyôka jumped at the last second, making Erza and Minerva go wide-eyed as their momentum backfired on one another. They yanked themselves back, barely freezing in place; exactly as Kyôka intended.

"Got you!" The demon reached down, firing pain receptor blasts discharged onto Erza and Minerva. Both were enveloped in a dust cloud, the land rumbling beneath their impact.

"Erza!" Happy cried.

"Milady!" Lector exclaimed.

Kyôka landed in front of the dust cloud, chuckling at their own folly. "You humans can get so overconfident."

A silence fell as the dust was simmering, but suddenly a green orb was seen within, surprising Kyôka. "What?" She looked down at her feet, seeing an orb attached to a spatial string. "When did this get here?!" She looked back ahead, eyes widening as the dust settled, revealing Erza and Minerva, both a little scratched from the attack.

Minerva yanked with her magic, pulling Kyôka in. "Now, Erza!" She urged.

"Right!" Erza rushed forward, yelling out as she passed Kyôka, slashing her sword that landed a powerful cut on the demon's side.

"Yeah!" All four Exceeds shouted.

Bellona stared in bewilderment, shocked with the strong amount of prowess they were facing. _'Erza, and Milady Minerva…are they seriously this powerful?'_

Kyôka fell with a thud onto her back, with Erza looking back to see the demon beginning to stand once more. Both she and Minerva alike glared as Kyôka let out a sigh as she was on her feet in no time, disregarding her injury with a smirk.

"Well…this is going to be more fun after all." She smirked.

Suddenly, an ominous sound howled in the winds. It was low, but it caught everyone's attention.

"What was that?" Erza turned away, surprised.

Kyôka went wide-eyed, feeling another dark pressure.

The sound reverberated once again, this time as slightly louder roar in the winds.

"That sound…" Happy trailed off.

Panther Lily's face turned to grimace. "This voice…why does it sound…familiar?"

Frosch began to shiver in place. "Lector." He shuddered.

The sound was heard once again, making Frosch clutch his ears.

"D-don't worry. Everything will be okay." Lector assured, although he couldn't lie if asked he was just as terrified. "I hope."

* * *

" **Muddy Water!** "

Upon the command given, Sliggo raised her head, enveloping her perimeter in a brown cyclone of murky brown water. As she cried out, the vortex expanded rapidly, enveloping all the Lamy in the area in its content. As the intense waves subsided, it revealed the dozens Lamy twitching while drenched.

Vanessa looked to her side, eyes narrowing as there were Lamy in the distance. "There's still more coming." She warned.

"Crap! Just how many of these are there?!" Jet shouted. As a Lamy drew near him, he made haste and attacked her, mowing her down with his High-Speed Magic.

Droy incapacitated many Lamy from behind with his Knuckle Plant, but even with that he was shocked. "These clones are becoming a real pain in my butt!"

"Come on! Be a man and fight us one on one!" Elfman declared.

Lisanna was behind him, covering his blind spot. "Anyone got any bright ideas?"

Vanessa was having a hard time as well. Due to the battle against Sayla, and her Aura Magic used to shield herself from the effects of Alegria, her magic was pretty much depleted. _'This is not well. If we keep this up, will we be able to hold out for reinforcements? Will I have to resort to Aura Guardian?'_ Using it would benefit, but for how long, and with the excess power, who else would be caught in her wake. _'I can't, at least not with this space. We'll have to keep toughing it out.'_ She swiped her arm at the dozens of Lamy before her. "Sliggoo, **Dragon Breath!** "

Sliggoo whipped her neck around and opened her mouth, loops surrounding her body. "This is getting tedious!" She yelled. She unleashed another flaming blue beam that blitzed through the atmosphere, engulfing the vast number of Lamy in front in a blue explosion.

As the dust and smoke vaporized, many more Lamy were seen chuckling, crackling in laughter, and wiggling eccentrically through their other clones' dust.

"Oh come on!" Jet yelled.

Vanessa narrowed her eyes, trying to remain calm. She reached out once more. "Once more! **Dragon Breath!** "

Sliggoo opened her mouth, where she began to gather blue flames again. As she eyes the oncoming Lamy, her green eyes grew serious. "Let's end this…here!" As she channeled her energy, the round of loops gathering began to subside, the blue flames getting brighter and colors varying.

"Huh?" All the Lamy stopped in their tracks, seeing Sliggoo's mouth starting to open with a refreshed draconic energy.

Once channeled, Sliggoo let out a gurgling scream, unleashing a dragon-shaped, multicolored beam from her mouth. The dragon's head opened wide, zooming up, spreading its vast wings, and widened the mouth to snap down on the Lamy clones. They all were enveloped in a much larger explosion, this time of multicolored energy.

As the dust cleared, Sliggoo remained still. "How's that?" She challenged.

However, despite what happened, her comrades were more than bewildered.

"What was that?!" Jet yelled.

"Well that certainly wasn't a Dragon Breath attack." Lisanna examined.

"Yeah. It looked similar somehow." Elfman said.

Vanessa looked ahead, bewildered by Sliggoo's "Dragon Breath". "Sliggoo…was that…" Her eyes widened in realization. "You've learned Dragon Pulse!"

Sliggoo raised her head, beaming with great confidence.

Vanessa swiped her arm. "Then let's go! Sliggoo, **Dragon Pulse!** "

At her command, Sliggoo again opened her mouth, where multicolored energy gathered. It was launched in yet another beam that blazed through the sky, shaping into a dragon. It spread its wings and angled down on the Lamy in the distance, enveloping them in another champ that exploded with earth-shaking vibrant force.

Jet smirked as he pumped a fist. "Now we're talking!"

A sinister wind howled at that instant, catching their attention. The wind was dark, ominous to where they felt their spines shudder.

"Huh?" Droy looked up to the sky.

"What was that…?" Elfman trailed off.

"I don't know." Lisanna muttered.

The sound roared again, making Sliggoo and Vanessa grow goosebumps. The Pularis girl looked up to the sky, her sense s growing unsound. "What is this darkness?"

* * *

In the wasteland of unknown reaches, the numerous Face statues were towering in the distance where Carla, Wendy, and Doranbolt were located. They were all staring at Wendy, who was looking dazed.

"What was that feeling before?" She muttered. Though the sensation simmered down, deep in her gut, the odd but familiar essence lingered.

"Wendy! Focus!" Carla chided.

"R-right. Sorry." She apologized. She turned towards Doranbolt, seeing him ready for another Direct Line. "Are we getting within range?"

Doranbolt looked down. "Can't say. Another 2 or three times should do the trick."

Wendy nodded in understanding. "Okay then, let's…get…" Wendy was beginning to trail off, her body petering towards the side. Without warning, the little Sky Dragon Slayer fell to her side, her body growing silent.

"Wendy!" Carla rushed her side, her worries on the rise.

"What happened? Is she alright?" Doranbolt questioned.

"I don't know!" Carla tried to budge her. "Wendy! Wendy!"

Wendy was not responding. Her body was numb, yet the inside of her was pulsing. Her heart was heart loud and clear, the beating running through her system. The beating was so loud it was heard from her comrades. The sensation she felt that was weak was multiplying, louder than ever.

"Damnit! What's going on?!" Doranbolt shouted. In the distance, he could hear the faintness that was a dark roar. He whipped his head around, eyes wide open. "What's that…?"

* * *

Juvia arose, eyes wide with shock. "Gray was here?!" After regaining consciousness, Gajeel gave the rundown on what happened, with how he stopped Torafuzar, and how Gray saved him. Juvia's face fell slowly as she recalled what she did. She felt guilty for not being awake to tell Gray of what she did to his father.

"That ice guy was acting weird." Gajeel said. "He's got this new power. I don't know, but it's seriously scary."

Lucy gave a sigh of relief. "At least everyone's alright."

Sophie nodded.

Gajeel held up a sac to Levy. At the bottom it had damp red, which was barely bleeding through. "Hey, Levy, get this to Porlyusica. It's the blood needed to destroy those Magical Barrier Particles." He informed.

"Right!" Levy nodded and received the small sac.

In the distance, Natsu was looking away, turned towards the sky with his front concealed.

"Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"Is he alright?" Sophie inquired.

"He's probably just pissed to have that Gray beat him to the punch." Gajeel shrugged.

However, there was something wrong with Natsu as well. The longer he stared at the sky, the more his body began to feel another sensation. It was palpitating, and this time, it was so unnerving he was shuddering. Nobody was sound with how he was looking so…terrified. "Gajeel…" He muttered. "Can you hear it?"

Gajeel raised a brow. "Huh…?"

Natsu finally turned around, revealing his eyes wide with fear. Sweat was running down his face, looking like he's seen a ghost. "That growling."

Gajeel narrowed his eyes in question. He thought it was Natsu's stomach, but his stomach didn't make his spine tremble. The Iron Dragon Slayer went silent, and sure enough, he felt goosebumps sprawl as a dark growl was heard. His eyes went wide, an equal level of fear on his face.

A jet-like sound began to emanate. It was an ominous wind that bellowed loud enough for everyone to hear. The ground was vibrating, catching Lucy by surprise.

Within the shuddering atmosphere, it was apparent that everyone heard and felt the ominous pressure. They all stopped whatever they were doing, turning towards the sky to the dark roar coming from the distance.

"What…is that?" Sting asked. The ominous pressure before while battling Mard Geer was dim enough for him to feel, but it faded away. Now it was back, and it was making his spine churn.

"This is bad." Rogue implied.

Mard Geer turned towards the shaking air, nervously smirking. "Well, well, why isn't this a surprise." He said. Even with the predicament, he was trying his hardest to stay confident and smirking. "I've never calculated _him_ to be part of this equation of mayhem."

A dark roar was heard loud and clear, this time loud enough to rattle the earth. Everyone began to feel bitterness swell as an awesome level of power was sensed from the shrinking distance. The jet-like sound closed in, the figure in question roaring and soaring through the atmosphere towards the ruins of Plutogrim.

"One can only plan so far. Was he drawn by the likes of Zeref? Or something more…?"

The beast in question came closing in, his menacing roars bellowing beyond comprehension. As he flew in, he was within eyes' line of sight, but the sound of destruction was what caused everyone to flip. They knew this level of power, and they were all beyond bewildered.

The black beast roared once more.

"ACNOLOGIA!" Natsu yelled.

The Black Dragon bellowed in anger and anguish. As he flew towards the sight, the last bits of Nic's scent fell in silence. As far as he was concerned, he's found his point of origin. The dragon was out for vengeance; blood of those who ruined him. He had to start somewhere.

The beast opened his mouth, unleashing a blue beam of breath that blazed across the sky. He flew over the level of destruction created, explosions devastating everything beneath his course. It was devastating clouds that the dragon reigned over, and no one had a say.

As the ground rumbled, many barely held their ground up.

"It's Acnologia!" Cana cried out.

"You mean that monster responsible for you going through time?!" Romeo exclaimed.

"Acnologia?! That dragon that…" Wakaba trailed off.

"Yeah, the beast that got his ass handed by those Dark Legendary monsters!" Macao reminded.

Cana stared at the explosions in the distance, her mind racing a million miles per second. The brunette was bewildered with shuddering thoughts of how Tenrou Island was nearly destroyed if not for Dialga and Palkia. She knew they weren't around this time, and that left her paling as the Magic Power could be sensed from her distance. "This bad…he's back…" She murmured.

With Erza, Minerva, and Kyôka, the ground was shaking. The arrival of the bringer of mayhem left them all petrified.

"Acnologia." Erza said.

"A dragon?!" Kyôka answered.

Minerva, Bellona, Mirajane, and the Exceeds remained frozen as the air raged with Acnologia's wrath unfolding.

* * *

"Wendy! Wendy!" Carla continuously tried to urge Wendy to stand, but no matter how hard she tried, the teenager was shuddering on her side. "Wendy!"

Her heart raced fast, pulsing with energy. The essence inside of her was flaring, and she couldn't explain why.

Doranbolt heard an explosion from the distance, catching his attention. "What?" Another dome of destruction was seen expanding, making him go wide-eyed. "You've gotta be kidding me…"

* * *

Natsu was on his knees, his heart thumping louder than ever. He was unable to move, the climax of energy swelling inside of him exceeding what he could take.

"Natsu? Are you okay?" Lucy asked.

Nastu felt another sharp pulse, a heartbeat escalating madly through his stomach. He clutched his belly, grunting in pain. He let out a sharp cry of anguish, much to everyone's shock.

"Natsu!" Lucy reached for him to make sure he was well, but when her fingers tapped his shoulder, she instantly pulled away. "Ow!" Her hand steamed from the touch. "It's hot!"

Gajeel began to clutch his own belly, the Iron Dragon Slayer grunting and suppressing his owns cries of anguish.

Levy looked back with great shock. "Gajeel!"

"Wait…" Juvia's eyes widened in shock. "Are the Dragon Slayers reacting to Acnologia?"

"Everyone…" Sophie wasn't sure what to make of the predicament, but she knew it was beyond her control.

Natsu and Gajeel's eyes dilated, both Dragon Slayers looking dazed as their heartbeats were heard loud and clear, convulsing and expelling energy that they had violent reactions too. But from a short distance off, they weren't the only ones, Sting and Rogue were on their knees as well, both 1st and 3rd generation Dragon Slayers at the mercy of their own pouring energies. All five Dragon Slayers known were having hearts beating, the roars of Acnologia pulsating greater energy to where they could barely keep themselves up.

Mard Geer looked away from the fight, his eyes widening slowly from the phenomenon. "What's going on here?"

Acnologia roared again, closing in on the ruins and everyone in it.

"It's Acnologia!" Lisanna shrieked.

"Crap! We're so dead!" Jet and Droy yelled.

Vanessa stared with shock in her eyes. No words came, only the great wave of bloody red aura around the Black Dragon. It gave off a bad smell that wrinkled her senses. It was almost intoxicating to even sense.

"Everyone! Get cover!" Elfman shouted.

Acnologia flew down, sailing closer to the ground as he passed over everyone's heads. The Black Dragon bellowed out as he made shockwaves that pulsated all around, sending many mages flying. They all screamed in terror as structures fell from the likes of him. Winds shoved many down, stirring chaos and destruction.

Cana laid amongst the debris, looking up with eyes misting. She watched Acnologia take flight into the skies, the black beast making her tear up. "What did we do to deserve this? What?" She whimpered. "Damnit!"

Mard Geer watched from below, frowning before the arrival of Acnologia's maelstrom. "What's brought the likes of him here?" He questioned calmly. "Has he come for the likes of E.N.D?" He narrowed his eyes, feeling the intensity the dragon has made. "No. This isn't fear I sense. It's anger. Is he angry with who I think it is?"

Acnologia ascended to grand heights, looking over the area with everyone below. He growled below them all, seeing no sign of Nic. He couldn't smell him, and that's what irritated him. He wanted him only; him, and the Pokémon that he had. They were what made him so mad. He opened his mouth, gathering energy for another roar to lure him out.

Natsu was holding up, but barely. His heart was pulsating fast and swiftly, almost to where it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest any second now. Everyone hovered around him, worried as he clutched his abdomen in pain.

 _'_ _ **Natsu.**_ _'_ A voice called.

Nats's eyes widened, the beating stopping. He perked up, much to everyone's shock.

 _'_ _ **The time is here.**_ _'_

"That voice…" Natsu whipped around, but saw no sign of the familiar voice. "Igneel?" He muttered.

 _'_ _ **I know that with the right guidance, you can conquer E.N.D.**_ _'_

"Igneel?! Igneel!" Natsu looked around, still no sign of his foster-father. "Why am I hearing your voice?!"

Lucy looked at him with curiosity. "Natsu?"

"Igneel?" Sophie repeated.

Natsu looked up, but even there, there was only Acnologia, charging up his attack. _'_ _ **Natsu, now it is my turn to strike down this dragon.**_ _'_ As the voice simmered down, the pulsing came back, a red light starting to emerge from Natsu's abdomen. The Dragon Slayer stared down at the glowing light, seeing numerous beams of flaring red everywhere. The pain he was feeling returned, the sensation was like something was bursting out of his stomach. He clutched it tight, trying to stay conscious.

 _Natsu jumped onto Igneel's snout, happily smiling as his Dad snickered at the boy's playful attitude._

 _Igneel pointed to another scribble on the ground, labeled 'E', the next letter Natsu was learning._

Lucy's and everyone went wide-eyed as the light intensified from Natsu's belly, a fiery wind picking up. It felt like Charizard's heat, yet it wasn't.

 _Natsu and Igneel shared a hardy laugh, their bellowing joyful laughs making them enjoy their day._

Winds picked up around Natsu as the light intensified.

 _Natsu woke up one morning, a lone scarf around his neck, crying as he realized Igneel was gone. "Dad! Da~d!" He cried out. He raced into the woods, hoping to find him. "Dad! Where are you?!"_

Ntsu's teeth gritted as the voice arose once more within the bright light. _'_ _ **It's been a long time…Natsu. I know that you thought I left…**_ _'_ A pillar of bright fire emerged, making everyone cover up as heated shockwaves flared everywhere. They all screamed out as the light was as bright as the sun. As they found shade, they looked back, their faces paling as sweat flared. No one would've believed it if they didn't see it. _'_ _ **The truth is…**_ _'_

Above Natsu, winds flared as a giant red dragon emerged from the vanishing light. He had scars on his face and yellow eyes. The red scaled and light yellow underside and wings was all too familiar. The arrival of the dragon that Natsu had long searched for. Igneel.

" **I was closer than you could have ever imagined.** "

As winds and dust surged everywhere, Natsu's eyes were wide open. If he was dreaming, he'd know this was his mind playing with him. His pupils dilated as he saw the red dragon, but couldn't believe who it was. Dumbstruck would be putting it lightly.

Lucy and everyone gaped their mouths, eyes wide as the heated winds brushed their faces, yet they were unfazed as their attention was onto the ascending Fire Dragon King.

The winds around Igneel burst as the dragon extended his wings, taking flight. " **We'll talk later! Right now we settle the score with Acnologia!** " He flew into the skies straight up, making more gust waves as he left the bewildered group down below.

As Acnologia charged up, he saw a red flash before Igneel tackled him in the skies with supreme force. The impact made the air quake in fright as the two dragons collided, roaring so loud that the sound barrier broke apart. Dust and fire manifested into a tempest that broke everything. Nearby tall structures were either melted or blown away.

As gusts flared, Juvia's hair shifted as she saw the collision of dragons. "Is this…a dream…?" She murmured.

"Is that…who I think it is?" Lucy wondered. She looked at Lucy, but his body was shuddering. The blonde's fears were starting pause as she saw the look of tears beginning to pool on Natsu's face.

"Dad…" He quivered.

"That's…Igneel?" Sophie gasped.

"No way." Levy murmured. She averted her attention towards Gajeel, seeing that his breathing was beginning to simmer down. "Gajeel."

Gajeel was catching his breath, but the pain in his chest managed to alleviate itself at long last. "The throbbing stopped."

* * *

Acnologia and Igneel roared in the skies, bellowing out their signature cries as they flapped high in the air, circling around the other for their counterattack. Their roared echoed for miles, and high above was where they could be seen by all.

Wendy saw a black and red speck from the distance afar, her eyes widening. "That's…"

"Acnologia! And who's that he's fighting?!" Romeo yelled.

"How should I know?!" Vjeteer yelled.

"Another dragon?!" Wakaba exclaimed.

"Where did it come from?" Cana wondered.

"Beats me…" Macao narrowed his eyes. "But, if I didn't know any better, I say those two are fighting."

"You mean that red guy's tussling it out with that scarred beast?" Wakaba said. "I know I wouldn't be messing with any of them."

As the dragons roared once more, Erza and her group in the control room look up with shock.

"That red dragon…" Happy said. "That's a Fire Dragon!"

Erza's eyes narrowed. "Is that…" She knew Acnologia was one thing, but she couldn't believe seeing Natsu's father. _'Igneel?'_

Kyôka glared at the two dueling dragons, her nerves on edge. "No…no, I don't understand! What is happening, Lord Mard Geer?!"

Meanwhile, Sting and Rogue were panting, catching their breaths after the incident with the thumping. Sting turned towards him, looking calmer than before. "Hey, you okay over there?"

Rogue looked up, half-grinning. "Don't worry. It's calmed down. More importantly…" He looked ahead, worry crawling upon his face once more. "What happened to that guy before us?"

"He was here a minute ago." Sting noted.

Away from the earlier skirmish, Mard Geer used the distraction of Acnologia to evade the Twin Dragons, finding himself perched within higher ruins of the Tartaros base. He stared out of a broken window, his glancing cascading above. "I see you up there. Black Dragon of the Apocalypse Acnologia; Fire Dragon King Igneel. You two have wrecked havoc amongst the air of which I breathe, do you not?" Mard Geer smirked. "Well…I intend to erase you both next. There has been an adjustment in plans."

* * *

Flapping his wings, Igneel shot straight up, evading Acnologia's charge. Above, the Fair Dragon King turned around, inspected the various wounds – new and old – on the Dragon King.

" **What's the matter, Acnologia? Don't tell me you ran into some trouble from before?** " Igneel taunted.

Acnologia roared into the atmosphere, again bellowing powerful waves of energy all across the airspace. He flapped once, shooting up at great speeds. His steep climb rammed Igneel right in his chest, catching the Fire Dragon King off guard and gagging as he faltered backwards out of the air. He managed to catch himself, mentally cursing himself for letting his own guard down.

" **Looks like I'll have to resend that quote.** " He said, moments before he dove back after Acnologia.

Below the growing skirmish, Natsu was still looking distraught, though it was hard to tell with his bangs covering his eyes. He looked up, glaring at Igneel like nothing else mattered.

Levy turned towards Gajeel with worry in her eyes. "Gajeel, are you hurt?" She asked.

"I'm fine." He assured. Proving his point, he managed to stand on his own. Once up on his feet, he leered at Natsu. "Hey, Salamander! What the hell was that all about?!" He exasperated. "You mean your old man was inside you this whole time?! The heck was that about?!"

Natsu didn't bother glaring at Gajeel, even with his tone. "…I don't know…" He muttered.

Lucy looked at him with worry growing.

"I was looking for him this whole time…" Natsu's fists clutched tightly, his shock evolving into anger. "Igneel…" His legs spread apart, flames surging as the propulsion made him fly. "DAD! WE NEED TO TALK! NOW!" He shouted with his dragon lungs. He shot into the air, in the distance looking like a flaming comet heading right for the skirmish.

Happy looked from the distance, recognizing the flames. "I can guess only one guy who's reckless enough to get up there."

"Is that Natsu?!" Erza exclaimed.

Mirajane managed a smile. "That's Natsu."

"IGNEEL!" Natsu roared, zooming at him with heated rage.

Evading Acnologia by faltering back, Igneel glanced back, seeing Natsu advance onto him. "Natsu!" He yelled. "I thought I told you, we'll talk later!"

"No! I want answers now!" Natsu reached far enough to stop his ascent, latching onto Igneel's wing. As the dragon growled, that only served to make Natsu more determined. "Tell me now! Why were you away all this time?! Why were you inside of me to begin with?! What happened to Grandeeney and Metalicana?! Why did you all vanish on July 7th, X777?!"

Acnologia charged after them, roaring out as he closed the distance quickly.

" **Natsu! Shut it!** " In a swift reaction, Igneel ascended at the last second; the sudden climb making Natsu jump. With one swing of his tail, he smacked Acnologia, knocking him away. In the midst of Natsu's grip loosening, Igneel seized his son in midair, clutching him in his claws.

"Gah! Hey, what's the bog de-?!" Natsu went wide-eyed as he saw Acnologia charging in for another assault, his shock averted towards the wings of despair heading their way,

Igneel brought his head back, an intense heat surging all around. The mouth closed and when gathered enough power, the Fire Dragon King opened his mouth, unleashing a loud roar with flames bellowing with the might of the sun. The giant stream of flames looked similar to a miniature sun that enveloped Acnologia, the dragon's roar muffled through its roaring heat.

"It's…so hot!" Lucy stammered as she covered up.

The heat waves traveled all throughout the area, everyone staring as embers went over their heads. It felt like they were being boiled alive. They haven't felt this much heat since Mega Charizard battled at times; in Cana and Sophie's case, in the Celestial World where Nic made lava and land rise.

"It's like the sun's crashing down…" Cana commented.

"It's like we're in an oven!" Laki covered up.

"Crap!" Macao yelled.

Acnologia roared in pain as the fireball swallowed him up, and he vanished as the flames reached the ground. A bright flash flickered before the land shuddered with quakes of fire. The roar became a giant explosion that enveloped a massive level of terrain, bellowing shockwaves that made dust expel all around for miles on end.

Happy watched from afar, bewildered with Erza. "That's the Fire Dragon's Roar."

"Amazing." Erza said.

The shockwaves and heat simmered down, leaving Igneel with smoke coming out of his mouth as he saw smoke down against the earth. He leered at the dissipating atmosphere, snarling beneath his breath.

"Whoa! That was awesome!" Natsu marveled.

Ignee's gaze intensified. " **…no. Not quite.** "

"Huh?"

The smoke cleared away, revealing a sizeable crater in the earth. In the center was a billowing smoke cloud that vanished when a set of wings spread apart. Standing on his two feet was Acnologia, roaring to establish his dominance.

"No way! That roar didn't do a thing!" Lucy stammered.

"Seriously?" Gajeel grunted.

"That attack should've vaporized him, yet he didn't get a single scratch from it." Juvia shuddered. "How could he do that?"

"How come that fireball failed? I thought he could be hurt?" Sophie inquired.

Erza's eyes narrowed. "What is Acnologia exactly?"

Igneel smirked. " **Now I'm getting fired up!** "

Acnologia bellowed out, unfazed by the likes of Igneel's blast. He suddenly stopped moving when there was an odd sound coming from the high skies above. The Black Dragon wasn't the only one who heard it; Igneel, Natsu, and everyone heard another screech from the atmosphere high above the clouds, making them all look up with wonder.

"What was that?" Minerva wondered.

"Beats the heck out of me." Lector answered.

As the screeched exerted a second time, they all noticed that the clouds that had been separated had begun to gather around, circling around the atmosphere. The cyclone of dark clouds overshadowed Igneel and Acnologia, bringing both dragons to their heightened senses.

Sophie's eyes widened. "Wait, this sound!"

"What? Sophie, what are you saying?" Lucy asked.

Sophie turned towards the shocked blonde. "…I'm saying I remember this call."

Lucy gasped, her brown eyes dilating.

Gajeel raised his head, startled. "I can hear that same sound as well…no, is it really…?"

The echoing of the screech made Mard Geer frown, the energy in the air spiking to where he was unsatisfied. "What now?" He exasperated.

Another screech was heard within the circling clouds above. The clouds began to spread apart, the light of multiple colors radiating like that of an angel. Suddenly, from the center, the light flashed, and a beam shit straight down. All eyes widened at the attack pulsating towards the ground, more precisely on Acnologia.

The beam was a multicolored dragon-shaped energy, this one being much Larger than Sliggoo's. The wings spread and Acnologia was caught stiff as the head chomped down onto him. The Black Dragon was enveloped in an explosion of multiple colors that emanated shockwaves all around, once again making gusts that brushed everyone's feet and hair. Many covered up, while those like Cana, Erza, Sting, Rogue, and Mard Geer stared at the sky with shock as a multicolored dome like Igneel's fireball crashed down.

This time, unlike Igneel's attack, Acnologia was seen roaring in agony as the smoke dissipated. The dragon lost his balance, falling onto his back with a disastrous thud.

A long silence had fallen as Acnologia sustained damage, leaving Igneel to narrow her eyes in confusion. " **What?** " He questioned.

"Did you see that?" Sting asked Rogue.

"Yeah, I did. What did you think that was?"

"I don't know, but it looks like Acnologia took it."

"Acnologia got hurt?!" Jet exclaimed.

"Wait, did that beam look familiar to you?!" Droy questioned next.

"That attack…it looked a lot like a Dragon Pulse!" Lisanna gasped.

Those within the area turned their attention towards Vanessa and her Sliggoo; the latter being more unnerved due to the accusation.

"D-don't look at me! I didn't do that!" Sliggoo defended.

Vanessa narrowed her eyes at the sky. "A Dragon Pulse…?" The more she thought about, the more it intrigued her, almost to where she was petrified with realization. "Does this mean…?"

"That was a Dragon Pulse." Erza examined. Within this realization, her eyes narrowed. "If that's the case…then that was from…"

"A Pokémon." Minerva gasped.

Bellona said nothing. Instead, she looked on with surprise.

"Pokémon?" Kyôka inquired.

Another loud screech was heard, and all eyes once again cascaded towards the sky. Acnologia was back on his feet, glaring up as he saw a green body swerved in an arch beneath the clouds and then up. It was only a fraction, but the familiar jet-like wings segmented made him growl. The long green body began to slowly swerve downwards, slithering in place. Upon seeing the familiar entity, everyone reacted in their own way.

Gajeel's eyes widened. "You've gotta be kidding."

Natsu looked up with distraught disbelief.

"No way. Is that who I think it is?" Lucy asked.

"What? No way…" Rogue murmured.

Erza's eyes were shuddering. "I knew it."

Everyone else, including Igneel, was caught surprised as the green serpent lowered from the cloud coverage, his long body in a semi-coil as he lurched his head down, revealing his pink gums and few fangs. To everyone's disbelief the creature was the Sky High Pokémon, Rayquaza.

Rayquaza unleashed another loud roar, his yellow eyes as intense as ever. Goosebumps ravaged everyone's spines as they heard his cries.

"No way…" Natsu was nearly paling. "That…!"

"Rayquaza!" Erza exclaimed.

Kyôka glared at the skies, her shock overwhelming her senses. She didn't know at the time, but she was starting to shudder. "A Legendary Pokémon?" From what she remembered during that night, she remembered Mega Rayquaza's undeniable power. It was enough to seriously injure Giratina, and with help from Mega Garchomp, defeat him. "How did that thing get here?!"

"Rayquaza." Cana quivered in astonishment.

"My god…" Mirajane exasperated.

"That thing! He's the one who injured Acnologia long ago!" Macao shouted.

"Great! Now it's a three-way struggle! We're so dead!" Wakaba exclaimed.

Vanessa was at a loss for words. "Ray…quaza…"

Rayquaza opened his mouth once more, emanating another shuddering screech that pierced ear drums. Acnologia looked up and roared back in retaliation. He glared at Rayquaza, remembering one of the few scars on his body being caused by the likes of him.

" **So, this is one of the Legendary Pokémon. That green guy is a dragon himself.** " Igneel figured.

"Yeah." Natsu answered, his tone dead serious. "That's Rayquaza."

" **…** **Rayquaza.** " He blinked. " **Hm? What's that?** "

"What?" Natsu looked up at Rayquaza, seeing figures atop his head. Rayquaza didn't move much, allowing Natsu to get a good look to see who was on his head. His eyes widened, shock again overwhelming him.

"Impossible."

One of the figures on Rayquaza looked like a human, while the other was a frog. Both were on his scalp, positioned to hold onto Rayquaza.

"We're sorry for the holdup." The human said.

"It took us longer due to some setbacks." The frog said in a similar tone.

On top of Rayquaza, there was Nic and Greninja, both crouching to hold on and glaring down at Acnologia. Their appearance against sparked another roar of anger from the Dragon King below.

"Is that Nic?!" Lisanna shouted.

"He's on Rayquaza like a man!" Elfman yelled.

"Nic?!" Jet and Droy paled, seeing Nic on Mega Rayquaza, on top of a Legendary Pokémon like he tamed it. "We're so dead!"

Vanessa stared up with vivid shock, seeing her brother arrive in such an astounding manner. "Amazing." She murmured. _'Just like what Mom and Dad told us about our ancestor.'_

Erza was caught stiff, paralyzed with astronomical disbelief. Her brown eyes averted towards Nic, instantly making her worry about him. "Nic!" She exclaimed in a mix of shock and relief.

Kyôka eyed Nic and his Greninja, her horrors again crashing against her. "Nic Pularis." She growled.

Rayquaza descended lower towards the earth, where he slithered down from the dark circling skies with speeds breaking sound barrier. He slunk his body as he reached a point, where he gave off a menacing growl towards Acnologia.

Unknowingly, Igneel looked from close behind, eying Rayquaza. " **So, it would seem Pokémon has chosen to intervene yet again.** " The Fire Dragon King said.

Natsu pointed at Nic, looking irritated. "Hey wait a minute! Nic!"

Nic and Greninja looked back, seeing Dragon Slayer in the air with them. "Natsu?" Nic questioned. His eyes widened upon seeing the second dragon in the air. "What?" He gasped, seeing Igneel in person.

"Another dragon?" Greninja questioned.

"What is this?" Nic questioned.

"That's what I wanna know! What are you doing here?! More importantly why are you on top of Rayquaza?! Why is that thing even here?!" Natsu yelled.

Rayquaza let out another screech, though this one was more menacing towards Natsu as he looked back. " **Silence!** " The Sky High Pokémon announced.

Natsu went quiet, him and Igneel giving the beings from Pookearth a suspicious look.

"We have a lot to catch up on it seems, but we don't have the time to talk right now." Nic turned around, him and Greninja looking at Acnologia as the Black Dragon began to ascend back into the air, slowly. "I'll make this as brief as I can. You see, earlier, I set out to stop and destroy many Faces that have already arisen. As Garchomp and I were in the midst of it all, we came across… _him_."

Acnologia growled once again, his vision nearly red from seeing Nic. " **You…** " He growled.

Natsu's eyes slowly went wide. "You mean…" The epiphany made him gasp. "You saw Acnologia!"

Nic nodded. "Unfortunately. Garchomp and I had to pull out all the stops to subdue him long enough to come up with a plan."

" **So that's why Acnologia is looking hurt right now.** " Igneel noted. The Fire Dragon King wasn't sure as how to think of it now. One part of him was pleased to see the Dragon King sustain damage, but another part of him was frustrated because it was done by Pokémon and not his own two hands. In spite of his own feelings for getting personal with Acnologia, he could see that by how Acnologia was glaring at Nic, Greninja, and Rayquaza that he seemed more important.

"You fought Acnologia?" Natsu surmised. Even he was in peril. He saw the scratches Acnologia had as well, and even he couldn't believe that even though he was a Dragon Slayer, Nic and his Pokémon did damage and took him on while all Fairy Tail couldn't do a thing.

Nic could feel the uneasiness resonating from Natsu and Igneel, but he chose to power through. "It wasn't easy, but our confrontation led to the destruction of many face bombs within the country."

Greninja took off from there. "After we came up with a plan, we decided to leave Garchomp to handle the faces as we speak, as to where Nic and I averted ourselves to getting aid from an old ally to handle Acnologia."

Upon being mentioned, Rayquaza let out another loud screech.

* * *

 _Sky Pillar, a place of legends in the myths of Hoenn. It was spotted, but with all the clouds it was never truly identified as a location; that is, until recently. However, the location was very hard to get through, and what was at the top of the clouds was an equally greater mystery._

 _Floor upon floor of the arrow-shaped tower, Claydol, Ariados, and Banette were all sprawled on the ground, looking defeated by powerful Pokémon. The culprits had made quick haste, mainly the Greninja who did all the battling. Eventually, with their adversaries defeated, they reached the top in no time._

 _Walking up a flight of stairs, Nic and Greninja stood at the center of the triangular part of the power's pinnacle. The peak had a small lag of oxygen, fitting for its astonishing height. The borders of the three ends were grand, the northern end being larger and looking like a wall without a throne. Winds breezed past them, making the duo feel a slight push from the side, yet they held their ground._

 _Greninja looked at the surroundings, acknowledging the old décor. "(Is it safe to say that this is the place?)" He asked._

 _"_ _Yes. It looks the same as before, thankfully." Nic said. He glanced all around, seeing that the Dragonhark altar was in one piece. He was initially worried that the devastation all those months ago would destroy the place, but he knew better than to think on just a malice level._

 _"_ _Greninja, do you recall this place?"_

 _The Ninja Pokémon nodded. "(Yes. This is where we gathered assistance from he who rules the skies.)"_

 _Nic took another step forward, staring up at the starry sky. He glared up at the twinkling stars, seeing the many passing comets. "It's time."_

 _"_ _(I agree. We can't dawdle. Shall we?)" Greninja stepped forward, standing beside Nic in the direct center._

 _Both Trainer and Pokémon closed their eyes, both staying silent as they allowed the winds to drown them out. They stayed as calm as the breeze that tried to cut their oxygen. Despite their breathing, their chests went in and out, slowly ascertaining a calm state of mind. All those years of meditating at time under intense pressure paid off. In no time, their bodies were so clam to where they felt no oxygen deprivation. Upon the calmness acquired, both opened their eyes simultaneously, a fire in which they would ignite._

 _Nic looked straight forward, not daring to look anywhere else. He wasn't certain if his idea would work, but it was worth a shot. He was told of some legends and myths of how some Draconoid folk harbored the tower and called upon Rayquaza before with a chant, but considering Nic knew nothing about the chant, he would have to rely on himself and his Pokémon for inspirational guidance. If Rayquaza could respond to them, then with what he's done, would the Sky High Pokémon answer his call?_

 _With no time, Nic began to speak._

 _"_ _I come before you now, in sake of others, and for the sake of life. I understand if you cannot hear my plea out of respect to the past, but I implore you of the great skies, allow me to speak in dire to the ruler amongst the weather; he who shows no mercy to those who dare rectify his ruling."_

 _A short silence fell, and Greninja felt nothing at first. Then, after a short time, he began to feel a small vibration. The tower beneath began to quietly shudder, much to his own relief and shock. Still, he remained confident and calm as he put faith into Nic…like he always has._

 _"_ _Rayquaza, allow me to ask for your assistance once more. Give me your power, so that we shall prevail. I beseech you, in the sake of all life befitting of living amongst us." Nic finished. He closed his eyes, quietly hoping that his prayer to the dragon would reach him at his sacred holy tower. He knew it was far from the actual incantation, he tried his best, pouring his heart into the plea._

 _A long silence fell over the tower, even the wind stopping. Greninja and Nic continued to remain silent, in spite of hope failing. They didn't give up, as they resided in that spot for moments on end._

 _Nic and Greninja's eyes suddenly widened, their senses picking up something faint in the wind._

 _"_ _Greninja."_

 _Greninja looked up. "(Yes. I felt that as well.)"_

 _As the small energy began to spike, the shuddering of the tower returned, this time greater magnitude. A faint screech was heard high above, much to the duo's surprise. Beneath them, the clouds began to stir, slowly becoming a small cyclone of black night clouds, giving the domain an ominous appeal._

 _Nic and Greninja looked left and right separately, catching the sea of clouds circulating them. They remained on guard as the spike in prowess grew._

 _Another screech became louder, and this one made their feet vibrate. A green glint was seen in the sky, and said glint became a green stream that closed in on Nic and Greninja. Both remained steadfast and weary as the green glint got even brighter as it closed in. It eventually got so bright that Nic and Greninja covered up and grunted as the tower's top was engulfed in a dust wave mixed with green light._

 _As the light diminished, Nic and Greninja both opened their eyes, the dust diminishing and allowing them to look back ahead. What they saw made them go wide-eyed, much to their own horrific shock. They have met who they were looking for._

 _Both looked up, seeing the green serpentine dragon that floated above the ground. Raising his head the dragon let out a loud screech into the atmosphere, this one being so potent that it made Sky Pillar rattle in fear yet again. Nic and Greninja barely held their own ground, but managed as the dragon looked down at them once more._

 _"_ _(_ _ **We meet again.**_ _)" The green serpent answered._

 _"_ _Rayquaza." Nic said._

 _Rayquaza exerted yet another roar, this one diverted towards Nic and Greninja in front of their faces. Both again barely held their ground, even slid back a few inches, but even with Rayquaza's screech, they tried to remain on their goals. They uncovered, seeing Rayquaza float and look intensely at them._

 _"_ _(_ _ **I remember you, Nic Pularis. You are the one who has saved the universe and skies from treachery. For that, I am humbled by your services to all Pokémon.**_ _)" The green serpent said._

 _Nic nodded in respect to the praise given by the Weather Trio Master. "If anyone should be flattered it should be me. I am honored to have you answer my call within this time of arduous need." He said._

 _Greninja gave a ninja fist to palm and bowed his head meekly to Rayquaza before standing next to Nic in the same posture._

 _"_ _(_ _ **Why have you summon me now? Nic Pularis.**_ _)"_

 _"_ _We have come to ask you in your assistance once more." He answered. "We implore you this once more, lend us your strength."_

 _The Sky High Pokémon craned his head around, looking at the two with a hazardous leer. A low snarl emitted from his jaws, one that made the ground vibrate beneath. After a long, grueling minute, the long beast gave Nic and Greninja a blunt stare._

 _"_ _(_ _ **…how shall I lend my strength to you once more?**_ _)" He asked._

* * *

"That brings us to now." Nic said. "Sorry for the interference, but we can't allow Acnologia to disrupt our efforts in dealing with Face, at least not a second time."

Rayquaza let out another screech, bellowing out at Acnologia, who matched the roar in midair. Both roars shook the earth, the air quaking to where the dark concentration of power was meant as trivial.

" **It would appear that we have crossed paths once again…Acnologia.** " Rayquaza spoke.

" **As it would seem.** " Acnologia acknowledged. The Black Dragon certainly remembered the times their paths were crossed, and the first time was nothing to be proud of, for him at least. The second time was a different occasion. " **I'm surprised, to think you would come flying back here upon request of human and the likes of your Pokémon kind.** "

Rayquaza wasn't amused by Acnologia in the slightest, nevertheless, he knew the confrontation was to behold. " **I have come in aid for this human and his Pokémon risked their lives to preserve the worlds that we thrive on. It is in my best interest to consider what they have asked.** "

Igneel turned towards Rayquaza, baring his fangs. " **So you're one of the Pokémon who was responsible for mortally wounding the so-called Dragon King, are you not?** " He questioned.

" **I am, but to the likes of you, dragon, I am but no concern to you.** " Rayquaza said.

" **Hngh! That's some show of care you had!** " Igneel deliberately rebuffed, however, Rayquaza wasn't the one to be riled up so easily.

" **I have come only by assistance from Nic Pularis. Your kind and what you do is not my concern, as I have only one job.** " Rayquaza raised his head, glaring at Acnologia from a new angle. " **And that is to drive off this putrid creature once more!** "

Acnologia opened his mouth once more, roaring in defiance. " **You? Drive me off a second time?** " He exasperated, his wings jerking and spreading out for battle. " **What a fool! Pokémon, prepare to be slain at last!** "

Both Rayquaza and Acnologia glared at one another, each far apart in the skies yet the way they were positioned was like they were going to attack at any minute.

"Hey! What about us?! We're still here you know!" Natsu fumed.

" **Yes. I agree.** " Igneel flapped his wings, gliding right beside Rayquaza's side. Even with the red dragon's proximity, Rayquaza was still fixated on Acnologia. " **Pokémon, if you do wish to fight, just don't get in my way. Acnologia is mine.** " The Fire Dragon King then showed a smirk. " **How's about we race to see who can destroy him first?** " He challenged.

" **Your need or competition does not interest me, dragon. Do as you like, but I stand by my own words.** " Rayquaza said.

" **Well you're no fun.** " Igneel huffed.

While Natsu and Igneel were a more competitive bunch, the likes of Rayquaza does not fall so easily for reasons to get so mad or believe Igneel could be better. If anything, he's indifferent, and by no means would he be afraid to mow down the Fire Dragon King if he turned on him. If he could settle Groudon and Kyogre, by all means he would deal with Acnologia and Igneel alike as well.

As Nic remained quiet and focused, he took a quick glance down, taking notice of something down below. He glared at a familiar man who knowingly smirks, but now frowns with concern. The way that the man glared up at him could tell Nic had brought along something that frustrated the likes of him. Nic's own vision narrowed, glaring down with equal defiance.

"Mard Geer." He said.

Mard Geer said nothing as he glared with hostility.

"Mard Geer?" Natsu wondered. He wasn't sure what Nic was talking about, but he did recount the name, albeit beneath a dense fog. _'Wait, I heard that name somewhere. Is he the one who masterminded all this?'_

"If he is the head of Tartaros, then we need to bring him down." Greninja said.

"Yes. If he's defeated, then we should have a better chance at ending Tartaros for good." Nic agreed. He glanced down at Rayquaza. "I'm leaving Acnologia to you."

Rayquaza glanced up at Nic and Greninja. " **Very well.** "

Nic stood up alongside Greninja. "Let's go, Greninja!"

"Right! Let's do this!" Greninja followed Nic as both jumped off of the Sky High Pokémon and diving right for Mard Geer.

"Hey! Save some for me!" Natsu wiggled and pulled himself out of his father's clutches, albeit with some struggle. Once he freed himself, he was atop of the fingers and crouched down, ready to pounce. "Let's go!"

" **Natsu!** " Igneel didn't a second word in before Natsu jumped off him, diving right for Mard Geer with flames on his heels once again. He wanted to go after him, but he had to deal with Acnologia. " **That reckless pest.** "

Nic, Greninja, and Natsu all dove down after Mard Geer, of whom was frowning upon seeing them incoming. The Underworld King remained stern as his prey closed in. He was familiar with Nic and Greninja, but not with Natsu.

"And what is this?" He asked aloud.

Nic glowed as he came down onto Mard Geer, the pants becoming similar to his Dread Form, including the belt, edging, and the Poke Ball turning into a Dusk Ball. " **Normal/Dark!** " He announced. In unison, he and Greninja put their hands together, unsheathing a purple needle that they raised over their heads.

" **Night Slash!** "

" **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!** "

Together, Nic and Greninja slashed, leaving a purple trail at the same time Natsu unleashed a powerful fiery fist. Mard Geer pulled up a durable forearm, but he was enveloped in a purple and fiery explosion from both attacks. The results was the Underworld King overpowered and shot backwards along the dirt, his forearm he blocked with having the sleeve sliced off and a cut of his body.

Mard Geer looked at his right arm, surprised with how he got injured. "What power…"

"And I'm just getting started!" Natsu landed on a knee and went blitzing after the Underworld King, making quick strides.

Mard Geer's smirk returned, seeing Natsu advance onto him. "How childish." He swiped his arm, using his Thorn Curse to summon brambles of thorns that went after Natsu.

In a blue blur, Greninja reappeared over the thorns, alongside Nic. Both had their own moves set, and they unleashed them in a frenzy.

" **Swift!** "

" **Water Shuriken!** "

Stars rained down from both; golden and blue alike. The Water Shuriken slashed and blazed through the thorns to where they were cut into shambles, and the Swift countered the residual fragments heading for Natsu, giving him cover beneath a smoke cloud. This action made Mard Geer go wide-eyed, just before he saw a talon kick barrel right for him.

At the same time, Acnologia engaged in battle, charging for Rayquaza, but the Dragon/Flying-type to spiral in a funnel past the Black Dragon. With Acnologia looking back at Rayquaza, he forgot about Igneel, who flew ahead with his own flaming foot.

" **Fire Dragon's Claw!** "

Natsu and Igneel alike scored direct hits onto their targets, with Acnologia lurching towards the side and Mard Geer sliding off to the side with his forearm still used to block.

"I see…" Mard Geer finished the skid. "So you're of draconic origin. If that's the case, then how about I dispose of you quickly?" Mard Geer had two fingers stretched forward, summoning thorn after thorn to attack Natsu once again, this time from all directions.

Natsu, however, smirked.

Mard Geer's eyes widened. "What can you find so amusing?"

Suddenly, the thorns closing in one Natsu were blindsided by purple glint. A purple zigzag traced left and right, too fast for Mard Geer's eyes trace. He looked left and right, seeing a purple flash. Greninja suddenly appeared in front of Natsu on a knee, sheathing his Night Slash in a swift fashion. Upon sheathing, the thorns were sliced apart, then a bright purple bursts of energy enveloped the air behind him and Natsu, both unhindered as Greninja easily nullified them.

"Impossible." Mard Geer stammered.

"Now!" Greninja shouted.

The purple explosion suddenly made a giant hole as something in a green light traveled through the atmosphere, blitzing in a pace far faster than the Night Slash. The green trail sped towards Mard Geer, his eyes widening as he was struck head on by Nic.

At that point, Acnologia watched Igneel circle around him, leaving him open as Rayquaza screeched yet again. His body was enveloped in a green aura, and he went blazing through the skies at astronomical speeds in a straight line. The dragon rammed his head into Acnologia's abdomen, making the dragon gag.

" **Extreme Speed!** "

In unison, a ripple exerted from both Rayquaza and Nic before a green explosion engulfed Acnologia and Mard Geer. Acnologia shot back from the explosion, roaring out in blistering pain as he sailed far away. While Mard Geer skid along the ground, his heels dug into the earth until he hit a boulder. Mard Geer slammed into the rock, engraved into it with a loud gag.

Nic landed right beside Greninja, both taking battle stances as Mard Geer slowly pried himself from the piece of earth.

"You're a very stubborn species." The Underworld King yanked his right arm out, finally free as he had but a few scrapes, though otherwise looked unamused by Nic and Greninja. "You're always crawling around like cockroaches, it sickens me. Especially with the likes of you and Pokémon messing with my plans, Nic Pularis. Did you know how long it takes me to recalibrate every step because of what you do?"

"If I truly cared, then I would've asked by now." Nic replied. "But what I care about instead…is that book that you carry."

"Huh?" Natsu blinked, not sure of what Nic meant. When he noticed the book labeled E.N.D he grew wondrous. "He's got a book?"

"I've noticed that book from our first encounter. It seems you're quite attached to it. What is it?"

Mard Geer's frown faded once more, transforming into yet another smirk. His eyes narrowed in amusement. "Oh, I see you've taken a liking to what I hold dear, don't you?" He sneered, allowing his left arm to angle the book in his hand in a different position. "If you must know, this is the Book of E.N.D."

"Book of…" Nic trailed of.

"E.N.D?" Greninja finished.

Natsu gasped, seeing as how he recalled Atlas Flame mention the likes of the one known as E.N.D. Zeref's most powerful spirit, and Mard Geer had possession of it. He couldn't explain it, but the book had something off about it, and it wasn't just how it smelled, nor its texture.

Mard Geer sneered once more. "This book is the spirit of our master, the embodiment of Tartaros. It is our goal to activate Fcae, so that with Magic Power gone, E.N.D shall be resurrected. With him at our side, we, the demons of Zeref's books, shall be rid of you, once and for all." His eyes narrowed as his gaze hardened on Nic and Greninja solemnly. "The dragons are but one thing, yet Pokémon are another. Your species that revolves around your own world has caused a hindrance in so many faculties, and thus, I shall personally destroy them."

Nic and Greninja remained silent after Mard Geer's critical claim. They didn't even have to look at one another to tell they had the same expression. With equal thoughts, they had serious gazes set solemnly on the Demon King.

"You're foolish." Nic answered.

"What was that?" Mard Geer inquired.

"Do you truly believe that Pokémon and us alike will fall victim to you? We are as resilient as what you claim humans to be." Greninja told. "We never go down as easily as you arrogant demons. You think that you're better than us, when that's only one side of the spectrum."

"And do you have proof to back your claims up, other than power of course?" Mard Geer smirked.

Nic narrowed his eyes. "Yes." He began to reach down, bending a knee as he reached for a random rock at his feet.

Mard Geer's smirk was lost. "What?"

"If what you said about that book is correct…" He picked up the stone, hauling it in front of himself. "Then it's only fitting that we remove it from your plans."

A small silence fell as confusion and anticipation filled the air. With Mard Geer intrigued, he awaited to see what was going to happen.

" **Switcheroo!** "

Mard Geer suddenly felt a weight difference in his left forearm, causing his heart to skip a beat. He noticed that there was something in his palm, intriguing him. "What-?!" He looked down, seeing that instead of the book, there was a simple pebble in his palm. "What is this?! What have you done?!" He yelled, his eyes widening as his increased tone indicated his horror. He looked back to Nic with demands, but what he saw only made the Underworld King pale with widening distress. "No…"

In Nic's hold was the Book of E.N.D. He held it with a relaxed look, but otherwise maintained the highest guard possible.

"Alright! You got it!" Natsu shouted.

"You…" Mard Geer was beginning to shudder, his fingers twitching to where the stone fell out of his hand. "What have you done…how?!"

"Switcheroo is a Dark-type move that allows me to switch the items of myself and the chosen target. In this case, the rock for the book." Nic replied.

Mard Geer's eyes began to dilate, his frustration starting to boil. "My Master…my…master's book…" He murmured, a dark shadow over his eyes. "My Master's book has been sullied by human hands. This…this wasn't anything in my calculations. I never perceived this factor."

"Sometimes the best action in battle is to adapt and improvise." Greninja said.

"Don't talk so confidently!" Mard Geer snapped loudly. He looked at them with widened eyes of anger and distress. His teeth began to grit in bitter frustration. "You _dare_ to lay your hands on my Master's book! I shall not let this go unpunished! Give him back now, scum!" In distress over the book, Mard Geer unleashed more brambles of thorns, making dozens of spiky protrusions shoot from behind him and in front to attack Nic.

"Greninja, **Water Shuriken!** " Nic commanded.

Greninja reached to his sides and swiped his arms, sending speeding stars of compressed water that blitzed through the air at glinting speeds. The attack zipped through the brambles flung at him and Nic, slicing up the thorns.

"Damn you…!" Mard Geer growled.

Nic glanced back towards Natsu. "Natsu!"

"Yeah?" Natsu saw Nic throw the book to him. Without a second thought, Natsu seized the book, holding it with both hands. He looked down at it, blinking, and then back towards Nic.

"Make sure you get that book as far away as possible. Make sure it's intact; we might need it." Nic implied.

Natsu would've said something, but the longer he pondered about it, the more Nic had a point. By all means, this could be considered a hostage scenario, and it was making Mard Geer flip. After the carnage created, Fairy Tail needed every advantage they could get, even if that meant taking what the enemy had and using it against them. That was the key to winning any battle.

Natsu flashed his smirk. "Okay. I'll go hide it." He turned away, fleeing with the book in hand. "I'll be back in a flash!" He called out.

"We know!" Nic exclaimed back, but retained focus on Mard Geer.

Mard Geer swiped both arms in opposite arcs. "You're not going anywhere with my Master, dragon spawn!"

Behind Natsu, the ground cracked up. The cracks began to lead towards the retreating Dragon Slayer, who looked back to see the tips of thorns beginning to pierce through.

"Crap!" He yelled.

Mard Geer's smirk of desperation was suddenly wiped away as his widened eyes went white for a second. A powerful force struck him in his gut, making him gag loudly as the pain flared in the abdomen. The Underworld King couldn't process Nic and Greninja having their fists embedded into his stomach. Their unison punch was accompanied by them shouting out loud.

Their combined force made Mard Geer slide backwards once more, slamming into another boulder. This one didn't crack, with the slam to the back made the Underworld King again see black before he thudded against the ground.

With the king distracted and thorns retreating, Natsu used the time to get away, disappearing from the area to get the book somewhere else.

Nic and Greninja had fists clutched, both glaring at Mard Geer with serious gazes. "You've caused a lot of trouble, Mard Geer." Nic warned. "You've made Tartaros do a lot of things to repent for…you took my friends, you've tortured them…" He thought back to Erza, making his eyes dilate with frustration. "You've made my guild suffer consequences, and now you'll have to bear with them."

Greninja spread his legs to battle. "We won't let you get away. This is where you and your guild pay the ultimate price!"

The dust began to settle around Mard Geer, the Underworld King slowly arising with yet another dark shadow over his eyes. He could barely process what has happened, but what he made of it only made him smirk; not of arrogance, but of anger. "Heh." He snickered.

Nic and Greninja narrowed their eyes.

"You…you really think this is over for us? We…are only getting started." Mard Geer's head whipped up his eyes devoid of pupils. This was the look of anger, _his_ anger. The pressure he had given off would've rendered anyone stiff, yet his opponents were completely unfazed. It only served to anger him further. His hair and bangs began to defy gravity, his demonic anger making the air shudder. "I still owe you for what your snake had done to me from before. I intend to pay back in full. And in doing so…I will make sure you are made an example of. I will puncture every fiber of your body until there is nothing left of you, Nic Pularis! The time for Pokémon to bow before the Underworld King starts now!"

Nic and Greninja readied themselves, fists up and going at Mard Geer full force. "Come at us, Mard Geer!" They yelled in unison.

* * *

 **Here is chapter 52 guys! Surprise! So in correspondence with what last chapter received in terms of critical claims, now you get why I didn't do Legendary Force – Rayquaza. I thought there would be enough Rayquaza with what I pulled off this chapter, but I also agree that I have overused the Kyurem Legendary Force too much throughout the storyline. I will attempt and hopefully prevail to pull off some new Legendary Force to keep the spice up. Of course, I also must apologize with how poorly I plan. You see, there's only so much I can engrave into an arc, as to where in the Council War Arc and the Impure Underworld Arc, I managed to make do and keep it all improvised and well thought out. Lately, canon has been a little testy for me, but I'm trying to plan better, and I pray that I do plan better in the future arcs after the Tartaros Arc. Just bear with me guys.**

 **Fun Fact: This week I got a Snorunt in a trade and evolved it into Froslass. I've been debating on a status move since she knows Wake-Up Slap, Crunch, and Ice Fang, and I chose Confuse Ray over Double Team. The Confuse Ray/Double Team debate has been finished!**

 **Okay guys, I got one last piece of news for now. For a week, I'm going on vacation with my family, so at that time, I will also be taking my vacation from FanFiction as well. So for the next couple weeks, I will not be posting anything. I'll still PM my people, but no writing since I will be on vacation. Hope you guys understand and wish me the best.**

 **So until the next 2-3 weeks or so, hope you leave a comment, review, and thanks for reading another chapter! :)**


	53. A Knight's Passion

The dark night skies of Earth Land rang with the sounds equal to that of a sonic jet. Planes moved remarkably fast, but moving at sonic speeds close to the ground was Garchomp. The Mach Pokémon was living up to his name, speeding so fast across the skies that he didn't look like anything more than a dark blur.

" **Dragon Rush!** "

The sound of his dark, grave tone rattled spines as his entity was enveloped in a dense, draconic energy in the shape of a dragon, with wings spread out and Garchomp sailing in the head of the beast. Without any regrets, he blitzed at sonic speed, passing in a straight line across several Face bombs. As the energy around Garchomp dissipated as he sailed through the air, the Faces glinted before shattering to pieces. Five fell in one go, all clumped together and the mighty pillars littered their white curse against the gravel.

As Garchomp ascended, he glided and stared down at the numerous Face bombs in the distance. "Doesn't these things ever run out?! They just keep popping up!" He yelled. It was fun at first because he got to grow loose, but with the time span short, and still maybe thousands – if not hundreds – left, it was beginning to annoy him.

Looking at another Face bomb in the distance, he glared at it with no mercy. He opened his mouth, exerting another hostile shout that could make a Tyranitar stiff. "Alright you stone faced freaks, now you're just annoying me!" His fangs glowed and elongated. He sprung ahead, lunging at the nearest Face with a white trail on either side of his mouth.

" **Crunch!** "

Garchomp snapped his jaws as he ploughed right through another Face, shattering it to pieces behind his air-breaking wake. The sonic waves produced from his lunge pulsated through the air, sending white rock everywhere. However, after that last assault, Garchomp began to wince. Grunting, the Dragon/Ground-type began to fall to the ground, his teeth gritting as his intense eyes narrowed. He landed on a knee, but the bone snapping thud made and his body and neck hunched over was a maleficent indication to his condition.

He panted in and out, trying to catch his breath. Normally Garchomp would have no trouble in taking down so many, even if it did aggravate him later; yet the confrontation with Acnologia earlier still lingered. As he managed to get up from his knee, his body was still having some hesitation. He looked down, seeing how his muscles were like beating hearts.

"Great. If I keep this up, my body is gonna keel before I smack another one of these ugly rocks down." He grunted. He looked back from the direction he came from, seeing the endless miles of Face bombs he destroyed. It looked to be hundreds of demolished white rock littered everywhere. "…gnnngh, guess moping around won't solve anything."

However, as he began to turn around, there was a faint but swift sound that caught his attention.

"What?"

In the distance, his eyes saw something like a cloud white fly across the sky. It made another insidious sound as it closed in, much to Garchomp's shock.

His eyes widened. "Is that what I think it is…?"

The white, feathery dragon shouted out as she smashed straight through a single Face, falling it much like what Garchomp has. The beast sprawled and sailed over Garchomp's head, making a shadow over him as he stared up and behind with disbelief.

"Where did that thing come from?" He was met with an answer – the sound of another, deeper roar, no deeper than his own. He stared out ahead, seeing a metallic, shimmering creature with a shark-like head bellow.

Picking up another wave, he pivoted and looked right, seeing yet another white dragon flew in the distance, smashing his way through a Face bomb. When he turned left, he picked up the faint sign of a jet-black shadowy dragon flaring through the skies, destroying another Face without any effort.

The Mach Pokémon was looking left, right, and above, where he suddenly found himself in foreign territory with large dragons flying in a circular pattern over his head. He was unsound, and if he wasn't pushed over already, these dragons looked as powerful as Legendary Pokémon. Even he wasn't stupid enough to confront them all at once.

"What's happening?!" He exclaimed.

" **Pokémon.** " A voice announced. " **Do not be afraid.** "

Garchomp glared up, questioning the feminine sound that granted no ill will.

" **We did not come in search of your challenge. We have come in the assistance of this treacherous cause.** " Another mature, male voice announced.

Garchomp watched slowly as the four dragons began to descend slowly, all of them bearing different attributes. As he stood in the center, he glared around with a high guard as one dragon had white feathers and abundant tails. She had a huge mane of white fur, and blue eyes. The other dragon was of raw iron, coated in shimmering shining armor with gauntlet-like claws. Another dragon was white, but had a gray beard and curved ear-like horns. The last one had red eyes and a shadow-like scaly body with black showy flares running from the head down the back. All four dragons looked down at Garchomp while still noticing his snarling sharp teeth.

"Who are you?" Garchomp questioned.

" **Please remain calm. We did not come here to disrupt you.** " The bearded dragon said. " **We have come in our own cause as well.** "

Garchomp's eyes narrowed.

" **Please allow us to introduce ourselves.** " The feathered dragon said. " **I am the one they call the Sky Dragon, Grandeeney.** "

" **I am Metalicana. You better remember it, especially since I got the better looks than you.** " The Iron Dragon said, however, his snarking went unanswered as Garchomp didn't seem to care.

" **I am Skiadrum. Welcome, Pokémon.** " The Shadow Dragon stated.

" **And I am Weisslogia.** " The White Dragon announced. " **We thank you, and welcome you at the same time. I understand this is on short notice, but we have little time to say.** "

Garchomp could've questioned what their motives were, but even he wasn't blind nor deaf. By their looks – even the gruffy Metalicana, he knew that they bared no ill will, nor an obstacle against him. They all seemed willing, as he could tell by the eyes. While he did ease up, he still had wonders lingering. "Okay, so what do you want now? If you're not with that black beast, then what are you?" He asked.

" **Acnologia. The one you successfully weakened and repelled.** " Skiadrum said. " **He has been the scourge of us dragons. It was thanks to the likes of you and your Trainer that Acnologia has finally been revealed his very own weakness.** "

" **Now with the Dragon King sullied, that shall give Igneel the chance to destroy him once and for all.** " Metalicana spoke.

"So then there's more of you then." Garchomp figured.

" **It's not a big stretch, but yes. Just the Fire Dragon King, Igneel.** " Weisslogia announced. " **As we speak, he has engaged in battle alongside Rayquaza, to cease Acnologia advances on his path of destruction.** "

" **While the mighty Igneel is handling Acnologia, we have our own cause as well.** " Skiadrum said.

Garchomp turned towards them, his footsteps firm with every turn. "Okay, I'll bite. What is going on?"

" **Pokémon…please allow us to offer you our thanks and gratitude.** " Grandeeney insisted.

" **You and your Trainer, you two have gone above and beyond what could've been managed. You both destroyed the many Face across the continent, and on top of that, you have repelled Acnologia and wounded him once again.** " Weisslogia answered. " **You have used your own powers, and the might of Acnologia against the Faces across the continent. As of now, even with your condition, you have pushed yourself to destroy half the bombs. As dragons to one another, we give to you our condolences for the exhaustion you and your kind had to go through in the fight against Acnologia.** "

" **We dragons shall do what we can and rip these hunks of junks apart.** " Metalicana said.

Once again, Garchomp was caught by surprise. "What?" He questioned.

" **We can understand your resentment after the pain our kind caused. It will not be easy for us to reprimand ourselves for what has been written, but please let us pay you back in kind for what Pokémon has done for us.** " Grandeeney said. " **We shall collaborate this one time, with dragons and Pokémon unifying under one cause.** "

Weisslogia leaned down, looking at Garchomp in the eyes. Yellow eyes glared at one another without a blink of a scale. " **We will follow you, just as humans that we have followed. Let us do good, and together, magic shall thrive once again.** "

Garchomp looked around at the many gargantuan beasts surrounding him. He wasn't sure what to think exactly, let alone who to trust. By all means, he trusted Nic, and he was tasked to stop Face, because Nic knew Garchomp could do it, even if it did exhaust his body. But with how Acnologia wore him down from before, and how he and Nic already destroyed half the Face bombs already, there really wasn't an argument to be made. If he had all his strength and they were enemy dragons, Garchomp knew he could take them on and slash them down, but their power wasn't as grand as Acnologia, so even in his fatigued state, his durability could make one or two fall. But this wasn't the case. They were allies, and he knew better than to question their motives if they wanted to help destroy Face. Ultimately, he lowered his head.

"…fine." He agreed. "But don't get in my way."

" **Fingers crossed.** " Metalicana sneered.

Grandeeney spread her angelic wings, raising her head high. " **Now with us unified, we shall destroy Face! Dragons, Pokémon, let us hurry with time we have!** "

"Don't get all mushy." Garchomp warned. He crouched and used his tail to help him ascended. He began taking flight, gliding up into the skies with the dragons following all around him.

" **We shall all fan out. I shall deal with the south.** " Weisslogia said.

" **I can handle the north.** " Skiadrum said.

" **I shall destroy the east.** " Metalicana spoke.

" **And I shall cover the west.** " Grandeeney announced. " **Let's go!** "

Garchomp let out one more loud roar, the airspace shrieking loudly with a blood-curdling bellow. With some energy back, and some acquaintances, he knew now the odds of stopping Face intensified. And now with his job easier, he used his revitalized mind and zipped away from the spreading dragons, diving towards northeast. He blitzed towards another Face, raising his arms as they glowed green for a Dual Chop.

"Okay you tons of bricks, time for the rest of you to blow down!" He yelled. He passed two Face bombs, green arches trailing behind as he passed them with Dual Chop. The Dragon/Ground-type roared out once more as he went at sonic speeds, diving once again into the white fray.

* * *

Acnologia roared in the skies, exerting a hot breath that bellowed outwards against Igneel and Rayquaza. Any residual smoke in the area, dissipated, revealing Acnologia with little wounds except for the grand ones Nic and Garchomp inflicted before. The Dragon King closed his mouth and coldly glared at the red and green dragons.

" **Looks to me he still has some bite in him.** " Igneel said.

" **That I agree.** " Rayquaza stated.

Acnologia brought his head back, only to reel it forward and unleash another powerful roar. The blue beam fired shot straight ahead, expanding towards Rayquaza. The beam, however, was easily maneuvered around as Rayquaza serpentine and swerved in a spiral up the beam's sides. As the beam dispersed, a blue explosion was in the faint, cloudy distance.

With Rayquaza at point-blank, the Sky High Pokémon opened his mouth and began to manifest multicolored energy.

Recognizing the assault, Acnologia used his instincts and ascended at the last second, dodging Rayquaza's Dragon Pulse. The beam stretched outwards, the head and wings expanding far out, fading away in the distance like Acnologia's assault, becoming a rainbow haze in the far beyond.

" **Don't think that I'm so dumb as to not learn, Pokémon.** " Acnologia gravely sneered.

" **Then did you forget about me?** " Igneel questioned. The Fire Dragon King was revealed to be above Acnologia, making the Black Dragon glance up to see the red beast. What he was met with was the flaming axe kick of the mighty Igneel's Fire Dragon's Claw. The axe kick to the head made Acnologia sunder straight down.

Rayquaza swerved out of the way as Acnologia descended past him, but he disregarded the concept and watched as the Black Dragon pick himself up and spread his wings. He flew in an upward arch, climbing back into the air.

Igneel descended by Rayquaza's side, glaring at their opponent. " **He's a really tough neck to break.** "

Rayquaza lurched forward, roaring out loudly, again making the airspace shudder with vibrations.

Recovering from that last blow, Acnologia roared back at them. The Dragon King did not waste a second's time as he dove straight for the two dragons, while Igneel and Rayquaza followed. As the proximity was decreasing, Igneel brought a fist back that was wrapped in hot flames, while Rayquaza was outlined in green and used Extreme Speed. Acnologia opened his mouth and readied a point-blank roar in retaliation.

All three attacks collided with one another, and the high skies lost all clouds around them. The dark vortex that was above them had dissipated, and a bright flash enveloped the air above. The light let a ripple exert outwards that went on for miles on end. The impact of all three made the explosion become a giant sphere of green, blue, and searing flames that continued to implode onto itself. The earth shook apart as the shockwaves from the attack reached the ground. Gruesome fiery waves bellowed outwards and made everyone down below who was on the sidelines take cover as the triple threat made the dust and earth break into pieces. A few were just about blown away even.

As the smoke cleared out, Igneel flapped his mighty wings, looking unscathed from the point-blank impact.

Acnologia veered from the dissipating smoke as well, glaring without any new scratches.

Rayquaza slithered up from the smoke cloud, swerving into a semi-coil and veering down at Acnologia.

" **We're just getting started!** " Igneel shouted. Shooting at Acnologia, the two dragons momentarily interlocked head, their skulls bashing and shivering spines down below. With neither side giving an inch, Igneel eventually went on a stronger offense, swinging his toe claws for another sinister flaming kick. Acnologia dodged the attack and thrust a claw forward, but Igneel used his forearm to deflect the swipe and circled around. Acnologia followed suit, swerving around in the skies until he began to lock onto Igneel.

Tailing Igneel from behind, began to open his mouth for another roar, but suddenly a hammering force got to his body, and began to snake around him. The Black Dragon was questioning until a blur of green was seen. It revealed Rayquaza, and he had Acnologia coiled around his serpent-like body.

" **This time, it's you to go down!** " Rayquaza announced. He began to descend rapidly, his speed shockingly remarkable as Acnologia's weight was being dragged down. The descent was steep and hefty, and land was coming into view in second after second. Acnologia's mouth was open was his vision momentarily went blank upon impact. Rayquaza uncoiled, and in the process, slammed Acnologia with the momentum into the earth. The force of the attack was of great might, and a geyser of dirt erupted as the earth broke apart for the umpteenth time.

Rayquaza swerved back into the atmosphere, roaring out loud and craning his head as the dust began to settle, revealing a large pile of rock and dirt and a deep crater created from impact. The dragon swerved his body around, slowly inspecting the damage, but then stopped.

Igneel glared down, looking with equal wonder. " **Did that ring his bells?** "

A small speck of rock moved in the pile. Rayquaza jerked up and knew the fight was far from over. He swerved into the sky again just as the pile shattered. Dust again clouded the sounds of rock breaking, and from the dust cloud emerged Acnologia, climbing for Rayquaza and Igneel once more.

" **It's going to take more than that to ground me, dragon!** " Acnologia yelled.

As Acnologia closed in, Rayquaza and Igneel readied as the enemy dragon's glowing red eyes confirmed he was out for their blood in this fight.

* * *

As the rampaging in the skies amongst dragons and the Legendary Pokémon unfolded, Mard Geer was standing opposed to Nic and his Greninja, though he seemed less composed given what happened.

"Seems as though the skies are quite loud on this night, wouldn't you say?" The Underworld King said.

"As loud as the screams that you've caused for so many." Nic retorted.

Mard Geer chuckled at Nic's grimacing fact, but otherwise he was unmoved. "That's what is called reality. The reality of the matter is that no matter what happens, my Master E.N.D shall unfold. Once I deal with the likes of you, I shall take great pleasure in ripping it back from that meddlesome dragon spawn."

Nic and Greninja took, stances, ready for battle. "You'll try."

"But we won't allow that." Greninja said.

Mard Geer narrowed his vision as thorns began to slowly swerve all around him. The spikes on them were sharp, and he had everything set to attack. _'_ _ **Kyôka.**_ _'_

* * *

Watching the dragon skirmish in the sky, Kyôka was bewildered with all the events that have played out. She couldn't comprehend as to how everything was going to plan. She had no idea if Mard Geer was behind this, or it was all Nic. She was lost, until her ears picked up on a small static connection.

' _ **Kyôka, it is I, Mard Geer.**_ _'_ The voice answered.

Kyôka went wide-eyed at the telepathic connection made with her leader. _'_ _ **Lord Mard Geer?**_ _'_

' _ **Listen carefully. The dragons above have become a hindrance to us. More so with all these wretched Pokémon scurrying around in our world. We need to speed up Face's activation.**_ _'_ Mard Geer announced. _'_ _ **You are in the control room, are you not?**_ _'_

' _ **Yes, Lord Mard Geer…unfortunately Lord Keyes and Sayla have both been defeated. We no longer have anybody to manipulate the ex-chairman.**_ _'_

' _ **Worry not, Kyôka. For we do have an answer…you.**_ _'_

Kyôka's eyes widened.

' _ **Remember that lacrima where the chairman centered his magic? It's still there.**_ _'_ As mentioned, Kyôka looked above her head, seeing the giant globe with panels. Though no pictures or diagrams are present. _'_ _ **To do so, you must use Organic Link Magic with your own body.**_ _'_

' _ **Organic Link Magic?**_ _'_

' _ **Yes. Kyôka, you shall become the new Face detonator. With your Organic Link with your powers, you can accelerate Face's activation. Once that is accomplished, all mages will be powerless against the might of us demons. And that leaves the rest of us to revive E.N.D and destroy Nic and all Pokémon who oppose us.**_ _'_

Though the plan did seem to be of good ideals, the consequences reached Kyôka. _'_ _ **But, Lord Mard Geer…**_ _'_ She grew excessively unsound from the prospects made. _'_ _ **If that does come to fruition…won't my life be lost?**_ _'_

There was an unpleasant silence, one that left Kyôka with a bitter chill down her spine.

' _ **So what? Are you afraid of death?**_ _'_

Mard Geer's saying made Kyôka gasp. A nervous level exerted from her, which is what Erza caught onto. She stared at the demon with question.

Ultimately, Kyôka knew what had to be done. She had to hurry, and by no means was there a point of no return. She had to won, for the sake of E.N.D and of Tartaros. Her nervousness faded away with a dark glare set instead. _'_ _ **…no, I dare not fear death. He who is forbidden is but a worse behemoth to fear. Death itself is but a blessing I shall take over him. If this means victory in the end, then so be it.**_ _'_

' _ **Good. Now go.**_ _'_ With that, the telepathic connection Mard Geer made faded, and Kyôka was left to stare up at the lacrima with her new - and final – purpose.

Kyôka reached up, her fingers stretching up and connecting with the lacrima's bottom. "This is for the sake of Lord Zeref!" She announced.

"What is she doing?" Bellona questioned. "Is she insane?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't look good." Minerva answered.

Kyôka reeled herself up and used her talons to grip onto the globe. Inserting her claws into the lacrima, she began to transfer power. The process began to sting as she cried out. The demon shrieked as she began to initiate the link. Her body began to glow, and all around her, several dots began to flicker.

Erza turned left and right, seeing the many dots. Her nerves began to lengthen in astonishment. "What is this?" She yelled.

The markers began to reproduce, multiplying until they were spread thin, like little Volbeat tail lights.

"What are those things?!" Panther Lily exclaimed.

"I'm not sure…but are they markers?" Happy inquired.

"Yeah…but why are there so few of them?" Lector noted. "Weren't there thousands of those Face things?"

"Yeah, and they're slowly fading away too." Frosch pointed out.

True to what he's noted, the near thousands of dots were fading away consecutively, almost every few seconds. It was an odd concept, especially for the ill-informed. They didn't understand, and yet Kyôka didn't take notice as she was busy infusing her magic into the globe. As many Face markers were still disappearing, the globe Kyôka was attached to continuously shrunk. It began to minimize, similar to the move Minimize, yet it shrunk to where it was but the size of Kyôka, who was shrouded in a new unknown figure.

"What you see are the Faces on this continent." She answered, even with her figure shrouded, her shape gave shivers down everyone's spines. "Organic Link complete. I am now the Face detonator itself."

"What?!" Erza gasped.

"What did she…?" Happy muttered.

"She did it to speed up Face's countdown?!" Panther Lily yelled.

Bellona narrowed her vision. "I was right. She is insane."

"These demons." Minerva growled,

Kyôka shadowy smirked. "Well…" She chuckled weakly. "By all means, I made things easy for you humans, wouldn't you say?"

"What's that mean?" Erza questioned.

"Dear Erza, I made things simple for you and your friends. If you simply kill me, then congratulations, you have stopped Face." Kyôka explained. _'Though it doesn't matter; once Face activates, I'll die regardless.'_

"You have most certainly boasted some confidence." Minerva pointed out. "Can you not see yourself at the opposite end of victory?"

"No…" Kyôka darkly glared at Minerva, the way she stared upside down left the mage unsound. "But I can see you fall." The demon suddenly jumped off, blitzing at lightning fast speed down towards Erza and Minerva. As she passed the two, she slashed her mighty claws without a misstep. The slash to Erza shattered her armor, while Minerva suffered a more gruesome note; she was slashed across the side, her injury to where the pain inflicted made her gag and see everything a time-slowing haze. Kyôka revealed her new form as she stopped on a knee, which was her helmet returned, but with longer protrusions resembling horns. Her hair was replaced by a hefty tuft of feathers that went down in a long, tube-like ponytail. The pauldrons and high knee guards were layered by feathers, and black armor was around her abdomen, revealing her stomach and her large chest.

" **Etherious Form – Kyôka, Goddess of the Slave Planet!** "

Minerva gagged loudly as that swift attack made her fall over, slamming onto her side with a large thud.

"Minerva!" Erza shouted.

"Milady!" Lector cried out.

"Damnit! Minerva!" Panther Lily exclaimed.

Minerva was wincing on her side, using her hand to suppress her side wound. She gritted her teeth, the pain too great to allow her to speak.

"Minerva!" Erza's sword chipped away, leaving her with great worry. She angrily turned around to face Kyôka, all while requipping her rapidly falling armor into her Black Wing Armor for quick cover. "You'll pay dearly for what you did." She declared.

"Erza…" Minerva grunted.

"Don't worry Minerva, I'll deal with her."

Kyôka raised her head, emitting a powerful shriek into the atmosphere. Her pupils were devoid of eye color, so she was unaware of the few signals disappearing every few seconds.

Overhead, everyone could see the countdown clock:

 **32:41**

It suddenly changed.

 **21:56**

"She's making the time accelerate!" Happy shrieked.

"So she really is using Organic Link to speed up the process!" Lector announced.

Bellona gritted her teeth. With Minerva and herself incapacitated, the odds were stacked against Erza. "Hurry, Erza." She said. "You have to win!"

"I know!" Erza lunged after Kyôka with her armor around her, sword in hand and ready to go another round against the demon.

"Hmph." Kyôka smirked as she brought her own arm around. "Come on! Are you seriously believing humans can best _me_ now?!" She slashed her arm, creating a vicious shockwave that burst in front of Erza. The knight sidestepped and dodged at the last second, the but the waves made her slid off a few feet. Kyôka stood proudly over the sea of dust created, smirking maliciously at her prey. "My Curse Power in this form intensifies. With every second, my power grows, and that means every second closer to your miserable end."

Erza slashed her sword as she closed in, but Kyôka crouched and jumped backwards, evading Erza's attack. "And now that I have activated Face with Organic Link, my life's sacrifice will bring ruin to you all!"

Erza was once again hit with terror. "You did what?!" She yelled.

Once finishing her skid, Kyôka's fingers twitched as she leered at Erza. "But I hold no regrets." She swung her right arm from the side, creating a crescent shockwave that bent towards Erza. The redhead used her sword to block the incoming shockwave, but upon impact a dusty burst erupted. The impact shattered her sword, and she slid backwards with a loud yell.

Erza got ground and slid on her heels to a halt. "You would give up your life for a cause so blasphemous?"

"If it's for my Master E.N.D, then I will do whatever it takes!" Kyôka made a whip with her elongated claws added with her Curse Power. She swiped it, but Erza jumped and dodged. Evading the groundbreaking impact, she sailed overhead, requipping in the process.

"You're mad!"

"It is destiny!" Kyôka pivoted, grabbing a pillar without effort and tossed it up towards Erza. The knight flashed, her requip fading just as the pillar concealed her. Suddenly the pillar had white lines before it split apart to pieces. As the pieces fell to the ground, it revealed Erza in her Heaven's Wheel Armor, two swords in hand. Kyôka, however, was undeterred. "It is the Demons of Zeref's destiny to return to him. We were all born by Zeref, and thus we follow that one path. And Mard Geer will guide us."

Erza sailed straight down, slashing her two swords. "You're mistaken!" She landed, but Kyôka jumped away at the last second, evading the cross slash. Erza glared at her adversary, angrily staring into her eyes.

"You chose death. That was the biggest mistake you've made rather than forego a path with your comrades. You really believe death is the ultimate answer? That's nothing more than a folly!"

"Silence!" Kyôka shouted. Her voice boomed, her stretched claws creating a gust that made Erza cover up. The intense wave of energy was so great that Erza was being pushed back; to add insult to injury, her armor was chipping along the edging.

"What-?!" Erza was stopped by green lightning that flared from the demon's body. The green lightning flared everywhere, intensifying in searing agony as it was like Discharge. It was let loose and everything ran haphazardly all around. The green lightning suddenly flashed as Kyôka violently shouted in increasing volume, and then it discharged into bolts that struck everything.

"Aaaaah!" Happy screamed in agony. Apparently Erza wasn't the only one stung by the green lightning. Happy, Panther Lily, the remaining Exceeds, Minerva, and Bellona were all screaming out as green lightning struck them. Mirajane included, though it was insult to injury that she was in enough pain.

Erza was gritting her teeth as her sensory was on edge. Everything she was feeling was starting to hurt, even her own sense of breathing was hard to make sense of. Her eyes were wide, intense pain shooting through them. "What is this…my body…" The more she struggled, the more the green static around her stung. "My body won't move…"

"Distressing, is it not?" Kyôka casually strolled slowly a few more feet forward. "I have used my abilities to strip you of defenses of your pain. Even with the slightest breeze, you'll feel severe agony." She looked off to the peanut gallery, smirking as she saw their wretched states. "However I think I went a little overboard as ever. Your comrades feel agony as well."

Erza was sweating profusely as she couldn't move. The raspy breathing she was giving was hurting her own throat. As she exhaled, the more her insides were beginning to compress. It was like her body was tearing apart from the inside out and vice versa. It was hard enough to move, let alone move as Kyôka took full advantage and blew a small huff. A breezed shifted a strand of Erza's hair, and the knight arched back, screaming violently and loudly and green lightning stabbed at her nerves. The pain she felt was beyond any measures, and it was like being sliced apart, or bit into. Tears pulsated from the corners of her eyes in response, and the sound of her anguish shivered everyone.

Happy was clutching his stomach, shuddering in pain. "It's like…I'm being stabbed all over." He whimpered.

"I can't…feel anything…!" Panther Lily grunted.

"It hurts…it hurts…" Frosch was on his side, crying as it was worse than any stomachache he's had.

"Y-yeah…but Erza's got the worse of it." Lector labored.

"Damnit…" Bellona gritted her teeth, unable to even twitch as she and Minerva were hard of breathing.

Erza was stiff as a statue before her convulsed body fell over. Thudding on her back, the knight was advanced by Kyoka. The demon walked over nonchalantly with a swing in her hips and smirked down at the distressed knight. She raised a foot and stomped on her stomach. The sensation of pain was so great that even with Erza's gaping mouth, no screams of pain came out. Her voice had been torn out of her.

"Brings back old memories, don't they Erza? Being unable to move…just like the torture chamber." Kyôka taunted. Her victim could only shudder and gag as air was of no supply. Inhaling only served to sting and hurt her throat.

The clock read a new time, which was:

 **18:42**

Kyôka raised a claw, holding it over Erza's chest armor. "This armor really is annoying." She swiped at the armor, chipping off a piece. "You have such flawless skin!" She ripped off another chunk.

"Leave her alone~!" Happy cried out, tears running down his face.

Bellona couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Erza…is this…?" She watched the demon rip at her skirt, the sensation of lust in a sadistic way, the treachery and satisfaction of dominance displayed, it was sickening. She couldn't believe this was what she was at a point.

By the time Kyôka threw away the last of Erza's armor, she was nothing more than a shriveled body. Erza's bangs covered her eyes. Her whole body was seen with scratches, bruises, and all she had on were tattered and torn clothing that barely obscured her personals. By all means she looked dead as she wasn't responsive, yet the sight wasn't enough for Kyôka to take. She wanted more. She wanted to make Erza submit. She wanted to show the human that demons were of superiority. One way or another, she will show her own possession of Erza, even by means of killing.

"Before leaving this world, you shall give me my final appeasement. I will give you true despair, and I will savor every bite of it." Kyôka sadistically leaned down, looking at her with wide, lust-filled eyes. "Away with your sense of sight." With a snap of her fingers, Erza's vision began to fade away. Her eyes grew hollow in color, and slowly, the vision of a cackling Kyôka faded, until at last there was nothing but absolute darkness.

"Touch…taste…smell…hearing…"

Erza began to lose any and all senses. The ground and rock beneath her was no longer felt, like instead she was floating. The taste of blood and saliva gurgling in her mouth was gone. The smell of fried body and rot was deprived of her nostrils. Lastly, the sound of Kyôka and her maniacal laughter was gone, fading away. And just like that, everything that Erza had was deprived.

' _Everything…it's all gone…'_

Erza floated in a dark space, devoid of anything, like her own void within her subconscious. Nothing but her own thoughts to be her company till the ending days. There was but eternal darkness and a void to expand further in her own pity. Her fate sealed by the deprivation of what she needed to live. _'So is this my fate in the end? Am I to die like this? Alone?'_ The deprived female began to meekly muse in the irony of her situation. _'All of my efforts, are they in vain? Have I done nothing more than just be a handicap to everyone this whole time? Do I really deserve to be alone after all?'_ The bittersweet days of her slavery began to edge into her once again. _'I don't want to bare those days again…this darkness, it's but my own conscience bewildering me to no gruesome end, is it?'_

The darkness bubbling around her began to speck. Within the darkness that lied above, there was but a small light that twinkled like a star. _'What is that? A star?'_ The star grew brighter, until it became a white light that banished the darkness surrounding her. For some reason, the cold depth turned to a warmth. _'This light…'_

' _ **Erza? Are you there?**_ _'_ The resemblance if said voice was uncanny. The voice made Erza's heart pulse with vibrant shock.

' _ **Nic? Is that you?!**_ _'_ She answered, almost frantically.

' _ **Yes, it's me. You know better than to doubt this voice, do you?**_ _'_

His mild question mused Erza, despite the heavy irony. _'_ _ **I suppose you're right. My mistake. How are you talking to me right now?**_ _'_

' _ **I'm using my Mind Form's powers to make a telepathic connection. I saw green lightning in the distance and I got a bad feeling. Is everything alright?**_ _'_

' _ **Honestly, I wish I could say no. This demon has it in for me I'm afraid.**_ _'_

' _ **That makes two of us.**_ _'_

Erza grew surprised. _'_ _ **What does that mean?**_ _'_

' _ **Mard Geer really has it in for us. Greninja and I are barely getting close with his thorns intervening. Apparently he isn't letting us get out of this alive.**_ _'_

' _ **Mard Geer is giving you a hard time? That sounds foolhardy.**_ _'_

' _ **Tough call, but didn't you say you were in a bind yourself?**_ _'_

Once again, Erza found herself grinning. _'_ _ **Is this really the time to pull the other's legs?**_ _'_

' _ **Guess not.**_ _'_ Nic mused.

' _ **Nic, do you know why Acnologia is here?**_ _'_

' _ **I can guess…it's because he's still after Garchomp and I. We came across him as we were dealing with Face's bombs and he challenged us. He intends to exact revenge for being humiliated as the Dragon King.**_ _'_

' _ **You battled Acnologia?!**_ _'_

' _ **Yes, though it did a number on us, we sundered him with heavy tolls. I went back to my world to ask Rayquaza in assistance against Acnologia, giving Garchomp time to handle destroying Face's bombs.**_ _'_

' _So that's why all those markers kept vanishing.'_ Erza thought to herself. _'_ _ **You really did wonders this time. You know that?**_ _'_

' _ **I wouldn't worry about Garchomp. I have faith in him, just like I do for you.**_ _'_ There was static in his voice, the silence interrupted by a disrupting shout on Nic's end. This led Erza to grow increasingly worried.

' _ **Nic? Are you still there?**_ _'_

'… _ **yeah. Greninja and I are pouring everything onto this demon. You said you were in trouble, right?**_ _'_

' _ **Sadly.**_ _'_ She grimaced. _'_ _ **I was in battle against Kyôka. Minerva and I were holding her off well until she used Organic Link Magic and changed her form.**_ _'_

' _ **Changed her form?**_ _'_

' _ **Yes. Minerva was struck down regrettably, and now she's attacked my pain receptors. I can't feel anything anymore. I was deprived of my sight, taste, smell, touch, and hearing. All I saw was dark before I heard your voice. Honestly, I wonder if I can actually defeat her in time.**_ _'_

' _ **You can.**_ _'_

Erza once again was shocked by Nic's words. _'_ _ **Huh?**_ _'_

' _ **You and I both know lying down on the job will not solve our problems. Remember when we were separated during the war? What do you think motivated me to get along with Jellal? You. You were in my thoughts even when I was chained up when the Rivolta enacted their plan. I can't think of another reason for me to not stand when I'm fighting for something I want to return home to. We fought by the other's side. We saw the other bare pain. We survived the apocalypse. We chose to stay and be with each other, forever. We even made a house for our unity. I won't throw it all away just because I lost senses. I have a reason to fight, and it's because of that I won't lie down.**_ _'_

Erza's frown began to teeter into a soft smile. _'_ _ **You're right. What was I thinking? I can't stay down like this.**_ _'_

' _ **Then rise. You will find a way. You always do.**_ _'_

' _ **No, WE always do, Nic. The Pokémon always help us with that.**_ _'_

' _ **Yeah. That's true…Erza.**_ _'_ His voice went silent for a second, but not long enough for Erza to get worried. _'_ _ **When this is over, when we finish our ends, let's find the other. Let's find Vanessa, and let's just be that way for as long as we can.**_ _'_

' _ **I would like that.**_ _'_

' _ **I wouldn't have it any other way.**_ _'_

' _ **Nic, wait for me…I love you.**_ _'_

' _ **I love you too, so very much.**_ _'_ With that, Nic's voice began to go silent, but the light surrounding Erza's subconscious never faded. The smile she had had the fire that burned with passion.

Kyôka towered over Erza, mockingly cackling at the fall of the redhead. "This is despair! This is my victory to behold! Even with no future for myself, you pathetic humans have nothing to gain but agony in your end!" She mockingly laughed, the cynical tone making everyone else bitterly tear up as their hope began to dwindle. She slammed a hand against Erza's face, pressing hard to give her the sensation of being crushed. "I won't kill you, but this shall be but the beginning! I'll make you experience _true_ hell! You'll make for an excellent puppet for Lord Mard Geer! Slowly, and dreadfully, your body and soul will rot away until you're nothing but a shriveled pile of despair!" Kyôka's malicious laughter escalated, her joy rising at the lust-filled prospects. "I'm so jealous! To think you're thrilled is nothing compared to feeling it! Just try and say how grateful you are of such a fate bestowed onto you!"

"Ni…" Erza muttered weakly.

"What?" Kyôka looked down, ceasing her conquering.

"Nic…I will…" Erza's fingers began to twitch.

Happy and the others looked with wonders as they watched Erza moving.

"This can't be…" Kyôka was flabbergasted with Erza beginning to stir. As the long-haired knight started to rise, the demon stepped off her. Within her own bewildered state, there was a sudden pressure change, one that she felt from afar. The demon swiftly turned her head to where there was a giant pillar of water in the distance. The rise of the pillar bewildered her. "What is that?!" As she looked around, she realized that within her glory, the markers were vanishing. "What is happening to all the Face markers?!" She looked back down at Erza, but more frantic than ever.

Erza was slowly back to her feet, teetering left and right with exasperating breathing. Her nerves and sense of pain was like stepping on spikes, the wind being of razor blades, yet she somehow ignored it. "This light that you gave off…to this day it still shines in my darkness. I feel alive when you are there with that smile. Even now you continue to fight for my sake." She began to requip slowly, glowing. "Not just you that changed me. It was Pokémon. They have become the influence that brought us together."

"This can't be…" Kyôka quivered.

"How is she standing?" Minerva baffled.

As Erza's requip faded, it revealed her hakama and sarashi combo. "People have been taking you from me, and so many times I fought hard to keep you. This time I will fight not twice as hard, but a hundred times harder!" She reached backwards, to everyone's shock she clutched a Poke Ball.

"She can feel it?" Bellona questioned.

Erza lethargically tossed the Poke Ball, and out came Doublade. The Sword Pokémon looked determined as she began to separate, the tassels slowly getting around Erza's arms. To her, it was like tangling weights around her. Again she ignored the pain.

"Even if I cannot see…even if I cannot hear, or even feel anything, I will not waver!" Bending one of Doublade's hilts to hold like a kunai. She used the hold for a harsh uppercut to Kyôka's chin. The demon fell backwards with a gagging pain from Erza's insidious assault. The pain in Erza's arm raged like a million Thunder strikes. It was like her arm shattered like glass, yet her hold on Doublade only tightened. "You call this pain?!" She yelled. "The greatest pain for one to bear, is their hope and love lost!" Once more, she began to think of Nic. "Until I see my loved ones again, I will not break! I will show the greatest strength is overcoming pain! And I will be guided by not just the light, but by Pokémon!"

"We shall be her eyes and ears! Strike us all you want, but we will not stop until we make you feel despair from the path you chose!" Doublade said in unison.

Kyôka recovered from the blow and looked back with astonishment. "How is she doing that?"

Bellona looked on, her grin returning at long last. "That's the Erza I know. Someone who's too stubborn to stay down."

"She's back." Panther Lily smiled.

"Aye!" Happy cheered.

Kyôka was losing patience. As she glared harshly, she was shocked to see the panels all around and the markers slowly vanishing. _'What is happening here? She's lost all five senses, and yet how is she still wielding her Pokémon? And why is Face fading away? This doesn't make sense? Lord Mard Geer, what is happening?!'_

' _ **Kyôka, are you still there?**_ _'_ A familiar voice called out inside the demon's head, bewildering her.

' _ **Lord Mard Geer!**_ _'_

' _ **What is happening? Why hasn't Face gone off yet?**_ _'_

' _ **I don't know! The markers and Faces are all rapidly disappearing!**_ _'_

' _ **What?!**_ _'_

' _ **I don't understand, what is going on here? At this rate, Face will be lost!**_ _'_

' _ **...these humans and Pokémon…they are ruining everything! Kyôka! Destroy them and detonate the remaining Faces-!**_ _'_ Suddenly, there was a harsh slam sound, and the connection with Mard Geer was cut off.

"Lord…Lord Mard Geer-?!" Suddenly the demon was cut off by Erza slashing Doublade with **Slash**. The Normal-type move slashed across Kyôka's stomach. The violent slash made her yell out as she slid back several feet on her feet to a grunting halt.

Everyone smirked as Erza was back on the offensive. They were amazed that she was still fighting, but even more so with how she lost her senses.

"How is she doing that?" Lector asked.

"Yeah, and what was that pillar of water?" Pather Lily asked.

Happy began to smile. "I think I can guess who." It was no doubt in the Exceed's mind that similar cyclone of water shooting up belonged to a certain creature who shared a bond with someone.

"Greninja!" Frosch chirped.

* * *

"Gngh!" For some reason, Rogue began to feel a chill run down his spine. He looked over his shoulder as he laid on the ground. "What was…that?"

"What is it, Rogue?" Sting asked, sprawled right beside him. Like him, Sting was also banged up badly. "You feel something?"

Rogue stared out where the pillar of water was from before, his nerves still prickling with uncertainty yet he did not press it further due to his wounds. "…it's nothing." He lied.

* * *

Kyoka was wide-eyed at the Slash she was hit with. As Erza stood there, raspy panting the only sound made, the demon was frustrated beyond all reason. "You shouldn't even see me! What is it with these Faces disappearing?! Answer me!" She bellowed.

Panther Lily began to smirk. "I think I know how she's attacking now. It must be her Pokémon guiding her." He explained.

"Her Pokémon? How?" Lector asked.

Happy's eyes widened as an epiphany sprung into his noggin. "Oh yeah! I forgot! Pokémon have these things they use called Abilities! They're these cool powers that allow Pokémon to do something…" The Exceed then tilted his head in wonder. "But I forgot what Erza's was."

It was surprising, but they understood. If they had more Pokémon intel, they'd know that Doublade's Ability was No Guard, but with that under lock and key until further explanation, they were all just sitting there, shocked as Erza and Doublade sprang into action.

"Doublade! **Swords Dance!** " Erza announced.

Doublade surrounded her and her Trainer with illusionary blue swords that circled them from above. The swords crossed over their heads, and Doublade was briefly outlined in a thick red aura, Attack prowess increasing.

' _Is her…'_ Kyôka was beginning to draw conclusions. _'Is her Pokémon guiding her?'_

" **Fury Cutter!** "

This time, Erza guided Doublade in an opposite arch swipe. The glowing blades left trails of weak light that connected with Kyôka. The Bug-type move again made the demon slide back, this time slamming into debris that made dust fly. Once again, the sharp swing made Erza feel like her arms snapped, but her hold on the Steel/Ghost-type did not waver.

Kyôka arose again, her eyes nearly devoid of pupils. "STOP!" She screamed out. She's had it, and as she bellowed out, more and more Face markers continued to vanish. Once again, there was a jump on the Face countdown.

 **5:16**

And even then, time was ticking faster.

"Damnit! Time is speeding up!" Bellona exclaimed.

"Hurry, Erza!" Happy shouted.

"It's no good. She can't hear." Panther Lily reminded him.

Kyôka was overcome by frustration. Whatever she was supposed to do was in the norm. With Face vanishing and Erza and Pokémon defying her, she was lost. It was like a switch turned on and the demon had lost all her control. She ferociously slashed at Erza with her sharp claws. The impact was swift, hasty, and by all means unpleasant.

"GAH!" Erza's bloodshot eyes widened, her mouth gagging as it felt as though the demon tore her entire left side in that one blow. The sense of pain felt was like a gunshot that blew out her organs. Her screams were hollow, and she couldn't even hear her own gasping shouts.

"Erza!" Doublade exclaimed.

"You stupid human!" Kyôka bellowed. "What is going on?! Do you honestly believe humans and lowly Pokémon can chance fates alike?! You both are nothing to us demons! We're better than you both! Know your place!" She snapped. She consistently slashed at Erza in same angles from one claw to another. Diagonal strike after diagonal strike. Erza was unable to move, unable to tell where Kyôka slashed at her. All she felt was pain and constant screaming.

"This is bad!" Lector yelled. "Erza's pain only intensified! Plus that demon chick increased her own power! Not good!"

"You have to endure it." Bellona bitterly remarked.

Kyôka never stopped with her frustrating slashing, not even as Erza began to bleed. The relentless demon slashed from the side once more, but was cut off when one of Doublade in Erza's left palm blocked with her shimmering blade, indicating **Fury Cutter**. "What?!"

"Enough of you!" Doublade exclaimed.

"You dare…!" Kyôka was about to attack, but Erza let out a shout as she swung Doublade's right blade. A trail of bright light followed behind the next Fury Cutter, this one slashing diagonally on Kyôka. The impact was so potent that it made her gag.

' _What is happening?'_ Kyôka was met with a foot by Erza kicking her chin, sending another jolt through them both. _'No matter how much I try, they're not going down!'_ She regained balance and panted as she saw Doublade's hilts glowing a brighter light as Erza glared. _'Does she not feel pain at all?'_

"Forward!" Doublade shouted.

Erza felt the tug by Doublade and went blitzing ahead. With a mighty shout, Erza and Doublade alike attacked Kyôka in a bright glint.

" **FURY CUTTER!** "

Both Trainer and Pokémon passed Kyôka, white trails following through the demon's abdomen. Kyôka screamed out as the blow from Erza and Doublade alike. The demon was unable to defend as Erza proved herself to be too strong. As time slowed down, the redhead's hair shifted meekly as Kyôka fell backwards. Her back slammed against the ground with a thud, bellowing loudly.

At the same time Erza struck the demon, there was a loud scream in the distant skies, where a large purple explosion became so large that it was seen from miles away.

Everyone there was baffled, but at the same time glad it was all over.

 **00:41**

"Time's still ticking!" Lector warned.

"Oh no!" Frosch yelled.

Doublades' eyes furrowed. "Then we have to finish this, once and for all! Erza!" She looked at her Trainer, seeing the hazy bloodshot look in her brown stare. "Erza?" She questioned. "Erza?"

Suddenly, out of strength, Erza began to fall over. She dropped to her knees, her hold on Doublade lost. She fell on her stomach, thudding as loudly as the demon that fell behind her, leaving everyone with great shock.

"Erza!" Happy shouted.

Doublade stared with wide eyes at her unconscious Trainer. With worry catching her off guard, she looked back at the time.

 **00:25**

The markers continued to disappear, a few barely present as they declined. She looked back at Kyôka, unnerved as to what had to be done. "Damnit!" She cursed.

Minerva narrowed her eyes, grunting at Erza unconscious. She couldn't move, and Erza most certainly was out. That left only one option. She looked over at Bellona, seeing as hiw she was looking at least able-bodied. "Bellona!"

The sky blue-haired woman looked back at Minerva. "What?"

"Now!" Minerva stretched her arm at Bellona, using her Territory Magic to shift Erza's place with Bellona. In a flash, Bellona found herself in front of Doublade, the action shocking the sword.

"What?!" Doublade looked at Bellona and then towards Erza, seeing as how they swapped places. "Erza!"

"Forgive me for this." Bellona said. Without warning, she seized Doublade by her guards. While shocked, the swords were aware of what may transpire, and even though they didn't like it, they knew it's what had to be done. Without a nay or say, they braced themselves as Bellona took a leap for the fallen Kyôka, and she let out a loud shout when impaling the blades into her chest. Blood spilled, the demon dying by the strike.

Bellona panted profusely as her vision was hazy. She was still exhausted from what Arbok did. She was even more amazed that her paralysis didn't hold her back this time, though as she pried Doublade away her body got static again and winced.

Doublade said nothing, but even after that battle, she was panting too. As she whirled around to conjoint herself on the guard once more, the blood on her blades flicked off, thankfully.

"Did we…win?" Frosch questioned.

Minerva looked around, seeing markers no more. To her inquiry, she looked up at the panels, seeing Xs over many of the locations where Face was. The markers were gone, and when she looked at the clock, her shock surmounted.

As Erza began to come around once more, she opened her eyes, no longer bloodshot. Weakly turning her head, she was met with sight once again, but what she saw only served to astonish her.

 **00:00**

 **FACE**

 **SIGNAL**

 **LOST**

Mirajane stared at the clock with confusion. "What happened?"

* * *

 **I'm back! Hi guys! Did you miss me? Sorry once again for it being a while before this update, but as I stated previously, I was on vacation with my family, but I'm back, and I established this chapter. I'm not going to lie, I was planning to update this sooner while I was working in conjunction with the whole "20 minutes earlier" stuff, but let's see where I go with all this. I'll make it work. I was trying really hard to work my way around my work schedule and some recent psychological issues I've been dealing with when making this chapter, but I'm all better now, and I do hope this was worth it.**

 **So with Erza's fight, I wanted to do some unique twists, including the likes of Doublade. I wanted to make the fight more believable in terms of how it flows, and while I do think back to Bleach's Kenpachi VS Kaname fight, I instead went another path and had Erza guided by her Doublade's No Guard Ability. Just to make it seem more realistic. I also wanted to give Garchomp some screen time while he wasn't present as of last chapter, but I also made him take his own appeals with dragons working with him.**

 **Next chapter will be much longer given the events that play out in Nic's perspective, but I assure you it will be worth it. I should be able to reach my promised estimate of finishing this arc by mid-June.**

 **So as always, comment, review, and it's glad to be back to writing!**


	54. Folly of Demons

**20 Minutes Earlier**

Mard Geer had thorns all around him, smirking maliciously as he stood against Nic and Greninja. The fire in both their eyes, even if it was intense and he could feel the heat from them, it was but of arrogance he only saw. "You pathetic creatures." He scolded. "You? Take me on? Whether it's confidence or arrogance, I have hit my patience with the likes of you; especially you…Nic Pularis."

Nic readied himself. "Then come."

"With pleasure." Mard Geer reached out, his brambles shooting after Nic and Greninja.

The brambles were looking like stiff versions of Frenzy Plant, at least to Nic and Greninja's eyes. They both waited carefully as the attack had begun.

"Greninja, **Water Shuriken!** " Nic commanded.

Greninja's eyes sharpened as he swiped both his arms, unleashing blinding fast stars of compressed water. The shuriken all blazed through the brambles in blue glints, slicing then apart to even bits as mist clouds erupted, obscuring both sides' field of vision.

Mard Geer narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?" He snapped his fingers, and just like that, an explosion of white with twirling silver petals erupted in the middle of the explosion. The bright flare made him smirk as it faded away, revealing nothing there but empty space.

Within his engagement, he grew stiff when he sensed a pressure from behind. Behind him revealed to be Greninja, who was in midair and had a foot pulled back. _'How did me blindside me so easily?'_ Caught surprised as he looked behind, Nic reappeared in front, a purple needle as dense and sharp as a blade in his hold.

" **Night Slash!** "

As Mard Geer glanced back forward, Nic slashed in an upward, diagonal arch, making a dense purple trail across Mard Geer's chest. The attack made a gash in his clothing, and pain shot through him. Greninja swung his kick around while still behind, sending another painful jolt, this time through Mard Geer's back.

As Mard Geer faltered forward, Nic grabbed his shoulders and used him as leverage and flipped over his head, while making Mard Geer fall forward. With him falling forward, Nic was in midair upside-down while Greninja was underneath, respectively either having jumbled dark and purple rings in hands or taking in a deep breath.

" **Dark Pulse!** "

" **Scald!** "

Within that second's time, Scald and Dark Pulse were launched. Mard Geer was hit with a boisterous volume of boiling hot water that seared to the touch and dark rings that pushed him forward, yelling out as his front was propelled by the attacks into a nearby broken wall. He smashed into the thick rock, enveloped in a steam cloud and dark explosion that made rock turn over.

Nic flipped and landed on his feet, him and Greninja facing the steam cloud as it dissipated. Suddenly, both caught a sense of something and miraculously shifted on their heels backwards, avoiding brambles that shot up straight beneath their feet. As both landed, they again shifted, but this time in opposite directions as brambles shot again from below, but in angles.

"Not bad." Mard Geer emerged from the smoke cloud, standing tall with a cocky grin. Though it was clear beneath his calm exterior that he was mad. "I have to say, you most certainly put a scratch on my back. Allow me to return the favor." This time, Mard Geer reached both arms out, making his Curse Power manifest a cyclone of bright petal-like light swirl in a funnel across the shaking ground towards Nic and Greninja.

Both looked at the other and nodded, knowing the next plan of action. Nic and Greninja dove past the funnel, taking opposite sides and dashed after Mard Geer. The Underworld King narrowed his eyes, further expanding the range of his funnel. As the light reached, Nic and Greninja jumped above, spiraling their bodies in upside-down pivots as the flare beneath gave them levity.

" **Water Shuriken!** " Nic yelled in the upside-down position.

While upside-down as well and spiraling, Greninja fired two Water Shuriken simultaneously, tilting his body in the process if arching.

The Water Shuriken was fast, very fast, but they reflected in Mard Geer's eyes as he smirked. "Hmph." Extending a hand out, the Water Shuriken met his palm, where he countered with a flare of his Curse Power. The bright light and shuriken created another shimmering burst of mist and brightness. Which enveloped Mard Geer.

"Gngh!" Overwhelmed, Mard Geer slid back from the explosion, getting to a knee and clutching his hand. "He…he cut straight through my light?" He baffled. "What power…"

Nic adjusted in midair and faced the mist cloud. Greninja leaned back and had his feet touch Nic's. Using a powerful thrust, Greninja shoved Nic, launching him towards Mard Geer.

" **Quick Attack!** "

Outlined in white, Nic's speed intensified as he dove from his springboard maneuver and blitzed through the cloud, his elbow reaching Mard Geer's hand. The Underworld King, while shocked, blocked with said hand, yet Nic shoving from his momentum made the king slide backwards. Barely holding ground, Mard Geer grunted at the force implied.

Nic eventually used up the momentum and planted his feet on the ground. While still engaged in close-range, Nic right uppercut Mard Geer's chin, sending the king off his feet and a few feet into the air. "Greninja! **Return!** "

Mard Geer's eyes opened again, the shock finally recovered. To his disbelief, he was in midair, and his chin felt the crackling pain. He ignored it as he saw Greninja overhead. His right leg was in a glowing purple, the aura in which he and Nic signified their bond on. Raising it, he yelled out as he came down on Mard Geer.

' _How is this happening?'_ He questioned.

"HRAH!" Greninja axe kicked Mard Geer's face, making a purple ripple exert from the air. Down below, the ground was silent for a few placid moments before the impact reached it, and the area diced apart, dust and wind erupting like volcanoes. Rock tore apart from the power of Return. Mard Geer smashed into the earth, creating an intense rumble as the earth shattered to pieces yet again.

Greninja landed in a crouch position and adjusted beside Nic. Both stared at the dissipating dust cloud, unfazed by their efforts. They knew Mard Geer wasn't easy to take down, given his pressure, but in truth they knew they wouldn't hold back against a headstrong and durable adversary. They were right of course as the dust cleared, revealing diced earth that spread for several meters around them, and an uneven crater in the center, where in the middle there was a hole that went down for several meters. In the hole was Mard Geer, grunting in agony.

"Do you intend on having your ambition overcloud your judgment?" Nic asked. "You think humans and Pokémon are inferior, but all that proves is how arrogant you are. I don't appreciate the lack of respect you're giving the position you're in."

The ground began to shake again, but this time briefly. Nic and Greninja swiftly jumped away in time as brambles again shot straight up, failing to skewer them. As they found footing once again, they looked back to see Mard Geer rising out of the hole, slowly getting back to his feet. His bangs covered his eyes, but even so, raspy breathing was heard.

"So this was the power you shared." Mard Geer took a moment to catch his breath, the pressure around him churning from his emotions boiling. "This was the power…that allowed you to tame the most powerful mage on the continent. This…was the strength that defeated he who I dare not mention…who dared to end everything. He…"

Nic and Greninja readied themselves. They felt another swell of pressure from Mard Geer, this one making a small breeze pass them. The power he was giving off was so strong that it was making gravity around them intensify.

"It was your kind…Pokémon…who put us demons to shame!" Mard Geer snapped. "You have proven to us what lethal torture you can carry out, the likes that makes us demons feel inferior beneath such species! With Pokémon everywhere, ruining my plans of proving our superiority…" Mard Geer raised his head, his bangs no longer covering his eyes. They were all white, and it only made Nic and Greninja even more unnerved as he smiled wide. "I am feeling emotions I wanted to lock away, ones that clouded my judgement as you say. I am not afraid of you. I am..." His hair began to shift as it contradicted gravity, beginning to float. "Angry."

Nic managed a small grin of his own. "You say humans and Pokémon are weak due to emotion? Then what you feel makes you no different from us."

"People suffer hypocrisy all the time. Accusing is one thing, saying something you're not is another." Greninja added.

Mard Geer was again met with another spike of pressure. Their confidence – or arrogance as he considers it, made his blood boil to extremes. "Your emotions and status is what shall be my fuel to end my own rage."

* * *

Vanessa swiped her arm and balled her fist. "Sliggoo! **Dagon Pulse!** "

Sliggoo obeyed and opened her mouth, where she unleashed a multicolored, dragon-shaped beam that blitzed through the air and closed in the small group of Lamy cluttered together. They all squealed and crackled before they screamed out in agony upon impact. They were all enveloped in a multicolored explosion, with smoke eventually fading to reveal the group lying on the ground in defeat.

Vanessa and Sliggoo panted, both exhausted from the onslaught of Lamy they mainly dealt with. "Is that…the last of them?" The Pularis girl labored.

Jet looked left and right, seeing no signs of the enemy. "Looks like we cleared the house!" He smiled.

"Alright! Finally!" Droy exclaimed.

Lisanna leaned over, looking at Vanessa with worry as she noticed her hands on her knees. "Are you okay, Vanessa?"

Vanessa craned her head, glancing at Lisanna. "Yeah…I just need to catch my breath…" She huffed.

Sliggoo hunched over, her horns dropping as she looked like she was about to pass out. "Everything's a little dizzy." She gurgled.

Elfman looked at Vanessa and Sliggoo with equal worry. "First that battle with that demon, and now she had to stomach all those weird demon rabbits." He said. "Takes a real man to push themselves."

"Yeah, she's wiped out." Warren said.

"Hey, rather than being a peanut gallery, how's about helping her out!" Jet berated.

"Sorry!"

Vanessa slowly inched to a knee, careful so as not to distress her exhausted body. Sliggoo was catching her breath still, but by no means was she holding up as well as the Aura Mage.

Footsteps were heard from nearby, and coming running revealed Lucy and Sophie, the two blondes thankfully on their feet.

"What happened here?" Lucy asked.

"Everyone!" Sophie exclaimed.

The group present turned their attention towards the shocking entrance of Lucy and Sophie.

"Lucy! Sophie!" Droy shouted.

"You're okay?! Thank goodness!" Lisanna commented.

"You're all okay." Sophie turned towards Vanessa, the exhausted mage's condition shocking her roommate. "Vanessa, you're here too?"

"Hey Sophie." Vanessa panted.

"What happened here?" Lucy asked. She looked all around, her eyes catching the dozens of Lamy in debris, the weak cackling sending chills up and down her spine. "Ehh…"

"It's a long story that we don't got time to explain right now." Jet answered.

"What happened to you? Are you two the only ones who made it here?" Elfman asked.

Lucy looked away, albeit with some hesitation. "In a way, we met up, but then parted…" The blonde couldn't help but feel a sharp sting in her heart when she mentioned the last part. The thought of Aquarius departing left her frowning mournfully.

"Lucy…" Sophie trailed off.

' _ **Man, them working up some nice bodies right now.**_ _'_ Warren's telepathy was not private, but he wasn't wrong. Lucy's attire was tattered, revealing a large mass of skin. Sophie was no different, with her boots chipped and her lower cloth and skin-tight spandex torn up. The fishnet around her chest was torn as well.

"We can still hear you!" Jet and Droy berated.

"Aw crud." Warren whined.

"So then where is everybody else?" Lisanna asked.

Sophie turned to face the group. "Gajeel, Levy, and Juvia are off to Porlyusica to rid of the Magical Barrier Particles for good." She answered. "And Gray got this new power as well. Natsu…" Sophie looked towards the sky, the shrieking of Rayquaza circling around Acnologia catching attention.

Vanessa, having caught her breath, turned towards the sky with a frown. "Who is that red dragon?" She asked.

Lucy smiled. "That's the dragon Natsu gave up finding. Igneel, his dad."

"You mean…Igneel Natsu's been talking about?!" Jet exclaimed.

"Just when things couldn't get any freakier! And there's Rayquaza too! Does this mean we're in the clear?" Droy questioned.

"Not quite."

The voice came from nearby. More sets of footsteps were heard and everyone shifted their focus from the sky towards their backs. There, they saw the shocking presence of Wendy, Carla, and Doranbolt. What baffled everyone was how this time Wendy had her hair cut to a bob cut.

"We still have to deal with Face." She answered.

Vanessa's eyes widened. "Wendy?"

"Carla…and that guy from the council!" Lisanna exclaimed.

Jet, Droy, and Warren all noticed Wendy's hair, making them gape their mouths. "What happened to your hair?!" They shouted in unison.

"Forget about that. We've got bigger problems." Carla chided.

"Define 'bigger'." Sophie inquired.

"It's Face." Doranbolt answered. "As we speak, there are thousands of them set across the continent. We've gravely misjudged the situation here."

Everyone went wide-eyed at the revelation set into motion.

"Wait…y-you said…t-t-thousands?!" Droy shivered.

"That can't be right." Warren said.

"We may have a way to strike them all down. But we need everyone on Ishgar and Fiore to hear us out on this." Wendy turned to Warren, who was looking crestfallen. "Warren can you get the message out?"

Warren looked down at the ground, frowning with a despondent look. He wasn't pleased with what he was about to say. "…I…I can't. I can only go a range of 5 kilometers. It's impossible."

Wendy's eyes widened in horror. "No way…"

"You mean we can't relay this to anyone?" Elfman inquired.

"But if that's true…" Lucy was beginning to think on a melancholic level. The possibility of magic disappearing forever was starting to make its way into reality, and devastation was amongst them.

"But there are thousands." Lisanna remarked.

"How are we going to stop them now? I don't get it?" Sophie questioned.

Warren began to grit his teeth, his tears beginning to stream down his cheeks. "Damnit!" He shouted. "This was our chance! I just had to go and blew it! Damnit!"

"Warren…" Carla murmured.

' _ **It's too soon for us to give up!**_ _'_ Another telepathic voice entered. It wasn't Mard Geer, and it wasn't Warren himself nor his thoughts. No. It was someone they'd least expect.

"That voice." Elfman said. He looked around, seeing that said person wasn't around.

"Master?" Lucy questioned.

Vanessa turned her head left and right, but like before, no sin of him. "Where is he?"

' _ **My children, listen well.**_ _'_ Makarov announced. _'_ _ **Fear not. We have hope yet on our side. There is still our trump card! Lumen Histoire!**_ _'_

"Our trump card?" Sophie blinked.

"Lumen Histoire?" Lucy repeated.

Warren looked towards Jet and Droy. "Do you know what he's talking about?"

The two questioned shook their heads.

' _ **There is no time for me to explain. Everyone and all personnel must return to the guild hall this instant!**_ _'_

"M-Master, we hear you…" Jet's head began to droop, a nervous look on his face. "But the guild hall was…"

Elfman got the notion, but it only left him even more guilty than before. His depressed aura was sensed by Vanessa, who looked sadly at him.

' _ **Do not worry. The guild itself may have been reduced to ruins, but the basement is in one piece. Return at once.**_ _'_ Makarov ordered.

"I…" Elfman clutched his fists tight. "I can't."

"Elfman?" Lisanna wondered.

"Why?" Lucy asked.

"It was my fault that the guild has been destroyed. I have to pay the price." He drooped his head, staring in resolve at the dirt on his shoes. "I'm sorry."

' _ **What happened was not your doing.**_ _'_ Makarov reasoned. _'_ _ **No one blames you for what happened.**_ _'_

"But I…"

' _ **Elfman. You are a good sport, and we need you. Whatever you decide, it is up to you alone.**_ _'_ Instantly, Makarov adjusted the channel for Doranbolt. _'_ _ **You shall come as well.**_ _'_

Doranbolt's eyes widened. _'_ _ **Wait, me? But I'm not a member of the guild.**_ _'_

' _ **Perhaps so, but I request your powers. When this is all over, I need you in erasing the memories of everyone.**_ _'_

' _ **What?**_ _'_ Doranbolt was caught off guard. _'_ _ **What are you on about?**_ _'_

' _ **Just about Lumen Histoire. Unfortunately, that includes you as well. I'm sorry, but there's no other recourse.**_ _'_

Despite the bizarre request, Doranbolt can understand the grave secret and how disastrous it would be. He agreed. _'_ _ **Alright. I'll do it.**_ _'_

' _ **You have my thanks.**_ _'_ With that, Makarov cut off the connection.

"Alright then, let's get going." Lucy said.

"Vanessa, can you get up?" Sophie asked the Aura Mage.

"Yeah…" Though hesitant, she managed to get back on her feet thanks to Sliggoo nudging her side and holding her up. Once on her feet, Vanessa wobbled a little, but afterwards finally gained ground. She turned towards Sophie, nodding.

"I'm staying behind." Elfman said.

"Okay, be careful, Elf." Lisanna took off, though she initially wished Elfman could tag along. However, she left him be out of respect for his guilt.

"Let's go, Sliggoo." Vanessa tagged along, following the best she could.

"Right!" Sliggoo lagged, hurrying with haste.

* * *

Mard Geer glared coldly at Nic and Greninja, every second staring into their orbs that they call eyes serving to fuel his anger. "Emotions cloud judgement and your thoughts, hence why one can never function properly in battle. That is the folly of a tactician."

Nic and Greninja glared back at the Underworld King with hostility. It was ironic given Nic had to fight a tactician before, a psychotic one at that. However, he dismissed the commentary and remained steadfast.

"You had the audacity to steal away my precious master. E.N.D's spirit dwelled within those closed pages and you went and stole him like he was some material possession. How deplorable of humans." Mard Geer turned towards his throne, which was miraculously in one piece some feet away. "I really do hate humans, but I never allowed emotions to best me. Fear. Anger. I have only experienced these two emotions as of recently, and I cannot begin to tell you what is more annoying than not being yourself. Disgraceful." The Underworld King turned around slowly, gingerly setting himself on the throne. He continued to frown at Nic and his Water/Dark-type, showing nothing but distaste. "I beg to question myself this: Just how much longer can I hold myself back against you?"

"Nic…" Greninja trailed off, feeling the gravity around them suppress again.

"Yes. It would appear his own arrogance is starting to make him loosen up his own hold. We may not have long before he gets anxious." Nic answered.

"Then let's dethrone him." Greninja advised.

Nic spread his legs, a small wind surging around his feet. "Exactly was I was thinking." As dust began to surge at Nic's feet, there was but another pressure change. The air began to shift once more, this time expanding out and the gravity around them began to return to normal.

Mard Geer frowned, his nerves beginning to crawl. "What now?" He groaned.

A small heated wave circulated around Nic while the ground beneath him began to heat up. The energy he gave off made the air itself increase in terms of temperature. A dome of fire and melted stone encompassed Nic and enveloped him for a few moments, until a few moments passed and it popped like a balloon, lava and hot rock dripping towards the ground.

Nic stood in his Flame Form, but the edging, boots, belt, and shirt beneath were all of the Stone Form. He stood tall, sharing a vibrant leer alongside his froggy accomplice. " **Fire/Rock!** " He announced confidently.

The new atmosphere was making Mard Geer stuffy in his attire, but he chose to ignore it. "So you've transformed I see." He analyzed. "And just what do you intend to do now?"

"First off…" Nic stomped on the ground once. When that happened, Mard Geer's throne suddenly flattened. The sudden jerk of the stone and skull-decorated piece of furniture left the Underworld King to stand upright. "Making sure you don't consider us pushovers." Nic finished.

Mard Geer looked down, seeing that Nic's powers of rock flattened and turned his throne into the ground. "You…" His anger rising, he looked back at Nic, reaching out once more. "You…IMPUDENT!"

In his rage, the Underworld King summoned a wave of brambles, the largest wave he's made yet. It was one spiky thorn after another, rippling green heading for Nic and Greninja.

Nic pressed his two palms in a loud clap. " **Lava Plume!** "

The ground beneath began to rumble at the heated pressure given off. As Greninja disappeared with grace of a ninja, Nic was enveloped in a pillar of pressurized fire as an explosion of broiling flames shot in all directions. The shockwave of raging flames enveloped the waves of thorns. The thorns immediately shriveled up and disintegrated to ash, and the expanding waves brightened up Mard Geer's shocked expression.

"Another omnidirectional attack?" He gasped before covering up. As Lava Plume enveloped him, the searing fiery waves. The impact left him grunting in agony, eventually leaving him with too much to handle. He yelled out in the bright flare, sliding back as the flare waves dissipated.

As he slid back, Greninja reappeared overhead, sailing with his hands unsheathing a dense purple needle. " **Night Slash!** " The Ninja Pokémon brought the Dark-type move down overhead in an axe-like manner, meeting Mard Geer's forearm, which he used to block. The blade burned into his clothing, making a purple burst of energy that made Mard Geer again lose ground and slide back on his heels.

Once finding his heels, he looked ahead and moved his arms in a circular motion. He summoned another funnel of light and silver petals after Greninja. Again, the intense brightness shook air and earth alike, but Greninja held his ground.

" **Scald!** "

Greninja unleashed a voluminous stream of boiling water from his mouth, meeting Mard Geer's attack head on. The two attacks made a large, flashy steam explosion that bellowed out. The humidity suddenly thickened, and it made it hard for Mard Geer to see.

"Persistent." He murmured ruefully.

Nic clutched a fist and drove it into the ground. " **Stone Edge!** " At his own command, giant light blue pillars of pointed rock shot up in a linear fashion, racing through the mist cloud and reached Mard Geer. The impact to his abdomen made a harsh airwave, dissipating the humid cloud around the area. Mard Geer gagged as the Rock-type move sent him skyward.

Nic swiped his arm forward, reaching at Mard Geer as the demon was in midair. " **Water Shuriken!** "

Greninja again jumped into the air, reaching for compressed stars he conjured and swung his body in an acrobatic manner. Several Water Shuriken were thrown, blazing right for Mard Geer.

Mard Geer caught himself and saw the swift stars heading right for him. In midair, his eyes widened and knew to act swiftly. Reaching an arm forward, shimmering silver light began to formulate in a large sphere.

" **Dea Yggdrasil!** "

A wooden pillar-like beam reached for the incoming compressed stars. The huge column of wood and roots closed in, yet Water Shuriken only spun and gained momentum from the distance. Both attacks met in the middle, where a blue explosion enveloped the airspace between Mard Geer and Greninja.

As both fell, Mard Geer landed soundly, while Greninja was still in midair, chunks of wood cut apart still heading right for him.

" **Incinerate!** "

Nic opened his mouth, where the inside glowed bright orange. He whirled his head around in a clockwise fashion, making several fireballs with black highlights that were launched altogether. The Incinerate blasted the residual wooden fragments, making small flares that made a wind that Greninja used to backflip and land back on ground with a small slide on the heels.

He looked back with a nod. "Thanks for the save."

Nic nodded. "No problem."

Mard Geer adjusted and looked ahead with a frown. He raised his right hand and moved his middle and index finger up. "This is far from over." True to what he said, the ground around Nic and Greninja cracked and brambles started to rise from beneath their feet. Nic and Greninja were on separate brambles that arose like a tower. " **Bramble Pinnacle!** "

Mard Geer ignored the vibrating earth and frowned on as he watched Nic and Greninja ascend with the tower of uneven thorn brambles. He couldn't help but continuously spite as they still remained calm, even from such a distance.

Nic began to lose footing, but that didn't stop him from crouching. "Greninja!"

"Right, let's go!" He shouted.

Together, Nic and Greninja began leaping from bramble to bramble, jumping to no end to the top while evading the thorns in the process. The action left Mard Geer with distaste as even more brambles grew more spikes, but Nic and Greninja were too nimble as they leapt constantly. As they jumped, they found an opportunity where there was a singular bramble that slithered passed them both, reaching for the top. The two jumped onto the bramble, using the momentum to run up it. They used the thorns as knee and heel holders as they speed up it.

Shooting up as fast as rockets, they blitzed to the pinnacle in no time, faster than a Frogadier, which can scale a 1,000-foot-tll building in less than a minute. When both reached the top, they jumped high, flipping to face the scaling tower that grew right for them.

Nic opened his mouth, where a blue cyclone of heat began to converge. As the tower closed in, his Flame Form's solid sections began to rise in temperature.

" **Inferno!** "

Nic roared, unleashing a violent and monstrous blast of blue, cindering flames. The voluminous blast wave expanded, enveloping the tower and shooting all the way own, from floor to floor. The thorns and brambles burned up and reduced to ash, until the enlarged and powerful Fire-type attack reached the base. A blue, and searing explosion sent linear blue embers across the ground randomly, passing Mard Geer as the shock on his face was proof that he was overwhelmed.

"No way…" As he was watching the flaming blue tower rage on, the heat was intensifying his exasperation. "Pokémon…what are they?"

Within the dying flames, still above, Greninja was seen with a singular Water Shuriken manifested. It swirled over his head, as opposed to Nic, who's hand was engulfed in flames and moved it in a clockwise motion. As Greninja threw the large shuriken from overhead, Nic fired an orange streaming fire from his mouth through the flaming rings, via Mystical Fire. As the two attacks raced for Mard Geer, they combined in the center, the orange fire streaming with a shining blue comet heading for the target.

Mard Geer saw the shimmering combination close in, but he was still in shock from the previous assaults. In a rush, he made another converging sphere of silver light.

" **Dea Yggdrasil!** "

Same as before, a beam of wood and green brambles went sailing for the incoming attack. However, Nic and Greninja's fire and water combo shot into the column-like beam, reducing and cutting wood and thorns to ash. The beam was no match as the comet reach a distraught Mard Geer, who was enveloped in an orange and blue explosion. The flash was bright and intense, making his screams hollow as he slid backwards. As he shot through the air, a blue aura enveloped him, the effects of Mystical Fire lowering his long-range prowess. Cursing beneath what breath he had, he smashed into a nearby broken structure, sending rock everywhere as the earth beneath shuddered.

Within the dust, Nic and Greninja were seen falling back to earth, with Nic pointing two fingers to the ground below. As they feel, a smooth rock-like slide was made. Both gained momentum and slid along the smooth slide towards the curved ledge, where they shot off and flipped onto their feet, landing in similar on-knee poses.

Both arose to their feet, staring into the pits of the smoke cloud that was made by their attack. They stared out, knowing that something even as powerful as that wasn't going to keep the likes of Mard Geer down. They knew that someone who had a vendetta like his would stop at nothing. They knew from experience; Gran Doma and God Serena were examples.

There was another rumble, followed by a shift in pressure from the atmosphere. The wind began to die down, and both could see a figure slouched forward. The figure revealed himself to be Mard Geer, coughing and frowning, but his hair was defying gravity. As every second passed, his body began to give off dark embers. Both Nic and Greninja narrowed their eyes, aware of his power flare.

"You've most certainly pushed your luck now, human and Pokémon. I commend you, however, as I can't remember the last time I was pushed into a corner such as this one." The dark embers soon flickered, becoming a black veil, concealing Mard Geer. "We demons from the Books of Zeref have been envied by our power granted by Zeref, but what they all failed to register was that we had our own purpose in mind."

"Is it to return to Zeref?" Nic questioned.

"Return to Zeref?" Mard Geer paused as the dark fire began to expand a little, winds shifting Nic's coat. "You are not wrong, but that is but a superficial necessity. Humans have sought Zeref's books for the solemn purposes of pleasing and reviving our great master and creator, but your kind has been so selfish that they had not considered our own purpose. Tell me, Nic, are you not aware of the purpose we carry?"

Nic was unclear as to what Mard Geer was going on about, but he knew it was on a more sadistic and cruel note. Nevertheless he and Greninja plated along. "Can't say for certain." He answered.

"As I thought." A new figure of Mard Geer could be seen within the flames, his new dark silhouette carrying bat-like wings and what looked like an armored body. "Let's start with simplicity. If Face is successful, magic shall be erased, and that will revive Master E.N.D once again."

"The book?" Greninja clarified.

"That book holds E.N.D's spirit as I said before. With him revived, Tartaros shall at last return to Zeref."

"But what you said still isn't clear." Nic imposed. "You said you demons have a purpose, did you not? Was it to revive E.N.D, or is it something that's more than just returning to your master? That much I can't make out."

Inside the dwindling flames, Mard Geer smirked. "I see at least one human is bold enough to answer…"

As the flames died down, energy streams flared faintly, but Nic and Greninja were again caught surprised by Mard Geer's Etherious Form.

Standing before them was Mard Geer, in his Etherious Form, which was primarily black armor and wings. The body had silver trimming all around, with his face having a silver mask and the wings outlined in silver. His hair was straighter and sharper than before, and his power was so great that a dark aura encompassed him.

"My fellow Etherious were all unaware of this realization." Mard Geer's vice was darker than before, gravely one might say. "It wasn't to return to Zeref and follow him. No, that was simply a homing instinct. Saying we want to 'return to him' is but one prime concept that is as hollow as logs. Zeref, our master, has been immortal for over 400 years, cursed by the gods for his deeds of tampering with life and death. That was the price paid, and what he wanted more than anything was to die. He eventually created something, something that could kill him and end his suffering…"

Nic and Greninja remained quiet, thinking over Mard Geer's words. "Created…" Greninja murmured.

"To kill him?" Nic's eyes slowly widened in realization. He and Greninja gasped in unison. "You mean…"

"Yes…created the Books of Zeref to not torture humans…but to kill him. The Demons of the Books of Zeref."

The two could feel an uneasy swell of goosebumps growing in their scarred backs.

"E.N.D was the masterpiece of Zeref himself. For some unknown reason, E.N.D has been sealed back into his prison, and with that, the chances of Zeref dying dropped. We thus have the obligation to fulfill the wishes of our creator, and restore E.N.D to end his suffering. It is the least we can do. It is his and our wish."

It was a lot to take in, especially with such a cause. Nic was dumbfounded at best. To learn the shocking truth that you were born to kill your creator was a concept he never thought highly of. He and his family always valued life, and preferred to live it out for as long as they could. Could they really kill those who brought life to them? Of course the deeper Nic thought about this, the more crestfallen he felt. In a way, he could relate to Mard Geer, though admitting it wouldn't make the situation any better. He killed his Uncle, to end his suffering and free him and to move on. He ended his suffering, and a half-dead family member. Though it pained him, it was meant to save the world and the man who saved it long ago. Nic looked back at Mard Geer, seeing a cause that he at least acknowledges, but at the same time wouldn't support. He ended Vince's suffering and bloodlust so that everyone could be happy and live on, including himself. It was depressing to see him and his parents go, but even with that purpose fulfilled, that didn't mean he still had anything else to do. He can live on and forsake everything once more to keep on fighting and battling to the ends of his days, and he will always have that path to share with the frog who stands by him and Erza.

"I may understand and sympathize with what you and your master want." Nic finally said. He spread his legs, readying himself once more. "But to slaughter for that sake is nothing to respect for."

"So it may be, but I will follow that obligation. I bring down weeds that stand in my way, and those weeds are of humans and those creatures that you carry. For the sake of my mission…" Mard Geer stretched his wings out, making small gusts shift Nic's coat again. "I shall use every ounce of my power, and destroy you! Nic Pularis! Come! Let us decide this!"

Mard Geer ascended, making dust and wind shift passed Nic and Greninja as both watched Mard Geer reached a small altitude before lunging at them with a loud shout.

* * *

In the skies above, the air was constantly in shifting turmoil as three legendary beasts were still duking it out. Chaos stirred the clouds across the atmosphere, the air itself thin as Acnologia let another dark snarl escape his throat. The sight of Rayquaza and Igneel working together left him angry, as one of the two was someone who could seriously hurt him. He hated that thought. He needed to win.

Acnologia brought his head back and unleashed another beaming roar at the two dragons, blitzing with intensity so great that no magic could stop.

Igneel and Rayquaza both roared out once again, fearlessly maneuvering around the roar. They skimmed along either side, dodging the destructive blast and closed in on Acnologia. The two dragons collided into his chest, pushing the Dragon King back through the atmosphere. The beast, however, was not as willing to give up so easily.

Acnologia took one large flap of his wings, kicking up a violent shockwave that made enough wind power to make Igneel and Rayquaza jerk away. With his sights set on Rayquaza first, the Black Dragon roared as he whipped his stinger tail, smacking into Rayquaza. The impact of the tail across Rayquaza's face sent the gargantuan serpent skyward, swerving with little momentum set. Igneel used this chance to get close and enveloped his fist in fire. He thrust at Acnologia, but the Black Dragon jerked to the side, allowing Igneel to falter forward with lost momentum. Acnologia seized Igneel by the shoulders and threw him in another direction, making the Fire Dragon King spin uncontrollably.

" **Oh please, like you think I'm a pushover. Not this time.** " Acnologia declared.

Rayquaza roared overhead, gathering multicolored energy into an orb in front of his mouth for Dragon Pulse.

Acnologia hurriedly turned to look up once again, opening his mouth and unleashing a swift beam. The roar bellowed upwards, where Rayquaza lurched down and fired his Dragon Pulse at the last second. A massive smoke cloud was enveloped in high strung shockwaves that brightened up the skies once again in an expanding field of energy. As a result, the shockwaves propelled Rayquaza further skywards, crying out as the close-range attack made him vanish into the night clouds high above.

" **You'll pay for that!** " Igneel declared his retaliation with his claws igniting once again. He closed in on Acnologia once again and slashed at him. The Black Dragon turned right into the attack, earning him a slash across the face. Igneel recoiled as he watched as Acnologia looked back ahead, not a single graze from that attack.

" **How?!** " He yelled.

" **So-called Fire Dragon King, I expected much more from someone as mighty as you. What a disappointment you are.** " Acnologia lunged after Igneel with vicious red in his eyes. " **Matching up to the likes of Pokémon? You can't even land a scar!** " He collided in another headlock with Igneel, both dragons yelling out in a roaring frenzy. Their cries of power were heard from miles away, worrying the many Fairy Tail members down below.

All anyone could do was watch as the battle raged on, Acnologia holding his ground as the Dragon King.

The two dragons gripped each other and spiraled around in the skies, trying to overlap the other and rip them to shreds. Neither side was allowing such an opening to occur, and as they challenged the other in a furious clashing of heads and spinning through the air, they were both silenced with the sound of Rayquaza's shout from above.

" **What now?** " Igneel asked. He looked up towards the clouds, but he barely caught the image of Rayquaza within the darkness. What perplexed him was that there was a strong light that pierced through the clouds.

Acnologia felt a power pressure change, one that made him back away from Igneel and look up. He looked up towards the piercing light, the cries of Rayquaza booming in his ears. " **What is he doing now?** " He couldn't explain it, but something about the piercing rays and this sudden change in pressure left him unsettled.

The light was so bright that everyone below were equally as surprised.

"What's that light?" Romeo questioned.

"I don't know, but it's bright. I can barely see." Macao shielded his eyes, blocking some of the searing rays.

"Well it isn't the sun, I know that much." Wakaba answered.

Cana stared up at the fight in the sky, the cries of Rayquaza bellowing through her ears. "This light…and this power…" She could feel the atmosphere pulsate overhead, and the goosebumps on her intensified. When it hit her that the familiar light was of a transformation, her eyes widened. "Is that what I think it is?"

The skies were brightened by the radiance and Rayquaza's shouting, and after a few moments, the light faded away, and as silence grimaced in the atmosphere, there was an odd ripple of energy that spread through the clouds above.

Suddenly, the clouds broke apart as a massive Hyper Beam came crashing down. The black and purple beam of destructive energy pulsated with so much power the air shuddered like an aerial earthquake.

Acnologia was hit head on by Hyper Beam, the intense impact making him roar out in agony; louder than any damage he's sustained. The Hyper Beam shoved the insidious beast towards the earth, where he crashed into the ground and created another seismic shudder. The Hyper Beam attack dragged him across the wasteland, creating linear explosions that arose the landscape. From miles on end, fires and dark explosions pelted the land, leveling earth and enveloping anything within the atmosphere in chaos.

Everyone found cover behind debris and screamed out as winds and fires went over their heads. If they were standing they'd be capsized. They all felt the rattling ground beneath, and even the land was scared.

As the explosions diminished, the raging swell of the destructive beam reduced to winds that carried dust off. Starting from straight below was a deep ditch that was too dark to see the bottom, and it traveled for miles to where kicked up rock looked like a mountain, and at the base was a deep crater. In the center was Acnologia on his back, his body covered from head to toe in bruises. The beast let out a hot breath as he looked back to the sky, seeing where that attack that grounded him came from.

Igneel looked up to the source, eyes widening at the sight and the sheer power he was feeling. " **No way…** "

With the clouds parted, there was Mega Rayquaza, who raised his head and exerted yet another echoing roar. Ripples of energy stretched out to where Igneel was nearly pushed back. Once the roars died down, Mega Rayquaza looked down, glaring at the ground below.

Cana looked from behind cracked debris, her eyes hoping they were playing tricks on her. "Mega Rayquaza."

Igneel looked back up, his initial shock turning to a sneer. " **Not bad.** " He said.

Mega Rayquaza swerved down towards Igneel's level, looking irritated at the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse. " **My patience with this defaced creature has worn thin. One way or another, this beast shall learn the hard way to not tamper with the likes of my kind!** " The Mega-Evolved Sky High Pokémon declared.

" **That makes two of us.** " Igneel said.

Acnologia began to stir, rising to his feet. He faltered for a bit, but the dragon hunched over and glared back up, his tail swinging from one end to the other. " **So it's come to this.** " He bitterly snarled. " **It seems there is no holding back. Mark my words, dragon, I will destroy you! No matter how many times you hit me!** "

" **Then prove it!** " Mega Rayquaza declared.

Igneel roared, his wings spreading out. " **No holding back!** "

All three dragons glared once more, their spirits reignited with the tide rising.

* * *

Natsu was running through the field of broken rock and walls, heading away from the ruckus from behind. He was looking up, seeing Mega Rayquaza in the air. "Alright! Looks like Dad's doing great up there!" He was glad that his father was doing well in his fight, but Natsu felt short-sided on his end. True, he did want to see what the Underworld King had to offer, but he also knew that the book he was carrying was equally as important. He had to stay true to his word and get it far away from Mard Geer as possible.

As he jumped over a fallen pillar, he began to stir his own thoughts. "I wonder where I'm going? I can't smell the others well. It's gotta be all this dust and gross gunk everywhere." As he ran past an overhead arch of rock formation, he looked down at the book once again. He couldn't explain it, but something about the book was of. It was like something he never felt before, and he couldn't tell if it was good nor bad. "What is with this book? There's something about it that's creeping me out. Hmmmm…maybe I should find Levy! Yeah! She knows a thing or two about books!"

He ran a little farther out, but as he took off, he saw two familiar figures approach.

"Huh?" As they closed in, he began to get a better picture, and to say he seemed surprised would be an understatement. "Sting! Rogue!"

Sting blinked, seeing Natsu ahead. "Natsu?"

"What is he doing here?" Rogue questioned.

Natsu ran over, meeting up with the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth with a jovial grin. "Hey, good to see you guys are doing okay! What's up?"

"I should be asking you the same thing. Been awhile." Sting smirked.

Rogue nodded in agreement. "I can see you're doing well."

"What are you kidding me? I'm feeling ready to kick some ass right about now!" Natsu beamed. Though, if he ws honest, he was feeling a little exhausted. Taking on Jackal, Franmalth, and then Tempester in a span of less than 48 hours did a number on him, but he wouldn't show it and instead took the matter in stride.

"Uh, r-right." Rogue could tell Natsu was exaggerating, but dismissed the matter. "Anyways, where are you heading? Aren't you supposed to be heading over there?" He pointed behind Natsu, where there was a field of explosions going on, indicating Nic's fight with Mard Geer.

"Huh?" Natsu's eyes widened. "Oh! Right! I gotta go find a place to stash this!" He held up the book to Sting and Rogue, the two giving a confused look. The latter looked unamused.

"What the heck is it?"

"Well it's clearly a book." Rogue teased.

"Shut it!"

"This is what that creepy guy was holding back there. It's supposed to be a book that contains Tartaros' so-called Master E.N.D."

This incite left the Twin Dragons with shock. "Wait, what?!" Sting exclaimed.

"Their Master is within those pages?" Rogue clarified.

"Yeah, something like that. I'm thinking about finding Levy since she may know what to do about these things." Natsu said. "Say, you guys look a little banged up."

Rogue gave a despondent stare. "You just now noticed?"

"Ignore him. He's just tired." Sting assured. "That Mard Geer guys gave us these. He's stronger than what we thought. But we're gonna find him and show him what it means to mess with Dragon Slayers!"

Another loud explosion was heard from the distance, this one rattling the ground. It nearly threw Natsu and the others off balance for a moment.

"Guess even from this distance Nic's got it raging." Rogue commented.

"Bah, don't worry about Nic. Don't you remember? He kicked that God Sir Ema's ass off this continent. This guy's got nothing on him!" Natsu said.

"I…think you mean God Serena." Rogue sweat dropped.

As they were chattering up, another set of footsteps was heard, these ones leaving the atmosphere to decline in temperature quite a bit.

"Huh?" Natsu felt the chill intensify, making him turn towards the side, where he saw another figure enter the area. His shock arose.

Sting and Rogue turned as well, surprised with this strange sense of prowess.

"Is that…?" Sting trailed off, seeing the shirtless man walk firmly towards them. To all of their critical surprise it was revealed to be Gray, and the air around him was as cold as ice.

"Gray?" Rogue questioned.

Gray walked towards them, standing firmly in front of Natsu. He looked at him up and down, seeing the Dragon Slayer with accumulated scratches. "I see you're bad on your feet already." He commented, though his tone was oddly serious.

Natsu blinked out of wonder. "Uh…yeah. I could say the same about you. Where's your shirt?"

"Funny." Gray sneered. He turned towards the area where Natsu came from, his wonders piqued. "Where's the head honcho?"

"Head honcho?" Natsu questioned.

"I think you mean Mard Geer." Rogue answered. "If you're looking for him, I wouldn't go near there." He pointed at the area where there were shimmering lights and hectic whirlwinds produced.

"Good." Gray began to turn, walking slowly away from the group and towards the battle.

"Wait, what are you doing?!" Sting shouted. "Nic's back there!"

Gray continued to walk on, his mind set on his goal. "I don't care." He answered. "I'll stop Tartaros all by myself."

Sting and Rogue went wide-eyed at the cold shoulder given, despite the warning they provided.

Natsu faced Gray, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "Hey, what's your problem?"

"Nothing. I just need to take care if some business." Gray said. He stopped to turn and look at Natsu with his own questions in mind. "I could ask you the same thing. Why are you here?"

Natsu held up the back cover of the book to Gray. "This is what. I'm getting it away from here."

"Is that so?" Gray raised a brow. "I thought you'd be fighting some demons or burning up the place, not be some delivery man for something you never read."

"Huh?" While Natsu did take offense to Gray's insult, he did have a point. It took a short while for the Dragon Slayer to process, but when it boiled down to it, he had to ask himself something out loud. His eyes widened as he gawked at the bewildering epiphany.

"Wait, what am I doing?!" He yelled. "Did Nic trick me or something?! I'm not letting him hog all the glory! What's he doing kicking ass without me having a punch, huh?!"

Sting and Rogue despondently stared at Natsu with disbelief. _'Seriously?'_ They thought in unison.

"That does it! Before I take another step with this book, I'm marching back and showing that demon what an iron fist can really do to his teeth!" Natsu declared.

Gray looked away, staring at the area where he was heading. "Fine, but I ain't stopping till these guys are gone for good." He began to walk once more, leaving Natsu and the others again. "I gotta finish what my old man started."

"Old man?" Natsu questioned. He reached out for his comrade. "Hey, hold up-!"

Before Gray got too far, the area ahead of him began to glow. His eyes widened as the light got brighter. Acting fast, he jumped back in time before the ground erupted in a loud blast wave. Smoke and dust bellowed as the Ice Devil Slayer slid back, covering up.

"Gray!" Natsu shouted. He was about to act, but he heard something from the side. Turning his head, he saw blast waves traveling across the ground, hitting his side and engulfing him in a large explosion. As smoke arose, Natsu slide off to the side, grunting as his arm shielded the book, resulting in bruises.

"Damn!" He cursed.

"Natsu! You okay?!" Sting shouted.

"What on earth was that about?!" Rogue questioned.

"Pathetic!" A rude and rough male announced. "You insects deserve no less than to be crushed for being meddlesome!"

Natsu caught himself, the voice ringing in his ears. When he caught whiff of a certain smell, it was like a pungent flare went off. "That smell…!" When he looked to where a dark shadow was towering, his eyes widened. "Wait…"

To Sting and Rogue especially, horror took over. Their eyes shuddered as the man before them resembled some significant backlash.

Before them stood a very tall and monstrously muscular man, whose prowess was thicker than Elfman even. On his front were scars from his previous confrontations, but on his left pectoral was a circular tattoo that spread like a web all over his bare body. Thick beads acted as a necklace, visible with his pointed edged beard and spiked up hair. His eyes had dark circles, and he had elf ears. His body gave off a very dark aura, one that made them all shudder.

The resemblance was uncanny.

"Master…Jiemma?" Sting stuttered, fear in his voice.

"It can't be." Rogue gasped.

"Hey, wait…" Natsu began to recall who Jiemma was, as it was someone long ago he dueled during the Grand Magic Games. His shock grew. "You mean that old Sabertooth Master?!"

"So then he was turned into a demon like Bellona." Gray figured.

"Worms." Jiemma rebuffed. "Turned? No, I knew from the start that power suited me best. That's why I demanded to be transformed into a demon." His fists balled tighter. "All for the sake of becoming the most powerful there is!"

Sting nervously stared at the former Sabertooth Master, his nerves shuddering. "He's a monster."

Jiemma's aura thickened once again, the ground shuddering from his absolute might. As he drew out power, stones around him began to defy gravity. "I dare not be compared to monsters or these demons." He growled. "This is my power now! This is the wrath that trumps this guild! When all is done, I will crush the remainder of everything! Starting with you!" The demon went lunging after them, yelling out a venomous battle cry.

Sting and Rogue stood there, paralyzed as they saw the demonic creature bellow out. The longer they stared, the more petrified they felt. It was like their darkness was confronting them head on, and they were far from ready.

"Snap out of it!" Natsu yelled.

Sting and Rogue gasped as Natsu snapped them out of their distraught trances.

"This battle isn't over yet! We can still beat this guy! And Tartaros!" Natsu started a mad dash for Jiemma, his fists balling in searing flames. "We aren't afraid! We can do this!" With a loud battle cry, Natsu reeled his fist forward, colliding with the muscular power of Jiemma. Blast Magic and Fire Dragon Slayer prowess collided. The ground shuddered as the two fields of fire and purple were of two entities that were fighting to hold ground. Natsu cried out louder, pouring whatever he had while having the book secured in his left arm.

"Gnnngh!" Natsu felt his footing get pushed back within the bright collision, his teeth gritting louder than before.

"Get lost, I have no business with a weakling like you!" Jiemma overpowered Natsu, following through with his punch. The ground pulsated dust as Natsu went flying backwards in a loud shout.

"Natsu!" Sting shouted. Both him and Rogue's trances snapped completely, and in a furious act of courage, they zoomed to intercept Jiemma from both sides. They lunged at him, but Jiemma caught them with his giant hands and held them in the air.

"Sting. Rogue. You have no idea how long I've been waiting to destroy you both." The demon snarled. He brought their heads together and bashed them. The impact left them gawking, much to Jiemma's joy. They fell to the ground, blinded by the pain their skulls felt.

"Is that really the best you have?" Jiemma questioned. He watched as the Twin Dragons began to stir beneath. "Hm?"

Sting arose to a knee, eyes covered. _'We're not afraid.'_

' _We can do this.'_ Rogue clutched his fists.

Both glared at Jiemma, jumping for him head on with steeled resolves. _'We're heading forward!'_

Sting swung a light-cloaked kick around while Rogue slashed his hands raptured in shadows. Jiemma used his huge hands and blocked them both, catching the bright leg and dark hand.

"This isn't over yet!" Rogue shouted.

"Natsu! Gray! Leave him to us!" Sting shouted, flipping backwards onto his heels. "We'll handle this chump!"

Natsu and Gray, both recovered, looked at the battle unfolding. They looked at each other with serious expressions, each knowing that it was in their best interests to go see of Nic needed help. They knew Mard Geer was a powerful threat, and that came first. Natsu looked back ahead, giving them a smirk.

"Alright. Be sure to keep him down, alright?" He said.

"Yeah, no sweat." Sting smirked.

"Alright then!" Natsu pivoted and carried the book, its front cover still hidden from sight. "Let's go, Gray!"

"Gotcha!" Gray followed Natsu, both embarking towards the explosive battle in the distance. That left the Twin Dragons to deal with their past, one that they will personally rid of for good.

Jiemma's solid glare intensified. "Come, Twin Dragons!" He slammed his fist into the ground, attacking Sting. The new Sabertooth Master jumped and dodged the attack, leaving rock and dirt to kick up from where he once stood.

Sting regained footing and shot a glare at Jiemma. "It's your fault Sabertooth was nothing but tyranny!"

"Tyranny is the only choice to dominate." Jiemma challenged. "One has to commit to being the strongest, or else their hearts and mind will remain weak and flimsy, just like that pathetic Minerva girl."

"But she's your own child and daughter! Didn't you feel anything for her?!" Jiemma glared at Rogue for his answer, the grim silence established beginning to make the Shadow Dragon Slayer feel a depressing energy.

"I did feel something. I felt my own expectations destroyed when she chose to treat others like allies than put her own heel down! That annoying Nic and his ideals corrupted her, now she and that useless Bellona are nothing more than useless garbage!"

Sting smashed his fist into Jiemma's face. "Take that back!"

Jiemma slid back several feet, but recovered without flaw. "Is that all you got?" He put his hands together and watched Sting charge for him. He used his magic and blasted energy in front of Sting's face, making him stagger backwards. His ears then twitched, catching wispy noises from behind. He turned around as Rogue materialized from the shadows and knife handed his chest, making Rogue gag. Jiemma grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the earth, making an indent. "You seriously think that you took Sabertooth with the level of power you two have? What a joke you are!"

Rogue struggled to stand, but found his footing at last. "We…didn't take anything. We…made something better out of it."

"Foolhardy!" Jiemma raised a burly arm and chopped at Rogue's shoulder, sending him back to the ground. "Sabertooth is meant as the strongest! Anything else is of no meaning! All this talk about effort and care only brings its pride down!"

Raspy breathing was heard from behind, the panting belonging to Sting as he was back on his feet. "Yeah. We were pretty weak, we admit." He said.

Jiemma looked back at Sting. "Hmph."

"…but all this crap about weakness you spill, it's only the weakness that you see. We're not going back to a guild of individuality, no, we're making a stronger guild; one that hopes to make others feel welcome. Rather than leave our comrades who fail us to die." He thought back to when Jiemma had Yukino strip down, bare of all her dignity and bow before Jiemma. He again thought of Lector when he was seemingly blown to smitherings. Hs fists balled tighter than ever before. "We've had it. We want nothing to do with that guild you made."

"He's right." Rogue started to get back up once more, again catching Jiemma's attention. "If we want to become 'strong', then we need to rebuild." He was back on his feet. "We started a new Sabertooth!"

"Which means…" Sting and Rogue's glare sharpened. "We don't need you anymore."

"Now begone!"

Sting and Rogue cloaked their hands in their respective magic and thrust forward. Jiemma used his forearms and blocked their advance from front and behind, a malicious smirk on his bearded face.

"A strong guild you say?!" He laughed sinisterly. "Never have I expected such a group to become strong! There is no such a thing as a strong guild, for it is the individual alone!" He pivoted and swung his arms again, making Rogue come around and slide with Sting away from Jiemma.

Sting regained footing, dust quickly dissipating and gave Jiemma a sinister glare. "That's not true in the slightest."

"We have found those who can prove you wrong!" Rogue's argument began to bring him and Sting into the thoughts of Fairy Tail; Natsu, Gray, Erza, all of them who they saw in action. "They're more than just a guild!" Both thought of Nic and his Pokémon. "They're family!"

"And you don't mess with family!" Sting yelled. "They were there when the other was down, and we were beyond lucky to have met such amazing people and fight alongside them! Their kindness is what brought them forth and shed light on the darkness you created!"

"It's time for the guild Minerva sought to be realized!" Rogue announced.

"SILENCE!" Jiemma slashed his hands like they were razor blades. The two chops grazed into Sting and Rogue's shoulders, blood spilling out from the deep impact.

The Dragon Slayers maintained intense glares through their pain.

"Only the individual matters! Teamwork and compassion is futile and but a handicap! It's weakness! I am not weak! I am the strongest! I am the most powerful there will ever be!" Jiemma's roaring was so intense that the ground beneath shuddered. "I make the heavens tremble! I am not weaklings like any of you!"

"You are weak!" Sting snapped. "You threw away everything for power with no point! I don't give a damn, because I'm living for someone else's sake!" He thought briefly of Minerva and Lector. For the briefest second, Bellona was seen as well. "We're making it so that we can give those people something to fight for, so that no one will feel lonely as long as we're around!"

"NEVER!" Jiemma's anger fumed. He charged for the Twin Dragons to end them and exact his reign. Every step taken shook the ground.

Despite how they felt, they had to end this battle. By ending Jiemma, by stitching the wounds he's inflicted on their reputation and Sabertooth, they would have truly moved forward. They knew that. This was their chance, and now was the opportunity to prove Jiemma wrong. As he charged like a bull, Sting and Rogue's fingertips began to cloak in their respective magic. White and black outlines that looked like Slash almost left thick trails as they closed in on Jiemma.

"This ends here!" Rogue screamed.

The Twin Dragons slashed with hundreds of small glints.

" **White Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk!** "

Both passed Jiemma as hundreds of very thin beams of light and shadow slashed at him, piercing his body multiple times. The Twin Dragons heard Jiemma's howling agony as one beam after another, his body was punctured with furious tenacity.

The demon's eyes were wide as his gawking expression covered his face. "Im…possible…how…"

Sting and Rogue panted deeply as the light and darkness of their fingertips faded. As they tried to catch their breath, they looked back to see Jiemma falling backwards. The demon's decrepit body smashed into the ground, his weight making a crater as his dismembered body laid there, the demon's life at its possible end, for good this time. Sting and Rogue looked back at one another, dirt and red painting them.

"Hey." Sting grinned. "Guess we won."

"Yeah." Rogue snickered. "Guess we…did…" Rogue began to fall to his side, exhaustion finally kicking in.

"Fairy Tail…has it covered…" With that, Sting also sundered, with no more energy to stand.

Both thudded at the ground at the same time, laying on their stomachs as a warm wind breezed past them. For the oddest reason, their Sabertooth emblems felt warm with the wind.

* * *

Mard Geer flapped his wings, the shockwaves and winds generating solidifying into thorn brambles that shot as waves towards Nic and Greninja. As the earth-shaking assault closed in, Nic crossed his arms.

" **Heat Wave!** "

Nic lashed his arm, the shockwaves and gust generated that of incinerating fire and orange and red flares. The Heat Wave incinerated the attack, reducing everything front to smoke.

Mard Geer's figure was seen through the smoke cloud, the Underworld King seen clearly as his claw reached out for his prey. He missed as Nic ducked the jab, keeping him at stomach-level.

" **Fire Punch!** "

Nic's fist engulfed in flames, viciously scoring a hit on Mar Geer's gut. The Underworld King gagged as the impact made him recoil several feet, whereas he spread his wings to catch himself. With momentum back, he ascended into the air in a steep slant. Once high enough, he positioned himself and looked down at Nic and Greninja, arms joined by the wrists.

"HRAH!" Mard Geer used his Curse Power and unleashed a voluminous blast of shimmering light at them.

"Greninja, **Night Slash!** " Nic commanded.

Reappearing in front of the incoming beam in midair, Greninja unsheathed a purple needle. With a violent shout, he slashed vertically downwards, his attack edging its way through the beam. The blast split apart, becoming two diverged beams that exploded in shimmering light some distance away from each other.

The beam dissipated, but Mard Geer reappeared in the dissipating blunder. In front of Greninja in the altitude, the Underworld King whirled a leg around to strike. Greninja's reflexes kicked in and his Night Slash dissipated as he used both hands and seized the leg. "Go down!" Greninja twisted hi body, throwing Mard Geer from over his shoulder straight below.

As the demon went sundering, Nic glowed and transformed into his Iron Form. His hair glistened and became shimmering armor as he lunged right for Mard Geer.

" **Iron Head!** "

Mard Geer reacted fast enough and straightened out as he fell. He saw Nic jumping for him to where the impact would be held and he brought his leg down. As Mard Geer's foot collided with Nic's Iron Head, the air was caught in a ripple that exerted outwards; reaching for the ground even and making rocks fly away. After a few moments, both parties recoiled away, with Nic and Greninja landed back on the ground while Mard Geer regained airspace.

"You're very light on your feet, human." Mard Geer commented. "Surely you aren't feeling tired now, are you?"

"I could be asking you the same thing." Nic retorted. "Surprised you're not laboring."

Mard Geer held up a clutched fist. "It is my demon will to free Zeref and destroy you. The very thought of exterminating you at last is what drives me forward. Until that goal is reached, I won't waste a single breath further."

Nic and Greninja glared up with hostility for Mard Geer, both parties having it in for the other. From the distance, however, there was an odd green light and static flaring. The flaring caught Nic and Greninja's attention, surprising them.

"What is that?" Greninja inquired.

"Green lightning?" Nic wondered. _'Is that where Erza is?'_

Mard Geer looked over at the field far away to see the green static flaring. He looked on in amusement. "My, seems Kyôka is occupied at the moment." He glanced back at Nic. "Oh well, nothing can be done about that. You on the other hand…" He reached out for Nic and his comrade, where on their chest roses bloomed.

Both looked down, bewildered with what Mard Geer had done.

" **Rose Explosion!** "

With a swipe of his arm, the roses exploded in a small burst of energy, the impact on Nic and Greninja making them grunt and slide back on their heels from the attack delivered. They caught their own footing, each wincing with one eye open.

"You let your guard down." Mard Geer spread his wings, an intense shockwave rippling. "Now perish, human and Pokémon!" The airwaves solidified, becoming wild brambles that reached out for its prey. The thorns and spikes expanding reached earth, heading towards the pair.

"Greninja…" Nic began to glow.

Greninja's legs spread. "We won't let him beat us."

Nic finished glowing, becoming another dual type form. This time, it was the Mind Form, but the edging, belt, pants, shirt, and shoe laces were of the Iron Form's design. With a Psychic/Steel Form, he steeled himself. "Let's go! **Agility!** "

Nic disappeared in split seconds before a wave of brambles met him. Greninja vanished as well, both reappearing in various directions, in midair, on brambles, and both were seen dodging fruitlessly. They both back flipped, twisted, pivoted, and maneuvered Mard Geer's onslaught of brambles. They were maneuvering to the best of their abilities, without much effort in getting close to Mard Geer however.

' _He isn't letting us get close. He's figured out our versatile methods.'_ Nic thought.

' _We'll need to go long range as long as these thorns are utilized.'_ Greninja thought.

As both landed on the ground, they jumped up, dodging a thorn vine that pierced the ground. As they back flipped once again, sliding alongside earth, they began to see various openings within the jungle Mard Geer unleashed. Using their eyes and wits, they saw a single opening of the melee unleashed. Both glanced at the other, nodding in understanding and jumped right for the nearest bramble.

They landed on it, both dashing up the vine for the clear opening for the Underworld King.

Nic ducked from a bramble shot from an angle overhead, but maintained a steady pace with Greninja. Telepathically, he tried to use his Mind Form's prowess, homing in on Erza. _'_ _ **Erza? Are you there?**_ _'_ He asked.

' _ **Nic? Is that you?!**_ _'_ She answered, much to his satisfaction.

Nic leaned to his right, evading a bramble from behind. _'_ _ **Yes, it's me. You know better than to doubt this voice, do you?**_ _'_

' _ **I suppose you're right. My mistake. How are you talking to me right now?**_ _'_

' _ **I'm using my Mind Form's powers to make a telepathic connection. I saw green lightning in the distance and I got a bad feeling. Is everything alright?**_ _'_ He saw dozens of brambles heading their way. Making action happen, he swiped his arm, unleashing Psycho Cut. The pink crescent expanded outwards, reaching measures that cut down the brambles to diced pieces ahead. The Psycho Cut sliced through the incoming field Mard Geer was generating, and when it reached outside, he jerked away to avoid the Psycho Cut as it faded into the distance, making a pink explosion.

"What was that?!" He exasperated. He looked back down, shocked as he unleashed more of his brambles to the bramble jungle he was making.

' _ **Honestly, I wish I could say no. This demon has it in for me I'm afraid.**_ _'_ Erza stated.

' _ **That makes two of us.**_ _'_ Nic answered.

' _ **What does that mean?**_ _'_

Another bramble shot straight across Nic and Greninja, but they both ducked beneath it and continued their steep dash up the vine. _'_ _ **Mard Geer really has it in for us. Greninja and I are barely getting close with his thorns intervening. Apparently he isn't letting us get out of this alive.**_ _'_

' _ **Mard Geer is giving you a hard time? That sounds foolhardy.**_ _'_

' _ **Tough call, but didn't you say you were in a bind yourself?**_ _'_ Nic opened his mouth, making silver light and light blue traces converge. Unleashing a Flash Cannon, he again shot through brambles heading right for him. He obliterated the brambles that disappeared within the light.

The burst of energy was seen outside, where Mard Geer was looking annoyed. "Pesky human."

' _ **Is this really the time to pull the other's legs?**_ _'_ Erza replied

' _ **Guess not.**_ _'_ Nic answered.

' _ **Nic, do you know why Acnologia is here?**_ _'_

The question caught Nic by surprise, but he was even more surprised as he and Greninja were closing in on the opening. _'_ _ **I can guess…it's because he's still after Garchomp and I. We came across him as we were dealing with Face's bombs and he challenged us. He intends to exact revenge for being humiliated as the Dragon King.**_ _'_

' _ **You battled Acnologia?!**_ _'_

' _ **Yes, though it did a number on us, we sundered him with heavy tolls. I went back to my world to ask Rayquaza in assistance against Acnologia, giving Garchomp time to handle destroying Face's bombs.**_ _'_

It took a moment for Erza to reply back. _'_ _ **You really did wonders this time. You know that?**_ _'_

' _ **I wouldn't worry about Garchomp. I have faith in him, just like I do for you.**_ _'_

"Incoming!" Greninja warned.

Nic saw it too; a massive, slithery thorn reaching from ahead. It was thick and targeted for Nic. The man continued to dash on as he crossed his arms in front like a shield. " **Iron Defense!** " His forearms were coated in a thick layer of iron, his Defense increasing. The bramble, however, had heavy momentum behind it. Though it did hit Nic, it wasn't successfully in piercing him. All it did was make him slide backwards down the steep vineyard. He grunted as he was losing momentum.

Greninja pivoted and looked back. "Hang on!" He whirled his tongue around, uncoiling its scarf-like appeal as it reached for Nic. The pink tongue reached out and Nic held his wrist out, where the tongue coiled around the wrist and yanked Nic back. The tongue shortened up again as Nic went flying back to Greninja's side. As he landed, Greninja's tongue returned to position and both pressed on, saving their thanks unsanswered.

' _ **Nic? Are you still there?**_ _'_ Erza asked, her voice unsound.

'… _ **yeah.**_ _'_ He said. _'_ _ **Greninja and I are pouring everything onto this demon. You said you were in trouble, right?**_ _'_

' _ **Sadly.**_ _ **I was in battle against Kyôka. Minerva and I were holding her off well until she used Organic Link Magic and changed her form.**_ _'_

' _ **Changed her form?**_ _'_

' _ **Yes. Minerva was struck down regrettably, and now she's attacked my pain receptors. I can't feel anything anymore. I was deprived of my sight, taste, smell, touch, and hearing. All I saw was dark before I heard your voice. Honestly, I wonder if I can actually defeat her in time.**_ _'_

' _ **You can.**_ _'_ He assured with a smile.

' _ **Huh?**_ _'_

' _ **You and I both know lying down on the job will not solve our problems. Remember when we were separated during the war? What do you think motivated me to get along with Jellal? You.**_ _'_ Brambles again shot as waves for them both, but this time Nic was prepared. His eyes glowed, initiating Psychic. The attack outlined the incoming brambles in light blue, and suddenly they did a U-turn back from where they came from, The thorny brambles smooshed and pressed themselves together, creating a barrier that blocked incoming brambles and allowing Nic and Greninja to soar up to the opening in the attack once more. _'_ _ **You were in my thoughts even when I was chained up when the Rivolta enacted their plan. I can't think of another reason for me to not stand when I'm fighting for something I want to return home to. We fought by the other's side. We saw the other bare pain. We survived the apocalypse. We chose to stay and be with each other, forever. We even made a house for our unity. I won't throw it all away just because I lost senses. I have a reason to fight, and it's because of that I won't lie down.**_ _'_

' _ **You're right. What was I thinking? I can't stay down like this.**_ _'_ Erza answered with a better tone.

' _ **Then rise. You will find a way. You always do.**_ _'_ Nic swiped his arms in opposite directions, his Psychic dissipating the brambles shielded and reducing the ones inflicted to shattered bits.

' _ **No, WE always do, Nic. The Pokémon always help us with that.**_ _'_

' _ **Yeah. That's true…Erza.**_ _'_ Nic took one last leap alongside Greninja, the pair narrowly diving out of the wavy opening with perfected timing and in midair in front of Mard Geer.

"Impossible!" Mard Geer gasped.

Nic and Greninja reeled their fists back. _'_ _ **When this is over, when we finish our ends, let's find the other. Let's find Vanessa, and let's just be that way for as long as we can.**_ _'_

' _ **I would like that.**_ _'_ Erza said.

' _ **I wouldn't have it any other way.**_ _'_ Time slowed down as their fists were at maximum kinetic energy.

' _ **Nic, wait for me…I love you.**_ _'_

' _ **I love you too, so very much.**_ _'_ Nic ended the heartwarming transmission, unleashing a mighty cry alongside Greninja as they drove their fists into Mard Geer's face. The furious impact made Mard Geer's face twist and contort – to him – as the pressure and force made some of the sharp teeth in his mouth fall out. Their punch followed through, shooting Mard Geer back down to the earth in a powerful and heinous thud. The ground shuddered as dust bellowed and the brambles disappeared.

Nic and Greninja both landed several feet away, staring at Mard Geer as he was on hands and knees with eyes wide open with shock facing the ground.

"I…I can't believe it. How?!" Mard Geer looked back at them with increasing exasperation. "What are you?! You couldn't have made it through all that! Is this a farce?!"

Nic and his Greninja stood right beside one another, their right fists raised and balled up. "You wouldn't understand what humans have to strive for in order to live. That will we carry through us is what we use to push us towards the future. Every battle we come across is of experience that we carry to the next confrontation."

"With each battle, we gain something more precious that we use to the extent that our hearts pulse." Greninja announced.

"Shut up!" His patience at a thin point, Mard Geer flapped his wings, sending petals made by his Curse Power at Nic and Greninja. " **Rose Explosion: Bloom!** "

The petals of light closed in on Nic and Greninja, surrounding them in a cyclone of light that held them trapped. The petals expanded, becoming a slowly-growing explosion. As the earth shook with the impending destruction, Nic and Greninja looked at one another, staring into the other's eyes. The longer they stared, the more they could see the other.

Outside of the silver dome, Mard Geer maliciously sneered at the pulsating explosion. The longer the rampage went on, the more he could feel victory assured. His senses, however, caught him being a fool, as the air suddenly pressurized. The Underworld King went wide-eyed at this awesome sensation he was getting, which was made the nearby dust die off.

"This power…" The demon trailed off.

Inside the growing explosion, Nic and Greninja's eyes were starting to glow as they stared forward, seeing Mard Geer clear as day. As they remained still, their fists balled tighter as their heartbeats began to synchronize.

"We won't let you stop us! No matter what!" The two yelled out in unison, their ethereal images overlapping and everything turning purple…

Mard Geer remained shocked as he saw his explosion expanding, yet this odd prowess wasn't fading; rather it was growing. It was tremendous. It was beginning to make him go mad with how intense it was feeling. "What is going on? Why…" He stepped back. "But why isn't this power going away! It just keeps growing!"

Mard Geer heard yelling and the vision of water expanding outwards. His explosion attack immediately dissipated as gusts raged at his feet and covered up as a giant cyclone pillar of water expanded outwards, escalating to great heights. The pillar of astronomical disbelief kept climbing, its raging energy leaving him startled.

"What is this?!" He cried out.

High above, there was a purple light that guided the pillar skyward. Once it reached a pinnacle, all the water that rampaged broke apart, revealing Nic and Nic-Greninja high above Mard Geer. Both looked to be suspended, their eyes closed for a moment before they opened in unison, revealing their irises to be purple. All the broken water that remained stationary in the midair from the ground up began to converge and stream into vast currents around Nic-Greninja. The water streams continued to compress and absorb into the Water/Dark-type, until all the water from the pillar was gone, having been morphed into a medium-sized shuriken of water on Nic-Greninja's back. Around the frog was also a coat of dark water to give him similar appeal to Nic.

As Nic's purple colors around his normal attire also glowed purple, the power they felt was as staggering as was the time they fought God Serena a while ago. This was their power – the might of man and Pokémon beyond limitation, and Mard Geer was seeing it first-hand.

The Underworld King looked up, startled with this sudden climb of power. "What have you done?!" He shouted.

Both Nic and Nic-Greninja screamed out loud as they had similar positions when folding their bodies and diving for Mard Geer. "We're coming for you, Mard Geer!" Nic declared. They both soared for the mastermind, their glares as serious and calm as could get.

Frustrated, Mard Geer was losing his calm – whatever was left that is. _'This…this power, is this what they used to trump the mightiest of Ishgar after all? No, that's absurd! They're only humans! They can't have that much power compared to us demons!'_ He spread his wings and left the ground, soaring right for the two falling from the ground. "I won't be beaten by you!" He declared. He put both wrists together, creating another sphere of light, unleashing a heinous barrage of petal-like lights at them.

As they descended the duo glared at the incoming crescents, their purple eyes simultaneously seeing right through the other's vision. They both saw the exact same thing, and the crescents reflected in their vision. Their purple eyes sharpened when the large-scale assault got close enough, and then they disappeared. They miraculously reappeared on different crescents, but equal distance from one another, lunging and disappearing almost to where they were invisible, flashing every few seconds on a crescent before vanishing once more.

"What?!" Mard Geer cried out.

Both skimmed from crescent to crescent until they passed every single one with ease, reaching Mard Geer's proximity. With knees raised, they let out battle cries as they stomped down onto him; Nic using his right leg, and Nic-Greninja with his left. They struck Mard Geer's chest, causing a large ripple to exert outwards from the force of the impact. Mard Geer's pupils briefly turned white as time slowed down for a few seconds, and then shot down like a comet. He crashed into the ground, kicking up a gust of dust as he slid on his back.

Nic and Nic-Greninja flipped vertically and landed on their heels, remaining on their one-knee poses as they glared at the dissipating dust. They saw Mard Geer struggling to stand, but otherwise his armor on his chest was broken to pieces.

Barely getting to sit up, he stared at them with disbelief. _'How did they achieve such power? Is human bonding really that special?'_ He managed to muster enough strength to rise to a single knee. _'No, it must be something greater. I'll see to it!'_ "I'm not done yet!" He slammed a claw onto the ground, making a shockwave flow through the earth until it faded. Meters away, thorns began to rise, snaking out of the ground and attacking Nic and Nic-Greninja.

In unison, both jumped and dodged the dozen brambles that struck their position. Within the dust below, the thorns snaked their way to attack them again.

" **Night Slash!** " They shouted together. They spiraled through the air, materializing water-like purple kunai they held in both hands. In a furious second, they slashed through every bramble, splitting them all into half without a scratch.

Mard Geer clutched his fists and grunted. In another attempt, he raised both hands overhead, creating a sphere of light with his power once more. He dropped to a knee and slammed the palms down, sending a large, linear silver light at them.

" **Scald!** "

Exhaling together, Nic and his mirror image opened their mouths, firing a combined blast of boiling water that was of monstrous size. The attack tore through the ground below, making rock fly everywhere. The two Scald met the linear silver blast, making a misty burst of blue expel in between. Within the mist, however, the Scald powered through, the silver energy of no match.

As it traveled across the land, Mard Geer was getting paranoid. _'_ _ **Kyôka, are you still there?**_ _'_ He telepathically asked

' _ **Lord Mard Geer!**_ _'_ She answered.

' _ **What is happening? Why hasn't Face gone off yet?**_ _'_

' _ **I don't know! The markers and Faces are all rapidly disappearing!**_ _'_

' _ **What?!**_ _'_ He looked beyond exasperated.

' _ **I don't understand, what is going on here? At this rate, Face will be lost!**_ _'_

Scald approached, but he was still stuck on the fact he was being tricked. _'_ _ **...these humans and Pokémon…they are ruining everything! Kyôka! Destroy them and detonate the remaining Faces-!**_ _'_ Mard Geer went wide-eyed and hurriedly ascended, dodging second before Scald hit where he once stood, making a boiling blast of mist and steam rattle the earth below. In his shock, he was feeling his black heart palpitate in fear he might be losing, which left his mentality shaken as Nic and Nic-Greninja reappeared in front of him, their fists balled with a powerful purple energy.

" **Return!** "

Together, they punched at Mard Geer. The Underworld King used his wings as shields at the last second. The two fists connected and purple beams flared everywhere before the attack that represented their almighty bond made a large purple flashy explosion. A ripple exerted through the air, pulsating outwards. The energy reached the ground, overturning the rock and everything else; almost changing the landscape.

The explosion of purple faded, and Mard Geer shot back down and landed with an insidious smash, while Nic and his Nic-Greninja landed on their feet, both having fists clutched as their opponent was stirring in the dust cloud.

Mard Geer groaned, his chest armor battered, and that Return attack was so powerful that his wings paid a terrible price. He groaned as the stinging pain of them no longer being there rang through his center. With his wings blown off, he could no longer fly, and his eyes shuddered with exasperation.

"I…I can't…accept this!" Mard Geer again struggled to stand, but was beginning to stand one last time. He was at his limit, and his body was about to give out. If not for his ideals of destroying Nic he may have continued laying on the ground. "I refuse to be bested by you!"

"We said it before. You're nothing but a blind being who's been toying with his own destiny." Nic said. "You think demons are superior because you've been born from Zeref, yet you fail to recognize what other species may be capable of. That's nothing more than foolhardy pride that's been stripped from you."

"You claim and consider yourself worthy of killing Zeref, but you never considered what you can o by yourself." Nic-Greninja said. "You could've done something better than fall into the bottomless pit that you dug for yourself. All this to return to Zeref and destroy him. And for what cost?"

"Shut up…shut up…" Mard Geer growled. "I will not be defeated! I will make you two suffer! Human! Pokémon! I don't care! My destiny is clear, and I will destroy all who are in my path of certainty!"

Nic and Nic-Greninja's eyes narrowed. "Then let's end this once and for all! Nic-Greninja!"

"All the way!" Nic-Greninja seized the Water Shuriken on his back. As he pulled for it, the surrounding moisture began to spiral into the shuriken, thickening it to a greater extent. As Nic-Greninja held it in his left hand, Nic reached and held on with the right hand. Above their heads, the Water Shuriken spun and doubled in size, equaling their length.

" **Water Shuriken!** " They shouted.

Mard Geer watched the blue saucer rotate at a high velocity. If it hit, he'd probably lose. He wasn't going to take it, and no more chances. He had to end the fight, even if it meant using his ultimate spell. The anger in his eyes began to shrink, his pupils returning to normal. "Very well." He said. "I was saving this for Zeref himself…but now I must invoke the ultimate curse." He closed his eyes, concentrating all of his Curse Power. "I shall now sentence you to the norm, and end you for good."

As Nic and Nic-Greninja were spinning the shuriken overhead, they noticed the ground around them was seeing with dark ghoul-like ghosts. They all wailed frantically as they seeped their way towards them.

"What is this?" Nic asked. "Mist?"

"No, something much worse." Nic-Greninja figured.

The ghouls around them began to stretch, reaching for the skies and enveloping the atmosphere in a pitch-black around them. As Nic and Nic-Greninja tried to keep calm, they didn't falter as the ground beneath was shaking. When they both looked down, they saw that there was no ground, but pitch-black. All around, the ghouls summoned by Mard Geer maliciously began to brighten up into a light pillar.

Nic and Nic-Greninja looked at each other, their ears ringing with widened eyes. The explosion of wails and deafening eruption made them both fade into the light, the shuriken in hand fading, but still spinning.

The pillar of wailing ghouls made the ground roar, the heavens screaming out loud. Mard Geer stood at its vase, basking at the ultimate curse released. "This is my last resort to you, the memory of death itself! **Memento Mori!** "

The land beneath shattered to pieces as the ghouls became a vibrant light, obliterating everything within its reach. The skies and clouds above dispersed as the pillar of death rattled everything within the vicinity.

Inside, Nic and Nic-Greninja – though no longer visible - could still feel the other's heartbeats. Their visions were cloudy, but the longer they stared at each other, the more they began to see the other clearly once more.

' _Nic…'_

' _Greninja…'_

No words were needed. This was their time to shine through death. They knew this was nothing, as they knew this was but foolhardiness that only gave earlier foes bad names. This spell of death was but an obstacle they would surpass.

Nic's purple eyes faced forward, staring outwards. His twirling and hold on Water Shuriken didn't waver. "I believe!" He screamed out.

"I believe!" Nic-Greninja screamed out.

"WE BELIEVE, THAT EVEN DEATH CANNOT STOP US!" As they cried out inside Memento Mori, a veil of water surged around them, obscuring them from the eruption. Their silhouettes were seen holding the shuriken higher, the purple all over their bodies glowing brighter than before. For the oddest reason, the Water Shuriken began to turn purple as well.

Outside the light pillar, Mard Geer glared with a satisfied grin. "The key to kill Zeref…is to destroy what is known as the concept of Life and Death. It was not originally I who sought to cease life and death…but it was he who defaced us all. Lysandre. He destroyed life and death itself. There was no purgatory. There wasn't nothing itself. He wanted to vaporize all meaning, a void of pitch-black. With what he sought, I shall remodel it, and make it so that we demons are proven superior!"

As the pillar of light flared, there was a whisk of water seen.

"Hm?!" Mard Geer looked back up. "What now?"

Another bleak streak of water was seen, and then another. Various water streams circled about around the pillar, and the light of the ghouls began to become wavy. The wailing and booming began to wash away.

"No…"

The light pillar expanded, only to glint blue beams everywhere before it cracked apart. Blue cracks encompassed the whole pillar, and like an egg, the light shattered. To Mard Geer's horror, his spell was replaced by a giant pillar of water, one that made mist at its base. Streaks of purple were seen on occasion, but the primary purple was seen in the center, where there was something saucer-like at least five times greater than a Water Shuriken.

Mard Geer was oblivious to the mist that was at his legs as he was petrified by the amount of power he was feeling. "This can't be for real…"

"You've disgraced yourself!" Nic announced.

Mard Geer gasped at the sound of Nic's voice within the tornado of water.

"You thought you could be as mighty as Lysandre! You thought Zeref was the most powerful there was! You thought you could best the few beings who even shamed Acnologia and your creator! You're blind! If you thought you were stronger than Lysandre, then let us tell you something…"

The pillar of water suddenly broke apart, just like when Nic and Nic-Greninja transformed, only this time the air shifted as a small whirlwind was high above. Air tore apart as Nic and Greninja's purple parts were glowing, and the shocking part that as their eyes and purple glowed, that very shade of purple was what the giant Water Shuriken was.

Mard Geer was petrified in fear. "That's-!"

"You aren't half as strong as God Serena!" Nic-Greninja declared.

"You aren't even a remote fraction of Lysandre! You can't begin to compare the grief and anguish he and the Impure Underworld caused that you could never hope to achieve!" Nic shouted. "You've been dealing with the illusion that you're the mightiest demon to be feared because he may hope to slay Zeref, when you know that will never be the case!"

"No! Stay away!" Mard Geer hollered.

"This is for all the mayhem you stirred for the sake of Zeref and chaos alike!" Nic and Nic-Greninja shouted. In unison, both brought their arms back and the high frequency of the spinning purple shuriken intensified.

At last, they threw it with all their might.

" **WATER SHURIKEN!** "

The airspace shredded to pieces as the attack was launched. Purple streams followed as the shuriken sailed down at intense speeds, far faster than anything Mard Geer had seen, even during his battle with Nic. The attack closed in, but all Mard Geer could do was go wide-eyed as a purple light brightened up the atmosphere. The Underworld King's heart stopped as he could only see light overshadowing darkness that we was creating. The light was shredding through any and all evil that he manifested for the sake of E.N.D.

There was an intense moment as everything was but of silence and white. _'…Tartaros…lost.'_

The shuriken made impact, and Mard Geer was enveloped in a rapidly expanding explosion of mist and purple. The energy was so intense that the ground shredded to bits. The purple bellow was that of a giant dome with density that crushed everything in its path. Nic and Nic-Greninja descended from the high altitude, watching with serious expressions as their attack engulfed what was Mard Geer. Mard Geer's screams got louder as the demon was enveloped in the explosion of water that signified the eternal bond he failed to tear apart. The demon let out one last bellow as his figure began to fade away, his destruction at the shuriken of Nic and Nic-Greninja.

The shockwaves sent mighty winds in all directions, another pillar of purple light bellowing towards te sky with ripples at the dome-like base before it all collapsed into mist. The winds caught Nic and Nic-Greninja, giving them a draft as they sailed backwards towards the earth. As the winds and mist cloud faded into oblivion, they landed on their heels, sliding backwards to a harsh halt that engraved their feet into a soft dirt trail that stretched for meters on end.

As they both were catching their breath, all that was left in place of Mard Geer was barren ground, leveled by the assault made. Everything fell silent. Silent as a grave.

At last, Mard Geer was defeated.

Nic turned to look at Nic-Greninja with a relaxed front, but even he was still caught up with the uncertainty the air held. "You believe that did it?"

Nic-Greninja looked back ahead, staring at the landscape as fresh dust blew. Eventually, he nodded.

Nic looked back. Half-grinning. "Yeah, I thought so."

* * *

Back in the control room, the alert was clear in front of Erza and everyone else to see, much to their own surprise.

 **00:00**

 **FACE**

 **SIGNAL**

 **LOST**

Tartaros' plans have finally crumbled.

* * *

 **Here is chapter 54, and I made this one very special because I updated on my sister's birthday, so I really had to dig my time these past few days and finish up today while my sister is out enjoying her day. Also it's another one of my fellow writer's b-day as well, so happy b-day bud! So many birthdays, wow.**

 **Anyways, this was primarily what happened during Nic's perspective. I know this was almost twice as long as last chapter, which was mainly around Erza, but there was also the Twin Dragons and the fact I needed to get Mega Rayquaza in there as well. But that aside, I know it's been a long time coming, but Nic-Greninja has finally come back, and I know you all missed him so much. To be honest, it was either Nic-Greninja or another Legendary Force, but I chose to bring Nic-Greninja instead.**

 **So in terms of how I will make the rest of the arc go, let's see how it plays out, but I intend to make it end in 2 chapters. So if you loved the battles this chapter had, let me know and thanks for reading! I hope to end the Tartaros Arc by next weekend!**


	55. Dawn of A New Era

Erza stared up at the screen, seeing the many Xs over the locations where Face was. Not a single one was active, much to her surprise.

"Uh, can somebody tell me what just happened here?" Happy asked.

"I don't know, but somehow Face was thwarted!" Panther Lily answered.

"I guess that's…good?" Lector sure hoped he was right.

Minerva and Bellona stared up at the screen, continuing to feel the awe-stricken revelation that hammered them home. Mirajane mustered a smile of her own, despite not knowing the cause.

Erza laid on her stomach and gave a relaxed smile, her Doublade floating right by her side. "You saved magic…Nic."

* * *

Nic and Nic-Greninja stood tall over the land of rock and leveled domain, the defeat of Mard Geer still hanging over their heads. The dust whisked itself past them as they turned to face the other once again, soft smiles of sound relief washing over them.

"Are you alright, Greninja?" Nic asked.

"I'm well. I can say you feel the same." Nic-Greninja replied. The Ninja Pokémon shot a glance back at the barren domain upfront. "He was determined, I'll give him that much."

"I agree…"

The sounds of footsteps caught their attention. With the sounds of more figures approaching, Nic and Nic-Greninja turned around to look at the incoming people. Much to his own shock, it was Natsu and Gray, and to their greater bewilderment, Natsu still had the Book of E.N.D in his hold.

"Alright! Where is he?! Where is that jerk?!" Natsu looked around, seeing no sign of Mard Geer. He looked left and right swiftly, hurrying to find him.

Gray looked at Nic and his Pokémon, frowning. "Nic." He greeted.

"Natsu. Gray." Nic answered with surprise in his voice. "What are you two doing here?"

Natsu looked ahead, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Don't 'What are you doing here' me! What's the deal making me hold a book while you hog all the fun! Not cool man!"

"What are you talking about?" Nic asked.

"We just asked you to take the book somewhere safe until we settled with Mard Geer." Nic-Greninja added.

"Well here's the book anyway!" Natsu tossed the Book of E.N.D, much to the shock of Nic. Knowing how precious it might be, he caught it and looked down at the cover, seeing that it was still in one piece. "Now no more glory-hogging! Where is that jerk?! I want a piece of him!"

"Cool your jets, pyro." Gray retorted. He averted his attention to Nic, a serious look plastered onto his face. "Seriously, what was with all that water just now? And that large purple explosion we saw?" Gray took one more step forward, standing in front of his comrades with a sharp look. The serious glare was added by the magic he was giving off, surprising Nic. The next question was dreadful. "And where is Mard Geer?"

The way he made it sound was like a demand. It was very appreciative, but it sounded like something that had to have an answer. Nic and Nic-Greninja looked at each other with purple eyes meeting, seconds of which faded when they turned back towards Natsu and Gray.

"Don't worry." Nic answered. "We've dealt with him."

Natsu's eyes widened. "Aw, WHAT?!"

"I'm sorry." Nic apologized.

"You better be sorry! I wanted to kick his ass as much as you, and you went and had all the fun!" Natsu fumed with a tick mark over his head, gritting his teeth in frustration. As he shot glares at Nic and his comrade, the recipients only looked at him with wonder and slight disbelief.

When Nic and Nic-Greninja looked back at one another, their looks this time were of wonder rather than supposed guilt. They didn't mean to have Natsu get dragged out of the scuffle, but at the same time they were aware at the time that what Mard Geer had was probably as important as a life itself. They couldn't explain it in words; they just knew. Though they did apologize, they also knew deep down Natsu wouldn't have wanted to be caught in the blast himself. Even he wasn't _that_ stupid to clear way when Nic-Greninja arrives. It was an unspoken truth on both ends, and as individuals who live for battle they had to respect that of each other, though Natsu wasn't as willing.

Gray's stare on Nic never wavered. In fact, he was glaring cold daggers into him at the moment. By all means it was his personal goal to destroy Tartaros. It's the very guild that tormented his father. It was the guild that made his corpse dance like a puppet and toy with his own feeble emotions. Gray knew he wanted to make Tartaros pay, that's why his father passed down Ice Devil Slayer Magic, to slay demons. He desired what his father wanted – the fall of demons. While it did happen, he was despondent that it wasn't by his hand. But Gray knew better than to be mad at Nic. He was just doing what all of Fairy Tail wanted alike; in a sense no different from his own ambition. It was selfish of him to consider the folly, but he couldn't help himself. New power, all just to slay a couple demons? Maybe there will come a time when he may use his powers to slay future demons, but for now he can be content that at least one of his father's promises was fulfilled, and that was good enough for him.

"Hm?" Gray glanced down at the book in Nic's hold, the front cover in view. "Wait, is that book…?"

His notion caught Natsu's attention, and he averted towards the book Nic held. "That? That's the book that freaky thorn guy carried!"

Gray's eyes narrowed. "You don't say…"

"This is the Book of E.N.D." Nic answered. He remained as composed as possible around the growing ominous feeling he was getting from Gray. "This is what Mard Geer had beside him all along. I asked Natsu to take it somewhere to hide it so that we can understand it later on."

However, what Gray said next threw everyone for a loop.

"Sorry about this Nic, but that's idiotic."

Nic stared with narrowed eyes at Gray's backlash. It surprised him that Gray would go against what he said, but he wasn't like Erza. He was willing to listen out on reason.

"Think about it. That monster created Tartaros. As long as his book is in one piece, this battle is not over. We don't have the time nor the consideration of dealing with E.N.D. We can't talk to him, nor do we want to."

"You mean _you_ don't want to." Nic-Greninja corrected on an ominous tone.

Gray's fists balled. "I made a promise to someone, and they counted on me for dealing with E.N.D's destruction. That thing is the strongest demon Zeref has ever made. It must be destroyed. Now." His tone was as cold as ice, it was dark and intense with contempt when he spoke about E.N.D. Nic wasn't sure nor was it his business to ask why Gray was hung up on E.N.D, but he knew that if he gave the book to him to be destroyed, it'd probably be a mistake.

Was this even the same Gray talking right now? Nic and Nic-Greninja wanted to ask themselves that, but the look in his eyes made it clear that it was Gray, just colder. His magic was different, but still the same. Something happened to him that left him with a cold shoulder, really cold.

"Gray…" Natsu murmured, eyes widened by Gray's intense stare in Nic.

"Nic, either you destroy that book now, or I destroy it." Gray said.

Nic and Nic-Greninja's stare on the mage intensified into serious purple glares again. "So now you go for threats?"

"I have to…" Gray's fists balled tighter. They were so tight that the blood almost stopped circulating. "I promised someone…" He felt guilty with what he thought of next, but he had to say it. "And I always keep to my word…unlike you did."

Nic's eyes slowly widened at Gray's stab to the heart. "What did you just say?"

Natsu was left bewildered. Even he wouldn't go that far as to insult someone, not ever. He's crossed a lot of lines in the past with his reckless behavior, but going into a personal stand point and offending it was a line he never ventured over, nor would he ever mean to. The Dragon Slayer was aware of why Nic no longer keeps promises; even when he did manage to recover from that deep impact long ago. He's failed to protect his sister. He made Erza cry. He couldn't preserve his own personal belongings long ago from harm's way. Too many strikes and he had it, no more was this some petty promise Nic could make. Natsu experienced it all considering he was there in most of the occasions, and he respected why Nic doesn't make promises as high as those. Things like "meet here" or "come back okay", he can make do, but to destroy or protect someone was something Nic nor Natsu could do much. Still, Gray crossed the line out ambition, and that's where the respect dwindled.

"Give me that book." Gray demanded.

Recovering from the offending blow, Nic's gaze hardened to where he was giving a serious pressure with Nic-Greninja. Nic-Greninja felt the sore blow in Nic's heart, and he sure as hell didn't like it one bit.

"No."

The four-way stare was of an intense agony that could suppress even Pseudo-Legendary creatures like a Salamence. It was like fire, ice, and now water all in a three-way confrontation.

The sound of a large-scale roar was thankfully what broke the intensity.

Everyone went wide-eyed as they saw a black figure crash down with a painful thud. Rock broke apart as the crushing weight of Acnologia slamming on his back rattled spines.

They all turned towards the exhausted dragon, seeing the many scrapes and scars inflicted on him. "Acnologia?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Whoa." Gray replied.

Acnologia was feeling tired. Blow after blow, and it's only got him so far. He thought for sure he was on the offensive, but Mega Rayquaza had him cornered with nowhere to go. As he groaned, a crushing claw suppressed against his face, embedding him deeper into the ground.

Once again, the group present was wide-eyed as their gaze averted up. A red dragon towered over the fallen Acnologia, his mouth searing with smoke.

"Igneel!" Natsu exclaimed.

" **This fight has not been lost, humans!** " The Fire Dragon King yelled out.

Over his head, Mega Rayquaza swerved in a simple motion. He opened his mouth and roared into the skies once again, asserting dominance.

"Mega Rayquaza…" Nic trailed off, seeing the Mega-Evolved Legendary once again with surprise, though he seemed to have taken it well.

" **We have stopped Face once and for all, thanks to the efforts combined from humans and Pokémon together!** " Igneel announced.

In the distance, Garchomp exerted a loud bellow as he soared through the skies.

Wendy's eyes widened as she felt an odd energy from the distance. "Grandeeney?" Even from miles off Fiore, the Sky Dragon's energy was potent for her to sense.

Gajeel looked down at the ground with a perplexed stare. "…Metalicana." With his hearing, he could feel the familiar sounds of the Iron Dragon's roar.

"Weisslogia…" Sting was on his stomach still, but he felt the White Dragon sailing in the skies.

"Skiadrum too." Rogue felt a black shadow soar across the atmosphere as well.

Igneel raised his head high, showing great pride. " **The dragons released have soared once again! With Pokémon and dragons sharing skies, the devastation has been lifted!** "

Amazing. That was all anyone could feel at the moment. They never saw this coming, not in another 400 years. Not even in a million years. They were so overwhelmed with shock that the sense of anguish and despair brought faded away. The awkward confliction Nic had with Gray subsided as he was bewildered by his Garchomp working with the Dragon Slayers' dragons. It was uncanny.

Natsu's smile widened. "Awesome."

Wendy looked down, cuffing her mouth as tears were brimming. "The dragons…they're back…"

"They saved us." Gajeel murmured.

Down in the basement, Makarov raised his head somberly as victory had occurred, though not by his own hand.

" **Victory is ours!** " Igneel roared.

All across Ishgar, many people – while confused by what happened – knew that magic was saved once and for all. All the Faces were killed off by the speeds of the dragons that raced across the sky. Thanks to the preemptive efforts set into motion by Nic and Garchomp setting out early, they were about to mow down many Faces and preserve magic for the world they partially live in. All across the continent, many cheers were thrown into the air, especially for Fairy Tail as they claimed the victory against the might of Tartaros.

As the small group present stared at the mighty Igneel on Acnologia and Mega Rayquaza stationary above, the swell of energy subsided, and that left everyone at ease.

"Dad?" Natsu inquired.

Igneel glanced down at his son. " **Son, I am sorry this took so long.** " He apologized.

Natsu stepped forward, eyes widening. "Tell me! You were inside my body the entire time?! I don't remember eating you!"

" **Yes. In a way, it's more like dormant.** " Igneel nodded. " **However, I was not the only one.** "

Gray raised a brow. "Huh?"

" **It was not just I who sought shelter inside a Dragon Slayer. It was Grandeeney and Metalicana who also hid in your friends. Weisslogia and Skiadrum included. They were all in a slumber.** "

"All of them?" Natsu exclaimed.

"How?" Nic wondered.

" **We have reasons tied to the process of Draconification.** " Igneel answered. " **This may not be the time, but the prime reason for doing so was to manifest antibodies so that you Dragon Slayers would never undergo the transformation of dragon morphing like Acnologia.** "

Natsu raised a brow. "Oh yeah, that Zirconis guy talked about that back ages ago." His gaze turned towards Acnologia. "Isn't that what happened to Acnologia with his Dragon Slayer powers?"

" **Yes. And there is another reason as well…** "

Mega Rayquaza glanced down, looking at Igneel with a low growl. " **Below you!** " He warned.

" **What-?!** " Igneel heard the warning, but the ground beneath him began to churn and rumble. Acnologia began to stir and growl loudly, jerking up harshly and stirring gusts.

Everyone covered up as a dust storm blew passed them with the rise of the Dragon King once more. The black beast shoved Igneel off, roaring as he back on his feet and surged with intense ire.

"Crap!" Gray shouted through the winds.

"Dad!" Natsu cried out.

Acnologia shot back into the air, flying right into Mega Rayquaza. The long creature spiraled and slithered past the incoming dragon, turning to watch Acnologia race back for the sky. Down below, Igneel took to the air as well, chasing after Acnologia, alongside Mega Rayquaza. " **We'll finish discussing this later!** "

"Dad! Come on!" However, Natsu's cry of plea fell on deaf ears as his father flew into the atmosphere to deal with Acnologia. His teeth gritted in frustration. "Damnit."

"So the dragons hid inside their Dragon Slayers to produce antibodies?" Nic surmised. If he wanted to believe it was a joke, he would've dismissed it from the start. In the truest sense, he could see it happening. Dormant beings inside their hosts, like that of light and dark; the evil that had been inherited resurfacing that was expelled and made peace with.

Suddenly, Nic's hold on the book felt loose. When he looked down, he saw with astonishment that the book teleported out of his reach.

Gray looked equally as shocked. "Hey! You can't just use a move and send it somewhere!" He objected.

"It wasn't my doing." Nic defended.

The book flashed and reappeared in another hand, one who held the book gingerly. "He's right." Another person announced. "That would be me taking my property back. I hope you don't mind." The figure's voice gave off an unsound aura, one that was dark and dreary of unpleasant vocals that stretched into ears and made the nearby people feel the hairs on their bodies stand on end.

Everyone turned around at the voice, but the tone was nothing like the image they saw. To their disbelief, they saw something that left Natsu, Gray, Nic, and Nic-Greninja all bewildered beyond the means of comprehension. His black robe and white drapes were the indication of whom he was.

Natsu felt his heart skip a beat. "You're…" He trailed off, unable to finish due to shock.

"This book is really nothing to fuss over." The male's black boots continued to hit the ground until they ceased meters away from the group, a soft smile on his placid face. The Black Wizard himself had nothing but black eyes, staring into the still gazes of everyone there.

Zeref was back.

Gray's teeth gritted as he felt his heart race. "Zeref." He growled.

The Black Wizard cursed by the gods themselves paid no heed as he looked at his surroundings. He took in the level of intense pressure that was resonating from Nic and his Nic-Greninja, smiling as he glanced to the scenery behind. As the Black Wizard nonchalantly looked to be scoping, Nic and the others tried to emain as calm as possible; Nic and Nic-Greninja managing to retain calm after remembering Zeref's previous meeting.

The recollection of Zeref's warning about the Impure Underworld and the events transpiring during that time rattled Nic, but it did leave him with a sounder perspective on Zeref. He remained silent as Zeref looked back ahead, glancing over at Nic.

"Well, well, I must say this was most certainly a surprise. Congratulations, Nic and friend, you've successfully defeated Mard Geer Tartaros. That's nothing short of praise." He said.

Nic and his froggy pal kept still fronts, their breathing in sync, though heart rates were still higher than normal. "Thanks." Nic answered flatly.

Zeref couldn't help but snicker. "Don't be so dramatic. It's not like I could kill you if you answered wrong; besides, shouldn't you be used to this level of power by now? I mean you did handle Lysandre and Alpha well, haven't you?"

Once again, a chord was struck into Nic, but his guard simply intensified. "So then you were present that night when it happened?" He inquired.

"From a distance." Zeref replied. "Still, I was pleasantly surprised you've overcome your dark will. If you could've done that, then there isn't a single doubt in my mind. One of these days, you and your Pokémon shall rise to the challenge once more."

The sound of dragons roaring in the sky swirled overhead. Zeref looked up casually as he watched Acnologia, Igneel, and Mega Rayquaza swerve about to attain ground.

"The question is, who is it that you will defeat next? Shall it be me…or Acnologia? Or both."

Nic and Nic-Greninja didn't answer. Neither could really say anything to back up Zeref, nor could they say anything against him. This was more of a neutral aspect they were set in, and by all means were they welcomed to question him back, but they knew that wouldn't get them anywhere.

Zeref looked towards the remainder of the group, grinning at Natsu. His black orbs met Natsu's, eyes interlocking. "A new era is coming this dawn. The question to ask is if we will survive. Shall Acnologia enslave the world? Or shall Pokémon once again intervene and save us once again? The anticipation is giving me goosebumps."

"You…!" Natsu's fists balled.

"The darkness that engulfed the universe and nearly reduced it to nothing is no more, but that doesn't mean I can still show what I call despair." Zeref's red eyes returned, the air shifting as an ominous vibe enveloped him. The Black Wizard frowned, his glowing red stare piercing daggers into everyone. "This story we flow through will meet its climax soon, but with each chapter, the deeper the questions get. Shall E.N.D, Acnologia, I, or Nic pronounce our own aspect of the world?" He turned around, his back facing the group. "Until then."

Zeref walked off, casually strolling with a stale air around him. Everyone stared in palpitating silence as he walked a distance away. As a wind picked up, dust skid along their field of vision. Once it passed Zeref was also gone, along with the Book of E.N.D.

A stiff silence fell as the air around them lifted, though its stale fragrance remained like Wrap.

"Great." Gray said sarcastically. "Now what?"

Natsu stared at the space ahead, glaring daggers of fire that burned with searing intensity. "Zeref."

Nic and Nic-Greninja remained silent as they thought about Zeref's word just now. What he said rolled in their minds; the dawn of a new era; who shall eradicate Zeref and Acnologia; are they to prepare? Their thoughts went silent as the dragons roaring filled the skies.

* * *

Acnologia snapped his jaws down on Igneel's neck, making the dragon lurch from the chomping force. He shoved a claw into Acnologia's chest, shoving him away and giving space for them to soar.

" **So that's why you stayed with the humans. To keep them from turning into me.** " Acnologia said.

" **What more do you want, Acnologia?! It's all over!** " Igneel opposed. " **E.N.D is no more! Leave the humans alone!** " He charged at Acnologia again, their heads colliding in a powerful shuddering sound that rumbled and shuddered through the atmosphere. Their bodies turned with their momentum.

" **This has nothing to do with the humans or you dragons!** " Acnologia answered.

" **What?** "

Both dragons backed off, their space again given.

" **What I crave is not your blood as of this moment, Igneel. My anger is towards the one human, and those creatures who dared to deface me. It's because of them that I have nothing else to fear but the thought of them humiliating me again…** " The Dragon King began to lower his head, exerting a hot breath as he began to labor in breathing.

" **My, my, seems that previous fight with Nic and his dragon wore you down good, Acnologia.** " Igneel mocked.

" **Gnnngh, I'm just fine! Do not stand in my way or I'll rip you through right now!** " While was exceptionally weakened from his fight with Nic and Mega Garchomp, he was unable to take anything lying down. The Dragon Slayer flapped and charged right for Igneel, his head colliding with the Fire Dragon King's chest. The impact made Igneel gag, eyes widened as his vision went white for a moment.

The dragon began to fall from the sky, diving head first as the descent was intensifying. _'_ _ **Damnit. My power is weakening too. Guess I was sleeping too long.**_ _'_ Though he snickered at his own mockery, he knew it was bad news as he didn't have much fire power left in him.

Acnologia dove right for Igneel, tailing him. " **I'll crush you from which you fall!** "

" **Not if we have anything to say about it.** " Igneel rebuffed.

A green glint was seen in the skies above. Zooming at the speed of light, a green stream slanted down and dissipated nearby clouds, clearing way as airspace shuddered for Mega Rayquaza. The green dragon roared out as he shot at Acnologia.

" **Extreme Speed!** "

The Weather Trio Master soared into Acnologia's side, knocking him off course in a large green explosion. The impact was what made Acnologia cry out as his large ribs felt the blow. The sharp pain coursed and he straightened out, using his wings to slow down and station himself in the air once more.

Igneel caught himself and retained airborne beneath Mega Rayquaza. " **Nice one.** " He praised.

Acnologia's throat ripples as he glared at Mega Rayquaza. " **You pestering creature. You've gotten in my way one too many times! I am the Dragon King, and as such, I shall be ridding of you!** "

" **I've heard all this before. I care not for it is clear you do not understand what we Pokémon are known for.** " Mega Rayquaza rebuffed. " **If you really had the power to destroy my kind, you would've done so the first time we've crossed paths. If that's all you've got right now, then you're a disgrace!** "

" **SILENCE!** " Acnologia snapped. " **You Pokémon shall rue for your powers!** "

Igneel arose to Mega Rayquaza's side, his wings stationary as he watched him roar out in defiance. " **Long have I waited to see this day. The day Acnologia would pay for his crimes by my own claws.** "

" **Don't get ahead of yourself. You know as well as I do that he's too much of a rough necked lizard to keep down.** " Mega Rayquaza said. " **If I was honest with myself, I'd say that he won't truly die. All we're doing is just scarping at his body and he's still rampaging.** "

" **Yeah, I can see.** "

" **My task is to stall for the likes of Nic Pularis and no more. We shall leave his demise to another.** "

" **Yes. For now, let's give him something to remember us by!** "

" **Agreed!** "

Igneel and Mega Rayquaza ascended into the skies above, gaining altitude to end the long battle with Acnologia. The Dragon King looked up and watched them ascend, but instead of follow, he opened his mouth and unleashed a menacing roar.

The blue beam traveled towards them, but together, Igneel and Mega Rayquaza opened their mouths and respectively unleashed a raging blast of fire and a massive Dragon Pulse that looked like a horrendous dragon. The three attacks went diagonally at one another, colliding in the center. The attacks fused and created an atomic sphere-like explosion that again brightened up the skies. The rattling vibrated the ground beneath, making pebbles shake as the bright light made many cover up.

Within the destructive blast, Acnologia's figure shot through the dissipating light. " **I won't give up that easily!** "

Mega Rayquaza and Igneel moved to the side, evading Acnologia as he moved through the middle. The Black Dragon caught himself and lashed his tail around, crashing into Igneel's face. The impact was so harsh that the wind was knocked right out of him, sending him flying backwards.

" **Hang on!** " Mega Rayquaza used his claws and serpentine figure and positioned himself behind Igneel. The dragon slammed into him, shoving him back many meters through the sky. As Mega Rayquaza gained momentum once more, he shoved Igneel forward, giving him his spreading wings once again.

His breath back, Igneel looked over his shoulder. " **Thanks for that.** "

" **Don't mention it.** " Mega Rayquaza slithered to his side, both facing Acnologia as the dragon let out another exasperating roar. The airspace shuddered with the ripples of hot breath the dragon exerted from his wrath.

Igneel's breathing was heavy, his strength fading. The longer he stayed in flight, the more it pained him to stay up. " **I hate to say it…but I don't I can hold out much longer against him.** " He knew Acnologia was powerful, but if he battled him solo, odds may be that he wouldn't have lasted long if he had this much power inside.

" **Like I said, I'm here to stall, but in this case I agree.** " Mega Rayquaza announced. " **He just won't stay down, even after all these attacks. Let's sent him away and leave his fate to** _ **them**_ **.** "

" **Very well.** " Igneel smirked.

" **What are you two on about now? I told you before, I refuse to die by the likes of dragons, or Pokémon. There is nothing I cannot destroy! Not even the world can stop me!** " Acnologia raged.

Igneel steeled himself for the last attack. " **Then prove it! With dragon and Pokémon united, you cannot win, Acnologia!** "

Acnologia opened his mouth, where the air around him shuddered. As he roared the bellowing soundwaves began to distort, almost as though they were being sucked back into his mouth. A blue sphere began to swirl, the dragon charging up his attack. The nearby clouds were also starting to get sucked inside, the vapor distortion like it was going through a black hole. The intensity of the sphere grew, the bright light intensifying.

Mega Rayquaza exerted another roar as his body was coated in a thick green aura. The aura infused and thickened to where it was like a veil of raw strength engulfing him. The dragon went firing at massive speeds, becoming a blinding green streak that made several air ripples from the point of launch.

Igneel flapped his wings and followed behind, allowing Mega Rayquaza to take the lead.

Acnologia unleashed another roar, one fully charged with so much power. He fired it with everything he had in him, the blast wave so massive that the clouds within the skies that weren't sucked in vaporized instantly as an intense blazing glory streamed from the Dragon King's mouth. The glorified blast sailed through the skies towards Mega Rayquaza, green stream and blue beam flipping back and forth.

The field if vison was the incoming Mega Rayquaza's Dragon Ascent and the blue beam. It switched to the face, and then the beam. Face, then beam. The pattern continued to do so for a dozen times until it flashed at light speeds, until at last Mega Rayquaza's picture was seen, streaming in a faster pulsating blitz.

In one go, Dragon Ascent split right down the middle of the roar, much like an arrow. The bolting blast of green was nothing short of an arrow that dove at immense speeds. The air crackled with roars and sound barriers destroyed, ears booming as blinding lights encompassed all that could be seen.

Acnologia's blue light began turning green, Mega Rayquaza closing in too fast for him to track. The dragon roared in agony as time slowed down with Mega Rayquaza passing him, green streaming behind as he grazed past the abdominal area. Time returned to normal as the Legendary beast zipped far away, green fading as Acnologia gave off a green ripple before a violent explosion engulfed him. The air rang with green tearing through all matter. Acnologia cried loudly in searing agony as his body felt like it was being ripped apart. It was sickening, and all he did was roar out in pain and suffering.

As the green light and fired swirled, Igneel flew right through it, ignoring the intense shockwaves that were trying to push him back. He dove right for Acnologia, mouth and talons open as he closed in and roared.

Acnologia was in too great of pain as Igneel also passed him, but like before, Acnologia's screams of pain were hollowed by the rupture. All sense of time for the disgraced king faded as the explosion swallowed him.

As the bright green in the sky faded after several minutes, Mega Rayquaza looked back and saw Igneel flying out of the explosion, with a souvenir from Acnologia himself in his mouth. His left arm.

The smoke dissipated in the atmosphere, and Acnologia fell to the ground below, roaring weakly as he slammed into the ground, mouth gaping.

Mega Rayquaza roared into the skies upon the fall of Acnologia, completing his task at long last.

" **We've…managed…** " Igneel's vision began to cloud up, Acnologia's left arm falling out of his mouth and plummeted below. As the arm went, do did Igneel.

Mega Rayquaza looked down with surprise and wide eyes. " **No!** "

Igneel crashed into the ground, making a powerful thud as he slammed into the earth. He grunted, but he laid on his stomach, head turned as he was panting. His declining energy had been depleted, all his strength no more.

Mega Rayquaza descended in several serpentine fashions, until he was above Igneel. " **Are you well?** " He asked.

Igneel looked up. " **Yeah…just gotta catch my breath.** "

Acnologia's low groan was heard from behind, catching Igneel and Mega Rayquaza's attention. As they watched the Black Dragon struggle back up, he was severely wounded once again, his side grazed with another scrape. He craned his head towards the two dragons, seeing as how one was pretty much down and the other was ready to finish him off. Acnologia suffered a lot this time, and though he'll hate it, he had to retreat.

" **Fire Dragon King, your ally and his kind will be obliterated by me.** " He declared. " **Disappear or relish all you want, dragon. I swear, when I find you and your kind, even one of you…I will not budge. I will slay you all.** " With those words, Acnologia flapped his wings, sailing unevenly away from them, retreating for the time being. He looked completely unfazed with the fact his left arm was torn off, something that Mega Rayquaza and Igneel were unnerved of.

Acnologia faded from their line of sight, both dragons growling as they knew the Dragon King still had juice left to fly away.

" **He's so strong.** " Igneel cursed.

" **Next time…** " Mega Rayquaza glowed in a rainbow aura, shimmering as the sunrise beamed through the dark clouds in the distance. His Mega Evolution faded, his stare exhausted. " **Will settle this war you declared.** "

* * *

In the darkness of the chamber-like basement, Makarov stood at the end of an intricate path that led to a large lacrima, oddly with the body of Mavis vermilion inside with eyes closed. He looked away from the shimmering lacrima, gaze towards the ground.

"In the end, humanity has prevailed, only by the efforts of dragon and Pokémon…for I was too much of a coward to use Lumen Histoire."

"It's okay." Another figure entered the chamber, her bare feet against the smooth surface. It was Mavis Vermilion, the ghost whom Fairy Tail embodied. Just like Makarov, her face was of grimace.

"It just means it wasn't the time."

Makarov said nothing as he closed his eyes and grumbled weakly in his disheartened state.

* * *

As dawn broke, the skies invoked a new day that was to come, but this was not of a day of ruin, but of salvation. Face was destroyed, and within the landscape was the Fairy Tail group, all of them standing in front of the five dragons that rejoined with them. And to add shock, Rayquaza was opposite of them, levitating behind the Fairy Tail group. To say everyone was flabbergasted would begin to describe how they felt.

"Look at all these dragons." Vanessa looked around with Sliggoo, bewildered with the site that spelled unfathomable levels of awe.

Sliggoo looked all around with her sloppy mouth wide open. She turned left and right, seeing the dragons and Rayquaza surrounding her. She knew this was a dream, but if it were, it'd be too good to be true. "Woah."

Erza had regrouped as well, with Bellona and Minerva and the cats also rejoicing with their comrades, although the knight was more inclined with where her boyfriend was. As she looked around, she couldn't pick up on his presence, which worried her.

"Hey, look!" Doublade turned one of her blades towards the high hills, where they saw four figures dart down from the slope.

Erza turned around, looking in question at the few figures making way for the rendezvous. To her shock and satisfaction, she saw Nic amongst the group of Natsu, Gray, and Greninja, whom had reverted to himself. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw Nic after so long.

"Nic!" Erza began to make way through the group, all of them moving off to the side as Erza made entrance for Nic and the group proceeding.

Nic's eyes widened with surprise and relief. "Erza! Vanessa!"

Finally, after so long, the group was again united. The arduous struggles that Tartaros put them through had left them divided and unsound throughout the night. Now with dawn approaching, a new day was met with Nic and Erza meeting in the middle, embracing the other tight. They embraced the other with their heads tilted into the other, their hair touching, which felt more than just like pillows to them. Their smiles were genuine, sincere as even though Erza had her armor, Nic's warmth radiated through and ignited her spirits.

"You came." She said over his shoulder.

"Of course I did." Nic's eyes opened over her left shoulder. "We said we'd come back to the other, didn't we?"

Erza chuckled meekly. "That is true."

Vanessa was preceded by Sliggoo, who approached from behind and smiled as Nic and Erza were back and sound. "Nic. Erza." She noted.

Both pulled away and turned towards Nic's younger sister. They all smiled as they pulled her into a group hug, so happy that the three had once again survived peril.

The sound of a familiar snarl came from above. Garchomp came down from the atmosphere, looking tired by very happy to see Nic back. The Mach Pokémon was given room as he descended and landed in front of his Trainer.

Nic pulled away from the sound hug and looked at Garchomp with sound surprise. "Garchomp."

Greninja grinned, glad his fellow brother was in one piece. "Glad to see you in one piece."

"Grandeeney, you're back!" Wendy chimed, managing to work through her misty eyes.

" **Yes, and thanks to the combined efforts of Igneel and Pokémon, Acnologia has once again disappeared.** " Grandeeney smiled.

Everyone down below had their own various revelation.

"Man! Dragons and Pokémon as allies and on our side? If this was a dream, I'd never wanna wake up!" Jet beamed.

"Sounds terrifying to me." Droy denied.

"Weren't there like thousands of those Faces?" Romeo wondered.

"Looks like the dragons and Pokémon really wiped them all out." Cana said.

"So did Legendary Pokémon really team up with dragons?" Laki quivered.

"Now that's manly!" Elfman chimed.

"That doesn't make sense!" Vjeteer retorted.

With the dragons reunited with their Dagon Slayers, that also included Garchomp, who stood alongside Nic and Greninja. The Mach Pokémon took his bruises and scrapes in stride as he stood proudly and tenderly as Nic rubbed his snout with a soft smile.

"Garchomp, I'm so proud of you." Nic praised. "You a great job in destroying those Faces."

"I couldn't agree more." Greninja nodded with blank eyes.

"Thank you." Garchomp answered. Even with a dark tone and deep voice, he still had a tender heart when it came to affection outside of battle. Nic petting him was proof. Nic pet and scratched Garchomp behind his protuberances next, making him groan in pleasure.

Erza looked beside him, smiling as she watched Nic reunite with Garchomp. While she and Nic unified once again, She was glad he was there, and she'll prove it when she can.

Doublade and Sliggoo looked at each other and smiled, glad that the battle was also over.

Vanessa stood right beside Sliggoo, looking up at the dragons and Rayquaza. "I never expected something like this to occur." She admitted.

Sliggoo looked up at her Trainer, glancing at the massive creatures around them. "That's an understatement."

Grandeeney smiled down at Wendy. " **I'm proud of you for destroying that Face.** "

Wendy wiped a tear from her eye. "Thanks, but it was only because Carla was with me."

Grandeeney moved her head and smiled at Sliggoo, Doublade, Greninja, and Garchomp. " **And thanks to all of you for helping us in our cause.** "

"No problem!" Sliggoo answered.

Doublade nodded. "Worry not, for we did what we could."

"It was an honor to be comrades." Greninja answered.

"You weren't so bad yourselves out there." Garchomp admitted.

Igneel looked at Rayquaza with a serious gaze. " **Rayquaza, I again thank you for your assistance.** "

" **I thank you with a humble heart as well. You fought valiantly, Fire Dragon King Igneel.** " Rayquaza replied.

"Hey, Dad!"

Igneel looked down, staring at Natsu once again. The Fire Dragon Slayer had his arms crossed and a frown on his face, showing he was seemingly in a bad mood. Igneel and Natsu continued to stare at one another, both unmoved by the other's intense gazes.

"Natsu…" Lucy stared at Natsu worriedly, seeing something was wrong.

" **Son…** "

Natsu's frown flashed into a smirk, his mile wide with pride. "About time you showed up! I was getting worried there!"

Igneel blinked. The longer he stared at Natsu's chuckling smirk, the more he began to chuckle. The dragon raised his head with pride. " **Guess repelling that bastard took a little longer than I expected huh?** " He laughed.

"Man, Pokémon sure are tough, aren't they?" Natsu asked.

" **That they are, son, that they are.** "

Nic, Erza, and Vanessa looked at their respective Pokémon, smiling. Rayquaza himself showed a grin of his own.

Gajeel glared up at Metalicana, the Iron Dragon and Dragon Slayer each sharing a distinctive, scruffy stare into the other. It was a long few moments before Metalicana leaned down, staring directly in Gajeel's vision.

" **You still have that stupid look on your face.** " The Iron Dragon snorted.

"Shut it, you jerk!" Gajeel retorted.

"I don't get it." Sting, along with Rogue, were staring up at Weisslogia and Skiadrum, the two dragons that raised them and standing tall. "Weisslogia, I thought I killed you. What happened?"

"I need to ask you the same, Skiadrum. How are you not dead?" Rogue added.

" **We've used Memory Control, in order to help you gain experience along your way.** " Weisslogia answered.

" **It was an experiment that Igneel was against, but ultimately we wanted to grant you Dragon Slayer Magic, and the event of you slaying us would invoke a higher road.** " Skiadrum said. He looked over towards Igneel, but all the Fire Dragon King did was look away with a distasteful scoff.

" **However…** " Weisslogia added yet another note. " **To say that we dragons are dead isn't wrong as well.** "

"What?" Sting inquired.

A distilled silence flowed through the atmosphere, the jovial intentions dying down to a more grimacing note.

"The truth is…we are already dead." Grandeeney answered.

Wendy's eyes widened.

Natsu looked shocked. "Hold up, what?" He looked back to Igneel with shock. "Dad?"

Igneel's eyelids faltered a little. " **It's true. A long time ago, it was Acnologia who used his Dragon Slayer Magic and ripped out our souls from our actual bodies.** "

"You've gotta be kidding me." Gajeel said. "That dragon ripped out your souls?"

" **Consequently, that is what also factored in his draconification.** " Metalicana noted. " **We dragons hid inside you humans for a few reasons, one of which to keep you from becoming dragons as well. And the others…** " Metalicana trailed off, glancing over towards his fellow dragons.

" **We had two more goals, one of which befalling Acnologia.** " Igneel answered. " **As you can see, that part has yet to be achieved.** " He remarked that part so bitterly, but the scorn was so weak that it was more of a bad note and a note saying he lost self-worth.

" **Befitting that, it was also the only way we dragons could prolong our lives.** " Grandeeney finished.

"You mean…" Wendy's heart palpitated, the shock making her nervous for what is to be said next.

" **Now that we have left your bodies, there is no return.** " Skiadrum said. " **The demonstration of power we gave, was the first, and last time. This is another reason why we couldn't unveil ourselves.** "

" **As you have seen, even with the might of myself and Pokémon, Acnologia still flies within the skies. However, it is safe to say that we have left wounds that will render him repelled for some time.** " Igneel said.

" **Unfortunate, yet agreeable.** " Rayquaza said.

Nic looked up at the Sky High Pokémon with surprise. "Rayquaza?"

" **I have seen it for myself. From the first encounter, Groudon, Kyogre, and myself were able to hold him off, but it took our full power to do so. From this encounter, he has gotten much stronger if he can handle me alone. It is not in my best place to say, but I fear the next time Acnologia enacts another confrontation, he shall be even stronger than he was before. The next time may hopefully be the last.** "

Nic looked towards Greninja and Garchomp, each staring with their serious-minded gazes worried about what Acnologia will do. He kept getting up when he and Garchomp fought him toe-to-toe, even after that last blow, though it did significant damage to assist in the fight of the three dragons. Compared to that, Acnologia was flawlessly curbstomped by the Dark Legendaries and the Weather Trio. Every encounter, his power just keeps rising. They unfortunately had to agree with Rayquaza on this one.

Natsu looked at Igneel, processing all the information he was given. "Dad…" His gaze was distraught, his mind racing as he recalled all the reasons why they stayed inside.

" **Natsu. I am truly sorry for what I did, but it was the only way to ensure your safety.** " Igneel said. " **I had an obligation to ensure the future of my own son, and to make sure he can stand on his own two feet. Natsu, I-** "

"Cut the crap already!" Natsu snapped.

"Natsu!" Lucy gasped.

The Dragon Slayer stomped a foot on the ground, his fists balling as his teeth gritted. His eyes were misting up. "I searched for you…I wanted to see you again…I wanted to do so much more and tell you all these things that happened…and now you're telling me that you're going again?!"

Igneel wanted to say something, but the foster-father could only mourn for his son's feelings as he saw the streams of tears starting to flow from Natsu's face.

"You said it yourself, that you would never go! You would always be there for me, and that you would see me grow…but then you disappeared! And now here you are, saying all this stuff about being inside us, but did you consider how we felt?! How _I_ felt?! Dad…" Natsu looked straight into his father's eyes, mixture of anger and sorrow piling in his crying eyes. "Don't break your promise!"

Happy looked at Natsu with misty eyes. He never saw Natsu this badly broken apart since Lisanna's supposed death, it was a painful feeling even he didn't have control over. All the Exceed did was stand there as he watched Natsu let his emotions pour out.

"I…I…I looked so long for you." Natsu wiped his eyes with his sleeve, sniffling and trying to catch his breath. "I learned how to read and write…and my magic's gotten much better. I was able to make a bunch of friends, a lot of them. They helped me so much on my adventures. I don't know where I'd be without them. Igneel…" He looked at his father with much more grief, the most he's ever shed. "There's so much I want to say! So stay!"

Everyone around him mournfully frowned in sake of Natsu. They knew the part about parting was never seeing them again; they should know, it happened when Future Nic and Future Lucy passed on and they all were sad beyond comparison. Still, in respects for Natsu's grief, they all stayed silent.

Lucy looked towards him to reach out, but she backed off and retracted her hand.

" **Natsu.** " Igneel leaned down and made it so that he was eye-level with Natsu, who had his head down. " **Son, look at me.** "

Natsu did as told and opened his eyes once more. He was met with the soft smile of his father, alleviating his grief as he looked to be in peace.

" **No more crying, okay? You're better than that. I have been with you every step of the way, and I will always be.** "

"Igneel…"

" **I taught you what to do when you're sad, right?** "

Natsu wiped away his tears with his sleeves again. "Y-yeah."

" **Then stand tall once more. You wouldn't want to send your old man off with a frown, right?** "

Natsu heard his father's voice, the sound that he always enjoyed hearing even if it was deep. His words of wisdom were what always inspired Natsu, from the day he was taken under the dragon's wing. In respects of what he knew was right, the pink-haired boy stood up, getting his grief behind him. He stood up and faced his father in the eyes.

"No, I wouldn't dream of it." He said.

" **Then let me hear you say it. Announce it to the skies with those lungs!**

"Dad…Igneel…" Natsu's fists clutched tight, raising his head towards the sky. "I've become stronger! And I won't stop! I'll get to be even stronger! So strong that I can't be burned away by anything! I'm gonna live on! For you! For everyone! YOU HEAR ME?!" His roaring to the heavens and Igneel were heard from all around, the bellowing that rattled cages and declaration that reverberated into hearts and souls of everyone around him.

Igneel's smile widened as he reeled back up once more. Seeing his son's spirits lifted by his own words was what he wanted to see; he wanted to see how strong Natsu was without a sad look on his face. He knew deep down was still upset that his time was nearly over, but it was also needed that Natsu was to understand of departure and heart. With this in mind, the Fire Dragon King nodded. " **Yes, that's what it takes, Natsu! May this be you and your fellow humans will to live on! This was the power of life that I have learned from you humans! The future you seek shall be what paves your will's journey!** "

Everyone was starting to smile once more, the grief disappearing as Natsu's flare had returned. Even though departure hurt, their hands and claws alike will carry on for the dragons.

" **It is time. Our energy is gone.** " Grandeeney said. She leaned down, smiling towards Wendy, who looked soft after Natsu's time with Igneel. " **Sweet girl, you will face many perils ahead. I don't have a single doubt in my mind that you can succeed.** "

Wendy wanted to deny it, but even after she began to tear up, she put on a brave face. She never wanted Grandeeney to leave again, but knew deep down that this was for the best. "I…I will!" She choked.

Gajeel placed a hand on her head, smiling proudly. "Let's see them off with heads held high." He said. Like Natsu and Wendy, he was also greatly saddened as his father was leaving him, for good this time. But he knew he'd be with him always, no matter how much rude retorts the Iron Dragon would throw at him.

Everyone, even the dragons and Rayquaza, showed sympathy for the situation. It was time for goodbye, but it was still something they all did not necessarily wanted to happen. Still, even after the abundance of bonding, the time came, and all the dragons spread their wings, slowly flapping and making a weak gust.

" **We bid you farewell, humans.** " Grandeeney said. " **At one point, long ago, humans and dragons raged in strife against one another. And as of the Dragon King Festival, war raged with Pokémon and dragons. It brings me great joy that we three parted on this voyage in friendship this one time.** "

" **The age of dragons has finally closed its curtains.** " Weisslogia said.

" **From this dawn on, it shall be humans and Pokémon that shall work to a better future.** " Skiadrum said.

" **400 years ago, a pact was made between man and dragons; the Magna Carta.** " Grandeeney said. Slowly, all the dragons and their bodies started to glow, their lights starting to shine brighter by the second. " **With this act invoke, we dragons shall watch over this growth and humanity, for all eternity.** "

A pillar of light enveloped all the dragons. The light stretched high into the sky, pulsing with ethereal powers. Slowly, all the dragons inside began to fade away, starting from their tails and up to their legs and upper bodies.

"Grandeeney~!" Wendy cried out.

" **I love you Wendy, always.** " Grandeeney smiled softly as she finally faded away.

Porlyusica looked up to Grandeeney as she went away, grinning softly.

" **You still have that vulgar face.** " Metalicana sneered as his body faded.

"Seriously?! You old rustbucket?!" Gajeel shouted as Metalicana faded at last. As the dragon vanished, he grinned, a small tear in the corner of his right eye. "Tch, yeah…I'll miss you too."

"Thank you for everything, Weisslogia." Sting smiled.

"Skiadrum, rest well." Rogue said.

Both dragons of light and dark smiled with great joy at the appreciation for their sons. At the same time, they faded away into the pillar.

Natsu stared up at the pillar, his gaze fixated on Igneel. He watched with wonders of a child as the Fire Dragon King was in his prime, smiling down at Natsu as his tail began to fade. A moment of still silence came, and the two locked eyes, thinking back to their younger days.

Natsu and Igneel alike could recall all the laughs that they shared, even the times when Natsu messed up in spelling when using sticks to draw. He and Igneel bickered at times, but always made up with laughter and food. Jovial times they were, and what they both saw and memorized the most…was the times they slept soundly by the other's side, smiles as they were cheek to cheek with the other.

' _Dad…'_ Natsu began to tear up again.

As Igneel looked down at Natsu, his eyes also began to mist. The longer he stared, the more he saw Natsu in his younger days, when he was small. His smile softened. " **Natsu…** "

The Dragon Slayer's eyes widened.

" **I've been watching you this whole time. You really have grown up, haven't you?** " His lower body was gone, and his hands and arms were next. " **We've spent many great times together, and those times I've spent with you I would never want to take back. I treasure them, and always will…** " A single tear began to shed, twinkling in the shimmering pillar. " **The time I have spent with you…were the happiest and proudest of my entire life.** "

Natsu's eyes began watering drastically, but even through the heartache and pain, he stayed strong as the glow of his father engulfed his neck and face, making him turn into a fading red light.

" **I taught you Dragon Slayer Magic, but what you taught me was something far more powerful…love. To that, I am forever grateful that you were my greatest teacher.** " The pillar and Igneel's energy faded away, thinning. " **Son…I love you. Forever…and always.** "

The pillar of light disappeared, becoming nothing more than thin air. All that remained was glints of various colors of the five dragons twinkling into the atmosphere.

Natsu had tears running down his face, but he smiled wide, pain but happiness that he got to share another memory with Igneel. "I love you too, Dad!" He cried out.

In the distance, far beyond the hills that looked over the scene, Makarov stared despondently, grimacing with a frown at the parting of dragons.

Rayquaza looked down at Nic. " **It would seem it is my time to return as well.** "

Nic's mournful grin turned into a frown as he turned around, facing Rayquaza. All Pokémon and humans turned around, looking at Rayquaza. "It would seem so." Nic replied. "Thank you once again for all your help in repelling Acnologia."

" **It is I who should also thank you, Nic Pularis.** " Rayquaza replied. " **I am grateful that I was able to witness this experience. There has been strife with these dragons and Pokémon, but I am also thankful we have unified under a cause.** "

Nic turned towards Greninja, whose eyes had become serious once again, and Garchomp. They all smiled and looked back to Rayquaza. "You're not the only one." Nic said.

" **However, as I said before, Acnologia is stronger than last time. His power grows, and it shall be of Arceus' knowing when the last fight shall take. He is aware his days are numbered, which is why he is desperate in destroying those who oppose him. The next encounter…must be the last.** "

Nic took Rayquaza's words to heart, giving a serious nod in understanding. "We understand."

" **Very well. I have helped you out of obligation this time, Nic Pularis, however, next time, you must earn it.** "

Nic smirked at Rayquaza's challenge. "You're more than welcome to see what my Pokémon and I can do."

Greninja and Garchomp stepped forward out of notion.

Rayquaza smirked once more before he out another roar. He zoomed over everyone's head, making gusts that made them jerk around a bit. They all covered up and watched Rayquaza circle into a spiral into the sky, slithering higher and higher. Once he reached a point, Nic reached out, making a spatial portal back to Sky Pillar. With the tower now in view, Rayquaza slithered through, his screeching fading as the portal closed behind him.

Like with the dragons fading, rainbow twinkles scattered in place.

Nic looked back at Erza, the two sharing a soft smile.

At long last, the strife and long battle ended.

* * *

 **So as you saw, I did a different turn in terms of Igneel's fate. Let me know if this was better or worse than what you thought of the anime/manga version of Igneel's fate. Otherwise, next chapter shall be the end of the Tartaros Arc! Until then!**


	56. Onto A New Path

The town of Magnolia was hammering away at its construction. It was so much work with no end in sight. The sounds of hammers and saws were of no end as rebuilding was under way and the hundreds of homes and businesses tarnished were taking longer than anticipated when it came to supplies and what not.

Within the destruction, Lucy's apartment was still in one piece, save the cracked glass she had to tape up. She was looking outside her window, despondently recalling the events that led Tartaros to inflict its scars across the continent. Face's rise left many devastated, and Lucy was part of it. Cruelty only mounted when this happened only a few weeks after the Impure Underworld claimed countless lives. It was one scar after another, with no sign of healing.

"Lucy?"

"Hm?" Lucy looked away from her defaced window towards Sophie, who sat at her table with a small teacup in hand. "Sorry, Sophie. Did you say something?"

Sophie weekly shook her head. "Nothing. You look spacey."

"Sorry." Lucy apologized.

"Don't be." The Memory-Make blonde trailed off as she leaned her head into her curled fingers. It was no surprise that she was the pot calling the kettle black. She was still torn up from the war as well. While sympathetic for the soul scars and loved ones lost within Tartaros' reign, she knew it was best for her to stay silent out of respect for what happened to Aquarius.

With Tartaros' destruction of the town, Lucy's apartment was fortunate to have minor damage. Sophie's place, however, was not so lucky. It was tarnished, and Lucy was more than willing to allow her and Vanessa to stay over with her until Sophie's house was fixed, but Vanessa was inclined to stay over at her brother's house instead. No one mind though.

"Hey Lucy." Sophie said. "Thanks again."

Lucy smiled nervously. "Come on, isn't this like the hundredth time you thanked me for taking you in? You really should lighten up on the gratitude, Sophie."

"I know. I guess it is a little meekly with Vanessa not here." She tried to make a bigger smile. "But at least I still have a roommate."

"It does get boring when you live along at times." Though true to her words, it has been a little discomforting in Lucy's case. She can't deny that it always annoys her that Natsu and Happy invade her personal space, but she's gotten used to it, and with them not visiting once within the past week made her sad. At least Sophie was some form of company.

Within the despondent mood, Sophie took a glance at Aquarius's broken key on Lucy's desk. Even after the breakage she still held onto it like a memento. The longer she stared, the more the memory of Pavo's death rang through her head.

Lucy noted Sophie's glance and looked down at her key. She stared despondently as well, but she managed a weak grin considering the choices made. "Aquarius really was a great spirit, wasn't she?"

Sophie nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she was."

Lucy got up from her seat, a better attitude on her face. "Well, guess we're done moping around. Wanna go to the park and get some fresh air? I promised Wendy I'd help her out with something."

Sophie followed in Lucy's lead and made way for the door. "Sure. I could use some blue sky right about now." With that comment spit and splattered, Lucy grabbed her keys and the two blondes exited the doorway.

* * *

In Magnolia's hospital, groaning was heard in Laxus' bed. The Lightning Dragon Slayer began to open his eyes slowly, his vision starting to come around.

"Laxus!" Evergreen cheered happily.

"You're awake! Thank goodness buddy!" Bickslow shouted.

"Quite yelling in my ear. I just woke up." Laxus put a hand on his head, a headache coming along.

"Oops, sorry." Bickslow murmured.

Evergreen sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Guess we jumped the gun there."

"You've had us worried sick." Freed said. He stood up from his seat he sat in and stood alongside his friends, overlooking Laxus. "We were happy that Miss Porlyusica made the Magical Barrier Particles dissipate from within our systems. We shouldn't be harmed by them anymore."

Laxus' stare towards all three was that of a frown. He looked annoyed. "…pathetic." He raised his arms, suddenly pulling in his comrades into a hug. The action caused them all to fall surprised.

"Whoa! Laxus?" Bickslow gasped.

"What…?" Evergreen trailed of in surprise.

Freed was kept quiet, eyes wide as he looked down at Laxus's head bowed as he held them all tight. The look of sincerity made all their shock disappear.

"I can't do this." He murmured in regret. "You three are the world to me. I can't protect you guys…not the way I am right now."

* * *

Nic took in a deep breath as he pressed his head against the tiled wall. The smooth porcelain was slicked with water that ran down from the shower onto his back. The temperature of the water was tepid; not too hot to make steam nor too cold to make him shiver, but just to where it didn't give him anymore than a nice lukewarm soak. His toned and scarred body was visible, but he didn't care. He just wanted to get some alleviation after what happened.

What Rayquaza said about Acnologia still ran through his mind at times. It was a consistent trigger that Nic can't stop from pushing. Nic eyes opened in the shower, beads of dripping water dropping from his neck. _'It looks like there's going to be changes going on for a while. I wonder if we'll all hold out until that come comes?'_

The shower eventually turned off and Nic dried himself off. Now refreshed, he began to adorn his regular attire, getting his gray V-neck over his head. _'I shouldn't be worrying about these things. I have my Pokémon with me. I know we'll do our best.'_ The shirt fitted into him, and he let out a sigh. _'Besides, I'll get wrinkles if I worry too much.'_

With his coat on and belt buckled, Nic worked his way out of his bedroom and into the kitchen. As he entered into the spacious domain, he was met with Vanessa cutting up a washed lemon.

As Vanessa cut her lemon into eight pieces, she finished the last cut before turning towards Nic, looking calm with his quiet entry. "I see someone's out of the shower." She grinned.

"I could use the good soak." He reasoned as he passed her and made way for the fridge. He opened it up, skimming through the contents they had. They had almost nothing left; not even milk or eggs. It was only a few jars and maybe miscellaneous material. "Aren't you going to shower?" He asked as he skimmed.

"I might." Vanessa said as she seized a paper towel and folded it, making a thick layer for her to set the lemon pieces on. Her grin began to grow despondent. "After what happened, I might need to wash."

Nic's grin also grew hollow as he skimmed through the fridge. "Yeah…"

There was a reason why they acted so mellow, not that they normally were to begin with. Events earlier led them to now, but reflecting one too many times was starting to drag spirits into the dust.

 _Today, Master Makarov gave a specific order to everyone in the guild hall to gather themselves and report to the premise, The case being was that there was no guild hall to begin with, just broken wood and a really large crater that centered where Fairy Tail once stood._

 _From days on end, it's been untouched by anyone. Even now, no one went near it as a reminder of the many scars Tartaros inflicted on Fairy Tail._

 _Vanessa glanced around, looking at the various members present. In their summon, there was something off. "Hm?"_

" _What is it, Vanessa?" Erza asked._

" _Nothing." She answered. "It's just, didn't Master order everyone to come? So where's Natsu and Happy?"_

 _Nic looked around, turning his head left and right. "Now that you mention it, where did they go?"_

 _Erza let another sigh escape. "I swear, we get an announcement and all they do is scurry off."_

 _Master stood in front of everyone, his back turned as Mirajane looked unsound when facing the wreckage. "Master." She started. "Are we not going to rebuild the guild?"_

" _Unfortunately." He answered._

 _Jet crossed his arms. "Man, just when the townsfolk worked so hard to rebuild it for us. What a waste."_

" _I know that feeling. I feel the same." Droy muffled as he ate a chicken leg._

 _Elfman looked away in shame. "I shouldn't be here. I messed up big time, guys…I'm sorry."_

" _I wasn't your fault, Elfman." Lisanna insisted._

" _No. It was nobody's fault." Master Makarov slowly raised his head, despondently looking up towards the sky. The clouds overhead were moving as the days come and go, and everyone was still hungover with the war. The biggest insult was his own cowardice as he put it when enacting Lumen Histoire. When all was said and done, he knew there was but little recourse._

 _Nic looked towards Erza with an uneased notion, but as he looked back ahead, he knew the Master deduced an answer given his unholy tone._

" _I suppose this is the end of an era…"_

"I still can't believe what he said." Vanessa murmured.

"Believe me, I feel the same way you do." Nic reached for the small lunch-sized carton of milk that hid behind a few plastic containers that held vegetables. "But we have to respect what the Master sought. I'm sure he had his reasons for doing so."

"I know." Vanessa began to feel the inside of the lemon away from the juices and material with her thumb. Once getting a solid piece she stuck it in her mouth and peeled the rest of the lemon away, eating the lemon's insides. There was a still moment between the recovering siblings as Nic slurped from the remaining milk and Vanessa eating lemon, getting their respective nutrition in. One swallowing the last of their materials they began conversing again.

"How do you think Erza is?" Vanessa wondered.

"Knowing Erza, she's probably taking it as well as we are…" He began to cascade his glance at the waning sun in the sky. "But I know what you mean."

"So are we really doing what you suggested?"

"Yes. Besides, you can't say it isn't a bad idea."

Vanessa smiled. "No."

Nic grinned as he turned back towards the fridge, opening. "Okay, eat what you can. It'll be some time before we replete this once again."

* * *

In Magnolia's South Gate Park, Wendy turned her head to and fro, the long strands of blue hair shimmering down all the way down her back. She looked happy and surprised that her hair was once again at its original length thanks to Cancer.

"How, it's back to normal." She chirped with glee.

"It was no problem, baby." Cancer snipped his scissors.

Wendy turned towards Lucy with a big smile on her face. "Thanks so much, Lucy!"

"Don't worry. Your hairstyle before wasn't bad, but I think this suits you much better."

"You really think so?"

"Say, why don't I make your hair longer too, Lucy?" Cancer advised.

Lucy fiddled with a lock in her finger, noting how it was just below her shoulder length. "Hmmm, I wonder…" She hummed.

"I think it's a great idea." Wendy said.

"I think so too." Sophie noted. She brushed a lock from her hair, smiling. "Maybe I should start thinking of styling my hair differently."

As the three girls were talking amongst themselves in the park, Carla looked on with a casual frown from a small hill. She could see the brave face Wendy's been pulling off for a long time, but she knew Wendy was trying her best to fight through the pain.

She was approached by Panther Lily, who happened to be nearby. "So how's everything so far? Is Wendy holding up?" He asked.

"For the time being." Carla answered. A small grin came on her face as she watched Wendy and Sophie look at Lucy's hair and talk about how to make it grow, much to Cancer's delight. "Still, it's amazing how they managed to make it through all that."

"That I agree."

"How's Gajeel?"

Panther Lily turned towards the side. "Take a look for yourself."

Both glanced over towards Gajeel, who was lying on his stomach and taking a big, loud nap on a stone ledge. Levy was there as well, watching him snore on loudly.

"Uh, Gajeel? This isn't the guild you know…" Levy mumbled, but knew with Gajeel's stubbornness and the fact he really likes his sleep, it was harder to convince him otherwise. "Maybe you should nap someplace that isn't public?"

Gajeel snorted and opened an eye weakly. He looked at Levy once before closing his eye, resuming his snoring.

"Oh geez." Levy groaned at Gajeel's willingness, but the longer she stared, the more she began to grin.

Panther Lily crossed his arms. "It's troubling that everyone endured parting."

"Unfortunately." Carla agreed. "Do you think Natsu will be okay?"

"I wouldn't worry about him."

"Hm?"

Panther Lily flashed a cheeky smirk. "Happy's with him, right?"

At the notion, Carla's worries faded, the feline smiling once more. "Yes."

* * *

Back at the residence of Natsu and Happy, the two were at home as always. They haven't left much since the arduous battle's end, but otherwise they weren't looking too sad. Of course not being there when everyone else was left them both clueless with what transpired, but they had their own agendas t the moment.

"So how much we got?" Natsu asked as he scrounged through his bag.

"About 130,000 Jewel." The Exceed answered.

Natsu raised his head, looking unamused. "Guess that isn't much."

"Aye. We could've been loaded if we haven't lost all our food funds." Happy whined. "We could've had ten years worth of fish!"

Natsu flashed a cheeky grin of his own. "Oh well, we'll get by somehow."

"Aye!"

Natsu held up a letter in his hand. "The real problem's this though."

* * *

In the reaches away from Magnolia, Gray sat in the snow-covered terrain, a place where his father was not too long ago. His old home. His first home. The place where he was born and raised by Silver and Mika. He frowned as snow fell, dripping daintily as he looked at the new cross that he had refurnished. To his grief it read his mother and father's names. The longer he stared, the more it hurt. He lost too many good people; he was amazed his sanity was still in one piece after all that's transpired.

Snow crunched behind him, snapping him out of his thoughts. When he turned around, he was surprised to see a familiar rain woman.

"Uh…Gray…" Juvia murmured. She had hands together, looking sadly at the snow at her feet.

"Juvia?" He asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" She couldn't finish as she looked up at Gray's stare of surprise and slight anger. Her glancing averted towards the cross he sat in front of. When she read Silver's name, she thought back to what she did. It took almost all her willpower to keep herself from breaking down. "I'll make this brief." She said.

Gray paused as he looked at Juvia. He knew something was off, but chose to stay quiet and let her speak.

"There's something I must say…" Her eyes were misting up badly as she couldn't look away from the snow-covered ground. "You know…that one demon? The necromancer…the one that was controlling your father…"

Gray's eyes began to widen slowly.

"Your father…he told me to…" Her fists balled. "So…I did it."

Gray was at a loss for words. "You did…"

Juvia nodded slowly and was starting to sob weakly. "Yes. I know, that it was wrong. Very wrong…but I had to. He was suffering. I…I know that you will never forgive me, for taking away the one that was who you loved." Juvia began to shudder in her shame. "I can't love you anymore. I don't have the right. Because…he was your father." She cried. "And I killed him."

Gray's teeth gritted as he stared at Juvia. There was anger in his eyes, and Juvia could feel it. Gray stood up, and slowly, he approached Juvia with fists balled. When he made it to her, there was a few moment's rest before he grabbed her by the coat collar. "It was you…!" He snarled.

Juvia continued to sob as she knew she deserved Gray's wrath.

Gray's angry sneer began to falter into a sadden whimper. He looked upset, more so than angry. He began to whimper louder, getting sadder by the second until his forehead fell into Juvia's chest. The action surprised the rain woman.

"Gray…?"

"…you freed him." He cried. His grip on her loosened. "Thank you…thank you…" He slowly slumped down to the ground, falling to his knees as he held onto Juvia as a sense of comfort. Juvia fell too, looking at Gray with rising shock as tears poured down his face. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

Juvia's eyes softened as Gray cried on her. The anger she thought Gray would have was gone, replaced by thanks and forgiveness. She only stared down as she gingerly wrapped a hand on his head and rubbed him softly. "Gray." She whimpered. "You're so warm."

Gray cried out as Juvia shed tears of her own, both holding comfort as the snow fell.

* * *

As the skies in Magnolia turned to a burning sunset, there on the edge of the river Erza sat. She looked desolate as it's felt like days have come and gone, when it's really been hours. Even after the announcement, she moved herself towards the riverside most of the time. Nobody could blame her, but her space was fractured. Her need for space and privacy had intensified the past week, and it was all thanks to what transpired.

The injuries inflicted physically may have healed, but her mental scars were fresh and arose from the graves in which they were buried. Kyôka and her torture was fresh in her mind. She could still feel the stinging sensations within every nerve. Her hands clutched her forearms tighter as she recalled her earlier days of slavery, where she lost her right eye. Her psyche was greatly damaged, so much that it was making her tremble. When approached by guildmates, she always was arm's length at minimum, and when it came to her phobia, she couldn't even sleep with Nic, who instead slept in the living room floor out of his own accord, if not reliving his own days. The more she thought of the pain that fell onto her, the more she began to panic.

She looked at her hand after so long. It was trembling, much to her sadness. _'Those memories haunt me in my weakest moments. They always make me tremble. I've been beaten. Lied to. Shamed. And I was stripped of my dignity. I can't even trust myself to allow Nic – the one who I vowed to be with – to be around me!'_ She couldn't believe that she couldn't have her space violated by Nic of all people. It only broke her heart even further. _'Will there be no end to all this?'_

"Is this seat taken?"

Erza gasped at the voice. She recognized it almost instantly. Her head whipped to face east, seeing the person on her mind just ten feet away from her. There he was, Nic, and half-grinning. "Nic?"

"You don't mind?" Nic sat down on his own accord, knees up as he folded his arms and looked out at the riverside.

There was an odd silence between the two, one that Erza didn't know what to describe. She was happy, but uncomfortable. Nic was so close yet so far. The more she yearned, the more she began to recoil. All she could really do was stare with shock as Nic looked calmly out, the sound of river water taking up the noises in the atmosphere.

"It's been a week. Was it that long that you allowed Vanessa and I to have our space and then come free us?"

Once again, Erza was bewildered. It was true, she waited a whole week until she broke them free from their malnutrition and depression. The fa t Nic did the exact thing left her even more surprised.

"You've seen the good and bad of humans. I did too. We saw light and dark in all the right and wrong ways; we've even fought using both material. I know how you feel to be confused and scared, and I can never blame you for that." He looked down at his knees, eyelids closing. "To be honest, I'm still hurt."

Erza's eyes widened once again.

"Vanessa is too. We were both depressed and our mentality was destroyed. We know what it means to have your dignity stripped, torn from you. We know what it means to shed blood, even if it's a must. It's a very scary thing to endure…" His eyes closed, taking a small breath of air. He looked back at Erza, a serious look in his warm blue gaze. "That's why we all suffered, and we still carry on. To carry out the treachery that tried to put us down, but in the end failed to budge us. Erza, do you remember? What you said that freed us from our trauma?"

' _What I said?'_ Erza was trying recount what she told him and his sister a while back. As she recounted a few materials back then, it only served to make her feel shocked.

Nic grinned as he looked out at the birds sailing far away. "I can still remember those words. You promised me, that you would beside me, and hold me dear forever. You would stand by those words, even in the darkest days. To heaven and back." He recited. He looked at her once again. "And you also said that you know how painful it is to move on, but you want to move forward, don't you? You can't do it without me, and I can't do so without you." His eyes softened as he frowned at her. "So Erza…I want to keep moving forward, but I want you – no! I _need_ you there. We all do. Can you stand by your word? To beside me? To hold me dearly?" His own grips on his forearms tightened. "To move forward with me?"

Erza looked shocked to no end. Nic used her very words that she used to help him and Vanessa. What she said was true to heart, and the more she thought about it, the more she thought of Nic's voice raptured into the words that pierced her soul, she began to feel the shaking stop. The next time she looked down at her hand, it wasn't trembling. The bitter cold around her body was gone, the warmth radiating.

Nic looked down, frowning as he was hoping his words got to her. He prayed they did. He couldn't have Erza depressed forever, it would break him too. He needed to help her stand; return the favor, as she did for him.

A shadow loomed over Nic, getting his attention. When he looked up, he was shocked with how fast it moved and wrapped its arms around him. It was Erza, swiftly on a knee and hugging him around his neck, her forehead in his cheek.

To say he looked shocked would be an understatement. "Erza…"

Erza was smiling warmly as she opened her eyes. They were so sincere and happy. Her body was so warm. She missed this warmth, so very much. She was afraid she'd never feel it again. Just like when Nic and Vanessa came to her, she came to him, the promise kept. There she was, holding him to her heart.

"Thank you, Nic." She thanked.

Nic's frown grew into a smile as he pulled Erza closer. His head leaned onto hers, the smell of fresh strawberries lingering from her scent. They both stayed there for a long time, watching the river flow, with their nightmares along with the current.

Some ways away, with a cloak around his body to conceal himself, there stood a hooded man that moved through the streets of Magnolia. He passed by the river, grinning as he walked passed them. _'Yes. We must all move forward. To the days that we pray for. We must not waver until we have reached our goals of light and dark. We, as human being and sentients, must carry on our wills, and walk in our own paths with guiding hands.'_

Jellal continued towards his path, another cloaked figure behind him. She was his height, and like him, had familiar sense of blue hair. She sported the same exact cloak, a soft smile and brown eyes on her face as she watched Nic and Erza move forward for their darkness.

Bellona knew this path was for her own justice, but it will help her prosper and banish her dark days for good.

"Are you ready?" Jellal asked.

"I am." Bellona answered.

"There is still time for you to reconsider. Are you sure this is what you want?"

The mage in repentance nodded. "Yes. I already talked with Master Sting, Rogue, and Minerva. We agreed that this was for the best." She answered. While she was treated by Porlyusica to get out her demon blood a few days ago, she was confronted by Minerva and the Twin Dragons. While the process was successful and she was treated – mostly – she still found herself accountable for the mistakes she's inflicted on others. It was a long talk, but they all agreed that joining up with Crime Sorciere would be her path. "I've made terrible mistakes that I can never forgive myself for. I have hurt others for my own gain, and earned bitter ire from light itself. I have turned myself into a demon, for that, I must correct what I have shamed and dealt with."

Jellal took a second to understand Bellona and her new resolve. He looked forward with a soft smile. "Very well. We will appreciate your commitment. Are you set to head out?"

Bellona's hooded face was brightened by the waning sunset, the darkness that was in her eyes burned away as she now adorned a soft, apologetic smile. "My crimes I must pay, and the price will be to throw away my gameboard." She began to proceed. "Let us embark."

"Right." Jellal followed right beside her, the duo heading towards six other figures, revealing themselves to be Ultear, Meredy, and the rest of the Oracion Seis – now Crime Sorciere.

Before they got too far, Bellona fell more words. "And Jellal…"

"Yes?"

Bellona turned towards him, her lips forming a soft smile for the blue-haired mage. "Thank you."

Jellal returned the soft smile once more, nodding in recognition of her. "The pleasure is all mine, Bellona."

Looking at the duo's smiles, Ultear couldn't help but smirk. "Well, well, looks like we got ourselves an amateur who likes to play." She teased.

"Don't be silly." Meredy chided.

"Well this'll be interesting." Cobra sneered.

"Tch, yeah." Racer agreed.

Macbeth looked on with a grin of his own, seeing another who wishes to pray and answer to justice arise.

As Crime Sorciere regrouped, Jellal trekked on, with Bellona close behind, and the others preceded, walking away as the sun set.

* * *

In the ruins that was once Fairy Tail, the night sky loomed overhead, where debris still lingered far below. In the center of the circle that was the center of the guild hall, Makarov continued to look up at the night sky. Ever since the announcement, he's been in that one spot all day.

A flash appeared behind, revealing Doranbolt using Teleportation Magic. He looked down at Makarov with a sigh. "Well, I did as you asked." He said, sighing in relief. "I erased the memory of everyone who heard about 'you know what'."

Makarov grumbled in silence.

Doranbolt's face twisted in annoyance. "And…I can guess what comes next. I gotta erase my own memory too. I can do it, but I hate messing with my memories."

"No, don't." Makarov said. "You've earned my trust."

"What?"

Makarov turned towards him. "You are relieved of your duties. Your mission has been complete…Mest Gryder."

"Uhhh…what-?!" Doranbolt blinked in confusion before his arm was shimmering a light. He gasped as the cloth on his shoulder was torn off by the light. As the light faded, it revealed a red Fairy Tail emblem. "What's this?!" He shouted. "A…Fairy Tail emblem?! When did that get there?!"

"It's always been there. You have been a member of Fairy Tail from the very start." Makarov explained. "You have forsaken your own memories in order to infiltrate the Magic Council. That was the man who you were."

"Say _what_?!" Doranbolt shrieked. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up there!"

"You were a special one. You'd give up even your own identity for the guild's sake. You have done that, and for that you have my thanks." Makarov said.

"Wa-wait up! Slow down!" Doranbolt stammered. "What the hell?! Y-you mean I erased my memories for the sake of Fairy Tail to get into the council! But what about the time I infiltrated Fairy Tail _for_ the council?! This is nuts!"

"That's exactly why I told you to not erase your own memories beforehand." Makarov groaned. "You can be such a pain when you don't listen."

Doranbolt – or now called Mest – looked unsound as he stared down at Makarov. "So…then that's it? What now?" He was so confused; first the council gets blown up, and then he realizes Fairy Tail was his home all along. It was insane, but the more he pondered, the more it made sense…in a way.

"I suppose, but it matters not anymore." Makarov said.

"What do you mean…?"

Makarov looked up to the sky, seeing stars twinkle. He looked neutral of what he said earlier and will say again. "The brats have spread their wings and chose their own courses. It's time an era ends. Fairy Tail will not rebuild…it shall disband."

Mest gasped.

Makarov raised his index finger into the sky, making Fairy Tail's insignia that Laxus started so long ago. "Fly high…and carry yourselves to the future."

* * *

Lucy walked down Strawberry Street, with each idle step taking her back to her home for the day. Sophie wasn't too far behind; the Memory-Make blonde had to send a message somewhere. However Lucy didn't bother to tamper with her business. She closed in on her house, opening the front door. When she entered, however, she felt something off. "Huh?" She peered up the stairs. "I can feel someone's here…" She figured. "It's probably Natsu and Happy…"

Rather slowly, she had her thoughts open up the door for her and there she stood. "Alright you two, party's over!"

However, behind the door was her room, nothing but vacancy in the air.

"Huh? But I thought for sure there was…" Her thoughts trailed off towards the envelope that rest on her coffee table. "A letter? Was it Sophie's?"

She turned on the lamp in her room and opened up the letter. To her horror it was terrible in terms of handwriting – worse than Erza even. "I can barely tell if these are words." She nervously sweatdropped, but tried her best to decipher it.

 **Happy and I are going on a little journey while training. We will be back in about a year or so. Take care of everyone at the guild for us, okay? See ya, Lucy!**

 **Natsu & Happy**

Lucy's eyes widened. "What?! WHAT?!" She shrieked. "What the hell?!" She burst out of her apartment door the next second, running past Sophie, who was walking down the street.

"Lucy?" Sophie turned to see Lucy go, but was rendered still as the Celestial blonde had taken off. "Did something happen?"

As Lucy raced through the streets, she was gasping and started to mist in the eyes. "What were those two thinking?! Up and leaving for an entire freakin year! How dumb are they?!" Lucy began to tear up, her tears cascading in the winds as she raced desperately to find them. "If they did that…did…I'd be so lonely! You idiots!" She screamed as she ran off.

On the edge of Magnolia, Natsu had his luggage as he and Happy walked out to the mountains, determined smiles on their faces. "Sorry guys, I'll be back in a year." Natsu said with his grin on fire. "I'll be fighting much harder from now on. Just watch."

* * *

A dorm room door opened up with loud creaking. Inside ventured Cana Alberona. The now former Fairy Tail mage waltzed in with a hiccup in her step. She looked lopsided, of course it was evident with the two booze bottles in her grips. She looked dizzy, yet the brunette still had her feet beneath. At least that was a good sign.

"Uuugh…I needed that." She hiccupped. "I think I may have hit one too many bars…but I don't care!" She cried out, hands in the air and flopping onto her bed. She landed on her pillow, groaning and sighing altogether.

As she laid there, she opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling fan that went in a circular motion, her eyes rolling around in a circle. Her cheeks were still red, but she cared not for her soon-to-be hangover. Fairy Tail was gone, the guild she grew up in almost all her life.

"Great, what now?" She groaned. "What should I do…?" As she turned her head, something scrunched beneath the pillow. "Hm?" She sat up, unnerved by the sound. AS she looked down at her pillow, she saw an envelope there. "Eh?"

She opened it up, reading it from top to bottom.

 **To Cana,**

 **I apologize for this time, I had an idea that you were drinking your problems away or along those lines, so I thought I'd save trouble and preserve my time to packing. I'm telling you this message and you alone, because you were my first comrade when I came to Fairy Tail. For that, you have my thanks and sincerity. If what Rayquaza says is true, then we must get stronger to stop Acnologia for good. So Vanessa, Erza, and I have all agreed that we'll be heading back to my world and going to the Kalos region for a short while. We'll mostly be training and gaining experience, but other than that we are unknown of. I apologize once more, but I hope to you again soon. Stay safe on your path, whatever you choose to do.**

 **Sincerely,**

 **Nic**

His cursive print made it hard for Cana to know what he meant, it certainly didn't help she was drunk, but as she skimmed through it, she began to toothy grin. "That boy's nuts." She mused.

* * *

Thousands if not hundreds of miles away, in the darkness of a room in unknown reaches, Zeref was looking outside to the night sky. He sat in a chair and watched as the night was as lively as day, with many people wandering about aimlessly within his confines. The book of E.N.D sat right beside him.

"I wonder how this will play out, Natsu." He said. "Or should I say…E.N.D: Etherious Natsu Dragneel."

* * *

In reaches of unknown territory, the wasteland was barren with cool night winds passing through the barren wasteland. The dead rock was abandoned, with no signs of life, yet winds still pushed on as someone looked over a cliff that overlooked the scenic view. The man's figure was muscular, but he had plenty of scars. The deep eyes he had contained black circles around them. His stare was cold, crude, and intense as his dark blue hair whisked. The longer he stood there, the more he processed the churning atmosphere.

The man's frown was stoic as he remembered the loss of his left arm recently. Though recovered and with one arm remaining, he knew the reasons, and that only made him smirk. "So then, this is a race I see." He said. "Who will win ownership of this world? Shall it be I…or you Pokémon?" His eyes narrowed. "Let's found out, shall we?"

* * *

Nic and Erza stood outside their house, hand in hand as they mournfully grinned at its presence.

"It's a shame, isn't it?" Erza asked.

"Yes. Sadly." Nic answered.

Both stared longingly at the house, taking in everything from the chimney to the windows, which had curtains closed, to the front porch. Nic looked over at the battlefield to see that it won't be used for quite some time. The sites were making him grimace by the second.

"We've put a lot of effort into this house. It's a shame to let it go to waste."

Erza looked down in mourn. "Do you think it will still be here?"

"I don't know. Hopefully." He turned towards her with concern. "You sure about this? We can always hop here and home every day."

Erza shook her head, but smiled. "No. I stand by you. This is for the best. If Doublade and I are to get stronger, we must get a lot more Pokémon experience. We'll grow and get stronger in Kalos, together."

Nic nodded in agreement.

Vanessa approached from behind, running up, if not jogging, to her brother's side. She took deep breaths, but she thankfully didn't exhaust herself completely. "Sorry for the wait."

"It's fine." Nic grinned. "Did you say bye to Sophie or us?"

Vanessa nodded. "Yes." She too mournfully smiled. "It was sad saying our parting ways, but she understood. Still…I'm going to miss my roommate waking me up in the mornings." Though bittersweet, Vanessa's come to like being awoken by Sophie teasingly yelling about a lie, like Krookodile knocking the training mechanism for a loop or something like that.

Nic understood and pulled his sister into a one arm hug. "We'll miss everybody."

"But they'll be fine. That we know." Erza assured.

"Right." Vanessa grinned.

With that, the trio got out their material possessions, but only essentials. Vanessa fit what she could into her brown purse. Nic bot his essentials, which was a few photos, art supplies, berries, energy items, and a few changes of clothes for sleepwear. Erza had a sizeable luggage cart behind her, but due to Nic's insistence, the food was cut to a minimum, much to Erza's chagrin. With all their luggage set, they were ready.

"Vanessa, did you count up how much money we have?" Nic asked.

The younger Pularis glanced at her brother. "About 532,780." She answered.

"Okay, so after Vaniville Town, that should last us a few months if we put our rations together."

"Less perhaps." Erza invoked. "We do have…appetites." Of course she meant Nic for the most part, but she also does enjoy strawberry cheesecake a lot. The comment made Nic clear his throat and try to power through.

The three turned towards the house one last time, seeing as how it'll be some time before they come back to it once more. They had to stay strong, for everyone's sake. At last, with the very last bit of their house and scenery taken into their minds, they turned around and faced the rebuilding Magnolia in the distance.

"Then let's go." Nic said.

"Right." Erza and Vanessa nodded.

Nic reached his arm out and opened a spatial portal. As the portal opened and remained stationary, the other side revealed twinkling stars and a fresh, small town with open space. They all took a pause as they took one last breath of Earth Land before they began stepping forward.

Nic entered first, with Vanessa following second, and lastly Erza with her luggage. All three followed in a train as their boots and shoes touch stony pavement instead of a dirt trail. The atmosphere was different as they crossed over into PokeEarth, but in a good way.

After Erza's luggage passed over, Nic reached out behind, the view of their house and Earth Land disappearing as the spatial portal closed. All that remained afterwards was twinkling rainbow stars that faded into thin air.

As they looked at their new surroundings, it revealed them to be overlooking Vaniville down over a small hill that connected to pavement that lead to many houses and blocks. The place they started their journey, and the place they would indeed start from the bottom once more. Knowing that they were in fact home, they all smiled and looked up at the cosmic Kalos sky. It looked like billions of stars conjoint together, if not looking like a nebula.

"Alright everyone." Nic grinned, his fire ignited to start their new adventure. "Let's get started."

* * *

 **And there you have it! I have finally finished the Tartaros Arc at long last! Yay! How did you guys like it? Was it meeting your expectations? Was it better than the anime/manga version of the Tartaros Arc? Be honest as well; in your opinion, which did you like better? The Impure Underworld Arc, or this Tartaros Arc? Sorry with all these questions, I'm just happy to have this arc actually complete.**

 **I know some of you might hate me for having Fairy Tail still disbanded after everything that's happened, but bear with me. At least until I get the next few ideas rolling.**

 **So as you saw, Nic's group of Vanessa and Erza will be in Kalos for most of the year's timeskip. Of course that will mean next time there'll be some new moves for the Pokémon, especially Vanessa's. As for Nic, I haven't had much thought other than Garchomp or Charizard learning new moves. But what I will do will surely shock you to where you fall over and drool. Erza will have new Pokémon as well, but I won't take suggestions since I thought it up for the most part. From here on out, I'm following the manga, considering the anime hasn't made it past the very beginning of the Avatar Arc.**

 **So here's what I'm going to do, I will be doing maybe one or two one-shots or side projects for a couple weeks, maybe some art and concept art for the 1 year timeskip as well. I still need to envision some attire changes and other things as well. I'll most likely get the Avatar/Alvarez Empire Arc rolling around early July, if not sooner. I'm glad this arc is finished, and thanks guys for liking it! I'll be sure to have the plans set ASAP as well as art and a few other ideas too!**

 **So as usual, review and let me know about this ending to the Tartaros Arc! See you guys really soon!**


	57. Our Roads Cross Once More

The morning rays of the vibrant skies of Kalos were still premature. The darkness in the night sky was still slowly creeping away, but for the moment, the distance was radiated by fragments of blue and incoming sun rays. The daybreak air was vibrant with fresh flowers and berries abundant. and soaked in morning dew. The mountainous Pokémon in the valley were all either asleep or falling asleep given their active hours.

As Fletchling chirped, Pidgey soared overhead in varied flocks. Their general direction was west, and as they flew, they were unaware of an open clearing in the lush valley, where three cloaked figures stood and faced the sunrise.

They looked to the canopy, the trees silent as night still as they could see the sun rays beginning to make way through the thin brush.

"So this is it?" One of them asked. By the sound of her voice, she was clearly a woman, possibly a young adult. "It's time already?"

"It has been." The second figure assured. By the sound, it was clearly a man. "Time really has kept us on our toes, hasn't it?"

"Yes, it most certainly has." Another figure spoke. Like the first who spoke, it was a woman, but had a different voice.

The man's concealed face revealed a grin. "Hard to believe it's already been a year. It makes you wonder what you've been doing during that short span of time."

"A rather ironic question itself, wouldn't you say?" The second woman smirked.

"Yes, I suppose so."

The first woman looked up as the sunlight was beginning to come into their line of sight through the top of the canopy. "Morning is coming."

"You're right. It's been fun being here…but now we must head back." The male turned his hood to face the female, who simply nodded.

"I enjoyed my experience here. I valued it greatly." She said. "But now I think it's time we head back."

The figure turned his head at the first woman, who smiled and nodded. With themselves assured, he faced forward and began to reach a hand up from underneath the cloak.

"It's time to return to our other home. We all know what to do."

With smiles turning into half-grins, they all began to grow serious. The figure stretched the fingers out, and then a spatial portal opened before them. They could see and feel the energy of Earth Land from the other side. This was what they wanted to feel, strange, yet it was comforting, like it was with Kalos.

"Let's go."

All three cloaked figures walked into the portal, stepping inside just as the sun's rays popped over the canopy, barely catching strands of long, red, and black hair, with a single blonde lock. The shining rays shimmered as a new marked the portal to close, Kalos left behind.

* * *

The three stepped into the new land, a new atmosphere where everything felt…empty. One expected green and fresh leaves, but where they ended up was a barren domain of rock, with sights of snapped twigs and dead trees everywhere. It looked like a mix of Kalos Route 13 and 14, if a reference was implied.

"So how far are we from designation?" The first woman asked.

"The town should be nine miles south. You'll know it when you see it." The male answered.

The younger female nodded.

"Everyone, remember the plan. This is critical."

"We know. We won't let this happen." The redhead assured. "We'll stop them."

A moment of silence passed as they knew what to do. They all turned their backs to one another, and the first woman began darting into another direction. Meanwhile, the two remaining figures pulled out two Poke Balls. They tossed them up into the air, where they popped open. An energy summoned them forth to the earth, revealing an Arbok and Houndoom. Both the serpent and canine hissed and snarled as they awaited their orders. The masculine figure stepped onto the back of the hood and heels onto the top, while the woman hopped onto the Houndoom's back like a riding animal. With a tap on the hood and nudge on the curved horns, both Arbok and Houndoom sped off, slithering and running side-by side into the wasteland's forest.

* * *

Within the decrepit forest, there was a church, but anything like one on the outside. It was all dark, dreary, and the fact that it was in the center of a dead forest only made it look like a welcoming home for hoodlums and anything representing demons.

With the territory in sight, Natsu, Happy, and Lucy were all venturing, their shock evident when they caught sight of the church.

"There it is! I knew it was there!" Natsu boasted.

"Aye!" Happy declared.

Natsu pumped his fists and readied to make a charge. "Alright, pal! Ya ready to whoop butt?!"

"Let's rumble, Avatar!"

"Oh no you don't!" Before they were able to lunge head first to attack, Lucy grabbed them by the scarf and bag and yanked them back. Unfortunately she didn't account Natsu's weight, and as Natsu fell back, Lucy fell forward, both thudding against solid earth.

"Oww…" Lucy groaned.

Natsu arose and rubbed the back of his head. "Man, that actually hurt." He looked back angrily towards the recovering blonde. "What's the deal, Lucy?!"

"Just hear me out, would ya?" On her knees, Lucy gave a serious expression. "Now look, we don't know who these opponents are, so we can't just go barging into doorways and cause a panic."

"But we do it all the time." Happy pointed out.

"You're missing the point!"

"But Happy's got one as well. Gray's in there. I can smell him clear as day." Natsu said.

"And that's why we need to be extra careful. We have to do the most critical thing and gather intel. After all, knowing is half the battle. And it just so happens, our little trick happens to be right…here!" Lucy held up Virgo's key, grinning at the bewildered Natsu and his childish awe. "With Virgo, getting under and in will be a piece of cake."

Happy's eyes widened. "Hey, yeah! I forgot that maid can do that."

Lucy held the key out. " **Open: Gate of the Maiden -Vir-** " In the midst of summoning, the maid appeared, however, she was on the ground, looking mild as she was literally in a bind. Ropes were on her, and the sight made Natsu and Lucy deadpan and gawk. " **Go?** " She finished.

"Hello, Princess." Virgo greeted casually.

"Hello?!" Lucy shouted. "You're tied up in ropes, and the first thing you say is 'hello'?! Are you even okay?!"

"Who the hell did this to you?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Not to worry." Virgo sat up on her own, grinning mischievously as the ropes loosened up. As she stood, her posture allowed the ropes to slide down her waist and fall to her feet. "I merely was entertaining myself with fitting punishment." She teased.

"You…you've got some issues." Lucy nervously shuddered.

"Man, these spirits sure are funky in their own way." Natsu shrugged.

Virgo turned towards Natsu and Happy and bowed politely. "Natsu. Happy. It is safe to say you have been well?"

Natsu balled a fist and smiled. "Heck yeah! Now let's get this party started!"

"Uh, right!" Having recovered from the shock, Lucy held Virgo's key to her chest. There, both the key and Lucy underwent a glow. As the glow morphed Lucy, she too sported a maid's outfit, almost exactly like Virgo with her having long pigtails befitting her longer hair. With the maid outfit also came Virgo's symbol on her right shoulder.

" **Star Dress: Virgo Form!** "

"Whoa! What?!" Natsu exasperated.

"Lucy can do that…" Happy murmured. "Is she…Erza too?" He began to shudder in place as he could see Lucy and Erza requipping into powerful dresses or armors, both having menacing, red glares and holding up a sword or whip and ready to deliver punishment. The sensation was rendering Happy paralyzed in fear.

"Well, to be more accurate, it is a manifestation ability which allows her to use my power for her own free will. In addition, her Magic Power is extended." Virgo explained.

"Let's go, Virgo!" Lucy declared.

"Right!" Virgo nodded, and both jumped into the air, coming down heads first. As their hands reached ground, it was like using Dig. They made a large hole, one that Natsu and Happy stared down at.

"Whoa! Lucy really has gotten awesome this past year!" Natsu shouted.

"Aye, it's like Nic and his Pokémon working together!" Happy exemplified.

Realization hit Natsu, his eyes widening. He shook his head, getting back on track. "Gah! What am I saying?! Come on, Happy!"

"Aye, sir!"

Both Dragon Slayer and Exceed alike jumped down the hole, following Lucy and Virgo into the lair known as Avatar.

* * *

Rainfall Village, a place where it was raining eternally. Literally, rain casted and dripped from every corner of the town. It wasn't called that until recently, when rain poured in concentration over the town one night after the disappearance of the one known as Gray. This was the residence of Juvia apparently, and at the moment, she was treated by the hands of Wendy and Carla, as she ascertained a fever and fell over.

"Juvia, are you feeling any better?" Wendy asked.

Juvia turned her head weakly on the pillow, groaning as she still had a lot of hefty breathing. "Mmmm…" She groaned.

"Here, let's wipe you down and get the sweat off you." Wendy helped Juvia by starting with the buttons on her shirt. As she began to assist and pull the fabric off, she got a large dose of cleavage. The size to this day still tormented Wendy, and the younger woman looked shocked at her own lack of size. _'Woah…'_

Carla sat on a wooden crate, setting down her tea with a disgruntled expression. "You would think by now that Natsu and the others managed to find Gray."

"Yeah, I know how you feel." Wendy had Juvia turned to her side and cleansed her back. "We can hope for the best."

"I for one hope they aren't dueling once more. Their theatrics are more than irritable." The feline huffed.

A smile appeared on the Sky Dragon's face. "It's nothing out of the ordinary. This is Natsu and Gray after all."

"That's true." Carla smiled.

A knock at the door was heard, catching everyone's attention.

"Huh?" Wendy turned towards the entrance. "Who's there?"

"I don't know." Carla answered. "You think it's Natsu and the others with Gray? That was fast."

Juvia's eyes began to open weakly. "Gray." She muttered.

"You shouldn't be stressing. It'll only infuriate your fever." Wendy assured.

The door was knocked once more, this time louder than before.

"We'll be right there!" Wendy got up from Juvia's bedside and began to head for the door. "I'm coming!" The young woman made it to the door and turned the knob. When she did, she was instantly met with a shocking twist of not Natsu nor anybody.

The Dragon Slayer stared up at the cloaked figure that was drenched from the rain, but otherwise the figure seemed fine.

"Uh…can we help you?" Wendy was conspicuous of the figure before her, considering she was in a cloak and had a very bizarre appeal. To an extent, she couldn't help but feel something…familiar about the individual.

The figure merely smiled beneath her cloak. "It's been a while, Wendy."

Wendy's eyes widened at the sound of the voice. She stared with shock as the tone and the voice were familiar to a certain someone she knew. When she got around to it, she could smell better than she could in the rain. With the scent almost uncanny in resemblance, the Dragon Slayer had a gasp escape.

"It…is that…?" Wendy didn't want to believe it, but she knew her eyes weren't playing tricks. No fever, not that she contracted from Juvia. The strands of black hair were too familiar, as was the single blonde lock.

The figure reached for her hood, revealing a familiar warm face.

"It's good to see that you're doing well." She said.

"Vanessa!" Wendy blurted out.

Vanessa Pularis, now 17-years-old, and she had become more mature than she was previously. Her black hair ran long and down like a waterfall, and her eyes were as blue as ever. The single blonde bang that stopped behind her ear grew considerably, now reaching down below her shoulder. The other change Wendy noticed was how she had round, Poke Ball earrings.

"Wendy, who is it?" Carla came from around the door, patience thinning after a while. "What is this rucku…!" She stopped midsentence as she stared up at the cloaked female on the porch, her irritation replaced by disbelief. "Wait…"

"Carla." Vanessa greeted.

"Vanessa?" Carla gasped.

"Hi."

A smile appeared on Wendy's face after her shock faded. "Vanessa, what are you doing here?!"

"I should've asked you that same thing. I assumed this was where Juvia was, wasn't she?"

"Well, I mean she is, but…" Realization came across the Dragon Slayer. "Wait, how did you know where Juvia was?"

Carla crossed her arms. "There is a point made. We are surprised by your visit, but how did you know about Juvia's location? It's uncanny."

Vanessa understood their skepticism, but wasn't bothered in the slightest. "My brother told me to come find her."

Once again, Wendy and Carla were left astonished.

"Nic told you?!" Wendy exclaimed.

"That means…that Nic and Erza are back as well." Carla stated.

Vanessa nodded. "Yes, we're all back."

"Wow! That means we're one step closer to reuniting Fairy Tail after all!" Wendy chimed.

"Well it wouldn't be as thrilling if not for Nic nor those things we fought for." Carla sniped.

Wendy looked down to Carla nervously. "Be nice. They're called Pokémon. You know that.

Vanessa's smile cascaded into a frown. The atmosphere adjusted into a more serious tone. "As much as I would like to continue this conversation, I'm afraid our reunion and catching up will have to wait. We have an urgent matter to attend."

"How urgent are we talking?"

"I'll explain along the way. For now, we need to get you three and Juvia to where we need to meet up with Gray."

For the umpteenth time, the duo was left dumbfounded.

"You know where Gray is?!" Wendy exclaimed.

"In a way, yes. Nic and Erza already have a head start."

The sound of footsteps was heard from behind. Stepping out to the hall was Juvia, who was wrapped in her sheets like a toga. She still had a blurry vision, but she looked better compared to earlier. When she looked at the faint vision of a figure with black and blonde hair, she squinted with wonder.

"Van…essa?" She muttered.

"Juvia." Vanessa said, mildly surprised by her condition.

Wendy whipped around, startled by Juvia's uprising. "Juvia, what are you doing up?"

"You know you should stay in bed. You can't be walking around in that condition!" Carla chided.

"I'm…fine." To prove her point, the rain woman stumbled towards them. Despite some setbacks along the way, she held onto the wall as she approached Vanessa. Wendy and Carla stepped out of the way so that she could come face to face with Vanessa. The two women stared at each other with either sickly wonder or relaxation.

There was a short silence that fell between them, the only sound being that of rain dripping.

"Do you know where Gray is?" Juvia asked.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Take me to him."

"What did I just tell you?! You have to stay in bed! Do you want to get even more sick than you already are?!" Carla yelled, but Juvia was having none of it.

"Carla." Vanessa stated. The Aura Mage shook her head at the cat, cancelling out any plea. The Exceed backed off, though reluctant by Vanessa's insistence. "For what's to come, we need everybody accounted for."

"Why? What's going to happen?" Wendy asked.

Vanessa turned her back, staring out at the waterlogged village. "I'll explain on the way. We need to move." She glanced over her shoulder. "Juvia, can you manage?"

Juvia nodded. "Yeah. I think…" She wouldn't lie if asked she was still groggy, but she wanted to reunite with Gray. It's been six months after all, and she missed him. Add in the fact Vanessa gave an emergency meant there was no reason for her to decline.

"If that's the case, I'll heal you while we head out." Wendy assured.

Carla gave one more sigh of exasperation. "Very well. Suppose we haven't a choice in the matter."

"I'll go get ready and dress." Juvia turned around, heading back for her room with her strength back to normal with vibrant eyes as she stared out the window in her room. _'Gray. I hope you are safe.'_

Just then, after so long, the rain finally began to stop.

* * *

The two cloaked figures riding on their Arbok and Houndoom maintained a steady course. They've been on the move for quite some time, and they didn't look to be stopping anytime soon. They were rushing, and as the breeze picked up from the dashing, the hoods shifted constantly, eventually falling behind to reveal none other than Nic and Erza.

"Nic! How far are we?" Erza asked as she rode on her Houndoom. She and her Houndoom jumped over a log, hitching along the way.

"Not too long now!" Nic glowed beneath his cloak, but the cloak continued to conceal the attire. He whipped his hand forward, fingers stretching.

" **Tailwind!** "

Suddenly, a whiff of air currents breezed behind Nic and Erza. The winds blew them, Arbok, and Houndoom forward, propelling them with greater speeds. As they dashed through the badlands, streams of wind trailed behind.

"Now this is what I'm talking about!" Houndoom shouted. He opened his mouth as he ran, his tongue hanging out as he passed through the underbrush.

"Jusssst make sure that ssslobbery tongue doesssn't anchor you, fleebag." Arbok snobbishly warned.

"Yeah, yeah! I know!"

Houndoom and Arbok trailed through the area, their Trainers watching where they were going.

Erza turned towards Nic, a grin passing onto her face. "Well doesn't this feel nostalgic." She mused.

"I could say the same." Nic grinned as Arbok slipped passed a fallen log. Even with the curve the Poison-type took, Nic was still balanced well.

"We have Jellal to thank for this. Without him and Bellona, I'm not sure we would've seen this coming." Erza said.

"I was still shocked with how well Gray took the request." Nic's low-key astonishment faded into a remorseful grin that was towards the area ahead. "I still feel shameful of what we had to do though."

Erza nodded in understanding. "I feel the same way. But it was all for the sake of halting Avatar."

"I'm aware…but I just hope Gray and Juvia alike understand in the end."

Erza smiled warmly as she looked at Nic. It was her idea to begin with, but at the same time she was unhappy with how selfish she had to be regarding Juvia's feelings. If it were and Nic, being apart that long would give them both anxiety. Still, all she could do was hope, just like Nic. "I'm sure they will." She assured.

Nic smiled back to her, his warm smile secured by his girlfriend's confidence. With his security and guilt dropped, he ushered Arbok into increasing his speed. The serpent snaked his way faster through enemy territory in response.

As the serpent and hound pressed on with their tracks backed by Tailwind, the passing breeze made Erza and Nic recall the reason why they were here to begin with. It felt like only yesterday, when in reality it was six months.

* * *

 _Six months prior, in a rather lavish town alongside a coast. It was well furnished, with many of citizens roaming about with their own duties and shops that are with the hottest merchandises. Within the shimmering lights of the night, the entire seaside town was like neon lights that ignited the coast beyond the mountain point. It was nothing more than beautiful._

 _As a kid passed by an alley with cotton candy, the dark alley had a small distortion. Said distortion spiraled until it expanded, becoming a spatial portal. As rainbow fragments and specks twinkled, two individuals were seen stepping out. They were revealed to be Nic first, who looked back and held his hand out, which was grabbed by Erza. He assisted in helping her into Earth Land, where as she stepped out, the portal instantly shut with a flash of rainbow specks dissipating into thin air._

 _They looked around, taking note of their surroundings. It was still dark, and the night sky was brimming with twinkling stars. With the coast clear, they made way out of the alley, turning left down the boulevard._

" _So you really believe Vanessa will be alright at the hotel?" Erza asked._

" _She'll be fine. We did say it was in and out, right?" Nic countered. "Besides…" He reached for Erza's hand, the redhead startled by the attention Nic was giving as he grinned at her. "When was the last time we've been alone together?"_

 _Erza's surprise subsided, her smile again coming into view as she and Nic could enjoy their company. They haven't had quality time as of late, as all they've been doing is traveling around Kalos and training. However, with this one time, they could enjoy the other and their solitude._

 _Nic reached into his pocket and pulled out folded sheets of paper. He unfolded them as he held Erza's hand with the other. In the hand was a very complex but very clean drawing; schematics of sorts. Measurements and all. "So where is this address?" He asked._

" _It's just at the end of this boulevard." She answered._

" _And this blacksmith and armory can mold this material for you?" He asked._

 _Erza nodded. "Of course. I have to repair my armor somehow. We'll just make do with what we have and hope it'll be fortified soon enough."_

 _Nic looked ahead. "Sure."_

 _Both walked along the illuminated pavement. They seemed happy with smiles and fingers intertwined as they took their time, inspecting the few shops abundant of clothing, accessories, and other foods. Of course with how they were on a budget in terms of Jewel for Earth Land, commodities would have to stay short-handed, but Erza took it in stride._

 _As they came up to the shop with swords crossed, a view of a sweets shop was just before it. This prompted Erza to drag Nic. "Nic." She said._

" _Yes?" He could tell by the notion in her tone. He simply played along._

" _Why don't we settle down for a short while. Get something to eat." She smirked as her heels pivoted for the bakery in front of them. "And what's this? Speak of the devil. Well we best 'make do', wouldn't you agree?" Of course with her playful tone, the redhead didn't really give Nic a choice. She was already dragging him inside, much to his shock. Granted they promised Vanessa they'd be back soon, but Erza - from what Nic has seen – can never say no to sweets._

 _Nic sighed in defeat as he was pulled inside, much to Erza's satisfaction._

 _Once inside, they walked forwards. They both glanced about, seeing the abundance of sweets paved everywhere. Chocolate; caramel; Carmel; mint; vanilla; every flavor you could imagine for sweets and assortments for a bakery, and it was as busy as one could expect._

" _Very lavish." Nic was surprised with how decorative it all was. It nearly made him feel a small craving._

" _It smells sweet." Erza took it all in, her nostrils picking up every scent of fresh goods. Especially strawberry. "Shall we?"_

" _Mmmmm! Now this is exquisite!"_

 _Another chirpy voice rang from a nearby counter. The pair stopped and turned towards the surprising voice. With the voice came the person, and the person left them shocked._

 _A minty brownie was chewed into, and the girl with the hood on smiled with ecstasy with every taste bud stirred. "I can't believe how rich this is! I knew I should've come here!"_

 _Erza's eyes widened. "Is that…?"_

" _Meredy?" Nic finished._

 _As Meredy went to take another bite, she noticed the staring she was receiving from a few individuals not too far from her. Her red eyes were frozen with shock as she saw faces peering at her. Her open mouth retreated from the brownie, her attention set on those who recognized her._

 _The three had a long standoff that lasted for a short while. It wasn't until Meredy caught up with realization and gasped._

" _Nic?! Erza?!"_

" _Meredy, it really is you." Erza answered._

 _The pinkette got up from her seat and met with Nic and Erza. A smile was on her face. "Guys, it's really good to see you! How've you been?"_

" _We've been well." Erza answered. "Thank you for asking."_

" _I'm surprised. Didn't expect to run into you here. What are you doing here anyway?" Nic asked._

" _What I'm doing…" Meredy came to another realization as she began to sheepishly rub the back of her head. "Eh, well…it's kind of a long story. You see, we were in town tonight, so I thought I'd uh…maybe try a small bite of sweets…?"_

 _Nic blinked. "'We'?"_

" _Do you mean Crime Sorciere?" Erza implied._

" _Yeah. But please don't tell Ultear. She'll kill me if she found out." Meredy insisted nervously. She remembered the last time she did something arbitrary. Suffice to say hot chili peppers don her throat left her without tasting anything for a week. Wanting to evade such a tragic memory, the head count caught her attention. "Hey, hold on."_

" _Yes?" Erza wondered._

" _Where's Vanessa? Isn't she here as well?"_

 _Nic shook his head. "Sorry, but we came ourselves." He explained. "Vanessa is back in our world for now."_

 _Meredy's gaze averted to the ground, her smile less ecstatic than before. "Oh…"_

 _Nic knew Meredy and Vanessa were friends, but he had to be sympathetic and not be a pushover. "We'll be sure to bring her along next time, but we got questions of our own."_

 _Erza followed up. "You said earlier that Crime Sorciere was here, right? That means Jellal and Ultear are close by in this town."_

 _Meredy nodded. "Yeah, why?"_

" _What are you doing here?" Nic questioned. "Not_ _ **here**_ _here. I mean your reason."_

 _Meredy put a hand to her chin and looked to the side. The more she allowed seconds to transcend, the more the reason itself grew. When it hit her, she struck an idea. Her eyes widened, and she looked back at the duo._

" _Hey, yeah! That's it!" She announced._

 _Nic and Erza looked towards one another and back at Meredy._

" _Do you think you guys can help us? We have a rendezvous point not far from here in case anything happens. Why don't you follow along?" Meredy asked._

" _A rendezvous point?" Nic repeated. "What do you think?" He turned towards Erza, who looked to be on her guard._

" _Sounds conspicuous, but we'll see what you have to ask of us. Lead on."_

" _Great!" Meredy chirped. "I know everyone will be happy to see you again."_

 _While the chipper note was appreciated, Nic and Erza remained on guard as Meredy exited the shop…after finishing her brownie and Erza getting a strawberry cheesecake on the go. As they maneuvered through the streets, Meredy took a few turns into the alley and came to a narrow pathway where four buildings intersected. There, she, Nic, and Erza stood in place; the latter two retaining caution._

 _Nic turned left and right, noting how they were alone. "And where are they?"_

 _Meredy raised her brow. "That's odd." She turned around, wondering where her friends and colleagues might be. "Ultear? Jellal?"_

 _The air was quiet, very quiet. It was hollow, and as a wind passed over, the draft made Meredy's hood come off._

" _Why don't you try using your eyes for once…Meredy." A voice called out._

 _All three turned west. They saw eight figures walk amongst the other, each following behind two figures who lead the pack. They all had hoods, but the similar cloaks gave the distinguishing appeal away._

" _You guys!" Meredy chimed. "You've made it!"_

 _The hooded figures all stood several meters away from Nic and the others. As dark as it was, the pair could make out the sizes and shapes of the figures; many of which left them in revelation. As they lifted their hoods, Nic and Erza were taken back by their own bewilderment. Each gasped as they saw the familiar faces from so long ago._

" _Greetings." Jellal greeted. Aside from him, the rest of Crime Sorciere was present, showing varied emotions of a smirking Erik, an unamused Sorano, and a happy Richard. Ultear smirked, and another was half-grinning alongside Jellal. Her face sent shock down Nic and Erza once again._

" _Welcome, Erza, Nic." Ultear said. "I must say, seeing you here certainly was a shock."_

" _Oh yeah!" Richard chimed._

" _I must say, I'm surprised myself." Macbeth said._

" _Heh, more familiar faces. What fortune we have." Sawyer noted._

" _Them again." Soarno huffed. "Just when we haven't had enough of our fill of Fairy Tail."_

" _Hearing those voices is refreshing…in a way." Erik sneered._

 _Nic's eyes were wide. "The Oracion Seis?" He gasped. He looked towards Meredy with surprise. "What is this?"_

 _Meredy sheepishly rubbed the back of her head again. "Eh, it's a long story too…"_

 _Ultear put a hand to her hip as she darkly grinned at her foster-daughter. "Yes, it is…just like Meredy will explain when she said when she 'had to check something out'." A tick mark arose on the Time Mage's head. "Just what were you thinking?! Sweets?! Really?!"_

 _Meredy slowly shrunk back in fear. "H-how did you know?" She squealed._

 _Erik flashed a cocky smirk. "Sorry. Couldn't help but hear all that munchin'. Sounded tasty."_

" _Erik~!" Meredy whined._

 _Ultear pinched the bridge of her nose. "I swear." She sighed. "You're more trouble than you're worth. We'll deal with your punishment, but first, it looks like we have some guests."_

" _That we do." The blue-haired woman said. She stepped forward, a soft smile on her lips as she looked at Nic and Erza. "Hello, you two."_

 _Nic stepped forward with a shocked look on his face. "Bellona?" He questioned._

" _If not me, the what am I?" She teased. She flashed a smirk and a wink at Nic. "Just playing."_

" _This is most certainly a big surprise. Not what I expect for a brief visit." Erza said._

" _That's quite the understatement." Nic said._

" _As much as I agree, your timing couldn't be anymore coincidental." Jellal said. As he stepped beside Bellona, he too smiled. "We're humbled to see you again. We apologize for this…mishap with Meredy." With the notion, Meredy sulked. "But our meeting aside and all of us acquainted, we thought it would be best to extend a hand of service."_

 _Nic's brow furrowed. "You mean our service?"_

" _In a way, yes." Ultear informed. "I know this may not be the right time, and on such a short notice, but can you be of service to Crime Sorciere?"_

" _What she means is your help." Sorano rephrased._

" _Well…yeah."_

" _With what exactly?" Erza questioned. "If it was something you requested, it must be dire. That a reasonable assumption?"_

" _Evidently." Jellal answered. "It's a matter of what we have been investigating."_

 _Nic and Erza narrowed their eyes in wonder. With all the information gathered, they knew from the pits of their guts that this was something big, and of a complex caliber; a challenge. Still, this was a request, and they knew this meant lives at stake by the hands of forsaken enemies who praised darkness. It was their obligation as justice-seekers to snuff them out, and fight to preserve a world worth living in._

 _This in mind, they faced Jellal once more. "Alright, what do you ask of us?" Erza asked._

* * *

Up ahead, a large boulder obscured their path. As they closed in on it, Houndoom's paws pressed harder and head lowered as he charged for the boulder.

Erza extended an arm forward. "Houndoom, **Shadow Ball!** "

Houndoom opened his mouth and manifested a black and purple sphere with dark static. He gawked, hurling the Shadow Ball at the blockade. The attack made impact and caused a dark explosion, reducing the boulder in front to smoked bits. As dust dispersed, Houndoom and Arbok sprung through the dust, landing on the other side and continuing their passage.

Nic and Erza trampled on their course, the winds giving them speed starting to teeter into thin air. After seconds, Houndoom and Arbok slowed down to their basic speeds.

"Looks like Tailwind's subsided." Erza examined. She looked down towards her Houndoom, who was looking a little tired. "Should we take a break?"

Nic looked down at his Arbok, seeing as how he was slithering for miles on end. While they did do marathons, Nic didn't want to push Arbok too hard for any possible circumstances. "Sure. Let's stop at that river ahead."

Sure enough, after some more time, Nic and Erza were seen hopping off their Pokémon. Arbok and Houndoom stuck their heads and quenched their thirst after so much running; Arbok more tolerable than Houndoom.

As the two Pokémon were gathering their strength, Nic and Erza pulled out two Sitrus Berries.

"Here you go." Erza handed the berry to Houndoom as he raised his head. He looked over and opened his mouth and accepted the berry.

Nic knelt down to Arbok and presented him with a Sitrus Berry. "Here. This should suffice."

"Thankssss, Nic-sssama." Arbok obediently accepted the berry and chew. As he did, Nic tentatively rubbed the top his head, much to his delight.

Erza turned towards Nic. "You think Vanessa has Juvia and Wendy at this point?"

"I hope so. We transported fairly close." Nic stated. He looked passed the river, staring at the remainder of the dark forest that lied ahead. He had the cloak on still, keeping his attire unseen like Erza's. "I think we should be in range for the lacrima to work. Want to check on Gray's progress?"

"Sure-!" As Erza reached for the small, flat lacrima against her cloak, the resemblance was so uncanny. It looked a lot like a phone, a phone that Nic had a long time back. The small button at the top flashed constantly.

"Hm?" Erza reached for it, seeing the ID as Gray. She looked surprised to say the least. "It's from Gray."

"So he's calling us?" Nic wondered.

Erza put her finger against the screen and slid across it for a combination. Once the lock screen faded, she held the lacrima in the phone to her ear. "Hello?" She answered.

"Hey. We got a code blue here." The voice said. It was no surprise that it was Gray, but what he said at that instant was what left her and Nic with wonder.

"Code blue?" Erza repeated. "What happened?"

"Nothing. Found something you'd wanna hear for yourselves. Starts with N, L, and H. That good enough?"

Nic crossed his arms. "What is it?"

Erza began to snicker, which caught Nic by surprise. She brought the phone away and smiled at him. "Seems like our old friends are causing quite the ruckus for Gray's mission."

Nic didn't respond at first, but when it did click, he also couldn't help but smile. It was ironic he'd cross paths with a certain Dragon Slayer once again, but not like this, at least that's what he thought. He turned towards Arbok, walking to him.

"Then I guess we better hurry along." He hopped onto Arbok's hood, where he applied light pressure and the cobra arched up, ready to do as Nic guides him to do.

Erza held the lacrima closer to her ear again. "Did we compromise you completely?" She asked.

"No." Gray answered.

"Are they harmed?"

"Nope. They're fine."

"How did he get involved? I'm curious."

"Like heck I'd know. Ask him yourself." Gray stated.

Erza let another sigh escape as she began walking towards her Houndoom. "Very well, I'll put the lacrima on speaker so I can talk to him."

As she waited for the response, she hopped onto Houndoom's back, the Dark/Fire-type rising to his feet and ready to take off. She nudged his side. "Hya!" She made Houndoom crouch, and just like that, Houndoom was off once again. The hound took a big lunge and sprung over the stream, ending up on the other side two meters away.

"Let's go, Arbok!" Nic commanded. With a hiss, Arbok arched his body and acted as a bridge that curved over the stream and onto the other side, his long body unnecessary for a jump like Houndoom over water.

The lacrima beeped again as both Nic and Erza were on the move once again. They heard a second voice, this one with a different flux. "Uh, the heck? Like this?" It was Natsu's voice, just as Erza requested.

The smile on Erza's face returned. "Natsu, is that you?" She asked.

Even from the lacrima, she could hear Natsu's gasps of fear.

"My word, you've certainly put a sizeable dent in Gray's mission now, haven't you?"

* * *

" _Gray!" Juvia called out._

" _Hang on, give me a sec!" Gray raised an axe he made using his magic and brought it down on the diced fragment of wood on a stump. With a huff, he arched and brought the axe down, cutting the wood in half._

 _He arose once again, making the axe disappear and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Man, that was a workout." He looked up at the sky, realizing it was night. "Was I really out here that long?"_

" _Gray!" Juvia called out. "Come inside! It's going to get cold tonight!"_

 _Gray turned towards Juvia, finally listening. "Uh, yeah! Sorry! I got a little carried away is all!"_

 _Juvia giggled. "It's fine. I saved you some bathwater so you can relax tonight."_

" _Uh…gee. Thanks…I guess?" Gray turned away, making sure Juvia doesn't see with disgruntled embarrassment. He remembered last night when Juvia helped him running the bath, only she used her magic and supplied the water herself. So in a sense, he was soaked in Juvia, and that left him without much sleep…or security for that matter. He turned away, looking at the wood piled around. "I'll be right in. I gotta pick up this mess."_

" _Okay~!" Juvia closed the door, leaving Gray alone once more._

 _Gray walked to the nearest piece of wood and huffed. "Geez. Can't go a minute without her making twists that annoy me." He said beneath his breath._

" _Don't be like that." A voice announced. "She's just looking out for you."_

 _Gray went stiff as the voice caught him off guard. "Wait, what?!" He balled his fists. "Who's there?!" He turned left and right, scouting her any of the signs of the voice, until something in him was triggered. "Hm? Hey, hold on. I've heard this voice before…"_

" _He's right." Another voice caught Gray off guard. "You should try and consider Juvia's feelings for once."_

 _Gray turned around to face the log pile he made throughout the day. There, his eyes widened when he saw an armored woman walk around the pile made, hand to her hip with a frown._

" _Erza?!" He exclaimed. He looked above her, seeing Nic resting on a tree branch on a tree overhead. "Nic?!"_

" _Long time no see." Nic grinned casually._

" _I see you haven't fixed your clothing issue." Erza remarked, seeing as how Gray was without a shirt._

 _Gray pointed at them accusingly "Forget the clothes! Just what the heck are you two doing here?! And how did you find me?!"_

 _Nic frowned at Gray, looking angrily at him as he had an index finger close to his lips. The signal was made clear, but Gray was more than reluctant._

" _Gray~!" Juvia called, once again by the doorway._

 _His eyes widened and he heard Juvia. He turned to the house and saw her. "Uh, y-yeah?"_

" _Hurry up! You don't want your bathwater to run cold, do you?"_

 _Gray looked back at Nic and Erza, but when he did, he saw the blunt looks on their faces. From the way they leered at him, it was evident they had business to deal with him. Whatever it was, it was clear this was no time to cut their conversation short. He looked back at Juvia._

" _Uh, y-yeah. Sorry. I accidentally spilled some of the wood we need for the fire. Gotta round it all up."_

" _Okay." Juvia winked at him, creeping back behind the door and closing it. Once she was gone, Gray finally breathed and sighed._

" _That was close." he groaned._

 _Erza snickered._

" _What's so funny?" Gray retorted._

" _Nothing…I didn't think you were the kind to elope with Juvia at this point." She mused._

 _Gray began to blush in embarrassment. "Like heck that happened! I could tell you of how you just waltzed in and made a house with Nic!"_

 _Nic sprung off the tree and landed on a knee beside Erza. He arose and looked at him with seriousness. "There is a kernel of truth there, Gray, but we have to ask, is everything well?"_

" _Er…yeah. Why you ask?" He was caught off guard by the question, but he wondered where this was heading as well._

 _For the next two minutes, Nic and Erza explained in brief detail how they have been, and how they and Vanessa were in Kalos training. Then it came to Gray, who explained about how Juvia was around him always, but otherwise didn't put up a fuss for her sake. By the end, they understood the other's plot._

" _So you've been in Kalos these past six months, huh?" He said._

" _Yes, case and point." Erza surmised._

" _I see…" Gray crossed his arms, suspicion rising. "So then what brought you here? Or rather, how'd you find me anyway? The guild disbanded."_

" _You can thank Jellal for that." Nic answered._

" _Jellal? Crime Sorciere?"_

" _Yes." Erza nodded. "They've informed us of what was happening, and so they shared with us some very elaborate detail." Her eyes narrowed. "Detail that we sought to pass onto you?"_

 _Gray looked confused. "Huh?"_

 _Nic and Erza thus explained to him about Crime Sorciere and how they explained about the so-called group known as Avatar. They elaborated as much as they could, but compressed it given their time span with Juvia's impatience. It took another two minutes, but by the end, Gray got an understanding._

" _Okay." He finished. "So let me get this straight. You guys got word of a Dark Guild called Avatar, and it is supposedly the new takeover of the now-abolished Baram Alliance?"_

" _Yes." Nic confirmed._

" _We have reason to believe they are rounding up Dark Guilds to preserve their new branch in the line of skullduggery." Erza said. "We can't identify who they are, but we also know they haven't been active until recently."_

 _Gray raised a brow. "Then what's this got to do with me?"_

" _Nic and I have been doing what we can to help Jellal with stopping Avatar. But unfortunately we've come across drawbacks of our own."_

 _Nic preceded afterwards. "We can bounce back and forth all we want, but it has to be at an exact point we know. We don't know Avatar's goals and we can't risk a location screw up, otherwise this operation will be a bust. So we've reached a point where our details are slim to none."_

 _Gray narrowed his eyes, getting a suspicion at the back of his mind. "So if I want to take a gander…you want_ _ **me**_ _to infiltrate this Dark Guild?"_

" _We know it's a large bargain, especially from us. But we won't hold anything against you if you say no." Nic said._

" _But please, consider it." Erza said._

 _Gray rubbed the back of his head and groaned. He didn't have much time; it was here or never. While he was lenient on the subject, he wouldn't deny that this infiltration mission might have perks of its own. He was intrigued with E.N.D and its destruction by his father's will. That would probably lead him to one step closer of the demon and Zeref's destruction. He could also back out, but then innocence may pay. Was there a reason to say no? This was coming from Nic and Erza; two of Fairy Tail's most reliable people. If they came to him, it must've been urgent._

 _Ultimately, he came to a decision and faced them head on with it. "Okay, I'll see what I can do in stopping them." He agreed._

" _Thank you." Erza said._

" _We can't appreciate it enough knowing what you're getting into." Nic looked towards the ground. "We wish we could help more…"_

 _Gray grinned. "Don't sweat it. You guys know spatial travel might overdo our two worlds. I get that." He pointed a thumb to himself. "You just worry about readying and train. I got this."_

" _Thank you." Nic said._

 _Erza stepped forward. "Hold on, Gray. One last thing."_

" _Yeah?"_

" _Nic and I have been talking about this…but can you say nothing to Juvia?"_

 _Gray's eyes widened._

" _The mission would go a lot smoother with less people interfering. We know it's wrong, considering how Juvia may feel about it." Erza looked down at the ground, sullen. "But still, we don't want her getting into trouble."_

 _Gray looked back at the house one more time, staring at the window. Even from the distance, he could see Juvia humming as she was applying magic and draining water out of the wet shirts. She folded them, giving a blush as she felt Gray's clothing._

 _Gray stared at Juvia longer, recounting how she stayed with him. He knew the risks, and he was aware how Juvia was. He looked away, feeling a pit in his stomach for what might happen, but he also knew that this was for her sake as well. Ultimately he knew what had to be done. "…I won't like it, but alright."_

" _Thank you, again."_

" _Yeah, I know."_

 _Nic began to turn away. "Juvia might be getting worried. So might be Vanessa. We better head back, Erza."_

" _Agreed." She turned away and began to walk off. "Gray…" She glanced over her shoulder, smiling back at him. "Be well."_

 _Gray smirked back. "It was nice seeing ya too." Erza turned away and began to walk off, leaving Nic in the back. He began to walk off as well, but Gray spoke up._

" _Nic." He said. He got his attention and saw Gray's guilty gaze. "Hey, listen…about what I said during Tartaros…"_

 _There was grim silence between them. Nic knew exactly what he was talking about, and if he was honest, it was harmful of what Gray said to him. Even so, it wasn't Nic to put that against him. All he did was take it in stride and grinned._

" _Don't worry. It's nothing." He assured._

" _Yeah, but still, I was just after that book. I didn't mean to be jerk to you." He turned away. "I'm sorry."_

" _Like I said, it's fine. You were only angry because you wanted to carry out a will. I wouldn't hold that against you." He began walking away. "You're a good person Gray, so you better not let a vendetta such as that cloud your thoughts."_

 _After the words of encouragement, Gray smiled once more._

" _See you around." Nic walked off, leaving Gray alone once again._

" _See ya…"_

" _Gray~!" Juvia chimed._

 _Gray turned towards the house once more. He shot a glance at the tree and saw that Nic and Erza were no longer there. His mission set in stone, he began to walk towards Juvia. "Yeah, sorry."_

 _He entered the house, closing the door behind him._

* * *

"We found out about Avatar half a year ago thanks to Jellal. Apparently they were connected to Zeref." Nic said through the speaker as he rode on Arbok like surfing…in a slithery way.

"We hit a dead end, and that's when we met Gray." Erza said.

Far away, miles apart, Natsu, Lucy, and Gray were all riding animals, sprinting through the dead forest with an objective at hand. They all were riding like the wind, with Happy on top of Natsu's head as they were hurrying towards a location.

"That lacrima rocks!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Don't digress! This is serious!" Lucy chided as she lagged behind.

"Yeah. Thankfully they got to me after I finished my treatments with Porlyusica." Gray said. He looked down to his arm, where it once held the black marks that faded from his body. "Thanks to her, I've been able to control it. And that's how it's come to now."

"I see…" Lucy trailed off.

"It was kind of a request from Erza and Nic, at least that's one way we described it. I mean it was a plus considering I had my own interests in the Book of E.N.D. My old man's last request was to destroy it for good, so I'm following through to the end."

Nobody wanted to question his motives, nor could they. When they heard about what Gray went through in Tartaros, they came to a sympathetic assumption and left it at that. Dying words of loved ones were personal, even if they were dark and forced one down a certain path. Fortunately Natsu digressed from the disgruntling subject with his own inquiries.

"Hey, wait. You didn't even tell Juvia? Now that's low."

Gray stayed silent as his animal kept running.

"I asked him not to." Erza said. "We knew the chances of success would raise if less people knew about the mission. And as we spoke of, we didn't want to get her caught in the crossfire."

"So then it was for her sake too?" Happy questioned.

"Still, that's cold." Natsu grimaced.

Nic lowered his head as he treaded ahead. "You're not the only one who thinks that. We all feel sorry for Juvia. We didn't think it would take this long for the mission to drag out." He explained. "But now the situation has changed. It was once a scouting mission, but when we got word of this purification ritual, we knew drastic measures were to be made…that's why I had Vanessa go and pick her up."

"Vanessa?" Happy repeated.

"So then she's back too." Gray said.

"If she went to find Juvia, then she'll probably be bringing back Wendy and Carla as well." Lucy deduced.

Erza's gaze moved towards the overpass she and Nic went over. It overlooked a medium-sized town, where everything was surrounded by mountains in the distance. While she admired the mountainous territory, she still was on a topic. "We're all going to stop Avatar. They intend to decimate lives in a town Nic and I are coming up on right now. They believe Zeref comes to any place corroding with death."

Lucy gasped.

"We gotta stop them!" Natsu shouted.

Happy turned towards Gray. "Hey, wait, if it was just Nic and Erza, couldn't you guys have easily crush them by now."

Nic glanced over by the mountains in the distance, taking the scenic view as Arbok slithered with durable serpentine fashion. "Possibly, Happy, but we can't afford to take those chances."

"What's that mean?" Natsu asked.

"Avatar is just one branch. Their size is greater than what we originally accounted for." Gray said. "I've only infiltrated a small branch; which leaves the others and main ritual location a mystery. Odds are they're forming as we speak."

"And if we made any reckless or careless actions, odd would've been the ritual couldn't have been thwarted so easily. That's why we bided until now." Erza stated.

"We got word about this day…the day all the branches of Avatar would converge for the ritual." Nic glared ahead, narrowing with seriousness. "Now's the time."

Natsu's animal gained greater speed, the Dragon Slayer readying to strike. "Alright, with all that settled, let's get this party started!"

"Yup!" Lucy cheered.

"Aye! I'll fight too!" Happy declared.

"You guys…" Gray trailed off.

Erza's eyes narrowed. "We honestly didn't want to involve you."

"Doesn't matter now! Like it or not, we're crashing and trashing! It's been a year after all since we've gone wild, right?!"

At that notion, everyone began to smile. Natsu raised his fists and all yelled one phrase together:

"I'M ALL FIRED UP!"

* * *

Malba City, a nice territory which housed an abundance of lives. Roughly 30,000 in population, and had decent architecture one might say.

It was here on its outskirts that a mass expanse of soldiers and cloaked men with weapons began to gather. It was true to what they have heard, with Avatar and all of its forces converging to attract Zeref. They all were ready to attack, but they were already aroused with the Avatar priest and leader stepping forward from the crowd.

Priest Arlock, and as the looks of a priest, he was revered by many. He had a dark ferraiolo m which had the epsilon insignia on the back. The collar was modified so that it was edged and pointed in a bowl-shaped fashion around the shoulders. He sported a mitre over his head with Avatar's symbol large in front. The most notable feature he had was his metallic mask, which concealed his face.

Behind him were some of his elite followers. One was Jerome, who had a neutral expression but orange eyes. He had an unkempt shaggy head with metallic gray armor with baggy pants, underneath a gray coat with black shoulder armor.

Next to him was Abel, who had a small body and clothed in a blue cloth with black leopard-like rings. He had a clown face and a red nose, with a green scarf around his neck. The prominent feature was his massive headpiece, which was yellow and black striped.

Another was D-6, who was a very tall man covered from head to toe in black armor, with two hands and a skull printed on the front. He had a silver masked with a single red and black eye. His shoulder armor also represented demon faces.

Mary, Arlock's granddaughter, was a small teenaged girl with short pink hair and framing her dainty face. She had large eyes with golden diamond pupils instead of regular eyes. She had a dark turtleneck with a bright skirt beneath, with her having a necklace around her neck.

Briar was a tall and rather curvaceous woman of dark skin. She had thin eyebrows and curvy eyelashes. Her blonde hair had bangs slicking upwards, in contrast to her long hair reaching down her back. She had a polka dotted cloak, which could barely conceal her lewd blue bandeau. At her hips was a loincloth and beneath that was bandages making an X on the ankles all the way down to her sandals.

All of them stood in attention as the army behind was ready.

Jerome looked intrigued as he turned his head, realizing some members were missing. "Where's Goumon and Gray?" He questioned.

"Possibly with the prisoners still." Briar answered.

"I see…" Jerome leered ahead. "Still, what's taking Gray so long? Maybe…"

"Nobody cares, underlashes." Briar sneered.

"U-underlashes?!" Jerome got flustered, angered by the insult made to his lashes beneath his eyes.

D-6 turned around, staring at the many numbers that went on to the distance away. "Just look around. All have come for the ritual."

"And that's why with these numbers, that 'traitor' as you say nor council would have zero chance of defeating us." Briar finished.

Jerome put a hand to his chin, thinking briefly. "Hmmm…you may have a point." He said. _'And underlashes, I think that may work.'_

"Oh~! It's going to start! I can't wait!" Abel teetered left and right, hoping in place out of joy.

Mary clasped her hands together, smiling in happiness. "We're finally going to meet Zeref."

Arlock stepped forward, the rowdy soldiers beginning to calm in place of their leader. With attention set, Arlock began to talk.

"We shall now commence the ritual with Malba City." He declared. "This town we see before us…" He turned and pointed his stave at the gates with accusation. "Bears no sin. Their residence of many lives are clueless to what the real world is about. With my securities bestowed to you all, we shall bring our savior and purify all!"

"ALL HAIL ZEREF!" The soldiers cheered.

"Accept these 30,000 in compensation for your appearance, great one." Arlock said. Once more, he pointed at the town. "Now, purify these souls!"

"CHARGE~!"

All the solders present screamed and began their trek towards the gates of Malba City. They all had weapons set and poised to kill in the name of Zeref.

As they closed in on the gates, the flood of people were interceded by what looked like three unknown figures at the gates.

"Hey! Someone's in the way!"

"Doesn't matter! Kill them and mow them all down!"

"Yeah!"

All the soldiers closed in on them, weapons poised to strike. "FOR ZEREF-!"

A sudden explosion happened at the gates, the shockwaves of heat and intense force sending many flying. All close enough were caught in the blast were hurling back, screaming in agony.

"Hm?" Arlock and his elites looked ahead, staring at the many of followers blown away by that singular attack. It looked like fifty – if not a hundred in one blow.

As bodies fell, the dust cleared, revealing a cocky smirk and pink hair. "Heh…looks like you guys forgot to look where you're going."

Natsu Dragneel, present for battle with Gray, Lucy, and Happy – the last having a stick in hand.

"Bring it on!" Natsu waved his hand cloaked in fire, sending an arch of fire that expanded outwards. The attack was like a raging fire wall that caused heated shockwaves to send more flying. Many tumbled and ell on their faces, while many more were taken back by the Magic Power they had to deal with.

"Alright!" Happy cheered.

Lucy held out her key with a serious expression. " **Open: Gate of the Golden Bull – Taurus!** "

A magic seal appeared before her and Taurus appeared with fists clutched. "Mmooo~!"

"And now…" Lucy held the key to her chest, both she and the key glowed brightly. " **Star Dress: Taurus!** "

As the glow faded, it revealed Lucy with a new attire as well. Lucy's long blonde hair had become two buds on the sides of her head. She had on a revealing attire of black and white; one leg was bare while another was black with a sachet. The belt buckle had Taurus's insignia on it. The top had a spotted black and white bra with tassels hanging from beneath with spotted armbands. She held a whip in hand, ready to do battle.

"Let's go, Taurus!" She declared.

Gray smirked as he eyed the elites. "This is going to be a blast."

Jerome gritted his teeth at Gray. He knew from the bottom of his gut that something was off about him, he only wished he got beneath his skin earlier. "Damn you…Gray!"

A tremor exerted from far away, shuddering the ground and all its forces. In the back, a dust cloud was seen, even from a mile away, if not two.

"What is happening?!" Arlock demanded.

"S-sir!" A grunt came up running panting as he escaped from the crowd behind. "We…we have a problem! Our reinforcements are taking blows!"

Jerome whipped around with shock. "What?! The council is onto us already?!"

The grunt shuddered with fright. "A-actually…"

* * *

As the dust raged on, many grunts went flying as four figures were seen riding into the fray. Many reinforcements were hurrying to advance, but they were struck down by sword slashes or creatures they rode on.

Riding into battle on their Pokémon , Nic and Erza's cloaks were caught in the wind, revealing their new attires as they sprung out of the cloud.

Erza now had new armor built around herself. The gauntlets were sturdier and this time, unlike her previous armors, this one showed her monstrous bust. She also sported a red cape that flowed back in the winds. At last she looked like a gallant knight.

Nic also sported a brand new attire. To an extent, he almost looked like a Shinigami. He had a gray V-neck beneath a black, loose, short-sleeved top. Relatively, it resembled much like the old version, with purple edging as ever, but the sleeves were an inch over the elbows, and an inner layer of purple thin sleeves were seen. He had dark blue pants that stopped above his ankles, however, they were concealed by a thin, black skirt-like underside that went with the Shinigami look. His belt buckle remained the same, but a purple sash replaced the belt itself. He had gray socks with dark sandals fit for melee. His Mega Wristband was gone, now a purple bandana was tied around his left sleeve, sporting the Key Stone stitched into it.

Erza pointed her sword ahead towards the fray. "Houndoom, **Dark Pulse!** "

Houndoom continued his course and opened his mouth, where he unleashed a large volume of rings of darkness jumbled together and trailed along the earth. It reached a group together, where a large-scale explosion of darkness enveloped them. Many flew around while others were moving out of the way. Erza rode on Houndoom and passed them, slashing her sword and cutting down forces.

Nic put his hands together, and separated to make elongated, glowing claws for Slash. "Arbok, **Ice Fang!** " Nic commanded.

Arbok slithered beneath, his speed breakneck as his mouth opened and the sharp fangs glowed blue and elongated into icy fangs, where four blue aura-like fangs emerged outside. As Arbok lunged ahead, streams of blue and white flowed behind in a split second. White on the top, slicing everything, and the blue on the bottom making the air colder, ice and gashes through a vast number of soldiers.

Nic crouched on Arbok and jumped into the air. " **Earthquake!** "

Arbok arched up and let out an antagonizing hiss into the air, which made the earth itself shake to the force Arbok displayed. He swerved into a leap above, and he arched and vertically flipped downwards with his tail hitting the ground with tremendous force. At first, there was a crater where the tail caved in, but then the crater expanded, causing the ground to cave in every couple of meters, sinking many soldiers. As dust arose, so did rock. It was like a meteor shower of rocks that erupted from beneath Arbok's tail that showered across the land far and wide. As ground ripped and turned over, all the forces around screamed as either rocks hammered them from above or the dusty shockwaves blew them away.

As the dust cleared, it revealed a very large, thin crater with clear space all around, with earth turned over with hundreds of grunts possibly a mile away buried and layered in dust, bones broken from shockwaves.

Arbok adjusted and hissed as he leered ahead. Nic, and Erza on Houndoom, landed beside Arbok, grinning as they all lunged ahead.

"The only ones that will be purified is you!" Nic declared.

* * *

 **Hi guys! So I know I said I wanted to get started by early July with the Avatar Arc, but I got carried away and got a head start already. I was so excited since I just finished planning the next several chapters, so I let this one leak out before I resumed my other projects.**

 **In terms of placement, I decided to have Nic and the group enter while in the middle of the arc. So guessing around manga 426 or 427, roughly. I didn't include them beforehand because they had no significance with anything beforehand. So that's why I had them enter at this point. So if you guys wonder what happens during that time, I advise you read the manga, because I excluded parts of the Avatar Arc that would've been copies of the manga itself; to save time, I excluded them and had the story told in a different perspective one might say.**

 **So as you have seen, I changed Nic's attire completely, and if you need a better picture, think along the lines of Bleach, where everyone had those Shinigami attires. So another change I will be making is moves. From this point on, everything will be Gen VII and updated, so expect new moves for Nic to use later on. As you have also bared witness, Erza also has a Houndoom. I will reveal her other Pokémon later in the story.**

 **Speaking of side-projects, if you guys haven't looked already, I have made a side-story to** _ **A Contender's Bonds**_ **. It's called** _ **Kalos Vacation Training**_ **. It's nothing major, just small drabbles and ideas of what miscellaneous things Nic, Erza, and Vanessa had done over the one-year timeskip. So check it out if you can!**

 **As or the next update, maybe early July as promised, but like I said, I want to get a thing or two out of my system like art plans and complete sketches of some things. So otherwise, I hope you review and share your thoughts. Thanks! :)**


	58. Shaking the Land Beneath Our Bonds

In the frontlines, Natsu and Gray were at it with the large-scale numbers surrounding them. With smirks on their faces, they waved their arms, summoning voluminous fire and ice and pulsated into the army. Numbers were gradually shortened, and all they did was smirk like they were no big deal.

"Taurus!" Lucy raised her whip, ready to attack.

"Moooo~! Right, Miss Lu~cy! Time to show _our_ strength!"

Lucy's whip came down, slamming into the ground.

" **Earth Wave!** "

The whip felt more like a Power Whip as the ground cracked apart. Sundering debris and caved earth went flying in all directions, carrying enemies with them or making them fall into the unstable earth Lucy created.

Taurus swung his axe, creating a powerful gust that knocked the three men in front back. He too was getting into the fray, and he looked over his shoulder and saw an enemy lunge for Lucy from behind. "Miss Lu~cy!"

"I know!" Pivoting, Lucy swung around and her whip snaked up and grabbed the man's arm. As the man gawked as the coils around his wrist, Lucy smirked and swung him in an arch like he was a rag doll. He crashed into his comrades like they were pillars, all the them flying over Lucy's head as she followed through with her back turned, retaining a smirk.

"Sorry boys, but I'm a whole lot stronger when I'm in Taurus Form." She winked.

A man with a sword yelled as he went for Gray, who looked over his shoulder and saw the man. In a swift motion of his index and middle finger, he froze the man in midair in a spiky ice sphere. The sphere fell to earth, where it was moved by Gray stretching his fingers out. The spiky ball went barreling into the numbers behind, kicking dust and men around if not rolling over them.

Gray snapped his fingers and whipped around, looking away as a bright blue flash erupted from the sphere and burst into a pillar of staggering ice that froze dozens of mages inside while falling more who were too close. "Too easy."

Natsu took a large jump and hovered over everyone beneath. His fist embedded in fire, he came crashing down with the fist slamming against the ground. An omnidirectional wave of fire spread about in a manner like Lava Plume, pushing back unlucky mages in his wake.

As the steam cleared, he pivoted with puffed cheeks.

" **Fire Dragon's Roar!** "

A monstrous torrent of fire expelled from his throat, roaring with blazing heat that engulfed endless counts that were o enemy sized reinforcements. As the blaze traveled across a hundred yards, all anyone saw was a burning blaze in the distance.

The elite mages of Avatar stood there, perplexed with how much force they were up against.

Mary's eyes twinkled with glee. "Oh~! They're so strong!" She chimed. "They're like monsters! No! Animals! No, wait! Beasts!"

"Mary, do contain yourself." Briar scolded. She looked at Natsu, who was making another destructive explosion. Even from the distance, she could feel the heat making her skin humid. "But what power they possess…"

Jerome turned away. "No matter. I'll handle the enemies at the army's back. You all handle the front end."

Briar cocked her head as she and the rest of Avatar's elites towered over the area. They heard Jerome's words and readied themselves for the fray to come. "With pleasure." Briar growled.

"Do not waver." Arlock ordered. "Jerome, go!"

Jerome began walking away, heading towards the opposite direction where fire and ice flared. The way he walked seemed so casual despite the bodies flying in numbers all around. It was like rain that thumped around him yet he pressed on.

"They must be powerful to have just two soldiers handling our reinforcements…but my blade will say otherwise."

* * *

"HRAH!" As Houndoom raced across the battlefield, Erza was mounted on his back, grazing her sword in swift arches that fell many, while Houndoom ran over more in the path.

"Houndoom, **Inferno!** "

Houndoom slid to a stop in front, digging his claws into the earth to anchor himself. He craned his head around, snarling as an impulsive heat gathered in the mouth. Swirling blue fire of immense pressure formulated and he opened wide. A monstrous blaze of pressurized blue fire soared out in a searing stream, kicking up dust on either side and leaving the ground itself red-hot. The blue fire erupted like a volcano on impact, sending a pillar of blue flames skyward while hot gusts flew a dozen mages around. Those who were hit was their attires reduced to soot on impact.

Houndoom let out a huff of steam from his mouth. "(How'd ya like that?)"

Elsewhere, Nic was on Arbok, with him swiping his arms and sending Swift spreading out all around. Glittering sparkles erupted into a smoke cloud that Arbok lunged through, landing in a single coil with Nic jumping off his back and reaching out for the large-scaled forces ahead.

"Arbok, **Gunk Shot!** "

The serpent obeyed and opened his mouth. At his hood, a silver light of compressed energy was made, gathering toxins until it became a dense mass of silver. It faded out, becoming a black garbage bag with purple outlining. With a lurch forward, a purple ripple bellowed out. The garbage bag became a poison-seeping comet that went along the earth, making the ground beneath break apart from the pressure. It made impact just mere seconds later, exploding in a venomous display of purple garbage raining everywhere like meteors while a purple dome of poison shuddered the land. Winds blew many away. When it died down, what was left was a crater.

"Hmph! Thessse people are chumpsss." The Poison-type hissed.

"For big numbers, they dwindled fast." Nic commented. As he finished the sentence, a guy was lunging from behind with a mace. Without so much as even looking, he back-kicked the man's gut, making him gag and fall to his side.

"Nic!"

Nic turned around, seeing Erza approach on her Houndoom.

"We've got it covered here. You cut through the front and get the forces in the middle." She advised.

"You sure?" Nic sounded uneasy about the scenario, but really it was more of _not_ being alongside Erza.

Erza smiled in reassurance. "Don't worry. We'll meet up soon."

With a smile of understanding, he nodded and got out a Poke Ball. "Alright then. Arbok, return for now."

Arbok bowed dutifully towards Nic. "Asss you wish." His services satisfied, Arbok retreated into his Poke Ball and stashed away.

Without worrying to look back, Nic darted off with his impressive speed. He leaned forward and zipped with grave of a charged Heliolisk. "I'm counting on you!" He yelled as he darted forward.

Erza smiled confidently as she watched Nic enter battle afar.

"Men! Counter with magic!" A grunt ordered. Behind him, a platoon of soldiers and hooded men had magical staves out and aimed for Erza and Houndoom. "Now!"

Erza turned forward in time to see magical barrages heading her way. Immediately she leaped off Houndoom as the Dark/Fire-type leaped out of range. As Erza was in midair, she pointed a Poke Ball at Houndoom. "Houndoom, return!"

The red laser reached Houndoom as he landed, making withdraw back into the Poke Ball.

Erza began to somersault through the air and begun yet another requip. As she flipped, the dress materialized. Landing on a knee, it revealed a new armor. She now sported a gown with an opening to the over-abundant chest. It comprised of shoulderless sleeves and a flower on her dainty left hand; accompanying that were knee-high high heeled boots. The most intricate part to the armor was how there was a set of "wing" made up of individual black blades with silver trimming and gold insignias. Her hair was in a high bud, with wavy red hair flowing down like a waterfall.

"S-she transformed?!" A guy squealed in fright.

Erza pulled out another Poke Ball, maintaining proper form as she swiped horizontally. "Come out!"

The Poke Ball opened, and out appeared a Pokémon Nic fought long ago against Wikstrom. She had a circular shield in front and looked like a golden regal sword with a single purple eye and dark tassels with swirled purple ends to the fingers. This was none other than the Royal Sword Pokémon, Aegislash.

"Just tell me where to raise my blade." Aegislash stated.

The blades on Erza's sides followed her arms, spreading out in a long arch. "Dance!" She ordered.

Her many swords acted like her Heaven's Wheel Armor, manipulated through the atmosphere in a fiery display of grace yet controlled might. To everyone's shock, the swords flew around like they were a tempest, cutting into enemies and creating small dust clouds that scattered alongside bodies. But she was far from satisfied.

"Aegislash, **Night Slash!** " She followed up.

Aegislash arose into the atmosphere, her Ability activating. With Stance Change undergoing its dynamics, Aegislash's blade unsheathed from the back of the shield, and the shield itself slipped onto the left tassel. Aegislash's edged lower half glowed a bright purple and she swung herself in a long arch. A purple trail followed her path as many of those who backed away from Erza's previous attack was struck down simultaneously.

The wings regrouped to Erza's back and clanked into position like gears. With the "wings" set in position, Aegislash floated next to Erza, staring with her refined eye at the many in the distance who were petrified in fear. The knight moved forward a step, towering with might. "You still wish to go on?"

The many men were quivering in fright over their enemies, unable to give a proper response.

Aegislash's eye moved to glance at something. "On your right!"

Erza took heed of her Pokémon's warning and her reflexes kicked in. As a sword came down, her right set of wing blades curled over and defended her. The assailant revealed himself to be Jerome, and he smirked casually and darkly.

"What a beautiful knight you are." He hissed.

The sword Jerome used continued to press against Erza's blades, applying pressure and – to Erza's surprise – began to eat at the swords she defended with. The swords rotted away, shattering to fragments that spread across the ground. With her right side open, Erza leaped back and watched Jerome as she got a good look at his sword.

He held a very bizarre blade, one with a rather large, round rain guard coated in belts, which climbed towards the middle. The knuckle guard was also surprisingly large. "Quite the interesting blade you have there." She commented.

Jerome smirked. "Beautiful _and_ generous. Just when this day couldn't get any better."

On the sidelines, many of the Avatar mages were staggering with hopes rising in their conquest. They were wide-eyed with shock and relief as an elite showed up.

"It's Lord Jerome!" One shouted.

"Alright, Jerome of the Dark Sword! Take it to her!" Another shouted.

Ignoring the peanut gallery, Jerome wasted no breath as he attacked Erza once more. The sword thrust ahead, but once again Erza countered by moving her left arm around, making three of her blades on the left side curl over and parry the blade.

Same as before, steam and acidic decay corroded through the three blades. Taking caution highly, Erza withstood her footing as her three blades shattered to rotting dust cascaded into the wind, leaving her with one left.

"Is that all you got against my Dark Sword?" Jerome scoffed.

"So it corrodes upon contact, huh?" Erza analyzed.

Jerome raised his blade once again, preparing a downward strike.

Knowing what actions to take, Erza's gaze fixated on her opponent. "Aegislash! **King's Shield!** "

"It's all over!"

As Jerome brought his sword down, Aegislash went twirling over Erza's head. Her sword dislodged once more and spun downwards until it was stuck on the back of the shield once more, arms folded back. Light blue hexagonal shapes materialized one by one in rapid succession until they formed a shield. Jerome's Dark Sword connected with the defensive move, making a loud clank.

To Jerome's surprise, the shield wasn't breaking apart. His shock got the best of him and he reeled back, sliding to a stop as a thick blue aura encased his body. "Wait, what's this?" He questioned. "Why do I feel…weaker?"

"My blades…"

Jerome looked back, but it was too late as the last one Erza had was in her grip. Slashing in an arch from the distance, a gash spread across Jerome's chest. The dark mage screamed out in horrid agony as the slash was so quick yet so far. He didn't even see it. "…does not need direct contact to strike you down."

Jerome fell onto his side, gagging blood as he fell from that one blow. As he was defeated, the many followers who supported him despaired once more. They paled as Erza requipped once more, transforming back into her updated armor and looked back to them; Aegislash by her side.

"Who else is next?"

* * *

Lucy snapped her whip as the dust cleared, seeing many either fleeing or lying in crushing defeat. With Taurus by her side, the two were rampaging like a horde of Tauros that thrashed with Anger Point at its peak. Suffice to say had the guts to fight them all.

"Lu~cy~." Taurus groaned.

"Yes, Tauru-u…" When she looked back to her Celestial Spirit, she saw how the perverted cow had miraculously went from a rampaging beast to a sickly cow. He was shivering in place, sweating profusely. He looked like he really had to use the restroom, if spirits ever do use them.

"What's wrong with you?!"

"I…I…" Taurus clutched his stomach, a vibrant gurgling being heard. It sounded grotesque.

Lucy of course didn't think so highly. "Seriously? At this time…" She trailed off, her voice growing silent as her stomach grew louder. A gurgle of her own bowels exploded, and an insatiable, queasy feeling grew in the blonde's digestive track. She covered her stomach in embarrassment and surprise. "N-no…not me too…"

A giggle was heard from behind, catching Lucy's attention. As she turned around, she caught the unpleasant sight of Avatar Elite, Mary, and her smirked widened.

"Hi~!" The girl chimed.

Lucy and Taurus looked at her while still in pain. They looked like they wanted to say something, but their insides were taking up their entire willpower. Coincidentally Happy was nearby as well. The stick fell from his hand as he fluttered to the ground, groaning. Mary giggled once more at the sight.

"Do you like my form of Black Magic? It's called Virus." She chimed. "It's the kind that eats you from the inside out." She pointed an index finger upwards. "So right now, your bowels are expanding and contraction. You might want to find a toilet or…well, you know!"

"T…that's not…fa…ir…" Lucy quivered, unable to hide the red in her face as the gurgling intensified.

Taurus' face was covered in sweat. He looked like he was about to pass out. "Miss…Lucy…I don't think I can hold it!"

"Don't!" Lucy barked. Her breath hitched as she dropped to her knees besides Happy, the gastric pain flowing through her increasing by the second. The gurgling didn't stop, and she could barely breathe in and out deeply without the extensive prospects of what would happen if they didn't find a bathroom. The unpleasant image was enough to make Lucy pale.

Mary waltzed over, humming like a sweet girl as she stood over Lucy. The pink-haired girl tilted her head so innocently. "So you're really Gray's friends? From that guild…what was it? Fairy Tail? You're so weak that it's almost sad."

Lucy tried desperately to fight back. She arose to her feet and got her bottom up. "Don't…count us out…just yet…" Although with her will unstable, her shuddering didn't help at all.

Mary put her index and middle fingers to her head, smiling wide. "Well I had fun seeing you squirm. I'll just make a virus attack your brain and…"

Lucy and Happy alike suddenly went wide-eyed. It wasn't from the brain virus, no; there was something else. For the oddest reason – and thankfully miraculous at that – the gurgling stopped. Their bellies were all calming down.

Lucy looked to her stomach, shocked. "Hey! That pain I felt, it's gone."

"Hm?" Mary hummed.

"Yeah, me too!" Happy said.

"I'm better too…?" Taurus said.

Mary took a step back, bewildered by her magic failing. "What happened?"

" **Body Anomaly Reversal Magic, Raise!** "

Everyone turned their attention towards the familiar head of blue long hair that flowed in the raging battle winds. There she was, Wendy, and beside her was Carla, but the feline, having discovered Transformation Magic, had looked more human, befitting combat. In this form, Carla was the same height as Wendy and retained white cat ears and a tail. Wendy smiled at her team. "Hi guys!"

"Wendy!" Lucy shouted in surprise.

"And Carla!" Happy added.

"Hold on!" Carla yelled back. "Lucy, behind you!"

"GRAH!" Mary jumped for Lucy when her back was turned. However, catching Carla's warning helped Lucy as she cracked her knuckles and turned around as Mary came down onto her.

"This is for my stomach you little jerk!" Lucy's fist balled and she punched forward.

" **Lucy Punch!** "

The impact of the punch embedded with Taurus Form's immense strength sent a shock through Mary's gut. The impact was so brutal that the little girl's eyes became white and all color left her face. The girl stumbled back as Lucy retracted her punch. The girl wobbled around until she finally began toppling over.

"Gran…pa…" She spatted out before falling unconscious. As she laid there in defeat, Lucy retracted her fist.

Wendy clasped her hands together with a smile. "Lucy, that was amazing!" She chimed.

Carla crossed her arms, unamused compared to her friend. "Lucy Punch? How long did that take in the making?"

Lucy sheepishly rubbed the back of her head and chuckled. "Eh…well, I don't even want to know what would've happened if you didn't get here guys."

Carla raised a brow. "Really?"

"J-just shut it!"

Happy looked towards Wendy. "Wait, how'd you get here anyway?"

Wendy, too, had begun sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. "Well, to be honest, we had help."

Not far, a teal eruption spouted, swallowing up screaming men. As bodies fell over, chaos reigned around the area. The Magic Power pulsated as Lucy and friends turned to the unveiling of a figure who was seen with a smirk and arms crossed in an X formation.

" **Nugatory Burst!** "

Everything behind the figure was suddenly enveloped in teal pillars that illuminated the area. The numbers were grand, staggering at best as the earth briefly shook from the roaring aura. As the light faded and pebbles fell with more men, the figure was revealed to be someone who shocked the group.

Lucy gasped. "Vanessa?!"

The mage's smirk widened as she retreated a hand to her hip. She smiled at Lucy. "Long time, no see, Lucy." With her cloak off, Vanessa's attire was in full view. Like Nic and Erza, her clothing was different. She adorned a low-cut green teal tank top with the midriff exposing the belly button. The amount of cleavage showing was shocking given how much she's grown. She had on a thin gray vest with short sleeves with a Poke Ball symbol on the left breast side; the spot where the button was supposed to be instead having her Key Stone. A brown waistline was seen, and beneath that was black leggings that hugged her thick thighs all the way down to where they stopped at the shins. She had on black shoes with green teal edging and outlining, as well as laces. She also adorned a new purse, which was a blue-striped shoulder bag with a ribbon on the front.

"Sorry we took so long." She apologized.

"Don't be." Lucy dismissed. "We're just shocked that you made it here."

"Mooo~! My, Miss Vanessa, I see the year has been sweet on you~ too!" Taurus gazed at Vanessa, hearts in his eyes as he could see her ripe figure.

Lucy looked back with a tick mark. "Get your head in the game!" She scolded.

Vanessa's smile turned into a frown as she noticed the many men charging from behind. With her arm brought in an opposite arch, she pivoted and swiped, creating a horizontal teal crescent that expanded and struck many, engulfing them in explosions of teal that flowed outwards.

"Whoa! When did she become such a badass?" Lucy exclaimed with shock.

"Pot calling the kettle black." Carla chided.

Within the teal explosions, Vanessa's hair flowed in the breeze. As she frowned, she looked relaxed, even when her Aura Magic sensed a dark yet passive sensation. True to what she sensed, a tall, dark figure was seen with a glowing red eye. A dark beam shot from the eye, traveling for a straight course for Vanessa, who reached forward and used Aura Guard. A translucent shield was made, deflecting the dark beam in various streams around her. As the beam subsided, Vanessa undid her shield, retaining calm as the dust cleared, revealing her foe.

Standing in front of many fallen mages was D-6, who stood tall and ready to fight. "Impressive…" He said. "You have such expansive long-range power, but so do I."

"Hey, that's one of the guys Natsu had to take on when we entered the church!" Happy pointed out.

"He looks strong." Lucy acknowledged.

"Perhaps." Carla said.

Vanessa stared at her adversary, seeing how he was much bigger, she could use her size against him and get close to attack. Although, in such a way, long-range would benefit more with that beam he manifested. If that had hit, it would've vaporized her.

Knowing what to do, she pulled out a Poke Ball, surprising D-6. "Hm?"

"Let's deal with your eye." She tossed the Poke Ball. "Come out!"

The Poke Ball opened, summoning forth a tall, purplish Pokémon. The creature had very large horns that curved backwards. The beast had large green eyes, gooey small arms, and a massively curved tail. The resemblance was almost uncanny to a gooey dragon. This was none other than the Pokémon, Goodra.

Goodra opened her mouth, letting out a cry of battle.

"What's this?" D-6 inquired.

"Hold up, what?" Lucy questioned with surprise. "Vanessa got another Pokémon?"

"It sure is big." Happy said.

Wendy gasped.

"What is it?" Carla asked.

"Wait…" Wendy began to smell the air, catching a whiff of Goodra's scent. It was humid, if not a little on the doughy side. It was similar to something awhile back, and that's what clicked in her mind. When she caught the resemblance, her eyes slowly widened. "This smell…it's like Sliggoo."

"Sliggoo?" Happy inquired.

Lucy's eyes also widened. "Hold, you don't mean-!"

Without looking back, Vanessa nodded, confirming their accusations. "Yes, Sliggoo evolved. She's become Goodra." She swiped her arm, and holding up a clutched fist for battle. "Now Goodra, let's go!"

Goodra whipped her head and horns in a full loop. "Let's do this!"

"Ha! Such a shame." D-6 said. "Even with such a thing, my Black Magic shall vaporize it into a puddle of goo. Now, die! For Zeref!" D-6 fired another vaporizing beam from his eye, blazing through the atmosphere towards Goodra.

The Dragon-type waited patiently for her Trainer's judgement.

"Goodra, **Dragon Pulse!** " Vanessa called out.

Upon command, Goodra opened her mouth, where multicolored energy was flaring inside. A beam comprised of the colors took the shape of a dragon's head with wings that sailed after the attack. The head chomped down on the beam, creating an explosion of smoke and dark energy that made the ground shudder.

Even with the space between them, Vanessa could see his aura, even from a mile away, literally. "Goodra, straight ahead! 10 degrees! Use **Ice Beam!** "

Goodra's mouth opened and an orb of icy blue energy materialized. She lurched forward, unleashing several light blue beams that traveled through the smoke cloud and met D-6 in his face. The man screamed out as he was enveloped in a misty explosion that had the compounds on the ground gain frost.

As he stumbled out of the misty cloud, D-6 hollered in pain as Ice Beam was directed more accurately to his eye, where a layer of ice overtook the red eye.

"My eye! My eye!" He screeched.

The grunts around looked baffled and scared at the same time, but nevertheless knew this was their time to shine. Whether out of respect or for their own personal ambitions, they grabbed their weapons and began backing the incapacitated D-6.

"We gotcha, boss!" One shouted.

"This chick's in for it now!"

"She just messed with the wrong person!"

Everyone closed in, but they were unaware that they were charging right for their doom. Vanessa retained a calm demeanor as her opponents closed in, and when close enough, she gave the word.

" **Muddy Water!** "

Goodra spread her legs and lowered her head. From around her, spiraling brown water began to churn at rapid acceleration. The speed it was going was intense. As the grunts closed in, the Dragon-type raised her head and cried out. The spiraling water expanded into streams of brown that spun rapidly outwards, hitting all the grunts and swamping the area in a gushing brown torrent. The Muddy Water created brown waves that crashed against D-6, making him scream as a wave picked him up and slammed him into the ground.

As the brown flood began to submerge into thin air, Goodra stood before countless waterlogged grunts who blacked out from the power. Among them was D-6, whose eye had been thawed out, but he was down for the count.

"That'll teach ya!" Goodra defended.

Vanessa smiled. "That was splendid effort, Goodra."

Goodra looked back over her shoulder and smiled. "Thanks!"

Lucy, Happy, Taurus, Wendy, and Carla all stood behind, speechless after that display of power. It was enough that Vanessa had gotten stronger over the past year, but what was more petrifying was that she had stronger Pokémon now. They knew how Goodra was a Goomy a long time ago, and even afterwards recalled how she got stronger after becoming Sliggoo, but she was packing a hellish punch now that she was Goodra. Happy made sure to _not_ mess with Vanessa nor her Pokémon. He knew he'd be done for.

Vanessa's hands were covered in teal as she looked towards her side, where she caught more grunts' attention. "There's still more coming. Everyone on their guard."

Catching whim of Vanessa's warning, everyone shook their heads and got their heads in gear. "Right!" They shouted, readying to start the next quarrel of grunts.

* * *

Gray reached out ahead and instantly froze three guys in stalks of ice without batting an eye. As he turned around, more guys came rushing for him. He stood there frowning, waiting for them to head his way so that he could give them the same respect he gave the frozen grunts.

"Gray!" An angered voice in the crowd shouted.

Gray's eyes widened as he saw men being shoved out of the way deep within the incoming army. The men themselves were beguiled by the ominous Magic Power that was coming from behind. A shockwave instantly cleared a passageway that traveled towards Gray, who dodged at the last second, stepping towards his left and seeing the guy up front being pushed over by Briar.

"Briar!" He shouted.

"How dare you betray us! No! How dare you lie to us!" The dark mage fumed in their organization's folly. Her folly. She trusted him, and yet she still knew deep down Gray was too good of a nobody to be earning their respect. How could she not have seen it earlier?

"Were all those times you spent with us a lie as well?!" She slammed her palm against the ground, summoning another shockwave that traveled across the ground. Gray dodged right this time and several goons were struck by the shockwaves instead.

Gray looked back at her as his hair shifted in the flying rubble. "What'd you think? Of course they were." He answered. "Did you really think I'd gain up with scum who'd murder whomever they please?"

"It isn't murder! It's purification!" Briar defended. She created another shockwave as she swung her left arm around. The destructive attack got closer to Gray, but he jumped at the last second, evading the powerful and destructive wave. "And were those ambitions of E.N.D's book also a farce?!"

Gray rolled over and tumbled onto the ground. He caught himself and got to a knee. "Now that part isn't a total lie!" He backlashed. "I know E.N.D's book is still out there, and I'll make it my goal to see its destruction by my hand!" He arose to his feet, fists clutched tight as he had an icy glare at Briar. Even without using magic, it still sent a shiver down her spine. "But I won't do it with your methods. I would never be able to face my old man up there again if I did."

Briar clutched her fists in her growing rage. "You~!"

Gray summoned stalagmites of ice that became linear waves of ice that shot along the ground. Briar dodged the waves and slid backwards as the air temperature drowned in a freezing chill. Gray found an opening and he reached out, sending a thick blast of ice that went directly for her.

At the last second, one could complain about seeing double, but Briar split into two; one dodging left and one dodging right. The beam traveled down the middle, missing the target.

Gray smirked. "About time we saw your Clone Magic.

The two Briar narrowed their eyes at Gray and knew they were caught. They had no choice but to go all out on him now. Once more, the Briar divided, this time becoming four separate Briar. They all stood close to another, but that wasn't the shocking feature. What Gray caught onto was the fact they all looked a little different…in a way.

The four Briar all had the same attire, but they had varied emotions. One had veins, showing how angry she was. Another had a happy smile on her face. One had a saddened look and was about to cry. The last one was looking shy and blushing.

"Raging Briar!" One shouted. Her teeth gritted in her rage. "You've made me _pissed_ , Gray!"

"Smiling Briar!" Another Briar was on the verge of joy and laughing. "It's so hilarious to think you had guts to take us all on!"

"Grieving Briar." Another looked away, sniffling in grief. "It's sad, knowing I'd have to kill you now…"

"B…Briar in love." Another stuttered. As she looked at Gray, she blushed and gave a dreamy look. "It's just…I've come to love you…a little."

"Yeah? Well I-!" Gray caught onto what the last one said, stopping him cold. "…wait, huh?" He blinked, rendered speechless beyind words.

Suddenly a shiver went up his spine as an ominous dark aura surrounded something behind him. For some reason, it felt familiar, yet it scared him to the point where he was profusely sweating.

"Love rival." The beast growled behind.

Gray slowly turned around, recognizing the familiar face of what he abandoned so long ago. "Ju…Ju…JUVIA?!"

In a swift motion, Juvia bypassed the shocked Gray in boiling rage and reappeared in front of Briar in love. "MY DARLING GRAY IS MINE, WITCH! MINE! **WATER CLAW!** " Juvia slashed at the Briar with trails of water flowing, very similar to Dragon Claw one might put it. The attack was enough to send the Briar to the earth, down and out.

"Grrrrr~! What the hell?!" Raging Briar shouted.

Smiling Briar just laughed in pleasure.

Grieving power wiped her tears away. "That's so sad…"

Gray gritted his teeth in his own frustration. "Man, this is a pain." First there was Briar, but now there was Juvia. Granted it was a shock that Juvia came along with Wendy, Carla, and Vanessa, but he had a priority to deal with. He faced all the remaining Briar, icy mist conjuring.

"Alright, time to put this freak show on ice!" He extended his hands out, engulfing the area ahead in ice in an instant. To everyone's shock, all three remaining Briar were seen in pillars of ice, all of them having pained horror on their faces.

Three grunts nearby were petrified by the sight.

"Gaaaah!"

"Impossible!"

"Avatar's strongest was just down in-!" The third was cut off when he and his group were suddenly frozen over by Gray.

Gray let out a long sigh. "Man, that sure was annoying…" He completely forgot about something, and that was when it hit him. Juvia tackled Gray from the side, hugging his waist tightly.

"Gray~!" She squealed. She was so careless however that she nearly made Gray fall over, but she didn't care. She nuzzled her face into Gray with a purr.

"J-Juvia?"

"I've missed you so much!" She purred. The rain woman looked up to her so-called beloved, her eyes twinkling with the mere sight of Gray after six whole months. "I was so worried something terrible might have happened to you. You've been gone for so long, and…"

Gray nervously sweat dropped. "I-it's nothing to worry about…" His eyes widened. "Hey wait!" He pried off Juvia and looked at her dead in the eye. "How did you even know where to find us? I mean, how'd you get here for starters? Did I mess up somewhere?!"

"No, no, it's nothing like that." Juvia shook her head with a tender smile. "Vanessa felt a vast aura signature, so we followed her and she explained the whole thing."

Gray's eyes widened. "Everything?"

Juvia nodded. "Everything."

Gray's gaze fell as he turned away. He frowned deeply as he remembered what a terrible thing he did when abandoning Juvia for six months. Even now he still felt guilty for just up and leaving. He could live with his Devil Slayer powers going crazy, sure, but messing with someone's heart was too cold even for his liking.

"I'm sorry." He apologized. "I wish I could've told you."

"It's alright. I know you have your reasons."

"But…"

Juvia turned her back, facing the incoming grunts. "It's alright. You can tell me everything later. Right now, we have some business to attend you, don't we?"

Gray stared at Juvia in shock. While he did expect her to be angry, there was the fact Avatar needed to be stopped. The kernel of wisdom sunk into his head and he grinned. "Yeah, you're right."

Together, Gray and Juvia stripped, With Gray now shirtless and Juvia's top off, revealing only her girdle. They were back to back, ice and water respectively forming around the other.

"You ready, Juvia?"

"With you, I always am!"

* * *

Nic wasn't moving a muscle. Instead, he just stood in place as many guys were surrounding him. He leered at them all, his fearsome gaze being enough to make the guys keep their distance. They could've sworn their knees were trembling with all the immense pressure Nic's been giving off since the start of the confrontation. But many were still unaware of what Nic could really do.

After taking in the surroundings, Nic glowed, transforming into his Splash Form. In his new attire, the Shinigami-like sleeves were a dark ocean blue, where the pants beneath and the inner sleeves, belt, and edging was all a lighter shade of blue. The gray V-neck was replaced by a dark blue shirt. The Poke Ball buckle had been turned into a Dive Ball, and the sandals he wore turned into bare water shoes.

Now in his new attire, Nic opened his eyes, barely twitching a muscle as the earth beneath began to tremble. Grunts all around could barely hold their balance as the few cracks beneath them began to seep with water.

" **Water Pledge!** "

He twitched his fingers and everything around him from yards on end was enveloped in several pillars of pressurized water. From far away, it looked like a giant pillar of water spouted like a volcano, erupting through the ground and vanishing moments later. As Nic began to move, rain poured down, along with hundreds of bodies of men who were drenched. They all slammed harshly on the churned earth, which was soft like soil.

As Nic walked fifty feet on, he didn't bother looking back as he had downed too many to count. He knew the many before him were still able-bodied; frightened, but still able to battle. With this in mind, he had no reason to hold back.

With another step, he pulled out a Poke Ball. "This won't go without reason." He tossed the Poke Ball into the atmosphere. "Greninja! Let's go!"

The Poke Ball opened, summoning forth Greninja. The Ninja Pokémon had arms crossed and eyes shut. When he opened them, he shared a similar glare as Nic, which startled many of the mages before him.

"W-where'd that thing come from?!" One quivered.

"Y-you idiot! That's Nic Pularis!"

"Oh, we are so dead!"

Nic stepped beside Greninja, both having legs evenly spread out and elbows bent. They could feel their hearts beat, and together, they had an overpowering appeal.

"No matter what, we won't take what you all did lying down!" Nic declared. "Greninja, shall we?"

"Whole-heartedly!" The Ninja Pokémon exclaimed.

Both began to reflect on their memories, their rapid-moving pictures simultaneously overlapping with similar events. Their ethereal entities began to fuse, and then their eyes turned purple. "Let's go!" Both exclaimed. In a burst of power, the pressure built into a voluminous pillar of spiraling water that shot up into the air. It was less dense than Water Pledge, but a lot taller.

It caught the attention of everyone, ranging from the goons, to Lucy, to Erza even. As Natsu punched down a guy, he looked up and felt the immense power within the pillar. He grew big smile. "Bout time they showed up."

The water pillar burst apart, all the individual aquatic molecules suddenly becoming streams of water that whirled all the way down towards Greninja. The water compressed from raging tidal flows to a dark water coat around Nic-Greninja, as well as a medium-sized shuriken.

Like before, Nic-Greninja looked the same, and as for Nic, the year has been well to him. While his eyes were still purple, his Splash Form was still there, but the inner sleeves, belt, and edging of the upper half was a glowing purple like Nic-Greninja had.

Their purple eyes and immense pressure cause many of the goons around to shudder at what may happen.

"Let's make this quick." Nic leaned forward, him and Nic-Greninja having runner poses.

"You bet!"

" **Night Slash!** "

Nobody saw it coming. Nic and Nic-Greninja suddenly disappeared into thin air. Many were bewildered, but then seconds later, the two reappeared in a clearing two hundred meters ahead, on a knee with both having arms crossed and holding purple kunai made of compressed water. As they swiped their arms, the kunai vanished, and then every grunt had purple zigzags glint around them. Rapid explosions of purple erupted upwards, making many screamed as the expansive range of the double Night Slash and blinding millisecond speed caught up. A large range behind was enveloped in purple that reduced far too many numbers for many to track.

As the dust raged on, Nic and Nic-Greninja stared ahead, readying their next attack as they ran side by side towards the frontlines.

* * *

From atop of a cliff that overlooked the scenery, a few followers stood around Priest Arlock, who hid his face behind his mask and stared out at the explosions happening beneath. Erza slashed through many with Aegislash, Gray and Juvia were freezing soldiers, and Nic and Nic-Greninja made a misty explosion of what appeared to be boiling water erupt, sending hot, liquid-like shockwaves everywhere. While he seemed passive about it, his followers were another story.

"Master Arlock, our forces from all sides have been reduced gradually." An informant said. "We've lost almost all our ground, and we can't proceed further in front."

Arlock said nothing as he watched the carnage unfold.

"Whoever these people are...they're monsters." Another said.

"Y-yeah, and they have Nic Pularis!"

"Crap! We're screwed-!" The last guy was cut off when a flying body soared into him. Both men plundered to the ground, unconscious as a pair of footsteps were shrouded in a dust cloud not too far away. The figure responsible caught Arlock's attention.

The few left were quivering in fright.

"This…this can't be…2,000 men…and we were stopped…by merely 10 people?" One squealed.

The figure's feet proceeded out of the dust cloud. "Throw all the men at us." He challenged. His scarf was seen shifting, along with a familiar head of pink hair. The man revealed himself to be Natsu, staring down Arlock. "But no matter what, we're Fairy Tail. And we don't take crap from anybody."

Arlock glowered at Natsu, his snickering heard from behind the mask.

Seeing his next foe, Natsu clutched a fist. "So then you're the head honcho, huh?"

Arlock snickered with a maniacal tone to it.

"Look pal, we gotcha beat. Why don't you just give up already?"

"Hmmm~?" Arlock waved his stave around all carefree. "Youth, such enviable times I suppose. However, even when I had that, there shall be the time I grow old. But even as one ages, they too can be overcome…" He pointed the stave at Natsu, the eye of the equipment glowing with Magic Power. "With regret and despair!"

A beam was fired at Natsu with deadly acceleration. In a blink of an eye, Natsu dodged left and went running after his foe, much to everyone's shock.

"Impressive." Arlock waved his stave around in a circular motion once, ending it in front, where a magic circle was formed. He slammed the stave onto the ground, where a weak dome of light encompassed the area around the weapon of choice.

Natsu reeled his fist back. "Bring it-!" In a bright flash, Natsu met something hard that felt like a wall. The Dragon Slayer faceplant on a translucent wall that materialized from the ground up in front of Arlock. The pink-haired man pressed against the magical barrier, grunting in his own folly.

"The hell is this?"

Arlock extended his stave forward, which unleashed a large volley of magical blasts at Natsu. Surprising enough, the volley passed through the barrier, startling Natsu and making him twist his body to dodge.

"You can shoot through that thing?! Now that's cheap!"

The volleys kept pushing Natsu back as he dodged. When Arlock relented, Natsu got a foot behind and went running ahead. "Alright then!" He charged with all his might, tackling the barrier with his shoulder. The entire barrier wobbled from his fearsome force, but otherwise all Natsu did was push himself.

"Pathetic." Arlock sneered. "Are you really so bold as to charge into my barriers? They're unbreakable!"

"Just…watch…me!" Natsu pressed harder, shifting all his weight forward and letting out a harsher cry than before. As he pushed, seconds passed before a crack could be seen on the barrier. Then another. And the another.

Arlock's hidden face looked shocked. "What?"

The barrier broke apart, Natsu charging through with full force. He made way for Arlock like a Haxorus with Outrage.

Arlock swung his stave forward and materialized another magic circle. "Stay back, pest!"

At his call, the ground shuddered as wall after wall was summoned from beneath. A row of eight barriers were summoned in Natsu's wake, but even that wasn't enough to stop the energetic Dragon Slayer. Natsu charged with full force through all the barriers, shattering them like glass.

As the barrier fragments fell everywhere, Arlock gasped with disbelief. "How?!"

Natsu reeled back a fist of compressed fire.

" **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!** "

With one punch, Natsu smashed the knuckles into the side of Arlock's mask. The impact instantly drove him into the ground, screaming in agony as the explosive impact of Natsu's Magic Power made earth beneath kick up. Flares shot everywhere, explosions sending the personal vanguard of Arlock into the air.

As the dust cleared, Natsu looked down at Arlock, who had a piece of the mask's side chipped off. Underneath, he could see something…raw along the jaw line. It wasn't skin, that's for sure.

Arlock began to snicker once more, albeit weakly.

"What're you laughing about?" Natsu questioned.

The muscles curbed, revealing a smirk. "You lose."

"Huh…?" Natsu heard the sound of thunder rolling overhead. When he looked up, he noticed the sky was different. It was all dark and dreary, the sound of rolling clouds gathering and slowly spiraling into what appeared to be a vortex high above them all.

He wasn't the only one who noticed this. Erza had Aegislash hang onto her by the tassels as she swung the Steel-Ghost-type like an actual sword, using Night Slash to fall ten in one arch in a full pivot. When she finished, she looked towards the sky, her hair shifting at the change of Magic Power. "What is this?"

Nic and Nic-Greninja looked up as well, seeing the skies change into a swirling darkness. They could feel winds change with the pressure, yet they only looked unsound at the vortex looming like a phantom.

"I burned my face off for just this occasion." Arlock said. "It's the price I paid, but it was all worth it!"

Natsu looked back to Arlock, eyes narrowed. "What're you talking about?"

Arlock lowly snickered at Natsu's lack of resolve, in which broke into a loud laughter. The maniacal man nearly lost himself as he was looking up to sky, granting his solemn call.

"NOW! OH MIGHTY WAR GOD! GRANT ME YOUR POWERS AND UPHOLD YOUR END OF THE DEAL! COME FORTH!"

The skies began to darken further, crackling lightning through the atmosphere.

" **Sacrificial Summoning Magic: Ikusa-Tsunagi!** "

The debris around the entire battlefield began to defy gravity. Everyone who was quarreling stopped their assault and noticed the sudden flux of Magic Power in the atmosphere. The flowers all looked up, realizing the dark vortex above was by Arlock's origins.

"What's all this?" Lucy questioned.

Happy began to shudder. "Is…anybody else tingly?"

Gray narrowed his eyes. "The magic's changed."

"What a large mass." Juvia said.

"I can feel the shift in the aura. It's darker." Vanessa pointed out.

Lying on the ground, Mary clutched her stomach. The pain she felt may have simmered a bit, but she was cackling with giggles. "My gramp's magic has finally been unleashed." She chuckled. "Prepare yourselves…for death."

Many of the followers raised their staves and arms into the air, cheering on the summon of Arlock's summoning. The ground beneath was starting to vibrate with intensity. As earth shifted, Erza noticed the lightning bolting down. As one bolt went crashing down, she realized how dangerously close it was. She dodged, and instead the bolt struck the ground where followers were, making the ground kick up with them falling over.

Just then, followers realized they were directly below the summon.

"Uh…" One nervously stuttered. "H-hey, Master Arlock…?"

"Cutting it a little close. We're uh…here still…"

Arlock's smirk widened.

As lightning bolted down, the large vortex in the sky began to expand wider throughout the area. The center grew darker, and thicker, and then Nic and everyone's eyes widened as the clouds began to depress. The mass coming down finally gave in, revealing what looked like a large, colossal foot with claw-like toenails.

Lucy's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "A foot?!"

"It's freaking huge!" Happy shrieked.

The giant foot came down like it were some meteor. The airspace shook as its colossal feature was getting bigger to the guys beneath.

"Hey! You guys!" Gray shouted. "Hurry up and get out of the way!"

However, Gray was too late. The giant foot came in contact with earth. Those beneath were unfortunate with being crushed by the colossal foot, while the ground beneath broke into pieces. Those who had room or were a safe distance away ran off in the dust.

Wendy looked to the foot with terror on her face. "He'd allow his own men to be killed?"

"How deplorable…" Carla trailed off, unsound by the sight.

Natsu looked horrified, ignoring how the winds were being made by the foot's impact. His eyes brimming in anger, he faced Arlock and grabbed him by the collar. "You…! You…!"

Arlock gave Natsu a crazed smile, showing anything but grief. "This is the purification ritual…" His eyes shuddered with anomaly as behind Natsu, the sight of a second large foot came down to earth. Everyone down below ran for their lives as the gargantuan foot met ground, crushing the unfortunate and depressing the earth once again. "For the ritual, all of Avatar's souls were necessary."

Natsu's eyes widened in horror.

"Their beliefs themselves was all that was needed. I needed their beliefs to fuel the might of my summon. The ones in that town are of no importance to me. What matters most is that as long as those who die believing in Zeref are sacrificed, he shall come to us, and lead us down our path!"

Natsu's hold on the man tightened. He'd go so far as to trick all 2,000 soldiers to kill innocence, only for that to be a bold-faced lie. The fact Arlock wanted his followers to perish was sickening to where Natsu's very eyes dilated with heat, making the air around him wavy. "You bastard!"

Arlock didn't listen. Instead, he laughed out loud cynically. "YOU CAN'T STOP ME! NON SHALL STOP THE GOD OF WAR! HE SHALL CONSUME EVERY SOUL HERE, ALL FOR THE MIGHT OF ZEREF HIMSELF!"

A large twister came down as the feet were exposed. The tempest picked up in a compressed manner. The strong winds circulated in a column that was as large as the time Mard Geer used Memento Mori. The pillar of air began to dial down, revealing a titan of massive proportions. Ikusa-Tsunagi's face was revealed, revealing dark skin and horns around the face like Mirajane's Sitri Form. Slowly, his body revealed itself, with long hair flowing down the back, shifting in the tempests summoned. His monstrously muscular body was revealed to have claws, and gripped into the right hand was a large and very intricate sword. The monster adorned a large kilt with edging along the top connecting to the guard on his midsection, otherwise bearing no other clothing.

The god was towering high, as tall as Lumiose Tower as Nic and Vanessa would say. He was so grand they could barely see his face. Everyone there was on edge as lightning pulsated in the distance with Ikusa-Tsunagi glowering down with dark eyes.

"W-what…is that?!" Lucy quivered.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Gray groaned.

Juvia held a hand to her chest. "It's so massive!"

Erza glared coldly at the large beast. "So he's summoned one of the 18 Yakuma War Gods."

Natsu glared up at the gargantuan titan, his fists shaking. "You're a sick man!"

Arlock laughed louder, his sanity broken as he knew the moment had finally come. "NOW! LET US SACRIFICE OURSELVES FOR OUR LORD ZEREF!"

Ikusa-Tsunagi's lion-like face glared down at everyone, a low growl escaping as he saw the many sacrifices befitting his godly stature. He knew making a contract with a human was a one-time thing, but this was for a bargain he couldn't turn down.

Down below, Vanessa and Goodra looked unsound as they stared at the massive beast.

"Vanessa!" A voice shouted from behind.

Vanessa and her Goodra perked at the voice and turned around, to their shock seeing Nic emerge from the fleeing army with Nic-Greninja at his side.

"Nic!" Vanessa shouted in surprise.

Nic and Nic-Greninja caught up to her, all of them staring at the other. "Are you alright?" The older sibling asked.

Vanessa nodded. "Yeah, we're fine." She cascaded her attention towards Ikusa-Tsunagi. "But…"

"This is bad." Goodra nervously spoke.

"Yeah, this doesn't look well." Nic-Greninja agreed.

Nic glared up at the large titan, seeping leers into his large, intense eyes. "To think Avatar had an ace in the hole this whole time. And to go so far as kill off his comrades." His fists slowly balled, but not enough to shake. It was a calm anger. "This must be stopped at once!"

Nic-Greninja looked towards his Trainer. "We have a plan of action?"

Everyone looked towards Nic, who stared up at Ikusa-Tsunagi for a long period of time. The longer he stared, the more his purple eyes began to zero in. As the vision enhanced, Nic-Greninja too saw what Nic saw. Both could see and feel the development. They knew what to do.

When it came to them, both stared at each other with wide eyes. "We got it." Nic said.

Nic-Greninja nodded. "That might work!"

"Did you manage to think of action?" Vanessa interjected.

"We have." Nic turned to his sister. "Vanessa, here's what we thought…"

As the crowd ran away in fear around them, their screaming and panicking made it hard to make out what they were talking about. Dust raged as the winds shifted above. As a bolt of lightning crashed down in the distant mountains, Nic gave an affirmative and to his sister, who looked calm with the circumstances.

"Can you do that?" Nic questioned.

Vanessa hesitated to answer, but as she turned to look up at the monstrous beast, she knew that even it would be no match for what they have conducted. Having this in mind, Vanessa knew what to do and faced Nic again. "Yes." She nodded. "I'll distract him long enough for you two to get a shot in."

Nic smiled. "We're counting on you."

Vanessa turned around, looking serious at Ikusa-Tsunagi. "I know." She reached for Goodra. "Goodra, you and everyone stand back. I'll need room."

The Dragon Pokémon nodded and got back several paces, as to where Nic and Nic-Greninja leaped backwards and looked ready.

Vanessa closed her eyes, taking a large breath as the magical pressure around her began to stir. She's been training for a year, that meant she had the capabilities to hold it off. If she can't do it, then no one can. She closed her eyes, her palms coming together in a loud clap.

She began to scream out, her eyes opening narrowly.

* * *

Within the chaos on scared men, Erza was by Aegislash, both looking up at Ikusa-Tsunagi. Winds never stopped racing as the war god continued to glower down. Just his breath alone was enough to leave her and her Aegislash bewildered as it felt like a weak breeze.

"What Magic Power." Aegislash acknowledged.

"This is bad." Erza turned away. "Natsu? Gray?! Everyone!"

The men all scattered, but within the shouting, voices responded.

"Erza?"

The redhead instantly recognized the voice. "Lucy?"

Making way through the chaotic atmosphere, Lucy was accompanied by Taurus, Carla, Wendy, Happy, Gray, and Juvia. They all began and regrouped around each other, shocked with how they all found the other with little injury.

"Erza!" Happy cheered.

"You're here too, thank goodness!" Wendy exclaimed.

Carla's attention averted to the creature beside Erza. "What is that thing?"

Aegislash was in her Blade Form, looking at the oncoming people. "You guys!"

"I'll explain everything later, right now, we need to hurry and find a way to stop this summon." Erza said.

Taurus looked up at the humungous war god, his towering might making the spirit unnerved. "Uh, hate to say it, but seems like a tall order."

Happy floated right next to him. "Well we gotta stop this somehow."

Taurus looked down, unsound as he clutched his abdomen. He was looking a little exhausted.

"Taurus?" Lucy questioned.

"I…think I used up my Magic Power." The spirit said as he was on a knee. "Miss Lu-cy, I have to go back…for now…but…" He flashed a smirk. "You still rocking such a sexy outfit."

Lucy pointed her key at Taurus. "Go home!" In a flash, Taurus retreated to his world. With him gone, Lucy sweat dropped tiresomely. "Geez, of all the times. I swear…"

The ground shuddered, catching Lucy off guard.

Gray caught his footing. "What now?!"

From the distance, everyone could see and feel some form of gravity. It was also fascinating. They didn't exactly have the words, but they saw a teal flare exerting from the distance near Ikusa-Tsunagi. They saw the rocks in the atmosphere being blown away, crumbling as a small shockwave exerted across the ground, making enough wind to catch everyone of by a single step.

Once they all regained their foothold, they looked shocked at the large teal flare surfacing.

"What the hell is that?" Gray asked.

"I don't know." Wendy answered.

Carla narrowed her eyes. "Is that color…teal?"

Lucy's eyes widened in realization. "Hold up a second, is that who I think it is?"

Unlike everyone, Erza appeared to have the calmest. "So Vanessa is using it already, is she?"

"Huh?" Everyone turned towards her, bewildered by Erza's statement.

"Wait…" Juvia looked at the expanding teal area, streams of teal spinning into the air with intense concentration. "You mean all that Magic Power we're feeling is from Vanessa?"

"Indeed."

The teal flare suddenly burst into an earth-shaking pillar of teal light. The pillar expanded outwards, making the ground around churn with dust as the height shot into the sky. The pillar of light continued to flare like an upscale inferno.

Natsu saw the pillar of teal from the distance, his eyes widening at the height it was soaring. "What's that?"

"It's pointless." Arlock sniped.

Everyone down below covered up as shockwaves traveled across the ground. They were able to keep their eyes opened, but what they saw as the light faded and molded into left them speechless. Lucy and the girls gasped, but Erza and her Aegislash remained stoic.

The teal flare evolved and molded into a familiar armored armor with feminine traits, and in the center of the hundred-foot-tall creature was Vanessa, who took up a similar position with the giant.

" **Aura Guardian!** "

The large motionless beast stood tall, long hair flaring like fire as everyone below looked like scared ants.

Lucy was nearly flooring from disbelief. "Ehhh?!"

"That's Vanessa?!" Wendy gasped.

"When did she learn to do that?!" Happy exclaimed.

"It's…a long story." Erza grinned.

Gray looked steadfast as he felt the intense flow of Magic Power Vanessa gave off. "I can feel an intense level of Magic Power. She doesn't look like she's holding back."

"You have no idea." Aegislash noted.

Erza lowered her head, maintaining his gaze on the Aura Guardian. Compared to Ikusa-Tsunagi, Vanessa's Aura Guardian was almost half his size, if not slightly more. She knew size was an issue, but it was more of the point made. _'She's using Aura Guardian against a war god. If I remember well, the longer Vanessa is in Aura Guardian, the more Magic Power she exhausts. If she's in that form for over ten minutes, then all her Magic Power will be drained.'_ Her eyes narrowed. _'What is she up to?'_

Ikusa-Tsunagi looked down at Vanessa, the teal giant balling its fists like Vanessa, who readied for the war god's attack. With hands up, the titan challenged the war god with all her might.

"Let's go!" Vanessa challenged.

Ikusa-Tsunagi adjusted his hold onto his blade. As he raised it, the airspace roared with its swift movements upward. The war god looked solemnly onto Vanessa, accepting her challenge of battle.

The blade same down, but before it reached the earth, Vanessa's giant followed her movements, moving the armored left forearm overhead. The blade met the arm, but did not break the ethereal being. It felt more like actual armor, and instead, shockwaves caused violent winds to be picked up. From the ground, everyone barely hold their ground as shockwaves rippled cross the dusty land.

Goodra covered up, her hefty weight anchoring her enough to keep her from sliding back to far. As the winds stopped, Goodra looked back up, her green eyes fixated on the teal entity that had the sword pinned against her arm.

Holding her weight, Vanessa brought her right fist back, yelling out as the Aura Guardian followed and hook punched the war god's guarded midsection. Even with armor, the giant felt the ear-rattling blow. The atmosphere rattled with the sounds of the punch clashing with godly skin; even more so when the god himself lurched down from the gut blow. With another opening, Vanessa's fist balled tighter and she soared into an uppercut, clashing against the giant's jaw. The impact again shattered the airspace, creating another raging tempest that bellowed outwards.

The guys down on the ground covered up again, and Erza's group stared on with vivid shock as they saw Ikusa-Tsunagi's upper body reel back. The giant lost so much momentum that he was forced to get his right foot back a step. As the foot met earth, the earth again shuddered and depressed beneath.

Natsu had hands over his eyes, seeing with wide eyes at the phenomenon. "Whoa~! Man, Vanessa really knows how to kick ass now!"

Arlock stared with surprise as he saw the teal giant go up against the Yakuma War God. "What is this farce? This is not fallible!"

Natsu looked back down with a smirk. "Believe it, pal, it's happening."

Arlock looked towards him, his eye revealing anger. "You…you can't win…"

"Watch us." Natsu faced forward, watching Vanessa stall against the humungous titan.

Once he regained ground, Ikusa-Tsunagi pointed his blade at Vanessa. He brought his large and muscular arm back, thrusting ahead with all his might.

" **Aura Guard!** "

Extending her hands forward, Vanessa manifested a translucent and larger version of Aura Guard. The spell was so solid that the war god's pointed tip met the dome, but did not break. Static filled the atmosphere as the sword was making Magic Power flare all around.

Lucy covered up from the static making the air blind. "What power!"

"Her defenses have went up drastically!" Wendy acknowledged, though startled.

Erza's hair shifted as she watched the battle unfold. She knew whatever was happening, something was going to go down. Her eyes narrowed, getting a strange feeling crawling up her spine.

The shield Vanessa made was beginning to crack. Another was made. Then another. As Aura Guard was failing, Vanessa found her chance. Her eyes sharpened as the dome shattered the ethereal bits, and the sword went thrusting for the armored chest. At the last second, Vanessa's Aura Guardian leaned right, evading the thrust.

With a chance at hand, she seized the sword, holding it in place. Upon contact, her hold tightened.

Ikusa-Tsunagi growled, his weapon halted by Vanessa's strength.

As Vanessa held the sword with her Aura Guardian, her eyes narrowed. Using her Aura Magic, the gloves of the beast glowed, where binds of aura began to seep out and snake up the sword. The war god looked shocked as the teal binds snaked around the arm, getting around the shoulders and all the way to the other arm.

As it stood, the war god was halted in his tracks, much to everyone's shock.

"No way!" Happy shrieked.

"Vanessa's using her magic to hold him down!" Carla shouted.

"I didn't know she had that kind of property." Wendy gasped.

Vanessa was holding on the best she could. The war god was so muscular that she knew the binds wouldn't hold for long. It was taking what she had to keep him incapacitated. Looking back over her shoulder, the head of the guardian glanced down at Nic and Nic-Greninja. "Now!" She shouted.

"Right!" Nic suddenly began to morph, his molecular structure reducing to water. He began streaming into the shuriken behind Nic-Greninja's back. As he pulsed into his friend's weapon, the Water Shuriken grew double in size.

With Nic now infused into the shuriken, Nic-Greninja grabbed hold and zeroed in on the war god's head. His purple eyes locked onto the forehead. From the shuriken, Nic could see it as well, even without eyes at the moment.

"Let's go, Nic!" Nic-Greninja exclaimed. He pivoted and swung the large shuriken. " **Water Shuriken!** "

With all his might, he flung the shuriken at the giant. The blazing saucer of water soared across the air, shooting at high speeds that defied the sound barrier. It closed in on the incapacitated head, where it passed the Aura Guardian's head.

As the shuriken closed in, its center suddenly became engulfed in a golden light. "Now!" With Nic's shout in the water, the shuriken became a golden saucer, which began to illuminate the air. It looked like a golden comet that blazed up towards Ikusa-Tsunagi.

As the shimmering gold center illuminated, all could see the Water Shuriken become a new figure. And they all instantly realized who it was.

"Nic!" Everyone exclaimed.

Erza's eyes widened, her heart racing as she saw Nic in the glowing comet, and in a new form.

He adorned a yellow helmet, with dots on the top and reached down towards the bridge of the nose with three more dots. The face looked the same, but Nic had a set of red dots on his forehead, while gray dots covered his cheeks. He adorned a white coat with long white sleeves, with bulbous yellow shoulder guards. The sleeves had black lines connected that traveled to the hands, which were yellow gauntlets with the fingers being large and white. The coat tucked at the black belt, where a green shirt was underneath. Under was white pants with black stripes across the top of the knees. AT the bottom of the pants looked like green moss embedded into the pants, and he adorned white shoes with yellow lacing and outlining.

" **Legendary Force – Regigigas!** " He yelled as he continued to soar.

Natsu's eyes widened. "Woah! A new form?!"

Arlock looked bewildered as he saw Nic Pularis with his own eyes, even so, he looked confident. "It's foolish. Nic Pularis could never hope to save anyone from Ikusa-Tsunagi, a war god."

Natsu, however, smirked. "Trust me, that so-called god of yours is in for a world of disappointment.

Nic yelled out loudly as his form reached for the head. With a strong shout, his gauntlets pressed against the head. The impact was like a wrecking ball against a wall. The sound of wreckage smashed against the airspace, which reverberated with the gods cry of anguish.

With Nic perched on his head, the gauntlets on Nic's arms held a tight grip, his purple eyes glaring downwards.

"What can the likes of you do?!" Arlock exclaimed. "You're but a little cockroach that is to be sacrificed! The likes of even these creatures you possess do not compare to the Yakuma Gods!"

Nic raised a fist into the air, glaring down at the head. "You went as far as trick your people…" He balled tighter. "You killed your comrades…" The fist began to glow a golden yellow. "And for what?! A lost cause?! You duped yourself out of bonds! It's how I've come to be alive today! And today, you've made the biggest mistake of your life!" The glow brightened, and with great force, he smashed his hand against the head. The impact of the palm pressed so gradually that the war god hollered out in pain.

Arlock's eyes widened as the glow was getting brighter. "What…?"

Nic gripped on the head, not daring to let go. "Don't you take Pokémon lightly. Because in the end, we can do anything that no god can do!" His glowing grip on the head stopped. "And that…is how we live! **Maxus Legendary Arts – Crush Grip!** "

Nic's forceful hold tightened into a crushing hold. A yellow wave flowed from the head of the god all the way to the bottom, ending at the base. The Yakuma God was immobile, eyes wide with great shock as he did nothing but feel Nic's grip suddenly create a crack in his head. The cracking expanded, flowing everywhere from the neck to the shoulders and everywhere around the body. Seconds passed before Nic turned his hold, and in one go, the giant literally crumbled. The god broke apart like rock, erupting like a volcano that exploded with gigatons of yellow dynamite.

The pieces blew everywhere, crumbling to smaller bits that began falling to the ground. Nic stood atop the crumbling fragment, glaring down with a passionate fire in his eyes.

Arlock stared up, his heart stopping in horror. "No…"

Erza looked up at the disastrous sight, the god crumbling beneath Nic's attack. Despite pieces flying over her head, she smiled warmly at him. "Nic…"

* * *

 **Decided to stop here. I'll wrap up the Avatar Arc next chapter, then get to the long awaited Alvarez Empire Arc. Let me know what you guys thought about this chapter and Goodra and what not! Thanks!**


	59. Old Friends Meet Once More

Ikusa-Tsunagi crumbled like a mountain, debris falling and showering the land beneath with undeniable shaking. With every piece that fell apart, so did the mental capacity of Arlock and Avatar. However, this action Nic committed only served to shock and arouse his fellow Fairy Tail friends, and put a big smile on Erza's face, as well as Nic-Greninja.

The followers looked on in sheer horror of the display, their sanity broke by the might of Pokémon decimating their chances of Zeref.

"Im…possible…" Arlock's eyes were wide, unable to believe what he was seeing. "How…?"

As the war god fell in his demise, the binds holding him before by Vanessa faded into thin air. With Ikusa-Tsunagi gone, Vanessa's Aura Guardian ceased flaring. Slowly, the teal energy began to flicker away into fading embers that drastically dwindled back towards Vanessa. The Aura Mage remained in the air as her spell's remaining Magic Power filtered back into her system. With hazy eyes, she began falling back to earth, much to her Goodra's shock.

"Vanessa!" The Dragon-type hurried with her actions and whipped her extensive, gooey horns. Rushing for Vanessa, the appendage's thin ends caught Vanessa near moments before she could plunder to ground. The light bouncing jerked the Trainer, making her lurch out of her small shock.

Goodra retracted the horns and gently sat Vanessa up on her two feet. She looked down worriedly as she had her slimy arms underneath Vanessa's to support her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…just a little exhausted is all." Vanessa panted as her legs were a little weak, but she had enough strength to stay standing.

Both Trainer and Goodra looked up to the scene, where everything crumbled in the distance with a yellow figure falling against the earth. The land crumbled and shuddered as Nic landed on a knee, his body cascaded in dust to conceal his frightening image.

As the residual followers who weren't defeated quivered in fright, they were unable to respond thoroughly as they once again witnessed a miracle from another world.

"This can't be." Jerome gasped. "2,000 men…just like that…"

"He's a monster." Briar shuddered on her side.

Mary began to tear up. "P-please tell me this is all just a dream." She cried.

Natsu turned towards Arlock, the priest's heart stopping with the sight of the dominant Dragon Slayer. Arlock could only see horror and faces of demonic proportions. Whatever he has trying to say wasn't coming out anytime soon with the shock overwhelming him.

"N-no! Stay…stay away from me! Monsters!" Arlock panicked.

Natsu however smirked as he cracked his knuckles. "Told ya pal, you messed up big time."

Arlock was in horrid disbelief. With all the shock his body felt, his body fell back and blacked out.

As dust cleared, there was a golden glow that dazzled the dust that raged. As it faded, Erza and Nic-Greninja smiled proudly as Nic was seen as himself with fists balled, glaring with a calm flare at the enemies who were too scared to fight back.

"Run~!" A mage shrieked and turned his back to the scene.

Many began to follow him coincidentally.

"He's a monster!"

"They're too strong!"

"How can Pokémon stop a god?! I don't understand!"

As many fled with their lives intact, Abel looked around, the panic and screaming of many keeping him from getting any sound ground on the situation. If he was honest, he was shaking in his boots, petrified by fear of how their plans were thwarted. "E-er…crap! I gotta do something, and fa-GAH!" He was silenced when something hard and flat smashed against his face. The small man felt an immense pain and fell backwards, the dark doll he had in hand flying out and landing elsewhere.

Lucy snapped her attention at what was the sound of heavy metal meeting bone. "What was that?"

A pair of footsteps emerged from the chaos and a hand with gloves picked up the shabby doll. "Huh…forbidden magic?" A rough voice said. "I'm confiscating this."

Vanessa turned around with Goodra, the Trainer looking surprised. "Is that…?"

A sword slashed and fell one of the fleeing mages, making him fall over and giving everyone the image of a black feline in a Battle Form and coat. It was none other than Pantherlily, and right beside him was Gajeel, who stood tall and pointed ahead.

"You all are under arrest! Don't let any of them get away!" He roared.

Behind him, Rune Knights followed the order and charged into the fray. With weapons in hand, many went and seized the fleeing mages of Avatar. With the excess numbers, many were simply rounded up in an instant and surrounded. The sight of coordination shocked everyone.

"It's…Gajeel?!" Wendy couldn't believe her eyes.

"And Lily as well." Carla added.

"Under arrest…?" Juvia murmured in reiteration.

Gray's eyes dropped. "Don't tell me…"

"H-he became part of the council?!" Happy shrieked.

"I certainly didn't see that coming." Vanessa said.

Lucy watched as Rune Knights took hold of the area with excessive force. The Celestial Mage wasn't sure whether to feel shocked that Rune Knights barged in and took hostages, or appalled that it was Gajeel of all people who led the charge. Her attention averted to a smaller looking person in the army; a blue-hair and brown eyes she instantly recognized.

"Levy?!"

The petite Solid Script woman heard her name called and turned to see a familiar blonde. "Lu?"

When they interlocked eyes, they instantly recognized one another. They made way for the other until they met up in the middle, their hands joining in celebration.

"It is you!" Levy cheered. "It's so good to see you, Lu!"

"Levy, I can't believe it's really you! It's been so long!" Lucy smiled.

"Yeah, it has!" An epiphany came to Levy's mind. "Hold up, how are you even here?"

Lucy nervously smiled. "It's a long story…"

Walking away from Arlock, who was dragged away by two Rune Knights, Natsu stopped and had eyes widen at the sight of familiar faces. "Huh?" He grew surprised and smiled. "Hey! Levy! And Lily too!" He waved at them. "Yo!"

"Natsu! It's so good to see you!" Levy waved.

Pantherlily smiled and crossed his arms. "I see you haven't changed much."

Natsu turned towards Gajeel, the two rival Dragon Slayers and friends – to a degree – interlocking their eyes. As Natsu stared with a dumbfounded expression, Gajeel merely smirked back. "Heh, how've ya been, Salamander?"

Natsu's eyes squinted. "And…a guy who looks a lot like Gajeel."

"Say what?!" Gajeel made a beeline right for Natsu's face. "Not even 5 seconds in and I already wanna knock your teeth in! Is that really how ya greet someone after everything that's happened?! I should arrest you for being an idiot!"

Natsu shrugged. "I mean, the Gajeel I know wouldn't align with the council. Just saying."

"Tch. Well, that old tree gramps came to me with something to do, so that's what happened in a nutshell."

"You mean Warrod?" Happy clarified. The Exceed, having a solid grasp on the old man's "sense of humor", he could only imagine what he might be saying.

" _I…it was just a joke…" Warrod despaired._

"Seems about right." Vanessa nodded, having been roped into the imagination.

Gajeel pointed at Natsu's nose. "And now I'm way above the guild! I have authority over all ya trash bags! And I can arrest ya, Salamander, for having a stupid face like that!"

Natsu grew a tick mark. "Now look who's picking a fight."

"Lucy…for indecent clothing!"

Lucy covered her midsection. "Huh?!"

"Juvia! For being a puddle and too wet!"

"Puddle?" Juvia squealed.

He pointed at Happy, who was eating a fish. "You! You eat too much fish!"

"Is it so wrong to have good food?" Happy muffled.

Then Wendy. "And you…ehh…I don't know! I just feel like I should be arresting you too!"

"What does that mean?" Wendy panicked.

Gajeel turned towards Gray. Rather than outright tell him off, the Iron Dragon Slayer and the Ice Mage coldly glared at another. The atmosphere grew bitter as many Avatar followers in the background were apprehended and taken away. Soon enough, Gajeel grew a malicious smirk.

"And as for you-!"

A whack from behind struck Gajeel's head, revealing Erza. From the looks of it all, she seemed pissed.

"Erza!" Vanessa remarked.

"Erza?!" Natsu panicked, seeing the Requip Mage after a year. Even now, he was holding Happy and shuddering.

"She looks angry!" Happy panicked.

Erza crossed her arms. "Just who are you to peg yourself as Gajeel? Even I know he wouldn't stoop so low as to join the council."

"That's what I said!" Natsu argued.

"I am the real deal! What's wrong with you people?!" Gajeel screamed.

Pantherlily, who watched from the sidelines with bitter amusement, had enough. He stepped up, procuring Gajeel's status. "If I may? He's the real Gajeel." He said.

"What?!" Erza and Natsu exclaimed.

' _Did they really think Gajeel was an imposter this whole time?'_ Levy thought.

"This would be a very hardy joke to laugh at." Nic said. He stood not too far away, with him and Nic-Greninja crossed armed. The latter glowed in a purple veil, him and Nic's eyes returning to normal.

Levy turned around, eyes wide in shock. "Nic too?!"

Nic smiled. "It's great to see you again, Levy."

"As am I." Greninja nodded.

Nic turned towards Gajeel. "And I can see that you've been busy yourself, Gajeel." He grinned.

"Yes! Thank you, Luminous!" Gajeel pleaded, glad Nic got the memo. "Finally, someone with intelligence."

"Sounds short-sided if you ask me."

"Are you calling yourself unintelligent then?" Greninja chided.

"Tch! Y'know what, maybe I should arrest you too!" Gajeel yelled. "For being the biggest pissass the council had to put up with!"

But all Nic did was raise a brow. As he was silent at the prospect, all he did was smirk. "It's nice to see you too."

"Nic."

Nic turned to face Erza, seeing the knight venture closer to him. "Erza-?!"

Erza gave Nic a very hard glare, one that left him more than a little nervous. He stared at her, perplexed with her intense glare. "You…" She suddenly grabbed him by the face with both hands. She pulled him into her chest, her glare turning into a comforting smile as she held him close. "You had me worried there." She confessed. "I'm so proud."

At this point, Nic knew how Erza was. He was aware that her glare was a way of chiding at his recklessness and act of improvising, but if she was honest with herself, she didn't have a problem with it upfront. But still, there were two sides to every coin. She genuinely was worried sick about Nic for a moment there, but she also knew he was tough enough to make it out like it was nothing. It was a cakewalk. She's just happy to see how much Nic has grown alongside her to show he can support her and himself.

Her act of expressing her concern never left Nic with a cold shoulder. It made him feel warm, because this was Erza. It was hard to explain, but he could tell she was happy regardless. He smiled as his head was against her chest. "Thanks. It means a lot."

Erza's smile widened.

"Another reason I should arrest you! For improvising on a reckless level!" Gajeel shouted.

Greninja and Aegislash looked towards another; the former with blank eyes. They smiled, if possible.

"At least we stopped the purification ritual." Vanessa said, getting the conversation in another direction.

"Yeah, I know." Gajeel said. He could still remember his squad attending the abandoned church. It was dark, dreary, and as they searched the place for confiscated devices, Gajeel found a man reduced to his undergarments with his mouth gagged. He sat on a wooden horse in front of a lacrima that read 'The Purification Ritual is held in Malba.'. It still left him unsound, but offered no input on the subject.

"We got here only because of Gray. For that, we appreciate it." Pantherlily grinned.

"I know…" Gray looked away from everyone. "But that still doesn't change the fact I still messed with a lot of people. I'm sorry, guys."

Juvia, scooted to his side, a large smile on her face. "It's okay! With you, I can be happy once more!"

"You honestly had me fooled as well." Levy said. "You acted out so well."

"Wish I could say the same, but it wasn't too hard snuffing you out, ya know."

Carla turned towards Vanessa and Goodra. "Well you were telling the truth after all." She said.

"Well, at least that was settled." Wendy sheepishly implied. "I was confused there."

"You still look confused." Carla deadpanned.

Wendy sulked.

Vanessa looked on, sheepishly giggling as Goodra lowered her neck. The Dragon-type nudged her head besides Vanessa, getting the Trainer to pet Goodra's other cheek on the far side in praise.

As Jerome was being dragged away, he overheard the conversation, and that only left him flabbergasted. "Those guys are…Gray's friends…?" He grew silent as the knights dragged him away, ending the might of Avatar.

"At any rate, we've managed to save Malba City." Pantherlily said.

"Yeah, we're all back together again!" Levy chirped. Of course Gajeel grunted at the statement.

"Man, just like old times!" Natsu shouted.

"As loud as ever." Juvia giggled.

Gray smiled down at Wendy. "Long time no see, Wendy. Say, you gotten taller?"

"Eh, not really. Same as ever I guess." She nervously laughed to her expense.

Everyone began talking with one another, their joys crossing once again after almost a year. It was a long time coming, but at last they all were finally catching up; Happy and Carla talking; Natsu waving his arms around, exaggerating a tale that made Levy cover her mouth to conceal her laughter. Vanessa watched with a happy gesture as Erza praised her while still holding onto Nic, much to his own chagrin now. Lucy saw everyone interacting like old times, her smile softening as she could remember the guild. _'Just like old times…'_ She thought.

Once Erza had her fill of Nic pressed against her, she freed him and held up a sword high. "Everyone! This is our victory!" She declared. "Let us cheer in our wake!"

Everyone raised their fists high into the air, all letting out cheers that exemplified their comeback from the grave. Goodra, Greninja, and Aegislash all raised their fists in cheer with their Trainers, their shouts loud to be heard through the atmosphere around them.

* * *

Watching over a nearby ledge, there was a lone tree that thrived on the cliff. In its shadows stood Sting and Rogue, who watched the group cheer in their victory as the sun was beginning to set.

Sting looked on, his cool expression contradiction the uneasiness he felt inside. "Guess I didn't have to worry after all, huh?" He said.

"An army of thousands, reduced by a group of barely a dozen." Rogue analyzed.

Sting smiled down towards Lector. "Man, these guys and Pokémon sure can get the job done."

"You got that right, pal." Lector responded. "I didn't think they'd comeback like this. What do you think, Fro?" He got no answer. "Fro? Uh…" When he turned to the side, the spot where the green Exceed was supposed to be was vacant. Lector sweat dropped. "Ehh…"

It took a moment for the situation to sink in before it at last came to fruition. Instantly, the trio began to panic.

"Frosch?! Frosch?!" Lector screamed.

"Hey! Where are ya, little buddy?!" Sting called out.

"Answer us!" Rogue pleaded.

"Where did he go?" Lector wondered.

"I don't know." Sting's eyes slowly widened. "Wait a minute…" He whipped his head in the direction where Nic and friends were. When he looked down towards them, he began to grow increasingly nervous. "You don't think…"

Rogue gawked as he caught the sight of a small blue object waltz towards the group. "What the hell?! Frosch!"

* * *

As Greninja finished talking with Goodra and Aegislash, his blank eyes caught something down beneath. "Hm?" He turned around, his blank stare towards the peculiar sight of Frosch in his little Greninja costume.

"Hi~!" Frosch waved.

"Hello…" Greninja was caught surprised to say the least. Not because of the costume, more like the fact it was an Exceed from Sabertooth. "Uh…Frosch, was it?"

"Oh boy! He knows my name! He knows my name!" Frosch cheered.

Greninja crouched down, getting a closer look at the Exceed. "Aren't you a lively one." He mused. "What are you doing here?"

Frosch tilted his head, smiling innocently. "Fro thinks so, too!"

Now that Greninja got a better look at Frosch, he can see that he had a costume that resembled him. Save from the blue shuriken on the back, he had to admit that it was a very fit attire. "That's a very good look for you, Frosch." He musingly complimented.

Frosch's eyes widened. "You…you really think so?"

"Of course."

"Yay!" Frosch hopped into the air for joy. "Fro likes it a lot too! Check it out!" He pulled up the pink scarf around his neck to cover his mouth, narrowing his eyes and making a ninja hand signal. "Nin-Nin!"

While Greninja was still caught off guard by the fact Frosch cosplayed him, he didn't mind in the slightest. He was delighted, though at the same tome flattered. Even so, it wasn't something he mind nor would ever boast about. Still, he found the act Frosch was doing playful, and as long as Frosch was having fun, he didn't mind.

He picked up Frosch in an arm, smiling with blank eyes set on the innocent Exceed. "You're a very sweet person." He cooed.

Frosch kept a happy smile as Greninja held him with a single arm, perched like a pedestal to admire the Ninja Pokémon's warm smile and expression.

"Aw~! How cute!" Wendy chimed.

"Looks like the frog's got himself a new fan." Gajeel snickered.

"The little guy is adorable looking like that." Gray commented.

"What…?" Juvia pointed a finger at Frosch. "Love rival!"

Goodra laughed alongside her Trainer at the touchy scene.

* * *

Watching from afar, Sting blinked, his worries fading. "…well, guess that happened."

"Phew!" Lector sighed in relief. "For a second there, I thought something would've gone horribly wrong."

"Guess it goes to show how popular the little guy is, huh? Guess we really have to lighten up a little if we don't want wrinkles."

"Uh, yeah, speaking of 'lighten up'…"

Lector trailed off as his reference was nearby. Sting turned towards the direction his eyes went, his vision despondently squinted as Rogue was right beside the tree, a death-like aura around his shuddering body. He glared at the scene down below, teeth gritting at his own pity. He was gripping the tree to keep himself in check, of course he wasn't doing a good job as the tree had a depressed spot where his hand pressed. Anymore force and he may have snapped the trunk.

"I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm…" His stare was shooting daggers as he watched Frosch get lightly bounced up and down by Greninja's arm like a baby. His fingers curled, making the bark crack. "…o-kay~." He snarled beneath his breath.

Sting nervously sweat dropped. "Geez, calm down man."

Lector looked up with his own sense of despondency. "Mmm, guess someone's got it bad."

"Yeah, but who?"

"…good question."

Rogue's teeth gritted louder as tears poured down his face. The longer he stared, the more he felt venom pour into his exhaling breath. "Nobody is taking Frosch from me." He bitterly said.

"Oh brother, here we go again." Sting rolled his eyes away as he turned away from the cliff. "Come on pal, we gotta go say hi too."

"Yeah, I'm coming…" Rogue took deep breaths, in and out. Calming himself down to a degree, he let go of the tree and turned away with the others. If he looked a second longer, he would have lost his sanity. Lector followed behind, making sure Rogue doesn't look back over his shoulder – for all their sakes.

Down beneath the cliff, everyone huddled around Greninja, appreciating and giving cooing sounds to the adorable Exceeds; even Gajeel was engrossed at the enamoring sight. While the center of attention, Greninja looked at Nic, who gave him a cheerful smile, one that he gracefully returned.

* * *

Night fell soon, and with victory on the rise for Fairy Tail coming together, something else was on the rise in its own unique way. Hundreds of miles out from the area, in an unknown wasteland, there was a lone man taking a steep climb up to a slope. Each step churned gravel as he embarked for a greater altitude. Normally, the man would've been anywhere but a plane where everything was at least full of life that he could take for himself, but regrettably the land had already lost life to another. That's who he was meeting.

The man revealed himself as Zeref, moving to the top of the climb to finally reached a tall, spacious cave. Looking up at the structure, it was large enough to hide the likes of a colossal beast. He stared for a moment with a neutral expression, winds shifting his hair.

Without a word, the Black Wizard disembarked for the cave. He never looked back as the pressure within the cave suddenly changed. No winds blew. It was as if the winds themselves stayed out of whatever lurked within its darkness. However, this darkness carried a monster; one Zeref wished to meet for himself. As silence fell, time passed on, his footsteps echoing within each empty crevice that passed by.

Finally, after a short trek, he made it to the location. In front of a large mound of spiked rocks, there he saw something with dark blue hair, whom adorned a cloak which didn't move. Zeref stood a safe distance away, smiling mournfully. "You've come. Thank you…"

The man said nothing as his intense eyes glared at the Black Wizard.

"I was worried you wouldn't agree to this meeting. Frankly I'm surprised you answered my call…" Zeref inspected the decrepit figure, his dark blue hair matching the dark symbols all over his body. He knew the eyes were hollow, dark, and sought no hearts to join – only to tear. "Welcome…Acnologia."

The Dragon Slayer glared at Zeref, choosing silence over commentary.

"How is your arm? Even in your human form?"

"What do you want, Black Wizard?" He sniped. His human voice was equally as gravely as his draconic voice. Even if it left Zeref with a chilled spine, he powered through.

"Why, it's simple. I merely know of your desires, Acnologia." He answered.

Acnologia's eyes narrowed.

"I know your calling for destruction. That's a rather small ambition, let alone simple. If implied, you may as well rule the world if you felt like it."

Acnologia stared at Zeref for a few seconds before turning away. "What makes you say that?" He scoffed.

"You and I have a similar obstacle. Tell me…is the reason you choose not to because of Pokémon?"

"And what if it is?" He whipped his head back to shoot a glare at Zeref. "I could ask you what you have to be inclined about with these Pokémon. Is their power what you desire or seek to annihilate?"

Zeref chuckled at the question. "No, nothing like that, I assure you. It's just that they're interesting is all." He answered. "They have been gone for a whole year now, and you can feel their presence return at last, can't you?"

Acnologia didn't have to say it aloud. Zeref was right in the end, but he was still curious what the Black Wizard was going on about.

"I haven't made my decision…whether it should be to fight alongside you…or against you. But in the end, I have come to realize there was no reason to choose." The smile on Zeref darkened. "I have made it my mission…to destroy mankind and you alike." He took a simple step forward, a dark malevolence growing from his core. As Zeref glared on, his soft, dark eyes began to intensify into red. The pressure around altered, one that Acnologia felt. "You've had a few chances to have the battles you desired against Pokémon. But I am glad to have met you this day, so that I can promise you this…"

The energy swelled between the two forces, the darkness around them thickening.

"Your patience shall be awarded. You shall have the greatest fight you desire, to fend one last time against mankind, an immortal…Dragon Slayers…and Pokémon."

Acnologia's frown slowly curved into a weak yet satisfying grin.

* * *

It's been a long time since Magnolia has been heard of, a year to be precise. Everything from the ground up was lively, and well-furnished. The events of Tartaros destroying everything left a hefty mark, but they have since rebuilt on the ruins of the devastation. Businesses were back, houses were made once more; even the town's lustrous Kardia Cathedral was repaired to its former glory. It was as if nothing happened to start with. The only difference, however, was that at the far end of the town, there was no tall structure to house Fairy Tail, just an empty space and debris. In this town in the eastern Fiore Kingdom, Nic and his group ventured into it, a sense of nostalgia being inhaled with every breath taken.

"Man! This brings back old times!" Natsu smiled.

Happy perked as he and everyone rolled by the cathedral. "Look! The town even fixed Kardia Cathedral!"

Lucy looked on, remaining silent but admiring the reformed structure that towered over the area. Rather than perk up, however, all the blonde woman did was frown.

"The last time we saw this place, it was in shambles." Wendy commented.

"The town's pretty tough to make it through that turmoil." Carla spoke.

It was indeed a breath of fresh air, to which Nic had to admit he missed. Sure he and Erza could've just stayed here over the year, but what good would it be if they hung around somewhere after what happened? Their little training vacation from home was something they agreed on, and they didn't regret it. They got stronger, proven when Avatar was crushed beneath their power.

Despite them taking down the Baram Alliance successor, they of course got no detail on Zeref. All they did was worship him, high expectations of which didn't falter anyone's hopes.

"Luckily we knew our way back here from Malba." Vanessa commented, surprise in her tone.

Erza nodded. "Speaking of which, we should report this to Jellal. I think he would like to know what happened."

"I would imagine he'd be pleased with the wait behind our efforts." Nic said.

Gray turned towards Gajeel. "Hey, Gajeel."

"Huh?"

"If you can do us a solid, don't tell the higher-ups about what we did, would ya?"

Juvia blushed. "Oh darling, you mean you want to spill the beans on us eloping?"

"Like heck that happened!" Gray argued.

The Iron Dragon Slayer shrugged. "Sure. I gotcha."

"Actually, after we're done with this report, we'll put in our resignations." Levy chirped.

"Really?" Vanessa questioned.

"Man, just when I was actually starting to like my position." Gajeel grumbled with furrowed nail brows.

"At least try to look like you're joking." Pantherlily insisted.

As they continued to walk, Nic began to glance around the group. As everyone's hopes were up, he took notice of how Lucy was suspiciously silent, adding in the fact she was frowning for quite some time. "Lucy?"

"Hm?" The mage perked as her name was called by the Pokémon Trainer. "Oh Nic. Hey."

Nic was reading her, though it seemed easy to tell she was despondent or some reason, he chose to bait her instead. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, what makes you say that?"

"…nothing. You just seem a little upset. Sorry or priding."

Lucy hesitated to answer at first, but she mustered a smile. "Don't be. Sorry for making you worry."

Natsu shot a look at Lucy. He and Nic could both tell when the mage was down in the dumps, but out of respect for what they felt was necessary, they remained quiet. Nic and Natsu thus looked towards another, acknowledging their unison thoughts about Lucy's behavior.

By all means, the real reason why Lucy was looking sad was because she was indeed sad. Being back in Magnolia brought back so many memories, good and bad alike. The overwhelming sense of nostalgia piled on with every step taken towards the ruins of Fairy Tail. With every passing second, every building she looked at brought forth a different memory. It felt like yesterday when she and Nic got into Fairy Tail and began to warm up to the guild; Lucy more so at first than Nic. She could remember her first impression, which was a nude Gray and bodies flying everywhere, but now she really has come to miss those days. More steps were taken, bringing her forward to her first job, and then to where Phantom Lord assaulted Fairy Tail by her father's authority. She could even recall her late-father's face even and how they made up before traveling years later to where he died. The pain. The heartache. The battles fought. What everyone cared for. All these traits were what Lucy began to let flood her mind. After so many memories made, she began to think further to when her future-self and Nic faded away, preserving the universe. Then came battles fought in the Council War, which led to her horrors realized in the Impure Underworld spell. The biggest blow of all, however, was the loss of Aquarius, and what followed after Makarov disbanded Fairy Tail just one week later.

 _Everyone reacted in their own way towards the news then and there, standing and shouting their positions against Master Makarov, who had his back turned to them._

" _What's the deal, Master?! You're doing what?!" Wakaba shouted._

" _No joking around, not now!" Macao argued._

" _You're seriously doing what again?!" Jet exclaimed. "What about us?! Don't our voices matter?!"_

" _Whatever problems you have, let us help!" Droy insisted._

 _Everyone shouted in defiance of the master's decision, angered by the declaration of Fairy Tail disbanded. Among them, Erza was clutching her fists, so tight that they almost stopped circulating blood. Meanwhile Nic and Vanessa were just staring in shock over the decision made, but they had no fight to put up with, not after the back-to-back gore they had to stomach. Lucy, however, just had lips parted, staring unsoundly at the back of Makarov._

" _I'm sorry, but I shall only say this but one more time…" Master Makarov turned around, facing his children and giving a stoic look. "You heard me. I hereby disband Fairy Tail. You must go. Go to where your dreams take you. That is all."_

 _However, voices raised in response._

" _Like that'll happen!"_

" _Yeah! We're staying right here!"_

" _If you wanna go so badly, fine! We can just have another master!"_

" _Fairy Tail isn't one who quits!"_

" _Yeah!"_

" _ENOUGH!" The Master's voiced boomed like that of a giant's. The air darkened to where everyone was caught shocked and paralyzed by Makarov's outburst. He looked at everyone with the vilest of venom, his glare petrifying any and all._

" _Fairy Tail will end. That is final." He sniped. "I don't want to hear that name another second further."_

 _Everyone quivered in fear of the master's decision and the dark chill he sent through them, even Erza was shocked by the master's angry decision. With the decision made, everyone was sweating and unsound with what to do. Nic and Vanessa looked towards another with uncertainty, while Lucy covered her mouth and tears began to swell._

Lucy's body began to shut down, unable to take a step further as her bangs covered her eyes.

Everyone who began to pace forward stopped and turned around to see Lucy's sullen face.

"Lucy…?" Happy trailed off.

"Is everything well?" Erza asked.

"Is it gas?" Natsu asked. "If it is, can't you hold it until we get to the guild?"

"Moron." Gray groaned.

Gajeel shook his head. "If anyone's full of hot air, it's you."

"What?!"

"No." Lucy answered in a flat tone. She once again got everyone's attention. "It…it's just…" Her eyes were revealed to be sad, more than what Nic asked her a minute ago. "I'm scared of what we'll see."

Everyone stared at her with a mix of shock and confusion. Natsu, however, was the one who broke the barrier. "Is it because you think the guild won't be there anymore."

"Natsu." Vanessa chided.

Lucy said nothing in response, confirming Natsu's question.

"Come on, who cares about some building? What matters is what we do now." Natsu smiled.

"Then…what about everybody else?" Lucy murmured.

Natsu was once again caught silent.

"With you coming out of the blue and declaring Fairy Tail's return, I got so excited. It was like a dream come true. I really do think it's possible and all, but…" Lucy looked down, her depression rising. "We haven't kept in touch with anyone. I tried my hardest sending letters to people, but I couldn't figure out all of them. They said 'We're gonna bring back Fairy Tail, so let's meet up in Magnolia'…"

Gray and Gajeel crossed their arms and stared with frowns. Nic and Erza looked towards the other with despondence and back towards Lucy.

"But wouldn't you think everyone have gotten on with their lives?" Lucy asked herself. "Is really bringing the guild back only weighing everyone's new adventures? I don't know if anyone else feels this way…"

A pair of footsteps began to walk towards Lucy's back.

"What if…they've already forgotten about Fairy Tail." The blonde's teeth gritted. "I-!" She gasped when an arm draped itself over her shoulder, making her nearly jump. The smell of liquor enflamed Lucy's nostrils when in the clutches of the hand was a flask.

"Yeah, like I'd forget in a year. Still got brans cells ya know."

Nic's eyes widened at the familiar brunette. "Cana!"

"Cana?" Erza questioned.

The brunette looked ravishing as ever, if not lackluster in attire, but then again, that was Cana. She had a new checkered bra, and adorned a sarong over her dark pants. Her hair now had a bob with waves of brown hair flowing down the back. She shot a wink at Nic and everyone else. "Long time no see, guys. Natsu, Happy! Hey! Nic, Erza, see you guys rocking it even after this year!"

"The boozer's back, huh?" Gajeel remarked.

The jocular brunette grabbed hold of one of Lucy's breasts and bounced it up and down. "And you, you got big knockers up there as always.

Lucy blushed at Cana's playful actions and tried to suppress a mix between a groan and moan. "Cana…"

"You know this year's been fruitful for my liking as well. So I thought I'd go to find my old man, Gildarts…" Cana flashed a smirk as she held up an envelope. "So it was a stroke of luck I got this!"

Lucy's eyes widened. _'That's…'_

"My guess is as good as anyone else's. The rest'll be glad to see ya too!"

Gray raised a brow. "Others?"

Wendy's eyes widened. "Does this mean…"

Cana used her thumb and popped the bottlecap off the flask. "I've been in the guild since I was a kid. So, you can imagine what happened when I found out we got canned…" She slowly rose the bottle to her lips. "I sure learned the hard way what happens when you work outside of a guild…" She began drinking down the bottle's content, gulp after gulp, savoring the taste before nearly emptying it all. She let up and let a sigh of air. "We all must've thought it was strange, being apart after what we've been through. Guess it's why we didn't contact afterwards." She looked towards Lucy, her sultry smile becoming that of sincerity. "But Lucy…you broke the ice."

Lucy gasped in shock. Natsu and everyone else smiled.

Cana suddenly grabbed Lucy's hand. "Come on!"

"Hey-!" Lucy was pulled by Cana, her boots clasping against the ground constantly as she was pulled by the Card Mage. As Lucy was being pulled, everyone following turned towards the other and smiled. Their hopes rising, they hurried behind as Cana led the way down the street.

As Lucy closed in on the remnants of Fairy Tail, her eyes began to widen as many figures were seen in the glistening sunlight. "Is that…?"

Like her, everyone behind her widened their eyes in shock.

There, for all their eyes to see, was all of the former Fairy Tail folk. There was the Connell family, with Asuka grown just a little too. Nab, Max, Vijeeter, and Warren were all looking well with happy smiles. And it wasn't just them, but also Laki, whose hair was back to being short, and Romeo with Macao and Wakaba. Reedus was back, and Jet and Droy were beside the other – the latter far larger than the past year. All of them, from to and fro, were back.

"It's been too long!" Warren shouted.

"Yo, Lucy! Your hair's longer!" Nab commented.

"Got the letter, guys!" Max held up the envelope.

"Say, Nic's back!" Laki cheered.

"Vanessa and Erza, you're both looking well." Bisca complimented.

Lucy couldn't believe her eyes. Everything she thought was going to happen was nothing but an illusion. It was just het head messing with her head, and now everyone was before her, she could see as clear as day that they were all back. "Warren…Nab…Reedus…Max…"

"Long time, no see, Erza." Bisca commented.

"You and your family look well." Erza replied.

"Hey, Nic!" Alzack shouted.

"Vanessa! Look, I've grown a little!" Asuka cheered.

"You both look phenomenal." Nic praised.

"Hi, Asuka." Vanessa smiled.

"Bisca…Alzack…Asuka too…"

Jet's smile widened. "Team Shadow Gear is back! Alright!"

"Jet…Droy…"

"WHAT?! You were WHERE?!" Macao, Romeo, and Wakaba gawked as Gajeel snickered at the fact he was with the council.

"Macao/ Wakaba…and Romeo…"

"I learned to use magic too." Kinana tilted her head, smiling as she was now back as a mage.

"Really?" Laki asked.

"This calls for a dance!" Vijeeter spun in place, expressing himself.

"Laki…Vijeeter…Kinana…" Lucy began to shudder. She had no control over herself.

A finger tapped Vanessa's shoulder, getting her to turn with shock. To her astonishment, it was Sophie. The blonde mage was different from before, only she had her hair different as well as attire. Her bangs went to the left side of her face, with one separated but still swinging over her left eyebrow towards the ear. Two locks went down the sides of her neck and met at the chest, which had finally become ample. She had brown sleeves with light magenta sleeves opening towards the hands, as opposed to the shoulders, where there was white with shading cascading. Her upper body had a magenta dress which hugged her newfound curvature; black edging over the chest. While she had magenta pants and gray boots, a white sarong with shading going down to the side covered everything above the left knee.

Sophie gave her old friend a wink. "Hey."

"Sophie?" Vanessa began to smile. "Sophie, it is you!"

The two broke into a hug, both roommates rejoicing with the other once again. "Aht khasserah lil gam, Vanessa (I missed you too, Vanessa)."

"Even Sophie…" Lucy was stricken with disbelief as she looked towards Lisanna and Elfman.

"Natsu, Lucy, Happy!" Lisanna cheerfully greeted, her white hair now in two small pigtails.

"Now this is a reunion befitting men!" Elfman roared.

"Elfman…Lisanna…" As Lucy was flabbergasted, Mirajane had also appeared, walking up towards her with a warm smile. That very same smile that brightened up Fairy Tail, and now began to bring tears to Lucy's eyes. "Mira…"

Mirajane tilted her head, her motherly smile on Lucy alone. "Welcome home."

Lucy shuddered wildly. Anything she did beyond this point was beyond her control. Her tears shed, her breath hitching as everyone was back. All gathered around, her, seeing the one who was able to bring back Fairy Tail from its diverged path. It was too much, and Lucy began to ball. She broke down in tears, crying in joy into her hands.

"I'M BA~CK!" She cried.

All of Fairy Tail smiled at her as Mirajane took hold of Lucy and hugged her. She gingerly let Lucy let all her tears and happiness flow out in gratitude of this joyous occasion.

Nic turned away towards the rubble, where he saw Natsu dig into the debris until he pulled out something.

"Found it!" From the pile of rocks, an old dusty flag with holes was in it. But even with tears in its cloth, it still kept the Fairy Tail symbol in one piece. "Our guild…is back on top, baby!"

The smiles on Nic and Erza grew.

* * *

 **Happy start of July! Here's a new update to commemorate the start of the month! I really didn't change all that much, other than have Nic and Erza and the rest of the group follow Lucy rather than split apart again. But on a happy note I left, I decided to cut off here so next chapter shall commence with the Alvarez Empire Arc.**

 **Speaking of arcs, as of late, I have been in a mental debate. I have been wondering if I should make a 3** **rd** **installment after the manga ends, or end when the manga does too. It's complicated because when you think of it, there really isn't much for Nic to do after the manga ends. He's conquered his demons and has power and Pokémon. But of course there's also the fact that I didn't add enough Pokémon into the mix of Fairy Tail in this OCxErza story, to that I apologize for. So I ask you what you guys believe, so you think I should continue on with a 3** **rd** **installment or end with manga and quickened epilogue?**

 **So as you saw, I'm getting Sophie's Hebrew back into shape with this timeskip. Also if you still need a better picture of her, I have art posted on my Deviantart account.**

 **I have done my calculations, and if I keep a steady pace, there may be a chance that I could get halfway done with Alvarez Empire Arc by mid-August, so by all means, I should potentially be completed with this story around October. It's just an early calculation of course. So in terms of my OCxCana fanfic, I am still on a roadblock with said story, so I might either squeeze an update or two in between those time lengths, but otherwise I shall return to that when I accomplish** _ **A Contender's Bonds**_ **.**

 **Fun Fact: I like to run.**

 **But still, let me know what you guys thought about this chapter, leave reviews on how you are mind blown in grand detail, and I hope to get another update up very soon!**


	60. Mission Priorities

"Did we get everything?"

"I'm sure."

"The basement?"

"Staraptor and Greninja got it thorough down to the windowsills."

"Kitchen?"

"Cleaned the stove and counters."

"Living room?"

"I made sure to leave the wooden floor sparkling."

"Bathroom?"

"Arbok made sure they all shined."

"Our bedroom?"

"Wasn't that your job?"

Erza blinked once, then twice, before clutching a fist in her own rage. "How foolish of me. I left the sheets in the dryer!" She scolded herself at her own forgetfulness and made her way to the washer and dryer down the hall, leaving an apathetic Nic to sigh in her forgetfulness.

When Nic and Erza made it back and Fairy Tail united once more, immediately they settled themselves into their home at long last. It was a long year's wait, but even after their "vacation" away, they were still weary of what condition their house may have been in. Nic was sure the place would've been ransacked at some point or thieved upon by unwanted folk looking for shelter, and Erza was thinking the same thing. To their bewilderment, nothing was out of place; no broken windows, no property lost. It was as it was when they left…sort of. With the year that's passed, the pushes and flowers had to be revived, but Nic took care of that with his Meadow Form. And the backyard itself looked the same as it was, but the water got murky, hence Nic using his Splash Form and purifying it to make it clean all the way to the bottom twenty feet below. The exterior was well, but the interior needed some cleanup. Everywhere was dust and a few cobwebs with some spiders that made themselves welcomed on the corners everywhere possible. Thankfully with combined effort from everyone, the entire house was clean as a whistle in about a day's time.

With Erza back with fresh sheets, she got on one side of the bed and Nic got onto the other. "Alright, on three." Nic instructed. "1…2…3!" Together, Nic and Erza lifted the finishing touch over the sheets, the blanket. The fresh fabric sprawled across the mattress, layering atop of pillows and all. With that done, that concluded the cleanup part on their to do list.

Erza nodded in pride. "Well, I believe that does it."

"I can agree." Nic mused. As he looked down at the freshly made bed, a fresh incense taken in. It's been too long since he and Erza slept on the bed. They've made a few good memories on it, some of which were among the unmentionable.

Together, they flopped onto the bed, the mattress bouncing lightly with their hearts. Side by side, they smiled and let out another breath of fresh air.

"Now this hits the spot." Nic moaned.

"This feels too nice." Erza added. "I almost forgot how this felt."

"The Hotel Richissime was nice, but this feels just right." Nic turned his head to the side. Erza followed.

"I find it hard to believe Kalos was such an interesting place to be in. It's like a dream, yet it felt so real."

"Dreams can come true…" His smile to her widened. "As long as you have someone there to support you. All the way."

Erza's smirk grew as she stared at Nic. She snickered as their eyes interlocked. "Cheesy as it may sound coming from you…" She flipped over, ending up on top of Nic. Her legs straddled his waist, her hands against the pillows, giving her the right amount of leverage to be in Nic's face. "I can't dream any bigger since one is real."

Nic's cheeks blushed as he smirked. "Now look who's being cheesy."

"Oh really now?" Erza's smirk grew impishly as she leaned down. She caught Nic's lips in what was another passionate kiss. Though surprised at first, Nic bounced back and drew himself into her moist and soft lips. His arms hugged her back, pulling her closer.

Once satisfied, she repelled and narrowed her eyes. "How's that for cheesy."

"So you wanna play it that way?" Nic sheepishly smirked, accepting Erza's affectionate challenge. "Guess we got some time before we got to head over."

Erza leaned on, her forehead touching Nic's. Her brown eyes stared into his blue ones. "I'm one to relax after those hours of cleaning. A little dirt isn't enough to stop this!" Erza cupped Nic's face and forced another kiss onto him, pressing him against the pillow and blanket to stifle their excitement.

Their giggling and laughter echoed throughout the house.

* * *

A door creaked open, silently, a prowling creature snuck maliciously to where a bed was located. There was something lumpy underneath the blanket, where it was breathing silently, enjoying slumber. The creature slowly snuck up, its eyes twinkling with a malicious chuckle in its shadow.

"Vanessa! Krookodile broke the fresh pottery!"

The yelling snapped Vanessa out of bed. The younger Pularis sibling sat up straight, gasping out loud at the rude awakening. She nearly fell out of bed, but caught herself on the very edge of the mattress, clutching the sheets. She looked up, eyes wide at the smiling Sophie.

"Sophie?"

The blonde mage only perked a smile. "Boker tov (Good morning)."

Vanessa stared bluntly at her roommate for a few seconds before sighing. If she was completely honest with herself, she actually missed these mornings where Sophie shouted her awake and frantically jump out of bed sleeping in so late. Though she'd sooner go down a waterfall in a barrel than admit that to Sophie's face. "Good morning to you too, Sophie."

"You think I'd forget your favorite habit?" The Memory-Make Mage turned around and made way for the doorway. "Now come on. Let's get some breakfast."

"I'm coming." Vanessa lethargically arose from her bed, standing in her black tank top and dark blue shorts she used for pajamas. She stretched her arms overhead, getting her stiffened muscles to relax and loosen up before she had begun to change.

With the year that went up, Magnolia was reconstructed, and that meant Sophie's former apartment as well. Sophie was so glad that nobody bought it yet, and that saved her time and effort. And with everything looking the way it was before – aside from a few table and desk placements in the living room – nobody had to complain. Vanessa got her old room back, as did Sophie, and things were just like old times…more or less.

Once dressed in her attire, Vanessa waltzed down the stairs into the kitchen, meeting with Sophie, who was shuffling pan over the stove making pancakes.

"Pancakes again?" Vanessa asked.

"Sure, it's not like we have a lot of food anyway. We just got situated yesterday." Sophie shot a glance over her shoulder. "As I recall."

Vanessa minded her own business as she walked passed Sophie, making way for the refrigerator. She opened the door, pulling out some fresh blueberries, a banana, and half-gallon milk. She closed the fridge behind her, heading towards the blender beside Sophie.

"Hm?" Sophie raised a brow at the food Vanessa had in hand. "What's the matter, lemon-girl?" Her attempts at teasing went unanswered as Vanessa pulled the blender closer, making sure the banana was sliced accordingly before dropped into the cup.

Sophie noticed the blank look Vanessa had as she poured in the blueberries. Her face fell. "Vanessa…?"

As Vanessa poured in a splash of milk, the Pularis girl sighed once more before looking down at the counter, a grin on her despondent face. "Sorry, Sophie, I'm not entitled to such a thing anymore."

The blonde continued to remain confused. "What's that mean?"

"I…can't eat lemons much anymore." She confessed.

Sophie was caught at a standstill. Her body froze up in shock with eyes wide at the revelation Vanessa poured onto her. "Ma (What)?"

Vanessa looked unfazed, but saying it aloud made her look slightly crestfallen – slightly. "While we were in Kalos, we all got checkups. We were physically healthy, but oral-wise…" Her grin grew. "Well let's just say I wasn't in the best of shape."

Sophie frowned. "So all that raw acidic lemon finally got to you, huh? Bet your enamel are like a graveyard." Though Sophie was speaking on a light-hearted note, she doesn't mean any offense. She was just making a reference, and that was something Vanessa caught onto.

The black-haired single blonde banged woman snickered. "Yes. But it's okay. The doctor said I can still have lemons, but as long as the limit is no more than two times a week…but still." She closed the cap on the blender. "All things considered, I should've listened to Joanna and Michael when they were raising me. They always told me lemons were bad for my teeth, saying they'd make my smile too yellow."

Sophie crossed her arms, smirking in amusement. "Well, you have been a rebel child, weren't you?"

"True." Vanessa snickered. "But thanks to everyone, I'm now finding new fruitful breakfasts. It's amazing how open I became to various assorted fruits other than lemons."

"You don't say…" Sophie sweat dropped.

Vanessa sniffed the air, getting a whiff of what smelled like smoke. "Hm?" When she turned, her eyes narrowed. "Uh, Sophie…"

Sophie's eyes widened at the sound of sizzling. She turned forward, realizing her pancake was smoking and turning charred. In a frantic rush, she moved the pan away from the gas stove and moved it to the sink, where cold water immediately flowed through the faucet. Steam and smoke eroded into the air, and Sophie opened the kitchen window to let it all out.

Vanessa shook her head and grinned at Sophie. Though the Aura Mage was sympathetic about Sophie's breakfast needs, she too had to worry about her own. She pressed her thumb against the button and the blender instantly began to mix the contents, turning the milk and banana and blueberry into a violet color that spun in the blender.

Once complete, Vanessa poured the contents into a cup and took a large gulp. Once swallowed, she grinned. "Not a bad batch today." She said.

"Well I'm glad _somebody_ is enjoying her breakfast." Sophie sniped.

Vanessa turned back towards her. "Did you want one?"

"…fine. Guess we're hard-pressed for time anyway." Sophie huffed. "Make it chocolate banana, smoothie-girl."

Vanessa obeyed her roommate and made way for the fridge. She opened it, pulling out some milk once more, as well as a whole banana and chocolate chips. With her back to her, Vanessa decided to get more conversation rolling.

"So…where were you this past year?"

Sophie dangled the ruined pancake and dropped it into the trash can with a huff. "Me? I was in Sabertooth."

Vanessa froze up, surprised by Sophie's answer.

"With Fairy Tail…gone, I really wasn't sure where to go. I didn't want to go to Mom or Dad since they split up again, so there was the only other family I had – Rufus. He was generous in allowing me stay in Sabertooth since he was my cousin and all, so Sting welcomed me and my situation." She began to recount the times she and her cousin would pick up books and read to another to pass the time. "We got educated. We've learned new spells too. We even went on some jobs."

Vanessa passed her once more, carrying the ingredients to the blender. "Sounds like you two got along."

"We did. And then recently…" Sophie began to think back to a few days when she returned from a job. "I was on a job when I heard Lucy and Natsu came to Sabertooth for a visit. I was told they were 'picking me up' when I wasn't there. Of course you can imagine what happened afterwards…"

 _The door opened to an apartment, revealing Sophie entering. "Home, sweet home." She muttered to herself. She closed the door behind, taking in a breath of fresh air._

 _She made way towards the small library near the stairs, her footsteps clanging against the wooden boarding beneath. Once she made it there, she grew perplexed when she found an uninvited visitor._

" _Huh?"_

 _A book was seen in someone's hand, the blonde man with a masquerade mask shooting a glance. "My, my, Sophie. I don't remember your timing being this convenient." The man revealed himself as Rufus Lore, smirking as he shut the book he held in his hand._

 _Sophie's eyes widened. "Rufus?"_

 _Rufus stood up, grinning. "And a pleasure it is to see you once more, cousin."_

" _What are you doing here? It's not like you to drop by my place so abruptly." Sophie looked at the book in Rufus's hand. "Did you need to borrow some of my books again?"_

" _No. No. I assure you…at least this time around." Rufus lifted the book and placed it on the shelf next to him, exactly where he pulled it out. "I was just merely brushing up on my knowledge to pass time before you came back. I'm quite shocked you came when you did."_

 _Sophie was unsound. Normally when Rufus showed up, it was around certain occasions like holidays or when he needed to trade books with his cousin. To have him come by on such short notice left the blonde woman with a hankering to know his intentions._

" _Rufus, is something the matter? What's going on?"_

 _Rufus frowned. "Actually…" He stepped forward, making way until he was in front of Sophie. Reaching for his pocket, he presented an envelope for her. "This is for you."_

" _For me?" Sophie accepted the envelope._

" _Milady asked me to give this to you as soon as possible. She said it was from Lucy."_

 _At the mention of that name, Sophie's eyes widened. "Lu…cy…?"_

 _Rufus nodded. "She came by just recently. You just missed her, so she handed Milady a letter for me to pass to you. I figured it would be best that you read it for yourself."_

 _Sophie was half-awake at the moment, while half of her was shut down. Lucy came by and wanted to give her a letter? Lucy? She hasn't seen her in so long, and she just missed her. A part of her was tormented that she missed a shot at meeting an old friend, but she had to keep herself in check. At least she got something in her friend's words._

 _She opened the envelope, scrutinizing its context._

 **Hey Sophie.**

 **Not sure if this letter got to you, but I want you to know that Fairy Tail is coming back. Let's meet with everyone back in Magnolia. Hope to see you soon!**

 **Sincerely,**

 **Lucy**

 _The blonde's eyes widened, her brain at a stop._

"And that's when I decided to go back." Sophie finished, looking out the window as fresh air blew the residual smoke away. "It was nostalgic, but I knew it was a one-time thing; seeing everyone's faces again. It's like…fate came in the form of Lucy and plucked us back into place. Rufus understood. He was accepting, but we agreed to coming to the other if something happened." She smiled. "It's the least we can offer. We're family after all."

Vanessa poured the mixed contents of brown and chunky banana into a cup and handed it to Sophie. Sounds like you had quite the experience in Sabertooth."

Sophie accepted the cup and smiled. "I did. When there was an eating contest, it turned out Minerva and I had quite the appetites."

Vanessa raised a brow. "You don't say…"

"We tied. All I remember was her and I eating pasta before everything went black. Yukino said we blacked out at the same time."

Vanessa offered no input to the subject. While shocked at her friend's appetite, she let it slide as Sophie sipped the smoothie. Suffice to say the surprised look in her eyes meant she did a good hob mixing the ingredients. With that left behind, Vanessa made way for the front door.

"Are you ready?"

Sophie swallowed the last of her smoothie and huffed. "Sure. Let's get to work."

* * *

All that remained of Fairy Tail was the crater, but thanks to the efforts of Nic and his Earth Form, the whole terrain was back to being leveled. What once was debris was now replaced by tents and first-aid material. All the Fairy Tail members who came back carried hammers and nails while others carried columns of wood. Barriers were put up to border construction as everyone pitched in. Some townsfolk who were excited of Fairy Tail coming back gave a helping hand too.

"Droy, finish up that chicken and move that pillar over there!" Erza ordered.

"Uh, y-yes ma'am!" Not wanting to feel her wrath, Droy shoved the chicken into his mouth and hustled with the wooden pillar, to which Jet carried from the other end.

As she watched them hustle off, Erza pinched the bridge of her nose. "Honestly…"

"It's just fine." Nic grinned. "It isn't like this operation is going to kill them." He looked over towards the area not too far, where he saw his Charizard in the air and carrying a very large shipment of fresh planks in rope. "Alright Charizard, that should be a good spot!"

"Got it!" Charizard let go of the ropes, allowing the heavy net to plop below and clang with thick wooden planks jingling.

Immediately, Vanessa seized a plank for herself. Without complaining, she hauled it away to where a barrier was.

Charizard flew over everyone, soaring in an arch until he landed beside Nic, his drop shuddering the ground. Nic went up to Charizard, smiling as he scratched the side of his face. Charizard smiled in satisfaction. "We have our work cut out for us, don't you think, Charizard?" He asked.

"I wouldn't say otherwise." The Flame Pokémon glanced over at everyone hammering away. They all were looking like the time they built the guild hall all over again. "We got a lot of work to do, but I'm sure as long as we don't slack, things will be looking up."

"I can agree." Erza vouched. "I'm sure the master will be pleased to see the hard work we put into constructing our new guild hall."

Laki looked around wondrously. "But…" Even though everyone was present, there was still someone missing. The Master himself. "I wonder if he's coming back."

"Oh don't worry. I'm sure he'll come around." Warren said.

"And even if he doesn't, we can always find him somehow." Max noted.

"Yeah, we can even make wanted posters. See?" Reedus presented a pre-made poster of Makarov, with an added 500 J down beneath.

"You're making him a criminal?!" Vijeeter exclaimed.

"And the price is rather cheap…" Cana huffed.

As Vanessa moved her large plank of wood, her muscles were getting cramped. She used what she had and made it go all the way up to the top vertically, where Gajeel used his index finger and inserted the next nail. With her at it for some time, she wiped the sweat off her forehead with her arm and took a deep breathe.

She looked over, seeing how many more planks were too be moved. _'I guess when I think about, I should be using my magic more to move these things.'_ While she didn't think it was a bad thing she used her physical body, she could've saved herself from a splinter or two if she used her magic. The year has taught her to become genuinely more relaxed than ever, hence her overall calmness, but of course some lessons were still to be learned.

She looked towards Nic and Charizard, who were both lifting heavy pillars of wood over their two shoulders and walking like they were fine. "Guess I should get help too." Vanessa pulled out a Poke Ball and expanded it. "Delphox!"

She tossed up the Poke Ball, and out was summoned a large, humanoid-like fox. The creature had dark red fur like a robe with pyro symbols. She had a long bushy tail and the flame-like tufts on the sides of her ears were larger than ever. The Fire/Psychic-type turned to look at her Trainer.

"Yes, Vanessa?" She asked.

Vanessa smiled at the Fox Pokémon. "It's been a while since I heard your voice." She commented. "Delphox, can you help me?"

Delphox turned towards the planks of wood. "Of course." She lashed her right arm, the long fur she had releasing a thick stick that was tucked inside. With the stick twirling, she seized it in midair and her eyes glowed bright blue, as did the stick's tip as she pointed it at the wooden planks. Using Psychic, Delphox moved all the planks from the pile slowly and carefully around herself and Vanessa and had them stack beside one another, pinned against the wall for Gajeel to insert nails in.

Vanessa nodded in approval. "Great job, Delphox, just like that."

As she watched, Sophie's eyes widened. "Wow, who would've seen that one coming?"

Cana glanced at her. "Eh?"

"I mean Vanessa's Delphox…that's what she called it, right?" Sophie took a good look at Vanessa's Delphoc, who used Psychic to suspend the planks as Gajeel finally arrived and hammered nails in. "Call me crazy, but I think that's Braixen's evolved form."

The lush raised a brow. "You think?"

"Indeed it is."

Cana and Sophie turned to see Erza standing beside them, their shock wide. "Erza?" Sophie questioned.

"I witnessed her Braixen evolving. I'm quite shocked at how well-trained and strong I've seen them both become. Believe me when I say, learning of Pokémon and their evolution is very interesting."

"Oh really now?" Cana smirked. "And how would you know?"

Erza turned towards them. "Hm?"

"When I think about it, you never did tell us anything about Kalos." Lucy interjected from nearby.

"Yeah! Tell us about your adventures!" Happy pleaded. "Were there more Pokémon than before?"

Erza smirked knowingly, hands to her wide hips. "Well, I suppose I can tell you a thing or two before resuming work."

"Alright!" Happy cheered.

"Kalos…how should I put this?" She crossed her arms beneath her buxom, looking ahead with twinkling pride. "It was of places unbound. Everything about Nic and Vanessa's world has great inventions that I have never even thought could be so independent from lacrima. Did you know that instead of magic, automobiles can run on material such as gasoline? They even have airplanes that can sail one across the sky at high speeds."

"Airplanes?" Wendy questioned.

"Travel through the air? Like Nic's Charizard?" Natsu questioned.

"Electricity and gas can start up machinery. The inns and everything are beyond class that I never thought could liven up one's character." Her eyes twinkled as she beamed with glistening pride. "Why, even their fashion designs and clothing are one of a kind. Just sweets from a creamery that Ice-type Pokémon help in. Humans and Pokémon alike coexisting on streets." She began to chuckle weakly. "Why, they even have dazzling fashion shows dedicated to them."

"S-sounds like something." Lucy chimed nervously.

"What else?" Happy asked.

"They have medicine and berries that can heal Pokémon. Why, there are items called Revival Herbs that can revive a defeated Pokémon."

Wendy's eyes widened. "Y-you mean like from the dead?" She began to have her imagination run for itself. The thought of zombie-like Pokémon rise up in numbers began to make her sweat bullets.

"Nothing of that sorts." Erza assured, making Wendy take a breath of relief.

Natsu's eyes widened. "Say, what else? Did you get any new Pokémon?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Yeah, did you get any new Pokémon?" Lucy asked.

Carla crossed her arms and smiled. "To be honest, I'm rather curious."

"Yeah. I bet they're all so unique!" Wendy chirped.

Erza looked around, her space filled with many expectant faces. With all smiles and everyone practically begging like dogs, the redhead had hands to her hips and let out one more, rather large, sigh. "Alright, but just a look, understand?" She relented.

"Alright!" Natsu and Happy cheered.

"Everyone stand back, I'll need room." Everyone did as told and they all backed away. Three or so paces from their original point, Erza looked around and saw practically everyone standing there, wondrous of what she had to show. She reached back and pulled out four Poke Balls; the two remaining capsules having one with a black net-like structure and the other having white bubbly waves over its blue color; respectively a Net Ball and a Dive Ball.

"Huh? What's up with those two?" Natsu questioned.

"Hush!" Lucy shushed.

With the capsules in hand, Erza tossed them all up. "Everyone, meet Fairy Tail!" At her call, all the Poke Balls, Net ball, and Dive Ball popped open, bursting forth the new Pokémon.

Bursting forth was Aegislash and Houndoom, where above them was an orange avian roughly smaller than Staraptor, but had flack flame-patterned ends and a thick tail. The fourth one was a pink and white Pokémon that had pink bulbous locks and what looked like a cherry in top with a sloppy expression and tongue hanging out like a dog. The fifth came out of the Dive Ball, revealing a large rugged purple shell with pointed spikes and a black pearl in its center. Coming out of the Net Ball was a large red insect-like creature with a metallic body and intimidating pincers.

"Everyone, these are my Pokémon." Erza introduced. "Aegislash, Houndoom, Talonflame, Slurpuff, Cloyster, and Scizor. Please welcome them."

Aegislash bowed to them. "It's been too long, everyone."

"Yo." Houndoom barked.

"Hey." Slurpuff gurgled, waving one of her small hands.

"Hi!" Talonflame cawed.

"Hello." Cloyster answered quietly.

Scizor crossed her blades. "Welcome."

Everyone was fixated on the new Pokémon before their eyes. They all either awed, had twinkly eyes, or looked shocked nonetheless. Natsu especially showed immense surprise to see all the new faces and species.

"Whoa~! So awesome!" He shouted.

"Erza, those are all yours?" Lucy asked.

Wendy's eyes widened at Aegislash. "Erza, is that Doublade?"

Erza turned towards her, answering like it was obvious. "Hm? Of course."

"Eh~?!"

"So let me get this straight." Gray said. "Not only did Vanessa's slimy dragon and fox evolve, but you got fully evolved Pokémon as well?"

"In short, yes." Erza answered.

Lisanna scooted in front, being perky as ever and all of Erza's Pokémon up close. "Wow, Erza! These are all impressive!" She went from Aegislash to Houndoom. "Aw, hey there!" She cooed. Houndoom licked her cheek, making Lisanna laugh. "Hahaha! Okay, okay!"

Erza chuckled. "Houndoom's a very sociable one if he takes a liking to you." She informed.

Lisanna moved to Talonflame, who rest her talons on top of Houndoom's horns like a perch. "Hi there!" She moved to Scizor. "And you look so strong!"

"Thank you." Scizor nodded in acceptance.

Lisanna stood before Slurpuff, kneeling at eye level. "And aren't you a silly one."

Slurpuff looked happily towards the animal lover. "Hi!"

Lisanna moved to Cloyster next, smiling and waving in front of his face. "Hey."

Cloyster hesitated to answer, but he complied. "…hello." In a quick motion, he snapped his shell shut, startling Lisanna.

"Huh? Hey, wait…" She turned towards Erza, surprised. "Was it something I said?"

Erza smiled as she shook her head. "Not at all." She assured. "You'll have to excuse Cloyster. He isn't of many words and tends to be more…reclusive. But he's nice."

"Oh!" Lisanna, feeling better, looked back towards Cloyster, rubbing her fingers against his sturdy shell. Her eyes widened. "Wow, it's so hard. It's like steel!"

"That it is. Once his shell closes, it ca never be opened outside. Not even a bomb blast can shatter it."

"Whoa! Seriously?!" Lucy gasped.

"So it's that sturdy, like armor." Gray smirked. "Ain't that a coincidence." He spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

Erza shot a glare at Gray. "Is that supposed to mean something?"

Recognizing the glare, Gray backed off. "Uh, n-no."

From the crowd of shocked people emerged Elfman. The man was a little taller than he was a year ago, and definitely muscular. It was a shock how he bulked even further. He stepped up and cracked his knuckles. "Betcha a real man can pry open anything!" He challenged.

"I'd like to see that." Natsu challenged.

Mirajane to a hand to her cheek. "My, I wonder how this will turn out?"

While many were having guesses that Erza would say otherwise, she instead smirked, accepting Elfman's beastly challenge. She just watched on as Elfman stepped up to her Cloyster, taking no steps to pry the challenge herself.

"Alright, shell, prepare yourself! Because this one…is a man!" Elfman began to pull in opposite directions, using his monstrous muscle power to force the shell open. However, the shell wasn't budging in the slightest. Even with Elfman pulling, he was beginning to wear.

Veins appeared all over his body, his face sweating and beginning to turn red. "Come on…come…on~!" He tried with every ounce of might he could manage, but no matter what, the shell wouldn't listen.

"Even Elfman can't open?" Max questioned.

"Dang." Nab said.

Elfman continued pulling, but Wendy reached out meekly. "Uh, Elfman? I really think you should-!"

Elfman lost his grip on Cloyster suddenly and his muscles contracted. "WHOA!" With a shout and a fall back, he slammed into the other guild members, making them fall over. All Erza did was nod at her own securities.

Natsu sat up, rubbing his head. "Aw, man, well that one sure hurt." He groaned. He turned towards Elfman, a tick mark on his head. "Hey, what's the big deal?! I thought you got stronger! Not clumsier!"

Having recovered, Elfman shot a look at Natsu. "Oh yeah? How's about I prove it to you?"

"Alright! Now you're asking for it!" Natsu didn't delay as he and Elfman got into a small tiff. They were throwing jabs towards the other, punching and getting into another old-fashioned fist fight. Just like old times, with real men duking it out.

When Natsu shot a fist and socked Elfman, he ended up slamming into Gray, who fell down. "Gah!" He yelled. "The hell?! Watch it!" He retaliated with a kick to Elfman's head, knocking him for a loop.

"Sneak attack!" Natsu appeared in front of Gray, planting a foot in his face.

"Alright! A fight!" Jet shouted.

"I haven't seen one of these in a long time!" Droy cheered.

Cana pulled an armband up her arm. "What the hell! I'm in one good mood! I'll going all out!" She smirked.

"Well, isn't this nostalgic." Appearing out of nowhere was Loke, tightening his tie around his neck.

"Loke?!" Lucy squealed.

Gajeel, having a lust for thrill, began to laugh aloud. "Alright! You're all under arrest!"

It started out simple, but evolved into a full-scale confrontation. Fists were being thrown, people kicked about, and slamming into stuff was indeed a necessity in this get-together. Natsu was having a blast throwing punches with Gray, who smirked back after receiving a blow to the face. Gajeel was trading blows with Loke. Cana was having a ball with Sophie. No matter which direction turned, someone was fighting someone, and nothing else. Even with violence, everyone was smiling the end.

"Well that escalated in a whole other direction." Mirajane chirped, unfazed by the rejuvenating fight.

"Yes, I can agree." Vanessa said, right beside the barmaid. Her Delphox accompanied her, nodding in agreement.

"All this over a shell. How idiotic." Carla huffed.

Wendy sweat dropped. "Uh…yeah."

Lucy gave a sigh. "Should've figured this would happen."

"Aye!" Happy exclaimed. "But on the bright side, things are way more interesting now that we have a bunch o-ah!" Happy turned to refer to Erza's Pokémon, but he froze in place when he looked towards Houndoom…and Slurpuff. Seeing them and their faces, the feline began to feel a chill run up and down his spine. "A…a…DOGS?!" Happy shrieked. "You never told me there were Pokémon that looked like dogs?! Dog! Dog!" He pointed accusingly at Houndoom and Slurpuff, but all either did was look towards the other and back at Happy.

"Natsu! Help! Dogs!" Happy ran away in a frantic panic into the fray, but he was making a beeline for Gajeel's foot, which planted right in his face and sent the poor Exceed spinning into the air.

"Aaah~!" Happy fell onto one of the borders, acting as a trampoline and falling onto the ground, spirals in his eyes.

Houndoom blinked at the cat's misfortune. "What's his problem?"

"I didn't know Happy hated dogs." Vanessa looked towards Slurpuff, who looked just as blank as Houndoom. "And I wasn't aware Slurpuff had a face of one."

"I do? Okay then." Slurpuff blinked again, but seemed to have shrugged off the commentary.

As the fight broke out, Nic and Charizard walked around the side, meeting up with the non-contenders in the reunion scuffle. As the fight intensified with louder insults and words not even appropriate for the likes of Asuka, they all knew it was time to call it quits.

Nic looked towards Charizard, who nodded in understanding. When the message got through, Nic pointed up at the sky. "Charizard, get their attention!"

The Fire/Flying-type lowered his head and growled as fire swirled. As he arched up, he roared out loud, viciously. A searing Flamethrower shot into the air, pulsating with expansive fire that was a pillar of immense radius and length. The Flamethrower's pressure sent powerful gusts against the ground, making everyone freeze up in place and stare dumbfounded as rippling, hot dust nearly knocked them over. Some people like Cana fell on their butts, but even so stared as they began to sweat from the monstrous heat and power of the Flamethrower that reached a point to where a bright, fiery explosion was seen above Magnolia, shocking its citizens who watched from afar.

As the dust cleared and Flamethrower subsided, Charizard whirled his head back to front and huffed out some residual embers, staring daggers at the petrified lot.

Nic crossed his arms and gave everyone a hard glare. "That's enough." He warned.

Everyone remained frozen out of both fear and admiration. If anyone – exclude Natsu – was hit directly by Charizard's new strength, they'd be charred to ash. Seeing his Trainer, some were too scared to even lift a finger. Apparently Nic's dominance has also been established within the past year as well.

Lucy stared with a bewildered expression. "Eh…"

Levy sweat dropped. "Quite the wake-up call if you ask me." Her eyes widened. "Hey, wait, I got it!"

Wendy turned towards her with confusion. "What is it, Levy?"

"While we need the Sixth Master, we need someone to temporarily take over as Fairy Tail's Seventh Master." Her brown eyes cut towards Nic. "And I think we found the right one for the job to lead us."

"You mean…"

"Oh here we go." Carla groaned.

Levy nodded. "Yup! I like the Seventh Master position is perfect for Nic Pularis!"

Nic and Charizard both shot Levy surprised looks. "What?"

Hearing Levy's call, everyone, getting over their initial shock, shouted. It seemed like a unison agreement.

"H-hold on now!" Nic shouted in nervousness. "I didn't agree to any of this!"

"There really isn't much of an option. We're all putting our hopes on you."

Everyone turned to the new voice, revealing a new figure.

Natsu's eyes widened, recognizing the man. "Wha-?!"

"Wait, aren't you…" Lucy trailed off.

"I…remember you." Sophie said.

Cana's eyes narrowed. "Me too, but I forgot his name."

Erza stood puzzled, eyes narrowed in wonder. "What is this?"

The man standing before them was none other than a Fairy Tail member in question. Mest Gryder. Over the year, he's gotten rid of his council attire, replaced with more battle-versatile wear, which included a spotted high-collar, fur-lined vest with no sleeves, leaving his shoulder mark exposed. "I've been waiting for a long time for us to come together." He said. "You guys, Fairy Tail…are the only ones who can save the Sixth Master."

Nic's eyes widened in shock.

* * *

It was only a matter of minutes, but Mest began to guide Nic somewhere. He didn't know where exactly, but he knew that if it was him alone, it must've been secretive. He made sure to tell Erza to keep an eye on Natsu and everyone else, making sure they don't follow. He also gave permission to have Levy report to Era about Fairy Tail's return. With all said and done, the next thing Nic knew was him being guided down a long flight of stairs by Mest.

Nic looked at the walls, seeing how aged they were. "I'm surprised. I didn't think such a place existed beneath the guild hall." He commented.

"The entrance is so secret that only a selective few know of it." Mest noted.

Nic looked back to his guided. "So…Mest, was it?"

"Yup, that's my real name. Sorry with all the turmoil with council stuff. The name Doranbolt is dead."

"Right. Can you enlighten me, why was I selected alone?"

"It's because, Nic, you are now Fairy Tail's Seventh Master." He explained. "Where we will be entering, is a place for your eyes only."

Nic looked shocked, but he said nothing. Rather, he followed Doranbolt to the basement, where Gildarts was once led by Master Makarov. They made way to the other end in silence, following in hollow footsteps towards the large doors that Mest stood in front of.

Before he opened them, he turned around. "Even I'm not supposed to know about this, but the circumstances are different than they were before."

Nic nodded in understanding. "I understand."

"Very well." Mest finally began opening the door, revealing a sudden flow of Magic Power. It was tremendous, and Nic's eyes instantly widened when he laid eyes on its source. Lumen Histoire.

"This is it, our deepest secret – Lumen Histoire."

Nic's eyes were fixated on the main core of the giant lacrima. Inside was Mavis Vermilion's body. Her physical body. He could feel his heart rate increase by a little. "Is that…the first's-!"

"Hey! Stop pushing!" A shout nearby exclaimed.

"Stop! Hands off!"

"GAH!"

Suddenly from behind the corner, a thud was heard. He was so focused on Lumen Histoire that he didn't realize he was followed. He whipped around, seeing with great surprise at Team Natsu, Sophie, Wendy, and Carla all there. Poor Lucy was on the bottom, groaning as everyone was on her.

"Oww…" Wendy's eyes spiraled, dizziness flowing.

"You guys…" Nic groaned.

"Man, even when I said this place was for guild masters only. You guys stink at respecting privacy." Mest sighed.

Sophie sheepishly rubbed her head. "Ani miztaeret (I'm sorry)…"

Nic sweat dropped. "You too, Erza?"

Erza stood upright, a faint red in her cheeks. "I-I'm sorry. Natsu slipped right passed me. I'm so ashamed."

"Damn right! What's with this secrecy?! It's so unfair!" Natsu roared.

Gray's eyes widened as he looked past Nic and Mest, seeing Mavis's body. "Whoa, is that the first?"

Wendy gasped.

Natsu's eyes widened. "Whoa! She's naked!" Instantly, his vision went black when Lucy used her hands to cover his view.

"Okay you pervert, that's enough." She groaned.

"Is that really her in the flesh?" Happy asked.

Sophie put a hand to her hip. "Hard to tell if she's even alive."

Erza looked towards Mest for answers. "Explain."

"Yeah! And where's Gramps?!" Natsu shouted.

Everyoen cascaded glances towards Mest, who stood in silence. The man originally wanted Nic to know alone, but with Natsu's group butting in, he was at the point of no return. He knew it was time to fess up. Taking in a deep sigh, he put a hand over his left eye.

"Very well…" He said. "Brace yourselves."

Nic's eyes widened as something popped into his head. Erza followed, then Lucy, and then the others. Something clicked into their minds. They began to see faint images, startling the group.

"What the heck? Are these…?" Gray trailed off.

"Memories?" Nic speculated.

"9 years ago – 2 in Team Tenrou's case – I was handed a mission by Makarov himself…"

 _In the old building that was once Fairy Tail's original, a young Mest with dark shaved hair gasped at what the Master told him to do. "You want me to what?!"_

" _I insist." He said cross-legged on the counter. "Mest, you're the only one who can infiltrate the council. Only someone like you can pull this off."_

 _Mest shrugged. "Pfff! What is it? To steal something?"_

" _No, it isn't that kind." Makarov picked up the booze bottle beside him, popping off the cork. "I want you to be our inside man. I need you to feed us any information you can on the Western Continent."_

" _So it_ _ **is**_ _stealing."_

" _Call it what you will, but please, find any details of the Western Continent and report it to me on a regular basis, if you can. This mission may as well put Fairy Tail on the line." The serious tone the master gave Mest left the cocky person to frown. He knew Makarov wasn't joking. This was very crucial. It was S-Class one might say, if not crazy. Still, Mest had a duty handed to him, so he had no choice._

 _He narrowed his eyes. "Well…if it's that important, then okay." He agreed._

" _Thank you."_

 _Mest rubbed the back of his head. "And if I wanna be thorough, better take care of my memories too!"_

"Even when he said I shouldn't, I did it to preserve secrecy." He explained. "That's basically how I entered the Magic Council."

"Right, I forgot you can manipulate memories." Gray said. He ran his fingers on the bandana on his hair. "Man, that's so annoying."

"So you manipulated our own memories during the S-Class Trials?" Natsu asked, his tone of anger. "How is that fair?!"

"Natsu, watch it." Erza warned.

Natsu held back, but he still looked angry from being toyed without his conscience.

Nic looked back to Mest. "Continue."

"Right…" Mest nodded, using his magic to fill them with another memory.

 _7 years later, it was during the Grand Magic Games, day 3 when in the corridor, Doranbolt met with Master Makarov. Even after the incident from time travel, Doranbolt looked so happy to see them all alright._

" _It's been a long time." Makarov said._

 _Doranbolt was having tears in his eyes, a smile on his face. "You're…you're okay. I'm so glad!" He exclaimed._

 _Makarov lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry." He apologized. "We didn't intend for things to escalate so drastically. With the stars gone and a foe beyond our power…"_

 _Doranbolt wiped his tears with his sleeves. "No…it's okay…"_

" _Mest…Doranbolt…why don't you come back to Fairy Tail? It's been too long. Let's end the mission."_

 _Even though he was so happy everyone was okay, he was still upholding his duty. He looked down at his shaking hand, seeing how his fingers were curled a little. "No…not yet." He pleaded. "I…I'm almost there, with the information you've been looking for."_

 _Makarov's eyes widened._

Mest closed his eyes. "Then, that night, when Fairy Tail disbanded…"

" _You're…you're what?"_

 _Makarov had his back turned after explaining to Mest of Fairy Tail disbanded. "The information you've gathered, it was all for a personal reason. And with what I have gathered, I knew that this was the most liable solution for everyone."_

" _Now wait just a minute! You're disbanding Fairy Tail due to investigation results?!" Mest fumed._

" _The results aren't what matter."_

" _What?"_

" _What matters…" Makarov looked over his shoulder, glaring Mest in the eye. "Is that what lies on the Western Continent, was something even I was not aware of. Alakitasia."_

" _So what?!" Mest argued. "They tried to attack 10 years ago and failed!"_

" _And do you know why they failed?"_

 _Mest went silent. Suffice to say that was a no._

" _They failed because they were after our deepest secret – Lumen Histoire. They wanted it for themselves. But, they didn't fail necessarily. More like stopped, thanks to the Council."_

 _Mest's eyes widened. "You mean…?"_

" _Etherion." Makarov answered. "The Council's weapon of mass-destructive force. It was only because of them that we were able to sustain Lumen Histoire…" Makarov clutched his fists. "But now the Council is gone, Face is annihilated, and that means Ishgar is now without any defense against Alakitasia. This means only one thing, and that is invasion." He raised his head, staring at the night sky. "There is no doubt in my mind Alakitasia will try once more to attack and take Lumen Histoire for themselves."_

" _Then what's this got to do with Fairy Tail disbanding? If they're going for us, shouldn't we fight back?" Mest wondered._

" _You don't understand!" Makarov snapped. "This enemy we are against, is exactly why I disbanded Fairy Tail. In Ishgar, we have a total of 500 guilds, including Fairy Tail. And Alikitasia…has 730, including Dark Guilds…combined into one force."_

 _The air grew dark, ominous appeal making their spines shiver._

" _All 730 combined to make a giant kingdom, a military-run force – The Alvarez Empire."_

 _Mest was left staggering with wide eyes. If he wanted to collapse, he would've done it by now. But he was so overwhelmed with the numbers that he was paralyzed in horror._

" _We'd stand no chance against them. We may if Nic was on our side with the might of Legendary Pokémon…but then there's the warning of Acnologia. We're cornered, and we are alone in this fight."_

" _No way…" Mest wasn't sure what to do, but he also knew standing around wouldn't solve anything. "Then what do we do?"_

" _ **You**_ _stay behind. I am going to Alakitasia, on my own."_

 _Mets gasped._

" _I will let them know we have Lumen Histoire if they are to attack Ishgar or it once more. I will stall for as long as I can. This shall be my ultimate gamble." His fists balled tighter than ever. "If the council gets to their feet in time, we should have a chance…but if not, there is nothing stopping them from getting what they want." He lowered his head, glaring daggers at the ground. "I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN! DISBANDING WAS THE ONLY THING TO DO TO SAVE MY FAMILY!"_

 _Mest was getting misty in the eyes. As he stared on, his body started to shudder. "Master…don't…"_

" _I must." He looked back to Mest, his composure back and a fatherly look on his face. "For it is a parennt's job to see to it that their children live on."_

That was the last of the memories before everything went blank in everyone's mind. The images faded, leaving everyone to process what they have learned. Everyone looked shocked beyond reason.

"So then…the old man went to that freaky country?" Natsu stated. "And he hasn't come back yet?!"

"He disbanded to protect us." Erza summarized.

"Yeah." Mest said.

"And you haven't from him in a year?" Gray asked.

"Not a word."

"This is more drastic than I thought." Sophie pointed out.

"Why didn't you stop him?" Happy questioned.

"Really? You think that stubborn man could be put down like that?" Carla backlashed.

Nic looked down at the ground, discerning the situation. "So when we think about it, all those weapons we fought…were for Alvarez?" When he thought of it, Etherion was one thing, but Phantasm and Face were other cases. He was shocked when he realized how wrong he was to peg the council for acts of self-destruction on itself.

"Etherion was for offense, and Phantasm would've been necessary to keep at least Fiore from being penetrated from outside. Face would've been the overall suicide weapon to cancel out the power of Alvarez and Ishgar alike." Mest explained. "But…they've been abused against you Nic, and that's really more of a personal matter the council must take blame for."

"But the council aside, what about that country?" Lucy questioned.

"Yeah, are we still safe?" Wendy wondered.

"I don't know. For all we know, it could've worked…or maybe the Master…" Mest trailed off, thinking of a more misfortunate end.

"Stop, please." Erza insisted.

The air grew stale as everyone grew weary of the situation. They really didn't want to think of the possibilities of Makarov or his old age getting the best of him. He couldn't have perished so easily, right?

Moving along, Mest continued explaining. "I've been doing what I can to follow Makarov's orders, and so far, there has been information on a temporary council run by the Wizard Saints, thanks to Master Warrod."

"I remember." Lucy said, recalling meeting Lyon when trying to pick up Wendy. "The council has also been wondering where the master has gone."

"Master Warrod knows what's going on, but I'm sure the rest don't. However, the threat the Alvarez Empire imposes strikes a chord in all of them just the same. They've been sending reinforcements and fortifying defenses all along the western border."

"But if gramp's trick work, shouldn't he be back by now?" Gray argued.

Sophie put a hand to her chin. "Something tells me things went wrong somewhere. Either he lost his way, or the Alvarez has done something?"

Natsu stepped forward, a serious look on his face. "Doesn't matter." He said.

"Natsu?" Erza questioned.

"No matter what happened, we won't stop until we find gramps and bring him back ourselves."

"Yeah…I've done the job he asked me to do. With that last mission accomplished, from here onward, I'm doing wat I want, as a Fairy Tail Mage." Mest declared.

"Aye! Now we're talking!" Happy cheered. "We can't lose now that we have everybody!"

"I say we take the battle to them!" Carla declared.

"Everyone settle down." Nic lowly roared, putting the brakes on the momentum. They all gasped and looked at him with shock. "I know how you all feel, but you know what happened. We're up against an enemy even the Master thought would be hard to beat. We can't go charging like mad Tauros."

"C'mon! You know we gotta get him back!" Natsu argued. "We've powered up this past year! I can take them on with all my power!"

"Natsu, listen." Erza said. "Did you forget what was explained?"

"So? We got power now! We can't lose!"

"And you think brute force is the only answer to getting Makarov back?" Erza testified.

Natsu grew weary. "Er…well…?"

"We can't take chances like that. As far as we know, it might end up getting him killed. Are you really wishing to object to that reason?"

Natsu wanted to say something, but the points Erza is making was weighing down on him. He hated the idea of _not_ using his gung-ho, but he also valued others and their lives. He wanted the master back more than anything, even if he had to hold himself back. He fell silent in response.

Erza turned towards Nic. "Go on."

Nic looked down at the ground, his gaze set on the intricate flooring. "We can't make any hasty moves. It could jeopardize our security, as well as the rest of Fairy Tail. Erza's right when she says taking reckless charges would very well bring misfortune to the Sixth Master…or ourselves for that matter. As a master, I have to make sure everyone smiles and make sure their morale and safety is my prime concern…"

"Nic." Wendy murmured.

Natsu gritted his teeth, his anger towards Nic rising.

"But I'm not following a master's code. I'm following my own."

Sophie looked surprised. "Nic?"

"I was picked as Seventh Master by majority, I never said I agreed to being the master. I hold my own responsibility as I forego my own way, whether people follow me is entitled to them. I'm a born rebel. I don't make rules; I break them. And that's why not as a master nor a member, but as Nic himself…I say we find the master and bring him back. The only ones who shall be on this rescue mission shall be us and us alone."

Mest grew shocked. He wasn't the only one frankly. Natsu eyes widened, and Gray smirked. Erza most certainly smiled at Nic's speech, siding with him all the way.

"The same concept with Avatar implies; the less who know, the better our chances shall be to make the plan run smoother. We must procure Master Makarov and then return. Then we can talk. This is a rescue mission, so listen when I say this once more. Reckless action could jeopardize our lives."

Natsu looked deterred as he heard Nic. He preferred to charge in and beat many asses down with fire, but the way Nic was looking at him when he said that took momentum away once more. It was even more worrisome for his sake when Erza glared at him.

"That means you, Natsu."

He looked away, not wanting to see Erza's hardened glare. "Uh..y-yeah."

Nic grew a smile of his own. "Then let's go and save Makarov."

* * *

Upside, nobody realized what Gajeel was doing standing in the middle of nowhere with Pantherlily. People just thought he was idling by or observing with a scoff on his face. What they didn't realize, however, was that his Dragon Slayer sense of hearing was picking up on the conversation down beneath the ground. With everything gathered, he knew what to do. "Heh. So that's what they're doing, huh?"

"Hm? What is it Gajeel?" Pantherlily asked in concern.

The Iron Dragon Slayer glared ahead. "So this is an infiltration mission I see…" He smirked. "Guess we better get some backup."

Nearby, Juvia was walking around, looking for Gray, but alas found no sign of him. However, sitting on a table was Cana, having gulped down the third bottle of wine in less than an hour. "Cana, you haven't seen Gray by any chance, have you?" She asked.

"The nudist? I drank up that guy with my booze!" She jokingly laughed. "Boy was he delicious!"

"Noo~! How could you?!" Juvia pried open Cana's mouth, gawking into her throat. "Gray my darling! Are you there?!"

"Gaaaah!" Cana gurgled.

Mirajane, who happened to be passing by with a plate of beverages, turned and smiled. "He went with Natsu and Lucy somewhere earlier. Apparently Erza and Sophie got tagged along as well."

Juvia's eyes widened. "He went…with Lucy…and Sophie…?" Once again, her imagination got the best of her, flashing images of the unimaginable.

" _Looks like it's just us." Sophie teased, with Lucy beside her._

" _Yup."_

 _A shirtless Gray stood between them, draping his hands around their waists with a mischievous smirk. "So, you ladies think we lost them?"_

" _Who cares? We only have to worry about you." Sophie cooed._

 _Lucy turned and bat an eyelash towards him. "Let's say we use this time well."_

 _Sophie turned as well, together, she and Lucy pushed Gray down on the ground, both pinning his chest with their own mounds. Each licked their lips, two blondes closing in on his face._

Juvia's face began to fume with steam, rage and frustration piling on. "When I find them, I'll-!" She fell silent when a large muscular arm draped over her head, the hat cushioning the arm like a rest as her chin met the table. "Guh…"

The person was Gajeel, and he looked nonchalant about the whole ordeal. "Yo."

"Gajeel?" Cana questioned. "What brings you here?" She roguishly grinned as she held a mug of beer in her hand. "You wanna have a drink with me?"

"We're getting the B Team up and rolling." He said.

"B Team?" Mirajane repeated.

Cana raised a brow. "Is it time for the Grand Magic Games already? I thought they were over?"

Gajeel snickered as he looked at them mockingly. "We got a replacement here for blondie Sophie. Let's get that lightning blonde."

"Huh?" Juvia huffed beneath,

Right beside them was Pantherlily, who was beginning to sweat. _'Lightning?'_

"What's going?" Mirajane asked.

"Wait…" Cana's eyes widened. "You know where Laxus is?!"

Gajeel only snickered, leaving them in suspense.

* * *

The events transpired left Levy to do her obligation and report to the Magic Council – temporary council if one tends to get technical. It was situated in a mansion-like household that centered not too far from the original housing. It was a luxurious fountain in front of it, and centered in a nearby city.

Inside, Jura Neekis was smiling as he inspected the new paperwork handed to him by Levy. As he looked over it, his mood seemed enlightened. "Hmmm…" He hummed. "Well, no problems with the paperwork. Well done, Levy."

Levy smiled at the praise by the superior. "That mean we're back in business!"

Jura looked down at the paper once more. "I must say, I never would've thought Nic would be master. Knowing him, I thought he'd turn down the offer."

"It was really a majority thing." She chimed.

"Ah." He raised a brow. _'A leadership-figure who was forced to be a leader. How I pity you, Nic.'_ "I'm frankly sorry that the council will lose someone as intelligent and resourceful as you, Levy."

Levy looked away, a little guilt-ridden. "Sorry."

"Don't be." Jura laughed. "Why, even Master Warrod seems jovial today."

Nearby, the mention God of Ishgar was seen with a smile on his face as he was wiping off the sides of a vase housing fresh flowers. He tilted his head as he minded his own business.

"At first, I thought it was a joke that they'd be disbanding…" He trailed off as the vase was clean as a whistle. He reached for the watering can and held it low and let it flow onto the flowers. As he kept pouring, he frowned. _'I wonder how Mest is doing in his operation?'_

"Uh, Master Warrod?"

Warrod turned towards Levy. "Yes?"

"Your overflowing water."

"Hm?" Turning to look down, the Wizard Saint saw the petals drenched. However, with his back turned and watering can at a low height, it looked like he was doing something more…lewd. "Oh, that's just me doing my business."

Levy grew white as she gawked.

"Just kidding!" He laughed.

Levy sulked, relieved yet annoyed.

A pair of footsteps was heard. Catching everyone's attention. "Really now?" A crabby and annoyed old voice announced.

When they all turned to see the familiar face, eyes widened at the sight of a Wizard Saint whose bark was as bad as his bite. Wolfheim.

Jura's eyes widened. "Master Wolfheim?!"

"I remember him! He's one of the Four Gods of Ishgar!" Levy chimed.

Warrod looked down at Wolfheim, smiling. "Well, if it isn't Wolfheim. I see you haven't simmered down since your fall at the claws of Nic's Pokémon I see." He chuckled.

The elderly man's eyes narrowed as veins flared. "What was that?!"

"Joking! Joking~!"

But unfortunately, Wolfheim wasn't amused. "You…!" Like during his battle a long time ago, the Wizard Saint transformed, becoming a large monster with a sinister snarl. His dark glare fixated on a nervous Warrod. "Don't you _dare_ mention that time to me!"

"Eeeek!" Levy squealed in fright.

Jura was beginning to sweat bullets. "Master Wolfheim, desist!"

"They're right, Wolfheim, relax." A more intellectual voice announced.

Footsteps proceeded towards the circle, where Wolfheim turned to look with shock at the arrival of another fellow. He, as well as Jura and Levy, all began to nervously sweat at the excessive Magic Power they were feeling. Levy felt like she was going to break down; Jura not far behind. Warrod was the only one who looked calm.

Before them was Hyberion, another familiar face who held wine in his hand. "What happened is all part of the past now. With the old council gone, we must set a proper example and not go picking fights against respectable people." He reasoned.

Wolfheim stared daggers at Hyberion, getting the notion instantaneously. He knew that even Hyberion was still surprised with his blundering defeat by Mega Garchomp, but he wasn't one to hold a grudge like Wolfheim. "Fine." He snarled, retracting his form to being an old man. With him shortened, he turned away and huffed in annoyance.

The shock was beginning to overwhelm Levy as the startled woman slipped to her knees, quivering in fright. "Three…three of the Four Gods of Ishgar…all under the same roof…"

"I know tensions are high with Alakitasia, and as such, we hold truth to neutralizing such an ordeal." Hyberion informed, but all Warrod did was frown, offering no input as the new chairman poured more wine into his glass. "If war breaks out, we stand no chance. We must procure peaceful measures unlike our resolutions last year."

"Bu…but wait, what about the other Wizard Saints?" Levy shakily asked.

Jura frowned. "Unfortunately, they are taking precautionary measures to this crisis."

"Precaution?"

"Yes. Miss Stella is unable to attend this meeting due to her pregnancy, so she won't be involved in combat for this skirmish."

The news shocked Levy. "What?"

"And with Bolton's cardiac arrest prior to the war, that leaves us absent with a seat. However, Wizard Saint Cruzer has already taken measures in heading back to base to get the Rune Marines ready for a line of defense if anything happens. That leaves Ruge, and I believe he should be in Bosco dealing with negotiations."

Levy's face fell. "So then...we're all that's left?"

"For the time being I'm afraid."

A silence fell, before Levy gasped in realization.

"What! What about God Serena?! What about him?!"

Around the room, Warrod, Wolfheim, and Hyberion all looked at the other and grew silent. They stared at the floor, leaving Levy guessing.

"Where…where is he?"

"I have heard that he left the country after defeat, but we need him now more than ever." Jura insisted.

Hyberion turned away, sighing. "God Serena…had abandoned us."

Levy and Jura's eyes widened.

"After his fall against Nic and his Greninja, we has abandoned Ishgar altogether. According to what Ruge was able to gather based on the reports, he has taken refuge, and has found his calling in joining the Alvarez Empire…to get back at Nic and all of Fiore."

The two mages' shock surmounted to unbelievable levels. They knew God Serena was too ashamed to come back, but to go so far as to join the enemy is another thing entirely. Pride pushed him too far this time.

Hyberion turned to look out the window, the glass reflecting his image. "…he's become part of the leading force that protects the emperor, a shield among his followers of spriggans – The Spriggan 12." He grimaced. "Those whose strength matches God Serena, and are 11 more of them. That is how strong our opponents are."

Levy paled, unable to even weakly squeal. "My god…" She murmured.

* * *

 **Quick update! Thanks guys or being patient! I am happy to have made this super fast before Independence Day! So with the Council War Arc mixed into the play, you can all see another initiative God Serena has for joining their ranks. And also this chapter reveals Erza's new Pokémon. Let me know what you thought, and I hope to update soon!**


	61. Operation Stealthy Tourists

Open seawater rocked the large boat up and down, but not enough to steer it off course. The waves and oceanic air flow left everyone with an exotic incense to take into their nostrils. For those who haven't been out to sea much, this was a refresher.

Lucy bent over the railing, looking out at the seagulls flying not far from the ship's starboard. "Wow." She smiled.

"I'd have to agree. This is too tov (good) to be true." Sophie sighed.

Happy leaned over, his whiskers brisk in the ocean wind. "Man, if this isn't nice, I don't know what is!" In the waters below, some group of fish swam relatively close to the ship, catching Happy's attention. "Look guys, fish!"

"That's the hundredth time you pointed that out." Gray groaned.

"Well is it so wrong to have a passion for yummy fishies?"

"It is when you're obsessed with them." Carla sniped.

Mest only sighed at their little conversation going south. Turning towards the deck, it showed that Team "A", as some might say, was not alone on this voyage. Due to circumstances, they couldn't leave Hargeon port without reason and verification, in which Mest got a clearing, but under special conditions.

"Guess I should be thanking you again for your help." He told one of the crew members.

Standing tall with crossed arms was an all too familiar face. His red bandana's long tips whisked in the breeze as he stared down the bow of the ships. It was none other than Wizard Saint Cruzer, and around him were a bunch of men not in fishing wear, not Rune Knights wear, but black camouflage suits with magic rifles attached to them.

"Don't mention it." The Lieutenant of the Rune Marines said, braking into a frown. "Ever."

Mest sweat dropped. "Uh…right."

"You do realize that what you're doing is perhaps the dumbest thing anyone in their right minds would do, right?"

"Funny you say, considering you're helping us." Mest reasoned.

Cruzer rolled his eyes away. "Yeah, well, it's not like I had a choice in the matter. Marshall's orders are orders. You said you gotta get that old geezer Wizard Saint back and to infiltrate the empire to do that, right? He said to do just that and hightail back, so that's all I'm doing."

"We appreciate it, still."

"Don't be." Cruzer shrugged. "It's really a code for Wizard Saints to stand by another." He shot a look at Mest. "But don't get the wrong idea; we are to not engage the enemy under any circumstances. If we get caught, you Fairy Tail mages are on your own."

Mest nodded. "Understood."

"However…" Cruzer turned around, glancing towards a pink-haired man lurched over the side of the ship. "Was that 'cargo' necessary?"

"I'm afraid so." Mest sighed.

After spilling out contents in his stomach, Natsu turned and fell back over the deck on his bottom, face as pale as a ghost with his mouth covered by his hand. He was breathing deeply, trying to keep himself under control. "Why me…?" He groaned.

"Sorry pal. It's not like we had much of a choice." Gray said.

"Yeah, Mest can only teleport such a distance. It's not like he can do it in one big jump." Lucy added.

Natsu's cheeks puffed as the contents were beginning to churn in his stomach again. "No fair…" He weakly moved his head towards Wendy. "Wendy…please…magic…"

However, to everyone's complete shock, the year has been well in terms of strength for the Sky Dragon, but at the cost of something she had an advantage over – transportation sickness. Like Natsu, her stomach churned as her upper body was over the side of the ship.

"Wendy?!" Lucy and Natsu gasped.

Wendy slumped down like Natsu, groaning as she was unable to move. Lucy knelt, worried. "Are you okay?"

"I'm…sorry." She managed to squeal. "I've been…bad with transportation too…"

Natsu's face turned whiter than ever. "No way…"

"Now that she's like this, she can't use her spells." Carla pointed out. "She's just as poor as Natsu and the other Dragon Slayers I'm afraid."

Gray gave another long sigh. "Damn this bites." He helped Natsu underneath his shoulder, turning around to face Sophie. "Hey, give me a hand, would ya?"

"Sure." Sophie assisted in carrying the poor Wendy over her shoulder, moving nice and slow to make sure her carry-on's stomach doesn't explode all over her.

Cruzer looked on with an estranged gaze at Natsu looked like a sack Gray carried into the quest cabins. _'I seriously lost to_ _ **that**_ _guy?'_

Away from the others, Nic and Erza had taken liberties at the bow, their gazes forward towards the horizon and blue skies. The breeze went through Erza's hair, but she ignored it as she looked just as contemplative as Nic. Who knows how long they've been at the bow? An hour? Time was an askew matter that wasn't ever on their side.

Erza was more contemplative than Nic, as the male was more nostalgic than hard-pressed. While Erza hasn't been on a ship since the Infinity Clock incident in the sky, Nic could recount the time he, Sophie, and Cana were all on that same ship with the Celestial Crew, sailing through waters. Unlike Sophie, who was taking the feeling well, Nic was in more of a spacey coma one might say.

"Nic?" Erza asked, looking worriedly at him.

"Hm?" Nic snapped his head towards Erza, looking right at her. "I'm sorry, did I miss something?"

Erza shook her head. "No, not at all. You were spacing out for a while. Are you worried about Vanessa?"

"No, I'm not." Nic dismissed. "She can get the guild hall rebuilt while we're gone. I'm sure by the time we're back it'll be at least stable."

Erza smiled. "True."

Nic faced the sea once more. "Still…" On another matter, away from the heinous adventures with the Celestial Crew, the guild spoken of brought back the real reason why they're traveling amongst seas. "The guild disbanding…Makarov…and Lumen Histoire…it's a lot to handle."

"I know what you mean." Erza said, catching the mood Nic was turning. "He went so far to protect us and the legacy of our guild. But I can also say that as long as this legacy is a mystery, we're not sure what we are safeguarding."

"I remember Laxus's father asking about Lumen Histoire during the Grand Magic Games a long time back. It's a shock that I didn't recognize it when I saw it with my own eyes." Nic pointed out. "Do you think it may have something to do with a weapon?"

Erza's face fell. "You would think that a weapon such as that could've stopped Face."

"And then there's the First Master's body…"

"That's the biggest mystery we have yet to understand. Who knows if that's a corpse or she's frozen inside? There's little to go on until we get to the bottom of this, and that means procuring Master Makarov for that information, and to make us whole again."

Nic gave Erza a confident smile, assuring them of their attempts to get their master back. "We'll do our best to save him at all costs." To his relief, Erza smiled back.

With their morale secured, Nic turned towards the few men behind, one of them being Lieutenant Cruzer. "How much longer until we've reached our destination?"

"It'd be a 10 day trip by ship if it were a straight shot to the capital as you intend." He answered.

Nic eyes narrowed.

"Look pal, I get your impatience, but there's other factors to play in this too. We need to take a short stop at the halfway point. Caracole Island. We need to restock or food and fuel if we're to thrive until then."

"Then that means we're no longer in Fiore territory." Lucy noted.

"Is that even necessary?" Gray asked.

"We can't lose any momentum. Every step we make will have to be accurate and precise." Mest said. "Our infiltration is dead serious, so we need every bit of information we can get our hands on. We'll be rendezvousing with our informant once we reach Caracole Island. Everyone, look alive."

"Don't steer away from course!" Cruzer ordered.

"SIR, YES, SIR!" All the soldiers on the ship yelled.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the sailing group, Team "B" was given their own route with their own course of action. The agenda was simple, as quoted by a certain Iron Dragon Slayer. All they had to do was go find Laxus and get help. It seemed simple according to that much, but unfortunately there was a glitch. Wherever they were going had no train tracks, meaning they had to go by foot, though this was a relief to Gajeel.

It's been a few days since the hike, and the team made up of Gajeel, Pantherlily, the Strauss siblings, Cana, and Juvia were all currently tailing Gajeel.

"Are you sure Laxus is this way?" Elfman questioned.

"Don't question the intel we've gathered, alright?" Gajeel retorted with a knowing smirk. "I know that thunderbolt is here, and that goes for his lackeys too."

"So then the Thunder God Tribe is here as well." Elfman confirmed.

Picking up the pace, Cana snuck beside Elfman. "Someone's gonna get bit by the Ever-bug." She teased.

Elfman faced her, blushing. "What?!"

While everyone had mutual moods, Juvia groaned.

"Huh? What's wrong, Juvia?" Lisanna asked.

"Why am I here? Shouldn't I be with Gray?" She whined.

"It can't be helped. They left earlier than we did."

Mirajane turned towards the conversation. "That's true. I should ask if splitting into teams was even a solution."

"They said it was an infiltration mission, so it's wise to make this move." Pantherlily informed.

"The cat's right." Gajeel said. "From what I got, if we picked a fight without that creature carrying madhouse…we'd be toast." Everyone grew shocked at this information. Cana was the only one who seemed calmer compared to everyone else. The Iron Dragon's face fell yet retained a path forward. "And there's no guarantee infiltration will work to begin with."

"And that's why we're diverging into a two-prong strategy, right?" A voice called up.

Everyone stopped in their tracks and turned around at the voice. They recognized it all too well, revealing a petite woman.

"Levy?!" Mirajane exclaimed.

"How'd you find us out here?" Lisanna asked.

However, rather than answering, Levy put hands to her hips and gave them all a not-so-intimidating stare. "That's not funny. What's the big idea leaving me behind like that?" She pouted.

Gajeel, however, smirked. "Heh, so that's where you were, shrimp. Could've sworn you'd be stuck in my bag." He pulled out his half-empty sack that hung over his shoulder to illustrate his point.

Giving a tiresome stare, Levy approached Gajeel in offense. She began spouting at him and trying pound him, but Gajeel mocked her up by using his hand and keeping her away at the playful tiff. Of course this gave a certain someone the wrong idea.

"Are they flirting…?" Juvia wondered. The mage, however, felt a chill run up her spine when a brunette drunkard eyes her.

"You know, they're not the only ones who can flirt." Cana playfully teased.

"Uh, n-no thank you…" Juvia shuddered.

Levy, putting jokes aside, calmed herself and looked at everyone. "The enemies we're facing, they're strong. Beyond what we've dealt with." She gravely informed. "Don't engage. Stay alert."

"We get the point shrimp, now let's get busy and move along." Gajeel strode along the trail, everyone else following in his wake.

"Somehow I think this will all end up terribly bad somewhere." Lisanna sweat-dropped.

* * *

The day rolled on, and the crew on the solemn ship was beginning to see something in the distance. The seas had been arduous for quite some time, but the vacancy was finally disbanded by the vague sight of land in the distant horizon.

"I think I see land!" Happy cheered.

"Really?" Sophie squinted her eyes and looked outwards towards the incoming rock. "I think I see it too."

"It's about time! Caracole Island dead ahead!" Gray exasperated, finally relieved after so many days he was gonna get some land beneath his boots.

"Keep a steady course." Cruzer ordered. "We're heading inland." As he crossed his arms and looked with dominant appeal, a fellow operative rushed to his side, panting. "What is it?"

He gave a salute to the higher rank while holding the binoculars. "Sir, we have a problem."

Cruzer gave an intrigue brow. "Alright, give me that." He snatched the binoculars away and held them up, looking through the glass and seeing out towards the island. As he got a closer look his eyes widened.

Another operative raised a brow. "Sir?"

"Stop the ship this instant!" The war dog shouted.

Though surprised by this sudden outburst, the crew of the rather large ship hurried and ceased the turbines and all movement. The ship sailed without pressing against the waves, startling the Fairy Tail passengers.

"Huh? Hey what gives?" Gray berated.

Mest looked to the upper deck, staring at the Wizard Saint. "What's going on?!" He shouted.

"See for yourselves." The veteran marine casually threw the binoculars down towards Mest, who caught them with one hand and turned towards the sea. Using the binoculars, Mest got a good look at what Cruzer grew weary. The shocked look on Mest's face confirmed what was being sought.

"I see something ahead." Nic pointed out.

Far ahead, lying on the bay of the tourist island, there were large figures. To be more accurate, they were ships as well, but unlike the ones Fairy Tail and Fiore used, these ones were much larger, and made of black metal rather than wood. On the bows were insignia that left them on high alert.

Erza squinted her eyes, trying to narrow her vision. "Ships?"

"Not just any ships." Mest put the binoculars down, showing nervous appeal. "Alvarez Empire navy ships."

"Damnit." Cruzer grunted.

"But what are they doing on Caracole Island?" Happy questioned.

"I'd hate to speculate them having ruling over the island." Carla implied.

"No, can't be. Caracole Island is a neutral resort." Mest pointed out. "It isn't something you'd want to leave be as a rest stop between land. Just what are they doing there?" He turned towards Cruzer on the upper deck. "Can we get closer?"

The Wizard Saint looked down at them with annoyance. "Not unless you want to risk being spotted." He implied. "This is as close as we can get you guys. Anymore and then we'll be compromised."

"So now what?" Lucy showed a hesitant expression. They couldn't get close, but they're too far away. Mest could teleport them, but then they'd still be in hot water.

"They're…probably looking for spies…" Natsu groaned.

"They…sound like they didn't catch them yet…" Wendy barely murmured before she collapsed against the side of the deck again alongside Natsu.

Lucy looked at them with surprise. She knew Dragon Slayers had an intense sense of hearing, but she didn't think it was that powerful. She looked towards the sea, but all she got was the sound of waves and seagulls cawing from the skies. She looked back at the exhausted duo with shock. "Wait, you mean you guys can hear what they're saying from here?"

"Yeah…a bit…" Natsu could feel the hitching of another wave, making his stomach crumble inside.

"Well color me impressed. Apparently their hearing's gotten better." Sophie exemplified.

Nic gave a long stare out towards the warships. Whatever was to happen, he knew that they had to keep a guise for as long as possible. They have a distance advantage at least, so as long as they weren't spotted, he could think. When he thought of something, he narrowed his eyes.

"What do you have in mind this time, Nic?" Erza asked, genuinely intrigued by his wits.

He glanced at Erza, half-grinning. "I think I came up with a solution, but it's risky."

Erza smirked, grabbing and holding Nic's hand. "Then risk away."

Nic smiled back, getting her approval as he faced ahead. "Alright, then here's what I have in mind…"

* * *

Caracole Island; a place where tourists could enjoy a nice relaxing vacation underneath palm trees and shacks where one could have a tasty beverage or smoothie made up of the ripest fruit shipped or grown personally. Many who come and go are always refreshed with its Hawaiian-like architecture. However, the resort felt more like a prison camp now with armored soldiers with spears tipped with lacrima for defense were around every corner. Relaxation was the farthest thing from anyone's mind when the Alvarez Empire decided to take a step onto their ports and find the spy responsible for leaking important information.

Around wood and straw-made structures, guards ushered directions and for people to either move pass them or kick them aside.

"Listen up! We're temporarily sealing off Caracole's port!" A guard announced.

"Get in line!"

"We are holding thorough inspections going in and out of the island. Your luggage must remain where you are!"

A tourist in line leaned over. "What's all this about?" He questioned.

"I heard there's a spy on this island and the kingdom's hunting that guy down." One from behind answered.

"How annoying." Another groaned.

Within the line, Erza turned around. "Behave yourself, Natsu."

"Yeah, I know…" He groaned. He really wanted to just storm the guards, but then they'd lose their chance at finding momentum in their little stealth plan.

A guard motioned his index finger towards him. "Next."

Stepping next in line was Nic's group. However, due to Nic's insistence, they all used disguises. Lucy had on short shorts and a bikini top, while Erza adorned a sunhat with a black bikini top and sarong that matched with lily patterns. While Carla transformed to her human guise, she and Wendy adorned swimsuits. Natsu, Gray, and Mest all had swim trunks and no shirts. Sophie had a brown sports bra on and, like Erza, adorned a sarong, but covered the opposite leg and was a darker brown.

Now the trick everyone had to get around was Nic. Due to otherworldly incidents, he was basically public knowledge. His face would be the first thing anyone would notice, so for good measure, Nic made his disguise in the form of Transform. Under this disguise, Nic had slicked back dark brown hair with brown eyes. He was shirtless and adorned blue swim trunks, but the scars he had all over his body were gone due to Transform, giving him a moderately toned appearance. Even his friends admittedly didn't recognize him. Foolproof would best describe his plan.

One trick Nic learned from his hundreds of battles using Kecleon; sometimes the best place to hide was in plain sight.

"Hi! We're here for a vacation!" Lucy chimed.

"I heard that your Star Mangoes here are to die for." Erza said.

"I haven't been to tropic for some time. This should be fun!" Sophie added.

Wendy smiled at Erza. "I'm looking forward to all this, big sis!"

Mest sweat-dropped. _'Big sis? Really?'_

The guard looked at them all top and down, seeing as how they all had casual wear and nothing out of the ordinary. When he saw the mark on Lucy's hand, it was not of Fairy Tail's insignia, but of a feline, and old memento from a long time back. "That mark." He pointed out. "Are you part of a guild?"

Lucy held up her arm and gave a cheeky smirk. "Sure am! We're part of Cait Shelter!"

' _Hmph! These disguises are working like a charm.'_ Erza thought, showing her Cait Shelter disguise.

' _This sure brings back memories.'_ Wendy said, thinking back to when she harbored in the fake guild. The Nirvana incident left it all as a dead wasteland, thus the memory still left some scars for Wendy to heal, but has since recovered and thought happily back to bygone days.

"Never heard of it." A guard deadpanned, causing Wendy to gape her mouth in shock.

"There's only a handful we know that are from Ishgar." Another remarked.

Another guard turned towards them, conspicuous demeanors on the rise. "Then what do we do? We were given orders to be strict with those from guilds."

"Would a spy be bearing a guild crest for any reason?"

"I can't say…"

The situation was getting tighter by the second, and that left the group with little ground to work on. Erza turned towards Lucy and Sophie, all three girls giving nods and knowing what had to be done. Together, they faced the guards. "Hey…" Lucy's sultry voice could curl toes, and that caught the guards' attention. They all turned around, seeing the three girls with their arms folded beneath their chests, pushing them up enough to make them jiggle a bit. They all gave lust-filled gazes towards the men.

"May we please pass on?" Sophie cooed.

"There won't be any Star Mangoes left. Would you really want that to happen?" Erza chimed.

The act worked as the guards were all beginning to blush beneath their masks. Unable to resist their requests, they scrambled along with their luggage and saw nothing out of the ordinary. "Er…y-you're clear!" A guard exclaimed.

With the group walking passed the guards onto the island, Mest looked back to make sure the guard weren't looking back, to which they weren't. With the coast clear, the three seductresses gave prideful smirks at the infiltration working.

Behind, Natsu's eyes widened as he marveled at their improvising. "Woah, didn't know sex appeal worked that well."

"What a power." Gray noted.

Mest got closer towards Nic, giving a disturbing look. "Hey, Nic?"

"Hm?"

"By any chance…does Erza do that to you too?"

The question left Nic a little struck with surprise. A blush went across his face as he thought back to all the times – Fiore and Kalos alike – when Erza would use her assets to fiddle with him. Explicit events rushed into his head with what followed as an animalistic ritual that Erza would dominate in, making him blush more. "Let's…not go there." He groaned.

Ahead, Erza gave a malicious smirk.

"So now we're in the clear." Wendy said, getting the group on track.

"Not exactly." Carla objected. She looked left and right, noticing the large numbers of guards scattered within the vicinity. "There's guards and soldiers around every corner."

"Right, so behave Natsu." Lucy warned.

The Dragon Slayer raised a brow. "Why me?"

"Because you're the least knowing of the definition of 'stealth'." Gray said.

"Sure I do!" Natsu's scarf tied around his spiky hair was then wrapped around his mouth, revealing only the spikes and his eyes. He gave a ninja hand sign like Nic's Greninja. "It's just like Greninja where I move silently. Nin!" His voice was as raspy as someone who tried to conceal himself, earning a look from Nic.

"I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted…"

"Daddy!"

Everyone stopped and turned towards a very odd cry. They looked on, seeing with surprise a bunch of soldiers in a general public area where a little boy was looking towards one of them with tears staining his cheeks. The look he gave was of sheer distress.

"Where did you take my daddy?!" He cried at a soldier. "Where did my daddy go?!"

"Get lost you brat." The guard shrugged the kid away, but the child in distress was only crying harder.

"Daddy!"

Natsu was on the verge of springing into action. Seeing the kid in distress was only making it harder for himself to stay calm and not impulsive, a trait that was his greatest weakness.

"Natsu, keep it together." Gray reminded him. However, the Ice Mage knew this situation couldn't be ignored either. But they had a disguise, and they couldn't afford to have their covers blown.

Nic and Erza looked towards each other, each giving looks of knowing what to do. Thankfully with Lucy, Sophie and everyone else around, they had enough cover to at least get their plan started. They both reached for their sarong and swim trunks, pulling out two Poke Balls.

The kid was riled up as he clung onto a soldier's leg. "Give me back my daddy right now!" He yelled.

"Get off, brat!" The guard kicked the kid off him, sending him to the ground.

"OW!" He whined. When a shadow loomed over him, he saw with terror that a guard was over him with a spear.

"Kid, if you don't shut up, I'll make you!" He roared.

The kid and nearby folk alike were wide-eyed in terror. They all were vulnerable, and many either looked away or flinched as they saw the spear come down on the kick. The child in distress gasped and shut his eyes tight and braced for the impact. However, rather than feel a sharp pain, the sound of slamming was heard, making him go wide-eyed and look back up, seeing the guard flying backwards from out of the blue and hitting the port wood with a thud.

The guards looked at the unconscious soldier's abdomen, startled with the deep indent in the plates. "Hey, what the heck-!" He was cut off when the sound of charging was heard. He turned his back and saw something green before it hit him. A small burst of green and smoke enveloped him, shooting him backwards like his comrade onto his side.

"What?!" Another guard didn't see anything, instead, he felt an intense force smashed against his helmet, denting the armor and sending him onto the ground, seeing black alongside his comrades.

The citizens looked startled as they all saw the guards down in a flash. They couldn't believe it, neither did the nearby guards. The kid was in question as well, but as he tried getting up, he was instead met with something white and pink with a slobbery expression jumping in front of him, revealing herself as Slurpuff. The boy couldn't see it too clearly, neither could anyone else, but for some reason, there was a red zigzag beside him.

The shock was passed to Mest, who gasped at the scene. "What the…?!" He whipped his head around, his fixation on Nic and Erza as both looked calm but determined. When he understood the message, he looked back at the crime scene with a nervous grit in his teeth. _'Damnit, this isn't what I had in mind!'_

Wendy, Carla, and Happy appeared around the kid, making sure he was safe. While shocked, the kid was at least stable to where Wendy and Carla were able to take his hands.

"We'll get you to safety." Wendy assured.

"Aye! Wendy's nose can track your Dad down, don't you worry!" Happy insisted.

"Let's go." Carla went on, with Wendy and Happy nodding before they assisted the child.

With the cover, Gray turned towards Mest. "You better get going while the distraction is still fresh."

Mest's eyes widened. "Wait, w-what?!" He whipped towards Wendy and Carla, who were both still in bathing suits. The longer he stared, the more a small blush came across his face. _'Uh…'_

"Snap out of it!" Lucy angrily shouted. "He means get to that informant!"

Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked towards the other. "Uh, right! Right!" He shot a looked towards Nic and Erza, his embarrassment subsiding. "Are you two alright with this?"

Facing the scene, Erza frowned. "We won't draw attention to ourselves so long as it's our Pokémon."

"We'll be alright, just get going." Nic assured.

With a nod of understanding, Mest's body began to teleport away. "Alright then, good luck guys." With that, Mest teleported away to confines unknown. With him gone, it was up to Nic and Erza to take command with their Pokémon from a distance. The two gave serious looks, but they mustered grins.

"You ready, Erza?"

"As when you are."

The guards from around the area bypassed and shoved citizens and tourists out of the way, making space for the forces to advance onto Slurpuff and the invisible Kecleon.

"Seize those creatures at once!"

"Seal off the port! We've got trouble!"

Slurpuff spread her paws out, readying herself. "You ready?"

The invisible Kecleon tilted her head. "Class is now in session."

Erza swiped her arm. "Slurpuff, **Flamethrower!** " At her Trainer's command, the Fairy-type opened her mouth, exerting an extensive stream of fire that struck many of the armored men nearby. They all screamed as the fire erupted, sending smoke everywhere.

The ones in the back were startled. "What?! That weird dessert dog thing can breathe fire?!"

Nic narrowed his eyes. "Kecleon, **Thief!** "

"Wha-?!" Out of nowhere, a long, sticky tongue coiled itself around the man's waist. The tongue traced to literally nothing but thin air as the man was lifted in the air. The tongue curved overhead, driving the man into other comrades, hammer to nail. The tongue whipped in another arch at lightning speeds, whacking onto more soldiers, and then a third time with equal force. And after that, the already blacked out soldier was whipped around in a long clockwise arch, mowing down the numbers at a speed that could rival a high-speed ceiling fan. Once the forces nearby fell, Kecleon's tongue flicked the soldier off in a nearby direction, the spear he carried twirling and falling down until it was caught by the tongue.

"Hurry, get around!" Soldiers that weren't mowed around Kecleon's perimeter went for Slurpuff, darting their spear tips ahead to pierce her.

Erza's eyes narrowed. "Slurpuff, **Cotton Guard!** "

Slurpuff's body began to shine, where dozens of puffs of cotton emerged around her. As the puffs vanished, the glow around Slurpuff turned a thick red, her Defense increasing before the aura faded. She remained steady as the two soldiers advancing thrust their spears, but all they did was hit Slurpuff's skin and the tips shattered, rather than pierce the doughy skin.

"What?" A soldier wondered.

Erza applied a follow-up. " **Play Rough!** " Slurpuff shrugged off the spears and leaped for the two men. Smoke appeared, obscuring vision as Slurpuff slapped them wildly, kicking, and constantly striking them to no end in the smoke cloud. As Slurpuff gave one last kick, the two soldiers fell out of the dissipating smoke cloud and onto their backs, meanwhile Slurpuff landed in place, her tongue still sticking out.

A soldier turned towards Slurpuff with his nerves on the rise. "Uh, c-crap! Where are those reinforcements-?!" He was hit with a force behind, making him gag and fall forward.

The many soldiers looked with shock as they couldn't believe their eyes. The long pink tongue above a red zigzag was twirling the spear it had caught from before, using it so wildly. Even with her head tilted, Kecleon didn't seem dumb.

"Swing around the Rosie~!" Kecleon's body pivoted, dragging the twirling spear about with her. The tip slashed and sent men flying with her impressive force, knocking the few numbers left into submission.

As unconscious bodies fell to the ground, the reinforcements nearby gathered up in a few residual numbers and came in a straight line from the distance. They all shouted, shoving away any unwanted tourists and darting for the Pokémon.

Nic swiped his arm. " **Slash!** "

The invisible Kecleon flicked her longue tongue downwards, sending the spear downwards and piercing the wood in a slant. The tongue retreated, leaving only the zigzag to flip vertically onto the spear stick and crouch. With a lunge, the spear stick cracked apart, while Kecleon soared at high speeds, her invisible claws glowing and becoming sharp white streams. The shocked soldiers didn't have any time as it was happening far too fast. The white glints disappeared in a flash like lightning, and then the invisible Kecleon's zigzag reappeared meters behind the large stretch of soldiers, her speed getting through them without delay. The Slash faded, and in an instant, trails of white flared in pairs of dozens in several seconds, cutting open armor and skin. The reinforcements of dozen fell in that one instant like flies, and Kecleon revealed herself, her invisibility fading and head tilting towards the side.

"Studying's fun." She creepily said.

Everyone seeing the immense speed, they were all bewildered with how fast Nic's Kecleon worked. They didn't even have much of a blinking chance when she lunged. The red zigzag was hardly where, as was that Slash. Apparently their speed had gotten much lighter to where Kecleon was practically invisible.

"Well…that's one way of dealing with them." Gray sweat-dropped.

"Y-yeah." Lucy agreed.

"Damnit." Natsu pouted, arms crossed. "They could've saved some for us?"

"Well that took longer than I thought." Sophie sarcastically implied.

In a blur, Kecleon reappeared in front of Nic, once against surprising them all. However, Nic and Erza were calm at the speeds traveled in less than a second. Nic rubbed Kecleon's head, grinning in approval of her victory.

"So what now?" Gray asked. "Doubt there'll be anymore reinforcements for the time being."

Natsu knelt down and looked at one of the guys who was struck earlier by Slurpuff's Energy Ball. "Guess we gotta wake them up and ask about the spy."

"I wouldn't do that." Lucy countered. "It's a good guess that they wouldn't know, and if that happened, they'd know why we're here. That's be bad for us."

Erza gave a knowing smirk. "However it happens…" She cheekily munched onto a spoon she put into her mouth. "We need to be aware at all costs."

However, she was completely contradicting herself. Without realizing it, she, Natsu, and Slurpuff were all on stools against one of the shacks that sold sherbet-like desert that the three were snacking on. They all had looks of satisfaction; especially Erza and Slurpuff.

"Man this is good!" Natsu shouted.

"I could eat this all day!" Slurpuff chimed.

Watching the scene, Lucy sweat-dropped. _'They're completely contradicting the priorities at hand.'_ She pondered. _'I…guess it works with being undercover?'_

Nic took his seat next to Erza, settling into the stool with a relaxed sigh. "Guess while we're here, we should at least sample some of their treats."

"You're welcome to try our signature Star Mango Sherbet." The business man insisted. The man was clearly old given his facial features, with a goatee, bald head and glasses. To accommodate for the island's climate, he also had on a vacation shirt with lilies on them. He had a generous smile as he squeezed more flavored syrup onto the sherbet before sliding it to Nic. "Help yourselves."

"Thank you." Nic accepted the dessert and felt its cold touch through the porcelain cup. With a spoonful, he put it into his mouth, his taste buds turning sweet. Unlike Erza, who marveled at sweetness, he remained subtle in silence.

"You know, I think you should've toned down on the mayhem your little friends created." The man said.

"S-sorry…" Erza groaned. Her Slurpuff's tongue moved side to side like the comment didn't matter. Kecleon, however, just tilted her head.

"Well, on the bright side, you sure got great commercial spirit to keep shop open in a place such as this." Gray said.

The man smiled as he moved onto the next dessert with the syrup. "Fights aren't uncommon here. It's really a matter of keeping yourself stable in such an economy. As long as my business is good, I'll save up what I have and get a tour of Ishgar."

Sophie raised a brow. "Really?"

"Sure am. You lot happen to be from that continent, are you not?"

"We are…" Nic trailed off in silence. Usually he worried about those sort of questions, especially with circumstances the way they are now. However, unlike many malicious men they've all come across, this one gave a generous smile.

"I'm going to go there, and advertise Star Mangoes in Ishgar." He declared. "I'll make the best dessert shop there is!"

Erza gave a thumbs up at the plan. "Yes, that's the spirit. Make your dream a reality!" She was behind his dream all the way, of course Nic as well as everyone else knew that it was only for the sweets. However they all just stayed silent.

Nic smiled at the man's dream, thinking it wouldn't be a bad investment. His face dropped to a frown when he felt something stirring, his Kecleon sensed it too. Both heads raised at the change in atmosphere.

"I'm stuck in this hut for now, but I'm a man with big dreams too! Something as trivial as this won't stop me from achieving my-!"

"Get down!"

All eyes widened at Nic's shout. In less time than it would take for one to blink, Nic seized Erza and the two fell over, while Kecleon slid away from the built up of pressure. The hut's insides suddenly burst like an explosion, everything went flying. Straw, food, appliances, everything went flying and dust splattered across the area.

The business man looked petrified as he fell with the wood. "NO~!"

"Gah!" Lucy fell over from the shockwave, along with Sophie. Gray remained standing, but horrified with the sight. Natsu was blinking as he was on the ground, the gelato still in hand.

Nic, still able to retain Transform thankfully, opened his eyes and turned his head. "Erza, are you okay?" He asked.

Getting back up, she looked towards him. "Thank you, Nic, but…!" The realization dawned upon her. When she got up, she whipped around and looked petrified at the hut…or what remained. Dessert was gone, and the one she had yet to finish was sprawled on the ground, tainted by dust and wood. Her Slurpuff was on her feet too, but like Erza, the two shared a shocked expression of equal despair.

"My…my sweets…" The Meringue Pokémon groaned.

Kecleon applied pats on the back for comfort. "There, there. There is plenty to be ashamed of."

A clapping of hands came from close by. "Well done. Well done indeed." A voice called out.

Whipping around, Erza angrily gritted her teeth at the incoming man. "Who's there?! Were you responsible?!"

Nic and everyone jolted up afterwards, seeing the figure advance with a weak bow in respect. "That sure is a wonderful face that you are making. Well done indeed, sweetie."

Nic's eyes narrowed. "Just who are you?"

The man in question stepped forward with a mischievous smirk on his face. He was a thin man of average height with spiky dark hair. Both his trousers and blazer were dark; plaid patterns on their outer lining. Beneath the blazer was a light dress shirt, and on his head was a bandana with glasses over them. He gave a jovial bow before the grievous bunch.

"Why, good sir, call me Marin. Marin Hollow." He announced. "Of the Alvarez Empire."

Everyone could feel their glares harden at the Alvarez member.

The shopkeeper had sunk to his knees, looking down at the remains of his shop. "My dream…my…" Tears began to swell before his eyes. "Why?"

Gray kept his fixation on Marin, but he handed a sack of jewel to the poor businessman behind him. "Sorry for your loss. This isn't much, but take it as compensation."

"Get out of here while you still have the chance." Lucy urged.

The man accepted the jewel with modesty before looking worriedly ahead. The Alvarez Empire was going to pay for ruining his dream, but for the time being he had to go while the going was good.

Erza gritted her teeth as she glared daggers. Coincidentally, her Slurpuff was fuming with equal rage. "You fiend. Trampling over soft-served desserts." She snarled, however, this only served to make Marin smile wider.

"Well, you sure make my head spin. You can make me spin anytime." He chimed.

The Magic Power around Erza began to swell, making her sarong lift itself with the small gravity field she was beginning to churn in her wake. "I will exact my revenge for the glory of sweet desserts! Slurpuff, let's go!"

Slurpuff spread her legs. "Prepare to taste our wrath!"

" **Requip!** " Erza's body began to glow, but as Marin showed his teeth, Erza's glow dissipated, all the power pulsed vanishing to thin air, much to her own shock. "What's this?"

"Erza!" Natsu exclaimed in shock.

"What happened?" Nic questioned.

Erza looked down at her palm, seeing as how it was not covered in gauntlets or armor for that matter. "Why can't I requip?"

"My dear…" Marin got their attention once more. "Your space has become my own control, that's why."

"Space?" Gray questioned.

Nic's eyes narrowed. _'Spatial Magic. Just like Minerva.'_ He thought. When this came to mind, he silently knew what to do.

Marin continued on. "Requip Magic works as a form of Spatial Magic. And since I control the confines of Spatial Magic, you can't use that magic against me. Sorry~."

Lucy pulled out a key. "Then try this! **Open: Gate of the Archer-!** " She waited for the key to glow, but her magic wasn't working. Her eyes widened as she gasped. "What?"

"Sorry, but Celestial Spirit Magic is Spatial Magic too." Marin shrugged.

Lucy's hopes began to dwindle. "No way…"

Erza fists clutched in frustration. "Damn you…" She swiped her arm. "Then Slurpuff, **Energy Ball!** "

"Take this!" Slurpuff opened her mouth and a green sphere materialized in front. The natural energy infused began to churn and the attack went firing towards Marin.

"Mmm, sorry~…" Marin suddenly vanished, leaving the spot vacant for Energy Ball to hit. A green explosion enveloped the area, but nothing specific was touched. Marin instantly teleported back, this time several feet in front of the rising smoke. "…but like I said, space is mine to control."

Slurpuff's eyes widened. "What?"

"Then how do we touch him?" Sophie questioned beneath her breath.

Marin held an index finger up. "There's also one more thing I forgot to mention."

"What's that?" Erza's inquiry was met with Marin narrowing his eyes. When she felt an empty feeling down beneath, she looked down and went wide-eyed. "What?!" It wasn't just her, but she, Lucy, and Sophie were all beginning to spout bubbles that began to flow upwards, spreading like a virus.

"What's going on?!" Lucy shrieked.

"Those who manage to break my laws of space, I allow them to have an all-expense trip to my 'personal' dimension." Marin cheekily smirked as he began to see the bubbles engulf them all the way up to their ample chests. "Do hope you enjoy your stay."

"Guys!" Natsu shouted.

The bubbles began engulfing them upwards, but then suddenly, like Erza's Requip, the bubbles vanished into thin air.

Marin's eyes widened. "Hm?"

Erza looked down at her body, seeing how it was normal. "What happened?" She questioned. "Were the effects…cancelled out?"

"The heck?" Natsu said.

Marin raised a brow. "What's going on? What happened to everything being well done?"

A pair of footsteps came forth, standing several feet in front of the group revealed Nic. "You know, it's enough that you abuse space, but using it to harm people was a line you don't cross. Especially when they're my friends." He said.

"Whoa, Nic!" Lucy exclaimed.

Marin tilted his head. "Oh? And what do you happen you say about space? Think you know any better?" His smirk began to widen. "Sorry, but…" Veins appeared on his eyes, his brow furrowing and his anger suddenly overturning with a full 180. "YOU FAIL! JACKASS! YOU FAIL!"

Gray reeled back in shock. "He just flipped out right there!"

"Creepy much?" Sophie deterred away.

Marin snapped his fingers, and in an instant, a distortion appeared in front of him. The distortion expanded, revealing Mest. The Fairy Tail Mage was battered and beaten up and fell in front with a thud.

"Mest!" Natsu shouted.

Nic's eyes narrowed more, his glare sharpening. "What did you do?" He threatened.

"This one of your friends? He _dared_ to think of using his Spatial Magic against me of all people." Marin's glare darkened as he faced Nic, and him alone. "FAILURE! AND YOU TOO! I'LL MAKE SURE YOU LEARN YOUR PLACE BEFORE MY SPATIAL MAGIC!"

"Nic, look out!" Lucy warned.

Nic remained still as Marin tried to teleport. The Spatial Mage tried to move, but as he did, the space around the area was all distorted, and he remained stuck in place. The phenomenon left him perplexed.

"What?!"

The space reverted to normal, showing Marin right where he was without moving.

"Wha…what did you do?!" Marin stretched his arm out towards Nic, clutching it tight. Like with Erza and the other girls, he attempted to make Nic disappear. The air around Nic distorted, but without looking away from Marin, the space around Nic reverted back to normal.

"There it is again." Sophie said.

Marin was fuming in rage, his dark side glaring daggers at Nic. "WHAT IS HAPPENING?! HOW?!"

"I wasn't just spending the whole year training my powers of the types." Nic stated. "My powers weren't the only think I had to work with."

The notion made Lucy's eyes widened. "Hold up. You mean…"

"You can distort full space at will?" Sophie finished.

"He's gotten proficient at using Palkia's powers." Erza informed. "There's no one who can tame space better than Nic. He is the closest one could get to Palkia's divine spatial control."

"You…you~!" Marin was so enraged, he was trying with all his might, but his Spatial Magic wasn't listening. It was like it was being shut off, or filtered out of his control. "YOU CAN'T BE BETTER THAN ME! SPACE IS MINE! MINE, MINE, MINE! YOU'RE NOT BETTER THAN ME! STOP WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING AND BOW BEFORE THE KING OF SPACE!"

"Such impiety." Nic retorted.

Marin jerked back, startled by the distorted aura around Nic's body.

"If you think space belongs to you, then you're a mistaken man. Palkia created space not just for you, but for everyone to share. The space you make rules in, are his to break and change, as they are to me. No one is a king or failure because it isn't some object you can rule with."

Bewildered with his space overpowered, Marin began to step back out of fear. "N-no…stay away. Stay…"

"If anyone has failed here, it's you." Nic said. "Kecleon."

The Color Swap Pokémon tilted her head.

"Use **Brick Break!** "

Kecleon clutched her right fist, which began glowing a bright white. With a swift lunge, she began reaching her opponent.

Marin tried desperately to use space, but nothing was working. He snapped his fingers with all he had, even trying as hard as to use space to move Mest to use him as a shield, but all for naught. He could only move at a regular pace, and that was bad news. "No…no! Stay away!" He urged. "I CAN'T FAIL!"

Kecleon took a jump and brought her fist forward. "You get an L…" Her Brick Break smashed into Marin's abdomen, creating a ripple of air that exerted outwards. The man gagged as his eyes were devoid of pupils that very instant. "…for life detention!"

Marin's body finally caught up with the shock. He was in so much pain that his voice grew hoarse. His body flew backwards, shooting across the port and smashing through palm tree after palm tree. A row of palm trees fell in the wake, bark cackling as Marin's unconscious form laid at the end of a trail edged within the port's wood beyond the palm trees. His abdomen was bruised, and his clothing was tattered from the sheer impact.

Kecleon landed on the ground, once again tilting her head. "Confined spaces make people cuddle."

"Alright!" Natsu cheered. "Now that's how you do it!"

"That was awesome…and creepy." Lucy sweat-dropped as Kecleon's attack made her own spine shudder, as if it too would break.

Nic looked towards Kecleon, smiling. "A job well done, Kecleon." He then turned towards Erza, seeing how she was alright. "Erza, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I think so." She looked down at herself, seeing how she and the girls were still in one piece. _'That Spatial Magic…if it wasn't for Nic using Palkia's spatial powers, I don't know where we'd end up.'_

Gray moved towards Mest, kneeling to see his condition. "Hey man, hey!" He tapped him. "Hey, Mest, are you up?"

"Gnnngh…" The mage groaned as his eyes opened weakly. "What…happened…?"

"It's a long story."

"Gee, thanks for being so helpful." Mest of curse implied sarcasm as he attempted to get up. Despite some struggling, he managed to get up on his feet. Once up, he winced.

"You good?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, I think I can hold up. Thanks." Mest turned towards the still transformed Nic, a frown on his face. "I don't think our cover will be safe from here one."

"I could agree." Another voice called out.

Everyone's eyes widened when the sound of a third party took refuge nearby. The air had gotten quiet. No winds blew. The pressure, it was as if it had become unsound by something. Everyone around could suddenly feel their hearts race, their attention towards someone walking nearby in high heels.

The sound of heels against wood came from a nearby direction. "What's going on here?" A womanly voice announced.

"Wha…?" Natsu turned around, eyes wide with intense shock. "What the…?"

"This Magic Power…" Lucy was feeling a terrible chill shudder her spine.

Erza's fists clutched. The very feeling of this magical pressure was making her something she wasn't easily manageable of. Nervous. "What Magic Power…" She hasn't felt like this in a long while, not since the level of _disastrous_ quantities of magic since the incident where the dead have arisen. Granted that level left her nervous beyond reckoning, but the amount was still something she wasn't used to."

"I don't remember this level being as high as Makarov." Sophie gasped.

Nic said nothing as he retained a calm gaze when turning around. Even with all the Magic Power in the atmosphere, it wasn't remotely enough to faze him. Certain enemies with this level he was accustomed to. Past ones revolving around a certain Renegade Pokémon were beyond this point, and as such, nothing he was afraid of.

Walking before them, standing in high heels was a woman around Lucy's age, with green hair in a bowl-cut above her shoulders. Like the blonde, she had skimpy attire on – which was spotted bikini over her ample bust. Her only decency appeared to be the fur-collared long-sleeve coat with stars on them. Her green eyes were the exact color as her hair, the orbs focused on Nic, and him alone. This was someone not to be underestimated with – Brandish.

The woman said nothing as she stared. As her power posed as a threat, Natsu tried to restrain himself as much as possible, but the sensation up and down his bandaged arm was pulsing with his blood. He clutched it, though it didn't go unnoticed by Gray.

As the woman glared at them, a solemn wind passed between her and Nic. The pressure she was feeling when she looked at the disguised man, it was making her own heart pulse. She could feel her blood skyrocket to high levels, and yet all she could do was retain a calm disposition. The power she felt was enough to leave her still. And yet, she managed to speak.

"And who might you be?" Nic asked in a calm tone, showing no cowardice.

"Fair to say my identity is in no shroud, but I can feel it right before me." She replied.

Erza's eyes narrowed. "What is she saying."

"I know who you are. I have seen it before, and I can tell that green lizard belongs to the one man who would ever possibly lay a hand on the most lethal of any kind." The woman said. As the winds around her and Nic settled, she began to take a more confident front by taking a step forward. "You've done well in hiding yourself, but the masquerade is over. Come out…Nic Pularis."

All eyes widened when Brandish announced his name. Natsu, Lucy, everyone there shift their focus towards Nic, Erza, and their Pokémon. The Normal and Fairy-type remained stationed in place as their Trainers looked on with hardened gazes. Nic knew his cover was up. He retained a stationary expression as he and the woman had glares set in another.

After several seconds of desolation, Nic knew there was no point. "Fine." His body glowed multiple colors, the hair and body shifting, turning himself back into Nic in black swim trunks with dark purple edging. The scars on his body returned, his blue eyes glaring at Brandish.

At the instant, Brandish could feel yet another jolt of pressure rising from Nic, but did what she could to retain composure.

"So we were ratted out. Damn." Mest grunted.

"Well isn't this our luck." Gray snorted.

Natsu spread his legs, ready for battle. "Okay then…"

"No! Don't!" Mest warned.

Erza looked towards Nic, her worries staggering at the standoff escalating. If this turned into a battle, god knew how drastic Nic may take it with this level of Magic Power. _'Nic.'_

Nic said but few words as he continued to glare at the busty woman opposing them. "What is it?"

Brandish finally answered. "I want…a Star Mango Gelato."

The group nearly floored at her answer. Out of all the things, she could ever ask, she asked…for a dessert.

"Eh…" Lucy sweat-dropped. "About that…"

Brandish turned her head towards the hut, wanting a gelato for herself. However, her spirits went to a halt when she nearly turned ghost white. The poor green-haired woman's face went from stoic to gawking as her dreams crumbled like dust in her vision. "W-what happened to the shop?! It's in ruins!" She shrieked.

' _Well that escalated into another direction.'_ The fragments of Team Natsu thought in unison.

Nic turned his head towards the destruction of the palm trees. "Your answer is over there."

"Huh?" Brandish turned her attention towards the direction where Nic referred to. To her surprise, she saw that Marin Hollow was a spineless, twitching mess far and wedged into the port. Once the message got across, the woman began to calm down.

"…I see." She slowly began to walk over towards Marin.

Even though he was barely able to process anything, the defeated man was still barely conscious. He overheard it all, and when he saw the blurry identity of Nic, his mind was racing a hundred miles an hour. _'That guy…was Nic?!'_ His vision came back, but only when the beating sun stopped shining on his face when a dainty shadow was cast overhead. His eyes narrowed, but was unable to move to the service of the shadow's figure. "Lady…Brandish?"

Brandish towered over her subordinate, glaring daggers into his twitching body. She did not feel pleased. "Marin." She said. "Don't lie. Did you destroy that hut?"

Marin was already a mess, but he was in deep water now with Brandish in a threatening state above him. As much as he wanted to lie and cast blame so sheepishly, he dared not look at anyone else other than his master. Her eyes glared at him harder, and with what residual strength he had, looked away in fear. The confirmation was clear.

Brandish finally let up and sighed in defeat. She turned away, walking off. "What a disappointment you've turned out to be."

As Brandish began to walk off, Marin tried desperately to turn his head to face her once more. "But…Lady Brandish." The woman stopped in her tracks at the sound of her name. "But we have an assignment. We gotta get to that spy. And…" Marin hesitated to look at Nic and Kecleon, both giving him a freezing stare. "A-and them!"

Brandish shot a glance at Nic. She only looked over her shoulder for a second, but that was more than enough for her before facing front again. "And what of them?"

"They're Ishgarians! They're with Nic! The monster who slayed the universe destroyer! We gotta take them out now-"

"That's out of our jurisdiction." Brandish rebutted.

Marin went silent.

"You should know better than to leave someone who has defeated the evil and despair in the hands of _one_ Spriggan. You are aware of how we must operate, so don't go making reckless charges against other people…or women for that matter." She shot a glare back at him. "Understand?"

Marin's frozen body stiffened to where he felt like a ceramic piece. "Yes!" He squealed.

Brandish turned away, once again sighing. "And here I was hoping to get a piece of that gelato. This is beyond disappointing." She began to walk off, leaving her comrade behind, until a pair of footsteps were heard stepping up.

"Hey." Natsu growled.

Brandish looked over her shoulder, staring at Natsu. "What now?"

Mest looked at the Dragon Slayer with belittling shock. "What are you doing? Stop!" However, by the look he was giving, Natsu wasn't listening in the remote slightest.

"Your little pal you're leaving behind really messed things up for you and us alike. There's no way we're just going to let that slide, not while you still know where the old man is."

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted.

Brandish continued to look at Natsu over her shoulder, his draconic glare unable to faze her. When she shot a look at Nic, she instantly looked in another direction, towards the hut that was now in shambles. She then glanced at Marin, who was petrified in fear. At last, she gave another sigh.

"Must today be so annoying?" She groaned. She whipped around and had a hand towards Marin.

"Uhh…Lady Bran-!"

With a snap of her fingers, Brandish reduced her associate to thin air, as if disintegrating as a small gust shifted her coat. What was shocking was that even when she did it, she looked so nonchalant about it. Everyone gaped their mouths and gasped at the sight. Horrified would be an understatement.

Brandish walked off slowly, nodding her head to the side. "There, happy? Now we're even. The problem had been dealt with." She remarked ever so casually. "I'm sorry, but affairs like these are just too troublesome for my liking."

"You…you just killed your own comrade!" Natsu spouted.

"Like I said, problem dealt with." She dismissed. "I'll do a favor and say we got the spy and all that stuff."

Lucy looked at Brandish, her horror still fixated on what happened.

"I insist. If you value your lives, you will take no step further towards Alakitasia. That is if you dare."

Erza could feel her teeth grit at the sight of her green hair. She strode on so casually, and that only made her glare sharpen. _'She's toying with us.'_

Nic could feel a low growl from his throat, but managed to weigh it down, unlike Natsu.

"Makarov Dreyar is alive…" She paused to allow the note to sink into their heads. "But if you continue to persist, or defy my plea…then you will be destroyed." She stopped and once again glanced over her shoulder. "This is my one warning to you all."

Suddenly the ground began to rattle. The land shifted beneath their feet in a high magnitude, causing everyone to look down with shocked eyes.

"What's this?!" Erza gasped.

"The land!" Sophie shouted.

Kecleon and Slurpuff looked around, equally as surprised as their Trainers.

Nic and everyone were all engulfed in a bright flash. They all grew hoarse as the land and everything beneath suddenly went white. It felt as though gravity defied them for a second, but then the sensation of water spilled onto their feet. When the flash faded, everything was different, as everything itself was literally gone. The island had reduced to a foothold for Brandish, while her magic made the seawater ripple, making everyone fall into the open sea.

"Gah!" Erza splashed into the water. Her, and everyone else plunged into the sea; Lucy fell upside down for some bizarre reason.

Once resurfacing, the first thing Nic saw was Brandish glowering down onto him. She looked so calm, but as he floated casually in the sea, he could feel the hidden strain in her glare. A tough-guy act gone awry.

"The land!" Gray gurgled.

"It's gone?!" Sophie gasped.

All around, tourists were all splashing wildly, screaming frantically as the sand beneath them was reduced to open water. Panic ran like the waves that swayed left and right, throwing any and all for a loop.

"Be warned, for there are 12 more mages in Alvarez with this power. Do not pick a fight you can't win…Faory Tail. That goes for you as well, Nic. You and your Pokémon shall feel the wrath of Spriggans yet."

With that warning, the Alvarez woman swiftly vanished from her foothold. With ships nearby, she was perhaps afoot there, leaving everyone in the water.

' _12 more? With that Magic Power?'_ Lucy thought while afloat.

' _So then they knew all along.'_ Gray thought.

' _Alvarez Empire.'_ Erza growled as she remained afloat in the sea.

Natsu's glare was fixed on the spot Brandish was once on, his eyes burning with anger. "…old man…"

His attention averting to the sounds of shouting, Nic snapped out of his snipe and realized that some tourist were unable to swim. Taking action, he whipped around in the water. "Hang on!" He glowed in the water, changing to his Earth Form. He adorned a light brown top and long skirt, with a darker shade on the belt and the edging on the top. Beneath was a dark brown shirt and equally darker sleeves inside the outer sleeves. His footwear changed to dark brown boots.

As everyone panicked, some were starting to submerge. Before some began to sink too deep, something hard began to rise up. Everyone floating in the water was suddenly afloat on something shocking. They all jerked up when from 200 meters in full radius around Nic, there was a fresh slab of land materialized.

"Wha…what just happened?!"

"Land?!" A tourist looked down, bewildered as his hands felt rock. "It's smooth!"

"Where did this come from?!"

Lucy was still wet, but at least she was on her knees, panting. "Hold up, rock?" She questioned.

Mest looked down at the sheet of thin and, turning towards Nic. "Wait, did you…?"

Nic stood up straight, looking undeterred by his save. "Save it for later. We gotta wait until help arrives." He turned towards Kecleon. "Are you okay?"

"Yup." Kecleon nodded.

Erza turned towards her Slurpuff. "What about you?"

"I'm good."

"That's a relief."

Nic pulled out Kecleon;s Poke Ball. "Alright, let's get you some rest. You did a great job, Kecleon, so return."

"You too, Slurpuff." Erza followed suit, their Poke Balls recalling both Kecleon and Slurpuff safely inside.

Sophie turned around, looking with surprise at something in the distance. "Everyone! Look!"

All eyes turned to what she yelled out about. All the tourists salvaged managed to get a glimpse in their shock and saw ships closing in. It was a bunch of boats, and the one leading the charge was the boat that was equally as big but had a certain someone atop of the bow.

"Cruzer!" Lucy shouted.

"Talk about reaction timing!" Gray exclaimed.

Cruzer leaned down, shooting his arm straight forward. "Alright men, secure everyone! Make sure no one gets abandoned!"

"SIR, YES SIR!"

"That goes for all you shipping boat captains! Get everyone to safety now!"

With the ships closing in, Nic and Erza turned towards the other. The pair knew they couldn't sit around. With the ships about, they knew they had to take measures to ensure everyone got aboard. Together, both pulled out three Poke Balls and a Dive Ball.

Nic tossed up first. "Staraptor! Charizard! Help everyone onto the boats!"

Erza threw next. "Talonflame! Cloyster! Make sure everyone is out of the water!"

All four Pokémon emerged simultaneously. Charizard and Staraptor appeared side by side, with Talonflame nearby as well. Erza's Cloyster was summoned in the water, his shell open and ready to help. All four Pokémon did as told and followed their Trainers' commands to the letter. Staraptor allowed the children onto her back while she carried two more in her talons, assisting in the light weight. Talonflame was no different, but rather than haul 4 children, she only hauled one at a time. Charizard was carrying roughly 4-5 adults at the same time, showing no wear even after several trips. Cloyster pitched in by supplying herself as a foothold for the men and women to get up to the ropes and ladders. Thanks to the Pokémon and their assistance, the last foot atop Cloyster's shell lift itself onto the boat, and everyone made it onto all the fishing boats.

"Is this everybody?!" Erza called out.

Nic glowed, reverting to his swim trunks once more. As he looked around, everyone seemed to be alright. "That should be it."

Charizard and Staraptor landed in front of him, getting his attention. "Thank you both so much." He grinned.

"Sure." They said I unison.

Erza crossed her arms with a proud smirk to her Talonflame and Cloyster. "Because of you two, we manage to procure safety for everyone. Be proud of that accomplishment today."

Talonflame chirped in glee. Cloyster nodded, but retained silence for his well-earned efforts.

"I can't believe all these fishing boats were nearby." Gray pointed out.

"Gngh…" Natsu's cheeks puffed. "Please don't say boat…"

Cruzer looked atop of the deck, guiding the ships away. "Alright, we're pulling out!" He stayed afloat as he saw the fishing boats behind follow the Rune Marine's orders. They all left the small stretch of land, leaving Cruzer to look back at the slab of land. "But…how did Caracole Island disappear?"

Erza and Nic, having calmed down and recalled their Pokémon, both took refuge close to one another on a cargo box. They disregarded the number of fishermen with first-aid kits and towels as they knew the people would be fine. The real problem was what Brandish did. Both looked out towards the slab of land, more precisely its center, where her foothold from before was.

' _Caracole Island didn't vanish.'_ Erza thought.

In the dead center of the slab, the foothold was the same conch shape as the small island, and to accommodate the feat, there was even a miniature port, with umbrellas and everything.

Nic watched as a seagull landed on its top. _'Caracole Island…shrank.'_

As the ships left the slab of land to preserve life, the seagull cawed as it flapped off the foothold, leaving the island abandoned.

* * *

 **Chapter 61! How was it guys? As you saw, I gave Kecleon some more spotlight since she hasn't been used since the Impure Underworld Arc, and to compensate, she also has Brick Break now. Also, as you could also see, Nic has gotten superb at manipulating space to where he can do more than just make portals to his world and back. So as always, let me know what you guys thought, and how I tried to get Pokémon involved much more this chapter, even if short-handed. Thanks!**


	62. Let's Go Home

On the fishing boats carrying passengers of Caracole Island, medics and those with first-aid kits walked around, looking for any signs of those who needed help. "Is anyone needing of assistance?!" A medic called out. Many other passengers who were lost or confused were separated from their families, but with so many passengers around, it took time before they were all starting to come around. While many were trying to find loved ones, others were trying to find solace in holding down their own lunches. Specifically those with motion sickness, such as a certain pink-haired firebreather and little Sky Dragon.

Wendy's stomach churned on the ship. "Is Mest…al…right?" She managed.

"For now." Carla answered. "I wish I could say the same for you."

"S-so…sorry…HURGH!" Wendy covered her mouth after one big lurch, her eyes widening as she was about to blow chunks – though she was already beat by Natsu on the other end.

Seeing as how the problem was out of her hands, Carla sighed and crossed her arms. "Well, at least we got that child back to his parent before that sudden phenomenon. I'd hate to see something happen beforehand."

Lucy patted Natsu's back, trying to comfort him. "Are you alright?" She knew that by all means Dragon Slayers like Natsu didn't have a prayer on transportation, but she was still generally concerned. The Dragon Slayer groaning on the ship's side was a sign he was at least conscious.

"Help…me…" He groaned.

Nearby, Nic and Erza were still sitting on the ship's side, more accurately on a bunch of boxes to make for stools. They remained puzzled even after that last confrontation with the Spriggan, Brandish. Her Magic Power was powerful to say extremely lightly, but it still left them with the bewilderment of her power to shrink islands to mere footholds. They didn't say anything about it for some time, rather kept an eye on the passengers to distract their wonders.

At long last, Nic was the one to break the silence. "That woman."

Erza nodded, confirming her own wonders. "I know. Mass Manipulation. I must say that I'm surprised."

"If she can control mass of inanimate material like islands, do you think it would be equally as potent on animated figures as well?"

"…I wish that wasn't the case, but I fear it may be so."

Nic looked towards Erza, a slight tint of worry rumbling in his gut. "What do you think?"

Erza crossed her arms, raising a brow as she tried to strategize. "Well dwelling on the matter won't bring about many solutions."

"I agree." Nic replied. "We'll worry about the Spriggans another time. For now, we need to figure out the whereabouts about that spy-"

Before Nic could finish the full sentence, both he and Erza were instantly teleported away out of the blue. The flash of light that enwrapped them both caught Sophie's attention as she gawked in shock.

"Ehh?!" As she gasped, her body began to glow. In a twinkling lash, she too had disappeared.

Lucy turned around, away from Natsu's contents flying off the side. "Nic. Erza. So what do we do now…?" However, she was met with vacant spaces. "Huh? Where did they-?!" However, like the three before her, Natsu, Happy, and everyone were suddenly beginning to warp.

"What the-?!" Happy broke off as he faded away.

With everyone gone, the deck was now short of Fairy Tail Mages. As the spaces were being filled with people, Cruzer looked around along the deck, his eyebrows raising as he caught no wind of the group that was spread out. "That's funny. The hell did those brats go?" He looked left and right, but was met with no redheads nor felines. At least not ones with wings. "What's going on?"

* * *

In a warping light, everyone who was transported began to materialize in another sanctum. Twinkling lights in the space provided suddenly flashed wide open, revealing everyone in midair. Nic and Erza stood upright, catching themselves while Lucy fell onto Natsu and everyone else fell onto their backs and sides.

Erza blinked in her shock. "Where…?"

"What just happened?" Nic deadpanned.

Gray jolted up, eyes wide. "Hold up, the heck?!"

"Sorry guys." Mest apologized. "There wasn't too much time to explain."

"Time to explain what?! You were about to teleport us?!" Carla snapped.

"Uuuugh…" Natsu's eyes bolted open, the sensation of moving no longer happening. Wendy immediately followed, both realizing they were alright. "Alright! No transportation!"

"Yay!"

Sophie turned over her shoulder. "But…" She paused. "Where are we exactly?" She questioned the new surroundings just as much as everyone else. When she arose to her feet, she everyone got a good look around.

Everything appeared to be of stone, if not finely crafted. It was all ornate and well-furnished, like a luxury, however it certainly didn't feel like it with the emptiness it held, aside from their own presence. One could say that it was designed like a small temple. Thankfully as they were hard-pressed with wonder, Mest was there to enlighten their inquiries.

"We're still in Caracole Island waters, that hasn't changed…but rather, we're _under_ its waters."

Lucy's eyes shot wide open. "Hold up! You mean…?"

Mest nodded. "I got us underwater."

Happy turned towards one of the windows. To his shock, there was no actual window. There was only open space, as if there was an invisible boundary keeping water outside. "Woah…check this out guys!" He reached for the water, and shockingly his paw went right through, meeting damp ocean water. "It's like voodoo!" The feline saw figures swimming, and as he looked on, his eyes widened. "Fishies!" He screeched.

Carla raised a brow at the feline. When she saw the small trail of saliva on the side of his mouth she knew instantly what was going on in his mind. "Don't you even think about it, Happy!" She chided.

"A place of no boundary?" Lucy stuck her finger threw another window, surprised how no force was keeping her finger from touching the water, just like Happy. "Is this magic?"

Erza looked towards the ceiling, which were high so that their voices could echo. "What a weird place."

"Maybe, but it's where I was told to meet our spy." Mest replied.

"An underwater temple, huh?" Gray sarcastically questioned. "Well isn't this a surprise." Like his last sentence, a flat tone of ill-impression rang like a doorbell.

Nic looked around, unsound by the bizarre location. He has heard rumors that resonated all the way back from a place he was familiar with, but didn't venture to that part specifically. The Abyssal Ruins of Unova, if he heard correctly. The place was still a mystery to this day, but uncanny features of temples and ruins were still something he didn't necessarily wished to tamper with. He's also heard how the ruins were supposed to miraculously cause floods that have thwarted excavators and marine biologists to ever set foot into the place if ventured too deep. _'I wonder if this place is cursed like that as well?'_

Suddenly, the temple began to shake, causing everyone to wobble around. "What's this now?!" Nic shouted.

"The temple…it's shaking!" Lucy exclaimed.

A lot of eyes trailed towards Mest, causing him to take a step back out of insecurity. "Don't look at me! I wasn't told about this!" He countered.

"Crap! Then what is it?!" Gray exclaimed.

Outside, the rock and shrine the temple was sitting on was starting to crumble away. The rock was shifting so much that it felt like an underwater earthquake. The temple began to move, its top spouting what looked to be a large cannon that was concealed into the top of the shrine. As the debris fell, the large temple sprouted large wings like that of an angel. Two large lights flickered on in front, revealing bright lenses to see in the murkiness that lied beneath the sea.

The temple then thrust forward, flying through the water like an underwater seatrain. In an instant, Natsu and Wendy's relief died off as they realized something.

"N-no! Transpor-!" Before they finished, both Dragon Slayers fell to the ground, their cheeks puffed in sickness.

"We're moving?" Sophie looked out one of the windows, seeing the undersea mountains shifts and roam past them. "My god…"

"It's a pleasure you could make it."

The voice caught everyone by surprise. They all turned and looked around, noticing how the voice wasn't backed up by a physical body. "Who's there?!" Erza demanded.

"Keep your swimsuits on, would you?" Everyone turned towards the voice, which resonated from behind a stone slab not far from them. As attention drew on, the slab turned around like a chair, the sudden change shocking everyone as a familiar woman sat in the stone cold seat.

The white-haired woman in question wore a bikini, and gave a sloppy salute to the guest aboard. "Welcome to Olympia, the moving temple." She winked. "Welcome me as Sorano, your captain on this fun trip. Enjoy the ride while it lasts."

Lucy's eyes widened at the stunning entrance. "Angel?!"

"Wait, you mean Angel of the Oracion Seis?" Sophie clarified.

"What is s _he_ doing here?!" Happy exclaimed.

Gray crossed his arms. "Yeah, and why is she in a swimsuit?"

Carla turned to meet his questioning. "Well to accommodate the underse…" The transformed feline trailed off as she realized why Gray asked. "I could be asking why you're _not_ wearing one!"

Gray blinked. "Say what?" He looked down, realizing he was stripped completely. "Crap!"

"So the spy you've sent…" Nic came to realize the predicament. "Was Sorano."

Sorano got up from her seat, stretching her arms over her head with a large smile. "Yup! You got me! Clever boy! She chimed. She moved her arms around, removing any stiff sensations she had. "Man, that was a nice nap."

Mest sweat-dropped. "You…napped while waiting?"

Erza leaned into Mest, giving an unimpressed look. "Why wasn't it Cobra?" She whispered.

"He…wouldn't like this form of negotiating one bit." Mest groaned. With Cobra being a Dragon Slayer, Mest was aware of his motion sickness. If Cobra had taken Sorano's place as the spy, the odds of Mest living would've dropped considerably.

"So…your cover was blown…" Sophie started.

"Then came to the island to hide…" Gray added.

"And now the island is gone." Carla finished.

Sorano puffed her cheeks. "It wasn't easy staying alive ya know!" She pouted. She shrugged off their comments and waltzed around them. "Well, guess it happens. But I did owe Mest a favor, so here I am I guess. But don't think that we're buddies or anything. I'm not your friend, got it?"

Lucy smiled. "Still, thank you Ange-er, I mean…Sorano?"

Sorano turned towards Lucy with a questioned look. Upon recognizing the blonde, she turned on her heels and walked towards the Celestial Mage. She came dangerously close in Lucy;s space, earning silence. Sorano smirked as she used one finger to pull Lucy by the bra closer. The two former foes were eye to eye, brown against blue. A forbidden silence transcended the undersea transport until Sorano spoke up.

"Don't forget, blondie. It was I who killed Karen."

The reminder sent a chill down Lucy's spine. Clearly Sorano was threatening her, the mage's contempt for Lucy still lingering around somewhere. Even after all these years, she still posed as a threat for the Celestial Mage. And all Lucy could do was glare back with chipped confidence.

"Sorano." Erza warned.

"Fine, fine." Sorano backed off from Lucy with hands up to feign innocence. Lucy sighed in relief.

On the floor nearby, Wendy and Natsu were twitching, barely keeping themselves from blowing chunks again. "Where…are we going?" Natsu groaned.

"Hm?" Sorano looked over her shoulder at the incapacitated Dragon Slayer. "Where else? To Makarov of course."

Everyone's eyes shot wide open at Sorano. Any funny business intended had frozen up completely, and instead the undersea temple's atmosphere grew weary with prospects of the Master's trail being followed by them.

"You mean you know where the master is?" Erza questioned hurriedly.

Sorano smirked as she put a hand to her own chin. "How do you like me now?"

The inquiry was left hanging in the air as Nic turned away, watching the undersea landscape roam freely. As he stared out into the blue abyss, he looked back in the direction they came from. _'I wonder how Vanessa and the others are doing?'_

* * *

Magnolia was busy, and not just because the streets were filled with businesses booming. Farther up the main street, the structure that was meant to be Fairy Tail's newly established guild hall was starting to shape into fruition. So far, the first floor has been made, successfully, and while they still lacked a roof, they still had half the project complete. It wasn't as big as they thought it would be, but it was enough to house the members that have currently returned.

Wakaba sighed, his elbow against a wooden table with the hand against his chin. "Man, what does a guy have to do to get a smoke break around here?"

"I should be asking if there's a drinking break." Macao joked, sitting right across the wooden table. "I could really use one about now."

"You've gotten to be quite the sissy, haven't you?"

Macao smirked. "Are you sure that's not old age talking?"

Romeo, who was on the first floor's top was carrying one of the new flags that shipped in. He stopped moving and turned to look down at his father down below. "Hey, Dad! Hurry up! We got some fresh supplies coming in!"

"Yeah, coming." Macao put a hand to the table and struggled to stand. Once on his feet, he looked exhausted. "That boy's got too much energy I tell ya."

Wakaba got up on the other end, facing away with hands in his pockets. "Well our prime ages are over pal, let's face it."

He and Macao separated, both walking off to resume their chores.

Vanessa walked beside the building, making way in front as many members who were able-bodied waited patiently as she guided her Venusaur towards them. As she looked back, she could see the sweat on her Grass/Poison-type's face as a large wagon of thick planks was hauled behind his bulk. She persevered and continued to guide her Venusaur until they made a complete stop in front of everyone.

Once settled, Vanessa turned towards Venusaur. "Are you alright, Venusaur?"

The Pokémon nodded. "Yeah, just a little breather is all I need." This was his fifth trip today from one end of Magnolia with Vanessa and back, each shipment he hauled carrying heavy supplies that could rival his own weight, if not more so. Despite how drained he felt, he seemed fairly relaxed thanks to the added help of Vanessa's Pokémon nearby.

Everyone pitched in and grabbed the fresh supplies. They all made way back inside with an assorted array of either hard planks, dry wall material, hammers, or even nails. They all were especially pleased to know that Vanessa and her Pokémon were taking care of the heavy lifting. The project had been going on for days on end, and while they had breaks for food and sleep, they've been urged constantly to keep on working. They had no intel on when the Sixth Master would be back, and so they had to make sure the place was ready, even if it was by tomorrow. Time wasn't on their side, and Vanessa was doing everything in her power to keep them all in check. It was a miracle to some that she hasn't gotten wrinkles from stress. Was she even stressed? She looked so relaxed and calm, it was a miracle. Regardless of how she looked, they knew she had free reign and had to respect that.

Goodra used her horns to carry two heavy planks, while she used her small hands to carry a few smaller planks. "Pardon me." She passed mages who moved out of her way for her bulk. As she advanced forward, some members leaned over in an unsubtle fashion.

"Remind me to where gloves when she hands us those planks." Nab said.

"Uh…yeah…" Laki nervously nodded.

Delphox used her Psychic and moved her wand with the flaming tip, guiding one plank into position. Once in position, she looked away. "Here's another!"

"I hear ya!" Mawile rushed on over with haste in her little legs. She made it to the plank, where she turned around and opened her horns. There, she plucked some nails out, closing the horns and turning towards the plank. She positioned one, and then slammed her shut horns into the plank, sticking the nail deeper into the plank.

"Just like that." Vanessa called out from the distance. She turned towards another direction. "Magnezone, how are out over there?"

Magnezone, being the Magnet Area Pokémon, certainly lived up to his name. attached to the magnets around him, there were abundant numbers of nails stuck. However, there were even more all around him, defying the magnetic properties he possessed. He floated in front of the nearest plank that Max and Warren were holding up, and aimed his magnets so that his polarity powers made four of the many nails pry off his magnets. They shot forward, nailing the corners into the beams behind.

The Electric/Steel-type turned around, glancing at his Trainer. "Yes, we're fine over here." He nodded.

"Good." Vanessa turned away, looking towards others. "Jet! Droy! Hurry with those planks! Alzack, hold up that plank a little longer! Magnezone will be over soon!"

As she gave out orders, she was making quite the impression on herself. At least to what others had to say.

"I never thought the little gun had so much bravado in her." Bisca commented as she carried a small carton of water.

"She must've gotten that from being around Erza." Vijeeter implied. The notion didn't seem to sit well in Wakaba's stomach, however.

"Well I just hope she doesn't push us around like she does."

"Nah, just look at her." Max said from nearby. "She's been doing a good job keeping us on track. At least we know she's responsible."

"Probably from handling all those Pokémon no doubt." Droy said.

As Vanessa looked around, Asuka was on a table, having a carton of juice. "Miss Vanessa?" She asked.

She turned towards her. "Yes?"

"Do you know when Miss Mira and Nic will be back?"

Despite the question having lingered in her mind for some days now, she knew better than to worry too much. "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll be back soon. They probably went to find the master. Just a little longer, okay?"

"Alright!" Asuka chirped.

Vanessa turned towards another direction, seeing Goodra using her two horns to keep two ends of two planks up. "Great job, Goodra." She turned towards another direction. "And what about Krookodile?" She faced the direction where the Intimidation Pokémon was, only for to just stare on as the Ground/Dark-type was being, well…himself.

The crocodile walked into place, setting the plank he carried from Venusaur into position. He used his claws and set it soundly on the beam. "There. Just like that!" He exclaimed. As he pulled his claws away, however, they were embedded into the plank's side. He yanked once, but didn't budge. "Huh?" He yanked harder, trying to pry his claws off. "Gnnnnngh! Come on~!"

Goodra looked over, seeing Krookodile struggling. "Are you alright?"

"I'm…fine!" He strained.

Goodra tilted her neck, seeing that Krookodile's claws were stuck. Instantly she knew something was going to go bad. "Oh, this can't be good."

Krookodile tugged harder, this time with all his force. "GAH! Let me tell you something plank wood! I'll give you something to make you cling to your mommy…WHICH WAS A TREE!" In a brash move, Krookodile headbutt the plank with all his reckless might, shattering it to pieces. The fragments went everywhere, freeing his claws, but at the cost of something else.

Mawile looked down from above, hearing the sound of wood snapping. "What's that guy up to now?"

Splinters covered Krookodile's head, making him go wide-eyed in realization. "OH! YOU JUST DON'T KNOW WHEN TO QUIT, DO YA!" He clutched his fists and began punching his own head once. "LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING SPLINTERS! THIS IS WAR!"

He began to wrestle with himself, falling onto his back as he banged his fists against his head. He relentlessly tried to prove his power, but the splinters were stubborn to where they only embedded deeper.

Looking away, Mawile drooped her head. "I should've figured this would happen."

Vanessa came on over, overseeing Krookodile's little temper flare. When she looked towards Goodra, the Dragon-type looked awfully calm as her. Seeing as how this was Krookodile, she may as well stop him.

She put two fingers to her mouth and gave a loud whistle. Though brief, the high pitch caught Krookodile's attention.

The Intimidation Pokmon stopped what he was doing and froze up. He scrambled towards his feet to face his Trainer. "WHAT?!" The way Vanessa looked at him with a frown and a straight face eventually got to him, his brow drooping. "…sorry."

Without so much as a sigh, Vanessa walked up to him, reaching for the splinters. "Here, let me help." Tentaively, she began to pluck the splinters out of her Krookodile's head. Sure scolding would've added to the guilt, but no words were ever needed for Vanessa to cease Krookodile's yelling and tempers; Outrage was another story with different methods implied.

She got the splinters out, rubbing Krookdile's head to sooth it. "There. Better?"

Krookodile seemed tamed as his Trainer's nails scratched his skin. "Ah~." He sighed.

"Good." Vanessa turned towards Goodra. "Can you go find some fresh planks while we get the mess sorted?"

Goodra nodded in compliance and she moved out of the way, allowing Vanessa to pick up the woodchips all over. _'I hope Nic and everyone else is alright…'_

The woodchips began to float, causing Vanessa to turn and see that the ones in her hands were not. She realized the cause and looked back. "Thanks, Delphox."

"No problem. She directed the fragments to the nearest trash bins, while Goodra came back with a fresh plank for Krookodile.

Krookodile accepted it, making sure his claws were not dug into it, but he was handed something more…wet. Realizing it was Goodra's slime, he looked deterred. He hesitated to show his appreciation. "Ehh…thanks."

"You're welcome!" Goodra nodded.

Vanessa smiled. "I think we'll be just fine."

* * *

Alvarez Empire, a place that was of grand design. Everything from top to bottom was in eloquent décor, and within its thriving kingdom, there were beyond numbers of staggering results. Millions of citizens were housed, had plenty of food, and covered an immense expanse of land. Within its capital and housing, there stood the empire's grand fortress, where inside, dozens of towers were stationed like am=n enchanted palace fit for a god.

Within the grand palace itself, there lied a small garden on a balcony, where two old men were seen sitting on a table. The taller old man played a card down with a bunch of others onto the table. By the look on his adversary's face, he had him on the ropes.

"Well, this a surprise." The old man said. He had a mostly head with a weak tuft of withered hair. He had circles under his eyes and a withered moustache. His neck stuck out, revealing decrepit veins that have aged. By his side rest a wooden cane. "Have you heard about the rumors regarding the guild called Fairy Tail?" He looked up, facing his adversary. "Sir Makarov?"

Makarov was looking at his hand, deciphering which tactic to try out next, but was stuck. It was no surprise, but once again was backed into a corner. The year has changed him, superficially of course. He now had a beard in conjunction with his moustache.

"How shocking." He said flat, like he showed no emotion. Every bit of passion he had was lost with his drive.

Yajeel, his opponent in the card game, raised a brow. "In retrospect, shouldn't you have expected this?"

"Hm?" He looked up. "Sorry, I wasn't talking about the guild. I was…talking about his majesty's personality. Not to be rude, but I thought he' be more…"

"Tyrannical?" Yajeel broke into a jovial laugh. "That would be something if that did ever happen, huh?"

"Yeah, I suppose." Makarov looked towards his hand again. "Treating me as a guest than a prisoner; at first I thought it was too good to be true. I wouldn't have believed it a year back if he weren't open to negotiations. Then again, you're the one handling negotiations."

"As true as that may be, it is only because his majesty hasn't returned yet." Yajeel informed. "Truth be told, he has a nasty habit of disappearing unannounced."

"Normally the folk these days wouldn't bother turning to us bag of bones who have no political power."

"But that's the kind of card you carry around that intrigues those who desire it."

Makarov sighed as he put down another card, revealing a demonic armored creature. "To soothe his 'shields' and their bloodthirst to invoke conflictions, yes?"

"In a nutshell."

"But in Ishgar, it's all turned around. We all believe that he ruled Alakitasia with an iron fist."

"You're not wrong." Yajeel tapped another card onto the table, the card played revealing a king. "When you 'king', you are also defined by your iron character."

When the king was played, Makarov knew he was done for. He dropped his hand of cards onto the desk, shrugging. "You're too good at this, Sir Yajeel. You win again."

Yajeel smiled and looked to the last card in his hand. "You see, the key to victory…" He flipped the card, revealing to Makarov the last card in hand, which was a woman who looked a lot like Mavis Vermilion. The look on his face was neutral. "…is to keep the queen close to you."

A low sound could've been heard from nearby, catching Makarov's ears. He looked off towards the balcony, hearing the sound of cheering from all the citizens.

Yajeel's ears perked at this sound, catching his attention as well. "Hm?"

The streets were flooded as many were so excited.

"His royal highness has come back!" One shouted.

"I can't believe it! And after a year!" Another cheered.

"Emperor Spriggan has at last come home!"

Yajeel was quick to react, getting his feet underneath. With a shaky start, he managed to wobble up with support from his cane. "My, speaking of which…"

Makarov got up from his seat. "He's back?"

Yajeel walked over towards the balcony, looking down as all the citizens gave his majesty room. A figure walked through the streets with one calm step after another. "At ease, sir Makarov. I am certain that his majesty has heard of your request. Once he gives the decree on what shall be done, the shields he has bare no say."

Makarov stayed silent as he saw the figure in the streets. "I…"

"Please, sir Makarov, I advise that you return home when this is all over."

Makarov nodded. "I will. Thank you-!" However, his eyes shot wide open when he saw the man down in the streets. Everything had been brought to a screeching halt, and he could've sworn his heart stopped. What he saw, was of no coincidence. "What…?"

The figure smiled as he walked through the streets, his toga shifting in the winds of the lively air. As all cheered, on, his smile never wavered as he kept his gaze straight ahead.

"Long live the emperor!" Everyone shouted.

Yajeel smiled. "His majesty hasn't changed. His youth is envious, wouldn't you say?"

Makarov's eyes dilated. "It can't be…" But the truth was that it was all a living, breathing reality. Walking down the streets with a smile and dark eyes, the Master of Fairy Tail knew that face anywhere, and the Magic Power. Beads of sweat ran down his face as a horrific man has come to bear face to face with the world once more.

' _Zeref?!'_

* * *

The Black Wizard of Earth Land didn't bother with the likes of waving to his peers, or those who followed him. Rather he took his time reaching the palace, eventually making it to the doors that opened to a red carpet in the grand hall. With Zeref casually strolling along like time was irrelevant, he eventually reached a point and stopped along his red-paved trail.

Grinning ahead, he smiled as the figure approached him. "Been some time. I see that you are doing well, Invel."

The man in question halted before his emperor. He stood in boots that went up to a long blue coat that covered his body. Patches of dark blue were patched onto the left shoulder, with patches on the right side near the knees. A yellow intricate belt held up the waist; two layers; one that went down and one that went up. Underneath was a dress shirt with a toe. He had shoulder length silverfish-blue hair with a pigtail draped along his right collar bone. He adorned glasses and adjusted them once he met up with his superior.

"Welcome back." He said sternly. "I trust things went well?"

"As well as ever." Zeref smiled. "How well has been the 12 this past year."

"We've been keeping them tamed for as long as we could. I must say that Ajeel in particular has been getting rather restless."

Invel watched with slight wonder as his majesty's grin broke into a smirk. "Then his patience shall be rewarded. Have all the 12 gather up if convenient, would you?"

"I can, but it will take time."

Zeref closed his eyes, looking calm despite the circumstances. "Guess that's that. Am I but a wind that keeps everything from being placed correctly?" He asked aloud. It was rhetorical of course, but Invel knew better than to answer.

"A wind? No." Another individual answered. "You…are a storm." Zeref and Invel turned to look behind, facing the person of where the voice belonged.

She was a slender woman with her narrow eyes fixated on the bringer of darkness. Her shaggy hair was blonde and shoulder length. Like Brandish, she had but a strapless bra holding her bust together. She had small wings attached to the armbands close to the forearms. Her entire right arm up to her shoulder, however, was covered in armor. While her upper body was primarily skimpy for a lack of better wording, her bottom half was concealed by her coat that she kept tied around her waist.

Coincidentally, she wasn't alone. There was a man right beside her, and he had a cocky look on his face. He barely had his upper body clothed except for two cloths going beneath his armpits and back up to tying around his neck. He had a headband on his forehead , which framed his large mass of dark spiky hair like it was a fern. He has dark baggy trousers and golden intricate hands on the wrists as he looked at the emperor.

"You are but a storm of darkness…one that dances over fall." The woman answered.

"Hey!" The man beside her announced.

"Dimaria, Ajeel, I see that you both have been well." Zeref complimented.

"Not bad yourself." Ajeel replied.

"You two." Invel retorted. "It would be preferable to speak to his majesty more politely."

"It's fine, Invel."

With the group gathered, there was the sound of a stave's bottom tapping the ground. With each step, the sound grew louder. The group of four caught onto a whiff of intense Magic Power, but they disregarded it and turned towards the next figure to approach. "Hello, your majesty. You look well as always." He said.

"Do I?" Zeref questioned.

The man he talked to had come forward, wearing boots that were pointed like a mage. He was but an old man, with wavy, shaggy hair that went to his shoulders. He had a moustache and wavy beard that went down to his collar bone. His attire consisted of an old robe with intricate edging along the sleeves, with a guard along the shoulders and top. Like Invel, he possessed a similar belt. He adorned a dark cape behind, in which had a very high collar almost like that of a crown, while the cape spread along his wake. He carried a stave with a dark bulbous end, which finally remained put as he remained stationed. "So, with you back, does that mean you have the answer to Ragnarok?" He commented.

The name left Zeref undeterred, but the mere recognition of whom had that title left everyone in the room silent. Leaving the matter unsaid, Zeref managed to power through.

"In Ishar, it is referred to as the Dragon King Festival."

"I see." The old man nodded.

The gathered Spriggan all began to grow smirks, looking excited as one might say. Zeref had finally come back, and this time he had an answer. This can only mean one thing, and by the looks on the gathered Spriggan, they knew the time had finally come.

Ajeel's smirk widened. "Alright! I've been aching for a fight!" He sneered.

Everyone's attention. Behind Zeref, Yajeel was starting to come around, with Makarov silently in tow. He slowly maneuvering his shriveled up body and stood meters away from his majesty. Once present, he looked with mild surprise. "Your majesty…you have returned!" Trying with all his might, his wobbling legs slowly bent. He barely managed to bend a good angle, and lowered his head. "Forgive me."

"Greetings, sir Yajeel." Zeref replied. "Don't worry, God Ankhseram has been well to me for these past few years."

"Ah, yes, but you know that someone like myself, your majesty, may as well be falling dead anytime now."

Thought Zeref could tell Yajeel was trying to be comical, the morose note made the Black Wizard frown.

"By the way, we have a guest from Ishgar. He was requested a summons with you."

"I know." Zeref's eyes averted to Makarov. Their dark eyes met, light and dark at a standstill; however in this predicament, darkness had Makarov stiff as his own bones.

"If I may interhject…" Invel stepped forward, interceding on further application of an audience. "Now, sir Yajeel, I'm sure you are aware official paperwork is needed for passage of a foreign guest to follow through, right? Surely that has been-"

"It's fine, Invel." Zeref interjected.

"But, sir…" Invel gasped, realizing his actions in what was to be a defiance against the Emperor Spriggan. He bowed his head in graceful shame. "My apologies, Emperor Spriggan."

Zeref accepted and took a step towards Makarov. "You can say this man and a few others are…acquainted, sort of speak." His smirk widened.

Makarov hesitated to move out of knowing the reputation Zeref held. By all means he wanted to treat him as an enemy, but the gathered Spriggans behind him knew that if he showed no respect, he'd be blown off the face of Earth Land. Their Magic Power bewildered him; just one would've been enough. Though hesitant, he bent to a knee and bowed his head.

"…it's an honor to meet you…your majesty." He said.

Zeref towered over Makarov, accepting the old man's audience. As a few seconds rolled on, the emperor's eyes closed. "Shall we have this discussion elsewhere, Makarov Dreyar?"

* * *

The Spriggans gathered eventually disbanded from sight, giving Zeref and Makarov an opportunity to take their discussion to a more suiting location within the palace. The two soon found themselves up on the palace's grand balcony, which overlooked the large empire that stretched as far as the eye could see. The winds were soft, which was surprising given the height they stood at. The atmosphere was shifting at a constant level, an alteration of rapid heartbeats and tender calm. In this case, the scenario best described Makarov as he stood on pins and needles before Zeref.

The Master of Fairy Tail watched as Zeref had his back turned towards him, facing all of Alvarez. The wind once again shifted through the Black Wizard's locks before the time finally came. Once they subsided, Makarov took the initiative and spoke to his back.

"So…you're Emperor Spriggan? Or is it Zeref?" He questioned.

"Both actually." Zeref answered, still facing the city. "To you, I am Zeref. To Alakitasia, I am Emperor Spriggan. Not a façade I assure you, it's just how it is." His gaze averted towards his right, his head turning slightly. "But if I had to choose an identity…I'd go by Zeref."

Makarov gave no input as he allowed his majesty to keep on speaking forth.

"It's been over 4 centuries, and all this time, I have been searching for the meaning of life. Even now, the answer is but a fog that Ankhseram has placed within me. Tampering with life does a number that only you can deal with. It's tormenting but with the power, you have to keep yourself occupied somehow. That is why I have prepared myself for the next upcoming Dragon King Festival."

"Dragon King…Festival?" Makarov's mind trailed off as he recollected the last 'Dragon King Festival' as one would put it. Although, it ended up being brutal devastating as 7 dragons were easily defeated by the claws of Legendary Pokémon. Among that, the recollection of Giratina and the Dark Legendaries left an immortal scar that no one could recover from.

"I believe it was a few hundred years ago that I decided to create a country here." Zeref aid, moving along with the conversation. "In the very beginning, it was but a small country; barely noticeable. But then it began to take in many guilds, one after the other. I guess from there you can say the rest is history."

"To get your hands on Lumen Histoire, I suppose?"

Zeref frowned. "There's no need to call it that anymore. I know it's true name."

Makarov gasped and grew wide-eyed.

"The ultimate magic. The magic far superior to the Three Great Fairy Spells. Fairy Heart."

The indication made the old man narrow his vision. "Now it makes sense. You're after Fairy Heart because you're Zeref."

Zeref's grin returned as he posed a weak but light chuckle. "Well, to tell you the truth, I only came to that answer as of recently…but yes. The original intention of this empire was to defeat Acnologia. However…" His head lowered, eyes narrowing as the atmosphere grew prickly. "You and I both know the only ones who has that power are the creatures that surpass Fairy Heaty itself."

Makarov knew it well. He remembered it all as clear as day. His heart pulsed with terror as Lysandre and the Dark Legendaries, even the Weather Trio, ripped Acnologia a new one. He remembered the full might of Arceus, as even infinite power left him underestimating potential of the race. "Pokémon."

"Yes, exactly. However, I know as well as you to not bring affairs to such creatures who can bend time and space. If they interceded once more in my endeavors, well, then that's that. But I have no desire to bring about cataclysmic devastation to the universe like they did. I don't nearly have that big of an ambition as they did. But…" With his grin back, Zeref's eyes were concealed by his locks as the breeze shift past him once again. "That won't stop me from getting what I want."

"Then it's understandable you aren't interested in negotiations?"

"Unfortunately for you." Zeref answered. "There is a new Dragon King Festival that is to come this year. There shall be not 3, but 4 participants this time. A new tradition. Humans; Acnologia; myself…and Pokémon. This shall be a year to remember."

Makarov could feel insecurities heighten. "Then this shall be war?" He insinuated.

As the winds began to shift once more, Zeref turned to look over his shoulder at Makarov. A dark shadow overcast his hair, giving him a more sinister angle. "Retribution."

"No! I won't allow that!" Makarov snapped. "You will never have our First Master!"

Zeref turned around in a swift motion, keeping a tamed expression as he extended his fingers and created a pulse that caught Makarov by surprise. The shockwave struck the man, making him shout and keep him on the ground. A vacuum began to surround the master at Zeref's will.

"You know, I must thank you for all the trouble you went through." Zeref spoke.

Makarov's teeth gritted as he was within the veil of pressure. Zeref's intense force was holding him down, and all he could do was grunt and barely hold himself up.

"I'm glad we could bring up the subject of Fairy Tail, because I'm more inclined of Natsu." His grin slowly grew into a smirk. "When I send your body back, do you know what will happen?"

Makarov struggled, but was unable to answer as the veil became of dome of compressed Magic Power. Dust nearby swirled from the tempest created.

"We will get angry…so angry…he will want to kill me…" His hand stretched forward was ready to twitch and end it, but being a man of subtle humanity, he didn't just yet. "Any last words?"

Makarov struggled, but his glare was fixated on Zeref's eyes, a cold vibe countering darkness. "Ugly…demon…" He growled.

Zeref's eyes narrowed. "Close. The definition of Spriggan…is really ugly fairy. Goodbye."

Suddenly, the veil vaporized, and in a flash, Makarov was seen fading away in less time than he could keep track of. Mest suddenly appeared, seizing the master within the dome and caught a glimpse of Zeref. Mest and Zeref interlocked shocked gazes alike, their timing never better.

Then just like that, Mest was gone, as well as Makarov, away from the scene, leaving Zeref bewildered. "…"

* * *

Mest reappeared on a knee, panting heavily like a dog in the middle of a forest. He held the master in his arms, making sure he was safe and sound as the others turned their attention towards him.

"Master!"

"Old man!"

"Gramps!"

Everyone scurried on over, gathering around the shocked master as he was gently sat down. As they all rejoiced in his homecoming, he looked beyond astonished to see them all in one place. "Y-you all…"

Mest panted profusely, sweat dripped at what he saw. "Zer…Zeref! He's here!" He labored.

Natsu's eyes widened at the sound of that name. His head whipped around, facing the city with intense eyes. "Zeref…"

* * *

Facing the forest, Zeref's eyes were narrowed, a dark fixation around him as he grinned darkly. "So, you've come here as well…Natsu. Nic."

* * *

"You mean Zeref was here?" Nic deciphered.

Makarov nodded. "I'm afraid so. I never would've thought that the Emperor Spriggan himself…was in fact Zeref."

Everyone looked at the ground in bewilderment, flabbergasted would best describe their predicament. Never would they have guessed Zeref was here of all places, but the fact he leads the most powerful empire on the face of Earth Land was another. Shock overwhelmed them all, but they tried to power through to get more problems handled.

Swallowing a lump and calming himself, Makarov turned towards Nic and Erza. "I trust that Mest did his part and kept you all informed?"

"Yes, he did." Erza answered.

Wendy wiped a tear from her eye. "We're just glad to have you back, Master."

"I must say, I don't remember you getting a beard." Sophie commented.

Makarov's head lowered as he stared at the ground. "But…in the end…" His body had begun shuddering, much to everyone's confusion. "In the end…it was all a foolish trick I fell for. I can't believe how naïve I was to think negotiations could go so well. It turned out we wanted nothing to do with peace. He was going to end us even if I said otherwise…"

Tears began to drip from his eyes, Veins popped out of his head, barely holding back his frustration. "After everything that I've done for the guild, even after going as far as soil it for its own safety…all this for _nothing_! How frustrating!"

"Not exactly." Gray interjected.

Makarov's tears let up, but his body was still shuddering.

"He's right. We've been putting everything he had in training a whole year." Nic explained.

"And now we're all back together again." Lucy again.

Mest smiled in comfort.

"They're right." Erza said. "The drive meant for another is above anything you can do for yourself; therefore, it's never meaningless. You taught us that with your own words."

Makarov's eyes widened at Erza's words. The reverse psychology left him startled. What he saw next was a hand reached out to him. The gesture by the one known as Natsu made his eyes wider than ever.

"Come on, gramps." Natsu smiled warmly, proud o everything that has happened. "It's time we get back home, back to Fairy Tail."

Makarov was beginning to tear up again, this time, however, they were not tears of sadness, but rather of joy. All his work has been a prime drive, resulting in his children growing stronger. He left them, and now they came come for him. They all were going to make it back as a family, one way or another.

The old man finally accepted, a weak but proud smile on his face appearing. "Of course."

"I hate to ruin this little reunion, but we have other problems to pay attention to." Carla – still in her human form – reminded the team.

Makarov turned towards the feline woman, unsound with her entrance. "Uh, do I know you?"

"It's a long story." Happy said.

"They're right though. We need to wrap up the mission and hurry back." Nic advised. He turned towards Mest. "How much Magic Power do you have for your Teleportation?"

"I'm at my limit. I used up what I could to get to the capital and back." He answered. "I'd like to use our last jump for when we get to Sorano's ship, so for the time being, we'll have to get to the drop-off point on foot."

Erza nodded. "Then we should get moving as soon as we can."

With their plans set in stone, they were all set and ready, but from the corner of their eyes, a set of footsteps entered the area, crunching against the grains on the ground. Instantly, Nic turned on his guard.

"Who's there?!"

"Aw, what a touching reunion." The tone the character announced sounded more sarcastic than realistic. "What's wrong, Makarov? Leaving already?" The associate in question revealed himself to be Ajeel, who smirked maliciously at the group.

"Ajeel?!" Makarov exclaimed.

"You made sure you got souvenirs during your stay? I'm sure mudpacks are more functional than a few rocks."

"Crap! How'd he catch on so fast?!" Mest exclaimed.

Ajeel grinned meekly as he put his left hand beneath his right hand, where from the right, sand began to drip from the fingers like a faucet and seep into the open palm. "Sand is part of the land, and the land knows all."

Gray's fists clutched, remembering well of Brandish's warning. _'So this guy has the same magic level as that chick from Caracole Island.'_ Even now, Gray could feel his uneasiness swell at the Magic Power fluctuating from Ajeel. Like sand, his teeth gritted.

Lucy and Sophie both gulped as they barely held their confidence up. Erza was retaining what stoic complexion in the face of her adversary; she knew that such a level was astronomical. Natsu was holding his right arm's bandages, trying to keep himself in check while Wendy and Carla were trying to hold themselves together.

Ajeel raised a brow. "Oh? Eager are we?"

"Don't do it! Run!" Makarov yelled. "He isn't someone you can beat! We need to run! Now!"

Everyone turned towards him, shocked at his claim. Natsu especially looked perplexed as he was aching for some form of quarrel. The Dragon Slayer immediately took a disliking as he whipped back towards the master.

"Old man!"

"You heard me, Natsu! Are you even feeling his Magic Power?! Don't engage! He's too strong!" Makarov yelled. "Run!"

Erza swiped her arm, turning away. "These are the master's orders! Everyone retreat!" She looked towards Natsu. "That goes for you too, Natsu!"

Natsu's teeth gritted in bitter frustration. "Damnit!"

Ajeel turned his head, a questioned look on his face. "What's the matter? Leaving so soon?"

As everyone began to move, however, Nic was the only one who wasn't deterred. In fact, with him holding his ground against Ajeel, everyone who was on the move was looking over their shoulders, startled with Nic's unwillingness to move.

"Nic! What are you doing?!" Makarov shouted. "I said move!"

However, Nic crossed his arms as he opposed Ajeel. Suffice to say Ajeel look amused with Nic's appearance. The Desert King looked at Nic with an intrigued expression. "Oh? What's this? A brave face defying such a sweet old man's request?" He mused. "My, aren't you the rebellious one."

Nic still did not deter. His feet spread apart a little, catching Ajeel by surprise. He said nothing as he glared Ajeel dead in the eye.

"Nic! Stop this right now!" Makarov snapped. "He isn't someone you can beat!"

However, Nic wasn't listening. "As the Seventh Master, it's my job to make sure my guild gets back together safe and sound. It doesn't matter how you see it, they won't let us go that easily." He narrowed his eyes. "I'll stall while you guys go on ahead."

"I said-!"

Nic whipped his head back, giving a leer at the old man. "Just do it!"

Makarov was caught completely off guard by Nic snapping at him. At that instant, he could feel an incredible swell of pressure, and not from Ajeel, but from Nic. This power he was feeling, it's been a year, and he has forgotten the power Nic possessed. It was making his skin crawl. A hand touched his shoulder, making him turn towards Erza. To his shock, she was smiling.

"I wouldn't worry about Nic. He can buy us enough time." She said.

"Erza…" Makarov was in shock at how relaxed she was in Nic's capabilities. Normally she'd be as stern and following his own lead, but now she was looking so relaxed over Nic and the situation they were in. Was she really that confident in his abilities?

With these insecurities, he acquiescently followed with the group, away from Nic's back as he focused on his adversary in front.

As Ajeel watched them get away, his eyes slowly fixed back towards Nic. "Well, aren't you something. Nic Pularis, in the flesh." Ajeel did a mocking bow in respect. "To the honor that brings you to Ajeel, the Desert King."

"I take it that you're part of the Spriggan 12 I've been told about."

"That I am."

"So tell me then…" Nic's eyes narrowed. "You really don't have reservations on letting us escape with our lives in one piece, right?"

The dark grin on Ajeel's cocky face grew. "Emperor's orders."

Nic looked over Ajeel's head to the canopy of the forest. He could barely see the empire's head from the distance, trying to get a feel on the distance covered. His gaze slowly traced back towards Ajeel, seriousness afoot. "I see."

Ajeel slowly leaned back, his teeth showing as he narrowed his eyes. "Alright then, Nic Pularis…" Slowly, sand began to manifest around his being. From beneath, streams of sand began to mold, materializing into a large mound that seeped sand from its rising wake. Ajeel rose with the mound as it grew skyward, towering over Nic as the man stared up at his foe.

"Let's see what the likes of _you_ have against the God of Deserts!"

The shadow cast over Nic as he saw the full manifestation of the sand. Nearly a hundred feet above, there was towering a golem. It was made of sandstone and hardened sand, a gaping mouth and eyes with Ajeel riding its head. The large creature looked down at Nic as it unleashed a large bellow. The land shuddered with Nic's ear drums as he faced the adversary.

In the distance, Erza was driving a Magic Mobile, where she was moving with such speeds to get the group away from the area. Everyone looked back, bewildered as they saw the giant golem.

"Eh?!" Lucy exclaimed.

Wendy and Natsu gurgled in their motion sickness.

Gray's eyes widened. "That looks like that sea chick's thing she did with water."

Makarov's heart pulsed. "I knew this would go wrong."

"You scared?" Ajeel challenged.

Nic crouched. "Impressive." He began to glow, undergoing another of his changes. As he shined brighter, Ajeel couldn't help but feel moisture pick up in the shifting winds. The man raised another brow as he could feel some power spike. It surprised him to say the least. The golden light was suddenly encompassed in a small dome of water and air. It all twist and turned until the whole structure began to shoot up. Air and water flowed skyward, becoming a streaming pillar with a gold center. The turning formation escalated to an equal height with the golem, eye to eye with Ajeel until finally the glow inside faded.

From the core's inside, a pair of feathered wings spread apart, the wingspan making all the air and water pulsate like an explosion. Ajeel covered up as the gale brushed against his sandy body. He looked with surprise as his eyes widened with the power level at a high point. _'What the…?'_

With the pillar of air and water gone, Nic was in another dual type form. It appeared as a combination of Water/Flying, with the top and bottom in the blue that the Splash Form had, but the inner sleeves, edging, and belt and sandals were all white. The wings were larger than before; more angelic as one might put it.

With one flap, everything stirred; some sand even brushing off the golem and making dust and sand on the ground stir. He remained in the air as he glared at Ajeel, ready to fight his sandy opponent.

Ajeel's face twisted with a smirk, his initial shock finally subsiding. "Flashy."

Nic flapped again, remaining airborne.

The Sand Mage raised both his arms and the golem followed. The sandstone beast's giant glove-like hands spread apart and readied upon Ajeel's command. "It was nice knowing ya while it lasted!" He moved his arms into a clapping motion, and the sand monster did the same. The giant hands were like two flat plates that closed in around Nic, but all he did was remain stiff. The giant golem smashed its hands against Nic, making the air shutter from its fearsome wake. The land weakly shuddered from impact, where it was no doubt a fatal blow.

Ajeel gave an intrigued brow. "Well that worked out nicely." He chimed.

The hands remained stiff and unwilling to move. The golem was silent as the hands clamped down slightly harder than before. With the added pressure, Ajeel couldn't hold back a chuckle. His chuckle escalated, evolving into a more sinister and cackling laughter. He raised his head to the sky, eyes shut as his mouth widened. As he roared out, however, a single droplet of water splattered from the sky and onto his forehead. In that instant, the laughter stopped.

"Huh?" He opened his eyes and put a hand to his forehead. He pulled it off to see weak liquid. His face contorted. "Water?"

The sound of rumbling got him to jolt. He whipped his head up, seeing the nearby clouds beginning to converge and circulate throughout the entire area. "What the…where'd all his cloud coverage come from?"

The clouds expanded further, blackening the sky with its blanket of rumbling vapor, Erza looked up and recognized the clouds forming. While driving as fast as possible, she looked over her shoulder and saw the spiraling centered over the golem. Rain began to catch everyone's attention as it fell drastically.

"Rain?!" Ajeel looked at his skin, noticing how the grains of sand were damping. His shock widened. "Damnit! How's this…?" He made the golem move its arms, hoping to find Nic's corpse, but instead, he was mistaken as nothing was there. "Where'd he go?!" He shouted. He looked all around, his frustration rising as he could feel water pour down drastically to no end. He noticed the golem hardening up, making it that much harder to move. It jerked its large arms back, but struggle to move them without some parts chipping off.

Ajeel could feel grains harden on his skin, making it harder for his magic to be sustained. He narrowed his eyes in his inquiry.

" **Hurricane!** "

Out of nowhere, the giant golem burst apart. The firm sand by the rain's effect made it fall apart like rock as a giant tempest suddenly raged from its center. The attack happened so suddenly that Ajeel didn't have time to question before he was swallowed up by the expanding winds. The tempest whipped him around with the raging debris, screaming as the expanding maelstrom pulsated through the forest. Nearby, weak and thin trees snapped, picked up as the Hurricane traveled all the way up to the sky, whipping and lashing currents in the falling rain.

Rain doused everything in the area the clouds took up, which went on for an extensive period. As Erza drove away from the tornado extending havoc in the distance, Makarov looked back, eyes widening in shock as he couldn't believe his eyes.

After a minute, the Hurricane subsided, and Ajeel twisted and turned as he fell down. He screamed until he landed face first onto a pile of logs, snapping and bending its bark inwards. Even with winds dialing down, the attack was ripping through his body at such an atomic speed that his sandy body was unable to absorb every current taken in. He groaned as he tried getting up, shaking his head so as to refocus his efforts.

"What just happened…?" He wondered.

"That was Hurricane." Nic's voice echoed, catching Ajeel's attention as he turned towards one of the wet mounds. He watched as water seeped from it, materializing into the same form Nic was before he was presumably crushed.

"No way…"

"I'm aware of sand's properties, and it can absorb only so much until its density increases."

Ajeel gave a nervous look as his body looked a little banged up. _'So that's what happened.'_ He realized. _'He turned into water and was absorbed by the sand. So that's how he got inside.'_ Despite the setback, Ajeel smirked. "Tch, you sure got me. Now how's about this!" With his magic, he made sandy creatures that looked like pterosaurs out of thin air. He moved his left arm forward, sending them all flying at Nic.

As they closed in, he remained stationed as they all opened their mouths and pelted him. Ajeel made sure they were sharp, however, Rain Dance was making them burst into moist sand upon impact with Nic. Even with the dozens attacking, Nic wasn't even defending; in fact, they weren't even doing anything against him. They hit him like they were hitting a stone wall, with no effect.

Ajeel let up, and the creatures stopped firing. "Damnit! How did you get around that?"

"I may be a Flying-type, but I won't turn an eye to a guy such as yourself, disadvantage or not." Nic said.

This information was not helping Ajeel's case in the slightest. "What are you talking about? What types?!" His frustration was rising, and he was getting overwhelmed with annoyance at Nic gaining the advantage. The sickening part was that he didn't even look like he was trying.

Ajeel whipped his arms up and swung them in opposite arches. "Fine! Then how's _this_?!"

There was the sound of shifting in the breeze that began flowing from north. It couldn't be picked up well from the Rain Dance, but Nic's Sky Form's half could feel it. With a questionable gaze, he turned his attention towards the direction where he heard rumbling. What he saw in the distance was something he never thought would leave him bewildered.

There, swamping the terrain and swallowing up trees, was a tsunami. A tsunami comprised of sand. The sand-like wave blazed through the area, reaching intense heights that could make it devour even the likes of Wailord. It took up trees from their roots, reducing it to twigs insides its tons of grains.

"Behold! My **Sands of Death!** Those who are swallowed in its wake will dry up! Not even this stupid rain can dampen this much sand before it reaches you!" Ajeel exclaimed. He felt certain this time it would work, however, Nic's confident look said otherwise.

Nic faced Ajeel once more, rain twisting and pelting them both, dampening the land. Nic slowly raised his right arm vertically, bring Ajeel's attention to the way it arched in a swift motion, facing the sands.

The airspace suddenly began to roar. It sounded like a fighter jet, but at the same time it made churned logs and debris around Ajeel shudder. The Sand Mage turned his attention towards the sound, where it was like an ocean. When he looked south, his eyes widened at the likes of a giant blue tsunami; a wave that stretched high and flooded the forest south.

" **Surf!** "

Ajeel looked towards Nic, bewildered by this power. "He's countering with water?!"

Nic said nothing as the Surf rolled in with equal might of the sand wave heading his other way. Nic's body began to alter molecules, becoming water and his liquid form stretched into the Surf. He moved so fast and slithered into the freshwater, absorbed into the attack powered by Rain Dance.

In a panic, Ajeel tried backing away, but he was caught between both attacks. His sands on one side and water with greater might rushing from another. Their shadows converged over him, his shock leaving him to get blinded by water and sand alike.

Both tsunamis clashed and turned. The entire area sounded like two giants doing battle as the sand wave and Surf ran into one another, their compounds mixing and churning. The rain and freshwater, however, proved to have overpowering results, and even though the sand was able to absorb enough compounds, there was far too much water and it as overrun. The damp sand swirled and submerged as the Surf made it too heavy. Within its rapid currents, the forest was swamped and turned over, carrying everything within its maelstrom.

Ajeel was seen inside the Surf, gagging as the heavy impact of the tidal wave washed him up. He turned and twisted uncontrollably inside the water, his body too hard now that he was all wet. _'How is my sand not working? I thought for sure I could take him! He's nothing I should be worrying about!'_ With what he could gather, he straightened his body and saw a nearby wet log turning. He swam towards it, pulling water out of the way as he reached the log. With himself attached, the log made it towards the surface, finally taking him to where oxygen was held. The Sand Mage coughed and spewed water, getting it out of his system. Once above water, he was still turned everywhere, the raging ocean Nic creating making everything unstable.

"Damnit!" He hurried and got atop, riding the log to keep himself from freshwater, but that didn't stop Rain Dance. He took a mighty leap, jumping high so as to get away from the water. As he looked down, he tried to make sense of where Nic was at, but wasn't getting anything.

"Where did he…?"

"We been holding onto our hopes for a year now." A voice over Ajeel announced. The Sand Mage's eyes widened when he recognized it as Nic, but was too stiff to even move. Unbeknownst to him, Nic's fist was encompassed in a large mass of spiraling water shaped into a lobster claw. "We've been at bitter points before and had to handle foes that even the likes of you wouldn't comprehend. I'm not speaking on behalf of myself, but of Fairy Tail when I say…"

He raised the fist high, the mass following and covering Ajeel in the shadow. "You won't break our faith so easily in one another!"

Ajeel glanced over his shoulder, eyes wide in shock before the fist came down.

" **Crabhammer!** "

The aquatic pincer of water came down with crushing force, connecting with Ajeel's head. A wet ripple extended far and wide, momentarily tearing through a horizontal layer of falling rain. The shock from the enhanced move left Ajeel suspended before he suddenly zipped straight down in a Mach blur. The impact was so brutal that it tore a hole right through the Surf. The water spread apart and not even the head sand cushioned the blow. Ajeel's howling was muted as water gushed everywhere and the open hole caved water in.

In the distance, Makarov and everyone looked behind, feeling how the sudden drop of Magic Power meant one thing. Makarov looked bewildered as his eyes dilated in shock. "Impossible…how…?"

Erza smiled as she and everyone drove on.

The Surf's water flowed and made fading waves, dissipating into vapor at Nic's will. As Nic descended, the land was damp and forest debris littered everything in his path. Once touching soft ground, he faced the spot where Ajeel was laying on. His eyes were devoid of pupils, and he was sprawled all over with cracks on his body.

Nic towered from the distance, looking at his fallen foe with a calm expression. The Rain Dance began to dwindle down, becoming a soft drizzle before finally stopping. The dark skies finally began to glimmer sunlight, beams of solar energy brightening up the air as darkness and cloud vapor faded to oblivion. Within a matter of not even a minute, Nic's Rain Dance was gone.

He turned his back towards his fallen foe and closed his eyes. "We're grateful to you Spriggans and to Alvarez for keeping our Master alive. To that you have our thanks...but from here on, our respects to one another will be handled in battle. Hopefully there we'll come to see our differences under appropriate circumstances than like this. My apologies."

A shadow began to cast over Nic, once again blocking out the sun. His eyes opened back up, curiously looking towards the sky. What he saw, he almost mistook for a Wailord that could fly. To his surprise, it was a ship, but not just any ship.

It was something he didn't see coming. "A…ship?"

There was a glint, revealing Laxus with crossed arms and his overcoat shifting in the breeze. He looked down at Nic, a smile on his face.

"Laxus?!"

"Figured that rain came from someone." He teased.

" **Hey, bud!** " A familiar voice announced over the ship's intercom.

Once again, Nic's eyes widened. "Cana?!"

" **Oh my, looks like you sure did a number.** "

" **Man, that was hectic!** "

" **Awesome would be an understatement.** "

Nic again recognized the voices. "Evergreen? Bickslow? Freed?!" Realization came to him. "The Thunder God Tribe!"

" **Hey man, come on up here! It's roomy and awesome!** " Another boisterous shout came over the intercom, the voice being Natsu. " **I'm not even sick on this ship!** "

" **Nic, you better hurry up here.** " The voice again bewildered Nic. " **If you don't, you're making dinner tonight.** "

Once it all came to him, Nic's inquiry turned into a knowing smile. Seeing as how the Thunder God Tribe was back, Nic didn't have much to say, but also knew Erza doesn't like to be kept waiting. He turned around once more, seeing Ajeel in the moist sand and unable to move. Seeing him unconscious, it made him wonder how long he had until he was up again. Rather than find out, he spread his wings and took flight, flapping and ascending towards the ship.

With Nic flying away towards the ship, he was eventually gone from sight. Once on the Christina, the ship began to turn around and head off, back towards Ishgar.

A pair of footsteps emerged just as the ship was leaving from sight. The pair of boots seen belonged to August, as he appeared within the shifting, humid breeze. He had a relaxed expression as he looked around at his surroundings, noticing how everything was destroyed within the forest. At his feet was moist sand, where he looked down and saw Ajeel lying in crushing defeat. What he felt on his way was something he wasn't expecting, but also it's what he may have anticipated. He looked up once more, facing the fading ship in the distance, where it housed the one responsible for Ajeel's defeat. "So this is his power." He said. His face began to grimace with eyes barely open. "…this upcoming war waged will be much more interesting now."

* * *

 **And chapter 62 is up! How's this for an update? Now you guys witnessed the might Nic has ascertained over the year, and how he used type advantage to win. I typically considered Ajeel's Sand Magic a Ground-type characteristic, so that's why Nic's attacks were super effective, and why he took no damage in his Sky Form's half. Otherwise, I didn't pour a lot of Pokémon influence this time. Hope you guys review and share your thoughts…well, it's maybe because I don't get those anymore. I barely got so much as 1 or 2 reviews anymore. Man, you guys must be hating me lol! Still, I'll keep soldiering on!**


	63. Fighting For Tomorrow

By the time Nic and everybody else had returned to Fiore, a few more days had come and gone, and without enemy confrontation unfolding, they had a smooth ride back to Magnolia, where they were greeted with the sight of the Fairy Tail building in one piece. Mainly crated by hardened wood and planks; but even so, every arch and banner was fixated into place.

The place looked like a cross between a tavern and castle, for there were a lot of small towers that went all around, even to the top. It had some layer of stone to give it a hardened structure, but otherwise the tavern-like appeal retained, and inside, one could hear nothing but cheers as Fairy Tail had finally become whole again.

"CHEERS!" At once, far too many to count, people toasted their mugs high, smiling in jovial prosperity for the return of Master Makarov.

"Hey guys! You've made it!" Romeo shouted.

"Well it looks like we got two masters back now, right?" Macao asked Wakaba.

The Smoke Mage shrugged. "Don't ask me, I'm as clueless as you are."

Nic stood beside Erza, looking at the many faces with a solid grin. "Actually, with all things considered…I'm stepping down." He confessed.

"Really?" Sophie asked.

"Geez, here I thought you were doing so well." Cana teased.

Nic, however, paid no heed to their claims. "It's just not for me, sorry. I'm not suited to be a big-time leadership material." His eyes traced towards Makarov, who was greeted by a happy Asuka. His grin widened. "I think I'm good with my life as it is now without the need of paperwork or needing of revolution."

"Agreed." Erza nodded. The Requip Mage, by all means, wasn't surprised by Nic's intentions. If she were in his shoes, she would've done the same. Being Master is fine and all – to some people – but Nic already bears enough responsibility, and that was good enough for her as well.

"By the way…" Nic turned towards Vanessa, who stood nearby finishing a conversation with Mirajane. "I gotta say, Vanessa, you did astounding in making sure the guild hall was repaired."

Vanessa looked towards her brother, a chipper smile on her face. "It was no trouble, really. It was thanks to my Pokémon that we finished before you came back." She looked towards everyone else celebrating, her expression as relaxed as can be. "We're just glad that we're all back in one piece."

Nic followed Vanessa's gaze, his mouth curving to a smile. "Yeah."

"PARTY!" Cana blurted out, dangling alcohol glass in the air. All around, everyone raised their glass to the busty brunette, some contents pouring onto the fresh floor.

Gray had his back turned towards the crowd, facing Freed. "So let me get this straight. You guys were in Blue Pegasus this whole time?"

Freed looked calm as he poured water from a pitcher. "That's correct. Though I I'm honest, it wasn't as bad as I thought."

"Maybe for you, but I feel better in a shack." Bickslow commented.

Nearby, Juvia was shuddering as Evergreen was leaning into her, snickering as she was explaining barely coherent material into the rain woman's ear. When she looked at Laxus, she was petrified. "So Laxus…was an 'entertainer'…?" She summarized.

"It was amusing." Evergreen smirked.

Laxus sweat-dropped, a nervous expression on his face. The memory was making his Dragon Slayer stomach churn. "…don't go there." He groaned.

"By the way, Mest…" Carla averted a gaze towards the Teleportation Mage. "Did you get in touch with Sorano?"

"I did…but she wasn't too happy with how we left her be." He nervously answered. He could still remember the huffing the exasperated Crime Sorciere Mage was. It almost left him sorry for her. Almost.

"So you traveled undersea. Well isn't that wondrous." Pantherlily smiled.

"Aye! So many yummy fish too!" Happy chimed.

Gajeel looked towards Wendy, a frown plastered. "So you got the motion sickness too, huh squirt?"

"Yes." She sulked.

"Aw, don't sweat it!" Natsu cheerfully said. "I always had it!"

"How is that even comforting?!" Reedus exclaimed, hearing wind as he painted a portrait of Makarov.

"Good grief." Sophie sighed.

Everyone was as jovial and peppy as they could get. They were all having the time of their lives, their noises reverberating all throughout the guild hall. Talks of fights and epic battles waged perked interests in many; Nic especially was given attention after his new powers were let out.

"You mean that you can bend space?" Bisca gasped.

"That's so cool!" Asuka shouted.

Nic put his hand into his pockets, his face looking serious despite the happiness in the air. "…"

"What is it?" Alzack asked.

Nic closed his eyes, looking as if he was having trouble with what to say. "How should I put this…? Let's say I can, but I also can't."

"Can, but can't?" Sophie asked.

"It's only to a weak extent. My ability to warp space isn't what it was meant to be. I can't distort it, and I can't switch places with others. The only good that my spatial powers are for really is neutralizing the distortion around me."

"So basically, you're able to cancel out and overpower Spatial Magic around you, but that's all?" Alzack asked.

"Aside from being able to manifest portals from here and there, yes. Nothing like what Palkia can do I'm afraid."

Bisca didn't seem deterred. "It's still amazing though."

Nic grinned. "Thank you."

Nearby, Lucy and Levy were hearing the rowdy celebration on a table. Lucy had an elbow to the table, nervously looking on as Natsu and Gajeel were nearly at the other's throats. "Pretty noisy…" She muttered.

"Pu~n!" Plue agreed.

Levy chewed on her salad looking calmer than her friend. "But on the bright side, everything's back to normal."

Lucy settled into her open palm, her eyelids lowering as she gazed away from Natsu towards Master Makarov, watching him sip from his mug with a discerning look on his face. "Yeah…"

Even with Makarov back in airy Tail, the fact that they were all celebrating was a way of alleviating what was to come. Aside from Nic's group that went that ways on, the entire guild was skeptical of what power they were to fear. Even with Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe settling back into place, that didn't change the fact that there was a time to come. The Spriggan 12 were mobilizing, and frontlines were being established. Nobody wanted to lose one another, so with what they had left, they partied on.

Nic looked over as Cana urged Lucy to have a drink with her. As Lucy reluctantly took a sip, Nic looked down at the mugs nearby, a sweat-drop forming on his face as he nervously looked at it. He looked at the sappy liquid inside, seeing his own reflection.

When he saw Lucy waving at her own red face, he grew uneased as he looked once more at the mug. "I…guess a small drink wouldn't hurt a celebration."

" **NO!** " Everyone ceased their celebration, all yelling at Nic. In a mad hurry, Jet and Droy tackled him to the ground, startling Nic.

"Hold him down, Droy!" Jet shouted. He grabbed the mug and threw it out the window.

"Got him! He isn't breaking our faces again!" Droy made sure to keep his full weight on Nic, so much that the 21-year-old was grunting at the sudden attack.

"Gnnnngh! What's wrong…with you guys?!" He grunted. "Would you get off?!" With a singly kick from his powerful legs, Nic sent Droy flying, his blubbery body sailing and smashing through a fellow table.

With Nic back up, he gave another uneased look. "What…did I do?"

"…" The guild fell silent at the awkwardness. _'Phew, that was close.'_ They thought.

"Oh, nothing. Just a reminder of why you can't drink is all." Sophie nervously dismissed.

"Sorry, boy, but we prefer to keep our bones in one piece." Cana said.

Nic blinked. "Uh…sorry." He sheepishly apologized.

The sound of a cane hitting the ground captured everyone's attention. They all turned away from Nic, the attention adjusting towards the source of the reverberation. All the festivities came to a halt when all turned towards the face of a dead serious Makarov. By the looks of things, festivity times were over.

The Master locked eyes with everyone, making them grow stiff.

"Master." Mirajane said.

His eyes shut. "I'm sorry, my children. It is because of me that you all have lost your place here. I cannot forgive myself for the selfishness I have shown."

However, despite his apologetic mood, everyone seemed light-hearted, at least by the looks on their faces.

"Don't sweat it." Max grinned.

"Yeah, Mest already filled us in on what happened." Warren said.

"Yeah, you did it to protect us. We can't be mad." Nab remarked.

"No harm no foul." Laki chimed.

Makarov made his way down a small flight of stairs, his body now using a cane to walk around befitting his old age. Once he made it down towards the ground, his cane's end tapped on a map, where a small pebble represented the enemy. "Even so, my plan ended in failure. Our enemy, Alvarez, will attack us."

The mood's remaining jovial demeanor died off. Nic stood by Vanessa and Erza, all three looking on with full attention.

"A large-scale country is making way for us as we speak." To illustrate his point, he moved the checkmark illustrating Alvarez by dragging it along the board with his cane. "Their numbers are beyond what we fathomed…"

"So what?!" Everyone turned their faces towards the origins of the shout, which was by the likes of the rowdy Natsu.

"Natsu?" Happy questioned.

Natsu began making way through the crowd. "Do you know how many times we've fought for the guild? Did you forget what we stood for, or how much we sacrificed for what we love? No matter how strong our opponents are, I won't just sit around any longer and wait for my friends to come to my aid. No…" The Dragon Slayer slammed his hand down on the map, making the table bounce from his wake. "It isn't something you can lift alone. How heavy the burden we carry, we won't carry it alone." With his magic, hia handprint set ablaze, igniting the map beneath. Slowly, the flames burned away at the land that was Alakitasia.

"This isn't just our battle now. Everyone will help us, and with all our might…we'll be able to laugh when tomorrow comes." Natsu held up his fist, the flames flickering with his brightening passion. "We're not gonna aim for victory! We're aiming for our right to live!"

Everyone around gave Natsu approving smiles. Cana flashed a wink in agreement with him. With the overall silent agreement, support was rallied up.

"Guess that settles it, old man." Laxus said.

Makarov raised his head, the dreary look on his face beginning to slow erode away. In place was a fiery glare set for tomorrow. "Yes, so it is." He raised his cane high, the tip so high that it was a beacon. His Light Magic coursed through it, becoming a light that illuminated the guild. "They shall realize the error in challenging us! This is for not just tomorrow! But the day _after_ tomorrow!"

Everyone once again cheered.

"Now we're talking!" Natsu screamed.

Wendy pumped her fists. "Let's do it!"

"Batcha they'll be a blast to pummel up." Gajeel snickered.

"This is a fight we cannot lose." Erza said.

Juvia had a glare set. _'Our enemy is Zeref.'_

Gray said nothing, but instead had his own thoughts drown him out. _'E.N.D…'_

Nic's fists balled. _'Acnologia…'_

An armored hand reached for Nic, catching his attention. He looked over, seeing the determined face of Erza. "We'll win this, side by side this time."

Nic's frown blossomed into a smile. "Of course."

Vanessa held a Poke Ball tight, ready to confront another gruesome battle that she will not back down from.

"This time, I'm standing by the guild." Elfman declared.

Mirajane flashed a wink. "Guess my year's worth of training will pay off."

"EH?! You trained too?!" Macao and Wakaba exclaimed.

Lisanna turned towards them, answering their inquiry. "Why of course. We weren't just waitresses after all this time you know."

Sophie crossed her arms and smiled. "Looks like we'll have another memory to share."

"Hell yeah!" Cana shouted.

Makarov stabbed his cane's end into the ground once more, the sound making the rowdy group simmer down once more. Once they all calmed down, he had the floor. "Before we proceed any further, I need to tell you all something of upmost importance. The real name of Fairy Tail's most vital secret, Lumen Histoire…"

"It goes by the name of Fairy Heart."

The sound came from behind Makarov. The old man turned towards the stage, where he looked surprised. A figure approached in her bare feet, her golden blonde hair shifting constantly. Let me tell the tale, 6th Master…no, 8th."

Standing before everyone was Fairy Tail's First Master, Mavis Vermilion. The ghost had a frown as she looked on at the many shocked faces of the guild brethren, but otherwise she retained a calm stature.

Erza's eyes widened. _'The First? No, that's her ethereal projection.'_

"Everyone…" Mavis started. "Fairy Heart has been Fairy Tail's most trusted secret. It is our most important information, for it is something we had to hide not just from you, but the world."

Natsu gave a questioned look. "What?"

Mavis looked down at her feet. "However, you must know the reasons as to why Zeref desires that power…" Her eyes grew dreary. "…and my sin."

"Sin?" Nic questioned.

"Yes." Mavis nodded. "It is time to reveal the truth…there was once a tale; a story of a boy, and a girl, both cursed and desired the one magic they were after…"

* * *

In a solemn room, a rather perky Marin was humming away, chiming all the way. "My, Lady Brandish, you look lovely as ever." He greeted his leader.

A colossal shadow covered him, making him go wide-eyed. "Huh…?" He looked up, but before he knew it, the shadow became a colossal foot, making him jump as it slammed the ground in front of him. "GAH!" He screeched. He looked up, panicking as he was met with huge boobs and an unflattering Brandish.

"Get this side." She ordered.

As it was revealed, Marin was in fact alive…just shrunk by Brandish's powers. For the time being, Brandish sat on a couch in her quarters, looking down at Marin with a glare. It was clear she still wasn't happy of his actions back on Caracole Island.

Shakily, he picked up the nail polish and hurried along. "Y-yes of course! Whatever you desire!" He spatted out. As he hurried to her toes, he couldn't help but look at her legs. _'Oh~, so slender…'_ "Uh, if I may…?"

"You're not returning to your original size." Brandish countered. "Consider this your 'failure' as you would put it."

The door to Brandish's quarters opened up, the attention bringing both the shrunk Marin and Brandish to look over and see someone at the entrance. To their mild surprise, it turned out to be Dimaria.

"Oh, Randi~." She cooed.

"Mari."

"I got some news." Dimaria smirked at the green-haired woman. "Tell me, is it true that you allowed some weasels to run loose back to their holes?"

Brandish didn't move, but instead looked at Dimaria. After a few seconds, she looked back down at the sweets magazine she was holding in her dainty hands. He flipped to a new page. "I didn't let them escape. It was bothersome, so I let them be." She countered.

"Is that so?" Dimaria gave an impish brow as she leaned against the door frame. "Because I'm not sure if you heard the latest news."

"And what might that be?"

For a moment, silence fell as Dimaria left Brandish in suspense. The blonde slowly widened her smirk. "Well, the head 'weasel' just crushed Ajeel."

Brandish looked away from her magazine, looking at Dimaria with a gasp. Marin looked bewildered as well, but said nothing.

"What was that?" Brandish asked.

"You heard me, Randi, one of the Spriggan 12 fell to Nic Pularis. August witnessed it himself. He said it was 'phenomenal how Nic took nothing'."

"No way…" Brandish couldn't help but feel a great sense of shock overtake her. She was normally nonchalant about these ordeals, or rather she ignores them completely. It wasn't troublesome because she had an overwhelming sense of confidence and power. She could reduce the problem if she chose to do so, which she did. She even left a warning, especially directed for Nic. She believed the Spriggan 12 were the mightiest, but that was where she didn't take into account Nic trumping a Spriggan single-handedly. So much power, and Ajeel got creamed.

The mention of Nic left Marin with a pained feeling in his stomach. Apparently Kecleon's Brick Break still hurt a bit. "L-Lady Brandish?"

Dimaria chuckled. "Well?"

After a while, Brandish finally let out a sigh. She looked back down at the magazine, her expression growing solid once more. "…what a pain." She sighed.

Dimaria knew she teased Brandish long enough. She turned her back towards her, looking over her shoulder. "It's fine. By the way, I'm also supposed to tell you that the Spriggan 12 have been summoned. Seems to me that war is coming closer with Nic and his little posy." She began to walk slowly away, her hand on the door dragging the door around to close. "Oh, and with all the firepower we need, better bring that pervert with you."

"Hey!" Marin shouted.

The door had shut, leaving Brandish to look back to where Dimaria once was. She looked unwilling, but once she rolled her eyes, her green orbs glanced down at Marin. She picked him up by pinching her big two and index toe, clutching the Spatial Mage in the grasp, quite harshly.

"Ow! Ah! Lady Brandish!" He panicked.

Brandish lifted her foot to see Marin squirm at eye-level between her toes. "I hate that girl, she's so not cute." Her eyes narrowed. "Or in your words, 'she fails'."

* * *

"…And that was when it all was create. **Eternity Magic, Fairy Heart.** "

Everyone stood in stunned silence, barely comprehending what was to be the most – if not possibly second – biggest revelation they had to have been dealt with.

"Eternity Magic?" Lucy questioned.

"What is that?" Erza added.

Mavis's glare never averted. "It's as the name states, limitless magic. A supply that will never run out."

"The hell?!" Natsu shouted.

"Everlasting magic?!" Happy screeched.

Mavis nodded. "Yes. For example, you are aware of Etherion, which had the power to deface a country off the face of Earth Land. With Fairy Heart, one could use Fairy Heart an endless number of times. Of course it has that much power, for it is infinite after all."

Once again, everyone was petrified in their shoes and boots, speechless at the revelation they had been dealt with. Infinite magic at one's disposal, it could very well destroy everything and everyone. From the beginning, Nic and everyone were struck with a shock revelation, which was Mavis meeting Zeref before airy Tail's time, and her learning Black Arts. Her body ceased to age, but she did what she could and with Precht, Warrod, and Makarov's father, Yuri, Fairy Tail had been born X686. At the time a war had broken out, and Mavis had been revered as The Fairy Tactician, for it was thanks to her strategizing that their side managed to win. And even after that, everyone couldn't believe that she met Zeref a second time, and he revealed that she had become immortal like him. It was also her who witnessed Makarov being born into the world and giving him his name; however, it cost him his mother's life, much to Mavis's shock and horror. The Ankhersam Curse messed with Mavis and her ability to think, leaving her to depart Fairy Tail for the longest time until she once again met Zeref. Then that was where it all went downhill, when she and Zeref felt pity, and shared a kiss. As a result, her heart stopped and Zeref dropped her at the guild, where Precht placed her inside of a lacrima. He façade her death in X697, and her "grave" was on Tenrou Island. With her inside of the lacrima, her powers were not dead, nor alive…Purgatory. Or in other words, immortal.

Wendy looked down uneasily. "If anyone got hold of that…"

"The magic world itself would cease to exist." Carla said.

"In circumflex, yes." Mavis gazed towards Nic. "However…there are still some powers that can surpass Infinite Magic."

The whole guild drew their attention towards Nic. As he was referred to, Erza looked on over, a hint of worry in her eyes as she knew what the First Master was talking about. It wasn't that she was afraid, just worried for what factor Nic would have in all this.

Mavis continued with her speech as she and Nic made eye contact. "Fairy Heart may have infinite power, but even it would not be as strong as Ragnarok Lysandre, nor Arceus. Against the might of any of those gods, any form of light would be overturned by their judgment." She turned towards the guild. "That being said, the darkness from long ago has been vanquished by infinite power. This leaves but one power source available to end our world alone, and that is Fairy Heart."

"So with the bad guy dead and Arceus out of the running, that means there's nothing to stop Zeref from getting his hands on this thing?" Gray summarized.

"I'm afraid so. Unless Nic can somehow turn Arceus and do anything. Can you?"

Nic shook his head, answering the question. "I relinquished all the Plates back to Arceus, so that one time I saved the universe and bent it back to formality, was also my last. I'm afraid we're on our own now."

"Infinite Magic Power…" Vanessa looked at the ground, worries beginning to rise. _'What's going to happen if we lose Fairy Heart?'_

"But why would Alvarez want Fairy Heart? You'd think they'd be strong enough on their own." Elfman asked.

"Yeah, he's got a point." Laki added.

Mavis slanted her vision. "My guess is that they want to make sure Nic and Acnologia are taken off the face of earth Land for good. They are the biggest threats to Zeref as of now."

Sophie held her head high. "Well I know one thing." She said. "They may have a lot of power, but they won't take Nic nor our First Master from us."

"Yeah! Nic isn't going anywhere!" Natsu declared.

"Aye! We got our own personal weapon too! Ha!" Happy beamed. He was thus struck on the back of the head by Carla. "Ow!"

"Nic isn't some weapon, fool! We've been through this with the old council." Carla harshly reminded him.

The whimpering feline bowed his head. "S-sorry…"

Erza looked towards Nic again, this time a serious resolve in her eyes. The longer she stared at Nic, the more her feelings pulsed. When Nic looked towards her, he looked surprised with how intently Erza was being. He could see how serious she was in not losing him again, and if he was honest, he could feel the same. He has proven himself far too many times to count, and with the power of Pokémon, he has shown this world what he could do. If he gave up now, then he could never be with Erza forever.

Their held hands gripped tighter, their fingers intertwining with their hearts.

Mavis lowered her head, looking somberly at the ground. "It was because of my sins that you all are in danger, and Nic once again is targeted by powerful enemies. I never intended to cause anymore misfortune for you all." Her gaze began to mist up. "I'm sorry."

Shockingly, Gajeel was the one to stand up. "It's not a sin if you fall in love. You can't arrest someone just for that."

Mavis looked towards him with shock. Levy looked at Gajeel nervously, her cheeks starting to blush.

Jet, Droy, Macao, and Wakaba all stared at Gajeel, dumbfounded. "Eh…?"

"What are you looking at?! I'm just stating the truth, damnit!" Gajeel retorted.

"None of this can be your fault." Vanessa insisted.

"She's right. We've all made mistakes before, but it still brought us closer to one another." Mirajane said.

"If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have Fairy Tal. We wouldn't be here." Lucy added.

Cana nodded. "That means we never would've met you or our friends."

Gray smiled. "You started all this, and now look at the accomplishments of making a great guild."

"He's right." Nic said, smiling. "If it wasn't for you, I don't think I would've made it to this world. You should be proud of how your heart reached out to those beyond stars."

Mavis began to feel her emotions intertwine. She was feeling all sorts of guilt swirling inside, but at the same time happiness that her comrades had her back. Her eyes began to mist up, silently thanking everyone for pouring their hearts out.

"We'll protect the guild you built. And we'll do it as a family." Wendy assured.

Tears poured down Mavis's face, her lips forming a bright smile of joy. "…yeah."

Makarov closed his eyes, looking satisfied with how everything was looking up. "You've made a wonderful guild, First."

Juvia was whimpering, tears running down like a waterfall. This caught Gray's attention, though the look on his face didn't show as much concern as it was shock. "Hey! W-what's with you?!"

Juvia put a hand to her chin. "Mavis…she has to fight the one she loves…"

Gray looked from Juvia towards the First. When he thought about it, the contradictory was rather pitiful. He couldn't help but feel some sense of guilt for Mavis having to fight someone she fell in love with. "…yeah. It's sad." He was suddenly globbed by the side, Juvia wrapping her arms around his waist.

"I knew you thought the same way!" She cried.

"Get off! This isn't the time for that!" Gray urged.

Mavis wiped a tear from her own eye. "That was a long time ago. Zeref's now a threat to mankind and the guild. He has to be defeated."

"Uh…not to hamper on the parade, but uh…isn't the guy immortal?" Bickslow reminded.

Freed put a hand to his chin. "He's right. Even if we do get past the soldiers, we still have to deal with his immortality."

"Then he can't be killed unless Nic uses Pokémon powers or something?" Evergreen pointed out.

Mavis looked to be discerning for an answer of her own. Evergreen did have a point with Nic, considering he defeated the Dark Legendaries. Perhaps having Nic somehow destroy Zeref with his guard down would benefit…

A loud thud was heard. Everyone turned their attention towards Natsu, who stood on a table.

"You guys don't worry about Nic taking on Zeref…" Natsu smirked. "Because I have a secret weapon of my own." He held his bandaged arm up, smirking with heated pride. "And it's all I need!"

"A secret weapon?" Lucy repeated.

"What's it about exactly?" Erza discerned.

Natsu flashed a wider smirk as his eyes sparkled with glee. "Just wait and see. It's called a secret for a reason~."

"And what do you know about secrets?! You run your mouth about wanting to know others and their secrets!" Gray chided.

"Yeah! What's under that arm of yours?!" Elfman demanded.

"I gotta know! I wanna know!" Mest exclaimed. However, what he wasn't realizing that his "need to know" habit was making him gnaw on Gajeel's head.

"Quite biting me, would ya?" Gajeel warned.

"I'm sure Natsu has something powerful planned if he has that much confidence in mind." Wendy rebutted, showing no concern in the slightest.

"Teehee~!" Happy beamed with pride, puffing out his chest as Pantherlily and Carla looked towards him with questioned looks.

"What are you so happy about, Happy?" Carla asked.

"Nothing, just the fact that this secret weapon would give even Nic a run for his money. You all better be prepared, because Natsu has this in the bag!"

Pantherlily crossed his arms. "Well you sure are confident."

Natsu turned towards everyone and pumped his fist. "Anyways, this can only be used once. I get one shot, but I know for a fact that with this, I can beat Zeref!"

Though many were still skeptical of his boisterous claims, they chose to not question him. The guild knew Natsu; though arrogant and pretty much an idiot, when he put his faith in something or someone it's bound to work. Doubt aside, everyone cheered on, confident in his prowess.

Freed smiled. "Then I guess we have no choice but to put faith in him."

"The guy sure has some beef." Bickslow said.

"It's amazing how a single man can erupt so much morale."

Laxus smiled as his gaze averted from Natsu to Nic. "Takes one to know one."

Erza and everyone else smiled, assured by their guildmate and his overall appeal.

With everyone giving off smiles, Lucy found the right time to step up and gain attention. "So Master…" Mavis and Makarov turned towards her, making her realize the idea. "Sorry, I mean 8th Master." She corrected. "Is now the time to tell us what you know?"

Nic's expression hardened. "Lucy's right. Is it right to assume you have intel on what enemies you have seen or heard from. Knowing is half the battle, so any and all details would very much help us."

Makarov nodded in confirmation. "Very well then. I will tell you everything that I know…"

The guild settled down, bracing themselves for what information was to be extorted.

"Alvarez Empire is a kingdom that is ruled by its Emperor Spriggan, whom we call here on Ishgar, Zeref. At his call, there are a small number of immensely powerful elites, otherwise known as the Spriggan 12. I have spent a year there, but I have only seen 6 out of the 12 Spriggans. Odds are that due to Alvarez' immense size, they don't always gather so quickly." He looked towards the side, thinking momentarily before facing everyone again. "Then I will move on with the next Spriggan. We have the Winter General, Invel. He acts as Zeref's closest aid and cohort. As the name suggests, he specializes in Ice Magic."

Gray's stared intensely at Makarov. The mention of ice left him in deep contemplation. _'Ice…'_

"Next we have the Desert King, Ajeel. As Nic has witnessed, he uses Sand Magic. Out of all the Spriggan, he is the most vigorous to brawl."

Nic retained a quiet notion as he thought back to Ajeel. From what he had heard, wasn't Ajeel powerful? Then again, his Sand Magic had no effect on Flying-types. It wasn't that Nic overestimated his opponent, just surprised he caught Ajeel off guard so easily. With this in mind, he steeled himself as he knew the Sand Mage would make things much harder for him next time – if – they crossed paths.

"Next we have Brandish, the Nation Demolisher. She hates conflicts, but if willing, she can and will wipe out a nation if she has to."

"We came across her back at Caracole Island." Erza informed. "And from what I know, she may specialize in mass manipulation, shrinking things at will."

"Then we have the War Princess, Dimaria…unfortunately, I regret to say, but I have no intel on her magic or the consistency. As far as I've seen, she's a female knight, and has rampaged through the most corrupted of warfare."

Erza sweat-dropped. "Then is she a mage to begin with?"

Cana looked equally as bewildered behind. "That…really isn't much to go off of."

Once again, Makarov cast a look at Nic. "And then we have someone we all have encountered before. Someone who had abandoned Ishgar in shame long ago. The former strongest Wizard Saint in all of Ishgar, God Serena. I'm sure you all remember his pompous attitude and strength, yes?"

Nic nodded. "I'm well aware of his capabilities." He briefly thought back to his vibrant battle with the former Wizard Saint, his nerves trembling at the intensity God Serena imposed.

"Another Wizard Saint opposing us…" Levy looked unsound, her expression confirming her insecurities.

"I would imagine he left Ishgar out of shame." Juvia said.

"And to get back at Nic, that has to a reason why he joined their side." Sophie deduced.

Makarov nodded. "Indeed…" Suddenly, his face darkened, his mood siphoning to a grim perspective. It was like the seriousness he had died off into terror. "And then…" Even his voice went grim. "There's the Magic King himself, August. He's…"

"Master?" Mirajane could see the old man's expression. It looked like he was sweating.

The master nervously looked at the ground, swallowing a lump. "That man…he is not of this world! His magic in nothing like the Spriggan 12!"

Lucy gulped.

"Rumor has it that the very man can use any and all elements of magic, even lost and ancient ones. If compared to Zeref…perhaps even more so."

Everyone's eyes widened, disaster falling upon their shoulders with the next revelation. Nic was also seen with shock, but it was more within his gritting teeth and anticipation.

Vanessa looked unsound as nervousness crept along her skin, but she retained calm. "Is there more?"

"Unfortunately not, I'm afraid." Makarov answered. "For the rest of the details are out of reach, I still have some form of levity. I have but a few names I have learned that make them part of their ranks." The old man looked up staring at his children once more. "We have Bloodman…Neinhart…and Wahl Icht. That is all."

With that, Makarov stepped down from the table, allowing Mavis to stand and look at everyone with seriousness.

"Alright everyone, for this to work, we'll need all of Fairy Tail for this. This is a fight we can't lose, and to keep them from getting to Fairy Heart, we'll need to use every trick in the book. This is a disadvantage we cannot be overwhelmed by. One mistake could risk everything."

Everyone's hardened gazes did not waver. It looked like they understood.

"Then let's get to it…"

* * *

Around a large circular table, there were barely over a dozen thrones, with intricate gold and jewel embroidery befitting the table and seats. The chamber room had a very high ceiling, with numerous tall, arched window with the blinds shut to keep those interested and the sunlight out. The meeting of those in tales revolved around a round table, where knights and those worthy of following the king would gather and speak their thoughts on his majesty and what to do.

To this day, that factor was personified. With Zeref sitting on the biggest chair, he looked calmly at the gathered Spriggans, which weren't many. His dark eyes slowly went from left to right, stopping at the last person before tracing all the way back towards the other side. Once collecting his thoughts, he spoke up.

"7 people…thank you all for joining me today, even if it was last minute."

Yajeel leaned from far behind. "Actually, Neinhart is here, but he's somewhere in the building…"

Zeref chuckled weakly. "It's fine."

"It is not." Invel opposed. "How could a member of the Spriggan 12 be his bold as to defy his highness?"

Leaning back against his chair, Ajeel kicked his feet up, arms over his head as he flashed a smirk. "You aren't making the calls on this, Invel." He reminded him.

Invel gave Ajeel a cold glare. "Sir Ajeel, I see that you have made it. I trust that you recovered from your prior quarrel?"

Ajeel's face twisted. "Tch, like I could really lose to that guy! He just got lucky! Next time, he's going down!"

August said nothing, but rather he inhaled and breathed out a sigh.

Zeref frowned. "We can discuss the factor of Nic down the road. For now, let us focus on what I gathered us for…the war on Ishgar. Soon, the time shall come when we take what is ours."

Brandish looked away while holding a cup of tea. Disinterest painted her face. "What a pain…"

"Oh come, Brandish. What about listening to me?" Zeref playfully questioned.

Brandish looked at Zeref, her expression lightening up a bit. "No need to worry. How I feel and act are two different things. I'd do it if I was told by you…even though it would be annoying."

"Nobody likes a person who doesn't think before they act, Randi." Dimaria chimed from the seat over.

Brandish tilted her head, looking bewildered at the War Princess. "But I don't like you." She deadpanned.

Dimaria merely smiled at Brandish's words, not looking deterred in the slightest. "Then I suppose we won't get along so well, huh?"

Zeref ignored their small bickering, his attention averting towards the new seat filled close by. Sitting in it was a familiar face he most certainly sympathized with. God Serena looked on, eyes covered as the Emperor Spriggan looked at him with what could've been pity.

"God Serena, was it painful for you to leave Ishgar?"

The former Wizard Saint slammed his hands on the ground, shooting up with a frown, and crossed his arms. "It…" He whipped them to both sides, looking up as a light beamed down onto him, like he was on stage. "Wasn't!"

Dimaria and Brandish looked over towards God Serena, their expressions almost identical. Speechless. Annoyed. Perhaps disgusted would be the best word to detail their emotions.

"Ew." Brandish muttered.

God Serena whipped his arm at her, pointing to her face with a smile. "Thank you."

August leaned forward, shifting a glance towards his Emperor Spriggan. "Your majesty, are we conducting plans for Ragnarok as of now?"

"Indeed, August." Zeref confirmed.

A hint of snickering was heard from another seat. The seat was filled by another figure, of whom had a rather round body. He had very long, thin legs covered in dress pants and shoes. The round figure had equally thin arms covered by a dark coat with lighter lining towards the cuffs. Underneath was a striped shirt with a camouflage scarf around the neck. The man's head was round, with a tuft that was spiked up like a point. This was Wahl Icht, and he had a snickering expression.

"So, you want the body of your former lover? How sinful…" He mused.

"Smore than that. I want mankind's destruction be at my hands." Zeref said. "Ishgar houses a prime threat that must be dealt with."

Everyone knew of whom he was talking about. By the look on Ajeel's face, he was itching for action.

"Mankind's folly, huh?" Dimaria muttered.

"If that is what you wish." August bowed.

"That's an interesting way of putting it." Wahl Icht smirked.

God Serena showed a malicious smirk of his own. "Perfect."

Brandish retained silence.

"Then let us commence our plans at once." Invel advised.

Ajeel slammed his hands on the table, leaning over. "How's about I get over there?! I got a score to settle with that Nic for dissing me and my sand!"

"Foolhardy!" God Serena ceremoniously pressed his hand against his chest. "He…is my prey!" He declared. "I have a score to settle with the likes of that fly."

"No." Zeref forced them to withdraw back into their seats. "Nic isn't arrogant; he's far from it. He'll be expecting us to be tactful in this operation. Clearly his otherworldly experience in battles has left him to exploit our weaknesses. If we're to succeed, we'll need to match wits."

Ajeel's teeth gritted. "But…"

"We're going with an all-out attack. We'll hit them with everything we have. Surprise Ishgar with our forces. No matter what, we cannot waver. He Dragon King Festival approaches us."

* * *

Miles away, far from the noses of even the sharpest of creatures, the wasteland where Zeref had visited not so long ago was breezing with an air. The air was thick. It was cold. It could leave one with a shiver down their spines. This intoxicating breeze transcended the valleys, reaching the deepest pits of the mountains and entering the dark depths of a cave. Inside, the winds drew in on a figure. Once they reached him, his hair shifted, the scent of thrill infiltrating his nostrils.

The figure revealed himself to be Acnologia. He lifted his head, staring out towards the exit. "My arm itches…the arm the Fire Dragon seized from me…" A stinging memory enflamed his brain, the haunting memory of Igneel tearing off Acnologia's arm. "These scars on my body…they linger with the pain those Pokémon have brought…" Once again, the scar on the side of his face, back, and abdominal region were hurting, the memories of the Pokémon who inflicted them beginning to make his blood boil.

He pressed a foot against the ground, rising up to his feet. "The Dragon King Festival. That's where it all shall be decided…"

Outside, the mountain began to rumble from a pressure. The atmosphere grew heavy as the cavern began to crack apart. As more cracks gathered, the energy became so vibrant that the cavern suddenly burst and broke apart, sending rock everywhere. The explosion of dust and rock gave way to Acnologia, snarling in his dragon form and roaring to the skies.

" **The one who shall befit the title of Dragon King and slay all Pokémon! He who will end those creatures with all his might – ACNOLOGIA!** "

* * *

Vanessa flopped onto her bed, moaning as she was finally off her feet. The younger Pularis sibling lightly bounced on the mattress, her head rest against the soft pillows that were her cushions. Her back was against the blankets and sheets, levity infiltrating her back. "This feels nice…" She sighed with a smile.

As she laid on her bed, she began to ponder back towards what Mavis instructed. It was a lot to take in, and even Vanessa got lost a few times. Thankfully Levy and Freed were there to help diverge efforts in elaboration. Nic and Vanessa were in charge of evacuating, and that meant guiding everyone to safety. The thousands of citizens were rounded up thanks to Magnezone and Staraptor spotting from the sky. It took several hours, but they managed to at least get everyone away from the city.

Once again, the Pularis girl found herself tiring out some. "I guess a small nap before tomorrow would help…"

Before she could rest up, the door to her bedroom opened. Instantly she knew her chances of sleep died.

Sophie stood at the doorway, smirking as she leaned against the frame. "Well, well, Miss Sleepyhead is ready to take a nap before a big day." She teased.

Vanessa's blue eyes drew towards the side. "Hello, Sophie."

"So you really think you can sleep at a time like this? I thought you'd be ready for battle, but I think you're set to hibernate."

"It's night, Sophie." Vanessa deadpanned. "It's natural for us to sleep at this time of day."

Sophie nonchalantly raised a hand. "Just plucking strings. Not calling you lazy."

"Not like the past hundred mornings you said that?"

"102, last I counted." Sophie corrected.

The two were off balance for what to say afterwards, but then they began to chuckle at the small talk they've been having. Teasing aside, the two roommates were too exhausted to fuss over their own esteems. While Sophie was the kidder of the two, Vanessa was the calm and relaxed one, letting jokes and teasing from the blonde to fly over her head. As their laughing subsided, the mood began to shift some.

"So you've evacuated the townsfolk?" Sophie asked.

"Yes. Nic and I made sure of that. We should be set for moving out tomorrow morning."

"That's tov (good)."

"It's going to be a larger scale than the Council War was. Are you sure you're ready?"

Sophie raised a brow. "Doubting your friends? That's so unlike you."

"I'm not doubting." Vanessa countered. "I'm just asking is all."

Sophie snorted as she crossed her arms. "Well, I haven't been burying my face in books this whole time. Rufus and I picked up a thing or two during this year's training. I just hope you haven't been hiding under a rock this whole time."

Vanessa smiled as she rolled her eyes. "You'd think, but Nic, Erza, and I have been training to our breaking points." She looked up towards the ceiling, staring at the fan moving in a circle. "But I know speaking about it will only do so much. We'll just see how the other has grown tomorrow, won't we."

Sophie nodded at her friend. "Right."

Vanessa's smile then began to fade. Sophie looked on as she noticed her friend's mood beginning to shift. The blank expression Vanessa had was something new, at least for a short while.

"This is a war. People are going to fight to the death." Vanessa morbidly thought of it, and she really didn't like the prospect of fighting to the death. "In a Pokémon Battle, Pokémon and Trainer battle for fun and to test their combined strength. But…it's nothing like here, where everything is for survival. Ever since Nic and I came here, all we've fought for was to survive. It's a dividing line; one that makes a Trainer and her Pokémon see battling in a different light." Her eyelids dropped a little. "But not in a good way."

Sophie leaned against the doorframe and looked down at the ground. Her pink lipstick glistened with her eyeliner. "Yeah…" The blonde mustered a glance towards her compadre. "But it's what makes you stronger, isn't it?"

Vanessa remained silent.

"I know in your world, everything is innocent and humans and Pokémon get along well due to mutual understanding. We don't have the same luxury here as you guys do, but even so, you chose to be here and open your eyes to more serious battles that are to be taken. Life isn't something that's meant to be an easy road, but you and Nic may be the fortunate ones to know what strength means and the will to battle on. As far as I'm concerned, you and your Pokémon battling for not just a contest of strength, but for the sake of your lives, it's what may makes you both the strongest Trainers out there. You should be proud with the experience you've gained here."

Vanessa muddled over Sophie's words for a moment, lost in the void of her own mind. The Memory-Make Mage had a point. Things were never the same ever since Vanessa came to Earth Land, and every battle she and her Pokémon faced was to live, not to have a friendly competition. The instance revolving around the incident of the blood moon was perhaps the biggest example. She had to grow strong on her own, and prove she could battle to protect her loved ones. If she were a normal Trainer, then she wouldn't have gained any drastic experiences, but here, she learned more than what she could've back home.

Vanessa pulled out her Poke Balls. Even when they were shrunk, she could still sense the great experience everyone inside had gained from both worlds. She finally broke into a smile. "I am." She looked towards Sophie. "Thank you, Sophie."

Sophie flashed a grin. "That's what friends are for."

Vanessa stared at her Poke Balls, her smile softening. "I know with my Pokémon by my side, we'll be able to live up to the First Master's wishes."

Sophie nodded. "I couldn't agree more."

* * *

Out on the abandoned streets of Magnolia, Gray leaned against a balcony, overlooking the entire city. He nibbled on a candy bar, looking serious.

"Gray." Behind him, Juvia appeared.

Gray turned around. "Juvia?" Unlike most instances, this time, Gray was calm. He couldn't explain it, but he felt secured. He held out the candy bat to Juvia. "Want some?"

Juvia gasped as Gray casually handed her the candy bar. Her could've sworn she had a heart attack from Gray giving her something he nibbled into. The rain woman looked down at the candy bar, her lips quivering, her cheeks flaring, and her body was starting to quiver. "G-Gray's leftovers…and he gave them to me…me…is this affection…?" She didn't realize how much she was breathing, panting profusely.

"I'm really glad that you're here beside me." Gray said. "Thank you."

Juvia's heart nearly exploded as her head began to steam. She felt like she was going to pass out.

"When this war is over, I'll give you my answer. But for now, please, just let me focus."

Juvia looked towards Gray, her shock widening. Slowly, a smile crept onto her face. "Of course. I'll wait."

"Thank you." Gray began to think back to Natsu's words back in the guild hall. The way Natsu said he had a secret weapon left Gray in his deepest thoughts. _'Natsu isn't the only one with tricks up his own sleeve. I got some material as well. Just wait and see…Zeref…E.N.D…'_

* * *

The shower poured on, hot water spraying everywhere. Several miniature comets of liquid poured onto Nic's skin. As he scrubbed down his body, he groaned as he could feel the hot water soaking him to the marrow. After a long day of planning, Nic had to make sure he was at least clean before the battle had begun. Besides, it's been awhile since he and Erza had a shower and bath.

The water soon stopped, and Nic slid open the stained door. He stepped onto the shagged mat on the shimmering porcelain floor. He stood there, unwilling to move as he took in another breath of fresh air. The humid steam poured out behind, making his worries about what's to happen lift with the vapor. Once collected, he wrapped a purple towel around his waist and made way out towards the bedroom.

When he got there, he was met with Erza, of whom was wrapped in a pink towel. Rather than sprawl all over her, it hugged her curvy hourglass figure, her posture onto the side, her head tilted so that her elbow rest against the pillow. She looked to be waiting for Nic.

"Well took you long enough." She said.

Nic waltzed over towards the opposite bedside, undeterred by Erza's impatient implication. "Well you know I feel now with you in the bathtub for so long."

Erza raised a brow. "Oh?"

Rather than slide into bed, Nic flopped onto the mattress, groaning as he once again had some fresh air. With both draped in towels, they laid in their bed, their ceiling fan flowing with cool air. Outside, the trees in front of their window shifted from the light breeze that infiltrated the bedroom window.

Nic frowned as he closed his eyes. He looked tired, and Erza couldn't blame him. The Requip Mage moved her body to where she laid beside Nic, her head craned to tower and overlook him. She smiled down.

"Are you ready?"

Nic's head tilted, facing her bountiful, monstrous bust. "I have to be. If I want to defend my guild…my family…my Pokémon and I are going to give it everything we have."

"So will we. That's why we trained hard this past year." The sultry woman slowly reached for Nic's face, slowly, yet softly caressing his cheek. Her supple fingers left Nic's face tingling.

Despite the affection, Nic powered through. "Everyone's evacuated. All our Pokémon are at full health, too. We'll go far, I'm sure of that."

"You sound like you're willing to fight in bloodshed."

"It's not really that." Nic defended. "It's just…rather than sit back in a time of crisis, I shouldn't be letting you guys carry the battle on just your own shoulders." He looked up towards Erza, looking into her brown eyes. She was so close that their breaths almost intertwined. "I learned a lot while I was here, that's as simple as I can put it. I know rights and wrong, and if I held back against the most lethal opponents threatening what I hold dear, then there isn't justification to me sitting out. This isn't how it was back when I first joined Fairy Tail. We'll hold our ground together."

Erza was surprised by Nic's voice and choice of words. She hasn't seen nor heard such words by him, at least not for a long time. When she thought about it, Nic was right. Back when he first joined the guild, he'd sit drastic battles out and go around the situation. However, the longer he was in the guild, the more he opened, and the more he became brave, bold, and he was willing to fight for not just his life, but for others. While he did have to shed blood in instances, it was for no selfish gain or amusement. He did it to save lives. He ruined those like Lysandre, Giratina, God Serena, and his life had reached intense levels with his ending his Uncle, and destroying Tartaros. He had to fight to live, to see tomorrow with her. With Erza.

Erza's smile returned as she bent down, tilting her head and kissing Nic on the lips. The sudden affection surprised Nic, but only for a moment. He fell into the emotional attachment, eyes closing as he drew into her.

Once satisfied, she let up and retained a few inches from his face. Her smile never left her face. "No matter who we face…" Her soft eyes narrowed. "We'll do it together."

Nic softly smiled. "It won't be just us that'll move onto tomorrow. It'll be our Pokémon. We'll be there for them too. We'll move on when this is over. We'll all recuperate together, and live."

Erza nodded. "Yeah." She looked on with wonder as Nic's smirk grew. "Nic?"

Nic draped his arms around Erza's waist, over her towel. The soft fabric made her even warmer, and Nic played right into her. He pressed himself against her chest, the soft, warm, endless valley; making Erza blush.

"N-Nic?!"

"What's wrong? Afraid of a little warmup before battle tomorrow?"

Erza accepted Nic's challenge. "You're very bold to go there."

"That's my heart talking."

"Then let mine speak back." Erza shifted her body to be atop of Nic, her mounds smothering him as they played along with what time they had left before chaos reigned. A time of plenty was short, and thus they made do with what time had for them.

* * *

At Fairy Tail, Mavis was with the rest of those who stayed behind to look over things. Makarov was in charge of making sure all communication and sensory machinery developed by Warren. With all said and done, Mavis looked around, nodding in approval of everything transpiring.

"Seems everything is set." She chimed. "The guild looks focused and ready to go."

Makarov lowered his head. "I suppose…"

"I must say, everyone is looking so brave. They've all become so strong."

"And that's how you see it?"

Mavis looked at Makarov with honest surprise by his choice of words.

"If you ask me, I say they are all barely hanging on. They're all on edge; they're just trying to distract themselves for the time being. To look up and move on, they're all banding together their numbers, to consult their insecurities by residing in one another's worries. You can only go so far when worried, but when you are with someone, you feel empowered."

His head raised high. "To stand in front and make sure your children don't crumble behind you. That is the role of a parent."

Mavis' shock turned into a bright, agreeing with Makarov's words.

A nearby lantern shifted as the wind suddenly picked up. The candlelight went out, an ominous vibe entering the atmosphere.

"Hm?" Mavis whipped towards the entrance to the guild hall, seeing dust enter.

All around Magnolia, dust and a mix of sand began to enter the area. Throughout streets and through rivers, dust blew from the winds created. The sound of jets began to overtake the atmosphere, where it broke the sound barrier and reverberated throughout the entire area.

Vanessa stirred in her bed, groaning as the increasing volume reached her ears. Her body and mind knew something was up, and as she turned towards the window, she saw dust in the streets. She looked unsound as the omen had come.

The trees outside Nic and Erza's window shifted madly, as if scared. The leaves rustled and some blew away in the winds manifested. The small maelstrom created made them look out to the window, their surprise mounting as they heard the sound.

Gray, Juvia, Cana, Laxus, everyone all around could hear the sound as it raged on. It wasn't a dragon's roar, but another growl. They couldn't decipher it, but it had a lot of Magic Power behind it. They could feel it. As many awoken in the night, some were heading out of their homes, looking up to the skies with shock.

Gray and Juvia were wide-eyed gasping as they saw something that was beyond what they imagined.

Makarov looked towards Warren. "I thought that radar was working?! What's happening?!"

Warren nervously backed away. "D-don't look at me! It's just fine!"

The blank screen suddenly had sirens going off, the many icons resembling enemies all from West suddenly appearing onscreen.

Warren's eyes widened. "The hell?! Why didn't it detect them sooner?! What is this?!"

Mavis looked up. "Everyone look alive! They're right above us!"

All around Magnolia's skies, there were flying ships. Many armored ships with glider wings were sailing across the skies; one larger than the others. They all were in vast numbers, their size beyond what anyone could've seen. In count, there was a total of 50.

"WHAT?!" Macao and Wakaba shrieked.

"50?! That many could blow our guild off the map! AGAIN!"

Makarov's face darkened as he began to nervously sweat. "That's just one part of the Alvarez Empire heading our way."

"And you didn't tell us they had an air force?!" Warren panicked.

Mavis glared at the sky, her worries rocketing upwards.

In front of the main forces, there was the huge ship. On it was but one man, who had the controls on auto-pilot. The man laughed maniacally, revealing himself to be Ajeel. The Sand Mage laughed viciously as he and his fleet towered all over Magnolia.

"Alright, Fairy Tail…time to reduce you to sand grains! He bellowed. "Let's get this party started!"

* * *

 **Here's chapter 63! Hope this was worth it! Next chapter might be a tad longer, but hopefully not by much. Still, hope to get some reviews and let me know what you thought!**


	64. Fairy Tail's Sandstorm Battle

The skies were covered in flying ships, armed with advanced military weaponry befitting those who sought conquest. As the ships overran the night skies, the ground was occupied with Fairy Tail and their small forces. They all hurried out of their homes, looking up as the enemy approached.

Nic and Erza burst out of their front door, fully clothed in their default attires as they hurried towards Magnolia. As they ventured towards Fairy Tail, they steeled themselves with their Pokémon set.

Ajeel aimed his middle and index finger at the city, as if he was holding a pistol. "Let's get the party going with some fireworks! Open fire!"

At his command, all 50 ships bulled out magical guns and cannons, unleashing volleys of attacks at bombarded the city. However, to their surprise, the bullets all exploded in midair, fitting what looked like a dead end.

Ajeel's eyes widened. "What?" He watched the airspace all around Magnolia flicker, like a translucent dome. Instantly he knew what was going on as the barrier kept them from advancing. "An enchantment?"

Inside Kardia Cathedral, the Thunder God Tribe was holding their ground; Bickslow and Evergreen were doing what they could in supporting Freed as he was on a knee, using his Magic Power to the breaking point to sustain the barrier.

"You can do it Freed!" Bickslow cheered.

Freed gritted his teeth as he began to lurch.

"Come on! Don't let that year be for nothing!" Evergreen shouted.

At Fairy Tail, Mavis held a serious expression. She looked ready, unlike her bewildered guildmates. The First Master retained a clam atmosphere as she looked at the monitor. "It's precisely as I calculated. They sent a small fleet first for a preemptive assault." She whipped an arm at Warren. "Warren! Tell the guild Plan D is a go! Alert Team Flying Dragons, Osprey, and Pokémon it's a go on attack!"

"Roger!" Warren put a finger to his forehead. _'_ _ **This is a message to Fairy Tail. Plan D is active. I repeat, Plan D is active! Team Flying Dragons, Team Osprey, and Team Pokémon all advance accordingly!**_ _'_

* * *

In the Eastern Forest, Bisca, Alzack, and Asuka were all crouched within the underbrush. All around them, wires surging magical power carried energy to what appeared to be a large cannon. However, the team was currently hiding, and Bisca looked through a spyglass.

Asuka turned towards her father. "Why are we called Osprey, Daddy?" She asked.

Alzack nervously sweat-dropped. "Beats me…"

"This is Team Osprey. The enemy is in sight." Bisca announced into the earpiece she carried. "But…they're too far."

"Bisca, you'll be fine. I'm sure of it." Mavis said.

Bisca swallowed a lump as she stood up. "Of course!" Choosing not to question the First Master, she clicked her earpiece, which became a translucent lens that had a lock-on sequence on the big ship. The altitude/longitude sequence aligned as she sat at the cannon's bottom, aiming with gusto.

* * *

Nic and Erza finally reached Magnolia, both standing beside one another as they looked up at the shield. They wasted enough time getting there, so now it was time to get busy.

Nic turned towards Erza. "You ready?"

"I am." Erza confirmed. "The First Master instructed us to destroy as many of those ships as we can."

"In that case, let's hit them with everything we've got." Nic pulled out a Poke Ball; Erza following suit with her own Poke Ball. In unison, both tossed them up.

"GO!"

The Poke Balls popped open, the energy beaming upwards towards the shield. The streaming energy burst, but the Pokémon moved so fast that nobody was able to see them.

"We're counting on you! Take them down!" Nic shouted.

In the distance, one of the high-speed projectiles unleashed a blood-curdling roar, sounding like a jet.

In the air above, Ajeel pumped a fist with glee. "Oh where, oh where is that Nic?" He chimed. "I owe him! I'll do so by open firing! Blow them to smithereens!"

The siren from a nearby monitor went off, alerting the few numbers on the crew.

The man in charge looked at Ajeel shocked. "Sir, we have signatures coming at us with high speed!" He panicked.

As he foretold, three streaming comets swirled through the skies as they made way for the fleet. The enemies couldn't believe what they were seeing, and from another angle, two blinding figures sprung from a sharp angle for them.

"Hurry! Evade!" A cadet shouted.

The fellow ship, however, was too slow. One of the comets streamed right through the ship, passing through and blitzing off. The ship was stationary, as if nothing happened. Moments later, it suddenly burst into flames, exploding.

"Sir! We've lost number 4!" The radar man shouted.

One of the blinding figures suddenly streamed into a draconic energy that flowed into a dragon with spread wings. The airspace raged as it passed a number of ships, dissipating and leaving the five ships in suspense for a moment before they too exploded.

Ajeel's eyes widened. "5 ships in one attack?!" He faced one of the comets, his brow twitching in rising anger. "What the hell is going on…?"

The comets revealed themselves to be Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel, all attached to their Exceeds as they sailed through the skies, attacking ships with gusto. Natsu lead the charge, raising a fist high.

"Team Flying Dragons has entered the fray!"

Ajeel gritted his teeth as he reached an arm out. "Don't just stand there! Shoot 'em down!"

At his command, the ships focused their cannons and guns, aiming for the Dragon Slayers and Exceeds. Before they could fire, however, another projectile passed a ship, streaming a shimmering metal from its wings, causing the cannons on the ships to explode.

"Now what?!" Ajeel exasperated.

The figure passing revealed itself to be a living ember that flapped its wings. As the wings stopped glowing, they revealed Erza's Talonflame. The Scorching Pokémon cawed as she twirled in the air, going into a dive on the lower level of the fleets.

"It's Erza's bird!" Happy chirped.

Pantherlily nodded as he and Gajeel soared. "Perfect! This'll limit their ammunition!"

Gajeel's fists pumped. "Which means we can bash these suckers in all we want!"

Natsu flashed a smirk. "Then let's go!" At his call, Happy increased speed, going at an intense velocity towards the ship that lost its cannons. In searing flames, Natsu blitzed right through. " **Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!** " He blitzed inwards, coming out on the other end with the flames streaming. The ship that he pierced suddenly warped in the flames, exploding.

"We lost another!" A soldier panicked.

Another cadet swung his arm in an arch. "Don't waver! Open fire!"

The soldiers did as told, firing their canons. However, the volley of magical bullets was futile as the Dragon Slayers worked their way around them, twisting and turning with little difficulty. They all evaded, and it wasn't just them who were evading.

Talonflame cawed as she soared around incoming bullets, using her immense speed to get around. As she closed in on another ship, her body glowed a sky-blue color. " **Acrobatics!** " The Fire/Flying-type suddenly began flying in zigzag patterns, zipping in the blink of an eye. She zipped passed bullets, seen every few seconds before disappearing in blue zigzags. Before the enemies knew it, she zipped past the ship, the guns being torn apart by the intense velocity.

A soldier gasped.

Another pointed to the distance. "Look out!"

But it was too late for them. Before they even saw it coming, another few ships were suspended before a blur glowing green passed with two green lines several feet apart from each other. As the glints faded, the three ships in a row suddenly diced part, torn clean through before erupting in green explosions.

Ajeel whirled around, only seeing a Mach blur. "The hell?! What is going on?!"

Cannons fired constantly, attacking everyone in the skies. As Team Flying Dragons maneuvered, they found room to be limited.

"I hope Bisca is fully charged!" Carla shouted.

* * *

Bisca sat in the chair, looking at the main ship through her lens. It was clear as day that she was nervous. "This is Team Osprey! Magic Cannon charged!" She announced.

"You can do it, Mama!" Asuka cheered.

Bisca adjusted a lever, the cannon cranking skyward and targeting the biggest ship. "It takes 15 minutes for another full charge. I can't miss…" Doubt was starting to clog her mind, the green-haired woman beginning to sweat nervously with the adrenaline pouring through her veins. _'This isn't like any of the guns I use.'_

"Bisca!" Alzack shouted. When Bisca looked towards him, he was smiling. "You can do it! I know you can!"

While assured by her husband, the sniper looked back at the ship. She began to smile. "Now I get why we're called Osprey." Her eyes narrowed. "Because we don't lose our prey…"

Alzack and Asuka smiled.

" **Magical Convergent Cannon: Jupiter! Fire!** "

At that instant, the forest shook as a compressed beam of magic suddenly exploded out of the cannon's tip. The intense blast pulsated with vibrant intensity, shooting across Magnolia's sky and getting everyone to look up at the dark beam transcending the shield. The Jupiter Cannon shot blitzed onwards, heading for Ajeel's ship.

The Desert King looked ahead, his frustration at a point. "Not this time!"

He put a hand out, and summoning sand, a shield bunkered the front of the bow. The Jupiter Cannon met the sand bunker, the attack deflecting and separating into smaller streams that went around the main ship. The compressed blast struck many other ships. The few bombarded exploded, causing them to either completely far apart or fall to the ground.

Bisca looked through her spyglass, bewildered with the sight. "He scattered it?!"

"Yeah, but it looks like we got a few good numbers down though." Alzack pointed out.

As the blast dissipated, the few ships that were still in the air did not waver from their orders. Those able continued to open fire, bombarding the shield and the flying projectiles in the sky.

Wendy and Carla shifted in the air, dodging guns being shot. "Natsu! Gajeel! We have to get to the ground! There might be survivors in those crashes who might attack from below!"

"Got it, shrimp!" Gajeel twirled with Pantherlily around a volley of magic bullets. They looped around and went into a steep dive. "We'll leave the ammunition to the bird! Salamander, come on!"

Natsu nodded. "Got it! Happy!"

"Aye!" The Exceed dove for the ground, blitzing to stop the crash survivors from getting any closer. As they descended, Natsu and Happy twisted, looking up at the skies briefly.

"We're counting on ya!"

Hearing Natsu's call, Talonflame spread her wings and sailed in an arch around gunfire. "Leave it to me! Go!"

At the call, Natsu and Team Flying Dragons descended towards the earth, leaving Talonflame to look down yet ascend to dodge another volley. With them soon out of sight, the avian redoubled her efforts and did a U-turn, diving towards the gunfire blazing right for her.

She closed in, her wings straightening out and coated in a metal-gray color. " **Steel Wing!** " Once more, she closed in and tilted in towards one side of a ship, striking cannons and blowing them to bits. The explosions followed behind her as she arched outwards, escaping the blast that collapsed the one side of the ship.

Ajeel stared in shock. "That bird…!" He growled.

Talonflame looked back at Ajeel's ship, glancing at something briefly. "Okay! He's all yours!"

"With pleasure!"

The dark tone that reverberated through the air crawled through Ajeel's ear canals. The next thing that happened. The entire ship suddenly jerked upwards, the sound of wood and metal breaking beneath knocking Ajeel off his feet. The Sand Mage fell backwards, thudding as the sound of the ship beneath was breaking.

Ajeel could hear screams of anguish and panic, making his heart race. Sweat poured down his face as he heard the sound of an animalistic snarl. _'What's happening? I…I don't understand. How is my fleet being overrun by-?!'_

The deck suddenly burst open, wood flying everywhere along with bodies. The men inside and on the deck were caught in the shockwave of the uprising, and the sound of a monster bellowing reverberated through the winds as many slammed against the deck or were sailing overboard.

Ajeel heard the sound of a large stomp from behind, and with it was a very formidable pressure. His anger and frustration was rising, his veins throbbing on his face as he angrily looked behind. "Who the hell are you supposed to be?" He gritted in anger.

The creature raised his claws, legs spread apart as he stood in front of the large hole in the ship from below with Dig. The ship was starting to become unstable and began the engines began to weaken. Smoke arose from the hole behind as Garchomp glared intensely at Ajeel, sending a chill down the Spriggan's spine.

"Your worst nightmare." Garchomp said.

* * *

Watching from a lacrima, Makarov and Mavis retained positions in the guild hall. They looked remarkably impressed, but even with that impression, they had stoic smiles. The battle hadn't even gotten close to started.

"So Nic uses Garchomp." Makarov evaluated.

Mavis nodded. "He did. You would think that Ajeel would have an advantage, but with what we've seen, Garchomp may pull through. However, it's too early to tell what tricks he has up his sleeve."

Makarov retained silence as he looked on. The monitor revealed Erza's Talonflame maneuvering with grace and ferocity, using Steel Wing on a ship's side and disabling the cannons. He never would've admitted it, but he was more prone to the prospect of Ajeel winning. Even with Nic's one-sided advantage, he still feared Alvarez. Of course the counter he had going on was how Garchomp tore through ships earlier without even trying.

To this day, Pokémon was something Makarov debated. How strong did Nic train his Pokémon to be?

* * *

At Kardia Cathedral, Freed was doing everything he could. He was putting all his efforts into the Enchantment around the city. He was on his knees, enveloped in a barrier of his own Magic Power to sustain the shield's impermeable defense.

"Freed, what is it?!" Evergreen exasperated. "Isn't your defense supposed to be perfect?!"

"Ever, you know as well as I do that perfection doesn't exist." Freed said.

"The enemy's magic is starting to get through. It's strong." Bickslow explained.

Freed was starting to sweat, but even with his exhausted condition, he managed to break a smile out. "But the good news is that Team Flying Dragons, Osprey, and Pokémon have managed to reduce the enemy output. The sky forces are all nullified thanks to Erza and Nic's Pokémon…"

Suddenly, Freed gasped. His eyes widened as something in that instant made his body go numb.

Bickslow tilted over. "Huh? Buddy?"

"Frees? What is it?" Evergreen asked. "What's wrong?!"

As Freed continued to sweat, his labored breathing hitched as he felt something in his Enchantment. The presence bewildered him. "Impossible…my Enchantment…"

Evergreen and Bickslow looked worried.

"It…has a hole!"

At the guild hall, everyone was looking at the radar, looking right through the spot that Freed sensed. There, they saw several signatures infiltrating through an opening in the circle.

"There's a crack-no! It's a hole!" Warren exclaimed.

"How?!" Makarov bellowed.

Mavis glared harshly at the monitor, her uneasiness beginning to spread through her ethereal entity. "The enemy must have Nullification Magic." Her fists began to ball. What she thought in her calculations were beginning to deter, still, she had to keep trying. "They're entering the streets! Alert everyone and prepare for battle!"

* * *

Walking through the Enchantment's large hole created, there were vast numbers entering Magnolia. All the Alvarez soldiers entering had a large-scale force clustered behind Wahl Icht as he walked casually through the streets. He had a sneering expression as he advanced without delay. "Heh, this is way too easy." He snickered.

* * *

The sirens on Warren's monitor went off haphazardly, getting the Telepathy Mage to whip towards the traces of magic influence on the screen. What he saw made him go wide-eyed. "W-what?!"

Makarov also went wide-eyed. "What is it?!"

"We have a third member in our town! We have three Spriggans on our backs at the moment!"

"3?" Jet repeated.

"Damn, this is getting bad." Droy rebutted.

Even more sirens beeped profusely. A full-scale image of Ishgar was seen, and what Warren saw made his face pale. "It…it can't be…" He began to shudder. "There's…there's…"

"Spill it already! Come on!" Jet rushed.

"…we have 300more ships entering from the north. And by their magic…there's 3 more Spriggans heading our way."

Mavis' eyes widened. _'What?'_

"A-and we have an equally sizeable army heading from the south! They have 3 as well! A-and the east…they have us cornered!" He whipped his head to face the two masters, his sweat evolving to tears that began to pour down his face. "…and then another 3…with a million at their wake."

Makarov looked like he was going to have another heart attack. He knew their army was massive, but with so many warriors, even Fairy Tail was done for. Macao and Wakaba were bewildered with the eastern section already demolished, and that rendered Levy to look through archives, but to no avail. Mest was standing in place, paralyzed by the revelation.

Mavis was looking at the ground, her hopes starting to die off. _'This…this wasn't supposed to happen. How did I mess up again? We…'_ She shut her eyes tight, hoping this was a dream. _'We don't stand a chance!'_

* * *

Throughout all of Magnolia, the soldiers had ventures into the fray. They were all armed, and those who were held back by Team Flying Dragons outside the barrier were working their way around, venturing into the hole that Wahl Icht created. Throughout the battle, everyone was working in coordinated efforts, and as Gray and Juvia backed themselves up, the Strauss siblings were doing their part and taking on numbers of their own ranks. It was chaos, and through it all, everyone had to keep fighting.

Soldiers entered Magnolia's streets, their charge heading right for two figures. Closer examination revealed them to be Sophie and Vanessa, both running side by side as they had light pounces in their trails. The two girls closed in, and together they gave menacing glares.

"Vanessa!"

"Right! Let's go!"

Once close enough, Vanessa's hands glowed teal, and in a crouched position, swiped her arm in an arch. The crescent of aura expanded outwards, connecting with the front and knocking them all away. With them falling, Sophie made her move as she lunged ahead.

"Stop her!" One soldier yelled.

Another, more beefy, soldier raised a magical hammer. With it, it expanded, and it came down. At the last second, Sophie's green eyes hardened and she suddenly leaped back. The swift dodge saved her from the hammering blow that rattled the street. The small magnitude quaked the airspace even, but also left many of the soldiers behind unbalanced.

Sophie used this to her advantage and her curvaceous body did a swift jump. She did a handstand on the hammer's backside and flipped overhead. Flying over the enemy's head, she twirled and was upside-sown, a finger pointed to her forehead.

" **Memory-Make: Stone Lightning!** "

Out of thin air, lightning rained down on the numbers standing beneath her. The discharge pulsed and the many bodies beneath screamed in bitter anguish as the lightning sent waves through their bodies, freezing them into place. Once finished, everyone was but stone, and Sophie landed behind the small number of statues one her feet with a frown.

Vanessa blinked, shocked with Sophie's swift grace. "Sophie, I didn't know you could move like that."

As the next wave of a dozen soldiers advanced, Sophie looked back at Vanessa with a grin. "I've been taking acrobatic lessons during my time in Sabertooth." She winked. "Now come on, Miss Sleepyhead! Up and at 'em!"

Vanessa nodded in understanding. "Right!" She reached for her purse she carried, digging into a compartment and pulling out a Poke Ball. "Go, Krookodile!"

The Poke Ball was tossed, and out in front appeared the Intimidation Pokémon. The Ground/Dark-type looked ready to rumble as he faced the incoming wave.

Vanessa swiped her arm. " **Dig!** "

Krookodile raised a fist towards the incoming numbers. "LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, ALVAREZ EMPIRE SOLDIERS! YOU'RE GROUNDED!" He sprung into the street, creating a small tremor as he left a hole within the settling dust. "DEEP UNDERGROUNDED!" Krookodile's voice echoed from the hole.

The soldiers continued to advance without warning, but as they did, they noticed that Vanessa wasn't budging. It was like she wanted them to come closer. Taking chances, they charged.

When the first soldier stepped foot within a few meters of the Dig hole, the ground suddenly cracked apart. The wave of soldiers suddenly went sundering into a depressed crater in the earth, debris and dust exploding. The street shook with the massive wake, and the next wave of soldiers found themselves at a standstill with the ground giving in.

"Good job, Krookodile!" Vanessa shouted.

Krookodile jumped out of the hole, landing with a thud next to his Trainer. "Now you guys know a **hole** lot about my strength!"

Vanessa crossed her arms, concentrating her Magic Power. " **Nugatory Burst!** " At her command, the ground shook once again at the group inside the cave-in were suddenly enveloped in a massive pillar of aura. The teal beam pulsed with compression, sounding like a jet.

The sound and dust faded, and the soldiers looked unnerved as they faced Vanessa, Sophie, and Krookodile; all three standing and ready for a fight.

"They won't get the First Master." Sophie declared. "We won't allow it."

* * *

Nic and Erza traveled down another street, taking a sharp turn from an alley and lunging ahead towards a large wave of soldiers that had begun the raid. With their heels pouncing constantly off the ground, they both made quick work in shortening the meters distancing their enemy.

"Erza, are you set?" Nic asked.

"I am!"

Together, they began glowing. Their bright lights engulfed their bodies, making the two changed into their own types and requips. The incoming soldiers looked on with shock as the bright lights faded away.

" **Draco Form!** " Adorned in his updated Draco Form, Nic sported an indigo V-neck that was beneath his royal blue Shinigami attire. While the top and bottom were royal blue, the edging, belt, inner sleeves, and baggy pants were coral red. He adorned royal blue sandals with spiked bottoms, and the socks were coral red. He also sported the familiar draconic wings, only this time they each had a dark spike atop the membranes.

" **Requip – Armadura Pidgeot!** " The light faded, revealing Erza's long hair unchanged, but a red crown was on her forehead, with three long strands of feathers flowing with her hair; one yellow in between two red strands. Her pauldrons and gauntlets were a solid brown yellow, with the gauntlet's undersides being a milky white. She adorned upper body armor, with a brown chestplate that still showed abundant cleavage, and a milky white armor covering her abdominal region. Her lower half consisted of a belt with brown side plates, while the rest of it was nothing but brown and white feathers making a flowing skirt all the way down to her bare knees. She had brown boots, and on her back was a set of wings similar to a Pidgeot. Her two swords in hand were shimmering silver blades with pink hilts, where on the edges two little wings were placed.

As they charged, both took the initiative. Nic looked ready as his body was starting to exert a red aura.

" **Dragon Dance!** "

Globes of dark red, black, and violet encompassed him as he charged. As he sprung ahead, he was noticeably much faster than Erza as he dashed across the ground, Attack and Speed increasing.

"Let's go!" Swords in hand, Erza flapped her wings and sailed across the ground, her speed rivaling Nic as she collided with a wave of foes. She crossed her blades as she whipped passed them, cutting the numbers down.

Nic crossed his arms as a compressed blue energy engulfed his hands, creating draconic claws. " **Dragon Claw!** " As he sprung ahead, his increased speed made him a blur that passed at least ten men, trails of light blue following in his wake. The men were all flying as their armor and weaponry were reduced to fragments.

A soldier reached out. "Don't let them get near! Advance!" He ordered.

Behind him, many soldiers with spears and high-tech weaponry had lock-on sequences set on Nic. When he was in sight, they were about to fire, until he miraculously disappeared.

"Wait! Where'd he go?!" One soldier asked.

Everyone looked around, bewildered at Nic's speed. Little did they know, Nic had reappeared behind the remainder of the first wave in midair. Retaining mid-flight, he clasped his hands together and a flaming indigo energy encompassed the mid-arms up. As he raised his arms, the energy expanded into a flaming indigo pillar with a draconic head with bright eyes.

" **Dragon Hammer!** "

He swung his arms down, the lengthy pillar and jawline of the draconic head smashing into all the soldiers. The atmosphere was violently shook by the tremendous force, causing the ground to split and send street debris in all directions. Those not hit were blown away by the roaring shockwaves. As the energy dispersed, Nic watched the dust clear out, revealing a large-scale crater with debris and fallen soldiers in the hole.

The next wave of soldiers came running up as Nic leered over his shoulder. Immediately he took action by landing and glowing. As he turned his body, the glow faded and revealed his Flame Form. In this form, Nic's attire was all red, with the belt, edging, and inner sleeves being yellow. The V-neck was a cindered black, as were his baggy pants. The sandals were red, and the socks were also yellow.

Nic swung his arm around and summoned a whip of compressed fire. " **Fire Lash!** " He whipped the intense lash at the second wave, snapping with a roaring blaze against the few numbers in front. As many were knocked back by that single blow, Nic lashed the whip once more, this time wrapping around a soldier's abdomen.

Nic pivoted and swung around once again, dragging the soldier through the air in a full circle. The momentum reached a peak and he collided the man into the soldiers still falling backwards from Fire Lash. Nic retained a lashed pose as the numbers rained around him, the bodies dropping like bowling pins from that strike.

Another wave of twenty came at him, but unlike before, Nic didn't budge.

"Now!"

Erza zipped past him, flying into the fray. "They won't get pass me!" She flew in, a gust created in her wake from her sudden acceleration. As she closed in, her body began to spin like a drill, slowly gaining faster, and faster, until it looked like a cyclone of brown and white with a red and yellow center closed in.

" **Aero Blade!** "

With her blades stretched on either side, the drill-like cyclone became a solid sharp impact. Erza twisted and slashed at everything and everyone in the wave in that one attack; the winds manifested blowing everyone down. As Erza straightened out and landed, she slid on her heels and looked ahead as the bodies littering the streets made it hard to tell the concrete beneath.

Nic and Erza looked towards one another, both sharing similar gazes. Their confirmation silent, the two turned away and faced the enemies coming from all sides.

"Let's not leave Garchomp with the heavy lifting!" Nic's fist coated in Fire Punch, yelling out as he charged for the next adversary.

* * *

The ships still airborne were constantly firing, but no matter how many volleys of magic they dish out, they would either end up hitting thin air or another ship. A few had already fallen because some volleys backfired. But the problem was that Talonflame was sailing through the skies too fast.

" **Acrobatics!** "

Once more, Talonflame became a blue zigzag that evaded oncoming bullets and closed in on a cannon. With excessive speed, she passed another hefty cannon, leaving it in a vast explosion that engulfed one side of the flying ship. As the last of the cannon and ammunition was disabled, Talonflame made another arch and sailed over Ajeel's ship, cawing as Ajeel and Garchomp were glaring daggers at one another.

What Garchomp said still hung in the air for some time. After a few more seconds, a smirk came across Ajeel's face. "My worst nightmare?" He repeated. "Sounds cliché. Like I'd be afraid of an overgrown lizard."

Garchomp lowered his head, his eyes narrowing.

"Wait…" An epiphany was starting to race through Ajeel's mind. When it came to him, his eyes widened. "Hang on! _You're_ one of Nic's Pokémon!" By the look on his face, Ajeel looked like he was about to fall over. "Oh! This is just too rich!" He laughed aloud, quite uproariously too. His boisterous laughing wasn't deterring Garchomp, but he couldn't help it. Once Ajeel calmed down, his laughter reduced to chuckling.

"So…that pissass chose to send one of his pets instead of face me head on like before? Man, I thought he wanted a fight, but what is this? This is going to be way too ea-!"

He was cut off when a crushing force in the form of Garchomp's foot stomped on his face. The near-invisible speed he possessed didn't even leave Ajeel to shout as he crushed the Desert King into the ship's deck. The entire deck was nearly broken, and uneven wood fragments jutted out from the wake created. The compression made it to the ship's underside, where the haul had a large cracked dent meters in front of the hole Garchomp created earlier.

As the ship began to fall, Ajeel gagged as Garchomp towered over with a growl that left his spine chilled. "You should've been running with your legs instead of your mouth."

* * *

If Lucy wasn't in an awkward spot before, she most certainly has now. How did it come to this? How could she have let something like this become of her? Not only was she embarrassed to say the least, but also mortified.

There she was, Lucy Heartfilia, and she was stuck in the bathtub…with Brandish! Lucy didn't even want to know why she was in the bathtub, and she knew that Brandish had her little "pet" Marin be the key to getting inside, but what she wanted to question was why Brandish forced her into the tub. As well as question the means of her sanity.

However, she also knew she had to comply, because Brandish's magic could minimize Magnolia. She already set an example with the house next door to Lucy's, and the blonde didn't want her to be next. She found herself in the tub, and to add insult to injury she had to where cat ears.

The blonde with feline ears gave a disgruntled stare at Brandish. _'Why did this happen to me?'_

Brandish gasped. "Oh my…what did I do?" Her cheeks flared as her eyes widened. "So cute~!"

"The hell!" Lucy exasperated.

Her shock settling down, Brandish retained quiet for a short while and stared at Lucy. Her eyes remained steady. "…I've seen you somewhere before, haven't I?"

"I was in Sorcerer's We…" Lucy looked away, too embarrassed to say. "I was a journalist of a year, and may have done some shoots too…just a few."

"Your entertainment is not was interests me in the slightest."

Lucy shot a leery look at her. "Then…from the stands in the Grand Magic Games?"

Brandish looked away, putting an index finger to her chin to think. "No, not that. I just can't remember. What shame."

"Wait…" Lucy lurched as her eyes widened. "Don't tell me you just waltzed into my bathtub for _that_!"

"Yes, pretty much." Brandish deadpanned.

Lucy turned away with a tick mark, silently fuming in bittersweet rage. _'What is it with everyone wanting to come into my house~?!'_

Brandish moaned as she slowly began to rise from the bath water. "Wash my back."

As before. Lucy suddenly found herself on her knees, washing on of the Spriggan 12's back. She groaned as she scrubbed the slender woman from top to bottom, bubbles and suds on the floor and stool.

Brandish faced the ground, feeling Lucy scrub in between her shoulder blades. "Yell me, what is your name?"

"It's Lucy." Her face contorted. _'Why is she still tormenting me like this? It doesn't make sense.'_

"…"

The nearby capsule on the edge of the bathtub shook, eager one might say. "Hey! It's my job to wash Lady Brandish!" Marin muffled inside.

Lucy ignored his complaints and kept a stern frown as she continued to scrub Brandish down. As the blonde was doing her job, she was keeping a very wary eye on the green-haired intruder. She was waiting. Biding. Hiding out her thoughts until the time became appropriate.

' _It looks like she finally let her guard down.'_ She thought. _'Maybe now might be a prime time as any.'_

Nearby where her clothes were her Celestial Keys. Keeping quiet, she used her toes and picked up Aquarius' broken key. She kicked it into the air, letting it flip overhead into her open palm. Standing up, Lucy held the spear-like end of the key above Brandish, ready to deal a devastating blow.

"Layla's daughter."

Lucy froze. Her conscience stiffened at the whisper that struck her ears. She thought she was imagining it, but the way Brandish said it made it of no mistake.

"Layla?" She asked. "My mother?"

"So then it is true." Brandish looked over her shoulder, her once calm expression replaced by a venomous, dark expression. "You _are_ Layla's daughter…"

The house suddenly began to quake, catching Lucy's attention. The blonde noticed almost instantly that something was wrong when she looked up. Her eyes widened when she noticed how close she was to the ceiling.

' _The room is getting smaller!'_ She whipped towards the doorway, her time short as the frame was shrinking. _'This is bad! I have to get out of here!'_ Lucy made a quick escape out of the shrinking bathroom, diving out to her bedroom. Though still soaked, her body didn't have damp luck as she made quick work in rushing for the shrinking dresser.

"My clothes-"

Due to her being damp, her wet feet slipped from beneath, causing her to fall onto her back. The shrinking abode minimized further to where the open door to the stairs tipped on Lucy. The blonde found her whole world spinning as she went tumbling down the stairs, squealing as she rolled out of the small door that could barely fit a Bulbasaur. The blonde slid onto the street, having fully escaped the minimizing effects.

On the streets, Lucy groaned as she got an arm beneath, managing strength to turn and see what happened. What she witnessed left her gasping. "What…?!" To her horror, her home, her place she worked so hard to get back…was the size of a marble. "My house…"

Standing above with a dominant aura was Brandish. The house stood beneath her, shrunk like Lucy's esteem. "Layla's daughter. To think that I'd find you here of all places." She said.

Though still shocked, Lucy's fist balled and she angrily glared at Brandish. "What happened to earlier?! What happened to all that stuff in the bathroom?!"

Brandish raised her head, her stature increasing. "It's too much trouble to speak of. So I won't speak of it."

From nearby, swift-moving projectiles darted through the air like targets. "Get away from her!" A voice called out.

Without looking, Brandish moved her head towards the right, evading what were revealed to be cards. The cards continued, creating small currents that faded with them in the distance until they ruptured in the streets.

The woman revealed herself to be Cana, glaring daggers as she was ready to take on Brandish. "How dare you do this to our town! You guys really are gonna pay for it!"

Lucy's smile finally came back. "Cana!"

Cana turned towards her nude comrade, but she couldn't muster up the will to keep her laughter in check. "Lucy?!" She laughed, clutching her abdomen. "Man, what did I miss? Someone went crazy without me there!"

Lucy covered up her chest, hiding her embarrassment. "I-It's not what it looks like!" She squealed in a high pitch. Her shock toned down, holding up a small container. "But I can handle it!"

"Huh? What's going on?" Marin muffled.

"Sorry about this!" Lucy dropped the container onto the ground, letting it plop to a standstill. She raised a foot and stomped on it, breaking the container and Marin inside. Marin screamed as Lucy's crushing foot smashed into his back like a rock, his eyes going white.

"Marin?!" Brandish gasped.

Lucy smiled as she pulled out a golden key. "Now for my Celestial Spirit Magic!" With Marin finally incapacitated, she began to utilize her magic. Her body glowed, becoming another new attire. She had black sleeves with pink wool cuffs. Her dress was pink and black-striped, with a wooly, frilly bottom. Her leggings were also striped pink and black, and with her hair in two braids, two horns were visible.

" **Star Dress: Aries Form!** "

Cana smirked as she stood beside Lucy. "Just like Tenrou Island, huh?"

Brandish stood in silence as she opposed Lucy and Cana, ready for quarrel.

"Such beautiful legs…" Marin weakly reached up towards Lucy and Cana, but couldn't find strength. "You…pass…" He fell unconscious, a smile on his face.

* * *

The barely stable ship was tilting weakly downwards. It would only be a matter of time until something gave in. On the deck, Garchomp snarled down as Ajeel was underneath his foot. The Mach Pokémon had already taken the initiative, leaving his adversary in shock.

Ajeel soon recovered, his smirk returning. "Heh."

"Huh?" Garchomp's glare hardened.

Ajeel suddenly became sand, his body flowing in the high winds until they were all swept from Garchomp's foot. The Dragon/Ground-type leaped away, retaining caution as he kept a sharp eye out. As he stood in place, sand unknowingly converged behind him, revealing a smirking Ajeel with a double-bladed axe made entirely of sand in his left grip.

" **Ramal Fa'as!** "

Ajeel swung the sharp sand axe horizontally, but Garchomp didn't look back. Instead, he instantly ducked, him and his backfin evading the attack. Ajeel continued his swing, his momentum lost and a gasp escaping. Before he could act, Garchomp's left leg kicked up, back-kicking Ajeel in the gut. The force made an air ripple exert as he shot across the deck, catching himself on a knee.

The mage looked up, eyes wide. "The hell?!"

Garchomp turned around, facing him. "Come on! **Dual Chop!** " The Mach Pokémon raised both arms and claws high. As he spread them out, the claws and fins shimmering a bright green, which caused a small gust to overflow the area. The wake increased as Garchomp soared over the deck towards Ajeel, roaring with a sheer intensity.

Ajeel's teeth gritted with sand grains as Garchomp disappeared and reappeared inches away from him. He didn't have time to act fast enough, so he raised his arms and made two axes of sand. " **Ramal Fa'as!** " He attacked with a parry of two sharp axes, meeting one of Garchomp's fins. The two were at a standstill for a moment, until they both pushed back with all their might. The result of their attack were both leaping back several feet, each unharmed.

Regaining footing, they engaged again, running up to another with axes and fins. Ajeel swung his axes downwards, but Garchomp sneered as he swung his second arm fin. The Dual Chop was so sharp that it sliced right through the sand axes, which were already sharp. Ajeel was paralyzed as a green trail went clean through his sand, rendering him with defenses open. Garchomp's tail suddenly whipped around, smacking Ajeel's side with bone-crushing force.

"GAH!" The immense strength in the swing made Ajeel slide on his side, smashing into the deck's side.

Garchomp adjusted his footing and looked ready for what Ajeel would do next.

The Desert King winced for a moment, but then shot back to his feet. As he stared at Garchomp, he was beginning to feel his blood boil. The grains in his body were churning with his anger as he was starting to get impatient. "You little…!" He swiped his arm around. "Try this!"

Garchomp was engulfed in a compressed maelstrom of sand made from thin air. The whirling sand churned left and right, creating a high-pressure dome-like cyclone that kept Ajeel's distance from Garchomp.

"How's that for ya?!"

The figure in the sand opened his mouth, but no snarl escaped. "Is that all you got?"

Ajeel's heart raced. "Huh?!"

" **Dig!** "

Garchomp dove back into the ship's deck, breaking the boarding above. As the sand swirled in place continuously, a crunching sound was heard, but it revealed Garchomp's backfin sticking out and creating a trail in the deck. He glided after Ajeel, the fin sinking the surface like a shark about to strike.

Ajeel looked left and right, looking to where Garchomp may end up resurfacing. He was starting to sweat and swear beneath his breath. He refused to lose. He can't. He was a Spriggan, and he held a reputation. "Tch! What do you take me for?!" Using his magic, he became sand and whisked himself away from his position. He vanished and reappeared several meters above.

As he looked down, his smirk returned. "Let's see you surprise me from up here!"

"Then why don't _we_ surprise you then!"

The sound of the voice caught Ajeel's attention. When he turned around, his sandy body was beginning to feel an increase in heat levels. He couldn't explain it, but he could've sworn he saw a blue-flaming projectile blitz at a sharp angle into his sand body. Before he knew it, Erza's Talonflame was trailing a searing blue volume.

" **Flare Blitz!** "

Talonflame glided her body into the sand mesh that was Ajeel. Even when it wasn't directly his body, the sand was enveloped in searing light blue flames. An explosion engulfed the airspace, and with it Ajeel. As the smoke billowed about, Talonflame flapped out of the cloud, red sparks covering her body. Even with the weak wincing, she continued to arch back into the skies.

Ajeel fell straight below, his body back in one piece. He winced as his body was hit by the cindering blaze. _'My sand body didn't take damage, but the fire was still conducted. The heat in the sand made me return to one piece! Damnit! These Pokémon-!'_

The deck boards where he stood previously erupted like a volcano, wood and splinters flying everywhere. Garchomp came springing out, startling Ajeel.

"How's about THIS?!" Garchomp went head-first his forehead and appendages scrunching into Ajeel's back. The impact was loud enough to make one's spine shatter, or in this case Ajeel's. With Ajeel gagging in midair, Garchomp swung his tail like a bat as a follow-up, sending Ajeel towards the other side of the ship's deck's border.

As wood and dust bellowed, Garchomp landed. He waited patiently for Ajeel's next move.

Ajeel laid on the wooden boards that were caved in front impact. As he was sprawled along the domain, his head was ringing; not just from the concussions he was receiving, but the bewildering development of the battle. _'How is he even able to hit me? That should be impossible.'_ He thought. _'Unless…are his scales enabling him to strike me even when I'm sand?'_ He raised his hand and looked at it. It was covered in bruises. Some cuts also evident. _'This…this isn't…'_

The atmosphere began to change. Garchomp could've felt an immense pressure as Ajeel was starting to climb back to his feet. The Desert King panted profusely as he glared Garchomp with a disastrous and intimidating dominance.

"I…am GOD!" He snapped. "I am the Desert King! How dare a weakling like you anger me!" He clutched his fists, veins popping out as the grains in the atmosphere hardened. "I will make you SUFFER!"

As his voice echoed in the air, the atmosphere began to whirl like it was in a hurricane. Sand was thrown everywhere, an angered front that swirled constantly. It wasn't just the ship that was enveloped in the raging sand, but all of Magnolia. The sand swirled around, manifesting something even the ones on the ground were startled to see. A sandstorm.

* * *

"The heck's with this?!" Natsu called out, sand as loud as wind muffling him out. "A sandstorm?!"

"It…it must be that Sand Mage's work!" Carla winced.

"I can see! I'm blind!" Happy cried out.

Gajeel clutched his fists, looking around the sand brushing his iron skin. "Then I guess we're going by our noses. Cats! Stand down!"

At the guild, Mavis gestured towards the doors. "Close the doors! The sandstorm is here!"

Max ran over to get the doors. "How did this weather happen?!"

Lucy and Cana were wincing as the sand brushed past them. They were barely hanging on while Brandish was standing idly in the shifting sand. "It would appear Ajeel is giving us unnecessary work again…"

Sophie covered up as she and Vanessa were also caught in the sandstorm. Both women were surprised to say the least, and they weren't appreciating what was going down.

"Hang on!" Vanessa took action, creating and Aura Guard and saving herself and Sophie from the tempest. With sand at their feet, they looked around the dome, noticing the thickness of the sand.

"Where…did all this sand come from?" Sophie asked. "I can't see."

"Me neither." Vanessa turned towards a direction, more accurately where her Krookodile was. Her Aura Magic, unlike her eyes, could see as clear as day. She could see him, one might say. "Krookodile! Are you alright?!" She called.

In the sandstorm, Krookodile looked back towards the teal dome. "YEAH! DON'T WORRY!" He faced the sandstorm ahead. "THIS SANDSTORM DOESN'T WORK AGAINST A GROUND-TYPE!"

The cadets ahead were blinded by the sandstorm, making them look all around. They had no clue where or what was going on, and that was Krookodile's advantage. Being a Krookodile, his binocular vision allowed him to see all his foes clearly.

"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING STUPID SANDSTORM! KROOKODILE ISN'T A BLIND ZUBAT! **YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME?!** "

"Krookodile, **Stone Edge!** " Vanessa commanded.

Krookodile clutched his right fist, letting out a gruff sound as he drove it into the ground. A small tremor broke out, and the next instant pointed light blue rock pillars shot up from the ground, making way and stabbing the blinded adversaries. Smoke and screams were heard, meaning the Rock-type move made contact.

Elsewhere, Nic and Erza were covering themselves, the sandstorm brushing them haphazardly.

Erza used her wings to shield herself. "A sandstorm?!"

"And a large one too." Nic said. He glowed once more, changing his typing to the Stone Form. In said form, Nic's Shinigami attire was a dark rock color, with a dark brown belt and a Heavy Ball as the belt buckle. His baggy pants were an indigenous rock pattern, with gray socks and dark brown sandals. His V-neck shirt was a shale black.

Using his powers, Nic stomped on the ground, making a concaved rock formation all around. The shielding was enough to hold him and Erza in place. As sands whipped through the cracks, he looked at her. "Erza, are you alright?"

Erza nodded. "I am. But where did this sandstorm come from?"

"My guess, is that Ajeel person."

Erza looked through the cracks of their small space, staring out at the whirling sandstorm encompassing the whole town. The look on her face showed worry. "He has power to engulf all of Magnolia in a sandstorm…Mass manipulation, and now vicious sandstorms…"

"I know. This is bad." Nic looked out in another crack. "But…" Erza looked towards him, her surprise mounting as she saw the serious look on his face. "…at the same time, this is also what I counted on."

"You did?"

Nic turned towards Erza, half-grinning. "You're forgetting, Garchomp is out there. Did you forget his Ability?" By the look on her face, she was bewildered with surprise. "Ajeel isn't the only one who reigns in a sandstorm."

* * *

As the sands high in the atmosphere were raging, the ship was rocking about haphazardly. The churning grains and high winds were beginning to take effect on Talonflame. With her not a Rock, Ground, or Steel-type, her body was sustaining damage, and it was hard for her to keep her position. "I…I can't…hold on…!" The winds picked up, sending Talonflame whirling with the sand with little balance.

"Talonflame!" Garchomp shouted.

Ajeel smirked as the whirling sands were the perfect cover. He swiped both arms in opposite arches, readying his attack.

" **Ramal Sayf!** "

On the other side of the sand cover, Garchomp looked back, his guard up as he saw blades of sand shooting in pairs of dozens. He used his arm fin to block the barrage, pelted profusely until the bullets let up. He swung his arm, shaking off the sand and glaring ahead. What he found was only sand swirling.

His eyes narrowed. "How annoying can this punk get?" He snarled.

His scaled picked up a light breeze from behind, and his trained reflexes kicked in. In less time it would take to blink, Garchomp leaned left and evaded a fist. He leered back, seeing Ajeel's head sticking out of the swirling maelstrom, only to snicker and vanish back in.

Garchomp growled beneath his breath. "Tch, looks like I got my answer after all."

"Welcome to my **Sand World**." Within the maelstrom, Ajeel's volume echoed like it were a cave. Garchomp remained stationed in place. "This is where I am…" His face appeared in the swirling sands above, catching Garchomp's vision. "God…"

As he vanished again in the sands, but Garchomp chose not to pursue. Instead, the Mach Pokémon kept his position in the sandstorm, his claws dug in the wood of the deck. He didn't look fazed in the slightest.

"What's the matter? Are you scared? Are you afraid of an invisible attack? Is it that you think you'll fail to live up to Nic? Here's a heads up for you…" A thick sheet of sand whirled behind Garchomp, the face sticking out and Ajeel smirking confidently. "I am God. I _am_ one, because no one can touch me!"

He created two sand axes and swung them from both side of Garchomp. He sprung out of the sand, trying a guillotine maneuver. However, Garchomp casually lifted his arms, the sand axes stopping in their tracks like they hit steel.

"Huh?!"

Garchomp glanced back. "Do you ever stop running that mouth of yours?" He back-kicked Ajeel in the abdomen, again making him gag and recoil onto a knee behind the large dragon. "You're not so invisible when I still have instincts to sense you. To me, you're as clear as day."

It wasn't just Garchomp's natural instincts that helped him – even though his sensory and sense of hearing and smell was abominable. The protrusions on his head acted as sensors, which in fact made everything clear.

Ajeel stared up with a devastated look. "What…?"

"But now that you mention it, we are in a sandstorm, aren't we?" The beast's teeth were seen, maliciously smirking. "…you made this way too easy."

As a swirl of sand again blocked Ajeel and Garchomp, it passed by remarkably fast. When it rolled over, Ajeel was shocked to find Garchomp gone.

"What?!" He staggered back up, glaring all around. "The hell he go?!" Ajeel whipped his head left, and then right, then left again. "Come out and face me you coward!"

As sand rampaged, Ajeel heard a low growl from behind. Before he could turn around, a large tail smacked into his back. The man felt the shock leaving him gagging and fall over. He thudded against the deck. "GAH! What-?!"

But when he turned around, he saw nothing. Just sand swirling.

Ajeel went wide-eyed, startled by the revelation. His face grew serious, but inside his patience was out. Without a warning given, a growl came first, then a knee went to the back of his head. He floored once more, his nose and mouth bleeding from banging the deck harshly. Before he got up, something sharp like a claw snared the straps on his chest. It all happened so fast that he couldn't see anything but a blur as Garchomp swung and drove him into the deck again, splattering more wood all around.

"GAH~!" Ajeel gagged once more, his vision blurry. As he laid on the ground, Ajeel's gaze was up towards Garchomp's silhouette, which faded in the sandstorm.

* * *

"Sand Veil, Garchomp's Ability." Nic explained. "When there's an active sandstorm, Garchomp's evasiveness enhances." He glanced back at Erza. "You ready?"

Erza nodded. "I am."

"Then let's go!" Nic looked ahead and undid the rock formation. It sunk back into the cement, leaving no traces of it left. With Nic in the Stone Form, he was safe from damage, while Erza stood her ground and closed her eyes.

Once more, Erza had begun another requip. This time, she had undergone another remarkable change. In her new armor, she adorned heavily armored white plates that overlapped all along her spine, with white armored plating on her breasts, pauldrons, gauntlets, boots, shins, and knee caps. Otherwise there was dark gray armor filling the ribs, abdominal region, forearms, and thighs. The armor itself was notably ridged, and she adorned a headpiece that resembled an Aggron's helmet.

" **Requip: Armadura Aggron!** " She announced. She requipped a silver sword, with the guard having hooked edging with several gear-like ridges with a thick hilt.

Nic smirked as he glared at the sandstorm. It was amazing how his typing kept his eyes from getting sand into them even. "You satisfied with us stopping by Terminus Cave?"

Erza held up her sword with her back towards Nic. "I'm honestly shocked that Lairon and Aron shed so much armor that it's littered about. It's almost insulting."

Nic looked forward, focusing on the fray in front and got a foot behind. His body coated in a white aura and he took off with speeds that made him astronomically invisible. All that remained was an open hole in the sandstorm right for the blinded wave of ten men ahead.

" **Accelerock!** "

He passed them all, sending them flying in the sandstorm while the hole he made through the whirling sand remained there, until a few seconds passed and shut.

Erza looked serious as she charged through the sandstorm, surprisingly running like there wasn't wind to begin with. "With this armor, the sandstorm will gradually support me and my defenses. HRAH!" She passed five men at once, swinging her heavy sword without negative repercussions.

* * *

Ajeel groaned as he staggered back up. "Gnnngh…" He looked around, his glare fixated on the shifting sand; nowhere could he find his prey. _'This is impossible. Is my Sand World…actually backfiring?'_ He couldn't believe it. He didn't. It had to be a farce. Was Garchomp using his powers against him? How was that fair?

"What was that you said about making me suffer?" This time, the roles were reversed, and it was Garchomp's voice that was echoing through the sandstorm. "You may think that you've got me, but you're wrong. Sandstorm…is _my_ territory!"

Astonished, Ajeel found himself backing away step by step into the swirling sand behind. Realizing this, he whipped around, facing the sand and seeing Garchomp briefly before he vanished like a ghost. His fists balled and veins popped out of the wrists.

"Is…is this a joke?" By the way Ajeel sounded, he was starting to lose his confidence. He snapped back at the whirling sands. "What makes you think I'd lose to a freak like you! Gods don't lose to freak shows!" His body morphed into sand, diving into the swirling sandstorm, invisible to all.

Inside the depths of the sand, Garchomp glided in and out of the sand, as if like a ghost. "You can run, but you can't hide!" He faded once more, the battle in the sandstorm turning once again onto the final tide.

Ajeel's sand body swerved through the sands, the solid grains mixing with the rampaging buffeting winds. Ajeel's form allowed him swifter movement, but he still couldn't locate Garchomp. When he saw what could've been a backfin, he saw it dive back into the sandstorm like water.

"There!"

The sandy Ajeel arched around in a long perimeter, diving for the spot where he saw Garchomp. "Gotcha!" He lunged through the sand, his upper half drawn forth as he punched ahead. But once again was met with sand. "What…?"

Garchomp reappeared above, driving the back of his claw like a jab into Ajeel's left shoulder. The bones cracked and Ajeel felt the muscles tensed with a loud yell. The shout grew hoarse when Garchomp reappeared in front, driving his right knee into his chin. The impact sent Ajeel flying back into the sandstorm, becoming sand while Garchomp jumped backwards, vanishing into the whirling sands.

Ajeel's sand body again went around, this time more haphazardly than intended. He wasn't searching this time, he was running. The Desert King had been outmatched, and yet he couldn't find a way to express it. He wanted to win, and he could've, at least in his mindset. Reality was a cold, cold world, even his sand was too cold to open to it.

He looked around, his head showing and looking left and right, looking for signs of Garchomp in the raging weather. _'Where is he going to come up next? I can't tell! He's moving like a-!'_ Once again, he was cut off when the back of a claw stamped from above, pressing against his head. Ajeel felt the weight suppress him, and his body was forced to solidify as Garchomp forced him to the deck below.

With a ferocious snarl, Garchomp stamped Ajeel into the wood. Creating another intend, as well as make the Desert King grunt loudly.

The sandstorm never flickered, but Ajeel's body was numb. He was so exhausted; even when Garchomp glided off him and landed in front, the man was helpless to get nowhere but his knees. He looked up towards Garchomp, but rather than boast, he was quivering.

' _This…this…'_ Memories of the night of the near-apocalyptic end resurfaced. He recalled the monstrous strength possessed, and once again he was feeling an emotion that never got to him easily – terror. _'This is the power of Nic and his Pokémon?!'_

Garchomp stepped forward, his foot creating a thud that made the wood crack. "Okay, fun time's over." He opened his mouth and growled towards the sandstorm, his claws raised.

"Wha…what are you doing?!" Ajeel snapped. "Stay away! I'm not through yet!"

Garchomp crossed his arms and fins.

"I…I can't be defeated! I'm God! No! NO~! STOP!"

" **Stone Edge!** "

Garchomp uncrossed his arms, yelling like a menacing beast as pointed light blue rock pillars shot up from beneath the deck. Wood went flying as they traveled swiftly across the distance towards Ajeel. The nearest rock pillar shot up from straight beneath, stabbing his back and lifting him several feet into the air. The entire sandstorm in that area was overran by a smoke cloud mixed with rock grains. As Ajeel was shot into the air, his eyes were devoid of pupils, his mouth gaping as he was suspended in the air.

Garchomp's Stone Edge vanished from beneath, retreating into the deck like nothing happened, but the holes remained. The Mach Pokémon disappeared and reappeared high above the incapacitated Ajeel, his appendages on his head glowing and his body exerting a mind-blowing draconic energy, which shaped into a dragon.

" **Dragon Rush!** "

The energy from the unleashed Dragon Rush pulsated shockwaves that temporarily blew away wood beneath the deck, as well as the sandstorm's nearby perimeter. With a clear shot, Garchomp shot straight down, the draconic head crashing into Ajeel, as well as the ship. As Ajeel and the ship were engulfed in a horrific explosion, the shockwaves pulsated even throughout the sandstorm. The Mach Pokémon continued his course and shot straight down, until meters below the explosion, stationary and looking menacingly away as the sandstorm faded.

With Ajeel's defeat, all of Magnolia was no longer under the influence of the Sand World.

"Huh?" Natsu looked up, his vision clear. "Hey, the sandstorm's gone!"

"Great!" Wendy cheered.

Deeper in Magnolia, Elfman looked up at the sky. "That was quick…?"

Mirajane put an index finger to her chin. "What was that all about?"

Nic and Erza looked at the sky, their gazes proud as they knew what had happened. Nic of course had a wider smile. "Garchomp sure took his time."

With the sandstorm gone, Talonflame was seen in midair, shaking her head to clear out her ruffled feathers. The sound of a monstrous roar echoed throughout the skies, getting Talonflame and the Dragon Slayer's attention down below. His bellowing rippled and shuddered the airspace, rendering everyone down below shocked.

As the growling shook his spine, Natsu smiled. "I know that one sound that shakes my nerves."

Gajeel nervously smiled. "Guess Luminous' Garchomp ripped that sand bastard a new one."

"Great!" Wendy chirped. Even with Garchomp's growling, she could feel her insides churn. "I guess…"

Talonflame flew over to Garchomp, retaining her height. "Garchomp, are you well?" She asked.

Garchomp glanced at her. "Don't worry. I'm fine." He huffed. He craned his head at the sky, which once held the ship. Again, a low growl escaped his throat. "That guy talked too much."

* * *

Lucy looked around, noticing the sand dialing down. "The sandstorm stopped."

"Sheesh, that was short." Cana grunted.

"Wait a sec! Where's Brandish?!"

The realization brought Cana towards attention. "Hey, yeah! Where did…?"

"ACHOO! ACHOO!"

The sound of sneezing bewildered the two girls. They whipped their heads around, their minds coming to a shocking development…with Brandish retaining her position and sneezing profusely.

"ACHOO!" She sneezed again. "This stupid city! How'd all this pollen get here?! ACHOO!"

Lucy and Cana stared and unable to respond. What words could they say or describe themselves to be? Other than bewildered, perhaps speechless. They knew their adversaries had weaknesses of some sort, but Brandish was something else.

Lucy sweat-dropped. "She…has a cold?"

"And that sandstorm stirred up the pollen. Just our luck…"

"ACHOO!" Brandish turned her back, sniffling from the pollen stirred about. "Why?!" She sneezed again. "ACHO-!"

Cana casually whacked the side of Brandish's head, knocking her down to the ground, and unconscious.

"That…seemed a little excessive, now was it?" Lucy asked.

"Maybe, but her back was turned. Besides, she asked for it." She reasoned.

"Hey! Cana! Lucy!" A voice was heard from afar, catching the two girls' attention. They whipped around, seeing three figures approach. As they closed in, the two girls looked shocked as they revealed themselves to be Sophie, Vanessa, and her Krookodile in tow.

Lucy's eyes widened. "Sophie?! Vanessa!"

The group converged, finally meeting up with the other.

"Lucy, Cana, are you alright?" Sophie asked.

Cana nodded. "Yeah, we're fine. Your timing couldn't be anymore impeccable."

"How so?" Vanessa asked, but her inquiry was met with an image in the form of a sprawled, skimpy woman lying on the ground some feet away. It soon clicked in her head. "You mean…"

Cana put hands to her hips and gave a cheeky smile. "That's right! We showed up these Spriggan 12 bimbos!" She beams.

Lucy scratched her cheek. "Even though it was a little…cheeky."

"Cheeky?" Sophie asked.

Krookodile crossed his arms. "Well I don't care as long as she ended up getting hit. We win!" He hailed.

"A little presumptuous there, Krookodile." Vanessa said. She looked back at the fallen Brandish. "That aside…"

Sophie crossed her arms. "What do we do with her? We can't exactly leave her like that?"

"I say we take her to the guild. As a prisoner." Cana advised.

"Well it isn't wise to just wait for help to come. I agree." Vanessa said. "Krookodile, I you would?"

"Alright, but only because I can and not that I must." As Vanessa stepped to the side, her Krookodile stepped forward and seized Brandish. He hauled her in his arms, carrying her over his shoulder and looked back at Vanessa. "Like this?"

Vanessa nodded. "Good."

Sophie raised a brow, grinning. "Well isn't this an interesting turn of events."

* * *

Nic and Erza were running down the street, heading west in their default forms. With bodies littered behind them, they were in a safe zone, at least for the time being.

"How much farther until we reach that hole?" Nic asked.

"It should be about another street over." Erza shouted.

Nic maintained a steady pace behind her. "Good. We'll rendezvous with Garchomp and Talonflame, and then…" He trailed off when he saw two figures ahead, both average-sized, but siding beside one another.

Nic slid to a stop. "What is that?"

Erza stopped beside him, her guard up and sword in hand. "I don't know…"

What they saw surprised them to say the least. Sure, in Nic's world, these types of machinery were possible, but here on Erath Land given their technology, it left Nic moderately surprised. What they saw…were machines, but not just any kinds of machines. Robots. Two humanoid robots stood beside another, looking identical.

"Are those what I think they are?" Nic asked.

"To think they'd have soldiers such as these in their ranks." Erza said. "They'd go so far as to waste metal and machinery for robots than armor. How deplorable."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd guess it was to conserve manpower." Nic raised his fists. "Let's keep our guard up. Who knows what they may have."

The two machias eyes glowed red briefly before they suddenly went springing forth after Nic and Erza.

* * *

The culprit of the robots belonged to Wahl Icht. The round man casually strolled into Kardia Cathedral, smirking as he watched his two robots created handling Evergreen and Bickslow. The two of the Thunder God Tribe were panting as they were defending Freed while he was holding up the enchantment, but they weren't doing a well enough job.

"Is that all you have? My Weakness Magic hasn't ran you short already I hope." Wahl Icht taunted.

"Ever! Bickslow! Use your eyes!" Freed shouted.

Recollecting what their eyes can do, Bickslow took off his helmet guard while Evergreen undid her glasses. They both glared pass the robots and directed Wahl Icht. However, all he did was snicker.

"What?" Evergreen exasperated.

"Why's it not working?!" Bickslow shouted.

The machias in front swung at them, both gagging as they tumbled onto the ground.

"No!" Freed shouted.

"Do you really wanna know?" Wahl Icht stretched his arms out and pulled back his coat. What was reveled was not a human belly, but an energy core. They saw silver and everything that wasn't fit to be human. Evergreen and Bickslow were flabbergasted as Wahl Icht suddenly began to alter body parts; The machines in and on his body swiftly turned, and as the pieces fell into place, it revealed Wahl Icht with pupil-less eyes, with bio-mechanical shoulders and gauntlets. His body was no longer round but leans and rock solid. The legs were also thicker and sturdier. "I am a Machina. I am not human."

The revelation hit Freed like a ton of bricks. _'Machine…that uses magic?!'_

"Is this so?"

The voice from behind Wahl Icht surprised the Machina. Suddenly, two bolts of lightning zapped on either side towards the robot lackeys. The robots were shocked, twitching and stuttering from a moment.

Freed's eyes widened. "Lightning?" He whipped his head towards the entrance. "Laxus?!"

The Thunder God Tribe turned towards the entrance, their expressions turning into smiles as they knew lightning was by one man.

"Huh?" Wahl Icht turned around, seeing a new figure. A rather…stout figure cloaked in lightning.

"Me~n." The lightning-cloaked figure turned out to be Ichiya, striking a pose. "So, these hunks of junk do in fact conduct electricity. How convenient."

The Thunder God Tribe was left dumbfounded at the arrival of Ichiya, of all people. No words, but their eyes spelled speechlessness. Their mouths hung open, disbelief beyond palpable. Freed was the only one to mutter. "…what?"

* * *

 **Here's the latest update! I apologize for the last bit being rushed, but I wanted to get this under 12K, plus I got immense energy for the Fairy Tail manga conclusion coming in a couple days!**

 **So as you saw, I didn't change too much, but excluded some canon parts and instead swapped them with my original parts, including Erza VS Ajeel. I instead had Garchomp show off his Ability for once, as well as his new move; Stone Edge. I even had Krookodile show off some of his new moves, and gave hints to the various armors Erza had achieved in Nic's world. You'll be seeing more of her original armor later on.**

 **As usual, review, comment, and give me your thoughts on what you guys thought of the changes I've made. Thanks. :)**


	65. Revelations of Frenemies Made

Ichiya struck another pose, looking in the norm as lightning continued to envelop his stout body.

"Mr… _ICHIYA_?!" Evergreen squealed.

"What the hell are you here for…?" Bickslow just couldn't believe it. Of all the people that had to come to his aid, it had to be Ichiya.

Ichiya's squared expression grew dark, striking another pose, this one more expressive. "Men. Do not tell me that you have already forgotten of how cruel it was to treat me as such. But even so, I shall assist in dealing with this…ruffian."

"'Cruel it was to treat me as such'?" Bickslow reiterated. "The heck he saying?"

"Well don't look at me." Evergreen huffed.

Freed held his position, his uneasiness rising as he looked with despair. _'Why was it not Laxus? Has the universe cursed us? Why…?'_

Wahl Icht turned around to glare at Ichiya, his mechanical eyes glaring at the ace of Blue Pegasus. "No matter how many humans come at me, I can and shall find your weaknesses. You cannot hide your weaknesses from me."

Like the Thunder God Tribe, Wahl Icht had begun an analysis on Ichiya. A lock-on screen went all over Ichiya, matching his poses and measurements. "Your weakness is…ugliness…excessively self-conscious…Lombardo…overweight…" The screen he looked through began to show icons all over Ichiya. It was almost overlapping him entirely. "Smelly feet…5 o'clock shadow…little physical strength…terrible body odor…"

Wahl Icht's face showed nervousness as he looked over Ichiya, who posed in place with sparkles around his face. "ANALYSIS ERROR! YOU HAVE TOO MANY WEAKNESSES! WHAT THE HECK?!"

"Me~n."

Evergreen sweated profusely in light of the awkwardness. "Well, a-at least something good comes from the great Ichiya…"

"To think he has too many weaknesses to keep track of." Bickslow murmured.

Ichiya posed as he smiled once more. "My friends…" He paused, allowing the atmosphere to turn to his favor once again. "Even though our time together has been short, even if you were once part of Blue Pegasus…what will never change will be the fact that you are still part of my family. And I…" He posed again, striking a chilled yet serious pose. "Will stand by them, and face demons and Machia alike."

The Thunder God Tribe broke out into a smile. Even if they didn't want to admit it, they felt the same way.

Once more, Ichiya struck another vibrant position. "Now! Dance in my overwhelming parfume!" His body gave off purple sparkles, which rained down like sparklers on Wahl Icht. "Shall you be overcome by my Poison Parfume!"

As the sparkles rained down, the purple radiance tried infiltrating, but unfortunately, Wahl Icht looked unfazed. "I don't have a function that allows me to smell. I am a Machia, human." He deadpanned.

Ichiya's power deactivated, his pose retaining for a short while until bullets of sweat piled on. "…" As though a delayed reaction, his eyes bulged out of his head. "Whaaa~t?! O-oh, right, you are a machine to begin with…"

"Doesn't matter." Wahl Icht took a lunge after Ichiya. "Your overabundant weaknesses left me surprised there, but…" His fist clutched. "It just means that you are pathetically weak!" He socked Ichiya with an uppercut, sending the stout – and apparently repulsive – man flying.

"Ichiya!" Bickslow shouted. Suddenly the Machia in front of him rose and chopped at his shoulder. The impact made him floor.

"Bickslow-!" Evergreen was cut off when a blast of mist came from the clone Machia in front. The blast of mist caused her to recoil. "Damnit!"

As surprising as it was, Ichiya bounced back from the blow and landed on his feet, sliding to a stop on his knee and glaring ahead. "Do not fret! I know of these things and of their weaknesses!" Drawing the two capsules strapped to his belt, he popped the corks off the tops, and out came yellow liquid that bubbled.

" **Thunder Parfume!** "

Ichiya held both vials to his nostrils, inhaling them into his system. As well as made Freed gawk in speechlessness. As he inhaled the contents, lightning began to crackle around Ichiya. He spread his legs apart and concentrated as the lightning coursed through the veins. Once his body was coated in lightning, he shot his index and middle finger centered in crackling lightning.

" **Justice Thunder Men!** "

A thunderbolt shot at Wahl Icht, scoring a direct hit and engulfing him in crackling electricity. As the discharging power left Wahl Icht stiff, Freed looked relieved, as was Ichiya with the direct hit.

Inside the lightning, Wahl Icht's eyes flashed.

"What?!" Ichiya gasped.

"I…it isn't that effective?" Freed questioned.

"It may be true that my race is weak to electricity conduction, that I will not deny; but I didn't rise to being part of the Spriggan 12 without overcoming my own weaknesses as well you know…"

* * *

"Nic! Go!" Erza shouted. She passed the two robots in front, her blades slashing into their sides. The cuts were thick, and the machines found themselves incapable of movement.

Nic darted next, heading towards them with fingers tightly folded. They began to emit a light blue coating, which expanded into two longswords. His speed accelerated. "It doesn't matter whether or not your robots or human or demon! We'll never hold back in a fight like this!" He crossed his arms and closed in on the Machia.

" **Guillotine!** "

Nic passed the two robots in the blink of an eye, landing on a knee and folding up his arms, which reverted to normal. The two robots behind were at a standstill for a moment before they fell apart, breaking into chunks and sliced into sections unrecognizable. The parts laid behind him as he arose to his feet, looking back at the scrap metal left by the 1-hit KO attack.

He looked towards Erza next, his gaze of worry gone. "What was that about?"

"I'm not sure." Erza answered.

The sky suddenly began to flash for some reason. Nic and Erza looked up, shocked as they saw the Enchantment around the entire city beginning to flicker on and off, almost like a light bulb.

"The Enchantment." Nic gasped.

Erza's eyes narrowed. "Are Freed and the Thunder God Tribe alright?"

From the distance, near Kardia Cathedral, dozens of bolts of lightning were seen. The air from afar crackled with static, making their hair stand on end.

"Kardia Cathedral!"

"That's where the Thunder God Tribe is!"

Nic clutched his fists. "Are they alright you think?"

Erza looked up towards the sky, seeing the Enchantment slowly fade away. When a spell such as grand as this one is fading, it was never a good sign. While she wasn't keen on the idea of Enchantments as her choice of word or grammar for that matter was…something. Still, whatever was going on, they were still a few blocks away from the cathedral. As much as she wanted to help, she had to make sure that the frontlines were secured. Garchomp and Talonflame had already taken care of a Spriggan, and if they could do it, it was likely that Erza had to put her faith in the Thunder God Tribe. At least for now. Their Pokémon were their responsibilities as well. Leaving them unattended wouldn't feel right in a fight such as this one.

She looked back at the cathedral, the lightning fading after some time. "Let's hope so."

Nic looked ahead, his eyes furrowing. "Yeah."

* * *

" **Dark Ecriture: Absolute Shadow!** "

" **Max Men!** "

With Freed free to attack, resorting to putting down the barrier to cover in dark armor, he and Ichiya attacked Wahl Ichy with all their might, the combined slash and punch of the muscular Blue Pegasus Mage and Fairy Tail Mage ripping into Wahl Icht. The gruesome blow turned the transformed Machia into scraps. His chunks went flying everywhere as the two passed the carnage – Ichiya having even more sparkles as he gawked at his own attack.

Bickslow looked on, completely overtaken by his own shock. "Ichiya…really did steal our thunder today, huh…?"

"I can't believe what I saw. Or unsee." Evergreen exasperated.

Ichiya and Freed panted as they were holding their ground. Both of their spells and magic dissipated, leaving them with labored breathing and bright smiles.

" **Hey, is everyone alright?** " A voice called out.

Evergreen's eyes widened. "What?"

Bickslow looked up. "Is that Warren's Telepathy?"

" **I'm glad to hear those voices. Bickslow. Evergreen. Is everything okay over there? The shield's down.** "

"Yeah, don't worry about it. We got it covered." Bickslow said.

" **Yeah! We whooped ass over here on the west! We're all good!** " Natsu shouted on the telepathic channel.

Freed smiled. "Natsu."

" **All clear over here. No forces left.** " Gray said.

" **Erza and I took care of those stationed over here.** " Nic stated.

" **We've managed to capture one of the 12…even if it was a fluke…** " Lucy trailed off.

At Fairy Tail, everyone there cheered in victory. They were feeling overwhelmed at first, but as shocking as it was, they managed to pull through, and against 3 Spriggans as well. It worked magnificently, and even Makarov was feeling his hopes rise.

As everyone cheered within the background, the old man nodded in approval. "We have withstood the enemy's vanguard. Great work, all of you!"

"Indeed. We've done exceptional today!" Mavis declared.

Wahl Icht's misshapen head continued to spark and smoke nearby. As it did, Ichiya and the Thunder God Tribe rejoiced…sort of.

Bickslow perked a smile. "Well, that worked out nicely."

"Oh don't get started on that!" Evergreen chided. "And about you, Ichiya! Were you in Magnolia this entire time?"

Ichiya pointed at Evergreen and gawked. "Gah?! Don't tell me that you have already forsaken me!"

Freed and Bickslow sweat-dropped.

Once more, Ichiya struck a pose. "For heavens sake. Alright, you fairies, I shall have to remind you of the travesty that you have left me in."

 _A few days prior, Fairy Tail Team B stormed Blue Pegasus, their wake causing the guild to shake and stir as they came in uninvited. Gajeel of course led the cavalry._

" _Alright! Where's Laxus?! About time you give him back!"_

" _And we're taking the Thunder God Tribe with us, for they are manly!" Elfman declared._

 _Ichiya sweat-dropped. "Wait…"_

" _Mr. Ichiya, we'll also be taking a ship, okay?" Lisanna said._

" _Alright! I've always wanted to ride one!" Cana cheered._

" _W-wait…"_

 _Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe followed them onto the ship next. "Let's go to Alvarez already."_

" _H-hold on…"_

 _The next thing happening was everyone on the ship, rejoicing with Master Makarov back with them at long last. "Family truly is the greatest thing!" Makarov shouted._

" _Wait! MEN!"_

 _It was too late as he found himself in Magnolia next. He watched as everyone walked away from him, cheering on and heading towards the guild hall. Ichiya, however, didn't move easily from his spot. He stayed at the base of the Christina, fixated as he didn't move. Not one muscle, even when a hollow wind passed him, carrying a tumbleweed with it._

"And that all started nearly a week ago!" The ace snapped at the three.

Freed blinked, uncomfortable with Ichiya's side of the story. "Have you ever considered going home?

"It is not that simple! How far do you think the Christina had to fly?! The ship needs to refuel and restock as well you know! Grrr!" Ichiya turned around, glaring daggers at the head, which was still in one piece. He stomped on over, angrily smashing his foot against it. "And then Alvarez comes and attacks like this! I'm so angry right now!"

N matter what, Ichiya was fuming, and he wasn't letting up. The Thunder God Tribe just watched on with nervous smiles.

"Sorry man…" Bickslow apologized.

"But you did save us." Evergreen insisted.

Finally relenting, Ichiya crossed his arms and turned way. "Hmph! Like that'll make up for it."

"This guy is most certainly troublesome." Freed sighed. He opened his eye again, looking at something peculiar catching his interests. "Hm?"

The robot head underneath Ichiya's foot opened its mouth slowly, the eyes narrowing.

"Ichiya! Move!" Freed warned.

Ichiya turned towards Freed. "Ye-?!" He was cut off when Freed began tackling him, making him nearly slip on his heels. "Wait, what are you-?!"

The robot head's mouth began to widen further, a bright light enveloping the insides. The expanding light gave off a strong and harsh frequency. As the light intensified, so did the frequency. Time slowed down as Ichiya gaped his mouth; him, Freed, and the others following suit, until at last the light enveloped the area around them.

The light reached its peak, generating a large-scale explosion. The rupture vibrated the ground to such intense levels that the nearby pillars collapsed. Kardia Cathedral shuddered haphazardly, violently bellowing dust and smoke into the atmosphere.

On the streets, Lisanna gasped as she heard the intense explosions. Her head whipped around, seeing smoke rise. "What was that?"

"I don't know, but it didn't sound good." Gray said.

"I think it came from Kardia Cathedral." Elfman pointed out.

Juvia's eyes widened. "That's where the Thunder God Tribe is!"

Mirajane looked uneased with the explosion as it continued to make the air split. Her blue eyes were reflection her worry. "…I hope they're okay."

At the cathedral itself, saying it was a cathedral wouldn't be accurate. It looked more like ruins with stones littered everywhere. The roof was partially caved in, and nearly ever fragment of the ground was buried beneath rubble and dust.

Ichiya was amongst the wreckage, but all he did was stay put as his eye widened. There was a weight over his body, keeping him down, but at the same time miraculously alive. Surviving danger was what he was good at, but even he expected no less of his own demise after that. His curiosity piqued, he glanced down to his front, his eyes widening in horror.

"No…oh…"

Sprawled all over him were Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen. They were covered from head to toe in bruises, with bleeding scars and marks over their arms and legs, no doubt from the shockwaves and rubble falling down. Their act of saving grace struck Ichiya as terror, his heart palpitating.

"H-hey! Guy? Guys?" He tried getting up, barely managing to worm his way off their bodies. "Guys!" He plopped off of them with one more yank, hurrying to get up and look them over. "Hey! Pull yourselves together!" One by one, he tried to budge them, but to no avail would they move. He wanted to believe it was a dream, but the reality was sinking in. He stood there, petrified by their actions.

"Gnnngh…"

His heart skipped a beat when he heard groaning. He looked down, seeing the Thunder God Tribe grinning in unison. "Freed! Ever! Bickslow!"

Bickslow opened his mouth, his tongue sticking out. "Now we're…even…"

Ichiya's eyes widened.

"We're glad…that you're okay…" Evergreen murmured.

Freed's eyes were shut, but a smile was on his face as well. "You're…family to us too…"

Ichiya was streaming tears. His heart was breaking into pieces as they once again fell unconscious. His lips quivered as he saw his extended family risk themselves once more. " **GUYS~!** "

* * *

South of Fiore, off the coast of Hargeon, there was a large fleet of ships coming from afar. By the looks of their armored weaponry, they were of Alvarez origin.

On the ship in front, which was the biggest ship, there was the sound of laughter. It wasn't of jovial demeanor, but more wicked than anything else. It was so loud that it rivaled the sound of waves. How long has it been going on? No one was certain.

The laughter came from a man with dark shaggy hair. He was Wahl Icht, and this was his real form. With this form, he had eyelashes, and nothing but canines. He had light top and light trousers, with numerous straps all around his body. He adorned a mechanical vest with a dark collar beneath it all. His laughter bellowed aloud, enough to stir the air.

Accompanying him was Dimaria, and she looked back at him with a frown. "Please stop your laughing already, I can barely hear the sound of the ocean because of you."

Wahl Ichy was on his knees with his bottom in the air, bent over and cackling. "O-oh man! This…this couldn't have gotten anymore interesting!" He screeched through his boisterous laugh. "But…" Managing to suppress his mood, he began to rise to his feet once more. "It looks like machines won't be enough."

"And you're sad they broke one of your toys?"

On his feet, Wahl Icht straightened up, a maniacal smirk on his face. "Tch, I knew that. What I'm more interesting in was Ajeel being defeated. And Brandish being captured by the enemy."

Dimaria's ears perked at the sound of Brandish. "Brandish…" Her cheeks puffed, a small giggle escaping her mouth. "Brandish captured by the enemy? That's so sad."

"Damn right!" Wahl Icht bellowed in his boisterous laugh. "Looks to me that these fairies have some fight in them after all!"

"Well of course. They did make the Emperor send his entire army you know."

"I knew that too, but I won't be underestimated. That's be too boring. Booorrriiinng, Dimariaaaa~!"

"Relax. You'll have your chance once we reach Hargeon. We'll take their port and then you can go nuts. Wahl Icht?"

Wahl Icht's smirk only grew darker. Rather than listen, he clasped his stretched hands together. The air suddenly condensed into energy that materialized into ethereal schematic blueprints. They began to harden, solidifying into a large canon with a lacrima-based charge.

Dimaria retained her calm as she looked at the canon. She looked to be expecting that. "Oh? Blowing it up already?"

A translucent lock-on sequence appeared in front of Wahl Icht's eye. "Target: Fairy Tail."

Dimaria put her hand over her head, trying to see the distance away. "That's a 400 kilometer blast you're talking about. You sure you got this?"

Electricity charged in his fingers, crackling with intense particles. "In your dreams! I am Machia Tribe Master, Wahl Icht! Now…" His eyes widened. " **Super Long Distance Anti-Material Magic Cannon!** "

The long-barreled, high pressured cannon finally charged, and at that instant, a ripple of air shot in all directions. The boast rocked from the massive beam that went flying out of the cannon, flying over Hargeon and blitzing across the land. The rate it traveled was as fast as what Garchomp could match with. It closed in on one goal in mind.

* * *

Warren looked at the monitors as sirens were going off, his eyes widening. "Wait…the heck is this magic?! We've got a heated projectile coming at us fast!"

Many members turned towards him, shocked.

"A new enemy?!" Makarov exclaimed.

"It has to be an enemy attack." Mavis countered.

"But just how far can they shoot?!" Romeo exclaimed.

The beam raced across the ground, coming closer towards Fairy Tail.

"Freed! Where are you?! We need your Enchantments up now!" Mavis shouted. She wanted a response, but on the network, she got nothing. "Freed!"

"It's no use! No response!" Warren exclaimed. "700 meters…600 meters…"

"Damnit! Find cover guys!" Max warned.

" **No!** "

Before Levy could make a move of her own, she stopped and turned towards the doorway. "Huh? What was that voice?"

Something was moving equally as fast across the sky. Much to everyone's shock, those comprised of Nic, Erza, and everyone all across Magnolia, thy saw a ship, and it was flying in an arch towards the guild hall. And by the looks of it, it was in a rush.

"What?" Garchomp wondered.

"A ship?!" Talonflame questioned.

Nic's eyes widened. "The Christina?!"

"Mr. Ichiya!" Kinana cried out.

It was a race, and everything was on the line for this one. With Ichiya the only one managing it, he maneuvered the ship and saw the beam in view. "This one…" He dove right for the incoming impact. "IS FOR MY FAMILY! **ME~N!** "

The ship intercepted the beam, blocking the guild hall, but at the cost of itself. The entire Christina took the full impact, erupting into an explosion that enveloped all of Magnolia's skies. Ruptures flared, and everyone down below looked terrified with the cataclysmic blockade set broke out as the Pegasus had fallen.

Wahl Icht glared ahead, snarking with annoyance. "Tch, damnit."

"Ichiya!" Natsu shouted.

"He used the Christina to save us! Again!" Happy shouted.

As Christina began to fall apart, smoke and debris flew inside, but Ichiya did not waver. Despite being covered in bruises and blood, he had a will to achieve. "Men~!" He reached for a lever. "Fiore Communication Network: On!"

He pulled the lever, and all across Fiore, a transmission was heard. It ranged all over towns and cities; Mermaid Heel, Quatro Cerberus, Lamia Scale, all of which perked their heads up at the telepathic link.

" **Can you all hear me?! Ladies and gentlemen! This fight…has only just begun! This is our land! We must fight for it! We are Fiore! ME~N!** "

The Christina thus fell apart, making the communication turn off. Even as Ichiya went down with the ship, his words pierced hard hearts like Kagura. Everyone knew this was a fight to prepare for. If it was this dire to announce it, then the situation can no longer be ignored. This was their home, and their territory to defend. Nic and Erza looked towards the skies, watching the Christina plunder with grace that marked the start of the new dawn of battle.

* * *

The battle following that night had left Magnolia with massive cleanup procedures, but there were more important measures to be taken. They had to round up the wounded and get them back to the guild hall, which was thankfully unharmed after the full-scale charge. The sun illuminated the wrecked town, but the warmth it carried brought spirits alive again. This was the morning of a new day, and of new battles to come.

With everyone rounded up and Fairy Tail's forces back home, they all regrouped inside the guild hall, where the First and Eighth Master were still muddling over the impact of last night's preemptive assault.

"We've managed to secure our ground from the enemy's vanguard, that is an advantage we must take into pride." Makarov announced. "However, despite this lead, we are still at a disadvantage. We are still countered from all sides, and even with a Spriggan in our custody, we have but ten left to go."

Jet smiled and crossed his arms. "Well if you ask me, we did a bang up job last night!"

"Yeah I'll say!" Droy added. "We kicked butt!"

"Yeah, and even with our low numbers, we've got all of Fiore backing us up again!" Vijeeter boasted.

"Well if you ask me, seems like no one learned to not mess with Fiore after what we did in that war a year ago against the Council." Max informed.

The First Master stepped forward. "I'm afraid it all isn't that simple."

"Huh?" Everyone looked towards her, seeing the worry on her face.

"This is Fairy Tail's problem. This was ours and ours alone. We shouldn't have gone this far to call for help when the stakes were only our own to handle. Why…?"

"Maybe…" Laxus said on a nearby stool near the bar. "But sulking about it won't stop anything now. It's all said and done." He didn't bother looking at Mavis, even when she was looking at him with revelation. "Ishgar was bound to become a battlefield anyway. You're delaying the inevitable…" His body crackled with what appeared to be static, his glare hardening. "But you know what, I don't care about that right now. What matters is that I got a score to settle with the bastard who took out my friends."

Mavis could feel the intensity in Laxus' space. He wasn't at all in the mood for sappiness, not after the hit the Thunder God Tribe had taken. She could still remember the anger he felt when he saw Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow covered from hand to toe in bandages. Of course he also felt the same for Ichiya, who was in a larger scale of casts and bandages. He almost looked like a mummy. Through it all, Laxus was going to avenge all four, whether the master liked it or not.

Makarov nodded in understanding of his own grandson's ambitious words. "Agreed. Has everyone else recovered from last night?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so." Warren said.

"Last I checked, Lucy and Cana went downstairs to check on Brandish." Laki noted.

"And how about the others? Have they recovered?"

"They should all be in decent condition, I think." Nab noted.

"Good. Round up everyone once more. It's time that we gather up and set out for battle." Makarov's glare intensified. "The warm-up is over."

* * *

Outside the guild hall, behind a wall of a nearby building, Marin made sure he wasn't spotted. Once he was in the clear, he snickered as he looked at the building. "So, this is where Lady Brandish is. This should be a cakewalk…"

* * *

With all the nearby forces of Fairy Tail gathered into the guild hall, they were all set and clustered into small factions. It was no surprise that standing next to each other was Nic and Erza as they were both in top condition. The two made sure their Garchomp and Talonflame were all healed after last night's battle. Thankfully after they got them restored to full health, Nic made sure to use Heal Pulse and at least speed up the Thunder God Tribe and Ichiya's recovery. Still, by Porlyusica's recommendation, they were to stay in bed, and stay out of the quarrel.

With all the forces gathered, Makarov and Mavis looked towards another, nodding in readiness for the guild's line of attack.

Sirens again went off on a large monitor, alerting Warren to look at the incoming message. "What now?!" He rushed over and looked at the radar, which was picking up massive signatures. "What?!"

"What is it? What's wrong?" Makarov asked.

"This is bad, guys! The eastern front!"

"The east?" Vanessa repeated.

"Bosco has been completely annihilated!"

Around the guild, several gasps could've been heard.

"Say what?!" Max yelled.

"You're kidding, right?" Nab asked. "All the guilds?"

"All."

Laki stared with concern, but then realized something. "Wait, wasn't that Wizard Saint Ruge in Bosco? What happened to him?"

Warren looked away, his teeth gritting. "He was also wiped off the face of Bosco."

"No way…" Lucy murmured.

"That isn't all either. Lieutenant Cruzer and the Rune Marines have been striving to push back as many numbers against the enemy as possible, but in Seven, Cruzer and his elite squad were all decimated on the spot. We hardly put a dent in their forces."

"So we had two Wizard Saints put together to stop enemy lines, and even that wasn't enough?" Cana summarized. "I didn't think they'd go down that easily…"

"Alvarez must have some advance military practice to get beyond Rune Marine lines." Sophie figured.

"Is there any good news to uphold, Warren?" Erza asked.

To everyone's relief, Warren nodded his head. "Yeah, we've good recent word on the northern front. We've got backup to intercept the vanguard up there. Blue Pegasus and Sabertooth are moving in!"

Nic had hands in his pockets as he took the analysis with a serious vibe. "I'd expect nothing less concerning what Ichiya had done. Has there been any word on the other guilds?"

Warren gave thumbs up towards Nic. "Sure is! Lamia Scale and Mermaid Heel are moving in to take back Hargeon Port as we speak."

"Then that just leaves the east and the west for us to fill in." Gray figured.

"Maybe so, darling, but we can't just leave the other guilds to fend those sides without backup." Juvia countered.

"She's right." Mavis interjected. "This has turned into a joint operation. Therefore, we have to combine our forces and assist our allies. We'll need to send groups to all sides." She turned and reached out to the joined group nearby. "We shall divide into stable numbered groups. The first team shall be Gajeel, Pantherlily, Levy, Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna. You all take north."

Elfman flexed his muscles. "Alright! It's time to show just how manly Fairy Tail rally is!"

Gajeel snickered as his arms crossed. "I've been looking for a chance to arrest those Sabertooth guys."

"I don't think that implies, Gajeel." Lily argued.

Mirajane showed a confident smiled. "Now I'll make Jenny owe me after helping her out from before."

"Let's do this." Lisanna said to Levy, in which the shorter woman nodded in agreement.

Mavis turned towards another group nearby. "To the south, I will be sending Natsu, Gray, Juvia, Wendy, Carla, and Laxus."

The mention of his own name left Gray with a smug look on his face. "Guess I'll get a look at Lyon's stupid face again."

"I don't think…I'll be so willing to see him." Juvia hesitantly admitted.

Laxus raised his head. "So that real machine's body is south, huh? Good."

While the group was set, Gray suddenly picked up on something missing. Something that was supposed to be loud, but instead was met with silence. "Huh?" He turned his head left and right, looking in both directions. "Say, where is Natsu anyway?"

"Natsu isn't here?" Juvia looked at her surroundings as well, and she was met with the same revelation as Gray.

"The heck?! Where did that moron run off to now?!" Max shouted.

"Natsu? Natsu?!" Droy shouted, but no response. He gasped when a second revelation came up. "Wait, Happy!"

"He's gone too!" Jet exclaimed. "Of all the times for them to prance off! What the hell?!"

Lucy looked away, her gaze fixed with worry. _'Natsu…'_

Wendy turned towards Carla. "Then what now?"

Carla merely shrugged in response. "Don't look at me, I didn't encourage his impulsive behavior."

A set of footsteps entered from the crowd. "In that case, allow me to accompany you on this mission." To everyone's shock, it turned out to be none other than Erza. Even Nic looked surprised, but otherwise said nothing.

"Erza?" Wendy asked.

"I will be honored to accompany you all into battle. Besides, I would like to see Kagura once more."

From the crowd, another set of footsteps entered, these ones belonging to Vanessa. "I wish to volunteer as well."

Nic's eyes widened as he looked towards his sister. "Vanessa, you as well?"

Vanessa gave Nic a nod, her smile one of assurance. "I'll give Erza support. Don't worry, Nic. We'll both be fine."

Though initially surprised by the volunteering of Erza and Vanessa, Nic knew it was their decisions. He retained conscious demeanor about what they have done over the past year. They've gotten much stronger, and as such, he knew he could put his faith in them. He showed a smile and nodded towards her in understanding.

"Lucy, can you stand by and watch the prisoner for us?"

"I…I guess." She hesitated.

Macao and Wakaba sulked from nearby, their shots at making fun of Brandish ruined.

"Good. The rest of the guild will stay here and defend from any possible guerilla offenses. We have no idea if the enemy will attempt a surprise attack, so we'll need reinforcements here."

Makarov turned towards the First. "Then that leaves the east and west. How do you suppose that we dispose of them, First Master?" He asked.

"The advance on the western front has been drastically slow." She reasoned. "If I had to guess…it's due to Zeref being part of the western unit."

Once again, the revelation struck the guild like a Swords Dance and Giga Impact combo. They knew at some point Zeref was going to come around, but him having an army behind his wake was still something they were far from prepared for.

Mavis powered on despite their shock. "Zeref and us will most likely converge when all the battles have been decided. It'll be a final clash that we can't lose any ground on."

"But wait!" Romeo interjected. "Where's that leave the east?!"

Mavis swiped her arm to the side, as if giving a swift judgement. "In our current state, the east is our greatest threat. As such, we will be sending our finest to deal with them."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gray asked.

Rather than answer Gray, Mavis turned towards Warren. "Warren, were you able to reach out to them?"

"You bet!" Warren gave another thumbs up. "I contacted Fiore's finest. The Four Gods of Ishgar should be intercepting them anytime now!"

At the mention of the strongest, Fairy Tail was once again aroused by the reinforcements of the Wizard Saints mentioned. Even without God Serena, Jura was a sure fill-in, and everyone had their hopes high.

"Yes! Four Gods of Ishgar!"

"Now we'll have a chance!"

"Yeah!"

"At least they were willing to help." Levy muttered to herself, though by the way she looked, it seemed more uneased than anything else. "Even though they wanted to stop this war, they felt responsible and wanted to stop it. Though it wasn't their fault to start with…"

"What was that?" Pantherlily asked.

"Nothing."

Mavis's glare only hardened. "However, even with the Four Gods of Ishgar, I still feel we must apply support. Therefore, to handle any eastern forces that find entrances around them, I'm assigning the team of Nic, Cana, and Sophie to dispatch the eastern units."

The three-mentioned showed different reactions. Cana crossed her arms and gave a wink. Sophie had a hand to her hip with a serious expression. Nic remained stationed and looked ready to comply.

Once more, the guild was booming with hope. With Nic of all people backing up the eastern confrontation. Mavis looked at Nic as he was ready, but deep down she still worried. _'I hope you'll be alright, Warrod…'_

A signature suddenly appeared on the geography monitor, catching everyone's attention. They all whipped around to see the signature moving left, and as it did, they noticed how fast it was moving.

"Hey, look!" Lisanna pointed out.

"It's Natsu! We finally tracked him!" Max yelled.

Lucy's ears perked at the mention of the Dragon Slayer.

"But look at how fast he's moving." Gray noted. "Just where does he think he's going?" As he watched the monitor's icon go west, his eyes began to widen in realization. "Wait, hold on…"

"That idiot! You don't think he's-?!" Makarov snapped at the realization. Everyone realized it then and there, and some did not like the prospect one bit.

Erza's eyes narrowed as she knew where this was going. "Zeref."

"Is he really going to take on Zeref by himself?" Warren yelled.

"Even I'm not _that_ dumb!" Droy exclaimed.

Laxus rolled his eyes away. "That moron."

At the prospect of Zeref closing in and Natsu getting dibs, Gray's eyes had a burning ambition in them. "That's it! Change if plans! We're going to back him up right now!" Before he was able to advance on his own accord, an arm was reaching out in his path, blocking him. "Huh?"

"Hold it." Erza intervened.

"Erza?"

Her brown eyes glanced over her own shoulder, glaring intensively at Gray. "We'll be going by the First Master's directives. We'll leave Natsu to handle Zeref."

"Are you serious?! This is Zeref we're talking about!"

"Which is why we will allow Natsu to so just that." The directive had shifted towards Nic as he stepped upfront, entering the fray.

"Nic? You too?" Gray spatted.

"Don't you remember what Natsu said. If he says he has a secret weapon, then we need to do what has to be done, and that's to put our faith in him." Nic reasoned.

"What needs to be done, Nic, is to stop Zeref with Natsu! You really think one man is enough to stop him?!"

"Well didn't I do that very same thing and came out in the end?"

"This is different! This isn't about Lysandre! He's gone! This is Zeref, and he has the Book of E.N.D. with him!"

"E.N.D. isn't our issue right now."

"It is to me!" Gray snapped.

The entire guild went silent as the atmosphere darkened. Not even winds blew from the vents inside the guild hall. Nobody could say anything to comply or deny the argument that Nic and Gray were having. On any circumstance, this would be a personal issue best left in confines left for Gray to handle, but he went and admitted it was about E.N.D more so than it has been about Zeref. Even though he didn't realize it, Nic wasn't talking about Lysandre; he was talking about the Impure Underworld, but he could never admit to the guild nor anyone for that matter what hell he, Vanessa, and Erza had to stomach that bloody few days. This wasn't a petty argument, but of personal conflictions that collided with the big picture. Friends turning on one another; tensions that even Mavis did not want to tamper with.

Even through the silence, Juvia looked worrisome for Gray's outburst. "Gray…"

Vanessa and Erza said nothing. They agreed with Nic, but knew talking about siding with the big picture wasn't going to make things better.

Gray stepped forward, glaring Nic in the eyes. Even with his magic, his glare was cold by itself. "I can call you a hypocrite right in front of everyone, you know that?" He snorted. "What's this about personal ambition over big pictures? You were the exact same way when it was all about Lysandre. You drift off in your duties to save Arceus and didn't have us play part in it. So how fair would it be of you butted into my vendetta?"

"That issue was more than personal." Nic said. His tone was low, and that was his hidden rage against Gray. "You know as well as I do that Zeref and E.N.D were nothing compared to him. The universe was at stake, not just a world. That's the big picture, and yet you only see it in a small frame."

Gray's eyes narrowed. "So?"

Finally seeing that Gray wasn't going to budge, Nic finally gave him a very harsh lesson in words. What he said next, could've broken even the thickest of ice. "At least I didn't go and shut everyone out for my own sake. I let you guys help me even through my battles, even if it did end up getting you hurt. I could be selfish in your eyes still, or Natsu's for that matter, but I follow my own way. Not one paved my path for me…unlike you."

Gray's eyes slowly began to widen at Nic's words. "What?"

"Guys…" Lucy moved to interject, but she couldn't bring herself to get beyond a few paces. The atmosphere was too drastic to turn.

Nic turned away. "Arceus was grateful because I didn't do him proud, but saved his life. It was a responsibility, not a job." He began to walk away, glowing into his Mind Form. In the Psychic-type form's attire, Nic had a dark pink V-neck underneath a hot pink-edged pink Shinigami attire. The belt, edging, and sandals were the same shade, and the socks were a soft pink. The belt buckle was a Heal Ball pattern.

"Cana. Sophie. Be ready in half an hour. We'll be going out then." He said.

Lucy reached out. "Wait, Nic-!"

Nic used Teleport, disappearing from view.

Sophie was left with a sour expression as she looked down at the ground. "To think we'd turn on another like this."

Cana glanced towards Erza. "Hey, Erza. Got any idea where he went now?"

Erza looked down at the ground, away from Gray, Cana, or anyone for that matter. "I'd say he's at home for now. Probably needs time to air out."

"Shouldn't you go to him then?"

"I am. I'll see to it that we're all well to move on with the operation." She looked at Gray. "Everyone."

Gray whipped his head away, refusing to look Erza in the eye.

Vanessa looked at Sophie with worry. She felt the same way as Nic, but she also knew to stay focused. Though she could sympathize with her brother, for she may be in his sandals if Gray struck a chord in her. "Nic…"

Mavis breathed in with a large sigh. "Guess it can't be helped then. Everyone, depart in 30 minutes with supplies ready. Get what you need."

"Right." Trying to focus, everyone diverged and make way around the guild hall. Some stayed out of others way, and some stayed silent after that fight. Gray retained a stoic fire as he went off, with Juvia following in worry. Erza turned and left the guild hall, heading to a familiar place where Nic might happen to be.

* * *

With some time to spare, everyone had begun assembling their supplies needed for the trip ahead of them. Setting out to battle would take some time and planning, thus they needed to stock up accordingly. Erza of course made way home, entering through the front door. When she closed it behind her, the first thing she did was look around the living room. She noticed how Nic wasn't present. "Nic?" She moved towards the kitchen. "Nic?" Curiosity peaked, she moved towards the backyard. She noticed how the waterfall was still flowing, and the nearby miniature mountain terrain wasn't at all shaking. Knowing Nic, it would've been in his best interest to vent out frustration. Then again, it was also reason to believe that he'd conserve his strength for the upcoming battles ahead of himself.

As she looked around the house for Nic, her mind trailed off to the one reasonable place he may end up. "…the bedroom." She went down the hall, making haste towards the last door on the right-hand side. Before she set foot inside, she stood puzzled. She knew Nic would probably be a little uneasy to approach, but even so, he should be open enough for her. They have endured troubles together after all. Taking the initiative, she knocked.

"Nic? Are you in there?" She knocked again. Instead of getting an answer, however, the door simply nudged open itself, allowing Erza passage to the bedroom. She looked inside, noticing how the first thing that caught her eye was a figure on her bed. It was Nic. With the curtains partially open, some sunlight filtered the cool bedroom. The ceiling fan went around and around, while Nic wasn't moving an inch. He laid on his side of the bed; he looked to have been contemplating.

Taking note of Nic's silence, Erza quietly stepped inside. As she traveled towards the bed, she requipped into her blouse and skirt, making herself more open as she gently sat on the bed's end. She leaned back, looking at Nic from over her shoulder with a knowing gaze.

"Are you intending to lay there all day?"

Nic shot Erza a look. "Haha. Very funny." He muttered quietly. "I'm not _that_ hopeless."

"I never said you were."

"Guess instead of hopeless, then perhaps lazy."

Erza raised a brow, playing along in the witty game. "Last I checked, Vanessa has been the lazy one of us three. Don't tell me she's rubbing off on you."

Nic flashed Erza a mischievous smirk. By the look on his face, he looked to have been feeling better. "Well she is my sister." He teased.

Erza managed a smile of her own. It wasn't forced thankfully, so no pressure was implied, but what happened back at the guild hall still hung over her head. She knew that even underneath that smile, Nic was still lingering with scorn for Gray's insult to injury. All she did was follow his lead. She slowly traced herself around the bed, getting to the right-hand side and laid on the mattress. She faced Nic as he looked up at the ceiling.

"Nic…"

"Erza, am I selfish?"

The question left the Requip Mage by surprise. "Selfish?"

Nic rolled his head over the pillow, looking at her with his worried blue eyes. "I know what I said was out of line…but it just…snapped. What Gray said, it did strike me."

Erza's frowned grew definite. "I know, but you know he doesn't know what we've been through."

"I know, and I don't blame him for that." He looked back up towards the white ceiling again. "But still, was my mission really that selfish? Did I treat you all like handicaps?"

Erza's eyes remained fixated on Nic, but her mind was racing back to the past. While she did admit that Nic had to do the development on his own, she can't say he didn't find her or anybody unnecessary. Lysandre and the Dark Legendaries were mighty foes beyond their level. It was out of their hands. The exception perhaps may have been the 3-month dimension Nic stayed in to train, but she would say it was more selfless than selfish. The universe's life was more needed than a guild game.

She moved herself closer to his side, her arm draping on his chest. "No, of course not." She said. "Everything you've done was all for someone. You didn't train for any reason but for others and their sake since you've came here."

"But my Pokémon and I do want to become strong, that feels more selfish than I think it should be."

"Everyone wanting to get strong goes both ways, you know that. We trained together, to get stronger, for yours and my sake. For Vanessa's sake. For our Pokémon's sake. Even if you do battle for no reason than to just battle itself, you do it to connect and enjoy it with Greninja or Charizard or anyone. It isn't selfish as long as someone's there with you." She moved her arm over to his shoulder, pulling herself closer until she was by Nic's side.

Nic could feel Erza's warmth get to him. "Erza."

"Don't listen to Gray. He doesn't see things the way you do. I can't even understand him sometimes."

Nic stared at Erza, for only a little longer. After some brief moments, he mustered a soft smile once more, this one of sincerity. He turned himself over, facing Erza once more. "You're right. Gray's just fulfilling a vendetta for his father. I just wish he wasn't so lenient towards it than to his friends and the cause."

Erza smiled back. "Ambitions for revenge doesn't define you, Nic. That's what Gray can't see. You're ambitious for only a few things; your drive to live another day for one thing, and to seek a life worth living being another."

"There's also one more you forgot."

"One more?"

Nic glanced away, hiding his embarrassment. By the red in his cheeks, he wasn't doing a good job. "…you."

Erza looked surprised for a moment, but only for that solemn moment. She recovered, and she gave Nic a wider smirk. She sprung forward, grabbing the side of Nic's face and giving him a soft kiss on the lips. Her bottom lip slipped stop of his, her scent enflaming Nic's nostrils as he got into the kiss. He draped and arm around Erza's back, holding her tight. The two were caught in the heat of the moment, taking the time to hold the other and feel right at home.

Once they felt satisfied, Erza gingerly pulled away, giving Nic a smile with glistening eyes. "As long as I'm around, I won't ever stop loving you, you know that? That means as long as my heart beats, I won't let doubt succumb you. You've been there to pull me up, and I'll do the same. Even if we're on separate battlegrounds, I'll follow your ambition…and get through to the day when we meet up again. Understand?"

Nic's smile widened. "Yeah. Okay."

"Good."

Nic's arm moved from Erza's back, slowly tracing through her straight, flowing hair. It was silky smooth. A tingly sensation went up his arm as he felt her long hair and closed his eyes to rake the length, just one time. "Please." He quietly begged. "Don't ever let your hair go short…please…"

Erza heard Nic's silent plea, her heart pouncing as she could feel the strong pain if Erza's trademark ever lost length. If she wavered from her promise, it'd be like her flowing hair falling short of a few snips. She spent many years growing out her hair, making it long and beautiful. It was pleasurable to hear Nic say such sweet things about it.

She grabbed the back of Nic's short, spiky black head and leaned in. She kissed him on the forehead, quite passionately. When she pulled back, she rest her forehead against his. "I won't. Not ever."

* * *

After some time, Nic and Erza had begun packing their supplies needed to get to battle. Grabbing only the essentials, they got their carry-on items assembled and stepped outside their house. In front of the porch, they were met with Cana and Sophie, the former tapping her foot on the dirt-paved path.

"It's about time you lovebirds showed up." The brunette retorted.

"Not to be rude, but you did leave us hanging here for awhile now, Nic." Sophie commented, trying her best to hold back her irritation.

Nic sheepishly sweat-dropped. "Yeah, s-sorry about that…"

"Nah, don't sweat it." Cana waved dismissively. "Anyways, got a plan?"

"Yeah. Not die."

Sophie smirked. "I like that plan a lot."

"Me too."

Nic smiled as he looked at his little team assembled. It has been forever since he, Cana, and Sophie had gone on a job together. The last job they took together was the one with stopping the Zeus Cannon, and even then the three had got a bond established. He turned towards Erza. "You should get going. Everyone on your team must be at the guild by now."

Erza gave Nic a confident smile. "I'll give Vanessa your regards."

"Thank you." Nic finally let go of Erza's fingers that were intertwined with his own. As they separated, Nic felt a stinging sensation as he watched her go, but they promised to make it back to one another, so he had to be strong. For her.

Erza passed Sophie and Cana, requipping into her armor set for the trip. "Nic can be a handful, but make sure nothing happens to him. Understood?"

"Ein bea ya (No problem)."

"Gotcha girl. Precious cargo, we get it."

Erza pulled out a Poke Ball. When ready, she tossed it up, and it popped opened. Energy came out, materializing into her Houndoom. The Dark and Fire-type stood tall as Erza walked on over and hopped onto his rigid back. "I'm counting on you."

"I know." Houndoom said. The dog-like creature began taking off, leaving Nic's team behind. As Erza went off on her Houndoom into Magnolia, she had her eyes set on the battle to come.

' _Don't worry Nic. We'll get through this. We will, and we'll get together forever.'_

Nic watched Erza go on. As she vanished from sight, he looked back towards Cana and Sophie, set with their supplies needed. "You guys set?"

Sophie nodded. "Sure am."

"Lead the way, lover-boy."

* * *

In Hargeon, everything was in chaos. Chaos itself wouldn't be able to define the turmoil the citizens were in. Those who were stubborn enough to stay were either met with a gruesome fate, or taken hostage by the army of what looked like 300,000 that raided Hargeon and everything it stood for.

Dimaria overlooked the takeover of the port town, looking out with a hand on her head and seeing all her mean stationed near every corner. No angle was unchecked. "Well, such a sweet little town. I'm actually glad we didn't blow it off the map…not yet at least."

Wahl Icht was posted on all fours on a tent top, chuckling maniacally from his perch. "I told you Fairy Tail was my target, didn't I?" He reminded.

"Well I'm glad that wasn't blown off either. Randi's there too, you know." Dimaria casually walked with an extra sway in her hips, bypassing the many fallen bodies of either Hargeon's populace or a former guild. Some were incapacitated, and some laid dead. Either way, she walked on with a smile. "Just thinking about her humiliation is making me salivate." She chimed.

Wahl Icht turned his head away. "You humans are so weird."

Dimaria turned towards the nearby soldiers. "Where's Neinhart?"

"Ma'am, Sir Neinhart is still on the ship." One of the armored soldiers answered.

Dimaria turned towards the nearby ships on the port down the boulevard, feeling Neinhart's Magic Power even from the distance. "Oh for heaven's sake. One is a machine, one is a loose cannon, and I have to deal with it. Where's Randi when you need her?" She sighed.

* * *

Up on a hill, the forces were assembled, and the guilds comprised of Mermaid Heel and Lamia Scale were accounted for. They all looked ready for battle, though some were more nervous than intended.

"Wha-?! Just how many are we facing here?!" Toby snapped.

"Looks like 2,000 between us and the town." Yuka said.

Arana looked in the vast distance. "And more are swamping the town."

"Not to mention those who haven't left yet." Beth added.

"So, we're basically talking about more than we can chew, huh?" Risley estimated.

Millianna quivered in place, her tail as stern as straw. "That's…that's a lot!"

"Between Lamia and Mermaid, we only make 200." Chelia counted.

Lyon stared coldly ahead, his gaze fixated on the enemy lines. "It doesn't matter how many we have to fight. What does matter is fighting them to begin with."

"He's right." Stepping forth was Kagura. She adorned a patterned robe with a large waist guard. She unsheathed a sword and pointed ahead. "This is our land, and we must defend it at all costs. This is Ishgar! We will stand and save Hargeon!"

Everyone behind cheered with her, ready to enter the fray. They all followed behind her, charging down the hill as the army of Alvarez soldiers lurked below.

Dimaria looked on, a sinister smirk on her face as she watched her prey enter battle. "How foolish." She chided. "Guess they need to learn the hard way about the Spriggan 12's true power…"

* * *

On the eastern side of Fiore, things were beginning to climax as Magic Power was lively within the atmosphere. The air itself was barely keeping itself from palpitating as the wasteland was vast and the clouds traveled across the sky.

On the ground, there the Four Gods of Ishgar; Jura, Warrod, Wolfheim, and Hyberion, and across from them were certain individuals – three of the Spriggan 12. The company was comprised of none other than God Serena, August, and a well-dressed man with a shaved head, 5 o'clock shadow, and dark slits around his eyes. The intricate part on him was the tiny skull on his forehead. The third was Jacob Lessio, and he adjusted his cuffs for battle.

Go Serena faced his fellow Wizard Saints with a smile, a wind passing by at long last. "Yo."

"We meet again, God Serena." Jura said.

Wolfheim stepped forward. "So you're the one who single-handedly attacked Bosco?"

"A disgusting traitor you've become." Hyberion retorted.

"Oh come now, let's not get hasty with conclusions." God Serena insisted. "This was a joint operation of course. I couldn't have done it without help from August and Jacob now, couldn't I?"

Hyberion narrowed his eyes. "You dare sully the land of your own birth. What ambition did you have to do so?"

God Serena's smirk only widened. "Why else? This land has already been sullied by that Nic Pularis. And you think I stained our continent first?"

Warrod squinted his eyes. "God Serena…" His gaze averted to August, who was behind him. "And I take it that must be the Magic King, August." His gaze then averted to Jacob. "And that must be Jacob Lessio, master of magic assassination."

Jacob stared at Jura, his small mouth curving into a grin. "Nice hair." He teased.

Jura felt a chord struck him at the insult. Jacob's coy grin widened.

* * *

In Fairy Tail's guild hall, the coast was clear around Brandish. While she laid in her cell on her side, she was as silent as could be. It was bad enough she was defeated by means of a fluke, but she was put in a cell and unable to use any of her magic.

"Well this is a pain…" She muttered. "I'm getting a little cold. They had to go and take my coat. Disgraceful Fiore scoundrels…" She suddenly began to feel a signature of Magic Power from nearby. "Huh?"

A figure had begun to materialize inside of her cell. "Brandish." It whispered. As it solidified, it revealed himself to be Marin, standing in the shadows of her cell. He smiled. "Found you!"

"Marin?" Brandish gasped.

"It wasn't easy. I had to wait until Nic and the rest were gone."

Brandish raised a brow. "Nic's not here?" She began to show a sly smirk. "Well aren't you the patient and smart pet. Good boy."

Marin raised his head, a shadow appearing over his figure.

"Now hurry and get these locks off, will ya? This guild is most filthy! I can't take it, so make haste and get out of here so that I can…" The green-haired woman trailed off as she looked up at Marin. His shadow loomed right over her. As bizarre as it was to her, there was something…unstable.

"Mari-!" She was cut off when a pair of hands choked around her neck. The sudden pressure on her esophagus left her to get air cut off. She began to choke as Marin began to straddle her, pinning her neck to the ground.

"Gah…ah…" Brandish gasped. She tried struggling, but all that did was make her lose even more oxygen. She couldn't use her hands because they were in cuffs. She was completely helpless. "Stop…Marin…"

"You…you've been treating me like a slave." Marin snapped. His face showed, revealing his insane look, surprising Brandish once again. His smile widened further. He looked more like a maniac than he was before. "That's why…you FAIL! FAILING GRADE! FAIL!"

Brandish was in trouble. She was starting to get tears in her eyes before everyone around her grew black. All she heard was a large laughing fit of Marin, and yet the last thing she saw was a speck of blonde before everything went black.

* * *

A slight moan came from Brandish's throat. Her green eyes slowly began to open once again, her body starting to stir once more.

"Mmmm…what…" She felt a soft surface on the back of her bed, and sheets on top. When she realized what happened, her eyes widened and she sat up straight with a harsh gasp. She looked around, noticing how her surroundings were much different than she remembered them to be. "What am I…? Is this…a bedroom?"

"You're in the infirmary." A voice said.

Brandish looked over, her surprise widening as Lucy and Porlyusica stood beside her. "You-!" She tried to find levity in her hands to reach for Lucy, but the sound of clanging got her to look down. She was in her cuffs still.

"Sorry about that." Lucy apologized. "We can't have you go about freely, but we couldn't leave you for that guy to kill."

"I see." Brandish paused for a moment, silence rolling in for a brief moment. "Where's Marin?"

"That pass and fail guy? We had to restrain him in the cell. Geez, the nerve of that guy. How cruel…"

"You should be grateful that this child went out of her way to save you." Porlyusica sniped. "You'd probably suffer asphyxiation if it wasn't for her."

Brandish looked down at her cuffs, retaining silence. On one hand, Lucy was an enemy, yet she was met with an act of sincerity by her enemy. She knew Fairy Tail was meant to be powerful, but not kind-hearted.

"Why did you save me?" She finally asked.

"Well, even if you are an enemy, it isn't like us to leave even you guys to die. We lost a lot in our time here, it's best we keep things from falling apart…that includes your life too." Lucy smiled.

"But even so, I have nothing to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I don't have to question you." Lucy's smile widened, her face showing innocence. "You're not a bad person, I saw that. I mean, we did bathe together, didn't we?"

Brandish's eyes widened at the revelation Lucy set into motion. Her frown deepened. "Layla…"

Lucy's eyes widened.

"You have questions related to your mother, don't you? I'll answer them, but under two conditions: You take my cuffs off, and we talk alone."

Porlyusica shot Brandish a glare. "What a ridiculous request."

Lucy's face grew serious as she stared at Brandish. "Deal."

Porlyusica's eyes widened. "What?"

"It'll be fine. Trust me."

Though Porlyusica relented, she chose to put herself out of the picture and abide to the patient's request. Mumbling incoherently – perhaps language best left unmentioned – she proceeded and took the cuffs off the green-haired captive. Once done, she turned around and headed for the door.

"You have the key, but I have the sealing stones. Holler if you need help."

"Thank you, Miss Porlyusica."

"Stupid humans…" With her mumbling trailing off, the medic closed the door behind her, leaving Lucy and Brandish alone.

With her gone, the atmosphere began to turn once again. This is now the second time that Lucy and Brandish have been caught alone. Thankfully this time they were in an infirmary than a bathroom. Lucy and Brandish had a voluntary silence, one that encompassed the room for a short while until Brandish spoke up.

"My name is Brandish." She started. "My mother's name was Grammi…she was one of your mother's disciples."

The revelation struck Lucy hard. While startled, she retained silence.

"When your mother retired on being a Celestial Mage, her keys were split amongst 3 of her trusted servants. She gave Capricorn's key to Zoldeo. Cancer's key went to Spetto."

"Wait, you mean old lady Spetto?!"

Brandish didn't nod. "And the key that my mother given…" She pressed harder on the bedsheets. "Was Aquarius."

Once again, Lucy was met with surprise.

Brandish began to frown as she began to think back to her old days, the days she was barely a toddler. She could still recount how her large green eyes looked up to a woman with cross accessories in her hair like her own, smiling as she polished a golden key. Bittersweet memories that left her in ruin. "My mother really looked up to Layla. Every single day, she would polish Aquarius' key until it shined in the hardest spots to reach…but then…" Brandish's hold on the covers hardened, clutching tighter. "Layla ended up betraying my mother."

"What…did my mother do?" Lucy asked. She wasn't liking where this was going, her heart palpitating considerably.

Brandish shot her a look. "You tell me, where did your key come from?"

Lucy nervously looked at her. "It was…my mother's."

"Then ask yourself this: If the key was meant for _my_ mother, then how come it went back to _your_ mother?"

Lucy was once again met with a wits end. She didn't know what to think because she didn't have an answer. As she looked at Brandish, she noticed how her glare intensely darkened.

"Your mother killed mine. That's how."

Lucy's world was completely turned upside down. The revelation kept on piling on, but this was too much to take. "Wait!" She snapped. "No, that can't be right! My mother would never do that!"

"How naïve." Brandish began to move towards her. "You have no idea on how cruel the real world IS!" She sprung for Lucy, jumping the bed and grasping Lucy's hands. The sudden assault made the char Lucy sat on fall over, Lucy included. A nearby pottery piece fell over, filling flowers and water inside.

"Wai-!" Lucy's mouth was ensnared by Brandish, clamping over her nose and mouth. With her oxygen now low, Lucy had herself unable to move with Brandish's legs wrapping around her waist from behind. "S-stop!" She muffled.

Brandish flashed a smile. "You shouldn't trust so easily." She warned.

"Mmmmmf! Mmmm~f!" Lucy struggled all she could, but Brandish wasn't letting go. She was intending to give Lucy a quiet death deserving of her vengeance.

"Lucy Heartfilia, I don't have anything against you…but this all I can do…" Shadows encompassed her eyes, making it hard to see what she was feeling, but one thing became visible from Brandish's shadow – tears. Tears began to shed as she was making Lucy suffer. It pained her to do this to her. Honestly it did, but she had to. "Please…I'm so sorry, but…just die!" She whimpered.

Lucy crossed her legs and bent them open, getting her legs free at least, but Brandish turned Lucy over, slamming her head into the floor. The harsh thud nearly made Lucy black out, while Brandish was atop and sniffling as she continued choking Lucy.

"This is-!" Brandish fell short of words when she heard the sound of water flowing. She raised her head, seeing a torrent of water slow right for her. "What the-?!" The impact of the wave brushed her off of Lucy, sending the mage onto the now damp floor.

Lucy coughed as she could breathe again, in and out. In and out. A slender arm picked her up. Holding her close to what felt like scales. Her eyes opened up, noticing an odd shape holding her. "Huh…?"

The figure flashed a smirk as her blue hair flowed behind her hair like a waterfall. She had a bikini top and eyes that Lucy recalled all too well. Her brown eyes dilated when she realized who her savior was.

"What was that about my key you said?" The female mermaid asked.

Lucy's heart raced at the sound of the voice. "A…A…Aquarius?"

True to what she said, Aquarius was holding Lucy, forming from the soiled water of the vase. She faced the shocked Brandish, smirking. The look on Brandish's face left the mermaid with great pride on her shoulders as she turned towards Lucy with a soft smile. "Long time no see, Lucy."

Lucy couldn't believe it. How could she? The events of Tartaros had rendered her scarred for life, and she lost Aquarius because of the demons that were responsible for Fairy Tail's ruin. Her tears began to overwhelm her, joy rising as she stared at her. Unable to contain her grief and joy, Lucy seized Aquarius and cried tears that ran down the side of her face.

"AQUARIUS~! WAAAH~!"

Cry. That's all that Lucy could do. She couldn't do anything more nor less. Rather than lash out, the spirit tenderly lift her hand and comforted Lucy. Though she didn't like her crying like a baby, she couldn't blame her for it. She smiled as she and Lucy stayed like that for the longest time.

Brandish looked on, bewildered with the scene before her. "What…?"

Once the tears filtered out of her system, Lucy turned to look back at her old friend. "Aquarius, you came back for me!"

"Well…" Aquarius' smile then turned mournful. "Not exactly."

Lucy's tears stopped flowing with her shock. "What?"

"A year has passed by in this world, and since that incident. I'm not sure how to put this…but I guess you can say my key has manifested a new form. In other words, a new key has been born. However, due to this case being an exception, the Celestial Spirit King had decided to open my gate temporarily to come here."

"Huh?"

Aquarius pulled away from Lucy, staring into her eyes. "I'm afraid we'll have to cut our reunion short. There's matters I must get to."

Though Lucy was initially heartbroken, she was managing a smile. Wiping her tears, she managed some more coherent words. "I-it's okay, really. The fact that we could see each other again makes me-"

"Brandish." Aquarius turned towards the green-haired woman against the wall, seeing her staring with a blank expression. "It's been a very long time in your case, little girl."

Lucy was caught surprised by the name Aquarius was familiar with. "Wait…what? You know her?!"

"Geez, I forgot how naïve you were. She said it herself, remember? I was her mother's spirit for a short time, and in that short span, I got to know this little brat before me. Remember those times, Brandish?"

Brandish retained silence as a sweatdrop formed on her cheek.

Aquarius grew a tick mark and interceded Brandish. "Hey! I'm talking to you! Say something like a hello why don't you?!"

Brandish panicked and her eyes became orbs of shock. "Er-m-my apologies, Master!" She squealed.

"Mas…WHAT~?!" Lucy exclaimed.

Aquarius' face darkened as she scrunched Brandish's cheeks with her thumb and index finger. "You've got some nerve becoming a damn rebel without a care to the world. I couldn't pity you eve more if I tried. You'll never get a boyfriend with that attitude."

"S-sorry…" Brandish muffled.

Lucy stood from the side, speechless.

Aquarius let go and put a hand to her chin. "That reminds me, I want to see you crawl on all fours like a puppy." She smirked.

Brandish did as told. She got on all fours and raised her head, barking like a dog. She found herself being stroke by Aquarius' hand, being pet like a good dog.

"Good girl."

"Master…"

Aquarius' face went from a smile to infuriated. She slapped Brandish across the face, sending her to the floor. "Like hell you'll ever be off the hook!"

"Yes, Master!"

Lucy nervously looked on, unable to respond appropriately to the situation. "Eh…what…? What am I supposed to do about this? I d-don't know…uh…"

Aquarius raised her head as Brandish bent over and bowed before her. "Now look you little brat, my Master is Lucy. By jurisdiction, that makes her your Master as well. You know full well what that entails, don't you?"

Brandish knew what it meant, but even with the warning, she was conflicted with how to handle it. She would avenge her mother, whatever it took to do so, she would do it. "Even so…" She looked at Aquarius in the eye, showing spite. "Whether that's the case or not…I will never forgive Layla for my mother's murder."

"But Lucy isn't Layla now, is she?"

Her point made Brandish's eyes widen.

"And besides, I don't know how you don't know about this…but it wasn't Layla who killed Grammi. Even in a million years."

Lucy and Brandish's eyes widened drastically. Suddenly, the floor had begun to glow a bright golden light.

"I'll have to show you for myself. Come with me, and let's take a small detour." With her arms spread out, the room's brightness enhanced, until everything was engulfed in the light.

In a few seconds, the room was replaced by what looked like space itself. Twinkling stars and shooting comets went over Lucy and Brandish's heads. But that wasn't just the scariest part. Not just the fact that they were in space, but also they had seashell bras and mermaid lower bodies like Aquarius.

"Huh?!" Lucy looked at her legs, realizing they were gone. "Wait, why do I have a tail?! Why are we even in space even?!"

Brandish was rendered speechless as she looked at the transformation.

Aquarius looked over her shoulder with a smirk. "This is the space that is known as the **Memory of the Stars**. It is a woven thread of memory archives made by Celestial Spirits. Think of it as maybe a dream, or perhaps a sea in which you can swim through and look back on."

"I never knew such a place existed." Lucy looked around, shocked by the endless space of darkness that was enhanced by twinkling stars. Aquarius began to move, swimming away. "Aquarius? Wheer are you going?"

"Follow me if you wish to know the truth."

While unnerved by the revelation set in front of them, Lucy and Brandish looked to the other for what they thought. One part of them was curious, and the other was left wide open for any possibilities. Brandish was more reluctant, but she wanted to know the truth now more than ever. Together, they followed Aquarius.

They swam. They swam through space itself, through the sea of stars and to a distance away, following Aquarius. They went on for a few moments until they saw a bright star up ahead, and in it some image.

Lucy pointed ahead. "I see something!"

The trio ventured closer until the they hovered over the expanding star. The image flashed, giving them all a bird's eye view of a distant land with a blonde woman with a curved bang over her left eye and hair in a very long ponytail. While sporting a elegant dress that bugged her busty body, she had a key in her hand.

"That woman before you is none other than Anna Heartfilia." Aquarius explained. "She is Lucy's ancestor, as well as what may be the greatest Celestial Spirit Mage to have ever lived."

Lucy looked down at her ancestor, her speechless behavior peaked.

"It was 400 years ago…" The image zoomed in on Anna, who was talking to a familiar person, Zeref. Much to Lucy and Brandish's horror. "That the dragons, the Black Wizard Zeref, and Celestial Spirits decided to collaborate on a master plan."

"Zeref?" Lucy gasped.

"The emperor?" Brandish inquired.

Over everyone's head, five bright stars arched, flying into confines unknown. "Their plan was send five powerful deities to the future, to a time in our history where the Ethernano was great enough to stop the might of Acnologia." The image flashed once more, revealing the Eclipse Gate once used during the Grand Magic Games. "To do that, Anna used the powers of all the gathered Zodiac to activate the door to the Eclipse Gate. It has been a fusion of Black Magic and Celestial Spirit Magic. Anna first opened that door, and for generations to come, the Heartfilia family had the sole responsibility of preserving it until the time had been right to open the other door."

The image once again flashed, but rather than show another image, it shrunk back into a star. Aquarius continued her path, with Lucy and Brandish following.

"Wait, 'other door'? What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"By nature, the door requires the combined works of two Celestial Mages, not one. One for the entrance, and one for the exit. If not performed carefully, then incidents like the Grand Magic Games will happen." Aquarius preferably stayed silent about that incident, because even then, the world itself was changed; not by the Eclipse Gate destroyed, but by the man who slaughtered the dragon corpses and nearly ended the universe. She powered on. "You knew of the entrance, but the exit, in this case, was in the future. So, the Heartfilia family patiently held onto it, watching it for hundreds of years."

Lucy looked on, a surprised look on her face. She had no idea that her family had such a grand responsibility behind it. Rich was one thing, but she never knew they were keys to stopping Acnologia as well.

"And at long last, it was Layla's generation that ended up being the gate's exit. But to open it, all 12 Zodiac Keys had to be in one place. That's where the problem arose."

They came across another twinkling star ahead. They all hovered over as the stars flashed and expanded. The group could see Brandish with her mother. Brandish's eyes widened at the sight.

"To make the operation a success, Layla contacted all the world's Zodiac key holders to assemble the necessary keys. However, she wasn't able to contact Grammi, who had moved to Alakitasia. This left my key unable to be found." The image flashed, changing to Layla standing in front of the gate with arms open and her body glowing. "To compensate with my key missing, Layla – unfortunately – resorted to using her own life force to make up for the Magic Power in that one key."

Lucy's face fell as she saw the gates open. She knew her mother fell ill, but she was told it was by natural causes. She didn't think it'd be by something as grand s this.

Coincidentally, Brandish's face had also fallen. It looked like guilt was catching onto her. "She went that far…?"

The next image revealed Layla in bed, her face profusely sweating as she laid weak and poorly kempt. Grammi was by her side, crying. "Though the process was complete and the door had been open, Layla's body has suffered drastically. Born with a frail body to begin with, she suffered Magic Deficiency Disease. It was only a week later that Grammi got word…"

 _The follower of Layla Heartfilia was kneeling before Layla's bedside, her body shuddering as her own guilt. She couldn't stop crying, even after Layla told her to stop. It was all too much._

" _Miss Layla, I…I am so sorry for what I have done." She said with a heavy heart. "After all the kindness that you showed me, this is how I repay you. I brought you pain and misfortune. I…can never forgive myself."_

 _Layla weakly turned her head to face her crying comrade. "There, there, Grammi. Don't worry. It's nothing to get worked up over, I assure you."_

" _But it is! If I was only there when you needed me, this wouldn't have happened!"_

" _Grammi…"_

 _With tears staining her eyes, she held up Aquarius' key. "I am longer worthy of possessing this key that you have bestowed to me. Please, with what grace you have given to it to me, let me return it."_

 _Layla's smile only grew mournful at her friend's actions. "I…cannot. Sadly, I can no longer carry out magic."_

" _Then please, let this key go to Miss Lucy! She will surely be a kind and magnificent mage like yourself! I beg you!" She bowed her head, tears once again falling. "Please…"_

 _Seeing how her friend was desperate, Layla was in no position to refuse. She didn't have much of a choice than to accept. "It has been the duty of the Heartfilia family to watch over the gate, and now it has finally been carried out. I was glad to have done so. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. At least now my daughter will carry out a life wort living. She's free…"_

Brandish and Lucy frowned as they learned the truth then and there; half of it at least. Still, what both mothers said left a pained feeling in their daughters' hearts.

" _By the way…how is Brandish? Full of energy as ever?"_

" _Of course. But now without Aquarius, I would imagine she'd be lonely."_

" _She's around Lucy's age, am I right?"_

" _Yes. I'll hopefully bring her along on my next visit."_

" _I know that one day, they'll be great friends."_

 _Grammi – with what strength possible – smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure they will."_

Irony was never an angel. It was but a grim devil that taunted all scenarios. Contradictory rang through the air as Lucy and Brandish looked down, both on the verge of tears at their mothers and their solemn wish. Friends intended, but bittersweet enemies. It pained them deeper that they were the opposite of what their mothers intended them to be.

" _You mean like us?" Layla teased._

" _Friends with likes of me? That's silly, Miss Layla." Grammi laughed._

" _That's funny coming from you. We've been friends from the start…"_

 _After a few more minutes of talking, Grammi finally decided to take her leave. She exited Layla's mansion and the gates closed behind her. As she walked on, she pulled out a handkerchief and blew her nose. Even after talking, it pained her, but she had to be strong._

 _As she walked farther out, something moved close behind her. A hand gripped a dagger that shimmered in the sunlight, and without warning, the figure closed in with quick pacing._

 _Grammi went for another step, but a gush sound followed by a sudden sense of pain went right through her abdominal region. Her eyes widened as her blood spurt on the trail ahead of her. Her body still shuddering, she looked down to find a dagger piercing her clean through. The culprit behind her revealed himself to be Zoldeo, a dark snarl coming from his throat._

Brandish gasped in great horror at her mother's fate. "Mother!"

 _Zoldeo had tears in his eyes as he glared coldly. He sunk the dagger deeper, earning a hitch from Grammi. "You did this. You did this! Miss Layla is dying…because of YOU!"_

" _Z-Zoldeo…" Grammi gasped._

Brandish had tears in her eyes as she reached down. "No! No! Stay away from her!" She reached out to the image, but swimming wasn't getting her anywhere. She was stuck in place, her panic getting the best of her.

Lucy looked on in remorseful pity as Brandish was doing everything she could in getting her mother back. It was sad, but the truth was that it was still an image. It was the past. And you couldn't change the past, even if one tried. Time was never on one's side, and that's what Brandish failed to realize.

 _Despite the pain and the bloody wound, Grammi's shuddering body gave wake to a soft smile on her face. "You're right…you're right…" She whimpered. "I did all this…I deserve this…"_

" _You took her from us! You…!" Zoldeo began to sniffle himself._

" _Zoldeo…" Grammi looked back over her shoulder, one last time, meeting him in the eyes. The tears she said were indeed of remorse, and Zoldeo's eyes widened. "My daughter…Brandish…please, spare her." A drip of blood went over her lip. "In exchange for my own…will you grant me this last wish?"_

 _Zoldeo looked on with shock as her words reached his ears. While he wanted revenge and got it, he was a man of fairness. He was never one to turn down a last wish, a grace Layla taught him. As he saw the light fade in Grammi's eyes he swallowed._

"… _deal."_

" _Good…" Grammi's eyes slowly closed, her body beginning to fall over. "Layla…I'll show you the other side soon…"_

"MOM! MOM! DON'T LEAVE ME!" Brandish cried. She was too late, the past image showing Grammi falling over. The star turned bright, and Brandish was left with the painful ache in her heart. With what she had in her, she bellowed out a grand cry of pain and remorse, screeching into the blank space.

As her tears went flying, Lucy grabbed her, and in an act of desperation, pulled her closer.

The blank space shrunk, revealing Lucy and Brandish back to normal, in their room as before. Aquarius looked over them, seeing Brandish on her knees as Lucy held her up and comforted her.

As the green-haired woman stopped crying, she could feel Lucy's warmth. It was like a blanket.

Lucy reached for the back of Brandish's head, keeping her close as she had tears in the corners of her eyes. "I know it may be late for all this…but maybe…maybe we can be best friends from now on." A lone tear fell from her cheek. "Just like our mothers."

Brandish went silent, taking Lucy's words to heart. Aquarius looked on, a smile crossing her lips.

The door suddenly slammed open, breaking the mood.

"HELP!"

Lucy and everyone there gasped as they all broke away, turning towards the door to find Happy barging in.

"PLEASE HELP!" It was happy, and he was crying profusely.

"Happy?" Lucy questioned. "What-?!" Her eyes widened when she saw who was lying next to him. To her horror, Natsu was on his back, and his clothes were torn. Across his cheek was a fresh mark, and across his bruised body were scrapes. The fact he wasn't moving was making her heart pounce in horror.

"You gotta help me! Please!" Happy begged. "Natsu passed out, and he won't wake up! He isn't moving at all! Someone save him! Please~!" The Exceed's face was pouring with tears, his concern too great to measure.

The corners of Lucy's eyes began to mist, her panic on the rise.

"What's with all the noise in here?!" Entering from the open door was Porlyusica, who didn't seem to have a pleased look on her face. "What's wrong now?"

Happy turned towards her with tears still flowing. "It's Natsu! He fought Zeref, and…we had to retreat."

Porlyusica showed surprise.

"And then…he just collapsed all of a sudden!"

Lucy lunged for Natsu and picked him up her arms, frantically looking for a response. "Natsu?! Natsu!" She tried to move him. "Natsu! What's the matter! Come on!" She put her head to his chest, trying to get a pulse on him. His body was cold. Her eyes widened further in vivid despair.

"Natsu…I can't hear his heart!"

Brandish looked on, worry painted on her face.

Happy overlooked Natsu with tears pouring down his despairing face. "Natsu~! Wake up!"

Tears flowed down Lucy's face as she couldn't move her head from his head. "This…this can't…"

"Move out of the way!" Porlyusica moved forward, getting Lucy to swiftly get off of Natsu and allow Porlyusica to hover over the Dragon Slayer. She took a stick out from beneath her cloak and used it to prod open Natsu's mouth. She leaned in, watching steam evaporate when it came out of Natsu's mouth. Her eyes widened when she saw the symptom, nervous sweat pouring as she backed away, as if afraid.

"This boy…he's the one who always pushes himself to be above everyone else. He constantly pushed to do the impossible…now he's paid the price. His Magic Power is backfiring on him. He's overheating his own stamina – an anti-ethernano tumor has developed!"

Happy knew that Natsu fighting Zeref would have some form of backfire, but when Natsu unleashed his true power, the Exceed knew it then that the cause was right there.

Porlyusica continued examining with nervousness on her scruffy face. "A vindictive mass has developed inside his body. If this isn't removed, then the boy won't live for another day."

"Well is there anything that can get it out?" Happy asked, but by the way he sounded, it was more of a plea than a question.

"Surgery is the only way." Porlyusica informed. "But…I cannot do that. There is no one on Ishgar capable of such a surgery. I'm sorry."

Lucy gasped loudly at the revelation. Her mind went blank as the doctor announced her own uselessness. Losing Natsu was something she couldn't stomach. Not ever.

"W-w-wait! What about Wendy and Chelia?! Surely they-!" Happy was cut off when Porlyusica looked away.

"No. This is even beyond them."

"You mean…?" Lucy looked back down to Natsu, his still body in her arms as her tears began to fall. Her breakdown began to expand as her body shuddered greatly. "Natsu…"

Brandish looked from the sidelines, staring with mourning. She watched the tears from Lucy's eyes fall.

"Natsu…answer me…please…"

Brandish looked down at the ground, sense of shame and redemption washing over her. While Lucy was an enemy, she helped her realize the error in her ways. She owed her; besides, it was bad enough she lost her mother. Seeing Lucy despair, it made her recall herself. She won't let it happen to her. Not again.

The mage lifted her now cuffed hands. "These chains…undo them. Please?"

Lucy looked to her, confused but weeping.

"My Magic is called Command T. I can alter any and all mass in this world. If we can pinpoint the tumor's exact spot, it would no longer be of lethal conduct."

Porlyusica raised her head with deep shock. Aquarius smiled at her actions. Brandish herself looked away sullenly. Happy looked at her with the light in his eyes returning. "You…can really do that?"

The look on Lucy's crying face said it all. She was beyond desperate. "Please save Natsu…I'm begging you!"

* * *

Hours had passed by since everyone had departed, and so far Fairy Tail had been in the clear. With Brandish abiding by the conditions, she shrunk the tumor to a point where Natsu's heartbeat could be heard, much to Lucy and Happy's tearful relief. At the moment, the Dragon Slayer laid in the infirmary in bed, a patch over his right cheek.

Brandish, however, had asked to something after she fixed Natsu. She had her cuffs back on and asked to return to her cell, much to everyone's surprise. They complied, however, and as of now, the green-haired woman sat on her bed with her coat on, facing the wall like she was lost in her own little world. Lucy and Happy sat outside her cell, grateful smiles plastered on their faces.

"I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am for what you did for Natsu." Lucy said, her eyes misting in deep gratitude.

"Ah~! Thank you! Thank you!" Happy whimpered.

Brandish did not answer.

"But still, there wasn't any need for you to go back to your cell like that on your own accord."

"This is war, remember?" Brandish reminded her. "You don't go and let your prisoners run free like rats. One day, that naïve thinking of yours will get you killed. Keep that in mind. I don't have any desire of being any means of a friend. We're even now, get it?"

Lucy frowned at Brandish's choice of words. While she was right around them being even, she was still hoping Brandish would at least open up just a little bit. Suddenly, a hand from behind tapped her. She looked over her shoulder, seeing her fellow spirit still present.

"Aquarius?"

"Lucy, do you have a minute. We need to talk." The spirit faced the cage. "As for you, Brandish…hope we meet again soon."

Brandish again kept her mouth shut.

"Speak, mutt!"

"…okay." She murmured.

Aquarius again smiled. When all was said and done, Lucy followed Aquarius out to the guild's balcony that overlooked the city. In the nearby mountain range, the sun was setting over the horizon, beaming rays of sun onto the balcony, where Aquarius and Lucy both stood, facing the enigmatic view.

"It's beautiful." Lucy admired.

Aquarius nodded. "Yes. It is." She moved her head to glance at the blonde. "Lucy. There was something I needed to say."

Lucy raised a brow. "What is it?"

"It's about my key. Remember when I said it was reincarnated, and that it's out there somewhere? It's out there somewhere, in this large world that we live in. It might be in Ishgar. It could be in Alakitasia. It could be on another continent; the possibilities are out of reach. But so we're clear, you're not getting any means of hints."

Lucy's smile widened, this one being of vast determination; a fire that Aquarius could see burning. "I got it." She affirmed. "I won't stop until I have you once more. Nobody else will get your key but me! You're my best friend, and I won't ever stop!"

Aquarius' body began to glow, her Magic Power fading. Her body flickered a few times as her time was up, but even so, she smiled. "Then I look forward to seeing you then…Lucy."

The spirit's glow brightened into a flash and faded away, revealing her presence no longer there. Instead, there was only stardust, blue as water. As Lucy watched Aquarius fade once again, she wiped a tear from her eye.

' _I know what I want to do now once this battle is over.'_ She faced the fading sunset, the upper half of the sun glistening in the distance, radiating the dawn of a new agenda for her. _'And I won't lose to anyone. Just wait for me, Aquarius.'_

* * *

 **Here's the newest update! Hope you like it, even though what I did was just basically take most canon material. So for once, I broke the 12K limit after so many chapters, so this added up to nearly 16.5K, and in about 4 days too. It's good timing in my case, even when I have long shifts to fill in.**

 **So in regards to how I did the chapter, I did nothing but lazy writing. I short-handed canon bits like Ichiya and Freed VS Wahl Icht, and I left canon like the northern front left alone, but that's what manga os for. I didn't want to take it all because it'd be a waste of space. I only took the whole Lucy and Aquarius thing because I thought it was VERY important. As for Happy and Natsu confronting Zeref, I had to exclude that too, but I'll make it as a flashback soon, so don't sweat it. It's just as important as the scene I described. Speaking of scenes, I thought it would be dramatic but necessary to share contrast between Gray and Nic's ideals. While Gray's ambitions of destroying E.N.D are important, Nic had to point out his tainted behavior. But it isn't in my place to say about Nic being selfish, so I had Erza comforting him on his doubts of his own selfishness. To be honest, I have been watching Kirito and Asuna moments of Sword Art Online to get a little inspiration for their affection and tentative moment this chapter.**

 **As you have also seen, I changed the bit where now Nic is taking Cana and Sophie to the eastern front, where August, God Serena, and Jacob are. That's the prime twist that I am focusing on for a couple chapters; as well as make said team a very important key to something I have planned.**

 **The next chapter will most likely be in about a week, if not 5-6 days. I need to reconfigure my plans again and adjust accordingly. I originally thought Nic and the group VS Larcade would be just fine, but then I realized he's in the northern front. I'll have to think of them VS Jacob and August if possible, if not something more interesting.**

 **But as usual, comment, share your thoughts, and let me know how you guys liked the changes I made!**


	66. Calling of Old Friends

As the sun was setting in the mountains, the sky was ignited with a blazing red-orange hue that reflected the blazing passion that the Fiore mages held onto the day's battle. However, with the setting sun, so did their own hopes. Mermaid Heel and Lamia Scale could very well exemplify their own dwindling flames as they thought they could get near the port town, only to withdraw due to less than respectable amounts of power.

Hiding out in a small base camp set up miles off of Hargeon, many mages were either sulking about, wounded, or even dying. It was war, and the smell of failure was fresh with the mixture of blood and ointment in the area.

"Damnit all!" Lyon slammed his hands against the makeshift desk, where the geographical map housed nearly froze beneath his palm. "Their manpower was beyond our expectations!"

"We weren't even close to Hargeon." Chelia despaired.

Lyon lowered his head, staring at the map with a shadow of grim. "Fairy Tail should be here by tomorrow. Let's just hope our allies come with the forces we need…"

* * *

The northern front was no different. Earlier in battle, Yukino only caught a glimpse of an armored reaper with muscles before she too had to fall back with her guild. She watched in horror as everyone around her and nearby the reaper suddenly dropped dead, and by the armored, fanged mask he carried, he looked like he was doing his job well. She found herself perched on a small stool in front of a fire with Sting, Rogue, Lector, and Frosch – who arrived into battle in his casual pink frog suit, much to Rogue's inner thanks.

Sting held onto a disgruntled expression as the flames flickered before him. "We've lost a great deal of people out there today. How did we get so overwhelmed?" He questioned.

"This bites." Lector said. "No matter how you see it, we got our gooses cooked."

"Fro thinks so, too!" Frosch chimed.

"Even so, we have to keep trying." Rogue insisted. "We can't give up, not yet anyways."

Yukino nodded. "Right."

* * *

In the east, one could say that hell had broken out and the burning sun behind God Serena's back was reflecting the ambition that made him tower with might. He smiled maliciously as he stood before four fallen figures, those who he once stood alongside – the Four Gods of Ishgar. He saw all their bodies sprawled, battered and beaten, in contrast to not even a single mark on God Serena himself.

August and Jacob watched from afar, staying silent as they watched him exert havoc.

"Come on now, is this really the best you all have? After everything that you guys said, you'd go so far as to joke with me?" His smirk widened. "To think 'Wizard Saints' were so frail, even after my own revolution."

Everyone all around were struggling to get themselves up, but their bodies were suffering too much. Their battle reshaped the wasteland they dueled in, but as well as their insides. They could barely move.

"God Serena…" Hyberion gritted in his wincing frustration.

"He…has this much power?" Wolfheim gasped.

Jura laid on his side, eyes wide at the revelation. _'This one. God Serena! To think that Nic and his Pokémon had to fight him on such a scale…'_

God Serena hummed as he leered at them all from a towering angle. "Hmmm, I think I'm starting to get bored now. You all were nice warmups for my duel with Nic, but now fun's over. Time to meet 'God Bye-Bye'. Starting with you, Warrod."

Warrod was on his stomach, his grunting heard as loud as his name being called.

With all the Wizard Saints incapacitated, all that was in between Warrod and God Serena was nothing but thin air. The former top Wizard Saint squinted as he reached out for his target. Magic Power began to surge in his palm, pressurizing drastically.

Warrod's vision was blurry, hardly able to see God Serena's orange hair. _'Mavis…I'm sorry.'_ He thought briefly of the First Master, her smile and innocence still as fresh as a daisy in his aged mentality. However, as he thought back to her, the more he thought back to Precht. Then Yuri. Then Fairy Tail. His mind raced back to the spirit they all carried on, and as the last of them, he had to go down with what dignity left.

"Any last words?" God Serena asked.

Warrod mustered what strength possible into his arms, planting his fingers onto the ground and digging into the churned dirt. He raised his head, glaring at God Serena. To the former Wizard Saint's shock, it was a smile he saw and not a frown. _'I may be old, but I'm not going down lying down like this. If I'm going out, God Serena is coming with me!'_

The ground beneath God Serena began to crack apart, catching his ears. "Hm?" His magic stopped circulating in his palm when he looked down, only to be met with exploding earth. Roots shot up from below, sprouting profusely into twirling branches that caught God Serena in a bind.

As the ground went farther away, the Dragon Slayer looked curious more so than shocked. "Oh?!"

Finding this the time to counter, Wolfheim whipped himself up and flipped to his feet, grunting as he was up once more. As the tree grew to a peak, his fangs showed as he began to mutate once more. His face and body darkened, becoming a slowly growing, muscular beast once more, scales erupting from all over.

"God Serena!" With anger in his wake, he sprung off the ground, lunging after him from such a lengthy distance. Appearing in front of God Serena, the beastly man snarled as his fist was retracted back. He roared as he punched forward, shattering the bark as he slugged God Serena across his face.

God Serena let an "oof!" escape as he went flying through the air with the twirling bits of bark.

Jura stood up next, giving an exasperated glare at the foe. He joined his index and middle finger of his right hand and moved them in an 'X' formation. Beneath the falling God Serena, the ground began rumbling, increasing in volume until Jura's magic forced the ground to exert dust. From beneath several giant fists of stone shot straight up, giving God Serena the largest uppercut ever given.

As the fists continued shoving him up, God Serena's face contorted with the pain. _'So they do have some guts in themselves after all…'_ He was shot up to a peak, flying into the air higher. He looked down, his body straightening out as he readied himself. However, something sharp had made him go wide-eyed. His breath hitched, an intense pain flowing through his body as he was stiff as a statue.

"Gngh! What?! I can't…I can't move!" He sundered downwards, his eyes catching a glimpse of Hyberion pointing his fingers at him. Instantly it clicked. "Hyberion!" He screamed.

Everyone watched with stoic expressions as the Dragon Slayer slammed his shoulder first into the ground, dust followed by a menacing thud shaking up the land. Rock and bark showered around him, residue that pelted him and the surroundings like hail.

Watching from the sidelines, the earth shook beneath August, yet he looked unfazed by it all. "This is getting interesting." He commented.

Laying amongst the scattered dust and bark, God Serena was on his knees, gagging as he was unable to move or get his hands of his own itching neck. Hyberion raised his head, now towering with his own magnificence. "You haven't changed a bit, God Serena. Relying on yourself too much to allow your pride to be hurt. Such a folly that I pity you completely."

God Serena could feel his throat hurt as the uneasy lack of oxygen and pain sensors flaring was making him feel weak. He glared at Hyberion, who was backed up by the others behind him. The longer he stared, the more he could feel his inner rage swirling.

Suddenly, the pain went away, his smirk crossing his face.

"Hm?" Hyberion chimed.

To everyone's shock, God Serena was getting back up, standing with little effort put into fighting the magic. His smirk widened, reveling his teeth. "Tch, you haven't changed a bit either, Hyberion…" The eyes in him were beginning to darken, turning black with white pupils alone. The air shifted as a small wave of pressure hitched the land beneath. "Guess I'll have to remind you all what it means to stay down."

Everyone's eyes widened as they could feel God Serena's power flow. More so, they saw an intense aura flare around him. Before they could say even a sentence, nee a word, the ground beneath them suddenly cracked apart.

God Serena slammed his hands against the ground. " **Cavern Dragon's Earth Destruction!** " At his command, the entire cracked ground suddenly exploded. Dust and stone were reduced to oblivion as shockwaves sent falling rock everywhere like a meteor shower. It all fell apart, and the unfortunate mishap with the Wizard Saints were caught in sent them flying with the earth's destructive blowout.

"GAH!" Hyberion, Wolfheim, and Warrod were all sent hurdling through the air.

Jura used his sleeve to cover up, but even he was sent hurdling with his comrades. _'This magic…is Dragon Slayer Magic?!'_ Before he could question further, he was still falling, and God Serena was smirking as his fist was reeled back in searing flames. _'Wait-!'_

" **Purgatory Dragon's Blazing Hell!** "

God Serena punched forward, unleashing an enormous volume of incinerating fire that enveloped the rocks still in midair. Jura and the others watched in horror as the rocks vanished in the fire, melting in the wake. In seconds, they too were enveloped in the fire, their screams muffled by the enormous roar of the fire.

God Serena reached out with his other palm, a cyclone of water pressurized in his palm. " **Sea King Dragon's Encircling Deluge!** " He unleashed a high-pressured, torrent-like beam that raced alongside the previous spell. Fire and water raced alongside one another, pressure and heat fusing and making everything in front of God Serena explode in a tempest of unimaginable humid turmoil.

As the attacks finally collapsed, a steam cloud enveloped the entire area ahead of God Serena, a wide smile on his face as he saw four figures drop from the steam and thud onto the leveled earth. His momentum at a peak, he reeled his head back, readying his next attack.

" **Gale Dragon's-** "

"That's enough, God Serena." August calmly warned.

Hearing the call, the winds circling God Serena's mouth dissipated. His face fell, a dark mood cascading over him as the steam and dust dissipated, finally revealing the Wizard Saints and their reshaped conditions. They were all torn to shreds one way or another, but their conditions were far worse than before. This time for sure, they knew for a fact that they couldn't move.

God Serena smirked, his dark eyes fading away to being normal again. "My bad, I guess I went a little overboard there." He teased.

Jacob looked on, smiling with satisfaction. "So this is the Dragon Slayer who defected from Ishgar. He who possesses eight Dragon Slayer Lacrima within."

"God Serena." The grin growing on August's face darkened. "The man who has been loved by dragon god."

God Serena faced the setting sun, a cunning smirk cutting across his face. "Dragon gods? No. There are no such things. No dragon nor god. **Everything** before me will crumble." As the setting sun flared up his face, his smirk widened. "Even now, I can see it. My redemption! You cast me off my pedestal, Nic Pularis! Now, with this power, I will reduce you to ashes!"

Warrod struggled; not just for his life, but to stand. He couldn't feel much of anything anymore but charred bark. His teeth gritted, his strength gone. "No…" He growled.

Jacob and August turned with God Serena, facing the setting sun. "It's time we embark for Fairy Tail, gentlemen." Jacob said. Without looking, he waved back at the four fallen. "Good day to you all…"

As he and the two other Spriggans began to walk off, they all took one more step before everything around them began to slow down. The air grew stale as a weak, but growling wind passed by. They all felt it. The sudden pressure and Magic Power; levels of something they never felt before. Terror filled their veins as their eyes widened, even August was wide-eyed when he felt this change.

"What…is this magic…?"

Within the sun's glare, they all could see a figure hidden within its setting wake. Said figure began to thicken, meaning he was getting closer.

Hyberion was shuddering on the ground, his vampire-like veins growing cold. "Who…is that…?"

The figure was cascaded by a rolling dust cloud. The howling winds subsided as the man walked straight through them, his black cloak being the first noticeable feature that shifted. Next, was perhaps the long, dark blue hair, and what may have been the most mind-destroying feature, the intense eyes. Everyone there could feel their spines shudder as they looked at the one who was all too recognizable.

Acnologia.

"I smell a dragon." He growled.

"Acnologia…" August murmured.

God Serena was stuck in place, staring with a beating heart at the face of the Dragon King. The longer that time passed, the more his face began to twice. His nervous frown slowly turned to a large smirk. He too had begun glaring back at Acnologia with a menacing vibe.

"Acnologia. The one who I originally wanted to meet." He admitted. "I wanted to watch Nic Pularis crumble before me before I got to see you, but now-"

Acnologia became a blur, his right arm – his only arm – stretched out as he nonchalantly passed God Serena, swiping and tearing off his entire right ribs. Bones, skins, everything was torn clean through. Acnologia passed by with a shadow over his eyes, while everyone else watched with horrific shock as they saw him rip God Serena and his divine wheel behind.

As Acnologia walked on, God Serena remained stiff, unable to respond to the reality that his body suffered. "What…?" He murmured, blood escaping his lip as his wheel fell part behind him as he fell to the ground with a deafening thud.

He laid dead, while Acnologia walked pass them, away from the setting sun. "7 more Dragon Slayers, until all dragons are expelled for good. And I shall have nothing standing before me until all Pokémon are destroyed by my hand."

Nobody said anything, let alone able to breathe. They were all paling as they watched the Dragon Slayer slay his own kind without much casual interest. God Serena laid dead and torn up like a discarded Christmas present, and yet they were spared.

Acting out of fear, Jacob shakily raised a hand and veins appeared all over his face.

"Don't." August warned, stopping Jacob from acting. "This isn't a fight we can win. It is only his majesty who shall be able to match Acnologia's power once Fairy Heart is secured. Until then, we must stay focused." However, even with his warning, August shot a glance at Acnologia, who was barely in view as the sun fully set.

Acnologia continued on his path as darkness filled the twilight sky, his feet churning gravel as he went on head. "Nic…"

* * *

Nic felt a tingling sensation crawl on the back of his neck that made him turn his head towards the sky. His eye widened briefly as he could've sworn he heard something – or rather sensed something wrong, and it had nothing to do with the tree branch he sat against. _'What was that just now? I could've sworn that I heard…'_ His disposition unnerved, he relaxed and settled himself back against the tree trunk. _'Maybe I'm just hearing things.'_

"Hey! Nic!" Cana called from below.

"Hm?" Nic looked down, seeing Cana and Sophie at the base of a campfire.

"If you're still up, better get down here and chow down~." Cana looked at the reasonable slab of meat on a bone in her grip, smirking cheekily. "This meat ain't gonna eat itself!"

"Er-right! Sorry." Putting his delusions aside, Nic hopped down from the low tree branch, landing in a crouch and straightening back up. He walked on over, taking a spot on a flat rock adjacent to Cana and Sophie.

"Did you see anything while you were up there?" Sophie asked.

"Aside from leaves, trees, and air, no. I think we're clear for now." Nic advised.

"Then let's party!" Cana shouted, raising a meaty drumstick into the air. With an appetite, she had first dibs, biting into the tender meat of their rations they saved and had baked over the fire.

Watching Cana dig in, Sophie shrugged. "Why not? I could use some iron and protein." Taking another piece of cooked meat stewing over the fire, she took another part with a packed fork and picked up a portion of it. It passed her pink lipstick, turning into an orgasmic bite.

Nic was the last seize a piece. "We'll be near the battlegrounds by tomorrow morning. We'll need our strength, so I got us some healthy rations to support ourselves until then." He stared at the tendered meat, making sure that it was cooked thoroughly. After making sure, he took a large mouthful and bit into the meat, nearly tearing a third of the large slab off and chewing on it.

He savored the taste, his eyes widening with mild surprise. "This isn't half bad, Sophie." He muffled.

"Well I'm glad I cooked then." She beamed with pride. "Now granted, I'm no chef, but I've been making my way around the arts of ovens and baking."

"Right. And if by 'arts of ovens and baking' you mean 'making pancakes', then yeah, that's craftsmanship." Cana remarked.

Despite the snipe, Sophie flashed Cana a smirk. "Well at least I _can_ cook."

"Touché." Cana reached for her purse, grabbing hold of something she tried scrounging for. She pulled out a small liquor bottle. "Aha! Thought you could get away from me, huh? You sneaky devil."

Nic and Sophie shot the fortuneteller a unison deadpan look. "Really, Cana?" Sophie groaned.

As Cana sipped from the bottle, she noticed their glancing. Once having a sample she shot them a look of her own. "Oh lighten up you sissies. Better live today than regret not doing anything tomorrow."

"You're not wrong…" Nic paused, but rather than continue, he trailed off. He knew Cana's drinking habit at this point were beyond even his control. At least someone could stomach that stuff.

Once again took another small sip, she offered one to Sophie. "Eh?" Sophie, however, waved dismissively at her, though all Cana did was shrug. "Have it your way."

"I prefer to battle sober, thank you very much." Sophie turned towards Nic, watching him tear into another piece of meat. As he chewed, she began to think of something. "By the way, Nic."

Nic shot a glance at Sophie, raising a brow at his name being called.

"How is it?" She asked.

Nic looked confused. "This? A little overdone, but-"

"Not that. I mean the situation?" She corrected. "You know, being away from Erza?"

Nic didn't peg himself as something you could mold so easily, but at the same time, he knew there was merit in what Sophie imposed. When he stopped to think about it, he had a contorted look on his face, clearly showing that he lacked the consideration of it beforehand. He could picture himself and Erza pretty much everywhere, especially since heading to his world, the two had been inseparable. This was probably the first time since returning that they have been apart from each other. When looking towards Sophie, he came to a conclusion.

"I guess I haven't thought about it before you brought it up." He admitted. "It's weird, now that you bring it up. It's just comfortable with her being around me. Now, it feels like there's something missing. It feels weird, almost…hollow." A weak smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I guess I really do miss her."

Sophie raised a brow, grinning at Nic's words about Erza. She looked intrigued for a lack of better words.

Cana finished sipping from her bottle again, letting out a large gulp as she finished the contents. When she looked towards Nic, a mischievous smirk crossed her own pair of lips. "Wow, not even a whole day apart and you're already missing her. I'm not sure whether to be impressed by your commitment or the puppy love you've got going on."

"Like you're one to talk." Nic deadpanned. "I just miss her, you don't have to go and chide me for that."

Cana brought her hands up dismissively. "Don't mind me, lover-boy. Just spouting nonsense. Don't grow a hernia on my watch."

Sophie looked towards Nic. "I wouldn't worry." She said. "Erza and Vanessa are tough ones. They'll make it through. Just show some faith, Nic. I'm sure they're thinking about you as well."

The small smile on Nic's lips widened as he stared at the flickering flames, the meat on his share completely eaten and leaving nothing but a few bones. As Sophie's words reached his ears, his worries eased. "Yeah. We'll meet up again. Soon."

"By the way…" Cana raised a brow, her smirk returning. "What have you been eating during your time in your world? Betcha there isn't a lot of meat when you guys were on the road, huh?"

"On the contrary." Nic said in a matter-of-fact tone. "We have meat. It's not like we kill Pokémon. What are we? Animals?"

"Oh really~?" Cana chimed. "Because I wonder…" Her smirk grew coquettish. "Does Erza like eating sausage?"

Nic raised a brow, confused. "Well yeah, she has it on occa…" Nic trailed off, getting a sense of where this was finally going. He blinked once, then twice, and when he saw Cana's eyes flicker down towards the ground, his cheeks instantly went red. He froze in embarrassment. "Gngh! What?!"

Cana reeled back over her seat, nearly falling over in the process. "Man, you're too easy, Nic! I swear!" She uproariously laughed. "Erza must really love your sausage then, huh?"

This only served to make Nic's brow twitch. "Cana…"

"Then I guess Nic likes to have ripe melons when Erza tenderizes his meat. Hm~?" Sophie smirked.

"You too, Sophie?" Nic groaned.

As Cana laughed off the night, Sophie put a hand to her mouth to stifle the laughter. Nic only sulked further at the fuel to the fire. "I knew I should've just stayed in the tree."

* * *

"Achoo!" Erza sneezed.

"Bless you." Wendy said.

"Thank you."

"Someone must be talking about you, huh?" Gray questioned.

"Don't be foolish, Gray. I'm not one to get a cold."

Carla yawned nearby, using her paw to cover her mouth. "Alright, guess I should be heading to bed I suppose." She glanced over at Wendy. "You coming, Wendy?"

The Dragon Slayer nodded. "Yeah, we better get our rest if we want to take back Hargeon tomorrow then, right?" She looked towards everyone, who shared similar expressions of approval.

Gray shrugged. "Guess we better be hitting the hey too."

Juvia appeared right beside him, holding what was a very large sleeping bag in the shape of a heart. "I knew something like this would happen, so Gray, I took this time to pack our extra special sleeping bag fit just for us!"

"W-whoa! Wait, what?!" He shrieked. "There's no way I'm getting in that thing!"

"Speaking of sleep…" Wendy looked around, noticing the number of people that were accounted for. "Has anybody seen Laxus and Vanessa?"

"Now that you mention it, I think he said something about being hungry before leaving camp." Carla noted.

Gray crossed his arms, his face contorting with wonder. "Guess you're right. He does look like the type who would nab a bear or something large."

Erza showed genuine curiosity at Gray's notice. "Does it really taste that good?!"

Wendy sweat-dropped as she looked out to the woods behind. "Where did Vanessa go then?"

Unbeknownst to the group, not too far away from them, the forest was silent as could be. With the moon shimmering down on the forest and Fiore, Laxus sat patiently on a rock. He looked down, but at the same time intensely focused. He looked at the ground, eyes narrowing as his thoughts intensified.

Flashes of images popped into his head, ranging from the time on Tenrou Island, where he was torn down by Hades, to the battle against Zirconis alongside Wendy, to him and Orga against Bolton, and through it all, the biggest memory came to him. Recently, when he thought about the Tartaros incident and was taken out and had to be healed by Nic and Porlyusica, a pain surged through his gut. With Nic destroying the toxins inside of him, he was safe and up to 100%, but to himself, he felt more of a 0 than 100.

"Are you well?"

Laxus froze at the sudden voice that entered his Dragon Slayer hearing. Behind him was the familiar person that had been tracking him down, Vanessa. She looked down at Laxus with hands to her sides, giving off a relaxed vibe.

The Dragon Slayer eventually calmed down, looking intensely at the ground once more. "It's fine." He huffed.

"Your aura says otherwise." Vanessa countered. "If you're feeling insecure, you know you have your guildmates by your side. This isn't just you're fight."

"I know that." He looked over his shoulder, giving Vanessa a very threatening glare. "Don't go flapping about my worries. They're none of your business to begin with."

However, despite Laxus' warning and menacing glare, Vanessa stayed calm. She looked relaxed even when she could see the ambition in Laxus, but knew where this was going. She could read his emotions thanks to her Aura Magic, and she could see the affirmation clear around him.

Laxus looked away, once again sighing. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Vanessa crossed her arms. "But you know, this is more than pride at stake. I know that we've all been depending on each other…but this burden you see hangs over your head, because the Thunder God Tribe are your closest friends, is that it? I know you have to avenge them, and I won't pry in a matter as personal as that, but at least let me say that we'll all make it out, so that we can see them on their feet again."

Laxus rolled his eyes away, a gruff huff escaping his throat. "Sounds like a bunch of clichés to me, but you get an A for at least getting the idea." He snorted.

Vanessa smiled.

"But this just isn't about them. This isn't just about my friends who I wasn't there to protect. This is about standing on my own two feet." With his wrists dangling off his thighs, his fists balled tightly. "When I had to be rescued to get those Magical Barrier Particles out, do you know how helpless I felt? Do you? I felt pathetic. I couldn't be there when the guild needed me. Even more than that, I nearly lost Freed and the others because of it. This time, even if it is once, I want to stand on my own two feet when this is all over. I want to defend the guild with my own hands and not get handicapped like that again. I swear, I will fight my own battles, but for not just my friends, but for my own self-worth."

Vanessa could hear the mix of anger and resolution in Laxus' words. If she wanted to say it, she could very well say the exact same thing. She cared deeply about the guild and her friends. If she was weak and had to be rescued, sure she'd be grateful, but she wouldn't take it lying down. She got strong for a reason, and that was to protect her brother and fight her own battles as well.

She turned away, the sound of her feet decreasing. "Well we're all getting some shut eye. If you want to hold your own ground, you can't do it when you're sleep deprived." She said.

Laxus looked back over his shoulder, watching Vanessa walk back to the campsite. As she departed, he looked back up towards the moon, staring at its luminescent glow.

While back at the camp, everyone was already starting to fall asleep. Gray found himself stuck in the sleeping bag with Juvia, much to his own discomfort. Wendy and Carla were holding the other as they were sound asleep. Erza and Vanessa shared their own sleeping bag, the two sister-figures to one another resting up for tomorrow.

Laxus' determination shined as brightly as the moon as he got up from the rock at long last. _'I'll make the guild proud of me. I won't hold anyone back. Freed, Ever, Bickslow, we'll see each other soon. I swear.'_

* * *

As Natsu laid in his bed, he was sound asleep and looking as though he was going to be out for some time. As the room was filled with patients on the other side of the curtains, there was really one visitor who was awake, and one asleep.

As Lucy slept by Natsu's side, Happy was the only one who was pondering. Though pondering wouldn't begin to describe what he had felt when he was watching Natsu's vicious confrontation with the likes of Zeref.

 _Natsu panted as the steam and dust around him and Zeref flowed. He was exhausted, battered, and he was clutching his flaming fists tight. The right side of his cheek still hurt profusely as the fresh mark was still there from one of Zeref's attacks getting to him. However, Zeref himself had his clothes all charred and tattered._

 _With momentum gone, Zeref stared Natsu with a sullen gaze. "Natsu…you've really gotten strong, haven't you?"_

 _Natsu continued to pant, refusing to acknowledge Zeref's praise._

" _Maybe you will in fact be the one to stop me…at least that's what I've believed for a while. But now my goal is settled. I intend to eradicate humanity and the world as I see fit. But, seeing you now…" A smile crossed his face. "I believe your next attack will indeed test my abilities as an immortal. It's up to you, really. But before you do, you deserve to know one small truth."_

" _Hm?" Natsu raised a brow. While he was an enemy, there was something about Zeref that made him wondrous. The way Zeref smiled with sincerity, it made Natsu feel unnerved._

 _The winds shifted between, heated dust clearing out to see the other's face._

" _My name in full is Zeref Dragneel. Natsu…I am your brother."_

 _All sense of time stopped when Natsu's ears caught wind of what was told. His eyes widened in horror as he was met with one bit of truth that turned his entire world upside down. Him? The brother of Zeref, and they looked almost nothing alike. How?_

 _Happy watched from above, his equally shocked as his best friend was announced. "Huh?"_

" _It was 400 years ago. Our parents were killed when they were engulfed in dragon fire…you included."_

 _Natsu recoiled, taking an uneven step back. "What…what are you saying?"_

" _I have done everything in my power to bring you back to life, but during the process, I made something that would change everything." Zeref paused. "Etherious. That's when you were created once more. Natsu Dragneel…E.N.D."_

 _Once again, the world itself was no bother to the likes of the bewildered Natsu and Happy. Natsu couldn't even come close to understanding the outrageous details he was given by his so-called brother. This unfathomable concept was perhaps the most ridiculous in his entire life. Happy – his best friend – was more worried than afraid. The cat looked in horror at his supposed friend and the terror spilled on his face._

" _N-Natsu! Don't listen to him!" Happy insisted._

 _Natsu heard his voice, showing a face of anger over anxiety. "Yeah! What cruddy nonsense is that?! What makes you think that I'm your brother? Let alone E.N.D? Even I'm not that dumb!" He denied. "Igneel said it himself that he couldn't kill E.N.D. If I were him, then he couldn't-"_

" _Perhaps you aren't thinking out of logic." Zeref imposed. "He couldn't kill you because he_ _ **loved**_ _you. He could've, but he didn't."_

 _The argument began to grit against Natsu, his impatience rising and fists clutching. "E.N.D created Tartaros and those monsters! There's no way I did that!"_

 _Zeref frowned and raised a hand. In his palm, energy misted into a manifestation, becoming the Book of E.N.D. "Correction: Mard Geer created Tartaros. He picked this up and made the fable believable. It was nothing but a lie." He tilted his hand and allowed the book to fall to the ground. "But in that sense, you created the monsters."_

 _Natsu's eyes widened as he denied him. "I'M NOT E.N.D! THERE'S NO WAY I-!" Zeref cut him off when his palm blast a small hole within the book, going straight through. Natsu felt a horrific pain in his abdomen and yelled out loud, clutching the spot that was dangerously close to his heart. He faltered to a knee, gagging as the pain intensified._

 _Happy's face fell, his fears realized. It was true._

" _You never were one to listen." Zeref said. "You didn't even want to read or write. That's why I talked to a friend of mine…Igneel."_

 _Natsu lifted his head, snarling at Zeref in denial. "Igneel? Friend?" He panted._

" _Igneel wasn't like the other dragons at the time. He was more neutral than anything else, so he was open to humans than accept ill will. I met him by chance when I was getting herbs for my research. Metalicana fell into the concept of Dragon Slayer Magic to pass down to his foster child, and that's when the dragons and I collaborated on transcending time and space to enter the future. By using Dragon Soul Technique, they would influence your Dragon Slayer powers to where they could help you take down the prime reason they did all this – the destruction of Acnologia."_

 _Natsu's glare only hardened._

" _Why the future, you ask? The dragons were weakening, so they devised a theory that by transporting you to a time where the ethernano concentration was high, their powers would stabilize. They needed it in order to break the spell they upon themselves." Zeref once again had a smile cross his face. "5 children were chosen: Natsu. Gajeel. Wendy. Sting. And Rogue. All orphans, but you had me, yet I gave Igneel consent. Acnologia was not my problem to deal with, for I only cared about you getting stronger, so that you can fulfill your destiny in destroying me. There was one more involved, and she was crucial in this operation, Anna. She opened the door for us and you all went through the Eclipse Gate to the other side, where Layla Heartfilia opened the door. July 7_ _th_ _, X777. You thought it was the day all dragons vanished…when instead it was the day you had awoken. You were all born children from 400 years ago."_

 _Yet again Natsu was unable to believe anything. Sweat dripped down his face, terror spilling. His teeth began gritting. "Shut up…" He snarled._

" _I've watched so much since those 400 years…"_

" _Shut up!"_

" _I lost so many, and life and death was pretty much a void…"_

" _I SAID SHUT UP!" Natsu snapped, running in a mad dash towards Zeref. "I'M NOT BELIEVING ANYTHING YOU SAY!"_

 _Zeref maintained a smile. "You are a demon that I created. If I die…" Tears began to swell from his misting eyes. "Then you die as well."_

 _Flames began to surge in Natsu's fist as he charged closer. "SO WHAT?!"_

 _A blur shot down, revealing himself to be a crying Happy. "Natsu!"_

" _I won't dare hesitate! I'm not quitting! I'm not relying on Nic or anything to fight my fights! I'm the one ending you, Zeref! I don't care what happens otherwise!"_

 _Zeref's smile, however, only widened. "This is your last chance, Natsu…"_

 _He closed his eyes, waiting for the attack that could test his immortality. However, rather than feel the burn that would incinerate skin, a wind grazed his face. He opened his eyes, widening them in surprise when he saw Natsu lifted into the air by Happy. By the look on his face, Natsu also looked surprised._

" _What the-?! Happy!" Natsu shouted. "Let me go! I gotta finish this!"_

 _Happy's paws were starting to burn. They were steaming, and he felt like they were going to burn him down to the bone. But no matter how much he wanted to let go, he only tightened his grip. "No…I'm not letting go…"_

 _Natsu looked back towards him, his eyes widening as he was seeing Happy crying pools of tears. They dripped constantly, shocking him. "Happy…"_

" _I'm_ _ **not**_ _letting go! Not ever! I don't want you to die!" He wailed._

 _Natsu could feel a light weight on his right arm, whipping his head to seeing the draconic tattoo that was Igneel's power dissipating. The tattoo began to slowly fade with the steam, leaving him shocked. "Gngh! Happy! Stop! If I don't do this, I'll never get another chance to use Igneel's power!"_

" _BUT YOU'RE MY FRIEND! MY BEST FRIEND! DON'T YOU FEEL THE SAME WAY?!"_

 _Natsu looked at him with surprise once again. As Happy whisked him away, he was seeing the tears pool incredulously. His elfishness was causing greater pain than intended, and he almost lost his pal because of his ambition and need for revenge. No amount of pride or legacy could be worse than harming a dear friend._

" _We're going home!" Happy cried aloud as he soared back home, while Natsu hanged his head down, saddened by his waste of great power._

Happy looked down at Natsu, watching him rest up from his battle he had to withdraw from. His face grew from worried to one of resolve. As Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, and Ichiya were all asleep, Happy's paws tightened. "I won't let you die." He whispered. "There's got to be another way. There has to be…"

* * *

The nighttime sky was silent in another location. However, instead of quiet sleep, the pair of August and Jacob kept on their trail for the Fairy Tail guild. The bewildering events as of earlier rendered them unable to sleep, for they were unsound with Acnologia's approach. He swiped down one of the Spriggan 12 like he was nothing. If he could do that, then who knows what or when he'll strike next.

The duo kept walking through the wasteland, having no course but forward. It was just the two of them; two of the Spriggan 12 side by side and retaining stone faced expressions.

Finally, after walking such a prolonged period of time, the tapping of August's staff stopped. Jacob turned around, seeing August at a standstill and facing the sky. "August?"

The wind shifted on August's face. The man stared blankly at the sky without much need to move. As he stared, he looked lost; confused one might say. The nighttime wind had only strengthened as he muttered weakly. "A world…"

Jacob caught wind of August's murmuring. "What was that?"

"A world that is reaching a new era. Time ever flows, and with it brings the ever-changing atmosphere that takes one life and brings forth another. The age of dragons has come to a close, yet the age of Pokémon is on the verge of its very own dawn. And the only one who wishes to bring that dawn to dusk is Acnologia." He took a solemn pause as he lowered his head to a downward angle, yet he faced ahead with a defined glare. "The treasures of the era endangered to its last dragon will not fall to his majesty so easily. As long as Pokémon and Nic breathe, Acnologia will not rest. This battle that we face ahead of us; if we are to make Acnologia acknowledge us and the threat we impose as well as his majesty, we must do everything in our power…" His eyes narrowed. "And get to Nic before the Dragon King rampages."

Jacob understood completely. Personally, he agreed with August, but saying it wouldn't change the fact that he wanted to annihilate Acnologia on the spot; not just out of fear, but anger. He mocked the Spriggan 12 and their authority. And he wasn't paying attention to them. The insult was something he refused to ignore. "We shall strike where the iron is hottest. We shall find Fairy Heart and destroy Acnologia's nemesis before he gets the chance."

August nodded in agreement. "Defeating Nic will prove to be of no simple task. I am afraid that with the otherworldly power that he possesses, we may need to strengthen our resolve."

"I'm sure we'll have your wish met. I have just received word that Lady Irene and her forces from the north have just cleared all of Seven. Those Rune Marines and that so-called Poison God Slayer was frail glass. I'll let her own immediately to have a fraction of her forces to apply an interception towards southeast…if you wish."

August nodded in approval. "Yes." He began to walk once more, his staff tapping against the ground. "Do not waver, however. If we want to get Fairy Heart successfully, we must destroy Fairy Tail's Luminous. The light fading will force their hand."

Jacob darkly grinned. "Good. I can't wait."

* * *

The night that was black as could be had soon waned into a shimmering sunrise over its coast. A new day had come, and with it came the revived ambitions that were to clash between two nations. The war had reached its next day of continuation, and this time, Fiore was ready to fight back.

Of course as the sun had started rising, smoke from a forest began to dissipate. The smoke came from a campsite, where in its center was a burned-out fire. Laying on the ground, Sophie and Cana were sleeping in the sleeping bags that they had packed, making their night as sound as could get. As they slept on, there was another individual in the party – a certain someone who was accustomed to sleeping and spending time in trees. Up in the canopy, shrouded by leaves and branches from any ongoing birds or possible enemies, was Nic.

Nic had his arms crossed and leaned against the trunk. His head was craned to the side, his eyes opening when the first rays of sun hit his face. He began to slowly awaken, sitting upright and adjusting his body so that he was sitting with legs dangling on the side. He looked around, seeing the tree leaves shifting and rustling; not f insecurity, but of comfort. Like any other morning. He looked down below, staring twenty feet below at the ground. Thankfully he could get a birds eye view of Sophie and Cana, watching them starting to stir.

"Damn sun…" Cana groaned, turning in her sleeping bag away from her nemesis of the morning.

Sophie yawned as she bent upwards in her sleeping back. "This is why we tried to get you to **not** drink before bed."

Cana could only groan louder to respond.

"Hey! You both up yet?!" Nic shouted from above.

Sophie recognized the voice and looked up to the tree above, where standing upright was a black and purple-clothed figure she knew full-well was a morning person. "Am now." She deadpanned.

"Good." Nic leaped down from branch to branch, making little effort in securing foothold for each one until he at last reached the bottom. On his two feet, he knelt down and stretched his inner thighs, readying to tackle the day.

During his stretching, Cana aroused from the sleeping back, bending backwards to get her spine in place. "Gnnnngh! Man, what a night." She turned towards the others, seeing as how they were up and getting limber before advancing. "Well aren't we a peachy bunch."

The hefty sarcasm in her voice was ignored by her comrades, but she carried on like it was no big deal either. Once the group had themselves all stretched out and their supplies stashed away, they stood ready for the operation to commence.

"So from what we know and scouted, the forest stretch concludes a mile ahead of us, that means whatever cover we possess, we can assume that with the unknown capabilities of the Spriggan 12 that it will not matter regardless." Nic deduced.

"So basically they can sense our magic and easily read our pinpoints." Cana said.

"From how I see it, yes. Blind spots are essential to us, but with what we've seen of their powers, they'll mow down the forest just to get pass us." Nic pointed at the brown side of the map they were using as a reference, which was on the right side. "That being said, we may as well hurry forward and intercept them in the wasteland along with the Wizard Saints."

"So we're going with the wasteland space provided to give ourselves versatile range." Sophie indicated. "Aren't you worries about the Wizard Saints?"

"They know better than to stand in the way when one attacks another. Even I'm not dumb enough to stand and get shot. So if we all simultaneously attack the 3 Spriggans, our odds should even out to where we may at least push them back."

"Sounds simple to me." Cana chimed. "This is a big deal for just 3 Spriggans though. You sure you're not overdoing it with the thinking?"

Nic took a glance at Cana, showing his blue eyes. "Well it's overkill to use a Frenzy Plant on a Pidgey, but these are high class mages we're talking about. You've sensed The other 3 and their Magic Power, haven't you? Besides, you heard from the others of one's magic having a weakness that can be exploited. As far as I know, we may only have a single shot."

"Otherwise they'll be pushing us back instead, sound about right?" Sophie inquired.

"Basically." Nic nodded. "But we might still have some time before we reach them. We need to hurry and…" Nic slowly began to trail off from his sentence, his voice downgrading as his head began turning away towards west.

Cana raised a brow. "Uh, Nic? Is everything…?"

"Quiet."

Cana silenced at Nic's voice. It was harsh. Something was going on, and Nic was able to feel it as clear as day. She stayed silent and slowly turned with Sophie towards the west, where the sun's beams were shimmering towards the blue sky.

Sophie hummed with a shocked note as she turned towards west. "Hm…!"

The atmosphere was different compared to what they had felt before. It felt…wrong somehow.

"You feel that?" Nic asked. "There's something with the magic."

"I'm getting an incredible amount." Sophie murmured.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm thinking it isn't a good sign." Cana said.

"Only one way to be sure." Nic pivoted towards a tree. "Let's get going!" He zipped towards it with great speed, ending up at the base in no time and jumping upwards. His wrist caught the branch, and he swung up and over, flipping onto a branch and beginning to jump from tree to tree, zipping in a straight line.

"Hey, wait up! Would ya?" Cana chased after Nic, with Sophie following next.

All three darted through the woods, making way towards the ominous swell of power they could've felt from the distance. It was grand, almost to where it was making their nerves crawl. Whatever was up ahead, they knew for certain that it was beyond hectic. As Nic leaped ahead like a ninja, Cana and Sophie from below tailed on, hurrying to where they saw a point of exit.

"The clearing…" Sophie huffed.

"I can see it too." Cana hurried along, running besides Sophie.

Nic darted onwards, keeping a headstrong haste towards the clearing coming up ahead. The closer he got, the more vibrant the Magic Power felt. It was intense, and even Nic could feel his eyes getting sharper from the Magic Power. _'Is this what I think it is?'_ He thought. He raced faster to where he saw the blue sky up ahead. _'This has to be…'_

He reached the last branch, standing on the edge of the forest as he overlooked the area ahead of himself. When he saw what was making his heart race, his eyes instantly widened in sheer shock. His eyes remained vastly distraught, but his lips were barely apart as he knew from his observation…that everything that he intended had gone down the drain.

The underbrush shook as Sophie and Cana came out, pushing away the last of the shrubs in the way.

"Gah!" Cana brushed a leaf of her shoulders. "Man, stupid foliage…"

"Tell me about it…" Sophie looked at her lower attire, making sure there were no snares. When she did, she looked up at Nic. "Nic! What do you see?!"

However, Nic looked on in despondent silence.

"Nic!"

"Hey, c'mon!" Cana shouted. "What do you see up…" She heard an odd sound from upfront. "There…?"

The sound of footing and stomping was heard ahead. When they also heard shouting, the blonde and brunette looked forward. Together, their eyes shot open, sharing a horrified gasp. What they saw was nothing short of sheer, mortal shock.

"What…?"

"This…this can't be right. Can it?"

Both women were dumbfounded, but Nic above was about as dumbfounded as anyone could've gotten. The shocking bewilderment rendered everything in his mind exhausted when he and the girls saw everything before them coated in black armor. Standing from miles away, thousands upon thousands of soldiers were all present, and they littered the wasteland with their noise pollution and ear-splitting sounds of war cry.

Spears were raised, knives were held, even miscellaneous weaponry was but a necessity with every soldier. It was a blanket that stretched far back, so far that Nic couldn't even see the ending.

At the far end, there was Jacob and August. Both stood casually as the army raged on in front of them.

"You believe this will be enough Irene had sent?" Jacob adjusted his tie, giving a stern look ahead. "I'd hate to see 500,000 come up short."

August lowered his head, giving a stern glare ahead. "It shall be efficient."

Nic glared ahead, his blinking stopping his shock and narrowed his eyes. At last gathering what details needed, he knew the situation had gone dire. "Well this had gone an interesting way…" He bitterly scorned.

* * *

In the south near Hargeon port, battles were ensuing profusely with no sight of end. The spells flying everywhere either caused smoke to burst, or bodies to fly. It was chaos in its own right, and in the midst of the battling, several prominent figures were doing what they could to keep themselves in check and wear down numbers.

Together, Gray and Lyon were surrounded by numerous soldiers of exasperated quantities, but it didn't put their efforts on ice just yet.

"Gray!"

"I know!"

Together, the two students of Ur swiped their arms; right for Gray and left for Lyon. Pivoting, the magic blasted ice everywhere, freezing all the soldiers around over.

Elsewhere, Juvia was swiping her arm, mowing down three in her wake. " **Water Slicer!** " The crescent of water spread forward, expanding and colliding with the soldiers.

With her back turned, soldiers jumped from behind with swords and came down onto Juvia.

"Juvia! Behind you!" Gray warned.

Juvia's eyes widened when she heard her name called. She sensed something coming down, but she didn't have time to react.

"Goodra, **Dragon Pulse!** "

A draconic beam of multiple colors suddenly shot from the side, the mouth chomping on the two soldiers in midair and creating a volatile explosion. As winds blew, Juvia turned around and watched the two soldiers fly out of the smoke cloud, tumbling like ragdolls on the battlegrounds away. When she looked back, she saw that it was Vanessa who was commanding her Goodra.

"Vanessa!" Juvia shouted in thanks.

Vanessa gave a nod of sincerity. "Don't worry." Her sensory picked up again, and her eyes instantly narrowed as she felt a vast number swell all around. Many of soldiers went jumping at her with daggers of various shapes and sizes, ready to end her.

Once again, Gray's eyes widened. "Crap!"

"Vanessa!" Goodra shouted.

Vanessa turned forward, specifically towards her Goodra with a gaze of resolute. "Goodra, **Power Whip!** "

Responding diligently, Goodra nodded and turned to face the midair foes. She curled forward and her long, tendril like horns were whipped forward before being flung overhead, shimmering purple. She whirled her head around, dragging the horns in a full circle with immense momentum. They knocked all the soldiers out of the air, as well as create shockwaves that knocked a few more down that were closing in to attack.

With open space, Vanessa crossed her arms and closed her eyes. Her hands were loose. She took the same position she did with Nugatory Burst, but this time her fingers stretched apart.

" **Lustrous Spire!** "

All around her, teal aura circled the ground around, projecting teal beams that spun upwards in what could've been a helix shape. The numerous strands of aura crossed and spiraled higher in an uneven fashion, until they reached a high enough point. There, they all converged, and at the point of conversion, hundreds of teal comets shot from the point of contact, showering from distances around to close by. The attack showered teal comets to where they made everything around Vanessa envelop in explosions.

Vanessa undid her formation, looking over her shoulder with diligence. "Goodra, 2 o'clock!"

The Dragon-type heard her call and whipped around, seeing one soldier run madly through the explosions. Though battered and armor covered in bruises and dents, he brought his sword up overhead, ready to strike.

Goodra readied to intercept, but from the side again, energy in the shape of swords shot and struck the soldier's side. The soldier shot off into the ongoing quarrel, leaving Vanessa and Goodra surprised.

Vanessa whipped around, looking towards the one responsible for the attack. Who she saw overwhelmed her completely. Gray, Lyon, and Juvia turned as well, eyes wide.

A woman in a hood let out a deep sigh. "Phew…" She huffed, exerting a smile. Underneath her pink hair, her eyes were all too recognizable. An old friend had entered the fray. "Hey guys. It's been a while."

Vanessa nearly felt her eyes fall out from shock. "Meredy!"

"Meredy?!" Juvia exclaimed. From the sound of her voice and her eyes widening, she looked equally as happy as Vanessa.

"Hey everyone." The pinkette waved her hand, greeting the group with her arrival. "Sorry for the delay." She scanned the many faces; her attention drawn towards the smiling Dragon-type behind Vanessa. For some reason, she looked familiar. "Hey!"

Goodra's eyes widened. "Meredy?"

Hearing the gurgly tone, Meredy's eyes widened in shock. "Wait…Sliggoo?" Her smile returned, only wider. "Wow! Loom at you! You've grown!"

Goodra sheepishly rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "R-really? Thanks! But now I'm Goodra, since I evolved from Sliggoo. Sorry for the mix up there."

"Oh don't worry…Goodra."

"Uh, not to be spoiling this reunion, but the heck are you doing here?" Gray asked, getting Meredy's attention.

The pinkette looked towards him with a smile. "Crime Sorciere is after Zeref to. So why not? This is our chance."

"I…guess so." Gray didn't have much of an argument to counter Meredy's point, not that he would deter her otherwise. He turned away, readying for another quarrel. "Guess we got backup. Ready, Lyon?"

Lyon, however, was staring at Meredy, her face making him feel tingly. He blinked, his vision still configuring she was of no imagination. "W-whoa…" He muttered.

* * *

Running elsewhere through the streets, Erza and Kagura were making haste towards the nearby battlefield. They had already cleared out many enemies alone with their own swordsmanship, yet now they were making a steadfast pace towards some figures up ahead.

Erza's eyes narrowed. "Kagura."

"I see them too!" She warned.

Standing ahead were two armored warriors, one being of muscular proportion, while the other was slimmer, adorning darker armor compared to the more bulkier one.

The bulky armored man held up a fist as Erza and Kagura ran closer towards them. "We are two of the Four Heraldry Knights of the Neinhart Squad!" He announced.

The slimmer man with the lance smirked as he looked at them. "You won't pass."

Kagura grabbed Archenemy's sheath and closed in. "Erza!"

"Yes!" Erza had begun another requip, both she and Kagura becoming blurs before slash marks cut right into the two Heraldry Knights. As they fell over, the blurs revealed Kagura and Erza, both slashing, and the latter in her hakama pants and sarashi.

"Let's mow them through!" The redhead shouted.

As they continued running pass the fallen knights, Kagura shot a glare at the smirking Erza. "You've gotten stronger."

"I could say the same to you too." She replied.

"Don't forget!" A voice shouted from above. Erza and Kagura both looked up, staring up at the air above as two more knights were jumping over their heads.

"There's four of us! You Fiore dunces are going down!" The fourth shouted.

Erza and Kagura readied their weapons a second time, however, before they had the chance, both knights were intercepted when a blur of yellow and neon green zipped and struck the two with their individual magics. A burst of darkness swallowed the air, rippling away to reveal the shocking entrance of more allies.

Erza and Kagura's eyes shot wide open when they saw a man with a gray coat with dark fur lining, yet he had blue hair. The figure fighting by him had sky blue hair that flowed down to her mid-back, but she had brown eyes, and a one-piece attire that exposed her belly button with neon green on the front and dark blue on the ribs and sides, with dark blue filling the space for definition on her ample cleavage. Her leggings her dark green, and high thigh black boots covered her thick but slender legs. Like her male counterpart, she had a layer of coating, but it was more of a dark fur-lined cape with gray.

They were none other than Jellal and Bellona, and Bellona had dark spirals in her hands that dissipated. The men fell to the ground, thudding but otherwise were asleep. As the two landed nearby, the unconscious bodies lurched and turned, like they were having bad dreams.

"Sweet dreams." Bellona twistedly cooed.

Erza's shocked never ceased to settle down. "Jellal. Bellona."

"Sorry we're late." Jellal apologized.

Though surprised, Erza blinked and calmed herself. "It's fine and all…" And yet her face fell with a deadpan look. "But why didn't you both cover your faces?" She berated.

"We're tired of running now." Bellona said. "We came here to stop and destroy Zeref, didn't we?"

"Yes." Jellal affirmed. "We've come here for a purpose, and for that, Zeref shall be thwarted."

Erza wasn't going to argue with them, not that she would anyway. They were allies most definitely, and she could at least be safe knowing that she didn't have to watch her back. However, when she looked over, Kagura was but another story. She looked unsettled, almost borderline sweating as she stood before two figures that had her tormented for a long time. Her eyes dilated as she watched Jellal and Bellona stand side by side, and all she could do was stare in bewilderment.

"Jellal…Bellona…" Her fingers twitched, trying hard to not sheath Archenemy.

Erza kept a sharp eye out for Kagura, silent in her own remorse.

* * *

The immense army was on the brink of the wasteland, all pointed in one direction – east. As the sun arose from the trees, the beams of light shimmering over the leaves and canopy showed the unnerved Nic and Sophie and Cana were fairing no better. They were all beyond speechless for the uprising that unfolded.

"But…how?" Sophie despaired.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Cana argued. "You mean to tell me we have to fight **that** many? How is that number even there?"

Nic's eyes narrowed, his unsettled stomach settling down. "Does this mean that they've already defeated the Wizard Saints?" His uneasiness arose. "They've gotten here sooner than we thought."

"They git pass the Four Gods of Ishgar overnight. And now we have to face an army to get to them?" Sophie questioned.

"That's gotta be half a million right there." Cana guessed. "Damnit. If I had used my Fortune Telling, we would've seen this coming."

Nic dropped down from above, landing beside Sophie and Cana. He straightened up, giving a harsh glare ahead. "There's nothing we can do about that now." He said. "However they got pass them doesn't matter at this point. All we can afford to worry about now is what's before our eyes. There's 500,000 of them, and Spriggans leading me from the back. What would that make you think?"

Cana raised a brow. "In the back? Aren't generals normally in the front?"

"If I can guess, maybe they're commanding from the back to avoid confrontation." Sophie speculated. "Maybe they intend to wear us down before we can reach them."

"That's a reasonable guess." Nic agreed. "I doubt they're foolhardy to be cowards if they chose to be in the back. But…" His fists balled, eyes narrowing further. "We have no choice. We'll have to eradicate them all, no matter what order intended."

Cana flashed some cards out of her purse. "Yeah, guess we haven't got much of a choice. We're here now."

On the opposite side of the thousands of soldiers called overnight, August and Jacob were standing and overlooking the conditions. They looked set and ready to battle.

August looked far up ahead, catching the small glimpse of Nic and his two associates. They looked like ants from the distance. "Jacob, I am humbled by this opportunity. I know this chance will not come to pass, but do you absolutely insist?"

Jacob smirked as he stared ahead. "Of course, August. Do you know what time of year it is? It's that time where we appreciate you, the month in which you embrace us with your power." Despite having troubled by his own words, he powered on. "So please, don't trouble yourself over something as trivial as this. You just leave everything to me. And you go on ahead."

"And you believe this is the right thing to do?" August wasn't so keen on Jacob's insistence, especially with whom they were up against. They were against Nic Pularis of all people. If August was getting personal, he wanted to stop Nic. He saw him as a threat, but Jacob did point out an interesting fact. If they were both held back by Nic, who would secure Fairy Heart then? With God Serena torn apart by Acnologia, they can't afford to lose one more.

Reluctantly, August sighed and turned away. "Very well, you have my blessings."

Jacob adjusted his cuffs. "Gladly."

August began to walk away from the scene, showing no sense of emotion. "I will press on for his majesty's sake. But Jacob…" He stopped for a brief moment, the atmosphere growing dark. "Do not fail me."

With that, August's body suddenly vanished into thin air; presence, magic, and all. This left Jacob to sigh and turn back towards the fray, his small but cynical smile forming on his face.

"I shall meet your expectations." He reached out before him, aiming for the trio far away. "Personally, I wouldn't like using an army and it isn't my style, but I'll see to his wishes and watch Nic's strength fall." His face suddenly grew serious. "Now men! You know what to do! Under the wishes of August, eradicate all who stand in your way!"

All the men roared in understanding of the demand given to them. Without hesitation, they all aimed towards the forest, more specifically Nic and his comrades beside him. With nothing standing between them, they charged forward.

Standing like statues, Nic and his squad had frowns on their faces as they all came closer.

"Guess now's as good time as any I suppose." Cana held a tarot card up. "So, anyone care to volunteer to go first?"

"I volunteer Nic." Sophie chimed.

Without a word or nay of say, Nic stepped forward, walking towards them without hesitation. "We'll see what we can do." He glowed, shifting his form once more. Upon transforming, he adorned a bright yellow shirt beneath a deeper-shaded yellow Shinigami top and bottom, the inner sleeves, belt, and upper edging being of a brighter shade like the shirt. The baggy pants beneath were white, and the shoes had bright yellow with dark yellow traces, with white shoe laces. The belt buckle looked very similar to a Quick Ball.

The light faded, but static charged around Nic's body. The high level of static filtered through the space provided, making Cana and Sophie's bones tingle. He pulled out a Poke Ball, tossing it into the air. "Greninja, let's go!"

The Poke Ball popped open, revealing Greninja as he got up from a knee and stood with arms folded besides Nic. With his blank eyes turning serious, he unfolded and stood ready before the vast numbers. "I'm ready when you are." The Ninja Pokémon declared.

"ATTACK!" All the soldiers moved in for the kill. However, Nic and Greninja glared ahead sharply.

"Greninja, I go high. You go low." Nic said.

"Understood. Let's get to it."

In a blistering flash, Nic became a bolt of lightning and suddenly disappeared within the incoming army, while Greninja vanished with grace of a ninja. The advancing front stopped for a moment in their tracks with Nic and Greninja vanishing before the shock of their individual wakes. In a matter of seconds, either a large number was electrocuted, or cut into from the waist down by something purple. Numbers upon numbers were screaming as a singular bolt of lightning zipped through them, the sound of crackling thunder churning spines when shocking them.

The lightning bolt adjusted trajectory, shooting upwards and materializing into Nic.

"There he is!" One soldier pointed out.

Nic's body enveloped in crackling electricity, voltage running high as he set his sights on the many soldiers beneath. " **Discharge!** " He roared out, unleashing a massive conduction of bolts that shot randomly at everything around. The thousands of thin but deadly bolts reached out like a net, electrocuting everything beneath in a widespread area. The voltage ignited everything in yellow, crackling bolts even into the sky.

In another section, the soldiers were looking at the devastation of the nearby Discharge, leaving them distracted to have realized something like a purple glint pass beneath their legs.

" **Night Slash!** "

With a long purple needle in hand, Greninja became visible on some instances, but vanished before the people behind him were swallowed in a burst of purple that cut right through several of their body parts.

"Whoa! The heck was that?!" A soldier shouted. In an instant, he felt a passing presence, too slow to act before purple glints appeared over his body. Greninja appeared behind him, reappearing and sheathing his Dark-type attack. When he did, the man behind him gagged as he was enveloped in a purple explosion.

Without a word, Greninja pressed on, deeper into the crowd.

Nic's fist clutched tight as electricity enveloped and crackled with intense pressure. " **Thunder Punch!** " He went straight down, driving his fist up in the air and driving it into the earth beneath. The impact with the earth created another voltage discharge that sent bolts everywhere as the ground depressed in a wide range. Soldiers collapsed into the shockwaves created, unable to hold up from the quaking, voltage flaring, or shockwaves created from the electrifying impact.

In a flash, Nic miraculously vanished, becoming another flashing bolt and zipped through the crowd. As he shot in a vast bolt, his body curled up and electricity thickened.

" **Zing Zap!** "

Becoming a sphere of solid electricity, he bolted in a zigzag formation, passing and knocking down soldiers by the dozens. They all shuddered as electricity cackled and put them down on the ground.

Watching from upfront, Cana looked ready to enter the fray. "Guess we better get in there as well." She figured.

"I agree." Sophie said.

Together, Cana and Sophie unleashed their attacks. Cana shot cards into the fray while Sophie swiped her arm, summoning lightning from above and turning the foes before her to stone. The two advanced on, both using their arsenal of magic in wearing down the numbers that were gathering around.

Ten soldiers came from the side, but Cana glanced and pulled out more glowing cards. "Bring it on!" She flung the cards into the group, creating another volley of violent, colorful bursts that shuddered the ground.

Sophie stayed nearby, eyes fixated dead ahead on the foes in front. However, with her back turned, a guy from behind had a mace and swung downwards. Sophie easily skipped forward and flipped backwards onto the mace. She again flipped inti the air, twisting her body until she was above the many soldiers.

"Wait, how'd she do that?!" A soldier stammered.

"Forget about that! Loom down!" Another soldier warned. They all looked down at the notion given, revealing the ground cracking apart.

Sophie reached down, giving a harsh glare at the folly of her foes. " **Memory-Make: Charge Blades!** " All around, the ground split apart for fresh incandescent blades of stone to shoot up from the ground. Tipped in harsh lightning, the entire ground exploded violently with a flashing display of bolts and rock flying haphazardly.

As the voltage and rocks settled within the dust below, Sophie landed and stared at attention ahead. She looked ready for another round.

"How's about this?!" Cana swiped her arm downwards, slamming a card with a fountain imprint on it. " **Prayer's Fountain!** " At her command, violent streams of volatile water spouted into the area around her. Soldiers nearby were charging in when they were struck by pressurized water. They were pushed back haphazardly.

The brunette turned away, looking into the crowd of thousands more to come. "Great, this is going to take a while…"

Reappearing out of the army, Greninja crouched and reached for his thighs. "Keep going! **Water Shuriken!** " The Ninja Pokémon sprung into the air, twisting and rotating at a high velocity. Dozens of blinding blue shuriken blitzed in comets that no one could keep track of. It was one shuriken after another, spreading all around like it were rain. The results being of blue explosions going off like popping firecrackers.

The numbers down below fell, giving a mist cloud cover for Greninja to fall through. He landed soundly on the ground in a crouched position, glaring all around before disappearing again to strike.

Watching with a smirk, Jacob showed great pleasure as he saw Nic in the distance, turning from an eruption of electricity into fire and exerting a large-scale Lava Plume. Burned bodies flew in all directions, yet it only looked like a pillar of fire from the distance. From nearby, he watched Greninja's Scald create a massive steam cloud-like eruption that sent more burned men flying. As the fight went on, his smirk only darkened.

"Throw out your best attacks." Jacob dared. "Respect for the Aged Day is to come, and when Nic comes to see my magic, his very corpse won't be seen."

* * *

Walking through the forest, August's staff tapped the ground constantly, yet he showed no signs of looking back. As he went on, his eyes closed as his head lowered. Reasons being were of unknown, but he looked to be mourning. He stopped for a brief moment, still not wishing to turn towards the sounds of explosions going off. He knew the battle had begun, but in his mind, he knew full well of the results.

* * *

" **Flame Wheel!** " Nic's body was engulfed in searing flames as he curled up and spun like a wheel through the numbers in his way. As he went on, his acceleration increased, giving him greater power as he mowed through his foes like a bulldozer.

He arched his way into a U-turn, turning so much that he began to sin on his side. A trail of fire followed, burning into the ground upon the sideways turn.

Reaching a point, he glowed inside the Flame Wheel and flipped out of the fire. He twisted and landed on his feet, revealing his Iron Form. Standing upright, he back black pants and V-neck shirt. He had a shimmering silver Shinigami attire with dark gray edging, belt, and inner sleeves. The belt buckle was a Heavy Ball, and the shoes were shimmering silver with dark laces.

"Don't give up! Keep fighting!" One soldier shouted.

All the soldiers around converged onto Nic, but as they lunged, Nic put his hands close to one another, creating a bright light that continued to condense further into an orb of bright light. Blue static flared as Nic pivoted.

" **Flash Cannon!** "

Spinning, a highly condensed pulsar of white, silver, and light blue energy blazed through the area, following Nic's pivot and striking everything in a full 360. The energy beam created a powerful eruption of white all around Nic, making rock and men sunder or fall backwards within the Steel-type's shockwaves.

As said winds began to diminish, Nic looked in another direction, seeing the forces several hundred meters away beginning to advance. "How many more are there?" He questioned.

"Enough to wear us down if this keeps going." A voice called from behind. To Nic's relief, upon turning, it was Greninja, and he looked fine so far. Still, his answer was hung in the air without much levity.

"Yeah, you're right." Nic said. He shot a glance at the nearby enemies, who were stepping over armored bodies to get towards them. _'They're trampling over their own comrades like dirt. They really don't care what happens as long as they follow their orders.'_

"Nic!"

"Over here!"

Nic and Greninja turned around, both of them turning to face Cana and Sophie, who converged and looked fine, thankfully. Both did seem on edge though after taking out the bodies separating them from Nic.

"Are you alright?" Nic asked.

"For now." Sophie answered. "But…"

"Our guess is that we only got through maybe a tenth of them so far. I can't tell how much more are to come, but by the time we get halfway, we might be running on empty." Cana figured. "We need another plan, and fast."

"I hear that." Sophie glanced off towards the incoming numbers, huffing as she swiped her arm. Once more, shards of stone and lightning shot up from the ground, encompassing the one heading her way in an explosion of stone and lightning. She turned back towards them, unfazed by the winds and bright thunder. "I hate to say it, but we need backup. Nic, can you get all your Pokémon out? Or perhaps enact Legendary Force?"

"That's not a bad idea." He said, but he frowned deeper than lightened up. "But we can't waste all of our strength, not yet anyway. Remember, this is just a section of their army we need to keep in mind. If I let all my Pokémon out now, then who knows what'll happen if they exhausted t this point."

"This is just what the enemy wants us to do." Greninja pointed out. "Siphon us off when we're most vulnerable."

"Right, so if anyone has other ideas, then let's hear them." Nic imposed.

The group was caught in the midst of silence. They all didn't have much to give, other than Nic having to use Legendary Force, but of course with that destructive power, who knows what could happen to them? What was there to do? Large-scale attacks like Earthquake could help, but Nic didn't want to think that far ahead. Not yet at least. He didn't want to risk Cana or Sophie getting hit by an omnidirectional attack, but he didn't want to pull them out of the fight. They were all in this together, so they had to think selflessly rather than selfishly.

"You know, now that you mention it…" The voice of Cana got everyone to look at her as she stared ahead. "I think there might be a way."

"Really?" Sophie questioned.

"Well we're open to ideas. If it'll benefit, we'll hear you out." Nic said.

"I knew you were going to say that." Cana's leery gaze was mixed with the serious vibe she was giving off. Whatever she has intended, it meant big business. Something far more important than the likes of her drinking. "There's one way I know for sure we can pluck out these numbers, and it won't be just our own powers."

Greninja glanced at her. "What does that mean?"

"There's something I have been doing the past year other than trailing Gildarts for perks y'know. I wasn't exactly on my butt drinking up every bar I came across." Cana began to reach for her purse. "You see…this past year, there was something I managed to accomplish, but in order for this to work, I need more than just my power. It needs all four of us."

"'All four of us'?" Nic repeated. "You're saying specifically?"

"Yeah." Cana showed everyone one of her cards, however, unlike the others, this card was different. Not only did it have a golden coin-like center, but the marking and carvings were of intricate gold with white edging. They all flowed into one another, and on each corner, there were four ovals edged as platforms for thumbs.

Sophie looked at the card, her surprise mounting. "That's an interesting card."

"Believe me girl, you couldn't be anymore wrong. You have no idea how important this card is, because this one requires all of us gathered in one place. I came across a town somewhere amongst Ishgar, and apparently they valued celestial constellations. That's where I met someone and he gave me this to summon our most trusted allies."

Nic leered at Cana wearily. "So, what you're saying is that for this to work, it needs our powers and only we as a group of four in one place can summon help when needed?" He surmised.

"Pretty much. You guys in?"

Nic, Greninja, and Sophie all looked towards another with a sense of uneasiness. While they did feel unsound by this sensation of why the four of them were needed, they also knew that they had extensive options that they didn't want to risk backfiring. They looked back, seeing how the soldiers were closing in further. Without much of a choice, all three glared and nodded in confirmation.

They turned back towards Cana, with Nic stepping forward first. "Alright, we'll compromise." He answered.

Cana nodded in understanding. "Alright, so everyone, hold onto a corner end. That goes for you too, Greninja."

Everyone did as instructed, gathering around the card at four different corners. Cana bottom right; Sophie bottom left; Nic top right; Greninja top left.

"Alright, now everyone, concentrate your energy into the card."

At Cana's instructions, the group did as told, and together, they concentrated Magic Power or natural energy from Nic and Greninja into the card. Their individual powers began to make each pallet their thumbs were on shine with vibrancy of gold. Their eyes widened, but they didn't stop. They continued to pour their individual energies into the card, watching as the carving and marks all around the card starting to flow golden light through each and every crevice from the pallets. The streaming gold insignias reached and converged to the golden gate-like center, where it began to shine a bright yet powerful light of gold.

The glow was so powerful that it was making the nearby soldiers halt in place.

"Hey! What the heck are they doing?!"

"I don't know! But I can't see!"

"I think they're doing something big! Don't let that happen!"

Due to being so close, Nic and everyone's hair was shifting as the card was beginning to unleash a grand pressure. The ground around them started to swirl and kick up dust, showing an energy field as the golden glow shimmered with a surprising warmth.

"Cana, what is this? It's like…I can feel all of our powers circulating." Nic said.

"I feel it too." Greninja said, eyes wide.

"This power, it's truly all of ours mixing." Sophie gasped.

"Everyone hold tight! Get ready!" Cana screamed through the brightening light. The winds exerting from the card were picking up to where her and Sophie's hair was flowing with the wind. The three went silent and kept concentrating as Cana began to speak.

"We summon thee in our time of need. May your everlasting voices pierce our ears once more, and reach our hearts once more. May we bask, and laugh as we all did before, and rejoice in the perils that brought us to now. Our radiance reaches up to thee, so we ask you! Come forth! Let us bask in our eternal friendship! Three worlds, but hearts bigger than any! Four hearts intertwined by our bond…WE SUMMON THEE!"

The card's center suddenly stopped glowing, giving Nic and everyone a breather. They thought something would happen, but as they grew curious, they nearly recoiled as a beam of golden light entered the sky. The pillar of golden light shot skyward, beaming higher and higher into the atmosphere, much to everyone's shock.

Jacob glanced upwards, his eyes widening. "What's this?"

Far away, the golden pillar of light was seen by August, who looked back. He seemed surprised, but showed nothing otherwise.

The beam of light shimmered with vibrant power. The many faces of the enemies showed great shock as the sky was laminated in a golden light that permeated through the darkness that was fading from the sun's rays.

The winds howled, leaving Nic and Greninja unable to say anything thoroughly as they would've been muffled by the surge brought on. Their eyes stayed wide as they could feel a similar Magic power flow through the pillar; their thumbs and wrists tingled because of it.

' _This magic…we know it. We feel it.'_ Nic thought.

' _Is this…'_ Greninja showed equal shock as his counterpart. _'Celestial power?'_

The pillar of gold finally expanded into a portal of golden light, radiating the sky. They all looked up as the portal was like a cloud that exploited the skies. They all were beyond wondrous as they saw three beams shoot straight down. They were of flowing comets, beaming right in front of Nic and the group. They all covered up when the comets created dust waves that made them go blind.

The golden vortex in the sky slowly swirled and faded away, becoming a glint that reduced to thin air. While down below, dust bellowed in front of the four.

Jacob narrowed his eyes, a vein popping out of his skull. "What's going on?"

Nic, Greninja, and the girls uncovered themselves, their visions momentarily lost when they looked ahead at the dust cloud that was brought on by winds. They were all looking confused; Cana less confused than she was half-grinning.

"What's going on?" Sophie asked.

"I don't know." Greninja answered.

Nic narrowed his eyes, fixating on the dust cloud and seeing three silhouettes inside. "Guys…I see something…"

They looked odd in shapes and sizes of course, but one was stocky and bulky with wings, while another looked more human-like but with what looked like feathers, and lastly one looked like the shape of a humanoid wolf.

His eyes narrowed further, their shapes all too intriguing.

From within the dissipating smoke, a blue face was seen, with a gruff but sturdy tone. "You call?"

The humanoid bird figure tipped his witch cap up, smirking. "Heh. Didn't think we'd see each other again?"

The wolf-like creature snarled, albeit mockingly. "Long time no see."

All four went silent, their disbelief shattered by the appearance of old friends. The crew was back in action, this time, on Earth Land.

* * *

 **Chapter 66, and BOOM! This is how I sought to finish the chapter and the last update of July. I have absolutely no idea as to how many chapters I updated this month, but I still made it deep within the Alvarez Empire Arc regardless! For good measure, I brought back an old detour I took back in the prequel, which was the Celestial Crew. Here's a great throwback to the Celestial Siege Arc and the return of the old friends that will be seen next chapter.**

 **I know many of you were expecting Nic VS God Serena again or even against August, but I chose to ignore that and instead took the easy way rather than have Nic have ALL the powerful foes to himself. Given what happened in canon, there'll be Nic and Greninja against God Serena again, but meek. As for August, I chose not to tamper with him. The other changes I clearly marked, with Bellona joining the fray alongside Jellal now.**

 **I terms of what I intend this August, I haven't considered much other than getting up to maybe chapter 71 written. But we'll see if I can meet that goal and balance out my real life stuff as well.**

 **Fun Fact: I started watching Digimon again. Still say Season 1 and 2 were the bomb, but Tamers was also awesome.**

 **Next chapter will be all about the fight against the remaining army soldiers and Jacob, so I hope you sit tight until then while I do some sketch art for updates characters. Odds are MAYBE 6-7 days! Thanks and until then!**


	67. Reunion on the Battlefield

As the dust settled in, Nic, Greninja, Cana, and Sophie all stood frozen in place, as if a Blizzard's freezing effect kicked in. Their mentality was also on the fritz. They weren't expecting the army of 500,000, but they weren't expecting the calling of old friends; comrades at arms that they risked their lives to preserve, alongside their world. It was almost too much that Nic, Greninja, and Sophie especially were about to breakdown.

"This…" Nic could barely keep his words together as instead he stared dumbfounded by the arrival of the three figures that stood before him. He wanted to use Odor Sleuth to make sure this wasn't a mind game, but the familiar Magic Power played against him.

"You guys…" Greninja gasped.

Sophie's eyes nearly dilated from shock. "Zeh…zeh(this)…" She whipped her head towards the summoner of the trio. "Cana…!"

Cana glanced over her shoulder, giving them all a quizzical smirk. "You guys up for a little reunion?" She gestured towards all three figures. "Guys, welcome back our old friends! Volans, Lupus, and Corvus!"

The three Celestial Spirits standing close to one another were looking at them with what could be smiles – if a small curve on Volans' mouth was of any indication. They all looked well, and to accommodate the time that they had apart, they each carried their own new garments.

Volans still retained his low, bushy hair with a fin on the head, even maintaining his bulk after so long. Rather than the clothing he adorned so long ago, he now sported a black kimono with gray edging. On the back left side, there was an intricate insignia with a golden circle, and inside were imprints of a fish with wings atop, a crow on the bottom right, and a wolf on the left.

Lupus had also undergone a small wardrobe change befitting his stature. The humanoid wolf had dark green shoulder pauldrons and forearmbands with three slash marks on each area. As before, he adorned a one-piece suit, but the chest now had green armor, with the left pectoral carrying the same insignia. The edging was completely dark all the way down to the mid-thighs, where dark green knee guards were present with dark green bands segmented along the legs down.

Corvus had changed as well, for his witch hat had gotten a pointed front, and he was now shirtless. But he still had black overalls, but the gray straps crossed. One the upper right thigh leg was the same insignia as well. On his arms were two gray bands, which was the front and back of his black wings attached to his arms.

All three friends looked at them like it wasn't anything special, but deep down, they could feel joys spouting. Of course some weren't so good at hiding emotion, specifically one crow-man who spazzes out.

"You guys! He~y!" Corvus cried out happily. "It's been so long!"

Lupus smirked as he snickered beneath his breath. "Looks like you guys are speechless."

"I can agree." Volans nodded. "You all look perplexed. Understandable…" He perked a smile. "But we feel the same. Great seeing all once more…my friends."

Everyone glanced around, their shock slowly coming to a centerfold as the realization picked up, and their hearts pulsed at that instant. The crew was back, and Nic was the first to act. "Everyone…" His eyes began to mist. "You…"

"You're all okay." Greninja blinked once, trying to get the emotions out of his way.

"Well of course we are. What? You were that worried about us? C'mon, we're tougher than steel!" Corvus gave a thumbs up as well as a wink to his loyal friends, but in the corner of one of his eyes were tears.

"You're tear-jerking says otherwise." Lupus teased.

"Gngh-! S-shut up!" Corvus snapped.

Sophie flashed a smirk of her own. "Lupus, Corvus, Volans…it really is you guys." She too was getting misty in the eyes.

Volans nodded at his friends and their respective emotions. Bu all means he felt the same. "Sophie, words cannot expressed our humble arrival. We're welcomed to see you all once more."

Nic and Greninja shook all their teary-eyes emotions and got themselves in check. Greninja managed to smile beneath his tongue. "No, not at all. We are humbled."

"Greninja's right. This was all such a sudden welcome." Nic said, turning towards Cana. "Cana, when did you have time to meet them over the year like this?"

Cana looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Believe me, I wish I had time to tell you, but right now we have worse matters to get to." Gesturing to the large-scale army behind them, the momentum of their reunion died off when some of the forces were starting to snap out of their shock. All heads turned to every direction, the mood of jovial anxiousness turning serious.

Nic's eyes narrowed as he and Greninja turned and frowned at the incoming numbers. "I almost forgot about them." He cursed.

"Right, sorry guys, but I guess we'll have to pick up on our reunion later. We got some old-fashioned ass kicking to do." Cana chimed.

Sophie whipped around and faced the numbers charging for them. "Right."

Volans nodded with an understanding in his head. "You're absolutely right. We were called here for a specific reason, have we not. As Celestial Spirits, we shall carry out our obligation and follow your lead."

"Yeah! Whatever we've gotta fight, we'll do it swift and… **AAAHHHHH!** " Corvus whipped around to face his enemies, but when he saw the numbers, his eyes bulged out of their sockets. Clearly even he was dumbfounded. "W-what the hell?! Just what is all this?! How many are there?!"

Lupus turned around to see the enemies apparent. "Gee, you guys **really** needed our help, didn't you?"

"Understatement of the year, doggy-boy." Cana said. "Now let's get busy already."

Nic and Greninja stood by another, glaring at the foes starting to tread forward. "Here's our objective. We need to eradicate them all!" Nic declared.

Volans nodded in understanding. "Understood."

Corvus' nervous look began to subside, his face overcome with a serious expression forming. "Alright then, just leave it to us."

Lupus got on all fours, snarling at the armored soldiers heading his way. "Just like old times, huh?"

"It will be." Sophie smiled. "Nic, Greninja, we're worried with that Spriggan in the back."

Both nodded in understanding.

"Understood. We'll reach him." Nic declared. "Greninja?"

Greninja nodded at Nic. "I'm with you, Nic."

Both closed their eyes, focusing all their power and momentum into their veins and center of their beings. As the world went quiet around them, both began to flashback to their own history, which began to overlap one another. As both opened their eyes, their individual colors revealed them to glow purple. Greninja suddenly erupted in a voluminous pillar of water, which shot high into the sky for all to see within the atmosphere.

As the pillar pulsated, the raging torrent flowed with a vibrant essence that caught Jacob with wide eyes. _'What? Where did that water come from?!'_ His heart skipped quite a few beats as he could feel an uncomfortable surge of some unknown power flare. _'And this power…is this what God Serena explained to us? It feels like…'_

For the faintest instance, he could've sworn his heart stop when he recounted Acnologia. He only snapped back to reality when he noticed the pillar breaking apart and streaming currents that flowed into a compressed star on Nic-Greninja's back.

Nic and Nic-Greninja stood in place, their dominating power making soldiers all around stagger yet again. It wasn't just them that were shocked; the Celestial Spirits of the Celestial Crew had also went wide-eyed.

' _This incredible power!'_ Volans whipped around and looked at Nic and Nic-Greninja, seeing Nic in his normal attire and yet had glowing purple eyes and the edging and belt glowing purple.

Lupus' fur prickled with vibrancy. "Whoa…"

Corvus' mouth gaped wide with excessive shocked. "Eeeeh?! Nic! Greninja! What?!"

"It's something we picked up along the way. Now focus!" Nic shouted. He began to glow, once again transforming. " **Normal/Dark!** " As the glow from Nic faded, it revealed that his attire…looked very much the same. However, his pants beneath had become black, and his shocks had turned midnight black as well. The inside V-neck turned black, but the edging stayed purple. Together, Nic and Nic-Greninja brought the same foot back, leaning forward and ready to lunge.

"We're counting on you guys!" Both shouted.

"Right!" Having recovered, everyone readied and sprung off in various directions. The land shuddered as Nic and Nic-Greninja became invisible blurs. All anybody saw were two straight lines of shockwaves that went right for Jacob, moving at unimaginable speeds.

As the two lines traveled towards him, Jacob raised a brow. "Oh?"

* * *

Sophie took a running start for a nearby foe, dodging right to evade a swing of the sword. She pivoted and brought up a foot, roundhouse kicking the back of the head and making him fall down. Once catching herself, she ducked to avoid spears that prodded into the two soldiers that were on either side. As their armors were pierced, Sophie sprung to her hands and twisted her legs, kicking them down and twisting to where she demonstrated more of her acrobatic might with a series of backflips. As soldiers tried to follow her, she tucked in and got into a crouched position, then sprung into the air.

A soldier brought a spear back, ready to skewer her. "Get back down her, girl!" He threw the spear, making way right for Sophie. As it closed in, the wind was seen spiraling around the weapon to increase attack range. The spear shockingly struck Sophie, much to the soldiers' delight.

"Yeah!" The soldiers all cheered, but then they saw the spear continuing on, losing momentum as Sophie's body went limp and faded in the sky. "Huh?"

Another soldier turned left and right, confused. "Wait, what happened? Did it hit?"

The spear hit the ground somewhere, edging into the ground. A set of high heels tapped the ground until they found a place leaned against the spear's pole. "You really shouldn't be playing with such dangerous objects. Someone could get hurt."

All the soldiers turned towards the voice, revealing a smirking Sophie. Shocked would be putting it lightly, but before they had a chance to question how, flaming projectiles began to rain in the shape of halberds.

" **Memory-Make: Firestorm Halberds!** "

Hundreds of halberds made of fire shot straight down on all the enemies that littered the area around her. She stayed passive and calm as everything around her enveloped in roaring flames.

"I could tell you how…but all's fair in love and war." Sophie teased.

* * *

" **Wind Edge!** " Cana swiped her card in an arch towards the ground, in turn kicking up a draft that was of fierce intensity. In a long arch, dozens of soldiers went flying high, flipping into one another and piling on.

Cana hurried and ducked out of the way from a sudden projectile blast from a nearby soldier with a canon laced to his right shoulder. The blast struck the ground near ten soldiers gathered around, creating an eruption of magic and earth that blew them away.

The canon's end sizzled as the sky snarled beneath his breath. "Tch, missed."

Cana turned towards him, showing disgruntling disposition. "Someone's playing dirty." She pulled out yet another tarot card, ready to make another move. As guys gathered around her, the card began to spark.

" **Thunderbolt's Fate!** "

The card flashed as fast as lightning, sending intense voltage all around. The dozens if not a hundred clustered together to get at Cana were electrocuted, brightening themselves in severe crackling lightning like Nic performed with Discharge.

As the shocking attack dissipated, fried bodies fell around Cana. As the brunet stood tall, she smirked. "How's that?"

The guy that was holding the canon to his shoulder grunted as he staggered some before regaining balance. He went on a knee, managing to hold ground as he aimed for Cana when her back was turned. The inside began to glow.

"You tell me. How's **this**?!" The inside began to crackle electricity an expanding white hemisphere gathering inside.

A sudden prodding of a card met the hemisphere, shot with accuracy as deadly as a bullet. With card lodged inside and glowing an equally bright light, the guy went wide-eyed and looked nervous.

"…oh crap-!"

An explosion went off, white exploding and bursting in all directions. The guys that were trampling over bodies hurried on over only to get blown off their feet. As smoke brushed past Cana's back, she had a hand to her hip, frowning as she looked more annoyed than ever.

Her eyes glanced to the fallen bodies, violet orbs showing seriousness. "Like we're **that** dense." She sniped.

* * *

"Stop that fish-man!" A soldier cried out.

"Clip its wings and let's make a dinner out of it-GAH!" Another nearby soldier found himself flying overhead when a harsh force shoved against him. As he sailed through the air, the shockwaves caused below made others fall. The impact felt as dense as water.

For those who backed away in time, they were left staggering as they looked up to the intense face of Volans. The fish-man stepped forward in his sandals, upholding a fighting stance. The way he glared was like a lion staring down his prey. The hunted becoming the hunter, intimidating its prey.

The nearby soldiers were beginning to stagger as well, backing away a few paces. "I don't like how he's looking at us…" One deterred.

"D-don't be silly!" Another shouted. "It's just a fish!"

Volans spread his wings, the wingspan startling the soldiers present. It almost made their hearts jolt. "Hmph!" In a blinding fury, Volans shot forward with abundant furry. His bulk ploughed straight through a large number in one go, darting right through them and making bodies rise and fall like waves. The fish-man glided through the men and numbers like they were water. Even through it, he maintained a straight face.

As he ploughed through the enemy lines just by gliding, his eyes squinted as he caught sight of a hulking soldier with large knives up ahead. The knife handler spun his knives like they were twirlers, while snickering maliciously.

"Looks like sushi's for breakfast." He snorted.

Volans showed no fear as he pressed on. "How petty." He blitzed on ahead, zipping to a faster acceleration into the knife handler.

"You're call! Punk!" The soldier raised both arms, handling the two large knives like a butcher.

Volans closed the gap fast, too fast for the soldier to trace. Before he had time to bring them down, he had already brought his right palm back, dark blue compressed water swirling in the palm. " **Abyss Palm!** "

Without any means of delay, Volans thrust his palm into the man's chest. The impact made the armor on the man nearly split open, while at the same time shoot back a pulse wave of deep blue water expelled everywhere. The men in front shot down as water and the guy spouted forwards.

As his kimono shifted, Volans held his palm out still, the drizzle from his attack unfazed him. "Now then, who's next?"

* * *

Arrows were aimed for the sky by the soldiers on the ground. As they unleashed their artillery comprised of spears and magical staffs unleashing beams, they made way for the object of their intentions.

The black-winged man known as Corvus flapped his wings and glided past a various number of blasts and arrows. Albeit with some struggling, he did manage to evade and dodge with what efficiency he could've mustered up. He courageously flew in a circle around incoming blasts, finding a position to attack from above.

"Shoot him down, men!" A soldier shouted.

"I don't think so!" The humanoid crow brought his wings back, positioning himself to strike. " **Dusk Shower!** " He flapped his black feathered wings, unleashing a barrage of feathers like bullets that went shooting down on the opponents, which exploded with shuddering results.

Out of the explosive range, many soldiers leaned back and aimed high for Corvus. Without delay, they unleashed heavy fire, shooting beams up at him.

Taking notice of the fire, Corvus gasped and hurried off to the side to dodge. Barely missing by the hair on his tail feather, he spun out of control, yelling out like someone in a whirlpool.

"Now!" Another soldier commanded. Alongside him, the various soldiers stationed nearby tried shooting him out of the sky. Dozens upon dozens of volleys beamed upwards, trying to strike down Corvus. As they blitzed up, the crow managed to adjust and straighten out, twisting around and seeing the volleys of magical beams heading his way.

"Tch! Don't sell me short just yet!" Corvus dodged and maneuvered around the beams, blitzing and twirling with surprising grace. He sailed left several times, and then right; it was a dance that he was barely maneuvering through and he was flawlessly sailing through.

The men were aiming higher and higher, forcing Corvus to keep a distance. He flew upwards, forced to get out of the blasting radius and twist his body to look down.

"Fire!" In one go, various blast of magic went up towards him. The beams were equal to that of lasers as they shot into sky with no room for even someone with Minimize to get through. However, Corvus didn't need any of that.

As the beams closed in, his eyes narrowed. "I haven't been sitting on my butt you know. I've been pushing myself this whole time alongside Volans and Lupus, training to keep the Celestial Spirit World from peril. This…is nothing!" He dived down at sonic speeds, blitzing in a hefty glide downwards between two beams far apart enough to allow passage. Without so much as a graze, he zoomed down, landing on a knee in a small clearing.

"What the-?!"

" **Night Storm!** "

Corvus spread his wings and flapped them once, swerving in a pivot on his crow talons as a large tornado of black winds manifested behind him. The nearby forces all were either sucked in or ran away as a black tornado twisted and caused the ground to churn with dust and havoc. The twisting black winds created carried men and caused them to sustain burning damage; clashing and hitting one another at high speeds. Even as the tornado subsided, the men fell like rain behind the crow-man, who raised his witch hat and shooting everyone a glare.

"Alright then…who dares to dance with me next?" He challenged.

* * *

Snarling and barking made ears bleed, as well as caused many to fall. As one body fell, another immediately after. A blur passed them, barking as a set of claws raked and slashed straight through armor and weapons alike. Many men who were on their guard heard something, and before they could process it they were already down on their side, slashed across the chest or face.

The large blur revealed to be Lupus lunged at sonic speeds thanks to his Sonic Magic. The wolf pounced on his hind legs and darted in zigzags as the world around him was too slow to keep up. He pounced, snapping his jaws on a shoulder before shoving a guy away and pouncing from the ground to slashing another across the chest, making blood spill. The wolf ran all over, going so far as spin-kick a nearby foe into his own.

As he landed on all fours for a moment his ears twitched as the sound of yelling was followed by a man with a mace came rushing up from the opposite side he wasn't looking. As the man came closer, the wolf whipped his head around, staring at the incoming foe.

The man brought his mace down, but it was stopped by a harsh grip with incisor-like claws. The man's advances were thwarted as Lupus arose to his hind legs once more, glaring down the bewildered soldier with not only his height, but his yellow eyes and sharp rows of fangs.

The mace crushed beneath the grip, breaking like glass was Lupus brushed the pole to the side and opened his mouth, where midnight blue energy glowed.

" **Sonic Howl!** "

He lurched forward, unleashing a loud, shrieking howl that reverberated throughout the hemisphere. Midnight blue shockwaves went soaring everywhere, carrying deaf soldiers that were unfortunate to hear and be close too. It was an explosive sound that rattled bones, yet as the ripples faded, Lupus looked fine.

As ears rang, nobody was aware of Lupus stepping forward with a clutched claw, snarling beneath his breath.

"Okay, who's afraid of the big bad wolf now?"

* * *

The two beaming lines were revealed to be Nic and Nic-Greninja, beaming with blinding speeds alike that not even trained eyes could match their velocity. They zipped left and right, invisible to where bursts of air exploded in some places, knocking down some men in the process.

The bursts of air erupted every second, faster even. They popped like rapid bullets every second. Either men were flying out of the blue, or they were bypassed by a swift sound. Within the chaos that transpired, Nic and Nic-Greninja reappeared beside one another, back to back and their eyes glaring daggers with the perimeter set.

As Nic-Greninja's mouth began to steam from beneath the tongue, Nic's body was surrounded in a crimson aura, which thickened at the arms.

" **Scald!** "

" **Night Daze!** "

In unison, Nic-Greninja unleashed a high-pressured volume of scalding water from his mouth, which he unleashed in a long arch. The high pressure caused an insidious display of steam eruptions to pulsate, sending humid shockwaves everywhere that made the army fly away. While Nic's forearms thickened with crimson aura and he slammed them down on the ground. A pink and crimson forcefield-like shockwave erupted and expanded haphazardly all around. Crimson and pink erupted to the point where dark shockwaves emitted sent an equal number sailing, if not enveloped by the Dark-type move itself.

As the steam and crimson energy dissipated, the hundreds of soldiers enveloped in the attack were laying unconscious as the center showed no signs of Nic nor his partner.

They suddenly reappeared high above the numbers stationed, using the explosion as cover and both had arms up overhead, where a purple shuriken was spinning as fast as a saucer. Nobody even had time as a vacuum of winds surrounded the shuriken hovering over them.

" **Water Shuriken!** "

Together, Nic and Nic-Greninja yelled out loud as they threw the shuriken with vicious might. The purple, aquatic compression began a streaming purple glaze across the airspace as it went spiraling and twisting through the distance. It vanished in the long distance ahead, becoming nothing more than a flickering purple glint that shimmered until a large dome of purple exploded. The flash beamed everywhere, expanding like a forcefield that stretched at such long distances and enveloping an erroneous number of soldiers in an expansive half-mile's worth of energy. Thousands of soldiers were enveloped in the blast with beamed ripples into the sky.

As the winds blazed through the atmosphere, the two landed on the ground, facing away from the explosion and straightening back up.

When they opened their eyes, bodies upon bodies littered the ground. The only ground they could've possibly seen was perhaps the little area of ground they stood on. As bodies laid fallen around them, the winds and ringing of the air diminished.

"Their numbers are shortening." Nic said.

"We're at least managing to hold down our end." Nic-Greninja said. "You think the others are well?"

Nic looked back from the distance they came from, staring at the large quantity of numbers that were seen beaten down one way or another. Granted the others didn't have the durability level like they did, but he knew better than to doubt their abilities. He faced forward. "They'll be alright. We have their backs."

Nic's reassurance made Nic-Greninja nod.

The sound of a clap went through the air. The echo surprised Nic and Nic-Greninja as they suddenly saw a vast amount of light coming from up ahead. The light shined like a beacon, illuminating everything nearby.

Nic covered up. "What is that?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't look good!" Nic-Greninja shouted.

Together the light flashed brightly, causing them to shut one of their eyes and keep their unison vision in check. As the light shimmered, the atmosphere went blank for a brief second. The light eventually subsided, revealing open, empty battleground. The thousands of bodies that littered the earth and soil had turned not invisible, but vanished. Completely.

The two looked around, unsound by the disappearing act of the bodies. Nic-Greninja was the one to speak up. "…something isn't right." He murmured.

Nic narrowed his eyes as he glanced left and right, seeing everything Nic-Greninja saw. Nearby soldiers were gone, and not by his powers.

"I figured I would save the trouble and take out the trash before taking care of the heavy lifting."

Nic and Nic-Greninja calmly looked forward, their surprise kept checked as they faced a man in a suit with a shaved head and face, with a skull on his forehead. By the look he had, he seemed very confident, if not cocky. They were unamused.

The man smirked meekly with his small mouth. "Jacob Lessio, at your service." He gave a bow to the two in signs of respect.

The two were met with their heartbeats palpitating, but the Magic Power they felt was also what troubled them. They sensed it well; a challenge if they do not act so callously. Their glares stayed calm as they connected the dots, from words to Magic Power.

Nic's fixation was set on the man's unsettling eyes. "I take it that you're one of the Spriggan 12?"

Jacob's smirk curved wider. "Guilty is charged."

"So it was you who made your men vanish, wasn't it?" Nic-Greninja speculated.

"Once again, you have hit the nail on its head."

The two stayed silent as they remained careful of Jacob's every move. They could tell by his tone that he wasn't being sincere, nor was he showing any real respect. By the look in his eyes, he saw only weakness in them. He wanted to see them break. He wanted them to suffer, but they weren't falling for it. They had eyes watching his every position; from the gesticulation to the tone in his voice.

"I must say, meeting such prime legends under these circumstances is most humbling. You see, it isn't like me to take an army or division. I was actually borrowing these men from the north, all just for you. Now wouldn't you call that a welcome gift?"

"I suppose from where you're from, but you're so-called 'gift' didn't leave us quite welcomed." Nic retorted.

Jacob raised a brow. "Oh? Is that right? Well then perhaps I should make it up to you…by giving you a more suitable gift from my own hands."

"Rather than a gift, we'd rather have you see to your own exit. Off of Ishgar."

"What a naïve fool you are." Jacob began reaching for his tucked in jacket, reaching for something inside. "Would you really think that we'd go back to Alakitasia empty handed now? Our majesty isn't typically find of failure. Neither is August."

"And what brings this one all of a sudden?" Nic-Greninja speculated.

"Why, it's simple really." Jacob pulled his hand out of his pocket, holding nothing but thin air and his fingers in the shape of a pistol. His opponents' eyes narrowed. "August has no time to waste with the likes of you. I'm just giving him a free pass towards your guild without having you to bother him."

Both their eyes sharpened. "What was that?" Nic demanded.

"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear before. I'll say this in a manner befitting your little guild. August has incredible power, enough to camouflage his power and self without having to deal with someone as weak as you. By all means, I don't think you should even have the right to even think about August. He's clearly out of your lead, so why not disappear befitting that of a corpse?"

Despite his threat, they both held their ground and maintained intense glares on his cynical face. The way they looked almost unfazed struck a nerve in Jacob.

"What's wrong? Aren't you afraid of the might of August?" He challenged.

"You talk big about someone else more than yourself. Is that just to cover your insecurities?" Nic questioned.

Jacob's face contorted with annoyance. "Come again?"

"I think you heard me loud and clear."

"You say August has immense strength, yet here you are right before us instead of him. If you were so confident in his ability to challenge us, then why go out of the way to take us on rather than have him, and talk so highly in the process?" Nic-Greninja provoked. "Are you not confident in your own powers?"

Jacob's frown dampened into one of rising anger. "Tch! You think I fear the likes of you? Don't be ridiculous. I am a trained master of assassination. Dealing with you is like dealing with a fly…you swat them down."

"Such arrogance, perceiving people as flies." Nic boasted. "You know better than to degrade one unless they truly deserved it."

"In which this case is you." Jacob argued. "Respect of the Aged day just so happens to be today, so all I'm doing is lightening August's problems."

"I hate to break this to you…" Nic and Nic-Greninja adjusted their footing, readying for combat. "But we don't respect authority!"

Jacob's face darkened, black shadows cascading over his anger. "I'll make you eat those words when I'm through with you."

* * *

" **Sun's Strength!** "

" **Memory-Make: Pyro Saucer!** "

Flaming cards and saucers went flying ahead, engulfing everything around Cana and Sophie in explosive levels of fire. Many men who were too close were charred and fell over, leaving the girls untouched, if not a little deterred.

"Say, you've gotten better." Cana commented.

"Todah (Thank you)." Sophie replied. "I can say the same for you, too. But…" Before Sophie could finish, her point had been made when men came at her, charging with varied weapons to strike her down. Swiping her arm, the blonde summoned lightning, electrocuting the men from above with varied shocked positions. As they turned to stone, she frowned with annoyance. "That." She finished.

"Yeah, I hear ya…!" Cana's reflexes kicked in and she flicked another card into the nearby group heading for her blind spot. The card exploded, engulfing the many numbers within it.

As both reeled back to back once more, they were covered in a few bruises, of which were also layered by dust. The girls looked beaten and battered, but they couldn't afford to lose ground, even when their immense levels of Magic Power were starting to run low. Spell after spell was cast, and card after card was launched, falling dozens right after another. They had to keep going, and thus they did. The girls were doing what they could, and as man after man fell before them with every spell, something gave in.

Sophie fell to a knee at long last, panting profusely.

Cana whipped around, her eyes wide. "No, not now! Sophie!"

Sophie was out of breath, but she was still trying her best to get up. As she staggered back to her heels, a soldier sprung in front with a sword overhead. The man closed in, leaving Sophie to gasp out of horror. She didn't have time to act before the blade came shimmering down.

A blue glint suddenly sliced diagonally, creating a passing breeze that whipped Cana and Sophie's hair. Sophie's green eyes were wide when she saw in that instant Volans appeared, having swayed his arm around and falling the soldier back into the crowd.

The nearby soldiers watch the guy fall before them, seeing his chest sliced into. They looked back to Volans, their eyes wide with surprise as the fish-man slid his foot to the side and brought his arm back in a combative stance.

Cana whipped back, her eyes widened with shock. "Volans!"

"Are you both alright?" He asked.

Lupus jumped in front of Cana, surprising her. "Looks to me that you ladies need a hand."

"Lupus." Cana again looked shocked.

As more soldiers advanced from another opening, they were suddenly halted when black feathers rained down from above. Black bursts of energy erupted, leaving a shadow to flap overhead.

Sophie looked up, eyes widening more. "Corvus?"

The crow-man flapped his wings, staying airborne. "Don't think we'd let you get off that easy."

Sophie was in shock, but the mage's bewilderment was but of relevant passing. Her friends backing her up, she nodded and found her spirit rejuvenated as she faced an open direction. "I'm okay now. Thanks guys."

Volans looked around, looking at the many who were still standing. His glare did not deter in the slightest. "What do you think? How many numbers do you smell, Lupus?"

Lupus lowered his head, giving a snarl that could churn stomachs. "200,000."

"Great, just when we thought it looked to be 100,000." Cana grunted, pulling out some more tarot cards from her purse. "This is starting to get very annoying."

"I agree." Volans remained positioned as a soldier came running up to him. He raised his left forearm, blocking a sword with bulk rivaling a tank's hull. He swatted his arm and knocked the guy back. "If we keep excessing ourselves at this rate, we won't have much longer until we lose magic completely."

Lupus' eyes narrowed, then widened. "So then, let's up the stakes, shall we?" The wolf's eyes flashed for a second, raising his head high and unleashed what was a loud, high-pitched howl.

The howling stretched into the skies, stretching throughout the atmosphere and rattling the ears of everyone there. All advances were temporarily halted when the soldiers winced at the insidious pitch.

As the howling subsided, Lupus looked towards the sky. "Alright guys! Time to come out and play!"

At his command, the space surrounding Lupus and everyone began to shimmer with golden waves. Distortions appeared and golden energy glistened and began to take various forms around the group.

Sophie looked at the shapes taking similar forms, her eyes widening. "What's going on now?"

"I don't know…but I think Lupus is calling for backup!" Sophie exclaimed.

All over, the golden manifestations solidified and burst into dissipating sparkles, shaping into brown dogs with some bulk in them and adorning green vests with the same claw marks as Lupus. One dog in contrast adorned green shoulder plates and had green ridged armor. The number was varied, but it looked to be about thirty, with rows of snarling teeth present.

A soldier stepped back. "W-whoa! The heck did they come from?!"

"They look mean!"

"And hungry!"

One of the dogs snapped his jaws, causing some to recoil.

Lupus stood proudly as his backup arrived. "Welcome to the party, Canes. Better get ready guys, because it's going to get a little hairy around here!" He sneered.

Cana looked around her, seeing the dogs glaring against the soldiers. "Wait, hold on a second. Aren't those the same dogs that were against us back when we were in the Celestial World?"

"How did Lupus summon them even?" Sophie questioned.

"Didn't you remember?" Volans replied, earning questionable irks from the two girls. "I you recall, Lupus reclaimed his place as Alpha, that means Canes must follow every directive without question. And due to that, their gate keys and contracts are aligned as one might put it. That means Canes will be summoned at Lupus' discretion at any time."

Corvus flashed a proud smirk. "You can say his entourage. Man, I'm always so jealous when they follow him around."

Lupus spread his claws apart and opened his mouth, emitting a harsh howl that stretched outwards. At that instant, the Beta's ears perked and he too howled, albeit shorter in length. The order had been given, and all the dogs surrounding the group went running in a chase after the soldiers. Their speeds unmatched, they went and bit at legs and pounced onto their chests.

As men fell from the assault, the extra room left the Celestial Spirits to ascertain battle stances.

"Now, it's time we show just how much we too have matured." Volans announced. "Ready?"

"Right!" the wolf and crow nodded.

In unison, all three Celestial Spirits grunted as they exerted strong winds. The energy around them grew massively as Magic Power flared around Volans as his blue markings glowed. Lupus' arms and body had begun to surge with midnight blue static, entering and pulsing through his muscles. Corvus retained his position, even as he flapped his wings outwards and burst into black whirlwinds. At that instant, Cana and Sophie were feeling a greater spike than they had anticipated.

' _This Magic Power…'_

' _They've gotten this much stronger?_ '

" **Trench Shredder!** " Volans' arm blade glowed alongside his prowess and slashed horizontally. The blade glinted as its trail exerted outwards, expanding until it broke into the abundance of soldiers. In one blow, their chests were cut into, making them fall over from the distance.

Volans adjusted his position and spread his wings, picking up a strong gust; this time, however, the girls weren't bothered by it. "Let's pick up the pace!"

"Right!" Everyone charged in various directions, once again entering a vast assault set by the enemy.

* * *

Jacob was not having it. He refused to be bested by the likes of he who even made Irene and August shudder in agonizing fear that night. He was challenged, and when he remembered those faces, he knew he had to stop them. They were threats who had otherworldly powers that could very well end Zeref, his emperor. As a Spriggan, one of his jobs was to make sure any threats to the empire was eradicated, that included the likes of **him**. As he unleashed punch after punch in an insidious volley, he was giving a demonstration of his mastery of hand-t-hand combat. It was fast enough to rival the kicking speed of a Combusken, but to Nic and Nic-Greninja, it was but standing still. Punch after punch, jab after jab, Nic and Nic-Greninja leaned left and right with straight faces without so much as blinking.

As his prey was dodging, he had to act fast. With what momentum he had, he saw their heads close to another and gave one right punch with swift action. It was, however, caught by the two reaching up with their hand; Nic with his left and Nic-Greninja with his right. They stopped him cold and shoved their wrists down, causing Jacob to falter forward in a near-trip position. Both clutched their fists and did a unison uppercut, scoring a hit straight to the chin. The pain was flaring as the sound of jaw bones cracking rattled spines. Jacob flew backwards, hitting the ground with a loud thud meters away.

As he was encompassed in dust, Nic clutched his fist again. "Greninja, **Night Slash!** "

Nic-Greninja spread his legs and unsheathed a purple energy needle from his waist and went darting with grace and deadliness at the dust cloud. As the dust settled, revealing Jacob staggering to his feet, he took a leap and sailed directly above the shaved man.

Eyes wide, Jacob reached into his pockets and gritted his teeth. "We'll see about that!" He swiped his arm, but nothing was thrown. However, even when he knew his attack was on the way, Nic-Greninja miraculously disappeared once more, reappearing in a crouched position behind Jacob a second later.

"But, how-?!"

Nic-Greninja pivoted and slashed his needle, which disappeared when it reached his other hip. Jacob's side was sliced into, his clothing shredding and a burst of purple shot him off his feet. He slid on his side, again making a trail of dust.

Nic met up with his Pokémon, both leering as Jacob tried to get his hands beneath him. From the looks of it all, he looked angered, if not appalled. _'What speed…he was so fast that he didn't even get hit by-! No, that's ridiculous. He couldn't have foreseen nor heard my knives. He's just quick-witted is all.'_ He arose to his feet, giving off another grunt of pain. _'But I do have to admit their power is most terrifying. I'll have to switch it up fast if I'm to deal with them at once.'_

Nic narrowed his vision on his target, and he was outlined in light blue. " **Quick Attack!** " Zipping after Jacob, in split seconds, he rammed into the man elbow-first. The impact to his chest made the Spriggan reel back several feet and barely hold his ground as the harsh elbow got his chest bones. It hurt like nothing else and he clutched with an open hand.

As Nic jumped backwards, he was in midair as he crossed his arms. " **Snarl!** " He slashed his arms, unleashing a purple glowing sphere that expanded into a hemisphere that raced after Jacob.

Jacob leered upwards, his wide eyes fixated on the incoming Dark-type move. As the glow from the attack reached his face, a purple explosion erupted, managing to quake up the atmosphere and shudder the ground once again.

As smoke raged through the atmosphere, Nic landed beside Nic-Greninja, both facing where the smoke was resonating. They both knew questioning if it worked was pointless, but also maintained high hopes, good or bad. Their shock arose when they saw that there was only leveled land, while Jacob was nowhere to be found.

While surprised, both gasped and instantly went back-to-back once more, covering their blind spots while their unison vision acted as a 360 radar. They retained defenses as they remained quiet for any possibilities of Jacob.

Nic's eyes glazed left and right, but without much luck. "Where did he go?"

"I doubt that he would retreat." Nic-Greninja speculated.

"Yeah, and even so, he couldn't have gotten very far. But it's like he vanished…almost like a ghost."

The notion hung in the air like it was suspended on loose cable. It was as if any second that their assumptions and conceptions would burst like bubbles and drop a lead weight spelling irony all over them. The sound of what could recount as a gun loading made their ears perk. They knew in that instant what connection had been made.

"Greninja, get moving!" Nic yelled.

Nic-Greninja leaped into the air in time to dodge what was the sound of a bullet. An unknown projectile deflected off the ground, hitting places unknown and leaving Nic-Greninja in midair. He miraculously vanished once again, moving so fast that as another bullet sound went off, he was already gone, reappearing on the ground instead a distance away. He sprung right, darting with excessive speeds that made him nothing more than a blur.

The sound of gunfire went off, yet no signs of bullets were seen shooting. No flickering, no physical form, and no way of telling where he would end up. It was game of cat and mouse; invisibility against speed.

Nic clutched his fists as his purple eyes traced the atmosphere around him. He watched as Nic-Greninja moved swiftly, and watched carefully as bullets ricocheted off the ground. _'We need to stop him in his tracks. As long as Greninja is constantly moving, he may not have a clear shot. Still, that leaves me open. I'll play defense to see if it can draw him out.'_ Nic spread his feet and put his hands up. " **Harden!** " Taking cautious actions, his body tensed up and flashed white. A red aura flared up his body, enhancing his Defense.

Thankfully, it played out just how Nic wanted. Jacob suddenly reappeared out of thin air meters away from Nic, whipping his arm, throwing something like an invisible weapon. With his body tensed up, Nic remained positioned while something sharp tried impaling his chest, but thanks to harden, it deflected off like steel.

Something clanged against the ground in front of Nic, but he only leered ahead as Jacob's brow furrowed and he disappeared again.

" **Harden!** "

Once again, Nic's body stiffened and his Defense increased once more. Not knowing if Jacob would enact gunfire or any malicious weaponry, he stationed himself, awaiting as Nic-Greninja disappeared and reappeared, evading any possible openings.

A sudden blow to the back of Nic's head got his attention. Normally something as strong as that would've made him falter forward, but thanks to Harden, it only made him bob his head downward, undeterred.

' _Behind me!'_ He whipped around, facing the invisible attacker. " **Flash!** " His eyes blinked once before they gave off a glistening light. The beaming light rays shined with excessive vibrant brightness that made it almost impossible to see Nic now.

Within Flash, the shadow of Jacob was seen, his figure seen covering up. "Damnit!" He cursed.

As Flash faded, Nic-Greninja reappeared above, twirling and twisting as he got an axe kick overhead. With speed behind him, Nic-Greninja scored a clean hit atop of Jacob's head, making him sunder into the ground with an insidious thud. The impact was so critical that it made the ground depress beneath. The Ninja Pokémon landed beside Nic, who didn't have any signs of damage on the back of his head.

Jacob struggled as he tried to get up, but his body sustained serious wounds. "You…brat…"

"Now we see how your magic works." Nic spoke. "You're able to turn invisible, as well as camouflage your own weapons. In a way, just like my Kecleon. But even so, this means you still have a physical form that can still take damage."

Jacob got back to his feet, fists clutched as his anger was rising to a grim peak. "Now you're really annoying me, Nic Pularis. So what if you can tell about the properties of my magic? Comparing my weaknesses to the likes of one of your so-called magical creatures doesn't mean a thing."

"We shall see." Nic-Greninja answered.

"Right." Nic's eyes widened, readying his sights set on Jacob. " **Foresight!** "

Jacob raised a brow. "Hm? What now?"

Nic's eyes glowed red and shot beams of red light at Jacob. The beams met Jacob, but all they did was shine red onto him. Jacob suspected damage, but when he wasn't hit, however, he felt safe.

As Foresight faded, he snickered. "Looks like you could use some work on what works and doesn't work against my magic."

Nic glowed once more, shifting into his Fist Form. In this updated appearance, Nic's attire was a brick orange, while his edging, inner sleeves, and the belt that held a Fast Ball buckle were all an orange-brown color. His sandals were the same, and yet his socks were of black coloring. He adorned an orange V-neck beneath. "We'll see about that." He challenged.

Jacob sneered back and tried turning invisible again. "I'm sure with your expertise you can find some way, but as long as I have my Stealth, I can…" He noticed something wrong as he could see his physical body still, causing him to wonder. "Hm?" He looked down, trying to enact his magic, yet it wasn't working. "What's going on? Why am I not turning invisible?" His eyes widened as he whipped up to see a dagger that he threw earlier laying on the earth. "I thought my magic made it invisible?!"

Nic and Nic-Greninja remained calm as Jacob was beginning to panic.

"You!" Jacob pulled out a handgun from his pocket, looking pissed. Without warning, he pulled the trigger and shot a bullet. The sound clicked, and much to his horror, he could see the bullet.

The two leaned towards opposite sides, easily evading the sift-moving projectile.

He gasped with a horrified expression. "No…"

"Foresight is a move that isn't too common for experienced Trainers to use, but it does help in this case." Nic explained. "With Foresight, anything invisible or evasive will be tangible. Your invisibility won't work anymore."

Veins began to sprout on Jacob's wounded head. He looked beyond pissed, for his annoyance with the likes of Nic was beyond measurable. Hell broke out internally, and his prime choice was fighting was out of commission. "You…you…you damned brat!" He tried profusely to use his Stealth Magic, but even when he tried to turn invisible, it was no good. He still saw himself. Nic saw him, and that rendered him unable to act accordingly.

In a heated rage, Jacob threw a large knife at them. The projectile flew through the air, but all Nic and Nic-Greninja did was catch it in their hands. Right and left hands clutched the guard, making Jacob gasp once gain. He watched in horror as both clutched so tightly that the knife broke apart.

The fragments sprinkled down onto the ground, leaving him in anguish and hostility. "Grrrr…then how about this?!" He brought his hands together. "I'll make you all disappear into a slow, agonizing demise!"

He clapped his hands together, the sound reverberating with ecstatic Magic Power. However, nothing was happening. The air distorted briefly around Jacob, Nic, and Nic-Greninja, but that was all.

His hysteria was growing worse. "What?! Why aren't you teleporting away?!"

Nic looked calmly as his opponent's flare was out of control. He saw how severely cracked Jacob was. "If you're intending Spatial Magic on me, it won't work. All space and space-related magic has no effect on me."

His options were out. He was mad. He was infuriated. He refused to lose. Nic made him crack apart, and he refused to see him stand there with that stupid, calm, serious expression. His face completely black with darkness, Jacob made a mad dash ahead and pulled back a fist. "God damn you! Damn you! Damn you!" He shrieked.

Nic glanced over towards Nic-Greninja, then back at Jacob. They knew how to proceed, and Nic-Greninja nodded as Nic held up his own clutched fist. The fist glowed red and orange, flaring like an explosion going off.

" **Dynamic Punch!** "

Fast and quick, Nic ducked from Jacob's punch and drove his explosive fist into Jacob's abdomen. A ripple of energy exerted outwards while air subsequently beamed out of Jacob's back. His eyes went momentarily white as the Fighting-type move got his gut good. Nic sent him into the earth onto his back, creating a vicious flare of explosions upon impact that made nearby rock reduce to grains.

As the dust cleared and Nic retracted his fist, he and Nic-Greninja looked down at Jacob, whom was twitching in the crater. His eyes were red, and he looked o be dazed, no doubt from the added confusion effect of Dynamic Punch. As he laid helpless and unable to respond properly, the duo towered above, glaring down at him.

"This isn't your land. This is ours." Nic glowed, shifting his default form. Alongside him, Nic-Greninja's eyes and purple lining were all glowing. "Pokémon aren't some creatures that you can beat so easily, not when they have infinite possibilities and combinations. If you only focus on one end of the spectrum, you won't see the pros and cons of all things. You're on one end, and you were blind to the prospects of what we were truly capable of. Arrogance will only get you so far until your pride is stripped from you entirely."

Jacob grunted as he tried to move, but he couldn't. He was confused. He couldn't make out what Nic was saying. All he knew was that as he laid there, he was on the brink of defeat. The assassination master thwarted by Foresight. He couldn't accept it. Did he really underestimate his chances to begin with?

"The next time you go and face an enemy, worry about covering your own weaknesses, and surpassing them. That's how you will survive." Together, Nic and Nic-Greninja clutched their fists. Glowing, thick purple energy enveloped their fists and they looked down at Jacob with a fire in their purple eyes. They raised both fists and brought them back.

" **Return!** "

Together, Nic and Nic-Greninja yelled out loud in the same tone and drove their fists down onto Jacob's abdominal region. They rammed them with all their might, their combined energy creating a bright purple flash that made Jacob's screams of howling anguish grow hoarse. A large purple pillar of energy shot up into the sky, creating a powerful shockwave of purple aura that went through the atmosphere overhead. The land shook and dust waves pulsed with excessive winds from the unison impact. The crater's dense cave-in almost tripled in size as rock exploded at the power of their bond.

As the land shuddered haphazardly, Jacob was last seen enveloped in the purple shockwaves, his mouth gaping as he was hit by Nic and Nic-Greninja's signature assault before fully enveloped in the impact.

* * *

As the purple pillar of aura skyrocketed, everyone else down on the battlefield had been giving it their all. They were all swaying back and fort, the macabre unfolding into an insidious shed of spells that enveloped soldier after soldier. With Cana and Sophie on their toes, they carefully looked at the residual numbers, which were all ready to attack them when their backs were turned.

"Sophie! Let's wrap this up!" Cana shouted.

"Right!" Sophie spread her arms and legs apart, getting room as a small funnel of air began to shift. From around Sophie, a whirling funnel of what appeared to be a chain of memories began to emerge. It spun violently, expanding viciously outwards.

The nearby men were all backing away, but before they had the chance, Sophie had already whisked her arms around and spun the cyclone of memories far and wide.

" **Memoir Hysteria!** "

The hundreds of nearby soldiers all were screaming in pain and anguish as Sophie's memories hit them directly. All the emotions and adventures she carried within her memory were poured out, snapping bones and causing pain that she had to feel many times in the past. All around, bodies fell as Sophie stood in front of Cana, frowning as she had dealt a powerful blow. Thud after thud, and behind, Cana smirked.

"That's how Fairy Tail kicks ass." The lush chimed.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, dogs were hunting down men, pouncing and barking at them. While some were scrambling around, the chaos was the perfect cover for Lupus as he moved at sonic speeds, scrounging up rounded soldiers and slashing clean through them. As they were all being cut down one by one, the dogs Lupus commanded were hurrying with their assaults, dodging and maneuvering with all their might.

Facing a straight row of a hundred, Lupus brought his claw back, enveloped in midnight blue energy.

" **Sonic Claw!** "

Lunging forward, he swiftly slashed his claw, breaking pass the large number and breaking the sound barrier with his sonic prowess. The enemies went flying with dented and cleaved armor, flying haphazardly as the wolf snarled.

Elsewhere, high above and flapping his wings, Volans was gathering his Magic Power and compressing dark blue water. The compressed energy began to stream onto a sphere that was no bigger than a Water Pulse. The dark blue centered glowed brightly, and he threw it with all his might.

" **Tsunami Implosion!** "

Volans maintained his airborne ways as the sphere shot straight down, making contact with the hundreds of soldiers gathered all around. In one go, the men were all enveloped in a destructive blast of deep blue water in all directions. It was an explosive tsunami that washed them away while hitting them like a brick wall.

"Now you think twice before having to deal with my friends." He challenged.

Corvus twirled through the air, blitzing pass several beams of energy in the process. "And now, for my turn!" His body had begun to swirl with black winds, ones that hollered like that of a sinister midnight. As he arched downwards towards the residual hundreds left, he was followed by what looked like a black tornado, while the winds in front shaped into a black bird.

"Time for you guys to pay for messing with our friends! **Soaring Midnight!** "

The crow-shaped tornado flew directly above the ground. The energy emitted was beyond cataclysmic as chaotic maelstroms flared everywhere. Black winds racing at unimaginable speeds picked up soldiers, while at the same time whirled their numbers beyond what was expected to be a safe landing.

Hundreds of bodies fell from the sky, smashing into the ground as the winds from Corvus' move dialed down. As black winds subsided, Corvus glided ahead, eventually sliding to a stop and landing on a knee with arms spread apart. The quirky crow retained the position as men fell like rain behind his wake.

He rose to his feet, looking over his shoulder as many bruised and decimated men groaned. "You've messed with the mightiest bunch to have ever lived." He smirked. "I bet we can defeat even a million-no! A hundred million!"

"Alright, alright, don't go running your mouth like an ostrich." Lupus sniped, walking up from nearby. "We get it. We stopped them."

Volans landed on the ground, where he, Cana, and Sophie all gathered up and looked around. Everywhere across the expansive miles that covered the thousands of bodies that scattered across the ground, there were the few stragglers, but the ones conscious were being held down by none other than Canes. All the dogs were spread thin, sniffing out the residual few numbers still standing.

"HAH~! YEAH! NOW THAT'S HOW WE ROLL!" Corvus cheered into the sky.

Sophie looked around, having caught her breath. "It looks like we've managed to make a mess."

Cana flashed a smirk. "I'll say. A big one." She teased.

The Magic Power from the Celestial Spirits simmered down, having dissipated as the battle against 500,000 had been decided. As all of them smiled in great pride, even when they had little to no Magic Power left in them. Even with all their magic expelled, they had enough to eradicate all the forces.

Nearby, as the dust cleared. Nic and Nic-Greninja stood tall and looked back at the group, their purple eyes glued to them and smiling with prosperity. As the battle had been won, Nic-Greninja's body glowed, and the energy around him dissipated and reverted him back to being Greninja.

They then looked towards the other, smiling.

* * *

Miles upon miles away, within the wasteland's confines, the winds passed through a valley, where it transcended through the crevices and entered larger spaces. As the winds breezed with some form of bizarre appeal in them, they grazed past the familiar dark blue hair of Acnologia. The Dragon King stopped dead in his tracks and eyes widened at the sensation. As he looked surprised, he could very well smell it from the distance.

His head slowly turned towards the direction the wind came from, his intense eyes glaring daggers into the norm. "…Pokémon…" He murmured bitterly.

* * *

 **New chapter! As you guys could see, I made it all 100% original.**

 **So I made the prime focus of this chapter mainly about the Celestial Crew and getting their groove back together, as well as show off their increased power from their time apart. While the numbers they had to deal with were staggering, keep in mind that last chapter that Nic and the others chipped off a decent amount before gathering reinforcements. Speaking of battle, I thought this would be a good time to show off some old school status moves like Harden and Flash. I was rewatching Ash VS Morty to get inspiration and insight on how Foresight worked. Suffice to say that I think I made it work.**

 **For those who don't know, I have put up yet another new poll in regards to future plans. Vote and hope to get some insight from you guys!**

 **Okay, so my guess this time is that it'll be maybe a week, if not several more days, for another update, but I have 3 reasons: I need to leave my trademark long and detailed reviews on some of my favorite stories, I want to get a short update on** _ **Kalos Vacation Training**_ **, and after a very long patience will try and update** _ **One's Road to Remembrance**_ **, so that's why the next update may be a short while.**

 **So as usual, give me your thoughts and reviews and hope you enjoyed with battle-filled chapter! :)**


	68. The Day of Deja Vu

The battlefield was littered in bodies from the feet beneath all the way to where the land disappeared. There was not but one person who was battered or otherwise wounded within the battle that pit quantity over quality. The sheer number was staggering alone, yet in the end, they all still fell to the might of the seven who lead the charge.

Everybody littering the ground was having some form of net-like coating on their bodies. As odd as it looked, even Jacob, of whom was disarmed by Nic after his defeat, was covered in what looked like a silky spider web. They were all stuck in place, incapacitated to where they were rendered immobile, even when some were coming around.

In his Insect Form, Nic had a bright green color on his attire, with the upper edging, inner sleeves, and belt all a darer shade of green similar to moss. The V-neck and socks were both yellow-green, with the belt buckle being a Net Ball. Like before, he adorned the familiar dragonfly-like wings, all four folded downwards as he landed after incapacitating them all for good measure. He glowed when he accomplished the task and shifted back to his default form.

"I've managed to secure them all, for now." Nic evaluated.

Cana flashed a wink. "And that only took forever."

"But it was for good reasons." Sophie noted. "500,000 is a sizeable amount of the entire Alvarez Empire."

"Maybe so, but I'm still worried about the rest of their numbers." Nic countered. "If this was but a fraction, then who knows what we're being hit with on the other sides?"

"I'm sure everyone is doing what they can to suppress the numbers and incoming Spriggans." Greninja insisted.

Nic turned towards Greninja, smiling. "Yes. I'm sure as well." For the faintest moment, he was drawn away from reality, his words hanging in the air as he thought back to his and Greninja's battle against Jacob. He remembered full-well of what he said about his friends fighting and not just him this time, and he meant it. _'I know what I said about them. Even if I do worry, I won't doubt them. They'll pull through somehow. I know it.'_

"So~…?"

Everyone heard a crow-man's chime and turned towards the Celestial Crew, of whom was gathered close by. They looked a little tired, but otherwise they seemed fairly jovial.

"Well, since all that is over…" Corvus' expression grew brighter than before, tears beginning to pour down his face. "GUYS! IT'S BEEN SO LONG~!" He sobbed.

"It's great to see that you four have been doing well." Volans acknowledged.

"Well? Try sweet. Look at those clothes." Lupus said, breaking into a sot snicker. "If you ask me, seems we weren't the only ones who got an upgrade."

Sophie flashed the humanoid wolf a perky smile. "Well that's awfully flattering, Lupus." Now that the fight was won, she got a look up and down Lupus, Corvus, and Volans' attires. They all looked professional, if not formal befitting their character. "You all look very well yourselves." She complimented.

Corvus sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, stop it. You're gonna make me blush."

Volans looked at Cana, his serious expression evident. "I must say, Cana, I was surprised when you at last summoned us with that card."

The brunette shrugged. "Call it a happy convenience."

"That reminds me." Nic voiced, his attention also towards Cana. "How was it that you were able to summon them like that? Weren't Celestial Spirits bound by keys?"

"I'm curious as well. I remember you saying reaching somewhere, and that all four of us must be present to activate the card, but how does that work exactly?" Greninja asked.

Cana raised her head high, boasting her greatness with beaming pride. "About time I'm recognized for something other than my relationship with alcohol. It's a long story like I said, so I'll cut to the chase. The place I went to had an interaction point where I met the Celestial Spirit King."

Nic, Greninja, and Sophie's eyes widened.

"Shocking, right? Anyways, we managed to strike up some contract. I managed to make one using my Card Magic rather than making a key like the ones Lucy uses. That being said, you guys remember those four corners? Well they are also needed for us to press our signatures for the contract to open."

"That's what you meant when it only required us four?" Sophie questioned.

"Bingo, sister. So as long as we're nearby, we can use this card and summon the entire Celestial Crew. Pretty handy in tight spots such as these, am I right?"

"I'll say. You did wonders coming across our friends like that, Cana. Thank you." Nic smiled. He turned towards the fellow spirits, who also smiled. "And we're grateful for your arrival. We honestly couldn't have won this without your support."

Corvus waved at him dismissively. "Oh don't be so modest, Nic. You still got powers and Pokémon. Don't sell yourself short on us."

Nic chuckled meekly. "Guess you're right."

"But even if that were the case, we're still happy to take this opportunity to meet you all once again." Volans said.

Greninja turned towards Nic, getting the Trainer's attention in the process. "I suppose now we should check in on our guild."

Nic nodded in agreement. "I agree. We need to give them a status update…" He turned towards the ground, his weariness shown as he frowned, albeit deeply. "Still, I have to give Jacob credit. To think he'd get August one step closer towards Fairy Tail. We were played from the start. If that isn't deplorable for our situation, then I don't know what is."

Sophie looked down at the ground, putting a hand to her chin. "He managed to camouflage himself and his Magic Power. That's an intense level of skill to manipulate. As much as I'd hate to admit, we might need to redouble ourselves."

"We should at least check up with everyone first, okay guys?" Cana insisted.

"Right."

* * *

Within Fairy Tail, everything was at the very least mildly well, for a lack of better word. The atmosphere was still in stressful peril, and everyone was still on edge with all their best fighters handling front lines. They were just lucky to have managed this far without running into sneak attacks.

Evaluating the map, Makarov narrowed his eyes. "First Master."

"I know." She said.

Where Warren was stationed, he watched with amazement as the eastern sector had one red dot dissipate, as well as the entire fleet of dots all around vanish one after the other. He whipped towards everyone, his eyes widened with joy. "You guys! Big news!"

"What is it?" Macao asked.

"It's big! It looks like Nic pulled it off! One of the Spriggans' signatures disappeared! That means six are left!"

Everyone in the guild hall raised their fists and cheered high in the glory that was their own. With another Spriggan defeated, the escalating war had driven to where the tide was perhaps going to shift to their end.

"Alright!"

"That's Luminous for ya! Our light! YEAH!"

"Look out Zeref! We got our own army out there! And he's gonna kick your ass!"

Makarov sighed, notably out of relief. "This is most fortunate for us."

"Fortunate, indeed." Mavis agreed. "However, the fight still isn't over. This is far from the point of celebration."

"Yeah…"

A nearby lacrima had begun to beep profusely, its signal flashing the monitor. The nearby people gathered around the lacrima, getting their attention in full.

"Hey, looks like we got an incoming message." Max said. He watched as the screen began to turn fuzzy, which slowly showed the flickering image of Cana.

"How do you work this stupid thing?" The brunette groaned from the other side of the connection. "Hello?

"Cana!" Max gasped.

"Max, that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. The guild is here to, what is it?"

Cana stepped off to the side, allowing Nic to become the centerfield of the lacrima. "Can you all hear me? We have an update that you need to hear. We've managed to suppress a Spriggan, along with 500,000 members of the Alvarez Empire."

Warren pumped a fist. "Alright!"

"Oui!" Reedys shouted.

Makarov stepped in front of the lacrima, getting into view of Nic. "Nic."

"Master."

The little old man nodded. "Good work. All of you; to you, Cana, and Sophie. At least now we'll have less numbers to deal with thanks to your efforts."

"Thank you." Nic's face grew even more grimace. "But unfortunately, we have a problem we regrettably have to inform you of."

"A problem?"

Sophie was next to step in front. She faced the Master with her own serious expression. "It's about our enemy, Master. We believe that there were two of them beforehand, but with our attention drawn to the expansive numbers and the one Spriggan, the other had managed to pass us."

The majority of the guild looked shocked at the situation's change. Their hopes were plundering once more.

"One passed?!"

"No way!"

"Oh this isn't good. What do we do now?"

Mavis' expression grew serious as she stood next to the Master. "Tell us exactly what you know. We need the information to fortify a plan."

Nic once again stepped forward, ready to explain. "According to what Jacob Lessio told us, the one who managed to camouflage his magical presence was August. He vanished completely off the radar, signature and all."

"Wait." Makarov said. "The one who bypassed you…" His eyes slowly widened in shock. "Was August?!"

"I'm truly regretful that we couldn't intercept him in time, Master." Nic looked down at the ground, disgraced. "It's because of us being distracted that we let him pass."

Despite the nervous demeanor printed on Makarov's face, he shook his head. "There's no need to blame yourself, boy. You did what you could to put a dent in Alvarez's numbers and Spriggan. To us, that's more than plenty. Don't blame yourself."

Nic looked back up, facing the lacrima. "Do you want us to return to the guild so that we can regroup?"

Makarov looked towards the First Master, Mavis. The situation – from the looks of it – averted to her standards. The ethereal projection gave Nic a serious expression.

"There's no need for that, Nic. We will need you to continue forward towards east as planned. For the time being, just have Cana and Sophie return to the guild hall at once. We'll need them in order to redouble our plans."

"You just leave intercepting August to us. You go on ahead, understood?" Makarov requested.

Nic nodded in full understanding. From the looks of it, he didn't find an issue with the plan, even when he looked towards Sophie and Cana. The girls nodded in agreement and he faced the lacrima, giving an affirmative answer. "If that is what you wish. Be careful."

"You as well." With that, the Communication Lacrima turned off, rendering the screen blank for the time being.

The atmosphere in the guild hall had went stale, for they all have heard well of the full report. The fact they managed to stop a Spriggan was good, but then they had to go and feel their very momentum crushed with August bypassing their most powerful ally, and without even trying. Mavis and Makarov looked unsoundly at the screen, continuing to discern the scenario.

"August…" Makarov grimaced.

"So he can camouflage his very presence. That's why the one signature on the radar is not moving." Mavis discerned. "This is going to be a very unfortunate circumstance we have to counter with."

"So he's setting his sights on us, The Magic King himself…"

* * *

Having awoken from his unconsciousness, Natsu was already up on his feet, and he was crouching in front of Brandish's cell, smiling with great joy, along with Lucy and Happy.

"Hey, I heard you saved my butt up there! Thanks a bunch!" He uproariously announced. "I feel like a new man!"

Brandish refused to respond, instead she continued to face the wall in silence.

"Still, you didn't have to go back to your cell." Lucy insisted.

Brandish's head arose slightly, though she hesitated to answer with her back turned. "…we've been through this. This is war. You can't have prisoners walking about aimlessly, that's where your naïve ways will cost you."

"Oh don't be such a crabby pants." Natsu berated. "In case you haven't heard, we've already kicked some serious Spriggan ass out there in Fiore."

"I am aware. I also heard of Luminous having been able to trump Jacob. I can why the emperor said to not take you all lightly. My mistake, and I don't fault you for that."

Natsu's smile widened, his large toothy grin evident.

"But sadly, I'm afraid this is as far as will all will go."

The happiness the three shared stopped dead in place.

"The month of August is amongst us. There will be no safe haven once the Magic King himself has his sights set upon you. It's wise to muster yourself and do as we do in Alakitasia. We all must live in prosperity and with upmost integrity. August…is the month of fear. A legend passed from generation to generation. You all have been warned."

Natsu, Happy, and Lucy all stood before her, their hearts beating a little at that instant. August was indeed here, and that meant they had to prepare; not just for him, but for the turning tide of battle.

They all looked towards the other, seeing their expressions share the same anxious expression. Whatever was coming next, even Natsu was smart enough to heed it.

* * *

Cana's arms stretched overhead, getting her muscles loosened up. "Mmmm, guess it's high time we get back home, huh?"

"I suppose so." Sophie's remark was followed by her turning towards Nic. "You sure you'll be okay by yourself out here?"

"You're mistaken…" Nic turned towards Greninja, both sharing a half-grin. "I have my Pokémon still. We'll be okay out here. You two just make sure you regroup at the guild hall, okay?"

Cana and Sophie nodded in understanding.

Volans also nodded. "Then it looks like our time here is up." He acknowledged.

Everyone turned towards him, looking at them with frowns. "Already?" Sophie questioned.

"With a heavy heart, yes. The Celestial Crew summon only works when you are all gathered in the same place. If you are dispersed, we are sentenced back. Besides, as Celestial Spirits, it takes Magic Power to keep ourselves in this world. We've exhausted enough handling that army, so like Cana and Sophie, we too must regroup."

"We understand." Greninja said.

Lupus raised his head, howling high into the wasteland. The shrieking howl pitched to excessive lengths, getting Canes to respond. The many dogs that were behind him were starting to glow golden, reducing to sparkles that began to dissipate on his command. One by one, the dogs began vanishing back into their own world.

"This was fun." The wolf said. "Let's do this again sometime."

Nic smirked. "Count on it."

"Stay in shape, guys. We'll be counting on you." Sophie winked.

Corvus crossed his arms and gave a cheeky smile. "No sweat! You guys just make sure that you stay in touch."

"We'll try, feather-boy." Cana remarked, putting a hand to her large hip. "We'll see you later."

Nic smiled as he, Cana, Sophie, and Greninja all watched the golden light envelop the winged bulky fish, wolf, and humanoid crow-man. They all knew the time came once again to part ways, but even under these conditions, they knew they would see each other again…someday. This Nic was certain of.

"Until we meet again."

With those words spoken, Nic watched the crew and Canes completely vanish. Their golden sparkles radiated into the atmosphere, twinkling as their Magic Power was exerted and dispelled them back into their world.

With them gone, Nic faced Greninja, pulling out his Poke Ball. "Greninja, take a rest as well." With those words, the Ninja Pokémon that was his partner nodded in compliance and he was dragged into the Poke Ball by a red laser. The Poke Ball was stashed away for Greninja to rest up, leaving only the humans to recuperate.

Cana was the first to speak up. "So…how do we get back?"

"Not sure. I mean it was quite the walk for us from there to here." Sophie said. "Not that I'm complaining or anything. Nic?"

Nic put his hand beneath his chin, pondering of the circumstanced brought onto them. "Hmmm…" If he was honest with himself, he wasn't so sure about using his spatial powers to open up portals to Kalos and then another to the guild hall. He could do it, but he preferred to not abuse the forces of his powers that way, plus the fact opening portals as such was still risky. There was one thing he could try, however.

Seeing the puzzled look, Cana's patience was beginning to wear thin. "Well?"

"…flying wouldn't benefit, considering we could be spotted from above. And opening portals with my spatial powers only works between worlds and not in one world. Physically speaking, we can't get too far without provoking notice of August." He released his hand from his chin, giving them an affirmative look. "That means there's one option I can try out. I'm going to try and teleport you."

"Heh?" Both girls inquired.

"I know it sounds farfetched, but if I am able to use my Mind Form's Teleport, there might be a chance that I can get you both at least to Magnolia. To be honest, I haven't fully perfected it, since Teleport requires a very specific location. Are you guys willing to do so anyway?"

Cana crossed her arms, giving him a rather wily smirk. "Well it's not like we have anything better to do. Besides, it'll save ourselves some walking." She joked.

"What she means is that if it'll get us to August before he gets to the guild, then go for it." Sophie urged.

With their confirmation, Nic chose to go through with it. "Very well then." He glowed, shifting into his Mind Form. He reached out and stretched his palms. "As long as we all picture the guild hall, that should be where Teleport should take you. Now get set, and keep picturing the guild." The girls did as inscribed, and as they closed their eyes, they imagined the guild hall; in Magnolia; in the west. Nic had his picture set, and he began to count. "On three." He instructed. "1…2…3… **Teleport!** "

He swiped his arm, and instantly, Cana and Sophie vanished in a bright gleaming ray. As they vanished the atmosphere twinkled for a few seconds, before the energy dissipated. With them gone, that just left Nic to straighten back up, and shifted once again into his default form. He faced the east, the sky as blue as can be.

"I hope everyone else is doing well…" He kept a regarded path onwards pass the many soldiers in sticky webs, heading forward as told.

* * *

Within southern Fiore Hargeon, the battles there had taken considerate tolls on the many people and mages alike. Some were good, some were bad, but the damage dealt to everyone was beyond drastic. While able to diminish the hopes of the Alvarez Empire by defeating Dimaria and Wahl Icht, that left three factors to be checked: Laxus was badly wounded destroying the Machia, Wendy was injured equally as bad, Ultear no different, and then the worst blow of all; Chelia losing her Magic Power completely. Dimaria taken down meant sacrificing her magic, and though successful, it was still a lot to stomach.

With those battles over, the battles Gray and Lyon fought together were still going on. It wasn't just them, Juvia and Meredy were working together, and Vanessa and Goodra were doing what they could in dealing with numbers left and right.

Vanessa swiped her arm. "Goodra, **Dragon Pulse!** "

Goodra opened her mouth and gathered up blazing multicolored energy. Once charged, she unleashed it in the form of a draconic beam and the attack's mouth reached out and chomped on the unfortunate soldiers nearby, creating a powerful explosion.

Juvia backed away with the cover provided, her back with Meredy. "Meredy, are you hurt?" She asked in concern.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. What about you, Juvia? Can you keep going?" The pinkette questioned. The rain woman of course nodded at the inquiry, answering in silence.

Goodra looked left and right, noticing something that felt out of place. "Wait…" She looked back towards her Trainer, who was being weary with her own surroundings. "Where's Erza?"

"I think she met up with Kagura and taking out reinforcements near the ports." The Aura Mage answered.

"If that's case then does that leave the northern end unguarded?" Juvia's inquiry was short-handed once again when she saw enemies head her way. Without delay, she swiped her arm and unleashed Water Slicer, striking them all down.

Vanessa turned on her heels, using her magic and picking up on the residual aura all around. With her powers, she got an omnidirectional view of the aura signatures. From the looks of it, she saw that Erza was well, including Kagura. What surprised her was how weak Wendy and Laxus' auras were. They were unguarded and weakened from their fights, and turned to face the group.

"Goodra, you stay here and support Meredy and Juvia." She ordered.

"You got it." The Dragon-type complied.

"Wait, where are you going?" Meredy asked.

Vanessa turned once more on her heels, making a solemn dash through the area towards the weak points in town. "I'm going to help the others in Hargeon. You guys cover this sector!"

"We're counting on you!" Juvia yelled out.

Vanessa ran onward, the men in her way steeling for any possible attack. However, they were instantly shot down when the Aura Mage swiped her arm, unleashing an expansive crescent of aura that knocked them all down with shocking power. As they fell over, she pressed on without delay. _'I need to go and cover the weak points. And Erza has Kagura, so they should be alright. But that one powerful signature near them…it's dark.'_ Her eyes narrowed with resolution. _'Erza, be careful.'_

* * *

"This way!" Jellal led the charge across the deck of a ship. He and Bellona both hurried along while Erza and Kagura followed behind, carrying out their objective to shut down the port.

"You sure the magical signature is here?" Erza questioned.

"I'm sure." Jellal assured.

"If we shut down the Spriggan that is on the port, then the reinforcements should dwindle to where we can gain the advantage." Bellona added.

Erza looked ahead, her gaze affirmed. "Very well."

While the group was assured of their decision, Kagura was the only one who was tailing with uncertainty. She watched Jellal and Bellona's every movement. Ever since she met them, not once did she deliberately take her eyes off them, and for good reasons. Even when she was thinking long and hard after the Council War, while her aspects on Jellal had diminished, she still hold an intense hate for what he had done, taking away the only family she had. While skeptical about him, she certainly did not agree to Bellona being around. If it wasn't for Erza around to keep her in check, odds were that she'd probably clash with her and cut her head off. The blue-haired duo did wrong, and not just to her, but to her friends. They played with them; mingled and used them as puppets. There wouldn't be any wound in her psyche that wasn't inflicted by the likes of them. Even now, she was unwell with them being around.

As then ran on, everything suddenly went dark. Pitch-black covered everything around them. It was like the light switch flicked everything off.

"What is this?" Erza questioned.

"I can't see a thing!" Kagura growled.

"Jellal, are you still there?" Bellona called out.

"Yeah, but we can't see." He answered. "Our vision's been…" He trailed off, an unfamiliar case of nostalgia starting to crawl up his spine. _'Wait, this magic…'_

A sudden force struck Jellal from in front, causing him to shout as he fell backwards.

"Jellal!" Bellona called out. A force knocked her onto her side, making her hit the deck with a thud as well.

Without even a chance to question, Erza and Kagura had also found themselves pushed back by some unseen force. Erza grunted as she fell onto the wooden deck, one of her senses gone.

Getting back to their feet, everyone tried to stand forth and tried to pick out the enemy, but it was just too dark. However, the darkness began to fade away, giving way to a rather tall figure. His shape flickered in the brightening light, showing his curved smile.

" **Dark Moment.** " The person who was revealed made every one of their hearts beat. A person who had an impact on all of them, if one did not count Bellona of course. Standing before them was the smirking man of whom was long since dead.

Erza's eyes widened in spine-prickling horror. She couldn't believe it, even with her own eyes. "…Simon?"

The once deceased man smiled at her. "Quite a nostalgic reunion we have, don't we?"

It was unfathomable, for the dead was supposedly meant to be dead. She saw it with her own eyes, and Simon perished back in the Tower of Heaven. She knew for a fact, yet here he was. _'How is he still here? He can't be…can he? It couldn't have possibly been because of…'_ Her mind raced back to the cruel instance of the Impure Underworld. There, she witnessed Nic's parents brought back to life, if only for a short while. Was this a glitch?

Kagura stared at Simon, her face contorting with shock and grief. The last time she saw him, it wasn't during the child hunt, but a recent time; the Impure Underworld. She couldn't fight back, even when Simon was trying to tear her apart. He was back, and this time, from the looks of it, he wasn't looking like a bloodthirsty killer. "B…Bro…" Her tears were emerging, eyes misting without question. "Big brother?"

Bellona narrowed her eyes, clearly she wasn't being fooled like the others. "Don't fall for it!" She yelled.

Jellal shook his head, snapped out of his trance. "She's right! It can't be him!"

"What?!" Kagura wiped the tears from her eyes, shooting them a glare. "You dare think such-!"

"Hm~."

The hum caught everyone's attention. The ensuing confusing left them open to the bizarre yet growing case of Magic Power that was starting to rise. Their movements at a halt, they traced the humming upwards, all the way to where they knew it took place upwards.

Bellona and Erza glanced up, shooting enigmatic looks at the one who hummed.

"What you all are seeing is but the Historia. Historia of the Dead." The man revealed himself to be of very eccentric character. He had purple hair that was tied into a long ponytail, while the rest framed his face. He had long eyelashes and adorned green armor with dark petal-like decorations on the pectoral regions. Armor adorned much of his body, like Erza. Only his armor also had trapezoid, like patterns on the abdominal region, arms, and legs. Around the waist and shoulders were several fuzzy ornaments.

The man continued to smirk. "A pleasure to witness the tale of love, friendship, and betrayal…and thus resulting to death. This is the entertainment brought by the morbid powers of the Historia of the Dead. Brought to you by none other than Neinhart."

Everyone shot vivid glares up at Neinhart, taking acknowledgment of his presence. The Magic Power they were feeling was not normal by any means.

"Who are you?" Jellal demanded.

"Who am I?" Neinhart questioned with feigned shock. "Why, good sir, I am what they called he who seeks the truth into your hearts. Why, I merely project the most prominent images that had the scars on your hearts, and then project them into solid material." He snapped his fingers loudly. "Take this for example…"

Simon's body began to palpitate. His body had begun to flicker constantly. His face showed shock, even as he was beginning to fade away, much to everyone's shock.

"Ka…gura…" Simon groaned.

"Big brother!" Kagura screamed out, crying from the bottom of her heart.

"You've…gotten so…" The image of Simon gave of a vibrant light, one that expanded and then retreated into shimmering sparkles in place. With him dissipating into thin air, Erza and Jellal stared in disbelief, as opposed to Kagura, who was on the verge of breaking down.

With Simon taken from her yet again, she was feeling her whole world crack apart again. She was beyond shattered, and her distraught, misty expression crippled her mentality. With tears down her face, she began to twitch her fingers.

Neinhart smirked. "What a tragic tale indeed, sad little one."

His provocation worked like a charm, and Kagura went dashing towards him without further delay.

"Kagura! Don't!" Jellal warned.

"They're only illusions! You've got to stay under control!" Bellona shouted.

"Silence!" She yelled. "He won't get away with this! Not ever!" Without even bothering to listen to her allies, she made way for the fiend, ready to end him.

Neinhart sighed as he raised his arm. "How insulting, calling my work illusions…" His right gauntlet had begun to glow, manifesting Magic Power. "Illusions and my Hostoria are very different. My powers give life meaning again, and unlike illusions, they have feelings like you. Now isn't that just insulting?"

Kagura didn't listen. She had to end him, no matter what. Suddenly, without even having a chance, she was knocked out of the way as Jellal seized her.

"Jellal!" Erza cried out.

Neinhart laughed aloud as he unleashed a powerful whirlwind, via Wind Magic. The maelstrom was a compressed blast that struck Jellal head on, while covering Kagura in the process. The impact was immense, and a loud crash sound was heard as dust spilled through the atmosphere. The impact was so strong that it reached to the bottom of the boat, breaking a hole in it and sending both the swordswoman and blue-haired mage into the depths below.

In front of Erza and Bellona, there lied a deep hole in the deck. The depth left them both shocked as it swallowed their comrades.

"Kagura!" Erza shouted.

"Jellal!" Bellona screamed in worry. The blue-haired woman whipped her head up towards Neinhart, just like Kagura. "You…!"

Neinhart chuckled beneath his breath as he snapped his fingers. Instantly Bellona felt a manifestation materialize behind her and she whipped around, seeing Erza's back turned towards the convulsing energy.

"Erza! Behind you!"

The warning had reached her ears in time. Erza whipped around with her sword and managed to block a sudden swipe of a sword. Through the cloud clanging, it revealed the familiar pink hair that belonged to a woman who Erza fought against a very long time ago, and her smirk was proof.

The fellow swordswoman's eyes were set on Erza, looking at her with an amused look. "It's been awhile, Miss Erza." She said.

Still holding the block, Erza was still caught off by the arrival of her. "You're…"

Neinhart raised his head, taking in a deep breath. "Miss…Ikaruga, was it? What a beautiful historia indeed."

* * *

In the port waters below, the impact that both Kagura and Jellal endured were of staggering magnitude. The ship's anchor chain had been pulled off, and at the moment, both were in the blue bottom, with Jellal having saved Kagura. However, such a sacrifice came at a price, including Jellal on top of Kagura, keeping her from moving too much underwater.

Anchored beneath the heavy chain, Kagura struggled to break free. It was much harder given that Jellal was atop of her. _'This scoundrel…needs to…get off!'_ Barely finding her strength, she pulled herself out as fast and as hard as possible. She Managed to get herself free from Jellal and swam above the chain.

' _I have to hurry and apply assistance to Erza!'_ She knew the objective, yet something was pulling her back. It wasn't a hand or a fin, but something like her own heart. It was tough to make out, but she looked back at Jellal, staring down at his body. He was clearly unconscious, and by no means able to get up on his own. The longer she looked at him, the more she knew this was her chance to leave him and have him die. Yet something…seemed wrong.

Her eyes dilated as she glared at him. _'This man…he took my brother away! He…murdered him…'_ She slowly swam down, her shadow overcasting the fallen Jellal.

* * *

Erza charged forward, yelling out as she met with Ikaruga in another clash of swords. Sparks churned in the air, and once again met a brilliant standoff. They both looked viciously into the other's eyes while trying to overpower their adversary. Erza advanced onto Ikaruga, her sword parry beginning to overwhelm the pink-haired woman. However, before Ikaruga could allow Erza to sneak a few good cuts in, she brought her foot back and swung with a swift twist. This time, Erza was the one at a halt, feeling her blade lose momentum from that intense swing. Ikaruga thus went on the offensive, this time managing to swing with equal force and forcing Erza to back off. The parries and clash did not rest. It most certainly did not help with Erza that Ikaruga smirked the whole time. However, Erza managed to put of her own back, swinging her blade once more. Another clash shimmered within the atmosphere, breaking them both apart and shooting them back several feet across the deck.

Regaining her footing, Ikaruga adjusted her footing. "My, my, you've been well I see."

Erza growled beneath her breath, not in the mood to speak so nonchalantly.

Neinhart watched from above, smirking with jovial ecstasy. "Now this is a show." He frowned. "Hm?"

A dark galaxy disk went blazing through the atmosphere, heading up towards him. He lethargically leaned to the side, dodging the saucer as it passed by, dissipating in the distance. He looked down, looking at the one responsible for interrupting his "show".

"Honestly, must there always he some break when there's entertainment?" He sighed.

Bellona put a hand to her hip, looking up to him with a look of absolute-zero joy. "You find it amusing to see others struggle?"

"When they're the enemy, I don't see why not. Aren't you all the same?"

"Perhaps I was at one time, but I was clouded by an ambition that left me a hollow void. Now I must make it so that void is filled with a real purpose, with a real meaning behind it."

Neinhart's smirk returned. "Such philosophy. Let's see how that works against my own, shall we?" He reached out, gathering energy into his hand, manifesting Wind Magic like he did with Jellal and Kagura.

Bellona readied herself as purple energy began to convulse around her body.

"Away with you!" He unleashed a compressed blast of whirlwinds that barreled down straight for Bellona.

Her eyes flashed green. " **Goddess Bellow!** " An eruption of Magic power expanded from her body, exerting a large area of the ship in a purple, destructive mass. The exploding typhoon if purple clashed with the winds, creating a shockwave that burst throughout the dock. The waves rocked nearby boats, making the water churn and fellow boarding docks crack from the insidious wake.

The purple explosion and roaring winds settled down, resulting in both unscathed. Both their hair shifted, yet unlike Bellona, Neinhart looked intrigued.

"Say, that wasn't too bad. Perhaps you will be proven entertainment after all."

Ikaruga and Erza clashed once more, even greater than ever. Both of them pushed to an even greater extent, attempting to overpower one another. With a harsh shout, the redhead broke the collision with a powerful swing, forcing Ikaruga to withdraw several feet.

The pink-haired enemy looked at Erza, mildly surprised by her fearsome glare. "You've improved, Miss Erza. Most graciously, I am moved."

The redhead did not waver from her objective; however, her mind was fixated on her friends. She wanted to look down at the hole that was supposed to be the blow that sunk her friends. _'I can't turn my back to her, not for a second. But Jellal and Kagura need help. If I'm to attack from both sides, I'll have to act swiftly.'_ To this inclination, Erza reached back, pulling out a Poke Ball and a Dive Ball.

The two unknown capsules made Ikaruga frown in confusion. "What's this?"

Erza tossed both capsules into the air. "Now go! Aegislash! Cloyster!"

At her command, the Royal Sword Pokémon and Bivalve Pokémon were summoned onto the deck, both side by side and ready to follow commands. Aegislash folded her arms back while Cloyster silently huffed.

"My, I'm not sure what I missed, but I can't help but feel cheated." Ikaruga bluntly admitted.

"Cloyster, go help Kagura and Jellal." Erza ordered. "Aegislash, stay by me. We'll handle this one."

"Okay." Cloyster did as told, and the Water/Ice-type took a surprising leap off the deck and into the hole. He fell straight through, plopping into the seawater fellow.

Aegislash heard Erza's orders and shifted to her front, floating a few inches off the deck and at attention for her. "Let's do this!" She announced.

Despite the new faces, Ikaruga did not waver and pulled up her sword. "Well, I suppose it does not matter now, does it. Whatever you pull up, I shall cut through. Armor and all, swift as lightning itself." Without delay, the swordswoman went dashing towards Erza and Aegislash, her blade veered back and ready to attack.

Erza swiped her free arm. " **King's Shield!** "

Aegislash did as told and she created light blue hexagons that stacked and piled on around one another, until it created a barrier. Ikaruga's blade connected with the barrier, creating a powerful gust that deflected off it entirely. The swordswoman found herself recoiling and sliding backwards to a halt, her attack nullified completely.

"What?" She questioned. A thick blue aura encompassed her body, lowering her physical strength. "What is all this? What's happening to my power?"

"HRAH!" With her distracted, Erza rushed past Aegislash and swung her blade downward, surprising Ikaruga. She parried at the last second, but the impact did more than what the pinkette wanted. She found herself pushed back once more, her strength lowered and Erza regaining footing.

As the dust settled from the deck's top, Ikaruga raised a brow and looked at Erza and Aegislash, thoUgh this time not out of smug, but out of curiosity. "Well isn't this surprising." She cooed. "Who would've thought. The great Titania Erza, relying on others to do her work for her. You've gotten weaker, haven't you."

The statement made Erza narrow her eyes. Unknowingly, another manifestation began to swirl and solidify behind her.

"Grrr. Comments and talk like that is but a distraction in battle." A deep, demonic voice announced.

Erza and Aegislash's eyes widened at the sound of that tone. _'That voice…'_

Behind them, a dark armored foot stepped forth with a deep, shimmering sword of dark static. "Te one before you is but one who does not acknowledge her singular insecurities, and shares them with others. That's an unfit warrior ambition!"

Erza and Aegislash turned around, their eyes widening in sheer shock. "Saboth!" Erza recognized.

The demonic samurai snarled and swung his blade down. Erza and Aegislash leaped to the side and dodged the linear dark shockwave that erupted from the downward blow. The shockwave reached the cabin, just past Bellona, and the entire corridor snapped into dark static chunks that flew haphazardly.

The beastly figment raised his blade, giving Erza a death glare. "Dare not run from me." He challenged.

Erza had no choice now. Against two worthy foes, she had to go big. As Aegislash stood by her, she began to glow. " **Requip!** " In a blinding fury, she spun around and adjusted in her Armadura Aggron Armor. Posing with the new blade in hand, Erza faced the samurai while Aegislash fought Ikaruga, spinning into her Blade Form.

"Come!" Erza rushed after the samurai, while the Aegislash lunged for Ikaruga. In one go, everyone met in two separate clashes; Erza and Saboth's clashing with silver and dark static, and Aegislash and Ikaruga collided in bright sparks that ignited the atmosphere.

As Neinhart reached down and emitted a magical pulse from his hand. The shockwave reached down and blasted the dark saucer that went his way, dissipating entirely and continued towards Bellona. The impact sent her onto her back, screaming out in pain.

Beneath his breath, the Spriggan chuckled. "This is too rich."

Bellona got to a knee, grunting in pain. Her glare was towards the armored man and intensifying in frustration.

Neinhart's eyes narrowed. "Let's expand a little, shall we?" Once again, he snapped his fingers, very loud.

* * *

As Gray huffed, he and Lyon both felt something off. Their eyes widened, feeling a very foreign chill running up their spines. As shocking as it was, it was ironic since they were immune to the cold.

"Lyon, do you feel that?" Gray asked.

"Yes, I feel it as well." Lyon looked towards his heels, noticing an icy wind blow beneath him and Gray. The wind was so cold, as if running away from something. Or rather someone.

"Well look what we have here." A sultry voice said from behind the two.

Their bodies froze up when they recognized the voice. It was from their childhood yet they remembered it so well. It belonged to someone they knew for a fact perished, yet it was behind them. The familiar Magic Power they were feeling had also confirmed it. It was enough to make them freeze – literally.

Slowly turning around, they saw the hundreds of soldiers in armor, all frozen down to the bone. Walking with an icy wind behind her back was Ur, making their horrors a reality.

"Looks to me that I'll have to whip you both in shape."

* * *

An image appeared behind Meredy, revealed himself to be none other than her old ally-turned-enemy, Zancrow. He maliciously looked at her, a wide cynical smile on his face. "Howdy." He greeted.

Meredy turned around, eyes stricken with horror. "Zancrow?!"

Juvia began to petrify in shock. First Ur, then Zancrow. She couldn't believe it, even when they were there. "What's going on? It's as if the dead itself is rising up again…?"

"Truer words, yet not by not my own." A decrepit voice said from behind.

Juvia's terror reached a peak and was unable to move. She too had remembered the sound, and it rattled her bones.

Behind her, Keyes had begun to materialize. "How morbid of a tale of two foes of two hearts intertwined in a battle. Hearts of powerful memories materialized to engage in what is to be the epilogue of one's end."

* * *

The shadow of Ezel loomed over Wendy, her eyes wide with extreme terror as she remembered the unfortunate demon who gave her the hardest time. Ezel, however, smiled wide with sharp teeth. "Did ya miss me, runt?!"

Cautious, Wendy asserted her powers, unleashing her Dragon Force. Her hair turned pink, and she gave Ezel a powerful look. "Chelia! Ultear! Take Carla and run!"

"Okay!" Without hesitation, Chelia hurried along and carried the exhausted and wounded Carla away, as Wendy once again engaged with the Tartaros demon.

"Be careful, Wendy." Ultear ran off alongside Chelia, making sure to heed the Dragon Slayer's warning.

* * *

As Laxus panted and tried to catch his breath, he picked up on a strong magical signature. He looked up, but he didn't have the strength to show shock. Instead, he showed morbid amusement by smirking. "Now isn't this a funny joke." He sneered.

Before him stood Master Precht, or known better as Hades. He stood proudly crosseing his arms, looking at Laxus with upmost modesty. "So you're the one with Yuri's blood in his veins."

* * *

Vanessa ran through the empty street, but she wasn't alone. As she darted without a drop in her beat, Delphox followed behind with grace, having tailing her Trainer as many fallen soldiers were lying behind them. The duo went on, but before they got too far, Vanessa's senses went crazy.

A hitch in her breath halted her from advancing. She slowed to a stop, with a surprised yet distraught face.

Delphox stopped right beside her, looking to her Trainer with upmost worry. "Vanessa, what's wrong?"

The uneasy expression the Aura Mage's face said it all. She was unsound by this change in magical energy, and it left her feeling familiar aura signatures left and right. She could feel her friends and their signatures fluctuating, exhausting themselves. She turned away, her eyes narrowing. "I don't know how, but something's going wrong here."

The overcast of clouds gave away, creating a cumulonimbus overhead. The sound of thunder crackled overhead as the clouds gathered around and began to darken up the atmosphere. Delphox and Vanessa looked up towards the gathered darkness, hovering just above her area.

"Thunder…" Delphox murmured.

A bolt shot down behind them, causing the two to gasp and their hearts jolt. The ions crackling the static atmosphere made their hair stand on end. As lightning boomed in their ears, the bolt dissipated behind, but the aura signature and Magic Power was still ignited, flaring like that of an inferno.

A lone figure stood with a cloak around his body and half-ring ornaments floating behind him. As he glared at Vanessa's back, the Aura Mage and her Delphox slowly turning around, eyes meeting a familiar yet deadly foe.

Instantly, Vanessa's gaze dilated. "You're…"

As lightning crackled in the skies above, the cloaked man gave her an unemotional expression, even as purple lightning crackled around his space. "It would appear we meet once more."

Both whipped around to face the lightning utilizer, and looking at the purple discharge, they knew it all too well. Vanessa clutched her fists in readiness. "Imaci."

"It would appear that our paths and demons have crossed once more."

* * *

Bubbles churned beneath the raging seas. As much as it pained Kagura, she had her cheeks puffed and was carrying Jellal up towards the surface. It wasn't sitting well in her gut that she was going to just leave him there to drown. She at least wanted to make it to dry land before making anymore movements. However, given the energy she had to exert, her oxygen supply was drastically low. She was swimming as fast as she could while carrying Jellal with her, trying to make it to the surface. She saw sunlight and what looked like the surface just ten meters up.

' _Just a little further.'_ She thought. She quickened her strokes. _'Almost…almost…'_ Everything around her was beginning to blacken up, her vision beginning to lose strength, as well as her mind. The early stages of oxygen loss had begun. _'No. Not now! I have to hang on! Just need…to keep…'_

Her lungs were screaming for oxygen, but she couldn't take it anymore. Her mouth was about to open, allowing water to pry up and sink into her stomach.

A glint from the distance was seen, and from the looks of it, it was heading her way. The expanding figure closed in, getting Kagura's attention.

With what vision she had, she saw what looked like an odd-looking clam. _'What is that…?'_

As she was beginning to sink deeper, the figure – revealing herself to be a Cloyster upon examination – came rushing in. "Hang on!" He hurried along, propelling himself faster through the seawater by expelling it. He swam into an arch down below Jellal and Kagura, getting beneath as they sunk and began to shoot upwards. He propelled himself and the two drowning humans away from the seafloor, making quick work in pushing them with his shell.

On the surface, the water was calming down, and shifting casually. On the remnants of the concrete port, the water next to an open path burst, making it spout and dampen the concrete. As the water dissipated, it revealed Cloyster with Kagura and Jellal, their backs on his shell. He hurried and nudged them onto land, their bodies plopping and Cloyster looking with a frown as Kagura was coughing profusely.

The swordswoman rolled onto her side, gagging as she was expelling some water that found way into her lungs. She coughed and tried to breathe, managing to take her time and gain what conscience she could've managed. Once gathered, she panted and looked towards Cloyster.

"You…" She coughed. "You saved my life."

Cloyster nodded. His gaze averted towards Jellal, and Kagura followed.

Unlike her, Jellal was still unconscious, and it looked like he wasn't breathing. With his breath taken away, he was vulnerable and unable to move. He laid face up, eyes closed and wet.

Kagura faced Jellal, her nerves continuing to bother her. Now that she was on dry land, she could think properly. She wanted to make him pay, and yet her heart was telling her no. She could feel her own body trembling, hesitating to reach for Archenemy. Even with the struggle, she could feel pain in her fingers as she grabbed hold of the blade still strapped to her side. She picked it up, and looked back at Jellal.

When she stared at him, she wanted to draw the blade, but she began to see images erupt. She saw the first image of Jellal at the Grand Magic Games, and she almost puked then. When she saw the illusion Bellona made at Council War, she was going nuts. Then her mind traveled further, towards the time she clashed with Nic over Jellal's innocence, and her heart began to sink with guilt when she saw Jellal fight and being shielded during the battle against Shadow Jellal. The more she thought, the deeper her mind trailed to the words of Erza and Nic. Both forgave him, even after everything. Was it really okay to leave it as it is?

"You troubled?"

Kagura whipped towards Cloyster, the Pokémon's voice making her gasp.

"He saved you, didn't he? So what's keeping you from giving him his life back?"

What was the reason? Kagura didn't know, but at the same time, she did. She had a vendetta against him, but after everything he's done, from start to finish, was this how she was to pay respects to him?

A clang hit the ground, which shocked Cloyster for it was Archenemy. The blade laid beside Kagura as she bent over, cupping Jellal's face, and taking a deep breath. Her lips met Jellal's, pouring air into the lungs.

Cloyster watched on, nodding at the sight of resolution.

* * *

The demonic samurai screamed out as he charged for Erza, Demon Karbia pulled to the side and took a jump. With him overhead, Erza retained her armor and pulled back her exquisite armored sword. In the free hand, she requipped a spare katana. As Saboth came down, she crossed them both, blocking the intense impact that exerted dark static everywhere. The deck beneath her nearly caved in from the shockwaves emitted. Still able to hold her ground, Erza managed to block the blow entirely, but Saboth reeled his sword back in midair and landed on his feet, crouched and planted a boot in Erza's abdomen, sending her sliding back several feet.

With the space provided, Saboth put two hands on the guard and snarled, manifesting dark Magic Power that streamed darkness in the shape of a helix that encompassed the sword.

" **Deign Slay!** "

The samurai slammed the sword onto the deck, manifesting an instantaneous impact that exploded darkness. The deck nearly split apart as a pitch-black line of sharp darkness traveled and expanded towards Erza. Covering with her arms, her armor was thick to where it wouldn't be deterred. She held her ground as the shockwave met her head on. Wood chips and darkness slammed against her head on. As the attack enveloped a majority of the ship, the erupting darkness eventually subsided, revealing a very thick trail that sliced through the stern wood. At the end of the trail, Erza was seen with sizzling arms crossed, but otherwise she was alright.

Saboth reeled back, surprised. "Impossible."

With the opportunity at hand, Erza sprung ahead, slashing her two swords in a cross formation. Saboth blocked using Demon Karbia, creating a burst of energy between the two warriors, one so potent that they were forced to retreat and land on their knees.

Erza got up, panting as she looked at Saboth. "I see that you haven't changed at all." She bitterly scorned.

Saboth raised Demon Karbia once more. "I dare not lose to one who does not devote herself to battle alone. Not again!"

On another part of the ship, Ikaruga sprung ahead and thrust her blade at Aegislash. The Royal Sword Pokémon took the attack head on and made her slide back a foot, but the tip of the blade didn't leave a scratch.

" **Swords Dance!** "

Aegislash encompassed herself around several blue illusionary swords that circled and crossed over her head. A red aura flared around her, enhancing her Attack.

Ikaruga adjusted her blade and gave a snicker. "Look at you all high and mighty. A little dance you want?" Her sword began to heat up and she moved it in a large circle. Around her, a ring of fire encompassed her feet and she slashed towards Aegislash. Aegislash, in turn, had her ridged blade shimmer dark purple.

" **Mugetsu Style: Garuda Flame!** "

" **Night Slash!** "

A linear slash of fire raced across the ground, heading for Aegislash. The blazing trail reached her, searing her in flames. As the flames shimmered and incinerated everything, a purple vertical trail sliced clean through the flames, revealing Aegislash without much harm.

Ikaruga looked overwhelmingly surprised. "She cut straight through?"

Aegislash rushed on over, turning her body over so that she was sideways. She swung horizontally, meeting another parry with Ikaruga. However, due to the Attack difference, Ikaruga shoved to the side, grunting with some level of wear. "Curse you."

Neinhart raised his brow. "Not bad." He complimented, watching the spectacle.

Bellona made two galaxy spirals, making them grand enough to ensure some level of contact. "You forgot about me!" She threw the spirals up like saucers once again, but as they traveled, Neinhart merely looked down with a smug look and reached out casually.

"How boring you are." He unleashed another powerful pulse of magic, one that blazed through the atmosphere and headed for Bellona. It dissipated the saucers and connected with Bellona, engulfing her in a dust storm that had her screaming outwards as more wood went flying everywhere.

"Bellona!" Erza shouted.

Aegislash went wide-eyed at the powerful blast sent towards her ally.

Realizing the distraction, Ikaruga and Saboth top the opportunity and went on the offensive. With delay, Ikaruga repeated her attack, creating a ring of fire and sending a blazing trail towards Aegislash. Saboth manifested dark energy in a helix and slammed the blade against the deck once more, sending pitch-black dark energy at Erza. Erza and Aegislash gasped and sought to fix their folly, but they were too late as both mage and Pokémon were enveloped in both attacks. Shredding darkness and fire enveloped them, creating a two-faced explosion that rattled the timbers still intact.

Erza and Aegislash screamed as the attacks made them soar upwards, both screaming and having covered in bruises. Both fell close by, smashing into a barrel with a painful thud that could send chills up one's side.

Neinhart's smirk opened, his amusement reaching to where he was beginning to laugh aloud. "The historia of one who overcame the challenges before her. The tale of those who brought her to now…how lovely. Now let's add more of it, shall we?"

With a snap of the fingers, a light came between Ikaruga and Saboth. Both glared ahead towards Erza and Aegislash as the dust was clearing.

Due to the attack, Erza glowed, her Armadura Aggron Armor reverted to her hakama and sarashi combo. The Trainer groaned as tried getting up, but a pair of footsteps caught her and Aegislash's attention. They looked up, again bewildered with whom they were dealing with.

"I believe you remember this one as Kyoka." Neinhart sneered.

On her knees, Bellona looked over her shoulder, her eyes widening at the sight of the familiar demon. _'That's…'_

"Kyôka." Erza growled.

Kyôka chuckled at her, smirking with the conditions just right.

Neinhart raised his head and looked generously down at them. "Now, provide me with entertainment! Your intertwined souls and minds shall go forth!" His call made the three deceased beings charge for Erza and Aegislash, with Neinhart getting a front row seat.

* * *

In a sector of the city, static-filled purple lightning pulsated rapidly. Meeting with it was teal explosions, followed by fire. The three-way turmoil did not rest, even as several buildings and materials were falling apart in the process.

" **Lightning Devil's Rage!** "

" **Emanation Beam!** "

Imaci opened his mouth and unleashed a pulsating blast of purple lightning, one that made the air shudder within the wake. Vanessa countered with an intense blast of teal aura, resulting in yet another collision of teal and purple that shot a swirling pillar upwards. The shockwaves created were enough to make both sides stagger back within the hazardous dust.

As the blast waves dissipated, Vanessa reached out and created a shield of teal aura, veiling her from the dust storm that was running rampant. With her sensory and a faint visual, she guided her Delphox, who stood behind her. "Delphox, 11 o'clock! **Shadow Ball!** "

Delphox twirled her wand and the flame tip stood up, manifesting a black and purple sphere of energy. Without hesitating, Delphox swung her arm in an arch, sending the Ghost-type move around the shield and curving towards Imaci. The Devil Slayer saw a black sphere arch his way, and he swung his arm in an arch, making purple lightning that erupted from straight below. The wall of lightning shielded him from Shadow Ball, which reduced to smoke upon impact. As the dust and gust finally simmered down, he turned ahead, only to be caught surprised when Vanessa came charging calmly with her arm in teal aura.

"Delphox! Use **Psychic!** "

Delphox followed the command and she aimed her wand at Imaci. Her eyes glowed light blue, in which Imaci's body followed as well. The mage found himself stiff as a board and unable to move by his own will. With his body incapacitated, Vanessa ran up and rammed her aura-covered fist into his chest. The blow, mixed with the outburst of Psychic, shot Imaci at sonic speed across the ground, driving him straight through a wall and breaking its bricks to pieces.

The dust from the debris clouded the mage while Vanessa and Delphox regrouped and stared expectantly into the domain. They were well aware of Imaci and his immense power, but they also knew to be excessively cautious around him.

"It looks to me that you have grown well since our last battle." The deep and calm voice emitted from the dissipating dust.

Vanessa narrowed her eyes as she saw a figure rise from the debris mound, his cloak tattered.

"I can see that going on like this will be nothing less than child's play, therefore…" A weak purple flame began exerting from his body, which began to rapidly grow. "I shall bring this battle to a close here. No more games."

Vanessa clutched her fists. "If that's how you intend it to be…" Her body began to exert its own teal flame-like waves, ones that began to expand just like Imaci. "Then we shall humbly accept your challenge."

Delphox jumped away, finding a safe distance as ripples of energy enveloped the ground on either side. The Fox Pokémon continued to back off as the ground began to quake from their Second Origin being unleashed. Once she had found a debris mound, she swiftly jumped and crouched behind, taking cover as a sudden pulse of purple and teal light shot everywhere.

Buildings nearby began to crack apart, cracking and falling off fragments as the ground was shuddering profusely. Two ethereal beasts began to rise up and expand from the bright lights, their gigantic forms bumping into the buildings and breaking more of them. Some toppled over as the purple ethereal armored entity spread its wings.

As the dust and debris layered the bottom half of the streets, Delphox burst from the sea of dust, using her toes to escalate and run up a reasonably high building. Her swiftness got her to the slanted roof, where she looked up and saw Vanessa and Imaci staring the other down.

" **Soul Armor: Lyn Raseri!** "

" **Aura Guardian!** "

Both ethereal giants took battle stances as they were readied to engage in combat one last time. While Imaci's was remote, Vanessa's ethereal being was manual, and she was inside taking the stance she controlled her giant to be.

"Show me that fire like before!" Imaci challenged. "Come!"

The Soul Armor giant had hands forward and bent towards Vanessa, of whom reached out with equal force. In unison, both colossal giants interlocked hands and tried to push the other back. The force of their union made a small gust exert outwards through the area, but Delphox was undeterred as she watched the unfolding battle. Both giants pushed like they were wrestling one another, and even with so much exertion, someone had to give. Vanessa's Aura Guardian began to lose footing, and felt herself repulsed meter after meter.

Imaci smirked as he had to momentum going for him. His giant responded to wish wishes and the wings expanded, flapping but one time and getting the giant to push off the ground, giving him greater momentum as he flapped his wings once more, pushing Vanessa back into the street, creating a trail from the feet that constantly kept failing to lose hold.

"Vanessa!" Delphox shouted.

Though she was struggling, Vanessa dared not take her feet off the ground. She grunted hard and tightened her grip on her foe. Using her momentum to her advantage, Vanessa came to a solution, and she pivoted on her heels. The giant followed, anchoring to the earth and suddenly loosened its hold and seized an arm. Imaci found himself shocked at first, but then found the world revolving when Vanessa brought the entire Soul Armor entity over her head, driving it head first into the street. The impact was so brutal that the street quivered with a vicious magnitude. The Soul Armor's body was stuck in place, slowly falling over as Vanessa brought herself around and raised a foot.

As the giant toppled over completely, the street was shattered apart. The Soul Armor got to a knee, but Vanessa finally flicked the foot out, side-kicking the enemy square in the chest. Imaci could feel his entity deteriorate as the Soul Armor slid backwards into the street, wings toppling over structures and breaking into a tumble.

"Not bad!" Imaci shouted. The Soul Armor straightened out and got a foot beneath, anchoring its slide and getting it to stand up once more. "But now let's see how you handle this!" He brought his two gauntlets together, creating an unsheathed formation. Unleashed was a long, purple lightning sword, crackling with intense force.

" **Lightning Devil's Sunder Blade!** "

Imaci's being spread its wings once more, pouncing off the ground and making dust and debris scatter. It glided towards Vanessa with the arm pulled back and ready to bring the blade down.

Vanessa's being reached out as a counter. " **Aura Guard!** " A teal barrier was summoned, taking the full blunt of Imaci's sword. The demonic lightning blade crackled and discharged against the shield, but the sparks traveled no less than the altitude above Delphox's head. The blade dissipated and the arm recoiled, allowing Vanessa to dissipate her shield and drew back her right fist, which was cloaked in teal aura.

Imaci's eyes narrowed and he veered right, dodging Vanessa's giant fist. The Soul Armor reached up overhead and its fist shrouded in purple lightning.

A stream of blistering fire suddenly fired from behind. The Flamethrower attack struck the back of the Soul Armor, erupting in a blast of smoke that eventually dissipated. The giant was immobile for a few moments due to the surprise attack from behind, but revealed no damage.

Imaci turned around, glaring at Delphox as her wand was stuck out. "You." He leered at her. "I remember you now." When he looked at her, she surprisingly looked similar to Braixen, if not counting the large height, fur color, and the larger ears. "You're one of Vanessa's pets."

"She isn't in this alone." Delphox said.

Imaci narrowed his eyes. "A noble try indeed, but my Soul Armor…does not break as well as you think!" The Soul Armor swung around, turning just enough to backhand. Delphox jumped at the last second, evading the giant's hand as it knocked off the roof like it was a building block.

Delphox landed on another nearby roof, making the Soul Armor turn towards her.

"You're faster. I'll give you that." Imaci commended. He felt the ground churn once again, revealing Vanessa darting from behind. The teal giant seized the purple one from behind, wrapping arms around the back and over the abdomen, taking command of the mighty foe.

"Hnnnngh!" Vanessa mustered what muscle she could manage and turned her body. "HRAH!" With what strength, she again tossed Imaci's giant, taking it again tumble over onto the street. She adjusted while the Soul Armor tumbled over and leveled several domains in the area, but otherwise she was waiting for what her valiant foe might do.

Imaci had a calm expression as the Soul Armor got footing beneath and twisted up to both feet, again recovering from that throw. He shot Vanessa a look as he readied a deadly counter.

" **Lightning Devil's Rage!** "

The Soul Armor opened its mask-like mouth and unleashed a blistering beam that traveled at a high velocity towards Vanessa and Delphox. The two responded by one remaining still and the other shoving her wand ahead.

" **Emanation Beam!** "

" **Psychic!** "

A concentration of teal energy manifested in front of the sealed mask-like mouth. The energy exploded forwards, creating an intense blast of teal that beamed with equal vibrant power. Delphox assisted with her Psychic, outlining it all in a dense kinetic energy. The beam compressed further, becoming narrow as a sword. The compressed pressure shot straight into the blast heading their way, creating a voluminous flash that made everything defy brevity for a moment. An impulse swallowed everything for a moment, standing still until a bright pulse wave shot in all directions. The blast wave blinded Vanessa and Imaci, both shooting backwards from the impact; Delphox included. The bright light erupted into the sky, creating an intense pillar of energy that pulsated profusely.

All around Hargeon, those fighting were barely raptured in their own struggles that they almost didn't notice that blast wave in the distance. Those including Goodra, Meredy, and Juvia, they looked towards the blast wave, shocked by its tremendous magnitude.

As the light flickered and dissipated, Vanessa and Imaci were seen at the end of giant trails embedded into the earth. Ground and dirt was splattered everywhere, and on her side, Vanessa and her form were groaning. Nearby, Delphox was no different, barely maintaining her ability to stand.

As a large dust wave subsided, it revealed Imaci already on a knee and arms crossed, showing that he was successful in diminishing the blow's impact. The powerful mage, however, panted as he was catching his breath, watching Vanessa get up.

' _She has gotten much stronger than before.'_ He deduced. _'But this time…'_ He leaned forward and went lunging at her again. _'I will not let her get by me so carelessly!'_

Vanessa and Delphox got back up, both panting and covered in scratches. They readied themselves as Imaci returned for another round.

* * *

Erza dodged profusely left and right, evading Ikaruga's assaults as the swordswoman found leverage once again. As she swiped consistently, Erza moved backwards, her ground lost as she was heading right into Kyôka. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the demon pull a claw back, ready to strike her down. Sliding back after a near-fatal strike of Ikaruga's blade, Erza jumped high, dodging just as Kyôka thrust forward, her claws colliding with Ikaruga's blade.

With the distraction, Erza flipped and landed on her feet. She charged from the side, a sword brought overhead and slashed downwards. Both Ikaruga and Kyôka copied Erza, leaning away and dodged at the last second, rendering Erza to fall forward into an opening for an attack.

"HRAH!"

" **Mugetsu Style: Yasha's Empty Flash!** "

Both Kyôka and Ikaruga swiped either a claw or sword, indirectly sending painful shockwaves at Erza. The near point-blank blow sent intense sensations through Erza, her eyes widening and screaming as she went soaring backwards, flying onto her back once more.

Saboth brought his blade overhead, dark static flaring as he attacked Aegislash.

" **King's Shield!** "

Withdrawing to her Shield Form, Aegislash manifested several hexagons that materialized into a congregated shield. Saboth slammed his blade against it, but he found it preposterous that it did not break. He repulsed away, sliding and shifted his heel back with a snarl. Ashe adjusted his posture, he too was outlined in a blue aura, his strength lowering.

"Using shields in battle. That is but a coward's defense from not giving it their all! That is why I will break you here, foolish sword!" Saboth went charging forward, hollering out as he went charging for Aegislash.

Aegislash's blade popped out of place and back onto the arm, turning to Blade Form once more. She showed a headstrong expression as her ridged blade glowed purple. " **Night Slash!** " She swung her blade viciously, connecting with Saboth's own blade. A dark purple energy wave exerted upon impact, static flaring everywhere as both fought for continual prowess. Their standoff was but a brief instance, for it broke apart, and they veered away to gain momentum, as they charged and swung again, bracing for their next collision.

High up, Neinhart laughed uproariously as he could feel great joy in his craftsmanship. "Man, aren't Wahl Icht and Dimaria both just pathetic! They couldn't kill people like I can! I can do this all by myself!"

Erza's blade clashed constantly against Kyôka. She was doing her best in keeping her occupied, but as Kyôka maintained her foothold, Ikaruga found the opportunity to attack from above, her elegant sword raised above and getting Erza's attention. With a backflip, she dodged the downward blow that cut straight into the ship.

With distance once again, she got the momentum she needed once more and requipped a second blade. She charged ahead crossing them and meeting Ikaruga head on. The two blades connected and collided with the one blade, creating yet another standoff. Using this chance, Kyôka charged from behind, a malicious smirk as she had her claws ready to strike.

Without looking, Erza sensed the demon, and she again picked up her feet and tilted her crossed blades donwards. She created the right leverage to roll right over Ikaruga's head and flip forward, leaving the pink-haired woman and green-haired demon to clash yet again, both repulsing and falling onto the deck once again, while Erza flipped onto a knee.

"You've all been formidable adversaries that I took on with my own life at stake." She said. "However, you are but remnants that got me this far. You have my thanks for making me stronger than before, but I will not forget the pain you tried to commit to my friends."

Though on the ground, Kyôka smirked. "So do we…"

Erza's eyes widened when something hard yet snaky coiled around her ankle. Much to her own shock, she looked down to find that it was a lone claw Kyôka had extended. Her shock hindering her for that second, the demon swerved to a knee and threw Erza overhead.

Meanwhile, Saboth and Aegislash were trying profusely to turn against the other, but with little success from either contender. As their blades against clashed with darkness and Night Slash, Aegislash's superior power was beginning to turn in her favor.

Saboth snarled beneath his hot breath. "You will not win!" He shouted.

In a move of desperation, the demonic samurai raised a foot high and Aegislash went wide-eyed. As she was diagonally sideway, she was in a position where she looked like a board. Saboth kicked harshly, sending her flying in the air. Even with lowered strength, the impact hurt profusely. Erza and her Aegislash met in the center, both their backs hitting the other with a shocking thud.

Altogether, the samurai, swordswoman, and demon raised their swords and claws and swiped. With vicious yells, all three unleashed a white wave, a green wave, and a pitch-black wave. All the indirect yet insidious slashes met one another in the center, colliding with Erza and Aegislash. The two girls screamed out loud, pain flaring as they were enveloped in another bright blast in the sky.

Still barely holding herself up, Bellona stared with wide eyes. "Erza! No!" She cried out.

From the explosion that became smoke, Erza and Aegislash fell like two comets, side-by-side and crashed into the bow of the ship once more. Their combined impact made the wood again cave in as they dissipated from the smoke, revealing cuts and bruises.

Neinhart smirked. "What a beautiful entertainment you are. Splendid all around. I can see why the so-called Luminous has you in his clutches."

Erza struggled to get up, barely getting her arms to keep her up.

"You shall become his historia soon enough. A tragic yet boundless love; severed by lacking resolve. Enjoy being a corpse." He flicked his hand towards the fellow corpses. "Now begone with her."

All three enemies walked forward, getting closer towards Erza and Aegislash as they were trying to stand up. Try as they might, they were barely getting to a knee; in Aegislash's case slanted upwards.

Bellona's eyes narrowed in her growing frustration. _'Damnit!'_ She looked back towards Erza, seeing her struggle. _'There's gotta be something I can do. Whoever this man is, taking him head on isn't getting my attacks anywhere near him, and Erza and her Pokémon are losing considerate ground. If I don't act fast-!'_ The fellow mage could feel her insides churn with uneasiness as she began to cascade her look towards the ground. _'…Jellal. Please tell me you'll be alright.'_

Three shadows overlooked Erza and Aegislash. As they looked up, they were met with Ikaruga, Saboth, and Kyôka all glowering down at her with malicious looks. It was hard to make out if they were of glee or pity, but they both knew this was a bad sign for both of them.

"Well look what we have here. The mighty Titania Erza at her knees." Ikaruga chimed.

"What a disgrace of a warrior. Stand up and suffer my blade on your two feet!" Saboth belittled.

Ikaruga flashed a brow towards him. "My, aren't you the demanding type."

"Silence yourself! Warriors don't waste their breaths unless saying meaningless words before killing."

"Well you're also quite rude."

Scoffing aside, Kyôka took a step forward, giving Erza a leery expression. She leaned down, looking Erza dead in the eyes. "Well isn't this the reunion, Erza." She sneered. "Isn't it at this point that you somehow get a miraculous salvation? Whether your own powers or not, am I right?"

Erza didn't answer, confirming the demon's inquiry.

Kyôka stood back up, smirking. "Well…we've all seen the Erza before us and how she has lost her edge. Shall we?"

Ikaruga and Saboth raised their two blades, ready to strike down Erza with what they had.

"Yes! That's it! Make her a historia! The great Titania of whom had fallen!" Neinhart exclaimed.

All three raised their claws and swords, ready to bring an end to the battle and Erza at once. Erza and Aegislash tried to find the strength to move, and they were only staggering upwards due to the cuts she received. All the two did was glare as the kinetic energy was right for them to strike.

A swift footstep cam pouncing from the side, zooming with haste. As all three brought down their blades, the figure blindsided Erza and everybody, bewildering them in a bright green flash.

" **Sentient Bolt!** "

As the entire ship shuddered, Neinhart and Erza went wide-eyed as they witnessed a pillar of light with a goddess-like entity towering above, with battle markings on the robe. The two – plus Aegislash – stared with awe and wide eyes, the deck and the ship alike obliterating on the spot. The bright explosion shot skyward, rattling even the airspace. The air molecules disintegrated and roared equal to that if thunder in the distance away from the ship.

"What?!" Neinhart shouted.

' _This magic…'_ Erza trailed off in thought, recollecting of whom could do such an inconceivable force. Aegislash stared with a wide eye, petrified with disbelief.

As the roaring light diminished, it revealed a gigantic hole in the center of the ship. It was so large that it covered almost the entire deck. A massive space was between the three adversaries and Erza; the formers having steam on their bodies and looking staggered from the blow.

"What just happened?" Aegislash questioned.

As the dust diminished, the answer came clear as day, with both females widening their eyes as Bellona stood in front of them, her posture upright, and a calm smile on her face. She looked completely unfazed by the enemy assault.

Neinhart narrowed his vision, glaring intense daggers. "Pests, ruining my show."

"Are you both alright?" Bellona asked.

Though hesitant, Erza and Aegislash nodded. "Yes. Thank you." Erza said.

"Good. I'm glad…" The blue-haired woman's voice began to trail off, her body stiff as a board. The way she stood was unsettling, yet they couldn't explain it.

Erza tilted her head to the side. "Bellona, are you alrig-!" The redhead trailed off as well, her eyes widening in excessive shock as she saw a spur of red gush from Bellona's shoulder. Red tainted her right shoulder, yet she stood unfazed.

Ikaruga scoffed back. "Seems she got us good."

Kyôka showed a smirk of her own. "But that little brat made one mistake too many."

Bellona's shoulder bled profusely, her eyes starting to get droopy as she began to stagger off. Faltering in her footing, she picked herself up and grunted.

"My goodness." She chimed, still smiling all the way. "I guess I was a little slow there, huh?"

Erza lurched forward, shock widening. "Bellona! Why did you do that?!"

"Oh come on, Erza, it isn't like you didn't see it coming." Bellona fell in silence as her body staggered once again, grunting harder than before as another spur of blood exerted from over her left arm. Red tainted the sleeve and dripped all the way to the fingers. Her body was shuddering massively. "We…have to look out for those who have our backs, don't we? I…mean…that's what a friend does, right…?"

Erza couldn't believe what she was seeing. She was struck with exasperation and worry for Bellona as the second wave just caught up to her. She knew Bellona joined Crime Sorciere to repent and all, but she didn't think Jellal's recklessness would rub off onto her. The two would put themselves into danger to save a friend; those who saved them once, and now evening things.

"Erza…" Bellona slowly turned her head, struggling with the cranking and struggling to keep her eyes opening. "Thank you and Nic…for letting me be a friend."

"Bellona…"

Her brown eyes began to mist. "Tell Jellal…I'm sorry…" The final shockwave finally caught up to her, this time diagonally across her abdomen. Another disastrous wave of blood spilled from her body, making Erza and Aegislash stare with horror as Bellona fell onto her side, finally collapsing with a thud. Bellona laid there, eyes shut and unconscious as she managed to pull off the double-edged maneuver, as grizzly as it was.

"Bellona!" Erza bolted over towards the fallen woman, hurrying to seize and turn her over. She overlooked the deep gashes all over her body, her disbelief mounting as the one woman who was once a bitter enemy turned redemption on its head. "Bellona. Bellona. Stay with us."

A grim silence fell over the deck, silence to that of ghosts as Bellona was barely wincing. She was barely conscious, let alone alive.

"Bellona…" A shadow overcast Erza's eyes, her face unseen as a deep frown of sorrow crossed over.

Aegislash looked over to her Trainer. "Erza…"

"Good riddance to that piece of garbage." Kyôka said.

"Taking a hit meant for another, what a feeble dive." Saboth growled.

"I must say, though she did prove troublesome…she was such a pain." Ikaruga said.

Erza did not move. She looked unresponsive as her opponents mocked her friend. An intense vibe began to crawl up around the atmosphere. There was a decrepit aura beginning to stir in the atmosphere around Erza as she clutched her fists hard. She stood up, slowly facing her faltering opponents in silence.

"Let's end this, shall we?" Kyôka approached from not too far away, but she only took a few steps before picking up on the startling vibe. "Hm?"

It wasn't just her who was bewildered, but also Ikaruga and Saboth. Everyone felt it as they looked at Erza. Their eyes widened when they felt a very intense vibe coming from her, and they didn't recall such a scare before, even when they were alive.

When Erza raised her head, her brown eyes were glaring was that of death-no, something worse than death. The look she gave was someone who fought death with a bloody hand and held its own heart up to their faces. Their bodies went stiff, petrified in horror.

"You all have been much enemy once in my life, and even now, you remain the same. You are stuck on corruption and seek nothing less than the retribution of what joy you lost when I slayed you." Erza growled. "Each and every one of you, direct or indirect, felt prosperity in one's misery. I will show you what that feels like with my own hands!"

Ikaruga was shuddering in place, unable to respond. "What…eyes…"

Saboth's grip on Demon Karbia tightened. "Gngh! Foolish!"

Neinhart raised a brow. "What's this?"

Kyôka took a step back, her teeth gritting from the other side of the hole. "Silence you!" Her demands, however, were met with Erza unfazed and reaching out to the side. The demon gasped as she watched Aegislash slowly slide her top into Erza's hold, the arms wrapping around with the shield still adorned on the one side. When Erza looked at her again, she was stricken pale.

The look hardened to that of a monster. One who saw only death and undermining everything they stood for. Their terrors peaked as her intense glare shot every nerve like Arbok's Glare would. Like his attack, her own glare rendered her foes paralyzed, and out of fear as well.

"Begone departed spirits…unless you wish to feel the pain brought onto my friend."

The spirits began to glow, all beginning to flicker and feel their energy fluctuate. They all gasped as they were paralyzed and unable to move, too scared to even continue. Slowly, they all were beginning to convulse and glow brighter.

"Im…impossible!" Neinhart outrageously cried out. "This can't be! Inconceivable! Stop!"

Unwilling to listen, Erza did not waste a breath and crouched with Aegislash. "Aegislash, **Sacred Sword!** " As she sprung after the dissipating enemies, Aegislash's immense blade began to glow blue and lengthen to a greater extent. She jumped forth, springing with the shout of an animal out for prey.

"AHHH~!" Ikaruga, Saboth, and Kyôka all screamed out as they were unable to fight the pure definition of terror before them.

Erza passed the fading spirits, swiping Aegislash in a long arch and posing with a shadow over her vengeful gaze. As Aegislash's Sacred Sword dissipated, all the spirits behind had deep, open gashed that exploded into bright bursts of energy. They all hollered out and the mix of white and blue light got brighter, until they dwindled seconds later into oblivion, revealing dust that picked up in the wind, whisking the historias away.

Neinhart watched with a horrified gaze. Never had he seen anything like it before. _'That woman…she made the historia cower away…just with a glare…how-?!'_

A sudden pressurized blast of water came shooting out of the blue, startling Neinhart out of his thoughts. In a delayed shock, he reached out and unleashed a blast of magic at a close range. The attacks met up, creating an explosion of gusts and spouts of water that flew everywhere.

Erza and Aegislash looked up, the former's glare gone and noticing the drips of water that dampened the deck. _'Water? Wait, isn't that Hydro Pump? But that's…'_

"Erza!"

The redhead turned around at the sound of her voice, seeing the approach of her Clyster, Jellal, and Kagura.

The name caught Neinhart by surprise. _'Wait…Erza?'_ Of course he heard the name when shouted by her foes, but this was the first time he acknowledged the name.

They all caught up to Erza, who separated from Aegislash and rejoined with her friends. "Everyone."

"Are you alright?" Kagura looked at her injuries, noticing the several cuts on her body. "Erza, those injuries…"

"I'm fine." She brushed off. "How are you and Jellal?"

Kagura hesitated for a few seconds before mustering up an answer. "…we're well." Realization came to her, the subject changing to another entity missing. "But what happened to Bellona?"

Erza's face fell at the mention of the name. Her face averted to one direction, letting everyone to follow and see why she was so glum. Their eyes widened in horror and Kagura gasped when she saw Bellona laying on her side, bathed in blood. Gashes were open, and a small pool was what she laid in as she was unconscious and pale.

Jellal looked at the fallen blue-haired woman, everything in his world going blank as he overlooked her.

"Bellona!" Kagura rushed over, trying to get the woman up to her knees.

Erza looked away in shame. "She fell protecting me." She admitted.

Kagura tried shaking awake the Nightmare Mage, but she wouldn't budge. "Bellona, those injuries! What did you do?! Wake up!" As much as she yelled her renewed comrade awake, Bellona was not responding. She had exhausted her strength helping Erza, and even that was painful to admit to the likes of Kagura.

A sudden flux of Magic Power flared from nearby, almost palpitating the entire ship. The air shifted as Erza and Kagura could feel their skins crawl at the sensation of this power flaring. When they turned to look up, their gazes showed anxiety as they saw Jellal slowly turn towards Neinhart.

The look on his face said it all. As his hair shifted, the wind around Jellal intensified as his pupils dilated. Seeing Bellona lying in defeat was one thing, but bloodied was another. His eyes were beyond that of an animal as he snarled at Neinhart.

Despite the nervous demeanor crawling on his skin, Neinhart was still raptured in the name spewed a short while ago. _'Erza…scarlet hair…and this Magic Power.'_ Sweat poured on his face. _'It can't possibly be. Is she Lady Irene's…'_

"Jellal…" Erza trailed off, seeing his rage.

"Just this once, here and now, I shall commit but one more sin."

Everyone's eyes widened further as they noticed the sky swirling overhead. Cloyster and Aegislash looked up with shock as they saw the sky itself opening up. The clouds disappeared and the very blue itself vanished, opening an expanding hole into the atmosphere. All throughout the sky, there was nothing but space. Stars twinkled and all were raptured in its domain.

"The sky…it vanished." Kagura gasped.

Neinhart was so spooked that he jolted up from the mast. He looked up, bewildered by the sky. "What?! The hell is going on now?!"

Jellal's clothing and hair shifted as he faced Neinhart, seething in scorn.

"This doesn't look well." Aegislash noted.

Cloyster closed his shell at her comment. "…yeah."

* * *

The sky above was twinkling in stars, going as far as dissipating the vast thunderstorm over the battle that unfolded. As the sky changed, Imaci looked up, narrowing his eyes in wonder. "What's going on?" He questioned.

Vanessa looked towards the sky, here gaze narrowing as she was picking up an intense aura. "This aura…is that Jellal?"

"I don't know what's happening, but we need to act! Vanessa!" Delphox urged. "We have to try it!"

Hearing the Fire/Psychic-type's voice, the Aura Guardian looked down at her. "Really?"

"We have to win this! Let's use that new technique!"

Vanessa wasn't necessarily against Delphox's opinion, but she wasn't wrong either. She knew to beat Imaci and the Soul Armor, they had to pull out all the stops. It ended in a draw once, but this time, they were determined to end it. It was risky, but Vanessa nodded and faced Imaci again. "Alright, let's do it."

Consent approved, Delphox jumped up, her footing caught onto the foot, then jumped again towards the bent knee. She jumped for the center, where Vanessa was…

Imaci realized the distraction and looked back down towards the ground. "This isn't over!" His Soul Armor clutched an electrified fist. The beast drove to a knee and smashed the fist against the ground, sending a discharge with the flying rock.

" **Lightning Devil's Demolition Flash!** "

A purple lightning shockwave traveled across the ground, heading towards Vanessa. Upon reaching the Aura Guardian, the shockwave disappeared briefly, only flickering brief moments before erupting into a horrendous discharge of purple, excessive lightning that flared through the skies. A pillar shot into the atmosphere, rattling and roaring everything within the perimeter. Imaci remained blank as he watched the bright flash swallow up Vanessa, retaining composure even when pushed to the breaking point. As the flash dissipated, however, a large dust cloud took place, making his eyes narrow.

As the dust began to settle, he saw a large image standing in a crouched position, its eyes gleaming yellow. "What?" He gasped.

The dust dissipated, slowly revealing sharp claws, and what looked like the legs having been morphed somewhat. What bewildered him was how the beast had a large, yellow-scaled tail that swerved through the air, whipping away residual dust.

His eyes widened, shock grasping him fully. "It can't be…"

Before him was the Aura Guardian as before, but something was different about it. While still teal in color, its legs were like that of a foc. The pants were covered in large red plates of aura, with the sides of the hips having Delphox's orange flame insignia. The teal abdomen was concealed in a thin yellow aura armor that replaced the teal armor itself, keeping the "skin" teal. The shoulder and tricep armor were replaced by red plates, while a thin yellow aura covered the arms, all the way down to the hands, which sharpened to claws. The mask had lost its horns, but the rest stayed the same as a yellow fox-like helmet covered the jaw and head entirely. It had ears with flaming teal wisps flickering from inside. The beast also had a large yellow tail.

In the center, Vanessa and Delphox opened their eyes, shooting daggers at Imaci. " **Aura Guardian: Delphox!** " They shouted in unison.

Imaci stared with vivid shock, seeing the change with his own eyes. "Is this really true?" He questioned himself. "Have they been able to integrate their auras into one?"

At Vanessa and Delphox's unison position, they shifted their footing back, and the fox-armored Aura Guardian took a combative stance, awaiting with claws set.

Imaci snapped out of his shock and narrowed his eyes. "I see, so you have mastered a few new tricks." His Soul Armor spread its wings, once again taking flight. "Then show me your new strength!" He flapped his wings, carrying his height to a greater extent. Debris and dust shifted down below as he went up for a position to attack. When he reached a peak, his wings spread apart further and an arm raised into the air above. Purple lightning conjured and manifested a large sphere of compressed purple lightning.

" **Lightning Devil's Chaos Lance!** "

He directed the arm towards Vanessa, the massive sphere showering hundreds of potent purple lightning streams at Vanessa. As they showered down, Vanessa and Delphox knew what was to be done and they got to it without any words needed. The Aura Guardian sprung forward, and due to the hind legs being of a fox, the whole creature ran on all fours. It pounced left and right, dodging with great speed as it maneuvered at high speeds. Not a single bolt made contact as it blitzed with speeds of a jet, yelling out with Vanessa and Delphox's shout.

Once again, Imaci found himself bewildered. _'Its speed drastically went up!'_

Pouncing and running, they found a clear shot to lunge up. The ethereal aura figure got to its hind legs and slid across the avenue, crouching to get the tail up. When open, the tail slammed down, propelling the beast into a high jump towards the sky. Its altitude met Imaci's, much to his own surprise and gasp.

"Now Delphox! **Shadow Ball!** "

At Vanessa's command, Delphox moved her wand inside. A concentration of black and purple gathered in front of the masked mouth instead of the wand. The enlarged Ghost-type move compressed to a small level before the ethereal beast lurched forward, unleashing the sphere and it shot at high speeds. It was too fast that it met Imaci's Soul Armor, creating a large, smoky explosion that encompassed the area.

The Soul Armor slowly fell out of the smoke cloud and towards the ground, and the Aura Guardian followed as well. As they both fell, Vanessa's figure grabbed the wrist of the falling armored ethereal beast and rolled through the air once and hurled him towards the ground. The beast slammed against the earth, creating shockwave that capsized many more homes and businesses. The fox-armored beast fell to the ground and slid on its heels backwards, keeping a claw to the earth and anchoring it.

As the beast halted, Vanessa and Delphox panted profusely inside. Their breathing was getting labored as they felt weak. _'This was very risky, but it'll get us an advantage. We haven't perfected it, but we can at least keep this form for a short while before we run out of power.'_ Vanessa thought. _'In this form, Delphox's attacks are amplified just like my aura, but it's taking a steep toll on our energy. We don't know if we even have a minute, so we have to hurry! Now!'_

Imaci and Vanessa were back on their feet, barely hanging on either's ground. The standoff with both ends was brief with a sharp glare before Imaci charged first. Using his right fist cloaked in purple lightning. He punched, yet Vanessa veered right, pivoting and swinging her large tail around. The tail met with a loud bang, knocking the Soul Armor off its heels for a moment and stumbling to the side. The Soul Armor did not hesitate and reacted fast, seizing the tail's furry ethereal end, startling Vanessa and Delphox alike.

The Soul Armor picked up the Aura Guardian, using both hands and pivoting. The beast went flying overhead, coming down like an axe. As its momentum climaxed, Vanessa and Delphox turned alike, making the whole creature turn as well. The beast turned in time to land on all fours, making the ground shudder.

"Skilled." Imaci acknowledged.

Vanessa got the tail away by yanking and turning, the whole creature turning and its four limbs turning 180, flipping to face Imaci with a crouch and the masked mouth of the Aura Guardian manifesting fire.

"Now, **Flamethrower!** "

At Vanessa's command, a monstrous stream of fire fired from the inside of the helmet, striking the Soul Armor and enveloping it in an intense blaze. The heat from Flamethrower was the same, but the power was boosted considerably. The attack made Imaci grunt and scream out as the damage accumulated. The Soul Armor backed away as the Flamethrower continued to stream with power, eventually bursting into a large smoke cloud.

As the smoke clouded up everything, the Soul Armor staggered backwards while Imaci coughed, having deteriorated from damage received. He grunted once more, but as he looked up, he saw the smoke dissipating and revealing the Aura Guardian back on its two feet, but had already pulled out the ace.

The left arm was up, fingers creating an intricate magic circle with several spokes and the right arm was pulled back and holding onto a large teal flaming arrow of aura through the large hole in the center.

Imaci was in no position to defend. His eyes softened, seeing his fate met again. "Well done…"

With a fire in both their eyes, Vanessa and Delphox open fired.

" **Aura Guardian – Kali Arrow!** "

" **Fire Blast!** "

From the mouth of the giant was unleashed a large streaming fire in the shape of the kaji symbol of fire. The huge star-like fire went sizzling as the arrow was let go, shooting at a speed no one could've stopped. The arrow blitzed ahead and met with the Soul Armor dead in the center, where Imaci was. It pierced the armor and Imaci alike, impaling the entire structure and making it falter back into a suspended state. For a moment everything was sound, until the Fire Blast swallowed the upper half and created a blinding explosion that shook the earth in a cataclysmic manner. All ground and air in the area shimmered as debris spilled everywhere, a pillar of fire and teal erupting up into the sky, creating a full-scale dome of rippling intensity that seared with the mark of victory.

As the shockwaves simmered, it revealed the land having been reshaped. No house went unturned in the decimating attack as fresh dirt sizzled all around the fox-like guardian of aura. As Hargeon's other battle were wrapping up, the damage was set and Vanessa and Delphox looked ahead, smiling.

"We did it." Vanessa said.

"Yeah…we did…" Delphox trailed off, her eyes getting hazy. "Not a second too soon…"

Vanessa's strength faded as well, beginning to fall forward. "Yeah…but we…" She couldn't finish as the Aura Guardian and the armor dissipated into flickering thin air. Both fell to the ground below, landing on their stomachs with painful thuds.

Though they won, Delphox and Vanessa laid there, battered and with eyes shut.

* * *

Jellal had his index and middle fingers stretched in opposite directions. "May the seven stars bring judgement upon you!" He shouted.

"You fool! You can't beat me!" Neinhart challenged. "I know your historia all too well! I'll prove it! Come, Simon!" He swiped his arm, and as shown, he had indeed come. Out of thin air materializing in a flash, Simon appeared before Jellal and the rest. "Yeah! This is Simon! The one you betrayed and murdered in cold blood!"

Erza and Kagura stared in shock from the second summon of Simon.

"You…you cannot kill him again!" Neinhart's patience was at a thin level. This was his last-ditch attempt, and he was at his wits end. "You wish to kill me? Then why not kill Simon as well, all over again!"

Jellal narrowed his eyes. "…then so be it."

"Huh?!" Neinhart gasped.

"I've learned a long time ago that I had to let go of the past in order to move forward. I've been doing well, and if it means facing my sins once more, then I will do it a hundred times over to bring a better tomorrow. I won't be hold back by darkness any longer! Nic taught me that!"

"You're insane! Simon, go!"

Simon moved to attack, but in a shimmering flash, all went beyond shocked as a bright flash shifted and faded, revealing Kagura with Archenemy unsheathed. The blade was firm as Kagura passed by Simon, slicing clean through his side.

"This abomination…is not my brother!" She roared.

Everyone stared with vibrant shock painted on their faces. They never thought they'd see it, but it happened. Kagura did it; surpassing her trauma at long last and leaving the fading Simon to smile at his sister's growth. As he vanished, Neinhart's shocked expression continued to rise further.

"Kagura…" Erza murmured.

"Now! Go!" Kagura urged.

"Right!" Snapping out of her surprise, Erza swiped her arm. "Cloyster, **Icicle Crash!** "

Cloyster opened his shell once more, taking aim at Neinhart. His mouth opened and glowed blue, exerting a blast of breezing air high into the atmosphere. The icy wind with blue sparkles expanded as it got above Neinhart, the particles reaching a climax where they solidified, creating several large icicles that slanted and went striking Neinhart. All the icicles met him and the mast, making him scream in pain.

The mast began to fall over, alongside Neinhart. As the structure and man fell over from the icy rupture, beams of light shot down from above.

" **Grand Chariot!** "

Jellal's attack struck down from the space in the sky, striking the ship and the suspended Neinhart completely. Neinhart screamed in agony as he was hit with an unimaginable wave of magic and the ship's half he was on smashed into pieces. The ship and Neinhart fell apart, pieces falling into the bay and Neinhart spewing blood as his damaged body dropped from the air like a fly, head first into the water with an insidious splash.

With Neinhart fallen, Jellal panted and looked on as he had done it. Kagura and Erza looked on with confident smiles over what happened, and Aegislash and Cloyster looked on with glory over their victory and assistance over the Spriggan.

The sky cleared up once more, the twinkling stars fading and revealing the sky. The sun had waned towards the west, the day having been embedded in a scarlet sky. As scarlet casted over the horizon, Erza looked on with a smile brimming with determination.

"The sky…it's a beautiful scarlet."

Laying on the deck, Bellona's eyes weakly opened, just enough to see the sunset. A smile crossed her lips.

* * *

The pathway that was echoing with a single person's footsteps continued on for some time. Who knows? All that mattered was that it was one step closer as the two individuals eventually reached the bottom of the steps, reaching the chamber where Fairy Heart was sanctioned.

"How's your injuries, Cana?"

The person revealing herself to be Mavis talked to Cana, of whom was more distracted with the change of scenery around her.

"Fine, I guess…" Though not definite, she was at least able to walk, which was good in her own way. "But I didn't think there'd be a place like this in the guild."

"Well when I think about it, this is probably your first time down here." Mavis smiled. "It's no surprise. Follow me."

The two made way down towards the other side of the chamber, the doors already open by Mavis herself. She and Cana walked inside, walking down the path that led to Fairy Heart. Once inside, both stood before the lacrima, shimmering with the First's body inside.

Mavis took one more step, examining her form. "Behold, Cana. Fairy Heart."

Cana took a moment to feel the Magic Power it gave off, her brow raised. "And this is what Zeref is after?"

"I'm afraid so. But…" Mavis paused, allowing the momentum to fall on her shoulders. "I think after much thought, I've come to think of a solution that'll end this war and Zeref once and for all."

"What?" Cana whipped towards her, startled.

Mavis ignored Cana's outburst, staring at the lacrima with a serious frown. "The details are slim, but for starters…we must get my body out of that lacrima."

Cana turned towards the lacrima as well, looking at the body with uneasiness. "…but isn't that body…?"

"It's alive. It has to be." Mavis assured. "If it wasn't for Precht's Resurrection Magic studies, it wouldn't have lasted this long. This is why I brought you down here with me, Cana." She turned towards the brunette, her eyes glaring serious daggers that made Cana feel uncomfortable. "You alone hold the key to getting my body out. There's one way I know how, and you have the spell to do it…"

Cana's eyes slowly began to widen. "You don't mean…"

Mavis nodded. "Fairy Glitter. We shall use its power, and erase my ethereal projection."

Cana's mind went blank with shock, her disbelief on a whole new level compared to before. It was enough Mavis thought of a way to end the war, but it baffled her with what insinuation it meant. She could only stare in a petrified state as Mavis continued to explain.

"It took evaluation, but from what we have learned in the past, we know that if a link is attacked, the whole connection is thwarted. I am the only link to this lacrima. If this is severed, then my real body should be released."

"Wait!" Cana stepped back, backing away from the possibilities. "You…you can't be serious! You mean…I have to attack you?!"

"Remember, this is an ethereal projection. It won't kill me, because it's not like you're killing a comrade."

"It doesn't matter! Your projection s what bound us together to begin with! We never would've realized all this if it wasn't for that form you took! We've made friends and got close, and now you want me to just give that all up?!" Cana shook her head, unwilling to accept the possibilities that would be inflicted. "I can't do that! No! There's a chance your real body would-!"

"Cana!"

Cana stopped with a gasp, looking down at Mavis with shock.

"Listen, I know it will be hard…but you need to trust me, just like you trust the guild. We have to take this gamble, whether we want to or not. We have to, if we want to defeat Zeref once and for all."

Cana stood speechless, her heart racing at the one-way she was given.

* * *

 **Here is the latest update! Tada! I was racing against the clock to get this one p before Sunday, since that's the start of the new week and all. But as I said, I took longer than usual because I had to update** _ **One's Road to Remembrance**_ **, plus activities outside of FanFiction backed me up and all. Anyways, as you noticed, I still stuck largely to canon, but I went with eccentric twists and gave Erza's Aegislash and Cloyster a little spin. The return of Saboth and Imaci was a nice throwback to the Impure Underworld Arc and Vanessa's Aura Guardian.**

 **For a rough ideal on how I thought of Vanessa and Delphox's aura fusion into the armor, think like Naruto and Sasuke fusing Susanoo with Kurama, along those lines. Of course it drains their powers almost to zero after use,**

 **So aside from a few changes and fights being excluded, I may or may not have hinted Jellal and Bellona's relationship with how he felt when he saw Bellona bathed in her blood. In terms of Bellona, I thought I would show some form of development and use for her, whether it was good or bad. I tried making her a character worthy of redemption, and I felt pretty controlled in how I've done it so far.**

 **Sorry I made the Celestial Crew depart on the short notice, but they didn't have a vital point after their battle against Jacob. Still, hope you all enjoyed seeing them again!**

 **The poll I made is ALMOST at a tie, surprisingly. I'm shocked how the numbers are close to one another, so to those who voted, you have my thanks. Still, gonna keep it up to see what others think for a while.**

 **I'm also going to be going back a few chapters into the Alvarez Empire Arc to change something about Nic. I've been noted that he's been looking a little cocky, which – if you ask me – is a drawback, so I'm going to take some time to edit out the sentences and paragraphs where he invokes cocky words to make him as reasonable as can be, otherwise I'll stay on schedule.**

 **So review and hope you guys like what I did! :)**


	69. Deadlock

Bellona's eyes began wincing. She softly groaned as she saw faint black, but blurry figments of what looked like a wooden ceiling was seen. "Wh…"

"Looks like you're awake."

"Nnngh?" Bellona groaned as her blurry vision averted towards the right. She could barely make out the figments overlooking her, but she could at least make out the headband and the long red hair by her side. "Is that…Kagura?"

The redhead beside the mentioned swordswoman crossed her arms. "Thank goodness. We were worried for a while, you gave us quite the scare, Bellona.

Bellona started slouching up. "Erza-!" Before she curled up too far, a sharp sting went through her stomach. She put a hand over the wound, realizing that it – along with her entire body – was covered in bandages.

"Take it easy." Kagura insisted.

"You need to rest up for now, Bellona." Erza encouraged.

Bellona backed down, laying back against the headboard provided. She took a moment to get herself situated and look around, noticing how she was shockingly alive. Her brow furrowed as she tried to pick up on what happened, but found no luck. "What happened? I thought the last thing I remember was that man's fall…and everything after that…"

"Don't strain yourself. You've done more than enough to do just that." Erza said. From how she looked, she only had minor injuries, with less bandages on her abdominal region than Bellona, but had patches on her cheeks as well, no doubt from the cuts received. "We were very fortunate that Wendy came around when she did."

Wendy stepped up with Carla, smiling. "Your wounds were very deep. It took awhile to manage, but you'll be able to heal up normally." She assured.

"Be grateful there were no scars." Carla said.

Bellona looked down, looking humbly acceptance of what happened. "I see. Thank you."

Wendy's smile perked. "Don't worry about it!"

Despite having a few bandages himself, Gray was standing with the rest of them, smirking cockily. "Well haven't we all seen better days."

"Speak for yourself." Risley snorted.

"What's that mean?"

Juvia – in her undergarments – was holding a hand to her mouth as she pointed at Gray's lower half. "Gray…your clothes."

"Has everything been accounted for?" Erza asked Kagura.

The swordswoman nodded in confirmation. "Yes. We have succeeded in rounding up the wounded. The count is staggering, but well worth it if you ask me."

"So, wait." Bellona said. "What happened?"

Gray faced the bandaged woman, a smirk running across his face. "What do you think? We won. Hargeon port is back under our wings!"

"And we couldn't have done it without your help." Erza said.

"I see…" Bellona looked around, her gaze all around the large makeshift shelter, yet what she sought was nowhere in sight. "Where's Jellal?"

"Jellal and your friends are still out there." Kagura explained. "They're currently chasing out the remaining numbers, but it shall only be a matter of time before they are thwarted."

A smile came across Bellona's face once more. Hearing Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy fighting on left her sappy, yet at the same time she couldn't help but feel pity. They were still out fighting for the sake of others, and she was stuck in bed. While she was stuck in her thoughts, she heard soft footsteps approaching.

"Um, excuse me…"

Bellona looked up, snapped out of her gaze when she saw the face of a familiar cat woman standing sheepishly before her. "You're Millianna, am I right?"

Millianna looked way, showing hesitation as she clutched one of her own arms. She looked at Kagura, seeing as how Mermaid Heel's ace was notably calm around the woman, despite the malicious intentions a long time ago. She took several moments to compose herself before she chose to face Bellona again, staring directly into her eyes. They weren't the looks of a maniac she saw back then. They were gone, replaced by a vendetta to compensate for her former behavior.

"Uh, listen…"

"Hm?" Bellona raised a brow, noticing the ruffling in Millianna's posture.

"I know what you did to us. We all did. We can never forget the harm you brought to us back during the games, or what ambitions you tried to pull during that time…but you saved Erzy. I honestly don't know what to feel right now about you, but at least for now…" The cat woman reached out her hand, her face hardening into seriousness. "You have our thanks."

The act caught Bellona off guard. She was surprised by the fact Millianna was willing to overlook her crimes, at least for now, but she was more inclined to how she was accepting her comradery like Kagura was. In a show of modesty, she reached out slowly and accepted the hand shake from her. "The honor is all mine."

Erza and the rest of the gathered smiled at the sight.

"Say, we should be getting back to the guild." Gray said.

"Our friends and everyone have been gone for some time. We better regroup." Juvia insisted.

Risley crossed her arms and smiled. "Y'all don't have to worry. Lamia and Mermaid got this."

"Thank you." Wendy chirped.

Erza turned to Kagura. "Is that okay with you?" Kagura, however, gave no emotional response.

"Do as you please. You've already assisted us in our mission, so I don't see why not."

Despite the solid choice of words, Erza could tell that Kagura wasn't so willing to admit she would miss Erza. She smiled and grabbed Kagura's head, pulling her into her ample buxom. "It was nice catching up with you once more."

Getting flustered, Kagura began to grow red. "E-Erza! Let go! I mean it!" She sheepishly shouted.

"We should get Laxus and Vanessa." Carla reminded.

"Yeah, I can understand that." Gray and everyone turned to look at the mentioned. They saw nit two, but three beds present. One bed held Laxus, whom was covered in bandages like a mummy, and by no means was he waking up anytime soon. Beside his bed was Vanessa. Like Laxus, she was covered in bandages, but on a lesser scale. She was lying up, sound asleep. And on the bed far away was Delphox, of whom had no bandages, but laid face up and unconscious. Goodra, of whom was out the whole time, overlooked them without so much as budging.

Wendy walked on over, looking up towards Goodra. "How are they?"

Goodra shook her head, confirming the answer needed. "No good. Vanessa and Delphox are still out cold."

"What happened to them?" Kagura asked; thankfully Erza let go when the attention drew to the injured.

"Well the big guy had to face two mighty foes one after the other. So there's no way he's coming around anytime soon." Gray informed. "As for Vanessa, I think it had something to do with that weird giant she did before. What was it again?"

Erza's eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me she did Aura Guardian with her Pokémon again." She sighed. "I knew using that wouldn't work well."

"Not to be rude, but what's this about her spell that makes it bad with Pokémon?" Juvia asked.

Erza's gaze averted towards Vanessa, watching her sleep like a baby. "It's a last resort that Vanessa had developed over the year. It's a very powerful mode of her Aura Guardian that enables her to use her Pokémon's aura as armor for her own, as well as increase the power of their moves." She explained. "However, like Aura Guardian, merging auras drains her and the Pokémon's stamina much faster than what Aura Guardian itself can do. It almost instantly drains Vanessa's Magic Power because of it, which is why using it is risky."

Carla gave a wily brow at Erza's explanation. "Huh, seems she's picked up somebody's bold means of battle."

"Be nice." Wendy choded.

"Anyways, Vanessa will be fine. It'll just take some time for her Magic Power to come back."

As Vanessa was the topic, Kagura began to draw her attention back towards Bellona. She began to think back to the woman and Jellal, and as such, her face began to slowly turn red from remembering saving Jellal by…mouth to mouth. The temperature arose as she looked at Bellona with guilt.

"Bellona…"

Bellona turned towards Kagura, furrowing her brow at the swordswoman growing weariness.

She lowered her head, unable to face the woman who risked her life to beside Jellal in times of crisis. "I, er…I don't know what to say, but…please forgive me."

"What are you talking about? What's to apologize fo-!" Bellona's expression trailed off when Kagura's hand brushed her cheek. Her brown eyes widened when Kagura reeled in, closing her eyes and giving the woman her own apology of being an enemy-turned-ally. Her own show of gratitude: a puckered up Kagura giving her a soft kiss on the lips. Bellona's entire face went red and her eyes dilated from the off-scale show of affection.

Everyone around gawked and recoiled at the shocking site. Millianna and Juvia had hands covering mouths while everyone just gawked in utter shock. Erza looked at the scene with wide eyes and speechless at Kagura's way of "apologizing".

"Eh?" Goodra sweat dropped nervously.

Once satisfied, Kagura pulled away and shuddered, unable to look Bellona in the eye. "P-please accept it as my apology."

Bellona shuddered in place, bewildered. She couldn't even close her mouth as the wrong idea infiltrated her cranium. She just stared at Kagura, deeply confused. "…uh…"

* * *

At Fairy Tail's guild hall, a loud thud echoed through the wood and cementation.

"I've made up my mind!" Natsu slammed his hands against the refurnished map, glaring at everyone. "I'm going out there and beating that guy's ass from the east!"

"You won't be alone, pal!" Happy declared.

"He's right. I'm coming too!" Lucy volunteered.

Makarov looked down at the ground, apparently unamused by the choice apprehended out of thin air. "I forbid this action. It's suicide."

The testimony made Natsu challenged as he got in Makarov's face, teeth gritting. "Well I'm done sitting around! I'm not waiting for the enemy to just waltz in on us!"

"This is the most powerful of the Spriggan 12, Natsu!" Makarov snapped. "I'm telling you, you can't face him like this! No one can!"

"That's not entirely accurate." A third party said. A step of dainty footsteps waltzed about idly, catching everyone's attention. They all turned to see Brandish amongst them, her appearance out of her cell leaving half the guild paling and gawking. "It is more accurate to say he is the strongest _individual_." She emphasized.

Macao jerked away. "Hey! Wha-what the heck are you doing out of your cell?!"

Natsu turned towards him, looking at him like it was obvious. "I let her out." He deadpanned.

"You WHAT?!"

"She isn't so bad once you get to know her."

"Wait…strongest 'individual'?" Lucy asked, clearly she wasn't tailing away from the subject at hand.

Brandish turned towards her, showing signs of growing uneasiness. "You don't know, do you?" She was met with silence, confirming that she was right. The Spriggan retained whatever composure possible and carried on with her innuendo.

"While August is the strongest, he isn't alone. There is but one more who shares the same title with him among the Spriggan 12. August himself is the strongest **man** , but **she** is the strongest woman…" The paused that followed Brandish was met with her closing her eyes, picturing the frightening image of a red-haired silhouette with a large hat. Even though an image, her bones rattled. "The name she holds is the 'Scarlet Despair'. She is known as…Irene Belserion."

The name allowed itself to sink into everyone's head. They all showed some form of worry as the name rang in their craniums. It made them feel uncomfortable, for a lack of better word at best.

Sophie stepped up, arms crossed with a frown. "So then, the information we have was superficial at best. We understand now how meek we were in detail, but what I don't get is…why? Why tell us this?"

Brandish shot the blonde a look. "This information I'm giving you is a one-time deal. Don't think for a second I intend to be an ally. I am but a prisoner to this war; my allegiance is to the Alvarez Empire. Betraying my homeland is but a betraying to myself."

Sophie wanted to interject on the matter, but Brandish did bring up a point. She was born in Ishgar, and she loves Fairy Tail too. She would never think of betraying them. The prospect let her uneased in silence.

"That being said…" The green-haired woman turned towards Lucy. "I am in debt to Lucy."

"Me?" Lucy pointed at herself in confusion.

Brandish nodded. "Yes."

"What did you do exactly, Lucy?" Happy question.

Lucy looked up, her eye squinting. "I, uh…"

"And because of that reason…I am willing to negotiate with August in your stead." Brandish said.

The momentum that was shifting overturned completely. All eyes within the guild hall shot open with shock at Brandish's offer. It was bewildering enough that she would share information with them, but it was even more so when she decided to bargain.

The only one who wasn't shocked was Natsu, who instead scowled at the peaceful resolution. "Negotiate?"

"Excluding Irene, there is no mage in existence who could match August. And when I say **mage** , I mean just that. Nic could potentially level with August given his powers, that may also include Irene as well. That being said, Alakitasia's monikers for them are 'Calamity' and 'Scarlet Despair'. Nic, or 'Luminous', may match their skills, but a battle of that intensity could very well reshape the world. I would prefer it if that didn't happen." She looked around, ignoring the many bewildered faces that backed down from the prospect of Nic and the two mentioned having a battle of cataclysmic proportions. It already happened once. "In Irene's case, she and I share little to no personal relationship, so stopping her is out of my reach. However, for August's case, I have known him almost my whole life, so if all goes well, negotiating with him may keep him from advancing."

The initial shock around the guild began overturning once more, with everyone starting to feel their hopes rise yet again. Max's frown went away. "Really? You can do that?" He asked.

"Yes. I am all but certain." She answered.

"That's awesome!" Warren shouted.

Makarov gave Brandish a serious look. The look he gave was far from discerning her intentions, no. The look being given was of modest respect, something he didn't give an enemy so easily. "That proposition…we accept the terms." He said.

"Master! Are you serious?!" Mest countered. "We can't take the wager! It's too risky! What if she uses the chance to escape us? We'll lose our advantage!"

"You can choose to believe me if you want, but I don't care." Brandish interjected. "All I care for is paying my debt."

The room was subtle in silence. Many of the Fairy Tail mages – including Sophie – were willing to take the gamble, for they didn't have too many options. Their ace, Nic, was out in the east, and supposedly far out of August's reach. If August masked himself to get by, would he be looking for a fight to begin with? Could he really willing to have peaceful routes in this war than upfront destruction like Natsu? Mest and Natsu were the only ones who showed hesitation.

I Mest's case, he couldn't trust easily. One way or another, the war had to be brought their advantage. He was really more uneased than combative upfront. He wasn't willing to take chances against those with Magic Power on such dark scales. Natsu was the opposite; fighting was all he knew…okay so maybe he knows what negotiations meant, but his way of negotiating was by destruction and explosions. Peaceful resolutions weren't his way. He wanted to be the strongest, and that meant fighting the best.

A sudden pair of footsteps broke the tension, revealing Lucy with a stoic expression of ready. "Let's do this! We'll go with you, Brandish!" She announced.

"Lucy. You too?" Mest gasped.

Brandish turned towards the blonde, offering no input.

The frown on Natsu's face grew into a smirk once more. "Well alright then. It's decided…" He raised a hand and reached for his scarf. He adjusted it, and he held up a fist. "I'm gonna be the one to kick August's ass!" He boasted.

Lucy chopped at his head, but it didn't faze him. "What's wrong with you?!" She yelled.

* * *

The sacred white snow rained in a most heated blizzard. The Landscape was nothing more than a white desert that stretched for miles on end, up and down and through the night, snow covered everything. One could barely make out ten feet in front of them without having the need to squint.

However, one figure trekked through the snow-covered valley, her footsteps covered almost instantly by shifting snow. The air howled in her ears, yet to her it cast but a little whiff on her course. She was unfazed by the temperature as she trekked without so much as regarding her hot breath looking like smoke when breathing out her nose. Her brown eyes were fixated ahead, her red lipstick far from smirched nor chapped. Everything about her was solid and forward,

This was Irene Belserion, the 'Scarlet Despair'. She was a tall, voluptuous figure with a skimpy attire, more or less. She adorned top-class black boots with red crosses on the top, with a v-shaped belt with red embroidery on the waist with a black cloth on the front and back, adorning the Alvarez Empire mark in gold. She had a black top piece with an opening to her ample buxom, red embroidery edged in the gold edging as well. Her gloves had long sleeves up to her elbows, with the gold embroidery of them as well. She, oddly enough, had claws or rather long nails sticking out the fingers, clutching a leopard-patterned staff. Her hair, like Erza, was long, red, and had many of huge, thick braids that went over her shoulders and back, tied with blue ribbons at the ends. Atop her head was a huge black hat with several long straps arching down the back. She also adorned what appeared to be a cape. Regal would be far from an understatement.

Irene looked ahead, continued her path without a sway in her step. "Zonia Mountain. The battlefield in which two angels danced; one of light, and one of darkness. The tale born that era gave way to the darkness' defeat, and as a sign of the light angel's rain, snow has fallen forevermore. But this tale…" A smirk crossed her lips. "Is far from a tale. It is but real legend itself. Light and dark angels had clashed yet again, but this time, one side had been forever purged, and the light angel shines in its own reincarnation. Who to thought?"

"Wow, Lady Irene! I never knew you had such interest in folklore!" A voice came from behind, revealing Irene's entourage. There were two. The one with the light-covered complexion and clothing was Juliet Sun. She had a perky smile and large dark eyes, and her attire consisted of a cross between a coat and a skirt. Her hair was of two pigtails that were on either side of her face.

The second one was a woman with dark hair with bangs framing her face. She adorned a skin-tight dark suit with light netting on the sides and elbows. She adorned a cloak to help shield the cold. This was the second of her entourage: Heine Lunasea. She crossed her arms and looked at Juliet with a scowl. "Simpleton!" She chastised. "Have you no history of your superior? Lady Irene was born here, of course she knows of these legends."

Irene gave no direct response as she continued to follow her way.

"Ho~? Was that really smart to say, Heine?" Juliet cooed.

Realizing the innuendo set in motion, Heine looked towards Irene, understanding the fault in offense she enacted. "Er…I mean…my apologies."

Irene stopped in her tracks, turning to face the two with a serious expression. The tension in the air turned as she smirked. From the looks of it, she saw nothing in terms of offense. "As I imagined, the two angels of heaven and hell were indeed of Nic and…him." She powered on, despite the uneasy lurching she had to stomach. "But when I look at it, you both might be the spitting image as well."

"Yay! I wanna be the black one!" Juliet insisted.

"Idiot! You're clearly the white one!" Heine berated.

"But…" The two turned towards Irene, seeing her eyes sharpen as she gave them a malicious glare. "That brings up the question: The former battle of light and dark has been decided, but who would end up victorious if the two of _you_ were to engage in battle? Shall we find out?"

Heine and Juliet looked at Irene with uneasy chills running down their spines. The prospect of fighting against each other upon demand by Irene was an implication that made them pale.

Irene turned away, tipping her humungous hat. "I'm joking. Ease up."

Heine and Juliet sighed in relief.

"But now that I think about it, the two angels that clashed were supposedly disputing over custody of a man. A rather wonderful story if you ask me." She looked up, facing the sky, watching the snow fall like rain. "But, as wonderful of a story it may be, it is rather nippy, wouldn't you say?" Irene raised her staff a couple inches off the ground and pushed it back into the snow. A singular energy ripple exerted from the bottom, exerting throughout the snow and fading upon several meters away. As the ripple faded, a suspended animation happened, the snow around the three stopping in place. Heine and Juliet looked around with shock and admiration as they watched the suspended snowflakes slowly vaporize into humid air. The snow on the ground had begun dissipating, instantly dissolving into the ground. Taking its place, for miles on end, all throughout the nighttime mountain, the temperature had begun rising, and lush green grass and flower fields bloomed before her. Instead of raining snow, fresh petals whisked through the air.

Juliet's eyes widened in sheer amazement at Irene's handiwork. "WOW! Lady Irene! That was so awesome!" She chimed. "It's so warm!"

Irene smirked.

"How enchanting. The air is most certainly warm." Heine said.

"Much appreciated, but it would seem we have a few party crashers." Irene spoke. "But…Bloodman and Larcade, they shall see to it that they do not have fun _their_ way."

In the distance, two silhouettes were noticed. One had a giant cross against his back and arms crossed, and the other revealed a hooded muscular reaper-like man. For some reason, the insinuation reached their ears, and their heads perked up as they were ready to do battle.

* * *

The group comprised of Natsu, Happy, Lucy, and Brandish all casually strode their way out of Magnolia. They took a trail towards the hillsides of the city, where they could follow the directions intended for east. Natsu led the way, putting on foot ahead of the other with hands behind his head, giving no care to the world.

"Heh, this August guy sounds pretty intense. I wonder what kind of magic he uses?" He pondered.

"Do you even get what's going on here?" Lucy hinted. "We're going to negotiate. This isn't like that time with stealth; those two are completely different in your mind Natsu, but please don't go picking a fight with this guy."

"But, if you did end up fighting him, you've been annihilated on the spot. That is the warning I heed of August." Brandish said.

Happy glided ahead, looking back with an unsound expression. "A-aye…"

"August is a gentle person at heart, make no mistake. Out of all the Spriggan 12, he is the most open-minded. Talking to him is what even a child could do. However, for the Emperor…Zeref, was it? His loyalty towards him is but a burning ferocity."

"So like Nic's Pokémon to him, right?" Natsu referenced.

"I think Pokémon are beside the point." Lucy said. "But Brandish, if that's the case, then how are you going to negotiate?"

Brandish gave Lucy a blank stare. The way she looked at her was completely unemotional, if not blunt. "…I don't know." She confessed.

Lucy nearly floored at her reply. "EH?!"

Natsu stopped in his tracks as he felt something off. The whole group stopped in place when they saw Natsu halting, looking back over his shoulder. He showed no amusement as he looked at the tree they passed a few paces ago.

"What…is it?" Lucy asked.

"C'mon Mest. You're as obvious as day and night." Natsu called out.

Caught, Lucy whipped around to see a flicker behind the tree. The licker began to manifest, becoming Mest in a second, much to her surprise. "What?!" She gasped.

' _Damnit, forgot about his nose.'_ Mest thought. He looked over at Brandish, his uneasiness shown as some bullets of sweat formed on his face. "Just how are you guys really willing to trust that woman? I don't get it."

"Are you deaf or something? I said she wasn't bad once you get to know her, so there." Natsu shrugged.

"And do you really think that's all there is to it? She's a prisoner of war, not a handbag that you cherish for keeping your belongings in one piece and put on a stool. What you did could be as far as unconstitutional. You could've at least carried Magic Sealing Stone or something if she turned on you."

Natsu, however, just perked a grand smile. "Oh well, your loss."

Mest gawked in sheer disbelief. "Seriously?! Do you even have a brain lying in that skull?!"

Lucy turned towards Brandish. "More importantly, are we really going to walk the entire way?"

"Wait-!" Natsu whipped around, his face showing concern. "Just so we're clear, no carriages! That is a no-go!"

"Yeah, and I can only carry one person at a time." Happy said. "And Lucy is heavy enough on her own."

"What?! Why you little…"

"At ease." Brandish said. "I believe that I an answer the dilemma at hand." She raised her hand. "Observe."

With a snap of her fingers, the echo reached Happy. In a split second, dust spilled everywhere as Happy grew to gigantic proportions. All his appendages, head, and all gradually grew until he stood at humungous heights.

"Happy's gigantic!" Natsu and Lucy both shrieked in shock; Natsu more astounded than of bewilderment.

Brandish smiled. "Good, now…" She scooted on over, cuddling with Happy's furry leg, all cheeky. "We can ride this big fluffy-wuffy kitty~!" She snuggled into Happy's hair, nuzzling with ecstasy, while the ongoers showed varied thoughts.

"She's…like an actual girl all of a sudden…?" Lucy murmured.

"Aw man, I'm so jealous of Happy! I wanna be a giant, too!" Natsu whined.

Mest stared at Brandish unsound by her still, trust or not.

Happy bent over, reaching a gigantic paw down and clutching the back of Lucy's shirt. The blonde squealed as she was pulled off the ground. She was brought into the air, staring at the gigantic Happy with a harsh squeal.

" **I feel like the coolest cat in the world!** " Happy declared.

"Damn straight! You're not just cool, you're ice cold pal!" Natsu laughed.

"Just put me down already! This is creepy enough as it is!" Lucy panicked.

* * *

In the Fairy Tail basement, everything was desolate when one gets to the stairway, but within the darkness, there was some sense of light and a harsh rumble. The vibrations palpitated throughout the basement, and the flash of light diminished, fading to darkness for what one may count for the umpteenth time.

Deep within the basement, in the chamber with Fairy Heart, the ground was turned over completely, looking fresh and paved while the dust cleared, revealing Mavis' ethereal projection. She maintained a stoic frown as she looked directly at Cana, of whom was on the opposite side of the chamber. The brunette was on her hands and knees, panting profusely as her whole body shuddered. She was out of breath, and out of will.

Mavis had scratches and bruises on her projection, giving signs of serious damage, but not enough to break her. "No good." She chastised. "You have to try harder than that if you want to break me out. If you need to destroy me, then use your full power, understand?"

Cana lifted her head, panting as beads of sweat dripped onto the ground. Her whole body was covered in sweat, and she was feeling depleted on magic. "I…I won't." She tested. "Even…if you are a projection…you're still a friend. Do…you really expect me to harm a friend intentionally?"

Mavis' glare softened as she looked morbidly downward. When she looked at Cana, there was another face she saw; one with brown hair like her. For some reason, it gave her a sense of comfort.

"Cana…did you know that you bear a resemblance to someone I once knew?"

"Huh?"

"You look just like her too…well, maybe with just the hair…"

"How is that resemblance?!" Cana argued.

Mavis continued to think, pondering of the old days when she traveled with a woman in an orange dress with pigtails. She smiled with concern as she and Mavis would talk endlessly and walk about in towns and forests alike. The bittersweet memories made her frown deepen. "She was very dear person to my heart, you see. Even though she passed away at a very young age, she…supported me throughout my way. She gave me the strength to move on. To move towards the future. Zera had that quality in her, and if she had lived on, she would've looked a lot like you…I think."

"Zera?" Cana repeated.

Mavis looked up, picturing Zera in Cana's shoes. Her face grew curly as she saw her without much of a top but a bra and hugging a barrel, hiccupping all the while ignoring the blushing and flirting men around. The fitting image…wasn't so fitting. _"This is ma boyfriend! You can't have'em!"_ Even her speech didn't seem right in Cana's place.

"…actually, forget what I said." She deadpanned.

"You know what, you really are a rude ghost!" Cana exclaimed.

"Still…" Mavis put a hand over her heart, a warm smile crossing onto her face. "She lives on in my heart. Not in this empty shell that one calls a ghost, but in the heart. There is only one person I know that has the power to free both Zera and I from this crystal grave. That person lies before me, it's you, Cana. You can break us free. This is all on you."

Cana redoubled herself at the words the First Master spoke. She started to stand up, staggering but managing to uphold her ground as she was picturing what she was intending. Though still uneased, she knew what had to be done.

"You will use the spell to not attack a comrade…but to save one. To save all."

* * *

As the battles in the north unfolded to heavy levels, the adrenaline and Magic Power flared to unbelievable means. The atmosphere was grand as all the snow melting revealed the bodies and blood that were lying around, yet even as the battle escalated, Irene, Heine, and Juliet all watched from atop a cliff, watching the heavy numbers rise and fall.

Juliet narrowed her eyes as she leaned over the edge, scoping out the battle. "Oh~? Looks like it's getting interesting down there. Even those gloomy gusses are back on their feet." She chimed.

"What do you intend as a strategy, Lady Irene?" Heine asked.

Irene overlooked the large-scale battle, her smirk undeterred. "There's no need to worry. We have Larcade and Bloodman with us. As long as they are down there, we are all but certain for victory."

True to what she said, the battle shifted as Bloodman came around. Upon seeing the Grim Reaper himself enter the fray, she watched as bodies fell. Her sense of confidence was stable…that is until she watched Gajeel surprised Bloodman. The battle had begun with Gajeel against Bloodman, and Irene watched with her smirk slowly dropping into a frown. It wasn't that she expected Bloodman to find himself getting hit, but more like she wasn't the enemy to find openings.

After Bloodman was seen getting a headbutt by Gajeel, she knew the tides one way or another weren't going to go as expected for her sake.

She turned around, facing away from the battle. "Juliet. Heine. You two shall make way to the frontlines."

"Understood."

"Aw~! Why do we have to go~?! They have Larcade and Bloodman, aren't we overkill already?"

"Show some respect, you imbecile!" Heine snapped. "Lord Larcade and Lord Bloodman aren't our supervisors, but they are still our superiors!"

Irene began to walk away, leaving her squad to watch her vacate slowly. "The third party will be here shortly."

"'Third', Lady Irene?" Heine reiterated.

"Indeed. There were the Pegasi and tigers, the first party. Then came the fairies, the second party…and the third party is to come soon. They may prove to be quite troublesome."

* * *

A large, mechanical foot pressed against the ground. The earth depressed as the foot of what looked like a large mechanical temple stepped forth, coming into view on the battlefield. The large structure overlooked everything as its two large legs held up its cylindrical bulk. The mobile temple was all too familiar.

"We've got a visual on them."

"The mobile temple, Olympia, has finally arrived."

Inside, the chair was sat on by Sorano, who still adorned the skimpy swimsuit. Around her was the Oracion Seis – or rather **formerly** Oracion Seis. As of this day, they were known as Crime Sorciere, though it still took time to get used to the name change.

"It's time that we show the power of the Oracion Seis in full view." Macbeth smirked.

"Oh yeah!...although technically we are now Crime Sorciere." Richard said.

"That's funny. I could've sworn this mountain was covered in snow." Sorano stated.

"If that were the case, then why come wearing _that_?" Sawyer asked, referring to her choice of attire.

The only one out of the picture appeared to be Cobra, or Erik. He was looking away, crouching as he was trying to remain as still as possible. His face was pale as he was trying his best to not fall over.  
Who…cares. Just get me off this thing." He groaned. Being a Dragon Slayer, things didn't work out in his case.

On the battlefield, Yukino whipped her head around, eyes widening as she felt something wrong.

This, however, left her open with her back turned towards a foe. As a man came around with a mace in hand, she was still lost in the shock she felt. It was only the sound of an explosion that made Yukino turn around to see the assailant gone, replaced by Minerva.

"Minerva?"

"Yukino, what is it? Why did you space out?" She asked.

As odd as it felt, Yukino realized she had to worry about the battle. She shook her head and gave Minerva a smile. "It's nothing."

* * *

"The third is to come, but then there shall be the fourth company…and a fifth."

Once again, Heine and Juliet showed shock at the unprecedented announcement. Juliet was the one to break the uneasiness. "Fourth _and_ fifth?"

"The fourth party is neither friend nor foe, but make no mistake, the most troublesome. The fifth party is but his own person as well. He may be as troubling as the fourth party, so to speak. What must be done is eradication, so, just leave the fourth and fifth parties to me, and I will personally dispose of them."

Together, both Heine and Juliet's faces darkened. Their casual demeanors were replaced, showing confidence as well as darkness.

"I may not know of this fourth and fifth party, but without a doubt, they may as well be foolish."

"To think they would make an enemy of Lady Irene, the most powerful enchantress ever…teehee!"

Irene made way, walking on her two feet as she walked off from her lackeys. She showed nothing more than a malicious and battle-thirsty smirk as she pressed onto her path. After a short while of walking, she made it far enough to where the lush landscape was open with rock formations and open air. The night sky twinkled as she pressed on; one step carrying her closer towards her adversary. She couldn't wait, for it tickled her insides.

She tapped her staff's bottom on the ground, where her Magic Power flourished and slowly began to create a diameter of pure white that enveloped the field. Slowly, foot by foot, as she walked on, the diameter expanded, the field of light expanding further to massive reaches.

As she walked further, she began to talk to herself once more. "Before the arrival of the two guests, I better make thorough preparations. I hope his majesty can understand, but this little game of thrones and war must be brought to an end eventually. Not that it matters anyway, our side would end up victorious no matter how one sees it." As she continued on, petals of red began to whisk through the wind, and rain over her. "Of course, these two parties, it's more accurately that they **both** broke the gameboard. The two who are above the rules."

Once more, she could picture the two she mentioned; the 'parties'. She saw a black-winged creature of gargantuan proportions, menacing with a hot breath. She then saw someone who left her spine stiff that night, the level of infinite power and bright lights that sparkled around him and many shapes of animals that followed in his wake.

"Upon this land, the white angel shines brightly, but the rage of the black angel manifests itself once again. But who's to say that these two angels are to have their way? The one who is to be laughing when this scuffle is all over…shall be I, the Scarlet Angel."

Irene pressed on, unturned by her ways. "If only society dubbed me something a little cuter than the 'Scarlet Despair'. Oh well." She sighed.

* * *

As the Western part of Fiore was overflowing with soldiers, base camps were set up, and the soldiers upon hundreds of thousands were all making preparations and battle seminars. With them making quick work of scouts and reviewing how the Spriggans have been sized down, the green grass in which Zeref trekked in shifted, getting him to stop. The Black Wizard knelt down, tenderly feeling the grass and all its blades. Something didn't seem right, not in the quality anyway.

Noticing Zeref's strange behavior, Invel turned to gaze down towards the emperor. "Your majesty, is everything alright?"

Zeref felt the magic flow, making his eyes widen. "…the quality of the land's magic has changed." He looked up, his eyes showing unsound remorse. He didn't know what was going on or was to happen, but he knew the magic all too well. _'Irene, just what are you planning?'_

* * *

Footsteps in the wasteland were unseen. The sound of rocks turning over was muffled by the cool breeze that followed the wake of Acnologia. As he walked slowly towards a certain direction, he kept the stern, intense look on his face as he knew by the smell and hearing there was someone up ahead. Though miles away, he was smirking, chuckling meekly beneath his breath. The closer he advanced, the more he could feel his heart race. It has been awhile since he had felt this way, especially when facing one certain individual and seeing him destroy someone who was – supposedly – above his own might. But that was a year ago. Time's changed, and this time, Acnologia knew he would prove it.

* * *

Nic was sitting on a flat rock in the middle of nowhere, hunched over beneath a tree, no doubt one that he created from using his Meadow Form. After so many miles of trekking, he continued to follow Mavis' directives, and that was to continue scoping out the east. As of yet, he had yet to come across anything out of the ordinary all day. Despite the setback of no reinforcements, friend or foe, he was worn out from trekking, so he made do with sitting out for a while since he wasn't getting any reading.

Munching on a crisp apple that had grown from the tree he grew, he looked down at the ground, staring with a perplexed expression. He didn't seem at all happy, but not sad either. Just…lost.

He took another bite, recapping what happened early in the morning. _'That man, August, to been able to mask himself to get by me, just what does this mean?'_ Nic couldn't place his finger on it, but it wasn't on the tip of his tongue either. It was a nomadic thought. _'If the Alvarez Empire deems me a top priority, why bypass me, when they know I'm to be their enemy? Does August not perceive me as a threat to begin with? I guess I can consider that my saving grace, and I do…even so, does he want Fairy Heart that desperately?'_

Common sense was more or less a necessity in the art of battle. Nic took the matter very seriously. If he wanted to get to get to something that he wanted desperately, there would be two choices: get around and get out with what he wanted, or stop the enemy and then get his prize. Granted, the first alternative was regarded more than likely, and he practiced it all the time. Yet if Zeref sought his own destruction, wouldn't it be better to stop him _before_ getting to Fairy Heart?

His brows furrowed as he was heavily drowning in his pondering. _'Maybe I'm overthinking it too much. It's best that I trust Mavis for now and rely on my friends than my own worries.'_

The wind picked up, making Nic's short hair shift. When the breeze passed him, his eyes widened.

"Huh?" He turned towards northwest, feeling a sharp spike in the air's sharpness. His nostrils enflamed with a foreign yet familiar sense that made his hair stand on end. His appetite went south as the apple core he was eating was placed on the ground. He looked back down, his sandals picking up on the bizarre traces of unknown magic flowing within the earth.

"This magic…it's not only in the air, but I can feel it beneath my feet…" He looked ahead in the direction that made him most worried. "I don't know what might be happening, but I know one thing. I better get moving."

Unwilling to stay around and regret something in the long run, Nic chose to keep his guard up and get moving. Standing up, he pulled out a Poke Ball and tossed it.

"Charizard, go!"

The Poke Ball opened, bringing forth the Flame Pokémon. Charizard stood on his feet, head reeled forward and whipped upwards, roaring out a powerful shockwave that rippled through the air. The Fire/Flying-type burned with a serious expression, understanding the surrounding and the sensation prickling his skin.

"We need to get moving." Nic ordered.

"I hear you." Charizard noted. He looked forward as Nic hopped onto his back without much trouble. With Nic on his back, Charizard's wings expanded in a sharp flick, kicking up gusts of gusts. The leaves in the tree ruffled as the winds stirred, and Nic gave the go.

"Now, let's fly!" He yelled.

Using **Fly** , Charizard shot up from that ground, soaring away towards the east.

* * *

"HAHA~! This is so awesome!" The shout belonged to none other than Natsu…his head larger in proportions than his actual body. As creepy as it looked, he looked rather happy. "Being huge rules!"

" **Aye!** " The giant Happy chimed.

Mest offered zero input, his lips sealed at the awkward scene. Lucy, however, was not having it.

"Turn him back already! Would ya?!" She barked at Brandish.

Brandish was enjoying herself just as much as Natsu, only her happiness was on the comfort of Happy's fluffy body. She felt so cozy as she laid on her stomach, sound with her little playtime. She turned her head towards Lucy, smiling all the while.

"What's the harm? He asked to be larger and I grant him his wish. If you ask me, he's indulged."

"HAHA~!" Natsu continued to laugh as his head retained its huge size, arms wailing in circles from his energy.

"But it's creeping me out!" Lucy whined.

Brandish laid her head back on Happy, her eyes narrowing. "Oh~?"

Noticing the look, Lucy began to feel a chill run up her spine. "Uh…what are you looking at me like…!" Lucy began to notice her huge chest was beginning to look smaller for some reason. Her nerves reached a peak and she saw how they began to shrink until they looked no bigger than Levy's pair. "Gahhh?!" Suddenly they grew back, only far larger in size. They were of watermelon size, so much that her dress was starting to rip. "Aaaaah~!" She screamed.

Brandish's smirk widened. "How funny."

Her chest back to normal size, Lucy covered them with a blush of embarrassment. "What is it with you messing with people and their bodies?! Don't you know how disturbing that is?!"

Brandish, however, shrugged at Lucy's expense. "Hmmm…no. I don't know why, but I just have this…urge to just mingle and mess with you. It's funny."

"I know, right?!" Natsu smiled.

"Don't encourage her, you doofus!"

Finally having enough, Mest turned towards them with a frown. "Give it a rest, would you? We didn't fly all the way out here just to-!"

The energy in the air suddenly made him go wide-eyed. The intense shift in astronomical power was felt on an unbelievable level. His body began to profusely sweat as he could barely keep himself from shuddering. The pressure was so great that Happy and everyone else could feel their nerves and hearts race automatically.

Lucy stared down with terror. "This…what is this…?!"

"This Magic Power…" Natsu was at a loss for words. His head was shockingly back to normal, no doubt from the overwhelming Magic Power trumping Brandish's own.

Out of the entire group, Brandish was the only one who seemed placid. "Looks like he's nearby."

Mest could feel his heart race beyond measure. "You…you can't be serious, can you? I knew he was strong, but…not like this?"

Down below Happy, coming into view, there was a small area of dust swirling around an elderly man. To their shock, they could see August himself down below, giving them all an intense glare.

Brandish's eyes narrowed. "That's him. That's August."

Though his nerves began to crawl, Natsu's herat racing only made him smirk. "Alright. Now I'm fired up."

"Remember Natsu, we're here to negotiate. Remember the warning." Lucy reprimanded.

Mest was unable to keep his composure in line. As he looked down at August, he could feel nothing but his own heart palpitating and sweat beginning to pour down his own face. He never felt this kind of Magic Power before. Magic Power, no, but the fear he felt made him tremble like everyone in the world did against an even more powerful figure with the ability to destroy instantly. His nerves nearly snapped. _'This guy…is bad news to the extremes!'_

Eventually, the group managed to settle themselves down as August watched them descend. The Magic King watched expectantly as he watched the giant Happy touch the ground, and deported Lucy, Natsu, Mest, and Brandish. The group walked on up, standing meters away against the man of unbelievable proportions. There was a brief standoff, in which nobody said anything to break the tension.

Brandish and August gazed into one another's eyes, a light breeze shifting the mood.

"Hello, August."

August gave no immediate reply as he stared at her. After evaluating, he finally spoke up. "…Brandish. What is the meaning of this exactly?"

"I've to negotiate with you." She confessed.

"Are you aware of Jacob's defeat at the hands of Nic?"

"I am, but you bypassed him instead."

"It is humbly Jacob's intentions to start with. He properly insisted I did not have to waste my Magic Power on the likes of him…and that cost him his life perhaps."

"I see…" Brandish carried on. "And of God Serena?"

August pressed his hand against his chest. "Here with me."

Brandish understood the implication, but she said nothing out of respect. While she and August were busy getting the conversation going, everyone behind was trying to make sure to stay out of the way, Natsu especially.

"Natsu. Brandish's Magic Power is high enough, but this guy…" Lucy's whisper trailed off.

The Dragon Slayer glared ahead, his uneasiness spelled all over. "Yeah, it's a bit more…"

Mest watched Natsu and Lucy talk, his face starting to drench on hefty anxiety. He couldn't believe his ears. _'Have these two lost it?! Are they not able to sense how dangerous this guy really is?! This guy isn't even human!'_

"Now, onto business then. What did you mean earlier by 'negotiations'?" August asked.

"I am asking you to halt your advance." Brandish answered, swift and clear.

August again went silent with a low gruff beneath his breath. He evaluated Brandish from head to toe, carefully discerning her all around. He seemed intrigued, yet at the same time disturbed. "It appears you're not injured nor tortured. Is it safe to assume this is a betrayal?"

Brandish maintained her ground. "On the contrary, August. I am, and always will be, a loyal citizen of Alvarez. I would not take lightly of a betrayal. It just…I have no intentions of such a war to lengthen."

August's eyes narrowed in disgust. "Those words you speak are but a direct insult to his majesty's will. Need I remind out of the Spriggan 12's vendetta. We have offered our minds, bodies, and souls, in order to make sure that his majesty's every desire comes to fruition."

Brandish barely held her ground, showing her confidence lacking. Natsu picked up on this, his glare hardening.

"If, in spite of what I reminded you of, that you continue to sway from your path that we 12 must follow…then you shall be an enemy that must be dealt with, promptly."

* * *

The skies retained darkness as Nic and Charizard sailed far above the ground. They went on, flying at casual speed towards no direction in particular. They weren't going too slow yet too fast, but they both felt the Magic Power from before, and it made their nerves crawl. The prospect of 'baiting' the Magic Power was a practice most dangerous, but they had to be sure the power was drawing towards them. From the sensation, it was.

"Got any idea what we're up to?" Charizard asked.

Nic maintained a straight face as he held onto Charizard, winds picking up and making it hard to make out sentences. "Nowhere in particular. I've got a bad feeling about this sensation on my back."

"Yeah, I've been feeling it too, and it isn't the headstrong 21-year-old that's always pushing his own buttons. No offense."

Nic smirked. "Now isn't exactly the time for a jovial tease." His frown returned. "No matter how far we've flown, that flow isn't just spreading through the land, but in the atmosphere. You would think a concentration like that would be slow-moving, so you would think that the sources are moving as well."

"No doubt in our direction." Charizard stated. "Knowing everything that's happened, it could be fair to say it might be an enemy Spriggan. A powerful one at that."

"That's my theory, at least." As they went on, Nic's eyes began to narrow. "But you know…there's something else that doesn't feel right-!" Suddenly his eyes widened, as did Charizard's. Both instantly picked up on something that sped from behind.

Without a second thought, Charizard's trained reflexes kicked in, and he flapped his wings and somersaulted. As he arched upwards and flipped with Nic on his back, a volume of intense, blue energy blazed in a skyward direction. They both gazed up, eyes widened as the blue beam dissipated into the night yonder. The next second, a blue explosion enveloped the sky, rattling the sound barrier and flashing up the night.

Both lowered their heads, looking forward as they processed what exactly transpired. Charizard and Nic alike grew immensely serious and quiet as they could feel a very potent power from behind. Their skins crawled yet they had stoic expressions. Both turned their heads, glaring behind with little to no fear installed when they found the source.

A sizzling hand clutched, dissipating smoke launched from before. The hand retracted, revealing the person to have a dark cloak and a menacing frown. He had intense eyes and blue hair that was recognizable to their blue eyes. Even as they stared at one another, they could all feel the primal pressure they inherited from their experience. Immediately, all three recognized who was who.

Acnologia had arrived, and his frown was unwavering.

Nic glared over his shoulder, staring into the eyes of the behemoth's human form. "So we were tailed. Looks like the baiting worked." His eyes narrowed further. "But not like this."

Charizard looked down at Acnologia, staring at the dark eyes of the draconic human. The wind continued to shift as he turned with Nic on his back. "Well, looks like he's got our attention now." He said.

"So it would seem."

Acnologia glared up, awaiting what their response would be. From the ferocious look in his eyes he wasn't going to let them get away, not this time anyway. They knew this too. They had to settle the scuffle, and they fortunately got him in a wide-open terrain field. With no choice, the silent challenge was accepted, and Charizard slowly fell to the ground, his feet planting with a loud thud that rattled the ground. Nic jumped off his back, interceding in Acnologia's path.

As the wind picked up, all three shared a moment's long anticipation.

"I've finally caught onto you…Nic Pularis." The Dragon King said.

"I take it from this sensation that you're Acnologia. Am I right?" He inquired.

The beastly man slowly grinned. "Guilty is charged."

The two were caught in another deadlock's worth of silence, their powers beginning to flare as the dust around them was shifting constantly. A small tempest of dust circled them, but even with the wind, Nic evaluated Acnologia diligently with a sharp glare.

"You know why I'm here." Acnologia stated. "It's time to destroy the very creatures who disrupted my path to the annihilation of dragons."

Nic retained a still position. "Get ready, Charizard." At his call, Charizard lowered his head, ready and willing to confront Acnologia alongside Nic.

Acnologia's eyes shifted towards Charizard, taking note of the way he looked. No question that he looked like a dragon, something that made his frown turn to a smirk.

"What is it?" Nic inquired.

"Nothing…it's just amusing how these belittling Pokémon look similar to dragons. Like that one from before you used. You know who I'm talking about."

Nic wasn't deterred. He knew full well what his adversary meant by their last encounter. He wasn't talking about Rayquaza; more accurately, the other dragon that managed to churn him in dirt. His Garchomp.

Acnologia's eyes narrowed. "He was very powerful indeed. Just remembering that battle is making my hair stand on end." He made his own glare sharpen on Nic, his intense Magic Power making the dust turn faster around the two. "But that was a year ago. I am fully prepared to bring your kind's destruction now."

Nic's glare sharpened as he held his ground, raising his head to give Acnologia his own sense of dominance. "My Pokémon and I weren't willing to sit around either. As much as it scorns me to say, you've been on our minds too."

"Oh?"

"We've worked hard to save this world once, and now you intend to bring it to an end. If you're willing to go to such lengths for us to answer your call to war, then you've got our attention." He lowered his head, adjusting his glare. "Charizard, here's to a good battle."

Charizard raised his head, asserting a hot roar as his neck craned around. His call to an intense battle had been answered, and the heated shockwaves Charizard exerted passed Acnologia, his smirk rising.

"I hope that I'm not interrupting anything, boys."

The sound of an unknown figure caught their attention. The momentum picked up was brought to a stalemate when a third party was heard from above. Together, Nic, Charizard, and Acnologia all gazed skyward, seeing a pair of huge boobs and an unknown woman with braided scarlet hair. Her unannounced arrival made their stares blank with uncertainty.

"Who are you?" Nic demanded. _'Wait, she looks familiar…somehow.'_

"Oh dear me." Irene, the arrival, announced, though she announced it as a more factitious quote. "I came all this way to see men like you, and all you do is ask who I am? Really, what happened to decent men who greet women?"

"Get out of our sight. Do not interfere." Acnologia sniped.

Despite the insidious warning, Irene gently lowered to the ground, landing between Acnologia and Nic's path. "It is as the legends foretold. You two, Acnologia and Nic, the two of you do in fact have terrifying strength." Her position set, she put her staff on the ground, smirking with confidence. "I'm intrigued where this will all go."

The two-way thus became a three-way interception. Nic, Charizard, Acnologia, and Irene all showed glares that expressed their dominance. However they saw it, they knew that just by the way she spoke and look that she mean business, even if not her own. There was but one way to move her, and that was getting rough.

Acnologia narrowed his eyes. "If that's the way you want it, then so be it. I just hope you're _both_ worth entertaining me."

"When it comes to men, I always please." Irene retorted.

"Bring it on." Nic and Charizard said in unison.

In a distilled silence, the tension in the air, threw into a four-way interlock. Blue eyes met dark and brown eyes. The four sets shifted back and forth, none making the first move. The shifting continued for several times, but even then no one dared to twitch, for one mistake and they could very well be hitting the ground.

All at once, Nic, Charizard, Acnologia, and Irene's eyes narrowed, all four unleashing their attacks at the same time. Nic faced Acnologia and unleashed Hyper Voice, with Charizard reeling his head and wings back and then forward, shooting a Heat Wave attack. Both Dragon Slayer and Spriggan manifested explosions and shockwaves, all four moves meeting in the center, creating a large-scale pillar of destruction that could've been seen from miles away.

* * *

 **Decided it would be best to cut off the chapter here for the time being. Sorry if it fell short of battle-induced expectations, but I'd rather save the intense battle of Nic and Charizard VS Acnologia/Irene for next chapter. So as one would expect, I omitted the canon material I wouldn't be changing, or wasn't primarily keen. I'll do something about Gajeel and Levy in another chapter though, that I am certain of.**

 **I also have been a little behind schedule, since I intended to be at chapter 70 by the middle of August, but I'm trying my best people, but life has ways of yanking my chains. Plus I get distracted easily by playing Pokémon Y. I would've updated sooner, but I was warped into battling online for 4 hours straight…I won only half my battles by the way.**

 **I'm hoping maybe Monday at the latest for my next update. As for** _ **Kalos Vacation Training**_ **, I'm still trying to find momentum for another update soon. Don't worry.**

 **As usual, review/comment (in detail) and thanks again guys!**


	70. Diverged Land

Within the unknown confines of the east, the giant Happy overlooked the negotiations that Brandish was establishing with August, hopefully from the looks of things that they were working out…to an extent.

"Please, August, hear me out." Brandish insisted. "What his majesty wants is nothing more than mass genocide, and nothing more. The Dragon King Festival. Ragnarok. Call it whatever you'd like, but you know as well as I do that these attempts at destruction will only end with what befell _him_. You know who I'm talking about."

August said nothing in compliance. He retained silence as he counted with an uneased stare of the tormenting darkness that enveloped the land that night. He remembered the infinite power, and he watched in bitter horror how Acnologia was easily trounced by the Dark Legendaries. To this day, just thinking about it made him petrified. His grip on the staff tightened.

"His majesty nor anyone out there can never achieve that level of astronomical destruction, yet I know you among the 12 are the wisest, surely you know as well as I do that this ambition is but a footnote that will lead to disaster for both sides. All that awaits us…is just a void."

August tried to find a counter. "Where we go should not concern us. We are pledged to his ma-"

"Think for yourself!" She snapped.

"Uh…m-maybe should be more careful…just a bit…?" Lucy cautiously advised. True to her own safety in security, she was nervously peeking over Natsu's shoulder while he held his own ground.

"This is what I decided. These people…" She gestured towards them. "Because of their actions, I have concluded that they are not as bad as his majesty foretold. They are far from those drawn into darkness."

August looked away from Brandish and towards the ones she mentioned. As he eyed them, he looked at their faces, which by all means looked innocent. When he looked towards Natsu, he saw some similar level of energy, close to Zeref even. His eyes widened when he and Natsu made eye contact, the eyes and Magic Power all too familiar. _'This child…'_

Noticing the stare down, Lucy leaned in towards Natsu. "Natsu, stop burning holes into him. Please?" She whispered.

Brandish stepped forward, albeit humbly. "August, at least hear them out on their side of this scuffle…please."

Deciding to look away, August gave a harsh "hmph!" and stood in silence for a few moments. On one hand, he would never turn away from whatever his superior wanted. He must and had to, for it was not a duty, but an obligation. He, however, could not deny that he did not see death as a needed cause to an end, and what his majesty would want could never go to lengths like Ragnarok Lysandre. To this extent, he could see Brandish did have valid points, and perhaps there could be a more peaceful resolution.

After a long silence and staring from the others, August let out a sigh. "Very well, Brandish, I shall listen to what they have to say."

Brandish beamed at August with a child-like stare in amazement. "Really?! Yay! You're the best, grandpa!"

"I did not say that you were my granddaughter." He countered.

"But to me, you've always been my grandpa!"

Lucy sweat dropped. _'There she goes being a girl again.'_

"Thank you so much! I promise, you'll find them very interesting! Gran…gran…" Her eyes began to haze up. "Gran…pa…?"

August raised a brow. "Brandish?"

Brandish shakily reached for something in her sleeve. As her face began to profuse bullets of sweat, she gave what looked to be a cynical smirk as she slipped out a knife.

"Brandish, what-?!"

Blood spilled everywhere as everything happened so quickly. A large blade pierced August, running him through entirely. The elderly man gawked up towards the sky, blood spilling from his mouth, sprinkling on Brandish's cheek.

The sight made Lucy cover her mouth as she screamed.

"What the hell?!" Natsu yelled.

As August fell, Brandish was breathing profusely, almost like she was trying to hold in her chuckling. "The…the one I had to kill…was before me all along." As she stood in place, her shuddering figure was having trouble clutching the knife. The blade decreased in size due to Command T, and her hazy eyes returned to normal, her blinking confirming her reality check. "Grandpa?"

August clutched his abdomen, while Mest malicious smirked at the sight.

"What?!" Natsu turned to Mest, yanking him by the fur collar and roaring into his face. "Mest! What have you done?!"

Despite the lash from his ally, Mest smirked. "I altered her memories, of course. I made it so that she had to kill August, the one who was holding her back."

"You've gone sour man! That was **so** uncalled for!"

"I did it for the sake of the guild!"

Lucy looked towards the shaken Brandish, trying to reach out but stopped. "Brandish…?"

Brandish stood in place, not because of the traumatizing act she was manipulated into, but something much, much worse it seemed. And sure enough, she was right. Petrified like stone, she and everyone felt an unbelievable sensation crawl up their spines. Their fear escalated when they looked at August.

"Now I see…"

Dust swirled around the group, almost like a sandstorm. The very earth itself was beginning to shudder, a violent tremor which was from the excessive Magic Power August gave off. Standing upright, the Magic King had wide eyes as his darkened glare was fixated on his foes. His long hair stood up, and his skin turned a dark, bloody red, with bright lines under the eyes and traveling all over. "So **this** is how they want it to be."

When Natsu said Mest made a bad move, he was right. They all felt it then and there, August's Magic Power. The air and land themselves were terrified, as were they. Their hearts all stopped when terror screamed for their bodies to move and run, but couldn't. Lucy was sweating bullets, and Natsu, Mest, and Happy all had dilating eyes fixed on the terror August emitted. Saying he was mad was one thing, but it's more accurate to say he was furious.

"Crap!" Natsu blurted out.

Brandish stood terrified by what happened, her knife dropping out of her hand. "Grandpa…"

Without looking, August reached towards her, instantly shutting her down. With a wave of his arm, Brandish's gaze returned to being hazy, and she fell to her knees. She closed her eyes, her world turning blurry as everything for her went black.

"Brandish!" Lucy cried out.

"Lucy, get down!" Natsu rushed for Lucy, grabbing her and pushing out of the way.

However, it was too late as August's eyes widened. " **Melt.** "

At that instant, the ground flickered before a gargantuan heated energy surged. The speeds were so fast that nobody had time to react. The enormous pillar of heat shot up at diabolical speeds to immeasurable heights, pulsating rippling terror far out into the night sky. Everyone inside screamed in agony as the heat was sending them to oblivion, even shocking Natsu for he felt an unbelievable sensation.

The blast could've been seen kilometers away, even at Fairy Tail. Everyone at the guild hall saw a bright light flare up from the distance, making their eyes widen.

"What is that?!" Jet shouted.

Makarov's eyes dilated, his nerves crawling up and down his aged spine. "That's from the east…"

* * *

With everything she had in her, Cana's tattoo shimmered with a golden light and she glared at Mavis, determined to finish what she started. "Now, **Fairy Glitter!** "

Once more, a vicious pillar of golden, angelic light enveloped Mavis. The ground shuddered and debris blew away yet again as the ghostly girl was struck hard by the Grand Fairy Spell. Mavis could've been seen inside, screaming violently in agony as the attack had a terror bite to it.

Cana watched in slight sadness as Mavis' ghostly form finally reached its limit. The ghost projection finally faded, the vision of Mavis vanishing for good.

As the dust cleared, Cana stumbled briefly. She hunched over, grunting as she felt like she was going to keel over herself. She panted and sweated as all her resolve was finally put to use in saving Mavis. She looked up as the shifting of rubble vanished, revealing the lacrima she was stuck in.

"Did it work?" Cana questioned.

A long, deaf silence fell before her. No winds blew. Nothing moved, not even her muscles. She could feel her face fall as she thought of what happened.

A crack suddenly appeared on the lacrima, making her go wide-eyed. "Huh?"

Another crack appeared, then another, followed by another. The whole lacrima had begun to fall apart, cracking up constantly, much to Cana's shock. The woman gasped as she stepped back, taking precaution as the lacrima had begun breaking apart.

The lacrima had finally shattered to pieces, and Mavis' naked body had begun falling out. With the pieces themselves, she too fell over, but Cana again gasped and ran up to catch her in time. Barely making it, she caught the First Master on her knees, turning her over to see her eyes shut.

"Mavis? Mavis?!" Cana called out, trying to shake her awake. "Mavis!"

Her eyes were still closed, with little to no response. She moaned weakly, stirring as her green eyes opened up weakly. They fluttered slowly, the image of Cana holding her coming into her feint sight.

"…I think...I forgot how to move my muscles." She groaned.

Cana sighed in relief, glad it all worked out.

* * *

The catastrophic explosion's shockwaves blazed through the area, nearby structures and formations instantly crumbling to bits, carried off with the intensity. The dust bellowed like tidal waves, sizzling away to reveal Irene and Acnologia both unfazed by the interception. Acnologia frowned while Irene smirked, both contenders showing their own emotions.

However, the third party was yet to be seen within the eruption. Instead, the nearby air began to rapidly heat up, and the residual dust got sucked into a small vacuum that began to swirl in a compressed area.

Irene and Acnologia showed no change in their expressions, but they did feel the air shift as the vacuum surrounding Nic and Charizard began to manifest into a large cyclone that expanded skyward. As the cocoon of swirling dust continued to rise up, the night sky was starting to cloud up, much to Acnologia and Irene's wonder.

The air began to darken, the level of power starting to escalate almost instantly. The drastic increase in pressure and dark prowess made wind shift yet again, this time making Irene smirk uneasily. "My, my, looks like I've angered the beast and his pet, hm?"

Acnologia, feeling the large-scale energy make his own skin crawl, began to smile wide.

The dust cyclone began to darken, gradually manifesting into a thunder turmoil of dark purple, red, and violet energy that went counterclockwise upward. The area dampened with dark clouds overhead, rivaling the aura the cyclone gave off. Inside, Acnologia and Irene alike saw multicolored lightning, and a familiar energy that surged with the heat generated.

In unison, a high-pitched screech and a loud, draconic roar were heard loud and clear. The cyclone actually expanded, almost becoming unstable.

The cyclone, however, did let up, and the dark winds burst, revealing Nic and his Mega Charizard; the latter having Mega-Evolved while Nic transformed. In his current form, Nic was in the air much like Mega Charizard. His eyes were a solid sky blue, and his face was the same color, aside from the black outlines around the eyes connected to the helmet, which was red and black striped with two horns jutting forward. The end of his lips had two small black lines that went all the way down the neck, where the front was bare, yet the backside was a deep red. He had a large, gray mane around the base of a neck, almost like a scarf that was over the collarbone. His upper attire was a deep red, but unlike the usual instances, the middle was together and had a deep black line that separated into two black ones in the shape of a Y at the chest. The shoulders to the sleeves were lined in black, and the inner sleeves were black. While the arms were bare, they did have black lines running down the arm and separating at the hand, making them diverged down the fingers and towards the thick black claws. The belt was a solid black, and the lower half was similar to his old attire, where it was coat-like, and the bottom was tattered and solid black. The pants beneath were a baggy deep red, and he had long dark boots with deep red lines running down the middle and towards the two large claws; one on the back. He also adorned what seemed to be a three-way cloak. They draped over the shoulders, black on top and red on bottom, with diamonds on the wop and looking like hands at the end, while the third cloak was much lengthier and reached down the back and curved up a little, making him look like an all too familiar Pokémon he had to deal with in the past.

Irene's eyes narrowed. "Well, well…"

Nic opened his mouth, exerting yet another powerful dark shockwave. The air exerted across the terrain, making a strong enough wind to whisk Irene and Acnologia's attires.

" **Legendary Force – Yveltal!** "

Mega Charizard raised his head, releasing his own roar. With his mouth wide, he bellowed out and heated shockwaves ran everywhere. The atmosphere again arose a few degrees as the dark clouds overhead were damp with a dark aura. Alongside him, Nic flapped his wings, his body staying still as he evaluated Irene and Acnologia down below.

' _We can't take any chances, not with opponents like these. The stakes are too high for us to ignore.'_ "Let's go! Mega Charizard!"

The blue flames flared as Mega Charizard snarled alongside Nic. "Right!"

Irene kept her glare fixated on Nic, her wonders brimming to a peak.

Acnologia glares in anticipation, awaiting the first move.

Together, Nic brought his hands together, manifesting a conjunction of dark rings that jumbled together. Mega Charizard opened his mouth creating a boisterous amount of fire.

" **Dark Pulse!** "

" **Flamethrower!** "

Both attacks pulsed downwards, each exerting a blue and dark ripple near the mouths, showing the vicious momentum they had. The blitzing, searing attacks raced side-by-side, the flames heading towards Irene and the darkness heading for Acnologia. Both mage and Dragon Slayer responded by the redhead waving her staff ahead and summoned a powerful airwave that raced across the ground. Acnologia reached his arm out, smirking as a blue beam fired from the palm. All four attacks met in the middle, creating another white flash that erupted once more. The energy exerted into a malicious shockwave that hurriedly stretched across kilometers of dirt, blowing away everything yet again.

Within the bright flash, a pair of claws were seen diving and expanding towards Irene. The woman saw Mega Charizard bring his right claws back, jutting them forward and into her staff, which she used to defend. Though successful in blocking, Mega Charizard continued pushing out of the dissipating flash, making Irene slid on her boots.

Mega Charizard brought his left claw around, his Dragon Claw still going on and Irene saw it coming. She leaped back and dodged in a tumble flip in the air while the left claw crashed where she was previously. Instantly, the ground shattered apart beneath Mega Charizard and left the spot defined in a rather sizeable crater from the impact.

"Such power." Irene acknowledged.

Nic bellowed out the cry of Yveltal once more, his wings glowing bright blue and flapped. " **Air Slash!** " With the momentum behind each flap, each individual saucer spun at high speeds that they were like white blades at bullet-like speeds racing for Acnologia. The Dragon King, however, smirked as the Flying-type move raced for him. As the attack made a near-impact, he suddenly vanished, revealing seconds later him speeding in a running motion towards Nic. Air Slash showered down, yet the blades only met the earth, creating a large-scale eruption of sharp dust behind Acnologia as he pressed on with his course.

Once finding an opening, he sprung skywards, meeting Nic remarkably fast in the midst of the air. Nic showed no signs of shock as he instead acted on his gut, raising a hooked toe in time to intercept Acnologia's right arm coated in Dragon Slayer might. However, even with the blockade, the impact made a vast burst of air between, but Nic was pushed back downwards more so than Acnologia.

Nic caught himself in no time, flapping his wings and making a beeline for Acnologia while in midair. This time, Nic got the swifter hand, closing in faster than anticipated and seizing him by the waist.

" **Foul Play!** "

Nic held onto Acnologia, twisted his own body, and he threw Acnologia back towards the ground at immeasurable speeds. The blue blur that was the Dragon Slayer went back first into the dirt, creating a geyser of dust and diced earth shape below.

Nic flapped in place, awaiting for Acnologia. He knew he was just getting warmed up. It was all too easy.

True to his mental note, Acnologia arose from the newly made dent in the earth with a cackling smile. With vivid energy in him he brought his right arm back and swiped at the ground. Instantly, an explosion of light blue draconic force in the form of a shockwave pulsated in a long arch and moved at high speeds, eradicating and picking up debris sprawled across the terrain.

Nic flapped once, moving up to dodge the earth wave that continued its course. The voluminous blaze arched towards Irene and Mega Charizard, who took note when glancing over their shoulders. Both jumped high and out, dodging the explosive impact with gusto.

As the explosion subsided down below. Mega Charizard and Irene found themselves in the air, the enchantress using her momentum and moved her glowing staff forward, thrusting a mighty air with immense magic in it. Mega Charizard folded his wings forward to block the assault, the currents streaming past his bulk and durability and continuing behind him, reaching a ling distance outwards.

As the air subsided, Mega Charizard unfolded his wings, creating a small gust as well. He roared out, swirling fire manifesting. " **Flamethrower!** "

The stream of searing blue fire made another booming, heated ripple as it seared through the air. Molecules incinerated as it roared its way at Irene. This time, Irene was the one to block. She kept her staff forward, using it to materialize a forcefield of compressed ethernano that the Flamethrower completely enveloped, much to her surprise. Irene found herself barely blocking with her staff instead, her shield vaporized by Flamethrower's roaring blue flames. The enchantress barely held herself together as she could feel the bewildering heat making her skin sweat.

A powerful smoke cloud erupted then and there, enveloping Irene. The enchantress immediately flew backwards and was looking grateful because Mega Charizard was already in front of her, his speed surprising.

"My…"

Mega Charizard whipped his tail around, slamming again into Irene. The attack sent her towards the ground, a red blur that created a powerful cloud of dust that exerted outwards.

Mega Charizard looked down as the dust cleared, looking calm as it revealed Irene already on her feet, looking to be without much damage, if not a few dirt spots. Her smirk was belittling, much to everyone's annoyance.

Once again, Irene and Acnologia faced Mega Charizard and Nic, both reaching out their staffs or arm and releasing pulsating magic blasts that traveled through the air at high speeds. Together, Nic and Mega Charizard's glares sharpened and they brought their wings back.

" **Hurricane!** "

" **Heat Wave!** "

Both Trainer and Pokémon flapped their wings once, creating a combined maelstrom of hot blue winds that mixed with an expanding field of twisting, heavy air. The range it took up was quickly escalating to hundreds of meters a second. The combined attack was of a raging, melting blue cyclone that expanded into a blasting field that met Acnologia and Irene's attacks in the middle. Both of the contenders looked mildly surprised by the power but otherwise held their own ground as everything erupted into yet another booming pillar that went skyward.

The blue pillar of heated winds shot straight into the clouds, instantly opening a hole and ripping up the vapor in the atmosphere. The clouds created from Nic's Legendary Force almost immediately faded away as the intensity of the attack created high-level maelstroms that went outwards for miles. The rock that turned over blew away further. Any means of plants in the miles away were caught in the combination/interception, instantly burning them. The rock in the area melted, if not became severely charred.

As the dust cleared, the steam vanished, revealing the flapping Nic and Mega Charizard in one piece, unfazed. Acnologia and Irene looked to be the same way, both standing without much budging; Acnologia frowning instead. The ground was completely turned over, everything about the earth beneath searing with temperatures as hot as sand. The exception being the long arch that was Acnologia's attack from before. The long arch was like an abyss that they could barely see. It looked endless.

"What power." Nic muttered.

"I'll say. We melted the land and skies…yet they're not budging much." Mega Charizard said. "Can't say this situation wasn't too predictable."

"Yeah."

Both of them lowered to the ground, their feet and boots touching the earth and creating a loud thud that rattled the fresh, hot earth. Both sides took a moment to evaluate one another, seeing their different appeals to the predicament they were in.

"You're all not too bad, I will admit that." Irene confessed. "Especially you, Acnologia, that's quite the power you possess."

Acnologia gave her a leery look, half-grinning. "Thanks. Not so bad yourself…for a warlock's assistant." He turned towards Nic, half-grinning all the way. "As for you two, impressive indeed. I can't remember the last time having this much entertainment."

"Thank you for your praise." Nic answered. "As she said, you're very skilled."

Mega Charizard spread his feet apart, eying Acnologia. "I take it that we're all a little warmed up now, aren't we?" He insinuated.

Acnologia smirked. "You spoke too true of words, dragon."

"Oh dear." Irene sighed. "Well isn't this just perfect. Look at us, acknowledging the other than take pity before crushing your bones. Aren't you boys done beating around the bush, or should we get to know the other better?"

Seemingly acknowledging her comment, Acnologia pivoted and focused on Irene. "This is between us, I said!"

Nic saw the unison annoyance in Acnologia and he too vouched. Though wanting to take the chance, he agreed that the matter was personal. He and Mega Charizard flapped their wings, getting off the ground and back into the air by a couple of meters. Mega Charizard opened his mouth, exerting a powerful Flamethrower that blazed with equal intensity as before, while Nic folded his wings, arms, and tail cloth forward, the fingertips creating a sizeable bright light.

" **Focus Blast!** "

Acnologia reached out, unleashing a blue beam that demolished the dirt beneath. Nic unleashed Focus Blast, the Fighting-type move racing with Flamethrower while the blue beam of Acnologia raced for Irene.

Irene smirked, awaiting for their attacks to close in. She raised her staff high, the tip glowing in more of her enchanting power. She pointed the tip at the ground, and a veil of magical energy swelled all around her. The atmosphere churned as a dense cyclone of Magic Power covered Irene, yet all three attacks met the veil. Immediately upon unison impact, the ground shook and the field created burst into a blinding light. The vast light expanded, picking up the earth, which was enchanted to rise in explosive compounds.

As the earth arose in their direction, Nic and Mega Charizard ascended higher, evading the shockwaves, but the rubble picked up made it to their height, which Acnologia took full advantage of. The Dragon King jumped with the two, finding himself at the same elevation as Mega Charizard. Both of them shot a harsh glare towards the other, acknowledging their new targets.

Twisting and facing the other in the air, Mega Charizard flapped once and flew at heated speeds, while Acnologia bounced off a rock and dove straight for Mega Charizard.

"Bring it on! **Dragon Claw!** " Mega Charizard brought his right claw back, covering it in draconic energy.

Acnologia shouted aloud with a smile as he brought his right arm forward, both attacks meeting in the dead center. With harsh shouts, they pushed and slashed, creating a bright blue flash in the sky. The energy was so intense that the nearby rocks immediately reduced to dust. The dust blew away with the shockwaves that echoed in the altitude.

Down below, Nic used the shockwaves to push himself lower towards Irene. As he sailed for her at accelerating intensity, his horns glowed bright blue. " **Dragon Rush!** " He was enveloped in heavy draconic energy that shaped around him like a dragon. The "dragon" shot down swiftly towards Irene, with Nic at its center.

Seeing the intensity in the impact heading her way, Irene hurriedly jerked away, barely getting herself out of Dragon Rush's path of destruction. The ground exploded upon impact and a draconic field of energy went bursting all over. Unfortunately for Irene, she did not have the luxury to evade the shockwave as it enveloped her.

A draconic dome continued to expand out, becoming a bright flash that gradually dissipated. Revealed in place was a massive crater, with Nic flapping his large cloth-like wings and staying a few feet off the ground. While a trail on the brink of the crater traced towards Irene at the end. The woman was covered up, her magic enabling her to reduce the damage…to a degree.

' _Even after enchanting myself with higher durability, he's still exercising a lot of power.'_ She figured. Her smirk was far gone, and instead she glared as Nic flapped out of the crater glaring down at Irene. _'Now I see why his majesty seeks his destruction. These powers that he possesses, they're most fearsome indeed. Perhaps greater than Acnologia, if not the same.'_

Nic roared out again, getting Irene to snap out of her thoughts.

"Fine! Then how about this!" Irene moved her staff forward, manifesting another Enchantment into the air. A shockwave exerted in front of Nic, making intense winds that struck him head-on. Dust poured into the crater as the wave of enchanted wind beamed straight ahead, denting the ground on the opposite side of the crater. The path continued on for a hundred feet, yet it was only pushing Nic back one foot every second.

Irene smirked, the advantage seemingly towards her end.

Nic was holding himself as stable as possible, yet even he felt his own momentum break. _'She's enchanting her Magic Power into material, even the air to give it even more strength. It's like Helping Hand or a high-level status move. She's very skilled. I'll have to work around it.'_ His sky-blue eyes glowed brightly, meaning another move.

" **Psychic!** "

The wind that was pushing him away began to slow down, altering and distorting around his space. Irene's smirk faded as she saw Nic using his Psychic to create an expanding field outwards that took the intense wind with it. Irene covered up as the winds expanded towards her, blowing away the dust and rock at her feet.

The woman uncovered herself, looking in subtle amazement at Nic. _'He…neutralized the wind by using telekinetic power?'_

As Nic flew forward, he glided over the large crater until reaching the edge, where he sat his feet down and looked ready for Irene. In the sky, however, two black and blue blurs shot down from the atmosphere, blitzing at high speeds. Both crashed some distance between Irene and Nic, creating a large burst of dust coverage.

Shooting from the bellowing dust was Mega Charizard, sliding on his heels and barely holding his ground as he stopped right beside Nic, covering using his arms and claws. When he stopped skidding, he uncrossed, snarling.

The dust cleared, revealing Acnologia in place and frowning at Nic and Charizard. He hardly had much of a scratch on him, as opposed to Mega Charizard, who had quite a few wearing on him. It was clear where the advantage belonged.

"They're starting to get troublesome." Nic said.

"Yeah, I'll say." Mega Charizard acknowledged, his breathing heavier. Nic looked over, his brow furrowing with concern.

"Are you okay, Mega Charizard?"

Hunching over, the black dragon eyed his opponents. "Yeah, I'm good…but he's strong."

Nic ignored his own body, seeing as how he could admit Acnologia had power packed. His Legendary Force had a few scratches, but nothing major that wore him down. Most of the damage he had was perhaps from the Dragon King more so than Irene, but he did not want to depreciate the fact that Irene herself was more trouble – if not interesting – in her own right.

"I'm actually enjoying myself. You're all not too shabby." Acnologia acknowledged.

"Well aren't we having a ball." Irene sarcastically implied. "However, it's clear to me that it's hard-pressed where this battle to take us. I think I may have overviewed this predicament. My fault."

"What's that mean?" Nic asked.

"Why, it's simple, really. Just look at me, I can't remember the last time I perceived such damage, and from someone with so much power. As much as I hate to say, I do believe that it was indeed a mistake to take you both on here and now. It's to me that I am no match for you both in the same place."

Acnologia and Mega Charizard glanced over at Irene, the insinuation catching on, much to their growing sensations up their spines.

"I can see why his majesty wishes fears you both greatly…" Irene smiled. "But I wonder, will Fairy Heart even things out?"

"Are you saying that Zeref could surpass even the likes of me?" Acnologia inquired.

"Possibly…" Her eyes averted towards Nic. "But Nic is…an interesting case. Who knows."

Nic spread his talons apart. "If you're telling us to lay low until then, we're sorry, but we're not acknowledging that request." He denied.

Irene sighed. "Shame. At least now I have a confident understanding of your abilities, o' great Acnologia and Nic Pularis. Maybe next time, we'll all indeed have our personal scores settled. So long as it doesn't involve this mess that I found myself in." She raised her staff. "Now…" The staff's bottom touched the ground. "If you excuse me, I must find time to recover from these grizzly injuries Pokémon have brought upon this dainty soul. Sorry for crashing the party, boys."

"Huh?" Acnologia wondered.

"Wait-!" Nic was caught off guard when the ground suddenly was engulfed in a bright light. The light expanded outwards, going beneath their feet and shadows.

Mega Charizard looked down, the ground so bright it bewildered him. "What's going on?!"

"I wished that his majesty would take all this more seriously, but I guess you can't always bear ripe fruit. Oh well then, time to finish this silly little war."

Acnologia looked shocked at the ground. "What's this? A form of magic that I do not know?"

The bright light continued to expand outwards, and Irene smirked maliciously. "Yes, this is the new age of magic. Not anything that existed 400 years ago. Not even before that."

Nic looked at the ground, noticing how he couldn't even feel his talons touching solid earth. "Did you enchant the area?"

"Well, more accurately…the entire land of Fiore."

True to what she said, if one got a view of Fiore from space, they could've sworn it was the most bizarre spectacle. The entire country's border was lighted up, and the rays of light radiated even towards the stratosphere.

Acnologia, Nic, and Mega Charizard all went wide-eyed, horrified by what she did. As the light began to swallow them, Irene faded within the light as well, half-grinning.

"The name is Irene. I'm sure we shall meet again…Acnologia…Nic."

The light continued to shine all across Fiore, blinding everyone and swallowing the ground, trees, and rivers all in the light. In Hargeon's port, Erza was carrying the still unconscious Vanessa, with her Pokémon following. The redhead looked over as the sky got bright all of a sudden, her shock apparent. "What's this…?"

Every person, one by one, was enveloped in the magic. The light shined and not one person, animal, plant, or rock was unchecked. It was all transforming beyond recognition. As the light began to encompass Zeref's foothold, he looked down with wide eyes. "Irene…are you using **that** magic?"

" **World Reconstruction Magic: Universe One!** "

The light swallowed everything, leaving all in silence.

* * *

The leaves on nearby trees rustled, and the ground was notably with grass, indicating a sense of forest. As odd as it was, the land wasn't as it was meant to be. Something was off, and the natural energy itself was unbalanced in the way.

"Nic? Nic!" The strong voice of a familiar creature rattled Nic;s ears, his vision blurry for a few moments before finally picking up the familiar face of a black dragon. Immediately he knew who it was.

"Mega Charizard?" He questioned. "What happened? That light…and that woman…"

"I'm as stumped as you. I don't know."

Standing up, Nic looked all around, noticing the surroundings have been altered. There were trees and green life everywhere, a complete contrast of where they were just a minute ago. They didn't recognize any of the plants, and they most certainly did not account for the fact that they were alone.

Mega Charizard looked over his shoulder, staring at the canopy and the night sky alike. "I don't remember us being near a forest. Something went wrong."

"Yeah…" Nic took a cautious step forward, noticing how the ground was stable. He heard the crickets chirp within bushes. "I'm all but certain this was the work of that woman's magic. It must have teleported us."

"Yeah, but to where? That's what I want to know." Mega Charizard turned towards Nic. "Well, wherever 'here' is, it looks like we're all by ourselves."

"Acnologia and…Irene, was it?" Nic inquired. "Her magic separated all of us. I can't even sense them nearby." Noting the danger averted, Nic and Mega Charizard saw no real reason to be staying in their current forms. Together, Nic was enveloped in a dark sphere while a rainbow sphere enveloped Mega Charizard. As both spheres glimmered for a moment and faded away, they reverted back to themselves.

Charizard looked straight up, his eyes narrowed. "Did she say that light encompassed _all_ of Fiore?"

"Yes, I think she did…but if that's the case, was everyone else transported?" As bizarre as it was, a severe case of déjà vu rang in Nic's head. For the oddest reason, the instance reminded him of the Phantasm weapon the Magic Council used, randomizing everyone all across Fiore. In another instance, the same could be said with when he was separated from everyone during the Impure Underworld instance.

"What rotten luck, always getting teleported." Charizard huffed.

"Yes, this is getting rather old, but I'm afraid we'll have to deal with it for now." Nic closed his eyes, glowing and transforming into his Earth Form. He opened his eyes once more, staring at the ground. "Hang on, I'll see where we are." He raised his foot and pressed it on the ground. The Erath Form's prowess enacted, and invisible ripples went echoing and expanding outwards. They palpitated all the way out throughout the earth, reaching large lengths and vibrating until they reached ocean water. Once there, they traveled back to Nic, like echolocation. Once the vibration waves bounced back to him, he got a clear visual of the geography of Fiore.

His eyes widened, gasping with shock.

"What is it?" Charizard asked.

Nic was silent for a moment, his shock astronomically wide. "What…did she do…?" He trailed off, seeing the image of Fiore once more. His shock went wider than before, noting the shape of Fiore. "That spell she used, that magic, it didn't just randomize us…" His eyes narrowed, brow furrowing as he turned to face Charizard. "What she did…was also change the geography."

Charizard, too, went wide-eyed. "The geography? You mean the shape?"

"Yeah, and I have a really bad feeling that this will only hinder our efforts in guarding Fairy Heart, and Mavis." He looked out in the distance with a serious yet worried expression, something that Charizard did as well. Both Trainer and Pokémon looked unsound as they were lost. Literally.

Nic thus made a plan of action. "We'll have to postpone our priority of Acnologia and Irene for now. Right now, we need to focus on finding the guild hall and getting everyone rounded up again." He turned towards Charizard, his attention thus adverting to the Flame Pokémon. "But first, let's make use of the time we have and heal ourselves. We won't get very far the way we are now, with these injuries we sustained."

Charizard nodded. "Agreed."

* * *

" _Please don't go…I beg you, Zera! You can't leave me alone! You just can't!"_

 _The woman revealed to be Mavis shuddering in front of Zera could not contain herself. Reality was a cruel thing she did not want to accept, and that meant Zera going away…forever._

 _The brunette smiled in sincerity. "But you're not alone, are you?"_

" _NO~!" She wailed. "I WANT US TO BE TOGETHER FOREVER!"_

 _Zera suddenly leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Mavis in comfort. She held her close, not bothering to let go. Mavis stopped her crying, her eyes widening at the sudden warmth draped around her._

" _Do you know where fairies live, Mavis? Do you?"_

 _Mavis looked down at her shoulder, eyes misting. "...in…my heart." She sniffled._

 _Zera smiled. "Then what about me?"_

 _Mavis' eyes widened._

" _This isn't goodbye. We'll see each other again…someday…"_

Mavis gasped as her body shuddered. Her eyes lethargically went open. "Huh?" She found her head lying against the ground, which was clouded in slight dust and debris. The First Master looked quizzically around, taking notice of the fact she was alone. Despite her lack of muscle usage, she managed to her knees, ignoring the cramping and called out. "Cana?! Cana?!" She got no response. "Cana! Where are you?!"

Mavis got back up, her cramped body free of the lacrima, yet it stumbled considerably. "Gngh!" She nearly tripped when her leg moved out of place. "My body won't move the way it wants to." Regardless of how she felt, she still supported herself by standing still meekly and flexed her fingers. _'Okay, at least I'm able to access my appendages. Now I better find some decency…'_ With a snap of her fingers, Mavis adorned a Requip, glowing and adorned a vibrant robe with a bow at the chest area. The waist had a vibrant ribbon on the side and wrapped around the waist, and beneath was a skirt with several fancy cloths. "At least I can still use magic…though this is only an illusion…" Ignoring her own commentary, she moved towards the stairs, walking up them slowly. Eventually she made it towards the entrance, where she exited and found the guild hall completely empty. It was all desolate, and her eyes widened in shock.

"No one's here…" She carefully maneuvered around the broken glass and alcohol staining the floors. "Where did everyone go? No, better question would be what happened. I remember that bright light…and everything vanished." Her eyes narrowed. "Was it magic?"

"Your guess could be as good as mine."

The voice startled Mavis, but she didn't show it. She instead showed a serious face upon recognizing the voice. The voice and Magic Power she felt, it was all too familiar to her, and she turned towards the voice, confirming her worries.

The man who was her enemy, had found himself comfortable on a seat, smiling at her. "Hello, Mavis."

With his former attire from battle destroyed, he still adorned the white togs, but he had a black and golden intricate long sleeve attire befitting his stature. He had a mantle with golden streamers on the shoulders, and crossed his legs with dark pants and boots, smirking at Mavis.

"Zeref!" Mavis gasped.

The revealed Black Wizard's grin widened.

"What happened?! Where is everyone?!" She demanded. "What did you do?!"

"You should slow down, Mavis. I mean that is your actual body, is it not? The stress will only hinder your muscles." Zeref warned. "Though, to be frank, I'm equally as perplexed about this as you."

Mavis didn't buy it for a second. She knew something was up, and she wasn't going to let Zeref have his way. She shot him an insidious glare. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask what you're alive for?" He countered.

* * *

The land was oddly misshaped. Everything was a hybrid of jungle and trails. Like with a certain Trainer, the land was desolate.

Natsu raised his head, eyes wide. "Wait, what the hell just happened?! Wait, where are we?!" He looked around, turning left and right. "Lucy?! Happy?! Hey!"

"D-down here…"

"Huh?" Natsu looked down, the mentioned noticing Lucy and Happy were beneath him. He was right atop of Lucy…groping her bouncy bust. Her arm was over Happy, muffling him. His eyes widened in relief. "Lucy! Happy!"

"You're on top of me." Lucy quivered, feeling everything except decent. Natsu was completely startling her, and worst of all, defiling her mounds.

Ignoring her cue, he frowned. "Hey, wait! What happened?"

"The last thing I remember, we were hit with August's magic." She answered. _'And you can stop groping me already!'_

Natsu did as she thought, coincidentally. Of course Lucy felt slightly disappointed of him letting go, she knew she had to focus as he perked a smile and clutched his fists. "Oh yeah! I remember now! I managed to negate it…to an extent." He sheepishly said.

Lucy leaned up, her face still nervousness. "O-oh. So it was a heat type of magic then…" _'Please get off me!'_

The trio found themselves up on their feet eventually, trying to take the situation on a serious note.

"I don't get it, how and why did we get here? I don't know what happened." Happy said.

"Yeah, good question; and I can't seem to get Mest or Brandish's scents. And that August guy is gone too." Natsu explained.

Lucy looked towards the sky, showing a sense of worry. "What happened…?"

* * *

"The sky just lit up like that, and now we're here. This doesn't make a lick of sense." Gray groaned, the frustration of the cluelessness happening making his brain rattle.

Erza overlooked him, crossing her arms. "Yes, and the landscape has changed as well. Could we have been teleported somewhere?"

Gray put a hand to his chin, looking away. "Maybe…but I'm worried that-!"

"Gray! Erza!" The two mages heard the voice of the familiar woman. They turned their attention towards Juvia, who came up from nearby.

"Juvia?"

"Have you located them?"

Juvia sheepishly looked away, frowning in her own pity. "I'm sorry, but I can't find Wendy or Carla. I think that light really did separate us."

Gray looked pained. "Great, this is our luck. First Vanessa and her Pokémon are gone, now Wendy and Carla."

"I shall volunteer to go search this time." Erza pulled out three Poke Balls. "We'll have a better chance if we spread out and look for them. Houndoom! Slurpuff! Talonflame!"

At her call, all three Pokémon were summoned out of their Poke Balls. They stood on the ground, looking at Erza with frowns of seriousness.

"All of you, help us find Vanessa and the others." She asked.

"You got it." Houndoom turned his head, looking over and began to sniff. Slowly, he tried picking up her scent, going in one direction.

"Come out wherever you are!" Slurpuff's nose wiggled and she began to waltz around, slowly skipping pass Juvia.

Talonflame spread her wings, taking flight. "I'll handle the air. I should find something by visual." Her assurance secured, the Fire/Flying-type ascended into the sky, cawing out as she hightailed to overlook the rocky terrain.

* * *

Vanessa's eyes groggily opened, a slight moan escaping as she began to see open sky. She blinked once, then twice, and then her vision cleared to find her Delphox and Goodra overlooking her, smiles widening.

"Vanessa, you're awake." Delphox chirped.

Goodra reeled her head back and forward, sighing heavily. "Phew, you had us scared there."

Vanessa meekly leaned up against the tree she was next to, trying to adjust to what happened. "Delphox? Goodra?" She looked around, taking notice of how she was in a forest. "Where are we?"

"We don't know." Delphox answered. "We were supporting ourselves and followed you all when a strange light swallowed us. I think we goy separated from everyone."

"Separated?" Vanessa questioned.

Goodra nodded. "Yeah, and I think we're alone…wherever we are." Her green eyes averted away. "But we're by ourselves now, so I'm worried."

"Makes you wonder if Erza also got separated from the others." Delphox insinuated. She heard her Trainer moan again, making her look back to find Vanessa attempting to stand on her feet. "Vanessa!"

"I'm okay." She assured. She slowly backed into the tree, trying to stand up against it. After slowly creeping up the trunk, she found herself on her feet, albeit with some slight haze.

Delphox frowned at her Trainer's struggle. "You still haven't recovered enough Magic Power from Aura Guardian. You should probably stay down."

"But we don't know what happened, and as far as we know, everyone might be-!" Vanessa winced again, her Magic Power unable to fully keep her up. Still physically exhausted from the bashing and bruising she took from the rampage against Imaci, she slowly slumped down the trunk, grunting as she sat at the base.

"Take it easy. You're still hurt physically." Goodra said.

"That battle banged you around so many times that you're still recoiling. You should rest, I insist." Delphox persuaded.

Though hesitant, Vanessa backed down, knowing full-well she didn't wish to excess her body's durability. She could barely see straight.

The bushes nearby suddenly began to rustle, causing alarm. Delphox and Goodra turned around, gasping.

"Who's there?!" Delphox demanded.

As the bushes began to settle, a familiar figure began to wiggle her way out of the leaves and foliage. Her blonde hair made the trio ease.

"Shalom (Hello)? Who's there?" Moving the bushes to the side, the person revealed to be Sophie looked around. "Where did everyone go?"

"Sophie?" Vanessa, Delphox, and Goodra questioned.

Eyes widening, Sophie caught sight of Vanessa and her Pokémon. "Vanessa?"

Despite surprised, Vanessa smiled. "Sophie, thank goodness. At least there's a familiar face after this wonder."

Sophie got closer, overlooking Vanessa's bandages. "What happened to you? Are you going to be alright?"

Vanessa looked down at her voluptuous body, acknowledging her own condition. "Don't worry, it's just wear from Hargeon's battle. I just need some more time to rest and I should be up on my feet."

Sophie put a hand to her hips, leaning down to look at her more closer. "I see." She grinned. "You don't have to worry now. I'm here."

Vanessa nodded in understanding. She turned towards Delphox and Goodra, seeing as how they, too, ascertained some injuries, yet they were up on their feet. Their health was equally to her as she was to them. She pulled out two Poke Balls and smiled. "I should be okay for now. Delphox, Goodra, return."

Both Pokémon complied and the red lasers sucked them back into their Poke Balls.

"So it was just you transported?" Sophie asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. What about the others?"

"I'm as clueless as you I'm afraid. I was at the guild hall when suddenly the light transported me into this forest. I don't know what happened, but as far as we know, our friends are all scattered…I think."

Vanessa looked away, frowning. "This is a great conundrum, and we need to hurry and find the others, but I can't move."

"Yeah, no kidding. You look like a mummy." Sophie teased. "Here." She kneeled down, wrapping an arm around Vanessa and supported her weight. "There, you good?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Alright, let's go." Slowly, Sophie and Vanessa supported the other as they trekked towards an opening into the forest, retaining caution.

* * *

In an open plain, several plants with roots sticking out of the ground were unkempt, and several trees were close by, providing shade.

"There. You should be fine now. I've managed to shrink the injury." Brandish said, moving her hands away from August.

The Magic King was still in his battle form, retaining a distasteful grumble as Brandish treated him. While she was under his Sleep Magic, the unknown transportation subsequently lifted the spell as well, allowing her to minimize his wound.

Retaining caution, Brandish looked at August with confusion. "August, what happened?"

Whether it was from the recent stabbing Brandish was brainwashed to do or the transport, August powered on. "This wasn't my doing, I'm afraid." He answered. "This is the work of Irene's World Reconstruction Magic."

"World…Reconstruction?"

"Yes. She's enchanted not just the air itself, but the very nation's land itself. As far as we know, Fiore is now an entirely different shape of what it used to be."

Brandish could not believe what she was hearing. "She did all this…?"

"She's even rearranged the people and population amongst Fiore. In other words, reorganized them so that specific people were at specific places."

But Brandish wasn't one to catch on the fast. "But…why would she-"

"To get his majesty closer to Fairy Heart." August presumed. "And to get Acnologia far away from here as possible, as the same for Nic. Who knows where they are now."

Brandish's eyes narrowed, her worries skyrocketing.

* * *

Mavis and Zeref were having an intense showdown, one of mental glares as their guards were up; Mavis' more so than Zeref's. He seemed awfully calm, and no one could blame him. He honestly felt proud being before his very treasure.

"So you're saying everyone in Fiore was randomized, and even you don't know where?" Mavis surmised, having been told everything by Zeref.

"The same can be said for my allies." He said. He uncrossed his legs, slowly getting up to be higher than Mavis. He slowly, and carefully, walked on over, his boots tapping against Fairy Tail's wooden floor. "But that's not all…"

Mavis' eyes widened.

"Due to Irene's magic, Fiore has gotten much smaller. If I has guess, it feels like 1/20 its original size, if not less."

"No doubt to increase the encounter rate of Fairy Tail and the Alvarez Army, right?" Mavis inquired.

"Correct. I suppose in a twisted sense that Irene is ending this war much faster than anticipated."

Zeref stopped at last in front of Mavis, standing but a few inches away from her. He looked down at her, his face dark with a grim appeal and thoughts of what's to come for the wielder of Fairy Heart. His smirk only darkened in anticipation.

"And because of her, I am now one step closer to bringing humanity to its knees. Fairy Heart is thus before my very eyes."

Mavis glared up at Zeref, unwilling to move her position.

* * *

Irene sat back against the seat, getting cozy. "Well, well…seems my first attempt at the magic looked to have been pleasantly well. I amaze myself sometimes." She crossed her right leg over her left leg, making her sultry position all the more relaxing. "At least I was able to get some distance between Acnologia and Nic. If I had to guess, Acnologia should be floating atop the ocean. As for Nic, hard to tell." Her eyes looked ahead, seeing many faces. "Now then…"

In truth, she ended up on a throne, a very elegant one before several colleagues and soldiers of the Fiore kingdom. They all looked Irene with shock, and among them was the king of Fiore, along with Arcadios and Hisui. They all stood puzzled before the Scarlet Despair herself.

"…just where exactly am I?" She daintily questioned.

* * *

"Hey! Do you guys see that?"

Happy raised a paw, pointing up ahead. Natsu and Lucy looked ahead, recognizing the two massive structures adjacent to the other. The one was Magnolia's church, and the other was Crocus' castle.

"Kardia Cathedral!" Lucy gasped. "And is that…Mercurius?!"

"That's funny. Were they always that close?" Natsu questioned. "Huh…?"

Lucy looked towards him. "What is it?"

"I think I see something."

"Aye. I see it too! Look!" Happy pointed out.

Up ahead, a projectile was flapping its wings. Though far away, the caws it made were ringing a bell, and the way it circled around in the skies up near the buildings made it a beacon with a flaming pattern. Instantly Natsu and Happy caught on.

"Hey, I know that bird." Natsu said.

"Yeah! It's Erza's bird!"

"That means she's close! C'mon!" Natsu took off, with Happy and Lucy carrying on with surprise written on their faces.

* * *

In the unknown confines of the forest, Nic leaped from branch to branch, lunging swiftly through the foliage without any means of trouble. With Charizard healed and in his Poke Ball, Nic pressed on alone, darting with uncertainty towards the darkness of the forest, With one branch stepped on after another, he sprung like a ninja, his Shinigami-like appeal making him a beacon of mystery that glided through the branches.

* * *

Ocean waves were heard, swaying in and out. They crashed against the rocky shores. As the water swayed in and out, the rocky isle seemed to be pulling in something. Washing up on the shores, a hand reached out of the water, splashing as Gajeel curled over, gagging as he had water in his lungs.

Once on land, he got to his knees, opening his mouth and coughed. Water splattered onto the rock, giving him oxygen once more. Once he had his iron lungs depleted of water, he groaned, breathing out as he arose to his knees, staring into the unknown confines. He looked with wide eyes as he was before the seashore, waves swaying towards his knees, while behind him, there was a lush forest.

"Where am I…?" He trailed off, trying to recount what happened. "Last I checked, wasn't I…dea-!" His eyes widened, catching up on something bizarre that his nose smelled. He whipped around, forgetting what he said as his shock was confirmed.

A mist began to materialize several feet before him. The mist looked to be of his size, if not smaller. The ghostly mist clouded the small space, materializing. Gajeel, however, did not keep his guard down as he arose to his feet.

"So, what are you? A resident of hell?"

His question went unanswered as the mist was starting to shift. "…" It did not respond coherently, making Gajeel raise a twisted brow. He watched as the mist began to take shape into an unknown girl. His glare was sharp as he didn't recognize her. The woman had a light skirt and brown pigtails. She gave Gajeel a greeting smile, one that continued to unnerve him.

"I am Zera. One of the Fairies of Origin."

* * *

 **So here I am, getting an update in! I was really thankful that I managed to keep this under 10K for once, because I didn't want to drag out Nic and Mega Charizard's battle out too long against Irene and Acnologia. That battle, to an extent, could be considered the set-up for when they reappear again. Otherwise, I didn't do much else than follow canon. There wasn't much I felt like changing, so I left it as it is. Also, I'm super hyped for this big solar eclipse happening tomorrow in USA, so hoorah there!**

 **As usual, review and thanks again!**


	71. We're Heading Home!

Gajeel stared at the woman, his face completely blank as he was met with abrupt silence. By no means did he really know her, yet she claimed to be someone of upmost importance. Whoever she was, the Iron Dragon Slayer just kept a quiet stare on Zera, one that began to wear on her. The sound of crickets chirping went on in the atmosphere, until at last Zera began to sweat bullets.

Nervousness getting to her, Zera shuffled to a tree, covering her eyes to look away. "I can't do this! Why did I even try?! I can't interact with new people like this!"

In her cowardice, Gajeel's questions continued to rise in his noggin. "The hell's her deal? Hey, you." He got her attention, getting the subject back at hand. "So tell me, are we in heaven, or is this hell? Come clean."

Zera peered behind the tree, nervously leering at him. "You're in neither. You're still alive…"

Gajeel's brow furrowed. It didn't make sense one bit.

"By abnormal means, time and coincidence coincided for this one instance. Someone happened to create a powerful spell that altered everything within the world, that includes people and plants. If I guess, as you were being pulled into the underworld, the magic instead sent you here. Seem about right?"

Gajeel's eyes widened, shocked at the revelation upon him. "No…way…" His entire space distorted his mind completely lost as he flipped back to the reason why he was heading to the underworld to begin with. As he thought about it, the more his heart raced.

 _It was the toughest match Gajeel felt himself pinned in. By no means was it a pleasant one. The upside from the intense battle with Bloodman was that he finally unlocked his Dragon Force. With it, Bloodman was finally defeated…but not without a price. In an attempt of a double suicide, Bloodman's misty body pulled in Gajeel, putting him in a portal with his head and shoulders sticking out. Levy was far too desperate to get him back with her. She refused to let him go, despite the protests Gajeel put up. Thankfully, Pantherlily managed to hold her back, though it pained him as well it seemed._

 _The toughest part of it through it all…was the parting of their own hearts weaved together._

" _Let me go, Lily!" Levy kicked profusely, struggling with all her might to break free from Pantherlily's hold onto her. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to get away._

 _Despite every inward protest, Pantherlily fought against every fiber in his being from getting Gajeel as desperately as Levy. "I…I won't." He refused. "I'm sorry."_

" _I DON'T CARE! AT THIS RATE, GAJEEL WILL…!"_

 _No matter what, Pantherlily didn't let go. He shut his eyes, unwilling to embrace the circumstances like he was to Levy. His teeth gritted, a lump going down his throat._

" _Levy…"_

 _Levy looked at Gajeel, her eyes widening at her name mentioned. The way Gajeel smiled in his final moments were making her tear harder than before._

" _Back when we first met...I really was nothing less than a useless scumbag." He began to recount the time he attacked Levy; a bittersweet start in his books, but nonetheless one way that proved most interesting. Still, it was the thought that counted. "I wasn't any good. I always fell behind, and I just wanted to hide. I wasn't much of any use to anyone…until I met you. You alone, you were able to bring out the best of what I had to offer…what was manageable that is. You…you taught me the one thing I always neglected; what I realized what everyone needs to have in order to live life to the fullest…love. For that, I am eternally grateful to you."_

 _Levy's heart was breaking into pieces at Gajeel's words spoken. She_ _ **never**_ _would've expected him to say those things, not ever. Sure there were those moments where she got hints of the tension between them simmering and at times played about, but that was Gajeel's way of messing with her. When she looked back at it, the way he always teased her, everything from her being small and able to get into a bag to follow him, to defending her in the Tartaros incident, to Tenrou Island, those were_ _ **his**_ _ways of expressing himself. It took her so long to see how he felt, and if she was honest with herself, she felt the same, without a doubt._

" _Ga…jeel…"_

" _Being with you, I began to see the things Nic was seeing with Erza. Deep down, I knew they were touchy to one another, and I was sick of it because I never thought I could have those in a vision. They – I – wanted more. I…wanted a future with you…" He thought of the few images that barely came to and, yet he was at peace with the prospect of lying with her in a field, and having a house, and kids. "I wanted a future…family…happiness…I can't help but laugh at myself right now."_

 _Tears began to sully his vision._

" _Who would've thought the Black Steel Gajeel who is all mighty and badass…would even think of being a responsible adult…"_

 _Levy's heart felt like it was crushed when Gajeel raised his head to face her once more. He was pooling tears badly. Despite his own heart falling apart, the tears he spilled, they were of a mix of anguish and joy; he finally made peace with himself as he smiled._

" _I really did want to walk beside you, Levy…forever. Side by side…always…"_

" _Gajeel…!" The vacuum that was sucking in Gajeel was closing, his head barely visible as the portal was beginning to suck the rest of his entity up. Her gasping was followed with a lurch, one that Pantherlily managed to hold down._

" _I entrust my future to you. Take care of it for me."_

" _No! Don't do this to me! You can't, I won't let you!"_

 _Gajeel didn't listen. "You have to live your life to the fullest, for both our sakes."_

 _Levy reached out, profusely trying to reach him. "I won't let you go! I won't let you leave me! Not ever! Gajeel!"_

" _Lily. You be sure to get Levy back to the guild, no matter what. Safe and sound. Swear it! Swear it on your life!"_

 _Pantherlily finally opened his eyes, wide and clear to see. Tears poured down his face, his chest pulsing with hitches of anguish. "I SWEAR IT!" He cried aloud._

 _The portal starting closing for good, Gajeel's eyes fading into the darkness, while the last thing he had…was his smile. "…good…"_

" _ **NOOOO~!**_ _" Levy cried out._

 _At last, it was set. The portal was gone. All that remained was the fragments of sparkles that twinkled into the atmosphere, carrying the last bots of forbidden love away from Levy. Both the Solid Script Mage and Exceed poured their tears out, unable to contain them, as friend and loved one was taken. Family that was to be their entity, ripped from them forever. As Pantherlily sobbed, Levy cried out loud, anguish and her heart screaming out to the heavens._

" _ **GAJEE~L!**_ _"_

Caught up on what he did, and realizing he poured his heart out to Levy, Gajeel blushed in embarrassment, holding a hand over his mouth. He never felt so embarrassed in his entire life. Not even close.

He tried his absolute best to keep himself in line. "Wh-where are we anyway?"

"This is Tenrou Island. It's merged with the continent itself…Fairy Tail's holy land."

When one got a look from afar, they could in fact see Tenrou Island, and the giant tree that was the base of all its power was standing tall. The revelation of the island that once housed the most gruesome memories for Fairy Tail made the Dragon Slayer wide-eyed in surprise. He stepped forward, catching himself in his shock.

"Who are you-!"

"I told you, I am Zera."

"I get that, but who cares?! _Who_ are you?!"

Reading the impatience in Gajeel's tone, Zera turned away. "Urgh…it looks like Mavis hasn't spoken about me to the guild members then…" She paused, recounting and collecting what thoughts she could process. "This may seem illogical, but Mavis, who was in a stasis of suspended animation, must've been revived from her prison the exact moment the World Reconstruction Magic was used. Because of that chain reaction, her thoughts of me manifested, and I, too, was 'revived'."

Gajeel stared dumbfounded. He couldn't follow, not that he didn't try to.

"To put it simply, all of Mavis' powers and her memories alike have been reset. That included her thought processing, and as a result, my existence has been subconsciously restored."

Gajeel crossed his arms, frowning at her. "Okay, you lost me a little while ago…but I think what you're saying is that you came to life when the first was awakened, sounds about right?" He summarized.

Zera nodded in confirmation. "In a technical standpoint, yes, that's about right. But…"

"Hm?" Gajeel raised a brow, noticing how her gaze began to sullen.

"This form, and this manifestation, it's all temporary. Once Mavis remembers everything regarding me…I'll vanish entirely."

Gajeel said nothing with nor against her. He did feel sorry for her, knowing that her existence will be erased once Mavis recalls her. Who knows when it would happen? Time was a cruel concept, and because of that, they both had to make do with what time Zera had left.

The frown Zera had grew into a meek smirk. "I suppose, while I'm still alive and all…I guess I can pull my own weight." She slowly crept out from behind the tree, standing before Gajeel. Suddenly an epiphany rattled her nerves. "W-wait! You can hear me?! Can you…can you actually see me?!"

Gajeel looked at her like it was obvious. "Uh, yeah…"

"I knew it! Mavis' Magic Power _has_ improved!"

Gajeel turned away, shooting her a glare. "Look, I hate to break it to ya, but I'm not here to play."

Zera's expression once again changed. Her jovial demeanor a second ago morphed into one of seriousness. "Why of course. I am on your side after all. What you say we protect Fairy Tail, together."

* * *

Natsu and Lucy stood before the two structures that towered with might. They could not fathom what happened, even if they tried. They knew the two places didn't coincide with the other, and that meant something had to have happened.

"Mercurius and Kardia Cathedral…they're both in the same place." Lucy trailed off, baffled by the phenomenon.

"The heck's happening around here?" Natsu questioned intensely. "Did Magnolia and Crocus fuse together or what?" He whipped his head up, staring at Happy in the sky. "Hey, Happy! Any sign of Erza or that bird?!"

Up above for a bird's eye view, Happy looked around, catching anything but the cities Natsu mentioned. "No. I don't know how or why, but the rest of Magnolia is gone. The guild isn't even here!"

"What?!" Natsu gasped.

Lucy held a clutched hand to her chest. "Okay, now I'm really worried. What's going on?"

A loud caw rang through Happy's ears. The shocked Exceed whipped around with surprise as he looked at the sender of the loud caw. The bird that they saw earlier had come around, flapping and cawing before Happy.

The creature revealed herself to be Talonflame, and she flapped in place once gathering with Happy. "It's you." She said.

"Hey, aren't you Erza's bird?" Happy questioned.

Talonflame didn't give a vivid response right away. Instead, she turned towards the ground, cawing down towards the wasteland that went far.

"I found them! They're over here, guys!" She yelled out loud.

Natsu's nose twitched, picking up on a scent. Instantly it triggered his sense. "Wait." He went stiff, shifting towards the direction Talonflame yelled down at. As he picked up on his twitching nose, the smell was beginning to grow familiar. It was almost relieving one might say.

"Over here!"

"Yeah, I smell it too!"

"So they're around here?"

The voices were faint, but they were managed to be heard. Natsu and Lucy held their ground as shock overwhelmed them. From the corner of a large rock, a familiar dog carrying a certain redhead appeared, walking to a stop when he turned his head. "Looks like we found someone after all." He said.

"Hm?" On his back was Erza, turning towards them with wonder. Her eyes widened as she locked eyes with them.

"Erza!" Lucy cheered.

"It really was you!" Natsu smiled.

"Everyone." Erza gasped in disbelief. Following behind her, a jovial - and sloppy – Slurpuff frolicked until it jumped beside Houndoom. Following her arrival, Gray and Juvia pressed next, and Talonflame descended to flap near the ground.

"Gray! Juvia!" Lucy gasped.

"Natsu." Gray greeted, holding in his surprise.

"Lucy and Happy as well!" Juvia chirped.

"It really is everybody-!" Happy looked so pleased, but his expression immediately paled as he gawked in fright. "GAH!" Without allowing a moment's worth of explanation, he flew behind Natsu, cowering behind his neck and shuddering like he was cold.

Natsu looked over his shoulder, raising a brow. "Huh? Happy, what's the deal?"

"D-d-dogs!" He squealed.

"What?" Confused, Natsu turned forward, looking at Erza and her friends. As he laid eyes on Houndoom, it clicked almost immediately. "Oh, I get it now." He deadpanned.

"Do something, Natsu! Get them away from me~!"

Even though Houndoom and Slurpuff didn't do anything, Happy was still scared out of his mind. Houndoom and Slurpuff wouldn't even think of hurting Happy – unless told by Erza otherwise. The two Pokémon looked towards one another, giving blank stares at the cat's phobia.

Natsu's nose suddenly twitched again. Once more, he whipped into another direction, brimming with seriousness. "Wait. Someone else is coming." He warned.

"For real?" Lucy questioned.

Like Natsu. Slurpuff's nose twitched as well. The Meringue Pokémon sniffed the air, catching a powerful whiff of something familiar. Her eyes widened. "I smell them too!" Her sloppy smile returned. "Yay!"

True to what they smelled, their insecurities dwindled as foliage brushed aside, the forest giving way to Vanessa and Sophie. Both girls were side by side, supporting the other. As they walked out of the forest, their eyes also widened.

Natsu's smile grew back. "Hey, it _was_ Sophie and Vanessa!" He confirmed.

"Sophie?" Lucy inquired.

The other blonde's green eyes widened. "Lucy. And everyone else." She turned her head, looking towards Erza and her Pokémon. "I thought I recognized that Talonflame circling."

Erza hopped off Houndoom and planted her feet on the ground. She stood up, looking surprised as much as everyone else, especially when laying eyes on Vanessa. "Vanessa, you had us worried. Are you alright?"

Vanessa nodded, but still upheld a frown. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"She's a little tired, but she's getting Magic Power back." Sophie said.

Juvia sighed in relief, hand pressed to her chest. "We were so worried there that something awful happened to Vanessa. Thank goodness."

"Yeah. Now we just gotta find Wendy and Carla." Gray noted.

Lucy looked back at Gray upon the mention of that name. "Oh yeah, Wendy and Carla went with you guys, right?"

"And Laxus too, no doubt." Natsu said. "Figured they'd end up separated, huh?"

"So…now what?" Happy asked.

Gray put a hand behind his head. "Beats me. We just thought the guild might've been here, but I guess we pushed our luck, huh."

Talonflame – roosting on Houndoom's horns – turned towards Erza. "Did you want me to get back to aerial surveillance?"

Erza didn't nod. "No, we should be okay for now. Thank you."

Slurpuff's nose twitched again.

Gray took notice. "Looks like we're getting another one."

"Friend or foe?" Lucy urged, taking caution.

Natsu turned towards the forest, frowning. "Better be foe. I've been meaning to beat sense into these guys for messing up our land and guild." He rammed his own fist into his palm, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

Having some Magic Power restored, Vanessa's aura sensory picked up. Her eyes widened when a familiar and strong signature moved at an alarming rate, and yet at a speed and a color she recognized down to the molecule. She looked over her shoulder, gasping as she knew who was coming their way.

"What is it?" Sophie looked over her shoulder as well, catching wind of what was happening.

Everyone caught note as well, turning towards the trees as something appeared on the last branch that overlooked them. To their shock and relief, they saw the one person possible of staying up in the trees. He looked down at them, looking equally as shocked as them. Erza and Vanessa especially looked satisfied.

"Nic!" Erza gasped.

Nic looked down, befuddled by the gathering. "It's you guys!" He gasped. He jumped down from the tree branch, landing on a knee in front of the group and got back up in no time. He looked at them, seeing their individual injuries sustained. "Are you all alright?"

Lucy smiled. "Yeah, thank goodness you're here."

"We were worried too, with all this weird stuff that went down." Natsu said.

"Aye."

Nic turned towards Vanessa, shifting his focus onto her. "Vanessa, are you okay?"

The younger sister nodded as Sophie continued supporting her. "I'm just a little sore."

"That's good." He averted the attention towards Erza, his gaze beginning to look sound. "Erza…"

Despite the circumstances, the redhead smiled at him. "We're glad to see you're okay."

Nic smiled back, complying with her worries. "Yeah, me too…" His warm smile was focused solemnly on Erza, but when he looked towards the left of Erza, his smile almost immediately faded. He locked eyes with Gray, the Ice Mage/Devil Slayer reciprocating the bittersweet smile.

The atmosphere around everyone went silent for that moment. Natsu, Lucy, Erza, everyone there stayed quiet as Gray and Nic interlocked in a staring contest. They both recalled what happened at the guild hall before they departed for their separate objectives. Suffice to say that things were still awkward between the two friends. But for now, they had bigger worries than their own ideals.

"How was Hargeon?" Nic asked, managing to deflect the subject…for now.

Following along, Gray had hands to his hips. "Got it back. Crime Sorciere pitched in a little too."

"I see."

"Nic, do you know what happened?" Juvia asked.

Nic stared at the ground, trying to discern what went on. While he could lie and say he didn't know, he knew hiding stuff like that wouldn't help in any case. With all that's happened, they had to play their cards on the table.

"Unfortunately; I think I have an idea of what went on." Nic admitted.

"Well a little enlightenment would go quite a ways, ya know." Houndoom said.

"In the east, there was this woman I fought. She was this Spriggan, a highly formidable one. She had excessive prowess that she enchanted into everything around her." His eyes narrowed, as if discerning what transpired. "Mega Charizard and I were able to hold our ground…then she called a draw by enchanting light. The next thing we knew, we were transported, and Fiore's geography was compressed somehow."

Happy's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean went toe to toe with a woman Spriggan?!"

Nic glanced at him. "Yeah, is there something the matter about that?"

"Nic…" Lucy stepped forward, getting Nic's attention. "Tell me, did she say her name at all to you? Which Spriggan was she?"

The insinuation and anxiety in her tone was rattling Nic. He looked uneasily at her, but caught on. After an untimely amount of seconds, what felt like an eternity passed up, and he spoke. "She called herself Irene."

Natsu, Lucy, and Happy's eyes widened and they gasped, the revelation sinking deeply into their souls.

"No way…" Happy muttered.

"You mean…that you were able to go toe to toe with the strongest female of the Spriggan 12?" Natsu questioned.

Nic looked surprised by the information stacked against him. At this time, he could've said otherwise, given it wasn't just Irene he had to fight, but also Acnologia. But out of security, he kept that information to himself, for everyone's sake. "…maybe so, but now I have to ask you, how do you guys know her?"

"Brandish gave us the details back at the guild." Lucy explained.

Nic furrowed his brow, his brain scrambling all over the place. "the strongest woman of the Spriggan 12 you said…" As he pictured Irene once more, he couldn't help but think of her hair, and her face. As odd as it seemed, there was something oddly familiar about her. It was on the tip of his tongue, but it just wasn't budging.

The deeper he pondered, the more he lost sight of what was important. He looked towards Erza, and that's when another epiphany entered his head. _'That woman…I can't help but feel something is similar to her somehow. She feels a lot like…'_

"Speaking of guild…" Gray looked around, unable to catch a glimpse of any sign of Fairy Tail. "Where the heck is it?"

* * *

Irene stood tall and unfazed as many soldiers laid defeated – unconscious or dead – it mattered not. She smirked maliciously as the wounds from her run-in with Nic had recovered.

Lying on his stomach, Arcadios was covered in open wounds and bruises, unable to stand. _'W-what monstrous strength…it defies logic…'_

Toma had an arm out to the side, blocking the path between Irene and his daughter, Hisui. "You…you can do away with me as you deem fit! But no matter what, spare my daughter!" His protests were on little confidence, but he mustered up what bravery against Irene's immense strength.

Unfortunately, however, Irene was far from charitable.

As she smirked at Hisui, the scared princess was petrified, unable to move a muscle. Irene moved her hand to reach up to Hisui, and her eyes narrowed for a second. The next instance, Hisui was enveloped in magical energy, the power making her scream as she felt her body stunned in the assault.

"Hisui!" Toma cried out.

"Princess!" Arcadios gasped.

Hisui continued to cry out as she felt her body take the magical energy. In a grand puff of smoke, her body suddenly vanished and falling to the ground in place was a small mouse, which squealed as it fell on her side. The little tiara it had on made it all too keen on what happened.

Toma stared wide-eyed at the mouse. "What…what have you done?!"

The mouse shakily got to all fours, shuddering and keeping its teary eyes closed.

Arcadios couldn't believe it. He watched in speechless behavior of what transpired. _'She transformed the princess…into a mouse.'_

"So tell me, do you still love her, even in that form?" Irene insinuated. Her smirk grew malicious, a behavior that was unlike her fight against Nic. Her sinister demeanor had surfaced, and she was darkly reveling in the tears she was making everyone shed. "Can you _really_ look her in the eye, and say that's your daughter?"

Toma looked down at the mouse staring into her green eyes. He fell to his knees, seizing the crying mouse and held her close. "Of course I can! You monster, no matter what, this mouse or whatever you change her into shall always be my daughter! Can you not see?" He shed tears as he held the crying Hisui close. "Don't worry, Hisui, we'll make her pay, somehow."

Irene's sadistic and dark smirk turned to a frown. Unfortunately she didn't get what she wanted. "How boring." She raised her staff, conjuring magical energy around it to ready and end the pathetic site.

Before she could end them, however, her head whipped towards the window, getting a very strange sensation. She allowed her magic to dissipate as her focus turned towards the window. "Wait, this power…" Without thinking, she ignored everyone ad ran towards the window. She opened it, looking over the balcony and the night sky.

Her left eye opened beneath the red bangs, a cross-shaped symbol appearing.

"Huh?" Happy whipped his head up, his eyes widening. "Hey! Look!"

Everyone stared up, their eyes widening in shock.

Natsu reeled a step back. "Whoa!"

"What…?" Juvia was left speechless.

Floating high in the sky, there was a very large eye. It was many eyelashes, and was brown. It had a giant cross in the pupil, locking onto the two buildings, in which it was longer in diameter compared to the two put together.

"An eye?!" Lucy gasped.

"That's freaking huge!" Gray shouted.

"Where did come from all of a sudden?!" Sophie gasped.

The eye zeroed on, catching the uneased and shocked faces of Nic and Erza. Both of them looked up with skeptical faces, but while the picture of Nic was of no surprise, what did surprise Irene was that it was Erza that caught her vision.

The redhead on the balcony stared with disbelief. "Nic's here already…and that scarlet hair…it can't be…"

" **Head north.** " Everyone in Nic's group adverted their attention to the voice that appeared in their heads out of nowhere.

"Wait, what was that just now?" Gray asked.

"I heard it, too." Juvia said.

"Yeah, but who is this voice belonging to?" Erza inquired.

All across the shrunken Fiore, everyone looked towards the sky. The mages of Fairy Tail were the ones who got the message sent to their heads, and they all were equally as surprised. From the loners to the fighters, they all looked towards the sky in question.

" **Make for the guild! Everyone, you must gather at once! Diverged you may have become from the enemy's magic you may be, but now is your time to come together once more!** "

Nic turned towards north, where the guild was said to have been. He said nothing out of insecurity.

"I guess we don't have much of a choice then." Lucy figured.

"Aye." Happy agreed.

"I don't know about this." Gray figured,

"Is this the voice…of a potential love rival?" Juvia gasped.

" **Mavis is in trouble!** " That one phrase was enough to clear doubt temporarily, at least for Gray. All acroos Fiore, the Fairy Tail Mages began to show expressions of seriousness, their doubts fading. " **Mavis was the one who brought you all together. She's the one you must keep together, otherwise disaster shall fall! You all must return to the guild, and protect her!** "

While Zera did manage to rile up and rally the troops, her notion was rendered on some deaf ears. Some were believing it was a trick, but some took the bait. Others were left blank.

"This voice, it's guiding us to the guild." Max alarmed.

"But…" Lucy, however, seemed uncertain. Not just her, but Juvia as well.

"Whose voice is this?"

Natsu perked a smile. "Beats me…anyway, let's get going!" He deflected all the questioning, much to Lucy's groaning.

Zera was trying, she really was. She never tried anything like this before, yet all she could do was just keep on telling people where to go. Her face was red from not just the embarrassment, but the overwhelming nervousness she was feeling. It was only making matters worse for her.

Watching from the sidelines, Gajeel stared bluntly at her. "You don't do this a lot, do you?" He said. "You're overdoing it by jumping to the point. Next time, better try something to get attention and less questions, like add charm or subtlety."

Levy and Pantherlily gasped at the voice overshadowing in the telepathic link. " **I'm beginning to question if you really are related to the first.** "

"This voice…there's no mistaking it." Pantherlily said.

Far away, Lisanna looked up with wide eyes. "Is that Gajeel?"

Cana smirked. "So that means that whomever sent that message…is an ally!"

Natsu raised a fist, leading the charge for his group. "Alright then! What are we waiting for?! Let's go meet up with the first!"

Erza turned to her Pokémon, pulling out their Poke Balls. "Well done, get some rest for now." She got Talonflame, Slurpuff, and her Houndoom to recall back into their Poke Balls, leaving everyone to walk for themselves. "Alright, we're moving out!"

As they turned and ran off behind Natsu, they all went varied paces. In the back was Nic, his pace almost standstill as he was left with deep ponder. He stopped in place and looked up one more time, noticing how the large eye was gone. He looked back to stare at Mercurius, leaving the uneasy feeling in his stomach to continue churning. As much as he wanted to explore the matter, he had to get home, no matter how much it ached. He turned and went walking with everyone, heading home and away from the unspoken danger that was but a wall away.

Levy's eyes teared up, a quivering hand to her speechless face. He was gone, but the one man she came to love was back. It was unreal. "Gajeel…"

* * *

In the valleys of lush terrain, plant life was all too abundant. Large roots and trails were scattered everywhere, and within the howling jungle, it wasn't as desolate as many would deem it so.

"I guess we'll make it this way to Fairy Tail." Elfman said.

"I see. And that's what the voice said to you?" Yukino questioned.

"Sounds crazy if you ask me." Lector shrugged.

"Fro thinks so, too!" Frosch chimed.

The group comprised of Elfman, Yukino, Lector, and Frosch had ended up in the same place thanks to Universe One. Because of that, the group had to collaborate and work their way out of wherever the valley was.

Lector raised a brow in question. "But something sounds suspicious. Why was it Elfman was the only one who heard the voice?"

"Fro didn't hear it!"

"If that's the case, then maybe the voice was sent out only to those in Fairy Tail." Elfman figured.

"It didn't reach me ears. Do you think heading for the guild will work out?" Yukino asked.

As they continued, Frosch's stare went towards the ground. His blank yet adorable expression was desolate as he was lonely. He stared waywardly, yet no matter what, was unable to frown.

"I miss Rogue…"

"Yeah, me too." Lector said. "But hey, let's of it this way: If Sting and Rogue ended up with someone from Fairy Tail, chances are we'll see them at the guild. Buck up pal."

Frosch's smile turned to hope. "Really?"

"At any rate, we'll have to follow that voice. The guild is this way." Elfman said.

Yukino nodded. "Right…" As they pressed on, however, something felt wrong. Yukino only took a few paces forward before she stopped. "Huh?"

Elfman looked back at her. "What is it?"

Yukino turned towards something walking through the distance, getting closer. "Someone's coming this way…"

The figure drew closer, and as it did, it took a feminine figure. The closer it got, however, the more the group - mainly Yukino – turned surprised. Her eyes widened when the woman stepped forth towards them, her blue eyes also widening.

Yukino stared in vexation. "Sister…?" She gasped.

Sorano's eyes dilated. "Yuki…no…?"

"Wait…" A unison revelation occurred between Elfman and Lector. "HU~H?!" They were caught off guard completely; Frosch smiling dumbfounded as ever.

The standoff went on for a long period of time, with no means of sounds but the passing breeze to shift the white hair of Yukino and Sorano. The sisters that were torn away from one another never expected to see the other once again, but here they were, the reality sinking in, and for both, it was almost too good to even be considered that of an illusion.

Yukino weakly reached out a hand. "Big sister Sorano?"

Sorano remained at a loss for words. "Yukino…" Realizing the predicament, Sorano looked away. Rtaher than look jovial or surprised even, she instead seemed…crestfallen.

Elfman, who was still in shock, gaped at the scene. "Uh, w-wait! Hold up a sec!"

"What's all this about, Yukino?! You never told us about a sister!" Lector shouted.

"Fro, too!" Frosch chimed.

Once again, the two sisters were caught in a stalemate, unable to find their means of speaking to one another. Finally, the silence broke when Sorano gave a sour pout and looked away.

"I…don't have a little sister." She protested.

Yukino's eyes widened and gasped. "What?"

"You heard me. I have no siblings. I am alone."

Yukino stepped forward. "But…that can't be. You're definitely-"

"Someone you've mistaken for someone else. I have no idea what you're talking about." As much s Sorano denied the facts, the one fact that she could not deny was that she ws playing coy with her long-lost sibling; a sin that made her heart and mind curse every second.

"No, you're wrong!" Yukino snapped. Her fists balled tight, and her eyes began to mist up. "You _are_ Sorano! Don't deny it! I've been searching for you for all these years, and I refused to give up! You were taken from me because you kept me safe , while those bad people took you from me! You, my one and only sister, I would go so far as to turn back time to do so! You can't deny it! You just can't! Stop pretending to be something you're not, Sorano!"

Sorano kept herself away from Yukino, unable to face her, even with the urge to do so.

"No matter…" Yukino sniffled. "No matter what happened, you've always protected me…and…I love you more than anything else in the world. I…"

"…like I said, I'm not your sister." Sorano rebuffed.

"Why are you saying all these cruel things to me?! Tell me, Sorano!"

Sorano didn't give a crap. She was downright cursing herself to where she was mentaly deaf.. She went silent for awhile until at last giving Yukino a revelation. "…because, you don't have a monster for a sister."

Yukino's eyes widened.

Sorano's fists clutched tight. "My little sister was someone who has been her life as she pleased, decent and with pure heart in this world! She can never get herself mixed up with someone who would forsake her own life for darkness and heinous crimes! That's not what my little sister would do!"

Yukino stared with shock, eyes misting profusely. Elfman looked down at her, frowing yet retained silence.

"That's why…that's why…" Tears shed from Sorano's eyes, running down her face as she stared at the ground, her guilt overshadowing her humanity and feelings. "Someday, when al of my sins have been forgiven and my prayers are heard, I'll come back, and give my little sister the biggest hug in the world!"

Yukino was at a loss for words. She looked on, her misty and sad expression outclassed by the grief Sorano was feeling. She thought she had it rough when it came to expressing her love for her lost sibling. Clearly she was wrong. If anything correlated to the prospect, Sorano was an even bigger mess than what Yukino thought. She almost felt sorry for whatever she had done to deserve such self-guilt.

"…and, if she waits patiently, will that day ever come true?" She asked, playing stranger at last.

"That day **will** some! I'm fighting every day to make sure it does happen!" Sorano blurted out. "That's why…she could never forgive me as I am now. Just her being alive…is more than enough for me."

Yukino smiled, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. The promise made – albeit indirectly – Yukino knew waiting would have to resume, at least for now.

"Uuuuh!" Lector whimpered, tears running down his face. "Sisterly love really is a beautiful thing!"

Frosch blinked. "But she said she had the wrong person."

"You don't have to read between the lines to get it, Frosch."

"Fro thinks so, too."

Elfman looked at the scene, the nostalgia making him wonder about his own siblings. He looked up towards the sky, wondering about his own younger and older sisters. _'Mira…Lisanna…hope you're both safe too.'_

* * *

Zeref continued to overlook Mavis, their intense glaring never ceasing to pierce daggers into one another.

"How long has it been since we've last seen each other? 100 years, Mavis?" Zeref questioned.

Mavis played a long, despite her poker face. "95 to be more accurate."

"Even in that time, I was still hearing your voice. Your very being itself."

Mavis went silent at Zeref's comment. She stayed strong despite how she appeared at a disadvantage. No matter what, she could not afford to lose the one key that Zeref needed to achieve power. _'Zeref is right before me, that just draws my plan to finally take place. If we want to finish him, we'll have to make sure the conditions are just right. At least my body in place, but the other factor…is much more plausible.'_

Zeref continued to stare at Mavis, his dull eyes of stern turmoil.

' _I-!'_ Mavis was suddenly hit with a cold wave. Her breath hitched as the air crystalized into a shivering feeling that ran up and down her spine. _'It…it's cold. I need to-!'_ As she reached out, her entire body was covered in ice. She was but a frozen statue, reaching out hopelessly in front of the frowning Zeref.

The air's defined shivering was all too familiar; it left him displeased. Zeref heard footsteps approaching from the side, his head turning towards the arrival of a figure.

"Invel…"

The Ice Mage stood before Zeref, frowning with upmost seriousness. "Your majesty." He greeted.

Zeref stood opposing Invel, his amusement and agreement towards his actions as black as night. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Forgive me for doing so, your majesty. I am well-aware and highly respect the affiliation to have with that girl, but that does not change the fact that she still has Fairy Heart. She could very well turn that power against us at any time. This is all for good measure."

"And Mavis herself knows that as well." He countered. "But it's because of that that under no circumstances is Fairy Heart to be activated. Who knows what would happen…" He shot a glance at her frozen stature, his frown unchanged. "Even she doesn't know."

"Your majesty…"

Zeref turned back towards him. "She was trapped in that very crystal for almost a century now. Her muscles are cramped and borderline crippled. How would you feel to be unable to move once more and captive just after getting released, Invel? Stealing power is one thing, but freedom is another; keep that in mind."

Invel said nothing as he stayed stationed before Zeref.

"I'll only say this once more. Release her."

Finally relenting, Invel bowed his head. "It shall be so."

Staying true to his word, Invel dispelled the ice encasing Mavis. The ice sparkled and dissipated like particles, leaving Mavis to hold her position and eventually faltered. She nearly collapsed, breathing heavily as her skin felt as cold as ice itself. She shivered, barely able to process the attack. _'What…what just happened?'_ Before she had the chance, however, something cold once again touched her. A clank went around her neck, and her eyes widened. She looked down, realizing what was causing the distress.

To her horror, there was a collar of ice around her neck. There was a chain connected to it that led to Invel. A dog tied to a leash, and all she could do was stay still obediently.

"I shall refrain from restraining your body. However, I shall restrain your mind." Invel explained.

Mavis tried to think, but whatever she was intending, nothing was coming and going. It was like her body and mind alike were inflicted with paralysis. A mental blockade that was supposed to stop her from assessing the situation was put up, her eyes blank with anxiety.

' _I…can't think. What am I doing?'_ Her body was convulsing, the enigmatic energy coursing through her cranium cool, yet it felt like a brain freeze; a headache that oddly didn't hurt as bad as intended, yet still kept her mentality distorted. _'I…can't think straight…'_

Zeref looked away from the struggling Mavis, facing Invel with a grin. "I suppose I'll have to deal with for now. You've always been overly cautious."

"When you're the emissary of the Alvarez Empire, one can never be too cautious. Measures such as these are always deemed rational." He countered.

Mavis – no matter what – just couldn't think. Everything around her was but of figments. When she looked at Zeref and Invel, she couldn't think of them as god nor bad. All she could do in terms of mentality was sense their Magic Power. _'What kind of magic…is this…?'_

"Mavis…do follow me." Zeref ordered.

Mavis' body jerked. All her mental blocks came to effect. Slowly, she began to follow, much to her own horror. _'What's happening?'_ Her shaking foot took a jerky step, almost manually following behind Zeref's foot. _'I can't…control myself!'_

As much as she tried to fight it, it was of no use. Mavis followed Zeref outside, revealing the dark night sky. The guild hall itself was not even on pavement, instead it was set on rock, which was misshaped and on uneven stone. The guild stood in front of crags, of which looked like spiked mountains. A fortress that seemed too dangerous to cross in. One wrong step and one will either slip and fall, or get impaled on the rocky spikes overlooking the guild and its area.

Walking towards the cliff's edge, Zeref stopped and smiled. "Behold."

Mavis stopped beside him, her eyes unable to show anything but flabbergasted horror. What she saw only bewildered her hopes. _'What…? How…?'_

Before them all, far below on the ground, there were several people, which reached out, and the numbers kept rising, and rising. The numbers continue to escalate, in which they stretched so far that the end could not have been seen. As horrific as it seemed, it was all too real. There were endless numbers, with torches and weapons of various shapes, and they all looked battle ready and armed for combat.

Soldiers, hundreds of thousands of them, were all spread throughout the base. They were around the spiked peaks, facing forward and awaiting orders. The most lethal army in the world, and it was set for combat.

"Your friends have made it far in this war, but now, it is time to bring this all to an end. It is time to decide the course of who will achieve absolute victory, and who is to face death." Zeref said.

"HAHA! Like hell that'll happen!"

To Mavis' shock, standing not too far away was Ajeel, who looked cynically down at the army. Beside him was Jacob Lessio. _'Ajeel…and Jacob? But I thought…'_

"That's a tall order for you, considering that you've lost pathetically." Jacob countered.

"Can it, asshole! Don't you forget, you got your ass horribly obliterated by Nic and his Pokémon too!"

Jacob's face darkened, his veins popping out of his head. "That brat and his frog are gonna get what's coming to them." He sneered.

Ajeel's smirked grew menacingly. "Not if I dry him and his dragon up first."

Not too far off from them, Brandish stood nearby Dimaria, who, looked over her shoulder. "Randi?"

"Mari…"

"I heard that you were captured by the enemy. They didn't hurt you, did they?" To Brandish's shock, Dimaria's inquiry wasn't backed up by a cocky expression or a horrid tone. For the oddest reason, it was…sincerity. It was almost foreign.

The green-haired woman blinked. "No…!" Suddenly she was caught off guard by a swift blur. She was pulled into a hug, one of which left her wide-eyed as Dimaria held her tight. She was feeling Dimaria shudder, her body unstable from her bitter experience. "Dimaria?"

Tears began to form at the ends of Dimaria's eyes, her teeth gritting. "I'm so sorry! I'll never say any of those bad things to you like that again, Randi! I'm gonna make them pay for laying their hands on you! I swear!"

The change of heart left Brandish unchecked, but her eyes softened and she felt pity for Dimaria. She stayed silent for her, and nothing more.

Nearby, another person was seen in an elegant robe. He smirked as he adorned a cross-shaped tattoo on his forehead. His spiky yet long white hair and dark eyes were matched with a smirk. Behind him was a large cross, attached to him very much in a style rivaling that of a certain deceased Lightning Devil Slayer. The name known as Larcade was set for battle.

He looked over, smiling at the scene. "Friendship truly is one of the greatest beauties." He said, his tone of mild disposition; it was more of a statement than rhetorical question.

August – still in his battle form – stayed silent. He shot a dark glare at Larcade, one of malicious proportions.

"Lord August is quite fond of those dirty he gives to me." Larcade told Invel.

"Can you blame him? You always fail to attend meetings, so it isn't too hard to piece together."

Mavis shuddered in place as she nervously gazed at August. _'That's the mightiest mage, the strongest of them all…August. And he…'_ Her gaze shifted towards Larcade, who smirked. Her horrors only made her mind go blank. _'What magic is that?!'_

"Larcade is my proverbial secret weapon." Zeref explained. "I believe that with his powers, we shall indeed end this war, not mention the likes of Nic and Acnologia alike."

Nearby, Neinhart looked worn out. "Conjuring 3 Spriggans' worth of historias…that's taken a toll on me." True to his own words, the historias were before him, the ones comprised of Bloodman, Wahl Icht, and lastly God Serena.

"I have returned from the underworld…"

"Well, looks like the full house here! Ahahahahahaha!"

"Ho!" God Serena struck a pose. "Ha!" Then another. "Hm!" He framed his face, smirking with dignity. "God Serena of the Eight Dragons…is here!"

"Don't forget, you're all long dead already." Neinhart reminded them. "I should advise you guys that you should watch for me, carefully…lest you disappear from the living realm, for good."

God Serena pointed to him. "Just leave it to _godly_ me!"

A pair of boots tapped along the ground, revealing Irene, who managed to arrive. "I say, 1 million soldiers, and the Spriggan 12 assembled…" She stopped behind Zeref, smirking. "Truly this is a sight to behold.

Zeref turned towards her. "Irene."

Mavis looked back, shuddering in terror at sensing her might. _'This Magic Power…it's obscene!'_

"I have to say, as much as it pains me to admit, you've done well. Universe One and you have my most gracious respect for the work put in the making."

Irene's feigned shock. "Oh dear me, and here I thought I'd get a spanking. What a shame, my lord." She lightly chuckled, her playful humor only falling on deaf ears.

"If it's not too much trouble, shall I prepare you for an isolated enchantment, Irene?"

"Your wish is my command. So you simply wish for me to enchant Fairy Heart out of that cute girl over there, right?"

The information spilled left Mavis speechless – technically she was speechless, but mentally broken. _'What? She's bluffing! There's no way…'_

"Irene is proficient when it comes to enchanting material in and out of all matter." Zeref explained. "With that said, Mavis, she'll have it out of you."

' _No way…'_

"It shall take a little time, but…I think I can get it out of her. Leave it to me." Irene said.

Mavis was unable to process, her hopes shattered. _'No!'_

Zeref spread his footing, walking over towards the cliff once more. "I have now assembled the ultimate vanguard. Shall Fairy Tail and their ultimate weapon choose to face us still?" Zeref followed his rhetorical question with a smirk, standing before the Spriggan 12, set and ready for battle. The 13 gathered were set, each with their own vendetta and ready to terminate Fairy Tail for their interference. This was to be the battle amongst all battles.

"Fairy Tail shall fall before tomorrow's end."

* * *

On the outskirts of the mountains and Fairy Tail's guild hall, on a high hill beneath a tree, Erza stood watch as she gazed at the morbid scenery.

"Our guild, it was once surrounded by a warm, lively town…now look at it. It has turned into a warped land full of darkness…"

"It's more of a dark fortress than anything else." A voice said from behind.

Erza turned around, the voice belonging to her man. "Nic, I thought you were asleep." She questioned.

Nic sat up against the tree, while the rest of their colleagues and friends were sprawled all over. Happy laid beside Lucy, cuddling a fish. Natsu snored close by, while Gray, Juvia, Sophie, and Vanessa were all sound asleep and looking to be out like lights. No on blamed them though.

"I was. I woke up just now." He countered, his voice confirming his slightly groggy fixture.

By all means, Erza didn't look nor seem surprised anymore. She knew Nic would normally wake up before the sun, always up on his feet before daybreak and sleeping like a baby when the last rays of twilight end. She chose to play along. "You should go back to sleep, I'm okay watching over for now."

"I don't really see a point now." Nic got up, silently walking on over and stood beside Erza, looking over the decrepit terrain. "It's close to dawn, and everyone's going to wake soon."

Erza's frown did not deter. "Are you worried?"

"As much as you are." He admitted. "But if I worry too much, I'll just end up getting wrinkles. Stress isn't a virtue; that's something I learned during my time with the Plates."

For once, after so long, Erza's smile returned. "I can most certainly agree." She chuckled. "I wouldn't want you running off on me if I ended up getting wrinkles now."

"Come on, don't play with me like that. All I'm saying is that it's better to hope for tomorrow than worry about today. That's what got us this far, right?"

Erza's smile continue to glisten weakly as she turned her head back towards the enemy lines. Her eyelids dropped a little as she felt her somber mood lighten up…but only by a little. Her gaze cascaded towards the dry grass they stood on.

"Nic…"

Nic looked at her, blinking.

"When I first met you, you were something to behold. You weren't very keen on telling if I was frail or strong, and you were quite the character in cockiness." The comments made Nic look down, half-grinning at the retrospect of his journey's character. "But…you had a heart, a big one. You followed your own justice than your sense of duty, that was one of the traits I admired, and still do. You've kept us on our toes every step of the way, and not once did you cease to amaze us with what you know and feel. If it wasn't for you, perhaps I would've been dead at this point."

Nic didn't have anything against what Erza was implying. It's true back then he was brash, but unlike Natsu, he became much more precarious and learned from his experiences. Every battle fought had made him wiser, and stronger. He chose to listen rather than pry.

"I was so naïve. I always thought dying for my friends would make them happy, but you showed me the hard way of how that would feel to them. It was my own crime that you paid for me. That's a debt I can never pay back. You've made a change for the better; not just in me, but for everyone. You've given us an experience we will never forget, one that has since changed both our worlds. It was because of you that I got to meet Aegislash, and all my other Pokémon. We all learned of what infinite possibilities Pokémon possess, and how our magic can coincide." With her speech rising to a morale-preaching note, the sun had begun to rise over the peaks of the mountains. The new rays of sunlight had been unleashed onto the new land, and the rays of warmth and light radiated both Nic and Erza as they stood side by side. "If I had still somehow survived to this point, perhaps I would've said this could very well be our last dawn. I know I wasn't selfless like you, but now I want to see tomorrow. I want to see more days with you. I'm …I'm scared, Nic. It's shameful to admit, but it's this fear that keeps me by our side. I don't want to lose you. I just can't."

Within her confession, she felt a hand intertwine with her own. She jerked her head up, and looked down to see her armor-clad hand held by Nic's bare hand. Even with the armor to this day, Erza could feel Nic's warmth. It calmed her. When she looked at his smile, all her shock washed away.

"Yeah, I'm scared too." He admitted. "I think our Pokémon feel the same way. This is more than just us. This is about our friends, the ones who kept us alive and going. I wouldn't be nearly as strong if I wasn't fighting for a probable cause. I probably wouldn't even be around if it wasn't for you, Natsu, Lucy, or anyone for that matter. You've all made a home for me; somewhere I can belong. I've always been a vagabond on my journey, nestling in trees and hard places all my life even, but you changed me too, Erza. You've given me a home; given _us_ a bed we can share; a life we can value…together." The grip he had on Erza tightened, proving his worries. "I'm scared to lose it all, but it's because of that I can be willing to accept and embrace what challenges and battles come forth. My Pokémon feel the same way. Someday, one of us, if not all of us at the same time might meet our time. That's why we're all fighting all out and giving it our all. We'll live and support another, even to the heavens themselves. That's the one security that's powerful enough to erase all my other securities."

"Nic…" Erza was at a loss for words.

"I'm not afraid to face death like I've done before, but as long as we fight hard and do our best for everyone we care for, we'll see tomorrow."

After a few minutes of silence, the sun's rays continued to glisten, continuing to get brighter by the second as it began to beam over the mountains completely. As their individual speeches complimented one another, they faced one another, smiling; brown and blue eyes shimmering with hope and wills carried on by those who they have lost – and haven't lost.

Nic didn't dare look away from Erza. "No matter what, we're going to take back our guild, and end this threat."

Erza nodded in determination. "I'm going to see the sunlight tomorrow with you. No matter how long it takes." Her own grip on Nic's intertwined. Her fingers and his melded together, holding onto the other like they were going to float away forever.

Nic looked back at everyone sleeping, scanning them from left to right. _'Everyone is fighting hard to make their own dreams reality. We've all been through so much, and we all have our own dreams and things to do still.'_ He looked towards Erza, looking at her brown eyes. _'…just like I do.'_

It was at this time Nic's mentality began to drown back into his memories. The more he thought back to his experience and what he's done, the more then he thought of the battles and the adventures he shared with Erza. It was a very long road, and even now it continued to stretch to where an end will never be seen. He wouldn't admit so easily, but even now, he was scared of one thing other than losing what he had left, and it wasn't humanity or his friends, not even Erza – although it did involve her in a way.

What left him unsure was something he was thinking about back in their time in Kalos, Nic and Vanessa's world. They were all traveling through Lumiose City at some point, and by then Erza had already obtained quite a few Pokémon. As the trio ventured through the avenues, they came across the Stone Emporium, the place where Erza bought the Water Stone needed for her Shellder to evolve. As Nic and Vanessa looked around, the various jewelry made of eloquent stone. As he looked at the various stones and shimmering material, something crept into his mind as he thought about Erza. Something…just something grated in his gut. He and Erza have been together for a while, but even then, he wasn't sure. But now, after somet hinking, he knew for certain what to do.

' _Yes, there's still things I want to do after this is over…'_

"Come on. It's time to wake the others." Erza proposed.

Nic nodded. "Agreed. It's time."

Both turned to walk on over towards the group, ready to awaken them for the greatest fight of their lives.

* * *

 **So after so long, I made some more NicxErza moments this chapter. Hope it was worth it, as well as the small insinuation on one of the few ambitions Nic has other than his love for battle. Thanks for reading another chapter guys!**


	72. Our Romantic Destiny Bond

Nic and everyone stood atop of the large hill, which overlooked the 1 million soldiers far within sight. To them, it was a black blanket laid before spiked peaks and a small guild hall atop of a peak far out of reach. The sight was perilous as it was astonishing.

"Are all those…our enemies?!" Lucy squealed. She was nearly shaking in her leggings, but otherwise tried her best to stay calm.

Natsu leered over the entire forces at the guild. "I can see our home from here, but…"

"There's no choice." Gray said.

"This is our only chance." Juvia said.

"To get home, we're going to have to give it everything we have." Sophie said.

Vanessa nodded, ready for battle. Happy clutched a paw, ready to take action as well.

"Until the rest find their way back, we'll have no option but to push back their frontlines." Erza said. "Every step we make is another step that counts."

"And every step takes us back to the first and home." Nic said. "There's no doubt in all our minds that Zeref and the Spriggan 12 are waiting for us within that monstrosity that they call an army. But no matter what, we can't lose this battle. Too much is on the line."

Gray rammed his open pal, smirking as his shirt was off. "Hey, Natsu." The Dragon Slayer faced him, smirking. "How's about a little race? Let's see who can beat Zeref first. You in?"

The Dragon Slayer's smirk widened. "Hell yeah! I'm all fired up now!"

Nic took a step forward, reaching into his pockets and pulled out a shrunken Poke Ball. "Alright, Vanessa, Erza, you know what to do."

"Right!" Both women followed their unison shout by pulling out Poke Balls as well. In unison, all three enlarged them, and together, their eyes shared the same look.

"Go!"

A powerful light came from all three Poke Balls. Coming out and changing their energy into manifestations once more were Nic, Erza, and Vanessa's Pokémon. Nic's Arbok was in some coils, eyeing the enemy with his mouth shut and the tongue flicking out. Flapping in front of Erza was her Talonflame of whom looked raring to go. And floating in front of Vanessa was Magnezone, whom looked set with gusto.

"Looks like we'll have our hands full for a little while." Magnezone spoke.

Talonflame called in the air, a battle cry. "Quite the understatement there."

"Hmph! They look like bugsss. We'll give thisss infessstation sssome hell!" Arbok sniped.

Nic stepped beside Arbok. "That's right. We'll break through their barricades until everyone else gets here. Understood, Arbok?"

Arbok obediently nodded as he leered ahead, ready and willing like Nic. "Asss you wish."

Natsu clutched a fist, igniting it in his signature flames. "Okay then…" As he was set, Nic hopped onto Arbok's hood, and Vanessa jumped atop of Magnezone, on a knee and held on tight. Natsu led the charge, running down the hill. "LET'S GIVE THEM HELL! GO!"

The group charged down the hill, yelling as they went head on into the fray. Away from beneath the tree and towards the cold desolation. They showed no fear as they went towards the endless blanket of people in armor. Taking notice, the army itself had begun their own charge, the blanket narrowing just a little as the frontlines went racing towards Natsu and everyone else.

It was 11 against 1 million. What were the odds? It did not matter, for what did matter was victory.

As Natsu closed in first, he roared out as his flaming fist was brought back, searing in searing flames. The spiral expanded as the temperature all around increased from his fire. " **Fire Dragon King's Demolition Fist!** " Making the first move, Natsu bellowed maliciously as he threw his punch ahead. The impact created a subatomic-like flame eruption that expanded outwards. Instantaneously, flames engulfed soldiers, creating chaos that churned the atmosphere.

As the fires dissipated, everyone went running head, enacting their own battles. Lucy changed her attire as she called out Taurus, becoming her Star Dress: Taurus. Together, Lucy and Taurus unleashed their attacks.

" **Lucy Kick!** "

" **Tension Axe!** "

As Lucy kicked down guys, Taurus swung his axe. Both sides sent men flying from their strength. As Lucy and Taurus were back to back, they weren't the only ones working in team tandems. Nearby, while Juvia, Gray, and Sophie were unleashing water, ice, and other molding spells alike, The trio that spent their year in Kalos went to work.

Erza rushed into the fray, eyes glaring forward. " **Requip!** " As she went blitzing ahead, she became a glistening blur that summoned many swords, cutting through and down various forces. As the light faded, it revealed her Heaven's Wheel Armor. She met the end, stopping on her boots and as her following swords rushed past the fallen.

" **Blumenblatt!** "

The swords continued onwards, piercing and falling the group that stood before her. As the swords went on, Erza looked up to Talonflame, who soared over her head. "Talonflame, **Steel Wing!** " She commanded.

The Scorching Pokémon beckoned to her call, her wings glistening with a metallic white shine. She turned on her axis and glided sideways, falling into an arch downwards. As she reached the army bellow, she straightened out, diving straight ahead. The men on either side were struck with steel-like wings that created white bursts of energy.

As Magnezone floated into the fray, Vanessa stood atop of him. With a light pounce, she ended up higher in the air. She looked down as her hands reached out, teal energy set into place. " **Emanation Beam!** " She unleashed a fast-moving teal blast of aura that beamed with velocity and power to match. The attack reached the soldiers and exploded. Making them all ended up enveloped in dust within the shockwave.

With dust as cover, Vanessa sensed the aura around her, seeing as it was an open field of negative energy ripe for plucking. "Magnezone, **Tri Attack!** " At her command, Magnezone floated overhead, manifesting three orbs; one red; one icy blue; and one yellow. All three orbs were compacted in front of the three eyes, and alike, the ice, fire, and electric orbs shot beams of energy that angled differently. They ripped through the dust cloud, creating an explosion wave of ice, fire, and electricity in that order.

Arbok slithered into the fray, his loud hiss-like roar managing to falter the forces. As he hurried in, Nic also jumped off his back, springing up into the air. "Arbok, **Gunk Shot!** " He commanded.

"Yesss, Nic-sssama!" Arbok obediently complied and he whipped his own body, which waved down to his tail and making him jump off the ground. The serpent opened his mouth and a manifestation of energy compressed into the center of the hood. The silver like expanded, turning into a black garbage bag with a purple outline. Lurching forward, Arbok unleashed the Gunk Shot with all his might. A ripple of purple venom exerted around as it traveled at high speed. The attack became a streaming comet of purple that glinted before it reached the crowd in the distance. A large-scale purple dome of venom and energy erupted, exploding garbage like meteors that crashed down and hammered men in all the wrong places. Garbage comets and the explosive field sent shockwaves, in which Arbok ducked below to swerve at a low altitude at their feet while Nic glowed and ascended higher.

As the winds subsided, Nic's glow faded, revealing him in his Sky Form. His wings expanded as he retained an airborne position. His large-feathered wings glowed bright blue as he looked down at the numbers that miraculously dwindled. " **Air Slash!** " He flapped his wings, unleashing lightning-fast saucers of compressed air that sawed through the dying, venomous winds. They rained down, hitting the ground and soldiers alike. Many fell as they scattered all over, sharp as saws themselves.

As a wave of dust cleared out, everyone was seen standing close to one another, while Talonflame, Magnezone, and Nic were in the air, giving a towering might.

The soldiers all around recoiled, either in shock of their entry, or their unchecked power they were throwing around.

"Whoa! What?! Are these guys freaking insane?!"

"They're really taking all of us on?!"

One guard stepped up. "C'mon! It's us against them! We have the number advantage! Go get them!"

As many soldiers began to come from all sides, the distance closed quickly. Nic and everyone readied for them, but a sudden whiplashing whirlwind came from out of nowhere. The attack came from the side, blowing in an arch that blasted down men.

As the whirlwind faded, the team looked surprised.

"What the heck was that?!" A soldier questioned.

Natsu looked up towards the direction where the whirlwind came from, having a keen sense of smell that made him catch on quickly. His smile perked up as he saw a glint in the sky close in, joining them. As they drew closer, Wendy and Carla were stern-faced, set for combat.

"Wendy! Carla!" Natsu called out.

"Ah~! Carla!" Happy cried aloud. "You're okay!"

"Sorry for being late." Wendy apologized.

A loud rattle came from behind, which erupted men all around. Turning towards the reinforcements, everyone saw a huge ape-like man socking ten soldiers with one fell swing of his arm. From the hair, they instantly knew it was Elfman.

" **Beast Soul: Ape!** " He roared, raising both fists and smashed them into the ground. The shockwave that ran through the earth made the party around him fall over.

"We're here, Fairy Tail!" Yukino called out.

Sorano stood behind, hands to her hips. "Count me in."

Gray grinned. "Elfman…right?"

"Yukino as well!" Juvia chimed.

"And Angel!" Lucy said in shock.

Joining them not too far away was everyone else. They all went running behind Master Makarov, following in the elderly man's call to arms. He raised a fist and held it forward for all to follow. "CHARGE!" He roared. Behind him, Cana and everyone else gave battle cries of deafening levels.

Natsu whipped around, looking surprised no less. "Gramps! And Cana!"

Sophie turned forward, grinning. "Seems the cavalry has arrived."

Nic grinned in delight over his guild's arrival, easing up with his friends backing them up. When there was a rumbling, however, his frown returned, and his senses were picking up a very distinguishing power. The ground trembled as soldiers were caught off guard by this phenomenon. Everyone – Alvarez and Fairy Tail alike – stopped advancing.

"The…the ground is shaking!" Lucy stammered.

"But Nic's Arbok didn't even use Earthquake yet!" Sophie exclaimed.

Magnezone reeled back beside his Trainer. "This isn't the work of any of us. Vanessa?"

Vanessa narrowed her eyes, staying relaxed but certain as the ground's palpitations enhanced. "We've got a strong aura signature coming from ahead. Everyone on guard-!"

The many soldiers ahead were sent flying in peril as the ground sprung forth. The explosion of dust quickly gave way to serpentine projections that surged through the air; all eight serpentine dragon figures ranging of many colors roared out, reaching heights of great magnitude.

Natsu gasped, shocked at the sight.

"Whoa! What?!" Happy shrieked.

Cana's eyes narrowed. "Dragons?!"

Sophie looked ahead, her own eyes narrowing as her memories looked back on the familiar sensation. "No, not quite."

"What?"

Sophie whipped towards Nic. "Nic! It's him!"

Nic knew what Sophie was talking about. He remembered the pompous entrance as well, that included the dragons too. He glowed and reverted to himself, falling and landed beside his Arbok. He arose to his feet and he and the cobra gazed up as the dragons hollered away. He recognized them, and that only made his guard go up.

The eight heads gathered together, where the middle head created an energy field that could rival the size of a human being. The field of energy burst, and a lone man vertically flipped out of the air. As he descended, the draconic projections faded to thin air. By the time he reached the ground, the projections were gone.

He landed on his knee, with a hand pressed against the ground. The man's orange hair was no doubt belonging to someone who they didn't think they'd be seeing anytime soon, especially with what happened to him and Acnologia.

Nic's stare remained serious. "I should've known."

Before him was God Serena, who arose and had a hand to his face, pointing at Fairy Tail. "You shant not take another step further!" He declared. "It is but I, the Eight Dragons God Serena, in the flesh!"

Makarov's fists clutched. "It's him."

"The traitor." Cana sniped.

Erza's eyes narrowed. "Such a meekly sight indeed."

God Serena smirked maliciously, staring at everyone, yet his gaze seemed more focused on Nic. Without even a single remark, he instantly went for the attack. He reached out, palms wide open. " **Purgatory Dragon's Blazing Hell!** " From the open hand, a horrendous swirl of blazing fire of grand magnitude went at everyone. It expanded and bolted throughout the area, enveloping everything in a roaring blaze.

Taking action, and knowing what is to become of God Serena's ambition, Nic took the bait. He stepped up front and glowed. He shifted into his Flame Form, and with one foot and one hand reaching out, he stayed composed but cautious as his powers made the blazing fiery stream separate all around him. The streams of blazing hell went in various directions, bolting past everyone and instead scorched the soldiers.

Turning one's force against him and his allies, a key to battle. Turning one's strength into their own. That was a key that Nic exploited.

Without care of how his fire was hurting his allies, God Serena raised a brow and brought his right arm back. "Oh? Then how about…" Water compressed into palm, and he thrust forward. " **Sea King Dragon's Encircling Deluge!** " Running alongside the blaze was a high-pressed torrent that looked like a beaming tsunami. The attack went ahead, taking up twice the room that the blaze was taking up for Nic to block.

"Nic, look out!" Lucy shouted.

"He's coming at him with two attacks at once?!" Elfman exclaimed.

"He's most certainly improved." Erza admitted, much to her dismay.

Rather than shift forms, Nic kept the pressure on. "Arbok, stop God Serena!" He ordered.

"Assss you wish." Arbok hissed. The Poison-type opened his mouth and exerted a loud hiss-like roar. He slithered on as swiftly as he could, streaming across the ground and ducking beneath the deluge. As the torrent pulsed overhead, Arbok went beaming beneath, swerving and reducing traction to reach God Serena before the deluge reached Nic in time.

Both attack and snake looked to be even, but as God Serena was too busy focusing on Nic and everyone's advances, he was caught at a standstill as Arbok reached him from beneath the blaze and deluge, beneath his cover. The cobra swerved and brought his tail forward, swatting with excessive force that smacked the wrists and arms.

"Gngh!" God Serena recoiled his hands and wrists, forcing his two attacks to stop. That made the deluge and blaze dissipate just mere feet before reaching Nic. He remained steadfast and weary, even as he took a step back for precaution afterwards.

"You little…!" God Serena growled.

" **Glare!** " Nic commanded.

Arbok arose from his position to stand against God Serena, his belly pattern in full view. As his pattern flashed a red energy, God Serena found himself stiff. All the nerves in his corpse went numb as Arbok's close-range Glare hit home. The Dragon Slayer looked down at his open palms, seeing static run down the fingertips. His glare hardened, his shock spiking. "You…! Damnit!" He sniped.

"Looks like he's been paralyzed." Talonflame acknowledged.

"That's good. It means we have the advantage." Magnezone said.

Taking reflexes to good use, Arbok made way back to Nic's side as he glowed, reverting once more into himself. Both Trainer and Pokémon looked on as God Serena had his head down and growled. Even as static flared around his body, it was hard to tell if he was in distress. After a short while, they got their answer in the form of a widening smirk.

"Smart. Very smart." God Serena acknowledged. He looked up, his eyes black with small white pupils. "But that won't save you now!"

Nic and Arbok readied themselves.

God Serena puffed his cheeks, gathering a large mass of air and volume. Once charged, he let it all out. " **Gale Dragon's Song of the Wind and Moon!** " He opened his mouth wide, unleashing a lethal gust that blew at a large diameter. It pulsated directly for Nic and Arbok, which didn't stop them from holding their ground.

Both readied for the attack, but before the gust met them, everything flashed. A bright flash arose, and all were feeling nothing more than soft winds and dust escape beneath their feet. The ground shudder and the flash dissipated, leaving a blanket of dust.

Natsu coughed, waving away the dust. "Hey!"

"What?" Gray looked around, bewildered.

Everyone looked around, shocked at the revelation. They weren't struck by some ungodly wind, no, rather, they were given a puff shot. It was odd, yet at the same time assuring. They've been saved, but this time, however, not by Nic.

Nic looked at the ground, noticing how the cracks created small crevices embedded into the earth.

God Serena was also at a loss for words, his attack completely thwarted. "What happened? Did my attack…fail?" He knew Nic didn't use a defensive move, but he wasn't certain. "…no, it was broken. But what?"

A lone figure was seen in the dissipating dust. The figure had orange hair like God Serena, but it was wavy and shoulder length. He had an overcoat on, and despite how he smelled and looked, the dust clearing out revealed the face of an old friend of the guild, one who apparently likes to come and go at his own leisure…and has a habit of breaking stuff.

Natsu's smile slowly widened.

The man standing in front of Nic and his Arbok was smirking. "Yo." He greeted, as one would expect for the arrival of Gildarts.

"GILDARTS!" Natsu and Happy cheered.

"Gildarts?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Wow!" Juvia awed.

Everyone in Fairy Tail cheered loudly. They were sure with Nic by their side they would have a prayer, but with Gildarts, their morale was up and they were ready to tackle the challenge behind the Crash Mage's wake.

Gildarts and God Serena stared at one another, both looking rather unamused by their apparent meeting. God Serena looked more annoyed given his frown, however.

"So the geezer is finally back, huh? About time." Gray commented.

"You can say that again." Erza grinned.

Cana stood with a hand to her hip, her smirk wide and coy. "About time you got your ass over here. I was starting to think you needed a wheelchair, old man." Of course Gildarts was her father, but that didn't mean she could still trash about him.

Gildarts turned back towards his daughter, smirking. Rather than snipe back playfully, however, he rushed for Cana, blitzing to her side and holding his daughter like she was a pillow. "Oh, Cana! I haven't seen you in so long~!" He cooed. Some things about him never change, much to Cana's chagrin.

Feeling embarrassment rise, Cana pointed ahead. "H-hold on! We have a battle to win!" Cana reminded him.

Recognizing the fault, Gildarts pulled away, giving God Serena a grim, twisted eye. A silence fell as he glared at the ex-Wizard Saint, rattling spines. "Say, now that you mention it, yeah. That guy right there's been a pain it seems."

God Serena, however, frowned. His cocky smirk didn't come forth, as he seemed much more serious than intended. "Sorry, but I don't got beef with you. I, Eight Dragon God Serena, have something more interesting on my mind."

"Oh? And what might that be?" Gildarts questioned.

God Serena pointed in a certain direction, pointing directly at Nic. "I have a score to settle…with you."

Nic stayed silent at God Serena's remark. He knew this day would come, even if it did seem something was off about the Dragon Slayer. He didn't pry, he personally knew God Serena had some form of vendetta, and everyone else knew it was best to not pry, especially after what happened back in the previous civil war. Unwilling to turn down the offer, Nic began to walk forward, his pacing mild.

"If that is your intention, then so be it." He obliged. "My apologies, Gildarts, but it seems God Serena isn't through with me just yet."

The middle-aged man didn't pry. Sure, he was a little bummed that he wasn't going to get a shot at God Serena, but if he was honest with himself, he would've preferred him back when he was alive. It was a reasonable trade-off, plus he knew of Nic's power. If it were up to him, he couldn't say it was unwise for him to say so. "Sure kid, go crazy." He smirked.

Nodding in confirmation, Nic looked back at God Serena, who glared at Nic menacingly. Despite being paralyzed, God Serena wasn't going to back down. They glared menacingly at one another, unwilling to give in.

"Arbok, fall back." Nic ordered.

"Yesss, Nic-sssama." Arbok complied, retracting his serpentine body and positioning in a single coil, laying low at Nic's word. He stared mildly forward, unmoved.

"Very well, God Serena…" Nic reached into his pocket, pulling out another Poke Ball. "If it's a battle you wish to finish, then we'll take you on as before! Greninja, go!"

The Poke Ball popped open, and right beside Nic, the energy fell and expanded, turning into Greninja. The Ninja Pokémon stood on his toes, his eyes opening to show serious red eyes. His arms were down by his side, just like Nic. "I'm ready." He assured.

"As am I."

God Serena's smirk slowly returned, his gaze turning from serious to a cocky anxiety. He glared ahead, his dark eyes and white pupils returning. "Heh! Finally! Time for you both to pay for tarnishing the reputation of God Serena himself!"

Nic and Greninja leered at him with a unison mirror-like manner. "You only tarnished your own reputation." Nic countered. "You deliberately chose to put your own arrogance before your security. Dragons and Pokémon are two concepts that collided many times; this time being no different. Greninja."

Greninja nodded. "We shall give it our all."

God Serena felt challenged. "Ho? Dragons inferior to Pokémon? That's nonsense!"

Nic and Greninja's heart rates began to synchronize, their beats in unison, and their eyes glowing. "Let's go!" At their unison shout, their ethereal images overlapped once more, their memories intertwining and overlapping to now. Both stood in place as Nic stood unmoved while Greninja was enveloped in a cyclone of water that shot upwards. The water swirled and circulated with a passion, reaching immense heights and with great measure of not just height, but prominent power.

Gildarts looked up, his eyes widened. "Whoa…"

"Alright!" Natsu clutched a fist. "That's the ticket!"

Happy floated beside him. "Aye! Here it comes!"

God Serena glared at the pillar of water that raged in place, his eyes remaining unchanged as his canines were seen gritting hard. He could feel a power change, and it was bringing back the uncomfortable feeling he buried long ago. "This again…"

The pillar of water broke apart, bursting forth and leaving bubbles of water suspended. The water streamed down at high speeds, racing and swerving into a center on Nic-Greninja's back. As before the roaring waters eventually compressed into a water dome, which became a medium-sized shuriken on Nic-Greninja's back.

Together, Nic and Nic-Greninja opened their eyes, their pupils completely purple. Together, their combined energy made the wind shift once more.

"And there it is!" Cana shouted.

"Awesome!" Gray shouted.

Sophie smirked, knowing full-well what the transformation was. "It's Nic-Greninja. Nic must really mean business then."

"I know I would." Max said.

Gildarts was feeling an incredible power; one formidable and made him itch. It nlt made his smirk more wondrous. "Well…"

Nic and Nic-Greninja stood opposing God Serena, their feet spread apart, glaring down the deceased man. They felt it as well, the Magic Power God Serena had. They knew something was off. As bewildering as it should've been, it wasn't as high as before.

"You feel it, don't you?" Nic questioned.

Nic-Greninja nodded. "I do. If this is his full power now, then has he progressed at all?"

"Only one way to find out."

His patience thin, God Serena reeled a foot back, readying for his opponents. "Ha! You cannot belittle me as before, Nic! I have become much stronger than before! I shall show you!" He reeled a fist back, and Nic and Nic-Greninja both vanished on the spot, closing the gap almost instantly. Their speeds were unmatched, and they too brought their right fists back and let out loud grunts as the three fists collided centerfield. All three fists created a field of energy that eroded outwards. Shockwaves blasted everywhere, whipping up large-scale winds and debris. Everyone covered up as the land shook and vicious winds.

"Gah!" Wendy shrieked.

Carla covered up, barely holding her position. "What power!"

Everyone caught in the winds managed to hold their ground, waiting for it all to subside. Arbok, Vanessa, Erza, and the other Pokémon were able to hold their ground and positions. Everyone was looking tense, and some shivering at the mind-boggling power. Some, however, were shaking in their boots. Romeo was no exception.

"Hm?" Seeing Romeo shudder, Wendy looked over. "Romeo, are you okay?"

Romeo wasn't responding. He was looking as though he was going to choke at any given second. He stared at the ground, distraught by the revelations and the formidable adversaries before him. "Wendy…" He murmured. "I…I'm not okay."

Wendy tilted her head, a look of worry cascading over her.

"I charged ahead without thinking. All I was telling was 'we were gonna win'. That was my motivation…but now…it's not helping. This battle, it's too much…" He was mentally cursing himself for being so weak, but he couldn't help it. He was scared. He was shivering in his boots. "Did you even look at the numbers our enemy has? It's terrifying! Look at me! I can't even stop shaking! I can't even call myself a man if all I do is shake in my shoes!"

Wendy looked at Romeo with a sense of empathy. In a way, Romeo reminded Wendy much like herself at one time. Back before she joined the guild, she wasn't so willing to fight; in fact, she'd be downright opposing fighting. But after everything she's been through, she became proud of how strong she's become. She no longer cries in battle, nor does she run. She faces it head on.

The Dragon Slayer walked closer towards him, smiling in comfort. "I'm sure everyone feels the same way you do. Deep down, we're all a little scared." She admitted. "But we just need to rely on each other, and to our very best. Can you do that?"

Before Romeo could answer properly, the dust in the atmosphere began to stir again. He not only was caught off guard, but everyone else was enveloped in the raging storm of dust and sand.

"What?!" Bisca held onto her hat, keeping it from blowing off.

"I can't see! What's happening?!" Alzack shouted.

An insidious laughter echoed through the raging sandstorm, belonging to Ajeel. "Dry up you brats! Wither away to your deaths!"

"Crap! Not this guy again!" Gray cursed.

Vanessa enveloped herself in her Aura Guard, the translucent dome keeping her from getting bombarded by sand. Outside the veil, Vanessa's Magnezone was unmoved by the sandstorm. "Magnezone, straight ahead! Use **Flash Cannon!** " She commanded.

"Right!" Magnezone shouted. He retained his position as he began to conjure silver light particles. The light continued to compress in front of the red eye. Once conjured enough energy, Magnezone unleashed a blistering silver and light blue energy blast. The Steel-type attack ripped a hole right through the sandstorm, making way straight for Ajeel.

"Huh?!" Ajeel went wide-eyed as the Flash Cannon closed in. He crossed his arms, bracing for impact. The Flash Cannon struck him head on, enveloping him in a silver explosion. "Gngh!" The smoke dissipated, and Ajeel slid back, getting a foot behind to reduce traction. As the smoke dissipated, so did the sandstorm. It faded away, leaving but open field and dust.

"Damnit!" Ajeel cursed.

Out of the blue, Elfman rushed straight for Ajeel. "Nice one! Now it's time for a man to deal with this punk!" He roared.

"You think it's going to be that easy?!" Ajeel swiped both arms in opposite arches, summoning a shockwave of sand that went straight for Elfman.

Elfman continued his course, his glare unmoved. "Oh yeah?" Once more, he did a Beast Soul Take-Over. His body glowed, and he became a being with large hands, and a massive cloak. It had a bulbous hood, concealing everything but the eyes.

"You won't do squat against a sandbeast!" To prove his point, Elfman raced through the sandy waves, moving his arms around to get by the sands, which flew in various directions.

Ajeel sneered as he slammed his palms against the ground. " **Antlion Pit!** "

Elfman's feet were suddenly sucked under. The ground caved in, becoming raw sand that he began to sink in. The Strauss sibling gasped in shock, unable to move.

A pair of wings and a blur went shooting out of nowhere, revealing Lisanna. Elfman was picked up by the talons to his cape, with Lisanna flapping as hard as possible to keep herself airborne.

"Lisanna!" Elfman shouted. He was honestly surprised and thankful for his younger sister coming to his aid.

"Gnngh! Geez Elf, would it hurt to lose a few pounds?" Lisanna strained.

Jacob adjusted his cuffs, preparing himself for battle. "Seems now it is my turn. This shall be a swift-!"

WHAM!

He was cut off when a force socked him across the cheek, revealing itself to be Mirajane. "I'll be your opponent!" She challenged.

"Mira!" Sophie exclaimed.

Jacob's expression grew grim as he faced Mirajane, but as he turned, his glare screeched to a halt when the first thing he noticed – as to most male individuals – was the bust that she had. Thanks to her earlier skirmishes, her clothing was torn and she had a lot of her chest exposed.

Jacob turned away, eyes shut. "How vulgar!" He squealed.

"Oops." Mirajane covered up.

The lust for battle had called upon Wahl Icht, and not just him, but also Bloodman. Both battle-craving contenders made headway into the fray, smiling with ecstasy. "HAHA! Now this is fun!" Wahl Icht exclaimed.

"The return of death shall be marked by thee!" Bloodman snarled.

A swift shadow blindsided Bloodman, abruptly halting him in his path and making him follow the shadow. However, the black streak was too fast for him to trace, and by the time he pivoted, the shadow – revealed to be Rogue – slashed, shadows scraping at Bloodman side. The demonic entity howled in pain at the attack that touched him.

Wahl Icht spread his arms apart. "Come on! I'll blow you all to bits!" His challenge was acknowledged by him summoning a multitude of missiles. They fired ahead, gaining way for a multitude of intended targets.

Before they got too far, however, the missiles were enveloped in a spontaneous eruption of some odd green energy. The flare in the sky, caught Wahl Icht's attention, making him frown.

From nearby, a dainty hand arose to cover a sultry smirk. "My, my." A voice called. "Seems a fly buzzed its way into my territory."

Bloodman and Wahl Icht glared ahead, seeing the interception provided by Rogue and Minerva. Both stood opposing the Spriggans, set for combat.

"Alright, Rogue! Minerva!" Frosch cheered.

Yukino sighed. "Thank goodness."

"Yeah, but…" Lector's excitement dwindled, a frown forming on his face. "Where's Sting?"

"I'm afraid he's still out there." Rogue said in regret.

"Oh…"

Rogue smiled. "Hey, don't be like that. This is Sting we're talking about. I'm sure he'll be fine." He assured.

Minerva turned away, frowning as she and Rogue faced the upcoming enemies. "The Master issue will have to wait. I'm afraid we're dealing with a grave threat ahead of us. Be on guard!"

"Right!" Rogue nodded.

"Alright! You go, guys!" Nearby, Sorano cheered, swishing back and forth in a cheery manner, her body wiggling. "You're all so sweet, even if it isn't your fight! You go!"

Minerva looked towards her, not bothering to look uneased. "And just who might this…swinging individual might be?"

Yukino sweat dropped. "She's…uh…"

God Serena roared aloud as he enveloped his hand in purgatory flames. He brought it forward with searing ambition, but Nic and Nic-Greninja held their ground, both palm-striking upwards to deflect the wrists. The attack was unable to be delivered as time slowed down gradually, leaving God Serena open and with horrid shock.

' _This…this can't be!'_ As time was slow, he watched as Nic brought his right fist and Nic-Greninja brought his left fist, both backwards and their purple auras tracing and solidifying around their palms. _'I…I can't lose like this! I'M NOT THROUGH YET!'_

Their fists and aura combined, both roared as they punched forward. " **Return!** " Unwilling to waste their breaths into words, they pulled straight into battle, punching God Serena in the abdomen. The impact's deep blow to the gut did no less shock as it did damage. The airspace went stiff as the shock was too fast to reach to. As God Serena was in midair, the ground from below Nic and the trio didn't depress several times as before. Instead, the entire ground gave way, erupting and sending chunks of rocks and men flying. A shockwave of brilliant purple went everywhere as they followed through, sending God Serena deeply far. The earth depressed as he sped off in the distance, creating a trail of destruction. Thousands of men were taken down as God Serena gawked and his eyes were devoid of pupils. In the distance, he faded away, proving to be nothing.

Everyone behind smirked, and some were at a loss for words. The dust and gravel settled, and Fairy Tail stood amazed – as well as predictable – at the sight to behold. Gildarts looked on with amazement, while Cana cheekily smirked at the display of power. Romeo stared in awe, his shock of the hope coming back beginning to overshadow his fear.

"Nice." Natsu said.

Vanessa and Magnezone smiled, and Erza stared without worry, grateful of Nic's increased power.

Watching from afar, Frosch looked at the scene with awe, his little arms waving up and down with a dopey smile plastered onto his face. "Yay! Go Nic-Greninja!" He cheered.

Unknowingly – as if by coincidence – a chill went up Rogue's spine.

Gildarts smirked. "Alright, that's one down. Now come on, people, we've got a pace to pick up on!" He began to charge. "The guild is but a heartbeat away, so let's get going!"

"HELL YEAH! CHARGE~!" Natsu valiantly screamed with thrill as he charged right for the fray. Behind him, Fairy Tail joined in and they all raced for the guild, the group unwavering and holding strongholds. They showed no fear, and yet they had a rigorous passion. As they made way, Romeo's confidence had started to return, a smile appearing on his face as he clutched his fist.

At last, he charged with a jump in his step. "Yeah!" He raced ahead, finally in the charge towards the fray.

As everyone charged forward, unbeknownst to them, they were being watched over. They were completely blank to those who looked over the cliffs. Standing high above, watching Fairy Tail charge, Invel's icy stare was fixed on them.

* * *

Mavis was incapable. She couldn't do anymore than strain, for her mentality had been significantly hindered. She felt so less than a struggling infant, one who could only stay incubated on a table as streams of magical energy were pouring out of her body. Light snuck out of her strained body and into the open palm of Irene, who was smirking at the sight.

"You poor thing." She cooed. "To think, your most gifted power: your imagination; stolen from you. The power of Fairy Heart taken without a fuss."

Mavis groaned loudly, straining evermore.

"Invel's Ice Slave Magic really is interesting, wouldn't you say? One loses their sense of self, or, if one feels poetic…more like freezing the heart."

Mavis' strain only intensified. She was unable to fight back, just like how she felt that night after the Grand Magic Games. Fairy Heart to this day would've meant nothing; nothing itself would even matter. All anyone felt was fear, and worst of all, deadly deprivation.

Not far away, Zeref was watching Mavis' extraction. He stared blankly, yet his frown said it all. He was greatly displeased, for it made him less than amused to see Irene relish in her misfortune. "I hope this wouldn't take too long, Irene." He warned.

Still in the process, Irene spoke up while acing her work. "I believe that you are in fact aware of how rare and fragile the magic this girl has is." She countered. Once more, Mavis lurched, groaning out loud in a tight squeal. This made her smirk retain its shape. Zeref, however, was less than ecstatic.

"I prefer to not see her suffer like this." He said.

"Oh? Is that so? It's not often his majesty bears emotions for others. How…how should I put this?" The fact that Irene was using a more modest tone did not settle with Zeref. He knew she wasn't as subtle as she sounds ever, but it's also uncommon for her to speak to him in such a way. "It may be rude of me, but I must speak my mind here…"

She looked over her shoulder, she and Zeref alike staring cold daggers. "If you do not rid yourself of your naïve ways, then Acnologia may never be defeated. He is the quintessence of despair. The lord of all dragon kind."

The silence following did not let up between them. Zeref frowned at her, but she knew from her glare and the words spoken that she had a point…to a degree. However, be as true as the information was, it was but biased results.

"Be as it may, Lady Irene…" He retorted. "Your assumption is wrong."

Irene raised a brow.

"Acnologia _may_ be the creature who holds despair now, but the facts you suggest are incorrect. You have forgotten, you _and_ August were afraid of **him**. That man, the one who is of forbidden saying; he defeated Acnologia, and as far as our kind and his goes, Acnologia's own vendetta against Pokémon has rendered him out of our hands."

Irene's glare only hardened against Zeref's. Now it was her turn to feel challenged. While her words could be true to an extent, Zeref's logic was equally as sound. As much as Irene wanted to deny it, she never felt terror like that before. Fear was the very least she felt. Magic Power Acnologia had was one thing, but recalling the ruler of Antimatter, Hoopa, Mewtwo, and lastly he who makes your nightmares come to life can be no less than a shiver that crawled up and down her spine.

Zeref turned away, much to her surprise. "But it's your words against mine, I suppose." He slowly began walking away. "My words may be true, but who knows who reaches Acnologia first. You have merit, so I'll let it be."

Mavis whimpered as Zeref began to take his leave. As she weakly turned her head, she and Zeref interlocked gazes once more. She began to tera up as he looked away one last time, before he went away. Mavis looked on in bitter sadness, unable to call for him.

Irene looked back at Mavis, resuming her work with a loud "Hmph!".

The situation blew off thanks to both sides backing down, however, the silence didn't linger around for too long.

"Lady Irene, do you have a moment?"

The voice was familiar, in which Irene recognized as Neinhart, who stood behind her. She paid no less heed to him as she did to Zeref. "Can this wait? I'm rather busy here."

"I'm afraid not." He took one more step towards her, his frown rather mournful. "I found Lady Erza."

Irene remained unchanged, excluding her frown, which only grew. She began to think back to that instance, her mind getting lost in a gruff scene. She remembered full well seeing Erza with her Eye Magic. It was still shocking to this second. "So, she lives then…"

"What do we do?" Neinhart questioned. "She is currently engaged with our forces, but, as you might be aware…"

"Kill her."

Neinhart stopped in his tracks. "…what?"

"You heard me. Do not make me repeat myself."

Neinhart was baffled, there was no other word to describe himself. He wanted to believe it was a mistake of the words coming out if her mouth, but his ears screamed otherwise. He knew better, and as such, he finally acquiesced. "…but…my historia has no effect on her."

Irene glared over her shoulder, her eyes interlocking with his. Her brown eyes pouring daggers into his own. "Then kill her yourself." She coldly ordered. "Remember, Neinhart, just who exactly you are."

Neinhart sweated bullets, his shock beyond measure. "Who…I am…" As he muttered, his sclera had begun to change to pitch-black.

* * *

"RAGH!" A swift swipe of a blade traveled in a long arch, creating a clear wave as soldiers were mowed down by the might of the sword that Erza held. Left and right, she refused to back down. She parried blows and gracefully slashed. She blossomed, like a scarlet rose whose thorns were as deadly and jagged as was the ferocity edged into her blades' fine edge.

Much like Erza, a burning passion soared overhead, cawing in the face of hundreds. Talonflame's body twisted and she rolled downwards, her body searing in the flames of Flare Blitz. Talonflame was wrapped in searing blue flames that followed her, creating a blazing blue trail that made hot winds hit soldiers. She struck so many down at once, and once she reached her momentum's peak, she arched up, the blue flames dissipating. Her body coated continued on, despite the red static that made her wince and sting.

Erza slashed again, making another soldier fall before her. "Their numbers aren't decreasing!" She retorted.

"Erza!" A voice called in the distance.

The redhead looked over her shoulder, seeing a Zap Cannon blitz over her head. The electrical hemisphere disappeared in the distance, creating a discharge of yellow, explosive energy that made the land shudder. People flew over her head, yet she was unfazed as she looked at Vanessa and Magnezone heading her way.

"Vanessa!" Erza called out.

Once they regrouped, the two girls went back to back, both immediately taking stances to cover their blind spots. Over their heads, Magnezone and Talonflame descended, both looking well enough to keep going, if not counting their slightly enhanced breathing; borderline panting.

"They're hitting us with more power than we thought. We'll need more of a plan to give us open space." Vanessa said.

"Yes, it is rather cluttered." She swiped her sword, swiftly knocking back a soldier that went charging her way. "We'll need more long-range to take out reinforcements!"

Vanessa swiped her arm, sending a crescent of teal aura that struck men. "Then we know what we need to do." She and Erza looked towards the other, the seriousness in their brown and blue eyes saying it all. They nodded, and together they knew what to do.

"Magnezone, return for now!"

"Talonflame, rest up as well!"

Both Pokémon recalled back to their Poke Balls, getting the rest they needed. Together, Erza and Vanessa reached for different Poke Balls.

"Houndoom, come to my side!"

"Venusaur, let's go!"

The Poke Balls opened, and popping forth were Venusaur and Houndoom. The Grass/Poison and Dark/Fire-type were facing opposite directions, just like their Trainers. "Ready!" Both shouted, all set for combat without say.

Together, Erza reached her the Key Stone that was imprinted on her left earring, while Vanessa reached for the Key Stone embedded into the Poke Ball imprint's center on her vest's left breast side. Both Key Stones began to radiate with a shimmering gleam, which went like rainbows all around. Both tapped the stones, and alike, the rainbow gleams became light waves that blitzed with a powerful glow in the area.

In the distance, Wendy and Carla saw beams of light in the area ahead, and it looked like a firework display. "What's going on?" Wendy wondered.

"Houndoom…"

"Venusaur…"

Both women's' glare hardened. "Mega Evolve!"

Houndoom hollered out loud as his center began t shimmer with a dark red light, while Venusaur opened wide and a green glow emanated from his body. At the same time, they exerted powerful dark red and green beams of light that wiggled about, their Mega Evolution energy interlocking with the Key Stones. They traveled down to their bodies, erupting the light of Mega Evolution and began morphing.

Mega Houndoom hollered out as his forked tail end began to separate, becoming two-pronged. His claws were sharpening, turning into a heated color while the main features were the horns, which began to turn jagged and curved outward than inward, and some bony, skull-like armor began to erode around him. Venusaur began to get thicker legs, and the plant on his body began to turn complex, as well as flowers blooming in front and on his rear.

Both Mega Evolution lights exploded, and the shimmering sparkles each emitted faded. Explosive shockwaves exerted in all directions, picking up exotic and hot winds that sent debris skidding, dust brewing, and fallen bodies turning over. Both Mega Houndoom and Mega Venusaur roared out loud, making a turbulence that made the front row of the perimeter fall over onto their rears.

One of the fallen guards looked at the scene, shocked out of his mind. "W-whoa! What the heck was that?!"

"Who cares?! Don't let them get to the emperor!" Another shouted.

Erza swiped her arm. "Mega Houndoom, **Dark Pulse!** "

"Mega Venusaur, **Petal Blizzard!** " Vanessa commanded.

Mega Houndoom spread his paws apart and circled his head around in a full loop, reeling it back with the mouth wide open. He lurched forward, unleashing a jumbled beam of dark rings with purple outlines that rapidly expanded outwards. They fired at a velocity that no one could've caught onto. Mega Houndoom immediately enveloped a large number of screaming perilous men in a dark wave that kicked even more dust up. He craned his head, making the Dark Pulse follow in his wake. The arching wave enveloped many men, causing bombarding explosions of darkness and random rings to stream everywhere. Mega Venusaur spread his legs, front and back, and roared menacingly. Multiple pink petals stir all at once, manifesting into a whirling tornado of pink that snaked left and right. The size not only staggered the soldiers, but when it exploded, the tornado became a bursting hurricane of shredding petals. Everyone in the vicinity screamed in agony as all they saw was pink while the shockwaves did the rest.

Using the dissipating petals and dark waves as cover, Erza and Vanessa diverged. "Let's move it!" Erza shouted, requipping into her Purgatory Armor.

"Right!" Vanessa diverged as well, hands in teal aura as she went into the fray.

* * *

Gildarts raised his fist into the air, clutching it so tight that one could hear bones crack.

"Arbok, use **Earthquake!** " Nic commanded.

Together, Gildarts rammed his fist into the ground, and Arbok raised his tail end and hammered it into the earth. Beneath them, a pulse ran deep in the ground, spread out rapidly at a high speed. Nobody had time to register what happened, for the ground suddenly riiped apart. Everything diced up, then exploded skyward. The ground beneath the two depressed the two into the ground, until they were in a two-foot-deep crater that went out in a ten-foot diameter. Everything, Fairy Tail, soldiers, and all, were caught in flying rocks that fell like meteors and shockwaves of debris from Earthquake and Crash Magic alike.

"GAH! OH COME ON!" Cana shouted, carried off by the Ground-type move's immense strength.

As dust raged through the entire battleground, nearby peaks even chipped apart, rumbling in terror.

The battles ensued, with everyone still giving it their all despite some lethal setbacks. Regardless, they pressed on, and as Nic and Nic-Greninja ran through enemy lines, with Arbok not too far behind, others were doing their part in making mayhem rise.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Natsu puffed his cheeks. " **Fire Dragon's Roar!** "

He unleashed an insidious roaring blaze that coursed in a uncontrollable manner. As it engulfed soldiers, the searing blaze suddenly went from a charring crackle to a chittering freeze. The fire suddenly began freezing over, which began to make way back towards Natsu. It stopped at the tip, making a spiky field of ice.

"What…?" Natsu's eyes widened. "Hey! Gray!" He angrily turned towards the Devil Slayer, earning a look of defense from the man in question.

"Hey, it wasn't me!" He defended. "But, this cold…"

Lucy began to shiver, holding both her arms. "I'm c-cold!" Her teeth chattered.

Juvia smirked at Lucy's misfortune. "Serves you right for wearing skimpy wear…" Of course she was shivering just as much as she was.

A cold breeze passed the group, one so freezing that as it touched their skins they got goosebumps. It wasn't an Ice-type Legendary Force by Nic, they knew that much, but something was wrong. Very wrong.

Natsu engulfed his body in flames, trying to cancel out the bitter freeze. "BURN!" He roared. He yelled madly, roaring like that of a dragon as the ground heated up from his magic. The ground caught on fire, becoming mighty blazes.

As the blazes burned on, the cold wind didn't stop, rather it passed right through. The ground and fire instantly froze over, becoming stacks of ice, much to Natsu's surprise.

"…no way…" With Natsu shocked at his fire being frozen over, he suddenly got encased in ice, frozen completely.

Gray's eyes widened. "What? Natsu?" He turned towards Lucy and Juvia, seeing as how they were frozen in place as well. "Juvia! Lucy! What's going on?!"

A pair of footsteps entered the fray. "It seems that my cold spell doesn't have any effect on you."

Gray turned toward, seeing the face and figure belonging to Invel. His arrival made Gray go on the defensive. "It's you!" He argued.

Invel made no remark as Gray readied himself.

The Ice Mage put his hands together, conjuring ice. "So you're the snow clown I've heard about, huh? Well-!" His eyes widened and his hands went apart as a sudden, icy force got him from the side. He was unable to finish as an ice wave beamed from out of the blue, following Invel's arm movement and shot Gray along the ground. "GAH!" Gray smashed into a nearby ruin-like structure, making the brick wall fall over.

Gray got up, but something was wrong. His left side felt…cold. He grunted and looked down, gasping as he saw his left side covered in cold ice.

Invel made a half-ninja sign. "Hm!"

Ice burst out of thin air around Gray, blasting him constantly with shards and freezing rage. Gray screamed violently as the explosions of ice got him without any need of recovery. Once the icy bursts finally let up, sparkles rained down as he fell to a knee.

' _This feeling…'_

"I am the one addressed as Invel Yura." He introduced. "I am he who brings the wrath of winter to all. Your chill is but a meal to my winter."

Gray panted as he clutched his right arm. He was seeing his own labored breath from the cold, his skin having thin sheets of ice here and there from the last attack. He couldn't believe it, but the sensation was all too real. He didn't remember being this cold since he started training with Ur. _'Me…of all people…he's making me shiver...'_ His body chattered constantly, unable to stop. _'His magic…just how cold is it?'_

Invel faced Gray. Making a bold challenged. "Is that all?"

Gray gritted his teeth, cursing himself to make a stand. Despite the cold feeling, he found his will to stand once more and faced Invel. As they interlocked eyes, a battle of ice "types" was set.

"…very well." Invel made the first move. He moved his arm in front, summoning a wave of sheer frost and ice that went at Gray directly. But Gray looked ready.

" **Ice-Make: Shield!** "

Swiping his arms, he made a shield made of ice, which stopped Invel's attack. The offense and defense moves dissipated, allowing open space again for Gray to raise a fist.

" **Ice-Make: Ice Impact!** "

A large hammer of ice manifested above Invel, but as it reached him, the man put his hand up, nonchalantly stopping it while the other hand was behind his back. Gray gasped in shock.

Invel glanced up for a moment's notice, then gazed back at Gray. "Ice Molding Magic. Fascinating. But still…" At his call, the ice suddenly began to crack apart, one crack slowly rising after another. They all began to reach the top, much to Gray's surprise.

"He's…my magic…" He watched as his huge hammer completely broke apart, shattering to shambles and thin air above Invel. "He froze then shattered…my ice?"

"Do you not know who I am?" Invel challenged. "I am the purest of all Ice Mages. I don't make simple toys like you do. I use the very essence of ice itself as my weapon. I freeze all with it." He put his hand down. "Your attacks such as that will do very little I'm afraid. I will break them like they were glass."

Gray's eyes narrowed as he knew he had but few options to count on. One of them was a prime key even Invel wouldn't see coming. "Alright then, how about this then?" Slowly, the dark tattoo on his arm began to return, and the black markings began to cover Gray's entire right arm, spreading like a virus.

Invel's eyes widened. "What…?"

Gray held up his Devil Slayer marking, which emitted a dark frost. "I got this power from my old man, the one who I swore I'd take down E.N.D for. Now it's time I put this power to use, against a lackey of Zeref!" Without hesitation, Gray put his hands together, and miraculously blindsided Invel.

" **Ice Devil's Zeroth Long Sword!** "

In a flash, ice spilled everywhere, freezing everything as Gray passed Invel with a deep slash of an ethereal, icy blade that followed in a long arch. Ice erupted in front of Invel, his shock overwhelming him as the unknown magic cut deep into him. Icy winds scattered everywhere, the very dust itself turning to ridged frost that skidded across the ground. In the midst of the shock, Gray pivoted and slashed once more, roaring out loud as he raced back to Point A, again erupting Invel in the same destructive attack.

The ice broke around Invel, allowing him to step back as the frost was like a cloud around him and Gray. He put a hand on his wound, trying to stop the bleeding. _'This power…I can't believe I would see it for myself. Devil Slayer Magic! It's…it's powerful indeed. But…'_ He observed carefully as Gray pivoted, gripping tightly on his ethereal ice sword; the markings spread a little on his body. _'The power to slay Demons is a most formidable one, but it eats away at the soul for a price. He is slowly losing his sanity the more he uses it.'_

A smile crossed Invel's lips. "You have my attention now."

Gray shouted loudly as he brought the sword down once more, creating an ice wave that arched onto Invel vertically. Invel, however, simply reached out, blocking the attack with just his hand. The shockwaves quickly became dark frost that didn't faze the Winter Mage. This by no means left Gray pleased.

"What?"

Invel smiled, unleashing a large mass of his magic. An explosion of frost, snow, and blue energy became a dome that quickly expanded outwards. The area almost instantaneously was enveloped in a heinous, snowy land that whipped up cold winds. The expanding blizzard eroded outwards, catching many off guard.

"What the heck?!" Cana shouted.

"Snow? Jet wondered.

"No, it's a blizzard!" Vanessa shouted. "Mega Venusaur!"

Venusaur turned towards her, able to see her with the proximity between. "I'm okay! I have Thick Fat! I'll be alright, trust me!"

As the raging snowy whirlwind lashed about violently, Gray's hair shifted within the ever-growing tundra. He remained in place, his very skin starting to get goosebumps once more. _'It's cold. Cold enough to freeze! I'm chilling again, but-'_

"We appear on equal grounds." Invel said.

"Say what?" Gray's eyes widened as he looked ahead. To his shock, even through the raging blizzard, Invel was within sight.

Invel pressed on. "I suppose you aren't aware of this, but your own powers are eating you from the inside out."

Gray's face twisted from the accusation. "Say what? What are you saying?!"

"As complicated as this may sound to the likes of you, I'm speaking as a warning. Your essence is being tainted by darkness. Your very ambition to thwart E.N.D is what will lead to your own downfall. Darkness is what exemplifies the forces of evil and abominations, such as the likes of Zeref."

Gray blinked. "Hold on…" His eyes narrowed. "So you're saying…they you _know_ you're the bad guys?"

"There was once a time I believed darkness was just darkness and nothing more…that is, until a certain incident made my very icy force turned black and stale. The powers of darkness I once thought were nothing is nothing but cold evil. I'm sure you are familiar with that battle, yes?"

Gray knew what Invel was talking about, something that could make anything pitch-black. Something that put Zeref and Acnologia to shame. Someone who Nic slayed long ago. Even now, those scars are what people bared to this day.

Seeing Gray's silence as an answer, Invel pressed on. "The darkness is making your heart black. Your evil will spread, until you make it burst into the world. Your friends will turn on you."

Having reached his patience's end, Gray clutched his fists tight. "You're starting to annoy me man." He rebuffed. "You think I'm playing Mr. Goodguy over here as well? I know I'm not the greatest of what someone might call a 'friend' or an 'ally', but I won't sit down when I say that I'll be as black and dark as I can be if it means keeping my friends from harm's way!" Gray meant his words to the bitter letter; he really did, but the description left him a little guilty. When he thought back to it, he abandoned Juvia, leaving her sick and alone for half a year. Then he told off Nic that his own desire for E.N.D was more important than anything, even the war itself. Despite the self-conflictions he felt, he held onto the vendetta like it was his life.

"That a boy, Gray!" A voice shouted.

Invel's ears perked. "What?"

"Just like how a Fairy Tail Mage should play his cards!" The voice belonged to Natsu, his blazing demeanor barking up the rear. He stood with fists clutched and a large smile as the temperature around him was surprisingly warm. As he was burning up, his magic thawed away Juvia, Lucy, and Happy, all of them relieved.

"Brrr! Man that was cold!" Of course Lucy was still of no decent wear.

"Alright! Back in business!" Happy chirped.

"Gray, darling! Are you hurt?!" Juvia worried.

Gray smiled back, his worries and insecurities gone. "Guys…"

Invel spectated as Natsu continued to power through the ice, his own sense of curiosity piqued. _'Interesting. He melted away my very ice. Truly, the one called Natsu, he is…'_

Lucy pointed ahead with determination. "Alright, Mister, the jig is up! We have you outnumbered, so you might as well-!" A large hand suddenly gripped her, startling her profusely. "AH~!" She squealed.

Natsu's eyes widened. "Huh?! Lucy-Guh?!"

"Natsu-HUH?!"

Natsu and Happy were both rendered equally as unfortunate. Everyone looked up in surprise as the giant hands pulled them up, revealing Brandish. She, of course, was super-sized from her magic, allowing her to equal size to that of a giant. "I'll be taking these three." She prompted.

"Wait, what?! Gray exclaimed. Juvia gasped.

"Brandish!" Lucy shouted.

"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Natsu protested; no pun intended. "Let me off!" The Dragon Slayer tried to get away, but with no avail. Even Happy struggled to break free, only to have equally rotten luck.

"Brandish! Stop this-ouch!" Lucy's persuasion fell on deaf ears as Brandish squeezed a little more.

"Silence." She ordered. Without a word nor say otherwise, she turned and began to walk away, the ground shaking in the midst of the heinous blizzard.

Gray reached out. "Hey! Come back here!"

"What was that?" Juvia questioned.

Taking the initiative, Invel swiped his arm. With their guards down, he used his magic, and around Gray and Juvia's neck, something clanked together. To their surprise, their own folly led to them feeling an unsound chill that made their necks surprisingly cold. Linking the cold collars around them was a chain, connecting Gray and Juvia from ten feet apart.

Gray was feeling an uneasy and overwhelming sensation crawl through his head. He couldn't believe that it was a headache, but something was making his mind go…blank. "What…what is this? My head…it's dark." He muttered.

Juvia's very body was shuddering, unable to move. "My body…it won't listen to me…"

" **Ice Lock.** " Invel became the center of attention, a cold, desolate frown fixed on his face. "Your minds and hearts are locked away. You cannot do as you please, for your wills have been sealed away. In order for this chain and collars to sever, the two of you…shall fight to the death. You have no say in the matter."

Gray's world almost flipped as he did. "What was that?!" He gasped.

Juvia stared ahead, her eyes shuddering in horror.

"You heard me. The two of you shall fight, and when one lies lifeless, only one will walk away with no bounds." Invel threatened.

Gray wasn't buying it. There had to be a way. He pulled on the chain, yanking it, but nothing happened. "Yeah right! I won't…" Unfortunately the process had already begin. His eyes began to dilate and his senses were starting dumb. _'What…my head…'_

Juvia slowly turned her head, glaring at Gray. It seemed she too had begun being affected.

Invel's hair shifted in the blizzard as he watched them glare at one another. _'The stage is set. The way I see it, the boy shall come out victorious, and when that happens, his darkness will spread wildly. He will show everyone his pure wickedness.'_ "You may start whenever you are ready." He said.

Gray and Juvia were unable to turn away. No matter what they did, their bodies refused to stop; motors going on auto pilot instead of manual. As they glared at one another with ferocity, their minds were blocked, and yet their dying wills said otherwise.

' _My conscience…I can't stop…'_

' _No…I can't harm Gray…I can't…'_

But luck was not on either side. The battle had begun, and water and ice spilled everywhere. Gray and Juvia both roared out as their attacks met one another, and together their mentality went blank as faces were punched, or kicked. Gray, unfortunately, had the combative advantage. He was more physical, and he had the more brutal side compared to Juvia. Everyone either side wished for in their minds, their bodies denied.

As Gray dragged Juvia around by the leg, Invel smiled in delight. _'This is going as I had hoped. The boy shall emerge victorious.'_

Gray roared as he viciously went and punched Juvia of whom was on the defensive in the snowstorm; the rage of weather and man as one.

' _I shall see to it that he becomes the warrior destined to defeat E.N.D. With the death of a dear friend, your heart shall become pitch-black, and you shall be the ultimate warrior to kill off E.N.D.'_

 _Invel walked towards Zeref, looking at his majesty with his back turned towards him. He looked to be holding something. While curious, he kept a stoic expression. "Your majesty?"_

" _Hm?" Zeref turned towards him, revealing him holding onto a locket._

" _What might that pendant be about?" Invel questioned._

" _This?" Zeref opened the pendant that hung around his neck, which flipped over to reveal a black and white portrait of a small Natsu right beside Zeref. Both had smiles while Zeref had an arm around his younger brother. "This is Natsu…my dear younger brother." He answered._

Invel continued to watch as Gray and Juvia went back and forth with parries. _'His majesty shall be the one to kill Acnologia and Nic, enabling the world to be free of grasp! All that stands between him and that reality, is E.N.D.'_

Gray and Juvia were panting profusely. Their bodies had sustained several marks from their uncontrolled battle. They could not believe they had done this to the other. They harmed, nee tried, to destroy the other and their future, and they couldn't deny their instincts, no matter how hard they tried.

Juvia was barely containing herself. _'Why am I hurting Gray? How could I?'_ She and Gray engaged in more battle, both cloaking in water or ice, their blows parrying as their elements sprayed everywhere. _'I can't believe this! Gray and I are really trying to kill each other! This is a disaster!'_

She had to think of something, and fast. If it were the case, she'd use her "undying love" and sever the chains, but Invel's immense strength and magic would simply break her instead. This situation was unacceptable, and instead of allowing guilt to cross over her Gray, she knew what had to be done.

' _I can't let it go on like this. If it means keeping Gray alive…I'll do it myself. I'd rather have my end by Gray's hands than anyone else…but that would also be unforgiveable!'_ She dodged a punch. _'Because I know Gray would be forever ashamed by his guilt…'_

She raised her arm, her glare fixed forward with gritting teeth. Slowly, water began to compress into her arm and fingers, similar to when Nic does Leaf Blade. The blade of water had begun to sharpen.

Invel smiled. "It's futile to resist. **Ice Lock** 'locks' away your heart. Your reasoning is beyond your own doing."

Juvia raised her water blade high into the bellowing blizzard. "My body will not be prey to the turmoil you wish to put between us! You may have imprisoned mu heart, but my feelings are my key that will rid Gray of these shackles!"

Invel's eyes widened. "What?"

Gray gaped at the water blade. A very dark feeling crept up his back. His look – in one word – was horrified. "Juvia…"

Despite what was to happen, Juvia held no regrets. She knew t was this way or Gray making an end for her. This was her choice, and she smiled sadly yet happily at him. "…Words can't express how happy I was to have met you…Gray."

FWOOSH!

Blood sprinkled and sprayed the falling whirlwind. Red dripped on the ground, spraying at the cost of the morbid sight that no one wished to see. With a gasp, Juvia impaled her own abdomen, the aquatic blade stabbing clean through her body. The worst part of it…was that as she did so, she smiled.

Gray's world went blank as he saw Juvia do such a thing, but more so…

"Impossible!" Invel denied. "She…was willing to take her own life on her own accord?!"

Juvia smiled through the darkening pain. The fatal stab she inflicted upon herself was worth it, for Gray didn't have to suffer. She opened her eyes weakly, just once more, to see him. However, what she saw only left her horrified as well. A gasp escaped her ailing lungs.

Juvia…wasn't the only one who was willing to take her own life.

A shimmering ice blade, one longer than her aquatic one, glistened, yet red streams went down one end of the blade, dripping along the snow. Gray stood motionless as his own world was lightheaded. He too had stuck a blade deep within his own abdomen. "Why did…you do that…" He murmured.

Juvia's impaled and bloodied figure shuddered. "Wha…?"

Invel was lost. What he was seeing was something that was far beyond his scope, as it even defied every strain of belief he had. _'Both of them?! Simultaneously?!'_

Gray strained; no matter how much it hurt, his vision was getting hazy. His own conscience was starting to go numb from the pain he was feeling. "Juvia…why would you…"

Tears began to fall from Juvia's face. "Gray…it can't be…"

A drip of blood flowed down Gray's lip, his body shuddering as badly as Juvia's. With what time was left from their double suicide, he had to come clean. "I could never…hurt a comrade…but…I could never forgive myself…if it was **you** that I ended up…but…"

Juvia was getting the understanding. As she gagged, she felt happiness somehow.

"I wanted to protect you…I really did…no matter what…I…I couldn't…"

"No." Juvia cut him off, her smile back. "Word very words…their bringing my tears of joy. I can't thank you enough for all that you've done for me…Gray…"

Invel was getting uneasy. His eyes dilated out of sheer sickening shock. _'Have these imbeciles lost their minds?! This can't possibly be…'_

At last, everything for Gray was going dark. The last of his strength faded, and he felt his heart slow drastically. He began to slowly fall forward as the world and Juvia as he knew it was going down. _'It shouldn't have come to this…but…'_ His eyes shut, the last thing being seen was red snow. _'Natsu…I'm begging you…get back at them…for us…'_

Simultaneously, Gray and Juvia came to a close, their bodies falling forward with loud thuds into the snow-covered ground. Everything went from white to red as they splatted against the ground. They laid in their blood, those who reciprocated the other's feelings met a unison conclusion. Tragic love, in which they met it grossly.

Invel was at a loss for words. He never would've thought it'd come to this, no ever. He was smart, but he lacked the understanding of how strong love was. _'Rather than kill one another, they voluntarily took themselves to their graves?! How…how could any rational human being do such a thing?!'_

As Gray and Juvia laid lifeless, the collars of ice on their necks cracked. The cracked again, until they broke off. The chain that held them together cracked apart, until it too had faded away.

' _I've made a terrible miscalculation.'_ Seeing as how the battle had ended, Invel turned away, walking off with a frown. _'Since matters progressed the way they are now, I'm afraid that the matter of E.N.D now draws to my shoulders.'_

The blizzard that was rampaging across the battlefield answered the call of Invel. With the battle supposedly over, everyone felt the cold spell dissipate, and the falling, blinding snow had faded away. Everyone was able to look forward again, much to their surprise.

"What?" Mega Houndoom questioned.

Mega Venusaur turned his head left and right. "Looks like the weather stopped."

Vanessa looked at the warming air with wonder. _'What was that just now?'_ She turned her head, picking up on weakening aura signatures, ones that she recognized. _'Juvia…Gray…'_

Gray's body remained motionless as he laid in his own blood. As a cold, desolate silence fell and pass, the left shoulder twitched.

"Mmm…" The man's eyes slowly stirred open, his vision eroding from darkness into light. Despite blurry vision, he had free reign of conscience. _'What…?'_ He momentarily blanked out. _'Wait…how am I…how am I still alive?! I thought I…'_

Within his ailing heart, it beat normally. Blood ran through his body, his system returning to normal. Yet for some reason, this blood that went through him, it was oddly…familiar. _'This sensation…Juvia…!'_ He he sat up slowly, his eyes widening at the realization. _'Juvia's blood is inside of me?!'_

The mention of Juvia brought him to a familiar grim note. His body shuddered, his nerves racking profusely as he remembered what happened to her. Horrified with what happened, he didn't want to believe it. However, his curiosity and hopes were what made him turn his head anyway.

As he was fearing the most, Juvia laid beside him, eyes closed as her blood that was spilled slowly seeped from the snow and warm ground, carving into a stream that went into Gray's arm.

" _ **Water-Make: Blood.**_ _"_

"Juvia…?" He gasped.

" _In preparation for anything that were to go to a worst-case scenario for Gray…I perfected this magic. Blood Transfusion Magic."_

Juvia's last strength was to make it so that Gray would make it. He shakily looked back down towards her, his eyes showing no less of a catastrophe. His world was broken, everything he said was for nothing, and Juvia paid the ultimate price.

" _You won't be alone, Gray. I'm not truly gone, for I will always be with you; as a part of you."_

Like a baby, Gray crawled over towards Juvia. Silent tears went down his face, heavy whimpering heard from his breath as he went over and delicately wrapped his arms around Juvia. He slowly cradled her, his tears falling onto her open wound. The tears didn't stop, for his ever-growing sadness did not rest. "This isn't happening…Juvia…" He cried. "Juvia…"

" _You won't ever have to be sad, Gray. I'm here. I always will be, don't forget that."_

Gray's breath was hitching, small bits of anguish exerting from his mouth. He was breaking down bad. What broke him entirely…was that as he closed his eyes, instead of seeing her lifeless body, he saw a beautiful version of her, happily smiling at him.

" _My life…now and forever…I wanted to spend with you. And this way, I will always be part of your life. It belongs to you, and you alone, Gray."_

" **GAAAHHHHH~!** " Gray cried loudly in the loudest volume ever. His wailing reached the heavens, his cry of pain and sadness beyond any parallel measure.

Within the anguish he felt, he thought back to the various interactions he had with Juvia. He remembered everything, even if it made him hurt more than ever. He remembered the first day they met, which he couldn't forget. With every interaction, while it did bug him normally, Gray couldn't deny that he was perhaps the worst person ever. The times he spent with Juvia, from their meeting, to Tenrou Island, to the Tartaros incident, to the year they spent together; Juvia risked everything for him, and this was how he repaid her? She gave everything for him and he brushed it all off, and now she was gone. He wanted to make it all right again, just one more chance was all he wanted.

"Juvia…please…please open your eyes. I'm begging you…" Carefully, Gray put his hand on Juvia's cheek and knelt down, cradling her. His forehead pressed against hers, tears falling his face onto the rain woman's.

"I'm the worst person ever…I want to make it right again...! Please…I'll take your feelings seriously. I mean it…but please…Juvia…"

* * *

Everyone continued with their fights, battling hard to take back the guild by storm. As the battles went on, no one backed down, even with casualties ensuing. As they all fought hard, Invel pressed on with his path with one foot in front of the other.

"Now, if I believed it to be, Brandish should be this way…"

As he took one more step ahead, he stopped cold. Literally. His entire body felt an enormous power, one that made a shiver run up his spine. The chilling sensation left Invel in horror as he slowly turned around. What he saw only made his face pale.

Slowly approaching him with icy streams from his body was none other than Gray. Alive and livid, the man had Magic Power that streamed out of his body, his eyes like that of one who wants to murder. His hair was spiked up completely, and the wound inflicted was frozen solid and shut.

As Invel came to the realization, looking at Gray, he realized then and there, he knew the true face of rage.


	73. Trigger

The air was so cold that one would've freeze on the spot. The temperature was out of anyone's control as the ice in the atmosphere was breaking part from the Magic Power of Gray, who stood several feet away from Invel. The air and Invel alike were shuddering, as not only was he breathing, but was seething in a cold, devilish rage that left the latter petrified in fear.

' _It can't be…'_ Invel felt several chills crawl up his spine as he looked at Gray. He saw the bitter face of a devil, who was out for blood; veins popping out and the very air around him sizzling. "How are you…?"

Gray growled as he approached him. By no means was he looking like the type to answer.

Invel readied himself, trying his best to compose. _'No matter. He won't get far, not with such grievous wou-!'_ He fell short of finishing when a fist blindsided him and shot into his face like a battering ram. Invel could've sworn he felt his cheek bones shatter at that impact as he went sundering from Gray's enraged force. The impact was so brutal that not only did his head depress into the cold, hard ground, but his glasses shattered to bits.

Before Invel had time to register what happened, Gray kicked him straight in the chin with equally vicious force. With Invel on the defensive, Gray clutched his fist yet again, reeling it back for another hardened blow.

Invel felt time slowly down, his eyes darting shock profusely. _'This man…!'_ Gray socked him once more, blowing him back so hard that he smashed through a nearby wall. Dust turned to frost as Invel flew straight through with the cement bricks. _'This man is…!'_ He caught himself feet-first. He slid on his heels backwards to a halt with a hand to reverse traction. _'It seems he intends me to use it after all.'_

He stood up and spread his legs apart, getting leverage as he brought his limbs to a stiff stop. Slowly, ice began to manifest straight from his skin, becoming jagged blades that crystalized and manifested alike into a solid gauntlet. Around his stern and annoyed expression, sharp ice manifested, eroding over to create a helmet of ice, reminiscent of a knight. His expression was unchanged, as his body was encased in a thick, cold, bulky ice armor.

" **True-Ice Kamui!** "

Gray did not listen. He had to beat him, for Juvia. Whatever he threw at him, he could dish out much harder. His fist was embedded in ice, and he lunged after Invel.

"This ice armor is perhaps best described as 'unholy', for it was forged in the cold depths of the underworld itself." Invel explained. "All who simply graze it will freeze entirely." He reached out, and without any effort, blocked Gray's attack. The gauntlet made contact with Gray's icy fist, causing a recoiling wave of cold air that caught Gray stiff. "Even the likes of who, someone who is immune to cold, will not be safe from my wrath!"

Gray's angered expression did not waver. He refused to give up, for he had to win. Even as his skin was starting to turn cold and patches of ice grew on his skin, he refused to give up. He roared out viciously, his skin cracking like ice as he followed through with his punch in a cold flash. Invel was at a loss for words as he fell backwards, his entire body suffering a heavy drawback with the right gauntlet completely blown off, leaving him bare-skinned.

Time slowed down as Invel's shocked expression showed, the right half of the chipped armor blown off, leaving his cheeks and eye with fragments of red. "This can't be!" He denied.

Gray brought the same hand he used to punch with around, holding up the fist to reveal shards and bits of ice that looked all too familiar to Invel.

' _Is he…is he really using ice of the same property as my Kamui, and molding it?!'_

Gray clutched his fist tighter than before, creating gauntlets of the same ice properties that he stole from his adversary. "YOU STOLE JUVIA'S FUTURE!" He bellowed. Without mercy, he punched forward, socking Invel again. He shattered the helmet like it was glass, the gauntlets undeterred from every impact he unleashed. "YOU MONSTER!" He socked him again, breaking more armor. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO IS GONNA FEEL MY WRATH!"

Gray did not stop punching. No matter what, Invel was unable to retaliate. His armor was being broken to pieces, and he was in no posture or position to attack. He was a sitting duck, a calculation he found as a folly. "NO~!"

" **Ice Devil's Zeroth Destruction Fist!** "

With a roar of a devil's anguish, Gray let loose one more fist that socked Invel so hard that all the ice armor still attached blew apart like an explosion. The brutal impact left Invel a spinning mess as he sailed through the air, screaming out in bitter agony. Blood spilled everywhere from the man, while time gradually slowed and showed the anguish and pain he was delivered.

As Invel flipped over and thudded against the ground in defeat, Gray's eyes teared up, praying that he got back for Juvia.

* * *

"Oof!" Lucy fell unfortunate as she was dropped to the ground. The good news was that she was cushioned with the bodies of Natsu and Happy; downside, being snatched away from battle to begin with.

"Owww…man that hurt." Natsu grumbled. He realized what happened, and he looked up at the oversized Brandish, who frowned down t them. "Hey, what the heck was that all about?"

Lucy managed to get to her knees, looking up at Brandish as well – while squishing Happy between her buxom and Natsu's knee. "Brandish, please! What's this all about?! We don't want to fight you like this!"

"…" Brandish did not answer. She gave what could best be described as her casual face, one of no emotion. Instead, she closed her eyes and enacted her magic, shrinking herself down to where she became normal once more. Once minimized, she looked away.

"I feel the same way."

The trio looked at her dumbfounded.

"I am in your debt of kindness, and I always go out of my way to repay my debts…no matter how big of a pain they may be. So as show of my sincerity, I've chosen to turn a blind eye to you three specifically."

"You mean, like an exception?" Happy questioned.

"Yes. I made it very clear before that I am loyal to my home country. I have no desire to betray my homeland. So from here onwards, I will return to the battlefield, and I shall exterminate every comrade that you hold dear. You three shall be spared otherwise."

The deal was far below farfetched, borderline ridiculous. They couldn't believe their ears. And even if they did, what was it that Brandish was trying to prove? Why did she propose such an ordeal? It sounded like crap to Natsu and Lucy, and Happy most certainly wouldn't be tolerating it.

Unknowingly, from high above a broken tower ruin, they were being watched. Dimaria looked down at them with a shadow over her eyes, watching ever slowly as Brandish was showing kindness to her enemies. She couldn't believe it. "Randi…" Her teeth clanked together, clicking loudly. As her teeth held together, her fists clutched and her body shuddered. "I out my faith in you, and this is how you repay me…?"

"Do you even know what those words mean to us?" Natsu questioned Brandish.

"No matter how you see it, this battle will end with us as victorious. Your chances are absolute zero, even with Nic Pularis and the might of Pokémon. All those incidents were nothing less than miscalculations. We have an army, with an individual skill set; the Spriggan 12; August; Irene; and finally we have the emperor, who, at this very moment, is draining Fairy Heart out of Mavis as we speak. This world as you see as a happy place, that is not the case any longer."

Natsu, despite all odds, wasn't scared at all. "Those are just words. You haven't seen what we can do when we try."

"I don't need to see, I know." She countered. "Let me make this clear to you…everyone you know and love won't make it out of this battle alive."

There was an intense standoff that stood between the Spriggan and her spared 'allies'. It was a complicated relationship they had, but Brandish didn't really want to cause harm, not after what they did to help her realize her errors. Still, when she makes a point, she wants to be sure those who she messages gets the point.

Natsu, however, refused to back down, still. "You really think it works out that way?"

"Like it or not, we've survived countless battles in the past. We've got our work cut out for us, but it's not like we're going to fall so easily to you guys!" Lucy objected.

Brandish's glare only served to harden. "You have no idea of the wrath we 12 possess. Have you forgotten your experience with Caracole Island?" She made them instantly recount how she made the island shrink in just mere seconds. "If we chose to do so, we can, and shall, dispose of you in mere seconds. Simple as that. It matters not if you have the great Luminous by your side. His light can't overcome this darkness this time."

Natsu stepped forward, the pounding of his sole against the ground rather loud. "Just try it. I dare ya."

"Natsu!" Lucy warned, however it fell on deaf ears.

"I never asked you to spare us before, so why overlook us if you know we'll only oppose you no matter what you say? When we decided to come here, we knew exactly what we were dealing with! We knew what was on the line, and no matter what, we won't back down! That's what we decided!"

A pair of footsteps entered, breaking Natsu's momentum. The energy and vibrant demeanor he had against Brandish's cold front was instantly turned towards the figure who approached from the side. Revealing himself as Neinhart, Brandish looked rather perplexed.

"Neinhart?" Brandish gasped.

Looking down, Dimaria's eyes widened.

Neinhart walked forward, growling as his sclera were a pitch-black. "Lady Erza…where is she? Where is Lady Erza…?" He asked, yet his tone, for the oddest sense, felt ominous.

As Brandish turned to look at him, her eyes narrowed as she saw his eyes. "Those eyes…Neinhart-"

Neinhart cackling giggle caught Brandish off her sentence. A grim-like aura encompassed his body, a death-like power that made Brandish unable to finish. Whatever she was seeing, it rendered her without say.

"What you see before you is the formidable might of Lady Irene's Enchantment. This power…it is but unrivaled! Greater than what I had anticipated even!"

The grim aura around his body made Brandish's skin prickle with goosebumps. Her own Magic Power wasn't anything compared to what she felt, and yet it let her with less ground for her to reason.

Neinhart approached callously. "Step aside. Those pitiful mages are Lady Erza's friends. In other words…" His dark eyes narrowed. "Our enemies."

"Wait…did he say 'Lady Erza'?" Happy questioned.

"Stand down. I'm in the middle of negotiations with them." Brandish interjected.

Neinhart's head lowered, showing Brandish a look of little satisfaction. "Negotiations, you say?" He reiterated. "Negotiations? With these mages? The ones who dared to oppose us? Oh Brandish, and here I thought you knew better than to betray us like this. No, wait…" Without a moment's warning, a small tempest whipped up around Neinhart, which immediately exploded with his demeanor. The outburst attacked Brandish, whirlwinds encompassing her and her screams of pain. "BETRAYAL TO LADY IRENE!"

The whirlwind caught everyone else, expanding like that of a raging twister. The winds forced their way through the area, making Lucy, Happy, even Natsu skid backwards from the Magic Power they were being blasted with.

"What's this whirlwind?!" Happy screamed, but the only answer he got was a scream from Lucy.

As Neinhart unraveled his whirlwinds, Brandish was barely holding her ground. As her clothing and coat was being torn by the shockwaves, she was rendered stuck by the magic she was faced against. _'My Command T, it isn't working…! I can't shrink the winds! Has he truly gotten this enhanced by Irene?!'_

"Gnnngh!" Managing to find ground, Natsu's fists clutched and he ignited his legs and feet in searing fire. "You bastard!" Without fear, he charged into the whirling winds, darting right for Neinhart.

"Stop! He's someone of whom you cannot defeat!" Brandish called out.

Neinhart laughed manically, overcome by the enchantment he allowed to flow with such vivid power.

"This ain't about if I match him or not!" Natsu pulled back a searing fist of fire; instantly the whirlwind winds began to respond to the pressure change, and Natsu reeled forward. "It's either going forward or go back! AND I DON'T KNOW THE MEANING OF THE SECOND ONE!" With ferocity of a dragon, the searing fist of fire ripped through Neinhart's wind. He punched the ground where Neinhart stood, creating a blast wave of fire that caught Neinhart in it. The Spriggan screeched out as he was hit in an instantaneous blaze that ripped through his maelstrom with no remorse.

As his glare was fixed with a resolution unbound by anything ever sought, Brandish looked on, her eyes fixated in disbelief.

Natsu stomped on the ground, making it shudder. "This is more than just our friends! It's about staring our enemies in the eyes and showing we show no mercy! We soldier on through pain and heartache…AND NO AMOUNT OF BLOO WILL STOP US FROM CRAWLING BACK TO THE GUILD!"

With one more blazing punch, Natsu violently smashed Neinhart's face. The enchanted man was socked beyond recognition, for he zipped backwards at Mach speed head-first through the ground and left a trail that crashed straight into broken ruins. The entire structure exploded in fire, along with Neinhart. The blaze seared as Neinhart was but silence then on by Natsu, who glared with viciousness.

Brandish nearly dropped to her knees. She couldn't begin to fathom what she bared witness to. _'Did I really miscalculate…? Was he truly…this strong?!'_

"Alright, Natsu!" Lucy cheered.

As cheerful as Happy was, something bugged him still. "Yeah…but what was that 'Lady Erza' stuff about?"

Looking down, Dimaria frowned and observed carefully.

* * *

Darkness was what encompassed her. There was no heaven, nor hell. Instead, it was but a flickering light with the sound of females. There was a soft breeze on her face. She thought she had arrived at the early stages of where she was sent. _'Am I…am I here already? Are these the sounds of angels who came to greet me…?_ '

"Juvia…"

' _This voice…is that who I think it is…?'_

"You'll be okay! I got you!"

' _Is that…?'_ Everything then went white. The white enveloping her mind slowly faded back to black, but the black she saw had faded as her vision came back. As she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a white feline and blue-haired maiden. Instantly she knew who they were.

"Juvia, thank goodness!" Wendy chirped. She, as well as Carla, were sitting right beside the fallen rain woman.

"Wendy…gngh!" As she tried to move, pain flared like fireworks for Juvia. Instantly she recoiled back to the ground, lying as a mess.

"Stay down. You shouldn't get up yet." Wendy urged.

Unable to wrap her head around the taboo, Juvia opened her eyes again, looking to Wendy with wonder. "But, how…?"

"If she had found you a moment sooner, it wouldn't have gone well for any of us." Carla sniped.

"Actually, I wouldn't have been able to find you if it wasn't thanks to Vanessa." Wendy corrected.

"Vanessa…?"

"Mega Venusaur, **Energy Ball!** " The call was answered with Juvia gasping and a large creature opening his mouth with a roar. The manifestation of a large green ball appeared in front of the Grass/Poison-type and the Energy Ball was unleashed towards the nearby threats. Instantly, a green explosion encompassed the air, making bright green shade Vanessa as she looked back towards Juvia.

"Is she alright?" She called out.

Wendy looked up towards the younger Pularis. "Yeah, I've managed to shut off the wound!"

Vanessa's smile returned. With a nod of understanding, she engulfed her arms in teal and swiped forward towards the smoke. "Right! Mega Venusaur, let's pick up the pace!"

"Understood!" The bulky jungle roared out at the threats, making the land shudder from the shockwaves he emitted from his open mouth.

"Vanessa…" Understanding at last how she was traced, Juvia turned over without relying too much on her core. She put her hands to the ground, bowing her head formally towards Wendy. "From the bottom of my heart, I can't thank you enough…I'm beyond grateful."

"O-oh! No need for that, Juvia!" Wendy insisted. "Healing is my forte, that's all! But you know…" She pumped a fist, smiling with readiness. "I know I have to do my part, because I know everyone else is too!"

Juvia went silent at Wendy's notion. "Everyone…" She gasped. "Wait, Gray!" She sat up, eyes widening as she recalled what happened. "Gray?!" She turned left and right, but there was no sign of him. She turned back towards Wendy. "Where's Gray? Is he safe?!"

Wendy frowned. "We don't know, sorry."

"I bet he's out there fighting as we speak." Carla insisted. "Knowing him, he's doing his best as ever…I think."

Juvia looked towards the ground, fixated on the man she risked her life for. "Gray…"

* * *

Invel was nothing less than a disfigured bag of bones. He laid on his back with blood all over him, his face swollen and borderline unrecognizable, and his clothing was nothing than destroyed. Even after his crushing, grim defeat at the hands of Gray, he was still fearing for the man; for one thing, he was standing before him, a dark shadow over his eyes. His bangs made it hard to see his expression, but his shuddering body told of a mix of anger and grief.

"I can be pounding away until you're dead. I can tera you limb from limb. I can freeze you into oblivion…but no matter how much I try to do all that, it isn't going to bring Juvia back…" He swallowed a lump. "She's never coming back."

"The …same can be said…for your father…mother…and master…" Despite disfigured, Invel still had a mouth, and with what strength he had left, he would make it so that he got one more message clear for Gray.

"How do you know about them?" He growled.

"It is all predetermined by fate." Invel answered. "As long as E.N.D exists, you shall be forever doomed to suffer never-ending death and despair."

"You don't need to tell me twice. That's why I'm going to defeat E.N.D for good myself."

"It would be accurate to say that you and Nic might be tied to being the only ones who **can** destroy E.N.D."

Gray's eyes widened. "What…?"

"You are unaware of the true identity of him. He is someone who you never considered a true enemy until now, but now you will know…he, is the mightiest of all Demons from the Book of Zeref, and your mortal enemy. The brother of Zeref, and someone who you know all too well… **Etherious Natsu Dragneel. E.N.D.** "

Gray's whole mind went black as night. The revelation left his whole world broken.

"And as for Nic Pularis, **he** is the one whose darkness rivals your own." Invel sniped. "Do you remember that night of the bloody moon and dead rising…? There's more to it than you know…"

* * *

With Neinhart defeated, Natsu was standing strong. He took out an empowered Spriggan with ease, which unnerved Brandish. As he turned towards her, he had nothing less than a blank expression.

"If you're trying to get in our way, then I'll have no choice but to beat you up too." His warning was clear as crystal.

"Please Brandish, step aside!" Lucy insisted.

Brandish looked over at the fallen Neinhart. From the looks of it all, he seemed dead, or severely unconscious. It was hard to tell. What was clear, was that those blows defied everything she had told. She frowned heavily, unsounding everyone. "What a pain…" She sighed.

Natsu felt a sharp pulse run through his body. The pulse was like that of a heartbeat. He went wide-eyed as he felt a griping sense of pain flare. Out of the blue, his body convulsed. "GAH!" He gripped his gut, a severe sting-like sensation creeping profusely.

"Natsu!" Lucy gasped.

"What's the matter?!" Happy panicked.

Natsu couldn't respond. As painful as it was, he couldn't make out their calls. They fell on deaf ears as his overwhelming pain made him only see fuzzies everywhere. He dropped to his knees, yelling out, borderline gurgling from the overwhelming sensation. "Gah~! Gah!"

"Natsu, hang in there!" Happy pleaded.

Lucy held Natsu, her arms trying to keep him up. "Pull yourself together, Natsu!"

Her plea, however, only went silent as Natsu fell onto his side, thudding loudly. Lucy and Happy stared with heavy shock, unable to be contained.

"You seem to have forgotten something important." Brandish informed. "As I remind you, keep in mind that your friend has that tumor. It was I who shrunk it to begin with. All I did…was revert it back to its original size."

Lucy gasped in fright. "What?! Wait, why did you do that?!"

"…it's simple." The calm demeanor Brandish had was gone, replaced by a cold, dark front that masked her face. "That man is a threat to us. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Please, stop! Don't make Natsu suffer like this!" Happy begged, his eyes starting to mist.

"You three deliberately chose to be my enemies, disregarding my invitation."

"You're twisting things! We can still be friends!" Lucy persuaded. However, from the way Brandish looked, reasoning was far from her mind.

"You're so naïve; I thought I told you of that flaw, and yet you still do not acknowledge it. What we have between us isn't anything like our mothers had. We were born and raised in separate countries, we fight on opposite sides, and stand by our own beliefs, and even after that, you still call me a 'friend'?" Brandish's voice nearly strained from the lack of compensation she was giving herself, but it mattered not. As much as it pained her, she couldn't take the turmoil that her heart was taking. Her bangs overcast her eyes as she reached for her overcoat. "I will say that I no longer bear any grudge against you personally…but it's still wrong! This matter in fact is far from personal! There's no other way to resolve this matter! Why did you have to go and make it all so complex?!"

Lucy frowned at Brandish. While she herself had to admit that they've came down a very long way from meeting in Alakitasia, it still felt wrong – to her – to be fighting. Conflictions were never Lucy's strong points. She'd much rather prefer a more peaceful way, but the world only sees violence as a simple way. Simple over complex; everyone wished those two things themselves came to their mind.

Brandish cast her coat to the side, letting it fall before her feet. "Enough beating around the bush. This matter can only be solved one way. You're smart enough to realize that, Lucy."

Finally seeing Brandish's way, the blonde took to her feet and stood in battle position. Her stance meant she meant business. "Alright…but if I win, you'll heal Natsu." She bargained.

"You seem to be mistaken, Lucy. This isn't a simple duel between us, this isn't about you and I squaring off. This is about myself. This is more than that even…" A small wave of energy pulsed from her being. Her green hair shifted and the chains on her body began to clang and shift.

Happy hovered over Natsu, his blue body stiff as a board. _Her Magic Power, it's…'_

Brandish's intensity only served to harden. "This is my own vendetta I must see through! The likes that you cannot stop, Lucy Heartfilia!"

A roundhouse kick came swinging from the side, which Brandish didn't flinch at. She remained unfazed as she caught it with one hand, revealing Lucy already making the first move.

"I asked you to promise me!" The blonde yelled.

Brandish glared meekly in response, holding the foot so that she wouldn't escape. A smile crept onto her face. "Very well. But rest assured, you _won't_ win."

* * *

An armored gauntlet reached out, revealing Erza in her Black Wing Armor. "Mega Houndoom, **Fire Fang!** "

Standing before her, Mega Houndoom crouched as his mouth seared with a scorching blaze. With his mouth enflamed, he charged ahead, streaming small blazes as soldiers cleared out of his path. The quick-witted were able to shift off to the side, barely grazed by any embers that breezed past them.

Some soldiers who were caught off guard glanced back in the direction Mega Houndoom charged from, something swift heading their way. "Huh?!"

"HRAH!" Erza followed behind, slashing her Black Wing sword with gusto. " **Moon Flash!** " Her attack made several men fly with cuts on their bodies. She passed with diligence and grace, unwilling to let up as her Mega Houndoom made a trail for her to take advantage of.

Erza took a leap overhead, overlooking many soldiers beneath her wake. With a valiant slash, projectile slash waves went grazing down onto the men. Below, many fell once again, one after the other. When the ground was clear of soldiers and with enough room, Erza fell towards the ground, with Mega Houndoom regrouping by her side.

The two warriors overlooked the enemies that were still standing. As dust laid at their feet along with fallen bodies, more shuffled over with swords and spears.

"Looks like we got our work cut out for us." Mega Houndoom said, his breath almost labored.

Erza herself was adorned in only minor dirt marks, but not much of any scratches that could be described as lethal. "That's putting it mildly." She raised her blade once more. "Now en guard!"

"Right!"

The soldiers all charged for them, having no reason to hold back against mighty adversaries. With them closing in, Erza's brown eyes blinked once and opened with fire.

"Mega Houndoom, **Inferno!** "

At her beckoned call, the Mega-Evolved hound let out an insidious roar. His head reeled backwards as a vortex of blue flames swirled into them. When he turned forward and lurched out, his mouth went wide open and unleashed a beaming blue inferno; flames that pulsed to a wide expanse towards soldiers…

* * *

A large explosion of mist, dust, and men spread far and high. The explosion was so grand that it could've been seen from miles away. As the humid mist and droplets of warm water sprinkled down, they revealed fallen bodies thudding hard to where bones cracked. However, the mist dissipated quickly, revealing two sets of purple eyes that showed no remorse, not after everything that was on the line.

Nic and Nic-Greninja stood with Arbok behind. All three did not let up as they had to carry on. Their glares showed it. The nearby soldiers who recognized them faltered back, their disbelief at this pressure they were sensing beyond overwhelming.

"Their numbers look strong, but we're putting dents in." Nic-Greninja said.

"Yes, but we're still not far enough." Nic said. "We have to keep going, until we've reached the end!" His body glowed, manifesting a small gust that picked up in his wake. The gust managed to keep the soldiers away as the glow flashed away, revealing Nic in a cross of his Dread and Iron Forms. The Dread Form was the prime coating, but the socks, bely-like sash, Poke Ball, V-neck, and inner sleeves and edging were that of the Iron Form.

Nic turned his body, as did Nic-Greninja. "We'll have to cut straight through them." Nic vouched. At his call, Arbok slowly slithered between the gap between them, arching his body in readiness.

Nic-Greninja nodded. "Let's get started!"

Nic reached out. "Arbok, **Ice Fang!** " At his call, he watched as Arbok hissed loudly at his order and opened his mouth. His fangs cloaked in a bright, icy mist, flashing into sharp icicles with four icy auras in the shape of fangs around the mouth. Without a nay or say, Arbok dutifully obeyed and sprung ahead in a high-speed blur. In no time, a linear trail of icy aura carved straight forward, down to where the men nearby were hit with a wave of frost that knocked them over.

As the frost dissipated, Nic and Nic-Greninja held Night Slash in their grips, four purple kunai in all. "HRAH~!" With loud shouts of battle calling to them, they charged on.

* * *

Lucy grunted as she slid on all fours, barely holding traction as she flung with rocks and unstable earth. She managed to get a foothold, and pressed her hand against the ground.

"Lucy!" Happy shouted in worry.

"I'm fine!" She answered. "This battle, it's too important to lose! No matter what, I have to win! For Natsu!" Even with her Star Dress Aquarius Form, Lucy was still on the defensive line. She couldn't give in still, even if her heart were to be shrunken by Brandish in any way.

The mentioned stood with scratches and dirt stains on her body. "You're persistent, I'll say that."

"I have to be! Even if…even if you're stronger than me, I can't just sit by and watch as my friends suffer! I won't ever have nor appreciate such a luxury again!" Lucy raised her head, unwavering from her course of fortitude. "The truth is that I can barely muster the resolve to fight you! But even now, it doesn't matter, because Natsu is on the line! And so help me, I'd sooner lose an arm or leg before I fail to protect him!"

Natsu felt his body grow cold. He couldn't even see straight with the way his brain was feeling, yet he was still able to feel the compassion in Lucy's words. With what little strength he had, his wincing eyes looked at the blonde. "Lucy…"

Brandish stood still, unwavering as she stared at Lucy.

"I think that's quite enough, don't you think?" The voice from behind caught everyone's attention, where they all adverted their attention to behind. Brandish turned around, seeing a woman with blonde hair and spandex armor walking with a swing in her hips. The person revealed herself as Dimaria, much to their overall surprise.

"Mari…?" Brandish said.

The Magic Power Happy was feeling was making him quiver yet again. Once more, he was feeling a cold chill freeze him entirely. "A-another one…"

Lucy gasped, catching onto something. "Wait, who are you?! And what do you mean by a farce?!"

Dimaria smiled as a hand sat on her hip. "I suppose ignorance is bliss." She mused. "The fact of the matter is that Randi here wouldn't have killed you or that man lying over there. Even if she could. Sounds simple to you?"

Lucy and Happy stared in gawking revelation. Brandish looked back at Dimaria with a discerning look.

"Returning the tumor to its original size? Oh please. If she wanted you, little Randi would've enlarged all his internal organs and made him blow up like a pop could've simplified the battle by shrinking the girl and crushing her with your foot, yet you didn't. Now I've been wondering, 'exactly why didn't she?', and I think I had a pretty good idea. You were going to deliberately throw away the battle and deceit the likes of me and your fellow Spriggans."

Brandish didn't say anything. The insinuation followed by Brandish's growing glare against Dimaria was all the proof the blonde needed.

Lucy was left surprised. "What?"

"You've really been full of surprises lately, Randi. Too bad…you're no good to us anymore. Sorry." Dimaria clicked her teeth, chattering but once.

"Sto-!" Brandish turned around to halt Dimaria, but it was too late. The blonde woman passed Brandish in a bright flash. The background was a bright light with Brandish's blood bursting from her abdomen, revealed to have been sliced by Dimaria's knife. Time slowed down drastically for the green-haired woman as she began to fall over, her eyes hazy with her world going blurry.

Lucy looked with wide eyes filed with horror. " **NO~!** " She screamed.

Happy was petrified, paling beyond his own blue color. _'It all happened…so quickly…'_

Ignoring Brandish's fallen body and the thudding behind, Dimaria glared at Lucy with gritting teeth. "Tell me, were you the one who corrupted my Randi?" Once again, her teeth clicked together.

To Lucy, it was all in a blur. She felt a stomp against her head, pinning her to the ground with her bottom up and her cheek pressed against the ground. With a quick cry on pain, she was suppressed by Randi's foot. Randi stood over her, tears running down her angered expression.

"I am going to make sure that your death is a very slow and agonizing one, you unforgivable tramp!"

* * *

The guild hall was still up and alive, yet it was still poorly vacant. Inside its wood and cementation were tables and stools still untouched. Atop the table, Mavis' body was unresponsive, her eyes wide still as they have been for quite some time. It was like venom paralyzed her as she felt her essence seeing leeched out by Irene's hand.

The redhead continued to use her magic to detach energy fragments that sucked into her hand from Mavis' body. "How very peculiar. I specialize in enchanting material out of inanimate and animated material, even magic, yet this has proven quite the challenge, huh?" Despite how she felt, it was proving most amusing, hinted by her never-fading smirk.

"Irene." The voice belonged to someone who she admonished before, and as much as she disliked it, she turned to face the object from the recent blow-off.

"Your majesty." She sniped. "You still have issues you wish with consult with me? I understand, but if you could wait just a little longer, okay?"

"Don't speak so naïve to me, Irene." Zeref retorted. "I wish for you to hold off, for just one mere moment is all."

Irene's subtle gaze faded. Her eyes widened in surprise. She didn't know what bugged Zeref, but it was clear by his tone he was dead serious.

"Stop what you are doing and heed my words."

"What is this? Is there something wrong that I am not aware of?" She questioned.

"I wish to speak with Mavis, just one last time. Between just us two."

Irene's brow furrowed. "You're saying this now when we're so close to the final steps? Pardon my language, but that's a rather foolhardy request to ask of, especially at a time like this."

Zeref, however, did not falter. "All I ask is three minutes. Three minutes, and then afterwards, you shall take everything out of her. That's all."

"Your majesty…"

A figure came darting from out of a section of the guild hall, panting as he saw and closed in on the two talking. When he came into view, it revealed Zeref. "Irene! Stop!" He warned.

Irene gasped. "What's this?!"

"That apparition, it's an imposter!"

"What…?" Irene turned towards "Zeref" for answers, but all he she saw was but a waning, frowning image that disappeared like a flickering light. Once again, she found herself gasping. "A fake?!" Her worries rising, she turned towards Mavis, reaching down to touch her, only for her hand to pass right through her. Her disbelief mounted profusely as it was Mavis who was disappearing this time.

By the time Mavis faded, Irene had pieced it together. "A…an illusion?"

"I'm afraid so. This is what Mavis excels in. It seems she's given us the slip at last." Zeref informed. "And as much as I hate to say…Invel has also been defeated."

Irene stared down at the table that once housed the body of Mavis, now vacant. All those hours she's spent, all that magic she's used, and how was she thanked for it? She was played so easily, like some juvenile child who got tricked to buying a trinket when she could've gotten to savor. "I…I was played…?" She growled, her hold onto her staff tightening with her overall anger rising. "Me…o all people…tricked by a mere illusion…"

Zeref swiped his arm, giving the order. "Irene, hurry! Go find her! With her condition, she couldn't have gotten far!"

Irene's glare hardened, her composure broken by darkness. "With pleasure."

* * *

Many mages and soldiers of Fairy Tail engaged in battle. Spells were unleashed, soldiers piled on to double efforts, and through it all, no one seemed to be giving an edge. In the middle of the fighting and chaos, the cliffsides that the guild hall stood on was what housed a body.

A closer view of the cliffs and shirt ledges revealed Mavis, holding on with a skipping heart and labored breathing. As she held on, she couldn't help but feel remorse for herself. Whether it was from pain or guilt, tears were on the edges of her eyes. _'To think...I had to witness the day I would have to abandon my guild. How disgusting.'_ She berated. _'But right now, I need to find the others, and fast!'_

Mavis tried to adjust her foothold, but the ledges were so unstable to she could've fallen at any given moment. She looked back, seeing nothing but black armored soldiers that covered the endless expanse. "But the problem…is how do I do that?"

A spatial energy was starting to form on a higher ledge, yet Mavis caught notice of the magic pressure she's felt. Her green eyes glanced up, gasping as she saw a hand reached down.

The man who was the agent of Fairy Tail; Mest frowned as he reached for her. "First Master, come. I'll get you back to everyone."

Her smile widened. "Mest!"

* * *

Elsewhere in the battle's ever-ensuing chaos, within the carnage and passing dust, Droy groaned as he fell onto his side. "Umph!"

Jet looked over his shoulder. "Droy, no!"

"That's it…I can't go on…" The overweight individual wheezed. "I can't even lift a fork."

"Come on, man! You can't call quits now!" Jet got close to where he could pull Droy back to his feet. However, pulling him up with how abundant in fat as he was, it was nothing less than a futile effort. "You've gotta…get up…!"

Soldiers dashed into them, running with miscellaneous weapons to tear them apart.

"Guess this is…it for me…" Droy mumbled.

Jet turned around, his eyes widening at the fate to come. "Crap! Droy~!"

A foot slid along the ground. "C'mon! Get your asses up, now! Hrah!" A familiar voice was followed by a sharp swing of an iron blade embedded into the arm. In one fell swing, the soldiers in the way of Gajeel fell like bowling pins. As they fell, he did not waste a single movement to look back. "You guys find an opening and find a way to regroup! I got'em!"

"Gajeel!" Jet cried.

Gajeel howled aloud as he swung in a pivot, his Iron Dragon's Sword cutting through and away at his foes with no blindspots. Rather than response, he roared and charged in towards the fray. True to what he said, he was getting all the attention, knocking them down left and right with no room to rest.

Finding it to be a struggle to stand, Droy sat up, small tears in his eyes. "But…Gajeel. You're in worse condition than we are…"

Retracting his sword and morphing into a hand again, he turned towards them with a smile. "Heh. Well for all intents and purposes, I should've been dead right about now. So to be standing here guarding and fighting for buddies of mine, it's like a privilege."

Jet stared at Gajeel, as if he's seeing a ghost. "Bu…buddies?"

"You really…consider chumps like us…as friends?" Droy strained.

A blade was raised high. "Did my ears deceive me there, or was that really Gajeel talking?!" The rhetorical tone was followed by a swift swing of the extra long sword. The blade belonging to Pantherlily appearing knocked away several soldiers in one go.

"Lily, is that you?" Gajeel questioned, albeit shocked.

The cat glanced over. "You've sounded like a new Gajeel there. A new leaf perhaps?"

Gajeel smirked at the question he preferred to not answer, However, his attention drew towards someone who caught his eye. His gaze went cold as ice as standing not too far away was the object of his affection. Standing all alone, Levy looked ahead with a shocked expression of her own.

"Levy…"

The blue-haired female couldn't believe what she saw. Happiness began to make her eyes water as a smile crossed on her lips. "Gajeel…"

The Iron Dragon's eyes widened. He didn't know what to do. After what he did, he didn't even know what to say. Yet the same couldn't be said for Levy.

Levy began to shudder, her eyes closing and her frown fading. "Gajeel, you…you…" Her fists balled tighter than before, her hands shaking. "You…you~!" Without warning, the tiny girl swooped in and kicked Gajeel straight in the face. "YOU IDIOT!"

"Guh!" Gajeel gagged.

"Eeeeh?!" Jet and Droy's eyes bulged out of place, shocked beyond words.

The Iron Dragon fell onto his bare back, with a shaken Levy right over him. He looked up, seeing a shuddering and whimpering Levy straddling him. The small girl put her hands on him, her tears starting to pour again.

"You stupid…idiot…" Her breath hitched. "You said it yourself…that you're gonna take me back to the guild, right? So…keep that word!"

In his eras, the desperate phrase was like that of a plea. He smiled. "Yeah. And it's just up ahead."

Popping up from behind a rock was Zera, curly smiling at the lovers' affection. "Why, isn't youth such a strange thing." She chimed.

"Whoa, wait! Who the hell are you supposed to be?!" Jet scrambled.

Pantherlily's head raised in surprise. "Wait, that voice…is that…?"

"Hello there, I'm Zera." She greeted.

Levy got off of Gajeel to allow him to stand, turning to face Zera. "So then you were the one who sent that message."

"Yeah, and for some reason, she knows the first." Gajeel informed.

Zera turned away sheepishly, frowning. "Yeah…" Somehow, something wasn't feeling right with her. Her body, much to her own mild shock, was fading, but just a bit. Her image and figure was transparent, much to everyone else's shock.

"Wait, what's wrong?! You're body…" Levy trailed off.

"It's transparent now?" Gajeel questioned.

"I'm afraid this means that Mavis' conscience is starting to return at last." Zera painfully informed. "This means…it seems I wasn't so forgotten after all." Despite how her story was close to concluding soon, she held no regrets. In fact, she smiled in prosperity. "This was fun while it lasted."

"What do you mean?" Levy asked.

Zera reached for the side, showing her transparent sleeve. "Like I told Gajeel, I'm just an illusion made by Mavis' subconscious. Once she remembers me, my time will be up."

Gajeel could only frown at the mere minutes that may be left for her.

Levy gasped. "That's so sad."

"O-oh, no! Don't worry at all!" Zera assured nervously. "I mean, I died over 100 years ago, so it's okay! Don't let waterworks fall! So much time passed, so I'm not offended…but still…" She looked down, a smile once again returning. "This experience, I will happily take to my grave."

Gajeel's brow furrowed. "Zera…"

* * *

One would've mistaken it as a dragon, but in reality it was but a dragon statue that had fallen over, its crumbled remains scattered, like the lost fragments of time it carried with it. Hiding within its own ruins, a spatial energy flickered, revealing Mest and Mavis. Mest looked around his surroundings, turning left and right to see nothing out of the ordinary.

"Okay, I think we're clear for now." He assured.

"That's good." Mavis let out a large sigh, relieved. "I was so worried there. I didn't know how far I would get of it wasn't for you."

"Don't thank me, you should be thanking that voice that guided us. That's what saved our bacon." He dismissed.

Mavis' curiosity piqued. "Wait, a voice guided you?"

Mest blinked. "Uh…yeah. A young lady's. I could be jumping the gun here, but if I had to guess, I'd say that voice was meant only for Fairy Tail members."

Mavis put a finger to her chin, looking up with wonder. "But who could do such a-!" Suddenly, one name called to her. Her conscience spoke up, her eyes widening as that one name burst into her head, like some overwhelming epiphany. _'Zera!'_

* * *

Inside the mindset, everything inside her head was fuzzy. As it was all white, Mavis found herself undressed, but she was still raptured in the name that she didn't seem to care. "Took you long enough." A voice chided playfully overhead.

Mavis looked up, seeing the object of said name. "Zera…?"

"You had me there for a minute." Zera smiled.

"I see. So then…you were the one who brought everyone home?" She looked up as Zera said nothing in response, confirming that her smile said it all. "I see…then that means…"

Slowly, Zera began to float down. "I've done all that I could here. It's my time to go."

Mavis smiled as her subconscious body began to rise towards Zera. "My friend, I can't thank you enough. Because of you, everyone is together again. Now, we're as one once more."

The two entities met up in the middle. Their floating figures tiredly swam until they at last held onto the other's triceps. Their smiles were genuine, and even though this was but a psyche, this was truly their last encounter…for good.

"I know you can do it, Mavis. I believe in you." Zera confessed.

"Sleep well, Zera." Mavis and Zera's foreheads connected; two friends that were real all along, and forever grateful to the other.

With that, they held themselves there, taking solace as the light around them got brighter, dispelling the darkness and vanishing their beings for good.

* * *

Gajeel, Pantherlily, and Team Shadow Gear all frowned as the fragments of Zera's energy at last dispersed. The orange sparkles that were her glistened and arose into the sky, up to the norm for the group to spectate.

Jet held up Droy, both staring in disbelief. "She's…gone…" Jet muttered.

"Aw man, and she was so much type too." Droy sulked.

Gajeel smiled towards the sky, undeterred by the sadness he felt. "Rest easy, Zera. We owe ya one."

"Thank you." Levy thanked.

Pantherlily looked up, seeing the last orange sparkle fade. "And just like that, we've got another thing to look forward to when this is over." He looked over his shoulder, smirking at everyone. "We'll learn more about the first's adventures with Zera, and the origins of Fairy Tail!"

Back with Mavis, she stood up proudly, smiling. "Zera's finally home."

"First…" Mest trailed off, unwilling to speak.

"This feeling of her, it's warm. It's what will give me strength to win this fight." Just like that, Mavis frowned, her serious side returning. "And now, it's our turn. It's time to take back our guild, once and for all."

* * *

Elsewhere, the sky was clear, yet the magical energy made the blue hazier than what it was intended to be. Rolling skies of cloud coverage always shaded the sun, and within its crawling shadows, lied the body of Brandish. The woman with the bodily wound did not move as her stomach had red.

Two figures came darting in from not far, one following the other.

"And you're sure you saw her over here?!"

"Yeah, I'm sure!"

Turning around the corner, Porlyusica followed Evergreen as she guided the body she found while on her way back to the guild. The route she took left her to see Brandish and her feeble condition, and as much as it tormented her, it wasn't in her nature to leave one lying around. Fetching Porlyusica was the only option for the time being.

The girl in sight, Porlyusica darted for her side. "There you are!" She hurried over and crouched down, inspecting Brandish. As she glazed over her stomach, her surprise mounted. "My goodness, what kind of injuries are those!"

Brandish's eyes winced. Slowly, her green eyes opened, weakly spotting Porlyusica. "You…"

"I'm Fairy Tail's apothecary. We've met before, but that's not important. Tell me, what's become of Natsu?"

"Natsu?" She murmured.

"That diagnosis from before, the one about the tumor…I'm afraid I was wrong. What you've shrunk, it wasn't an anti-ethernano!"

Brandish's eyes widened.

"I'm afraid that it's something far worse…"

* * *

Lucy groaned as her eyes began to flutter open. The first thing that she saw was her huge mounds, and north was a bare of bare feet. "Nngh…what…?" She opened her eyes slowly, awakening to see something directly in front of her, his pink hair too easy to spot.

"Natsu!"

In a panic, Lucy tried to move, but she found herself held back and kept sat down. "What's going on? Where am I?" She looked around, realizing that aside from Natsu, they looked to be in some cemented chamber with roots and broken holes that led to darkness. There wasn't much of a window, and there was a staircase behind the unconscious Natsu. Hay laid everywhere, almost like a comfort pad. She looked down, seeing her feet tied by cuffs and rope to the chair legs. "I can't move!" She tried move her hands, but they too were tied by cuffs and rope from behind. "When did I end up like this? And…" She struggled to reach for her keys, trying to surge Magic Power in the process, but had no luck. "Magic Sealing Stone?!"

"Ishgar actually has useful material." Dimaria spoke up.

Lucy gasped at the voice, whipping to her left to look up and seeing Dimaria pop up from out of the blue.

"Not too long ago, I too was…suppressed by this method." She confessed. She moved behind Lucy, having her own mounds above Lucy's head. He leaned down and grabbed Lucy's left cheek, holding it rather tightly. "Restrained. Tied up. Unable to escape. This was how I was in your shoes right now. How's it make you feel, to be so powerless?"

Trying her best to ignore the space violation, Lucy recalled what Dimaria did. "How could you do that to Brandish?" She demanded.

"Me?" Dimaria retorted. "Oh no, no. You were the one who made her like that." She clicked her teeth, miraculously popping up from beside Natsu. "And no matter how much you may beg or plea, I swear I will make you pay for what you did."

Lucy gasped. _'Teleportation?!'_

"Hey, do you feel a little shiverish in your racks?" Dimaria's insinuation was followed by her lifting her left hand, twirling the lace of a bra around the index finger.

Wondering what she meant, Lucy's gaze slowly went down towards her chest. When she realized that they were fully exposed and jiggling, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Wha-?!" She squealed. "H-hey! What's the big idea, you pervert! Give it back!"

Dimaria laughed nonchalantly as she tossed the bra to the side. "Oh, don't worry. I'll be stripping down this guy too. That way, you two will be in the same boat! Although…" She knelt slowly, smirking as she pulled by his hair to see his unconscious expression. "I can't really tell if he's dead or not."

Lucy gritted her teeth, angered and hoping the case wasn't so.

Dimaria again clicked her teeth. Lucy's heart skipped a beat when Dimaria appeared in front of here. She was a few inches away from her face and her knees bent at 90 degrees. She smirked down at Lucy as she glared into her eyes with no remorse.

"What big, beautiful eyes you have. Do all Ishgarian females have such big gazes?"

Lucy only stared ahead, unhinged.

Dimaria pulled out a long knife, the same one she cut Brandish with. It was held in a striking position near Lucy's eye. "Just the mere sight of them pisses me off. What do you think? Gouging them out is a good start, don't you say?"

Even with all the uneasiness she felt, and the fact she felt scared, Lucy did not waver. She couldn't. It wasn't an option. Seeing her crippling was just what Dimaria wanted, and she knew it. All Lucy could do, by any means, was put up a straight, stern face. She glared her in the eyes, ready to face her attacker without remorse.

"Is that expression really all you got? I would've imagined tears, or rather screams of fright. That would set the mood up quite nicely."

"I'd rather lose my sight than feed your twisted cravings!"

"What was that?"

"You heard me! Even if I can't see everyone's smiling faces, I know I will always remember them, and how they will look. The sight of the guild. My house. The streets of Magnolia, with all the shops and houses. All the dirt marks on the books I've read…I'll take those sights to my grave! So if you're gonna get on with it, then just do it! I'm not afraid to stare you until I go blind!"

Dimaria's patience was over. She couldn't take Lucy's taunting. She loathed it. It was time to end her unsatisfying mouth. She raised the blade and smiled maniacally. "You unforgiving brat…!" She poised to strike. "Fine! I'll grant your wish! I'll rearrange your face with scars! Staring NOW!"

The blade came down, darting right for Lucy. Her brown eyes remained wide as the blade expanded towards her, reaching inches to centimeters away from her lustrous gaze.

' _Natsu!'_

That moment, the room was filled with a vile stabbing sound.

* * *

Nic and Nic-Greninja's eyes widened as they were in the middle of a lunge. After passing men in a sharp row of no less than 50, explosions followed behind them. They skidded along the ground, creating a dust trail as they reached a halt eventually. When both stop, they were stiff as boards. Arbok, who was in the middle of hissing, too, had stopped what he was doing. The Cobra Pokémon felt a sharp tension just like the two, and at once, all three turned towards a singular direction. As soldiers regrouped around them, they stared at the vacant space far ahead with uncertainty rising. "Natsu…Lucy…" Nic murmured.

* * *

 **As short as this may have seen, I thought this was a fine place to stop for the time being. I would've gone to where the manga chapter 503 ended, but I'd rather leave a cliffhanger and save all the good and emotional stuff for next chapter.**

 **There's also something that's been bugging me lately. I've been writing close to the manga a lot lately in this arc, and that's what's been getting me meek to no positive feedback. If I'm honest with myself, I've lost my 'special touch'. I will not deny that the manga in this arc specifically is messy to follow, and it's because of that I'm having it rough with my original ideas mixing. It's hard enough omitting canon scenes that I wouldn't deem fitting to put on here because it'd be a waste of space and chapters, but it's also painful to me personally that my mojo is lacking. I've been running out of steam, and as such, I am going to find ways to get opinions and do my very best to incorporate the last 11-12 chapters I have scheduled to be packed with sheer awesomeness. But as you know, it takes time, so I will hold off JUST a little so I can watch anime, read books, and movies. So possibly a week, if not 8 or 9 days, depending on what I can adjust in my planning.**

 **By the way, as of September 6** **th** **, it shall be the 1 year anniversary of** _ **A Contender's Bonds**_ **! That's right, this story has nearly made the 1 year mark at 73 chapters!**

 **As always, review and thanks for reading another chapter!**


	74. My Latent Hate For You

The chamber was nothing less than a disaster. Everything in its vicinity was turned over or destroyed, including a shelf on the nearby corner. The chamber of decrepit waste said nothing less than atrocity, which included the blood splattered in a trail towards Lucy.

Silence fell as Lucy was seen on her back, The chair she was pressed against was completely broken, and the shackles binding her hands and legs together were ripped off. Her naked upper body was lying with the eyes bathed in red.

"…" No words came out of her as she laid helpless for the longest time. All she saw was darkness, lost in the void of endless minutes that passed. After what seemed like a prolonged time, the miracle sprung forth. Her eyes at last opened.

"H…huh…?" Her brown eyes were revealed without harm, but her face was still drenched in red. "What just…?" Wondrous, she reached up and covered her eyes, wiping off the excess blood on her. She retracted her hand and looked at it. "Is this my blood?" She wasn't positive about the answer, but what she did know was that she somehow was free to see that her hand was moving again. "My restraints are gone!" She gasped as she turned around. "And the chair, what broke it?" Within her volley of questions, a name to her mind like before.

"Natsu?!" She called out.

"Uuuugh…" A weak, hollow moan came from a direction.

"Who's there?! Natsu?!" Lucy turned towards the shadows, staring at the unidentified personnel responsible. However, what she saw only magnified her horrors. Her eyes widened and she gaped into what seemed to be terror awakened.

The groaning didn't come from Natsu, no. It came from Dimaria. She was sprawled against the wall, her entire body seared and charred. Her spandex armor was torn and ripped, revealing fresh flesh wounds. She was looking dazed as her wide gaze was fixated, like she was traumatized. Only one word could describe her: Disarray.

Lucy gasped. "What happened?!"

"Mon…ster…" Dimaria whispered frantically.

Lucy was again perplexed, and not in a good way. _'Is she talking about…?'_ She turned towards Natsu's chair, revealing it to be broken and pushed over. "Where's Natsu?!"

"It's…a monster…a monster…"

Lucy faced Dimaria again, seeing as how she was out of it. The graphic damage dealt to her made her hold her hands over her mouth, a realization sprouting. _'It couldn't be…did Natsu…?'_

"To think, _he_ could move in 'my time'. I-I can't possibly believe it. Does this might he possess surpass that of Gods?!" In light of her own disorder, she could still remember how it all happened so fast. She never fathomed such a thing could've happened. The most bone-chilling memory, however…was black fire around a grizzly hand. "That could mean one being capable of such a thing…E.N.D."

Lucy was again lost for words. "E.N.D…?"

"Lucy~!" At the call of her name, Lucy turned around in shock to find Happy flying in with a panic. He flew right into her open chest, crying aloud.

"Happy!" Lucy smiled.

Faring behind, Porlyusica caught up, along with Evergreen and a healed Brandish. All three stood puzzled and confused at the sight. "Lucy!" Porlyusica exclaimed.

"Miss Porlyusica!"

"Where is Natsu?! Is he not here?"

Hearing the urgency in her plea, Lucy's expression grew morbid as looked towards the ground. "No."

Dimaria looked at the introduced group, her eyes still wide even when turning towards Brandish. "Randi…"

Hearing the nickname, Lucy recognized it and looked up to see Brandish up and well again, much to her joy. "Brandish, what a relief." She sighed.

"Forget about me for the moment, bind Mari." Brandish ordered. "You have to hurry while you still can. She can stop time at her leisure, so dealing with her is troublesome."

Evergreen looked around, curious. "Just what happened here? It's like a wild beast rampaged."

Lucy frowned. "Your guess is as good as mine. I was captured alongside Natsu and brought here. When I came to, all this happened…" She gazed over at Dimaria. "And that. Next thing I knew, Natsu was gone."

Porlyusica's brow furrowed.

Lucy looked ahead, worry growing. "What's going on? What about Natsu is this about?"

"Lucy, do you remember the tumor I diagnosed Natsu?" She insinuated.

"Y-yeah…"

"At the time, I thought it was to be nothing more than an anti-ethernano tumor that grew due to excessive Magic Power. However…it turns out I was wrong. I can't fathom entirely what it is, but in response to this green-haired woman returning it to its original size, his body suffered some form of 'attack', or in a certain perspective, it has been 'triggered'." Her gaze grew weary as her head lowered. "This power…it's a sinister and heavily demonic one."

Lucy gasped once again. First Dimaria spilling E.N.D, and now a sinister power birthing within Natsu. Things were going awry really fast.

Happy stared down at the ground, her charred paws clutching at the thought of what it was. _'E.N.D?'_

Lucy stammered to her feet, barely upholding traction. "I…" She faltered briefly, but straightened up. "I have to find Natsu!"

"Looking like that?" Evergreen questioned.

"Pervert." Brandish chided Lucy.

"Wha…uh…?" Speculation rising, Lucy realized what they meant. Looking down at her naked huge mounds, she blushed a deep red and squealed in embarrassment.

* * *

Fire. That was all that was a scene. Nothing but scorching blazes that steamed with heat everywhere. The very ground itself was ablaze; no sword was left unmelted, and no stone was not charred. What laid bare amongst the cindered…were bodies. Soldiers unfortunate to have been tampering with the wrong foes ended up falling, and they were laying on the ground, dead as black fire burned them away.

As numerous bodies laid on the ground, all behind a man set ablaze as he stumbled around. As he trekked, his footprints were on fire, black fire to be accurate. Black fire waved from his body uncontrollably, and with each step, it waved in a different direction. By no means did he seem too happy.

"Zeref…where is…Zeref…" He murmured as he looked up. His eyes were nearly devoid except for a single dot that was the pupil. It was harsh and fixated; one could say it seemed senseless. All that surrounded the eyes was pitch-black, like a shadow.

As he looked ahead, he stared at the guild hall in the cold peaks. "There…" He stumbled forward, growling beneath his breath as he dared not stop. However, he did stop when a set of feet stopped before him.

Face to face at last, the man revealed himself to be Gray. His fists were balled, and he gave him a grim glare.

"Natsu…"

The man revealed to be Natsu had his black flames concentrate. "Gray…"

The two stared coldly at one another, their fearsome gazes fixated on one another and nothing else. The air was stale, and the standoff was palpitating immense magical pressure; only darker than ever. There was no friendly reunion going on, not at this point.

"Move." E.N.D ordered.

"You're E.N.D, aren't you, Natsu?" Gray asked.

"I said move!"

"And I said answer me!"

E.N.D hunched over, growling at Gray with his black fire flaring. "I'm gonna…destroy Zeref…And that…Zeref…!"

Gray frowned heavily at the sight. "Are you out of reasoning?" He insinuated.

Slowly, E.N.D's hands were searing so harsh in dark-shaded fire that Gray was seeing dark, draconic scales form dragon-like claws. They were solid, proving a transformation. "Out of my way…Zeref…"

Gray glared on, unwilling to move still. He thought back as the winds passed his hair.

" _The demons from the Books of Zeref are nothing more than simple tools the emperor created in order to kill him." Gray stood over Invel's fallen body, glaring down as Invel explained more of Natsu, or as he realized, E.N.D. "The emperor lamented over his immortality, and wished nothing more than to die. To do that, he created demons to help with that, and among them was E.N.D, Etherious Natsu Dragneel. The man who was once his younger brother turned to a demon. All the demons, despite how they look, they possess an 'instinct' or rather 'thought' that triggers them in a way…"_

"I will kill him…" E.N.D snarled.

Lamenting on what Invel explained, Gray knew it was too good to be true. There was no lie to it. The answer was before him, and the twisted part was that it was a wolf in sheep's clothing. His balled fists clutched tighter than before. "To think that my enemy was by my side this whole time…" He would've chuckled, but he wasn't in the mood to laugh at such irony.

"Move." E.N.D lowly roared.

"…No." Gray countered. "My parents, Ur, everything held dear, everything that I lost…it was because of the Books of Zeref and his demons. Because of them, Juvia's…"

"Get out of my way!"

"NO!" Gray's glare opened up, his icy Magic Power starting to rise around his right arm. Once again, his Devil Slayer tattoo began to react, and slowly, it crawled up his arm. "Natsu, this is it…" His Devil Slayer powers active, he readied himself in a stance. His eyes were fixated with no sanity, as the last demon was to be slayed.

"Natsu… **DIE!** "

E.N.D crouched and went sat Gray. "GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

Their fists were pulled back, and without any need to hold back, Gray's Devil Slayer fist and Natsu's demonic flaming right hand both closed in. Their eyes showed nothing less than pure hatred and disgust. Two friends now turned relentless enemies; both corrupted by sheer darkness. That darkness was what exploited their weaknesses, and thus made their bonds clash.

Their fists, connected, creating a large-scale explosion that stretched out, obliterating all bodies and ruins stable around them to nothing in a flash.

* * *

In the chamber in which everyone was gathered, the atmosphere's earlier friction began to settle.

Porlyusica put a hand to her chin, inspecting Brandish's stomach. "How vexing, child. How did you stop your severe wound?"

"All I did was change its size. The damage overall still remains the same." Proving her point, Brandish curled down a little to see her wound, in which she flinched from a pull in the wound."

Meanwhile, Evergreen was interrogating Dimaria, who was still slouched against the wall, shackled. "And you said Natsu moved within time when you stopped it? And that he transformed into a monster?" Evergreen summarized.

Dimaria said nothing. She could only stare down in bitter distaste for the hell she remembered.

Brandish looked down at her palms, a deep frown plastered onto her face. "Even though I could've done something about that wound, I still hesitated…"

"It's okay. People always hesitate and worry about their misdoings a lot." Of course, Lucy provided levity while putting on her stockings. Her overall attire was practically what it was a year ago back when they arrived from the Tenrou Island incident, only her hair was notably longer. "Even of those chances always increase, it's okay, because it means you're alive."

Brandish looked at Lucy with mild surprise in her words. While she was skeptical, Porlyusica and Evergreen grinned in agreement. Dimaria was the only one who frowned heavily.

"Right, you guys stay here! Let's go, Happy!" With determination, Lucy set off for the stairs.

"We gotta go stop Natsu before it's too late!" Happy urged.

* * *

With the coast clear with enemies thwarted from afar, Vanessa supported the rear with Mega Venusaur while Wendy carried Juvia. The nearby forces that were coming from not too far away caught Vanessa's attention, and with a sharp turn, she fired a compressed beam of teal aura from her hand.

As an explosion rattled nearby, Juvia opened an eye. "We have to hurry." She strained.

"Stay still. You still haven't recovered yet." Wendy urged.

Despite the information, Juvia didn't back down. "I need to get to Gray, I have a feeling that he might…"

* * *

Gray violently yelled out as his right hand clutched hard and crashed against E.N.D's face. E.N.D went sailing off backwards, yet he easily caught himself and straightened out. His foot caught traction and he countered with a pivot and a loud shout. A wave of dark fire followed when he slashed his claws, striking Gray in a vicious pyro burst. Within the dissipating flames and smoke, Gray slid back a foot, revealing to have been covering with his cool demonic half.

"I'm not gonna stop! Not again!" E.N.D roared.

 _Within the time that was stopped, Natsu looked down in horror as he saw the half-naked Lucy with blood over her eyes. Her lips were parted, and she was sprawled all over the ground with the chair she sat on broken to pieces by Natsu's might._

" _Lucy?! LUCY!" Natsu shook her so many times, yet nothing was working. "Lucy! Wake up! WAKE UP!" But as much as he was trying, Lucy wasn't responding. Her body was stiff, and as much as Natsu fought it, his own body froze in fear. He let Lucy's body fall back to the ground, her seeming silence confirming his fears came to life._

 _His eyes bulged with little pupils and tears growing. His heart sunk into a bitter core, and his eyes suddenly went white._

"I'M NOT HOLDING BACK!"

Gray charged as well, heading into the fray. "I WILL DEFEAT YOU! AND SLAY YOU!"

* * *

The main battlefield was still covered in nothing but black. Everything was either black armored soldiers advancing and fighting off Fairy Tail, or it was explosions, catered by the counterattacks Fairy Tail was putting up. However, even with forces to be reckoned with, the battle at this point had taken its toll.

A giant fist smashed into a dozen soldiers that came recklessly charging ahead, sending them in another direction. The fist reverted back to its original size by Makarov. The old man put a hand over his chest, where his heart lied. He panted profusely, looking like he was about to collapse.

Alzack turned his back to look at his condition. "Master!"

"Don't worry about me! I'm fine! Keep going!" He insisted.

"But, we got problems!" An injured Max looked ahead, his worries skyrocketing as a massive onslaught of men came springing from ahead. From the sheer size, they all looked like a steel flood.

"Crap! Their numbers aren't dropping!" Vijeeter shouted.

"Then what now?!" Warren exclaimed.

A Shadow Ball shot from out of the blue, creating a black explosion. The men in front were either faltered back or thwarted as their comrades fell. Following the opening, a harsh slash followed by brimming brown and cream feathers flared about. As the feathers dissipated, they revealed Erza in her Armadura Pidgeot Armor. "Fear not, we shall make a path!"

Beside her, Mega Houndoom howled, a hot breath making a weak gust.

"It's Erza!" Laki shouted.

" **Water Shuriken!** "

Many soldiers looked towards the sky, but all they saw was a blue saucer that traveled at gifted speeds. Many were struck by the impact, engulfing them in a compressed explosion of mist and blue that tore through their armors, and shockwaves brimmed through the area. As the smoke dissipated, the mist lifted to reveal Nic and Nic-Greninja landing beside Erza; Arbok tailing behind.

"Nic!" Bisca exclaimed.

With the group standing before Makarov and Fairy Tail, the elderly master panted as his feeble body was getting the better of him. He looked towards them, an apologetic look plastered on his face. "You two…I'm sorry…" Was all he could muster.

"Don't be. Just keep going." Nic said.

Erza turned around, smiling. "We'll make it back to the guild hall with our friends. That is for sure."

The frown on Makarov blossomed into a smirk. "You brats…"

"Whoa! The hell?!" A guy shouted.

Another pointed skyward. "The heck is that up there?!"

"What?! When did that get there?!"

Curious, Nic and Erza, as well as their Mega Houndoom, Nic-Greninja, and Arbok, all looked towards the sky. They looked no less surprised as everyone else as they laid eyes on the one huge eye that encompassed the entire sky across the battlefield. The very same eye that they recalled seeing back at Mercurius.

Nic's eyes widened. "That eye…"

" **It's futile hiding from me, Mavis.** " The telepathic voice echoed throughout the battlefield. The voice was no less shocking than the eye to Nic. " **You cannot run…from my eyes!** "

"W-whoa! That thing freakin talked!"

"Mavis?!"

"Wait, is she looking for her?!"

Nic's shock did not deter, even when the voice stopped. _'That voice…! Is that…?!'_

"The most powerful mage of the north." Yukino gasped.

"Eek!" Sorano shivered.

Brandish shivered at the voice. "The Scarlet Despair…"

Sophie gazed up, her memory surfacing. "Eye Magic! Like when we got separated!"

" **I'm not hiding!** "

The sound of the second voice made Irene feel surprised.

Levy turned left and right, the voice all too familiar. "Wait, First Master?!"

"Yeah, but where's it coming from?" Gajeel questioned.

Irene's eyes widened as she peered ahead at something; something that left her baffled beyond measure. It wasn't just her, but everyone looked up towards the skies, their shock also paramount. Sophie, Nic, Erza, all of Fairy Tail glanced up as a frown and green eyes glazed the atmosphere.

" **Our home; our family, it is at the guild. Taking that from us leaves us divided. Therefore…we shall take it back, no matter what!** " High in the sky, everyone stared in awe as the gargantuan Mavis Vermilion was reaching out, guiding everyone towards the guild hall with a hand showing no shaking. The giant illusion of her in the clouds was like an angel radiating hope through the carnage and bodily loss that Fairy Tail was suffering. " **Everyone, here my voice! My friends in Fairy Tail, wield yourselves like blades! Carry forth and swing with might to cut down those who dare defile our home!** "

Everyone continued to stare in disbelief. Even though they questioned the illusion itself, they dared not question the very words she spoke of. With those words, everyone began to process as the illusion began to fade from the battlefield, leaving everyone revitalized.

The frown on Gildarts' face turned into a smirk as the illusion dissipated. "That's one flashy way to encourage." He mused.

"She elevated the spirits with a single shout." Erza smiled.

Nic, too, grinned. "Well then, let's carry out her words. Don't hold back, anyone!" With his shout, everyone roared as they were once again set to charge ahead.

As the battle once again turned within its tide, Irene stood along the cliff's edge, a shifting in winds whisking her cape and hat alike. The hat shielded her eyes, yet her smirk was still visible. "I see. So, she planned that whole speech out from start to finish…" She tilted up, revealing a hard, sinister glare. "What a spiteful young witch you are."

Irene did not find any other resolve. With Nic on the battlefield, she knew it was time to get serious at long last. She raised her staff, which began to shimmer with an abundant supply of Magic Power. No matter what, it was time to see which direction her opponents would go. She slammed the bottom of the staff into the ground. A radiant light began to engulf the atmosphere around her, which began to expand.

" **Enchant.** "

The light transmitted through the peaks and ground, traveling to where the soldiers were. All of the remaining soldiers took a shock as the radiant light had begun engulfing their own. With gasps and questions arising, they found themselves surging with pulses. The light brightened around them, some static flaring as their bodies twitched violently in the energy pouring into their bodies.

Erza took a surprise to the enemies before her, seeing their shock. "What's this?!"

"What the heck's happening now?!" Max yelled.

"I don't know, but this looks bad!" Warren warned.

The soldiers were in a disaster. They all screamed out loud, their bodies undergoing a mutation. As they were in agony, their figures became notably bulkier. All their armor had begun transforming into a sturdier breed, and their jaws had gotten denser. What was most noteworthy, however, was their hair was replaced by a ghostly fire, and their teeth turned all canine.

When the light faded, all the soldiers were of menacing design. They all hollered out my banshees, roaring as they held blades and readied to attack.

Irene's smirk did not waver. " **Berserker.** "

The enhanced soldiers charged ahead, heading for Erza like a bunch of animals. The Requip Knight held her blade and poised to strike. As one closed in, his blade swiped viciously. Erza slashed her own in response, creating a violent clash in the center. However, the stalemate didn't last long as the soldier forcibly followed through, sending Erza sliding back.

"Erza!" Nic shouted.

Erza slid backwards on a knee, grunting as the attack was strong. She got up, staring with shock on her face. "Their strength has enhanced?!"

Realizing the predicament, Nic turned towards, with many soldiers tailing right for him with swords. In a desperate move, he crossed his arms over. " **King's Shield!** " Before him, blue hexagons emerged, multiplying into a large shield. Seven soldiers at once barged for the shield, but they were met with a stalemate. They all bounced off, faltering back with blue aura, signifying their offenses decreased.

While they were forced away, others advanced. Soldiers bypassed and went for other targets. While Max held up before, a single swing from a berserker sent him flying. A kick from another downed Warren. Another blade clashed and went straight through Wakaba's Smoke Magic, almost hitting him.

"Crap! They got stronger?!" Macao worried, before he had to reel away from a sword.

Makarov's glare hardened as the tide shifted once again. His uneasiness was but an understatement.

Irene looked down at the spectacle, smiling. "This enchantment greatly increases their abilities multiple times; however, it does have the factor of stealing their minds." Her eyes squinted. "So what will it be, Mavis?"

Nic pivoted and kicked a soldier in the face, getting distance. As another advanced and swung his sword, he used Metal Claw, his hands glowing a metallic gray energy and expanding into claws. He backhanded the sword away, allowing an opening for Nic-Greninja to jump overhead.

" **Scald!** "

He reeled his head back and took a deep breath, before pulling forward and unleashing a slanted blast of pressurized scalding water with steam. The compressed torrent showered down onto the enemies, trailing ahead in a Mach speed flash. A linear pulse wave of gushing steam arose as water flared everywhere, causing many to scream out in pain.

Nic-Greninja landed beside Nic, both watching as the half-mile long road of steam dissipated, revealing the soldiers in the area struck groaning. A vast majority of them hunched over cracked their shoulder blades, and craned their heads up, almost like zombies.

Nic-Greninja gasped. "No effect?!"

"Their sense of pain is gone!" Nic was too baffled by the revelation. However, what they saw next was a majority of them stumbling forward, but within a few steps they burst to flames, catching wind of Scald's burning effect. Once again, Nic was caught surprised.

"Their sense of pain is gone, but they still take burn…" Hatching an idea, Nic hurried and glowed. "Alright then! Erza!"

Erza looked over, seeing Nic transformed.

As the glow faded, it revealed Nic in a cross of his Flame and Meadow Form. Like his previous dual type combo, the Flame Form remained the same, with Meadow Form's belt-like sash, edging, inner sleeves, V-neck, and shoes were the same. "Let's uses status conditions, and get them away!"

Erza readied herself. "Very well!" Once more, she requipped, turning into her Armadura Aggron Armor. With her steel blade up, she pointed it ahead. "Mega Houndoom! Use **Inferno!** "

Beckoning to her call, Mega Houndoom roared as he reeled his head back and circled around. He opened his mouth, unleashing a massive blaze of blue flames. The horrendously massive attack stretched far out, engulfing many berserker soldiers in its wake. They were all seen in the blue blast, which exploded into a wildfire that sent heated waves out into the open.

As the attack dissipated, Mega Houndoom pulled away, standing in front of Erza. "You think that slowed them down?"

True to his guess, the blue blaze began to dissipate, yet embers still lingered, said embers in the background showed dark silhouettes with menacing eyes, all looking limp while bursts of fire erupted on them. Even so, they did not waver as they ran like zombies.

Nic reeled around and puffed his cheeks. " **Inferno!** " Repeating what Mega Houndoom said, Nic moved his head towards the right, unleashing a monstrously blue glaze. The blaze expanded like a volcanic eruption, enveloping many in smoke and blue embers. Nic, however, did not let up. He arched his head towards the left, swiftly creating a large-scale erupting wall of blue fire that shot up and around like a menacing tidal wave.

Laki covered up from the blue embers that went about. "So hot!"

"Man, Natsu and Nic's Charizard are hot! But are they trying to cook them?!" Alzack shouted.

The roaring blue infernos did not stop, even as Nic closed his mouth. As his attack raged on, he swiped his arms in opposite directions and back. " **Heat Wave!** " A whirlwind of searing hot red gusts expanded outwards. The attack expanded exponentially, reaching out as a forcefield of swirling hot rage that expanded so gradually the blue flames spread about, the residual Inferno and Heat Wave alike met many soldiers, which hollered as their armored almost instantly melted. The heat was so gradual that they were being partly charred.

As the heated tempest subsided, Nic stood with clutched fists, glaring ahead with no means of stopping. He glared ahead, watching as the embers and smoke continued to flare. Slowly, the residual enemies that weren't taken down were stumbling as silhouettes, slowly creeping out of the smoke with vulgar breaths. Some breathed heavily as their bodies lurched with bursting flames, catered from Inferno's effect.

"It's pointless. What do you hope of incinerating them? They cannot feel pain, are you not aware?" Irene warned.

Nic remained steadfast as he crossed his arms, morphing into Leaf Blade. "Let's go, Greninja!"

Nic-Greninja crossed his Night Slash kunai like Nic did. "Right!"

As tripping soldiers darted right for them, their screams fell on deaf ears. They raised their blades high and went to attack, yet Nic and Nic-Greninja sped alongside one another, each swiping in an X shape with their respective attacks. In one blow, a wave of energy shot from their overpowering slashes, the tainted soldiers all enveloped by the power-packed wave that made the frontlines fly away.

"Whoa! Did you see that?!" Nab exclaimed.

"They totally overpowered them!" Cana yelled.

Erza eyes narrowed. "With the burn status, a victim's own physical prowess is drastically reduced, and they take constant damage while in battle. As long as they keep advancing like this, by the time they reach us, they should have sustained significant tolls on their bodies." Her sword was pulled back, and burnt men went charging, but as they pulled their swords forward, Erza slashed her sword with metallic force. The impact made the many before her falter back.

Mega Houndoom smirked at the strategy played out. "Alright, you heard the lady! Regroup while we still got time and numbers that are burned!"

With the opportunity at hand, the weakened frontlines were starting to get evenly matched as before. Fairy Tail was again holding up, and Nic swiped his arm, making Arbok swerve around and swat at the vanguard heading their way, with Erza commanding a Dark Pulse. Everyone went on the offense once more, using the damage Nic inflicted to their advantage.

Irene's smirk returned once more as she saw what was happening. She saw many burst into flames, enabling an opening for everyone to attack. One by one, the soldiers, no matter how lethal or zombie-like, they had little physical strength, and Irene shifted weight to her other hip, making her jiggles jiggle. "Well, nicely played there." She admitted. "To think such a feature would hinder my own enchantment, such a clever fool you are, Nic."

She raised her staff, this time the tip enchanting a green, sparkling light. "Let's see how you handle this…"

As Nic swiped his arm, he unleashed a Razor Leaf attack, the move swirling glowing green leaves in a funnel towards many soldiers. They made contact, enveloping them in a green explosion. As he and his two Pokémon backed off, they looked up, seeing a green beacon high above the peaks.

"What isss that?" Arbok sneered.

While heavy on the inquiry as well, Nic looked ahead, staring with sheer bewilderment as the troops were all growling yet again, hissing and twitching as they got up. As they were back on their feet, the green beacon shined brighter, and at once, the burnt soldiers were all groaning and enveloped in a green light.

Romeo backed away from the light. "Wha-what is it now?!"

Mavis looked on with shock in her eyes. The green light slowly enveloped the upcoming burns and flames, dissipating them to nothing. "No way…it just can't be…"

Nic's eyes narrowed. "Damnit…"

The green light faded from Irene's staff and the troops, revealing them all up and ready for more. They all roared with exponential vigor, raising blades with no means of hindrance.

Laki stepped back in fright. "What just happened?! How did they heal from their burns?!"

Erza looked up ahead, staring at the peaks and guild hall with a most grueling glare. "Them…"

"Erza, look out!"

Mega Houndoom's shout reached Erza in time for her to look down at the soldiers. Fortunately for her, the Armadura Aggron Armor managed to shield her from any points of breakage. But the several superficial stabs at once did make her lose ground.

"Great, back at square one!" Macao huffed. Without warning, he was knocked down by a kick to the stomach by a soldier.

"Now what?!" Romeo questioned.

Nic looked ahead, his teeth gritting. _'If I have Arbok use Earthquake up front, our allies ahead will get caught in the blast wave. These soldiers alone are enough, but their numbers are still a matter of its own!'_ With his speed, Nic ducked from a sword, scoring a right uppercut to the jaw. His knuckles stung from the pointed tip he pierced, making him wince. _'At this rate…'_

Irene's smirk never ceased to widen. "So, what now?"

The tide was again changing, but it mattered not. Nic and Nic-Greninja did not stop, and with Arbok following behind, the blitzed through the army, forcing through numbers. Nearby, Gildarts was doing the same, using Crash Magic to amplify his punches and breaking armors and bones. The group there held up their ends with their power and abilities, but Erza was barely hanging on with Mega Houndoom, slashing hard to find an opening, while Mega Houndoom warded them away with a harsh Shadow Ball. Even so, more kept coming, and panting was coming across. Thousands were already defeated; and still more were to come. Stamina was coming thin, and while the situation seemed hopeless, there was one who thought of something like that.

Watching everyone struggle, Makarov slowly turned left and right. He gazed at the many fights, with Nic and his Pokémon fighting valiantly, and looked towards Erza and Mega Houndoom, who were barely keeping a distance from the incoming soldiers. And Makarov was aware of moves like Earthquake and how he didn't want the others to get hurt. That meant one thing.

He lowered his head and looked down at the ground. "I suppose…it's the end of a journey."

"Don't say that!" Erza roared. She requipped, flashing into her hakama and sarashi combo. She did not waver as she crossed her katana, slashing a soldier in the chest and making him veer away.

Nic and his Pokémon reappeared next to her, with him glowing into his default form with the purple still shimmering, all of them with forms of dirt and wear on them. "She's right, we can't waver! Not when we still need a clear path! Greninja…"

Nic-Greninja and Nic alike pulled their heads back, exerting deep breaths as they unleashed their attacks. " **Scald!** " Once more, brimming blasts of hot water and steam pulsed with fury rivaling a tidal wave. The soldiers ahead were all washed away, erupting in broiling steam and hollering.

Even with the defense, it wouldn't hold up for long. Makarov knew despite the army, there was still many enemies like Zeref and August ahead. The elderly Master kept his eyes shut and slowly folded his hands over one another, right palm over left. "This is the end of a journey. _My_ journey."

Laki looked back, seeing the stance. "Is that…!"

On the ground, Vijeeter smile. "Fairy Law!"

"Then we do have a clear path after all." Sophie smiled.

"One of the Three Grand Fairy Spells?!" Gildarts exclaimed through his fierce vanguard.

Makarov readied himself. "This is it…"

"You can't! Stop!" The voice from afar revealed Mavis, who was running up towards him to thwart his advance.

"First?!" Alzack gasped.

Mavis ran ahead, almost desperately it seemed. "You can't! Stop!" She made it behind Makarov, her little fists up in encouragement. "You need to listen, Makarov, you can't use that! You know what will happen if you use Fairy Law on that many enemies?!" She stomped forward. "The more enemies you use on Fairy Law, the more your lifespan is depleted! If you do that against all of them, you won't…you won't make it!"

The news crawled up everyone's spines. Nic and Erza whipped around, eyes wide and gasping at the revelation set in stone. What they heard they didn't wish to be true.

"Wait, what did she just say…?" Romeo mumbled.

Bisca's rifle nearly slipped from her hand as she and Alzack stared back, shock written on their faces.

Makarov did not care, proven as he kept his stance. "I'm well of that." He admitted. "This is my choice, as such, do not stop me. I implore you."

"But I have a plan! We just need Nic's Legendary Force and-!"

" **ENOUGH! SHUT THAT MOUTH RIGHT NOW!** "

The harsh tone and violent attitude made Mavis halt her urging. She never heard Makarov roar at her in such a defacing manner. He meant it, this was business of his own.

Everyone was still fighting, and Makarov stared on as he saw a hand clutch Max's neck, strangling him. "Look ahead, and tell me what you see. I see my children suffering before my eyes! They are wounded, and still struggle! They may seem like soldiers to you, but for me, they are my children! I refuse to let any of them be seen as expendable!"

"I…" Mavis shook her head, trying to deny what Makarov was saying, but nothing was coming out right. "I didn't mean…" He was right, yet Mavis was too blind. They were soldiers, yet Fairy Tail was meant for family, not armies. That's what Makarov saw.

"I know. We can win with the power of Pokémon and your plan, First…but there are worse battles to come, and I cannot let my children waste their talents like this! I CAN'T HAVE THEIR BLOOD SPILLED A MOMENT LONGER!" As he spoke up and roaring, the many Fairy Tail mages fighting were failing as their swords and physical bodies were being suppressed by the overpowering might of the warriors ahead. "If the remaining life span was used up, to create a future for my children…" He grinned meekly. "Then it'll be a cheap price I'm willing to pay."

With Nic using Protect, the soldiers were blocked from advancing. Erza and Nic both looked back, both looking desperate. "Master!" Erza cried.

Makarov looked at the struggling pair with no sense of regard. "Erza. Nic. Listen."

"I'm not listening to anything you have to say! We're making t back to the guild! You're coming too!" Erza did not want him to go. She couldn't; not after all that he's done for her in the past like take her in. Tears formed in her eyes. "You can't do this!"

"Don't be a fool, Master! Is this really what you want?!" Nic yelled, his eyes showing terror.

"Nic-sssama!" Arbok warned. His warning was answered when his Protect went down. Nic and Erza were met with pushing soldiers who were in a desperate rampage, and Nic forcibly turned opened his mouth, firing a Hyper Voice. The blasting soundwave exerted far out, rippling across the airspace and ground. Shockwaves spread like waves, dust and many men flying back.

"From here on, no matter how much it may hurt, no matter how much you reflect on the pain, you must use it. Carry yourselves towards the guild. Believe in each other. Believe in your comrades, and believe in what is right." Makarov's concentration of Magic Power began to exert a powerful light, one that concentrated into his hands. "The guild is your family, so never forget that." He spread his hands apart, a concentration of pure light shown. It beamed everywhere in glistening arrays, in which made nearby wailing troops scowl.

"It was thanks to you all, that my journey was filled with sheer joy. You have my sincere thanks."

"MASTER!" Erza cried out, turning away and running for him. Nic followed behind, his mouth nearby gaping as he followed Erza.

"Do not get any closer. Unless you wish to be judged." Makarov warned. That did the trick, making Nic and Erza both stop in their tracks like Mavs.

Erza looked ahead, tears running down her face. Nic stood beside her, his eyes starting to mist. "Master…"

Makarov smiled, despite the many golden beams that were coming out of him. His body shined with golden radiance unmatched, and Mavis, Macao, and Warren all reached out desperately like Erza was. Nic was in disarray, but he knew that even now, it was too late.

With the light beginning to envelop the master, his smile widened with a serious look. "And so, to all of you…play nice."

Nic, Erza, and everyone present cried aloud, roaring for him to stop. No matter what, the light began to shine brighter. The elderly Master took one last look around, seeing the many crying faces. Over the years, he looked upon and recalled the many ways the individual members came to his guild. He could recall Macao and Wakaba hanging out, to Gray being dropped off by Gildarts, to Erza being stumbling about aimlessly, to Natsu, and to Happy. Every member he reflected upon, his smile widened, and as his elderly body beamed with light, a single tear fell from his eyes.

" _My children…"_ The light enveloped him fully, his figure gone with the earth itself. _"Carry on."_

" **FAIRY LAW!** "

The light shined brighter than before. The entire battlefield was engulfed in a vicious golden light. Many upon many troops that were gaping and reaching to Nic and Erza with their backs turned screamed out as they were vaporized within the shimmering rays of light.

"What?!" Irene shouted, seeing the vast light engulf the battlefield. August went wide-eyed at the terrifying magic that enveloped everything.

Far away, E.N.D and Gray stood apart, both stopping for a brief moment as the light enveloped the area far away like a dome. They were wide-eyed, and showed nothing less than wonder.

The light blinded any and all, so long and so vast that the sky itself was a shimmering mess that no one could look away from. The light didn't flash away as such, instead, it vanished entirely in a split second, leaving nothing but scattered clouds of dust that ran across the distilled battlefield. Winds stirred as the Magic Power Makarov had spread around, with everyone looking with shock and a mix of questioning. Mirajane looked up with a gasp, while Lucy and Juvia's separate groups looked around with question, unable to tell what happened. Gildarts' head lowered, sadness and a frown forming on his lip.

Nic and Erza stood side-by side, the dust dissipating to reveal what happened with Makarov. As the dust subsided, Erza's sword fell out of her limp hand, clanging against the ground as she had tears running down her face. Nic's eyes were misted bad, and as he saw Makarov, his balled fists tightened and he shut his eyes looking away with a shuddering body.

Not a single adversary within the vicinity was present. Their bodies were all reduced to dust. As their dust scattered, the wind picked up, and Makarov's body was nothing more than a statue, his pose in the Fairy Law stance. His life was no more, but from the position he had, he was a strong and upright Master, whose last moments were of sheer joy.

Mavis looked from behind, seeing the statue that was Makarov. Her eyes began to mist, her godson passing on right before her eyes. _"Master, would you do me the honor of naming this child, and look after him for me?"_ Even now, recalling Makarov's mother, her eyes streamed tears as she was the one who remembered the name without haste.

With no more strength, Mavis cried into her hands, sinking to her knees and bawling aloud. She whimpered aloud, the child she blessed giving his life to eradicate the enemy once and for all.

As she sat crestfallen, a hand laid on her shoulder. Everyone watching with tears looked up, surprised by the one who was reassuring Mavis Vermilion.

"Stand up, just one more time…" Laxus urged, but his tone was as soft as could be. He looked just as sad, if not more, but unlike everyone, no tears poured out. He had a soft smile, one of mourning and warmth. "There are still battles ahead of us. We need to pay attention. Now…come on."

Many of the members who were still breaking down heard Laxus' call, and he was right. There were still many enemies left, yet while they were balling, Laxus was encouraging, just like a real leader would. "Laxus…"

Laxus got back to his feet, continuing to grin. "Not just for our sake, but the old geezer too. We need to finish this mess, whether we like it or not."

Erza stood before the fallen master, tears running down her face. She too was mortally broken beyond perspective, but it mattered not. The master was gone, and now with his passing, she must pay respects.

Slowly, Erza sank to her knees, putting her hands on the ground. Slowly, she bent over, and bowed before Makarov's statue.

Nic looked at her in mourning. "Erza…"

Nic-Greninja, Arbok, and Mega Houndoom looked on in silence, all three standing beside the other without a nay or say in respects for their Trainers and how they felt. Even if didn't seem like it, Nic was as broken as her.

' _To have been able to grow up as your child through these years…I am happy beyond words. Thank you.'_ She prayed.

Nic looked at Makarov's statue as well, his eyes misting still as he thought of his final moments. No words were needed, but they had to press on. With a heavy heart, he slowly knelt, and tenderly placed a hand on Erza's shoulder. His head lowered, him giving a bow like that of a knight.

"Nic…" Sophie murmured.

"…we have to go." Nic slowly arose.

"Right." Erza followed, standing beside him. "We have to end this, no matter what."

Nic nodded, a serious look in his eyes as he faced forward. "Arbok." At his call, the serpent knelt his head a little. "Stay here and eradicate the remaining forces. Make sure they don't take another man nor friend from us."

Without any objections, Arbok followed his saddened master's command. He understood, and even without speech, it was wise to continue to battle, as all Pokémon were to carry on their fights. He slithered off, carrying out the order.

"Be careful." Nic-Greninja pleaded.

Erza stood in attention, slowly turning away from Makarov's statue. She faced her Mega Houndoom, giving nothing less than a stained-tear look. "Let's go."

* * *

At the guild hall, the winds and the dust continued to sway profusely, but even with the dust passing the guild hall, it's not to say that the spell was fully effective.

As Irene stood over the cliff, observing the scene, Zeref walked up from behind, showing a questionable look. "How many men have we lost?" Was all he could say.

Irene raised her head, inspecting the battlefield and how desolate it looked. Only specks of black were here and there, meaning men still made it. "It looks like 70 to 80%, as a rough estimate." She examined.

Zeref smiled. "I expected nothing less from that man. I must give him credit where credit is due. Having been able to use that spell…the very one I taught Mavis, passed onto him. How vexing our enemies have become."

"Even so, no casualties were amongst the remaining 12." Irene informed. "That means from here on, our course of the battle is still unwavering. The flow of this battle is all but certain for us still."

Despite her confident remarks, Zeref still smiled, yet out of defiance. "I wouldn't be so sure about that. Remember, there is still that man who you must finish a score with, if I do recall correctly."

"Yes…I believe that I do." Irene smirked. "Among someone else who I've been meaning to discard log ago…"

* * *

The battle was nothing less than the very definition of turmoil. Two friends that were close in a rivalry were torn apart. They were torn from the seeds that sewed their bonds together, and gave way for the darkness to consume them. This was the battle that neither E.N.D nor Gray shall ever have halted; not by anyone.

Both panted as they were catching their breath. With the mysterious light fading, it gave them a brief moment to collect and glared coldly at the other. Once collected, the one to act was E.N.D. His demonic dragon claws swirled in dark fire as he charged for Gray. One hand reeled back, ready to strike.

Gray crossed his arms, creating a thick, spiky shield of ice, but that wasn't enough as E.N.D viciously swiped, breaking through the ice as though it were glass and shot Gray into a nearby ruined wall. He screamed aloud as his back took most of the blow that broke the wall into pieces.

Suddenly, E.N.D's senses picked up and he whipped around, seeing floating shards of ice. In a flash, his small eyes dilated and he dodged backwards. Like the move Ice Shard, the comets of ice blasted everywhere, making way even for him, curving like heat-seeking missiles. E.N.D slid back until he found traction, in which he whipped up and his demonic hands brimmed with black fire.

"HRAH!" He did a full 360, covering every aspect of space in demonic fire, in which enveloped the ice shards heading his way. The wave of fire eventually dispersed, showing no damage. As E.N.D shifted his weight, his foot was enveloped in ice. He glared down, seeing as how one ice shard still managed to freeze his foot in place.

"GRAH!" Using this change, Gray fired demonic ice from his right hand, which beamed and enveloped E.N.D. The attack was cold, but not enough to freeze him entirely.

E.N.D tumbled backwards profusely, yet managed to drive a claw into the ground, anchoring his hold. He planted his feet on the ground. Without warning, a pillar of dark fire erupted right beneath Gray's feet, which burned with fury. As the flames coursed, they were halted by Gray, who froze them over. E.N.D did not waver, for he snarled and made the dark flames burst all around Gray, creating pillar upon pillar of fire surrounding him.

Realizing he was trapped within a space, Gray found himself bewildered as the main fire that got him gave way, revealing a heinous dark fire in the form of E.N.D's roar. The attack bolted forward, leaving Gray shocked and unable to defend as the full-force blow got him. He shot backwards, screaming in burning agony as he was embedded and crushed into a nearby wall that wasn't broken. The impact and flames were so harsh, yet Gray's anger and vendetta did not waver.

His eyes widened, and he roared out, creating a manifestation of demonic ice that began to freeze up the incoming roar. However, it only got so far as the roar dissipated, revealing E.N.D bolting through the fire, his head breaking through the incoming ice.

In a glaring frenzy, Gray lifted his demonic hand up, using his magic to create an ice wall. E.N.D ran face-first into the wall, stopping him cold. He groaned as he got his feet beneath and rubbed his forehead, leaving him distracted and for Gray to move both arms out. Much to E.N.D's shock, the wall of ice spread profusely, making a barrier that closed him in.

He looked around, snarling as he realized he was trapped.

"I'm ending you here and now! Natsu!" Gray declared. He balled both fists, and then rammed them together with a hefty shout.

A moment of silence passed, revealing nothing. Towering ice spikes suddenly prodded, becoming a dome of terror that would skewer anything. The spikes were certain to have punctured or wounded him, leaving Gray to leave himself in wonder.

A veil of dark fire was seen brightening up everything inside the dome, leaving Gray to have his very teeth grit in frustration. To his own frustration, the ice pillars and wall alike shattered to bits, creating a volatile burst of flames. E.N.D shot straight up in a comet of fire, reaching a brimming height in which he glared down at Gray.

Both sides had it. They were going to finish this, and by the way they saw it, the other knew it was time to kill the other off, no exceptions.

Igniting his feet in flames, E.N.D shot down in a vicious angle at high speed. His demonic claws seared in roaring flames as he too roared. Gray's Devil Slayer fist enveloped in energy, which misted to where chunks of ice sparkled in midair. He reeled his fist back, gathering even more power as he yelled like a madman. His figure was horrendous as energy swirled into the fist, making the veil almost expand double in size.

" **GRAY!** "

" **NATSU!** "

Both had no regrets. Gray wanted to end E.N.D for all the pain he out him through. E.N.D wanted nothing more than to finish Zeref, and that meant destroying Gray since he got in the way. There was no turning back, and only one would move forward.

Both closed in, swirling ice and demonic fire shooting down at massive speeds. Time slowed down dramatically as they closed in, nearly five feet apart from each other.

The ground between the two suddenly cracked apart, just a little. But both caught wind. They were so caught up in their attacks that they were caught off guard. From the cracks, two staggering pillars of rock individually erupted, stabbing each in their abdomen. The attack looking like Stone Edge left both suspended in shock, so much deep that the fire and ice in their grasps vanished. Each gasped as the air was knocked out of them, feeling nothing but the world turning light. The pillars of rock exploded, creating a dust wave that scattered and broke the ground. As an explosion sent rock soaring like meteors plopping onto the ground, E.N.D and Gray scowled as they flew back from the super effective attack, driving them meters away into polls of dust.

The debris among the battlefield slowly revealed itself as Stone Edge faded. As winds shifted, the different dust piles blew away, revealing a groaning E.N.D and Gray simultaneously struggling to get back up. They both huffed and barely got to their knees, heads hung low as they were catching their breaths.

Both looked up, yet what they was something that made their demonic gazes widen in shrilled shock.

They saw four silhouettes, two standing beside one another; two others standing behind them in attention. As the dust faded, they saw a frown. "Stop this!" A masculine voice lowly said.

The dust then revealed long scarlet hair, whirlwind with the ever-tearing tides. "What are you two doing?"

The individual voices shot through E.N.D and Gray with surprise. To their disbelief, what they saw wasn't what they wanted to see. What they saw, it was Nic and Erza, the dust revealing Erza in her hakamas and Nic in his Stone Form. They knew then where the Stone Edge came from.

"What…?" Gray murmured.

E.N.D too looked surprised. "You…"

The dust finally dissipated, and the winds stopped. With open space to walk, Nic frowned downward towards the ground. "You guys, stop this. Please. Are you that desperate to kill one another? This isn't madness, it's a farce!"

Erza dismissed her own tears that since dried, trying to stay calm as possible. "You two, tell me, what do you see? What's going through your minds right now? What is it driving you to where you want to hurt the other that badly! Are you so blind as to ignore what's before your eyes?!"

E.N.D and Gray did not respond. Neither had anything to say as they stared at Nic and Erza.

Nic's fists clutched. "You guys, you can't let this rage best you. It's only going to deface you as human beings. Are you forgetting your own self-respect?! Look at what you've become!"

Erza was shuddering, doing what she can to stay compassionate. "You think it's easy to just let go of this pain? You two, we all know the meaning of pain, and that it hurts, but you can't pit it against one another…" Her teeth gritted. "Not like this. This is just madness…please, you have to stop. For all of us."

E.N.D and Gray tilted their heads, continuing to glare at them, but despite their looks, they seemed curious.

Nic's sadness was shown on his face as well, but his purple eyes did not show tears, but a misty behavior. "This isn't right. You guys have been friends for a long time now, is this really what you want after all that time? Do you really want to just destroy one another like this?" He shook his head, answering his own question. "No, this isn't what friends do! They squabble, but if they truly saw each other as enemies, how can you even call them one or the other?! You can't even call yourself such a friend or foe! You're nothing less than scum! Do you wish to be that than a friend to one another? Do you?!"

"Being in a guild, we have secrets…" Erza looked at Nic's hand. "But is that really what must drive a wedge in the other's respect? Even in darkness, you can always find solace in what you have…" She faced them again, a fire in her eyes. "So please, I'm asking you…look at one another, and tell me what is it that you truly see?"

E.N.D and Gray only continued to stare. They were looking puzzled, yet at the same time, intrigued. What they saw was not Erza nor Nic, but rather, what they were listening to, as bizarre as it sounded…was annoying. Their gazes did not waver, nor did they turn to face one another quickly, rather slowly. Very slowly, they looked towards each other, staring without certainty as they frowned.

They were like that for the longest time, a lone wind lowly howling as it passed them. Together, they seemed to have an understanding, and faced Nic and Erza.

Nic looked at them with a saddened expression. "Natsu, Gray-!"

" **GRAAAAH!** " Both bellowed as they suddenly changed direction, Gray's devil fist and E.N.D's clutched demonic hand igniting in their respective magics. They bolted in front of Nic, much to everyone's surprise.

Erza whipped towards Nic, time slowing down as her shock surmounted.

Nic was caught off guard completely. Both of their expressions closed in, leaving him almost unable to block in time. At his will, a slab of stone shot in between him and the two. They punched forward, creating an explosion of dark fire and demonic ice. The two forces created a harsh burst that erupted black embers, chunks of ice, and massive loads of rock and dust to scatter. Erza covered up within the mess, her eyes still wide in terror. The impact's dust cloud didn't dissipate drastically as Nic bolted backwards in a grand slide, his sandals barely keeping him from falling onto his back.

Once he finished, he looked baffled with a widened glare. His heart raced in deep shock, watching the dust dissipate. "What was…"

Nic-Greninja too looked baffled. "What's going on?"

The dust finally subsided, revealing E.N.D and Gray. Both swiped their arms, relinquishing the coverage. They stared at Nic, looking mad. The way they stared at him, it scared them all.

"Have they lost it?!" Mega Houndoom barked.

Erza uncovered and stared from the side with shrilled shock. "What was that?! Natsu! Gray! Wat's wrong with you?!"

Both shot her a dark glance from the side. The way they looked at her now made her heart stop. She gasp as they sat their sights on her, and together they reached out for her, firing an icy energy blast and a torrent of black fire. With her still in shock, she was unable to respond correctly.

"Erza, watch out!" Nic snapped.

Erza was still in shock to listen. As the expanding black and shimmering attacks raced for her, something shoved her out of the way. "Move!" Her Mega Houndoom slammed into her, knocking her out of the way and taking her spot. The hound turned towards the attacks, being struck with it head on. A dark blaze and icy beam crashed into his side, making him howl bitterly as a small explosion burst from impact.

Erza fell onto her butt, grimacing in her pain. As her senses came around, she looked back and went wide-eyed, gasping as her Mega Houndoom was caught in the blast. "Mega Houndoom!" She cried out.

The Mega-Evolved Pokémon howled out as he flew back from the erupting blast, shooting across the ground on his side, creating a deep trail of dirt across until his back smashed into a nearby rock formation. The rock broke apart, reducing to dust that scattered, and yet he continued several more feet to a halt.

At the end of the horrific skid, Mega Houndoom laid on his side still, groaning weakly as his body was covered in injuries. Unable to stand, he was enveloped in a flashy light that reduced to dissipating energy, reverting his size and form back to being Houndoom.

Erza bolted to her feet, racing for her fallen comrade. "Houndoom!"

Nic was in disbelief as he looked ahead. He watched as E.N.D and Gray both lunged at him without hesitation. They had fists pulled back as they made way, but being a quick reactor, Nic ducked and avoided the punches, leaving open for him to palm strike them square in their guts. The impact made them shoot back on their heels, trailing several feet away for good distance.

With the small stalemate, Nic's glare hardened. "What's wrong with them? Are they possessed?"

Nic-Greninja jumped to his side, standing with uneasiness just like Nic. "It's hard to say. I'm sensing a great amount of negative energy. You don't think…"

Nic's glare narrowed then. "They were consumed by their greed and darkness? I can't be sure. Natsu! Gray! Snap out of it!"

"NIC!" Both roared back viciously. They pressed against the ground, making it depress and the two lunging at Nic again with a blaze around E.N.D returning.

Erza knelt beside Houndoom, seeing how badly in condition he was. With bangs over her eyes, she pulled out the Poke Ball. "Houndoom, I can't thank you enough. Your sacrifice won't be in vain." The red laser returned the defeated Houndoom, and she put away the Poke Ball. The sound of clashing got her attention, making her look back towards Nic as he was dodging E.N.D and Gray's punches and kicks. They were both fearless; no relentless; they were making sure Nic wasn't going to keep his ground.

As they were looking bent on killing, her eyes fixated on Gray's demonic eye and E.N.D's pitch-black shadows over his sharp eyes. It only served to worry her. "What's happened? Are they out of reasoning?"

Gray yelled furiously as his right fist punched Nic, but he jumped and backed away at the last second, leaving the ground instead to be enveloped in ice spikes. With Nic on defense, his eyes widened when he sensed E.N.D behind him, a flaming claw set.

He slashed with all his might, but as he swung horizontally, Nic ducked, and he got a foot behind and struck E.N.D's gut again. He flipped, sending the target flying within his twist back at Gray, slamming straight through the ice and sending both into the ground.

Nic panted as he was running low on steam and will to hurt them. His fists balled tighter, the look he was giving no different from regret. "You guys! Can you even hear me?!"

E.N.D and Gray both slowly arose, glaring menacingly at Nic. From the looks of it, they weren't listening.

"Damnit, no good. They're not listening at all." Nic cursed. "There's gotta be something that can get them to stop."

"Well for now, we need to contain them." Nic-Greninja advised. "The way they are now, yelling and words alone won't keep them still very long."

"Then we'll have to incapacitate them long enough for us to get to the bottom of this." Nic deduced.

"Right! Here they come!" Nic-Greninja's warning was followed with Nic too bracing for them.

E.N.D and Gray opened their mouth, each bellowing out blasts of dark torrent and icy energy racing alongside another. The two attacks traveled on a grim scale and made the ground beneath sunder exponentially. As the attacks drew closer, Nic stomped his right foot on the ground, summoning a cylindrical pillar of rock straight beneath, sending him and Nic-Greninja skyrocketing moments before the two attacks blasted the pillar of rock, reducing it to ashes.

The two looked high above, seeing Nic and Nic-Greninja up in the air and unscathed. Angered, E.N.D crouched and his feet ignited in dark fire. The ground beneath nearly diced apart in dark fire as he propelled himself up towards them, demonic hands embedded in searing dark flames. Nic had blue static around his body, at the same time a red aura encompassed his body.

" **Rock Polish!** "

E.N.D came crashing, but out of the blue, Nic and his companion disappeared faster than what the eye could've seen. The demonic man continued in shock as his attack missed, and his momentum was lost. Higher up, Nic-Greninja reappeared, facing down at Natsu with two purple kunai formed.

" **Night Slash!** "

In a Mach frenzy, Nic-Greninja shot straight down in a purple stream, reappearing on the ground with his two kunai vanishing. E.N.D was enveloped in a purple explosion, yelling out as the air was raptured in the impact. However, as he went crashing behind, Nic-Greninja winced. He looked down at his hands, noticing how they were warm. With the link shared, Nic too felt the harsh heat that caught up as he reappeared behind Gray. As a cold chill came from Gray. Nic's front shivered, and in turn the two knew what was going on.

' _If we get too close, their individual elements may freeze or burn us directly. We need to stay in a distance and get their guards down to get a clear shot.'_ Both figured.

Noticing Nic behind, Gray turned and shot him a harsh glare. His red eyes enveloped by the black in the Devil Slayer Magic emphasized his insanity, making him weary. Gray roared out loud, unleashing a violent beam of ethereal ice at Nic.

Nic raised his hand high, swinging it downwards. " **Rock Slide!** " As his body shimmered with a feint gray glow, ripples appeared in the sky, summoning large rocks that went falling madly at high speed. They all crashed like meteors in an inconsistent manner, littering the battlefield and Gray alike. The various rocks made obstruction, enveloping the Ice Devil's Rage attack. Looking up, Gray saw a large rock falling onto him, in which his fist embedded in swirling demonic ice. With a heinous shout, he punched once, his icy fist striking the rock. Instantly, the rock turned to ice, shattering to pieces.

But that didn't stop Nic. With Gray distracted long enough, the two second span was all he needed. " **Power Gem!** " Several ethereal purple entities manifested all around him, solidifying into bright purple crystals. He pushed forward, sending them all hurling at Gray. Gray looked back down to see the attack incoming, and ended up struck head-on in a flashy eruption.

From the super effective impact, Gray yelled and shot backwards, heading back towards E.N.D.

Meanwhile, E.N.D hollered aloud as his draconic claws slashed constantly. He slashed left and right, nonstop fury exerted, while at the same time unable to get a direct hit as Nic-Greninja veered left and right without flaw. Eventually finding an opening, E.N.D made a sharp turn and drove his hand into the ground in front. From beneath Nic-Greninja, a dark fire pillar erupted, roaring with searing agony.

As the flames went on, E.N.D snarled, glaring profusely. He wondered what happened as he knew his opponent would've countered somehow, but he couldn't tell where or how.

However, high above, Nic-Greninja was revealed with his hand pulled back to reach for the Water Shuriken laced to his back. Without a sound, he twisted in the air and unleashed it. The attack doubled in size upon release, and the saucer of blue compression went straight down. E.N.D looked up, but was too slow as the high-speed attack smashed into him like a Dragon Rush. The spinning destruction enveloped him in a powerful, misty exertion that made the ground beneath dice up with water spouts.

The mist didn't stick around very long, however, as the spouts themselves evaporated. The heat E.N.D gave off was extreme, and the humidity around him shot up, hot enough to fry sweat. He uncovered, revealing partial damage, yet only stayed put as Nic-Greninja was behind.

" **Scald!** "

With a pulsing gush of boiling, steaming water, the raging torrent went blazing at E.N.D's back. The demon-dragon shot forward, propelled by the hot water. Even as the heat was extreme around him, his dark flames didn't vaporize the boiling water so easily, resulting in damage still.

Both E.N.D and Gray slammed into each other, their bodies colliding with fire and icy wakes made. Both recoiled forward from the shock.

"Now!" Nic-Greninja shouted.

Understanding, Nic pressed his two palms together, a loud clap instantly followed with both men falling to their knees. With them on their knees, rock morphed and arched over the back of their knees, making anchorage and cuffing them to the ground.

"Gngh!" Both men looked down, realizing their legs were anchored.

Nic whipped his arms up to a 90 Degrees angle, and clutched both hands. The ground summoned two slabs on either side of E.N.D and Gray, morphing around and embedding their wrists. The slabs retreated back to the ground, leaving only the top parts where the wrists were fitting through. With wrists and knees all pressed against the ground, Gray and E.N.D were hunched over, struggling as they were in their rocky prisons.

Both gritted their teeth, trying profusely to get away. However, before either had the chance to get away, their eyes again widened when they sensed Nic in between them. With both facing away, with Nic at the epicenter, they felt an odd sensation.

"Both of you, let me in." Nic urged. He glowed, shifting into his Mind Form. "What is wrong?! Answer me!"

E.N.D and Gray looked over their shoulders, both gritting teeth and viciously snarling like wild animals. It looked like there was no reasoning in them.

"You leave me no choice. I'll just have to force my way in then!" With an embracing holler, Nic grabbed both Gray and E.N.D's spiky heads. He held on tight, and with the magic flow, his right hand on Gray and left hand on E.N.D instantly began to feel a harsh reaction.

"What are you doing?!" Erza cried out.

"He's trying to enter their minds!" Nic-Greninja forewarned.

Nic grunted harshly as his hands were feeling heat and cold alike. Touching them – let alone being close to them – was making his body feel overwhelming temperature changes. He wanted to pull away, he really did, but it was no good if it wasn't going to solve anything. His left hand began to feel a harsh burn, the skin beginning to go raw. While his bare fingers on Gray's head were freezing over, almost turning numb. He closed his eyes and tried with everything in his willpower to keep himself in check.

At the same time, however, Nic-Greninja was feeling the same pain. He was feeling the sensations in both his hands, and he winced as his arms shuddered. Erza instantly took notice.

"Greninja!"

Nic-Greninja and Nic alike struggled, but together, their purple eyes opened up once more, albeit narrowly. "We're…okay…!" Both struggled to answer. Despite the pain they both felt, they couldn't give up.

"Natsu…Gray…even if it means this much pain…I'll…" His grip tightened, only serving to amplify the hot touch and cold frostbite he was receiving. "Do whatever it takes! Do you hear me?!" Nic unleashed a loud scream of agony, in which he poured even more of the Mind Form's prowess into them. They both fought against it, their closed off minds unable to open; dark forces sealing them away. However, Nic did not give in, he forced even more of his prowess to seep in, and eventually he began to feel a crack in their darkness that was their mentality.

"There!"

Pouring more of his pain and mentality in, Nic's body began to give off a powerful light. The light gave off a purple hue, which began to shimmer valiantly. Following him, E.N.D struggled as his pupils faded away, as did Gray's. They gave off a red and blue hue of their own, respectively.

Erza's guard was again cut off. "What's this?" She turned towards Nic-Greninja, seeing his eyes opened and enduring the pain. From what it seemed, he was in a small trance as he was seeing an array of colors.

Nic let out one last shout, pouring every fragment of his mentality inti them. The three lights of red, blue, and purple all shined brightly, making Erza and Nic-Greninja cover up as the bright light engulfed them. It was an array of lights that shined brightly, everywhere making a dazzling beaming display almost light Dazzling Gleam.

Nic, E.N.D, and Gray all vanished within the light, much to Erza's horror.

"Nic~!"

* * *

The light that was once present was now gone, leaving Nic in a hollow space. His form was upright, his stance straight and relaxed, and as he felt his mentality come back, his eyes shoot open with a gasp. Instantly, the shock made him see he was no longer in the area.

"Wait, what just happened?" He looked around, realizing that he was standing on gray rock. He gasped again, bewildered beyond measure. His uneasiness growing, he slowly raised his head, his purple eyes looking at the surroundings. What he saw left him beyond surprised.

Miles upon miles into the distance, there was nothing but gray rock layering the ground, all the way out to the dark mountains in the background. The land was sheer desolation, and the skies were pitch-black. What surprised him was that in the distance, there was some red flashes, while at times blue flashes too collided. The air felt humid, yet the ground was almost freezing cold. It was hard to tell where he was, but he had to be smart.

His eyes narrowed as he gazed left and right, seeing how he was alone. "Is this…their mentality?" A flash of red lightning came down from far away, his heart pulsing as he turned to see where the lightning struck. In its place, there was black fire, which seared incredulously into the gray ground. He stared with wonder, the black fire bringing a drastic realization. "Fire? Is this Natsu's mind?"

Another bolt crashed down, this one in the opposite direction. He whipped around, seeing the blue lightning vanish, turning into a prickly slab of ice in place. At the sight, he knew it was Gray's ice. "…Gray." He looked ahead, his uneasiness at a peak. "So then this must be their psyche plane; their inner world." His eyes narrowed further. "It's so corrupted. I didn't think they'd have this much negative energy inside…"

"And what are you doing here?"

The voice made Nic go wide-eyed. He stared ahead, unable to turn as he felt a sinister prowess. The power he was feeling was unlike anything he felt. While he remained paralyzed in shock, the black fire in the area, picked itself up and streamed onwards past him. They went over his head, the many blazes converging behind him, manifesting a veil of searing black fire.

His guard returning, Nic turned around, shifting weight to see with a most gruesome sight. The black fire surged like that of a cocoon, swindling slowly, the flames so hot that Nic could feel sweat on his face. The humidity was heavy, but he could only persevere and look on with a straight face as the veil shrunk into a vortex; whirling black flames diminishing and diving into a certain mouth.

As the image came into view of Nic, the humidity in the air intensified. Unable to handle sweat, Nic sweated profusely as the fire vanished, revealing a closing mouth and a malicious smile. "Why so surprised? I gave you a question and I demand an answer." The voice belonged to the figure who was formed from the fire. His skin tone and pink hair was exactly like Natsu's, but something was wrong, he had black draconic wings, and his bare claws and feet were aligned in demonic scales. His face, especially around the eyes, showed black scales. His head even had a set of black horns. Almost everything about him was black, if not for red hues here and there. His eyes especially were pitch-black with white pupils shrunken. He frowned at Nic, his glare harsh. "Well?!"

Nic's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what – who – he saw. "You…"

E.N.D stood several feet away, the ground around him in a humid wave. It flowed like water all around him, small embers flickering on occasion. He had the shape of Natsu, yet it was hard to believe. E.N.D's scoff only stiffened.

"I asked you, what are you doing here in my mind?" He demanded.

Startled, Nic tried his best to relax and stay calm. He faced him with no obstruction. "I'm here for a reason." He answered.

E.N.D raised a brow. "Is that right?"

"I could be asking you questions as well. Just who are you?"

An uneasy silence fell in between the two. Neither side gave formal answers to the other. Two strangers that they didn't recognized…or so speculated.

E.N.D smirked. "Really, now."

Nic's brow raised this time.

"Is that really a way to talk to someone you've known and fought aside for a long time? We've fought on kickass missions and had crazy adventures. C'mon, Nic, you're not that dumb to put 2 and 2 together now."

Nic wasn't buying it, yet it seemed unreal. Whatever he was looking at, it had Natsu's voice, aside from the dark flux added into it. Nic eyes widened, a dark realization crawling up his spine. "Wait, is that…Natsu…?"

E.N.D smirked, confirming his inquiry.

Nic's bafflement only arose to greater heights. "Hold on, what is this? Are you really Natsu? Or are you his negative energy itself?"

"I think you're really losing you're edge there. Your perception isn't as sharp as what I thought it was." E.N.D chided.

"What?"

"What makes you think I'm his negative energy as you claim it to be? I guess you can say that rather than that, I'm the 'real Natsu'. You can also call me his hidden, true identity."

The heated winds began to pick up around Nic. "'Real Natsu'?"

"Yeah, at least for you. But Natsu is really just a part of my identity. My real name is E.N.D. Etherious Natsu Dragneel!"

Once again, Nic's reality made him explode with sheer surprise. Eyes shot wide and his lips parted in horror. What he heard, he could never unhear.

"E.N.D…Etherious…Natsu…Dragneel…?" He murmured. The shock never stopped, as the trademark Natsu smirk E.N.D gave was all too clear. He stepped forward. "Wait, you mean all this time…Natsu was…?"

E.N.D chuckled at Nic's bewilderment. "At a loss for words? Well to level with ya, I'm a little surprised myself. I didn't know myself until I met with my brother, Zeref, in battle."

Again, a weight fell onto Nic's shoulders. "Zeref?" He almost floored in horror. "Your brother…?"

"Surprise~!" E.N.D scoffed in a laughing manner. "Boy are we just full of revelations, not that it matters anymore."

Nic's fists clutched, frustration rising. "I don't understand. How is Natsu even E.N.D? How is he even Zeref's brother to begin with? This doesn't make sense!"

"Nothing ever does." E.N.D sneered. "You can call me E.N.D or Natsu, it doesn't matter to me. Just know that I'm the real deal. Or if you want to tone it down, call me his instincts, negative energy, or even true power. This is what I am, so deal with it."

Nic was caught in a stalemate yet again. He was perplexed beyond measure. E.N.D was really an acronym that Natsu was apart of? Was he hiding this all along? Was Zeref really his brother? From what he pieced together, it sounded like this was recent news to even him, but it still was nerve-wracking.

Of course, the more Nic thought about it, the more "E.N.D" – or Natsu's true instinct – was right. If this really was his darkness, then Nic would just have to deal with it, and work around Natsu's mentality crisis. Of course he knew this would be easier said than done.

"Alright then, you're E.N.D, and you're Natsu's true-self as you say?" Nic rectified.

The dark fire in his demonic hands began to return, enflaming them with power. "Damn straight. This is my true power, and I'm going to use it to fulfill my goals."

"And just what might those goals be, exactly?"

"What do you think?!" E.N.D swiped his arm. "I wanna end Zeref! And I wanna prove that I'm the most powerful there is! Nothing more than that!"

Nic hesitated to answer. "…is that right?" _'His goals are like Natsu's. Is he considered his deepest desires as well?'_

"I wanna get back at Zeref! He's the reason I'm here now! And I swear, I'm gonna kill him and whoever stands in my way! He and his suckers took Lucy from me, and that's why I'm here right now!"

Once again, Nic's eyes widened. _'Lucy? Did something happen to her? Is that what made Natsu turn his instincts over like this?'_ Regardless, he had to persevere. "Is this really what you want, E.N.D? Is that all you desire? Just killing your brother and offering the world power of rage?"

E.N.D's eyes narrowed. "Shut that mouth of yours, Nic. Don't think **you're** forgotten!"

"What are you saying?"

"Tch, stop playing dumb!" E.N.D swiped his arm to the side again, summoning an erupting black fire tower. The blaze was tremendous, yet as the land shuddered, Nic kept his cool. "Do you really think anything has been easy with you around?! I'm always out there proving something of myself, but what are you showing to the world?! What do you have that I don't, huh?! It's because of **you** that **I** am this way!"

Nic wasn't liking where this was going, not one bit. "Are you saying what I think you're implying?"

The psyche plane continued to rattle; red lightning flashing in the sky. Nic didn't diverge from focus, even as red constantly flashed and crackled in the sky.

"That's right. As Natsu's instincts, I know how he is and acts, as I am him! Call me his instincts, desires, or anything you'd like, it matters not. But what is certain is that I hate Zeref, and I will kill him and turn him to ash!" E.N.D stated.

A reiterate statement, Nic knew for certain. However, what E.N.D said next, was something Nic never saw something. Something that almost made his world turn upside-down; something that left him to realize that not everything about Natsu was an open book.

The gray ground stopped shaking, and the lightning in the sky faded, showing pitch-black still. E.N.D's eyes narrowed. "But Nic…you're the one I hate the most."

* * *

 **I know I said I was going to take a great and slow down, and I have, but I wanted to get this out because this marks the 1 year anniversary of** _ **A Contender's Bonds**_ **. After this, most likely, it may be a week, due to how complicated this turn of events seems. I know what you guys are thinking, and as complicated as this may seem, let me alleviate it for you. I was thoroughly unsatisfied with the canon version of E.N.D, and how it escalated, but it got nowhere fast. I thought E.N.D really was something like Natsu's killer instinct and true power, but Hiro Mashima didn't play it out as I thougt. So, in my story, I've changed it up. Instead, picture E.N.D like this: Natsu's actual Demon Seed manifestation. I guess in a simpler explanation, a part of Natsu, his inner emotions and strength. I got this idea from watching Bleach, with Ichigo facing his inner hollow. If you guys know what I mean, then you get the picture. Natsu's "Hollow", we'll leave it at that.**

 **So other than that change, I kept it all the same, with Makarov passing on, and I had Arbok stay out and stay behind to take on numbers still lingering around. I didn't drastically altered too much, but enough to show I still got fight left in me.**

 **A lot more will be explained next chapter with Gray's own darkness and E.N.D expressing their hatred for Nic and their upcoming fight, but like I said, it will take a lot of time for me to get a clear picture and fair dialogue, so maybe a week, if not more or less. It'll be long, and I can and will say that I will have Nic-Greninja's link play a part as well. Otherwise, I really do hope you guys like this version of E.N.D more.**

 **As always, review, and happy anniversary to this story!**


	75. A Bitter End to Friendship

Erza slowly opened her eyes, uncovering herself from the light that erupted mere moments ago. "Nnngh…" Her vision was blurry, but it eventually cleared out, revealing a clear sky. "What?" Realizing that she was on her back, she bent upwards, sitting upright. "What happened? Why am I on the ground?"

The image she recounted of Nic in the stalemate with E.N.D and Gray popped back into her head, a rather painful epiphany. She gasped at the memory. "Nic!" The shock made her jolt to her feet, reacting to where she turned left and right, and saw Nic-Greninja on a knee with his head down not too far away. "Greninja, are you alright?"

Nic-Greninja's purple eyes opened once more. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Erza looked away, unsound by it being just him. "I see, then if that's the case, where is Nic?"

Nic-Greninja's attention averted to what lied ahead, calm as could be. "Look ahead."

Erza turned forward, instantly making her eyes shoot wide again as she saw a hemisphere of light encompass the area where Nic, E.N.D, and Gray were supposedly. The light was of multiple colors, yet the primary hues of red, blue, and purple shimmered more vibrantly on some parts compared to the other colors. Every now and again, bright static would travel randomly over the hemisphere.

"There's your answer." The frog look-alike of Nic spoke, standing on his feet once more.

Erza looked surprised to say the least. She wasn't making out exactly what I could be, but she knew somewhere inside said hemisphere was Nic in its sanctum. She could feel it; she could feel him. Unsure of what exactly it was, she kept her distance. "What is that?" She inquired.

Nic-Greninja narrowed his vision. "…that's an area in which Nic's confronting their minds." He answered, though he looked to be discerning about the prospect just as much as Erza.

Erza again whipped towards the hemisphere. "So then, he did make it inside. I see…"

The hemisphere crackled with static all over, shimmering vibrantly with blue and red electricity. The energy it gave off was ominous, for a lack of better wording. By no means did it seem like a good place to be in.

Erza's worries served to intensify as she gazed into the veil; her frown dampening.

"Erza!" The voice caught the Requip Mage by surprise. "Hey, Erza! Over here!"

Erza and Nic-Greninja turned their attention away, seeing the arrival of Wendy supporting Juvia. Carla, Vanessa, and her Mega Venusaur weren't too far behind. They all hurried on over, meeting up with Erza.

"Everyone." She said in honest surprise.

"Erza, thank goodness you're okay." Wendy sighed. In her relief, she almost dropped Juvia, but kept her up.

"Don't break your back supporting her alone." Carla chided, for the fifth time in Vanessa's count.

Vanessa approached Erza, a serious frown on her face. "Erza, what happened?"

"It's a long story…" Her attention averted to the shimmering hemisphere. "For now, just stay cautious."

Juvia wearily turned her head, her hazy blue eyes staring at the hemisphere Erza was looking at. "What is that? Where is Gray?"

"Yeah, and where's Nic?" Wendy turned her head left and right, seeing no sign of Luminous himself. Her attention went to Erza, and seeing her focus on the hemisphere, she was beginning to feel a very peculiar feeling crawl up her spine as she slowly turned towards the colorful hemisphere. "Are they…?"

"I'm afraid so. Something happened, so Nic tried to enter their minds. This is a direct result of that reaction." Erza informed.

Mega Venusaur gave a quizzical look. "What is it, exactly?"

"I can definitely sense their auras inside, that much I know…" Vanessa squinted, a nervous demeanor starting to cascade over her. "But, something's wrong. Natsu and Gray's auras, they're darker in shade."

Erza turned toward her. "Hold on, what?"

"I can't say, but from here, this weird energy shield Nic put up is only letting a small fragment of aura seep out. I'm getting Nic's signature alright, but Natsu and Gray are…darker, like their angry."

Juvia's eyes widened. _'Did he break already?'_

"Hey, look!" Nearby, Happy was flying above Lucy, pointing directly at the commotion up ahead. The blonde tailed on the ground, hurrying along with diligence.

"I see them!" She waved an arm up. "Hey, guys! Over here!"

Hearing the voice, Wendy perked up. "It's Lucy!"

"And Happy!" Carla gasped.

Lucy and Happy reconvened with them, joining them in the center of the predicament. They all looked worn out, fatigued at best.

"Are you guys hurt?" Lucy worried. Her attention drew to Juvia. "What happened?"

Covering her wound, Juvia winced. "There's not enough time to explain."

"What happened to you, Lucy? Are you okay?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah…" She turned towards the hemisphere, looking at its bizarre structure. "But what is that?"

"Is Natsu in there?" Happy asked. He tried to get a closer look at it, but he was immediately thwarted when Erza swiped an arm to block his path.

"Wait!" She ordered.

"Huh? Why?"

"It's too dangerous. Whatever Nic put up, it's keeping their energy contained. If we disturb that veil, who knows what will happen to the three of them."

Lucy gasped at the negative prospect. "But…" She looked back at the large dome, a hand balling and pressed against her buxom. Her brown eyes grew unsound as she thought of a pink-haired man. "Natsu."

"So then, Nic's dealing with them inside their minds?" Wendy questioned.

Erza again nodded. "Yes, and it looks stable for now. But it's hard to tell what's really going on." Once her questioning and concerns dialed down, she began to think. "Although…" She faced Nic-Greninja. "Greninja."

Nic-Greninja turned towards her. "What is it?"

"You share the same visual link with Nic, am I right?"

Knowing where this was going, Nic-Greninja turned to face the hemisphere. "Yeah, I can see…" In a visual close-up of his purple eyes, he saw a pitch-black sky with red and blue lightning flashing. He saw Nic for certain, and he retained a calm stature as he squared against a demonic entity resembling Natsu. Even now, Nic-Greninja felt his heart palpitate with Nic's own inside the mental world.

"What's happening? Is my darling safe?" Juvia questioned.

"Is Natsu alright?! Please tell us he's okay!" Happy pleaded.

Nic-Greninja did not move, rather he kept himself stable and calm as he saw straight through Nic's own vision, hearing everything that E.N.D was saying. "I'll be as crisp as I can with explaining in detail, so just bear with me…"

* * *

Nic squared off against E.N.D, dumb struck by his exclamation from before. He couldn't begin to fathom what had just been emitted from his mouth, it almost seemed unreal.

"What did you say?"

E.N.D's demonic hands balled tighter than before. "You heard me, Nic. I'll say it one more time…I hate you!"

The realization was staggering at best. If by what he said was true and that E.N.D was indeed Natsu's inner power and emotion, then this had to be true, but Nic didn't buy it so easily. Natsu? Hate? Was there even a possibility of such words in a single sentence? If this was a dream, he'd think his mind was playing tricks, but the fact that his skin was sweating and his conscience was thinking properly left the possibility of a dream dead. He stared on as E.N.D continued exemplifying his anger.

"I didn't want to say it. I couldn't. Not ever. I didn't think I would ever have to say it, but the only means I knew how to say it were under these circumstances. As E.N.D, I can finally express how I feel about you, and all I feel for you is ignorance and disgust! You constantly got in my path of getting stronger, and all I could do was watch you get stronger and farther away from me. How is that even fair? Simple, it isn't!" The ground the two stood upon began to ripple out, turning from the cold, gray desolation to an overview of Clover. To Nic's shock, this was where he saw Lullaby directly below.

"Wait, is this…?"

"You guessed it. You remember this, don't you?" Nic turned to face E.N.D yet again, his frown as mourning as one was at a funeral. "This is where we fought that demon, and where you and Charizard stole my finishing move!" To show his point, the image shrunk down, with Nic and E.N.D floating in the air as an electrifying, flaming comet that was Nic shot straight in between them. Nic looked down, seeing that it was himself when he first joined Fairy Tail.

The revelation made Nic stare in disbelief as a pillar of light shot high above, again separating him and E.N.D from view momentarily. As the skies roared, the desolation between the two was booming equally as loud, if not deadly. As the light faded, E.N.D was seen smirking.

"Quite the achievement, but to be fair, you did show impressive power. That's when I knew I had to take you on myself." The night sky of Clover Town rippled away, fading into Magnolia. Nic and E.N.D were atop of a building, overlooking the battle of Natsu and Nic. It looked even, until they got to where Nic used Sky Drop. "I wanted to be the best, and I always trained hard to beat Erza, Laxus, and all those other arrogant punks out there. But what annoyed me was how I couldn't beat you." They both witnessed Natsu groaning as he laid on the ground, dizzy and unable to battle. "Back then, I considered that dumb luck. That was your specialty after all, isn't it?"

Nic didn't say anything. What was there to say? He only watched as Natsu's blooming ambition grew immensely.

The image faded to the basement, when Nic got back from the S-Class mission. "You got privileges that I only dreamed of getting. You got to go on better adventures and face enemies that I should've fought. You took no punishments, and yet you allowed none of us to weigh you down. "Gajeel. Jellal. Laxus. Cobra. That Brain guy! All of them, where I had the one chance to best them, somehow, you and your Pokémon and powers always overshadow me!" The battles faded in and out, revealing the fall of Natsu and everyone else as Nic and Garchomp defeated Laxus. In chronological order, they both saw the pouts and frustrated faces Natsu made when he missed out on a fight, or the aftermath, when he was gritting his teeth as Nic emerges from rubble or sat idly. "You were getting better after every battle, and where was I?! I couldn't even beat that stupid robot while your Garchomp tore it up like a piece of paper!" The surroundings again changed to Edolas, where the Dragon Slayers witnessed Mega Evolution and the two Nic commanding their Mega Garchomp. "Your Pokémon, they were so powerful. They were so strong, it almost made me afraid if them. That's what scared me the most, that if I couldn't beat you, I couldn't beat the creatures that you trained! I was beginning to feel outclassed, and slowly my ambition was getting the best of me…"

With yet another snap of a demonic finger, E.N.D changed the scenery. This one averted to when Lysandre attacked them in Kalos. Nic's heart palpitated when he saw Lysandre again, but what scared him more was how he was lying half-dead on the ground while Natsu's efforts turned fruitless.

"Your mortal enemy, he was so strong!" E.N.D's body shuddered, utter fright looking like it was overcoming him. "I couldn't believe how scared I was. I wasn't able to stop him! I wasn't strong against any of those Legendary Pokémon! You and your Pokémon always defeated them, and what did that leave me?! Nothing!" E.N.D harshly snapped his fingers again, this time reverting the scene to the battle with Hades. "I should've been the one to stop Hades right there! I knew if I channeled my power and overcame my fear, I'd get the upper hand! But you took that chance away! And…and…"

Nic could feel the memory shudder. Slowly, the space cracked apart, like glass. He stood paralyzed as the memory literally shattered into pieces. He covered up, evading any broken glass, which oddly vanished before it struck him. When he uncovered, his eyes widened when he saw the Weather Trio against Acnologia on Tenrou Island.

E.N.D's fist clutched tight. "I was a Dragon Slayer! My pride was on the line! I used all my Dragon Slayer might to attack him, but I didn't stop him!" His teeth gritted against the other, strong and harsh enough to bend steel. "I should've stpped him! I had Dragon Slayer powers! But I still failed, and the worst part of it was that I had to stand aside as I couldn't prove my strength! Rayquaza, Groudon, and Kyogre…they all did something that **I** should've done! There was nothing stronger than a dragon! Nothing!"

At this point, Nic knew E.N.D was snapping out of Natsu's bitter disgust of his pride broken by Pokémon. He frowned in sadness, staring with no will to be proud. "Natsu…"

E.N.D swiped to the side, making the scene vanish to where Natsu yelled at Dialga and Palkia. They listened closely as Natsu exerted his anger and denial that Pokémon were stronger than dragons. "I didn't want to be weak, but that day I realized I truly was nothing lower than a weakling who couldn't protect his friends. Instead, you took it upon yourself to save them instead. You received admiration and became a rebel against everyone. You and your powers didn't stop growing, and how did you think I felt standing aside while you handled the big guns? Well?" The scene flashed to Nic battling Byro, with Natsu unable to help. It shifted then to Nic trouncing everyone at once at the beach after he returned from the training dimension. Then it shifted to the Grand Magic Games, where Sting announces dragons were mightier, and the frown on Natsu then was defined while Nic took over the action.

"I always battled using my heart and my will. I used the strength that my friends gave me to fight. They were my everything! I thought if I put my mind to it, I could beat anyone…but…" E.N.D trailed off, his sadness and frustration exemplified as the scene shifted once more. It was the time everyone wished to forget, the nightmare, or rather apocalypse that Lysandre put them in. "I wasn't able to slay any dragons. We Dragon Slayers were shammed because of you and Pokémon. We were weak because you didn't let us finish! We could've won! I knew it! But it was all a lie, and then you and your Pokémon killed the dragons instead, and made us…unimportant. You took our roles away and you filled those gaps instead, disregarding how we felt. Was our pride not important to you? Was my weakness and strengths irrelevant in the end? At this point, all I knew was that I couldn't measure up. You and those Pokémon, you were as powerful, even more than old man Gildarts. He's the strongest, and even he now wouldn't be a match! Why did you have to steal every bit of glory from me?! Why?!" There was something drastic about E.N.D, something that made Nic's heart stop. It wasn't the sanity or epiphany; it was the tears. Tears went down E.N.D's face, ones of grief and anger.

The emotions left Nic with an even greater sense of guilt. He knew at this point, "sorry" was unacceptable. It was out of reach. He wanted to say something to help E.N.D calm down his jealousy of Nic's power and glory, but he wasn't able to come up with anything. It was a blockade he couldn't fix, at least not with words.

Using a scaly demonic claw to wipe away tears, E.N.D faced Nic once more, the scene changing to the recent events of Avatar. "You weren't thinking about my feelings or any of ours. You were just trying to focus on a goal of getting stronger, were you? Even now, you still take what I should've shown everyone." The image revealed Nic using Crush Grip, reducing the war god to smithereens. With a snap of a finger, E.N.D made Nic's image vanish, instead swapping his place with Natsu's. "Yeah, that should've been me up there, but you just so happened to be 'smarter' and 'better'. I couldn't stand looking weak to you!" He snapped his fingers, revealing Nic against Ajeel while Natsu reluctantly turned and took off with everyone else. As they drove away, even motion sick, the pain on Natsu's face was more than just the sickness itself; it was his drive for fighting and protecting fading.

Nic wasn't able to do anything. He only looked on with sadness and remorse as the image faded to Natsu facing Zeref, and how he learned he was his brother. The sad look Natsu had on his face when he wasted Igneel's power was an even greater strike to the heart.

"I wasted all my power, and for what? I wanted to end everything myself, but then someone else goes and takes my chances away, left and right. Doesn't anyone trust me? Why were you given all this power? Why couldn't it have been me? Why?! Why?! _Why_?!" With a harsh grunt, E.N.D balled his fists and swiped at the illusion beneath. The ground instantly reverted to itself, cold gray touching Nic's sandals yet again. E.N.D's flaming claws only intensified in heat. "Zeref…Acnologia…you…all I wanted was to surpass you all, and prove I was the strongest. I'm brave. I'm fearless! I'm not weak! I can't be! I want to protect everyone! Not you! Me! Do you hear me?! It was all those battles that should've been _mine_ to encourage! You went and turned selfish, taking all those opponents that hurt my friends! I can't forgive anyone who thinks for himself! I wanted to get strong, but _you_ stood in my way…and I hate you because of that."

"Natsu…" Nic murmured.

"It's too late for apologies!" E.N.D snapped. "I won't forgive you, not after you proved everything I believed to be a lie! I always charged into battle ready to fight, and you always just take a more indirect approach! Where's the thrill in that?! You want a battle so bad, you need to attack head on and not like a coward!"

Nic took serious offense to E.N.D's exclamation. "Coward?"

"That's right, a coward! You gotta take everyone head on and prove your strength!"

His fists balling tight, Nic finally gave a response. "You're wrong! If you go in without any sense other than fighting for its own sake, then that's plain reckless!"

"So what? It's how I fight, not that you understand."

"Understand? Natsu, I-!"

"It's E.N.D!" He roared. "You see, that's what I'm talking about right there! You're selfish, Nic! You're practically taking Erza from us. You can't imagine how annoying that is, having spotlight and friends taken from you!" The flames engulfing his hands expanded, roaring like an inferno that enveloped his entire being. A massive ogre-like black fire engulfed E.N.D, the heat making shockwaves that made Nic's clothing shift. "I won't be in your shadow anymore! With this power, I'll finally be able to show you that I'm much stronger than you, and use it to take down Zeref and Acnologia all by myself!"

As the flames burned around E.N.D, the more Nic realized talking was out of the question. In a hidden sense, he was well aware of Natsu's ambitions. He knew he was strong, and knew Natsu wanted to prove a Dragon Slayer's might, but was unable to due to Nic's own influence. Was it all true? Did Nic overshadow everyone unintentionally? Of course he didn't mean to, but he never expected to achieve resentment because of it. He knew with all he's done, targets would be painted on his back, but out of all the arrows that could've been shot it had to have been his own comrade. He wasn't _intentionally_ selfish, but looking back at it, he had to sympathize with how Natsu – or rather E.N.D – felt. If he was unable to finish a fight and someone else took the flag towards victory, would he really be jealous? He didn't perceive arrogance in himself, but most of those battles fought were rather personal. He always thought Natsu was just brash and impulsive because he wanted to fight that badly, not to prove he was stronger than Nic. Clearly he was wrong.

"So this is the true feelings of E.N.D, huh?"

The voice made Nic jerk in place. As he stared ahead with shock, E.N.D had no visible emotion as a dark, icy breeze began to encompass the area behind Nic. He could feel his spine freeze, literally.

A figure walked up behind Nic, glaring daggers. "This is E.N.D, and this is Nic's own conscience interfering. I didn't peg to find two birds and knock them down with one stone. Just my luck I guess."

The air was hot before, but as Nic slowly turned around, blue lightning flashed in the sky. A blue lightning bolt crashed into the ground several feet nearby. He stared in shock as a staggering mound of ice was formed from the bolt. He watched yet again as the ice glowed and transformed into energy. A slurping sound was heard as the ice turned into an energy vortex. As the vortex shrunk, the image was all too clear.

E.N.D smirked. "Well, what do you know."

Nic stared in disbelief, seeing a familiar man with a vendetta of his own.

As the ice fully sucked into a mouth, a set of eyes opened, revealing Gray. But something was wrong, very wrong. The Ice Devil Slayer's entire upper body was covered in black, no doubt from the Devil Slayer tattoo, and what was dark was how his eyes were a complete red, and his hair was spiked up completely. It looked like he was mad, and that was putting it lightly.

"Gray." Nic said.

"Why so distraught? You should've known it wasn't just Natsu's mind you pushed yourself into, right? Don't forget, there's still me."

If Nic was honest, he almost completely forgot about Gray. He was so caught up in Natsu's own little world that Gray's own perspective was almost forgotten. Of course Nic didn't keep his guard down, but rather it heightened. He frowned in seriousness as Gray stopped ten feet away from Nic, the same distance as E.N.D.

"So you're the real E.N.D, huh?" Gray questioned.

E.N.D smirked. "Yeah, what's it to ya, Gray Fullbuster?"

"Tch, still as snarky as I thought Natsu was. I still can't believe that I one I had to kill was before my eyes all along. This is just sad."

"Sad for you, because if you intend to stand in my way, I'll turn you to ash."

"Doubt it, you freak." Gray held up his Devil Slayer tattoo, which misted with icy Magic Power. "I still have a promise I have to fulfill to my old man, and because of you and Zeref, my misery won't end unless I destroy both of you."

E.N.D raised a brow. "Is that right?"

Gray's glare hardened. "Yeah, and I intend on destroying you, even if you are an old friend, I won't rest until this promise is made…Natsu."

Nic eyed Gray with a mixture of wonder and horror. He was aware of Gray's vendetta and promise to stop E.N.D, but realizing it was Natsu, was that even fair? "Gray…"

Gray's red eyes glanced over towards Nic.

"Is this really what you desire? Just look at yourself. You're completely black. Is this what your heart really wants? Or is it your father? He couldn't have known E.N.D really was Natsu, so why-!" A blast of ice shot right pass Nic, breaking him off from his reasoning. His eyes went wide as he stared with deep horror as the ice streams dissipated, revealing parts of his cheeks caught in demonic ice. He was so shocked that he didn't look over his shoulder to see a long trail of spiky ice darting up to no end.

Gray's demonic hand steamed as he was the one released the small note. "Who cares? I intend to end E.N.D, even if my old man never knew his identity. You got that?" He snarled. "I'm not speaking to someone who is a friend; I'm speaking to someone who's a liar and dark like E.N.D himself. If not more."

"What…?"

"You heard me. I said it once, and I'll say it again." Gray pointed his finger at Nic, rather accusingly. "I'm saying that you're a liar! You're not dumb enough to know what lie means, don't you Nic?"

Nic stood his ground, taking a shocked stature. "Gray, tell me! Exactly what did I do to\hat made you-!"

"Don't lie to me!" Gray snapped. The harsh shouting staggered Nic, making him stop to see the bitter red in Gray's demonic eyes. They were beaming with frenzy; such rage, it was like a demon itself was speaking on the mage's behalf.

"Invel told me everything, about that night. The night where everything turned blood and millions perished because of something _you_ were involved in." Nic gasped at Gray's claim, making him recount the graphic images of his time against the Rivolta. "The Alvarez Empire's been keeping tabs on the energy concentration and the levels of dark power ever since the battle against Lysandre and Giratina, and that night when the moon and sky turned red, Invel and the Alvarez detected similar concentrations that Giratina gave off, which brings us to you."

' _Wait, Invel and the empire's been keeping energy records since then?'_ Nic wondered. _'If that were the case, did they also realize how directly involved I was?'_ The more he thought of t, the more he dreaded of what was to come. It scared him to think what would happen if Gray and Fairy Tail caught on to what really happened.

Gray continued. "You've always been a man of justice, and you had all the power one could imagine, so why didn't you just expel and destroy the darkness then, huh? Tell me now! You owe us, Nic! Tell us, were you responsible for that energy with Giratina and the Impure Underworld's destruction?!" It was a very complicated question to answer, because in a way, Nic was, yet it wasn't his fault, was it? He could say that it was nobody's fault, but that wouldn't change any damage inflicted on the world or morals. There wasn't a backdoor to the predicament, and Nic could see Gray was already so close to the truth.

As much as Nic wanted to turn away in guilt, he couldn't. It wouldn't feel right. He just frowned mournfully as he stared at Gray's feet.

"…it's true." Nic admitted.

Gray's teeth gritted. "I knew it!" A cold aura encompassed his body, a wave of cold air expelling everywhere. "So it _was_ you and Vanessa and Erza who were involved in the spell! You made the dead rise and kill all those innocence! Why did you do it?!"

"You wouldn't understand, it's a complicated story that involved our own demons!" Nic retorted.

"Oh really? Then what happened to said demons? Did you kill them? Did you use your light and destroy the demons that plagued us all?!"

Once again, Nic didn't give a quick response. He took a defensive stance, weary of the tension rising. "You know, there's more to your own demons than you want to know. It's what you _should_ know. This darkness we had, it wasn't something we expect you to get. We can face demons of our own, but even in that darkness, we…" Nic thought back to when he and Vanessa finally defeated their dark genetics passed from Giratina and made them vanish. He thought to when he thanked Giratina, accepting what he did and looking on the positive.

"What?" Gray sniped.

Nic looked back, a resolve in his eyes. "We made peace with that darkness."

Once again, Gray was caught by surprise. "You…made peace with…your darkness?"

"We did. We didn't let it take over us. We didn't let it destroy or contradict who we were. Vanessa and I…we learned that there's always darkness in someone, even us. Even you. Even Natsu, but you can't fight against it. It'll only make it worse. Accepting what's happened and living with what's happened in your life; that's how we managed to survive that night."

Gray's balled fists slowly lost their tightness. "I see…now I get it…" A silence fell as his demonic red eyes softened, revealing an easy tension. It looked like Gray was finally calming down.

"Gray…" Nic was suddenly pushed back by a shockwave of cold air. The air around Nic sparkled like he was attacked by a Frost Breath. He covered up so as to get a view of Gray again through the shivering air. As he looked at him, he saw the bitter red in his eyes hardening with his fury again boiling.

"So instead of fighting darkness with light…you fought using darkness itself…" Gray's fists balled again, much tighter than before. "That isn't the Nic I know! The Nic I knew would fight against evil with whatever valor he had, and have his friends be there by his side to face against darkness! He wouldn't let darkness be part of his life! That'd only make him angry and savage, I should know!"

His arm was cold from shielding, but he had to keep trying. "Gray, stop this!"

"Now I see why you stopped me from destroying Natsu's book a year ago. I get why you said I should stop pursuing E.N.D. It's because you think I can be like you; I can make peace with the monsters that destroyed my family and life. Well I'm not like you! How could you ever forgive Giratina?! That's like saying you embrace peace for the impossible! Well E.N.D doesn't know reason, and I have no intention on making peace with anyone who uses evil to twist my life around any longer!"

The winds were getting colder, making ice form on Nic's forearm. "Gray!"

"Shut up!" Gray completely snapped, his Ice Devil Slayer tattoo reappearing on his right arm, shimmering with a powerful red light. He held up the fist and clutched it tight. "You sided with E.N.D. Big mistake. I never thought I'd have to take out another demon. You can't make peace with these monsters, Nic. It's impossible. So I guess I'll have to freeze the darkness you have too. The one that's worse than E.N.D himself!"

Nic lost. He knew at this point, there was no going back. He hung his head, looking at the ground in a depressed manner. At least he was able to overlook and make control of the deep secrets he had deep down. He didn't like holding expectations for others, but he at least thought Gray and E.N.D knew better than to let their inner hate get the best of them. Then again, they both weren't him. This was their weakness, one they refused to fix, and they casted the blame onto Nic.

E.N.D smirked at Gray. "Hehe, well, guess we do have something in common after all, ay ice boy?"

"Don't get the wrong idea, E.N.D. I'm just taking out those who are getting in my way. I'm taking Nic's demons out first…then you're next." Gray turned towards Nic, ready for battle. E.N.D did the same.

"Sounds fine to me. I wanna show him how much stronger I am than Pokémon."

Nic stepped back, the air turning lukewarm thankfully from E.N.D and Gray both turning their energy and focus onto him. "You guys, don't make me do something I'll regret." He pleaded.

"I said I'm not forgiving you or E.N.D. End of discussion." Gray retorted. He put his hand together. "Time to slay this demon."

E.N.D's hands lit ablaze in dark fire. "You read my mind."

' _It's no use. Their reasoning is far gone. If I don't act, they surely kill each other…along with me.'_ Nic was a fair person at heart, and he was able to overlook matters such as rivalries. This situation, however, proved most tedious for his misfortune. Peace was possible – but only in his experience. That was a selfish flaw, and Gray exploited that. Neither side wanted peace, and if that was the case, then Nic had no say in the matter.

Knowing what he had to do, he braced himself. The serious frown returned as he glowed. As the light faded, it revealed him in another dual form. This one was a mix of the Fist and Flame Form. The Flame Form was the main color, but belt, sash, edging, V-neck, and socks were all that of the Fist Form.

"Looks like there's no choice…" Nic stepped back for a distance. "Looks like I'll have to reason with you the hard way." Too bad as the saying goes, easier said than done.

* * *

Nic-Greninja stayed on his two feet, retaining his position even as his link with Nic made him feel the temperatures like him. As Nic-Greninja caught up on everything Nic saw and heard, everyone was shocked beyond their own callous measure. There was no single person left unbaffled.

Wendy gasped. "You mean…"

"No way…" Lucy murmured.

Even Carla was distraught from the realization. "So you're saying that Natsu was E.N.D all along…and he had a pointless strive to best Nic?"

Erza's eyes narrowed. "And Gray, to think even he would lose his sanity."

Juvia slowly sunk to her knees, her eyes hazy and her vision almost distraught from what she heard. "Gray wants…to slay all demons…even Nic…?"

Lucy stared at the ground, her eyes misting. "This has to be a joke, right? Right?"

Happy's eyes misted bad. His teeth gritted in agony. "Natsu…why…" He got down to his tiny feet, on all fours. "Natsu! This can't be! You couldn't have let E.N.D take over you!"

Wendy held her hands over her mouth, unable to contain herself. She was equally as distraught at everything she heard, and hearing how they blame Nic and wish to murder him only made her freak out.

Erza balled her fists tight. Her eyes showed a mix of something she didn't like to show with the world: Fear and worry. Not just for Natsu and Gray finally snapping and letting their vendettas get ahold of them, but for Nic. Once again, Nic had to face a crossroad, and she couldn't help. This only made her fist clutch tighter to where she shook. "Nic…"

Juvia was tearing up, shaking her head profusely. "It's wrong! There has to be a mistake! My darling would never stoop so low!" She denied.

"Natsu…" Lucy was on the verge of breaking down. She was out of it entirely, as the man she knew for so long, the one who she depended on had finally gone off the deep end. She turned away, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "You can't…you can't do this!" She cried to the hemisphere.

Within her own breakdown, Wendy caught onto something. "Hey, wait." She faced Vanessa, a worried expression painted. "Vanessa, what Gray said…is that all true? About the Impure Underworld?"

Vanessa was flabbergasted at Wendy's questioning. Her eyes widened briefly, and she couldn't tell exactly what to say exactly. The truth was out, but all she did was look down and frown. Not just her, but Erza, for she was in the same boat.

"It's…too complicated to say, Wendy. I'm sorry." Vanessa apologized.

The guilt charged, Wendy faced Erza, seeing the same pained expression as Vanessa. It was true what Gray said, and that only made it that much worse. "It can't be…"

Juvia bolted up, looking directly at the hemisphere. "There has to be something wrong about it!" She made a beeline for the hemisphere. "Gray!"

"Juvia, wait!" Wendy gasped.

"Don't do it!" Carla implored.

Juvia ignored them and went straight for the hemisphere. She reached out, hoping to get inside somehow and fix it, however, upon touching, the hemisphere rejected her. She bounced back upon contact, yelping as she fell onto her back with a thud.

"Juvia!" Lucy and Happy shrieked.

The rain woman grunted as she struggled to get up, so much that her body wasn't functioning right. She eyes barely opened, her wound she held onto starting to leak red again. She lurched to her side, grunting in searing agony. Everyone gathered around her, with Vanessa managing to support her injured haul.

"Juvia! Is she alright?!" Erza exasperated.

Happy looked back at the hemisphere, seeing it spark every now and again. His tail stayed sunk to the ground. "It rejected her."

"Wait, does that mean if we get close, we'll only bounce off?!" Lucy realized. "Then how are we supposed to help Natsu?!"

Vanessa's brow furrowed. "We can't."

Everyone but Erza stared at her with shock. "Huh?"

"As much as I hate to say, I'm afraid she's right." Erza admitted, staring at the hemisphere that crackled with dangerous power and the three bodies that were fighting against one in particular. It only served to make her feel more morbid than before. "This is something that we can't solve. Only Natsu and Gray can alleviate their own securities against Nic…or their minds will die trying."

Happy activated his wings, gliding up to Erza's side. "But what will happen if any one of them end up dying in there?! What happens to their bodies?"

Erza's head tilted down. "I don't know."

"What?!"

"But that's why we have to keep ourselves high. Even if Natsu and Gray are reduced to monsters, we have to make sure and trust Nic does what he can in order to bring them back to their senses." There was sheer worry, but even through the distress she gave, she had to trust Nic. By all means, she refused to let Nic die because of this. She'd feel guilty if she couldn't help like she is now, but the matter was that if Nic doesn't find the drive to fight, he'll end up dead. Erza bit her lower lip, her brows furrowing deeper with a deep plea.

' _Nic…don't die in there.'_

* * *

E.N.D and Gray roared as they brought their fists back in unison. Their respective fists set in dark flames and icy energy, they punched the ground. At the instant, several beams of energy shimmered and retreated back beneath them. Seconds later, the ground gave way and depressed beneath their might as two deep columns the size of Gyarados raced towards Nic. Ice and dark flames cracked and split through the cold, gray ground, making it tremble, yet Nic covered up.

" **Detect!** "

A light blinded Nic, leaving him in confines unknown, while E.N.D and Gray watched as a large-scale explosion erupted ahead of them. Black fire and a cold charge pulsed largely, making ripples in the dark sky as blue and red lightning bolts flashed repeatedly. Both showed no smirks as they knew better than to overlook Nic.

True to what they figured, as the tepid shockwaves dialed down, they looked up, realizing Nic was twisted right above their heads with a palm positioned. " **Force Palm!** " With a shout, he somersaulted and slammed his palm between the two's feet. E.N.D and Gray instantly jumped away, thankfully in time to avoid beams of light that were sent into the ground. The depressed ground depressed yet again as Force Palm traveled beneath, tripling and shattering the ground. Dust spouts arose, obscuring all means of sight for everyone.

Nic stood up in the middle of the sight, having made cover, yet behind, a silhouette charged with a demonic claw.

Gasping, time slowed down for Nic as he looked back, seeing E.N.D slashing. Due to reflexes, he leaned away from the attack, missing the dark embers by a mere hair.

Nic, however, was not safe. His eyes widened when he sensed Gray, time again slowing down as he was crouching behind at a low angle with an ethereal ice sword. In a twisted sense of action, Nic used his backward momentum and kicked off the ground into a backflip, flipping right over and positioned above the swinging ice blade.

" **Rolling Kick!** "

Twisting again, he spin-kicked E.N.D and Gray, axe-kicking to be more accurate. Both were pushed away in one direction away from Nic as he landed. Gray grunted upon the secondary effect of flinching, leaving him to falter away as E.N.D charged instead with flaming claws.

Faltering away himself, Nic leaned left and right, dodging every thrust while E.N.D gained ground. Thrust after thrust, Nic backed up on the unstable foothold he created for them.

"Come on! Hold still and quit backing off!" E.N.D cursed.

Unwilling to reason, Nic furrowed his brow again. When he stepped back once more, the diced rock he stepped on rocked backwards. _'Now!'_ As E.N.D was thrusting ahead, Nic diligently brought his right foot behind the rock and kicked it up. Even though no smaller than a baseball, it struck E.N.D's chin, the shock making his head go up and his thrust lose trajectory. Nic leaned back once more and maneuvered beneath the claw. Once the flames dissipated, he grabbed the wrist and pivoted on his heel.

" **Circle Throw!** "

He threw E.N.D right over his shoulder, using momentum and hurling him face first into the ends of the crater he made from his earlier attack. As he laid in dust, Nic was again caught by surprise as he felt a cold sensation up his back.

Behind him, Gray was already on his tail, having icy energy around his right fist. Angrily wanting to rid of all demons, he swung at Nic, but without looking, Nic brought his arm around, coating his fist in Fire Punch. He backhanded the attack, the arching fire deflecting Gray's attempts.

With the shock and pivot to his advantage, Nic fully turned with his left fist embedded in Fire Punch. With his turn, Gray thrust his left icy fist forward, but Nic bobbed to the side and hook uppercut the Fire Punch to Gray's jaw. Exactly with E.N.D staggering from shock, Nic went on the offensive, the Fire Punch changing to Rock Smash. Glowing red energy encompassed the fists and he stayed low and socked Gray's jaw again, advanced, socked him again, advanced, and socked him once more; this one slamming Gray onto his back.

With the effects of Rock Smash, that last one left a blue aura around Gray, lowering his defenses. Nic's Rock Smash faded, his attention averting once more to the roaring behind. As he looked over his shoulder, his eyes widened with a gasp as E.N.D was in midair with a dark, swirling claw of black fire.

With diligence, Nic back-slipped yet again, getting away as E.N.D slammed again the ground where he was at previously, causing an expanding explosion of black fire to erupt. The black flare pulsed out like Lava Plume, yet Nic managed to speedily flip and slide away on his heels to a stop, barely grazed by the demonic heated shockwaves.

As the dust cleared, he looked unnerved as E.N.D stood with hardly any scratches and frowning, and Gray arose with a serious frown, his demonic stature hardly bruised.

"C'mon now, was that supposed to hurt us?" E.N.D chided.

Gray wiped the blood from his lip. "Funny, I pegged your punches to be harder. You seriously afraid of fighting us?" He taunted.

Nic didn't answer, instead, he raised a fist into the air, glowing a bright read again. Once more, he drove it into the diced ground. " **Rock Smash!** " He smashed the ground with a hard blow, making the area burst with powerful winds and cracks to lengthen throughout the area. Under E.N.D and Gray, Rock Smash's indirect blow caused rocks to rumble upwards, making them cover up.

"Who says I have to fight on your terms?" Nic retorted. "I didn't come here to play by your rules. Whether you see it or not, I'm here to stop your demons."

The dust continued to surge, but even within E.N.D's voice was heard. "Defeat our demons, you say?"

"What a bother." Following the sound of Gray, the dust, rock, and the ground beneath Nic shined brightly, transforming into ice. With dust becoming sparkles, its icy wake blew past Nic, who looked back as a dark flare was starting to surge. In a rush, Nic did a trick Natsu would do, and ignited his feet in flames. With a jump start, he zoomed backwards as a demonic explosion again erupted from E.N.D just like before, sending ice everywhere.

Nic slid backwards within the shockwaves as he descended back to earth. He landed on a flying ice chunk, making do and leaping of it onto another one sailing nearby. Then another, until he found himself above the wake once more. However, up ahead, E.N.D roared as he was surrounded in dark flames, flying over the heated wake and closed in on Nic.

Gritting his teeth, Nic again ignited his feet and propelled himself forward, reeling a fist back, this one in an explosive-like energy. " **Dynamic Punch!** "

As they closed in on one another, both were consequently cut off when a pillar of ice shot in between them, rising upwards to intercept. Neither side was able to stop in time as they followed through with their attacks, colliding and making a fast ripple extend outwards. From a distance way, the ripple kept going out, until far from sight. Moments later, the large pillar of ice, and the ground alike within the vicinity shattered to pieces. The cold, hard ground with patches of ice erupted within the flashy wake of fire, explosions, and ice chunks.

Time slowed down as Nic and E.N.D were in midair, both floating as the flash encompassed them. Ice chunks were floating in between them, and neither of their attacks made direct contact due to the stalemate.

Nic glared ahead, but a shadow casted over him. Looking up, his attention averted towards Gray, having gotten above somehow, and to Nic's shock. _'He was inside the ice he summoned?!'_ Before he had the chance to act, Gray opened his mouth, unleashing a demonic blast of roaring ice. The cool yet crisp attack enveloped Nic, making his body lurch as a cold blaze enveloped his heated body. Regardless, he screamed as he was a red, flaming core at the end of the icy beam. The beam crashed into the ground with a thud, making another eruption of mist and smoke to mix.

Outside the hemisphere, Nic-Greninja saw and felt Nic's sense of pain. Like Nic, he grunted as his body lurched in pain, causing alarm to the group.

"Greninja!" Lucy panicked.

"Are you okay?" Wendy was overlooking the fallen Juvia, continuing to utilize her magic again on her wound. Yet her concern was shared with Nic-Greninja.

Nic-Greninja's eyes opened meekly, showing his purple hazy expression. "Nic." He grunted.

Erza looked from the frog towards the hemisphere, her brown eyes cascading immense worry. As she looked on, her left fist balled tightly over her chest.

The explosion scattered, with rocks plopping away. Nic was seen tumbling away with them, yet thankfully he managed to catch himself. He got his hand to the ground, a foot sprawled indirectly across. He slid sideways, barely upholding traction as he gained distance. Once ascertained, he slid to both feet, but found E.N.D and Gray simultaneously in front of him.

"HRAH!" Together, they socked Nic in the face, making him falter back, then in his chest, and then his abdomen, and again in the face. The last blow knocked Nic off his feet, making him lose traction only for a moment as he flew several feet back. As he did, his purple eyes opened and he got footing back, sliding across the ground to a halt.

E.N.D and Gray roared as they reeled their fists back one more time, this time with ice and dark fire swirling with great magnitude. They took up a large area behind them, appearing as an icy and flaming typhoon that swirled and compressed itself into their fists.

At the same time, Nic recovered from the attacks and put his hands together. In between the palms, a large concentration of energy manifested. The magnitude was so dense that the nearby rocks scattered at his feet rattled from the magnitude and frequency he gave off. A bright orb of sheer fighting energy and will manifested, and at once, all three blasted with everything they had.

" **GRAH!** "

" **Focus Blast!** "

All three exerted intense winds and ripples behind, propelled as their attacks went straight ahead with speeds rivaling a fighter jet. A yellow, dark, and icy shockwave spilled everywhere, and the concentrated beam of ice and dark fire raced at Nic with everything they had. On one side, the shockwaves meted the flying rocks, while rocks froze to bits on another side. A deep trail followed Nic's attacks, and within second, all three met.

It was nothing short of an atomic eruption. The area – from the unobstructed clearing to the dark mountains in the distance – was enveloped in a large dome of swirling energy. The explosion wave roared with terrors of demons, shooting skyward with deep rock and icy fragments. The pillar of right scaled higher than ever, reaching the pitch-black space above.

After several minutes of intense escalation and turmoil, the pillar of manifested energy divided and dissipated, flickering away with vaporized rock. There was no dust, instead it was either snow or embers that swirled or skid across the ground pass everyone. The unison impact leveled everything, even the sullied ground.

Evenly apart, Nic, E.N.D, and Gray were all on a knee, the embers and snow sliding away to reveal them all standing back up; Nic more so than the others. As he faced the two, they appeared to be…unamused.

"Well, this is getting more to my liking." E.N.D snorted. "Finally, we're getting more worthy attacks to level with our own."

"Doubtful, that wasn't even close." Gray said, arms crossed and ignoring his wounds.

Nic's eyes narrowed with a growl.

"What's the matter, Nic? You scared of hitting us with all your might? Do you think we're too weak that we can't handle your stronger attacks, or is it that you can't bring yourself to take this seriously?"

"I already told you, I'm not willing to put an end to you so easily." Nic reasoned.

"So, you admit you're scared of destroying 'friends'?" E.N.D sniped, catching wind of the taunt.

"You guys are putting words into my mouth. If you really were wanting to kill me, shouldn't you be unleashing all your strength as well?" Now it was their turn to feel threatened. "Come on, you think I don't know Natsu and Gray's own strength? If you perceived me as selfish, then how come I know they could do better than this? It's not that I think, but more like I do know. That makes me wonder…are you guys holding back deliberately as well?"

E.N.D and Gray's patience ran thin. They refused to accept this. Nic was using mental psychology in reverse; reverse psychology. They questioned him about his need to hold back, and now he turned the tables. What was supposed to be their advantage and provoke Nic to defeating him at full power had turned against them.

Unwilling to take the bait and make a mistake that would cost lives, Nic stepped forward. "Don't think I'm being so arrogant. You may be Natsu and Gray's hatred and demons, but I'm not like you guys. I've learned there was more to darkness than destroying it. This is a path everyone must take for themselves. If you guys still can't understand that, then you're leaving me with no choice." He spread his feet apart, a pulse escaping his body. As the pulse flared, dust rippled outwards with his outfit shifting about. He knew now in order to help them, it was time to step it up.

Sensing Nic's overall power increase to higher pressure, E.N.D's uneased expression turned to an impish smirk. "Now this is worth it." His demonic claws enflamed in darkness. He swiped them high. "Then it's time I show Pokémon what the might of a Dragon Demon can do! Time to crush you for good!"

Gray let out loud roar, his demonic Magic Power flaring exponentially as well. The ground from kilometers on end shuddered in fright as shockwaves pulsed from all of their individual power. E.N.D and Gray had powering stacks of their elements enveloping them, while nothing surrounded Nic – it was like his power was so great it couldn't be seen.

As the intensity unfolded to a peak, the area around then began to…alter, in a way. Black fires surged, burning the ground itself. They were uncontrollable, with searing waves escaping into the distance, while some parts of the ground completely cracked apart, pillars of searing dark fire pulsing into the sky. The ground quaked harsher than before. At the same time, as cracks opened and lengthened in other areas, waves of ice pulsed in a jagged manner. They were spiky, and like the pillars of dark fire, they spread rapidly, walls severing the ground, and both demon versions of once were friends-rivals roaring out at Nic with their respective elements misting or flaring around them.

It was hot and cold at the same time, lightning of the respective attribute flashing constantly. Bolts shot down onto the quaking earth, igniting bursts of fire or ice sporadically.

' _Their energy is out of control. I'll have to subdue them quickly!'_ Nic held his battle stance, glowing once more. "Natsu! Gray!"

A red bolt shot down in between the trio, , exploding black fire in a raging manner. The tide thus arose for them to quicken the battle.

E.N.D charged straight through the flames, unaffected as a flaming fist was ready. When he got through, Nic was gone, leaving him to land on his feet. His senses made him look up as a flash of lightning got his attention. Up high, he saw Nic in a dual type form again, his normal self, but the belt, edging, V-neck, inner sleeves, and socks were that of the Zap Form.

With an arm movement, Nic reached down to E.N.D, the entire black sky crackling in lightning and gathering in its center. A portal of yellow opened, unleashing a beaming Thunder downwards. It shot at great speeds.

It struck E.N.D, crackling him and bolting static across the ground. The entire space rattled and E.N.D stood still as the bolt was like a hammer that crushed anything.

Nic knew something was up, his eyes narrowing as E.N.D looked unaffected below. The maniacal demon of Natsu opened his pitch-black eyes, expanding his wings and exerting black flaming shockwaves. Not to Nic's surprise, the lightning dissipated, the repulsion making Nic recoil back into the air.

A shadow cast beside Nic, revealing to be Gray with an ethereal devil sword made of ice. He looked ready to slash, but Nic turned and widened his eyes. " **Flash!** " A bright light of blinding force pierced Gray's eyes, making his attack dissipate as the blinding force made him falter.

With the opportunity thwarted, Gray was suspended as E.N.D spread his large draconic wings. He shot up in a blazing black comet, heading for Nic. Seeing the assault, Nic's body instantly turned to lightning, zapping away in the blink of an eye. E.N.D continued his course, gliding higher up into the atmosphere. The demon soared with a straightforward way, his nose knowing no bounds. When he sailed straight for some way, his nose twitched. He caught Nic.

Down below, in midair, Nic had already solidified, and he yelled as he twisted and threw an Electro Ball at E.N.D from the angle. However, E.N.D glanced down, and his arm swiped to the side, deflecting the orb of yellow electricity and went off in the distance, erupting in a bright yellow frenzy.

Nic's teeth gritted. _'His perception's enhanced, like a dragon!'_ In his revelation, E.N.D reached down, unleashing a black blaze down towards Nic. The burning attack was met with Nic's reflexes making his body engulf in electricity, via Spark. He crossed his arms, using the discharging force to reduce the damage. The roaring blaze, however, proved to be of great power, and he shot down like a meteor, falling down into the unstable earth. He crashed into a gray patch that wasn't touched by the release of power, enveloped in a mixed wave of dust and embers.

Outside, Nic-Greninja lurched again, wincing hard as a heat enveloped his veins. It felt like it went to 100 Degrees in a flash, and his back suffered a great pain. He stepped back, containing his body's condition. This again worried everyone present.

The dust and fire faded, revealing Nic swiping his arm and having a few scratches. He was back on his feet, fists clutched. "His attacks got more devastating." He huffed. A cold chill was what diverted his attention then, making him look down to see his feet were chilled. When he saw that his feet were frozen in place, he knew he was caught on the spot. "A trap?!"

A foot made him gasp and look up, seeing Gray several feet away. Gray brought both his palms together in a loud clap, a silence befalling before Nic was enveloped in a spiky pillar of ice that appeared in a shimmering flash. The ice pillar stood tall, very high and covered an area that seemed impossible for Nic to escape.

Flapping his wings, E.N.D smiled. "Great, I got him now!" He brought both hands together, generating a ball of swirling black fire. The fire emitted heated waves that distorted the space around E.N.D. Without a repercussion, he yelled madly as he raised the sphere and threw it overhead, sending it crashing into the ice pillar.

Upon impact, the pillar of ice exploded, turning from ice into humid mist. The chunks blew past Gray and E.N.D, but down below, Gray smiled. "There. That should teach him to make peace with something impossible."

Little did he know, his shadow was darkening.

As Gray smirked, something felt wrong. His mirk changed to a frown, and he felt an uneasy tension rise from behind. As he looked back, something black shot towards him.

" **Shadow Sneak!** "

Nic shot from Gray's shadow in the form of a straight shadow angling and striking Gray's cheek. The impact worked, and Gray felt himself receiving more than a small mark on the face. He glared back, ignoring the swelling on his face from the Rock Smash's effect from earlier. Nic reappeared on his feet, having transformed to his Spooky Form.

"Now you escaped by becoming a shadow?" Gray retorted. "Tch, I should've known. HRAH!" Unwilling to lose momentum, Gray swiped his arm, but as a crescent of demonic ice went vertically out, Nic disappeared, reappearing and blindsiding Gray with his right arm stretched out.

" **Shadow Claw!** "

He passed Gray in a crouch, staying below the arm and slashing with a black shadow outlined in purple to make a claw. It sliced into Gray, again making the demon of Gray gawk as he was open. As Nic turned towards Gray, who held his wound with a growl.

"Damn you…" He snarled.

Nic didn't waver as he recalled Natsu, or E.N.D. He looked up to see him above, but the demon dragon creature smiled maliciously as he swiped his arm to the side.

A light appeared beneath Nic, his eyes widening in shock of the long-range surprise E.N.D gave. Once again, the man was enveloped in another pillar, this time of erupting, towering black fire. The pulsing blaze roared like a dragon, making both E.N.D and Gray's hair shift.

As he looked on, E.N.D sneered. "Damn straight. That'll show him."

As the pillar of black fire raged on, the roaring hollered; hollering vigorously, yet as odd as it was, there was another kind of vibrant roar heard from inside. This caught Gray and E.N.D's attention, their frowns returning.

"What now?" E.N.D snarled.

A multicolored energy began to glisten through the perilous fire, shimmering and causing a pressure change. The center became an ovular dome, shimmering with many colors.

Gray's eyes narrowed. "Damnit."

E.N.D's glare hardened.

The dome became unstable, and it quickly dispersed, erupting into a burst to reveal Nic in his Draco Form. As time slowed down, the black tower dissipated and embers eroded around Nic as he turned around to face E.N.D, a sharp look in his eyes. E.N.D grunted and his demonic claw was enveloped in black flames. Searing in conquest, he went racing for Nic with fury to match. With a loud shout, Nic, too, flapped his wings and went soaring for him, both his hands enveloped in Dragon Claw. He went blazing at him with so much speed that the claws were like bright blurs that streamed from the sides. In unison, both roared and met in the middle.

"NIC!"

"E.N.D!"

Dragon Claw and demonic claws met in the center, creating a very brutal burst of energy in the atmosphere. Numerous draconic and dark ripples scattered like rings, exerting shockwaves that were so potent that the air literally shook and the ground far below splintered and cracked, the shockwaves completely ripping through the fires, ice waves, and erupted everything. The airwaves did not deter, and they pulsed so vibrantly that one couldn't be standing.

Within the stalemate in the sky, E.N.D and Nic struggled fiercely as their flames and draconic energy did not waver. Neither side backed down, glaring daggers and growling profusely. However, both collapsed from their individual forces, and they separated and tumbled away with the shockwaves.

Alike, they straightened out, their wings flapping. Like before, they charged again.

E.N.D enveloped himself in a charging black whirlwind of draconic dark fire. The way it enveloped him almost looked like a dragon, with a comet-like tail. "Why don't you just let me show you what I've got for once!"

Nic shot at him, folding his wings and his body releasing a pulsing energy. The energy transformed into a dragon-shaped entity, via Dragon Rush. The Dragon Rush's shape equaled that of E.N.D's attack, both charging with full force. "You're forgetting who the real enemy is!"

As they drew closer, E.N.D's glare intensified. "No…I'M NOT!" He roared, at the same time his fire roared with him, like a demonic dragon.

In two comets that connected, the bolting streams vanished for a moment, becoming a white flash that became a dome in the sky. The dome imploded, shrinking until it erupted all its energy. Scattered fragments of light and heinous whirlwind spouted everywhere; destruction unimaginable as the energy field expanded quickly, roaring so loudly that the sound barrier would've been shattered to pieces. The roaring enveloped everything, and the ground shook with a magnitude rivaling that of an Earthquake.

Gray did his best to cover up, going as far as making a shield of ice to reduce the blow. He got to a knee, barely holding up as he was ducking from a piece of ice that chipped off and blew elsewhere.

As the minute long rampage and chaos started to wane down, the bright light in the sky began to subside, decreasing to where it was a singular smoke comet that went hurdling downwards. The streaming projectile in smoke crashed into the earth beneath, again making the land rattle and the earth depressing with vigorous terror.

When the smoke vanished within the burst, in a small crater, it revealed Nic and E.N.D, their heads interlocked like two bulls. Their teeth gritted as their individual claws tried to overpower the other.

"You put Dragon Slayers to shame! How does that make you feel?!" E.N.D questioned harshly.

"Is this really what it's all about? Just your pride?!" Nic pushed harder, waning towards him. "What about Igneel?! You heard it himself, that everyone can't handle some fights alone! If Rayquaza didn't come, then what did you think would happen?!"

"Don't talk about Igneel like that!" E.N.D pushed harder, his demonic hands starting to envelop in flames. The flames began to steam on Nic, making him wince in pain. "I don't care if Rayquaza if Rayquaza came or not, because I would've helped him if he asked me too! If we worked together, then we could've stopped him!"

Nic was feeling his hands and skin burn. Thanks to his Dragon-type, he had little to worry about fully enflamed, but the pain he felt was feel aware. He held on still, defying all that was spilled. His eyes sharpened, his fight returning. "That's not how the world WORKS!" With what he had, he shoved E.N.D away, pushing the demon off and slide away several feet away.

"You think everything is that simple? Not everything goes the way you want it to, Natsu! You can try and change it for yourself, but might and will alone isn't going to cut it! What you see as bravery is nothing short of foolhardy! If you don't know what answer to find, you can't go blaming others for something **you** can't figure out! The fact that you think killing me will solve the dilemma with Acnologia or Zeref or your selfish impulses won't magically come true!"

"Shut up! Yes it will!" E.N.D charged at him head on, black flames enveloping his right fist. He jumped and went to strike at Nic, but he leaned to the side, dodging completely.

Nic turned to loom back at him. "Then what were you thinking when you fought against Zeref? Were you thinking about yourself? Your well-being, or did you forget about us and our own priorities? I understand that you want to take down Zeref more than anyone, and I should know…" He looked down at the ground, his gaze turning a little sully. "I have my own score to settle with… _him_."

E.N.D narrowed his eyes. "He's mine, too! I can handle him! Just watch me!" He raised a claw and slammed it against the ground. Consequently Nic veered backwards and evaded a pillar of black fire that erupted in place.

"You know Acnologia isn't going to come after dragons until he gets his way with Pokémon! Are you really that desperate to prove your worth to him, or me even?! We're all strong in our own way, but what your ambitions hold are nothing to be proud of!"

The pillar of darkness that separated Nic and E.N.D faded, revealing the corrupted boy with an unsatisfied frown. "I stand for what I believe. What do you believe then?" E.N.D retorted. "Because I think you just want to handle the big fish that we can't handle together! We could've defeated Acnologia if we were just stringer then-!"

"But that doesn't change anything!" Nic snapped. "So you didn't stop him then. Do you really think that after so many times, that you can just give up and turn your competition over to someone else?"

A hand arose from elsewhere, misting profusely from the cold air. "We have to prove ourselves to someone somehow."

Nic gasped at the voice. Reflexes kicking in, he jumped, barely evading demonic ice stalks that burst from his spot. He landed off to the side, looking at the stalk and towards Gray, who was the one responsible. "Gray."

"You're such a hypocrite. Did you forget you always do things on a whim without our regard as well?" Gray fiercely reminded him of the many times when Nic did unconventional methods when dealing with problems, like against Jose, his sacrifice at the Tower of Heaven, and all the solo fights he endured with everyone just watching from the sidelines.

Nic's eyes softened, a spot touched that was most sensitive. "…at least I wasn't driven by revenge and anger." He rebutted.

"That's all?" Gray retorted. "You know personal matters as much as we do, so then why make us see the big picture when it's the little details that we need to focus on? Isn't that an artist does?" Again, a chord was struck in Nic. His own logic again twisted and turned on him. If that wasn't bad, Gray added insult to injury. "I don't know what happened in the Impure Underworld incident, but I know that was personal, and ever since then, you were different. It's those demons that tormented you; the ones you chose peace over destruction. When you thought it over, did you really think it ended there? Does suffering end for anyone if you stop just one of those monsters who damned you?"

Despite Gray's harshness, Nic stood his ground. "You know as well as I do, Gray. Even if I did save myself from darkness, did that stop the battles from coming?" He narrowed his eyes, his demeanor changing. "Even if all demons were slayed, the ones in your heart are the ones that you must consult the most. The battle never ends, not even when you make amends. You can't erase darkness with light all the time; sometimes…you just have to look at other's perspectives."

Gray's red eyes glowed. "Not when it's a demon's."

"That makes two of us." E.N.D smirked.

Nic was feeling his words fall apart. He truly hoped that somewhere, there was the goodness in Natsu and Gray, like there was for everyone. Reasoning was a way to make them see his perspective, but being stubborn certainly had a drawback. Stubborn in a fight was one thing, but stubborn to listen to reason is another. Unfortunately Nic conceded with the morbid reality, shadows over his eyes as E.N.D and Gray charged for him. He did not move, for he had little to counter with against their powers.

"You guys truly do hate me after all." He murmured in sadness. E.N.D and Gray advancing on him was but deafening tones that he was droning out. While sad that they became hopeless to their own darkness, this was a burning fuel that made smoke rise within. The alarm went off, and Nic's purple eyes shit open, this time of anger. "Then so be it! **Clanging Scales!** "

With a flap of his wings, Nic allowed his actions to speak to his former friends in the form of his arms clanging against the other like two metallic symbols. Upon impact, a violet shockwave erupted outwards, soundwaves of rippling, expansive vortexes erupting in all directions. The ground palpitated with a destructive wave of violet violence that grew to be a dome-like soundwave encompassing a large area. The destructive clanging didn't stop, which made Gray and E.N.D scream as their ears rang in terror – E.N.D having the worst of it due to draconic hearing. The super effective attack roared and caused intense agony, making him scream in violet agony. Gray barely held his own ground, not that he could see it through the violet ripples.

As the quaking continued, Nic's body was outlined in a blue aura, lowering his Defense stat. His teeth gritted as the ground sundered, but really, it was more or less due to the fact he had to inflict greater pain. "WE'RE HAVING IT YOUR WAY, BUT I WON'T LET DARKNESS HAVE ITS WAY WITH YOU!" He yelled through the eruption. "JUST BECAUSE IT'S A NEVER-ENDING FIGHT, YOU CAN'T GIVE UP! YOUR PURPOSE ISN'T TO SLAY DARKNESS, IT'S TO FIGHT AND LEARN TO UNDERSTAND IT, JUST LIKE POKÉMON LEARN FROM BATTLING ONE NAOTHER. IT MAY NEVER END, BUT THAT'S THE THRILL! WHERE'S YOUR SENSE OF UNDERSTANDING GONE?!"

E.N.D and Gray both opened their eyes, both managing to hear muffles and slight fragments of Nic's words. From the looks of it, they seemed to have understood, or at the very least interpreted the meaning of his words.

Nic continued to press on with his attack, trying to hold them back while he thought of a way to show his side of the fruitless argument. He was holding up the attack for some time, but as it waned away, his eyes suddenly widened when two flashes of misty ice and dark flames expanded, enveloping the rippling, quaking waves. Nic was flabbergasted as both warm and cool flares enveloped everything, much to his horror.

Outside, the violet dome was stable, aside from its inner layer mixing with dark and icy lights from within. The lights shined powerfully, and the Clanging Scales attack dissipated. Soundwaves burned away, and some froze completely and shattered.

Embers, sparkles, and a bright flash was all Nic saw. He was caught completely off guard by the expulsion of Magic Power, so intense that it rendered a very powerful Dragon-type move futile. His eyes showed nothing less of shock that he recovered from. He took a stance, wings curled forward for a defense and covering him.

Beaming through the energy, E.N.D made headway for Nic upfront, his fist enveloped in a gathered swirling dark energy. The energy was so hot that the particles themselves vaporized, leaving a hole for him to spring through right towards a less-than-willing Nic.

"There's one thing I want to do before I stop Zeref and Acnologia!" He roared.

The energy behind Nic literally froze in place, solidifying into ice. The ice crackled and shattered apart, making a hole that Gray sprung through with an ethereal Devil Slayer ice sword overhead. "I'm only wanting what's best for everyone, and that's peace! I'll rid of darkness you failed to stop!"

Was Nic really too great in shock to respond correctly? All he could do was shield with his wings, for there was nothing left in him. He couldn't make sense of it, but what he did know, was that even though Natsu and Gray were in fact there, they refused to acknowledge him or his pleas. The roles were reversed; now it was Nic who felt powerless to help his friends when they can't fight their own problems.

In unison, both violently rushed at Nic from the front and back. "I'M TAKING YOU DOWN!"

Black and ethereal energy went for Nic in both directions.

At that very instance, an intense tearing sound made the air go silent.

It was all a bright flash in the background, with blood spilling like buckets falling over sinks. It spouted and gushed all over the ground, littering Nic's feet, clothing, and the worst part was that he was suspended. He was in morbid shock, one so deep that he didn't get to process with wide, distraught eyes of the blurry and wobbly images of an arm running through the draconic membrane of the folded wing, which had charred edging. Another image revealed the ethereal ice blade Gray held was in a slashed pose, littered in blood.

E.N.D and Gray had vicious looks in their pitch-black and red eyes, revealing their smirks slowly rising. They saw Nic's wide-eyed terror, meaning they had done the impossible.

The shock caught up to Nic, his lips parted but his lungs unable to hold in oxygen. He wasn't breathing as his world was suspended. That didn't stop the fact that Gray's ice blade was embedded deeply into his right shoulder from behind. The cut went so deep that it looked like it severed the tendons. E.N.D took up the other end, his flaming, demonic claw piercing not only the tough wings, but straight through the right shoulder, jutting out on the opposite end. Alike, his shoulders suffered freezing tension and bitter burns.

Nic's purple eyes dilated, the pain so great that everything around him was silence. All his senses were cut off like his muscles, deeply frozen, and charred away. A deep shadow went over his eyes as they remained opened, even after E.N.D and Gray harshly pulled their weapons of choice out with harsh tugs. Once again, Nic's blood sprayed as the sword slid out of his shoulder, and the demonic claw yanked with a harsh tug, covered completely in Nic's blood.

The calamity that befell Nic's broken heart was more than physical. Unfortunately, the pain receipted to Nic-Greninja, and just like Nic, his world started to fumble. The frog's purple eyes dilated as he felt Nic's pain, feeling as though his own shoulders were sliced and impaled. He couldn't even move the way he was now; rather he swayed side to side, his steps back alarming the group.

"Greninja?" Lucy asked.

"Hey…what's wrong?" Wendy worried.

Vanessa whipped towards the hemisphere, the drastic result being the purple hue around the domain was beginning to weaken. To her horror, Nic's aura dialed down. "Nic…he's…"

Everyone slowly watched as the blue and red hues were dominating over the hemisphere, more static flaring around the solid shield. The attention Nic-Greninja received was no different, for his senses were as dull as could be. He couldn't hear, and he couldn't smell anything but what Nic smell…which was char and the iron in his blood. Nic-Greninja's body link did more than worry Erza; it left her scared out of her mind.

As she saw him falter to his knees in agony, that could only mean ne thing. She whipped towards the dome, her eyes dilating with a misty expression. She looked like she was about to shed tears, but held back out of resolution. Her hand clutched tighter than before, teeth gritting as she felt a dark feeling weigh on her heart. _'No…'_

Nic swayed left and right, his eyes still wide as he saw E.N.D's cackling smirk. He looked pleased to have hurt him. The joy he saw surpassing Nic, was nothing less than his own arrogance and need to prove himself. It swallowed him, and he paid the price. Sanity was no longer valid, and as Nic dropped to his knees, he still was at a loss for words.

' _N-Natsu…Gray…you guys really…have…'_ He started to fall onto his side, his purple eyes blurry, and catching only E.N.D's dark feet. A thud sound was all that was heard, but he felt nothing. As the world was horizontal, the blinding look he had went dark.

Despite the ice in the deep cut, some blood continued to seep through his shoulder. The damp sleeves thickened as red oozed from them, slowly making a puddle.

There he lied, Nic, and with eyes open and not blinking, was stuck in a puddle of his own folly. E.N.D and Gray overlooked him, dominating in victory.

"I told you, didn't I?" Gray darkly questioned. "I aim to slay all demons. No matter the cost it is for me."

"How's that for stepping out of your shadow?" E.N.D snorted. He couldn't be anymore proud of his achievements, and this was the start. He always wanted to fight and surpass his friends, to show that he could protect them, now he had the power to destroy anyone. _**Anyone**_. "Now, where were we?"

Getting the insinuation, Gray looked to face him. "Now it's your turn to fall, E.N.D. Time for more of my suffering to end."

"You'll try."

As the two readied their respective magic, they stood over Nic's fallen body, the haze shrouding his mind…

* * *

What was supposedly black in space was surprisingly white. There was no sky per se, but a wavy figment that seemed like a yellow ocean above Nic's head. The lost fairy had eyes closed as he floated in the white void, devoid of any senses as his wounded body floated in the light. He thought of nothing, for there was nothing to think of. Any means of picking up the mood only hindered the irony that he was perhaps half-dead from two dear friends.

He opened his eyes, the only company he saw was but his own cognizance as crippled as he. His eyes opened halfway, showing the meek purple that still lingered, meaning he was still linked with Nic-Greninja, but for now, that did not matter. _'What have I done?'_ He thought to himself. _'I really did bring out the bitter darkness in both of them, and I guess my comeuppance after all.'_ To think that he blamed himself wouldn't be too much of a stretch. He did in fact blame himself, but didn't hold anything against his own beliefs either. _'Did I really deserve this from them? I guess Gray was right…I really was selfish. E.N.D arose and now they're probably going at the other's throat. What a morbid turn of events; what happened to family…'_

" **That is something you haven't forgotten, Nic.** " A voice announced from the white void, catching Nic off guard.

"What?"

"Lessons are learned the hard way I suppose, but really, I think you're giving yourself a little too much to stomach right now." A second voice spoke up.

Nic went wide-eyed as he turned his head left and right. "Who's there?" Another realization dawned upon him. "Wait, that voice…"

" **Surprised? Well it has been a while since then.** "

Nic's floating form began to feel a change in gravity, which tilted him to where he was upright. Though no solid ground, he at least managed to stand upright without much pain sensed from his wounds inflicted. He looked down at his hands, surprised. "Gravity?"

"Hey, I think you would learn a little more if you faced who you were talking to a little." The masculine voice called from behind.

Nic's body jolted from shock again, the two voices again calling to him. Curious, he turned around to consult with the draconic tone and masculine voice. To his sheer surprise, he was greeted by the sight of a middle-aged man smiling while wearing a vest. The noticeable feature was perhaps the scar he had on his face. Behind him, was a much larger masculine creature, a red-scaled dragon with a soft demeanor it seemed.

"There, that's more like it." The man chuckled.

Nic's eyes widened in sheer surprise. He recognized the dragon all too well, and yet he still couldn't believe that he was right there in his mentality. "Wait, aren't you…Igneel?"

The Fire Dragon King smirked down at him. " **So then you do remember. Good, very good. That saves me a lot of explaining then!** " The dragon nonchalantly chuckled, raising his head in his own modest way.

Nic looked down, tracing from Igneel to the man beneath. "Then, are you perhaps…"

The man smiled. "You guessed it. I'm Gray's old man. But I guess you can say he gets the looks from his mother." He mused. "But more or less to the point, call me Silver."

"Silver...Igneel…" He looked at the two individuals when their names were called respectively. However, looking at them only served his confusion. "But I thought that you two…"

"Yeah, we're dead." Silver informed.

" **We're just figments of Natsu and Gray's inner conscience. You can say we're part of what spirit is sane of them more or less; their reasoning.** " Igneel explained. " **In other words, since we're in the inner world, we've manifested through their mentality to speak with you.** "

"I see." Nic didn't need much of an understanding, but he did get where Igneel was going with this. It was the basic concept of how Giratina appeared in his mind back during the fight to free his Uncle's spirit. He moved along with the point. "So then what is it you guys want? I wouldn't think this is time for idle chit-chat."

The demeanor Silver and Igneel showed changed at that exact moment. The white plane all three stood on did not change, even though their hearts told them that it was clear this wasn't some typical chit-chat. No one would really appear in your mind and sit down to a cup of tea.

"No, you're right about that. Considering your predicament, we're not exactly in the mood to sit down." Silver's information was announced on a more grievous tone. It was clear the mood shifting left his humor without say.

" **We owe you our sincerest apologies.** " Igneel said, catching Nic by surprise. " **In retrospect, we are mostly at blame for what became of our sons. We didn't think this change of events would make them go down this path. I am regrettable for Natsu's ambitions.** "

Despite Igneel's apology, Nic didn't seem bothered. "Everyone's at fault in their own way, but pitying yourself won't do any good. I learned that the hard way."

Silver smiled. "Actions speak louder than words, nice mindset." He complimented. "But you know, even though that Dragon Slayer is a case in its own right, I'm more at blame than Igneel."

"Silver…"

"For what happened to Gray, his sanity was lost because of me. I entrusted him with a will of defeating E.N.D. I just didn't think that he would be his friend his entire time. Mard Geer really did mess up my thoughts of that demon."

"You didn't know. None of us did." Nic persuaded.

"Be as it may, that still doesn't change the fact that I led Gray down his purposeless path now. I really did screw up big time."

Igneel glanced down at the forsaken avenger. " **This secret was best left alone. For Natsu, his identity was best left away from everyone. He's in a guild now and has friends…or** _ **had**_ **friends.** " The Fire Dragon King morbidly thought of his son, remembering when Zeref politely asked for the old dragon to take such a small pink-haired child. The bright smile he once pictured was now a dark frown with scales charred as ash.

Nic's gaze cascaded towards the ground, his own sullied expression evident. "I know how you feel. I can still feel the pain from just having to fight against them under these circumstances." Nic remembered the looks in E.N.D and Gray's eyes when they unleashed their recent attacks. They really did have no intention on keeping them alive. "As much as I hate to say, they really can't find peace with their own minds."

" **As true as that may be, Nic, you're still the only one who can set them straight.** " Igneel reasoned.

"We hate to ask you to clean up our messes, but not for us, but for the friends who you stuck up for." Silver insisted. "I know they may seem wayward now, but even so, you're still the one who can bring an end to the darkness they're in. Please Nic, we're asking you, stand up once more, and in our place, please end their suffering."

At this request, Nic gasped with shock. "End their suffering…?"

"It's not what you think we're implying." Silver quickly followed up. "We know it won't be that easy, but fighting like this will only tear everyone else apart. This corrupted chaos in their minds need to be stopped."

Igneel nodded. " **It doesn't matter who's right in the end. As soon as both start fighting, they're wrong either way. There is no right answer to any one battle. I'm certain that you understand that concept.** "

Nic didn't bother second-guessing Igneel's claim. He knew full well of what he meant by such a statement. Nic's had hundreds of those kinds of fights to where he and others fought for different reasons. Sometimes, he just fought just because, and sometimes it was to get stronger, or pass the time, maybe even give it his all for the lust and thrill of battle; it mattered not. Aside from that one part of him, he's also been in battles where life mattered, where they were fight to the deaths, where he had to dig deep and look pass or back to his experience. Every battle he had was for a different cause, and this one he categorized was for the best. "Yes, I know." He stated.

"You supposedly made peace and made your own darkness vanish away, am I right?" Silver insinuated.

Nic looked back to him, giving a modest look. "It's complicated, but in a nutshell, that's how it went."

"Then you really are strong-willed." Silver smiled. "You didn't give in so easily, and rather fight for control, you fought for equilibrium. What my son can't see is that very art you mastered."

" **As mine.** **We know you made peace, and if you thought and strode hard enough, perhaps you can in fact quell E.N.D and Gray's mentality…but we are asking you to defeat their darkness in which they now embrace.** " Igneel insisted.

"Please understand…" Silver paused. "This is all barbaric, but this is the only option left. This is the kind of darkness that would do more than ruin their hearts, this would continue to ruin the friendship Natsu and Gray have made. It would surely kill them if left alive."

" **We can't see you three tearing apart the other's future. You still harbor a great friendship, and you treasure them, even to now. True friends don't let barriers keep them apart, you know that. This is the one wall you alone will have to break down if you truly wish to save our sons. You can do this…for everyone.** "

With resolution, Nic held his ground, giving a serious glare towards Silver and Igneel. "For not just you guys, but for Fairy Tail; for Natsu; for Gray; for myself…I'll fight their inner worlds until their darkness is no more." His eyes narrowed, the fire again blazing within his chest. "I'll reveal to them the darkness I had to bear witness to, and pray that no matter what, I swear, I'll rebuild our friendship. Even if they hate me forever now, I won't blame them. When this is over, they can hate me for as long as they want, but I won't stand by and let our friendship go down like this. I'll finish what's been started…and that is one more promise I will fulfill." Promise. Nic had long forgotten how to make such a thing. He never liked making promises since he could no longer keep them. But this case had to draw out the one promise he could make and be at peace with it. Just one more promise was all he wanted, and after this promise, he could finally be proud of what he did.

The area in which all three stood began to slowly brighten, all three fading away with their own expressions. The serious frown on Nic dared not waver, while Silver and Igneel too began fading away, each having grins widen. With the last promise Nic shall take upon himself, the three faded into white.

* * *

Back on the psyche plane, the leveled earth was as cold as ice, and red and blue lightning flashed constantly as E.N.D and Gray stood many feet apart. Anyone who dared to get near them would've been overwhelmed by the unstable rise and fall of Magic Power they possessed. It was so potent that one's throat would've dried up.

"You're disgusting." Gray sneered.

"Why thank you for noticing. I was just about to say the same thing." E.N.D smirked.

Gray clutched a fist, looking ready as a misty power enveloped the glowing tattoo. "I will take your life. I'll slay the demons that cursed my family. I won't rest until you're out of the way."

E.N.D raised a brow. "Care enough to try?"

"Just watch me." Gray spread his legs apart, his hands pressed together with a dark icy mist beginning to encompass his area. E.N.D countered by standing still, demonic claws up and flaming wildly like an inferno.

As both were set, their eyes widened in unison as they felt a dark pulse graze pass them. Their insides shuddered like an earthquake for a brief moment as the sudden flux of power nearly turned over every stone. As they stood in place, the land beneath them was beginning to quake.

E.N.D looked down, seeing the pebbles at his feet defying gravity. "What…?"

Gray was taken back by this flux of force. "Where is this pressure coming from?" It didn't take too long for him to figure out the answer lied several meters away. He whipped back towards Nic, seeing him lying faced away from them.

"You've gotta be kidding me."

E.N.D'S pitch-black eyes widen as he faced Nic, the power and shuddering of land so great that his heartless body was feeling dark pressure build up. His nose wrinkled as a foul air – no matter how much he liked it – was so sharp it made him flinch. It was starting to erode all around, directing around Nic.

The blood that Nic laid in was beginning to boil, bubbling profusely. As shocking as it was, the red liquid began to darken as the bubbles accelerated. As Nic laid there, a dark veil made from the streams of energy flowing in began to manifest. Foul winds encompassed Nic, turning a variety of dark colors, a turbulence of pitch-black and blood red energy starting to overturn and swirl around him. The rocks defying gravity reduced to dust after a short period went by.

* * *

"Natsu?! Natsu! Natsu!" Lucy desperately banged against the hemisphere, but her efforts were for not. Every time she hit the dome, her fist bounced off, stinging like a Bug Bite.

"Natsu! Gray! Stop!" Happy cried out.

Carla balled her tiny fists. "What's happening inside, I can't tell. My premonitions are blocked. Whatever's happening is in the norm for all of us."

"No…" Wendy gasped. "They can't really be…"

Lying on the ground still, Juvia was unable to hold back the distressing tears she had. "Gray…how…?"

Vanessa, Erza, and Nic-Greninja were doing everything they could to hold onto what sliver of hope may be left. The girls had to. They knew what despair was like, but they couldn't give in at this time. Nic was hurt, and they both felt it in the pits of their stomachs. Their hearts raced as they prayed for Nic to come out alive, no matter how badly it seemed.

Nic-Greninja's eyes widened. Immediately Erza turned with shock.

"What is it?"

Nic-Greninja could see it. He felt it. The power palpitated. He felt a dark, yet warm energy coursing through his veins. He was feeling his power flare, one so unbelievable that all the heat and cold alike was dislodged from his shoulders. _'Nic…'_

Everyone then saw the hemisphere's purplish hue again, balancing out the shimmering red and blue hues; if not expanding a little more.

* * *

The dark ground shuddered profusely as a cyclone of dark roaring wind raged. The maelstrom was sheer darkness, and the intense power blew back E.N.D's fire and Gray's cold ice that laid about randomly. Embers and chunks blew pass them, but they did not seem deterred as they snarled at the demonic howling the veil made.

"I'm not willing to give into despair so easily as you guys did." Inside the veil of churning darkness, everyone heard Nic's voice. It was so dark. "I don't know what set you off, but I'll show you there's hope even through the peril. We'll have it your way, but I'll show you justifies my darkness. Get ready, Gray, E.N.D…" A pair of bloody red, demonic eyes glowed within the ensuing roaring cyclone. "Because I'll use it to destroy you."

E.N.D and Gray were at a complete lost for words. They could only stare in eye-boggling shock as their hatred was replaced by the sensation of dread as the roaring cyclone of dark energy began to shape. The shape reminisced of two large shadowy wings and a crown at the top.

"That can't be…" Gray muttered.

The shadow pillar hollered out menacingly like a blood-curdling demon. Its head bellowed out a menacing screech that sent shockwaves everywhere. Dark winds finally collapsed, and pitch-black, dark purple, and blood red energy finally exploded outwards. The energy veil expanded, breaking the earth entirely of every fragment of energy it had. E.N.D and Gray covered up as the dark energy struck them head on, causing them to give in and fall onto their backs. They fumbled over, sliding so much that even E.N.D couldn't grip the ground completely. Once both fell onto their stomachs, they groaned as the sound of wailing ghosts reverberated through the entire realm.

As the shockwaves and winds dissipated, all the blue and red lightning that flashed profusely stopped. It was like it too succumbed to fear.

As the winds stopped, both E.N.D and Gray got to their knees, looking up to have their very eyes widen in sheer shock as they saw the embodiment of fear.

The figment was surrounded by a blood red aura, rivaling its blood red eyes and yet its diabolical figure made it clear it was a golden, gray, and black entity that nobody wished to see again.

"It can't be…"

"No way…"

Gray and E.N.D were completely speechless as they saw the glare in Nic's demonic eyes, red priming with passion. His golden claws tightened as his wings expanded, kicking gust dark gusts that pulsed. Any lingering flames E.N.D caused slowly eroded away, retreating into thin air.

" **Legendary Force – Giratina!** "

Both Gray and E.N.D were still unable to respond. They were so distraught from just looking at the Giratina lookalike that – ironically – saved them all when they didn't know it. They felt it, the tingling, demonic force. Gray's cold skin – as bewildering as it was – was shivering like mad. It was colder than any winter, his very spine shuddering to keep itself upright.

Nic said nothing in response. Instead, all he did was stare into their burning and cold eyes. His overwhelming pressure was leaving both demonic forces on edge, yet at the same time knew they could not back down.

Gray's lips quivered. "…why?" He questioned. "Why…? Why would you do this?!" He snapped. "How could you even _think_ of using that?! Do you realize how far down you've sunk using that monster's powers?! I thought you knew better than that! I thought you knew to fight against evil, not use it for yourself! If this is what you want, then fine! Then I'll have to get rid of that demon permanently!"

Within his anguish, Nic stayed silent.

Gray put his hands together, his red eyes flickering with anger. "Get ready demon! Because I'm about to freeze you down to size!"

"Is that right?"

Nic reappeared behind Gray, the Devil Slayer incarnated widening his eyes to a higher level of terror. He gasped with surprise, but that was all the time he had before something gold was brought back. Nic backhanded Gray's back, casually, yet with so much force. A ripple of aura pulsed as Gray flew forward, tumbling profusely through the air in an uncontrollable manner. The man hit the ground, then back in the air, then tumbled on his side constantly until leaving a trail in the earth. Upon the end, he gripped the ground, his eyes wide as he looked back at his skid. He was so far away, some depressed spots where he hit earth hard.

' _He knocked me this far away…and with just a swipe of his hand?'_ The red eyes dilated in shock, disbelieving what the revelation was in terms of strength.

As dust cleared, Nic turned towards E.N.D, facing the demon of Natsu. Once again, unwilling to speak out of pointlessness, he stayed silent and waited for E.N.D to make his move.

The unnerved demon's pitch-black eyes narrowed, snarking beneath his breath. "Showoff. This is how you do some damage!" With a shout, E.N.D summoned a great wall of dark fire all around. The roaring blaze seared with excessive might, cracking through the ground and raced straight for Nic, yet he still did not move. His red eyes glared at E.N.D as black flare enraged the area around him, enveloping him in a roaring pillar of dark fire that soared high into the demonic high. Heat waves surged through the area, recreating dark embers that littered the ground several meters apart.

As the pillar of fire seared Nic, E.N.D's frown grew into a smirk again. He snickered meekly, glad to have made that move in time. Suddenly, he felt another pressure built, which made his nerves jolt yet again. He heard a roaring howl from within the flaming pillar, catching off guard. "What?!"

Before he had time to process, he screamed fiercely as the flaming pillar broke apart, severed by an Ominous Wind was expelled like a raging hurricane. The sudden expulsion of dark winds raged so fiercely that E.N.D was muted within the maelstrom that surged all the way up to the dark skies above. Whirlwinds of black chaos even knocked Gray off his feet, even if he was trying to block.

The skin-burning shockwaves enveloping E.N.D spit him out shooting him onto his back outwards. The demon grunted as he barely held on, teeth gritting as his wings expanded, and he gripped the ground beneath. His dark scales seared into the ground as a deep trail followed his hold, going on for hundreds of meters. By the time he looked up, the Ominous Wind maelstrom began to dissipate. A hole appeared in the wind, revealing Nic flying in at E.N.D at hyper speeds. E.N.D didn't have time to process as Nic reached him in a few seconds, time slowing down for both as Nic drew a claw back.

E.N.D was in deep shock. _'His speed shot up big time, and his strength overall just…!'_

He gagged loudly as his throat was clutched tightly by Nic, the claws digging into his burning skin. Time went to normal as Nic shot forward, dragging E.N.D forcibly ahead of him. Nearby, Gray got to his feet again, his eyes bolting towards the high-speed shadow that he could barely see. He stood stunned as Nic pivoted when racing, swinging around and sending E.N.D at him. The demon raced at massive speeds, the force so great the ground nearly trailed beneath.

The two met before any reaction could've been made. They met head-on, the impact against Gray making both their worlds black out momentarily. They fumbled against the ground backwards profusely, neither barely holding on until Gray caught himself in a slide on his heels while E.N.D extended his wings in midair and slammed a knee to the ground to anchor himself.

Nic made no verbal sounds as he extended his wings, flapped once, and shot across the ground towards them. The ground where he pivoted and shot from broke to pieces, diced rock from the cold earth flying in the opposite direction of where he was going. As he raced for them, he whipped both arms in opposite directions, creating Shadow Claw. The unleashed shadows made gusts arise, which Nic used to pick up speed.

In a defensive play, Gray vertically swiped his arm up, summoning an ice wall that stopped E.N.D from before. They were ready to defend, but unbeknownst to them, a dark energy spiked from behind. They realized then that Nic bypassed, a claw crossed. They turned around, only to be met with black and purple.

A glint traveled across the ice Gray made as a wall, vanishing, only to reappear moment later, cleaving straight through the 2-ft thick slab. The upper half completely reduced to diced bits as Gray and E.N.D flew with them, heavy slash marks deep in their abdomens as their black blood spilled. Both gagged as the impact was so fast, but E.N.D had the aerial advantage on him once more. Once he caught himself, he screeched and stopped, making a small gust skywards.

E.N.D opened his mouth, gathering black streams of fire within the vicinity, meaning a breath attack. To counter, Nic stayed on the ground with knees bent as loops arose up his body, his mouth opening with compressed energy enveloping the front. " **Dragon Breath!** " E.N.D ferociously fired a black roar of great size, while Nic unleashed a blue flame-like beam that blazed up towards the dark fire heading his way. Alike, the blue and black blazes met in the dead center, showing even strength. The atmosphere roared like dragons as the attacks deflected and streamed violently throughout the atmosphere, blue and black embers spraying profusely so much that the two recipients were unwavering. However, the two attacks finally collapsed, creating another blazing explosion that rippled hot air outwards. Smoke billowed everywhere, encompassing the ground.

However, even in the shockwaves, Nic was unmoved, even as he knew Gray already traced him. The evidence was simple, shards of the upper wall Nic destroyed heading his way. The move resembled much of Ice Shard, but that mattered not for Nic as he leaned left and right, dodging with nimble movements with getting grazed even the slightest.

A chunk went for his head, in which he leaned left to dodge with a hostile haze. As time slowed down as the shard passed, Gray was revealed to be in a crouching stance with his ethereal ice blade set. "Maybe this'll wipe that stone look off your face!"

It wasn't calm, nor was it arrogance; Nic just had that expression. He was taking this battle as serious as ever, but who said he had to respond to snapping? He adjusted as Gray swung his blade, taking in his battle cry as his red eyes darted anger into the supposed demon. Nic merely reached his left claws across, seizing the ethereal blade with a cold stop, much to Gray's horror.

' _No way. Did he really just stop my attack? With his bare hand?'_ The shocked darkness slowly looked down at the claws, seeing as how the gold and fingertips were stating to cover in ice. Nic, however, was undeterred. _'How is he not affected? This is his demon, right?'_

Despite the pain and numbing in his one claw, Nic showed no cowardice as he reached his other arm out. "As Gray's darkness, I'll tell you this…" A light blue flare encompassed his right claws, unleashing a roar that made the airspace shudder all around. The energy molded into a Dragon Claw, Nic's demonic yet controlled glare hardening. "You can freeze me over as much as you'd like, but your ambitions…is the ice that froze your heart!" He didn't give Gray the chance to back away as he swiped his Dragon Claw attack diagonally into him.

A wave of light blue energy traveled across the ground, becoming a dense wave that tore into the earth like it was an abyss. At the end of the wave of pulsing energy, Gray was seen flying and screaming as he had yet another deep gash embedded into his distressing body. He fell to his back with an insidious thud, sliding far away in a dusty skid.

Nic's gaze spurred upwards, catching the flaming entity of E.N.D charging down right for him with a flaming claw. With a large shout, E.N.D thrust his claw down, reaching closer to Nic's face. At the last second, staying battle focused, Nic thrust his right claw up, which diffused Dragon Claw. The flaming demonic fist met Nic, creating a violent turmoil of raging black fire streams to rip through the ground in simultaneous directions. Like Nic, E.N.D gave it everything he had into the attack, hoping it worked. As the dust cleared away, he found that he was wrong. Nic was still standing, crouching and still having his hand out to block.

"No way!" E.N.D snapped.

Steam eroded from Nic's claws, the heat so great that it would've burned off skin. But when one is Giratina, their own skin cannot be burned, for the demonic demeanor alone is enough to incinerate E.N.D's hopes. "I sympathize with who you are, and that you wish to be proud…but what happened to that fire you had?!"

Like Gray, E.N.D was shocked as Nic's grip tightened and his eyes glowed purple and light red.

" **Hex!** "

A dark wave of energy enveloped E.N.D, rendering him helpless as the darkness controlled by Nic repulsed him skyward. The being blown by demonic purple energy that stung his suppressed body.

When the energy dissipated, E.N.D finally had free reign and spread his wings apart to look down. However, Nic was revealed to have already disappeared, much to his dismay. By the time he thought about it, Nic was already above, hands above his head with a silver swirling sphere with a glowing center.

" **Ancient Power!** "

With a short shout, Nic hammered the spherical Rock-type attack downwards, exploding in a vast horizontal direction all around. Smoke wave pulsed as E.N.D shot down at high speeds, smashing into the ground with tremendous force.

Gray was already up, but even so, he couldn't move. He was stuck in his own shock. "It can't be…" He looked at Nic, who was wearing his Legendary Force with no sense of rampage or guilt. He didn't look proud either, but perhaps humble to use it. "How did he get so powerful like this? No, there's no way; not to a demon like that!" In his fury, he created a long bow, which he pulled up with an ethereal arrow. He aimed carefully, making sure it reached Nic at his point. With furry and anger, he unleashed the arrow, propelling it forward which spread about haphazardly towards Nic.

Turning towards the bow, Nic dared not waver as he opened his mouth, aiming sharply as he began to generate blue aura, via Aura Sphere. The powerful Fighting-type attack was launched with gusto. The Aura Sphere was unleashed with a ripple yet again, making it fly downwards at staggering speeds. Startled beyond comparison, Gray watched in vivid horror as Aura Sphere beamed and bisected right through the arrow, making the blast of ethereal ice diverge around Nic entirely. The attack zoomed down at Gray, the reflection of Aura Sphere seen within his eyes as it drew closer.

A large explosion again enveloped Gray, causing the ground beneath to rumble and break apart. The energy waves emitted filtered away with the smoke as Nic dropped from the skies, flapping his wings a few times to slow and steady before planting his feet on the ground. He stared with a serious look as both piles of smoke and dust began to subside, in which they did. The energy levels dissipated as both E.N.D and Gray alike tried to get up, but both were barely able to stand.

In a small crater, the flames around E.N.D were weak. He panted profusely as his head was down. On the opposite side, Gray was no different, barely able to hold himself up from every fragment of damage inflicted. Both mustered what strength possible in order to glare up at Nic, their demonic eyes meeting his own.

"You…" Gray caught his stepping. "How did you get by us like that?"

"Gnnngh…there's no way…no way I'm this weak. Not…to you…" E.N.D sneered.

Nic looked down at the ground, his red eyes glaring daggers. "Honestly…I hate to say this to you both, but in the end it doesn't change the fact that it surrounds." He looked up at them once more, staring a harsher gaze into their shriveled eyes. "The fact of the matter is that your own demons took your strength from you."

Gray's teeth gritted. "Watch it!"

"Your hearts are locked away, and with that your true strength! The strength you carried starting from the very beginning. Where did all of our strength come from? From our hearts? From training? From friends? Any one of them would suffice, but instead this power comes from your selfish ambitions. That's not strength at all. That's nothing more than a pointless source of weakness."

"Shut up!" E.N.D snapped. "You didn't know us before, so why the hell go and judge us? I won't give up until I prove that I'm strong enough to surpass you, and prove I can be better than Pokémon!"

"That's the thing."

"What?!"

"You both have been blinded by your own desires that you've forsaken everything else. I have people waiting for me to fix the mess that you two started. Erza, Greninja, Vanessa, all of them. It won't be just me who will keep this torn family from losing itself, but all of us. But we need you guys. I'm sorry, but even if you don't understand, even if I may sound arrogant to the likes of you…I'm trying my best to bring you home." His eyes narrowed, showing a deep red flare within. "It's time that I fulfill the one promise I swore to the graves. Gray. E.N.D…let's finish this!"

Their patience thin, E.N.D and Gray infused tehri bodies with dark infernos and streaming ethereal energy. Both gave out demonic shouts as they refused to listen. Their sanity lost, and with themselves refusing to acknowledge their own strength, they would not rest until they ripped Nic's guts out. They bolted ahead, no words desired as they went head on with their attacks swirling in their fists, like before Nic thwarted them the first time.

As they charged up, Nic's wings spread apart, and as the gust passed, a malicious amount of seeping dark energy erupted into a dark blaze around Nic's body. The power he unleashed made the ground beneath depress, giving him no foothold.

Gray and E.N.D rampaged ahead still, unwilling to end their own suffering. The looks of pure evil they had made Nic see an image that was perhaps equally as unholy – Uncle Vince. The terrifying image of the beast only made his resolve that much sharper to free them. A dark helix encompassed his flaring dark-self. The image reminisced that of Giratina, with only the blood red eyes visible. With a blood-curdling screech, the dark wings flapped and he went sailing at them. He closed in, his speed no different than before. As he charged, his darkness brightened with his crown, which glowed a bright blue.

A crack in literal space was seen between the trio, cracking once more, and again, enlarging until it literally shattered like glass. Inside the broken space, swirling purple and maniacal shadows of the damned hollered as Nic dove in, the space swirling and fixing itself right behind his wake.

Unwilling to give up their desires, the dark mentality figures roared as they charged ahead their magics undeterred as they knew would come forth to strike. As they charged ahead, thrusting as the space ahead cracked apart like it did before, pieces of glass-like space flying everywhere as the spiraling darkness inside gave way to a malicious shadow lunging out.

" **Maxus Legendary Arts – Shadow Force!** "

E.N.D and Gray found their chance. Their attacks were swirling dark fire and ethereal icy energy booming like giant explosions following them. Black fists and demonic claw punched forward, heading for Nic, who had shadows streaming behind and racing for them. All three roared out respectively with their kind; Nic hollering like that of Giratina. All beings of darkness clashed in the center, a purple and black seismic wave meeting with black and ethereal ice. The three waves of energy pulsed so powerfully that they all spontaneously collapsed, swirling and mixing into a spiraling pillar that pulsed straight up into the sky once more. The three energies swirled at an alarming rate, the leveled ground instantly breaking to pieces and swirling within the mayhem like a hurricane. The nearby mountains were affected by the shockwaves that magnified, screeching, roaring dark waves expanded out so violently that the charred peaks were obliterated. The mountains themselves crumbled to bits as the very sky itself wailed within the atomic explosion. Darkness spilled everywhere, annihilating everything in its wake. It was so potent that the energies they comprised of were eroding to nothing.

Minutes passed, and the ethereal ice and black fire that made up the explosion began to wither away to nothing allowing the shadows of Nic's attack to erase them forever. As the explosion and shadows and its residue faded away, not a single chunk of ice nor ember sprinkled down. The shadows of Nic's attacks withered away, revealing Nic passing E.N.D and Gray alike. All three faced away from one another, a long time passing before either side did anything.

At last, someone gave in. Nic faltered a little, wincing to the side and barely catching himself. His left side was enveloped in frst, and his right side was covered in charred spots.

E.N.D and Gray did nothing, instead, both suddenly gagged their bodies were incapable of movement. Behind them, there were three things, all floating in midair. It was a dark, ice-like ghostly figure, which had the Devil Slayer tattoo fixed on its shape. Aside from that, there was two things behind E.N.D; two seeds. One was a black seed, and one was a red seed, in which were side-by-side.

Nic straightened out, revealing that with his attack, he tore out the sources. "…it's done." At his words, the seeds alike cracked apart, shattering into the void with nothing left behind. Gray's Devil Slayer creature hissed loudly as it cracked like glass, screaming in disgusted agony before it too shattered like glass. All three figments were forever gone, erased by the overpowering darkness Nic leaned to conquer.

Gray and E.N.D both stayed still as their bodies began to lose power. Their hatred and evil hearts were gone, and with that, their insanity as well. Their ambitions caused their own demise, which Nic brought forth. Their bodies slowly faded away, yet as the sparkles slowly arose up, their faces showed only impossible shock…and small tears on the corners of their eyes.

With a single tear shedding from both, they both glistened and reduced to nothing. At long last, the darkness that clouded Gray, and E.N.D, were finally put to rest. Permanently.

Nic straightened up, standing cautiously as the ground was barely stable. He frowned with his hands fallen to his sides, his rainbow glow encompassing him. The spherical energy faded away, revealing Nic once more with his grizzly injuries inflicted from before. Despite how he wanted to fall over, he chose not to. His eyes were shielded by a shadow, casting away his guilt he felt for what he had to do.

Slowly, all around him, the cracks within the earth began to glow a golden light. The golden energy began to trace through the mentality, making it once again free of darkness. The gold light went so far as to shine vibrantly through the dark skies, eroding them away and revealing gold shimmering light down onto Nic, like an overhead light that emphasized Nic's pyrrhic victory.

"…I'm sorry." Was all he muttered before everything in the space was enveloped in gold, erasing all the negative energy that he dispelled.

* * *

The hemisphere's static crackled profusely for several minutes, until at last it stopped.

Erza gasped at the energy change. "Wait, do you feel that?"

Nic-Greninja slouched forward, his sense of pain clear, but what he felt was of mourning, in which Nic felt. "…I agree." He said low.

Happy too looked shocked. "Look!" He pointed at the sphere, making everyone again falter in surprise.

The hemisphere that was created slowly began to lose its shine, the glowing hues of the three main forces intertwined fading away. As the hemisphere faded, it revealed three entities inside. The silhouettes were all too clear as day. While two were on their knees, one was standing up. They all knew they were.

Lucy's eyes dilated with disbelief. "Is that…?"

Juvia couldn't believe her eyes. She heard of it from Nic-Greninja narrating, but seeing it was beyond her scope. She had no words as she saw Gray yet again.

Wendy, Carla, and Vanessa were baffled, for they too were starting to see what was happening. To all of their complete shock, they saw the hemisphere fade away completely, revealing the silhouettes fading and becoming Nic, Natsu, and Gray once again.

The three were different, as Natsu and Gray were still on their knees, mouths gaping and eyes devoid of pupils. They were dirty, battered, and it looked like they've seen ghosts. While Nic was seen slouching, his grievous injuries shown as his shoulder was deeply severed into and his other shoulder punctured. He looked almost too dead to be alive.

"Natsu!" In a panic, Lucy rushed on over towards Natsu as he began to fall over. She caught him from behind, his eyes closing as she held him to her chest. Tears were in her eyes as she gritted her teeth, holding his body close. "Natsu…"

"Natsu~!" Happy flew towards him, hugging and nuzzling his scarf. "I was so worried! What happened?!" Unfortunately, Natsu wasn't answering. "Natsu?"

Lucy continued to hold his body, her gasping again activating. "He's cold!" She cried out.

Gray fell over as well, eyes closing as he was succumbed to what happened.

"Gray!" Juvia called out. With what strength she had, she picked herself up and ran on over.

"Juvia, wait!" Wendy shouted.

"You'll exert yourself too much like that!" Carla voiced.

Juvia didn't listen as she went over and slid to her knees, picking up Gray. She overlooked him with distress, seeing the pained look he had. "Gray?" She called out to him, but with no response. "Gray?! Gray…?" As she called out, she too began to lose her conscience. She fell over, thudding right beside him.

"Juvia!" Vanessa called.

"Everyone's pushed themselves too far. Look at them, they're all barely recognizable." Mega Venusaur said.

As Lucy called out for Natsu endlessly, and Wendy went to attend Juvia, Nic stumbled forward, slowly putting one step in front of the other. Both Gray and Natsu's bodies were cold, yet Nic's was torn up like ribbons. He continued to stumble away from them with frowns, until at last he too began to collapse. Before he hit the ground, something hit his abdomen, something warm that happened in a flash. When Nic's purple eyes opened, he saw a pink tongue and purple on a frog. "Greninja?"

"I'm here." Soft in his words, the frog adjusted to make it so Nic had an arm around his shoulder, and he got an arm around his waist to support him. As Nic-Greninja supported his Trainer, he disregarded the blood and dirty clothing he had in his default form.

"Nic!" Hearing his name, the still conscious man looked to see Erza and Vanessa hurrying on over. Together, they regrouped and the two girls went wide-eyed at the grievous wounds Nic got.

"Nic…" Vanessa gasped.

Erza too looked mournful for what she heard, and from what Nic-Greninja felt too, she knew who was responsible. Rather than be guilty, she just stared sadly at him with soft eyes.

Looking down again, Nic chose to disregard his mortal slash and hole in his shoulders. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that." He apologized. From the tone he carried, he was powering through the blood loss.

Erza lowered her head, mourning deeper. "I was afraid there."

Vanessa looked down too. "We thought you…"

Nic shook his head slowly; well in technical standards, with what strength, he swayed it left and right. "No, if anyone is to be afraid, it should've been those demons."

"We know."

Nic-Greninja glanced down towards him. "I told them everything that's happened. There's no need to distress your worries on us. We feel the same way."

"Natsu! Wake up!" The cries of Lucy got their attention. They glanced over to see Lucy tugging onto Natsu, but no matter what, he just wouldn't respond. "Natsu!"

"Natsu~!" Happy wept.

As they cried relentlessly, Erza turned towards Nic once again. She looked sad still. "Nic, did you…?"

Nic looked down at the ground, showing nothing less than bitter sadness. Nic-Greninja's sad gaze was the same. "…I don't know." He hesitated to find an answer, but it was the truth. All he did was destroy their darkness. He wasn't sure if that really did kill them, but he prayed that it didn't.

Feeling sorry for her brother, Vanessa walked in front of him, a serious look on her face. "Nic…" She got him to look at her. What he saw was worry, but also resolution. "We have to go. We have to treat you, Natsu, and Gray with Porlyusica's help. If you stay like that too long, your wounds won't heal."

Nic struggled to say anything, but Vanessa was right. He had to treat his wounds. Sure, he could use Recover right now, but when that idea sprung into his mind, he was thwarted when a pulse was sensed. His and Nic-Greninja's heads perked up, eyes wide.

"Nic?" Erza questioned.

"Everybody get down!"

At his call, a large explosion of dust erupted. Everyone covered up as shockwaves bellowed everywhere. They all went flying, barely upholding themselves as the sudden shockwave caught them completely off guard.

Thudding, Wendy groaned. "What happened?!"

"Was that an explosion?!" Happy cried out.

"That came from out of the blue." Carla huffed.

"Nic, are you alright?" Nic-Greninja used his back as a shield as Nic was on a knee, panting on the ground behind.

Trying to catch his breath, Nic glanced up at him. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Erza looked back at Nic, but the sound of tapping made her and everyone whip around to face someone heading their way. The sound of a staff hitting the ground constant eventually stopped, revealing scarlet hair, and a pair of angry brown eyes and smirk.

"Welcome Nic, and to you after a very, very long time indeed…Erza." At long last, Irene Belserion had entered the fray.

Lucy held Natsu close to her, keeping him safe. Who's that?"

"I don't know." Wendy said. _'But…she looks a lot like Erza.'_

Nic's eyes widened as he stared at Irene, his luck turning from bad to worse. "No way…" He was at a loss for words. Of all the times for her to appear, it had to have been now.

Irene cocked her head to the side. "Oh? What's wrong? A little surprised, Nic?"

"Damn you."

Vanessa narrowed her eyes, looking at Irene with a speculative look. _'What's this aura? It's all…odd. Her color is very…'_ "Erza!" She warned.

"Hm?" The redhead turned towards her.

"There's something wrong! Her aura, it's-!" Before she had the chance to finish, Irene pointed her staff at her. Instantly Vanessa's focus shifted and she extended an arm out, creating Aura Guard to block the attack entirely.

"Hush time, you." Irene threatened.

Erza whipped back to glare daggers at Irene. "What's this all about?! Just who are you?!"

Irene smirked.

Nic didn't have the luxury to use his arms fully due to blood loss, but with what willpower manageable, he struggled to stand beside Nic-Greninja. "You…" He growled. "I remember you."

Erza looked back at him. "Nic, you know this woman?"

Nic's glare didn't stray away from Irene. "Unfortunately." He panted, trying to keep his breath stable. "She's the one, the one I told you about before. She's the reason Fiore's like this."

Remembering what Nic said earlier about someone using the Universe One, the name rung a bell. Her eyes widened as she looked back at Irene, a new sense of revelation dawning. "You mean this woman is…"

"Yes. She's Irene." Nic winced again, harsher than before.

"Nic! Don't move around too much!" Vanessa worried.

"That may be, but Erza…" Irene caught Erza's attention specifically, the smirk on her mischievous lips evident. "It's rather that I may _seem_. I am you, and you are me."

Erza, however, didn't seem amused. "What do you mean?"

"More importantly…" Nic-Greninja kept his voice down, questioning just as much as Nic was. "Why does she resemble the other?"

"I don't know…but this feeling is only getting worse." Nic responded.

Irene chuckled at their confusion, but fell short when she picked up something…funny. Her mood shifted to shock when she began to feel a warm sensation flow through her. It made her cheeks red. It felt hot. It felt like…pleasure.

' _This magic…Larcade, are you…?'_ Her thoughts trailed off.

Seeing their opponent in shock, Erza turned to the others. "Now's our chance! Everyone get moving!"

"Right!" Carla seized Juvia, and Lucy carried Natsu. Happy managed to carry the fallen Gray, and that left Nic to struggle in standing as Vanessa went on over.

Irene gritted her teeth, trying to move within her pleasure. "Not so fast!" She fired a slim atmospheric beam at Vanessa, forcing her to cast her attention and jump backwards. She narrowly dodged the beam as it erupted in her spot.

"Vanessa!" Nic shouted. He angrily looked back at Irene, seeing the anger starting to swell in her eyes. The way she looked at him meant business. There was a score she wanted to settle, and she wasn't going to let him out so easily. Ultimately he grunted and turned back around once the dust faded.

"Nic, are you okay?" Vanessa asked.

"Vanessa, you and Wendy get everyone away from here now." He ordered.

However, Vanessa gasped. "But, what about you?"

"Forget about me. Worry about Natsu and Gray, their conditions are worse than my own right now. Besides…" He faced Irene again, glaring intensely into her eyes. "We have some unfinished business, don't we?"

"You've read my mind. Now get!" Irene again raised her staff and shot a blast of enchanted winds at Vanessa, prompting her to get her attention once more.

Mega Venusaur stepped to her side, sliding a foot away and his mouth opening up, revealing a swirling energy compressing into a green sphere. " **Energy Ball!** " He fired the Grass-type attack, which raced out of his mouth and met the enchanted winds head on. The two forces met in the center, creating a powerful flash of light, prompting shockwaves that caused the group to go blind for the moment.

The light faded, and Mega Venusaur turned to persuade her Trainer. "Vanessa, we have to go!" He faced forward, looking at Nic. "You know he can take care of himself. Besides, he has Erza."

Vanessa didn't have reason to fight against the peacemaker. She knew what was best, but she also knew of Nic's capabilities. He had Nic-Greninja and Erza as backup, and even though his wounds were grizzly, he might find an opening to recover himself. This logic, of course, contradicted her responsibilities as a sibling. She had to look out for him.

"Vanessa."

Nic's voice brought her worries to a close. She saw him face her again, looking over his bloodied shoulder, smiling. "It's okay. We've been in worse situations, haven't we?"

Finally submitting, Vanessa left Nic to do his part and fight on. "Okay." She pointed a Poke Ball at her Mega-Evolved Venusaur. "Return!" Her Mega Venusaur retreated back to his Poke Ball, allowing Vanessa to turn with Wendy. "Wendy, let's go!"

"Right!" Wendy tailed Vanessa, hurrying along towards Natsu and Gray. "You guys be careful!" She called back.

Erza requipped a sword, poised to strike. "We will."

Nic-Greninja stood in front of Nic, both slouching up to steel for the next confrontation. With Nic in the back, Erza and Nic-Greninja remained in front as they glared at Irene.

The Scarlet Despair glared down the trio, her pleasure beginning to suppress just a little as she focused on Nic and Erza. "What a reunion we have today…too bad I'll have to put you both out of your misery."

"You'll try." Erza declared. "I don't know what you said about being one and the same, but we'll find out soon, won't we?"

The rhetorical question was met with Irene chuckling. "That we shall."

* * *

 **So sorry, but considering that this is twice as long as a usual chapter, 6 days isn't too bad. Over 23K, but all original, and full of drama that makes you feel action and all that good stuff. So like I said before, I wasn't particularly enticed with how the canon version of E.N.D went down, so I made this version based on Natsu's inner desires, ambitions, feelings, and all the stuff explained last chapter. As for reasoning, I had E.N.D and Gray have different reasons why they disrespect Nic, which you now know are his overpowering might and how he chose to deal with darkness different than Gray. I was getting weak in the fight scenes, so I've been watching Bleach to bring Nic's power and abilities back up to speed; specifically watching Ichigo VS Ginjo helped a bunch. Please let me know if this interested you in some way. I'd like to thank my buddy Jacob Pendra-Huth for giving me the psyche idea for Igneel and Silver.**

 **So aside from that little internal rivalry having ended, and Nic destroying E.N.D once and for all, we are now at the 10 chapter countdown mark to the conclusion scheduled, as well as Nic and Erza VS Irene, the battle everyone's been asking for! I'll do my best to pack it all in like I did with this chapter.**

 **Fun Fact: I've been deeply into an anime called Tales of the Abyss.**

 **As usual, review, comment, and let me know of the originality I set up! Thanks guys!**


	76. Mother & Daughter

In the dark chamber, Natsu, Gray, and Juvia were all laid beside the other. They were unconscious, and for the most part, incapacitated.

Among the wounded, everyone looked down at them, the most worried of the bunch being Lucy and Happy as they overlooked Natsu. "Natsu…" Neither knew what to say as they overheard and saw what happened, the torment and anguish they've felt; the bitterness and jealousy. This was the work of E.N.D.

"Wendy, how much magic do you have for healing their wounds?" Porlyusica asked.

The sky maiden stepped up, answering the apothecary's call. "I should have enough."

"Then so be it. Their bodies are low on temperature, be sure to adjust that."

Wendy bent down, reaching her hands down to Natsu and Gray. "Right." She emitted a green light from her open palms, reaching their chests. Slowly, the magical energy began to make the wounds on them fade away.

"I shall shrink the wounds that you have yet to get to." Brandish assured.

"Thank you for all that you've done. We really appreciate it." Wendy smiled, much to Brandish's indifference.

The green-haired woman turned away, giving a small pout.

"Randi…" The voice came from Dimaria, who was still incapacitated in the wall. She had yet to recover properly. "Why…? Why help that monster?"

Brandish glanced at her friend, seeing the ire she had harbored. Regardless, she was stone cold. "It's not like you to comprehend so easily, Dimaria. You've always been on a colder side."

Evergreen looked down at the fallen trio. "Speaking of cold, what happened that made their bodies so frigid?"

"It's…a long story." Vanessa's morbid note caught Evegreen's attention, piquing even more interest.

Lucy stared longingly down to Natsu. "To think they'd go this far, honestly…" The blonde was at a loss for words at this point. She always knew Natsu would push himself to be the best, and has a dream of being the best, but she didn't think he'd get jealous. It was making her eyes mist up. "Natsu…"

"What's the status of that mass? Is there anything you can do?" Porlyusica asked Brandish.

Currently minimizing the wounds on Natsu's arms, Brandish disregarded looking at her. "What mass? The one we worried about before?"

Porlyusica's eyes narrowed. "This isn't a joke! It's because of that mass that he was able to move freely within suspended time!"

"I don't sense it anymore." Brandish bluntly stated.

"What?" Porlyusica gasped. Dimaria, too, looked up in shock.

"That demonic mass of vile and hate, I cannot feel it within. Something happened to that mass, but whatever it is, it's no longer present."

Happy looked down at the ground, vaguely crestfallen of the circumstances that happened. _'Did Nic…really rip out and destroy E.N.D?'_

"Pffft! What a joke." Dimaria scoffed. "What makes you think you can get rid of such evil within the heart? It's impossible, even by magic."

"You're wrong!" Lucy immediately defended.

"Am I? Here's a news flash for you. As much as you want to deny it, it doesn't change the fact that reality is a lot harsher than you think. Everyone can be corrupted in a number of ways. No matter how you see it, even the brilliant of light have a shadow casted. That boy, that **monster** , he's no friend to anyone."

Lucy's fists balled tighter, her patience with Dimaria was starting to dwindle. She could deny it, but it didn't change the fact that Natsu and Gray almost slaughtered Nic in cold blood. The sickening thought couldn't have been Natsu, right? It was E.N.D. Then again, E.N.D _was_ his innermost hate and demonic depression. She wanted to counter, but her views on Natsu were so wayward after the traumatic experience of hearing what went down.

"Maybe so."

Everyone turned towards the voice. To their shock, it was Vanessa who spoke up. She stared at Dimaria with her blue eyes brimming with resolve.

"You're right, everyone has their own ambitions and desires they want to see fulfilled, and sometimes that costs them dearly. Whether it'd be of others, or their own lives. It's their responsibility to fairly judge their own actions, not others."

"Vanessa…" Lucy said.

"Nic and I, we had darkness in our own heart, just like Natsu and Gray had. But if it wasn't for Erza, if not for our family, then we wouldn't have had the resolve to set aside our differences. Darkness can corrupt your heart…but even in times of crisis, can you truly blame others for something that is your fault? If you can't make peace with the devil inside of you, you can't let it win. You have to be proud of each other." Her head went down again. "Otherwise, you'll just end up like Lysandre…or Natsu and Gray." There was another person that came to mind, her Uncle Vince, but chose to omit it. "That's when you reach out to others in your own way. They'll help you stop your demons, even if it means taking all the pain you wish to deal to them. Nic knew that fact, and he still saved them from their insanity."

Dimaria glared at Vanessa, but she was seeing how Vanessa had her beat. She let her own greed and darkness cloud her, but rather than admit, she turned away with a spiteful look.

"You can't destroy the devil inside, but rather you chose to forgive it and move on?" Evergreen summarized. "Funny how that contradicted what Nic did, wouldn't you say."

Vanessa looked at Evergreen, smiling. "Well, to be fair, it was our own demons that we made amends with. That's what gave us our strength. Those times Nic destroyed darkness, they were demons who needed help because they were suffering in their own way. No one should suffer because of that."

Everyone smiled at Vanessa's encouragement. They didn't have any sense of rebuttal, but what she said did bring about a change in what they perceived. Fairy Tail always fought against darkness. They never thought of amending with it.

"Say, Vanessa." Wendy's chirping brought the attention to her. "What happened exactly during the Impure Underworld back then? From that battle, it sounded like…"

Vanessa's smile never wavered. "That's a story Nic, Erza, and I will share at another time." She frowned, looking focused. "Right now, we have to focus on recovering our strength."

With her thoughts on Natsu in her head, Lucy continued looking down at his body. His face didn't look to be in pain, but she knew how much mentality was on his mind. "It's true. Maybe Natsu isn't the smartest guy in Fiore. Maybe he's brash, impulsive, and violent…but I know even if that may be, deep down, Natsu can be honest with himself. I'm sure when this is over, he'll understand what to do." Her face grew sad. "I just hope he can learn to forgive himself."

Evergreen smirked. "Sounds like cupid's arrow shot right into the heart." She snickered.

"Ah, I see now." Brandish said.

Lucy's face grew a beet red. "I-It's nothing like that!" She embarrassedly denied, whipping back down towards him. "I mean, he is the one who brought Nic and I to Fairy Tail. That's something he can be proud of. If it wasn't for that, who knows what might've happened."

"That's true. He's always been impulsive, but he means well." Carla pointed out.

"Nnngh…Zeref…"

Everyone gasped as they heard Natsu mumbling. "Natsu?" Happy went closer to his side, worried panic pressed on his face.

"Zeref…I'm gonna…Zeref…" His face contorted in pain, a twisted expression set into stone.

Everyone frowned at what perceived to be his sleep talking. They had no idea on what to think of Natsu and Gray anymore. It was complicated at best, but what they did know was that even though _one_ demon was thwarted from severing friends, there were still more, especially a certain black-haired man and a vengeful Dragon Slayer. Unfortunately, Happy wasn't taking it very well.

"Natsu, please stop. I'm begging you." The blue Exceed's body was shuddering profusely. His face was infused with misty eyes and tears dripping like mad. He, too, was nearly losing his sanity. What came out next was something he couldn't keep controlled. "Natsu…let it go! If Zeref dies…then you die!"

That one sentence made the entire room go silent. Everyone stared at him with nothing less than expressions summarized by shock.

The Exceed nuzzled his face. "Natsu…"

"Happy…what did you just…?" Lucy's question broke down.

"What was that you said?" Carla questioned.

Wendy looked down, noticing how her shock made her magic stop. Her body was beginning to shudder. "No way…"

"Dear god! Save Natsu!" Happy begged. "I can't take it anymore! We need help! Save Natsu! Somebody! Anybody!"

Lucy continued to glare down, trying to make sense with what she heard. "If Zeref dies…Natsu…"

"Zeref…I can't…lose like this…not to you, or…"

In his fussing, Gray – who was right next to him – had his eyes wince.

* * *

No winds blew, for the winds were best saved for the ensuing fight that was to rock every corner of the battlefield. A deep silence was suppressed against the might of the open wasteland, where Irene glared down Erza and Nic-Greninja, who stood in defense of Nic.

Nic panted profusely, his body covered in wounds, and his attire partially tattered. He was doing his best to catch his breath, but he was starting to see hazy blurs every now and again. The blood loss was starting to accumulate, and his wounds weren't so willing to close.

Noticing Nic's grievous wounds, Irene smirked. "That looks like it hurts, the poor dear." In her sultry tone, the taunt was not taken lightly. "Shall I put you out of your misery?!" Her arm clutched, she reached out in a swift arch. At that moment, an atmospheric enchantment was created, and a shockwave raced across the ground. The attack's gust-like feeling almost resembled Heat Wave.

Hoisting up on his knee, Nic's blue eyes sharpened, focus rebuilding. "Greninja, **Night Slash!** "

Nic-Greninja blitzed and reappeared in front of Nic at that precise instance. He flicked his wrists and unsheathed compressed purple kunai with a shimmering purple gleam. With a shout of fury, Nic-Greninja crossed his kunai in an X formation, making purple trails follow. The glistening residue sliced straight through the wind, making it sever and diffuse around Nic-Greninja, and quickly dissipating around the group to thin air.

Irene's eyes widened. _'He cut right through my attack?'_

"You'll have to deal with us as well!" Nic-Greninja thwarted.

Erza used the shock Nic-Greninja created to her advantage as she blitzed for Irene. She got in close and spread her feet out, unleashing a mighty battle cry as she swung her blade. "HRAH!" Her blade was swift and crisp, yet it was stopped by Irene's intricate staff, making a loud clang burst through the atmosphere. With the distance close, Irene looked down at Erza's hostile expression, a neutral look fixed.

Erza backed away from the parry, adjusting her blade. "Now what was it you said earlier?" She demanded.

"What I said? I meant it, you and I are one and the same." Irene bluntly explained. "Is that really so hard to comprehend?"

Seeing as how Irene was toying with her, Erza pressed her foot against the ground, charging right for her again. Once more, they clashed with one parry after another. Erza viciously pressed ahead, getting Irene to step back and calmly parry without much effort implied. The strikes were getting nowhere, and she had to find a way to get Irene to be open again.

With a callous swipe, Erza's sword brushed against Irene's staff from the side, causing sparks to grind against the material separating Irene from the blade. With an opening to Erza, she got the bottom of her staff up and thrust at Erza, but the redhead leaned to her left, evading the attack and slowly rotating into momentum. Time gradually slowed down as Erza got her foot up, using another requip to summon a sword at her toes. The fact she requipped using her toes to hold a sword caught Irene by surprise, and Erza spun in a vicious spiral, making slash trails from two various arches. The double-edged attack spun fully around, grinding viciously against Irene's staff. The sparks went wild and the enchantress found herself shoved back several feet against the earth, causing dust and gravel to clear away.

Once she caught herself, she smiled at Erza, who requipped both swords away. "Not bad."

Nic-Greninja reappeared in front of Erza, taking an active stance. From a ways away, Nic gave the call. " **Scald!** " His cry was equal to Nic-Greninja as their eyes zoomed in and out respectively, with Nic-Greninja taking a deep breath as vapor spiraled inwards. It unleashed from his mouth in a boiling hot water blast of rippling size. The ground broke away beneath from the massive force of the pressurized torrent, steam blitzing as Irene looked shocked at the incoming blast. In response, the enchantress reached out, her gloves with claws making the ground beneath erupt in a violent explosion. The ground rattled as Scald's spray met the defense, manifesting an eruption of steam to pulse upwards while humid winds raced past Nic-Greninja and Erza.

They waited for the smoke and steam to vanish, however, after moments, it revealed Irene was gone.

Nic-Greninja gasped as he saw right through Nic's eyes. He whipped over his shoulder, seeing his Trainer looking back as well with a surprised gasp.

Standing behind Nic was Irene as she towered with a smirk. She had a sinister appeal, one that would render anyone paralyzed.

Erza whipped around, eyes wide. "Nic!"

Irene took a look at the valley in his shoulder, and the clogged hole in the other. Her eyes narrowed. "So much for full strength."

With a sharp stab of the staff to the ground, the ground enchanted with explosive powers yet again. The explosive energy shot up and out like a pillar. The ground rattled violently as smoke enveloped the area around Nic. Erza's expression went from bad to worse as her eyes widened further with a hitch in her breath.

Irene smirked through the smoke, feeling cheap glory. However, it dwindled away, revealing her frown. "Hm?" Once the smoke faded, it revealed Nic on a knee still, his body enveloped in Protect. "He defended in that condition?" She gasped.

Nic labored in breathing as he looked over his shoulder, Protect fading. "Just because I'm down, doesn't mean that I still can't fight!" His eyes widened. " **Boomburst!** "

The inside of his mouth and Irene gasped in shock. The next instance, the ground once again shuddered violently as an explosion of soundwaves reverberated about, creating more winds. The smoke and dust billowed upwards like Irene's last attack, only this time it was against her. She jumped out of the dust and soundwaves in the air, showing signs of wear.

"We got her!" Erza swiped her arms and summoned two katana. She lunged at Irene in the air, meeting her height and crossed her blades and swiped in an X formation. Irene blocked with her staff again, but was forced back several feet in the air.

"Damn you…!" Irene was cut off when a shadow was over her, revealing Nic-Greninja. By the time she realized it, the die had been cast.

"Greninja, **Return!** " Nic cried out.

Nic-Greinja's foot gave off a purple aura that flared with his bond with Nic. He raised the foot high, giving a loud grunt as he axe kicked with all his might, making a flaring purple crescent as his Return smashed into Irene's staff, breaking it to pieces even when it was meant to block. The Spriggan shot down like a bolt into the ground at full force, making another eruption that could make bones rattle. Dust and more rock flared everywhere as Erza and Nic-Greninja dropped and landed beside Nic.

"That was a close one." Erza admitted.

Nic managed to his feet, struggling, but was able to crouch and swing around, all three facing Irene and the results.

Everyone watched as the dust cleared, slowly, but eventually, revealing the hole that Irene had been put in, literally. She was in a large crater, but one not too deep. Nic and Nic-Greninja's eyes narrowed, giving a thorough result. "Too easy." Nic figured negatively.

In the center, Irene mustered strength to get to her knees. She managed to stand up, and with a slight hitch in her breath, she stood ever so callously. She smirked, despite the few scrapes on her body.

Erza's guard heightened. "How is she still standing?"

"Don't forget, she's an enchantress. She did this when we fought before. She reduced the damage she took and heightened her defenses." Nic reminded her.

"In simple terms, it's like using a status move to lower and strengthen stats." Nic-Greninja simplified.

"I see."

A clap from Irene came, the palms closing and opening as her applauding went about. "Well done. Very well executed." She applauded in a mocking manner. It did not appease them. "I'm impressed. Your talents and abilities exceeded my expectations as ever, Nic. You and your Pokémon never cease to amaze me."

The two failed to respond diligently. "…thank you. I can see you never fail to put us through our paces." Nic does appreciate the words of praise, but the mood nor circumstances weren't something to take light of.

Irene chuckled at Nic's words of respect and cast her attention towards Erza. The look the knight has was priceless, at least to her. "And as for you, you certainly have my tenacity. Then again, I wouldn't expect any less resilience from someone who is myself."

Erza once again requipped, this time adorning her Heart Kreuz Armor. "You keep saying such a thing, but what does it mean, exactly? What makes us alike in any way?" She demanded.

"My dear Erza." Irene feigned shock, albeit in modesty. "You still do not comprehend…no, you simply just aren't accepting the vague truth. Do you not see the resemblance within us?"

Slowly, Nic began to recap. "Scarlet hair…brown eyes…same facial expressions…" His eyes narrowed. "And Vanessa said-"

Erza's stance did not change. "Out with it. Are you some copy of me?"

Irene chuckled at Erza's expense. She smirked so casually that it was almost mocking.

The wind didn't bother to pick up as Nic and Nic-Greninja evaluated Irene and Erza alike. They didn't seem pleased with how similar they were, but they knew it couldn't be a copy of her. Any possibility worked, but the more Nic looked at the older scarlet-haired woman, the more his pupils dilated. "Don't tell me…"

The realization finally dawned upon Nic, just as Irene announced it.

"Erza, I am your mother."

Erza's horror was exemplified. She, Nic, and Nic-Greninja stared with eyes wide and filled with nothing less than shock and horror to the absolute max. What was heard they wished wasn't a dream.

"What…did you just say?" Erza inquired.

"Did she say what we thought she said?" Nic said.

Nic-Greninja didn't move like him. "Her offspring…"

Seeing their shock, Irene took advantage and continued to speak. "Erza, whether you believe it or not, I am your-"

"Stop right there!" Erza snapped. At her leisure, Irene stopped in place. Her bangs cast a shadow over her eyes, leaving one to guess what was going on. "What's this about you being my mother?" She snarled.

"Erza…?" Nic questioned.

"What's this about me having a mother? What makes you think I would accept such a claim from the likes of you, one who would so callously attack my own guild? All these years, and not once did I consider such a possibility."

"Is that so?"

Erza pressed on, despite Irene's interests. "I grew up alone in Rosemary Village. I didn't have any parents looking after me. Not even in my dreams!"

"And yet here I am, the one who gave you life." Irene reasoned.

"There is only one person I would ever call my parent." Erza poised a sword ahead, passion filling her eyes, which became visible again. "That one person is the Master, and he's been there for me since the very beginning!"

Irene sighed at Erza's stubbornness. "Well, I guess that ideology is valid for an excuse." She shrugged. "To be honest, it doesn't matter to me either."

The news shocked Nic. "What was that?"

"You heard me. I actually believed that you perished a long time ago, Erza. Oh how fortune falls upon you."

Once again, the trio was met with shock. They held their ground despite the ever-increasing revelations springing left and right. Erza did not waver from her path, and neither did Nic nor Nic-Greninja, but that didn't keep them from feeling mixed emotions about the scenario. They knew what it was like reuniting with parents – but only implied for Nic's case. Still, that was a different occasion.

"The fact doesn't change that you are alive. How you survived your childhood is none of my concern. What I do know, is that you are here. Ignorance must be bliss."

Erza looked ready to pounce. "Say whatever you please, but how can I honestly call you a parent if what you did was terrorize my friends? The way I see it, anyone who attacks my guild is nothing less than scum; enemies that I will take down."

"Well said." Irene acknowledged, a gust picking up at long last. "I too share the same ideology. Anyone who dares to defy the Alvarez Empire is someone who must be annihilated. Even if that culprit happens to be my own flesh and blood. Seems we are alike after all."

With that note, the winds picked up to a gradual extent. Erza and Nic glared down Irene, and vice versa. It didn't take long for the circumstances to fade away for room to inquiry arose.

"To think, that my own daughter would go out of this world without knowing her birthright." Irene lost her smirk, looking to be of pity. "How pitiable. I guess you have that one right to know."

Erza poised her sword. "I'm not interested in how I came here."

"Is that so? Don't be so cold to your dear mother, I'm only wishing to tell you a little story. Think of it as a way of showing my sportsmanship. That way your little friend over there can recover. It wouldn't be fun to kill you when you're half-dead, am I wrong?"

Erza wasn't appreciating how she was being treated. Before she made any moves, an arm swiped in front, blocking her from advancing. To her surprise, it was Nic who supplied the blockade.

"Nic?" Erza questioned.

"Erza, don't make the same mistakes I made. We at least want to hear out what she wants before we make any response." He reasoned. Sure, he felt the same way, but it was an opportunity to use Recover. "Besides, you and I both know the differences in parental issues. I think we should use this time wisely."

Erza shot a look back at the woman who abandoned her. Personally, as much as she would hate to admit it, she was rather wondrous, but she was an enemy, and couldn't let her guard down. But Nic did have a point. Given the "events" of the incident, Erza got to know Nic's family history, and plus this way it would get Nic time to heal his wounds. Ultimately Erza stepped down and remained put, siding with Nic's resolve.

"Looks like the verdict is in. Very well then." Irene chimed. "Indulge yourselves with this tale…" As she spoke, Nic remained calm as his body glowed, managing Recover at long last. His cells began to regenerate, even after the shock of what came next.

"My full name is Irene Belserion, the former Dragon Queen…"

* * *

 _Around 400 years ago, in the Dragnov Kingdom, the main palace was structured to be humungous, almost like a grand fortress. Its walls could've house tons of Wailord, which could've sized to quite a few dragons. This was the past in which the dragons came to be._

 _Inside, two soldiers walked side by side with one another. "Hey, didn't you hear the news?" One asked._

" _Yeah, I heard that the humans on the western continent got struck by dragons again." The other soldier responded._

" _Aye, how unfortunate…"_

" _ **It seems to us that the western dragons have less of an intelligence span.**_ _" The soldiers gasped at the sound of the voice. The floor banged profusely with the sound of thunder. Turning around, they were met with a gargantuan beast whose treaded footpath made the domain shudder. Despite this, the soldiers were pleasantly calm. The creature was that of a rigid scaled dragon, who possessed curved jaws pointed forward, much like a Haxorus except for no back blades. He was four legged and had a massive bulk._

" _Oh! Lord Belserion!" The soldier gasped._

" _You came back from your reconnaissance?" The other soldier questioned._

 _Belserion put a scaly hand to his chin, looking to ponder. "_ _ **Indeed. The situation in the west has grown out of hand.**_ _" He glanced down at the men. "_ _ **Is Irene present?**_ _"_

" _Yes sir! She's in the courtyard."_

 _What was thought to have been a domain fit for dragons was a stretch of fallacy. In truth, the Dragnov kingdom was home to a place where on a certain world, humans and Pokémon coexisted. In Earth Land, humans and dragons lived in peace. In the courtyard, one would've seen humans petting dragons, and children swinging from their tales. Riding dragons was an activity, and through it all, many were appeased._

 _Among the many woman in the courtyard, there was one with scarlet hair and brown eyes. She had a single braid on the right side of her face while the rest framed and flowed about. She wore a light cape over her patched attire, smiling as she turned towards the entrance with flowers being fixed into place. This was Irene, a long time ago, and about Erza's age._

" _Belserion, welcome home." She greeted._

 _The Sage Dragon towered over her, giving her a tired look. "_ _ **Irene…**_ _"_

" _You look troubled, is there something the matter?"_

 _Her question was kept unanswered for a short while. Belserion turned and looked at the many dragons who were at peace with the children playing. "_ _ **The situation has changed. The western continent's residence is being attacked and eaten by dragons. Before long, they may travel here to take root. I fear it may be too late.**_ _"_

 _Irene frowned at the misfortunate news. "To think of dragons eating people…I can't bear to even dream of it."_

" _ **We must not allow that ideology to take place here.**_ _" Belserion spoke. "_ _ **We've come this far walking alongside you humans. Who says we will overthrow that time?**_ _"_

 _Irene nodded. "Yes, we humans and dragons have been through a lot here, and through it all, we've come this far in our hopes of coexisting. Our expectations were far from disappointment. And yet…" Her resolution diminished, showing worry. "What would happen if they crossed seas to here? Would our trust be questioned?"_

 _Belserion's claws gripped the ground, holding him higher in terms of stature. His massive eyes showed a fierce tenacity, one that would rival a Garchomp. "_ _ **I won't let that happen! We shall protect all humans!**_ _"_

* * *

"This was the beginning of what is now called the Dragon King Festival." Irene said. "Yes, it was in fact war, which was brought by dragons' kindness."

Nic and Erza were both unable to comprehend words at the moment. Even as Nic's Recover faded, revealing his wounds closing up and the blood having dried up, he didn't move a finger.

"400 years ago?!" Erza spatted. "But how?! Your appearance…"

"Don't fret, at least not yet." Irene looked over her shoulder, smirking. "Little by little, you'll come to understand. Now, this is where it gets interesting. Mine was a country in Ishgar, one that had the coexisting of humans and dragons for many ages. In Ishgar, many countries of such ideology existed within those times…"

Nic and Erza fell silent as Irene continued her tale.

* * *

" _HRAH!" With a harsh smack of the wooden stick, Irene used her strength and broke the sword that laid on the concrete block. Upon the spectacle, many were flabbergasted by the sight._

" _Woah! Did you see that?!"_

" _She cleaved that iron sword with a wooden stick!"_

" _Your majesty. How did you do that?!"_

 _Irene faced the confused spectators with an innocent smile. "It's a technique I developed. It's called Enchantment. I granted the stick defenses tougher than iron temporarily, giving it destructive levels."_

 _Once again, many of the fans and crowds were baffled._

" _Awesome!"_

" _This'll make it easier for our dragons to win!"_

" _This'll be over in a flash! Yeah!"_

 _Despite their cheers, however, Irene looked down at the stick, a frown casting upon her face._

 _People were getting their hopes up, but as the days went on, the battle progressed in a turn for the worst. Everyone's hopes diminished as dragons from their side were reduced to corpses, and loved ones were being lost. The sheer number of enemy forces was staggering, in addition to a small faction to dragons in Ishgar who chose to side with dragons from the west. The odds were far from their favor._

 _A battered Belserion sat in what was once a lively courtyard, now but an empty hall in which no dragons were seen. The answer was simple…if one wished to see them again as corpses rotting. Belserion was still hanging in there, but his scales were chipped and the many battles he's fought left him a battered rag._

" _ **I'm afraid, if this keeps up, we will lose.**_ _" He said._

 _A crestfallen Irene looked up to him with no means of pleasantry. "I…see…"_

" _ **My desire to protect humans shall not change. I'll go down protecting that believe and take it to my grave. I will keep falling, not just for humans, but for my fallen brethren.**_ _"_

 _Irene looked shocked with were mourn. "Why?" She asked. "Why go so far for we humans?"_

" _ **I told you, did you not? It was your kind that saved my life long ago. My life was saved by your predecessor. I owe them my life, and thus that debt is to you.**_ _"_

" _No, Belserion. I believe that debt has been more than repaid. You attended to me when I had nowhere else to go. You gave me council, and you continue to fight for the virtues you've set. There must be more to it…"_

" _ **Irene…until I keep you safe from danger, I will never stop trying.**_ _" Belserion has always been a loyal dragon, and he was more than capable of proving it. He was sad he was losing, but he still had dignity like that of a knight. He'd rather die than see her get eaten first. "_ _ **I won't rest, that I promise. I swear on my life.**_ _"_

 _Irene was humbled. She felt guilty that Belserion was doing the hard work, but where was she when he needed her? In a chamber, waiting for a miracle? She refused to let this matter go on like this. It was time she stepped up, and prove her worth. "Belserion…"_

" _ **Hm?**_ _"_

 _Irene stared at him, her hopes returning. "_ _ **Let me join the fight alongside you.**_ _"_

 _Belserion showed honest shock. "_ _ **I-Irene! What are you saying?! These aren't humans! They're dragons! Even if you formed a plan with a battalion, they're nothing compared to a lone dragon!**_ _" He reasoned._

" _I have a way to turn the tide." She rebuffed. "Your power…can it not be enchanted into me?"_

 _Belserion's eyes widened further, shock overwhelming him. "_ _ **Are you saying…that a human with dragon powers…**_ _"_

 _Irene retained her stature, standing tall and proud. "Yes, the sacred art that I have been meaning to find out. The proof of humans and dragons in harmony, to cast all evil dragons away – Dragon Slayer Magic."_

* * *

Once again, the shock was too great to handle. It was one revelation after another, with no time to rest – in a way – for Nic and Erza. All three were wide-eyed, the epiphany tremendous with the origins of Dragon Slayer Magic unsheathed before their ears.

Nic stood beside Erza, having enough strength to stand without need of stings or flinching. "Wait, you're saying…"

"You were responsible…for Dragon Slayer Magic existing?!" Erza couldn't comprehend it. It was beyond her scope of wisdom. Her mother – the long lost one who wants to kill her – invented a secret art that revolutionized not just her friends, but alas the world.

Irene smirked. "Yes. I am the mother of _all_ Dragon Slayers."

It was beginning to feel like the world itself was to question. They didn't know that much about Dragon Slayer Magic until they got insight from the spirit of Zirconis, but even then there wasn't much origin. The prime factor then was perhaps Acnologia and how he came around.

"However…" Irene continued. "The battle turned in our favor once more…but there was something wrong. Very wrong. Dragons possessed great swells of power, but the vessels that housed them weren't stable. Us humans began to pay for that dearly. There were those who lost their sanity, and went on vicious rampages with their power. Some were stricken with an extreme sickness in which resulted from differences of a dragon's visual acuity and a human's perception in their semicircular canals. I believe that term these days is 'motion sickness', yes? But the biggest factor…was something far worse than what one could have imagined."

Nic, Erza, and Nic-Greninja were all paying attention at the shocking development that would unfold.

"That's right. The final moments of Dragon Slayers as humans. The Dragon Seed that sprouts and causes draconification. Erza…" Irene looked to her daughter. "Your father was a general from a neighboring country. Back in my time, there was such a thing called political marriage when humans fought for territory. He was able to keep me company on the battlefield. He even took care of me when Belserion died. The war ended with neither side winning…because it was then when Acnologia made his appearance."

At the mention of the name, Nic showed hidden anguish at he who wants revenge on him.

"He made a one-sided catastrophe. He was responsible for the war's end and many dragons perishing. Victory was his and his alone. The week after the war's end, well…let's just say the misfortune only gets worse…"

* * *

" _Stay back! Back!" Irene's husband had many soldiers gathered around him as he looked ready to unsheathe his blade. "I'll kill you if you don't!"_

 _Irene's face was half white with scales. One ye was the same while the other was hazy with dragon lust. Her draconification had begun. "It's me! Irene!" She pleaded desperately. "Don't be alarmed by me, I swear-"_

" _This monster will be like Acnologia!" He snapped._

" _No! Stop! I've always loved dragons! I wouldn't destroy them!"_

 _He swiped his arm, giving a command. "Then you are humanity's enemy! Capture this ugly dragon witch!"_

" _Stop! Please! I have your child inside me!"_

 _His eyes nearly went blood red from anger and cowardice. "I HAVE NO CHILDREN WITH SUCH UGLY MONSTERS LIKE YOU!"_

 _Irene gasped in horror. The man who cared for, the one who looked out for her…was afraid. The fact she was feared meant she had no hope. Tears were in the corners of her eyes, all the hope of reasoning and seeing her happy days nothing more than a memory._

 _From that day on, it was hell. Irene's misfortune only grew as the days went on. The days were filled with torture for the dragon woman. She was blinded and tied dominatrix style. She was stripped bare and crucified for hours without food or water. Rather than a nice warm bed, she had but a cold, damp cell. And through all that time, her womb did not spout._

 _Then one day, worse just multiplied._

 _She laid on her side, in fetal position, clutching her belly to secure the child, which had yet to grow over the three years. Unfortunately, her body had undergone drastic changes, mainly the white scales that were all over her body. Truly a draconic hybrid with uneven red hair. As she laid desperate, a shadow cast on her face. Her unhealthy expression directed to the man that was her coward of a caretaker._

" _Dragon woman, we have decided your date and time of execution. You shall not live a second longer after that." He informed._

 _With little strength, she tried to get up. "Please…please…not for the child inside…"_

" _That's far enough with such a joke! Have you ever heard of anyone who has been pregnant for 3 years?"_

" _There is a thing called magic. I can't give birth under these conditions-!" Irene fell short of say when the cell bars opened, and the man stood with a dark expression right before her eyes._

" _I told you…there is no child inside there!" He snapped. His patience was up, as he chose to not live in fear. Unsheathing a sword, he held it out. "I dare not say anymore of this farce! Shall I tear open that belly to make sure?!"_

 _The sword raised, Irene was petrified in fear. "No! NO! STOP! PLEASE~!"_

 _SLASH!_

 _In a vicious, horrific display, the man slashed his sword. Irene moved her belly away at a slight angle, but even with her scales, the slash went into her skin, leaving a bleeding cut on the left side,_

" _Tch, missed." He scowled. He looked up to Irene, his eyes widening when he saw something worse. A gasp escaped his throat as Irene was in a harsh angle looking at him with feral eyes. She looked much like a wild animal, if not more so. Energy flared on her back, transforming into wings. He was beyond terrified when he saw the monster-like look in her eyes. Her body began to morph as she snarled like a rabid predator. Her scream she emitted turned into a roar, one that grew with her figure's rise._

 _Falling to his back, he waved his sword madly upwards. "M-monster! Stay back! No-!" His sentence and life fell short when a scaled claws stepped on him, crushing him completely into the cement._

 _The entire corridor shuddered and Irene's cell blew to pieces. The rattling alarmed many of the soldiers who happened to be nearby, in which they heard the sound of a malicious growl._

" _What's that sounds?!"_

" _It's from the prisoner!"_

 _They hurried inside and saw the dust clear. When all the men were gathered inside, they all gasped as the dust revealed a very large threat, of what they didn't know was Irene. Their horrors reached astronomical bounds as they saw the dragon with light-colored scaled, and a red, fiery mane running down her back and arms, which were connected to her feathery wings. She had feather-like patterns around the eyes, with ovular segments above them and on the knuckles._

" _A dragon?!"_

" _Run!"_

 _But it was too late. Irene opened her mouth and unleashed a fiery roar, one that enveloped everything. The entire palace she was in all this time reduced to ashes within her explosive roar, with everyone inside. Within the chaos, she took off, sailing into the skies free._

" _ **I am human! I am human!**_ _" She cried out, wanting plea to get back to normal as she sailed along. "_ _ **Give me back my body! I want it! I AM HUMAN~!**_ _"_

 _Unfortunately, her cries went uncalled for. Unanswered, for hundreds of years. Within that time, she had lost everything, and all contact from humanity. However, X765, there was someone who she met in the woods, a man with black hair. Zeref._

" _You are human, am I wrong?"_

 _It wasn't much explaining, but Zeref did was Irene was unable to do. With some magic and a snap of his fingers, he made Irene's draconic body banish, replaced with her old body and rags once more. When she looked down at her palms, she saw human skin, and her buxom and hair was back to normal. She was so happy that it made her cry._

" _I…I'm human again!" She wept._

" _It's just the physique, though." Zeref informed. "I'm sorry, but you are not…"_

" _Uh, n-no! Please, it's okay, really!" Irene spoke. "I don't mind, really! Just being human again is more than enough for me…"_

 _Unfortunately she soon came to realize what Zeref meant was something she soon would realize that the body he gave back wasn't what she wanted. The first thing she did when she turned human was find decent clothing, and then find a tavern with what Jewel she would scrounge for. When she tastes human food…it was tasteless. She thought it was meant to be, but even salad, meet, everything was without taste. "It's tasteless…I can't taste…" No matter how much she ate it was pointless. In a barn she laid on her side, but couldn't succumb to sleep. "I can't sleep…I can't…sleep…I can't…" It was madness. Even with blankets wrapped around her, her body was itching, cold, and hurt. She came to realize what Zeref meant with his very words spoken._

" _Why…I just wanted to be human…" She sweat profusely, her eyes dilating out of sanity short. "I am human…I am human…I AM HUMAN!"_

 _Days, perhaps weeks passed, and no fortune came to pass. Irene was in a shelter not far from the streets of Rosemary Village. She had hidden away as she clutched her belly, which still had yet to grow much over her time as a human. "All I wanted…was to give birth to me child…my…" Her eyes slowly widened. "My…human child."_

 _With no sleep, and hundreds of years of misery, her eyes were far beyond spirals. They were bloodshot. Everything around her went silent as her mind was telling her to fulfill her desire. She was losing it. She lost it. She wasn't sane, but a psychopath. Her breathing labored as her eyes widened to where they indeed defined her bloodthirsty carnage._

" _Human…a human inside of me…" Her eyes were dilating to where they weren't stable. Her heart raced as a malicious smirk grew. She knew what she had to do. "Human…body…yes…yes…" She chuckled. "If I can enchant myself into his child upon birth, I can get a new human body. A new life. A new me. I am you, and you shall be me…my dear child…"_

* * *

There was shrilled silence within the wake. Erza said nothing as the story concluded. Nic was equally as desolate, and just like her, he showed hidden signs of remorse and leveled shock. As bewildering as the tale was, it was far from anything they should appreciate.

"Unfortunately, the process failed." Irene sneered with a feral look in her eyes. "It was impossible to enchant myself into you, that's why I lost interest in you. And so I dumped you like trash."

The story over and Erza realizing how she got to where she was, she gave her mother a glare that dared not waver. "…was it perhaps Rosemary Village?" She questioned.

"Who knows? I already forgot the name." Irene shrugged.

Nic slowly turned his head towards Erza. As he was concern, he didn't want to be much of a bother to how she felt. "Erza…"

"It's fine, Nic." She assured, continuing to stare at her mother. "I am grateful to you for giving me life."

Irene scoffed. "I don't need thanks from trash."

"I have seen the many kinds of parents who would cast aside their own children like homeless pets. Such pity, but reasons are unimportant right now…" Erza began a requip, glowing. "Because I still made it here today. It's thanks to you, that I was able to meet my real family." Her glow faded, revealing her in a new armor. In a blunt nutshell, she looked like an armored bunny girl; her Rabbit Armor. It was a two-tone dress with the middle open with a ribbon tied around the neck. Gauntlets covered all of Erza's forearms, and greaves adorning the knee guards made up of plates attached to the high heels. She adorned a pair of rabbit-like ears above her head and spade earrings on the right ear, with the Key Stone still on her left. She had checkered twin blades that she held set. "I got to meet my family. I got to meet Nic. And I have met many more friends and loved ones because of him."

Nic saw where this was going, and he knew what he had to do. He knew full-well that there were different kinds of parents, and he should know; he, Vanessa, and Erza were there when his own Mom and Dad explained everything. They were forgiven…but Irene wasn't them. He knew better than that.

Erza pulled out her Net Ball. "And with my friends and family beside me, we'll admonish you." She tossed up the Net Ball, which twirled about to a pinnacle. "Scizor, to my side!" At her call, the Net Ball opened, and released energy that went down beside Erza.

Appearing next to Erza, Scizor uncrossed her pincers, set with a fixed glare of her own. "Erza." She announced.

Irene's eyes narrowed. "What's this?"

"Even though you're my real mother, that doesn't change anything." Erza readied herself for battle, blades set. "I can understand your suffering, as I knew certain individuals who had to appeal to such calamity. And because of that, we shall put you to rest."

"Yes." Nic stepped to her side, glowing as well. "This isn't like back then. We sympathize with the brutality you endured…" He shifted into his Insect Form, his dragonfly wings folded. "But as Erza said, whether you're a parent or not, you still caused not just harm, but threatened death. We won't stand by and let you or Zeref have that luxury."

"Right." Nic-Greninja spoke.

"So, even after all that, you still wish to degrade me?" Irene asked.

Erza nodded. "Yes."

Irene's smirk widened. "I see…too bad. I was hoping I'd feel sympathy for you as well. But…" She reached out slowly, her palm opened to them. Her eyes shrunk as she stretched the fingertips. "My feelings haven't changed! So perish!"

Everyone scattered and lunge din various directions as the ground beneath exploded from Irene's wrath. The quake palpitated profusely, yet the surge of energy that made winds fly did not falter the advance of Erza. The knight was the first to react, taking the direct out and swiftly moving across the ground towards Irene. With the distance closing, he crossed her blades and let out a mighty battle cry.

"HRAH!" She met Irene's arm, which was surprisingly blocking the attack. It clanged against Erza's blades with a shimmer.

As they were in the stalemate, Erza tried to push, yet Irene wasn't budging. "Did you forget, child? I am able to enchant anything, that includes strengthening my own defenses." Irene managed to keep Erza from pushing too hard, keeping stalemate stable. "What kind of power do you have against someone who was the queen of an entire country? Well?"

"Gnnngh…! The power is here. Now!"

Irene's shock widened when she saw two blurs blitzing in front, her position open for Nic and Nic-Greninja was they ran past her.

" **Night Slash!** "

" **Lunge!** "

With Nic-Greninja passing on the left with trailing purple from crossed purple kunai, and Nic passing on the right with a light green glow and streaming like a comet, the side of Irene glistened with purple and light green several times in a few seconds before enveloping her in a blast. In the smoke, Irene grunted as she faltered back several feet, feeling her sides feel cuts.

"Damnit." She was enveloped in a blue aura, her strength decreasing. As she covered where Night Slash struck her, the smoke cleared with a hole in front, making her gasp.

Erza and Scizor went racing through the opening, both screaming as the twin blades Erza held linked together while Scizor's claws glowed blue and crossed them in an X formation, making a blue X with magenta.

" **Red-Black Twin Blades!** "

" **X-Scissor!** "

Both met Irene in the center, their slash attacks making a powerful light as they struck her directly. With her enhanced defenses, Irene was barely holding on, but eventually she lost footing and another burst of energy shot her back. She yelped as he slid across gravel, driving a claw into the ground to anchor her hold. She managed to stop, allowing dust to fade as she looked back up. "You're all so annoying." She grunted.

"Maybe so, but a parent who refuses to love their child is but a sin that must be attended to." Erza announced.

"Tch, so pretentious." Irene reached out to her again, creating an explosion at Erza's feet. Erza leaped back and dodged the explosive energy. When she landed, she found her left side unsafe as enchanted winds struck her.

"GAH!" The harsh blow from the side forced her to slide in a vivid dust trail across Irene's path. The damage dealt left Irene to smirk with pride.

Behind, Nic was in the air, flapping his wings and having arms crossed. " **Pin Missile!** " As he uncrossed, many white orbs streaming in green energy emerged from his body. They went shooting down after Irene, who looked over her shoulder to see the attack heading her way. She pivoted and swiped her arm, in which all the Pin Missile exploded in a bright green flash before they made contact.

With an opening through the smoke, Nic dove down at great speeds, his head glowing with a bright horn manifesting like that of a Heracross. " **Megahorn!** "

Irene hurried and reached up towards Nic, her arm pulled up to exert an equal enchanting force in the atmosphere. Nic's Megahorn and the enchanted blast met in a diagonal mark, creating a diverged blast in which winds streamed around Nic as he flapped profusely to get to Irene. The airspace roared viciously as Nic did his best to fight against it, but against wind, he knew his typing wasn't that effective.

Irene smirked as she saw Nic on the ropes. "What will you do now, huh?!"

Nic-Greninja reappeared at a low angle just behind her knees, the appearance startling her as she found herself on the ropes from behind again.

"Tch! Grah!" Irene planted a foot back. At Nic-Greninja's base, the ground cracked. He disappeared in a flash, seconds before a wave of earth traveled across from where he stood previously. The wave of energy passed Erza, who was up on a knee and ignoring the numerous stains on her body.

The redhead panted as she had to focus. Whether she was her mother or not, even though they pitied, they could not waver. She caught her breath as Scizor jumped in front.

"Erza, let's hurry!" The Bug and Steel-type urged.

Standing back, Erza answered her plea. "You're right." She reached out. "So use **Bullet Punch!** "

Scizor answered the command and went springing ahead. As she cried out, she reeled her glowing blue claw back and thrust forward. However, even with her dexterity, she still was captured by Irene's eye.

"Don't think you're getting ahead of yourself." She warned.

"Hngh!" Scizor punched at Irene's back, creating a ripple upon impact. However, the blast did only that, and nothing more. Scizor was caught in a standstill as she couldn't budge her. "Such defense."

Continuing to look over her shoulder, Irene scoffed. "Hm. Did you get the impression that I could enchant my own powers? I'm afraid that's not the case." She swung around, creating an omnidirectional wave of enchanted atmosphere.

The attack went everywhere, catching Nic, Nic-Greninja, Scizor, and Erza. All of them were pushed back gradually, sliding to the other's side. The dust eventually settled, and the four got up again, their teeth gritting and grunting. As they looked at Irene, they saw her smirking in delight.

"She's just toying with us." Erza said.

"I know." Nic responded. "Her Enchantment covers every base of weakness. She has the power to level and unbalance stats at will, so even if we could increase our stats, she'll most likely reduced them to their base level, and lower it further."

"I see, so having Scizor use Swords Dance wouldn't prove anything." Erza evaluated, making Scizor grunt at her advantage lost.

"If I remember correctly, she's the one who enchanted the burn effects out of her own troops. That also means that using poison, paralysis, and burn will only be shrugged off. I hate to say it, but we're down to a few options."

"What about sleep?"

"I'm afraid it doesn't look like an option either. She can reduce our speed and counter before I have the chance for a Spore or perhaps Yawn. We need to get a shot in without having to worry about our stats being unbalanced."

Irene brought her arm around, smirking. "What's wrong? I didn't peg the great Luminous and my beloved daughter to be so hesitant in battle!" She swiped her arm forward, exerting a loud battle cry as she unleashed more of her Magic Power. The ground broke apart as a violent shockwave went racing at high speeds with compressed force, looking like a streaming train that would pierce a tanker haul.

Nic grunted and hurried for a defense. He glowed and transformed to his Stone Form, swiped his arms across. " **Wide Guard!** " Numerous pink hexagons linking together and made a barrier, one that materialized quickly into a solid pink shield. The large, compressed wave met Nic's barrier, breaking into many streams elsewhere. The ground beneath rumbled as Nic tried desperately to keep everyone in one piece, and Irene's own powers rivaling his only made the situation that much complicated.

Irene didn't let up her attack. She smirked on as she had Nic in a corner. "What's wrong? Unable to attack?"

Nic didn't put down Wide Guard as her attack didn't stop. _'She's already maximized her defense and attacks. And her attacks themselves have gotten more powerful. Gngh! Even a surprise attack wouldn't do much, and status moves would bounce off. Think Nic! What status moves won't keep you from…'_ His eyes widened.

"Nic!" Nic-Greninja exclaimed.

"I got it!" He shouted.

Erza's own eyes widened. "You mean you have a strategy?"

Nic nodded as he faced Wide Guard. "Yeah, it's risky, but I think we'll have an opening." He began to grow nervous. "But Erza…"

"Hm?"

"You're going to have to trust me on this. It's not going to be easy to bear if it manages."

Hearing the concern of her feeling, Erza felt touched. She took a step beside Nic, standing right by him as he kept up the Wide Guard. She stood tall and proud, smiling confidently. "I won't waver from your side." She declared.

Touched by her dedication, Nic smiled knowingly. "Alright then." He faced the barrier, looking set. "Let's make this count!"

Scizor turned towards Nic-Greninja. "What exactly is it that your Trainer is thinking? You are able to hear his thoughts, right?" Implying that Nic-Greninja is synchronized with Nic himself, it was true. He could in fact feel his strain, see through his eyes, and their hearts beat the same. And of course, they thought alike and could read the other's mind. However, Nic-Greninja only kept a stone-cold face, much to Scizor's wonder.

"You'll just have to see and find an opening. Now get set!" He didn't sound bothered, but it was indifference that he felt.

Once the shockwaves diminished, the winds dissipated, and Nic let down his Wide Guard. Immediately, he glowed, shifting into another dual type. By all means, it looked exactly like his usual attire, and yet the solemn difference was the Dusk Ball on the belt buckle. " **Normal/Dark.** " He announced confidently with a frown.

Irene readied herself as Nic opposed her with Erza by his side. "Do you have anything in mind?"

" **Taunt!** " Nic announced. A dark aura encompassed him, in which it briefly remained there until fading away. The same black aura surrounded Irene, catching her attention.

"Hm?" She looked down at herself, seeing the black aura fading around her body.

Erza looked in shock at Nic's play. "Taunt…" She began to wander in her own thoughts. _'Now I get it. With Taunt, my mother won't be able to block herself from status conditions and can't raise or decrease her stats. She'll only have offense to use.'_

"Is that all?" Irene asked, looking unaffected by the fact her status changers were shut down.

Nic's glare did not change. Rather than respond, he went silent, making Irene raise a brow. As Nic frowned, he flashed a wink. " **Attract!** " From his winked eye, many pink hearts formed and went racing after Irene. The move being unleashed flowed like water, yet as it traveled, the move itself caught Erza's attention.

"Attract?"

Irene scoffed. "Another one of your status spells?" She reached out to enchant it to thin air, but for some odd reason it wasn't working. Her eyes widened at the surprising revelation that Nic's Taunt cut off her defensive enchantments, and that left her vulnerable. "Damnit!"

She covered up as the bright pink hearts reached her. Upon touching her, the hearts multiplied and vanished as a bright pink flashed on her body.

"Did it work?" Erza questioned.

Nic and everyone stayed cautious as a few moments passed. Irene didn't respond right away, instead, she was stopped in place. Her body nudged profusely, until at last she looked up, smiling joyfully as she had hearts in her eyes, awing at Nic.

"Oh~! What a handsome young man you are!" Irene cooed. In her vison of loveliness, she could see Nic in a dazzling definition with a suite and purple where white would be. He gave Irene a charismatic smirk, one that sparkled like that of a certain Blue Pegasus Mage. The overpowering thought was leaving her entranced. "Oh, sweet Nic, to think that his majesty would want to rid of such a devil like you."

"What a beauty to behold. What I too wouldn't give to have you as _my_ queen." The charismatic Nic chimed.

She flaunted and had hands clasped beside her face as she had hearts in her eyes, however, her illusions were a sight to behold as her shift in character brought inquiry to the group and Nic's actions.

Erza sweat dropped at the sight of Irene flaunting over her man. "Oh, I see now…"

"Yeah, I admit it's not the brightest way to go about it, but at least this will slow her down." Nic said.

Irene swayed her hips, giggling sheepishly as her hearts did not waver. The girlish sight didn't seem to unnerve Nic, but at the same time it wasn't something one would expect every now and again.

"So that was Nic's plan." Scizor figured.

"Yes." Nic-Greninja nodded.

"It works efficiently, that I admit…" Scizor remained as calm as possible, despite the change in dynamics. "Still…having your own mother swooning over your man is rather…something."

"Never mind that." Nic said quickly, powering through the predicament. "However you see it, we have to take this chance to get the advantage back. I'll take care of the support, you guys just focus on getting her while her chances are diminished for the time being."

"Right!" Everyone nodded.

Irene was incapable of moving with Nic in her sight. As she thought of how admirable and cute he perceived, she was unaware of him glowing into his Toxic Form, taking action. The image in her eyes only had his tuxedo change purple.

"Mmmm…" She cooed.

" **Clear Smog!** " Nic took in a deep breath and exhaled a white smog that bloomed towards Irene. The Poison-type attack met its mark and brushed past her. The attack made Irene cover up as she was pushed back, and coughed.

"Where *cough* is this foul air coming *cough* from?"

"Okay, her stats are reset! Everyone get ready to hit hard and fast!" Nic yelled.

Erza narrowed her vision, setting herself up for the counter. "Attract has a 50% rate. So let's make this count!" She reached for the Key Stone on her earpiece, tapping it and making it unleash a brilliant array of shimmering lights. The light rays erupted madly, waving profusely.

Scizor's chest began to glow a red light. She crossed and uncrossed her pincers once more with a loud grunt as the ground unleashed a single ripple from the expulsion of red waves flickering from her body. The power she gave off was sensed easily, as the pebbles around her began to defy gravity.

Erza held her position as she gave the word. "Scizor, Mega Evolve!"

Scizor let out a shout as she was enveloped in glistening Mega Evolution light. She raised her head as the shaping unfolded. Her body, much like a Mega Garchomp, was becoming much sharper, if not angular. Her legs began to look like that of straight spears. She began to adorn a headpiece that was on her forehead, and the key part was that her pincers, which were more rounded, began to grow and turn more rectangular with prod edging along the bottom.

With one last shout, Scizor unleashed a shrilled cry as the ground beneath released a pulse wave. The wave of energy erupted in all directions, but didn't push back anyone around her. When the explosion of energy was released, it faded into slight winds, fading further to revealing Mega Scizor. There were many prime differences this time, with her adorning more black armor on the forehead, and her broad shoulders and hips became black. Her legs became angular and fit for swift gliding across ground, and her pincers became long with many jagged edged, having black and blue "eyes" like how her own morphed.

Without time to worry about the entry of Mega Evolution, Erza swiped her arm. "Now, use **Swords Dance!** " At her command, Mega Scizor stood battle ready as numerous illusionary blue swords manifested. They circled around her and crossed over her head, fading as a thick red aura encompassed her, sharpening her Attack.

Irene still had hearts in her eyes, continuing to look at Nic with enamored thoughts. She giggled sheepishly as she reached out towards him, prompting the group to be on guard. The hand didn't exert any force, as instead it dipped down and back to her side. She continued to smile, though the false alarm did alert the guys to go on offense.

Nic glowed, shifting back into his default form. He clasped his hands together, palms facing the other. " **Helping Hand!** " A golden aura surrounded Nic, in which the shimmering aura began to move from his body in an arch over his head, transferring and arching onto Erza. The aura enveloped her body, fully transferring from Nic and fading within Erza.

"NOW!" Nic and Nic-Greninja urged.

" **Iron Head!** "

"Let's go!"

" **Return!** "

Mega Scizor raced beside Erza, lunging with her wings to pick up speed and her forehead piece turning black to a metallic filament. Erza raced beside her, raising her twin blades over her head. Nic-Greninja hurried beside them, leaning forward and taking massive strides with a fist stretched out to the side, embedded in flaring purple aura.

Nic lunged with them, racing at high speeds with his fist pulled back. " **Chip Away!** "

Irene stayed star struck as she could only imagine the charismatic drawing closer. Unaware of what was to come, muffled cries were heard in her fantasy. "Oh? What's that sound…?"

"GRAH!"

With a mighty shout, all four unleashed bone-crushing attacks. Sword, pincer, and two fists in unison, all went straight down. A pillar of glistening energy shot straight into the air, booming with quaking proportions that could be seen from far away. The explosion enveloped everything, and within it, the hat that belonged to Irene turned tattered and flew off. As the explosion subsided, that same hat plopped to the ground, just as dust cleared.

As the ground was seen, the group stood a fair ways apart from Irene, all of them labored in breath slightly, but otherwise managing the best they could. The roaring of the waves they've made managed to subsided, and all of them looked over Irene's fallen body. She was not moving, and her long hair kept her from view.

"You think that did it?" Mega Scizor inquired.

No one said anything, rather, they just waited for results. Irene didn't budge for the longest time, making their nerves crawl. After that point, Erza closed her eyes.

"It's over."

"Mmmm…"

The moan caught everyone by surprised. They all went wide-eyed and looked back at Irene, seeing her head nudging. Her body was budging a little, and yet the woman wasn't getting off the ground. Her mouth was open a little, and pink hearts were still in her eyes.

"What?!" Erza gasped.

"That should have finished her off!" Mega Scizor exclaimed.

The black aura encompassed Irene once more as she moaned girlishly. The opportunity had been lost, and Taunt had faded away. "Damnit." Nic cursed. To his greater extent of shock, Irene was enveloped in a green light, in which shimmered around her body. This, once again, startled Nic.

"What's happening now?" Mega Scizor questioned.

The charts in Irene's eyes retained even as she was in the green light. As the light faded, she blinked, the hearts gone, replaced by her own with a gasp.

"It can't be! She enchanted the infatuation from herself?" Erza couldn't believe it. From what she learned from battling others, Attract only goes away when certain items are used, or switching out. There's no move that cured infatuation.

Nic and Nic-Greninja stayed calm, both knowing the battle would only get that much harder.

Irene got up from the ground, glaring profuse daggers as she was wobbling up to her knees. Her teeth gritted, enough to bend iron, as she was furious with what Nic did. "You little…!" She couldn't believe she fell for that trick. "And to think I did find you cute in your own way. You just make me sick!"

"The feeling is mutual." Nic retorted.

Irene got back up, snarling at him and Erza angrily. "You're both so annoying. No wonder I dumped you all those years ago, Erza." Despite how angry she felt, she snickered with a most malicious intent. "Then I guess I can enjoy savoring your slow deaths for toying with this mother then. Afterwards, I'll make sure to get a front row seat at your friends' transformation."

"You mean Wendy?" Nic-Greninja questioned.

"Even more than that. The remaining Dragon Slayers raised by dragons, they too have the Dragon Seed inside of them. That's what shall sprout them into dragons."

Upon the note, Nic thought back to when he fought E.N.D and Gray. The battle itself was grueling, but otherwise he recounted the black and scaly seed that shattered to bits by his hand. _'That was the Dragon Seed she was talking about? If that was the seed, then what was the other one?'_ He chose to ignore the topic for the time being and focused on the matter of the seed. "Sorry, but there's something you should know about those seeds."

Irene narrowed her eyes. "And what might that be?"

"They won't be growing any further inside them. Natsu and the other Dragon Slayers, their dragons stopped the transformation themselves."

Irene's eyes widened.

"Yes." Erza continued. "They hid inside the Dragon Slayers and prevented them from becoming dragons."

The revelation bewildered Irene, and that was an understatement. She looked angry, but slowly, her anger began to subside, if just by a little. "I…see." She began to frown again, her anger showing. "So then…there was a way to stop the transformation after all. Belserion…he died in battle, willingly giving his power to me…" Her body began to shudder, her anger boiling higher than before. The ground beneath her was beginning to shudder, a small pulse wave kicking up waves that made everyone stay higher on guard. "I promised to avenge him. I took his name. And still, to think I was still unable to…GRAH! NO FAIR!"

A shockwave was unleashed from her body within her beaming rage. All the energy released within the attack traveled in all directions. Nic and everyone covered up as the shockwaves caught them, but they slid back only a few inches.

"This is outrageous! Give me back my life, damnit! I don't need this body! This is a damned vessel! It's cursed! I can't take it! Someone, anyone will do! I just want a new life!" The shockwaves settled down, but she glared harshly at the group of four. "You and your Pokémon, you're so annoying! Just what power can you possibly have that can undo this…this…"

Something unbecoming began to settle into their guts. Nic and Erza saw the look in her eyes as she gazed at them. The silence that fell within her anger was something they didn't find most suiting. They looked at their Pokémon respectively, and back at Irene with excessive worry.

A smile began to creep on her face. "Yes…any new body will do."

Nic and Nic-Greninja's brows furrowed. Erza held her sword ready.

"We were blood relatives, Erza. In the truth that I sought for Enchantment, the facts that we were mother and daughter did not allow my Enchantment to work on you; not to mention you were but a child. I had to ask myself, was it truly impossible to enchant personalities into someone?" Her smile widened. "No…it is possible. You just need to find the right conditions and the right body…" Her body began to shudder, a light aura enveloping her body. "I would've preferred another human girl…but after those events that transpired, I think I have decided to test what kinds of potentials these Pokémon creatures hold. What makes them so superior? Well…looks like I'll be getting a chance to find out."

Erza gasped. "Wait-!"

The aura around Irene's body shrunk back into her, and in a flash, Mega Scizor felt a pulse run through her body. Her eyes widened, the shock beginning to overwhelm her. "Guh…gnngh…" A white, static-like aura enveloped her body, making her Mega-Evolved form shudder haphazardly and scream out in agony. "GA~H!" Mega Scizor screamed viciously as she was feeling something potent overwhelming her.

Everyone went wide-eyed and looked back to find their terrors reaching a brimming peak. "Mega Scizor!" Erza shouted.

Nic whipped back to Irene, seeing how her body was dropping like a fly. He looked back, his skin paling at the prospect. "No way. Is she…"

Mega Scizor screamed profusely, but was unable to escape the might of Irene's force. "G-guys…! GA~H!" She hollered in pain, teeth gritting madly.

' _I have waited a long time to try this out.'_ Irene's conscience was beginning to talk to her. _'Now, let's see what this vessel can do.'_

"N-no! Get out of me!" As much as she tried, everything for Mega Scizor began to go black. All the voices of concern from Erza and the rest were going deaf. The maniacal laughter of Irene began to fade, and in her mind, Mega Scizor dropped into a dark abyss, screaming as she was fading to black.

The aura faded around her body, and Mega Scizor hunched over, her eyes faded from any view.

"Mega Scizor! No!" Erza cried out.

"Irene!" Nic madly shouted.

A moment of silence passed, and nothing moved yet again. The group grew cautious at the transformation, but they were so off guard that they had no idea what to make of the predicament. Suddenly, Mega Scizor whipped up her head, a smile crawling on her lips. Her eyes opened, revealing a hazy blue and hazel combo. "Hello, Erza." Her tone was shifted to sound more of Irene. "Did you miss me?"

Erza was petrified beyond beliefs. She couldn't understand how, or why, but Irene got what she wanted; a new body. "It can't be…"

"Scizor." Nic-Greninja said, both his and Nic's fists balling tighter.

Irene looked down at her body, taking in everything there was to know about Mega Scizor's body. She moved her sharp-tipped legs like toothpicks; she looked over her shoulder to maneuver and flap her large metallic wings; she even went as far as look down at her large pincers. "Hm, it's a little…robust to my liking, but this one does possess a lot of power." She turned her pincers over, looking at the undersides and smirking. "So this is what it feels like to be a Pokémon. There's so much potential."

"But, if you're there…" Erza looked back at the old Irene's body. It was on its knees, head hunched down to cascade any emotion. It looked like a lifeless lump of flesh.

"That you see there is nothing more than a useless lump of flesh now." Irene sneered.

Erza growled as she turned back towards Irene. "What did you do with Scizor?" She growled.

"Who? Oh, so this the name of this Pokémon. Scizor?" Irene shrugged. "Well, I guess you can she she and I are one now."

"Don't screw around with me!" Erza went charging with a fist set. She closed in on Irene with searing anger that her Pokémon was taken from her. She was beyond frustrated. As she closed in, Irene jabbed with a Bullet Punch, the glowing pincer jabbing Erza with the reach and shooting her back. She screamed in pain, flying far away.

"Erza!" Nic shouted.

"I got her!" Nic-Greninja crouched and disappeared. In a flash he reappeared behind the sailing Erza and caught. Her flipped vertically backwards and landed with a foot pressed to the earth. He let go of her, allowing her to stand on her own feet.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes, thank you…" Erza glanced back, ignoring the stinging in her ribs.

Irene looked at her pincer, watching Bullet Punch fade away. "Oh, so this is what is known as a move, huh? How interesting."

Nic's narrowed eyes sharpened to an angrier note. "What have you done?" He sniped.

Irene looked towards Nic, her smirk ever so dark. "Like I said, this Pokémon and I have become one. It's not hard to understand."

Nic-Greninja looked at Irene, the same sneer as that as Nic's. "What a poor way to exercise the term."

"What would you know of truly becoming one?" Nic inquired.

"Well, it's more efficient than what you can do with that frog. This is the true definition of becoming 'one'."

Both sets of purple eyes narrowed in disgust in unison. "Repulsive."

Irene set herself for battle again. "Let's see you try your little tricks now, Nic." She went lunging ahead for him, making ripples of air behind her speedy wake. "Let's see what else this new body can do!"

Caught completely off guard, Nic's reflexes took over. He flipped backwards and put a hand to the ground, pushing himself away in another flip as Irene tried an Iron Head. Her metallic head piece crashed where Nic was, making rock fly everywhere. Nic caught himself with a knee, landing soundly within the blasting rock that went past him. He looked ahead, seeing the dust clear out and Irene standing still, blue illusionary swords encompassing her.

Erza's teeth gritted. "She's using Mega Scizor like a puppet!"

The swords crossed overhead, adding and having red aura sharply enhance her Attack further. "So these Pokémon can use enchantments to increase and decrease abilities like I can. How very interesting."

Erza and Nic-Greninja stood beside Nic, all three glaring at the vessel that was for Irene. What were they to do? What happened? Where was the real Scizor? They couldn't comprehend, but one thing was for certain, and that was Irene found a new body, whether they liked it or not.

"I'm done playing games now. So sorry, as much as I thought you were cute, you'll have to die with my offspring. It would be unnatural to have my daughter telling her mother what to do."

"Erza…" Nic pondered, considering what Erza wanted.

Erza didn't say anything, instead, she stared at the Mega-Evolved insectoid creature, seeing as how she was snickering meekly. The dark demeanor she had was most cumbersome, and no matter what, she couldn't allow her mother to have her way, not with something that was her Pokémon and friend. The Requip Mage poised her blade, her disposition quelling.

"I don't know where you are, Scizor, but I'm telling you that you have to fight." Erza urged as she took a stance to fight. "Wake up! Wherever you are, answer me! I refuse to allow you to go like this! You've always been so direct alongside me, what makes you think that you can ignore what's directly in front of you?! Can't you see?! When we fought and our blades parried, you've never been willing to turn over so easily, so why start now?! Even if it means beating you, I'll make sure to drag yourself back to where you belong!"

Irene smirked at her Trainer. "What foolishness." She lunged at Erza again, swiftly beaming into an X-Scissor. Erza used her blades and crossed them to intercept, but the extended Attack of Mega Scizor made a roaring shockwave and air flowing behind. Static energy flared in between them. I told you, Scizor and I became one! You're only speaking to me and my might now, you soft-hearted brat!"

Erza was losing ground fast. Her swords began to crack apart from the overpowering might. She gritted her teeth and leaned ahead, but that proved to be of little effect. Just as she was losing momentum for good, a loud shout and two knees stamped Irene's side. The impact made the air and body rattle, sending Irene flying off as Nic and Nic-Greninja stepped in her place.

Irene tumbled briefly before she caught herself. Her wings flapped, allowing momentum to slide back to a stop several feet away. She looked uneased, the attacks having a large bruise on her ribs. "So, this is the stable might of Nic and his Pokémon." She winced again. "Didn't peg them to have power above this."

Erza requipped once more, her attire changing to her Robe of Yuen. "Sorry, mother." The way she sounded her was by no means sincere. "But knowing Scizor, she'd prefer to have herself taken down. If it means getting her back, then that is what we'll do." She raised her bisento, set for combat again.

Irene raised a brow. "Is that so? Well then I'll just have to destroy you all quickly as possible." Her pincers glowed light blue, and she went sprinting in a blitz towards them. As they readied, Irene disappeared, thus reappearing behind them. She jabbed ahead with a Bullet Punch towards Erza, but in a twist, Erza, twirled her bisento and pivoted. The side of the staff intercepted the side of the Bullet Punch, deflecting it. Erza pivoted and swung her bisento again, slashing at Irene diagonally upward, causing the insectoid to recoil.

As she moved back, a shadow appeared over her. She looked up, but nothing was there. She didn't get the chance to process as Nic-Greninja's right elbow thrust straight into her back, causing great shock to swell. She was forced ahead, falling forward, and that's where Nic appeared beneath. Providing leverage, he pivoted and used the momentum to grab an arm, hurling her overhead and driving her into the ground. Dust quaked as she grunted profusely, gagging.

Using the dust as cover, Erza jumped high into the air, twirling the bisento and aiming it down with a battle cry. "Grah!"

Irene's eyes opened and gasped. Recovering from shock, she twisted away in time as Erza's bisento instead pierced the ground where stood once was. On a knee, Irene faced her and picked up a pointed leg. She stamped against Erza's face, kicking her away.

"Do you really intend on defeating your own comrade? That's a low blow." Irene mocked. "I doubt you'd have the heart to do that."

Erza stood back up, glaring daggers again. "If it means getting my Scizor back, it'll be worth it." She went charging again.

Irene scoffed at the prospect. "What nonsense. You can't beat me with that kind of power!" To prove her point, she charged again for Erza, using another X-Scissor. Once again, a fierce collision happened between Erza and the Mega Scizor.

"I've longed for a new body, and I couldn't acre what properties it had! I just wanted a new life, to start over, and make everything the way it was! What don't you get about that?!"

Erza held her ground from the X-Scissor, but only for a few moments. Her teeth gritted as she was barely holding on. Like her twin blades, her bisento cracked apart. X-Scissor went on, striking her completely. She cried out as the damage she received made her bones ache. She tumbled backwards, falling to her side lethargically.

Irene watched as her daughter struggled. Through it all, she was still budging. Slowly getting up with slight struggle. With bangs over her eyes, all that was seen was her parted lips and labored breathing. She continued to breath in and out, fighting the power that she had taken from her beloved Mega Scizor.

Shockingly, a smirk crossed her lips. "Well what do you know, I must've been mistaken."

Irene raised a brow. "Come again?"

"If you really understood Pokémon, you should know that my Scizor would never be this weak. Seems you truly aren't bringing out your potential after all…" Her bangs lifted, showing her calm brown eyes. "It's with the power of Mega Evolution that gives us our strength."

"What was that? Calling me 'weak' in this body?"

"You heard me. It's the bond that Scizor and I forged together, our comradery that's strengthened our resolve. With the friendship that we share, that very memory itself is a strength we cherish. I can still remember when she first battled alongside me. The way she swiped, and the way she carried herself without worry. It was her own justice. She is willing to do whatever it is she can to improve, just like myself! We strive for battle together, but you don't have that resolve now. That's what this Mega Evolution of your inferior."

Irene's patience ran thin. She's had it with Erza mocking her. She went ahead, lunging with an Iron Head. "Don't mock me!"

"Erza!" Nic exclaimed from afar.

"It's okay, Nic. I'll manage." She assured. As Irene raced towards her, Erza pulled out a Poke Ball. "Because I think she has to learn what types can really do. Slurpuff, go!"

The Poke Ball went flying and out was summoned the unexpected Fairy-type. The living meringue with her tongue sticking out blinked once, readying herself. "Here I go!" She slurped.

"It's futile!" Irene went springing, not stopping for anything as her direction was to Slurpuff.

Erza frowned as she steeled herself. "It's true that Mega Scizor's Steel-type moves are highly effective on Slurpuff…but she's vulnerable to such types herself! Slurpuff, dodge and use **Flamethrower!** "

As Irene bolted in, Slurpuff rolled onto her back. Time slowed down as the speed Irene gained had caused her to be above Slurpuff, much to her shock. _'It missed!'_

On her back, Slurpuff took a deep breath and exhaled an eruption of fire upward. The attack enveloped Irene, the fire expanding skywards and creating a smoky, ember explosion. The attack's expansive ferocity made Irene's world tumble as she flung out of the smoke, screaming violently as her body had numerous scratches.

She slammed viciously into the ground, her body in shock from the overwhelming heat she took in. She slowly tried to get up, but alas she was struggling beyond measure.

"If you had Scizor's true strength, then you would've dodged that." Erza pointed out. "Just because you have Scizor's body, doesn't mean it's to your complete leisure."

"You…little brats!" Irene slowly stood up once more, ready to engage in battle again. Slurpuff steeled herself for what was to come next, but suddenly a streaming shockwave past Irene and Slurpuff alike, bolting like a train to sever the battle. The surprise attack caught not just Erza and Irene off guard, but also Nic and Nic-Greninja.

The shockwave diminished, leaving a trail that resonated from a pair of wobbly feet. "So this is what human magic feels like…"

Irene's eyes widened in sheer horror. "What…?"

Nic and his Nic-Greninja turned towards the voice. "That voice…"

"And this is what it feels like to have human fingers…" The separate fingers attached moved in an untamed manner, twitching profusely. "How do you guys even use these things?"

"Huh?" Slurpuff was perplexed.

Erza's heart skipped a beat. "That can't be…"

In the flesh, Irene's body was up and moving. It was all wobbly and all, but what does one expects when it's a Scizor's personality inside. "Sorry for keeping you all waiting." She panted.

"Scizor?!" Erza gasped.

"Im…possible…" Irene gasped.

Nic looked beyond shocked as well. "Don't tell me…did her enchantment instead _switch_ personalities rather than infuse?"

Scizor moved her forearms forward and back, looking at the fingers and trying to clutch them with difficulty. "Man, this is a lot harder than my pincers. And what are these?" She cupped her abundant breasts, making them boing as she moved them up and down. She had to stifle a moan because of the feeling. "And these are chests? They're so…heavy."

"This…this can't be! My Enchantment swapped personas?! But how?! Can I not infuse?!" In her bitter rage, Irene faced Scizor, ironic that it was her own body she faced.

Focusing, Scizor smirked as she put her hands up, creating a sphere of magic in between. "What do you know. Using magic _is_ like using a move, too."

"Whoa…" Slurpuff marveled.

"HRAH! This is for what you did to me!" Scizor threw the sphere at Irene, in which the sphere closed in. Too shocked, Irene put her pincers up and opened them to defend. When she tried to block, she couldn't make a defensive spell.

"What?!"

Unable to catch her fault, Irene was struck, hitting her directly with the wave of expanding energy. The energy held her in place, while Scizor continued to struggle using Irene's spell at a stable level.

"Scizor is using her magic!" Nic exclaimed.

"Then that means she can…" Nic-Greninja trailed off, seeing Scizor's hand glow and be swiped.

"Now, return my body back to me, if you don't mind!" She yelled. At her call, the energy field between Irene and Scizor linked. Both their bodies touching the wave were illuminated, glistening in white aura. Static entranced their forms, each feeling a stinging sensation as their entities were above their heads.

"N-no! How?!" Irene shouted. "You can't…!"

"Why not, that is my body after all!"

"Stop! What are you?! A Pokémon can't just force their way back?! I refuse to let this body go!" Irene tried profusely to fight back, barely holding herself on, yet the static around her entity strengthened. Everything went black for her for just a split second, causing her to lose will.

Scizor smirked. "Then you don't know what a joy it is to have myself take my body back. I didn't build that body without help from Erza. It's because of her and everyone's support that I got the strength to support that figure!"

"Scizor!" Erza shouted.

"These breasts and hands are great and all, but I'd rather keep what I've been given from my friends! So back in I go!"

The light enveloped both Scizor and Irene, the latter screaming out in agony as she was enveloped in the bright.

Moments later, the light completely faded. In the next instance, Irene was back in her body, slouched forward in utter disbelief. With her expectations short-lived, she was too in shock as Mega Scizor was back in her insectoid body, the form having taken a large dose of damage for her to take.

Erza looked at Mega Scizor. "Scizor?!"

The Mega-Evolved Bug and Steel-type opened and eye, glaring at the bewildered Irene. "Thanks for…keeping by body…in one piece…" Unable to stand, Mega Scizor fell to her side, thudding hard. As she laid on the ground, unable to battle, her body glowed a rainbow color, her transformation fading back to Scizor with many scratches and scrapes.

"Scizor!" Erza hurried over to her fallen Scizor's side, Slurpuff following in suit.

Nic looked on, pleasantly shocked at the development. "She really did it."

Nic-Greninja nodded. "Yeah."

Erza knelt down, overlooking her defeated Scizor. "Scizor, are you okay?!"

Scizor's eyes winced, barely opening to see her Trainer. "Sorry for worrying you." She smiled.

Despite the scare there, Erza couldn't be mad. She was proud, in fact, she was overjoyed to have her Scizor back. A smile crossed her lips again. "Don't be. You've done well."

Slurpuff stepped up, overlooking her. "Scizor. Sorry about what we had to do." She apologized.

Scizor shook her head weakly. "Don't be. I'm glad you guys did; she had what came to her. You just keep going, for me."

The worry on Slurpuff's face went away, replaced by a nod of resolution. "We'll make you proud." She declared.

"You've earned a rest, Scizor. Thank you." Holding up the Net Ball, Erza recalled her Scizor, who kept smiling as she retreated back into her capsule. As she put it away, she got back up, requipping once more in a glow. Becoming her hakama and sarashi, she turned back towards Irene, a fierce glare in her eyes. "Nic…"

Stepping beside her, hisglare rivaled that of her own. "I know."

"Let's finish this." Nic-Greninja declared.

"Let's make her pay." Slurpuff slurped.

Irene;s fury only served to intensify as she darkly glared at the four who opposed her. "You unforgiving wretches…!" Her anger was beginning to overwhelm all her senses. Even with the over-abundant amount of power she possessed, she still knew that it was time to use it at its full expense.

Erza swiped her arm. "Slurpuff, **Energy Ball!** " At her call, the meringue opened her mouth, manifesting a swirling green sparkling energy that compressed into a green sphere of natural power. With a shout, it was launched with surprising force.

"You think it'll be that easy?! You're facing 400 years of Magic Power!" Irene reached out, enchanting the air in front of her and making the atmosphere swirl in energy. It built up in a powerful eruption, flashing profusely into a dome that the Energy Ball disintegrated in.

The explosion's range roared with insidious results. Suddenly, a large purple X outlined the midst of it, making it separate and collapse on itself, revealing Nic and Nic-Greninja side-by-side with posing Night Slash purple kunai.

"And you're facing hundreds of millions of years of Pokémon knowledge!" Nic challenged.

Irene reached out and swiped to the side. "I'll tear open those wounds again and watch you bleed to death, you miserable runt!" Once more, she summoned a powerful blast of enchanted energy. The blast wave went directly forward, while Nic and Nic-Greninja jumped to opposite sides to avoid the blast and its shockwaves. The generated flash was the perfect cover as a figure went flying through the opening, revealing herself to be Erza. She closed in for her attack with a single katana.

Irene leaned about, dodging Erza's various swipes. "When you were born, I was glad to have rid of you!" She backed away from a horizontal slash, sliding to a stop a ways away. She reached out, flexing her fingers. "To think I spent 400 years with you at my own expense!" The air around Erza began to enchant with many orbs, in which began to shimmer. Irene watched as the explosions enveloped Erza, erupting haphazardly and with little control. The space shook vigorously and continued to do so. Irene looked appeased as she may have done well. However, her eyes widened upon seeing the explosions fade.

From the dust emerged Erza, adorning her Adamantine Armor. She glided across the ground, requipping into another armor. "I understand the misfortune. I, too, went through my own suffering." As the light faded, it revealed her Armadura Fairy Armor. As she closed the distance, she began to think back to bitter memories. "I was enslaved to a cult that worshipped Zeref for many years. I was taken from the village that you left me in…"

Irene's eyes widened, but her empathy did not show.

"But though it may not compare to your 400 years of suffering, I know what suffering and anguish is all about! And besides, I have you to thank for all this!" With the few feet left, Erza began to smile. "Because I've met people that I hold dear and can learn to love!"

With that slash, her sword slashed into her mother. Though Irene enchanted her skin to make it tougher, the slash wave Erza's powerful armor created shot Irene against the ground. She grunted loudly as the hefty impact made her arm bleed. When she looked at her cut arm, she glared back at Erza with a look of pure insanity. "You…"

Erza poised for another strike, continuing to smile. "And it's because of you, I've met someone who reciprocates the meaning of suffering. We've been through a lot, and I learned of what terror he had to bear. I may have had it rough, but like his family, I am confronting my problems with him at my side. I got through it all and up to now with Nic, and the trust of Pokémon."

Nic smiled as he stood a ways away, looking at Erza with great admire. He couldn't agree more, because it was thanks to her that he and Vanessa survived that hellhole and the Rivolta.

"Don't mock me or my life!" Irene's eyes were shuddering madly. Her breaking point had been reached; she was thoroughly disgusted. Her skin had begun to show rugged scales as her eyes began to roll to the back of her head. "Die! Die! DIE! I'LL MAKE YOUR EXISTENCE A MEMORY!" Her boiling point tipped, Irene unleashed a grand load of Magic Power. She cried out loudly as her body gave off a red flare that surrounded her like an aura.

Erza's eyes widened. "What's this?!"

" **AAAAAAHHHH!** " Irene bellowed menacingly as her skin began to turn white, her gloves tearing from the excessive waves unleashed. The torn gloves revealed white scaled claws, with sharp nails.

"This Magic Power…" Exercising caution, Nic called out to Erza. "Erza, get away!"

But it was too late, Irene closed the distance and slashed with all her might. With that solemn slash, the tables had flipped, and Erza was the one sent soaring backwards. She yelped aloud as she went sailing above the ground, heading for the group.

"I got her!" Volunteering, Slurpuff jumped into the air behind Erza. " **Cotton Guard!** " Her body began to give off a white glow, and several clumps of cotton began to expand around her. As that happened, Erza slammed into her, making a loud thud sound. As Erza and Slurpuff fell back, a huge red flare enveloped Slurpuff, and she grunted sloppily as her eyes opened. As she fell over, she landed on her paws, sliding back while anchoring Erza with her.

Having been caught, Erza found her strength and got up on a knee. "Slurpuff."

The Fairy-type nodded. "I'm okay!"

" **GRRROOOAAHHH!** "

A blood-curdling roar caught everyone's attention as they all looked ahead, Irene was going mad as her body was starting to expand violently, viciously turning to a darker level as her height strengthened. Her body grew, and a mane began to flare behind her back. Her eyes – devoid of pupils – began to enlarge, her canines growing and horns appearing.

A shadow cast over Nic and everyone as they went wide-eyed, seeing her transformation occur. As the earth shook, their bodies were stiff as boards. They were without a doubt shocked as they were witnessing the transformation.

A large claw stamped on the ground, the ground thudding and cracking beneath as large feathery wings were expanded. A heinous mouth was seen and a louder roar was unleashed, revealing the terrifying draconic form of Irene Belserion.

Erza was speechless. "A…dragon?!"

"She transformed!" Nic gasped.

Without warning, Irene raised a claw right beside her. The claw went swinging, right towards Erza and the others.

Taking action, Slurpuff slurped in a gagging fashion as the claw swung fast. In a hurry, she jumped, her body glowing white with cotton puffs expanding. " **Cotton Guard!** " The Meringue Pokémon was in the air and already set. With nothing stopping her, the claw swiped right for her, sending her flying instead of the others. She screamed aloud as she tumbled through the air.

"Slurpuff, no!" Erza shouted. She watched in horror as Slurpuff slammed against the ground viciously with a thud. She flipped over and laid on her stomach, groaning as she had many scratches and scrapes over her body. Her tongue hung out as she was in pain.

Nic-Greninja looked back at Irene, his glare hardening with Nic's.

Irene withdrew her claw, glaring down at them with a huff from her opening mouth. " **As the Sage Dragon, my Enchantment Magic is enhanced to an even greater pinnacle. To where they are High Enchantments – Master Enchantment!** "

"Master…Enchantment?" Erza questioned.

" **Yes, and this power that I wield transcends the lands and seas! The air is but a sea itself, for my enchantments transcend heavenly bodies themselves!** "

Nic, too, showed shock. "Heavenly bodies?! But that's-!"

Irene expanded her wings further, facing the skies. " **Now, behold! Get crushed until there is nothing left of either of you! Die~!** "

The sky did not move for a few moments. It seemed like a bluff, but Nic and the others knew better. They all looked up, staring into the sky. High, very high above, there was a glint. A glint like that of a star.

"What's that?" Erza questioned again.

Nic and Nic-Greninja's eyes narrowed. Together, with their keen sight, their purple eyes glared high into the sky, catching a scope of the incoming glint. Both saw far up, and that point, their purple eyes were wide with surprise.

" **DEUS SEMA!** "

At Irene's call, coming into view from space itself was a meteor. It traveled at an alarming rate, bolting swiftly to where it was roaring with vicious velocity. It went zooming down from space, entering the atmosphere.

Everyone looked up, seeing the clouds beginning to darken and swirl in a large vortex. The very scene was no different from when Jellal used his Sema attack. The dark vortex of clouds, however, reached out far.

Erza's eyes were dilating with a beating heart racing. "This can't be…"

Nic nearly faltered a step ahead. "If that hits, everyone around us will get caught in the blast!"

" **It's over for you!** " Irene roared.

The swirling sky began to shake. All of the land and air was shuddering as the sound barrier was heard being broken a hundred times over. A bright light began to merge from the vortex's center, revealing the shooting star.

Erza's fists clutched. She glared up at the incoming meteor, teeth gritting as she needed to find a solution, and fast. _'To have been able to create an Enchantment to reach space, it's unthinkable. But…we can't give up! Not while we have a guild to get back to! We have to stop her!'_

"Erza." At the sound of her voice, Erza turned towards Nic, surprise set on her face. "You handle your mother. Greninja and I will stop it."

Once more, Erza was rendered speechless. "…wait, you mean…?"

"Don't worry. Don't forget…" Nic glared up at the meteor, a foot back with Nic-Greninja. "This is a family matter. Greninja and I are the support. You just finish handling your mother."

Erza wanted to worry as much as she could, heck, she was doing it right now. But Nic did have a point. She had to stop Irene. She must. As she looked back to her mother, the large beastly dragon was standing there, waiting for the meteor to strike. Erza stood tall, once more requipping into her hakama and sarashi combo.

"…and you're certain you can stop the meteor?" She asked.

"As long as you're sure you can stop your mom."

Erza meekly smirked through the roaring of the meteor incoming. "Now you're just being difficult. Remind me again why I'd doubt you?"

"If I had time to consider reasons other than you love me, I would…" Nic brought his arm back, with Nic-Greninja putting his own back. "But let's battle on until the end! All the way!"

"Let's do this!" Nic-Greninja urged.

"Right!"

Both stomped on the ground once, the two bolting into the air high up. The ground where they once stood was instead replaced by a depressed earth, a creature that spouted winds that passed Erza as she watched with a rejuvenated smile as Nic and the power of Pokémon escalated into the atmosphere. As she watched their enhanced jumping lead them to great heights, she knew deep down, she would worry for Nic. But a part of her also knew he would make it. She never doubted the might of Pokémon. How could she? Sure their powers are of infinite possibilities, but she never saw a meteor get blown by one. She was going to get a front row seat as she watches the might of Pokémon do its wonders.

Irene looked up, seeing Nic and Nic-Greninja in the air in front of her. " **What are you two doing?** "

Rather than speak, Nic and Nic-Greninja frowned as they shot glares up towards the roaring meteor. Their hearts raced as they were feeling the shrilling lust of battle flaring inside. Their bodies were giving it their all as they had another fight of life and death. This was the many battles that got them to bring out the best with each other. With no doubts, Nic-Greninja and Nic reached out to their sides, with Nic-Greninja making the Water Shuriken on his back expand. Both held opposites ends, their eyes narrowing with ferocity.

' _ **What are they doing?**_ _'_

As they faced the meteor falling, the quaking air did little as Nic and Nic-Greninja's purple on their clothing, eyes, and all over their bodies began to brighten. Both screamed out loud as they spun the shuriken in place in front of them. They lifted it higher, a sudden cyclone of deep dark water pulsing all around them.

The tornado of water erupted into an expansive area. The pillar of raging water shot high and low, making a ferocious mass that bewildered Irene. At its base, water spun and mist went scattering everywhere. Erza didn't budge within the mist, even when her skin was getting drenched up their power. She stood still and watched with a knowing look as they were doing their unison shuriken move.

" **What's going on?!** " Irene snapped.

Streaks of purple water were seen flaring inside very now and again, shooting up and down, racing and combining with the water tower. The massive pressure Irene was feeling was rendering her completely shocked. She never felt this level of strength before, even when she and Nic fought before. This was something she hadn't felt in a long time – fear.

The pillar of monstrous water suddenly broke apart, turning into a vicious whirlwind that flared everywhere. The wind sheathed and reduced to bits as Nic and Nic-Greninja were in the air, the purple all over their bodies glowing as a purple saucer spun over their heads, far larger than what it was before.

Once more, Irene found herself speechless.

"Erza's been through my family trouble, and I was able to see it to the end with her!" Nic shouted through the roaring and spinning. "Now it'd my turn to return what I owe! I'll hold up Erza if she falls, and I'll get her back on her feet to get her to finish through to the end!"

" **You can't…!** "

"ALL THE WAY!" Nic and Nic-Greninja shouted. Together, man and Pokémon once again brought themselves to unleash shrilled cries as they threw the large saucer upwards.

" **Water Shuriken!** "

The attack ripped through the air and shot up towards the meteor, becoming a high-speed spinning stream of purple that was its own meteor. It was like a comet that went back up to space, only upon its launch made purple streams follow through not just its wake, but the scattering winds. As Nic and Nic-Greninja began to descend, the shuriken raced in the opposite direction.

Compared to the meteor, the raging shuriken rivaled its size. It zoomed in, meeting the meteor in the high altitude. Upon impact, a ripple of purple pulsed straight through the sky, dissipating all the clouds within the area. Clear sky and a bright purple flash enveloped the sky. The roaring of the meteor rattled not only the air, but the shockwaves of the attack reached the ground. Irene was too speechless to even realize before the monstrous winds slammed down onto her. She nearly hit the ground as the earth itself chipped in various places. A purple hemisphere enveloped the sky, becoming a purple sphere with purple, misty wet shockwaves that ran through the atmosphere.

Even from space, one could've seen a purple sphere enveloping an opening in the clouds. The roaring went over everyone's heads, yet only vapor expanded, and the Water Shuriken shredded all the rock.

With purple igniting the skies, the quaking space left room for Erza to look up and smile at Nic.

Irene, however, was another story. _'_ _ **Im…possible…how?!**_ _'_

As Nic fell alongside Nic-Greninja, he looked over his shoulder, eyes narrowed onto certain crown eyes. "Now, Erza!"

Getting back on topic, Erza crouched. "Right!" She sprung off the ground, heading right for Nic. No matter how much it ached him, Nic twisted his body so his feet faced Erza. As Erza came in, she bent and had her bare feet against the soles of Nic's. They rotated over, each in the opposite direction, and like that, Nic kicked Erza as she sprung off him, lunging higher into the sky.

Irene caught whim of her daughter ascending within the air, her redhead without fail getting her attention. " **Huh?** "

"Slurpuff, **Play Rough!** " Erza called from the air.

Mustering her strength, Slurpuff groggily pushed herself off the ground, regaining her balance. Her paws carried her swiftly towards Irene's chest – or underside – and she lunged with a cry. "Hiyah~!" Without fail, she began beating into her rugged scales, punching and picking so much that a smoke cloud was made. Stars popped out occasionally as Slurpuff dealt blow after blow.

Irene grunted as she felt a stinging pain beneath. " **Gngh! What's going on now?!** " She turned her head and right, hollering as Slurpuff dealt the super effective distraction, while Nic and Nic-Greninja were back on ground, both getting up after having so many scratches and bruises.

Glowing, Nic became his Draco Form. With fists clutched and a face full of resolution, he knew what had to be done. Drawing in his draconic powers, he glared at Irene as he was channeling his draconic might. "Okay then…let's make this count!"

At his call, his clothing began to shift as his body was surrounded in an orange aura. And as swirling mass was seen building in Nic's stomach. As he charged energy, the mass got brighter, continuing to do so as he tilted his head up, opening his mouth wide as an orange mass began manifesting within.

Nic-Greninja faced the sky, getting Nic's warning in his place. "Erza! Get set!"

High above, Erza looked down, seeing Nic's move being made. "Understood!"

Irene grunted and at last shrugged Slurpuff off. The Fairy-type flew back in a slide across the ground to a stop a ways away, soundly well. " **Impudent Pokémon! Huh?** " She took notice of Nic's draconic energy, catching her by surprise. " **What is he doing now?!** "

Once charged, Nic unleashed the sphere.

" **Draco Meteor!** "

The orb fired out of his mouth straight into the sky. The white orb surrounded in orange aura fired at massive speeds, darting high into the air, whistling. Irene leered up to see what would happen, catching the Draco Meteor right beneath Erza. As the orb was right beneath her, she poised her blade.

BOOM!

The orb instantly exploded into a shining light. At that moment, much to Irene's sheer horror. Draco Meteor unleashed a ripple through the atmosphere and showered down from high above, dozens of rocks with orange centers and white and light orange aura tails falling out of the sky, roaring with the viciousness she too used.

The dragon's mouth gaped wide open. _'_ _ **Impossible! You mean they too can summon meteors?!**_ _'_ As the meteors began to rain down, all the showering energy and rocks began to spread around the battlefield; most falling towards Irene. _'_ _ **Ah!**_ _'_

Much to her own horror, one of the meteors was noticeably much smaller compared to the others. As she looked closer, she saw that the smaller "rock" was actually human shaped. Her eyes shot wider as she saw that it was someone she did not expect.

" **WHAT?!** "

"HRRAAAHHH!" One of the last meteors to be falling from the heights revealed Erza, enveloped in the draconic energy of Draco Meteor. As many meteors fell beneath her, she fell with a sword ready to strike down her mother of a dragon.

The meteors all closed in, the sight for Irene unable to bear. As Nic, Nic-Greninja, Slurpuff, and Erza all screamed out, the last mentioned raised her sword within Draco Meteor, most of the rocks showering into the screaming Irene. Every impact of every individual meteor created a vicious explosion of orange energy. The air shuddered as the Sage Dragon roared in her demise. The meteors pelted her, flaring constantly to no end. As the meteors pelted her, the last one to dive in the explosion and smoke was the redhead herself, slashing straight down into her scales. The blade cut straight through, slashing with a deep orange trail that spouted more energy as she went downwards. Irene screamed violently as she was struck completely by the attack, enveloped in the residual smoke.

"Yes!" Slurpuff jumped in joy.

"We knew that her scales were tough. That's why the best way to fight a dragon is with a Dragon-type move." Nic said.

"Right, and Erza got that message through." Nic-Greninja followed.

As Irene began to fall back, her body began to flare and shimmer in red. Within her wake and diminishing roar, Erza continued to fall, her limp body catching Nic off guard. With shock in the making, Nic looked and saw how she wasn't twisting as she was falling. In a hurry, he spread his wings and went lunging ahead after Erza. "Erza!" Mere meters from the ground, Nic ceased gliding and slid beneath, allowing Erza to fall right atop of him. Providing cushion, Nic grunted as the impact pulsed a shock through his body, rendering him stiff on the ground and groaning as Erza laid on top of him.

"Nic!" Nic-Greninja winced, but stomached through it.

Barely able to move, let alone process, Erza was grunting as she was trying her best to stay focused. She grunted as she was starting to come around, her eyes fluttering open to see that she was laying on someone's neck. "Nnngh…?" She could hear a swift heartbeat, the beating organ she knew with a warmth belonging to someone beneath. Craning her head up, she saw that it was Nic. "Nic…"

Opening his eyes, he looked casual despite the pain he took. "I'm fine. Are you alright?" He smiled, though meekly strained.

Erza, too, looked strained, but she smiled down at him, their faces so close to touching. "I'm fine. That was reckless of you, though."

His eyes narrowed. "Takes one to know one, I suppose."

Erza's smile widened at Nic's counter. She knew he would be okay, and that she dared not question. "Well, at least we're reckless together."

Nic winced as he craned his head away. "Yeah…"

Nic-Greninja and Slurpuff both regrouped with their Trainers, both thoroughly exhausted due to their arduous battles. As they were trying to get them to stand once more, Irene was back in her human form, stumbling as she had a long cut on her left side. Her body was in shambles, like torn up ribbons. She was looking dazed as everything was hazy for her. Yet what she saw only served to make her spirits angrier.

As she saw Nic and Erza smile towards the other, a pain went through her. But something more troubling. Seeing her daughter smile, it only made her eyes dilate in frustration.

 _Near a riverbank, on an early March day. The river flowed with fish plopping out. It was still a little cold, but no one seemed to mind. The air was fresh enough to let Earth Land know that life would still blossom, and thus it had._

 _Irene managed to fix herself up with her hair straightened, aside from the one braid as before. With herself at least looking half decent with a cloak on, she panted profusely as she was more than a little exhausted. The reason being was the small blanket she held close to her chest._

 _As she looked down at the small body in the blanket, she smiled in relief. "Thank goodness…it's a girl…" She huffed. As she glared down, her eyes showed hysteria. "If I can enchant myself into this tiny body…then surely, I can say goodbye to this cursed body. I've been waiting a very long time for this. Now, become my vessel, child…"_

 _The baby Erza, however, did not comply. Instead, she did the one thing Irene never expected her to do. The newborn baby curled her lips, opening them to let out a small giggle._

 _Irene's eyes widened and her shaking body began to convulse. Hearing the new baby giggle, only stifled her shock. "Why…" She had bangs over her eyes, casting them away from the world. "Why are you laughing at me?"_

 _She thought she was crazy, but little Erza just giggled on as her mother's anxiety grew._

" _I endured 400 years of suffering! Don't make me hesitate! This is my child, the one I always loved! She should know how I feel!"_

 _Baby Erza cooed loudly as she reached her tiny hands up to Irene's face, her laughing only escalating._

 _Tears swelled Irene's face, her smile only making her face spill more waterfalls. "Don't laugh at me!"_

"You…" Irene gritted her teeth, her eyes cast away from them. "You stop…"

Getting up, a struggling Nic and Erza looked back with their frog and meringue, all of them catching note of Irene still hanging in. Her shuddering form only ached them to see.

"I told you…to stop laughing…"

"Stop this!" Erza urged.

Irene glared at her daughter, snapping completely. "DON'T LAUGH!" The sound of her broken vocals only made Erza reel back in shock. "Don't laugh at me! This is far from over! Not to the likes of you!"

Nic gritted his teeth, steeling himself. "She's gone mad."

"This is bad." Nic-Greninja said.

Irene yelled profusely at them, her sanity broken completely. Her patience was lost, and she had claws apart on both sides fixed to strike. She raised her right side's gloved claw, screaming with all her might and generating the Magic Power within her grasp.

"Here we go." Erza readied herself.

"AHHHHH!" Irene eyed them all, stepping forth to unleash her attack.

SHROOOH!

A tearing sound soared through the atmosphere, shimmering so loud that it was heard from afar. Everything in that instant went completely stiff. The air went stale as blood spilled uncontrollably, sprinkling the air and splattering on the ground.

Nic, Erza, Nic-Greninja, and Slurpuff all were rendered immobile at the bewildering sight. It was sickening, not to mention heart-stopping. All of them paled as their eyes shrunk with fixated terror. They did nothing but stare with their injured bodies stiff as statues.

Irene's eyes dilated as well, her lips parted as she felt immense shock overcome her. She was unable to move as well, but unlike the others, she looked down, her hazy eyes glancing down at why she was feeling light-headed so quickly. The answer…came in the form of blood all over her abdomen. Blood was all over her belly, her left side completely torn into. Everything was ripped off, much like a certain deceased Dragon Slayer.

A black cloaked creature posed in front of the shuddering Irene, the woman beyond peril as she recognized the blue shaggy blue hair as his eyes were cast away by the blue hair he had. But his form was all too clear.

Nic and the three were paralyzed in not just panic, but dread as two of the four recognized who he was. No one was able to respond as the wind shifted with his coming. As he lifted his head, the eyes of Acnologia pierced into Nic and Erza, their faces profusely in sweat and dirt.

His smirk widened as his bloodied fingers twitched. "The mother of all dragons…what a sin."

* * *

 **Tada! Here's an update for you guys! Sorry for it again being so long, but like I said last chapter, I wanted to cram everything into one big chapter. All things considered, I think I did another equally grand job at that. So 20K, and I got the whole fight mixed into it. As you saw, I changed parts I felt was necessary, especially the meteor scene. Sure I could've gone and pulled as ORAS Dragon Ascent, but this worked too I suppose. So compared to the manga, the biggest change that I thought was necessary was the ending. This proves that I'm back, and I have imagination to spare! Unlike the manga, I've made Acnologia make a surprise appearance and deal the finishing blow to Irene. I felt that's how it should've gone in the manga, so instead I did it here.**

 **I also had to hurry and get this update in quick, mainly because I was already over 4 days, plus I have a big work schedule coming this week. And I couldn't upload earlier because I was helping my Dad celebrate his birthday today. So I have my reasons.**

 **So if you guys really did enjoy this chapter and the abundant changes and dynamics I've altered, please review and comment on them all! Thanks a bunch, and hoping to get another update this week!**


	77. Knots That Don't Loosen Easily

Nobody could say anything as all the breath they had was taken out of them by the passing breeze that was brought within the wake of the man's arrival. The shifting breeze was loud, roaring like thunder and sending everyone for a loop, mentally speaking. Nic and Nic-Greninja were the most shocked as not only was the Dragon King back, but he swiped clean through Irene's left side, bridling her in red.

The distraught Irene huffed and gagged as blood began to seep from the side of her lip. Her hazy eyes stayed frozen stiff on the waning image of Acnologia's back facing her. Unable to find her strength, the Scarlet Despair faced despair as she fell over, thudding onto her side.

"NO!" Erza cried out.

Catching himself from his shock, Nic glared at Acnologia with a twisted brow. "You bastard!" He growled.

Acnologia's intense glare shifted over towards Nic, his eyes meeting the intense blue ones that the black-haired Trainer had. Their eyes interlocked for the longest moment, until at last Acnologia broke the silence.

"You…" The Dragon Slayer's smirk darkened. "Finally. It's about damn time."

Nic wanted to yell out, but Acnologia suddenly reappeared in a blitz with his hand reached out towards his face. At the last second, Nic reeled his head backwards, eyes still wide as time slowly decreased with the thrust going just mere inches away from his chin. Instead, as Nic bent backwards, Acnologia found himself going towards Nic-Greninja, who lunged from behind Nic. Nic-Greninja leaped above, grabbing Acnologia's wrist and twisted. The twisting maneuver made everyone's world revolve in a blur, and the one thrown off was Acnologia as he went off in a slide on his heels some ways away. He slid along the ground, creating a deep trail with his feet, but even with the surprise attack cut off, he was smirking.

Nic and Nic-Greninja pivoted and regained their sights set on him. With their focus set, they watched as Acnologia thrust outwards, unleashing a massive draconic shockwave. It roared with fury, and pieces of the ground siphoned away as Nic and Nic-Greninja covered up from the intense pulses they had to defend against.

With them on defense, Acnologia raced ahead with a wily smirk and arm pulled back. He showed no hesitation as he closed in and grunted when jutting the hand out. At the last second, Nic and Nic-Greninja leaned to opposite sides; Nic to the right and Nic-Greninja left. In a move of desperation, they pivoted into their leaning and Nic picked up the left foot an Nic-Greninja hoisted his right. Both roundhouse kicked Acnologia's chest, sending a shock through his body and shooting the Dragon Slayer back several feet.

Catching himself, he smirked. "Oh, please." He raised a hand high, getting energy upon the raise of the appendage to make the ground beneath him depress. "Are you even trying?!" At his call, with might like that of a certain Crash Mage, his right fist rammed the ground beneath, instantly picking up large chunks. Beams of blue energy compressed and glistened in swift diminishing flashes in the ground before a huge wave of draconic power ripped through the ground, tearing rock to nothing as the linear wave of Dragon Slayer Magic made way for Nic.

Having no choice but to ready themselves, they prepped for the attack to head their way. As they were set to draw their Night Slash, a pair of feet and a sloppy tongue stepped in the way. "Hleh!" Slurpuff announced.

"Slurpuff?!" Nic exclaimed.

"What are you doing?! Move!" Nic-Greninja shouted.

Unfortunately, it was too late. The explosive energy had reached Slurpuff and she faced the incoming attack with every bit of courage in her. With her Defense to the max, she braced as the draconic force made full connection and made an explosive shockwave roar in the shape of a rippling dome. The winds pulsed with intense might, making Acnologia's hair shift as a grand smile plastered on his face. Nic, Nic-Greninja, and Erza all went wide-eyed as the shockwave and explosive waves shot them away.

The dome-like energy enveloped a great swell of the land, the deafening roars of the explosion reaching out and breaking sound barriers. Dust, winds, Nic, Nic-Greninja, and Erza all shot in different directions, barely able to catch themselves in slides to a stop when at last the waves of energy diminished.

Dust filed the air, and Acnologia smirked as he knew he had a chance. However, as the dust was picked up, he saw a figure on the ground, unfazed. His eyes widened, showing genuine shock as Slurpuff was still standing, while the ground around her was leveled. "What…?"

"Picking on someone when they're beaten up, that's wrong!" Slurpuff yelled.

Erza looked ahead, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Slurpuff!"

Getting himself to cease struggling, Nic stared as the residual dust blew beneath his knees. _'Slurpuff's in one piece. It's like Acnologia's attack didn't do anything…!'_ His eyes widened in realization. _'Does this mean Acnologia's Dragon Slayer Magic classifies as Dragon-type?'_

Acnologia glared at Slurpuff, his foul eyes glaring down the battered meringue. "So you too are a Pokémon, huh." He brought a foot back. "Very well, then I'll take care of you first."

Taking her surprise and turning it around, Erza hurried with an offense. "Slurpuff, **Play Rough!** "

At her command, Slurpuff went springing after Acnologia. With a loud shout, she enveloped Acnologia in a cloud and stars popped out every so often as she kicked, punched, and beat him up. The Fairy-type was in midair, twisting and kicking her stubby paws and tiny hands into Acnologia. He was turning left and right, every hit against his cheeks and knocking him left and right. However, he was wide-eyed, but wasn't grunting.

Finally having enough, Slurpuff gave one last kick, but shockingly, Acnologia leaned left and dodged, much to her shock. "You're so annoying!" He growled. Thrusting his only hand forward, Acnologia struck Slurpuff with only his physical strength. The fist dug deep into her, and Slurpuff's world went blank in that one instance. He followed through with said punch, creating a powerful ripple that exerted outwards and dust split apart as Slurpuff trailed across the ground. She screamed loudly as her body tumbled through the air and smashed into a nearby rock. The rock broke to bits, with Slurpuff added into the mix.

"Slurpuff!" Erza shouted.

The dust cleared, revealing Slurpuff laying on her back on top of the rock debris with swirly eyes meaning her defeat.

Nic and Nic-Greninja looked back ahead, their teeth gritting in anger as Acnologia sneered meekly. "Was that supposed to be a warmup?"

"You'll pay for that." Nic snarled. This comment only served to make his smirk wider.

"Me pay? What nonsense."

Erza pulled out her Poke Ball, calling out to Slurpuff. "Slurpuff, return!" Hurrying with the recall, the defeated Slurpuff went back inside, and Erza looked down at the Poke Ball. "Thank you for all your hard work."

A weak cough from behind caught Erza's attention. The Fairy Tail Mage gasped at the sound, her attention averting to what laid nearby. "Erza…" The coughing intensified, and Erza turned around to find Irene laying on the opposite side that was bleeding. Her blood continued to lay everywhere, even after the dust that buried it.

Hurrying on over, Erza stood in front of her dying mother, her expression shocked as he looked down at her. "Mother…" She said.

Irene's eyes struggled to stay open. She managed to open them, catching the look of her daughter standing in front of her. "Erza…" She coughed again, this time the taste of blood sitting bittersweetly inside.

Erza knelt down, getting her hands to the ground and getting them around her. "Stay still." She urged. She held Irene in her arms, ignoring the red that was on her hands. She only grimaced down onto the Scarlet Despair, the uneasy looks either gave most troublesome. Perhaps this was what it was like in the other's place. Maybe this was the reason why Erza was holding her mother. From the looks of the wound, it wasn't too long now.

Irene looked up to her daughter, her eyes full of hazy sincerity. "Erza…why?" Her daughter didn't answer, but whether it was out of her own fate or why she was comforting her was of little relevance. The female Spriggan only glazed up at her daughter, continuing to look perplexed.

"…I don't know." Erza finally answered.

Irene's frown curved into a smile. "You're most stubborn alright…you really are my daughter. To think, I was trying to slay you like that…what desperate fool I was…"

"We're all fools in some way, that's something we can't deny. We all have reasons to be something we want or didn't want to become, but when you find the reason…I guess it becomes more open for you to understand."

Irene pondered about Erza's words with every aching breath left in her body. Her 400 years of hell and anguish were all for the one woman before her eyes; the one she gave birth too. As she looked at her, the world was without care. These were her last moments, and all she did was smile on.

"Erza…"

The redhead mentioned looked down at her with question.

"My daughter…I really just couldn't do it." Irene began to think back to what happened, a time when she wanted to enchant herself into her daughter, but she instead found herself in front of Rosemary Village's church. "I…really didn't try to enchant myself into you, at least not there." The news shocked her daughter, but she powered on. "I had to stop myself, you were just born after all. I chose to discard you before the thought came back, I had to save you with what sanity I had left." Irene scoffed meekly at herself. "You probably wouldn't believe it anyway huh…"

"Mother…"

Irene's smiled grew as her eyes grew misty. She began to recount the moment she knelt down and shuddered before baby Erza's basket she laid in. Tears were on the corners of her eyes as she watched her sleeping daughter one last time before she left. "It was your laugh." She admitted. "Such an innocent and sweet laugh. I never heard of it before until it came from you. Guess those 400 years were worth it after all…"

Erza said nothing as she looked down, feeling pity for her.

Irene glanced over, seeing Nic dodge a blow from Acnologiia. With the opening, he grunted as he reeled a punch straight into Acnologia's face. The attack drew him back a foot, and Nic shifted his leg ahead and elbow struck his abdomen, getting Acnologia to lurch again once more. As she watched Nic defend himself against the beast that slayed Belserion, her smile widened. "You're lucky…to have met such a man. If only mine was like him."

Erza looked back at Nic, seeing him cover up as Acnologia raised a foot and kicked him with vicious force. Nic flew back, grunting in pain. Nic-Greninja reappeared behind and caught Nic, landing on the ground and getting Nic back to his feet. He stood shaken, even with his arms looking bruised, as he fought on. The smile on Erza's lips returned. "Honestly, I'm too lucky…"

Irene looked back to her daughter, the last of her strength fading at last. "Don't end up like me…but no matter what I said…I really did…love you…" Irene's eyes began to close, black fading into a light that she saw. "I wonder…if I'll be able…to hear your laugh…elsewhere…" Her voice began to trail off as her eyes shut, her head slumping down with her last breath taken. Despite what misery she went through, Irene's final moments were with what was a smile.

Erza looked down to her fallen mother, realizing she was gone for good. Her frown dampened as she silently mourned for the person responsible for giving her life. Erza's eyes shut, head lowering. "Farewell…mother."

BOOM!

The land ruptured around Erza as dust went past her. Her head went up as the wind shifted, making her long hair go wild. Her head whipped up, her attention drawing back towards the roar she was hearing from behind.

"GAH!" Nic, Nic-Greninja, and Acnologia all slid back several feet away, creating trails embedded into the earth. As dust dissipated, it revealed all three with the same position; right arms gripping the ground and a thin crater in the center.

As Nic and Nic-Greninja glared at Acnologia, the ancient Dragon Slayer smirked. "Not bad."

"I could say the same." Nic remarked. "You're as pretentious as before."

"Tch, how stubborn. HRAH!" Acnologia lunged straight across the ground for Nic. Nic gave the same shout, lunging at Acnologia with a massive spring, which made the ground behind the other dice and depress from their own legendary might. The two met in the center, their upper bodies slamming and making another shockwave flare. The ground beneath depressed further as more earth reshaped around them. The land thundered and roared with the intense wave reaching Erza again, making her hunch over as intense wave nearly made her fall over. The two growled in the other's face as they tried to overpower the other, their midair forces continuing to intercede with the other until both eventually lost their momentum. Another pulse went in between them, forcing the two to withdraw and lad in the crater, landing on their feet.

Nic's shins were quivering, his body lurching in the pain he felt. _'Not good.'_ He cursed himself.

Acnologia took notice of Nic's falter and raised a brow. "Interesting. Looks like your previous battles are finally taking their tolls. From those grievous wounds, I'm surprised you would be standing still." His eyes vaguely narrowed, his smirk widening. "But then again, these are Pokémon we're talking about."

Nic looked up towards him, silently acknowledging the swift sound of Nic-Greninja landing beside him with a huff of his own. "Sorry, but I'm human. Not Pokémon."

The smirk on Acnologia's face faded, his amusement subsiding. "So it would seem. But that doesn't matter to me. All I care about right now, is annihilating you and those creatures that continue to get in my way!"

Nic felt like crap right now. His bones were fractured at best, and his shoulder wounds were completely healed. They perhaps opened during the fight, which explains why his arms felt so light. Despite the fatigue, he held his ground this time, and Nic-Greninja took the same stance as him, both grunting.

Acnologia smirked again. "Then I guess we'll finish what we started after all. Alright then…" As he began to approach for the next round, the footstep made began to make the ground shimmer in light. Acnologia was taken back by this phenomenon. "What?"

The ground beamed rays of light around, catching even Nic by surprise.

Everyone looked down, realizing that all over the battlefield, the light shimmered. As the remaining soldier raised his blade, Arbok smacked him like a bat, crushing his all his left-sided bones and sending him soaring elsewhere. He looked head rather than down, silently acknowledging what was happening.

"What's happening?!" Cana yelled.

"This magic…" Gildarts trailed off.

Mavis reached out to both sides. "Everyone hold hands!"

As the magic was engulfing the land of Fiore, August watched from afar, his glare harsh as ever. "So Irene has fallen…"

The wood beneath Zeref shimmered in the light, but did little for the frown on his face. "The effects of Universe One are dispelling. Everything should return to normal soon…"

In the castle of Mercurius, Toma held Hisui as she transformed back into human, both crying tears of joy as they were able to pull through. All across the land, everyone looked confused as ever, but served little as they were enveloped in the light.

Nic looked down at the ground, realizing the compounds and magical feeling. "This power…!" Out of reflex, he looked back at Erza, seeing the now deceased Irene laying behind her. Another wave of shock came over him, but one he managed to work around as he and Nic-Greninja lunged away.

"Hm? Where are you thinking you're going!" Acnologia snapped.

Erza looked up at Nic as he suddenly reappeared in front of her with gifted speed. He did the most shocking move and draped himself around her. "Nic?"

"Hold onto me." He urged. With an arm around the shoulder, Nic-Greninja followed suit and nodded.

Though it felt like a wrong time, Erza did as told and held onto Nic. Turning away one last time from her mother, Erza held Nic tight, eyes shut as the light enveloped them as well. Getting desperate, Acnologia went after Nic, but as he reached out, he was a few feet short as the light swallowed him up too. Everything became a blur then, and all went white around Fiore.

* * *

A black void was all there was. Over the head, underneath, to the left, to the right, everywhere. It was all black, and nothing could describe it otherwise.

"Huh?" Turning left and right, a confused Natsu looked awkwardly in all directions. "Hello? Huh, where the heck am I?" He raised a brow as he rubbed the back of his head. "How did I get here anyway? The last thing I remember, I…" He gasped when a memory filled his head, his confusion turning into shock when he saw an image of Lucy lying with blood on her eyes. "Lucy?! Happy?! Guys?! Aw man, I don't know where I am!" He stomped on the void, shockingly hitting it hard like it was ground. "GNGH! IF I DON'T FIND ANSWERS SOON I'LL MELT MY WAY TO THEM! YOU HEAR ME?!"

" **I hear you alright, but you don't have to yell, you brat!** " The deep voice caught Natsu by surprise.

The shocked Dragon Slayer instantly stopped his fit, his body going stiff as it recognized the deep voice. "Wait, who's…?"

" **Don't act all surprised, boy. After all, it was you who put yourself into this mess.** " The ground beneath Natsu shocking had yellow cracks growing beneath his feet. He jerked to the side, yelping as he managed to avoid a swift lava spout. He watched the cracks go on, turning the black space into a volcanically crisp void. " **You've always been ambitious, but even myself didn't see it until it was too late.** " The ground continued to crack apart, turning dry and humid. The heat would've been enough to melt someone if not careful. Smoke arose from mountains in the distance, and Natsu looked all around, admiring the scene change.

"Whoa…!" As he slowly turned, he saw it with his own eyes. His deep onyx eyes sharpened when he saw the one responsible for the voice. "Gah!" He whipped around fully, too shocked for words. "Wait…Igneel!?"

The Fire Dragon King stood before Natsu, the fiery glaze on the ground igniting his underbelly scales with a burning glaze. The subconscious beast stood and looked down at Natsu with a blunt look. " **Hello, Natsu.** " He greeted.

"Wait, Igneel! What are you doing here?! I thought you…"

" **Don't get ahead of yourself. What makes you think I'm really that easy to come back from the dead, huh?** " He instantly rebuffed.

Natsu took a moment to think, but all he did was cross his arms, furrowing his brow. "Eh, I don't know. You sure convinced me when you left me all those years ago."

WHAM!

"OW!" Natsu whined, holding the bump on his head. "God, man, that hurts! What the hell was that for?!"

" **For digressing from what I'm telling you, idiot!** " Igneel retorted. " **Natsu, do you remember…anything?** "

Natsu grunted as he brought his hand away from the bump. He looked down at the volcanic ground, his furrowed brows indication of the discomfort he feels. "…" It took hard-pressed feeling for him to say anything he remembered. "…well, I think it started when I thought Lucy was…" He had trouble saying it even; just thinking about made him wince in shame. "Damnit! I don't know! Okay?!"

Igneel's eyelids closed meekly. " **I see…** "

"Everything after that spandex chick tried attacking Lucy, everything just…went black. I don't know what happened, and then the next thing I know, I feel this empty feeling in my chest." He put his hand over his heart, indicating the precise spot. "I felt cold, and I never feel that way."

Igneel nodded in understand. " **I understand. So then you weren't aware of the Dragon Seed and Demon Seed inside of your body ripped out.** "

Natsu raised a brow. "Dragon and Demon Seed?"

Igneel lowered his head again. "Yes. They are what define you and your true power, Natsu."

"My…true power?"

" **Listen carefully. The Dragon Seed is the darkness in which was implanted in all Dragon Slayers, which turns them eventually into dragons themselves. As you have learned – hopefully – that we dragons used our essence to stop that growth.** " He took another pause, allowing Natsu to process the details. " **Then there's the other seed, which was unique to you alone. It's called the Demon Seed, and it was proof that you are in fact E.N.D…or rather** _ **were**_ **E.N.D.** "

Natsu was able to get it so far…kind of. The Dragon Seed and Demon Seed he got, but him being E.N.D was still something he had a hard time stomaching. His gaze dropped to a sad one. "I really am E.N.D, huh…"

" **You misheard. I said you were, but not anymore.** "

"Wait, Dad, what are you saying? You mean I'm no longer E.N.D?"

" **Technically so. E.N.D was, how do I put this? An identity of yours, one could say the demonic half that feeds on your ambitions. He was awaken in your moment's weakness, that's when he took over and robbed you of body and mind; permanently if it wasn't for your friend.** "

Once again, Natsu was baffled. "My friend? What happened?!"

Igneel took a deep breath and sighed. " **I suppose you'll have to learn the hard way…** " Slowly, the scenery around Natsu and Igneel began to change, fading into ripples that evolved into a dark wasteland with a cold gray ground.

"Huh?" Natsu looked down, realizing his feet weren't touching the ground. "Woah! Why am I floating?!"

" **This is a memory, what happened with E.N.D. Now watch, and wait until the end.** " Igneel ceased talking as he looked down at Nic, who was met with E.N.D. Natsu looked down at well, the Dragon Slayer's shock overwhelming him at how much E.N.D resembled him; his true demonic dragon self come to life.

As the talk went on, Natsu listened to every word E.N.D said, and did not make a fuss about it. He wanted to deny it, especially the part of hating Nic, but it proved to be of fruitless efforts. He stayed quiet reluctantly as he grew more morbid at the recap E.N.D imposed and wanting to be better. Deep down, Natsu wanted to be the best, and he wanted to beat everybody, but he didn't want to admit it. Unfortunately his mind said otherwise. With a heavy heart, he watched as the ambitious E.N.D and Gray berated Nic and claimed he was weak, selfish, and used darkness to his advantage. The recap was long, and a lot to take in, but it came to a halt when he saw Nic getting punctured and sliced into, hence the grievous shock on his face as he saw Nic fall over. The longer it dragged on, the sadder it got for Natsu. He had no control. It was his desires getting the better of him. It was too sad for words alone. He didn't mean to make Nic suffer, he really didn't…right? Even when Nic became Legendary Force Giratina, he was still too shocked as he watched him defeat Gray and E.N.D. By the end, he watched the actual seeds being torn out of E.N.D, and some dark mesh torn from Gray's, and watched them shatter.

After the light enveloped everything, Natsu found himself standing on the lava-like ground, his gaze fixed on the bubbling rock. It was so much for him to realize, but for the most part, he knew what he did.

" **Now, I think you understand what's happened here.** " Igneel said.

Natsu didn't look at his foster father, as he knew what he had done was disgraceful enough. "Yeah…"

" **It was thanks to your friend that he was able to save not just you, but your friend's life. He saved you from falling to your grave, at the expense of his own life.** " Igneel lowered his head as he looked at Natsu more closely. He still saw the hidden shame in his eyes. " **Son…** "

Natsu didn't respond. Instead, he balled his fists, clutching tighter than before. "…so that's what happened?" He asked meekly.

Igneel nodded.

Natsu at last sighed in defeat. "I can't believe it. All I wanted was to prove the best, and take down Zeref and Acnologia myself…and instead, I ended up hating someone who's had my back this whole time. God, why am I such a jerk? Damnit!" He kicked a hot rock away, making it crumble and fall into the boiling lava flowing in a crevice far away. "I wanted to get strong! I didn't mean for any of this to happen! Not with Gray! Not with Nic! And now look what we've done! We only gave Nic a harder time…and we couldn't do a thing about it! DAMNIT, I'M WEAK!"

Igneel watched his son pity himself in bitter disgust and frustration. It pained him to see Natsu so sad, but it pained him more to see the pride and proud face he had on all the time was gone, replaced by grief and anguish. He wanted to help, but there was but few things he could do; counseling was the one remedy he knew well of.

" **Natsu, look at me.** " At his urge, Natsu looked up towards Igneel. He saw the dragon's soft smile so close to his face. " **It's okay to be angry with friends. It's okay to admit they are better at things than they are. I admit it myself, I am of no match for the Legendary Pokémon. It's because if them that I barely survived Acnologia that time.** "

"Dad…"

" **But I hold no resent for them. In fact, it makes me proud to know that such a power exists. I may not have it, but that is a good thing, because that responsibility is too much for us. Don't you think?** "

Natsu furrowed his brows and tilted his head. "Huh?"

" **Natsu, you know great power comes with great responsibility. You have a lot of responsibility alone, but Nic was given an even greater responsibility. Everything he's done was by the weight on his shoulders. You can imagine the burdens he's had to carry. You wouldn't want that, would you?** "

Natsu didn't have to think too hard about it to get an appropriate answer. Sure he was an idiot, but even he was smart enough to know immense power means great will and control, and that means responsibility and hefty chores. He wanted power, but with his clumsiness, who knows how that would go? He'd have so many elites and people like Acnologia chasing him down with no time to rest. Putting himself in Nic's shoes, he's shocked he isn't dead. Guess his situation had perks.

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess so…"

" **There's only so much one man can take. Remember, Nic did not face Lysandre nor Acnologia alone. He never would've been that strong without his Pokémon. You're the same. You need friends, but you've only thought of your person.** " The statement Igneel gave made Natsu gasp. " **If you pooled your hearts with everyone else's, and think about them and their situations, you'd be able to do anything beyond that of a Dragon Slayer.** "

His heights strengthened once more, Natsu's fists balled tighter than ever. His gaze shot up towards his Dad, his frown glaring up and unwilling to budge. There was a long stare down, until at last he smiled. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks Dad."

Igneel nodded, smiling down at Natsu with joy. " **Good, very good…** " Slowly, beams of light began to envelop everything. " **Now, I believe you know what has to be done, right.** "

As everything around Natsu glowed, his smile strengthened. "Yeah!"

" **Then go. I shall see my son the way he must be. Not dragon, nor demon…but purely human.** " The light fully enveloped Igneel, his essence fading with the scene. The last to fade was Natsu, with the darkness forever gone and replaced by vanquishing light.

* * *

"Natsu…"

A moan came from the Dragon Slayer.

"Natsu~…"

A gasp came from one voice. "I think he's waking up!"

"Gnnnngh…" Slowly, Natsu's eyes fluttered open. The first thing he saw was a ceiling fan. "Aw man…my head…" Blinking several times, he began to slowly get up, sitting up as a shocked Lucy and Happy stared with tears on the sides of their faces. "Huh…guys-!"

"NATSU!" With joy spilled on their faces, a heart-warmed Lucy seized Natsu and hugged him tight. Happy pounced on Natsu, nuzzling his cheek profusely.

"Guh! Uh, hey guys!" Natsu urged them to get off, but he was still in shock at the moment.

"You idiot! You had us worried sick!" Lucy hollered.

"Aye! You gave us the biggest scare ever!" Happy shined.

Natsu blinked. "I did?" Taking a moment for their warmth to take over, a small smile came across his lips. "I gotcha…sorry for worrying you."

Lucy pulled away, wiping away the tear hanging on her eye. "It's okay. We're just glad you aren't…"

"Natsu…"

Natsu looked down to Happy. "Yeah pal?"

Happy gave him a most worried expression. "Do you remember…what you did?"

Natsu frowned at his friend's inquiry. A moment of silence passed as Lucy and Happy gave him expectant looks. The way he looked made their hearts anxious for an answer. He finally hunched over, staring ahead with a half-grin.

"Yeah, I remember now."

Lucy frowned. "Then you…?"

Natsu lowered his head and smiled. "It's fine, Lucy. I know what Gray and I did. We'll make it right, somehow. All we can do is just hope the best for Nic. He needs that more than ever right now."

"But what about you?" Lucy interjected. "Nic is one thing, but if Zeref's defeated…then…will you…?"

Natsu felt shocked by the revelation unfolding in Lucy's words. "Huh?! Wait, Happy?!" He turned towards Happy, hoping for an answer. All the Exceed did was sheepishly look at his friend.

"I'm sorry. It just slipped out."

Sighing and knowing it wouldn't do any good, Natsu grinned again. "Yeah, but don't worry." His sentence left the unnerved Lucy with inquiry. He ignored it, clutching a fist. "If there's one thing I know, is that there's a way to everything. It may not be easy for me…but we'll find a way. Right?"

Lucy and Happy looked at Natsu, their frowns of worry turning into smiles once again.

Natsu gasped. "Wait, where are we anyway?" He looked around, turning his head left and right. He saw a familiar bed right next to a window; the same table; the same shelf; the same bathroom in the distance.

"We're in my house." Lucy explained. "After that light flashed, Magnolia just came back. And we popped back here." She turned away slowly, looking rather sheepish. _'Of course now I have to wonder how Brandish did this anyway…'_

"Looks like everything's back to normal if you ask me!" Happy cheered.

Natsu got up from the floor, slowly, but surely standing. "Alright then…" He rammed his fists hard, making a small ember with his passion returning. "Let's go back to the guild!"

"Aye, sir!" Lucy and Happy cheered.

* * *

A groan came from atop of someone. The muffling sound vibrated in warmth for some reason. It tickled. Coming around, Erza began to stir and opened her eyes. "Mmmm…" She moaned weakly as she raised her head. "Nic-?!"

To her modest shock, her face grew a beet red when she realized where the vibrating came from. The muffling was by none other than Nic, who happened to get in the same place with Erza – thankfully – but was turned over in the process, and was face first into her monstrously huge mounds. At least the sarashi bandages were there.

Muffling in her abundant assets, Nic pushed up and looked down at Erza. "Erza…?" Seeing the beet red on her face, Nic took a pause and looked back down to her breasts. When he realized how close he was, he hitched in a breath.

"Oh! Uh, s-sorry." He lurched up, but a pain through his body, His embarrassment subsided and was overcome by pain. "Gah!" He fell over, thudding hard right by Erza's side.

"Nic!" Erza got up, looking down at Nic on all fours. "Are you alright?" She looked down at his wounds, seeing the tormenting scrapes and bruises he accumulated. _'He looks so exhausted. It's amazing how he was able to tolerate those many crucial battles. But the shoulder wounds…'_

Nic struggled to get to a knee, but he managed. "I'm fine." He huffed. "Greninja? Greninja?"

Behind him, Nic-Greninja groaned as he laid on his stomach, slowly pushing up and getting to a knee like Nic. "Gnnngh…I'm alright." He acknowledged.

Slowly getting up, Nic and Erza supported the other. They had shoulders and waists covered with hands to hold one another up. It was hell, but they managed to get up to a degree. They both looked around, realizing they were on a paved dirt trail.

"Where are we?" Erza questioned. She looked forward, her eyes widening with her gasp. She saw something she and Nic never thought they'd see in a while. It was a shock it wasn't in shambles due to Universe One, but it was nice nevertheless.

Nic was for a loss of words. "It's…our house."

"Seems that the spell sent us home." Nic-Greninja figured.

"Yeah, seems that's the case." Erza began to think back to the last moments of her mother, her frown evident upon seeing her die. _'Seems fate really has made us too lucky.'_ "Nic, who was that from before?"

Nic turned towards Erza, not at all looking perplexed. He looked back towards Nic-Greninja, purple eyes meeting once more with concern. Their frowns were evident, but as Nic turned back to face her, all he did was give her a look of knowing.

"You know him all too well as I do." He answered.

It didn't come to her immediately, but she had to ponder about it. If it wasn't for the Magic Power, and the vicious intent to kill Nic, it wouldn't have been any clear. When it came to her, her brown eyes were fixated with terror. "You're saying-?!"

"Yes." Nic nodded, looking back at their house. "He's finally here at last."

Nic-Greninja cascaded a look towards the ground. "This is bad. We can't fight in the conditions we're all in."

"Agreed. We'll have to make use of this time wisely. There's no telling when or how long we have until Zeref or Acnologia will come around again. As far as we know, they might be minutes away." His eyes narrowed, the expression he was giving showing worry. "Plus, there's Arbok."

"Arbok?" Erza had almost forgot about Nic's Poison-type. The snobbish yet otherwise dutiful and loyal serpent was following Nic's orders to the letter from before. Only he was left on the battlefield while everything happened.

Nic looked ahead with his gaze turning resolute once more. "I'm sure Arbok's alright, but I'm not sitting around waiting to find out results. let's go inside and heal up for a bit, then go find him."

"Don't worry, we'll find Arbok, or he'll find us." With that sense of territory assured, Nic-Greninja glowed and his transformation subsided, becoming Greninja once. With their objectives set, they all walked up the porch and entered the house.

* * *

"It's…Magnolia!" Max couldn't believe it, yet his eyes and the air around him said otherwise.

"Looks like we're back to normal!" Warren exclaimed.

Freed turned towards the First Master, looking careful as ever. "First Master, what do we do now?"

"Yeah. I mean, Nic's snake busted up the rest of the numbers, last I checked." Bickslow wasn't entirely wrong. Despite setbacks involving a few Earthquakes, he and Fairy Tail did manage to get shots of their own in and knocked down a couple hundred for their liking.

The First swiped her arm, giving a thorough command. "Scan Magnolia for any residual enemies. That dispel may have warped potential threats we've defeated on other battlefields!"

"Roger!" Everyone did as told and went scattering about. They all got into pairs and divided up around the city and hurried along to find any more potent threats. The only one who was slow in the making was Laxus, who stood and looked at the guild hall in the distance. It was so close, yet still so far. It was but a bittersweet thing to see, for it was his grandfather's guild.

He continued to mournfully smile on, looking at the place where he belonged. "Gramps…we're almost home."

Close by, Mirajane lunged ahead in her Satan Soul Take-Over. With a loud cry, she hurled her fist forward, infused with Darkness Magic that socked Jacob right in the gut. The impact made him gag, and his squinted eyes went blank as he fell backwards from the point-blank impact.

As he fell back, Mirajane panted profusely as she was completely out of breath and Magic Power. Unable to keep herself up, the elder Strauss sibling faltered and her magic diffused, turning her back to herself. As Jacob laid defeated, Mirajane slumped on her knees, giving an exhausted smile. "I wonder why he kept his eyes closed this whole time?" She questioned. "Oh well, at least it's over now."

In another part of the city, there was a broken bridge that littered its cemented contents in the riverbank and streets. Dust blew everywhere, yet within the dust, a mouth opened, gagging as a man fell forward with a thud.

Revealing himself to be Ajeel the one falling over, Elfman and Lisanna huffed as they were feeling the same way Ajeel was. They too felt like falling over, but relented and managed to hold onto their perseverance.

"Did that…do the trick?" Elfman panted.

"I hope so." Lisanna responded.

Ajeel lurched constantly as he tried to get up. "Not…yet. I can still…!" As he was trying to get up in vain, a stff touched the ground, an elderly man stepping in between, shocking Ajeel and the Strauss siblings alike. Much to their surprise, they could tell it wasn't August. Instead, it was another elderly man.

"Enough, Ajeel." Yajeel pleaded.

"Gramps?" Ajeel gasped.

Lisanna raised a brow. "Hang on, did he just say 'Gramps'?"

"Guess they're family." Elfman inquired.

Yajeel looked at them with his large forehead having emphasis. "This war has brought nothing but disaster for both sides. If we don't stop-!"

" _This_ war?" Elfman interrupted. "Hate to break it to you, but in case if you haven't noticed, all wars lead the same way."

The sentence left Yajeel and Ajeel alike to look at Elfman with slight surprise. As true as it was, it wasn't someone looked on so often by them.

"You always kept winning, so I guess you really wouldn't know." Lisanna looked gloomy as she spoke on. "Have you ever thought of others than yourself? Have you thought about the countries that you took down and over? Maybe they suffered more than you could imagine."

Yajeel sighed as he bowed his head, eyes closing. "I beg of you, do with me as you see fit. But please, spare my grandson."

Ajeel continued to attempt standing, but found his ground much harder to handle than it was meant to be. "Don't bother…I'm not…giving up, gramps! Not yet!"

Elfman and Lisanna looked towards the other, both sharing the respective wonder on their faces. At first they seemed confused, but when they looked back at the duo, their expressions went subtle.

"C'mon, don't jump the gun on us." Elfman said, making Yajeel look up in surprise.

"Just because you can't go on doesn't mean you can see us as the monsters. We're not heartless. Right, big brother Elf?"

Hearing the last part, Ajeel's eyes widened as the struggling went stiff. "Wait. You said 'big brother'?" The inquiry threw him into shock of the revelation. "You two are siblings?"

"Surprised?" Lisanna chirped.

Elfman leaned over his sister, putting a hand on her shoulder and smiling. "The guild's my family and all, but a real never forgets his adorable younger sister."

"But…you guys don't even look alike." Ajeel pointed out.

Lisanna sweat-dropped at the remark. "And you and your grandpa are?"

* * *

On Strawberry Street, the buildings were in one piece – for the most part. The door to Lucy's apartment opened, and the blonde exited with Natsu and Happy in tow.

Lucy took one look ahead, seeing the familiar riverbank on the other side of the street. "Looks like Magnolia really is back. But…" She veered in another direction, a chill running up her spine as the once lively street was empty. "Where is everyone?"

"You think they ended up elsewhere?" Natsu wondered.

"I sure hope Carla and the others are okay." Happy hoped.

Lucy turned towards him. "Yeah, me too. We couldn't have gotten too far from each other, right?" She looked at Natsu. "Can you smell them?"

Natsu crossed his arms as he looked away. "Yeah, a bit, but I can't tell where exactly. I think this field change is messing with my head."

"You can start by turning around."

Lucy nearly jumped at the voice from behind. To her surprise, it was but a familiar green-haired woman. "Brandish!" She chirped, pleasantly surprised to see her once again.

Brandish was more or less in one piece, but otherwise fine. The one thing that was off was the small person she was holding in her grip. A closer examination revealed a shrunken Dimaria struggling and vulnerable, unable to break herself free of Brandish's immense hold.

Dimaria was terrified. She hated to be confined to such a vulnerable state. As she struggled, it suddenly got darker overhead, catching her attention. When she stopped to look, it revealed Natsu peering at her from up close. The face made her shriek in panic, her squirming intensifying as she tried to get away.

Natsu watched as Dimaria helplessly struggled. He knew he did wrong, but it wasn't like him to be cool about it. "Hey, sorry about what I did. I, uh…can't remember much, but I think I overdid for ya." He sheepishly apologized, smiling all the while.

From the helpless struggle ensuing, Dimaria either must've been deaf or lost any sense of plea. "S-stay back! Don't come closer!" She squealed. "Randi~!"

"I believe this happened when she attempted to strike Lucy down. Looks like there's work for us to do." Brandish sighed rather tiredly. "What a pain this has become…"

"We're so glad you're safe and sound." Lucy smiled.

"And I'm not supposed to be?" Brandish retorted, turning around to face away with another sigh. "You really are annoying, you know that?"

Everyone watched as Brandish began to walk along the street, slowly carrying Dimaria and herself away, much to Lucy's inquiry. "Wait, where are you going?" She called out.

"I do not plan on becoming an enemy, seems that is just not possible with you. But I also do not intend on becoming an ally either, which leaves me with no choice but to forsake this whole thing and withdraw." She continued to walk off, not bothering to look back. "We'll be taking our leave now. Do well…if you can, that is."

"I see…" Lucy was vaguely disappointed that Brandish was walking away from her. While she was ad to see Brandish strolling along, she also knew that deep down she was a true friend, regardless of how the other saw it. She knew that in some small way, she will see her again. "Hope to see you soon." She smiled.

"…what a bother." Step after step, Brandish strolled away from Lucy, getting farther away with every step taken. Despite what she said, she looked ahead with a soft smile plastered on her face. Deep down, she felt the exact same way, but she'd sooner die than admit it face to face with her friend.

"Natsu! Lucy!"

Yet again, more voices popped from the distance. Turning around, their attention went to the several people who were running together. The group was Porlyusica, Carla, Wendy, Evergreen, and Vanessa, whom taken the liberty and carried Juvia on her back.

"Hi guys!" Wendy waved.

"Ever! Wendy! Vanessa and Juvia too!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Porlyusica, too." Lucy added.

"Carla!" Happy's smile widened, his joy skyrocketing upon seeing the white Exceed.

"You guys are alright, that's a relief." Evergreen said.

"How are you feeling, Natsu? Are you alright?" Wendy asked, showing concern for the elder Dragon Slayer's well-being.

Natsu gave his trademark smile. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine." He beamed with pride and stature to prove his point. "See?"

Vanessa smiled in understanding. "That's a good sign at least. You're both well."

"More importantly…" Carla took the stage, getting everyone's attention. "There's a matter in which we need to attend to."

Porlyusica nodded. "She's right. Where's Gray? Have you seen him?!"

Lucy's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, you mean Gray's not with you?"

"Neither of you should even be moving with how you feel. It's suicide to be getting in a mess on your own feet the way things are now." Porlyusica spoke.

"We thought he would be with you." Evergreen admitted.

Natsu went silent, the mention of Gray making him stare ahead with a headstrong gaze.

The ground began to shudder surprisingly, catching everyone by surprise. The land and the sky itself whistled to the magnitude of the erroneous levels of energy that were being unleashed. It was like thunder that made hearts beat rapidly.

"What's going on?" Happy questioned.

"I'm getting a lot of pressure. Just where is this magic coming from?" Wendy speculated.

Vanessa's heart hitched when she too picked up on the unbelievable power swell. She used her own magic and traced it to a highly concentrated source. Her sensory picking up something, she whipped her head towards Kardia Cathedral, the very church itself rumbling from the crushing might it held. Her eyes showed uneasiness as she glared at who was atop, a figure in the distance apparent.

"I sense someone up there." She pointed out.

Natsu looked towards the cathedral, his eyes catching whim of who was standing atop and giving off so much might. As he caught sight, his eyes widened at the man, gasping in shock.

Standing on the very top was the almighty last Spriggan standing, August. The mage stood in his battle form, glaring daggers down on the city as small rocks around him defied gravity.

Looking from the streets, Mest showed honest shock. "That's…!"

As small debris fragment defied gravity thanks to his Magic Power, he finally spoke. "…so it is I, the last Spriggan…" He traile doff, having his arms reach out to his sides, his power growing further as everything rumbled. "Children of his majesty! Hear my voice, proud 12! We are to devote our minds, bodies, and souls all for his majesty!"

"Wha…the hell kind of power is this?!" Bickslow was barely keeping his balance. If it weren't for his dolls he would've fallen over by now.

"Such horrendous magical pressure. It's enough to make even the sky shake?" Freed gasped.

Ignoring the rumbling and gravity change, Brandish walked on, her frown once again returning. _'Lucy…I's really like to see you again. But, I'm afraid that will never happen.'_ Her brows furrowed, continuing to look forward and resuming her path. "…for no one survives August's wrath."

August's glare hardened to a greater degree. "As a child of his majesty…I shall eradicate every living soul who defies the Spriggans!"

"Crap! We gotta run!" Wakaba pulled back, uneasy by the power flow.

"Idiot! We won't get far!" Macao shouted.

"This is bad! Everybody run while you still can!" Alzack urged.

At his expensive might, the top of Kardia Cathedral was already beginning to dwindle away. The roofing was lifting into the sky, defying gravity and leaving what little was left for August to stand on. In all the expectations lifting, August lifted his head, catching a glimpse of a projectile.

"Hm?"

Out of the blue, the projectile shot down, crashing its fist into August's staff, which blocked at the last moment's notice. The projectile revealed himself to be a hazardous Gildarts, hitting with all his perpetual might. The stalemate had one flaw, however, and that was it could not stop the shockwaves. A ripple of air pulsed out, before cracks beneath Kardia Cathedral were summoned, growing immensely until the entire structure smashed to bits.

Within the stalemate, August acknowledged the destruction below, his eyes widening upon seeing Gildarts' Crash Magic in the works.

"Whoops. Looks like I did it again." Gildarts smirked, albeit slyly. Along with himself, he and August repulsed from the other, both falling below into the falling rubble with dust showering as coverage.

All the allies instantly cheered upon the arrival of the man.

"Gildarts!" Romeo cheered.

"About time!" Warren exclaimed.

"Gildarts made it?!" Laki turned towards the sight, seeing Gildarts and August standoff briefly as the dust and rubble around them churned.

As several large bits of rock fell, the land continued to rattle and quake, but that did nothing to stop August from attacking. He stuck his staff out, the bulbous tip infused with immense measures of magic. It reached out, but Gildarts blocked using an arm, deflecting the staff to direct and blast on his right side. A beam went blazing at a massive wave that went diagonally skyward. It was seen beaming over Magnolia, fading into the atmosphere. The move left August with discomfort on his face.

"You dare…"

"This guy is all mine." Gildarts said.

Everyone cheered as their – old – ace was back in the saddle. He handled the battle against the almighty mage of Alvarez, and that was something no one would dare interfere in. Even Natsu smirked in knowing what was to go down. Choosing not to pry, he addressed to his own agendas.

"Let's go!" Turning without warning, Natsu took off towards a certain direction. "Let's go get Zeref!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy cheered.

Lucy reached out to them. "Hey, wait guys!"

"Do you know where Gray is?" Wendy questioned.

As Natsu darted off, he showed his teeth, but due to circumstances, he wasn't smiling. "I got an idea where he might be…" He trailed off and pressed on with Happy in pursuit. Choosing instead to follow, Wendy and Lucy looked towards the other before they too joined in on the chase.

"We're counting on you!" Evergreen shouted.

"We know!" Lucy exclaimed, getting distance away with Wendy pressing on.

Vanessa looked on, being careful as Juvia was still unconscious behind her. "Stay safe."

August continued to be persistent as he glared down Gildarts, the two exchanging equal dark looks. At odd's end with one another, this was to be one battle for the books. Thinking back to what Gildarts said recently, August raised a brow.

"You, alone?" He and Gildarts deflected their arms and staff, continuing to stand mere feet away from the other's face. "How foolish of you. I pegged you all as naïve, but this is borderline arrogance. What makes you think you are a match o the likes of me?"

Gildarts continued to smirk through the taunt. "Well, only one way to find out."

August glared at Gildarts, admonishing him for his foolishness. "You'll come to regret this."

Suddenly the ground between the two began to crack apart. Gildarts and August glanced down to see the small crack, but suddenly they felt a bewildering pressure. Together, both mages broke apart quickly moments before a shock ran through the ground, overturning rock and dust again. A pulse shot upwards as an eruption of ground shouted like a bomb going off.

"What the-?!" Gildarts covered up as the shockwaves reached him. Rock and dust spilled past him, the deep rupture forcing him to withdraw for a moment.

August used his staff to cover up, keeping his stature with a shocked expression plastered on him. "What is…!" Within the swirling dust, something long and scaly lashed out like a whip, smacking August in the forearm with brutal force. The impact made the mage grunt loud as that one smack sent him backwards on his feet, sliding several feet with trails embedded into the ground.

' _What strength!'_ She stopped his skid, grunting as he watched the dust clear. In the wake of it all, he and Gildarts both had unison surprise on them as something large, long, and with a large hood was seen.

A sharp tongue flickered out of the open mouth, a snarky hiss exerting from the breath made. In the wake of his roar, the dust dissipated, revealing the snobbish – and angered – cobra that belonged to Nic. "Who dropped that building on me?!" He roared.

Gildarts was at a loss for words. "You're…"

"So, this is one of the prestige Pokémon that I've heard about." August evaluated. He looked towards Arbok, giving him a calmer look; while the large serpent turned towards him, his glare contorted to give him a calm yet dark demeanor. "How very interesting."

* * *

Fairy Tail was right where it belonged, in the exact spot it was meant to be in Magnolia. However, the guild was only occupied by one person. Inside, sitting all alone on a chair beside a wooden table, there lied Zeref. He had a calm expression on his face as he seemed vaguely sound.

The sound of footsteps came from afar, but he didn't look just yet. "Who would've guessed it. To think you were the first to have reached the guild hall. You must feel so proud of yourself." He finally looked up, seeing a silhouette within the light of the sun that went through the open guild doors. "I would've suspected Laxus, or perhaps Jellal, maybe Nic. Honestly, what a disappointment this has become…"

The figure smirked. "Yeah, whatever." The quick-witted snipe came from Gray. All battered and pushed around, he meekly smirked at Zeref. He was exhausted and had bandages all over his arms and abdomen. He was painfully wounded, and reasons were clear as day.

The tension seemed to have built up as the two were in a standoff, similar to a certain battle that was going on with August involved. Once a deal of time passed, Gray spoke ever so nonchalantly.

"You mind moving? That's my spot."

"Gray Fullbuster, Natsu's best friend." Zeref spoke. "Your parents were killed by Deliora, a demon in which I have created. His defeat was by the life force taken from your master. You must loathe me then, right?"

Despite the surprising facts that only a few were aware about, Gray took it in stride and tried to stand up to a more reasonable degree. "Well isn't this a shock. Sticking your nose in the business of others that you don't seem to care about." He retorted.

"Well, as the saying goes, knowing is half the battle." Zeref recited. "Lucy Heartfilia, the descendant of my late friend, Anna Heartfilia. A go-lucky woman who had brought an upbringing to Natsu's life. Happy, Natsu's partner. An Exceed from Extalia formerly. Nic Pularis; Vanessa Pularis; Erza; Wendy, Sophie; I know it all."

"Well I know every major opponent I had to deal with too you know." Gray limped into the guild, managing to stand still after a few feet.

Zeref meekly shrugged. "I suppose."

"What is it you're really aiming for? What's all this boiling down to?"

Zeref smirked again, giving an impression of mocking Gray. "You really want to know? It's simple." The Black Wizard himself arose from the seat, making it creak lightly. On his feet, Zeref gave a towering demeanor. "I want Mavis' Magic Power. You wish to protect her, isn't that right? That's enough of a reason to fight."

Gray's fists clutched harder. "What's the deal here? You have an army and mages, so why bother with the First?"

"Because I wish to defeat Acnologia." Zeref deadpanned. The answer left Gray shocked without say in words. "If I said that were my goal, then would you lend me your strength?"

Gray's face contorted with anger. "Like hell I'd believe that bull."

Zeref sighed in the fault that was pity. "But, that's the truth. In the end, I can defeat Acnologia…but you know, I have something else in mind. I have a goal, my true goal. It isn't something as blunt as the likes of _just_ Acnologia."

Gray's eyes narrowed. "Say what…?"

* * *

Kardia Cathedral was still in bits and shambles, ruins that were rich in cement and windows that were still intact on some parts of walls that miraculously still stood. As the debris and dust continued to swirl like havoc around the three, the two-on-one standoff went silent, save the occasional hissing of Arbok.

"So, to my very luck, a Pokémon belonging to the great Nic is here." August said.

Arbok turned towards August, giving him a serpent's look of terror. "Were you resssponsssible for burying me alive?" He threatened.

Gildarts rubbed the back of his head in a show of modesty. "Sorry about that." Arbok, of course, snapped back at him and roared a heinous hiss. The sound filtered through Gildarts' ears, making him wince for a moment.

Arbok looked back at August, choosing to look over Gildarts over the accident; after all, there were important matters to attend to at the moment. "Very well." He hissed again, this time directed towards August. "You are of the many foesss ssstanding before Nic-sssama's path. Your alliesss brought him to grief, and for that you shall pay."

August said nothing to Arbok's devotion to Nic, recalling the guilt and shame Nic stomached when the Master passed on. The serpent hunched over, looking set for battle.

"Nic-sssama's desssire – to make sure all remaining enemiesss are defeated – that isss what I shall do. Before I beckon to hisss ssside, I shall finish the tasssk that he had no doubtsss I could do."

August raised his head, raising a brow. "So, you plan on defeating me by Nic's request to you?" He inquired. "I truly admire your fierce loyalty to your human comrade, but without him, I doubt you will have what it takes to stop his majesty's vendetta."

"Bah! Don't go jumping the gun, you withered old ape" Arbok snobbishly announced.

August got into a battle stance, set to strike. "If that's how we see it, then this shall be a clash of his majesty and Nic's wishes alike. For the duties et on us, let us have a contest to see who's will of loyalty is stronger!"

Arbok hissed, the ground swirling dust from his head heading around. "Ssso be it!"

Stepping from the side, a foot stomped, making the ground beneath crack a little. The appearance was by none other than Gildarts, standing beside Arbok without say or nay. The snake ignored the Crash Mage as his cloak was thrown towards the side, his stature tall and mighty as he was fixed on battling it out.

"Then so shall it be." August raised his staff, preparing himself for battle. "Then the both of you shall die before you see your beloved 'family' again. Come!"

"With pleasure!" Giving a loud hiss in defiance, Arbok started off, but not in the way August expected.

It is very much true that those who act first are the ones who draw least later on. Those who haste make waste, and Arbok knows from battle experience that being fast doesn't mean it was wise to enact on a callous gut. Sure he was snobbish and proud, but he has a mild battle demeanor, if not tenacious and fearless. Still, he's not dumb to let all his cards fall in the first hand dealt.

" **Glare!** "

The pattern on Arbok's hood began to glow, catching August by surprise. "Huh?" To his most surprising shock, his body was feeling a very odd sense of stiffening. As he looked down, he saw that his limbs were starting to have a hard time moving. "What's this? My body…" He trailed off, bits of static enveloping fragments of his now-paralyzed form. He looked back at the cobra, his eyes opening in surprise. _'Did he really paralyze me as a first move? How surprising. How long will this effect last?'_

Gildarts appeared behind August, his Magic Power sensed getting the drop on the Magic King. "Now it's my turn!" He let out a loud shout, exerting his hand and stretching out the fingers. A white flash outlined August, in which dissipated and nothing seemed to have happened. Moments later, the Magic King suddenly diced apart, his entire body breaking into diced shambles.

The diced bits of August began to fall apart, and Gildarts and Arbok glared at the crumbling bits with weary expressions. It was easy…too easy.

"Well, well…" A voice came from the crumbling diced bits. Gildarts hitched his breath and went wide-eyed as he looked ahead with great shock spelled on his face.

"What the…?"

Arbok hunched forward, his glare narrowing.

The diced bits formed like building blocks into a singular man, turning into August yet again. The only difference was that he still had square-shaped parts molded to make his body. "What interesting magic you have."

"Say what?!" Gildarts snapped.

"Look alive!" Arbok warned.

The polygons forming August began to slide and shift, turning his body into a diced storm that swirled towards Gildarts. With his own attack turned against him, Gildarts only stepped back as the diced sliding blocks molded into August at the last second, this time solid. He dug his fist into Gildarts, making a boisterous impact that shot Gildarts backwards into a pile of debris, smashing it to bits.

August reeled back his fist and continued to glare at the dust mound Gildarts recently made. As he looked on, his eyes widened when he picked up on something nearby. Realizing at the last second, Arbok was behind him, ready to swing his tail. With a harsh hiss, the serpent snagged August's ankle with his tail, getting a small coil into it and sent the man soaring overhead.

In the air, August looked down at Arbok with surprise as he saw the serpent pivot and shoot up towards him with an Ice Fang. Icy fangs and blue aura enveloped the area around Arbok's mouth as he went springing ahead with fury to spare. August grunted and got his magic staff to point at Arbok, but when he began to manifest magic, his body was covered in static. His limbs twitched and he wasn't able to move.

' _The paralysis, it's slowing me down! Curses!'_

" **Ice Fang!** " Arbok sprung into August with no obstruction, fangs biting hard into the Magic King's shoulder. At that moment, an icy light enveloped the shoulder, a cool mist exploding from the bite that stung harshly. August grunted as he fell back to the ground, his shoulder covered in puncture marks and thick ice fragments. Mist followed him as he smashed into a debris pile of his own, as opposed to Arbok, who landed on a coil and glared at the scene.

Gildarts grunted as he got up from the debris pile. Grunting as he had several scrapes already ascertained. "Did that do it?"

Arbok highly doubted it. He knew better than to second guess that. This was a superior mage of his own right.

As the smoke and icy mist from the attack subsided, a glint was seen inside, which suddenly ripped a hole through the dissipating mist and dust. A compressed blast of magic went surging across the ground at intense speeds, making a depressed trail beneath towards Arbok. At the last second, Arbok ducked underneath, dodging as the beam of magic instead struck a broken wall, obliterating it and reducing it to crumbled shambled. Arbok didn't bother looking back at the destructive level and kept his eyes set on the opponent in the dissipating cloud, flicking his tongue.

"How very interesting…" August smirked. His body was enveloped in green ripples, the act surprising Arbok as his head lifted with his bewilderment. As the green ripples from August's body faded, the static around his body was no more.

The Magic King adjusted his hold on his staff, disregarding his shoulder wound like it wasn't even there. "To have the power to heal your own inflicted condition. What a very interesting species you are."

Arbok's eyes narrowed. "Wasss that…" He couldn't help but open his mouth and flick his tongue out in a snobbish hiss. He was more bewildered than he was annoyed. He knew Shed Skin was his Ability, but what he didn't expect was the Magic King himself able to copy such a feat. _'He healed hisss paralysssisss, usssing the propertiesss of my Ability. What magic isss he usssing?'_

"You cannot win, neither of you." August announced.

Out of the blue, a whoosh sounds followed card-like projectiles. The sudden launch of the attack caught everyone's attention as it went for August. The Magic King reeled backwards and dodged the attack, the magical tarot cards hitting and exploding where he originally stood. He landed on top of a debris pile, looking ahead towards the smoke.

"Who dares?" He growled.

As smoke cleared, a pair of sandals were seen along with a sarong. "Sorry pal, but my old man and my friend's little friend over there are prone to making impossible happen." Revealing herself as smoke cleared, a snickering Cana Alberona had entered the fray with a tarot card in between her fingers.

Arbok glanced towards her. "What isss it now?"

"Cana?!" Gildarts snapped, seeing his daughter taking part of the action.

The brunette twirled the card around her fingers, giving a louder snicker in the process. "Heh."

"Cana! What are you doing here?! Get away this instant!"

August looked at the scene, his eyes wide in surprise at the revelation. "They're…father and daughter?" He looked at the two, looking rather perplexed as they almost looked nothing alike. The only indication of the Magic Power was inside Cana. He was picking up a high level of it, and that confirmed his suspicions. This only served to make him smirk. "Father and daughter, huh…"

* * *

Gray stood paralyzed in front of Zeref. What he had just heard was something even he was beyond capability of understanding. "What…did you just say?"

"You're the first to hear about this. I don't think anyone from the 12 knows of the details other than you and I." Zeref admitted.

Gray was at a loss for words. It was unthinkable to say the very least. What Zeref intended was nothing less than another revolution that could change the world, perhaps for the umpteenth time now. "Mavis' Fairy Heart, it's too powerful. Are you really going to…no, it can't be right."

"Deny it as much as you please, but tell me, how is it that the legendary Dialga is able to control and go to the past and future itself?"

Zeref's rebuffing rendered Gray with even more shock. He almost forgot that Dialga was the one who could travel through time and control it as he saw fit. It was no wonder they were sent ahead in time back nearly two years ago.

"Are you wondering why I'm telling you all this?" Zeref continued, giving even greater hints to what was to come. "Natsu is heading here as we speak, but before he gets here, you shall die. When Natsu arrives at the scene of his friend dead at his feet, what do you think he will feel? He will be sad. And furious." The dark eyes Zeref had were starting to fade, giving wake to the unbelievable red eyes to rival that of anger. The air shifted to a foul howl, one of which made Zeref's smile wider. "This shall be the last chance I get to face Natsu with all his might. You shall be the trigger to unleash his power."

The dark energy Gray felt was demonic for certain; it made his heart race. Even though his heart raced at the sight of Zeref being surrounded by a death-like aura, he stood his ground. "…and what makes you think you'll take on Natsu, when there'll be nothing left of you to begin with?"

"Because, I am immortal. You cannot kill me." His demeanor calmed down, his dark force quelling as he looked down at his hand. "But, if you somehow still manage to destroy me, then Natsu…"

Gray looked away. "I know."

"Oh really? Then you know that Natsu is E.N.D?" Zeref was honestly surprised by Gray's insight, evident in his tone.

Gray did not show any sense of hesitation as he clutched his fists. "Natsu…is Natsu."

Zeref raised a brow.

"Believe me pal, I thought he really was E.N.D. But I got sense knocked into me when I tried to blame my parents' and Ur's death on him. E.N.D may have been Natsu in a way, but it was my fault that I was so blind to see that he too was suffering. I wanted to rid of devils so bad because of what they did to me…" He thought of Nic, imagining him taking the slice in the shoulder and becoming Giratina. "But that ambition was foolish. Even though the demons did wrong to everyone, they hung on and used their power to save me."

Zeref's smile was replaced by a frown. It looked like he wasn't amused. "Funny how you speak so fondly of such a philosophy. Has Nic really made that big of an impact on you?"

Gray flashed a smirk. "It's complicated…" A surge of Magic Power suddenly washed over him. His icy power began to flare haphazardly, which began to change his hair. The hair began to change to an icy color, frosted over by his very magic. "But because of what he did, I'll put this demon to rest using my own darkness as well!"

Zeref didn't seem bothered as the temperature in the air dropped. It was getting cold, but he kept smirking. "Don't you get it? _You_ cannot kill me. Not unless you wish to vanquish Natsu in the process."

"No, there is a way to defeat you, and it doesn't involve killing you."

Zeref's impatience was brought to a halt when he saw Gray take a particular stance. His eyes widened when his arms were crossed over the other, legs spread apart as an icy surge-like energy flared around, creating frost ripples. "That spell…"

" **Iced Shell!** "

Zeref could feel the temperature sink faster. His arms and legs were chattering as he was feeling the ancient and forbidden spell arise. _'The ultimate Ice-Make last resort.'_ He thought. _'In exchange for another's life…'_

The material such as booze and tables began to freeze over, crackling frost and ice like crazy. Gray glared at Zeref with a vicious ambition. "I was saved far too many times before, whether they were my friends; my master; my old man; and I owe them my life. My whole existence has been engraved into them, meaning I won't ever truly die knowing they would remember me…"

Zeref was feeling overwhelming shock flare with the searing ice waves beginning to erupt harsher than a few seconds ago. His face went as far as pale. "Magic of…lost attributes?!"

"That's right! I've caused a lot of misery, so I would prefer that no one has to remember me! With this spell, I'll make it right by erasing myself from everyone else's memories, including the ones that I put in harm's way! I SHALL TURN MY EXISTENCE ITSELF INTO MAGIC!" Gray's eyes flashed an icy blue. " **Lost Iced Shell!** "

Zeref stepped back in deep shock as the windows began to crack from the Magic Power given off. Ice thickened on the glass, slowly enveloping everything. "When did he…"

"As much as I wanted to see it, I had a job to do." Gray thought back to what he did in Avatar. Within those six months, he not only got help in controlling his Devil Slayer mark, but something more interesting as one might put it. "The lost attribute to spells is a very potent material I picked up. Magic empowered by the Lost attribute is several hundred times more effective than what it normally was."

"But at the price of the caster vanishing from this world for good!" Zeref countered.

"You're talking about the fact that I'll be wiped away from everyone's memories. Yeah, tell me something I don't know." Gray crossed his arms again, a light and fragments of ice erupting from him. "That way, no one will be sad or angry with what I did! There's been enough grief already!"

At this point, the entire guild hall's insides were fully covered in ice. The ground Zeref stood on was nothing less than a sheet of ice. Magical icy winds surged around Zeref like a violent blizzard, forcing him to push back and grunt in agony. His arms were covering up, yet they were enveloped in ice chunks beginning to form, catching him in a hitch. "My body…it's not moving…" Slowly, frost began to envelop him from the hair, and the sides of his cheeks.

Gray swiped his arms, lurching forward as a violent blizzard went racing after Zeref. "IT'S OVER FOR BOTH OF US, ZEREF!"

The blinding blizzard was getting to Zeref, and yet he was still able to move his mouth. The winds roared with vicious fury, but through it he managed to narrowly see Gray. "Even if you do disappear, this magic can't hold me forever! I won't die!"

"I know! If I kill you, then Natsu will die too!" Gray argued. "That's why I'm sealing you…for eternity!"

Ice began to form behind Zeref due to the tremendous wake. The ice began to grow, weighing Zeref down in place. "There's no such thing as eternity! Eventually, the ice shall melt, and one day I will come back!"

Despite the circumstances, Gray smiled. "But until that day comes, we'll finally be able to get some peace, right? It's going to be Fairy Tail's grace!"

"Ahhhhh!" Zeref screamed as he felt his body going numb. He no longer felt anything as his body was being covered in ice. The ice increased in size, his screams fading as an icy flash enveloped him, his body reaching out as chunks of ice flared around him.

As the blizzard and howling wins faded, Gray's body was an icy white. He didn't have any say nor the breath to put up a fight. His body began to crack apart as he slowly fell forward, eyes devoid of pupils. His time had time, and everything was going white.

" _Gray…"_ As Gray fell, his hair frost faded as a voice went off in his head. " _You cannot."_

In his mind, Gray looked up, his body floating in a white space with Ur's vision of beauty above his head. She gave him a mournful grin as he continued to look up with surprise. _"Ur…"_

" _It's too soon for you to give up on living."_

Gray smiled at his deceased teacher. _"Sorry, but I've already made up my mind."_

Ur's frown deepened. _"Stop this, Gray."_

Gray closed his eyes, preparing to pass on. _"I'll see you soon, Ur."_

" _Stop Gray…stop…stop…"_

" **STOOOOOP~!** "

Gray's eyes returned as a vicious force slammed his head to the ground. As his face hit the ice-covered floor, everything was enveloped in a searing blaze. Infernos pulsed like that of a Lava Plume. Roaring fires made the temperature much warmer than what it was meant to be. As a whiff of fire dissipated over Gray, it revealed Natsu, roaring with shock in his eyes as he pinned Gray down.

The waves of fire melted away the ice on Gray, making him gasp in shock at Natsu.

The entire guild hall's ice melted completely, streaming scorches erupting out the windows and into the atmosphere. Some and steam left the guild relatively warm, much to Gray's own disbelief.

With him still being alive, when the heat died down from Natsu, Gray moved his head to look up at his savior. "Natsu…"

With the ice gone and clothes dry, Zeref's smile returned. "So you've arrived at long last."

Natsu looked down at Gray, bangs covering his eyes to keep his expression from view. "You bastard." He swore. "Did you forget? You should've learned to never do that again! Stopping you once was enough!"

"You…" Gray looked away, his eyelids half shut. "You…" He gritted his teeth, trying to find the words to say. "Why don't you just **get it**?! Are you stupid to not see what I did?! I was blinded by my emotions! Our friends, you, I tried to kill you guys! I tried to kill **you** deliberately! We almost killed Nic because of our blindness!"

"I know…"

"You know what wrong I did! I don't have a place here anymore! The guild doesn't have any room for someone who like me! I'm hated! I deserve nothing less than to make it up with-!"

"I KNOW!" Natsu snapped.

Gray went silent again.

"I know what you did…I know what I did too…yet both screwed up bad. We hurt someone who tried to save us, more ways than one. But Gray…" Natsu finally looked up, meeting Gray in the eyes. What Gray saw, he never saw too often of Natsu. It was but a few times, but this was something that left him beyond morally shocked. Natsu…was crying. Tears were pouring down his face right from his eyes. He was breaking down as he looked at Gray, and it only left the man broken even more. "Gray…we're friends…aren't we…?"

The question was far more desperate than what I was sounding like. Gray was still unable to say anything. From afar, Lucy, Wendy, Carla, and Happy all looked at the scene from the guild's entrance. All them looked mournful, while Happy had a small tear fixed in the corner of his eye.

Zeref looked at the scene, frowning in grim pity.

"Don't you dare die." Natsu sniffled. "Don't even thinking that dying will make anything right! We both did wrong! We can't just run away from that! We have to live! We need to show everyone who we are-no! What we **have** to be! We gotta go on! Even if it means accepting our dignities stolen from us, ya hear me?!" He wiped his tears away using his arm, rubbing side to side. "Damnit…damn you…"

Gray was morally touched by Natsu's words. While he still felt guilt, this situation was very much like a certain friend of Fairy Tail's that had to repent for the treachery he committed in the past. They couldn't die, for they had to live for a purpose. They had to live for others; for those who have fallen for them even. Going now would've been a coward's ambition. There wasn't any say for Gray to try it again. He looked away, frowning.

"But…what about you? If Zeref is destroyed…"

"He's right." Zeref interjected, getting everyone's attention. "No matter what, whether you win or lose, you'll still die in the end. That is what is to be your fate."

Natsu snapped back up, a dark shadow over his eyes. "I will not die!" He roared. He snapped towards Zeref, his eyes glaring ferocious daggers at his brother. His feral teeth were complimented by the streaming fire coming from his body. "What's this talk about fate?! There's no such thing?! Destiny and fate are nothing, because I'll reduce them to ashes!"

Gray stared at Natsu with deep shock. Lucy, Wendy, and Carla all smiled as they thoroughly agreed with the reformed Dragon Slayer. Happy shuddered as he was smiling, having tears on the sides of his eyes still. _'Yeah…it'll be fine. This is Natsu.'_

A dark gleam overtook Zeref, giving him a shadowy impression. "You? Burn fate itself? Now there's an interesting thought…" He grabbed his intricate toga, clutching it hard before throwing it to the side. A dark look in his eyes returned once more. "You see, I'm a human who has accepted his darkened fate. The gods hated me or meddling with life and death, and now you say you can turn fate around?" His smirk widened, the dark demeanor the Black Wizard had getting to a feral point. The dark aura around him thickened, making flares and dark embers of Natsu and Zeref collide from one end of the guild and another. "I've accept my fate, because I had no choice. That is fate itself."

Natsu glared at him, his fire burning hotter than ever.

* * *

At the Nic and Erza residence, everything was soundly calm, yet inside, everything was rather rushed.

"Are you set?" Nic asked.

"I am." Erza nodded.

"Everyone was given a Revive if not a Full Restore. We should be able to hold out for a little while longer now that we got ourselves recuperated." Of course Nic referred to his Recover and Heal Pulse moves. He, and all his Pokémon on hand were given Full Restores, and they managed to get Erza's Houndoom, Scizor, and Slurpuff back up to 100%. With their supplies set and both healed, they knew it was time to enter the final battle. No more sitting around.

Nic turned towards the door, beginning to reach for the knob. "We don't know how many enemies are left, but we can't hold back anymore. From here on out, we'll have to pull out all the stops."

Erza nodded once again. "If that is to assure victory, then so be it."

Nic turned back and smiled at his girlfriend. He seemed pretty pleased to have her by his side. It has been a short span of time since they last had the other by their side, save for their recent run in with the now deceased woman that was Irene. The memory of her made Nic feel uneased. "Erza…"

"Yes, Nic?"

Nic lowered his head, guilt running over him. "I'm…sorry about what happened to your mom."

Erza looked surprised by Nic's concern, but even if it was the case, it made her happy to see him care for her family as she did with his a long time ago. She smiled mournfully as her head lowered as well. "Don't be. Even if she was miserable, she still found solace somewhere. That's enough for both of us." She assured.

Nic tilted towards her. "I know the Master would feel the same way as well."

The mention of their now deceased Master Makarov left a grim note over their heads, but this wasn't a time to mourn further. There would be time for that later. The redhead looked up to Nic. "Yes…"

The two continued to smile at one another, a moment's hesitation as the silence came and went. Finally, Nic chose to speak up.

"Erza…" His mournful expression grew with hopes in his blue eyes. "Let's see this through to the end. There's still more for us to do when this is over."

"Nic…"

As Nic turned and opened the door, he was fixed forward. As he began to step, something…familiar was heard. It was feint, but that hiss-like roar was something he picked up on. He gasped at the sound. "Arbok?" In his shock, he began to trudge down the steps.

Erza followed behind, seeing him dazed. "Nic, what is it?"

"I thought I…" He didn't mishear. He couldn't have. He recognized that venomous hiss anywhere. Erza may not have heard it, but Nic would never second guess it. "I know where Arbok is! Let's go!"

Choosing not to question Erza followed along, but as they began to run down the trail towards Magnolia, they didn't get too far before another pulse of unstable might was filling their guts. Nic and Erza stopped dead in their tracks, both perplexed by this great mass of dark power.

"Wha…this Magic Power…" Erza trailed off, getting no sense of what was happening.

A glint was seen in the sky, a blue one. Nic looked up, his eyes widening. "What?" The projectile began to drop like a meteorite, bolting straight down. In a hurry, he grabbed Erza. "Get down!"

Dragging Erza with him, they hit dirt as the projectile smashed like a bomb straight down onto their house. A white flash erupted, creating an explosive shockwave that sent wood and cement tiling everywhere. Almost the entire first floor was caught in the way, blowing everything to bits.

As wood, brick, and bits of concrete fell and tumbled to their sides, Nic and Erza uncovered and grunted. They looked back, their eyes bolting wide in shrilled horror of what they saw. Dust was everywhere, yet among the carnage, their house was tarnished by that one strike.

A cloak whisked in the shifting dust, followed by a feral smirk.

At the sight, Erza was stuck in horror, while Nic just stared with disbelief. "No…"

Smirking, the dust shifted away. "This is getting tiresome…" The winds blew away, giving view of Acnologia glaring at Nic on a knee. "This world itself is getting tiresome."

* * *

A very dark energy fell over Arbok. The serpent's head picked up as the air grew foul. Something was off as he whipped his head towards the general direction where his Trainer was. "Nic-sssama…"

August's gaze grew grim as he sighed. "It would seem…that we are out of time."

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Not much other than a few canon parts, plus the few good twists I have made to keep it all spicy. Plus, I thought this would be a great opportunity to let Arbok have another shot at a major battle, since it has been a while since he went up in the big leagues.**

 **Comment, review, and let me know if you guys loved this version compared to canon! Thanks!**


	78. Kingsnake

The air shifted on a malicious level, a chill running up Nic and Erza's spines as they looked at what was left of their once beloved house. It was destroyed, wood, and other needs of material sprawled unevenly around them. The devastated looks they had compared not to the thumping in their hearts as the one responsible stood on his two feet, his long blue hair swaying in the winds created by his own Magic Power.

Erza was at a loss for words, staring at the man who was making her teeth grit. Her composure was barely stable, and yet inside she was running wild with her heart beating loud. _'This man…no, this Magic Power. I've felt this before. Is he really…?'_ She turned towards Nic for answers, but all he did was glare ahead at the Dragon Slayer.

Nic said nothing as his mind did all the thinking. He knew he couldn't hide from Acnologia forever, but such a surprising entrance only left him with a subtle boiling anger. The fact he dropped down from above was nothing to the likes of him decimating their homestead. The wind shifted around him as his own powers stayed as composed as his own glare.

Acnologia had bangs over his eyes, giving them a rather dark hue. His heinous glare was fixated on the lamented wood that was once the living room. He stood without moving so much as a finger, until he heard glass break from beneath. Looking down, there lied a portrait at his feet, which was framing what was a group portrait of Nic, Erza, and Vanessa, all of them smiling with their respective Pokémon. Acnologia said nothing as he frowned down on the pictures of Nic especially. His eyes sharpened as he glared at Greninja, and Charizard, and Kecleon, and his entire gaze flowing from left to right. "Pokémon…" His fists began to ball tightly. "You dare cross my lands that I littered with dragon bones, and left me reminders of what a filthy species you truly are. You…ARE A HORRENDOUS SIN!"

His foot stomped on the cracked portrait, making the glass shatter completely. Nic and Erza watched in horror as Acnologia stomped continuously on their family portrait, ripping it about heinously. Both were speechless as his cackling laughter filled the air as he relished stepping on every face that ranged from Nic to the Pokémon.

His head arose as he bellowed his laughter into the skies, echoing loudly for any and all spines to shrivel, just as Nic and Erza's were.

* * *

The guild hall was still steaming from Natsu's previous entry, yet the heat waves began to diminish to a degree as the intensity inside began to rise.

Lucy was staring with upmost certainty as the battle unfolded. Happy, Wendy, Carla, and Gray all stayed cautiously afar as they watched the madness unfold.

Two forearms parried the other; one of fire and one of darkness flowing behind them. Upon the interception, the darkness and fire alike lingered like flickering whips as Natsu glared down Zeref, and the elder brother respectively smirked. Their standoff at that point was that of pure power as their respective magics diminished, leaving them with their arms in a contest of moral strength. Though Natsu was tone in the art of combat, he mentally cursed as he didn't peg his brother to be so physical as well.

"What's the matter? Did you really think I didn't learn any physical arts from our last encounter?" Zeref taunted.

Natsu sneered in retort. With a pulse of muscle, he overthrew Zeref's arm, the force being so great that the Black Wizard was brought down to the floor with a loud grunt.

Using this to his advantage, Natsu pulled his left fist back and punched with great force. At the last second, Zeref tumbled to the side and git a hand beneath and twisted his body. This time, Zeref was the one delivering the blow as he midair kicked Natsu. The Dragon Slayer used his forearm to block the blow, but once again a standoff ensued. However, this one was different, as the momentum was against Natsu this time.

With a smirk, Zeref used this advantage and followed through with the kick, sending Natsu crashing straight into a wall. Empty barrels and wood flew everywhere, a table overturning in the process.

"Natsu!" Lucy screamed.

"Oh no!" Wendy gasped.

The dust cleared away, revealing Natsu slumped against the dented wall. "Oww…" He rubbed the back of his aching head, trying to ease the discomfort.

"Just as I thought." Zeref said. "All the power of Igneel from before has vanished. You can't win with power such as that now, Natsu."

Happy thought back to the time when he watched Natsu and Zeref quarrel. He remembered the power he used to battle Zeref, but now it was all gone. The guilt only piled on for the Exceed. _'If I didn't stop him that time…'_

"Cut the crap already!" Natsu's voice brought Happy out of his discomfort. "I'm not done yet. You still haven't seen what the power of 'me' can do!"

With Natsu standing again, Zeref smirked. "Is that so…"

A pulse of Magic Power went through the air. Something foul – nee horrendous – piled onto their bodies. The dark feeling wiped away any and all momentum either side had, as instead Natsu, Zeref, and everyone grew shocked over the excessive level they've felt.

Gray was beginning to shudder. "This power…"

Happy was speechless.

"Wha…?" Lucy couldn't finish over her disbelief.

Wendy was trembling so hard she had to clutch her teeth so keep from chattering.

Zeref's expression began to settle, a calm setting in as his red eyes fixed on his prey. "…it would seem that Acnologia has finally found Nic."

Once more, shock overfilled everyone.

"A-Acnologia…?" Happy gasped.

"No way…" Wendy murmured.

"To think we've had enough on our plate, now this." Carla cursed. "This is bad."

Natsu's teeth gritted at the name of the one who has it in for his friend/savior.

Despite how startled he was, Zeref's smirk returned to his face, showing no means of hesitation. "Then I guess I'll have to finish this up. No more playing around, Natsu."

"You bastard." Natsu's fists clutched tighter, his anger boiling.

* * *

In another part of Magnolia, chaos was running wild as the ruins of Kardia Cathedral were borderline shuddering at the terrifying might shifting in the earth. Everyone there felt it, and it only led to dismay.

"What?" Startled, Gildarts looked around, turning left than right. "This power…"

"Is it really…?" Cana trailed off, her heart rate skyrocketing.

Arbok hissed, lifting his head towards the sky with his mouth shut. The air's scent lingered with a malicious smell, in which made him unsettled.

"Acnologia has come, huh?" August announced.

Arbok look down, facing the Magic King's statement.

"If only his majesty had time to absorb Fairy Heart before his arrival, then perhaps this all would've been over by now. This story could've been a different one."

Gildarts raised a brow. "Well you sure called quits that fast."

"Those are the wings of despair in which darkens the future. Humanity is but a ways from collapsing, and we cannot do a thing about it." August reasoned, but his morbid note only made Gildarts smirk.

"The irony is that you can't see who's creating a darker future. You really think we're as helpless as babies?"

"The king is aware of what powers we have and how it compares to others. Even I may not have might against your best, but he himself may not last against his fate with his black conqueror." Before August realized it, a purple blur slipped past him, blitzing to his side at a rate he barely took notice of. "Hm-?!"

Leaning into August, Arbok dug the right side of his hood into August's right ribs, making a forceful, bone shuddering sound as the impact struck August while he was caught in his speech. However, with his own strength, he did not move, nor did he seem to be too bothered as Arbok glared up at him from up close.

"You." August grunted.

Leaning in further, Arbok managed to nudge August, if by a little. He continued his stalemate, looking rather desperate one might say. _'I mussst hurry. I mussst rush to Nic-sssama quick. Thisss guy…I have to ssstop him firssst.'_ The cobra's eyes narrowed. "Ccceassse your talking, you old can."

August grunted as he went on the defense. "Fine!" He raised his staff overhead, the pointed tip fixed over Arbok's head. With a huff, he slammed it down, forcing Arbok to lean away at the lasts second and have the tip puncture the ground. The snake's withdrawal led August to go on offense, swinging his staff with lightning fast speeds in various directions. Every time, however, Arbok leaned, ducked, and parried with a shift of his hood. "Taking advantage of your opponent in their time of talking. That is a straight forward play." He thrust the tip again, this time with Arbok diving to his right. "And you have the reflexes to act accordingly." With his compliment, he raised his staff high once more, the bulbous white tip flaring a bright white. Taking cautious measures, Arbok slunk upwards and whipped backwards, the same time in which the staff slammed down where he stood. Crash Magic went exploding like a dome, dicing up the ground in a large explosion. Fortunately for Arbok, he managed to get in the air and back just in the nick of time. Looking down at the white dome, Arbok saw a hole ripple open in the rattling, roaring white energy. From it, August lunged up and reappeared above the serpent. The elderly Magic King reeled his arm back and jabbed the staff down, enveloped in more Crash Magic. Once again, Arbok leaned around the bulbous tip and got atop of August as he faltered down. Both landed on the ground, with August's back to Arbok on the opposite sides.

"…and such experience." August finished. "I can only imagine the many of battle in which you have fought. For a mere serpent, you carry such pride of a dragon inside." He glanced over his shoulder, giving Arbok a dark expression. "But even with those traits, I won't lose to such a thing."

Arbok hunched over, repositioning to strike and flicked his tongue swiftly in a snarky retort.

Gildarts didn't want to be left out of all the action. He had to get in there before his adversary made a counter. He took a big leap and went shooting over August's head, coming down with a fist. "There's something you've forgot!"

August's gaze adverted upwards. The moment he turned away from Arbok, the serpent went lunging at him from behind.

"…it's that you have to deal with more than that guy! HRAH!" Gildarts punched forward, his fist closing in on August.

As Arbok slithered ahead with an Ice Fang, and Gildarts coming down with Crash Magic, August remained stiff as his eyes narrowed. "How futile… **Amaterasu – Formula 1,000!** "

At that instant, everything was enveloped in a growing light. It reached Gildarts and Arbok, both of whom were caught completely by surprise. "What the hell-?!" Gildarts didn't have any quick thinking as the shockwave made everything envelop in a powerful light. Cana was still far off, yet even she wasn't out of range from the impact. An imploding sphere shrunk in Kardia Cathedral before a ripple of energy exploded outward. A roar made the entire earth shudder in fright as the attack enveloped everything. The debris around them disintegrated within the shockwave as a beam of light shot up. A purple dome enveloped what the space was of Kardia Cathedral, or rather what was left of it.

Nearby, many of those who were running turned towards the massive dome in the distance.

"What the heck is that?!"

"Isn't that where Gildarts is?"

"Crap! That's freaking insane!"

The roaring land rumbled as the dome-like shockwaves diminished. As the shockwaves roared on, the entire spherical shockwave was subsequently enveloped in various dice-like outlines. The raging spell suddenly broke apart, dissipating into oblivion to reveal a leveled terrain. Standing on his two feet, Gildarts panted as he had his hand reached out to August, his breath completely out. From the looks of it, he wasn't unscathed. His body had many scrapes and bruises.

Far behind, also having scrapes and bruises, Cana was on her knees, groaning as she tried to get up. "Dad." She grunted.

"You bastard." Gildarts huffed.

August glared at him, looking without worry of injury. "As I have said, you cannot defeat me." As he spoke up, the tattered ground beneath him began to shake and shudder. However, unlike before, this was not by his doing. "Hm?"

Cana perked up at the rattling. "What now? Another attack?!"

The ground continued to shake and tremble, rattling at magnitudes that continued to increase in depth. The ground was beginning to crack apart, that's when a geyser of dust shot up nearby. August looked swiftly towards the geyser with shock, but another arose, breaking apart more earth. He turned again, his surprise having no means of mounting. By the time he realized it, the ground fully shattered and exploded. Shockwaves flared as Gildarts and Cana covered up and ducked as massive pieces of debris went everywhere, raining down like a meteor shower. They grunted as the winds made them slide across the ground, with whatever ground was left of course.

With the flying rocks and overturned earth, August was wide-eyed as the rock piece he was on was falling, yet still in one piece. Even with surprise mounted, he shot up, his foothold breaking apart and leaving him to jump to the last rock above. As said foothold landed on the ground, the land ceased its shaking, and August found some chunks of debris littered about, picked up from its burial.

Dust raged on, yet it did very little to cover a flickering tongue and a scary belly pattern. August looked on with a perplexed look, seeing Arbok on overturned earth. Like Gildarts, he too wasn't entirely safe from his previous attack.

"What isss it with you and burying me?" The Cobra Pokémon sneered.

The Magic King glared ahead with the same spite. "I'm impressed. Using your ally's powers as a scapegoat to attack me when my guard was down. Cliché, but nevertheless effective."

"Who do you think you're talking too, you sssenile sssnob? You talk too much for my liking!"

The last Spiggan raised his head and glared down at Arbok. "Why do you continue to persist? I could be asking you as to why you try to change such a fate that my majesty wishes to see fit?"

Gildarts stepped up. "Well geez, I wonder why myself? Only I question why bother following such a man who's morbid in his own little world."

"I do not expect the likes of any of you to understand. All I want is an answer so as I could-"

"Could what? Understand?" The rhetorical inquiry was far off. The voice belonged to someone who stood not too far away, revealing herself to be a shaken Cana. The brunette struggled to her feet, trying hard to get back up.

"Cana!" Gildarts shouted.

"What do you get from understanding us? Do you get what we see you're doing? You're just conquering with no gain! Have you ever considered your enemy's position, if they wish to understand you as well? I doubt it, because now your and my comrades are laying lifeless somewhere! Even the Master!" The brunette's fists clutched tight, her demeanor growing. "It's not about justice or understanding anymore…what matters to us is the time we may have left to laugh and share with everyone!"

"Cana…" Gildarts was rendered surprised by his daughter's words. He would've asked her to stop, but that wasn't helping the case one bit. She was a big girl, and she was speaking out in her own way.

The top drinker of Fairy Tail held up her right arm, clutching it tight so as it gathered magical prowess. "We won't give up, even if we end up losing a part of ourselves!" As she spoke, a red tattoo appeared on her arm. Magical power began to swirl around her in a helix shape, the tattoo shimmering from red to gold. "It doesn't matter of it's Zeref or Acnologia, we won't give up until the end! Because we have others fighting out there and we can't let them down!"

Arbok faced forward, acknowledging that in his position, as Cana said it, he's fighting hard for his Trainer.

Cana raised her arm, a golden light shimmering around her like a pillar. "We'll stick our necks out, and face any disaster with no need to flinch! We won't be helpless like we were back on that night, because that man is gone! Now it's our turn to fight, and show what we're made of!"

August stared with wide eyes as the light shimmered brightly. _'This light…'_

"Woah…" Gildarts looked up towards the sky, light radiating as it looked like space even. From it, a golden ring came down.

"Time to show our worth!" Cana extended her arm out, hair flowing back madly as she aimed for August. " **Fairy Glitter!** "

A pillar of golden light came crashing down, roaring violently like a jet that smashed into August. The Magic King's silhouette was seen fading as the shuddering, roaring pillar enveloped him and his surroundings. Like with Arbok's Earthquake before, the ground broke apart, beaming light everywhere. Light roared and dust split past Arbok and Gildarts. Both powerful contenders did what they could in standing their ground, even if it was wobbly and unstable.

The pillar of roaring light eventually faded, revealing dust that made small debris fall. Cana panted profusely, her breath completely out and her magic sapped by a grand fraction. With hands to her knees, her head looked up, seeing the spot where August was supposed to be.

To everyone's dismay, the dust faded, but standing without harm was August. Like before with Gildarts' magic, he was without harm.

"That…did nothing…?" Cana panted.

"You can't be serious." Gildarts gasped.

"You. Woman." August spoke to Cana, making her eyebrow raised as she tried to stand up fully.

"Huh?"

"Do you love your father?"

The sudden question nearly made Cana floor. "What?!" She looked towards Gildarts briefly, but looked away quickly so as not to show her pouty face. "And what if I don't?" She embarrassedly huffed.

"That's a lie!" Gildarts denied.

"I see…" August turned to Gildarts next. "And do you love your daughter?"

"What?! Of course I do?!"

He turned towards Arbok. "And do you love your master, snake?"

Arbok got a coil set, looking set to quarrel. "My loyalty to my family and Nic-sssama isss sssomething even the likesss of a questionable punk like you should be obviousss."

"I see…even though I have mastery over every magic that exists in this world, there is still one concept I cannot bring myself to fully understand." He slammed the tip of the staff on the ground. "And that is the live of parent and child."

Gildarts' brow furrowed. "Where are you going with this?"

August then did something that no one saw coming. They knew the man was something along the lines of a calm maliciousness, but that calmness seemed to have faded when he smirked. A dark feeling crept over everyone's spines as he smirked unlike any expression he gave before.

"What would happen…if your child died before your eyes. What would your expression be?"

Gildarts was at a loss for words. He didn't move from the sheer shock he was washed over. What he was feeling was more than dread, but his veins popped out, indicating sheer disbelief. "…what?" Was all he could manage to say.

August's smirked only left a sour note for everyone to bear witness to. Certainly Arbok didn't find pleasure in what he said. "Sssuch a low blow indeed."

Gildarts' shock began to slowly boil within. His fists began to ball, clutching with so much blood pressure that his body was shuddering. It was like he was on the verge of snapping. "You ugly old man…" His teeth gritted with his churning anger, boiling so much anger that veins sprouted like daisies. "IF YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT LAYING A FINGER ON MY DAUGHTER, I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A FATE WORSE THAN DEATH ITSELF!" He roared with hostile fury.

"You idiot!" Cana chided. "Don't let him get inside your head like that!"

Unfortunately Gildarts was too engrossed in his needs to teach August what parenting was all about. With no warning, he charged ahead like a rampaging Tauros, the ground shuddering with every grand step he took to reach August. He punched the man, only for the other to catch it in his bare hand. With nothing holding him down, August threw Gildarts to the ground with a thud.

"So, are all parents and children supposed to love each other?" He asked the down Fairy Tail Mage.

Gildarts got to a knee, glaring up at his foe. "Yeah, damn right!" Before he had the chance, the bottom tip of August's staff touched his chest.

"In that case…then pray tell me! Why was his majesty's child never loved?"

Magic surged down the staff, reaching Gildarts in a large explosion. A white intensity erupted in a shockwave that enveloped Gildarts. The ground turned over again, ground crumbling like dry dirt.

"Gildarts!" Cana called to her father through the shockwave, which carried her away as well.

Arbok hunched over, his head craning away as his slithery form coiled to keep himself from sliding. Even so, debris blew past him, making his grunt. He glared ahead, hissing loudly.

Sliding back from the blow he took, Gildarts looked back, looking to be in pain. "Cana, stay back!"

"How long are you going to treat me like a little kid?!" The brunette caught herself and readied tarot cards. "I'm a grown woman now!" In her independence, she unleashed several tarot cards that went flying for August. As the attack closed in, August looked on, staring at the cards heading his way. Unlike Gildarts when he countered, August instead jumped and flipped away, dodging as the tarot cards exploded upon touching ground.

August landed on a knee, looking up at the colorful explosion blocking his view. Without warning, a large snaky tail whipped through so fast that the tail wasn't at all singed. The tail went to smack August, only forcing him to withdraw back yet again as the tail instead smacked where he was, leaving a depressed spot and shuddering earth. The tail withdrew into the diminishing flames, revealing Arbok.

Cana landed in front of a shocked Gildarts, with her on the frontlines, she turned and gave him a stink eye. "So why not do me a favor and let me have some independence?"

The shocked dad didn't seem too thrilled nor surprised by what Cana said. His frown turned to a smirk, the middle-aged man standing back on his two feet with a rejuvenated demeanor again. "Nope." He deadpanned. "I'm never letting go of my little girl."

August raised his head, looking to be pondering. "Why was his majesty's son never loved?" He reiterated.

* * *

Tired and battered, an injured Larcade Dragneel was dragging his damaged body through an alley. He was defeated earlier thanks to Sting and Rogue, but despite the setback, he wasn't going to let it stop him from fulfilling his duty. Crawling through the streets, he ached with every breath, trying to reach the guild hall. "I must…help Father." He strained, continuing to make way for the guild hall.

* * *

Zeref glared demonic eyes as he socked Natsu with a left hook, making the Dragon Slayer grunt. Natsu countered with a clutched fiery fist that he used to sock Zeref's gut. With the counter and small distance, Natsu reeled his head up and puffed his cheeks.

" **Fire Dragon's Roar!** "

Natsu unleashed a brilliant heated blaze that streamed directly from his mouth. The attack enveloped Zeref from the close range, scorching him with everyone giving expectant looks from afar. As the roar diminished, a blaze was all that was Zeref. A pulse of darkness surged from within the fire, immediately dissipating the flames to revel Zeref without much harm.

The Black Wizard looked up as he caught Natsu coming down onto him with an upside-down axe kick. The blazing attack's shin was parried with Zeref blocking with fists of darkness. As the two were in a stalemate, the elder brother smirked while the younger growled.

Watching from afar, Lucy and everyone looked uncertain as the battle intensified.

" **Gray…Lucy…Happy…Wendy…Carla…** "

The unknown telepathic connection reached their heads, startled the peanut gallery.

"Wait, what was that?" Happy inquired.

" **Are you all at the guild?** " The female voice asked.

"Is that the First Master?" Wendy wondered.

" **You all have to leave immediately.** "

Gray's face contorted. "Huh?"

" **Listen, I'm close by. Let's reconvene with each other soon, so hurry!** "

Lucy understood the orders, but she looked back as Natsu parried another blow with Zeref. "But, Natsu…"

" **It'll be alright. Just believe in Natsu. Believe in me.** " Even though she said such a thing, Lucy hesitated greatly. She didn't want to leave Natsu to duke it out alone, but even now she wasn't much help. It wasn't really a win-win situation. " **Natsu's very fate is on the line, and it all depends on you guys!** "

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gray asked.

" **I'll fill you in when we rendezvous. I can't speak like this, odds are I might be intercepted in this message…** " With that, a click went off in everyone's noggins, confirming the end of her link to them.

The lingering prospects hung over everyone's heads, Lucy's especially. "Natsu's…fate?" Fate really wasn't something she'd like to touch, but if fate was bad, she knew there had to be a way to stop it. Down by her side, Happy looked equally as worried.

Gray began turning away, making way for the exit. "We better go. We'll only be in Natsu's way if we stay here."

"Got it." Wendy nodded.

"Aye." Happy followed as well, behind Carla and making way outwards.

The only one who stayed behind was Lucy. She continued to hesitate as she watched Natsu quarrel with Zeref. "Natsu…" She saw the look on his face as he fought; fierce, angry, and brimming with passion for action. This wasn't an argument she could win. Though against her better judgement, she began to turn away, but not without giving him one more glance. "Don't lose."

Zeref went to swing his arm, but his wrist was caught by Natsu, much to his own surprise. "What?"

Unknowingly, the Dragon Slayer began to smirk. "Yeah…" His flaming fist reeled back with swirling might. "I know!" He struck Zeref directly, making a blazing impact so great that it shot Zeref a ways away, shooting across the floor.

The Black Wizard managed to catch himself and slid across the wooden floor to a stop. Once he reached his stop, his body stayed still with steam continuing to linger about. Despite the sudden setback he wasn't at all deterred by the counter. In fact, he looked more lively than ever. It only served to pique Natsu.

"What are you so giddy about?" Natsu questioned.

"Nothing. This is just really fun is all." Zeref reasoned. "Going all out truly is something I love. As much as I would love to continue fighting you, I really must save humanity before it's destruction falls once again."

"What…?"

"I have to save our doomed humanity, yet I'm having so much fun. Huh…is this too part of the Contradictory Curse…? I can't tell, maybe it's my emotions at work here."

Natsu wasn't sure what he meant entirely, but what he was certain of was that Zeref had to be stopped. "What's your deal?"

Zeref was shuddering as he was smirking maliciously. He was chuckling, a little too happily, like some giddy kid who was on a sugar rush. Only this time, this so-called kid had a devil's look. His decrepit look widened with his smile, a dark aura thickening around him. "I'm…having so much fun." He snickered.

"You bastard…" Before Natsu was able to step forward, he suddenly began to feel a tiresome energy enter his body. It was like all his energy was being sapped out of him.

Zeref's giddiness subsided as he noticed Natsu's condition turning tiresome so suddenly. The reason was because of the man who he saw enter the guild hall behind Natsu's back.

" **Slumber.** " Entering groggily was Larcade, managing to make it in time with a shaken stature.

Feeling bags under his eyes, Natsu looked behind and saw the entrance of him. "Who're…?"

"Larcade?" Zeref gasped.

Upon seeing Zeref, Larcade's smile widened with relief. "Father…I've made it…"

"Father?" Natsu reiterated. He began to falter, but thankfully he jerked back with shock. In an attempt to get himself awake, he began to punch his own face. "Gah! Damnit! No sleeping on the job!" He scolded himself.

"Now, while the enemy is subdued…hurry, Father! Destroy him!" Larcade urged desperately, arms towards the side and head rising like he was madly preaching. "Do it! And you shall be released from this curse of your brother! Let this pure white soul be set free!"

Zeref darkly glared at Larcade as he laughed constantly. The Pleasure Mage was out of it, his instincts solemnly on desperation. It was almost sad, yet Zeref was…unamused. His red eyes dilated, a shadow overcome his forehead in a split second.

As Larcade laughed, he suddenly dilated in the eyes. His laughing mouth gagged blood as everything then went dark. A dark blast went straight through him, catching him completely off guard.

All sense of time slowed down as Natsu whipped back and stared in horror of what he just saw. Larcade's shock was too great as his blood spilled haphazardly, and by no means was he pleased himself.

"Wha-?!"

Zeref glared darkly, like all sense of decency had finally been relinquished. "You got in the way, Larcade."

* * *

Gildarts and August once again collided, forearm meeting staff and yet the air roared, but no luck fell for either party as they were interlocked.

"Using this time to her advantage, Cana swiped her arm, yelling aloud as she sent more cards at August. The Magic King went wide-eyed as he saw the attack beaming his way, and he shoved Gildarts away before having to backflip away. The cards struck where he was originally, making another explosive wave that obscured everything.

Gildarts extended his arm out. " **All Crush!** "

Crash Magic surrounded August, engulfing him in a crushing force of Magic Power that exploded into mighty shambles. As the white flash enveloped everything, it but lasted for a few seconds before dissipated. August lunged out of the faded energy, embodied in magic of his own.

"Nothing?!" Gildarts snapped. By the time he realized it, it was too late. August blitzed past them, striking both Cana and Gildarts and making them scream in agony. They hollered as they slammed in opposite directions, hitting leveled debris like it was a hard mattress.

Cana groaned as she laid on the ground, barely able to comprehend what her body was feeling other than shock. _'What…power…'_

Gildarts lethargically stood once more, grunting as he slouched up. _'First Fairy Glitter, now my own Crash Magic isn't working. There's gotta be something to this guy, but what?'_

August glared at Arbok, showing no cowardice. "Now, it's your turn." As he watched Arbok's position staying the way it was, August pointed the rear end of the staff at the serpent. With a shout, it thrust forward.

A sudden crushing sound came and went, and as the sound reverberated, August stared ahead with shock. "Hm?"

The staff didn't make it to Arbok regrettable. Instead, it was caught by the very tip of his tail. A small coil held the staff in place, rendering August unable to move as the Poison-type flicked his tongue.

" **Glare!** "

The belly pattern Arbok had glistened with red, in which caught August in a red aura that eventually faded, his body crackling in static same as before. The paralyzed Magic King grunted as his body was completely incapable of moving, at least for the time being.

"Did you really not learn anything?" August countered. "I am able to counter this without flaw."

"We'll sssee about that." Arbok sneered. "Now, old man!"

In a blur, Gildarts reappeared out of the blue, yelling madly as he seized the staff that Arbok held in place, getting in front of him and blocking his path between him and the cobra. The middle-aged man smiled eagerly at August's startled expression.

"You…" August trailed off.

"Hate to break it to ya pal, but it's not just what you're fighting for. It's not just what, but who." Gildarts smiled. "Who you're fighting for, and what they believe who you are to them. This overgrown snake and I, we're both fighting for someone dear to us."

August narrowed his vision at the man. "As am I." With a massive huff, August proved his strength. He thrust his staff forward beyond Gildarts' grip. The tip went straight through, piercing his bulky shoulder. It went out to the other end, much to Arbok and Cana's deep surprise.

"Gildarts!" Cana gasped.

Some blood seeped from the man's lip, smirking as he faced August with a widening grin. "…don't worry." He didn't sound strained at all. "Don't forget, Acnologia ate this side of me. It doesn't bother me as much as you think."

"You're overdoing it! Stop!" Cana's begging, however, fell on deaf ears.

"I'll do anything for my kid, ya hear me? It's strange, to think I was thinking about myself up till now. But now that I realized that I have a daughter, I'm doing everything for her."

"Cut it! You just walked away from us again!" Cana interjected.

"Because I was thinking I'd be in your way. If it's what you want, Papa will always be with you."

"No!"

"See? But…" Gildarts went darting ahead for August, the staff getting deeper into his prosthetic shoulder as he rammed August, sending him back. "I'll do anything if it's for my kid! Hraaaah!" He ran onwards, pushing August back with him.

"What?!" August gasped.

Gildarts gave him a most fearsome glare as he was in his face. "That goes for dragging me to my grave as well!"

Cana's heart hitched bad. "Gildarts! Stop!" Much to her dismay, Gildarts continued to push on, yelling aloud for his life. "Stop! Stop…Gildarts…" Cana was beginning to fear for the worst. Her father was risking his life again, and all she could do was get misty in the eyes. "Stop…DAD!"

Gildarts went on, and August was barely holding his ground. "Are you serious?" He snapped.

"This is what it takes to be a father!"

* * *

Larcade fell to the ground, gagging as he laid twitching on the blood-stained wood. "Why…why…?" He trailed off, unable to find reasoning.

Standing over Larcade's body, a hostile Zeref stomped on his wound, making him yell out in pain.

"I have no child." Zeref glared.

Natsu looked on, unable to make sense of the sight.

"But…I am your…"

"What you are is anything but my own kin, Larcade. What you are is nothing more than a demon from the Book of Zeref that forged." Zeref didn't bother to acknowledge the fact he was making Larcade cry. Tears were streaming down the sullen mage's face out of disbelief and agony. "You were an experimental body for Natsu's life. The one who turned out the best was given the name 'Dragneel'. That is it."

Larcade tried desperately to turn to his side, but had little luck. "But…I'm…"

"And what you did was interrupt Natsu and my fight. And I was having so much fun…then _you_ came along…" Out of fury, Zeref kicked Larcade away. "USELESS TRASH!"

"Stop that." Natsu threatened.

At the sound of Zeref's brother, the man began to shudder in his spot. The sound made him tremble with sheer ecstasy. He smiled maliciously as he slowly looked back, a heinous shadow over his eyes. "Now…let's continue with our fun…Natsu…"

Larcade laid on the ground, twitching as everything was completely numb for him.

* * *

 _Many of years ago, Precht pinched the bridge of his forehead as he sat at his desk. He grieved over what happened to Mavis, especially with what with the small infant in her womb. By means of experimentation, he managed to get it out, but he wasn't too thrilled._

' _This child of Mavis'…is the father Zeref?' He thought to himself. 'When did this…no, the issue isn't Mavis. Because of her magic, she's a grown woman. But…' Precht looked over his shoulder, staring at the very small body wrapped in a blanket, sitting in a basket. "The problem…is this. So much Magic Power, and it's neither light nor dark. Was it really okay to let it live?"_

' _And so I was abandoned by Precht in some faraway land. He knew it was best, but I held no grudge for him. I've learned of Zeref and Mavis from my own memories, because that was what my Magic Power was designed for. I had a tough time in my childhood, thriving and scavenging, and I barely survived. The one who saved me…was Father, Zeref.'_

Gildarts continued pushing with all his might, trying to get August to lose ground no matter what. August, however, was unaffected.

"Your magic does not affect me!" He reminded.

As Gildarts continued pushing him away, his smirk widened. "And what about your own?"

August's eyes widened. "What?!"

"Dad!" Cana cried out.

"Tell me, why was it that when you got paralyzed you didn't recover? When I got in front of Arbok, why didn't you use his powers? It's simple, because you can use Copy Magic. That's right, the instantaneous copying of one's magic. You can nullify and you master their magic just like that!"

Once again, August was rendered speechless. _'How did he figure it out in so little time?!'_ He looked up towards Arbok, who hissed from afar. _'Was that snake onto me as well?'_

"But even though you defended against Fairy Glitter and my Crash Magic, why did you dodge Cana's Card Magic? And why not nullify the snake's attacks and use the same ones?" Once again, Gildarts' sinuated an epiphany that bewildered Cana. "It's because you can't copy Holder type of Magic nor Pokémon moves. Right?"

Once again, August was rendered shocked. In his bewilderment, Gildarts seized his staff, pulling it out of him and tossing it to the side.

"You can copy the snake's ability from what I know, but you can't mimic his moves. You need the material to copy magic, so you couldn't use Celestial Spirit Magic without Lucy's keys."

Arbok lowered his head, flickering his tongue. "Jussst asss I thought. And now that he'sss ssstuck with you, he can't copy my Shed Ssskin Ability, ssso he'sss paralyzzzed."

"Curses!" August yelped.

Recovering from her shock, Cana wiped a tear from her eyes and smirked. "So that was it…" She grew a tick mark, swiping and sending tarot cards at August. "Stop showing off like you were dying in front of me!"

This time, with August figured out, the attack struck hard with explosive force – a card also stabbing Gildarts' head in retort. "Gaah!" August yelled as he was hit head on with no defense in play.

Even with the card in the back of his head, Gildarts smiled. "It's fine…because I'll do anything for my kid's smile!"

Arbok hissed loudly as the battle once again turned in their favor.

The dust cleared, revealing August with a disgruntled expression. His fixation was still evident, as he was beyond the means of comprehension. _'They've figured out my magic. Even if I only have a few spells outside of Copy Magic…no, that's ridiculous. I can't possibly-!'_

Gildarts clutched his fists. "Right, here we go!"

August was still baffled as Gildarts ran for him, drawing ever so closer towards the shaken mage. He couldn't believe it. _'There's no way…I have to do this…for him.'_

As Gildarts closed in, the ground all around began to shudder. A large-scale amount of energy began to flare about madly and he stopped dead in his tracks. "Huh? Hey, what's going on now?" He looked left and right, seeing the multitude of debris piles shaking under the great quake that was happening.

Cana gasped as she looked ahead. "Dad! Ahead of you!"

Gildarts heard his daughter's warning and looked ahead. When he saw August growling and exerting Magic Power, it was making him go wide-eyed with shock. The Magic King was profusely exerting all his might in making his power grow, and dust waves picked up, causing Gildarts to cover up and slid back several feet.

"I am the last Spriggan, and as such, I dare not lose…" August shot a glare of venomous quantities. "Not to the likes of you!"

Gildarts was taken back by the ground-breaking pressure he was feeling. It was unbelievable, and by no means was anyone caught pleased as a pulse wave of serious magic went in all directions. The force of the wave struck Gildarts directly, shooting him back considerably.

"Dad, no-!" Cana didn't get to finish as she too was caught in the surprising shockwave. She was carried away just like her father, screaming as both kin tumbled and fell to the other's side.

Arbok – who coiled up and was instead littered in dust, shook himself off. He turned towards the fallen, staying sharp. "You okay?!"

August picked his staff up and raised the bulbous end to aim at Cana and Gildarts. "If that's the case, then I'll just have to cancel out all your magic together!"

Gildarts grunted as he tried to stand, but struggled to do so. "Damnit…"

" **Amaterasu 7** **th** **Negation Circle!** "

The bulbous staff end glowed a dark pink, while a large formula ring surrounded Cana and Gildarts. Both were caught surprised as the circle formula glistened and shined brightly. Gildarts was rendered surprised by no bounds as the formula on the ground summoned half-arched rings that made a dome all around them.

"What the hell is this?!" Gildarts demanded. "A negation circle?"

Cana flashed another tarot card, but as odd as it was, her magic wasn't able to be poured into it. "My magic's not working?!"

"That is one of the few other techniques I have learned in my many years." August announced. You seem to have had me mistaken. It wasn't just Copy Magic, though be it as my specialty. I have a few more capable spells able to keep even the likes of you at bay."

Gildarts banged his fists against a formula ring, but it did not break as he glared at August with veins in his eyes. "You bastard! You can't keep us in here forever!"

August didn't show any signs of emotions. "I am aware…" He slowly turned towards the damaged Arbok, giving him his own glare. "The circle will wear off, but not before I deal with this perpetual thorn."

Arbok hissed, snarking at August in vile contempt. "What a crude way to fight."

"And you're no different?" August countered. "A fair fight is one on one, now is it? We shall settle our score at last, our prides of loyalty tested once more."

Arbok hissed once again, shutting his mouth and did not bother to retort. It was just not worth it.

August pointed his staff at the serpent next. "Even though I cannot copy your moves, I am still able to copy your ability. And from what I recall, I can heal this accursed paralysis. So use that move as much as you'd like. I'll heal it back fast." To prove his point, August's body glowed green again, using Arbok's Shed Skin Ability a second time. Ripples went down his body, his static around his body dissipating and fading to bits. Arbok sneered as he watched his opponent use his powers against him as such; such a vulgar sight.

August sat his staff upright, the tip against the ground once restored of his status condition. "So, is that all a follower of Nic Pularis can do?"

"This isn't good." Gildarts cursed, his daughter bracing herself for what was to come.

Arbok hunched forward and sunk his body against the earth, sliding at high speed at August. The lunging serpent closed in, given his speed and serpentine fashion.

August raised his staff and spun it, slamming it into the ground. " **Exploding Mine!** "

Arbok's eyes glared down at the ground, taking quick notice of the spell announced. Knowing 'mine', he arched his body to the side, dodging the explosion that would've engulfed him.

Augusts's eyelids opened halfway. "You won't get away so easily from me." Proving his point, a multitude of explosive mines began to follow Arbok as he tried to advance ahead. He tried considerably, yet his slithering body only went side to side, barely getting him where he needed to go. Another explosion happened in front of him, ground and fire bursting. He serpentine around it, finding an opening to swing his tail about madly.

" **Earthquake!** "

The Poison-type again slammed his tail on the ground. A massive wave sundered him into the ground as a shockwave pulsed out. The ground instantly smashed into pieces, erupting and exploding large quantities of dust and debris into the air. The Ground-type attack rumbled with rocks falling like meteors, tearing apart the nearby houses and cracking apart residual bridges all over Magnolia. Many of mages still fighting were barely hanging onto something as housing cracked about around them.

As the full-scale shockwave reached August, he tapped his bottom of the staff to the ground. " **Castle Wall.** " At his command, a large amount of rock built like a castle fortress arose, rising to large heights with thick blocks installed. The shockwaves and rumbling reached the humungous wall, hitting it so hard that it began to rattle about madly. The wall shuddered and bits of it began to crack apart, but otherwise remained standing.

As the shockwaves diminished, the dust was excellent cover, and Arbok stood in the depressed earth that was his crater from his force. He flicked his tongue at the castle, and at last its mighty structure crumbled to bits. It fell apart like a bunch of dominos, breaking apart as the earth shuddered meekly again.

Within the crumbling dust, August stayed calm as everything fell around him, leaving him completely blocked from the attack. "You'll have to do better than that." He warned.

Gildarts sat up with his daughter, both blown off their feet and coughing as Earthquake left them perplexed beyond measure. "He blocked it?" He spouted before coughing again.

"Bah!" Arbok sneered.

A dark violet light began to manifest in front of August's staff, turning into a swirling force of gravity. The ground shuddered again and Arbok leaned back as the dust all around him began to get sucked into the made compressing orb. _'Gravity?'_

An orb of compressed gravity was manifested, and he shot his staff forward. " **Gravity Maelstrom!** "

The orb was fired at Arbok, shooting across the ground and tearing up fragments of the earth itself. As the gravity orb went his way, Arbok felt himself drawn towards it. His body was brought to a standstill rather than allowing him to move as he pleased. _'It'sss pulling me in…!'_ Unable to escape, the orb's gravity reached Arbok's standstill position. Arbok was struck head on, the gravity reversing upon the shockwave unleashed. The cobra went flying back from the reversal of gravity, yelling in pain.

"Oh crap!" Cana snapped.

Able to catch himself, Arbok began descending from his shove. Lashing his tail forward, the tip stuck into his mouth, making Arbok into a wheel as he bounced with minimal collateral damage. The serpent rolled backwards like that of a tire, heading for the curved debris mound behind him. He rolled into the mound, soaring up on the slant and ending up over August's head.

August in turn raised a brow. "Well played…"

Arbok began to use Ice Fang, his fangs making a light blue aura around his tail and the aura covering his spinning body. He became a falling wheel with a misty, icy blue flaring aura that made him look like a saucer. The air around him streamed ice aura as he went down onto August.

August raised his staff up. "Clever…but not clever enough!" August widened his eyes, unleashing a grand swell of Magic Power from his body that exploded outwards. The shockwave was as massive as ever, and it ignited everything that it came into contacted with. Gildarts and Cana nearly went blind as they covered away from the roaring destruction. A pillar of cataclysmic Magic Power shuddered the land and sky, roaring with great force that it swallowed Arbok. The serpent's cries of pain were muffled by the roaring energy, and the light only got brighter as the shockwaves of sheer Magic Power was but a large pillar of massive might.

The roaring Magic Power was again catching eyes of those in the distance. Many trembled in place while others recoiled in vivid fright. They were petrified by the sheer unleash of Magic Power. The level was so grand that Lucy, Gray, Wendy, Carla, and Happy looked back in shock at the roaring in the distance.

"What's that?!" Happy exclaimed.

"I don't know, but I don't think I want to find out." Gray said.

Lucy was feeling a very scary sensation crawl up her spine. As she looked at the roaring pillar, her heart raced with so much might that it was fear that made her hitch in a breath more than mere shock itself. _'This magic…'_

The pillar went as far as caught the attention of Nic and Erza as the former felt something drop in the pit of his stomach. He whipped around, staring with uncertainty as something…just something wasn't right. He didn't want to think of such a possibility, but when he looked at the pillar of magic surging into the sky, he could've sworn he heard his serpent's cry of anguish. _'Arbok…'_

The pillar of grand Magic Power had a very wide base that slowly diminished into oblivion. After a long minute went by, the roaring of the attack subsided, and the shockwaves diminished. All over where Kardia Cathedral was – as well as all throughout Magnolia for that matter – the bellow and dust rippled into thin air, revealing August standing on leveled earth, while the land was flattened and Gildarts and Cana were again sprawled on their sides. Together, both were revealed to have been freed from their negation circle, but both couldn't move from all the damage they were feeling at the moment.

August stared with a blank expression as Arbok fell towards the ground, slamming with a deafening thud. He was sprawled along the hard dirt, his scales covered in endless patches of dirt and scrapes. His long body was damaged everywhere, and all he could do was wince as he laid on the ground.

"You are unable to defeat me." August said. "I do hold regards for your tenacity, follower of Nic, but you do not have the power to trump me."

Arbok was unable to give a proper response. He was too hurt to say. His slithery body felt more like mush rather than muscle. All that weight he carried wasn't helping him in the slightest. He Groaned as he was unable to stand. Everything for him was but a long beep in his eardrums. He had tunnel vision as he saw fragments of light when opening his eyes, but they served of little use.

Seeing Arbok unable to get up, yet his head swaying about, August lowered his head. " **Exploding Mine.** " He tapped his staff on the ground once, forcing an explosion below Arbok that shot him back. The seismic rupture sent dust and dirt flying, as to where Arbok screamed in agony as he flew backwards again, this time concking his back and head against a debris mound, the shock so great that everything was blacking out. He didn't get time to recover as a beam of magic shot him below his belly pattern, blitzing into his bare scales. The stinging sensation made him roar out as streams of August's magic went past him.

His staff held out to supply the streaming magic pinning Arbok to the debris, August glared ahead with a heavy frown. "You are facing the world's most powerful mage, serpent. You dare to challenge the wrath of August, and you shall pay dearly with your very existence extinguished. All because you hold your loyalty to the likes of his majesty's enemy, Nic Pularis. This is what loyalty to the dangerous ones gets you! Remember that in the afterlife!"

Arbok didn't stop screaming. It was far too much pain to take for him. The Poison-type was unable to make any counter with the burning in his slithering body. The beam was more compressed than what it was, and it sharpened to where it felt like it was piercing his skin. Arbok screamed even louder as he was feeling himself getting drilled into. It was too much to take, and all his senses were going blank. As his roars were starting to grow weak, his eyes began to grow hazy. His body began to lose all sense of feeling, and everything was beginning to brighten.

' _Nic-sssama…everyone…'_ As the beam got deeper, Arbok was feeling everything around him become nothing more than a haze. _'It'sss all going…blank…'_

* * *

The uneasy feeling Nic felt did not stop. For some reason, he was hearing a weak voice inside his head. _'Nic-sssama…'_ The familiar voice was weak, very weak. It was like it was almost dying. Nic continued to face away from Acnologia as the Dragon Slayer was unfazed by anything that happened beforehand. He was so caught up in his rampage that the likes of August weren't of his concern.

Erza saw Nic's concerning face, and that only served to make her worried in return. "Nic…"

"Arbok…" He muttered. "Arbok…" His fists were starting to ball tight. "Arbok." His teeth gritted, his very anger and turmoil inside confirming something he couldn't believe. "ARBOK~!"

At his bitter screaming, Acnologia stomped one more time before he froze in place. At the sound of Nic, his eyes looked up, shooting daggers at the man.

Not wanting to take it anymore, Nic turned back around, facing Acnologia with a fierce glare of his own. He didn't care who it was anymore that stood in his way. He had to hurry and get to Arbok, even if he had to get torn up in the process.

"Acnologia…"

"You…"

* * *

As Arbok was feeling his body fade, he somehow got a very warm feeling flowing through him. _'Thisss feeling…it'sss…'_ As everything was but a haze, he still heard the fint sound of something he is always pleased to hear.

" _Arbok…Arbok…"_

' _Nic-sssama…?'_

" _ARBOK~!"_

Arbok's eyes widened back up again, his hazy eyes turning back to normal upon the sound of Nic's cries. The pain he heard; the desperation; the signs of care; it was all there. As odd as it sound, Arbok heard the voice of Nic, his master – his brother in arms. _'Don't give up, Arbok! Even if you have no arms, and no legs, you still have what it takes. I'm going to make it my pride and joy to see that you grow and see we_ _ **all**_ _make it through whatever we have to in order to reach the other end together. I'm not going anywhere without you, and you're not going anywhere without me-no, us! Focus!'_ It was one of the many thoughts and speeches Nic gave to his Arbok when he was still relatively new, yet he remembered it so lively. Of the many thoughts, even if it pained him, the serpent had a purpose to play out, and that was to be by the one single Trainer and Pokémon whom were _his_ pride and joy.

' _Nic-sssama…Nic…your desssire…my desssire…'_ His eyes flashed open, showing an anger and rejuvenated fury. _'I won't…!'_

August raised a brow. "Hm? What now?"

Arbok's limp body against the debris mound was still being beamed by the magic he exerted, but Arbok was starting to strain and grunt as he began to hunch forward. His core, where the beam was drilling into, was burning bad as the purple scales were starting to spill bits of blood. But the bleeding scales were the least of Arbok's concerns. His mentality was back, and he was going to use every bit of it to get back up.

"Let'sss get sssomething ssstraight here, pal." He strained, fighting through the intensity. "Usss sssnakesss, usss Arbok…we are very territorial, and you and your ssside chossse to enter the territory that I share with not jussst my masss-no! My Trainer, my brother. And my friendsss and sssiblingsss…you crossssed the line…and now I'm going to make sure you regret with your life!" With what willpower me mustered, Arbok opened his mouth, creating a vicious Ice Fang. He lurched down, and snapped his icicle-like fangs and aura fangs on the beam piercing his body. The bite made another explosion, one that was icy blue and white that enveloped the spot where Arbok was.

August, Cana, and Gildarts all watched with shock as what was to be the same level of Bullet Magic August used to pummel and pierce those in the past was fought against. Rigid scales fended the serpent, and in turn he was caught off guard.

As the smoke cleared, Arbok was seen in a few coils, shielding the spot where August had struck him before. His wound was very deep, his scales were pretty much ripped into and was bleeding along the underside. It wasn't entirely an open wound, but it was wide enough to consider the size of a dinner plate. The serpent had to ignore it. He glared ahead, sneering with a hiss at August.

"So you still fight, I see." August tapped his staff on the ground. "But still, you shall not defeat me. I am able to copy your powers of healing, so use that Glare move, I shall see to it that you feel my wrath!"

Arbok's eyes narrowed. He thought of his major battles he had to deal with in the past. When he thought back to it, the cobra had little to go on. There was Cobra and Cubellios, Zygarde, and there was Mega Mewtwo X and Torafuzar and Bellona, but he had to step it up. Now was the time to not consider his loyalty, but what his loyalty had brought him. _'Focusss…focusss…'_

As he concentrated harder than ever, rather than the pattern on his belly shimmering red, his coiled-up body began to exert a red aura upwards, which faded almost equally as fast.

August narrowed his vision. "So be it. Do you intend to enact defense then in your condition?"

Rather than a response, Arbok only tightened his coils. His body's muscles tightened and solidified, another upwards red aura appearing.

Cana's eyes narrowed. "What's it doing…?"

"I don't know." Gildarts answered.

August's bulbous end of the staff he held began to shimmer with a powerful light. His raw Magic Power made the ground beneath him instantly crack. Debris levitated around him as his staff was jutting out, facing Arbok like it were a spear. Flares of yellow seared the air around him, coating him in sheer, groundbreaking power. He glared ahead, set to destroy Arbok. "Then I shall tell his majesty that Nic is but no threat to us! For he shall be broken at the sight of his pet dead!"

Once more, Arbok tightened harder than before, another red aura shooting up his coiled form.

With nothing holding him back, yellow streams flowed behind August as he levitated off the ground, shooting at Arbok in a formation that looked like a Giga Impact if implied. Waves of energy coursed across the ground as the bulbous tip of the staff was the center, directed for Arbok's face. He stuck it out farther as he closed in in a rushing manner. "Farewell!"

"Look out!" Gildarts shouted.

Arbok's eyes sharpened drastically as he saw sharper than he ever has. Finding openings between the streams of raw magic, Arbok blitzed his tail from the side, whacking the space between the streaming magic on August's left and smacking him hard on the face. The impact was so great that August's eye lost all pupils and became white as his mouth gaped. The impact had a massive rippling effect and the shock left the space shuddering as well as his very bones. Following through with the swing, Arbok snapped his tail and August went shooting in front of Gildarts and Cana, who turned and watched as the magic around August dissipated and he slammed hard into the ground, creating a massive ground shuddering impact that shattered bits of the earth as fresh dirt and dust picked up.

Gildarts and Cana looked at the scene completely shocked and without say. What they saw was something sharp that even their liking was never matched. Not only was August overpowered that instant, but caught him by sheer surprise.

The ground and dust settled, revealing August grunting as he tried to get up. On his knees, he slowly bent up, using his staff as support as he turned back towards Arbok. A massive bruise was on the side of his face, but he was still in shock from the opening that was made. "How did he do that?" He questioned. "Was I…bested in offense and defense at that moment? By connecting with him, his body should've reduced to shambles…"

Arbok gave a hissing roar, his tongue flickering constantly side to side as he faced August. As he prepared to defend again, Arbok retracted into his coil position, sneering at the man.

Recognizing that instant, August's eyes widened. "Wait, that position…" He thought back to before his attack was launched, when Arbok was coiling up and a red aura enveloped him. _'Could this be the way he stopped me then? By tightening his coil muscles?'_

Arbok leered at August, keeping his wound from view within his coils. " **Coil!** " The Poison-type was enveloped in another red aura, his Attack, Defense, and Accuracy rising for the fourth time in a row.

August raised a brow. "So, he's had an ace up his sleeve. These Pokémon, they are able to fend against others by strengthening their own offense and defense? How interesting. But still…" He raised his staff ahead, squaring off against Arbok one more time. "That still won't be enough to defeat the strongest Spriggan! Come!"

Arbok hissed loudly in spite and went slithering ahead. He swerved left and right, making quick work in closing the gap. The serpent's stamina and durability were lasting, but he knew if he blacked out again, it'd be bad. Even with all the damage taken, his wounded figure had to keep pressing on.

August got into a battle stance, readying for Arbok's counter. He tapped the staff on the ground, albeit harsher than before. " **Exploding Mine!** "

Arbok slithered with great speed, yet time briefly slowed and closed in on his eyes. The ground ahead reflected in his black slits, and instantly they sharpened. Time again reverted to normal for the serpent as he swerved around the explosions. As dust and dirt shot up, he stayed low and arched constantly, evading with no problem. Once he passed the mine field, he was within meters' reach of August.

' _He anticipated them sharper than last time. Rather than spurs, he saw the very milliseconds of the window, and he took it.'_ August evaluated. _'He's gotten much more accurate in reading me, is it because of adapting to battle?'_ August knew he had to act fast. Arbok closed in and he extended his staff forward. He unleashed a blast of Bullet Magic, same as before. It raced across the ground, moving swiftly as one at that too.

In the spur of the moment, Arbok picked up his feet, vanishing in a blur. The projectile went on, fading into view into a debris mound. "Such speed!" He snapped.

Arbok reappeared in front, again startling August. The mage was caught off guard entirely and Arbok rammed his head into his gut. It was like a train had struck him at that instant, and August shot backwards, trailing across the ground with a heavy grunt of pain. As he caught himself, he looked up, seeing Arbok already gone. August was startled as Arbok reappeared meters behind, slithering in an arch and lunging with heavy acceleration.

August wasn't a fool however, as he turned around, his staff was held out as another gravity field began to manifest. All the dirt around the area began to suck into the orb that August was creating, and the air rattled briefly as Arbok didn't stop this time nor slowed down.

" **Gravity Maelstrom!** "

He shot the orb of compressed gravity at Arbok, while the poisonous cobra continued to slide ahead, darting for the gravity orb with his mouth opening out and fangs transforming into icicles, much sharper, and the aura fangs around the mouth were far thicker.

" **Ice Fang!** "

Arbok snapped down on the gravity orb once it reached him. He bit down so hard and with so much force that the shockwaves rippled from his mouth. The vicious icy bite, however, did not backfire as intended. The ripples weren't of repulsion, but of sheer misty ice, spraying everywhere. The gravity dissipated in the area, and from the dissipating mist, Arbok raised his head and hissed at the now bewildered man.

August couldn't believe it. _'He fought through gravity this time with his increased offense.'_

Arbok continued sliding ahead, startling August. In desperation, the Magic King tapped the bottom of the staff into the earth.

" **Castle Wall!** "

As before, a wall of grand size and length appeared in between Arbok and August. As the castle's magnitude made the ground shudder, Arbok did not pull back. He instead went forward.

" **Earthquake!** "

With his Attack increased, this was a sign of great peril for many. Arbok instead smacked his tail against the wall itself. At that instant, everything obliterated in the blink of an eye. The wall not only blew into chunks, but the fragments reduced to dust as the shockwaves and magnitude sent a linear pulse wave that struck August, who was behind. The shocked Spriggan was in terrifying disbelief as a ridiculous amount of dust, rock, and earth itself shattered and broke ahead of him.

Not only did Magnolia shudder in fright, but houses cracked apart, and bridges still standing snapped completely. The streets ha cracks running through them, and through it all, a single straight pulse wave if dust went running miles forward, shooting into the vast distance. The ground tore completely open as rock exploded with intense might.

Gildarts covered Cana as they were caught in the rampage both holding on as the ground shuttered to bits, with might that could've leveled a mountain with ease.

While shooting back at high speed, August gaped his mouth as he went flying over the open terrain, everything around him slowing down. _'He…broke through my wall…how?'_

In the dust waves that acted as a tailwind for Arbok, he began a purple blitz that snaked from one flying rock to another. In less time an anticipated, Arbok caught up to August in the tailwind of his Earthquake's linear shockwave. His mouth was open, his Ice Fang once again showing.

"Gngh! HRAH!" August reached his staff forward towards Arbok as he continued to fly back, the bulbous end acting on magic to spare. At the same time, both sides closed in drastically, bulbous white and icy aura of sheer might about to connect…

With massive shouts and a light blue flash, the Earthquake's linear pulse wave collapsed. A typhoon of white and icy blue swirled into a maelstrom that expanded outwards. The rock that went flying in random directions were blown away from meters to perhaps long distances away; many of which blowing into the deep crevice Earthquake made.

* * *

Vanessa was shaken up bad as the ground beneath her finally simmered down on the shockwaves. Barely catching herself, she found the uneven foothold to be hard to manage. With all the dust in the atmosphere, she coughed and waved it away. "What *cough* is all this…?" In her need of questions to be answered, another rumble and a small shockwave sent a cold air passed her. This one managed to push her back a foot; enough force applied to even wipe away all the dust. As it passed her, her senses crept with an uncertain vibe. "Wait, what was that?" She looked up passed some of the damaged buildings and saw a large misty cloud with white static the billowed high enough for all of Magnolia to look at. "Those attacks…Arbok!" Gasping, Vanessa made headway for the weakened aura signature, towards the massive amounts of magic faced against the odds of a serpent.

* * *

The dust cleared away in a strong lash, revealing another leveled crater that August and Arbok were in. This time, however, they were hundreds of meters away from Kardia Cathedral's spot, closer to the outskirts than anywhere else. The push Arbok's Earthquake gave was a fine space to finish the quarrel.

Both sides were meters away from each other, and while August was heavy in his breathing, Arbok's eyes were dilating and his body labored hefty breaths. He looked like he was going to fall over any second. August did not waver as he still had power to spare.

He raised his staff, once again pointing it at Arbok. "You're an even greater glutton for punishment than I expected."

Arbok lifted his head, giving August a tired glare. "Sssorry, but I have sssomewhere to be…" He labored, pausing between breaths. "Thisss isss very annoying."

August's glare narrowed. "Agreed."

Arbok's slunk body began to coil once more, his position set to strike. " **Coil!** " Once again, a red aura enveloped Arbok. For the umpteenth time, his offense and defense enhanced to even greater levels.

August huffed as he pointed his staff ahead. " **Eight Stars of Destruction!** " At his call, eight projectile lights faded from the staff, circling around and went flying at Arbok. The light orbs all honed in, similar to tracking beacons.

Arbok di nothing to defend and instead used his great speed and reflexes. Shifting left and right without moving much, it was almost like teleporting. He nimbly evaded every orb without adjusting his position. As they went passed him, he continued glaring at August.

August surprisingly smirked.

Behind Arbok, the projectiles arched and began to change course right back at Arbok. The attack traced towards him, but the serpent wasn't that dumb. He sensed it coming, and thus acted accordingly. He went slithering after August, with the orbs on his tail.

"Those projectiles will follow you until they have reached their mark." August explained. "You cannot escape from it, as you cannot escape death."

Arbok lunged head first into August. "Who sssaid anything about essscaping!"

"What?" To his surprise, Arbok reappeared in front of him, catching him by surprise as he was even in midair. Arbok twisted his body upwards, his tail giving August's stomach an uppercut that dragged him in the roll. "Grah!" He gagged as he felt everything black out for a moment, reality only sinking back in when he found himself rolled and thrown into his own attack. His eyesight went blind from the light, gasping aloud before caught in another destructive blast wave.

The explosion's shockwaves were enough to knock even Arbok out of midair. The serpent tucked and got his body to roll by the shockwave's momentum, reducing any impact on his scraped form. Once the shockwaves simmered, the serpent looked up, seeing August blown over his head. With his accurate vision, he saw every bruise, scrap, and the eyes of August devoid of pupils briefly. This was his chance, perhaps his last one at that.

Arbok hissed in a low roar as his body enacted Ice Fang one more time. The serpent reeled his head back and tucked into another roll, acting like a wheel, but this Ice Fang roll was different, for the icy energy was almost three times greater. Arbok was a purple spinning projectile with a blue blaze all around. As he rolled, pillars of spiky ice tailed him, elongating into a trail that stretched until he sprung off the ground, becoming a saucer that graced through the sky in streaming mist on the sides at August.

His consciousness returning, August pointed the staff down at Arbok, screaming aloud when unleashing his Bullet Magic. The beam was more compressed than what it was before, intending to pierce Arbok for good.

Arbok went on, hissing as his rolling Ice Fang's sharpened strength and accuracy went bolting down the middle. Like an arrow, it bisected the beam, much to August's horror. The man was rendered unfortunate when it happened so fast.

FWOOSH!

A stream of ice and blood erupted in a trail up August's abdomen over his right pectoral and shoulder, his body in momentary suspense as everything was blank. He gagged loudly as the pain was frozen in place, as well as himself. Arbok, however, was above him, and stopped spinning and looked up while August was enveloped in another burst if icy explosions. The delayed impact made mist flare everywhere, sending sparkles all about.

As flakes and chunks of ice fell, so did August. He had a gaping mouth, and the ice on him shattered away, revealing a cut along his body upwards. He couldn't comprehend it for it happened so fast. His attacks from before were overpowered, but how? He was the mightiest mage with all the Magic Power, right?

' _I never would've guessed it…'_ As August continued to fall head first, time slowed down as his memories began to fade into view. Arbok, however, did one last Coil overhead. Mist dissipated, and he saw August falling.

He hissed loudly, his last Coil's red aura fading away and instead a swirling silver aura began to manifest. "Give me your ssstrength…NIC!" Thinking about his Trainer one last time, Arbok hissed louder as the silver orb created became a very large black garbage bag with a massive purple aura enveloping it. With sights locked, Arbok lurched down, the attack making a purple ring that went out as it became a blitzing purple comet of grand size.

" **GUNK SHOT!** "

As the purple mass with a black center closed in, August was still unable to defend. The purple meteor closed in with a roar of its own, making everything he saw purple, which began to fade into white.

 _Zeref knelt down, his smile of no means pleased, but indifferent. He looked down at the child with a very bizarre memory of his own popping up. "I had a very special time with someone…during August."_

 _To whom Zeref talked to was a small boy with eyes that resembled Mavis; having her green eyes, and blonde hair all spiky as well. He had kid clothes and looked up to Zeref with a perky yet curious gaze._

" _Look somewhat remind me of her, in a way…"_

' _That day, Father had given me my name. Why was his majesty's child never loved? The answer…was because he never recognized my existence.'_

The ground ripped apart as a massive purple dome the size of what one could say be Acnologia's dragon roar, if not more, enveloped everything in its path. Gunk and garbage deposit rained everywhere, showering down like miniature meteors in every direction. Nearby homes and business outside the now enlarged crater were shaken bad to where they caved in. The impact could've been seen from miles away, looking like a purple dome with purple ripples skyward.

* * *

Zeref balled his fists as he glared at Larcade. Clearly he still wasn't enticed with how the demon was interrupting his quarrel with Natsu.

"Dad…it hurts…it hurts so much…" Larcade hopelessly whimpered on the floor.

Zeref had no response as he instead stood stiff and unable to show any emotions. Natsu watched his every move, careful of what he may attempt next. But both Dragneel brothers were on two opposite poles, and one pole was colder than the likes of Gray's magic.

"Dad…"

"Stop." Zeref spoke. As he glared at Larcade, a twisted grin slipped onto his face. "I don't have any children…I have no family…" The comment was making Natsu behind glare shakily at him, swallowing hard. "You're a book I created, and now you've made it to your last page, Larcade."

"No…no…!"

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Zeref reached down for Larcade, enveloping him in a booming light. The mage had no say as he was feeling his very essence within the compressed energy fade. It was a cold feeling. It was too sad for words.

Larcade tried desperately to reach up to Zeref for any means of solace, however, that was not possible. He saw the red look in his eyes. He was a goner. Ashe pictured Zeref one last time with his demonic face, the tears evaporated with his fading body. "Dad…"

In a flash, everything was gone. Smoke only circled around the spot where Larcade's blood lied. The growling air dissipated, and Zeref stood there, frowning at his creation destroyed by his very hand. With the deed done, he sighed in relief.

"You…" Natsu was speechless. "You just…"

"Yes…I did." Zeref's body was beginning to quiver again, his expression showing bitter glee as his teeth showed grim teeth. "But it matters not. He's no friend. He wasn't even my son. I'm-!"

A hard, flaming punch suddenly knocked him for a loop. He went crashing into a table, shattering it to splinters.

Having his hand reeled back, Natsu kept his fists balled as he frowned heavily for the likes of his bittersweet brother. "I know who you are…" His body was ignited in his fury, flames shifting his clothing. "You're a brat who takes family and fathers for granted."

* * *

The ground was nothing more than leveled earth. A crater that was far bigger than the impact before had caused. In its dead center lied August, his gaze still devoid of pupils, but alas he was covered in scrapes and bruises, the damage too great that he was unable to lift a finger. Arbok plummeted like a rock. He hit the ground hard, thudding with a slight bounce. The damaged serpent gagged as he panted and laid on the ground, barely able to move. His breathing was heavily labored, his vision blurry and barely comprehensible. His hazy vision was back, his conscience starting to wane.

Both sides laid there, both severely battered and unable to get up. The battle, however, seemed to be decided.

As dust cleared away, a pair of footsteps was seen running through the alleyway of what used to be houses, now caved-in shacks. With labored breathing, Vanessa carried herself as far as possible towards the edge of the crater, stopping to go wide-eyed at the scene.

"What…happened here…?" She panted, shifting her blonde bang behind her ear again. She looked around, catching sight of two figures in the crater's bottom. Upon seeing the familiar serpentine figure, her eyes widened. "Is that…?!" She slid down the crater's edge, gasping as she saw the Poison-type that had given it his all. With heavy breaths, the young woman hurried over towards the center, getting to a stop just above Arbok's fallen body. She kneeled, looking over with a startled expression. "Arbok…"

The cobra nudged weakly, his tongue flicking out meekly before lazily retreating into his mouth. Catching Vanessa's scent, he tilted his head to the side, his gaze blurry. "You…"

"Don't talk. You're deeply wounded." Vanessa looked all over Arbok's body, her eyes tracing the deep wound below his belly pattern. "How did…"

"Gnnngh…"

A weak groan made Vanessa gasp again. Arbok's hazy vision widened a little as he heard the groan. He turned his head back at August, who was starting to come around. Both were caught off guard by different reasons, but they certainly looked displeased.

"Isss thisss a joke?"

"Is that August?" Vanessa questioned.

August opened his eyes, facing sky with little more than a headache going on. Despite the ringing in his ears, he still knew he was alive. "His majesty's will…to cast humanity to an altered era, one shaped by him alone…such an ambition even I admire."

Vanessa stayed on guard as she hovered over Arbok, who was unable to move, let alone stay conscious.

"I followed him all the way up till now, and now look where I am. In a way, it seems I have indeed lost to the loyalty Nic possessed with his Pokémon…what I cannot understand, is how? I was born with a mighty power, one that could rival that of light itself, and yet it was not enough to help his majesty…"

Vanessa wasn't sure what to say, or what she was supposed to say to the fallen Spriggan. She had to stay cautious, she knew that much. When she felt a change in his aura, the pressure around began to alter, getting her surprised for the umpteenth time.

"However…though I shall admit my folly to you serpent, I shall claim what is owed to his majesty. And that is all your lives." A magical flare ignited around August, making the ground much brighter than what it normally was. "If I am going down like this, I shall take you all with me!"

The light beneath Vanessa's feet was getting brighter. Arbok twitched his form, but he was still unable to move accordingly. As the light grew to an intense heat, everything around them was also brightening. Both looked down with sheer bewilderment as being so close to August was rendering them immobile.

A powerful wave exerted, lifting August's body up in the air. A powerful energy surged around his limp body, forcing him upwards and escalating higher into the sky. His eyes dilated, his might making pressure so immense that the ground was constantly shaking. The earth and sky alike shuddered as the Magic King was lifted in the air, high enough for all to see.

Cana whipped her head up, seeing August in the vast distance. "Is that…?!"

"Damnit! Did this mean he wasn't defeated?!" Gildarts grunted.

Vanessa looked up, staring with sheer bewilderment. "Even after all that…he still has that much power in him?"

Arbok shuddered in the ground, cursing with every hitched breath he had. "Damnit."

"Obliterate. And reduce to nothing alongside me!" A cyclone of dry dust began to surround him, which oddly began to look like it was…liquidating?

Vanessa felt a strong sensation crawl up her spine. Her breathing was starting to get erratic, and her sweat began to dry up. As she looked at her hand, she noticed how it look awfully dry. "My body…" She looked down at Arbok, her shock arising as his labored breathing was getting harsher. It was more wheezing than it was labored. _'No, this is bad. We need a counter, while we still have the chance.'_

In a hurry, Vanessa used what air and pulled out a Poke Ball. She stayed kneeling and tossed it up. "Mawile, **Protect!** "

The Poke Ball popped open, and Mawile was summoned out in a hurry. "Hah!" She landed on the ground, immediately acting as she made a turquoise dome around her, shielding Vanessa and Arbok as they were gathered close behind.

" **ARS MAGIA!** "

All around Magnolia and the nearby mountains, everything began to steam. It wasn't hot, and yet all the cement, the rock beneath, and water, it was all beginning to evaporate. Building debris began to steam and slowly started melting. The effects weren't just the ground and inorganic material, as the people were soon to realize.

Max was clutching his throat, no liquid inside. "What…?"

"I can't breathe…" Warren coughed.

Rooftops were starting to float up, slowly melting into oblivion. All of it was reducing to nothing as the magic continued to course through the country slowly. Within the confines of Magnolia, Mavis lost her footing, her body falling to its knees. She slumped down, her respiratory system beginning to feel empty inside.

She placed a hand over her chest, the feeling almost suffocating. _'Magic that is able to evaporate the blood of living beings and melt earth…is this Ars Magia?!'_ In desperation, she knew she had to act fast. She put her fingers to her head, connecting via Telepathy. " **Guys, are you there?! This is an emergency! Use your defensive powers! Hurry and-!** "

"Disappear…" August murmured above.

It was like a telephone line went off inside her head, because at that moment all the connections were cut off. Her magic was shut down completely. _'My power, it was blocked-?!'_ Blood spouted from her mouth, the red liquid instantly covered by her hand. As she coughed, it was getting harder than ever to breathe. _'Who…who has this power…?'_

As odd as it felt, Mavis felt some feeling crawl up her spine. She hesitated, but looked to see some figment in the sky. Almost instantly she knew the level of Magic Power that she felt. _'This…this is what kind of mage August is?!'_

"I may have lost, but I was not in this alone…"

Many people down below were screaming in pain as they fell to their knees, their respiratory systems beginning to evaporate.

"We shall disappear together…"

Many screamed in peril as wood and rock floated into the sky, slowly melting away.

"Disappear."

Gildarts held his daughter tight as he was feeling his labored breathing go erratic. "Cana! Stay with me!" He shouted as he held his daughter close.

"Disa…" As the land shook, August was trailing off. Something felt off, and it wasn't just Vanessa, Arbok, and Mawile still alright beneath Protect. It was something…odd. It was like he was being looked at, yet he wasn't. Was he? As his body began to glow, his head turned away, looking in another direction.

In the distance, much to his own shock, there he saw it – his mother. In desperation, Mavis was glaring up at August, blood on the sides of her lip as she was looking pale. As he looked towards his suffering mother, August was wide-eyed and was seeing the damage he was doing. It was like something in him…was wrong. As he looked at his suffering mother, the person who gave him life into a world of wonder and strife, it was all but unpleasant. Even though she saw her in person before, it just wasn't the same. This time felt different, as it was not as an enemy, but as a son – the lost son that Mavis and Zeref knew they had. Even though it was never revealed to Zeref even, it was better that way. It was for the best for everyone, and he knew that the moment he was born.

Though he owed nothing to his estranged family, this was something he chose. For his mother's sake. His shock faded away, and the land shifting beneath subsided as his body started fading away, looking more like a spirit whose hair was flaking away.

"Huh?" Mavis wondered. She turned around, realizing that the land stopped shaking. Though everything ranging from debris to buildings was steaming and partly melted, it was all stopping.

All around Magnolia, the people were feeling the effects fade away.

"Hey *cough* I can breathe again!" Max gasped.

"Me too, what happened?" Warren wondered.

"What was that?" Gajeel questioned.

Levy looked everywhere, worrisome. "I'm not sure…"

Mavis turned towards the fading August, taking a moment of silence to realize his spell faded. Her frown grew into a smile, one of relief. _'His Magic Power wasn't enough? Gildarts and the others should be fine!'_ Mavis turned away from the man in the sky, running in the opposite direction. _'I have to hurry!'_

August watched as Mavis turned away from him. Though he seemed calm with a slightly intense look, just seeing that wonderful smile on Mavis' face was making him feel…happy. It wasn't a feeling he had very often, but now he felt it, and its strength was great. Happiness; joy; a real bond; perhaps this is what Arbok had that made him gain the strength to level with him. He eyed his running mother as he began to flake away, his fading spirit streaming his magic into oblivion.

The Protect lifted below, and Mawile and everyone looked up. "Look!"

Vanessa stared up, her surprise by no bounds. "His magic's fading…"

Arbok looked up, saying nothing as he was still catching his breath. He just watched on as his adversary faded into nothing.

"What happened? Did he not have enough magic?" Cana questioned her father.

Gildarts looked up, staring at the fading August, but said nothing.

" _Just once…just once would've been enough for me…"_

"No…he looked like he was calling out to someone there…" Gildarts answered.

" _Just once…"_ August's magic was gone, his body at last fading into thin air. _"…for you to hold me in your arms."_

Mavis hurried along, carrying herself with gusto. With her bare feet carrying her the distance away, time slowed down as she felt something behind her back. As one foot went in front of the other, her breath hitched.

A small projection of what energy left was in August manifested, becoming a spirit of the child he once was. He faced his mother's back, smiling.

" _Mom."_

Hearing a call from out of the blue, Mavis turned around. However, to her surprise, there was nothing there. All was seen was sparkles waning into the sky. She looked up, puzzled as she saw the waning energy no longer there.

"First!"

Drawn out of her wonder, a more familiar voice caught her attention. Turning ahead, Lucy came running with Gray, Happy, Wendy, and Carla all in tow

"Guys, you're alright!"

"What was that light just now?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, and what was with those explosions and shaking?" Wendy inquired.

Mavis shook her head. "It's alright, there's no need to worry. It's over now, at least I hope." The matter of the cataclysmic battle aside, Mavis drew herself to more pressing matters. "There may be stragglers running through the city. Everyone should be in the south rounding them all up and finishing them off."

Gray put a hand to his hip. "And you dragged us all the way here just to tell us this?"

"Not quite…"

She then pulled out something that startled everyone present; Lucy especially. They all saw what Mavis had in front of them, and it was something they didn't think it would be possible. Lucy's breath hitched as she saw a book with E.N.D spelled on it. "Is that…"

"I've managed to secure this while escaping Zeref from before." Mavis explained.

"But wait, that spells out E.N.D…" Wendy was getting a bad feeling.

Happy quivered. "Natsu's…"

"So then you knew." Mavis handed the book for Lucy to hold. "Then there's no need to worry. We have to believe Natsu can beat Zeref-no, _will_ beat Zeref. But he can't do that without you guys. You know what will happen to him when that time comes upon Zeref's fall, right? When that time comes, you all need your strength. Every last bit…if we're to save his life."

The group standing before her were once again captured in their own shock. They were worried expressions, and Happy and Lucy were feeling a sore feeling in their guts. As Lucy held Natsu's book, she looked at it and quivered.

Mavis turned away, glaring in the direction where the guild hall is supposed to be. "No one is to go anywhere near the guild hall. This is a direct order." She began to run off, leaving everyone to stay away. "I'll do my part! You guys do yours!"

"First Master, where're you going?!" Wendy reached out, but the master was out of reach.

"Let her go. Whatever she intends, we better leave her to it." Carla explained. "She knows what she's doing."

Mavis carried on, putting heel after the other towards the one direction she knew to get the answers. _'I know how we can beat Zeref now. This is our last chance. We have to make it count. We must.'_

* * *

Zeref hunched over, facing Natsu with bangs over his eyes. Even after that surprising blow, he didn't look fazed by it. In fact, he looked rather happy to feel pain. He was smiling, but this smile was like anything before. His insanity was rising.

"I struggled my entire life…I tried endlessly to find the happiness that hope would bring…" His mind was drowning away to the memories of him killing living creatures in his path. The animals, humans…even Mavis. Such memories left him bittersweet, it almost made him sour. "But this body of mine, it killed everything and everyone that I ever loved. With no mercy." His smile widened, yelling all the while. "I COULD NEVER HAVE A FAMILY! NEVER HAVE HAPPINESS! AND I WILL NEVER BE FORGIVEN!"

Natsu ran ahead, feet tapping the hardwood floor as he went for his brother with gritting teeth. "This ain't about family!" Without warning, he picked up Zeref by the collar, hoisting him up as a means of choking. The way he was in front of his face made Zeref shocked. "THIS ISN'T ABOUT FORGIVENESS! YOU DECIDE YOUR HAPPINESS! THIS IS WHAT FAMILY IS!"

Zeref could feel his brother's breath as it was hot with rage. But he was completely silent as the hold he was in tightened.

"And don't think you have no family…when you have someone who you have a bond with is right in front of you…brother."

Zeref was once again startled. This was the first time he was called such a thing. It was pleasing, but at the same time unjustified. It was a weird yet disturbing feeling. Even now, the thought contradicted what he felt. It was proof of his curse acting up.

In a single swat, Zeref knocked Natsu's hands back. The Dragon Slayer stood several feet away from his sibling, his eyes glaring daggers at his own.

"…my, how surprising that was." Zeref was enveloped in a black flare, his hair starting to spike a little as the red eyes he had glowed. As odd as it seemed, the way his hair styled made him almost like Natsu. "You're right, Natsu…or rather, E.N.D."

Flames seared around Natsu, his teeth gritting in passion. "Damn straight."

* * *

 **4 days, nut considering I also had work, I think it seemed sufficient for my liking. So this chapter, I decided to take a more alternative road than planned. At first I wanted to do the manga of Gildarts VS August, but when I reached that point, I decided to add slightly more 'me' by changing the fight to Gildarts/Arbok VS August, with this being a good chance to show Arbok's development. I know it's very unlikely for such a Pokémon (statistically speaking) to beat the Magic King, but I made a reasonable twist by not only having Arbok see his Trainer in a more relaxed way than address him as -sama (though still undoubtedly formal with him), but also used this to my advantage and have him learn Coil in place of Glare. Given the situation he was in, it was very much needed. One could say it was a tie, one could say Arbok won by a splint hair, but moral of the point was that this was the perfect chance to give Arbok another major battle, a VERY major one at that. Hope this 'shed' some new light on Arbok respect lol!**

 **For August using that last spell, I made it under more reasonable conditions compared to the manga, where he still had plenty of power left. Here, I made it to where after he lost to Arbok, and would use it as a suicide attack. I have mixed feelings about the ideal, but I thought I worked with it okay. What also bothered me was how he was able to use other magic than Copy Magic. I mean he used Sleep Magic and Bullet Magic in the manga, but how was that forgotten by Copy Magic? It seemed 'Farfetch'd' to me! So a shoutout to my bud Warmachine375 for supplying some other spells just in case a scenario like this happened.**

 **So if you guys saw, I closed the poll, and the votes are in! The winner of what I will be doing in the future is Bakugan! So, once I conclude** _ **A Contender's Bonds**_ **next month, I'll begin planning, and try to get** _ **One's Road to Remembrance**_ **and** _ **Kalos Vacation Training**_ **completed before 2018 begins. That's my mindset! Boom!**

 **I am going to pray that I get at least one more update in this September and in 3 days, because on the 28** **th** **, I'm having my wisdom teeth surgery, so I'll be out of commission for a short while until recovery. So I hope to at least get one more chapter up this month, and finish up the last 6 this upcoming October. So if you guys loved it, let me know of your thought and throw in a comment – or a few paragraphs – on how you thought I did this time around, and see you again soon!**


	79. Acnologia's Ambition

"Gngh."

"Sorry."

The apology hung in the air as Arbok laid on the battlefield, staring out into the open as he was low on energy – he couldn't even move. Fortunately for him, Vanessa was there, and though it stung, the Full Restore she was using was spraying away all the scrapes and bruises accumulated. Though some spots hurt worse than others, Arbok powered through every stinging sensation with each spray all over his body.

With one final spray on Arbok's head, the instant-acting medicine made the bruise fade away. "There, all better. You look good as new."

With the Full Restore used, Arbok lifted himself up from the ground. He slowly slunk up, looking at his body to see any signs of wear. There wasn't. They didn't call it a Full Restore for nothing after all.

"Thank you for your help." The serpent mildly thanked.

Vanessa smiled. "Don't worry, I was just glad I could get here in time…" Her gaze trailed down Arbok's body, her frown meant for a single spot that she felt regrettable about. "But, are you really going to be okay with that?"

Arbok didn't need to look down to know what Vanessa meant. That one attack August dealt in his moment of vulnerability left his scales damaged to where there was a large scar below the hood pattern. It was the size of a dinner plate still, but the wound did close thanks to the Full Restore. Sadly Full Restores don't really have a point to healing engraving wounds.

"I'm fine." Arbok assured. "It'sss a priccce I paid. I'm sure Nic wouldn't be too sssurprisssed, it wasss bound to happen."

Vanessa thought back to her older brother for a moment, the statement Arbok gave leaving her crestfallen somewhat. It wasn't just the concern she had for him, but really it was all the scars he got in his many battles that she bared witness to. As far as she knew, there were more scars to come.

"And where does Mr. Snooby Belt get off? Last I checked, didn't you call him Nic-sssama?" Mawile chided with crossed arms.

"Wasss I talking to you, runt?" Arbok snobbishly rebuffed.

Mawile turned away. "Gee, I'm sorry~." Of course Arbok knew from her not-so-subtle tone that she was sarcastic about it, but he chose to turn away and glare in an more upward and dominating manner. Even knew Mawile knew who was at the top here.

Vanessa didn't pry in what Arbok said. In the year that came and went, she's gotten more adequate to the other behavioral patterns of Nic and Erza's Pokémon. If she was honest, she liked Garchomp a lot due to him being so calm and gentle – when outside of battle. Arbok was a more…interesting character. He was always either snobbish to you or respectful and mild. Seeing this change of character made her almost believe it was a different Arbok, but his aura said otherwise.

' _Even Nic's complicated Pokémon are growing…'_ Upon the thought, her eyes widened. "Nic!"

"Eh?" Mawile inquired.

Arbok raised his head, flicking his tongue in the air back and forth. When he got his Trainer's scent, the snake hissed and immediately went slithering off without so much as a second thought.

"Wait, Arbok! Where are you going?" Vanessa shouted.

"You moron!" Mawile fumed. "You just healed! You shouldn't be moving around so hastily! I'm talking to you!"

Arbok didn't care. He left the two behind as he slithered away, hurrying the direction where the dark energy was from before he skyrocketed. I serpentine fashion, he hurried along towards the forest, leading to the hillside of where his destination was. He didn't need to feel anything because he already knew who it was that Nic was up against. It only made him quicken his pace.

* * *

A harsh wind blew past Nic, Erza, and Acnologia as all three were in a standoff, though the glaring was more of Nic and Acnologia than it was with Erza. The redhead was of little concern to the likes of the Dragon King, who only saw blue eyes belonging to his mortal nemesis.

"Nic…"

"I know." He replied. "This is bad."

Acnologia raised a brow. "Oh? Is that right?" He chimed. "Bad for whom, exactly? You?"

Nic shot daggers at Acnologia, staying as calm as possible within the vendetta each had for the other.

Slowly, Acnologia began to trace steps from over the glass that shattered onto the hardwood floor. With each step, it brought him slowly closer towards Nic. "I have been waiting very patiently for this very day. I didn't come all this way to hear cowardice from such a nuisance like you. Your kind who wields these creatures, they are what have been the thorn in my side." He finally stopped when he was standing at the entrance at what was once the doorway to the now-leveled house. "There will be no more distractions. No more priorities to place. No confused agendas. This time, neither of us are going to run away. Do you hear me?" The venom in his voice was clear as crystal, yet deadly as an Inferno. He was pissed to have been blown off so many times against Nic and Pokémon alike. From the way he looked at Nic, he was making a clear statement that this time, the personal matter will be sealed for good.

Nic's brow furrowed as he eyed Acnologia back. His fists clutched as he glared back at Acnologia, holding his own ground as he and the Dragon Slayer had one mindset to get over with. If Nic was honest with himself, he too was getting annoyed by the uneven score settled. This time, he was going to make sure that Acnologia stayed down, no matter what.

"You have a one-track mind, do you know that?" Nic questioned.

Acnologia smirked. "I see no problem with it."

"And yet you have a problem with Dragon Slayers and Pokémon. I can understand how you feel, but you're taking this way too far."

The comment left Acnologia wide-eyed as he processed Nic's words. "You…understand?" His teeth gritted angrily, Magic Power starting to pulse invisibly to make his cloak shift. "You understand?! What do you know about vendettas?! What kinds of enemies could you possibly make that doesn't make your heart puke?!"

Nic's glare narrowed further. "There was only one other, someone even you know and feared. Lysandre, what he did was beyond perilous."

"Grrrr! Can it!" Acnologia thrust his right arm forward, instantly making Nic and Erza react to the explosion that erupted beneath them. The two separated as the eruption's blue blaze cast Nic to Acnologia's right side, where all his attention was. "What you two had is nothing now! He isn't here, so I don't see how I should be afraid of a Pokémon creature who isn't alive anymore!"

"So that's history now, but don't you see?!" Nic snapped. "There are worse games to play at worse times against much worse people! Why take it so far as to kill anyone else when you only want me?!"

Acnologia's brow raised with his ensuing spite. "Are you talking about that Dragon Slayer woman?" His eyes squinted, sharpening. "She got in my way. Anything, and anyone; I'll destroy whatever I see fit to reach my goal. That is the meaning of a vendetta. That is how shriveled the code of conduct for this world is!" He slammed his hand against the cracked porched cement, summoning more of his draconic might from beneath Nic's feet. A large explosion went bolting upwards again, making shockwaves pulse with even greater impact than before. The ones launched were so massive that the nearby trees shriveled and some branches snapped off.

Erza grunted as she was carried along the ground, sliding away with her armor taking most of the blast. She fell back, thudding hard and looking back as the explosion subsided.

In place of Nic, there was a bottomless hole from the might Acnologia had unleashed. It seemed apparent, but Acnologia wasn't that dumb. He looked up, realizing Nic was in the air and dodged.

His body was in its Draco Form, having dodged the attack with a swift flap of the wings. Without nay or say, Nic's mouth began to flare multiple colors. He opened and unleashed a searing Dragon Pulse attack, one that made its wings stretch out as the head snaked down towards Acnologia.

Before it got too close, however, Acnologia zipped backwards, sliding away as Dragon Pulse missed. A multicolored explosion pulsated everywhere, blinding everything and making dust flare about haphazardly. Once again, the shockwaves created from the blast made Erza cover up, holding her ground to the best of her abilities.

Once the dust cleared, the dust cleared, revealing Nic on a knee in the spot where he struck before with his head down. "Don't think I'm dumb either." He snarled.

The questioning made Acnologia go silent.

Nic raised his head, glaring draconic daggers into the elder human. "I know what it's like to have people in your way. They're always keeping themselves intentionally between you and what you want. That's part of what a vendetta is. But…" He slowly arose off the ground, standing back up. "That doesn't make it okay to go and bring others before the probable cause. You killed Erza's mother when it was something to have been settled by us."

Once again, Acnologia craned his head and frowned as winds shifted his huge head of hair. "You fool. Unless you're mistaken, we three stood in each other's way once before, am I right? All I did was finish what we had started. Isn't that how you play it?"

Nic wasn't so keen on Acnologia using psychology on him, but he was right. Like Acnologia, Nic always tries to finish his battles if reasoning fitted the bill, but alas Acnologia beat him to it. It was more of a two-sided venture that met at the end. It didn't matter how it gets done as long as it's carried out in the end. That's the kind of guy Acnologia was. He will do anything to rid of anything standing in his way.

"I had a goal that is still to be reached, and that is the destruction of all dragons and Dragon Slayers on this planet. That is…until the biggest obstacle came and stood before me. You and Pokémon impeded with me…working with dragons to give me these wretched scars on my body. Such lowly tactics, such obscenity…" His glare only hardened, his fangs showing no remorse as he looked to be craving blood. "How is that any different?! It isn't! I'm dealing with what obstructions stand in my way first. I'll get that rid of, and see the dragon's era end see its conclusion at last! Don't get it?!" He held up his right hand, the fingers twitching with veins throbbing. "You and I, all these paths we share. All these things we say, they all intertwine. They all intersect and never agree, even though it may seem that way. I won't let such dribble stop me from what I must do!"

Nic glowed, shifting into his Icicle Form. All around him, icy streams of energy swirled in a helix, making the temperature drop. "And what is that?!" He demanded.

Acnologia matched with a helix of his own. The land shuddered as his own helix of draconic might encompassed him. "Destruction of dragons and Pokémon! And anything related to them!"

The helix of energy swirling around Nic began to alter, twisting into his mouth. As Nic had his mouth open, he glared icy gazes as a snowy, icy blue aura surrounded him. All the ice gathering made frost that combined with the energy that swirled into his throat. As he yelled, the temperature rapidly dropped to where the hardwood beneath him began to frost over.

Acnologia copied the exact same thing. He opened his mouth and swallowed in swirling amounts of air.

Once charged up, the contenders unleashed their attacks.

" **Sheer Cold!** "

"HRAH!"

From Nic's mouth, a heinous blue beam of compressed absolute zero pulsated across the ground. It had sparkles pulsing in all directions and pillars of ice shot up beneath, racing beneath and reaching outwards towards Acnologia. The Dragon King in return opened his mouth and unleashed a voluminous amount of blue energy like a high-powered laser.

When both attacks met in the dead center, they connected, only to implode and erupt skywards. A gigantic pillar of roaring intensity and of cold temperatures went everywhere. The land shuddered madly and shockwave of frost and wind went out in a ring. It went so far in all directions that it went right over Magnolia, for any and all to see.

The quaking of the ground caught Sophie's attention, her shock rising. "What is this shaking?!" She looked up, eyes widening as she saw the dissipating pillar of icy roaring in the sky nearby. "What is that light?"

Cana walked beside her father, staring up at the pillar that made nearby clouds instantly evaporate. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yeah, it is…" The middle-aged man glared at the hillside as it shook haphazardly. He saw the many trees being blown away while some fell over and turned to frost. Even his very spine crawled with the chill that passed over. "…I guess Acnologia and Nic are really going at it now."

Still in the city, Vanessa looked up, unsound as the maleficence she felt made her spine and midsection stiff. Recognizing the intense levels, she looked concerned as the pillar dissipated completely.

Without say, she began to dart for the same direction Arbok went in. She hurried along, darting against any odds that could impede her. She knew she had to do something. Though startled herself, Mawile followed her Trainer into the opposite direction where they should be running – to her that is. The Steel/Fairy-type groaned as he slacked behind.

Back on top of the hill, mist and dust swirled in a small storm. The roaring of the two attacks subsided, and as some of the residue diminished, it revealed the nearby trees were slanted and uprooted. They were completely covered in ice and frost, and the grass and nearby battlefield was covered by frost.

"Gnnngh…" As mist cleared, it revealed Erza, having gone and using her Armadura Aggron Armor as a defense. However, it had a price to pay. The armor's significant damage stockpiled from its previous uses, and this time it was hindered drastically. Bits were already blown off, especially the gauntlets, the headpiece, and the shin guards. As she uncovered, her armor completely faded away, turning to her Heart Kreuz Armor again. When she looked back, she had a shocked expression.

"Did their attacks cancel out?" She gasped.

Nic was in front of a large field of mist that shielded him from Acnologia's view. Around him, everything was layered in frost; debris in the circumference around him in solid ice. He remained steadfast as he awaited for what other move was to be made.

After a long silence, a growl was heard. The churning of the throat sent a chill down Nic and Erza's spines, both stiff as boards as the growling escalated. From the way it sounded, it was large.

From above the mist, a long, scaly tail with a stinger-like end began to arch out of the dissipating cloud. The growl returned, as did the unveiling of a pair of wings; one side chipped of many of its scales.

A growing shadow cast over Nic as he glared up calmly. He knew this would come, but he honestly wasn't ready for it. Then again, he wasn't ready for anything to begin with. His glare only hardened as two beady eyes were glowing with a dark silhouette mounting over Nic's head, rising upwards over the fading mist.

Erza was rendered paralyzed with sheer disbelief. "Is that…?"

A large mouth opened, roaring down at Nic's face. A hot breath made his icy clothing shift, yet the mist he still gave off remained from his cold skin. Even then, he remained calm, despite the ringing in his ears.

"…so this is how far you're going to go." Nic evaluated.

Acnologia – revealed in his dragon form – bared his teeth as his one arm held him up like a giant. Once more, his snarl made the land shudder.

Erza was feeling a very deadly sensation crawl up her spine. As she stared at Acnologia, there was something different about him, and not in a good way. The way he was snarling at Nic; the way he was giving off Magic Power; it was something she never felt before.

Usually she showed dilated shock like anyone else could, but she was so startled by this sensation over her that her eyes were hazy just from the Magic Power alone. "His power…it's on a completely different level compared to Tenrou Island…"

" **I've been training this past year, just to eliminate the likes of you.** " Acnologia warned, reeling his arm back as it seared with translucent draconic prowess. " **And now I shall use every bit of it to destroy you!** "

Nic grunted as he braced for what Acnologia was about to do. Before he acted on the whim, however, an icy explosion happened on the back of Acnologia's head, causing the dragon to flinch in pain. Nic stopped in his own tracks, looking up in winder at what the cause was.

Acnologia's concentration lifted as he grunted from the surprise attack. He swayed his head a little as the mist cleared, revealing a purple snake hoisting itself on the back horns, icy fangs snapped down onto the scales.

Nic's eyes lit up. "Arbok!"

The Poison-type retracted his Ice Fang, letting go and hissed back at his Trainer.

"Arbok?!" Erza gasped.

Acnologia swayed his head viciously left and right, unable to get the cold feeling off his head. " **What's going on?!** " He swayed left and right, but he felt some sort of drag every time he swayed away. When he went and bobbed up, Arbok made his move and went up the snout, climbing into the atmosphere like a professional gymnast is able to. As Acnologia's head lowered, he watched Arbok somersault downwards like a wheel and land in a single coil, which anchored his impact and the ground shuddered from his landing. A dust ripple went past everyone's feet, the serpent standing in front of his Trainer, facing Acnologia.

Nic uncovered, looking at Arbok with surprise. "Arbok, you made it."

"I'm sssorry for worrying you dearly, Nic-sssama." Arbok apologized.

"It's fine." Getting over his initial shock, he took notice of the foreign wound beneath Arbok's hood. "Arbok…"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Arbok tensed up as his slithery form took a new position as Acnologia growled down at him. "Thisss guy isss the problem."

Redoubling his efforts, Nic clutched his fists and looked back at Acnologia. He almost digressed, but thankfully stayed on topic. "Right, my thoughts exactly."

Acnologia glared down at Arbok, looking at him with his beady eyes reflecting the serpent. " **This too is a Pokémon. This one being of the many responsible for what was impossible…** " He raised his claw again, readying to strike. " **I'll crush you!** " He swatted his arm at Arbok from the side, closing in quick.

"On your guard, guys!" Erza warned.

"Right! Arbok, go!" Nic commanded.

Arbok knew of the many protocols that could've been meant by that. He would've jumped, but instead he coiled up, his body encompassed in a red aura. The looks on Nic and Erza's faces were both same, brimming with wonder.

"What's that?" Erza questioned.

Nic's eyes widened in surprise. _'A new move?'_ Upon seeing the coils, he knew what it must've been. _'Coil?'_

Just as the Coil faded, Arbok swerved and tucked into the crevice that was the opening between claws. Arbok slipped right through, while the shockwaves from the swipe went outwards. Nic and Erza covered up as frosted ground and dust went past them, again making the ground shudder.

As winds dialed down, Nic looked back, still using his arms to shield him. "Arbok, **Gunk Shot!** "

"Asss you wish!" Finding ground, Arbok stayed upright as Acnologia retracted his claw. The Dragon King looked down at Arbok as he opened his mouth, a silver ball of swirling energy compressing into it. The air became thin for a few seconds as a great pressure built into the attack. The speckles faded, revealing a large garbage bag in purple outlining. As Arbok glared at Acnologia, his accuracy sharpened onto Acnologia's face.

" **What's this?** "

Acnologia's inquiry was met with Arbok bringing his head back and then forward. At that moment, a purple gust exerted from Arbok and the ground shuddered constantly as Gunk Shot was launched at a great speed. The attack zoomed on, but at the last second, Acnologia turned away to evade the Poison-type attack. He looked up, watching as Gunk Shot went on, brightening into a purple shockwave across the sky over his head.

When he looked down, he was met with an Ice Beam attack. The move shot directly in his face, causing an icy explosion that made his body recoil with a loud roar.

The attack revealed to have been Nic, whose mouth misted still, but dissipated with a quick huff. "No time for rest! Hit him with everything you've got!"

Acnologia looked back down at Nic, his glare hardening on him. " **Why you…** "

A hand reached out towards the fray. "Mega Mawile, **Play Rough!** "

A figure passed over Nic's head, lunging at Acnologia with everyone showing shock as a Mega Mawile went yelling out as she closed in on Acnologia. Acnologia snarled at the incoming oppressor as she went for the neck.

"How's about a time out for you!" Mega Mawile punched forward, only to be intercepted by Acnologia's claw. The two attacks made the airspace shriek as their difference in forces was realized.

The Dragon King followed through with his thrust, managing to repulse Mega Mawile. " **Nice try! But I won't let my guard down to you Pokémon again!** "

Mega Mawile landed on the ground in front of Nic and Arbok, sparking shock from the former. "Mega Mawile…?"

She glanced back, smirking. "Care enough for my grand surprise?"

"Then that means…" He slowly turned around, seeing Vanessa present in the distance away. His eyes widened in sheer surprise. "Vanessa!"

"Are you okay, Nic?" Vanessa called out. She looked back at Acnologia, realizing where he's standing, making her gasp. "Your house…"

"Forget about that!" Erza chided. She requipped, transforming into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. "Stand your ground! He's more weary of us than before now that he knows Pokémon moves can affect him!"

Acnologia looked towards Vanessa, staring into her with his beady white eyes. " **You have a familiar scent as Nic…** "

Unwilling to have his sister be bait, Nic glared up to Acnologia. "Don't forget us so soon! **Icy Wind!** " Diverting his attention back towards him, Nic's mouth glowed as he unleashed a sparkling blue blast of cold wind that reached up towards Acnologia. The attack struck the dragon's neck, making a burst of blue sparkles flare and Acnologia raising his head in grunting retort.

"We'll make an interference! Vanessa! Erza! You both concentrate on one spot!" Nic shouted.

"Understood!" Erza nodded. "Come on, Vanessa!"

"Right!" The Pularis sibling followed Erza as the two rendezvoused at the halfway point. Together, with Erza floating and Vanessa running alongside her, the two girls went beaming ahead for Nic.

Acnologia glared down at Nic, showing great anger. He opened his mouth, exerting a hot breath once more. The shockwave from his roar made Mega Mawile, Arbok, and Nic all barely hang on. Together, they looked up and glared Acnologia dead in the eye.

"You want me, then come get us both!" Nic reached out. "Arbok, **Ice Fang!** " At his command, Arbok created his Ice Fang attack, blue aura fangs and icicle teeth jutting out and hissed loudly as he went slithering ahead.

Mega Mawile's two huge jaws shimmered in glistening iron, in which she two went spring ahead with. " **Iron Head!** "

As both Pokémon ran an interference, Acnologia reeled his head up, only to bring it down again. He roared again as he dove for Arbok and Mega Mawile. As he drew closer, both serpent and Mega-Evolved creature stopped in their tracks and pounced away. They dodged Acnologia's snout connecting with the earth, making it shudder with dust acting as cover.

With cover created, Nic clutched a fist. He glowed and shifting into his Stone Form as he pulled back and struck the ground with a huff. At his will, column upon column of smooth rock jutted up from the earth, making a staircase.

Nic stayed on the ground in a crouched position as Erza and Vanessa passed him, both using the large columns he created to jump up to and from to gain higher ground. Erza soared up while the younger woman hopped with gusto.

Once at the last pillar, Vanessa took a powerful leap to meet Erza's height, the two in midair at a position above Acnologia.

"Erza, ready?"

"Yes, let's do it!"

As Erza summoned dozens upon pairs of blades from her armory, Vanessa crossed her arms and swung them towards Acnologia. Before Acnologia had time to look up, the attack raid had begun.

" **Blumenblatt!** "

" **Lustrous Spire!** "

A helix of teal aura surrounded Vanessa and went skyward. Upon reaching a critical point, the several beams met in the middle, where they became a bright blue flash. The flashy teal of aura erupted hundreds of small teal comets that went shooting down for Acnologia in conjunction with the many swords that rained down from Erza's call. As the attacks went bolting down, some of the teal comets combined with the swords, enhancing their power to a greater.

Acnologia looked up, only to get blasted in the face by a barrage of teal comets that exploded in his face over and over with swords in conjunction. The dragon screamed as he was enveloped in a maelstrom of teal and swords, which became a bright light from far away.

Sophie watched from afar, her eyes widening as she recognized the teal color. "Is that…?

All of them landed beside one another, with Nic in the center, the girls on his sides, and Mega Mawile and Arbok standing in front of them. The teal flare-like energy remaining left them wondrous, but they were certain to have done some damage.

"How do you like that?" Mega Mawile taunted.

Inside the smoke and teal energy, a low growl was heard. It seemed to have worked…until a mouth inside opened. They all then heard a very bizarre sound, one that they recognized all too well. The sound of slurping.

Vanessa's ears twitched. "Do you guys hear that?"

"Yeah, but what is it?" Erza questioned.

As the slurping sound was heard, Nic watched in vivid horror as the energy from the explosion began to minimize into something. It all began to suck into a large mouth, much to his horror. "Don't tell me…"

"Eating magic?!" Mega Mawile gasped.

Arbok hunched over, staying on guard and hissing.

The slurping sound got louder if not longer, as the teal explosions and the fractured sword remnants all began to flow into Acnologia's mouth. They all gathered inside, and as every bit was swallowed in, the Dragon King gulped, exerting a sighing breath.

"Did he really just ate that magic?!" Mega Mawile exclaimed.

"Yeah, he did." Vanessa wearily answered.

"What's his element then?" Erza inquired.

Acnologia raised his massive head, tilting it down to look at Erza. " **Element?** " He repeated. " **Element? What nonsense. I have no such thing.** " Beneath, everyone began to feel the land shudder as the Dragon King fixed his position to tower over them with a menacing stature once more. " **I am the last dragon, he who is the Dragon of all Magic! I am the Dragon of Magic: Acnologia!** " His roar bellowed in all directions, pulsating everywhere as the energy in the air grew to even higher levels of perilous dread.

Erza stood dumbfounded as Acnologia's roar made her heart skip beats. "You mean…" She thought back to the battle on Tenrou Island, realizing that their attacks didn't leave a single scratch. "All this time…" She thought of Igneel's roar and how it did nothing. "All magic is ineffective?"

"No way…" Vanessa murmured.

Nic's eyes narrowed, mentally cursing himself of the inability to see the strength the dragon had.

" **Now DIE!** " Acnologia pulled his right arm back one more time, cloaking it in translucent Dragon Slayer Magic. With all his fangs showing, he roared aloud as he went to attack the five. As he closed in, Erza and Vanessa gasped as the attack drew closer.

"Crap!" Mega Mawile gasped.

Nic stood paralyzed in utter shock. All he could do at the moment as time slowed down was he had to think fast. He could see Acnologia's face written with rage and anger inside, and at the same time he couldn't bring himself to shield forever. He had to act now or never.

Something – just something – flipped off in his head. It may not have been the best idea, but if it was to ensure Magnolia's safety, as well as Erza and Vanessa's, then it had to work. A solemn roar could very well destroy the entire town if not careful, so there was one option he knew where they could corner him.

Quickly glowing and turning to his default form, Nic stomped on the ground as a yellow aura enveloped him. The dust around him swirled around as his powers began to charge up quickly. He grunted loudly as he was gathering prowess that caught Acnologia again off guard.

" **Huh?** "

Nic began to float off the ground and grit his teeth harder than before. He glared up at Acnologia as he began to expel a spiraling energy that began to expand, becoming more of an aura that radiated purple with yellow shimmering.

"Nic! What are you doing?!" Vanessa shouted.

"Don't do anything reckless!" Erza warned, however Nic was hearing none of it as winds shifted from all around.

"If we don't act fast, he'll destroy Magnolia! We have to get him far away from here as possible…even if it means dragging me elsewhere!"

Erza's eyes snapped wide open. "What are you-!"

Acnologia angrily reached down to attack Nic with his glowing claws still. " **BAH! Who says I'm going anywhere you little punk!** "

"Says me!" With a loud grunt, Nic went lunging ahead, shooting with gusto in a long arch with the attack he created surging like a meteor. The force was enough to make Erza and Vanessa alike fall backwards with loud grunts. Nic went flying past the thrust, arching straight into Acnologia's chest.

" **Giga Impact!** "

Nic screamed loudly as he smashed into Acnologia's chest with all he had. The impact was grand, and the air space shuddered like it was an earthquake. Acnologia roared as the pierce blow knocked the wind out of him, making him gag as the dragon was starting to get shoved back every few feet or so. The dragons skid across the debris that was once their house, toilet paper and other materials also shoved out of the way as the Dragon King was losing ground.

As Nic kept pushing with all his might, he yelled aloud, and distorted sparkles began to open behind Acnologia. A spatial portal opened, in which Acnologia was being forced into.

" **What?!** "

"You can't!" Vanessa cried out.

"Don't do it! We can still do this!" Erza pleaded.

"No! I won't let you guys go down by this maniac! If what he and I have is really that personal, then so be it! We'll finish this vendetta somewhere away from Magnolia!"

Erza gasped at Nic's expense.

"I won't let anyone fall before me this time. Master was more than enough for me, and besides…" Thoughts of Natsu and Gray flushed into his head, and then the malicious smirk of Zeref following. "There's still Zeref, so make sure there's a place for us to come back to when this is all over, Erza!"

For the umpteenth time, Erza was feeling pain flare inside. She was very aware of what Acnologia was after, but Zeref had completely slipped her mind. Acnologia alone was an issue, but then there was Zeref. The matter was messing with her bad, but all she did was stare at him dumbfounded.

"Let's finish this, Acnologia!" Nic yelled louder as he pushed with all his might. Giga Impact darted harder than before, making Acnologia lurch out in vicious retort. The Dragon King grunted as he was being shoved into what looked like the image of another sky with radiating blue. Already, he could feel the energy from said world leak onto his back. It tingled oddly.

' _ **This feeling…**_ _'_

Nic roared out as he finally followed through with Giga Impact. The blow made Acnologia falter backwards into the massive portal, his large structure making a 'whoosh' sound flow from his mighty wake.

As Arbok saw his Trainer falling into the portal he created, he saw his Giga Impact move fade away, and like Acnologia, Nic found himself losing momentum. "Nic-sssama…!" In a swift spur, he went hurrying, slithering up and along towards the portal.

"Wha-?! Where are you going?!" Mega Mawile exclaimed. "Has everyone gone mental?!"

Arbok and Nic both fell into the portal, both falling like Acnologia as the portal began to close behind them. As time slowed down, Nic grunted as his body had a few bruises on it, but his eyes opened to look back at Erza, a serious look on his face.

"Nic…"

"Wait for me!" With that last sentence, the portal closed, leaving a sparkly flash that dissipated. Erza, Vanessa, and Mega Mawile all stared at the dissipating sparkles, their senses completely lost as they once again found themselves without again. This time, he made sure to keep them safe, but was this fair.

Vanessa slowly turned towards Erza, showing concern. "Erza…"

Erza's body was shuddering, her shoulders going up and down. Her eyes shut and her head hung to the ground. She looked troubled, and no one could blame her. Nic was once again in a fight of his life, and even though she helped him before, she felt stressed again she couldn't be of any help. Even if it was against Acnologia, she knew better than to question such a thing. Her magic would only backfire on Nic, and that was the last thing she wanted to be right now; a hindrance.

"Nic…you better come back." She growled. "Back home."

Mega Mawile glowed and a rainbow energy cast over her, reverting her to Mawile again. She looked back ahead, a hand to the side of her face. "Speaking of home…" That was the thing where Mawile was going with the subject, for what was before them was anything but a home. "Did you guys get insurance?"

"Mawile, no." Vanessa chided.

* * *

It all happened so fast that none of them were prepared. They thought for sure Nic transported them into the sky somewhere, right? Though in a way, they were half-right. They were in the sky…just above a ledge to the side of a mountain.

Acnologia fell backwards and slammed his back on the ledge, instantly making the land shudder and the cliff itself to come apart beneath his wake. Along with his body sundering down the mountainside, Nic and Arbok weren't fall behind. They both grunted harshly as their bodies struck the slanted ground. Both were hit on their sides, but only that much before Nic acted.

Barely getting foothold, he got a sandal beneath and slid along the cliffside while Acnologia fell below. Beside him, Arbok leaned back to get traction, and Nic took a leap and hopped on his back, riding him down like a sled down a snowy hill, only with dirt.

"Steady, Arbok!" Nic ordered with gusto as Arbok leaned forward just a little. When the serpent reached a reasonable momentum, he jumped from the ledge, soaring into midair towards the woods down below. They've trained for this before, only it wasn't as dire as intended. On some days, they always did go to nearby mountains and raced down towards the bottom, then that's where Arbok let loose Earthquake and would make stepping stones to see who could go the farthest length into the open without too much collateral damage. That's exactly what they did. Riding on Arbok, Nic held on as the serpent flung himself onto a fellow flying rock from Acnologia's fall and sprung from one to another, making their length and reach for the trees down below more manageable.

Acnologia had a hard landing, falling back-first into the ground and creating a large shockwave to run through the earth. Winds and trees alike went everywhere beneath, if not crushed by him. The shockwaves reached Nic and Arbok as they descended, the rocks they stepped on shattered and turned to pebbles, and they too were caught flying wayward. Their fall into the trees then was more cumbersome as they went straight through the thin canopy, both hitting branches and slumping until they fell into the bushes beneath, cushioning their falls.

WHAM!

The next moment they knew, both were sprawled in the grass, their visions all black and their ears ringing. They couldn't hear the sound of rocks crunching nor could they hear grass rustling. It was all a mind game they could not seem to process until minutes have passed.

Nic groaned weakly as he used his forearms to get up in plank position. "Arbok, are you okay?" He asked. Opening and eye, he turned towards his serpentine companion. "Arbok?"

A strained hiss came from the snake's mouth, the tongue flicking in and out and the Poison-type opened his eyes again. "(Huh? Nic-sssama?)"

"Yeah, it's me." He looked in another direction, evaluating how some of the destruction of Acnologia's fall. "Looks like we're alone out here."

"(Looksss to be that way.)"

Both serpent and Trainer slowly got up, recovering from their fall and looked around, seeing as how they landed in a desolate forest. They noticed the cliffside was almost completely deformed from Acnologia's crash landing,

"(Nic-sssama, where are we?)" Arbok inquired.

Nic looked towards the mountains as well, giving a weary gaze. "I didn't have a specific direction in mind, but if I had to guess…the first that appeared was southeast Kalos." He answered.

"(Isss it uninhabited?)"

"Yeah, that's what I am imagining. From what I learned of Kalos' geography, we're far east from Kiloude City. We're in the mountainous region so it shouldn't be too likely for us to be anywhere near the cities." Nic of course caught something off. "Arbok?"

The serpent hissed.

"Pardon my candor, but I'm a little surprised myself. I didn't peg you to question me." Nic knew Arbok _never_ questioned him. In fact, the cobra was always the most obedient of the group he had, and follows without delay. Seeing Arbok so uneased, it made him wonder exactly just what happened. Whatever it was it left a very…interesting impression per se.

Arbok bowed his head. "(My apologiesss, Nic-sssama.)"

Nic shook his head. "It's fine. Are you alright?"

"(Of courssse…Nic-sssama?)"

"Yes, Arbok?"

Arbok looked to be hesitant once more – a trait Nic didn't see too often in the cobra. He kept quiet as the serpent spoke aloud. "(Would it be alright if I addressssed you asss…Nic?)"

Once again, Nic was rendered speechless, though his outer expression showed a frown of shock. He definitely wanted to know what happened now, but he knew then to interrogate Arbok. He'll have answers soon, but the moral of the point left him awfully…intrigued by the change. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate Arbok's personality, no, far from it. But seeing him loosen up in a more comfortable manner is rather calm…in a way.

He grinned back. "Of course. I never told you to address me as anything before."

The serpent hissed once again. Before he had a chance to speak, the ground shuddered as the land beckoned with a deep, menacing growl. A deep, draconic growl went seeping through the ground. They knew better than to forget what happened.

Instantly, they turned towards the disturbing sound's resonance, where a pair of black wings slowly untucked and spread out. Slowly, even as the ground shuddered, Acnologia arose from nearby, the rocks that he was under falling over. As rocks crumbled at his feet, the black dragon looked down, seeing Nic and Arbok both in the small opening of trees just ahead of him.

"Arbok, stay on guard!" Nic warned.

Acnologia snarled down, his beady white eyes glaring searing daggers at Nic. " **What did you do?** " He growled. " **Where are we? Speak.** "

Nic took up a cautious stance, looking ready to strike if and when possible. "I pushed you into my world, Acnologia." He answered.

" **You what?** "

"I can't let you go around either you know. If you want to fight us so bad, we'll do it here. This is a more preferred spot, wouldn't you agree? No one will get in our way, just as you wanted." His eyes narrowed, sharpening with disgust. "This may very well be the most reasonable option. Now, I hope you're set with what you asked for."

Acnologia looked surprised still. As Nic spoke, he raised his head, withdrawing and looking around at the scenery around him. He turned left and right, looking far and wide at the many different mountain ranges and forest terrains. His gaping mouth looked like it truly was gaping. As he looked around, he was nothing less than that of a child.

Sight. Sound. Feeling. Taste. Touch. All of his senses were taking in everything. There was something…bewitching that he felt. When he looked down at Nic, he continued to show the same level of shock.

" **This…is your planet?** " His tone was broken, something Nic caught note of.

"Yes." Though formal, the way Acnologia looked at him wasn't the usual look he was normally given. Acnologia would've been trying to crush him by now, but the way he leered at him like a sociopath, it was unsound logic.

Acnologia's breathing became erratic, his chest going in and out as heaping breaths of anxiety flourished. As he labored in breathing, his breath hitched into chuckles, which turned to laughter. Said laughter was maniacal, and made Nic take a step back. At last, Acnologia broke down on a loud laughter of insanity, roaring up to the skies

This only served Nic to narrow his vision more in skepticism.

" **So** _ **this**_ **is your world! So** _ **this**_ **is the planet in which you pests thrived!** " Acnologia spoke with such a passion, looking up towards the sky. " **This is what your sky is like, and this is how the land feels! This is the scent of your land! And this power…this very essence that I am smelling! It's…it's so…vibrant…** " In his own sanity breaking, the dragon looked around, staring at the distant Pidgey and Fletching that were fluttering away from afar. As they stretched afar, he glared with a passion. " **…and those are more of what Pokémon are…** "

Arbok glanced at his Trainer. "(Nic…)"

"Acnologia, what's wrong?" He bellowed.

However, Acnologia wasn't listening. He looked at Nic with gaping breaths, but the way he looked at him was like looking at a foreign object. His head lurched down slowly, rumbling a little before roaring into the skies. Shockwaves went all throughout the air, rippling outwards and making vast winds that made the entire forest shudder. The Pokémon that were inhabiting the faraway residence stopped what they were doing and froze at the disturbing sound. This who weren't stunned in fear turned towards the sound, their eyes widening with ears trembling from the menacing growl.

Nic could've sworn his ears were splitting apart, but he didn't cover them. He just stared wide-eyed at Acnologia and saw him bellowing out the anguish cry of revolution. The Dragon King's bellow eventually subsided, revealing the dragon himself hunching over and glaring down Nic.

" **A new world. A world in which I found at last! A WORLD OF DESTRUCTION TO COME!** " Without any warning, Acnologia flapped his wings, sending another wave throughout the forest. Nic and Arbok stared in shock as the dragon began to take flight within the maelstrom he created.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Nic shouted to the dragon.

Acnologia arose into the air, taking off to confines unknown. " **A world of indulgence. A world of loathing pests. A world…I shall take!** " With no holding back, Acnologia turned away from Nic, taking off with a startled Nic on the ground.

"YOU FIEND!WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! TELL ME!" He bellowed.

" **Destruction! Pokémon…DESTRUCTION~!** " The black dragon soared into the skies, taking off northwest over the mountains, leaving the sound of a fighter jet to reverberate through the skies.

Nic stared in complete shock. He didn't know what was happening exactly, but what he did know was that it was a mess he had to fix. "This is drastic. We've gotta catch up and stop him!"

"(Asss you wish.)" Arbok bowed.

Nic pulled out a Poke Ball and pointed it at Arbok. "Arbok, return for now!" Without say, he recalled the Poison-type back into his Poke Ball for a small rest. He pulled out another Poke Ball, and tossed it with a swipe of his arm. "Garchomp, go!"

The Poke Ball opened, and out came the Mach Pokémon in midair. He craned his head around, unleashing a harsh bellow that churned spines, just like Acnologia. The airspace shuddered briefly, but Nic was unfazed as he darted on over.

Nic jumped up, hoisting himself onto Garchomp's back. With himself settled and hanging onto Garchomp's fin, Nic turned his head and frowned at the fleeing dragon. "After him." He sneered.

Without say, Garchomp turned his body and went gliding up towards the direction where Acnologia went at Mach speed. A ripple exerted from his path, nearby branches breaking apart and shattering as he took off with a loud roar.

As they soared at fighter jet speeds, Nic's attire shifted madly as he held onto Garchomp, following the sociopath dragon. "Acnologia!"

Acnologia roared in ecstasy as he soared across the sky, heading to regions unknown with Nic hot on his tail.

* * *

In the unknown reaches of Kalos, the leaves rustled, and the winds shifted so that it wasn't so warm anymore. Instead, it was more chilled.

"Brrr!" A teenager rubbed his arms, taking a deep breath as the cold wind passed him. "Who turned off the sun rays?"

"Beats me, must be because we're so high up I guess." His companion said, looking left and right. "Man, are you getting this view?"

"I _would_ if you gave me my tablet."

"Oh, sorry." He reached into the nearby sack, handing him a tablet. "Here you go."

The two teenagers were revealed to have been fellow Pokémon Trainers Jake and Will. The two Trainers traveled around about still, and even after getting their badges, they still felt like doing some training. For the time being, the two friends were taking a small detour away from Kiloude City to see if they could find any Pokémon to catch, let alone battle for the experience. Despite setbacks here and there, they still managed to get a good view out of the two-day hike.

Jake looked through the camera function of his tablet, getting a full-scale view of the terrain. "Man, this isn't too bad." He said, standing close to the edge.

"I know what you mean." Will smirked as he nodded at his tablet, holding it in another tablet. From the way he looked, it was all too good for a sincere smirk.

Jake caught wind of his friend's tone and whipped his head towards him. "Are you looking at that subscription again?!" He chided.

On Will's tablet, there was a full-scale image of a fellow model in a blue bikini with wavy brown hair winking at the camera. Flustered, Will turned towards his friend. "Come on, man! I didn't see this week's issue yet!"

"We talked about this! No data usage unless it's absolutely necessary!" Jake shouted. "We'll be charged an extra 1,500 before this month's over again because of you."

Will rolled his eyes away with a long, exasperated groan. "Fine." He acquiesced, swiping the image of the hot woman from his screen, changing to the camera function. "But didn't you wanna peek too?"

"Seriously, if we get billed extra because of you, you're paying for it all. Now make yourself useful and see if you can find any Pokémon out here, will ya?"

Will did not want to pay the whole bill again. He knew what happened last time, and he most certainly did not want to recall the lists of 'materials' on his tablet. He had to buckle down and straighten up a little…just a little. Still, there were other ways to pass the time.

Will scanned his tablet left and right, looking in the far distance thanks to the zoom function. "Anything over there yet?"

Jake's face twisted with distaste. From the looks of it, he wasn't too thrilled. "Nah, all I'm seeing is a bunch of Pidgey, a Dunsparce, a couple of Poliwag down by a pond…nothing that looks high leveled."

"Go get a Poliwag. You said you were looking for something to help against Water-types, right?" Will reasoned.

"Yeah, but only when it has Water Absorb."

"Your loss."

"And you?"

"Nah, just a bunch of Fletchling and Fletchinder flying over…" Will trailed off as he noticed the birds weren't flying in a V-formation like most of them do. They looked scattered, as if running from something. He lowered his tablet, looking up to see them rush over the tree they were beneath.

As the birds flapped, Jake looked up with wonder, the flapping making several leaves flutter beneath. "What the…?" He trailed off as the flock scattered about, stretching far and away from the direction it came from. He turned towards Will with a raised brow. "Okay, what was that about."

"Don't ask me, ask them." Will countered. "Maybe they were panicking because _they_ didn't want to pay for their own phone plan."

"Oh 'ha-ha', very funny." Jake turned towards the direction he looked in, zooming in on the spot. "Hey, wait a second…something's wrong." He scanned left and right, trying to make sure he was in the right spot. "Weren't there a bunch of Pokémon there a second ago? Will?"

"I don't know." He looked at his tablet again, holding it up towards his own direction where the Fletchling and Fletchinder came from. There was this cold feeling running down his spine again as another shrilled wind passed them, this time, however, the wind howled with a growl.

The air temperature dropped, this time with Jake feeling it as well. His eyes widened as they both heard the sound of what could've been mistaken for a jet. "You hear that?" He murmured.

Will grew an uneasy expression. "Hear? I feel it. Something's definitely wrong." He looked ahead, his eyes catching the faint image os something large in the distance. What he saw was of enigmatic shape, his eyes slowly widening as he saw a black terror soaring over the horizon across.

Shakily, Will tapped his friend's shoulder. "J-Ja~ke?"

"What?" He looked to where Will was shakily pointing at, his eyes widening when he heard and saw the dragon roar across the sky. The airspace shuddered, making him feel a great pressure that made his adrenaline skip heartbeats.

"Oh my god." Will muttered. "What is that thing?"

"Is it a Pokémon?" Jake questioned.

Will shook his head. "Not one I've seen before."

Unwilling to let the moment pass up, they came over their shock, realizing they had to get it on footage. Together, they tapped the video function on their tablets, getting a zoomed in image of a blurry dragon roaring a sailing over the mountains.

"Dude, is this live?" Will asked.

Jake slowly nodded "Yeah, I got it. It's all livestream!" He moved his camera towards the direction where the dragon came from, getting a look at another projectile racing across the skies. "Hang on, I'm getting something else!"

"What is it?!" Will moved his tablet slightly to adjust to seeing what was a smaller dragon flying at a gradual speed. From the looks of it, it was giving chase.

"I think that's a Garchomp." Jake said. "But what's on its back?"

Jake and Will both zoomed in, the livestream on the tablet making the vision blurry and then focused inconsistently. When the blurry image faded long enough for them to see the close image of Garchomp and the human riding its back. Suffice to say they looked to be in deep shock.

Both their eyes widened, their faces paling. "Is that-?!"

* * *

On Earth Land, things were equally as bewildering. Aside from Erza and Vanessa in a more fixated position, within Magnolia's South Gate Park, sitting on a bench, many were gathered. The many included Lucy, Happy, Carla, Wendy, and Gray.

As Lucy held Natsu's book in her hands, she looked down at it, and she was sniffling. Though as silent as possible, her sniffling and tears shedding didn't go unnoticed by her peers.

"Lucy?" Happy questioned.

"Hey, what's wrong? Why're you crying?" Gray asked.

"Lucy…?" Wendy trailed off, the blonde starting to shudder as he looked down at Natsu's book some more.

"It's just…" Lucy couldn't find the words to approach nor convey how she felt. All she could do was let her upmost pity rise as she looked towards her friends with tears falling in grief. "Just…why?" She questioned. "Natsu's a person like us, and yet his life is a book…even if he's just a normal boy…just…why…?"

Everyone lowered their heads, frowning in deep grief over Lucy's feelings getting to the overwhelming point.

* * *

"HRAH!" With fury to pack in his fire, Natsu unleashed a blistering Fire Dragon's Iron Fist. The attack met Zeref hard, slugging him across the face and sending him across the guild hall. The blow was instantly recovered as Zeref slid across the ground to a knee. As he looked back up, the crazed look in his eyes was evident.

"That's it…keep it coming, E.N.D." He snickered maliciously, all sanity unchecked as he smiled with Black Arts surrounding him. "I…I will destroy you…destroy me…"

"Hey, Brother, say things right." Natsu demanded.

"Destroy… **E.N.D~!** "

"The name is Natsu!" With his body embedded in searing flames, Natsu expelled a full-scale blast of fire everywhere. The shockwave of fire expanded out, incinerating the nearby broken tables and chairs were reduced to ash. The shockwave reached Zeref, but all he did was smile wider and a shockwave of Black Arts collided.

The two forces intercepted, creating a powerful flash of fire and darkness that erupted in separate directions. Everything around them was reduced to shambles. The destructive blast left the wood even on the walls chipped off.

The steam cleared, revealing Natsu panting profusely as he was exhausting his Magic Power, while Zeref wasn't looking at all hindered. _'Damnit, I'm overdoing it again. How's this guy still kicking?'_

Seeing Natsu's breath labored, Zeref smile beckoned more of a calm. "Well now…" He panted. "E.N.D…Is that all you have?"

Natsu's eyes widened, gasping.

"Too bad! And here I thought you've reached my expectations!" Zeref reached his hand out, unleashing a black, swirling energy that went towards Natsu. The Dragon Slayer was too slow to react as the black energy snaked towards him, socking him from up front with a heavy toll on his body.

"And here I thought you were actually able to destroy me. But I guess it doesn't matter in the end."

Natsu found the energy starting to swirl around him, binding his body with a cold feeling engulfing him. The more the energy trapped him, the more he could feel his life force getting darker. The foul arts was going as far as worm into his skin, making his neck and jawline filled with veins. He struggled, but to no avail as Zeref gave a gleaming glare.

"I'll go back to before all this I'll make it alright again if I just get a hold of Mavis' power. Fairy Heart shall be the key to it all. I shall use its very power of imagination…and make a reset button. The world itself shall be reset." Zeref paused, having his arms out and exemplifying his gratitude over his struggling brother. "Don't you see now? I alone shall fix it all. I shall fix what I have done and make myself mortal once more."

The energy was trying to snatch at his head, but he resisted. "Is that what you're really after?!"

"None shall have to suffer anymore from my misdeeds! You'd be human again! Acnologia would have no power over us!" He smirked again, having his hand out to concentrate his magic on Natsu. The tangles of black this time snatched and poured veins of darkness into him. "…now wouldn't that be a happy ending?"

"But then…what'll happen to us?" Natsu questioned, fighting through the pain.

Zeref smirked at his questioned, but one of mourning. "In all honesty, I thought you'd learn from what Nic did. Does July 7th ring a bell? X791, last year? The day the past was rewritten, and the entire future – even Nic and Lucy – disappeared."

Realizing what he meant, Natsu finally pictured it. A future rewritten, but with no one pictured the way he could have imagined. "No! You can't! No matter what crime you did, we still stuck through!" He winced as the stretchy black material was sticking to his jaws, the veins around his eyes worsened to where his cheeks throbbed.

The Black Wizard didn't bother relishing in his brother's misery. "If Pokémon can travel through time, then so can I. I shall cheat what Dialga did and go through time myself, with Fairy Heart."

Natsu struggled some more, trying what he could to break free. Veins were sprawling all over him, and it wasn't looking so good for him. "Aah…gaaah!"

"You cannot stop me. No one can." Zeref's red eyes narrowed. "This is the end of an era…E.N.D."

A barefoot stepped into the guild hall. "Not if I have a say in the matter."

Zeref looked over his shoulder, him and Natsu alike showing plethora amounts of shock as they saw the one person who was the prime subject needed for absolute dominance. Mavis. "Zeref."

"Mavis…?" Zeref was met with surprise. He knew that Mavis would be arriving at some point, but he was so caught up in his grueling battle with Natsu that he forgot about her in the heat of the moment. His surprise slowly turned into a smirk. "Then preparations…are complete."

"GNNNNNGH!" Natsu suddenly ignited in a huge volume of fire, the black whirl around him sucking his life force staring to rapidly heat up. The sheer intensity of the flames was beginning to catch them on fire, incinerating the Black Arts around Natsu, much to Mavis and Zeref's disbelief.

In a harsh burst of fire, the black energy around Natsu faded, dialing down to where it was but a medium-sized inferno casing him. The heat he gave off was tremendous. It left Zeref and Mavis both sweating.

"Get back first." He snarled, but his fangs were more prominent, yet something seemed off. His arms had red chipped scales, and on his forehead and around his eyes, there were red scales. As he glared at Zeref, his eyes were notably of yellow feral slits, similar to a rampaging dragon.

He smirked. "I'm really fired up now."

Still partially in shock, Zeref smiled, seeing this in person. "So this…is your Dragon Force."

* * *

Lucy wiped away the tears that stained her eyes. Though it has been several minutes, she just couldn't help it.

"Take it easy." Gray advised. "Everything's going to be okay."

Lucy turned towards Gray, showing sadness still. "But Gray…"

"Yeah?" The way Lucy looked at him, he could see the bitter desperation she had. This was beyond desperate even. It rendered him silent.

"Please, you won't destroy this book anymore, right?"

The question caught Gray off guard. Though admittedly to himself looking at it did still harbor some minor vengeance, that part wasn't nearly anywhere close to what he felt before Nic stopped him and E.N.D alike. In guilt, Gray gave her a mournful look. "No, I won't. That's Natsu's life. Not E.N.D."

Wendy looked down at the ground, trying to figure out the situation. "So what do we do?"

"I don't know." Carla said.

"I do."

Lucy and everyone looked down at the culprit who proposed an idea. To their immense shock, Happy had a solid expression. They all stayed toned down as the Exceed continued.

"What do you say…we open that book?"

Wendy went wide-eyed. "Eh?"

"You're seriously thinking of violating something like this, do you?! You don't even know what's in there!" Carla protested.

Happy turned towards her, giving her a face that he hardly gave her. It was one of serious demeanor, which rendered the white Exceed silent. "Maybe not, but it's the only way we may have a shot at helping Natsu from here."

Lucy looked down at the damaged book, her eyes narrowed as she stared at the damaged context. She looked to be muddling over what Happy said, and what he proposed left her to be staring in meek pondering.

Gray noticed Lucy's hesitation. "Lucy…" He turned down, staring at his scraped knees. _'Should I tell them about Zeref's grand plan?'_

Lucy's stare at the book didn't waver for a second longer. Her brown orbs grew resolute. It appeared she made up her mind.

"Let's do it."

Everyone looked at her and silently agreed. The anticipation was weakly boiling as Lucy's stare into Natsu's book did not deter. She was going through with it. Everyone stayed sharp and weary as leaves rustled and winds picked up overhead. Leaves and foliage was picked up and carried in the breeze.

As their hair shifted, Lucy took a big gulp. She was nervous, and she had every right to be. Cautiously, she reached for the hard cover, very carefully turning over the context. Upon opening the cover, it had a single line of ancient dialect and a black smudge right beneath. That was all they saw before a light shimmered from out of the book.

Lucy gasped as the pages of the book glowed, radiating such magic that left everyone speechless. Nobody said anything as the light only glistened.

Slowly, from the context, words began to flow out of the book. They went in all directions, swirling in a mess that went from sentence to sentence. Words coming to life and free from its pages.

"Those characters…!" Gray was cut off from shock.

"They're flowing out of the book!" Happy exclaimed.

"There's so many!" Wendy exclaimed.

"They look endless…" Carla was also cut off from her own shock.

Lucy stared up at the words, her hair shifting as all the ancient symbols, characters upon characters flowed out with no end. It was a whole new world that was yet to be explored. As she stared up at the maelstrom of words, she was caught completely off guard. "All of this is about Natsu…his…" She gasped once more, showing an epiphany. "Could this really be…?"

As everyone looked at the words, the magic never stopped flowing as Natsu's life was brought from its disclosed context to be exploited for answers.

* * *

Unlike the chaos that has been happening all over, much of Kalos was still unaware of the peril that was to come their way. While the land was soon to be calling for a means of defense, Vaniville Town was more of less of a town in the norm.

In the familiar house of what reminisced of Nic and Vanessa's foster-parents, the family was sitting down in the dining room, having a nice dinner with Tan in between the two ends.

Tan was using his plastic fork and twirled it into the spaghetti, just like his mother taught him. Once he got a good amount set on, he opened his mouth wide and took it all in – though he still had pieces of garlic bread in his mouth from the previous swallow.

"Chew before you swallow, Tan." Michael told his son.

Tan looked towards his father with wide eyes, stopping his voracious appetite and swallowed. "Sorry."

Joanna sighed and shook her head. "Honestly, he gets this from you."

"Don't look at me like that, you're the one who taught him the table manners." Michael defended, but he didn't have much of a say since he was the easy one. Someone had to wear the pants in the family.

Joanna again sighed. "Coming from someone who's looking after his own diet free from ice cream?" She countered.

Michael lost the argument just like that. Sighing in defeat, he decided to change the subject. "Anyways, so how was school today, Tan?"

Tan looked up from his plate towards Michael. "Oh, it was fun! We got to watch a movie today and learned how to take notes for the first time."

"Really?" Joanna asked.

"Mhm! Yeah, and then we learned to spell some Pokémon names, too!"

"Really? What names?" Michael questioned.

"I can spell Butterfree! B-U-T-T-E-R-F-R-E-E." Tan smiled with pride. "See?"

"That's wonderful, sweetie." Joanna praised.

"I can also spell Froakie. F-RO-A-K-I-E. And I spell Almamola…Ala…lamon…almond…uh…?"

Michael chuckled at his son's lack of speech. Though dejected, Tan felt comfort as Michael rubbed his hair. "That's alright. Alomomola is a tongue twister. I can barely spell it, let alone say it."

"Speaking of, isn't that time for the Pokémon World Tournament held in Unova?" Joanna asked.

"Is that broadcasting right now?" Michael reached for the remote, clocking a button and turning on the television in the living room not too far away. They all got a front row seat of the camera closing on what appeared to be a battle of Cynthia, who was using a Milotic and battling Lance, who used Dragonite.

Immediately seeing the two Champions, Tan nearly shot out of his seat. "Mommy! Daddy! Those are the Champions!"

"This is probably an exhibition battle." Joanna said.

"Looks like it. It's still early for the tournament to be starting." Michael shrugged.

As Milotic launched an Ice Beam and Dragonite went shooting ahead with a Fire Punch, the screen went to complete static.

"What the-?" Michael was completely caught off guard.

"What happened?!" Joanna exclaimed.

However, it wasn't just them who was suffering from static screens. All tablets, all radio transmissions, and all television screens across the world were beginning to give off static. Even at tournaments, battles were halted as static filled the screens. Everyone who was busy somewhere heard from their devices the odd waves and the sound of a blood-curdling roar.

All schools with television screens, Pokémon Centers, anywhere, all apps on phones and devices were static still, until they got a fixed view of a Breaking News bulletin. The screen was fixed as such until the screen once again changed to the view of Kalos southern mountains with a large black creature that soared over the skies.

" **We interrupt this program to bring breaking news.** " The female reporter announced from a news station. " **Just moments ago, a live footage was taken in unknown reaches of Kalos. From what is seen here, a large dragon-like creature has sprung from out of nowhere and was seen on footage by travelers who were on sight when the mysterious phenomenon happened.** "

Michael's eyes widened when he saw the roaring Acnologia sailing onscreen. "What…?"

" **The identity of this creature is unknown. One cannot tell if it is a Pokémon, but from what we see here, it has a large form and a menacing disposition. It is currently seen on this livestream that has been leaked. Who is this creature and what it is after is currently unknown, however, authorities advise all personnel to stay careful as this high-speed projectile is currently making way towards Central Kalos.** "

All who were watching the broadcast stared with absolute disbelief as Acnologia's figment was seen sailing in the full-scale version. His menacing features were all caught onscreen, and his many rows of teeth were closed in as he roared again. The land shuddered haphazardly, rendering many petrified.

Stopping her battle, Cynthia looked at the monitors above with narrowed eyes. "What is that…?"

At home. In Coumarine City, Ramos looked at his screen with a frown. "Hm?"

Alexa and Viola looked at the TV screen, the sisters frowning as they looked at the Dragon King moving. It wasn't just them who saw it, but all over the world, everyone saw the menacing dragon. Grant, Korrina and her Lucario, Valerie, Clemont and Bonnie, Olympia, and Wulfric all looked at whatever monitors to see the danger that was closing in. They all frowned expectantly.

" **The dragon appears to be fading from view, with what…wait, hang on folks, we have more breaking news!** "

"What?!" Michael gasped.

The screen changed again, the monitor that was both Jake and Will's tablets getting blurry images that faded away. " **There appears to be unidentified projectiles who are giving chase to the mysterious black dragon…** " The blurry images began to fade in and out, until it got to look like where all were able to get a view of what was following Acnologia.

All over the world, many grew startled as there was a Garchomp soaring at Mach speed, with what appeared to be a human on his back, not just anything. Just seeing him there made everyone's shock again surmount.

Valerie's eyes widened at the screen. "Is that…?!"

Wulfric went wide-eyed at the tablet.

Looking at the monitor in some enchanted hall, Diantha and her Gardevoir looked up, speechless as they were seeing the man who beat them so long ago and saved the universe once giving chase. "That can't be…"

" **Folks, it would appear that there is a Garchomp giving chase to the dragon! And it looks like…Nic Pularis is on its back!** "

Joanna and Michael instantly jumped out of their seats, knocking their chairs to the ground as they glared at the monitor. Both foster-parents gasped in sheer shock.

"Nic?!"

"Big brother Nic?!" Tan leaned over the table, his eyes wide as he and everyone all over the world were seeing the broadcast of Nic on Garchomp's back and soaring after Acnologia.

Once more, the dragon roared as it went shooting towards the unknown skies. Garchomp also roared, soaring away from the screen.

" **Folks, it would appear that Nic Pularis is making a move against this creature.** " A second reporter stated.

" **Whatever is happening, it seems that Nic Pularis is taking action!** "

Everyone stared at their screens, fixated with sheer shock never ceasing to mount. The Gym Leaders and the Champion of Kalos all glared up at the screen, their fixation growing serious as they remembered Nic. Everyone did. He saved the universe. If he was giving chase, it must be dire.

* * *

Garchomp sailed at gradual speed, closing in on Acnologia with Nic on his back. "ACNOLOGIA!" Nic bellowed.

" **I will destroy all Pokémon!** " The Dragon King bellowed as he sailed to reaches unknown. " **Destruction~!** "

His cries of bloodshed reverberated throughout the skies of Kalos. The airspace shuddered as his menacing, gravely tone reached ears even into the darkest caves. To the clouds that were of darkness. To the darkest and liveliest parts of the forests. In those reaches unknown, several silhouettes were seen, and they all gave off either a red, blue, or green aura.

A pair of blue eyes glowed, a pair of blank blue ones, and hexagonal green. Spread over Kalos, the three unknown silhouettes roared towards the open skies, sensing the danger to come.

* * *

In the ozone layer, a pair of intense yellow eyes were seen. The dragon that was revealed to be Rayquaza picked up on something from afar, his draconic senses going nuts. His instincts drove him towards the direction where the familiar sensation of a certain dragon was calling out. He roared in sheer might, sailing of towards the outer edge of the world to get to where his mortal foe was to be.

* * *

 **Tada~! You may now breakdown in sheer shock and awe before this revelation of a chapter in which I have unleashed upon the world! If you guys didn't think I was original before, I most certainly have now! So here's the thing, all that stuff about Neo Eclipse, all that canon material about Anna, Blue Pegasus, Timelapse, I'm scraping it all. I thought it all didn't make much sense, so what I am doing is completely different. None of that material, and it is instead Acnologia now in the Pokémon World and seeking to destroy it immediately. As you saw, the familiar rival that is Rayquaza will partake as well. This is all wrapping up to the final battle to conclude the sequel people!**

 **Next chapter will most likely be at the beginning of October. I barely got this one finished before my day's worth of work started, which takes me mainly to 9 at night. So tomorrow morning will be my wisdom teeth surgery, so I'll be recovering from that and I won't be writing as much until I feel better.**

 **I relooked at my plans, and we are nearing the finale. I pray to finish up in less than a month, so here's to hoping this sequel ends with a big bang! So review, comment, and hope you guys wait for me and my recovery!**


	80. Till Death Do Us Part

**What up guys, just wanted to say this before the chapter begins. I started this on my 3** **rd** **day of wisdom teeth removal recovery, so I'm all set to wrap up the last bit of** _ **A Contender's Bonds**_ **within the beginning weeks of October! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Two humans smiling at the other, harmony and tranquility such a virtue that left their beating hearts to comprehend their bodies intertwining in the warm waters in which they embraced. Even if cool and damp, their lower bodies hidden beneath the water, they relished in what time they had before life as they knew it would change forever._

 _Mavis and Zeref smiled lovingly as they looked into one another's dark and green eyes. They were both so pure of each element. No two pure elements were like what they were to another. This was purity in its own right._

" _Zeref…"_

" _Mavis…"_

 _Their holds on one another tightened as the water around them shifted but a little from their bodies embracing. Whatever happened and what they felt was one and the same. It was a blessing; to others it was a curse, but harmony between light and dark could never have been so intimate. Together, they savored their solace._

" _This world of ours…it's all ours…"_

* * *

The guild hall was literally about to burst into flames, and those within its confines could've had severe sunburn if too close. However, those revolving around the source of the draconic flames were far from human, for they were cursed. The mages of light and dark alike were in dreadful awe as the floor around Natsu was scorched to that of an inferno. Draconic scales shifted as he glared down his brother, a wide smile set for thrill.

"Dragon Force?" Mavis gasped.

"I see, so this is your Dragon Force, Natsu. I'm impressed." Zeref said. "Still, it won't be enough. Perhaps if you could transform like Acnologia, then perhaps there'd be hope for you."

Despite the chastising, Natsu's grin remained unhindered. "Who said we were talking about Acnologia? He's got nothing to do with this." He stopped for a moment, thinking back to what happened to Nic and Acnologia in the events from Tenrou Island to Tartaros. "Besides, that dragon's got his hands full with his own problems."

"Even so, that doesn't mean you still have what it takes to surpass the likes of me. Human, dragon, all I see…is E.N.D!" Zeref reeled back his fist, which was warped in Black Arts set into combative mode.

Seeing his opponent set on him, Natsu was set to turn those devilish red eyes into smoldering ash. Reeling his arms back, a swirling maelstrom of draconic fire became a vacuum, one that sucked up the scorches around the guild hall and centered into Natsu's hands. "Then with these flames, I'll make you see just how wrong you are!"

As both combatants closed in for their intended kills, a swift blur slid in front, blocking Natsu's front. "Stop!"

Halting each advance, Mavis had her arms spread out, intercepting Natsu and Zeref alike. Both of their attacks receded and the swirling black void and draconic fire went away. Their momentum brought to a halt, Natsu was less than pleased.

"First, out of the way!" He demanded.

"Natsu, hear me out! I may have a solution to all of this!" She retorted. "All I need is a little time with Zeref!"

Natsu wasn't buying it, and Mavis didn't blame him. She, too, was having doubts, but better to jump the gun than not shoot at all. Unfortunately, those who are at fault get bit by the bullet. And that bullet was Zeref.

With Mavs in front of him, the Black Wizard frowned as he grabbed her dainty blonde hair and squeezed. He pulled her head back, forcing her to look into his dark, foreboding eyes. "How foolish are you, Mavis?" He retorted.

Mavis winced as her hair was tugged on, but she did not back down as she glared Zeref in his big dark eyes. "Z-Zeref." She grunted. "Just listen to what I have to say. I can do it. I really can save you! I can free you from immortality, I know it!"

Zeref was caught perplexed by his former lover's words. He looked at her speechless as she powered on.

"I know how to do it…to defeat you."

Zeref showed nothing less than consistent shock. He looked down at her like she was but frail glass, yet his iron grip slowly tightened, his shock returning to anger. "You…don't!" He denied. "I've tested every possibility to ensure my demise, but it ended the same way every single time! Nothing willing to kill this curse has worked, even when that devil incarnated Lysandre wanted to, he chose to spare me! And why do you think that is?"

"You fear the destroyed, but why fear Acnologia?" Mavis countered, answering his question with another.

Zere leaned in closer, his bangs giving a disgusting shadow that made him grimmer to the 1st Master. "…it's because of that reason that I can't die. Even against Acnologia, even if it's against Nic, what makes you think even I have a chance?"

Mavis said nothing in response, not even Natsu was able to find an answer. Both mages of Fairy Tail wondered exactly what would be the case of such an ordeal.

"We all know the shame that the Dragon King has been put through. Odds are he wouldn't even want to cast anything less than a blind eye to us. He'll first find a way to get to the Pokémon, and destroy them first. After which, he'll make them feel what despair even I cannot bring to world. We are stuck in limbo with the curses that lay before us. For him, that happens to be Nic; for me…it's you."

"And I'm telling you, I know a way to end that cycle for you!" Mavis reacted.

The harsh stare Zeref gave to her slowly faded, casting a grizzly smile onto her. "What a coincidence…so did I."

Zeref clutched her head tighter than before, and moved his left hand over where her heart was supposed to be. At that instant, a pulse of vibrating Magic Power rattled everything within the guild hall. Static and shockwaves pulsed outwards as Mavis screamed in feral pain. She was unable to do anything as Zeref was leeching from her.

"Gngh! First!" Natsu cried out, but his calls were minimized by the rumbling of the bright light.

Mavis screamed loudly as her withered body was feeling a seeping virus interfere. Her magic was expelling at an alarming rate, and as she was unable to do anything but scream, Zeref widely smiled down as his malevolent gaze knew what he was getting at.

"Fairy Heart, it'll all be mine!"

Natsu didn't hesitate to act to the situation. He went right ahead to stop his brother. "Get away from her right now!"

Zeref looked up at him, giving a grueling glare at the incoming brother. When Natsu drew close, a magical force knocked him away.

"Z…Zeref…!" Mavis strained.

"Mavis…" The magic flowing around them wasn't stopping. It was growing continuously; it was a pulsing pillar that had an angelic helix, in which warped the space around them. "With your power, we'll live our lives from their respective beginnings. We'll have a world that was meant to be, starting from 400 years ago. I'll have a family again, and I'll have a cute little brother…and without immortality, I will finally be able to face my death without fail. Unfortunately, that means you never will be able to meet me."

Mavis glared up at Zeref, the reality making her heart stop with a single gasp. The way he said it, it was all too real.

"That's right. I'd be long dead…but I know that this is for the best for you. I know you'll have a happier life if you never met me. I'm…sorry."

"Ze…ref…"

Natsu was trying to power through to the best of his capabilities, but he wasn't getting anywhere with the sea of light flooding the guild. Shockwaves rampaged madly and without darkness to lift it. Behind him, even his very shadow was steaming away from the pure light. It only made his skin feel a burning sensation, and he didn't know why.

"But I promise you, before he gains any power, I shall defeat Acnologia before, and I won't do it alone! My brother shall fight alongside me! We'll stop the future of darkness together, like real brothers do! I'll use my chance, and give humanity the fighting chance it deserves! But Mavis…" As the light got brighter, the roaring of its sheer Magic Power did not waver. The near hundreds of years that Mavis had compressed within her entity boiled to where it was erupting like a volcano. Everything was unleashed in her anguish. As he looked at her anguished expression, the maniacal look that he once had was instead bridled with a soft, warm smile and a teary gaze. Truly, he was in mourning.

"I really will miss you. This is goodbye, to the world we claimed…thank you Mavis."

With that one final goodbye, the 1st Master of Fairy Tail lost all sense of power. She felt nothing but cold and damp conspiracy replace what was supposed to be her immense Magic Power. It was all gone, and the pulsing light that roared began losing momentum. The energy streams of the angelic helix began to transfer into Zeref himself, his smile and tears fading as the streams of light entered his body. As he took it all in, mavis, too, had misty eyes, tears ready to pour out as well.

"You can't…" With what strength she had, she gave him the plea of her life. "Not to this world…this…this is where we…first met…" the last of what was her strength faded into the Black Wizard, her body slowly losing its consciousness and her body dropping to its knees.

As Mavis succumbed to her fading world, the last thing she saw…was the shadow cascaded over Zeref as he mournfully frowned. The thud she had spread all over the guild hall, vibrating intensely in Natsu's ears.

"FIRST!" The Dragon Slayer cried out in mad distress as he rushed to her aid.

The dust and ill-fading light that was lingering around Zeref sucked into his sleeves and skin like it was a vacuum. As Mavis was face down on the ground, he smiled in mourning for what he had done. "And with that, every bit of remaining affection I had has been ripped away." He sighed.

Natsu got to his knees, turning Mavis over and looked down at her petite frame. "Hey, hey first! C'mon, wake up!" He shook her about, but he got no signs other than a pale body. "First, wake up! First…!" Natsu couldn't believe it. He had to be dreaming, right? He frantically looked for any signs of life within her, going so far as to put his head to her chest. He gritted his teeth as he lowered his body temperature to get his ear to her heart.

"She's not dead." Zeref replied, getting Natsu to shoot a glare at him. "But all her magic has become my very own. She cannot lift a finger, let alone awaken."

The rigid scales around Natsu's eyes began to crackle like fore embers. He snarled at Zeref with small embers around his body. "You sick bastard…"

Zeref crossed his arms in front, albeit slowly with his smile returning. "This is it. This is the time that has finally come." His head arose, his arms spread over his head with a bright shimmer eradicating any darkness. "This…is **Fairy Heart!** "

Before Natsu had the chance to react, he was embodied in what could've been the – second – brightest flash he's ever seen. Almost instantly, he felt his flaming scales cinder to ashes as the light waves engulfed the guild hall. A pillar of light shot right through the roof, roaring with an impact so grand that it sent golden shockwaves all throughout Magnolia. The light blinded everyone who was scattering through its streets, shockwaves that rendered all humans with shock as a pulse of power shot into the sky. The pillar roared as light ripples went throughout the sky, any and all clouds about Fiore's geography clearing away in a swirling cyclone.

The rampaging magic did not stop until a full several minutes. Once the light at least dialed down, Natsu found himself on the ground, wincing as his head rang from the vital bast of magic that made his heart stop. "Gnngh…what was…" He felt his head, but realized something was wrong. "Wait, my Dragon Force! Mavis?! Zeref?!"

There was a glow behind him and a pair of footsteps, ones that shimmered with angelic pressure. At that instant, his body began to lose feeling at the awesome power he felt.

"So…this is what Nic had felt." Zeref turned his sleeve over, looking at its features. It was all white. His entire body was white. He glared at Natsu, his body and all prowess he had being solemnly white. He had wrist guards with intricate carvings on them, and above them were even more engraved swirling arm guards. He was bare chested, with a long coat and pants that were both flaring an angelic white and sported heavily intricate golden insignias on the bottom. What was most shocking, was that all the carvings had pictures of hearts on them, and behind them were a pair of flaring white ethereal wings, with patterns separated by space.

As Natsu stared at him, he could feel it. It made him feel…unholy. On his knees, he stared at Zeref with sheer shock. Only a few times did he sense such power; now once again, it was before him.

"This is the power of gods, to surpass time itself." Zeref smirked.

* * *

Within the deep blanket that was the infinite vacuum of space itself, the black frontier glistened with stars and cosmic stardust that twinkled with colors to match those of heaven. The galaxies, the universe itself, it was all one, together with a bright star that was dimmed within the white cosmos that made was straight up. Beyond light years away, beyond the reaches of time and space, there was the sea of white space clouds with the glow of the godly aura of a familiar creature.

Within that blanket of fog-like space, there was he – The Alpha Pokémon. Hidden away in what was his power, his closed eyes meant peace, and that he was to not be disturbed. However, that peace was soon rid of when a foreboding power was sensed.

At long last, after what felt like the blink of an eye to the god, Arceus' eyes again opened up. When that happened, the space cloud of shite around him dissipated with his gasp. All that was left after the clearing was a thin sheet of cosmic clouds that centered his radiant golden light.

The beast did nothing at first, his red eyes glowing as he scanned what was the disturbance. "This feeling…" Within one eye, he saw the reborn Zeref, smirking at the power he now possessed. In the other, there was Acnologia flying within the confines of earth with Nic on his tail. The situation was read easily, but with what he felt within Zeref was something that was far from being ignored. A cyclone o rainbow colors swirled around his intricate wheel, blue lightning beginning to crackle as the god craned his head in a full loop with a cry.

His cry rippled throughout space, clearing away all stardust and leaving fragmented twinkling stars millions upon billions of years away. With the space before him, he looked down as two swirling portals began to open up, revealing pink and blue stardust respectively.

" **Dialga. Palkia. I summon you. Come forth!"**

At his call, the rippling portals expelled cosmic pink and blue stardust in the shape of both entities spoken of. The portals closed once the stardust shaped, flashing into the physical bodies of Dialga and Palkia. Both had a royal blue and pink aura around them respectively as they glimmered in their sheer might, roaring up at their creator at his discretion.

Both levitated higher up, getting closer to where their joint conversation could finally begin.

" **You feel it, do you not?** "

Palkia nodded. " **I do.** "

" **This odd 'feeling', whatever it is, it's making my powers unbalanced.** " Dialga said. " **Time has begun warping.** "

Palkia turned towards his rival, giving him an inquired look. " **Not just time, but it seems the means of space has just fluxed. Someone is meddling with the forces of time and space, and it looked like they hampered us when we weren't there.** "

A silence fell between the two as they looked back up to the god for answers. The pink and blue auras they both had remained stable as Arceus raised his head, the stars from far below spacing out into darkness to reveal what he was seeing. His head bent down with legs pointed in opposite directions. It looked like a deep drinking from water pose as Arceus looked farther down. Dialga and Palkia followed his direction and looked straight down, watching as a ripple faded into a mirror window. In the window, they saw what was the Black Wizard Zeref completely white, the energy given off becoming the answer they sought.

Realizing the predicament, both gods of time and space backed off, understanding the plight of the problem.

" **I see. So that's what happened.** " Dialga answered.

" **So this man has attempted to use time and space for infinite power?** " Palkia questioned.

Arceus nodded. " **It would appear that way.** "

Dialga looked down some more, his tail swaying. " **He seems to wish to cross the confines of time. What do you propose we do?** "

Palkia looked towards him with a leering look. " **Well we cannot allow such passage to be thieved. Hoopa and Celebi are two entities that have passage, but not this fool. Something like this cannot be overlooked.** "

" **Yet this takes place in another world. In** _ **their**_ **time.** " Dialga rebuffed.

" **Just because this is the world in which Nic Pularis intertwines with, it doesn't make it okay for something as trivial as places for it to be decided.** "

Dialga raised his head, looking up towards Arceus for consulting. " **Speaking of he who has saved the stars, what has become of him?** "

Arceus again looked towards the window that he saw through. His children followed his gaze, seeing the image change from Zeref to Nic giving chase to Acnologia. Their eyes remained unchanged as they recognized the Dragon King.

" **I see.** " Was all Palkia could say.

As Acnologia soared with an insidious roar, the three Legendary entities showed no shock as they instead cast a calm judgement. " **This matter involving this 'Zeref', it is entirely out of Nic Pularis' hands.** "

" **But then what of the situation?** " Palkia inquired. " **Could you grant him your powers and fix everything once more?** " When he looked up to Arceus once more, the eyes of the god brightened up, immediately making Palkia regret his question. He lowered his head in shame, his questioning met with an unsubtle look from Dialga.

" **This matter…it is not exactly as it may seem.** " Arceus calmly spoke. " **Relax, my friends. The matter with this man, why don't we allow it to pass on for a while.** "

Dialga and Palkia looked up to him with sincere wonder before they looked towards the other in honest confusion.

" **I shall grant you both permission to bring this black scourge known as Acnologia back to his respective place. I shall see as to what this Zeref being has in mind, and as such, decide the judgement that is to be cast upon him.** " He looked down once more, watching as the screen faded from Nic chasing Acnologia to Zeref once more. " **Let us cast judgement to the claims these two behold…** "

* * *

The enigmatic force that glistened all throughout Magnolia faded from the sky, bringing atmospheric light back into the city. As the light subsided, many were sprawled on the streets, if not the ground elsewhere. Among them was Erza and Vanessa, the two women on the verge of Magnolia and found themselves on their backs, knocked for a loop from the light.

Erza groaned as she tried slouching up. "What was…?" She slowed down from her thoughts to process Vanessa's own condition. "Vanessa, are you hurt?"

The younger Pularis sibling opened an eye, slowly getting back up to sit on the small hillside trail. "Yeah, I think so…"

"I see."

Vanessa looked around, unsound by the phenomenon that transpired. "What was that just now? It was like an impact that came from-!"

"The guild!" Erza gasped.

The two girls looked towards the other, their shock finally reaching a pinnacle for one another and their concerns to only steadily sharpen with their insecurities. They both looked ahead towards the streets of Magnolia, fixated on the twisted, growing feeling deep within their guts.

"Whatever that was, I sure hope everyone's okay." Of course when Erza meant it, it was easier to find out than just lay around.

"Let's hurry." Vanessa urged, she and Erza carrying themselves into the leveled Magnolia.

* * *

In South Gate Park, the dust cleared away, with everyone against the bench having found places on the concrete stone below. With everyone coming around, the group of Lucy, Happy, Wendy, Carla, and Gray all aroused from the hard landing.

"Oi~, what was that just now?" Happy's structure was so dazed that he was barely standing straight.

"I think I fell a little too hard." Wendy opened her eyes. "Huh, Carla?"

"Over here." The white feline was feet away, facing the sky with a despondent gaze. "Thank you for finally catching up with the program." And even still she was sniping.

Wendy sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, smiling nervously at her friend's attitude.

Gray was next to get up, able to sit upright. "What was that Magic Power just now?" He looked over towards Lucy, who was starting to sit up like him. "Lucy, you around?"

Another stifling groan came from Lucy as she opened an eye upon turning towards him. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Happy walked a few paces back towards the bench, looking up at the general direction of the guild hall. "That light just now, it came from the guild hall."

"Which means something must've happened." Carla figured.

Wendy gasped as she looked in another direction. "Guys, the book!"

Everyone turned towards the book's location. They saw it lying in front of Lucy, but unlike them, it was unhinged and closed once more. All the words that were around it from before were gone. Slowly, and cautiously, Lucy reached down, grabbing hold of Natsu's life.

"How is it?" Gray asked.

Lucy turned the book over, seeing nothing different on its backside. "Looks like the words went back inside."

"Is there something about that book other than some sort of bind it has into Natsu?" Carla questioned.

"I think so. I'm not certain…but I think this is a super-advanced level Organic Link Magic. If Natsu and this book are hurt in the same place, then there's no other explanation."

"Organic Link? But what will that do?" Happy questioned.

Lucy eyes narrowed down on the front cover's twisted hole in the center. "If we can rewrite this, then maybe…"

"Hold up there!" Gray thwarted. "Did you just say rewrite it? That's like hundreds of freakin pages! That first page alone, it had all that stuff in a compressed state, and look what happened to it. That's a lot of information right there."

Lucy turned towards Gray, and the look she gave him was something Gray didn't see in her too often. He immediately withdrew any statements and stared at Lucy's brown eyes of resolution. A moment of silence passed until the blonde got the upper hand on the argument with just a look.

"Maybe so…but if it's a little, we won't have to rewrite all of it. We'll find the page that makes Natsu himself. That much I know we can do."

* * *

Natsu stood meters away from the renewed Zeref. The Black Wizard was anything but the color that reeked of death. He looked like a purified soul, a white figure that floated with ethereal wings to rectify the errors cast over the leveled guild hall's roof. The light from the sky shimmered down, giving him a rectified name. The Black Wizard has been reborn as the White Wizard.

Even in his condition, Natsu still held priorities. He clutched Mavis tightly, holding her still body in his arms. "First, c'mon, get up." He urged loudly. However, he was met with only silence. She was unable to answer, leaving Natsu to grit his teeth and slowly present her body to the ground behind him. Once she was set, he stood up, back facing Zeref.

"Okay then…" He whipped behind, his eyes showing a draconic flare again with scales returning. "I'll just have to erase you myself then!"

Zeref gave his brother a twisted amused look. "You? Erase me?"

"Yeah, who else here can?!" With nothing to hold him back, Natsu made a beeline for him, fists ignited in flaming draconic fury.

As his attacker advanced, Zeref's eyes narrowed. "What a foolish realization. Why else would I be causing all this?"

Natsu went on ahead with his fist reeled back, the streaming heat and fire igniting from his hands starting to swirl as before. The maelstrom of intense fire boiled over, roaring like that of a large dragon. Zeref saw that Natsu was refusing to answer, and instead was met with the fierce anger of the Dragon Slayer. He frowned and waited as the blazing rush came at him full force, with Natsu beckoning its comeuppance.

" **FIRE DRAGON KING'S DEMOLITION FIST!** "

With one punch filled with all draconic fire, Natsu unleashed an explosive charge of fire that rushed towards Zeref upon impact. The inferno only served to expand as the wall behind was caught in the blast, incinerated to ashes as the firestorm raced behind the guild, erupting like a sideways volcano that bloomed with the sounds of roaring.

Within its dissipating maelstrom, the swirling embers clicked and churned with fragments of the streets and guild, leaving a heated space with nothing in it to fill. Everything from the roof to the broken wall fell in tiny chunks around Natsu as he labored like a tired reptile. As he glared ahead, his scales around his eyes started to fade away, all the power he had in him used up in that one blast and leaving him a panting human.

As the last remnants of wood of the entire back of the guild charred and chipped away, the exhausted Dragon Slayer looked up again, seeing the destruction that his attack caused. He took solace in what he did, but at the same time felt no joy from it. "Sorry Gramps…I destroyed the guild hall again." He stared at the empty space where his brother was meant to be. "And Zeref too."

As he took one large sigh in what was his victory, something felt…off. With a quick glance, Natsu's eyes opened wide up as he saw some chips of the roof starting to rise from his feet. He looked ahead, seeing all the ash that his attack made starting to gather around, like it was possessed by a ghost. He couldn't believe it, even if he knew how. He could only stare as the wall, wood, and Fairy Tail banter returned to what it was before, and in front of him, white energy reverted to a single point, converging from all corners of the restored guild hall.

"What-?!"

To his morbid disbelief, Natsu was met with the look of Zeref once again. The ethereal white angel began to revive from head to toe, smiling at his younger brother's shock. Once he was fully manifested, the shock Natsu had on his face left him all the more amused.

"He…materialized again?" Natsu gasped.

"Why so shocked? I told you, I now have Fairy Heart." Zeref reiterated. "This is the power that Nic himself had at one time, now in my very grasp. The power that is time and space at my disposal, to revert and transform whatever I see fit, the pinnacle of magic itself. Yes indeed. This-!" Without a second thought, Zeref moved so fast that Natsu wasn't able to react. A hand reached out through his chest, piercing right through it entirely. Natsu's blood spilled as time seemed to slow down, in which was Zeref's smiling glee. "…is the power that'll end this world."

Natsu's mouth splattered blood as Zeref's hand went right through his chest. He felt his own respiratory system crippling as the brought white sleeves had lodged into his throat, rendering him unable to barely process what was happening. What was supposed to be white was starting to turn black for Natsu as he started to fall forward.

Zeref dislodged his hand out of Natsu's chest, frowning as he watched his brother gag and gurgle as he tripped forward. As he saw Natsu's dying gaze going hoarse, he looked ahead without any need to see his pink locks again.

"There was one more thing I forgot to mention. You don't have to apologize to Makarov…because he's already dead."

That stroke of luck had ended. As Natsu started falling, tears began to swell, the news shattering what was left of his heart. Blood and salty tears sprinkled his coat and the floor as the news of Makarov already dead was taking the last of his consciousness away.

Zeref pressed on ahead, walking like nothing happened. Even his sleeve was free of blood. "I'm sure you shall meet him in heaven yet. This is farewell…Natsu."

With those words, the tapping of the White Wizard's footsteps hollowed out, and the taste of blood he had was gone. All his senses going dark, and unable to feel anything but a tremendous heartbreak, Natsu fell head first onto the floor, his thud echoing with the momentum of Fairy Tail's most prominent Dragon Slayer put to an abyssal rest.

Zeref walked on, slowly reaching towards the closed doors of what was Fairy Tail's opening. "The world as everyone knows it shall be gone. It shall be known as an existence whose been erased; a memory to only I shall remember as the very scourge in which I chose to correct. Shall this door grant me my wish to make a new world as I see fit?" It was at his command that the door which was closed before him began to slowly creek open. The openings created a bright glow, in which radiated the entire guild's residual atmosphere.

A light cast before Zeref as he stood before the doorway to the past, just a few simple steps away. He stopped as he marveled at the holy opportunity. "With Fairy Heart, this shall be my wish granted. I shall transcend time this once in order to enter a rebirth. This door that Fairy Tail has used to embark and end adventures, it's ironic, wouldn't one think? That this simple door was the key in which this world meets its demise. But worry not everyone…" He clutched his fist tight, smirking as he looked down at the balled fist. "This burden that I cast upon you, I shall lift it with a price."

Mere feet behind him, Natsu laid in his pool of blood, unable to respond as a shadow cast over his crestfallen figure.

* * *

Once more, everyone in South Gate Park was set. Lucy had already opened one of the many pages to Natsu's book, but as she scrolled through the many characters flowing around her like rivers, one of the characters snapped, popping like a spark. The sudden shock made her gasp.

"Lucy-!" Wendy was cut off as the words around her popped. She squealed and jerked back as another word popped, then another.

All around and over their heads, every few characters began to pop like a firework. The more that popped, the more the group succumbed to worry.

"The words are popping!" Happy exasperated.

"Did this mean something happened to Natsu?" Carla inquired.

Lucy stared speechless as words upon words were disappearing. With each character going away, she could feel what was left of Natsu fading away. She was feeling a great pain within her gut, and she wasn't going to have it. She had to do something, for Natsu and her sake. "He's hurt…"

"Huh?" Gray turned towards her, startled by what she said.

"He's got an injury somewhere. I have to fix it." The best quality of Lucy Heartfilia was her pure heart indeed, however, being Lucy also meant something a little smaller making the biggest impact of all. She didn't spend those hours of writing for nothing. She had to make use of one of the most degenerated talents she was known for – her usage of the pen.

Getting out a magical pen from her belt, the blonde turned to a character, ready to write in its filling.

"Do you know which characters to rewrite?" Gray frantically asked.

Lucy reached up to the nearest voided spot above her. "Not exactly but I'll start with filling the spots that were destroyed."

"You can do that, Lucy?" Happy questioned.

As Lucy began to scribble into the space, there was that fire in her eyes again. "Trust me, Happy, this is where all my writing finally pays off…"

* * *

Zeref walked calmly ahead, slowly taking one step in front and not rocking one step back. The White Wizard smiled calmly as he stared at the radiant gateway to the past that he sought to fix. As he drew closer, he began to actually see his family again, seeing what his pink-haired father and black-haired mother were. He could see the little brother he took care of; it was all literally just a hop, skip, and a jump away.

"This world has my gratitude…" With that sentence, he was but a single step away.

"Gramps…always told me…"

Before he stepped a pace further, Zeref went wide-eyed at the sound of Natsu's voice. He went stiff as he felt a very foreboding Magic Power from behind. He could feel some odd, heated vacuum from behind, making his ethereal wings flare as the dust and smoke alike sucked into the heated figure that arose from its falling. The surge of Magic Power continued to rise, unwilling to stop and make heated smoke spout and steam as that certain man raised his head.

"Old man Gramps…he always said something to us…when we all left for an adventure. And that was a vow…a vow to always come back through those doors, no matter what…" The body that was Natsu Dragneel was back on its feet, the hole in which Zeref struck him through having nothing but steam fizzing out the repairing parts inside. The tendons and respiratory figments spliced into were all being restored, and he glared at Zeref as his entire body was in yet another heated inferno. "We all vowed… **to live.** "

Zeref looked over his shoulder, frowning at the fiery determination that was Natsu.

* * *

In another paradox, someone else was trying to get their way, and the other would not allow such a thing. The blue skies were calm, and the clouds that were in the world's sky were glistening with vapor that was as thin as cotton candy. As lively as it all seemed to be, the sky carried a black-winged beast over its blanket of innocence. With every mile flown over, the more the clouds tore apart in its wake.

The black beast flew high speeds, roaring at an earth-shaking level. The rows of teeth and scars could only resemble one creature in mind who could make a nightmare look like a happy place.

" **GGRRRAAAAAAHHH!** "

Acnologia roared over Kalos' skies and mountains, his bellowing making all the little wild Pokémon down below perk up and duck for cover. The more clueless and younger Pokémon only stared up in wonder as they saw the black winged tyrant soar over the forests, making shockwaves that sent strong winds that made little Zigzagoon tumble.

The flapping of the monstrosity did not waver. He aimed for destruction and turmoil to all those that were Pokémon; the very same creatures who damned him. He flapped once more, picking up greater speed to exploit the world that he was soon to vanquish.

" **DESTRUCTION~!** " He bellowed frantically.

As he soared into the yonder, he was so engrossed in his crazed world that he did not seem to mind the high-speed glint that came rushing from behind. Soaring from behind and catching up with precision was a Mach blur that tore through the skies at such remarkable speeds that put a fighter jet to shame.

Many of the wild Pokémon down below were recovering from that shock that went over their heads, but the ones who were able to look up in time stared with surprise as a smaller but equally shocking creature flew with a folded, gliding body, having something lodged on its back.

All their heads turned as they watched the smaller dragon chase the larger one, with a Scatterbug looking chipper from the adrenaline rush.

Acnologia continued his course, flying towards the mountain that was coming into view. The Dragon King did not bother adjusting course as he was reaching the other side, but behind him, the Mach Pokémon that was revealed to be a Garchomp was closing in, his folded scales allowing him to rip through airstreams like they were nothing.

" **To all creatures of this world! You shall pay for the shame you have brought to my kind!** " Acnologia exclaimed. " **This world…and all the creatures in shapes and sizes…to the humans who uses them for power…I shall show you ALL my wrath!** "

As he closed in, Garchomp's plane-like appendages rang with Acnologia's gravely volume. "(Does this guy ever shut up?)" He glanced back over his head. "(Nic!)"

Nic leaned forward, a deep frown on him set. "I know, Garchomp! We'll stop him!" With that sentence best left unfinished, Garchomp kept on gliding, with Nic hanging on and closing in on the nemesis that was to bring doom.

Acnologia flapped once more, picking himself up higher to see to it that he got over the next ridge. His sound barrier-breaking momentum at a peak, the ridge beneath him was enveloped in earthshaking magnitudes and shockwaves. The mountainous Pokémon that resided on said ridge were ducking in cover and jumping to lower banked rocks as dust waves shattered the upper levels. Rampage was one word to describe the hysteria, bit some would call it a disaster. The Absol who were running and jumping for cover were unable to sense such a calamity. But how?

"(Woah!)" A wild Absol jumped off an edge to a lower rock as a shockwave from Acnologia's overhead flight passed. As dust poured over like a tidal wave, it looked up, bewildered as the black extraterrestrial terror was but a black flying sheet with a stinger tail that snakes.

Acnologia ascended higher over the mountainous ridge, continuing to roar out his claims in such a rampage. He lowered his head as his body was craned upwards, overlooking the clear lands with rich water, lush trees, and many of rocks and open terrain. He could see the large waterfall that spilled into separate riverbanks that flowed through the valley; such an exquisite site to behold, one truly of peace.

Peace that was to be the start of wrath.

" **Such a place…BEGONE!** " Acnologia reeled his head up, exerting another bellow that rang to the heavens and back. With a mouth wide open, a ring of energy pulsed as he exerted one of his signature beaming roars. The blast wave went straight forward, igniting the sky in a light that slanted downwards.

All the Pokémon that reserved themselves over the ridge watched in utter shock as they watched the unknown dragon unleash his wrath. They stood in fear as his destructive call was answered.

As the roar went towards the empty valley, a massive wall of millions of tons of water shot up from the riverbanks. The humungous blockade met the roar, both roaring as the beam sliced into the thick sheets of heavy pressure and causing a bright flash and massive downpour of water everywhere.

The blue flare evaporated, and Acnologia looked and saw that his roar was cancelled out. " **What?** " Despite that the rivers seemed wavy and the landscape looked a little damp, the puddles of water quickly sunk into the ground, drying out almost instantly. From what it appeared to be, the valley was otherwise fine. " **Impossible…** "

An elongated rush of draconic energy rushed from behind, revealing it to be a roaring Dragon Rush. The behind-from-back attack surprised Acnologia, making him turn around to see the attack at the last second. In a swift lift, he leaned towards the side, finding himself unbalanced as Dragon Rus continued its course and dissipated. As the draconic fury diminished, a torrent of what seemed to be a Hydro Pump shot from behind, beaming right into Acnologia's chest.\

The highly pressurized torrent caught the Dragon King again by surprise as it struck his chest, yet he persevered, and with a swipe of both arms shrugged the Water-type move off. With the attack diminished, he looked down, seeing who was responsible for the brigade.

Two figures landed on the ground, their backs facing the menacing dragon in the sky and slowly getting up. Side by side, they looked like silhouettes that slowly glared back towards their prey. Seeing their intense eyes, the connection had been made.

A pair of blue sandals pivoted. "Acnologia…" The voice, it was making the dragon's skin crawl. "You've crossed many lines before on Earth Land, but here…you're playing by my rules…" He looked up, his blue eyes shooting defiant daggers at the startled beast. "And that means only one rule applies."

Beside him, Garchomp stepped forward, his single stomp making a small dust wave exert outwards and rattled the ground.

"And that's if you want this world so badly, then you'll have to pry it from all of us first!" Nic announced it clear with his throat vibrating every word. He was in his Splash Form, and as he stared up at the Dragon King, all the river water around him was picking up speed. Garchomp roared up at the skies, exerting another bellowing shockwave.

The intensity in the air and elements left everyone staggering, and Acnologia glared down at Nic and Garchomp as they were once again in the way of his path of morbid destruction. As river water roared like an avalanche down below, the winged tyrant in the sky began to lower his altitude.

"…' **pry it from all of us first'?** " The dragon repeated, his feet touched the green valley ground, making a shockwave that made the trees down below fall and the shrubs to clear as a diameter of cleared earth was beneath the alien's weight. " **Hmph! What a ridiculous statement. Exactly who is this 'all'? Because all I see before me is just a pest with some dragon! Like that'll stop me a second time!** "

Nic didn't have to answer verbally. He wasn't holding back, nit to him. He couldn't. As winds from the earlier shockwave subsided, the air around Nic and Garchomp began to intensify as the two began to ignite a pressure. The air intensified to an even greater extent to which Acnologia sensed.

Nic reached his right thumb and finger over the purple bandana on his left sleeve, squeezing the Key Stone embedded into it. Same as with Mega Charizard when against Irene and Acnologia from before, a rainbow energy flared and energy waves shot in all directions. Beside him, Garchomp exerted his own pulse wave, purple beams waving and straightening from his unleash.

Acnologia recalled the feeling from before, his maw opening and reeling back a little. " **This light…this power…** "

As light waves formed a Mega Evolution light around them, small rocks crumbled within their space and Nic had a most prominent emphasis from the light by his Key Stone. "Garchomp…Mega Evolve! **"**

With a swipe of his arm, Nic's command went thorough. Garchomp's physical appearance changed as it did when morphing to Mega Garchomp, and his gravely dark tone got deeper as the grass and rock beneath him splintered apart. Dust and energy pulsed in an omnidirectional manner that was a violet flash for all the ridge-dwellers to bask in.

As the light exploded, a shockwave was unleashed again, this one by Mega Garchomp releasing a blistering roar that echoed with a fierce ferocity. Nearby trees lost branches, and rocks over the river crumbled by the soundwaves, causing them to get caught up in the rush. Once the rush subsided, Nic and Mega Garchomp stood lengths apart as they both faced Acnologia.

Acnologia growled down at the transformation, his nerves going nuts as he remembered it.

"(Who is this old dirtbag to think a little bit of barking's gonna stop us. Let's punish him for his insolence, Nic!)" Mega Garchomp sniped.

"My thoughts exactly, Mega Garchomp." Nic spread his feet part, his form glowing to become himself again.

" **You're the insolent ones. You think that's gonna stop me?** " Acnologia lashed back.

Nic didn't hesitate as he began reaching for his back pockets. The movement caught Acnologia in his interest. He watched as the other remaining capsules Nic had suddenly burst into light. At that instant, a flash and sparkles erupted, and Acnologia felt another pressure change as dust emerged from where Nic and Mega Garchomp stood. His gaping maw opened again as he hummed in questioning of this odd yet familiar smell; the sound of scales, the scent of char; the tilting of heads. It all came together, and as the dust cleared, the Dragon King saw it before his eyes.

Nic glared up again, showing no means of holding back as he had fists clutched tight. "I wasn't meaning 'all', as Garchomp and I…" The dust cleared, revealing a forked tongue that flicked back into the mouth. It then showed a head turning and tilting. A red bang flickering in the winds over a set of predatory red eyes. A flaming tail that swayed from left to right. And a pink tongue that was slick and hard as steel.

There, standing altogether once more, the six Pokémon of Greninja, Charizard, Kecleon, Staraptor, Arbok, and Mega Garchomp all stood beside Nic in a straight line, the vanguard set and ready for battle.

"I meant **all** of us."

At Nic's statement, all six Pokémon readied themselves and glared up at Acnologia, ready to attack.

Acnologia glared down at the six Pokémon, the ones who were able to surpass him a long time ago – to surpass **them** ; the ones who beat him mercilessly. The shame he felt, and for them to be beaten by such inferior creatures. The underwhelming sight – however – it felt…satisfying.

Oddly, a smirk came across his face as he got on all fours, making the ground again rattle beneath his weight. " **Okay, you have my attention.** "

As the valley was the battleground for peril to unfold, a helicopter high in the sky was hovering as far away as possible, yet the cameras were zoomed in as far in as possible to get a glimpse of down below. No more than two helicopters, and both stayed equal distance and observed as the camera crews of Lumiose City and all over Kalos were setting up for the stage.

All over the Kalos region, all over the world even, everyone stopped in their tracks and watched as Nic and six of his Pokémon stood without fear against the towering might of Acnologia. Men, women, children, even the champions of respective other regions stood in various places as they caught or heard some spectacle that was to come.

" **We're here live on the scene! Just mere moments ago, there was an atomic blast of what appeared to be water and a very destructive impact that cancelled out. What phenomenon this is and why it is happening we are unable to detect, but the mysterious black dragon has found a perch in the southeast valleys of Kalos. All personal that are not authorized by any means are to be evacuated. All Kalos-based personnel have been given warning to this claim. They are to remain indoors and in bunkered compartments if possible. This is far from a drill!** "

Around Kalos, the roaring of Acnologia was as clear as day. Even if it was far from Anistar City, even if on the polar opposite of Laverre City, the police were making sure everyone stayed indoors.

" **The black dragon appears to be speaking, and to the Pokémon Trainer known as Nic Pularis. It appears that Nic is unwilling to back down. Is he truly intending to fight using those six Pokémon?** "

Hiding in the comfort of their house in Vaniville Town, Joanna, Michael, and Tan all huddled together on the couch, their spaghetti cold on the table as they stayed beside the television as the camera showed Nic and his own personal family ready to venture into another full-scale fight together. This was to be the second time that everyone was to have a view of what may be another apocalyptic battle to come.

Little Tan was hugged by his parents, watching with a worries expression as his foster-brother stared Acnologia in his face. "Nic."

* * *

The spaces within the words that were once vanishing were all inscribed with what appeared to be light pen. The symbols were all fixed, and like that, the gaps that was Natsu's wounds have been rewritten.

Gray stood dumbfounded at the sight. "Amazing…"

"The words, they're all back to normal." Wendy evaluated.

"Aw, yeah! I knew you could do it, Lucy!" Happy cheered.

Everyone turned towards Lucy, expecting her to say something in response. But as she was holding her arm out, something seemed…wrong.

"Lucy…?" Happy turned his head, eyes shooting wide with the rest of the group at the gross display. All around Lucy's arm, the one she wrote with, they were seeing dark veins slowly infest her arm. The mage that was a heroine had paid the price – a deadly one.

"Lucy! What's going on?!" Gray shouted.

"What are those things?!" Wendy yelled.

Lucy was paralyzed without words to make up. She was stuck in place, frozen as a burning sensation went through her. The veins were slowly infecting starting from the arm, and were reaching the side of her head. The virus seared in her body, mouth gaping and her voice going hoarse from the vile demonic venom seeping.

"Lucy-!" Gray reached for her, but immediately pulled back when the touch of her skin was hot. "Gah! What the-?! It's hot!"

"Hot?" Carla turned towards Lucy, her inquiry matched with the same worry expressed on everybody else as she hunched over, panting profusely as she was being invaded.

"Something's…inside of me…" She wheezed.

Happy gasped at the claim. "Inside?"

"You mean like a virus?" Wendy asked.

Gray leered down at Lucy, his frown deepening. "…more like a demonic one."

Lucy's body was in heated pain. She was steaming, literally. She touched her forehead to apply pressure on the veins starting to engrave into her skull. "But…maybe this is just what we need. We might save Natsu with this power." She figured.

"Rewrite Natsu's life as a human instead of demon?" Happy spoke. "Is that even possible?"

Wendy seemed reluctant in the cause. "Lucy…"

"I'm fine…" Lucy was protesting as much as she wanted, but it wasn't helping as she winced. As she curled forward in distress, the atmosphere began to chill around her and a wind began to pick up. "Huh…?"

Happy and Carla looked around, their tony bodies shivering as an icy wind surged around the group. They all looked startled for that one moment, but they looked towards Gray, the culprit being as clear as day as he frowned at the distressed blonde.

"Gray…"

"I'll keep that demon down. You just worry about getting Natsu back." He advised.

The vile heat within her body was starting to cool away, managing to slow down at best. Lucy smiled and nodded at the resolution that was imposed.

"I'll help too." Wendy came from Lucy's opposite side, having hands reached towards her arm and glowing green. "I'll see if I can slow it down."

"Thanks, you guys…" Lucy's smile widened.

* * *

With himself revitalized, the searing inferno around Natsu did not waver with his ambition. He glared with the might of a dragon staring down its lunch.

Zeref turned around, stepping away from the gateway in which dimmed a little. He evaluated Natsu as the lames revealed a single area where his hand went through earlier. It was clean, like it was never touched. _'His wounds are healing?'_ Another realization dawned upon him. _'What about the book? Is it possible that…someone is rewriting it? But even if a human were to handle such inscriptions, they shouldn't hold on too long before they fall to darkness…'_

The flames embodying Natsu receded back into his body, his breathing labored as he stood once more against Zeref.

Zeref frowned heavily. "Even if you were revived by that book, you still have nothing against the likes of infinite Magic Power. You know that."

Natsu had bangs over his eyes, a shadow cast with a frown seen on his lips. "Thank you, Lucy."

"Huh?"

"Thank you…Happy…Gray…" He began to reflect on the adventures he's had with his mentioned friends. "Wendy…Carla…" He thought of the time in Edolas with them. "I get it now…" He thought of the recent events, where he saw Lucy "dead", and him and Gray viciously at the other's throats. "All those things that happened…everything that's happened…it wasn't just my doing, and it wasn't theirs either…this was all of us."

"What are you on about?" Zeref inquired.

"We've all made mistakes and we cast our anger in some way. I know I did that, and now look at what happened…" He thought of the battle his E.N.D had against Nic, and the grievous injuries which were inflicted on his friend. "We had separate paths and pasts, and we've all came this far because we were in this to the end! Even if we may not see each other; even if we don't see in the same light; if I deny that they are my dearest friends who helped me in my time of need…" Controlled flames surged around his arms, heating up viciously with a fury. "Then Fairy Tail will be the place where we can amend all that! When this is over, I'll be making that happen!"

The flames around Natsu swirled in a helix, shifting into a roaring blitz that rendered Zeref by surprise – but not by much. "Do you really intend to stand in my way any longer, Natsu?"

Natsu stomped on the ground, making a crater in the wood. "I'll stand up as many times as it takes! Because I gotta make it up to someone, because he's fighting his battles too!" The statement thrown left Zeref open as he knew who was being mentioned. This was the opening Natsu took. "I may not be him, and I never will be, but I'll be okay with that! Because some battles are meant to be fought for the right reasons!"

With what impact he could unleash, Natsu closed the gap and unleashed a blitzing fist of bolting fire. The impact immediately enveloped the guild's area, picking up a maelstrom of ash and steam as a cyclone of fire enveloped Zeref.

Within the fiery maelstrom, the chaotic fire suddenly split open, revealing the flames going around Zeref as he frowned heavily at Natsu. "Did you not hear me? I control time and space!" He shouted through the roaring fire.

"HRAH!" Natsu went to attack again, lunging a fist of streaming fire into Zeref with the vast opening. However, Natsu merely fazed right through the man, teleported and pivoting on the ground. Without any need to hold back, he landed on his hands and spiraled his feet, making a typhoon of spiraling fire that lashed clockwise.

"Just stop already!" Zeref's patience was running thin with Natsu's pointless attacks. He turned around and glared at the fire, in which began to morph into space and swirl into several vortexes, which dissipated into oblivion. As Natsu regained himself on a knee, his body never ceased to burn like an inferno.

"Do you not get it?! This is the power of Dialga and Palkia! The ones who made all this happen! With this power, I can just alter the past to make it better for all of us! I ruined this future, so it's my job to recreate and fix! What don't you get about that?!"

Natsu reeled his fist forward and unleashed a boisterous cry upon unleashing the attack. The sheer impact of the fiery fist went into Zeref's forearm, which blocked it with little effort. Once again, a storm of fire erupted everywhere other than Zeref, encircling the two in char and embers that was once the entire guild. Though the roof and walls were still in one piece, everything else was falling apart.

Natsu glared at Zeref from the close range, his teeth gritting with vicious churning. "Because no matter how you see it, it still happened, didn't it?" Natsu sniped. "So what if you change everything? Bad things always happen, but fixing it from its start won't always work. Sometimes you just gotta look forward to get past that darkness in front of you!" He followed through with his punch, him and Zeref both surprisingly repulsed by their opposing forces. Zeref slid several feet across while Natsu landed with a thud on his feet. He looked back up, glaring at him once more. "Yeah, so we lost our family before. You may want it back, but I have morals to know that messes like those are best left be."

Zeref's brow twisted. "What?" He began to look angry. "You mean you dare leave your parents dead?!"

"And would you rather have a future rectified because you just wanted me back that badly?! News flash – I'm right before you!"

The news made Zeref again go wide-eyed and silent.

"I met Igneel because of you. I met Fairy Tail because of what you did. You brought me here, and I've earned so much of everything because of it. Yeah, you did stupid things, but that stuff is what made the future. It's what made _our_ future. All that bad stuff you did, it's a part of us now. And good and bad are a part of everything! You're erasing what bad you brought onto us to make our lives miserable! We won't get stronger like that, and I'll see to it!"

Zeref glared at Natsu as he watched his younger brother impose his plan. Another eruption of fire came from the Dragon Slayer, a pillar in which leveled the wood littered all around. It was a heinous mess of energy that Natsu was controlling, yet released at such a level that none saw before. He felt his dark Cure Power when he was facing Nic before, but that didn't feel like anything compared to now. Right here – right now – this was his true power. The power to look up and move forward!

"You can deny the world all you want, but you can't deny the suffering that many endured in it! That's humanity's greatest struggle! And it's greatest strength!"

Zeref refused to acknowledge such an ordeal. It was time to end it here and now. The fun and games were long gone, and instead a gritting anger in his white eyes flared as a black spiral of Black Arts began to manifest. All the energy that was being unleashed compressed into his palm, his eyes glaring into Natsu's as the Dragon Slayer defied him to no end.

"Then may the sorrow and anger Ankhseram has brought onto me be spilled into this divine power!"

Together, both Natsu and Zeref went blazing ahead for the other, yelling frantically as they pulsed with their own magic of swirling fire and black death just waiting to reach their targets.

" **FIRE DRAGON KING'S DEMOLITION FIST!** "

" **STYGIAN BLAST CIRCLE!** "

Both combatants closed in, yelling frantically as their final attacks had begun. Both knew this would decide it, and by no means was "holding back" in their vocabulary.

"ZEREF!"

"NATSU!"

As their fists closed in, black and fire surged with fury. Both roared, and suddenly a white blur cast over their attacks, blinding everything at that instant…

* * *

There was the guild hall at one moment, but when Zeref tried to open his eyes, he found himself in another place. His eyes were wide as he was standing – or rather levitating – in the confines of what deemed to be space itself. It was strange, but at the same time, it was ecstatic.

"What…where am I?" He looked left and right, seeing cosmic stardust everywhere. The twinkling stars in the distance only served to disrupt his focus some more. "Wait, am I…in space?"

With his back turned, a golden light radiated from above, catching his attention once more. He gasped as he felt some kind of power. One that was familiar, and yet in his white form, he was petrified with sheer surprise.

"Who's there?!" Zeref called up to the glowing haze in the stardust above. He got no answer, but instead the glow gave out a shrilled cry. The cry again rendered him staggering in place.

As the call diminished, it was like a radiant sun-like energy beamed and prodded through the spatial clouds, shining down onto Zeref and making him wince. He squinted his vision as the clouds began to move apart, giving passage for a white creature with an enchanted golden aura around his body to look down at him like a king to a knight.

Zeref could've sworn his heart stopped as he saw a golden god radiating such power around. All around him, the spread of stardust was thinning, giving full view and no obstructions as Arceus floated down to stand before the White Wizard himself. "You…"

Before him was Arceus, and the Alpha Pokémon looked at Zeref with a clam expression. He said nothing, and left Zeref to realize who he was talking too.

"Are you…Arceus?"

" **I see that you are familiar with this form then. I take it that it was because of my young friend who fought do valiantly for this life I take it?** " He responded.

Zeref caught himself in the moment, realizing the predicament that was happening. His initial shock dissipating, he looked up to Arceus with a frown returning. "What is this? What made you think you could bring me to this space?"

Arceus raised his head. " **Such questions deemed futile to ask, wouldn't you say?** "

"What?"

" **You know why I have brought you here. I have seen it all, and hear it from every last little word. What you seek is the reset of what was all fate in your world that you indirectly dealt, correct?** "

Zeref gasped in shock. "But…how-?!"

" **As I have said, I have seen it all.** "

Zeref's morbid expression only served to grow. "Then you know why I must do this."

The radiant shine around Arceus did not waver as he continued to glimmer down at the piqued White Wizard. " **I am, however, with what's been perceived, it would appear there is but an impasse between us.** "

"Then you, too, object to the way that the way things must be?"

" **White Wizard Zeref, yes? You have indeed reached such great lengths to achieve this power, but you have suffered due to misdoings under good intentions. You cared deeply for your family, and as such, Ankhseram sought to punish you. You have my condolences for his curse onto you. However, you have gone to greater lengths and disrupt the low of time and space, a greater crime in which cannot be ignored on my watch.** "

Zeref stepped forward, glaring up at Arceus with fury. "Don't try to change things that I am willing to correct! I got this power for the sake of the world! It's better off without me carrying Ankhseram's curse, you should know that!"

" **And because of that, you shall rewrite the world and change lives that some believe are worth living?** "

Zeref's eyes narrowed, him and Arceus both giving the other a menacing glare in which defined their own judgment.

"Please…just let me do this. This has nothing to do with you."

" **I am afraid that is where you are mistaken, my young friend.** " Arceus rebuffed. " **Are you not aware of why people are punished? Have you wondered in your hundreds of years of being cursed why humanity keeps trying? There are little answers for those who do not debate this within that set of time, but for those who do, they know the answer to all those questions. The answer…is not fate, but by choice.** "

Zeref was once again wide-eyed.

" **We all are given a choice, but is it I alone who decides your fate? Or do I make the choices that pushes you towards that fate? I did not play part in what Ankhseram sought as fate, but in his concept of life and death, he appeared to have given you a choice that you sought as fate. It was not fate that made people perish before you, nor was it I who can be seen as this fate. I let all have their wills determined by the choices they have made. That is the fate that I have evaluated.** "

"…so then, Ankhseram gave me my _choice_? What kind of a choice did have when everyone I love is robbed from me?! What choice was there when I was cursed?!" He reached out to Arceus, giving him a maniacal look of contempt. "I know what I'm doing is going against what many _think_ is wrong, but I won't let the likes of a fellow god stop me! I have time and space at my full control, and I'll use it to-!"

" **Enough!** "

With that one bellow, Arceus' red eye glared insidious daggers down at the enraged White Wizard. That instant, every bit of emotion he had was put to rest as the ethereal wings Zeref had were siphoned off. Just one bellow, and all his momentum was lost.

With Zeref paralyzed in fear, Arceus resumed. " **Have you forgotten of whom created such two concepts?** "

Zeref was unable to think. What was it that just happened? He didn't know, but that impact of just one glare, it made Fairy Heart inside of him just recede away. _'What…what just…was that from just a single word? I can't even move. I can't lift my fingers to even gesticulate. Just…'_

" **I fully understand what you want to do. I, too, can change time and make things as you would desire…but I shall not.** " Arceus spoke. " **This is not a fate I bestowed, but a choice. Yes, people have indeed suffered indirectly because of your need to pass onto another life, but writing a story by scraping its beginning will only hamper the quality it's gained through its reputation. Even the most mediocre of tales, if approached in another, can in fact become legends. Now, I cast my judgment, and I see to it that you finish your story to its end.** "

Slowly, the golden light around Arceus began to brighten. The energy began to look like a gold star that twinkled billions of miles away. It shimmered with valiance that with Zeref being so close, he could feel his energy and the black feeling in his body starting to burn away.

The light scorched him, and Zeref was gaping his mouth as the infinite Magic Power he once had was proven finite in the hands of he who created infinity. As the golden light burned with passion of the sun, Zeref tried to distort the space, but wasn't even able to lift a hand. _'This strength…it's lifting my…'_

With his silhouette in the godly light fading, Arceus' words began to preach out. " **You have done well thus far. The rest of your journey shall be the choices that you see are made. Let Ankhseram see for himself…that even immortality is challenged by its creation.** "

Zeref felt something wrong as the light burned his white skin. His white complexion and his magic, it was beginning to burn away. Streams of white were whisked away within the beams that shimmered past his body, and with it was his only chance at changing a fate he wished to correct.

* * *

" **HRAH!** "

With one destructive blow, the fire of Natsu's insidious fist ignited and pulsed into Zeref's chest. The White Wizard was no longer white, as his body was back to normal. The black turmoil that was once in his hand was gone, a curse postponed as he was enveloped in a true firestorm. The impact of searing flames head on sent Zeref flying backwards in shock, his clothing charring and the edging reducing to nothing but cindering charred bits.

As he fell back, time was slowing down as the pain on his chest seemed real. His dark eyes were filled with shock as he saw the ceiling. _'This feeling…'_ He slid on his back, tumbling away in a mad frenzy. _'This sensation…'_ He finally landed on his back, the thud so potent that it made him black out. All he saw in that moment was black, a color that he symbolized. _'Did Arceus…'_

Mavis' eyes weakly opened. Upon hearing that final thud, she groaned as she looked over, seeing Zeref lying on the ground several meters away. She managed to get her eyes to open wide upon seeing what could've been described as a miracle. She looked over at Natsu, seeing what became of him.

Around Natsu, steam diffused, and little by little, the flames around his body began to peter out. Small embers retreated into his body, the Magic Power he exerted of severe consequences on his right arm. As it was balled, the skin was severely wounded. It was raw, and seared tissue could've been seen when it wasn't steaming.

Zeref stared at what was left of the ceiling, which was nothing but thin air. "This…is the first time anything like this happened…? What has Arceus done…?"

Without bothering to look back, Natsu turned away. "Can I leave the rest to you, First?"

Back on her feet, the First Master of Fairy Tail also had a disclosed look in her shaded eyes. "…yes." She nodded.

"Good. Well, guess I'm off. I'm so wiped right now. Can't wait to see Happy and the others again." With a wave of dismissal, Natsu lethargically strolled off, leaving Zeref and Mavis in what was the ruins of their guild hall.

"Catch ya later, brother."

With those words, the die had been cast. Natsu walked off, leaving Mavis to groggily look over the defeated Zeref with a mournful frown. She looked so pitifully at what was the sullied mage who lost time and space in the snap of a finger.

"Mavis…"

"Ultimate power…really isn't all that great, huh?" She grunted.

"Maybe so…but that's only because the likes of Pokémon chose to intervene in my plans again. I know I'll heal again soon."

"Zeref…" Her head bowed, her bare feet making quick work of treading over the wood beneath. "You've made all my friends suffer. That's beyond unforgiveable. As the First Master of Fairy Tail, who believes that heart and soul can transcend blood, I want to erase you."

The frown on Zeref's face turned to a smile, glee showing. "Well, I guess death by your hands is most suiting…"

A thud caught his attention. Rather than a pummeling, his eyes widened and he caught the sight of Mavis on her knees, sitting above Zeref's damaged frame.

"No, just rest."

Zeref's inquiry was piqued, but he had no will to show malice. "Then…"

"If only back then…" Mavis cut him off, going her own way. "If only I showed more faith in you back then…" She thought back to when she and Zeref had their kiss. "You really did love me. Because of that, the Contradictory Curse took my life away. But we were under the same curse, so why didn't you die alongside me back then? My guess was really…because I didn't love you that much; I didn't believe in you after all."

Zeref frowned. "It's fine. I was never loved by anyone. It was only passion that you had for me."

"No! Not passion! It was contradiction that did it! It was because I met you that I was able to learn what magic really is. Because I met you, I was able to save Magnolia that time. It was because of you…that Fairy Tail finally came around. You started this all, and this precious guild of mine. You made me make such a place, and yet you still took lives. You took my life; imprisoned it completely. You hurt my friends, and you attempted to use me to destroy what was created." Within the pain she was feeling inside her own heart, her fists balled and held tightly to her chest. She bit her lip, trying to suppress the abundant tears she felt jerking in the corners of her eyes. "I hate you…yet I love you. I'm the only one who understands this feeling that you had all this time. It hurts, it really does. I can't think rationally right now, I don't know what I want to do. If I truly loved you, I'd be killing you. If I thought of you as someone beyond dear, then you'd die. That was…my plan…and yet…"

"Mavis."

"BUT I DON'T WANT YOU TO DIE! I WANT US TO STAY TOGETHER FOREVER!"

Her loud snap flared with her dainty eyes glistening with tears. She cried madly, her tears dripping from her cheeks all the way down to her balled fists. Some got onto Zeref's bare chest, and yet all he did was look at her in confusion.

Eventually, a smile crossed his lips. "I see…when one becomes dear, the more likely they are to be taken from me. So is this what Arceus wanted me to see? The answer to this curse…is choosing to love?"

"WAAA~GH!" Mavis wailed to the heavens, crying madly over the pity and turmoil she was feeling. All the anguish she was inside was unleashed and she just couldn't help it.

Zeref's smile never faded. "Mavis, thank you, and I'm sorry."

Mavis began beating against his chest like a drum. "YOU CAN'T DIE! YOU MAKE ME SICK! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU SO MUCH! YOU HURT MY FRIENDS! YOU DESTROYED THE GUILD…YOU ENDED MAKAROV'S STORY…!" At this point, she had lost it. She was wailing at him madly for no reason at all. " **DIE! DIE! DIE! I NEVER LOVED YOU! YOU'RE A FILTHY ENEMY! DIE! DIE! NEVER LOOK AT ME AGAIN! I DON'T LOVE YOU, I DON'T! YOU'RE A GUILD ENEMY! YOU'RE AN ENEMY TO THE WORLD! SO…** so…"

Zeref noticed her behavior once again changing. Rather than letting her anger out on him, she was all crestfallen, her anger gone and tears flowing madly without delay. He looked up as the First Master of a guild he was indirectly responsible for creating leaned in closer.

"Please…don't die…I love you."

Her hands cupped his face, her mouth drawing closer towards his. Together, the two people who started an enchanted tale shared what was their second kiss. Something inside their hearts snapped completely, and the two cursed people of Ankhseram finally pulled back when they had their fill. As they looked at one another, they were tearing up. Thankfully to Mavis, Zeref's were tears of joy.

"Mavis…I'm so happy because of you. Thank you…" A small enchanted light began to engulf Zeref, his very tears glistening. "I'll finally…be able to sleep peacefully now."

A golden light radiated the guild where both lovers laid. Their powers were of contradictory, yet what was to be a black death-like pillar claiming their lives was instead a golden aura, one of pure bliss. Far from a cold death, a warmth began to enchant Zeref as he continued.

"I wish we had more time to talk. I could've made things right with Natsu perhaps…"

"Please…" Mavis' fingers found their place in Zeref's. "Take me with you."

"Why don't you live on, Mavis? Just a little longer?" He insisted. Within his insistence, the light enveloping them captured the two as they were laying on their death beds, bodies intertwined and unwilling to let go.

Mavis turned her head, smiling at him. "Zeref…"

"Mavis…"

They looked into the other's eye. It was clear neither was going anywhere, not since the light was taking them anyway. Their bodies began to fade away, smiles down as their figures began to turn translucent. Zeref laid on one side and Mavis laid on the other, both holding the other so tight they refused to let go.

"Then let's go together." Mavis insisted.

With that, their bodies – the very curses that were cast onto them by Earth Land's god – had been lifted. The death of this tale brought as the pillar of light twinkled to nothing shared bliss as golden aura and sparkles whisked into the sky.

" _It's so warm…"_

" _That's because it's my guild, silly."_

" _I see, so this is what Arceus said I'd choose. To die. I chose to pass on. It's…a weird feeling, yet I don't feel pain. I like it."_

" _This is also what you and I are going to feel forever now. A feeling as great as this: Love."_

"… _it's a wonderful feeling…"_

That day, at that instant, the quintessence of light and dark truly became one. The guild hall for both became nothing less than a field of gold for them to walk through, hand in hand in solace forever. Their fingers interlocked, green and dark eyes of purity at last reaching the eternal epilogue of a forbidden tale. Eternity of death turns to a beginning of smiles and marry as Mavis and Zeref walked on in the field of golden petals, their new journey set to begin.

* * *

 **Okay, so other than a little Insane Dominator flavor added into the canon, I didn't do much other than wrap up what canon I was going to have left in the story. So if you guys would have figured, the rest of the story will most definitely have my grand ole originality, considering what I did with Acnologia and all. So aside from 1 or 2 canon parts to come, the rest shall be all me.**

 **I got this done on day 5 of my wisdom teeth recovery, and so far things are going alright. I'm being careful and all, but it's just pain and swelling. I should be okay to get the remainder of the story finished, but then again, my part-time job is gonna cut into me. I'll manage, and thanks to the support of you guys! You rock!**

 **Fun Fact: In my recovery, I have been addicted to Pokémon Pearl and have been playing it these past few days. This morning on a Honey Tree, I caught the rare Heracross. I honestly did miss Honey Trees a bunch now that I think about it.**

 **So as always, drop a comment or two on how you thought I wrapped up Mavis and Zeref, and see ya soon! :)**


	81. The Otherworldly Vanguard

The valley shook with the might of Acnologia raging on. The air and land alike pulsated with a magnitude that put the actual move itself to shame. The echo of the dragon's bloodthirst were heard loud and clear, and yet the seven who opposed him did not show any signs of wavering. His head lowered and tail swayed from one end towards the other, the whoosh sound made, too, heard with every swing.

"(Didn't peg this creep to show his face so ambitiously.)" Charizard figured.

"(He must be desperate to take us out like this.)" Staraptor said.

Kecleon tilted her head. "(New filter overdue.)"

The avian raised her wings. "(In a way, he didn't even look at the warrant.)"

"(Well I say he's overextended his welcoming party.)" Mega Garchomp said.

"(You and me both.)" Charizard replied.

Arbok hissed his tongue at the decrepit dragon once more. "(Hmph! An overgrown bag of ssscalesss that needsss to be taught sssome mannersss, that'sss what I sssee.)"

"Everyone, you know what to do!" Nic voiced. "Don't show him any means of mercy! Let's go!"

"(Right!)"

As the land was filled with a decrepit yet severely potent Magic Power emanating from Acnologia, helicopters hovered high over the area, looking at the black dragon and Nic staring down the other in readiness for either's demise. The cameras closed in, catching the rows of fangs Acnologia showed to his prey. The other cameras caught a glimpse of Nic with his six Pokémon.

" **According to our sources, it appears that down below is Nic Pularis.** " A reporter stated for all to hear. " **From what is seen, he appears to have his Pokémon out against this terrifically terrifying beast, which appears fixated and ready to strike!** "

Over the ridge just beyond the viewpoint, the wild Pokémon in the area looked on with expectant and somewhat excessive shock on their faces. They never felt such malevolence before, but they also never thought they'd had to see such a sight either.

Up on the ridge's peak, a fellow Absol turned at the sound of rocks being gripped on. Turning around, it looked to find a human hand reaching up, hoisting an arm, leading to a grunting, dirty human trying to get up. "(What the…?)"

The human revealed to be Jake, he panted as he finally got onto the highlands. Once reaching the accursed peak, he got on hands and knees and breathed profusely.

"God…what kind of a climb is that?" He wheezed. "Will, you good?!"

Right beside him, a loud, pained groan reverberated as a hand shot up with strain. It gripped the flat rock desperately, dragging a struggling Will with shaken limbs to his side. "Y-yeah! I'm just-oof!" He fell on his side, thudding and laying in place. "…good." He muffled.

Jake turned away from his friend, him and all the mountain Pokémon staring at the scene that was to unfold. "Looks like we made it in time as well. We're getting front row seats to the action."

Will sighed as he continued to sweat. He sat up, looking over the ridge's peak to get a covered view of the valley. "Yeah, but what the heck is it exactly?"

"Beats me, but if it involves Nic, something's gotta be up, right?"

Will looked ahead expectantly, a deep frown on his face. "Yeah…"

Geodude, Graveler, Machop, and many Pokémon who thrived in the mountains and nested there all looked on with themselves shielded with some form of rock; some of which included other Geodude. For those who chose to flee, they had every right to, for the anxiety would've been too much to take.

Acnologia let loose one last snarl, wings spreading out like giant blades. As he glared ahead, Staraptor's Intimidate Ability activated, and he felt his strength suppress. But that didn't stop his vengeance from being fulfilled yet. " **Behold the might…of the Dragon King!** "

"Here he comes!" Nic warned.

Acnologia exerted another earth trembling roar before he lifted himself off his front legs and raised a claw up into the air. With one powerful swing, the claw thrust into the ground beneath, making a linear pulse wave of earth and dust shoot at Nic. The shockwave of pure power stretched deep into the earth, destroying a river ahead of him like it wasn't there and rushing after the seven.

Nic swiped his arm to the side. "Mega Garchomp, **Dual Chop!** " At his call, Mega Garchomp reappeared in front and growled as his blades glowed a draconic green energy. It shimmered with great fury and the dense shockwave came rushing ahead. Mega Garchomp raised both blades and gave a loud roar upon slamming them down, ripping into the shockwave and earth beneath with explosive force. The Dual Chop created a grand line that sent the shockwave around them, dividing it into two smaller linear waves that ran through the valley in a V-shape.

When the dust cleared and the land stopped shaking, Mega Garchomp was seen without a scratch and stood before everyone, while two deep trails went into the ground around and deepened into the valley woods embedded in the blast. The sight made Acnologia grunt back in retort.

"He can still smell us, so hiding won't work in plain sight." Nic stretched his arm forward. "Staraptor, **Aerial Ace!** Kecleon, **Slash!** "

Kecleon took a leap into the air while Staraptor flung herself up and around in a swift circle, looping to catch Kecleon on her back and went soaring after the large dragon in the distance. With Staraptor flying at great speeds, she sored directly into the dragon with Kecleon holding on tight.

Acnologia waited for them to close in enough for him to thrust his right arm forward; his only arm. His right claw jabbed at the air, but Kecleon jumped off of Staraptor and onto the back of the hand while the bird spiraled and redirected herself into Acnologia's shoulder. RRcaing at massive speeds up towards him, Kecleon's claws glowed and raked with trails following while Staraptor dove in a blur at the same spot. The result was a white burst of energy that grazed Acnologia's shoulder and made him grunt.

" **Double Team!** "

Nic's command was thorough, as shown when multiple Staraptor shot out of the smoke cloud and spread everywhere like a flock. The sudden burst of numbers startled Acnologia as he looked up.

" **Where did all these numbers come from?** "

"(Our turn, Nic!)" Charizard flapped his wings, taking to the skies with Greninja hopping onto his back.

"Charizard, **Flamethrower!** Greninja, **Scald!** "

Both frog and dragon reeled their heads back and lurched forward. At the same time, a torrent of blistering hot water and a streaming blast of fire went in pressurized blasts that overlapped. The steaming water and fire curved into one another, becoming a swirling typhoon shrouded in steam that expanded towards Acnologia.

" **Huh?** " Acnologia took notice of the incoming stream, the Double Team clones of Staraptor dissipating while the real Staraptor flew higher with Kecleon away from the pulse. Reacting fast enough, Acnologia spread his wings and also took flight, using his momentum to dodge the incoming blast. Beneath him, a tower of steam and fire pulsed, rattling the airspace and land alike.

In the air, Acnologia growled down at his prey. " **You'll have to be quicker than that!** "

"(You mean like this?)"

Acnologia looked down, realizing that even in the altitude above, Mega Garchomp already found himself directly above the dragon.

" **Dragon Rush!** " Nic glowed, transforming into his Icicle Form. " **Blizzard!** "

Mega Garchomp exerted a powerful roar that exerted draconic energy. The energy pulsated into the shape of a large winged dragon and dove straight down onto Acnologia. The impact went straight into Acnologia's face, creating a bright flash that sent a ripple everywhere. The explosion of draconic energy sent a greater shockwave that made the air roar in vivid fury. From the draconic light was Acnologia as he went shooting down in a smoke trail head first, gagging from shock. Nic swiped both his arms in opposite directions and unleashed a blizzard of icy cold intensity. The massive cold blast expanded outwards, layering unfallen trees in frost while the Ice-type move struck Acnologia and blasted him out of the sky. The Blizzard pushed him away, shoving him back into the ground with an explosive thud.

As the land vibrated, Nic glowed, transforming into his Meadow Form and dropped to a knee. He slammed both palms into the ground, looking up to glare at Acnologia. " **Grass Knot!** "

Still in shock from the last attack, Acnologia was too stiff to react to the ground opening all around him. From holes rivaling the size of pipe tubes, glowing green roots and vines twirled and twisted all around. They grew and raced over Acnologia's neck, racing to even toe over the stinger end of his tail, to his wrist. Even while captive, his beady eyes glanced over and looked at Nic and the Pokémon with anger.

Nic shit back up. "Mega Garchomp, **Stone Edge!** Arbok, **Earthquake!** "

At the call, the two Pokémon were centerfield. "(Asss you wish!)" Arbok hissed. Nic and Greninja both jumped and Charizard seized the two in midair with his claws and hoisted them up, while Staraptor ascended with Kecleon on her back. They all watched from above as Arbok raised his tail while Mega Garchomp raised his blades. Side-by-side, they roared out and sunk their respective parts into the earth.

At that instant, the ground caved in several feet in mere split seconds. The depressed earth sent a blinding shockwave of raining dust and rock like a meteor shower that expanded throughout the valley. The land shuddered, and with cracking ground was an unkempt linear expanse of jagged glowing blue stone pillars that raced at intense speeds within the chaos. Trees bent over, while the nearby waterfall spilled several rocks as Earthquake caused such damage.

As the impact reached for Acnologia, he looked ahead, unprepared. " **Wait-!** "

The Stone Edge and Earthquake swallowed him, creating an explosion in which dust and rock spouted skyward in a powerful display. The valley trembled as stones and dust repulsed the helicopters up several feet, knocking some of the people on board for a loop from the shockwaves from down below.

Though shaken up from that climb, the news reporter brushed her hair back, staring wide-eyed at the scene below. " **I…I don't know what's happening here, but it looks like that the Pokémon and Nic Pularis are fighting back! The enemy dragon is completely in defense!** "

Watching in shock, Tan smiled brightly. "Yes!"

From Unova on the battlefield, Cynthia looked up in deep shock of the display of power. "Such power…"

The shockwaves went even through the mountain ridges, causing the Pokémon to cover as winds and dust scattered. Even while leaning back, Jake and Will were wide-eyed with smiles on their faces.

"Holy moly!"

"Awesome!"

After minutes of dust rampaging and littering the battlefield, Arbok and Mega Garchomp stood side-by-side as winds continued to graze their skins. Beside him, the others descended, with Nic in the middle front. They all stared expectantly through the cloud of dirt far ahead, deep frowns on their faces.

From the way they looked, they knew the results.

In a blinding second, a harsh wind blade went everywhere, dissipating all dust and revealing Acnologia with his wings spreading apart, bellowing menacingly into the air with his limbs free from obstruction. His roar was splitting ears, shocking everyone who was watching.

"No way!" Will spouted.

"Unreal." Jake murmured.

Leaning ahead, Joanna looked in peril. "All those attacks, and it's still standing?"

"Just what in the world is Nic fighting out there?" Michael questioned.

" **I…I'm at a complete lost for words here, folk! It appears that the dragon has somehow shrugged off all those attacks and is looking madder than before!** " A reporter announced.

On the ground, Acnologia glared with a hot mist expelled from his breath. " **Is that all? I could've sworn there'd be more bite to you than this.** " He taunted.

Nic's eyes narrowed at the tall dragon far away. _'Those attacks definitely had an impact on him. He's just toughing it out.'_ "Keep chipping at his stamina! Charizard, **Dragon Claw!** "

"(HRAH!)" Charizard went lunging in a slant up the crater, using his wings to glide himself at a steady level with his claws stretched to both sides and giving off light blue aura. As he drew in, Acnologia pulled up and clutched his fist, thrusting with vicious might towards Charizard. Both attacks met, and Dragon Claw slashed into the fist, creating a grazing trail that created an explosion embodying the clutched fist.

From the smoke, Charizard ascended with spread wings. "(How's that for bite?)"

Acnologia scoffed in retort.

"(He ate protein a lot.)" Kecleon evaluated. Without another say, she went sprinting ahead with quick strides through the open valley. "(But we eat our vegetables!)" She turned invisible, using Charizard's distraction as the momentum needed.

Nic again swiped his arm. "Kecleon, restrain him!"

Acnologia roared at Charizard as the smaller dragon maneuvered upwards again, dodging a side swipe from Acnologia. The blast from the swipe went sideways into the valley mountains, creating a powerful explosion of dust that cut into the mountainside. Acnologia slashed yet again diagonally down, but again Charizard twirled around it and straightened out. Left again, he evaded another.

" **Do you ever stay still?** " Acnologia retorted.

"(Not if I want to be chopped liver.)" Charizard retorted. "(Now, Kecleon!)"

The dragon's beady eyes looked towards the side, his attention turning to what smelled like something he was too late to be aware of. Out of the blue, he saw but a translucent red zigzag, and above it shot a snaky, sticky tongue with a bulbous end to it. The tongue stretched far, making what could've been the oddest move ever…sticking right on his eye.

" **GRAAAAH!** " Acnologia recoiled in distress at the surprise attack. The long tongue stuck onto him, and as his head swayed, the invisible Kecleon was dragged along, her tongue like a rope as Acnologia cried in pain.

"(Weeeeee~!)" She cheered.

With Acnologia swaying his head around, he was too distracted to defend. This was the chance Nic took as he glowed once again, transforming into his Pixie Form. "Greninja!"

Reappearing beside him, Greninja bent down and reached for his knees. "(Got it!)"

As the atmosphere around Nic darkened, a moon-like light shimmered down and blue flared surged into the center of him. The flares became a shimmering pink globe, which brightened with a field as Greninja made compressed stars of water.

" **Moonblast!** " Nic threw the sphere first, making a pink ripple that burst as it shot at Acnologia.

" **Water Shuriken!** " Greninja swiped both arms, unleashing four spinning shuriken that went like shredding blue comets faster than the Moonblast. Both attacks interlocked as they met halfway, Water Shuriken converging into Moonblast and becoming another pulsing pink light. From there, four streaming water comets with pink centers went expanding outwards and towards Acnologia. All the comets of the divided and shot straight into Acnologia's abdomen like high-speed homing missiles. A pink liquid explosion surged like a flare, making Acnologia gag yet again from the pain.

" **GAH!** "

With his head brought down from that fierce impact, Kecleon swung using her tongue and went skyward, dislodging her sticky help that spiraled with her back to where it belonged. Above Acnologia, she remained invisible as her tongue receded in her spin.

"Go, Kecleon! **Brick Break!** "

"(BONZA~I!)" Kecleon's fist glowed and she came down as an invisible comet right above Acnologia's head. The impact made a powerful white ripple and a shock that went through his head once again. The Dragon King lurched out in pain upon the Fighting-type move's vicious attack.

Seeing the blow and hearing the cry, Will winced. "Oh~! That's gotta hurt."

"I know I'd have a concussion, that's for sure." Jake deadpanned.

Acnologia lowered his head and the shock from Brick Break made Kecleon bounce off his head. She found herself in midair once more in front of his face, her form still not visible. However, Acnologia still saw her tiny zigzag, and his beady eyes showed growing annoyance. " **You…PEST!** " In a fast motion, he swiped his huge claws, swatting Kecleon from the air and sent flying backwards towards the others far, far away. The Color Swap Pokémon cried out as her body was struck like it was a fly to a flyswatter.

"Kecleon!" Nic cried out.

Kecleon cried aloud as she shot backwards, but behind, Charizard appeared and spread his wings. The chameleon was cushioned by his wings, pushing him backwards briefly. She fell back down, caught in Charizard's arms.

"(Are you okay, Kecleon?)" Charizard asked worriedly.

Kecleon turned her head, her body becoming visible. "(I…B+.)" She grunted.

Nic balled a tight fist. "Charizard, **Heat Wave!** "

Charizard held onto Kecleon as he glared back down towards Acnologia. His wings pulled back and then went forward, releasing a raging, expanding blast wave of hot winds with visible ref crescents in them. The expanding blast wave continued its course, but this time Acnologia took no chances.

"( **Not a chance, dragon.** )" In mimicry, Acnologia also brought his wings back. He, too, flapped them forward, unleashing a large-scale maelstrom of intense shockwaves. The mass and volume were intense, yet Heat Wave mixed with it in the center. In the center, a spiraling mass of expanding winds and heat collapsed. The shockwaves, however, went towards Charizard, sending him and Kecleon soaring skywards from the heated repulse.

With the opportunity at hand, Acnologia spread his wings again and soared off the ground, mouth opening wide as he closed in on Kecleon and Charizard.

Nic glowed, but this one was different. This time, he had the edging, belt, V-neck, pants, and sandals all became reminiscent of the Mind Form, while the main clothing was like that of the Zap Form. In an Electric/Psychic fusion, he wasted no time making his next move.

" **Ally Switch!** "

In the blink of an eye, he and Kecleon suddenly traded places, with him now being high in the air and barely gaining control and somersaulting as Acnologia closed in from below.

Nic's body charged with electricity as the dragon came closer, signaling warning. " **Electro Ball!** " Creating a sphere of electricity in his hands, he threw it at Acnologia's mouth. "Arbok, **Gunk Shot!** "

Below, the serpent who now had a scar on his body slunk up as Staraptor hooked her talons around his hood. She applied support and ascended, carrying Arbok and getting high fast and the serpent opened his mouth, charging up a silver ball of light that he unleashed in a booming purple expanse. The blistering attack in the form of a garbage bag escalated higher and higher at gradual speed; the same rate Electro Ball traveled. Acnologia was struck first by the Electro Ball hitting his mouth, making a bright yellow burst inside that halted him. As static flared from the corners, the purple comet struck his jaw like it was a golf ball, forcing Acnologia to shut his mouth and creating a powerful burst of yellow and purple that enveloped his entire head.

His cries of pain went far and wide through the smoke cloud that came after, unnerving all souls that were within earshot.

In the ridges a ways away, both Jake and Will covered their mouths, wincing at that impact they witnessed. "Oh man…now that was just brutal." Jake shuddered.

"Remind me to get _my_ teeth checked." Will said.

Charizard regained balance and flapped his wings. Nic landed on his back and he flew around on the Flame Pokémon. Both flew in a long arch around the dissipating smoke cloud, overlooking Acnologia's condition as he was still distraught within the smoke cloud.

"(Do you think he felt that one?)"

"I'm not sure." Nic evaluated. "He's got strong jaws…"

The smoke dissipated, and Acnologia's head craned around in a full loop. Once again, he roared above with vicious contempt. " **Okay, that one had some bite to it…but not enough!** "

"(Gngh!)" Staraptor grunted.

"(Thisss punk isss grating my nervesss.)" Arbok sniped.

Acnologia faced Nic and Charizard encircling his front. His eyesight fixated onto them, he opened his mouth and began to seep in a massive swirl of energy.

"(Here he comes!)" Charizard warned. He steadied himself out, but even with the angle adjusted he knew it was going to be a close one.

Nic zeroed in on Acnologia, his eyes making sure they don't follow anything else. " **Kinesis!** " Before him materialized an illusionary spoon, which caught Acnologia's eye. The dragon looked at it as he charged up his roar, following the spoon as it went in an infinity symbol with a multitude of afterimages following. The spoon eventually stopped, bending its end and fading away.

With his sight momentarily distraught, the dragon felt an uneased dizziness coming along. His vision was fuzzy, but he didn't hold back once charged. He unleashed a boisterous beaming blast from his mouth, which sparked the sky in a blur light as it traveled at Nic and Charizard. However, within its roaring range, the attack was angled off, much to the shock of everyone. Nic and Charizard were barely grazed by its sheer intensity as they were able to make it move to their left sides, yet it still had force that knocked them off balance, sending him towards the ground.

The roar went on through the sky, its blistering intensity so great that the nearby clouds vaporized into open blue for all who were watching to witness. Those watching could even feel the sound barrier shatter yet again as the beam pulsated with horrific results.

Charizard evened out, landing on a knee with dust clearing at the base. Nic nearly fumbled off, but caught himself and looked up. The group glanced up, looking up towards the Dragon King as he shook his head to rid of his dizziness.

Once free from distraught, Acnologia opened his mouth and began charging yet another swirling roar. This one charged much faster than intended, and he open fired down below. The massive draconic blast again volumized as it went soaring down towards Nic and the Pokémon, the airspace shaking haphazardly as it was but an apocalyptic blast that nearly blinded the cameras.

Nic glowed as the blast came crashing down. As the glow faded, he reached up, revealing himself in his Stone Form. " **Wide Guard!** "

As a multitude of hexagonal barriers went up and around like a dome, the seven were standing tall as a blistering beam enveloped everything else. The pulsating blast exploded with immense frenzy, enveloping the entire valley in a cataclysmic flare that blinded everything and everyone. The shockwaves erupted upwards and out, emitting winds powerful enough to make the ridge Pokémon cover up and some barely held on. The helicopters above nearly lost control from the turbulence.

"What kind of power is that?!" Jake screamed through the dust waves and bright flash.

As the bright flashy explosion subsided, the smoke and dust faded to nothing, revealing what was once disarray on a lush green field with forest trees was now eradicated. It was but a barren wasteland of dirt and rock, severed by the single blast that annihilated everything.

Within its center, dust cleared, and Wide Guard faded away. Nic swiped his arm away, glowing and reverting to himself. He and his fellow Pokémon looked back up to frown at the bringer of mayhem who was still airborne.

" **You pest are more trouble than I remembered you being.** " Acnologia retorted.

Nic's eyes narrowed with a grunt.

" **The fact that I can't eat your magic, the fact that I can't take in all that rich power you possess, it makes me question is it even magic at all? What does this world have that this one does not? What kind of potential does this mean even? Will this truly be the start of a new era where I cannot assure power for myself? So many questions. So little answers. But…that's what makes this world far from boring.** "

"(Boring?)" Greninja repeated.

" **That world I once thrived in, it was but a fruitless place. How impudent. There wasn't a single thing I couldn't destroy, it was just too easy. But even so, I could've waited another hundred years, yet who knows how long any of us have left? That's why I shall destroy** _ **everything**_ **before I meet the same fate!** " The Dragon King clutched his right fist tightly. He could feel his anger surge. " **There wasn't a challenge I wouldn't take…and that's when it came to be the greatest stroke of luck yet. You Pokémon, you were the very answer I sought.** "

Mega Garchomp raised his head. "(Is that supposed to flatter us?)"

" **You creatures who have powers and magic I can't ingest, a battle that can actually affect me and bring me to the shivering core, it's something I've been waiting for a very long time…however…** " His mind began to digress to the painful experiences he's endured, ranging from the many scars he's received in the first fight, to the Dark Legendaries, to the likes of Igneel and Mega Rayquaza double teaming him. His eyes began to glow red from the anger that was starting to swell. " **You filthy, destructive creatures caused pain the likes even** _ **I**_ **was brought to shame by. Me. The great Acnologia, shamed and disgraced by this accursed force that you sought to bring from this world…I SHALL NOT HAVE IT! I SHALL DESTROY ALL POKÉMON WHO STAND IN MY WAY! THERE WON'T BE A SINGLE ONE LEFT BEFORE I SEEK THE DESTRUCTION OF THIS WORLD ITSELF!** "

Staraptor's eyes widened in shock. "(So that was his aim?)"

"(He wanted to come to this world deliberately, just to destroy everything other than his own.)" Greninja evaluated.

Charizard got into a battle stance. "(Looks like we blew a fuse on him. He's mad.)"

"(Good, then it'll be a lot more fun to see him this way.)" Mega Garchomp grunted.

Nic couldn't believe what went through his ears. To think that a dragon would be willing to go this far in ambition to assure his own survival, it was beyond deplorable. He felt like a fool to have brought him here to bring him one step closer towards his goal of dragon and Pokémon kind destruction. No matter what, he – they – knew they had to stop him. Taking notice of something off, Nic noticed a green glimmer within the sky.

A bizarre but large green glint in the skies above flashed, and without warning it shot down like a quick bolt of lightning straight down on the roaring Acnologia.

" **I will slay you a-!** " In his bellowing, he was a split second late to react to the falling green comet. It crashed straight down onto him, enveloping him in a large green rippling explosion. The sky at that instant turned green from the pulse that spread thin as green flames burst from the severe blow.

The ground below trembled and split frantically into oblivion. It broke apart even more as Acnologia sundered towards it with a massive, bone crushing thud. A smoke and dust cloud seared him, leaving him to feel shock and lay in his stomach in writhe.

Nic and everyone covered up from the shockwaves, grunting as they were managing to hold, albeit barely. When it all cleared, they looked ahead, their shock surmounting.

Acnologia grunted as he struggled to stand. " **What just…?** " He trailed off as a green tail flicked above him. Instantly he froze.

Nic gasped. "Is that…?"

A toothy, draconic smirk was seen. "( **So that's your reasoning, Acnologia.** )" A familiar draconic voice ranged in all manageable ears. "( **I see you haven't changed a bit.** )"

Acnologia glanced up, his shock widening upon the arrival of a certain creature that went by Mega Rayquaza. The Mega Evolution Pokémon raised his head, craning it high and bellowing out a vicious roar that made the airspace ripple. The helicopters in the sky were as far as possible so as nit to get caught in the blast.

Onscreen, the reporter gaped at the sight. " **Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know what happened…but it seems as though what looks like Rayquaza of all Pokémon has just appeared out of the blue!** "

Onscreen at his lab, Professor Sycamore sprung up from his desk. "Mega Rayquaza?"

"Is that Rayquaza?!" Jake gasped.

"Holy crap! That's a _Mega_ Rayquaza! Sweet god almighty!" Will paled. Anymore excitement and he would've passed out.

Watching from home, Joanna, Michael, and Tan all watched the screen with adrenaline on the rise. " **And so Mega Rayquaza just intercepted what the talking dragon has said! Given the evidence, we can't be sure what the motives are at the moment, but it appears that Mega Rayquaza has come in aid against this unknown creature.** " The parents held onto their child tight, holding him so that he doesn't panic like they were inside.

"(What? Mega Rayquaza?)" Charizard exclaimed.

"(Party plus one.)" Kecleon responded.

Mega Garchomp didn't seem all that surprised. He, Arbok, and Staraptor all looked up with anticipation, as to where Nic and Greninja showed little to no reaction moments later.

Mega Rayquaza glared down his adversary, who was starting to come around once more. "( **Acnologia, we meet once more.** )"

Back up on his feet, the Dragon King stood tall to match Mega Rayquaza's height. " **Dragon, it's been too long.** " He sniped.

"( **Not long enough.** )" He retorted.

Acnologia spread his wings, giving a bitter snarl from his vibrating throat. " **Don't bother this time! You just caught me by surprise. There's no way I'm going to lose to the likes of you again!** "

"( **I can already tell. You were able to withstand all those attacks from my young friend here and his beloved Pokémon. You were even able to hold your own this time to my attack. But I ask you, how long will you last now that you're starting to wear on us?** )"

Acnologia began to lean away, his side briefly hampered by his wounds. His body ached, but he kept glaring at Mega Rayquaza with a vengeful glare. " **As long as I have a puff of breath in this body, I'll stand as many times as it takes before destroying your kind and that human. If you think you alone will be all that's needed, don't try to stand in my way. I'll just break you in half right now!** )" To prove his point, Acnologia embedded his claw in his Dragon Slayer Magic. Before he could connect, however, Mega Rayquaza ascended, easily dodging the thrust and ended up above Acnologia.

In the air, he swerved until he was in a balanced position to strike. He raised his head, gathering draconic energy into his mouth. " **Dragon Pulse!** " Once charged, a heinous blast of draconic, multicolored energy went racing down from the mouth with vicious wings and a gaping mouth. The pulsating attack went beaming down towards Acnologia, yet as it drew closer, the dragon brought his fist back again, punching straight into the Dragon Pulse.

The Dragon Pulse diverged around Acnologia as he went straight through it, blocking and making streams of multiple colors hit the ground all around him, making rumbling bust waves but sustained no damage whatsoever. The attack persisted until at last Dragon Pulse subsided, and Acnologia had his fist out still.

Nic's eyes widened. "He blocked it?"

"No way." Jake gasped.

"That dragon countered that Dragon Pulse like it was nothing. What the heck?!" Will exclaimed.

Mega Rayquaza looked down, snarling at Acnologia as he withdrew his only arm.

" **Now you see? I've been training this whole time. This entire year away, I was waiting, biding my Magic Power to the point where I could fight even you without my full extent. I may have been bested before, but now things are different because I am fully prepared to defend against magic that I can't take in.** " He adjusted his battle stance, his wings spread and stinger tail raised. " **I will slay you!** "

Nic's fists balled again. _'His anger's gotten the better of him. He's been driven down this path so forcibly that he's using vengeance as a means of strength.'_

Greninja glared ahead, and with him, Nic as well. Both remained silent as the pressure and power within the atmosphere had begun to alter yet again. The seven Pokémon all retained calm as the power flux made an odd but vibrant force right beneath their feet. They felt it crawl.

"( **You are right about one thing, Acnologia. Things are different than they were before.** )" Mega Rayquaza said.

" **Huh?** " Acnologia looked confused.

From the blue yonder above, a pulsing black wave was unleashed, raining down via Dark Pulse. From behind Nic and the others, a large Moonblast shot over their heads, flying at Acnologia.

" **What?!** " Hurrying, Acnologia flapped his wings and dodged by means of ascending again. He shot upwards, evading the shimmering blasts that connected and created a typhoon of pink and black. The swirling cyclone collapsed beneath him, and he looked down as the range triple as it burst haphazardly. While looking down in shock, he noticed another Dragon Pulse reaching up towards him, flying in an arch. He leaned towards the side, dodging as the Dragon Pulse continued on and exploded in a dazzling display right over his head. He looked back down, staring with shock at the new faces who dared to enter battle.

" **Who dares?!** "

A shrilled cry came from behind Nic and the six. They turned around, eyes widening as a large, dear-like creature they were familiar with came lunging over their heads. The blue antlers twinkled with rainbow colors, radiating a powerful aura that coursed through the glowing X-shaped pupils. Landing in front of Nic in a small skid. Before him, his head craned up, staring up towards Acnologia with a calm vibe flowing.

Nic was at a loss for words yet again. "…Xerneas?"

Barely able to sustain their breathing, Jake and Will were completely distraught as they saw the Legendary being of Life venture into battle. They heard a powerful cry from above the skies, making them look up. Over their heads, cast above in a giant shadow, they screamed like pansies as the large shadow moved over them. They lost all momentum, the winds picked up from the gliding monster forcing them to slide downwards into the dusty valley's edge.

"(Uh oh!)" A Geodude exclaimed.

"(This won't end well for them.)" A Machop nervously said.

"AH-!" Both Jake and Will slid on their rumps down the slope until they reached a low ledge. They grunted in pain, gasping at the shock they felt. Both pained aloud as they found themselves not even a quarter mile away from the tail end of Acnologia.

"Jake, you okay?" Will grunted.

"Y-yeah, I think so." Jake rubbed his sore back. Thankfully the backpacks both wore broke their falls. "But what the heck was that?"

Will looked up, his eyes shooting wide. "Oh crap! Look now!" He pointed up towards the figure in the sky, Jake following and his eyes again bulged out of their sockets.

"WHAT THE-?!"

Entering from the skies, a familiar dark avian screeched, the arrival of Xerneas' counterpart soared above Acnologia's head. The dragon looked up, seeing Yveltal soar with Mega Rayquaza.

"Yveltal…?" Nic exasperated.

The land shuddered yet again, this time with a compressed light beneath a set of rocks away from Acnologia. He turned his head, watching as a green explosion burst light beams everywhere. As rocks went flying and dust cleared, another familiar green and black creature entered, raising his head and crying out to battle.

"(Zzzygarde?)" Arbok looked at the fellow distant serpent, recalling having battled him as well.

"(The Life Trio, all gathered in one place.)" Staraptor examined.

Xerneas raised his head, glaring up at Acnologia. "( **We have heard the call of life threatened.** )"

"( **And the balance of death has been disrupted.** )" Yveltal snarled.

"( **The balance of the land of Kalos has been set off balanced. It shall be our task, to ensure this chaos is averted!** )" Zygarde declared.

"Don't think that this will be all that you can do."

For the umpteenth time, Nic was caught surprised by a voice behind. Together, him and his Pokémon turned around, looking at the newcomers to the brawl.

"Sorry for being so late." Around a blonde head, there was a camera lens. Behind her was a Vivillon.

"It was a climb getting here, but we've managed to make it." A head with hair similar to a cliff was seen. Behind him was a Tyrantrum with his head up to face Acnologia.

"We didn't mean to be late. Don't put us down too harshly now." A wily smirk was seen with a helmet. Behind the female turned out to be a Mega Lucario, glaring in readiness.

"It looks sturdy indeed. Be ready, Gogoat." An elderly man with scissors stood beside a Gogoat, who snorted.

A pair of glasses adjusted as a Heliolisk flicked its tail around. "We'll need more than a little bit of science if we want to evaluate its weak points."

"My, what a breeze has been stirred up. Dainty winds won't come if this keeps up." A pair of long sleeves were seen, and right beside her was a Sylveon.

"I have seen it all. We must not let this creature's call of destruction be answered." A woman who floated with a cape was seen with a Meowstic too floating beside her.

A burly man with crossed arms and a jacket smiled. "Against that thing? We'll give it our all, no matter what." Beside him was his Avalugg.

Even far away, Jake and Will were against screaming out of shock. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. "GAH~?! Are those…Kalos' Gym Leaders?!"

All eight Gym Leaders of Kalos stood behind Nic, all of them seeing the seemingly surprised look on his and his six's faces. He turned around, perplexed. "You all came?"

"Of course." Korrina winked. "It's not like we're just going to have this thing take Kalos without a fight now."

Olympia nodded. "Yes. We must pour our strengths together, and repel this monstrosity."

Wulfric nodded. "Your fire burns brightly, my young friend. We shall keep it lit!"

Another smile was seen entering. "There's more where that came from!"

Turning, everyone again felt surprise mount as another set entered. Even from the distance, Jake and Will stopped breathing as the woman leading the charge was Kalos' Champion, Diantha with her Mega Gardevoir. Behind her was the Elite Four, with Drasna, Malva, Wikstrom, and Siebold.

"Diantha." Nic said, albeit in surprise.

"Hello again, Nic."

Malva had a hand to her hip, smirking. "Well isn't this splendid. Looks like the end of the world just has it in for the contemptuous man." She spoke, her Talonflame flapping beside her.

Siebold put a hand to his forehead, his Barbaracle beside him stern. "This meal we shall now feast in, this is no doubt be hard to chew on."

Wikstrom stepped forward with his Aegislash, standing regally. "Though shall not pass another step against us! We shall uphold the honor of the world against thy evil!"

Drasna smiled alongside her Noivern. "Well, seems like a tough dragon. I've always been fascinated with dragons, but not like this."

Diantha once again stepped forward. "Nic, though it may seem harsh, please understand. This is not any of your fight alone. We shall help, and defend this world together."

Nic stared at Diantha for a short time, but rather than frown and shake her away, he instead closed his eyes, turned back towards Acnologia, and remained stationed. Slowly, a smile crept on his face.

"…then what are you waiting for? You never needed my permission."

Diantha and Mega Gardevoir's eyes widened.

"This is all our world after all. I'm not some ruler who picks and chooses. If it happens, it happens. Everyone…" Nic began to glow, transforming once more in front of them, this time into his Sky Form. His wings spread, and he set himself up for battle. "Let's show Acnologia what human and Pokémon do!"

Altogether, the Legendary Pokémon and humans let out varied cries that rattled the air. Their cries reached the helicopters, which depicted the once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.

" **People of the world!** " The reporter announced. " **Take a very good look! This view, this scene, it is history in the making! The Legendary Pokémon comprised of Rayquaza. Xerneas. Yveltal. Zygarde. The Pokémon of Nic Pularis. Kalos' Gym Leaders and Pokémon League; they have all come forth to defend the world at this very moment! This is the crisis that has called them all here!** "

All over the world, everyone was getting up and about. They all looked worried yet filled with immense shock as ancient legends and well-known stars and humans were all gathered together. They looked at the screens and heard their radios. They watched all the broadcast, watching with beating hearts. The Champions and many famous Trainers from all over stared with intense frowns as the battle only served to grow.

In the air, Acnologia craned his head around, unleashing another blood-curdling roar. The soundwaves stretched far, making the ground itself shudder. Once a full revolve, he glared down at the many who surrounded him. " **It doesn't matter how many of you there are to me. You humans who side with these creatures that bring destruction, I'll make you all suffer!** " Without holding back, Acnologia raised his head, charging up another roar.

"Here he comes!" Valerie shouted.

"Vivillon, **Hurricane!** " Viola announced.

"Noivern, you too!" Drasna ordered.

The two Pokémon called ascended together, their wings glowing bright blue. As they reeled back, Nic appeared in the middle, having his wings set to create Hurricane. All at once, the three flapped and created a massive cyclone that expanded from their respective powers. With each flap, the strength multiplied into a massive barrier that encompassed no less than a quarter mile. The massive cyclone went skyward, making swirling clouds appear and create a bigger vent. The expanding Hurricane raged in front as Acnologia reeled his head forward, unleashing a monstrous roar. The blast wave shot straight into the full-blown wall, making a sinister blue ripple upon its connection. In less than a few seconds, a vacuum once created collapsed, and the monstrously huge Hurricane exploded. Monstrous winds went all around, vibrating the ground and reaching far beyond the ridges. The Pokémon were nearly blown away while Jake and Will pressed against the mountainside, grunting from searing winds grinding against them.

With the winds nullifying the roar, Zygarde raised his head, crying out as his body was enveloped in a green aura. He slunk backwards before taking off in Extreme Speed. He soared as fast as a fighter jet, zigzagging into the high skies up towards Acnologia.

Acnologia turned and saw Zygarde heading his way. Using his knee, he turned and knee struck Zygarde's head as he tried ramming him from the lower left. A ripple exerted, but neither side moved in the midair stalemate.

Down below, Xerneas began sprinting ahead, yelling out as his horns glowed green, via Megahorn. He went prancing and skipping off through the barren valley, lunging up at the last moment towards Acnologia. Acnologia noticed Xerneas incoming and he redirected his knee, kicking Zygarde directly into Xerneas, forcing both to fall towards the ground.

In the air, Yveltal screeched and brought his wings together to manifest a shining glowing sphere with a high frequency, via Focus Blast. When he found the chance, he fired it by spreading his wings apart As the Focus Blast went on, Mega Rayquaza opened his mouth, manifesting a black turmoil inside, in which was unleashed in a massive Hyper Beam. Together, the massively large black and purple beam and shimmering sphere raced side-by-side towards Acnologia.

Once again, he raised his head an unleashed yet another massive roar. The beaming blast he again unleashed shot skyward, reaching Hyper Beam and Focus Blast. The brutal tri-collision resulted in a horizontal pulse wave stretching far above Kalos' sky. The helicopters were once again staggering as the ripple passed them, and the entire circumference was enveloped in a pulsating dome of massive destruction. The sky was rich with a beam so potent that it roared and made the ground and surroundings alike scream. The land literally swayed like water from the blast, yet all anyone could do was keep their frontlines until their last breath.

As the monstrously disintegrating blast diminished, nothing was in between but a diminishing flash and ears ringing. Many used this time wisely and went for the attack.

"Meowstic, **Signal Beam!** " Olympia yelled.

"Mega Lucario, **Dragon Pulse!** " Korrina shouted.

Together, Meowstic's ears shot up and in her hands a rainbow orb was made. As she unleashed a dazzling rainbow beam ahead, Mega Lucario jumped beside her, unleashing a Dragon Pulse as well.

Nic swiped his arm. "Greninja, **Scald!** Charizard, **Flamethrower!** "

At his command, Greninja and Charizard also unleashed their respective pulsating attacks. All four separate beams closed in one another, once again making a multicolored swirling blast beam that raced in a magnificent swirl towards Acnologia.

As the beam raced for him, Acnologia dove downwards, arching and dodging the large, powerful blast that continued skyward. The Dragon King shot straight down, spreading his wings and altering directions at the last second to go into a low-level shot above the ground. As he raced for them at top-speed, the land quaked beneath his incoming roar.

"He's closing in!" Malva warned. "Talonflame, **Brave Bird!** "

"Gogoat, **Aerial Ace!** " Ramos commanded.

"Aegislash, you as well!" Wikstrom ordered.

All three Pokémon responded by the avian cawing and soaring skyward, flickering blue aura-like flame following in its wake. The aura became a streaming blue flare that followed Talonflame as she straightened out and went to attack. While on the ground, Gogoat went galloping in a high-speed blur, and Aegislash unsheathed into his Blade Form and dove right ahead.

As they went on, Xerneas and Zygarde were already back up and ready to intercept. As Acnologia flew in, they, too, charged once more. With the same attacks as before, Xerneas lowered his horns and went sprinting with Megahorn, and Zyfarde lunged with Extreme Speed. They all met in the dead center, with Acnologia ramming with great force in his head and manifesting another pulse wave. The ground beneath the three ripped apart, becoming an erupting crater that expelled dust and shockwaves continuously. The three were in a standoff as Acnologia continued to fly in, but neither Zygarde nor Xerneas were moving much.

Charging into the collision, Talonflame, Aegislash, and Gogoat both cried aloud as they, too, went full-speed. Talonflame got his upper head, and Gogoat and Aegislash rammed the pointed jawline. With the added force, a white burst of energy erupted and the four combined Pokémon shoved once more, repulsing Acnologia.

" **GAH!** " The shock from the added attack force left him momentarily blank as he began to fall backwards. Before he could trip, his teeth gritted and pivoted. " **HRAH!** " With violent fury standing up from the shove, he swung his massive tail around, striking all four with vengeance. The tail whack sent all four soaring backwards, yelling out from their repulse backfiring.

" **I told you, I'm not losing this!** " He retorted. He raised his only claw into the air, draconic magic encompassing it. He slammed it into the ground with extreme force, forcing another shockwave of fault-tearing Dragon Slayer might to rise and shoot ahead.

With the roaring atmosphere, Nic and Siebold reached out. "Mega Garchomp…"

"Barbaracle…"

" **STONE EDGE!** "

Together, Mega Garchomp and Barbaracle ran their respective claws and blades into the ground in front. Side-by-side, massive jutting and jagged pillars of sharp, heavy rock went at the linear pulse wave. The combined Stone Edge assault blazed across the battlefield, making pillars and jagged dimensions the size of full-grown trees. The two attacks collided in the dead center yet again, manifesting a fiery explosion that shot a pillar straight into the sky. The rippling energy was again roaring and making all land shudder with fear and instability.

The explosion eventually lifted, leaving behind a cloud of dust to be waved away by Acnologia's single arm. Once again he showed no means of backing down within his glowing red eyes.

"(Gngh! He just won't stay down!)" Charizard huffed.

"(Don't give up! Keep hitting him!)" Mega Gardevoir insisted.

"Mega Gardevoir, **Moonblast!** " Diantha shouted.

"Sylveon, you as well!" Valerie commanded.

Both Pokémon did as told and unleashed their attacks. Two shimmering pink orbs went shooting across the airspace ahead, aiming for Acnologia's head. As they came at two separate times, Acnologia adjusted his head and tilted left and right, evading both Moonblast attacks that exploded in a pink smoke behind.

"(Aw man! This sucks!)" Vivillon chirped.

"(We gotta get his attention elsewhere from us somehow.)" Mega Lucario said.

Tyrantrum stepped up, the ground thudding beneath his single step. "(Then we snuff him out from all sides!)"

Acnologia again roared out at them, his wings spread out. " **You won't be getting anywhere past me!** " He flapped his wings once, releasing a strong and very wide maelstrom that stretched far ahead. It was like a Heat Wave yet it wasn't.

In his Sky Form still, Nic swiped his arms in opposite directions. He used his form's powers to bend and manipulate the air currents that Acnologia created. All the winds that were heading their way were mend around them, unable to hit them, yet the currents were so strong that it was like a hurricane of its own rights.

Even as Acnologia pulled back, his wings were spread wide and mouth wide open. " **I will slay you-!** " He was cut off when an explosion got him from behind, resulting in rocks and dust breaking apart in the center of his spine. The dragon roared in vivid pain and anguish.

"What?" Clemont questioned.

"What was that?" Wulfric questioned.

Acnologia turned around, his back still feeling the recoil from that blow. When he did, a Dragon Rush came crashing into his abdomen with explosive results. The draconic explosion enveloped his core, making him roar once more and falter backwards a step away. As dust and smoke vanished, his head lurched down, pain flaring. As he looked up, he saw two human feet side-by-side a ways away, close to the mountain ridges.

"That was for making us feel pain." Jake sniped. Right beside him, his Rhyperior roared with his Rock Wrecker dissipating steam around the holes in his hands.

"And that's what happens when you let your guard down around us!" Will added, his Dragonite descending to where he flapped overhead.

The arrival of them surprised Nic yet again. "Jake?! Will?!"

Acnologia snarled beneath his breath once more. " **More humans with these creatures?** "

Will turned towards them, his frown showing. "What are you guys waiting for?! We got his attention!"

Realizing that this was the opportunity they were looking for, everyone knew they had to make every second count.

"Tyrantrum, **Rock Slide!** " Grant shouted.

"Hurry, Heliolisk! **Thunder!** " Clemont ordered.

Together, both Pokémon raised their heads beside the other and cried out as one was outlined in gray and the other opened his frills and static and lightning flared round the body, shooting skyward. Above Acnologia, ripples of distortions were seen, and large gray rocks went sundering down at the same time a massive pillar of lightning coursed. His neck struck by the electricity and heavy rocks, dust and electricity filled the air around him, causing him to turn wildly.

"Alright, now it's our turn!" Wulfric extended his arm forward. "Avalugg, **Avalanche!** "

Avalugg's body glowed a bright blue aura as he cried out. The air above Acnologia suddenly came cold as he turned back around, glaring red daggers at the group before him. When he took notice of a cold front above, he looked up, only to get bombarded by ice chunks and snowfall. The blast again pelted his head, causing an icy burst of energy with each consecutive strike. As Avalanche faded, Acnologia lurched forward this time getting to a knee.

"We got him!" Valerie chirped.

"Don't let up! He's still got some fight in him!" Olympia warned.

Korrina nodded. "Right. Mega Lucario, go!"

"Staraptor, you know what to do!" Nic yelled.

Mega Lucario went sprinting across the ground, as to where Staraptor went flying at a greater speed, sideways divebombing towards Acnologia. As they went at the faltering dragon, Xerneas also joined in, raising his head from recovery and went prancing head first towards the taller dragon. All three Pokémon didn't waste a single second as they jumped high, meet Acnologia's chest and head alike.

"( **Close Combat!** )"

Altogether, Mega Lucario, Xerneas, and Staraptor all unleashed bone-crushing barrages down on Acnologia, hooves, horns, paws, feet, talons, wings, and beaks constantly pounded like machine gun bullets. Staraptor founded profusely against the head, uppercuts and talon kicks so powerful that each strike made his head turn a separate direction. Xerneas and Mega Lucario continued pounding his midsection, the triple threat Fighting-type barrage relentless as they were pushing Acnologia back so far back that he was several meters away from his original position.

With one final talon kick to the head, Staraptor finished with an air ripple exerting far out. The impact by itself made Acnologia fly off his feet onto all threes. He slid back another several hundred meters, his vision blurry and all his senses dulled to where he felt almost nothing.

With a heavy gag, Acnologia lurched down towards the ground, eyes wide and head barely touching the ground. And yet despite the setbacks and all the open scrapes, he was still standing. His wings were drooped, and his tail was down, but his head struggled to crane up.

" **There is no way…I will lose…to an inferior race like you.** " He darkly declared. " **I…will bring forth…all destruction. And you…will be slayed…by my claws.** "

"He's really…that desperate to win?" Clemont asked.

Mega Rayquaza looked down with Yveltal and the other Legendaries nearby. "( **Acnologia, give it up! This is over!** )"

Acnologia raised his head, glaring with a brutal gaze. " **Says who?! Losing to you freaks isn't an option! Do you hear me?!** "

"(Acnologia!)"

" **SILENCE!** " Acnologia opened his strained mouth, charging up another swirling roar.

Nic's teeth gritted and he reached out. "Acnologia! Everyone, hit him now!"

And what Nic yelled for came true, all the Pokémon with long-range attacks unleashed them. Viola's Vivillon used Hurricane, sending a cyclone straight ahead, with Tyrantrum using Rock Slide. Mega Lucario used Dragon Pulse, and Heliolisk used Thunder, and Sylveon fired another Moonblast. Meowstic fired Signal Beam once more, Avalugg used Avalanche and unleashed a barrage of ice and snow. Barbaracle used Stone Edge, Noivern used Air Slash, and Mega Gardevoir used her own Moonblast.

To add to it, Greninja unleashed a spinning Water Shuriken, Charizard used Flamethrower, Arbok used Gunk Shot, and Mega Garchomp used one more Stone Edge. And Nic opened his mouth, forming a compressed blue energy with a vacuum enveloping him. The moment he closed his mouth, it was all silenced before he again cried out another attack.

" **Legendary Arts – Aeroblast!** "

Unleashing a massive blue beam with intense, earth-shaking force, all the attacks revolved around the Aeroblast, of which began to converge and fuse into a massive, destructive rainbow beam that was the size of Acnologia himself. The attacks of the varied types were far from complete as Xerneas unleashed his Moonblast, Zygarde with Dragon Pulse, Mega Rayquaza with Hyper Beam, and Yveltal roaring out with Oblivion Wing. All the attacks combined and fused with the rainbow blast, giving it a darker hue as it raced across the land, reshaping it as Acnologia tried to unleash his own roar. However, when he fired it, it completely dissipated and was blown away by the incoming wave. Unable to block, the dragon found himself screaming, roaring in riling agony as the attack enveloped him completely. The dragon's cry of unbelievable pain was something he couldn't begin to fathom. He felt nothing, yet everything at once.

The blast continued to repulse Acnologia, reducing everything to nothing as a very deep trail went for miles on end. He and the massive rainbow blast faded away into the nearby edge of the valley, glinting for a moment before an atomic wave was unleashed. All the helicopters gained extra height and stayed far away as the pillar of rainbow energy shot into the sky. The entire land of Kalos rattled as a shockwave of rainbow elements decimated all that were inside

It took several minutes before it all dissipated, and everything and everyone watching in and out of the region stayed completely quiet as they awaited for the results. As the dust cleared, there, for all the cameras to bear witness to, they saw a deep trail that went towards a completely leveled ridge and mountain, and there, lying on his side, smoldering, charred, and many, upon many of his scales chipped off, was Acnologia. He laid on the ground, mouth wide open and his black scales a dark gray, his underbelly cold.

The results were clear, and everyone reacted in their own way.

"We…did we do it?" Korrina asked.

In the air, Mega Rayquaza and Yveltal let out roars of victory. Xerneas and Zygarde alike raised their heads, yelling aloud in their victory.

Wikstrom nodded. "It seems the beast has been dealt with."

"YES!" Jake and Will yelled at the top of their lungs. Beside them, Dragonite and Rhyperior bellowed with the same ecstasy.

Malva nodded.

Valerie sighed with her Sylveon.

Siebold smiled with joy. "Was a long wait, but this dish has been served with justice."

Nic looked ahead, weakly smiling as he lowered to the ground and shifted back to himself. All around him, his Pokémon glared ahead, all raising their heads and fists – if possible – in cheering. Nic turned around, smiling at everyone who helped him, and raised his own fist. They, too, raised their own.

" **The…crisis has been averted!** " The reporter announced. " **Folks of this world, hear this announcement! The black dragon has finally been sedated! The vanguard that has successfully defeated the enemy dragon!** "

At home, Joanna and Michael gaped with tears in the corners of their eyes. They couldn't believe it, yet it happened. Their foster-son did it.

"YAY! NIC DID IT!" Tan screamed.

In the far reaches of the world, many people were cheering as well, following Nic with fists raised and yelling like barbarians. They were too thrilled to even speak of such a thing. No words were needed as many were breaking down or nodding in approval.

" **Thanks to the combined might of Rayquaza, and Kalos' trio of life, and the humans who have risked their lives to stop the menace, we have learned very valuable meanings on this blessed day! We will be bringing more of what is to come!** " Even though it _seemed s_ afe to come down, the helicopters did not waver from their positions. Instead, they all remained in the sky, circling to get snapshots of Acnologia and what has happened to the Pokémon and humans down below.

Once all gathered up, everyone closed in and began to congratulate one another.

"Man, that was so freakin awesome!" Will cheered. "It was like 'WHAM'! Man, wasn't that something, Dragonite?"

Dragonite nodded. "(Definitely.)"

Nic put a hand to his hip, grinning. "Well all things considered, you two should be very proud of what you did."

Jake put his hands up innocently. "Hey, easy there. We were just a distraction. You guys did the heavy lifting…" He put a hand to his chin, giving a grin. "Although, this heroic stuff does have its perks. Maybe we should do this more often."

Viola crossed her arms and raised a brow. "Don't be so hasty, boys. You sure like the attention, don't you."

Korrina winked. "Then maybe next time we'll have you lead the charge."

Jake and Will immediately went wide-eyed, both taking a giant step back. Clearly it was a big no.

"That's what I thought."

Grant turned towards Nic with a grin. "We were very fortunate to get the alert, otherwise who knew what could've happened."

Nic nodded. "Thinking about the alternative won't help, but what's most important…" He turned around, frowning towards the fallen Dragon King a long ways away. "Is that we've managed to stop Acnologia."

"Acnologia, you say?" Olympia questioned.

"It's a complicated story." Nic reasoned.

"Is he perhaps from this…other world? The one you and your friends from before came from?" Valerie asked, reminding herself of Nic's eccentric friends.

Nic nodded again. "Regrettably."

Korrina sighed in relief. "At least it's over."

"(Phew.)" Mega Lucario huffed.

Wulfric let out a boisterous laugh. "Well I'll be. Those powers you have Nic are mighty fine indeed." He complimented.

Nic turned towards the Gym Leader. "Thank you, but really, it's nothing to be special about."

"Not so." Diantha reasoned. "We've never thought a human of such capabilities could have such powers. In all honesty, I'm envious of these powers of yours."

Grant crossed his arms and nodded. "Without a doubt, if I had the power, I would've climbed a mountain over and over."

"Thou believe that it's true?" Wikstrom questioned. "Tis it true that you have been bestowed such a gift by Arceus himself?"

"Yes."

"Well, what a whippersnapper you are!" Ramos smiled. "Boy are we blessed such a man is here."

Malva put a hand to her cheek, impishly grinning. "And if you weren't troublesome before. Now look at you. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to like you or be annoyed with you."

"A full course meal served. What a fine battle this has been indeed for all of us to savor." Siebold chimed.

"Speaking of meal, anybody hungry?" Will asked.

Jake turned towards his friend, looking peeved. "Well I'm not. We still gotta deal with what to do with that thing lying over there." He gestured over towards the large dragon, of whom was still lying on his side, and yet around him were the Legendary Pokémon, carefully watching his moves.

Nic and his Pokémon turned towards Acnologia, all of them going silent as they took a few paces forward, stopping a couple feet above everyone else and stared at their defeated enemy.

Acnologia began to stir and growl as his senses were coming around. His body was numb, and what he felt he couldn't begin to describe as pain. He wasn't even sure pain was the right word. What he felt was anything but good.

Noticing Acnologia coming around, Yveltal stood on his talons. "( **Don't move.** )" He threatened.

Acnologia growled weakly, sniping back in utter retort.

"( **Whoever you are, you have no further business with us.** )" Xerneas said.

" **Says…you.** " Acnologia did his best to move, but he was only stirring. He had nothing in him.

"( **Give it up already. This is over, Acnologia.** )" Mega Rayquaza voiced.

" **Never.** "

"( **Why must you continue to persist as such?** )" Zygarde questioned.

Acnologia did his best to ignore the pain, doing what he could to get his limbs beneath. " **I…I will not rest…until I destroy you all. I meant it, not that it matters anyway. I…will not face destruction by your hands. You all, and dragons, and those wretched humans; you'll all suffer as I bathe in your blood yet!** " Mustering what strength possible, Acnologia got to his knees and a claw holding him up.

Everyone looked ahead, seeing Acnologia continuing to resist.

"Dang. Looks like he's still kicking." Jake said.

"He's still wanting more?" Will asked.

Everyone got on their guard, readying as they were set to face Acnologia and put him down once more. Before they could make a move, however, behind the black dragon, a bright portal emerged, swirling bright stardust that got all of them to gasp in surprise.

Acnologia weakly turn his head, looking to where the four Legendary Pokémon were seeing. " **What now…?** "

From the interstellar vortex of unknown energy, there was what appeared to be a rift inside. Space was completely distorted, and many colors were evident within its confines. Emerging as pink and blue energy, soon to solidify in a flash, Dialga and Palkia emerged.

Acnologia's eyes widened. " **You-!** "

Korrina lurched ahead with a gasp. "Hold on, what?!"

"More Legendary Pokémon?" Ramos inquired.

Upon realizing who they were, Drasna's eyes widened. "Are those really…?" She recalled when she used to live in Sinnoh, back when she was studying Sinnoh's mythology on the concepts of time and space and Dialga and Palkia. They only appeared in legends. She never thought she'd see them in person. "Dialga. Palkia."

Watching from elsewhere onscreen, Cynthia bolted up from her seat.

"The Legendary beings of time and space?" Olympia gasped.

Nic stared ahead, completely silent as the legendary beasts intruded.

Acnologia craned his head, staring in anger at them. He tried to muster the strength to roar, but he couldn't. Of course Dialga took notice and glared down. "( **That is far enough with you, Acnologia.** )" He said.

"( **I agree. This has gone on long enough.** )" Palkia added.

Acnologia's teeth gritted. " **You two…** "

"( **You've been in this ridiculous vendetta for a long time. It's time we return you to where you rightfully belong. The world of Pokémon is better off without you.** )" Palkia said. "( **Come, Dialga.** )"

Dialga floated into the air beside his spatial counterpart, roaring. Together, both entities of time and space went skyward and turned around to face Acnologia, who glared up at them in a helpless but still defiant angle. Together, both Pokémon went blitzing down, ramming their bodies into Acnologia. The air shook as their bodies collided, and Acnologia yelled out as he was being forcibly shoved into the rift behind him.

" **GRAH~!** " He continued to show vivid struggle, but he continued to anchor hos hold. He resisted strongly, yelling madly as Dialga continued to press and Palkia pushed, the latter using his claws and shoulders to force the intruder out.

Slowly, Acnologia lost ground, getting closer to the hole. " **Let…go! I'm not through yet!** "

Dialga and Palkia didn't listen. Together, both roared as they gave another shove, prompting Acnologia to draw closer into the ravines.

"He is quite strong to resist." Wulfric noted.

"Even after all that damage, he still has that much power left." Diantha said.

Nic looked ahead, giving a straight face of unsound feeling, but he stayed silent nonetheless.

Acnologia craned his head around and roared profusely out of resentment. He was pushed so far deep that he had to act fast, using his one hand and his toe claw, he clung onto the sides of the ravine rift, keeping his anchorage while Dialga and Palkia continued to push and shove into his being. " **I'm not…going anywhere!** " He defied, his eyes glowing red once more as his anger spiked.

"( **As long as we're around…** )"

"( **We won't let you lay another claw on our fellow Pokémon!** )" Palkia finished with his head tucked in, ramming his horn deeper and making Acnologia bellow louder in pressure.

Nic and his six grew unsound from that roar. They remained cautious as Acnologia was losing his grip.

He felt like slipping. He wasn't going to hold much longer. His time was almost up, and yet he refused to let his ambition go to waste. He struggled even more, trying his hardest to stay on hold for as long as possible, as his mind went nearly blank from his anger. As he looked past Dialga and Palkia, he saw the expectant faces of the Pokémon, especially Mega Rayquaza; a dragon. The way they all looked, they looked angry, like _he_ was prey. He wasn't going to be looked down on. Even past them, his rage boiled as he was seeing Nic Pularis beside the Pokémon who repelled him many times before. This time, he knew of the strength, but he wasn't going down, that he swore.

' _ **No, not them. Not to these inferior creatures. There's no way…I'll ever…**_ _'_ His red, dilating eyes perhaps shrunk, the pressure arising around him as he raised his head towards the rift's edge. " **THERE'S NO WAY I'M LOSING TO YOU AGAIN! I WON'T LEAVE UNTIL YOU'RE ALL DESTROYED! NO MATTER WHAT! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL! HHRRAAAAHHHH!** "

The land shuddered from his mad roar, everyone barely hanging into something. Hearts jumped as well as bodies in fright.

"What is it now?!" Viola shrieked.

"This is bad!" Grant exclaimed.

Acnologia wildly swayed his head around, opening his mouth wide – the widest its ever been. " **I WILL SLAY YOU! NIC PULARIS! YOU ALL WILL SUFFER!** " He raised his head towards the ravine edge, the spinning vortex-like energy that created the rift starting to slowly swirl into his mouth. The vortex that was holding him in had ceased, and all the energy began flowing into his mouth out of desperation.

"( **What?!** )" Dialga gasped. Palkia also looked exasperated.

"( **Is he crazy?!** )"

Acnologia roared out loud as he madly sucked in more power from the rift. " **I WILL NOT REST UNTIL I SEE YOUR DESTRUCTION!** "

Nic's eyes shot wide open. _'Acnologia. What is he doing?! Is he really-!'_

"Is he…trying to eat time and space?" Diantha gasped.

"That's crazy!" Clemont exclaimed.

Acnologia continued sucking in as much as possible. His body's power began to pulsate with a high frequency, while Dialga and Palkia's respective auras began to fluctuate. Both Pokémon could feel their energy within the Space-Time rift pulsate and shift in order. The energy was drawing into Acnologia could feel their energy within the Space-Time rift pulsate and shift in order. The energy was drawing into Acnologia and his desperate mouth. Both legends could feel their bodies twitch, their diamonds and pearls beginning to shine and then dim.

"( **What…my power…** )"

"( **He's…trying to eat my space and your time…?!** )"

Mega Rayquaza roared down in horror. "( **This is bad! Acnologia, stop!** )"

" **NO! I WILL NEVER STOP! I SHALL DESTROY YOU~!** " Acnologia bellowed maniacally as he sucked in the sparkling energy of the rift, all the colors beginning to make his body's blue color shine a deep red. A higher level of frequency was heard as he was griping tighter by the edge of his claws.

Kecleon's head never tilted as she stared in shock. "(He's sucking the rift's edging…)"

"(Where all the time and ssspaccce energy isss mossst tangible.)" Arbok evaluated.

His fears growing, Nic called out in desperation. "Stop! Who knows what'll happen?!"

Acnologia didn't listen, He refused to. He will have any lengths of power to destroy Nic, no matter what. His scales and body gave off a deep red glow as his eyes shimmered with a bright shade of red. As his body began to glow, Dialga and Palkia tried to continue pushing desperately. Now, it was them who found their momentum lost.

"( **He's eating actual time energy!** )" Dialga grunted. "( **Stop! You'll tear all means of time apart if you keep this up!** )" He grunted yet again, his diamond fluctuating in density of power.

Palkia pushed harder than before, his pearls fluctuating in light. "( **Hurry, before he draws anymore!** )"

"( **I…I can't hold on!** )"

"( **NO~!** )"

" **DESTROY ALL DRAGONS AND POKÉMON!** " His body gave off a brighter glow, one that reacted to Dialga and Palkia's diamond and pearls. A red, blue, and pink light convulse as the rift's energy spiraled madly into the triad light.

Nic and his six Pokémon stayed close to one another and stared with wide eyes. "ACNOLOGIA~!"

At that instant, a bright light enveloped the entire valley. A light shockwave went all throughout Kalos, all throughout the skies of the continent, all throughout the entire world. The shockwaves of bright light rippled profusely, sending distorted energy that embodied the whole sky in a dark violet hue.

Looking up through their window, Tan and his family looked up with sheer shock as distorted light ripples went over their sky. The clouds were as stopped in their place, and even in the seas where storms raged, the shockwaves dissipated them completely. The Pokémon flying in the sky felt the air thin and they stopped their migrations or battles, turning towards the shockwave origins with wondrous looks of confusion.

Within the flashy origins, the valley was enveloped in a vast energy, yet within it, Nic and his Pokémon could feel their bodies fade, all of them reaching for another and eventually dissipating into the distorted field that began to expand.

"Nic!" Jake shouted, but covered up as the distorted net-like force radiated throughout the ripples in the sky.

"What's going on?!" Grant shouted.

All the Pokémon covered up, and Mega Rayquaza and the other Legendary embodiments stared ahead into nomadic distortion. They were at a loss for what they felt at the moment.

Zygarde screeched out, his cries reaching the distorted sky. "( **What…HAS HE DONE?!** )"

The skies all throughout Earth began to distort and ripple, giving birth to a flash that blinded the globe entirely.

* * *

With labored breathing, Lucy was doing everything she possibly could to stay conscious. Her insides felt like they were going to overheat if not for Gray making the air around them cool as winter. The joint effort was going well, or at least that's what it seemed. Wendy was doing her best to use her own magic, but the deep demonic essence was hissing and resisting her, like a virus defending itself.

Writing the last line in a page of the book, Lucy's pen finally made the past period at the bottom right. Once she withdrew, the book's words glowed a vast light.

"What's going on now?" Happy looked all around, the words nearby retreating and converging back into the rewritten book.

Wendy bent over, looking with shock. "The words re returning."

"Does this mean it's all over?" Carla inquired.

The words and characters all seeped back into the book, converging into the front page. The tail ends reached the shimmering book's folds, and the book closed by itself.

With a labored breath, Lucy breathed heavily. "I did the best that I could." All around her, Happy and the others gave her the most expectant stares yet. "I wrote down all the adventures and memories that we shared; the ones with the Natsu we all know."

Happy glared down at the book, his tiny fists balling. "So then…he's no longer a demon?"

Suddenly, Lucy began to fall over. Her eyes shut as her conscience faded.

"Crap! Lucy!" Gray caught Lucy.

"Is she okay?!" Wendy worried.

Gray's hair began to spike back, his Devil Slayer powers starting to kick in as they enveloped in right arm. As odd as it felt, it seemed…chilled. He wasn't getting angry nor anything. Still, this wasn't the time to be impressed with himself. "I knew messing with that book had consequences." He held Lucy's dark-colored arm up with his Devil Slayer hand. "This is what my Devil Slayer powers are for. Let's see this through."

Gray thus poured his magic into Lucy, starting from his grip on the wrist. A frosted chill enveloped her skin, and everyone could literally hear the veins hissing in agony. The hissing was like that of a wild animal, trying to fight back, but Gray had the conviction, and he didn't rest until Lucy was cooled down.

The last of the dark veins enveloping Lucy hissed as they faded away, allowing Lucy to awaken with a gasp. She hunched over, coughing profusely.

"Hey, Lucy, you alright?" Gray asked, his Devil Slayer powers retreating.

Her face covered in profuse sweating, Lucy labored in her breath as she weakly grinned at her old friend. "Thanks, Gray."

"The pattern on her vanished." Wendy noted.

"Those Devil Slayer powers have their perks." Carla commented.

Happy looked towards the book, pointing at it. "Look!"

Everyone looked down at the ground before them, the book beginning to fade away. Slowly, it became glowing ashes, whisked into oblivion starting from the top. Gray managed to smile.

"Looks like Zeref's finally been beaten."

Happy's face grew stern. _'When the book disappears…'_ His eyes began to mist. _'Natsu'll also…'_

Lucy held onto Happy and squeezed him into her chest. She held him, silently praying for a miracle.

The Book of E.N.D at last lost all its residual powers. Becoming nothing more than ash, it was whisked into the sky, the ashes themselves fading into nothing above everyone's heads. They all looked up, deeply frowning at the site before them. They all prayed it had to work. It had to.

They heard footsteps from behind, all of them surprised by the entrance of another person. They looked back, their eyes fixed on the familiar pink-haired person walking slowly towards them.

As she saw the man of her affection, Lucy covered her mouth to suppress gasping cries as her tears began to shed madly.

"Yo." Natsu meekly waved.

"NATSU~!" Happy cried in joy as he flew out of Lucy's hold towards him.

Gray gave a meek smile at him, while Lucy gave a larger – more impish – smile. Wendy used a finger and wiped a tear from her eye, and Carla grinned.

Natsu looked at his friends, giving them a grin of confirmation. "It's over."

Gray nodded. "Yeah."

Lucy wiped the tears away from her eyes. "That's our Natsu."

"We really did it." Wendy said.

Happy ploughed into Natsu, nuzzling his tear-stained cheeks into his own. "WAH~! NATSU~~!"

"Hey, c'mon Happy! You're getting snot over me!" He chuckled.

"It's not snot! Juices moved deeply from inside can't be filthy!"

"Even I know it's disgusting." He pushed Happy away, his smile being straight-faced. The way he looked was relaxed, and yet he was growing rather quiet. "…"

"Natsu?" Happy worried.

"You guys…I think the First is gone."

Their once jovial reunion turned to a quiet mourn. They all stared at Natsu, completely shocked by what he said. Some confusion passed along, with Gray and Happy looking bewildered. Lucy and Wendy looked at him, their eyes beginning to water once more.

"She's gone…?" Lucy murmured.

Natsu smiled on as he looked towards the sky, "But you know, I don't think she wasn't too sad about it either."

"Huh?"

"I'm not sure how to put it, but I think this is just the way she wanted to go."

Gray looked down, acknowledging the claim. "I see…"

"Well then…" Natsu turned towards them, giving his trademark toothy grin. "What do you say we get smile and get back to the guild then?"

"Aye!" Happy cried.

Gray grinned. "Yeah."

Lucy nodded with weeping joy. "Yep."

Wendy smiled as well, but she gasped when she saw the serious singes and raw tissue in Natsu's right arm. "Natsu, your arm."

"Huh? Oh this?" He held it up. "Yeah, just a little burned is all."

"Still playing it tough? How are you even moving that thing?" Carla inquired.

"I'll heal it once we get back to the guild, don't you worry." Wendy assured.

Gray turned towards the general direction of where the guild was supposed to be. "It's right up there."

"I can't believe it. We're finally going back." Lucy awed. "Even though we've been there, it feels like so long."

"I know what you mean." Carla said. "Speaking of, you think everyone will be coming around, too?"

"I would think so." Wendy said.

"Well I know I'd wanna stay in my room for awhile. There's so much inspiration I have to finish my novel."

Gray looked away nervously, scratching his cheek. "I know I have to apologize to Juvia and Nic." He thought back to when they fought against each other when Invel forced them to. He still felt guilty of such a thing, but he also knew he had to apologize for what he and Natsu did to Nic.

"I agree. Speaking of that overachiever, where is he you believe?" Carla wondered.

"Well, he could be off fighting somewhere still, or maybe he just got lost and is off on another crazy adventure without us." Lucy figured. "I know after things settle down, I want to go on another adventure."

"I'd like that." Gray said.

"Aye!"

Lucy faced her friends, smiling. "I know Aquarius' key is out there somewhere, and I'll find it no matter what."

At the mention of the spirit, Happy began drooling. "Oh, I love fish!"

"She's half-fish!" Gray corrected.

"A mermaid." Lucy nervously groaned. "Speaking of, what are you going to do when this is over, Happy?"

In response, the Exceed snickered. "Well, it's a secret~! You wanna tell them, Natsu?" However, he got no response. "Natsu?"

The two Exceeds, Lucy, and Gray all turned around, wondering why Natsu was silent. They looked back, and all they found was but an empty space. Nothing. Gone. It was like he wasn't even there.

The four didn't even feel a wind blow as they stared in unbelievable shock; Lucy the most petrified. They didn't know what happened, but Natsu wasn't there. He was gone, all traces of him lost.

Growing nervous, Happy's eyes began to mist as he slowly drifted forward, turning his head left and right. "Natsu…?"

"Hey…this isn't the time for one of your dumbass pranks!" Gray called out, but he got no answer as a hollow wind picked up some leaves.

Fearing for the worst, Lucy's body began to breakdown. She couldn't believe it. "Why…? Why…?" Her eyes began to shed tears once more. "I thought we…"

Carla's head looked down, mortified. "Natsu…"

" **WHY~?!** " Lucy sank to her knees, crying profusely into the skies. Unable to keep herself in check, the blonde screamed aloud in distress, tears running down her face.

"N-Natsu? Where did you go?!" Happy looked all around, but his efforts were in vain.

Gray stared at the ground, his eyes showing a grim appeal. "I can't believe it…"

Lucy wailed in a deep heartache. Her heart for the Dragon Slayer was broken into a million pieces, and she just couldn't believe it. The warmth he carried, and the smiles and hopes he brought to her…it was all gone just like that.

" **NATSU~!** "

As Lucy broke down in tears and Happy began to sob in failure, Carla took notice of something else. Something – or rather someone – was missing. The white Exceed looked about, her eyes shooting wide in horror.

"Guys…where's Wendy?!"

"Wendy?" Gray gasped.

Happy turned around, his eyes fixated in the female feline. "Wait, wha…?" He looked around, realizing that she was right. "Wendy? Wendy?!"

"Wendy too…?" Lucy was in more peril than she could account for. Natsu was bad enough, but where did Wendy fall into this equation.

Suddenly, overhead, the sky began to distort. An odd sea of distorted waves began to flux through the skies above Fiore. Not just there, all over the world, the energy began to fluctuate madly to where all who were in the Alvarez Empire and any other continent on Earth Land began to look up, seeing the sea of distorted energy high in the great yonder.

As winds picked up, Lucy looked up, her eyes wide in heartache turning to shock. "What's…happening?"

* * *

Darkness. Emptiness. Void. Figment. Forward. Backward. What did all these concepts have in common? It was something no one could beat, something even the greatest of minds could not fully master: Time and Space itself. Where two concepts lie, a place where none could ever hope to reach. There was but one way to get there without means of technology – the easiest way – was Dialga and Palkia, the entities of time and space, who created the place where they duked it before.

The Space-Time Rift. A land that was once emptiness, but it was different, for this time, it had many land masses. Black and gray was all there was, no other color to eternity and back.

Stirring awake on the gray ground, Nic groaned and opened his eyes weakly. "Gnnngh…"

Beside him, Greninja began to come around. "(Gngh, what…Nic?)"

Nic opened his head, turning to face Greninja. "Greninja." He looked around, seeing his Pokémon sprawled close by. "Everyone-!" He stopped in his tracks when he looked just past them. As he saw the terrain being mothing but dark mountains and spiked peaks, something was dangerously up. He bolted to his feet alongside Greninja, the sudden change in surroundings startling them.

Slowly turning from right to left, Nic looked about in sheer shock. "What…is this…?"

"(Where are we?)" Greninja questioned wearily.

Getting up, Mega Garchomp and the other Pokémon began to stir, taking notice of the strange energy they were surrounded by.

"Everyone." Nic gasped.

Staraptor stood on her talons, looking up towards her Trainer. "(Nic, are you well?)"

He nodded. "Yes. How about all of you?"

"(I'm in one piece.)" Charizard answered.

Kecleon stood up, tilting her head. "(The number you are dialing has been answered.)"

"(Yesss, we're alright, Nic.)" Arbok hissed.

Mega Garchomp was back on his feet, looking at his Trainer. "(Don't worry, we're fine.)"

Greninja turned and looked about, eyes narrowing. "(Strange. Just what happened exactly? The last thing I recall, Acnologia was desperately drawing in power. Is this a result because of it?)"

Nic looked in another direction, staring up at the distorted gray and black dimension. "Do you think we were transported somewhere…?"

Mega Garchomp looked up in wonder, but his head soon reeled back down towards something he picked up on. He looked past Nic, a grunt coming from his throat.

At that instant, the Pokémon immediately got on guard as dust passed behind Nic. Nic whipped around, seeing the massive dust cloud that acted as a fog. It was expansive, and yet somehow it seemed beguiling, like it was lurked by something amidst.

Nic stared quietly at the dusty fog, his eyes narrowing as he could hear footsteps churning gravel beneath. _'Someone's here.'_ The answer was obvious. A lone figure began to creep through the fog, his long shaggy hair clear.

"So this is the dwelling of Dialga and Palkia."

The voice made everyone's eyes widen.

From the fog, the silhouette slowly creeped out with a malicious smirk. His intense dark eyes glared at them, the ominous pressure given off rendering the seven in a defensive manner. His cloak shifted, yet it concealed his left side. Acnologia – in a human form – had found his spot of triumph.

"Acnologia." Nic snarled.

All six Pokémon beside him tensed up.

"This is the Space-Time Rift. A place without meaning, a place where existence and reality are distorted. A very fitting resting place…for you."

Nic clutched his fists tight. "Acnologia, what did you do?" He demanded.

"Is it not obvious? I devoured time and spatial energy. In other words, I have become the most powerful dragon of annihilation. Both your world and Earth Land shall know destruction. I now rule both worlds!"

"(Both worlds?)" Charizard questioned.

Kecleon's head straightened further. "(What happened to our world?)"

"(She's right. If Acnologia is here…then who's back on our planet?)" Greninja added.

Everyone turned towards Acnologia, but all he did was smirk wildly at them, like he was taunting them.

* * *

The massive light that enveloped everything faded, leaving the leveled valley. More so. The ridges, mountains, and the rivers all far away were completely leveled. Miles upon miles of wasteland rivaled Kalos Route 13, and yet no winds blew.

Jake aroused from his fall. "God, what the heck was all that about? Rhyperior?"

Rhyperior stood up beside him. "(I'm okay.)"

"How about you, Dragonite?" Will asked his Dragon Pokémon. Dragonite got to a knee, opening an eye towards his Trainer.

"(Solid.)"

"Is everyone okay?!" Diantha yelled out, any and all of the humans and Pokémon still accounted for groaning and starting to arouse from their capsize. It was grueling, but aside from a few scrapes and scratches, most of everyone was back up on their own feet, while some like Ramos was supported by Gogoat.

"What was that just now?"

"I don't know, but I think it had an impact on Dialga and Palkia." Drasna figured, her Noivern flapping over her head.

Olympia looked up towards the sky, her eyes as wide as her hair. "The impact…it did more than affect them."

"What does that mean?" Will wondered, his head gazing upwards. "What happened to-HOLY CRAP!"

Jake's eyes shot wide. "WOAH!"

Every human and Pokémon looked up towards the sky, their shock unable to keep track of it all. Zygarde, Xerneas, Yveltal, and Mega Rayquaza all stared upwards, seeing the distorted sky. It was nothing but a sea of distorted colors, which enveloped not just Kalos, but all over the world. Rainbow spatial energy flourished and everyone in the entire world looked up, flabbergasted beyond repair.

Diantha's eyes dilated in disbelief. "This cannot be…"

"The sky is…distorting?" Wulfric asked.

"(Freaky.)" His Avalugg said.

To add to the bizarre look, the light rainbow world began to reflect something beyond its confines. Over the sea of distorted rainbow colors, an upside-down world with what looked like a town was seen.

"Is that a city?" Valerie questioned.

"Not one I recognize." Siebold said. "It looks destroyed."

Once again, another wave of shock filled the air, this one acted by Korrina. "Wait, hold on a second! Where's Nic?!"

"Nic's not here?" Viola looked around, realizing that it was true of his vacancy.

"If Nic's not here, then what happened to…" Grant looked ahead, him and everyone looking to where there was once a distorted space, now enriched by a dust cloud fading in front of the Legendary Pokémon gathered.

The four gigantic beasts ahead, deep snarls emitting as they watched the dust clear, a red glow coming a from a set of eyes.

" **This power…it's so glorious.** " Acnologia's gravely tone was no different, but his lust was heard, and that's what made everyone back away. " **This feels like…back when I mastered Dragon Slayer Magic. This is the power of time and space that you Pokémon possess? This…this is so great!** "

The dust waves faded away, and a pair of black wings erupted, and a slithery tail as well. All went wide-eyed as Acnologia emerged from the winds, his body up and about. In fact, he looked livelier than ever. And yet, something was more troubling. The fact…was that all the blue scales on his body were completely red. Blue turned red from power, and the creamy underside he had had turned dark gray.

"( **What has he done?** )" Xerneas backed away, startled.

"( **What have you done with Nic Pularis?** )" Yveltal demanded.

The empowered Acnologia roared towards the skies, his bellow making airwaves ripple out. His empowered state caused the ground to shake violently, making the humans and Pokémon beneath shudder along with it.

"( **You monster! What are you even?** )" Mega Rayquaza shouted.

" **This is what time and space feels like. It's so…powerful! I shall use every bit of it, and destroy both worlds!** " Acnologia raised his head higher, yelling madly in readiness to seek the destruction that he long sought for.

Everyone's spines tingled as the dragon's enriched cried shrieked throughout the skies, making the distorted mirror in the high altitude ripple faster than before.

* * *

In the skies of Earth Land, all were raptured in what they saw as the same wavy sky that was distorted beyond belief. In Magnolia, they all looked straight up to see pass the translucent rainbow energy.

"What is all that?" Gray questioned.

"I don't know!" Carla exclaimed.

Lucy stared up in vivid disbelief. Tears still in the corners of her eyes, she was rendered speechless.

"Lucy!"

"Gray!"

The mentioned caught wind of their names called. The four in that party turned around, seeing familiar heads of red and black with blonde converging onto them.

Erza and Vanessa came into view, both girls closing in quickly.

"Erza, you're here!" Happy cried out.

"And Vanessa as well." Carla gasped.

The two girls made it towards them, standing before the shocked group with surprise. "Everyone, are you okay?" Erza inquired.

"Uh, y-yeah. I think…" Gray wasn't sure how to put it. He didn't know if he was to say yes or no; yes because he was okay, yet no because of what happened to Natsu.

Vanessa looked towards the sky, her nerves crawling. "The sky is heavily distorted. What do you think happened?"

"I'm not sure, but we can't find Wendy either." Happy said.

"Wendy?" Erza questioned.

Carla looked down, frowning. "We don't know how to explain it. When we turned around, it was like Natsu and Wendy just…vanished."

Lucy turned away, her eyes closing as she began to shed more tears.

"Lucy…" Gray murmured.

Erza and Vanessa turned towards the other, all of them bewildered and dumbfounded by the growing anomalies present. "First the sky, then Natsu and Wendy disappearing…how does this all add up?" Erza looked down at the ground, staring with uncertainty. "What happened exactly?"

Gray rubbed the back of his head, looking away with a deep frown. "Well…"

"Hey, guys!" A voice shouted. "Over here!"

Once again, everyone's attention averted towards another jointed street. They all turned to find the rest of their guildmates converging onto them. All battered and beaten, yet Sophie was leading the rounded up and got them towards the small group ahead.

"Sophie?" Vanessa gasped.

Sophie and the other guild members joined together, meeting up in the center where they could at last catch up with what happened and what events transpired.

"You're all okay." Happy spoke.

"Vaguely. Close calls at best." Cana said.

"Forget about that! There's something gone wrong!" Bickslow announced.

Erza furrowed her brow. "We know. The distortion in the sky."

"Well of course _that's_ a problem, but we mean something else." Evergreen said.

"Laxus has disappeared in the blink of an eye." Freed said.

For the umpteenth time, Lucy's group was in greater shock than before.

"Yeah, I can't find Gajeel either. He disappeared right in front of me." Levy explained.

Gray put his hands up, trying to put the brakes on the situation. "Okay, slow down! You're saying that Laxus and Gajeel disappeared right when your backs were turned?"

Juvia stepped forward. "Yes. Did something happen to you as well?"

"Natsu and Wendy vanished as well." Carla told. "Did this all happened at the same time?"

"Help~! Somebody!"

Everyone turned towards the sound of the panicking voices. They all looked to see Frosch and Lector panicking as the remnant members of Sabertooth's elite came walking up behind them.

"Sabertooth!" Sophie gasped.

"Minerva?" Erza inquired.

"Somebody help! Rogue just went bye-bye without me!" Frosch cried.

Vanessa's eyes widened. "Rogue as well?"

"Yeah, yeah! And Sting too! Where did they all go?!They were right in front of us!" Lector panicked.

From afar a frown was seen. "I'm afraid it's more dire than we all think."

Once more, attention averted away from the group and towards the new group that came walking from the other end of the joint street. Walking up was Crime Sorciere, having been near Magnolia from the beginning.

"Crime Sorciere." Mest said.

Jellal and Bellona stopped in front of Fairy Tail and Sabertooth, the massive group finally gathered in one spot. Bellona took the spokesman. "It would appear Erik is gone as well. You all lost folk resembling Dragon Slayers, did you not?"

Erza's eyes widened at the realization. "Wait, now that you mention it…they were all Dragon Slayers. But is that's the case…"

"Then where did they all get sent too? That's the question." Gray said.

Laki nodded. "Yeah, and not to mention the sky that's above us."

Macao looked up, his face contorting with uneasiness. "This isn't the first time the sky acts so bizarre. Just what is it this time?"

"Call me crazy, but does it look like space is bending a little? Just looking at it hurts me eyes." Wakaba said.

Warren crossed his arms. "Say, has anyone else wondered where Nic went, too?"

"I don't know. I haven't got a hold of his signature." Freed said. "He's gone as well? How very strange. Dragon Slayers alike and Nic. Just what is happening indeed?"

Erza looked down at the ground, her gaze starting to go crestfallen. Her melancholy look attracted the attention of her friends, with Sophie mustering the nerve.

"Erza, what's wrong?"

Her fists balled tight, her own frustration rising. Beside her, Vanessa did the same, yet stayed silent as she knew what transpired. "…Nic dragged Acnologia to his world. He's going to battle him there."

Collective shock again got everyone, their hearts skipping beats at the two names mentioned.

"Woah, hold up dollface!" Sawyer intervened. "You're telling us that Nic literally dragged that overgrown dragon to his home world?"

"That's right. He wanted to make sure nobody got caught up in their final battle. It's clear one side won't be walking away…" Her eyes narrowed. "All we can do now is believe in Nic and the power of Pokémon."

Everyone grew unsettled with the circumstances rising. It was almost too much to take. Dragon Slayers vanishing, Nic taking Acnologia to his world, and now the distortion all across Earth Land. It wasn't making sense.

" **GROOAAHHH!** "

The malicious bellow made everyone's ears twitched. They all jerked up and went stiff at the blood-curdling bellow.

"Woah! Did you hear that?!" Happy shrieked.

"Oh yeah! I did, too!" Richard said.

Jellal turned his head upwards. "It sounds like it's coming from above."

Vanessa craned her neck up, eyes bolting wide. "What?!"

Everyone looked straight up, seeing exactly what made Vanessa gasp in utter shock. They all were even more shocked beyond the means of measuring as they could see the distorted a projection, or something that was upside-down. There, they saw an upside-down world, where there was a wasteland and all the humans and Pokémon gathered as Acnologia bellowed with vicious might.

"What the hell?!" Gray shouted.

"What is that?!" Vijeeter panicked.

Gildarts' eyes bolted wide open as he saw the image of Acnologia. "Wait, that dragon…" Despite the blue scales completely red, he knew the magical energy all too well, and that's what made his skin start sweating. "It's Acnologia!"

"But why is he those colors?" Cana questioned.

"Did this happen to involve Nic?" Minerva wondered.

As Acnologia cried on the opposite side of the mirror sky, Erza glared with increasing worry. She knew something was wrong, very wrong, and she could feel the pained feeling in her heart. Something got messed up, and it felt like Nic, no doubt. Her brown eyes narrowed, her prayers silently heard as she watched the battle.

"Nic."

* * *

Acnologia spread his feet apart. "I now link both our worlds. With the Space-Time Rift at my disposal, I used its power to of course link the window that connected your planet and my own."

Nic furrowed his brows. "You…connected Earth Land and PokéEarth?"

Acnologia smirked. "This shall be where the deities that I loathe shall be shattered to oblivion. Behold."

The fog behind the Dragon King began to lift, slowly revealing an unholy site that even Nic was unprepared for. What he saw, was something neither him nor his Pokémon could unsee. They all were stuck in place, seeing massive pillars of what appeared to be crystal stationed behind the human-dragon creature.

"(Is that what I think it is?)" Mega Garchomp said.

"(Unbelievable. How?)" Charizard spoke.

Nic was without words. There was nothing he could say to spell out the skip in his heartbeat upon seeing the seven crystals with humans inside them. They were all stiff, frozen like they were being preserved with their eyes shut. The many faces they all knew too well.

"Are those…Dragon Slayers?" Nic's eyes bolted towards the many around. "Wendy! Gajeel?! Laxus!" His eyes traced around them again. "Erik…Sting…Rogue…" His eyes stopped at the crystal behind Acnologia, the one with the shut face that had pink hair. "Natsu."

Acnologia's eyes narrowed. "Not just them. Others who I want to deal with later on."

Nic looked past the seven crystals, the fog lifting fully to reveal two massive entities in far bigger crystal and looking incapacitated, or rather hyper sleep. It was the very ones who pushed Acnologia towards the edge. "Dialga?! Palkia too!" He gasped in fright. "No!"

All nine crystals were like trophies that Acnologia admired. He smirked wider than ever as he saw the shocked look on Nic's face. "You scared yet, Nic Pularis? This is what I meant. By consuming time and space itself, I now hold passage to pluck out the remaining dragons of my world. Do not fret, they're not dead…not yet anyway. They, too, shall see to their destruction, but first, they'll all watch as their worlds crumble to pieces! I told you! I will destroy your world and my own! No dragon nor Pokémon will live to see the light of another day now that I have such great Dragon Slayer might! The time for your destruction has come, Nic Pularis!"

Nic's fists balled and his teeth fiercely gritted. He seethed with hostility as Acnologia went and done the unthinkable. Him and his Pokémon all glared with boiling anger at the Dragon King, while he laughed in their faces and roared with his hour of triumph.

His bellows reached far into the rift, so much that his physical body roared equally as loud against the humans and Pokémon who opposed them. And through it all, Erza did not stop worrying of the pained feeling in her chest.

The hour of who was to thrive and who was to die has come at last.

* * *

 **New chapter! So here is my grand twist that I gave to you guys! I know you all were expecting like a finale right now, but I instead made things far more appealing by adding elements from episode 42 and 43 of XYZ. Words cannot describe how much hype I have for how I am drawing near the concluding battle, and I am making sure you guys get the chapter and sequel conclusion you deserve. So be completely honest with me here, is this version better than canon? Did I add the sheer twists that you were looking for? I hope I did justice on the battle against Acnologia and what is to come.**

 **Let me also clear something up here for a sec. Acnologia was able to eat magic, but he cannot eat Pokémon moves, which is a weakness. However, time and space that aren't in the form of moves, like how Dialga and Palkia were getting to using dimensional transport, Acnologia can consume, at least when he tried this one time. That clear? He still can't eat Pokémon moves and is affected by damage, but he has greatly enhanced his own power with time/space and has power to make the Legendary Pokémon get a challenge.**

 **I'll be sure to not keep you waiting too long for the next update! If you liked this chapter, throw in a review and show how much you support this story! Till next time!**


	82. Dethroning the King

Earth Land never saw anything like it, even back during that one night – a night of peril no one wished to recall of since the fear and what chaos one man brought rendered all stiff. The power was another thing; distorted waves and the encompassed planet saw through the rippling sky to see the upside-down battle of an enraged Acnologia exerting his divine wrath.

"What in the world?" Gray questioned.

"What is this that?" Juvia questioned.

Kagura stared through the distorted atmosphere, eyes squinting to get a visual on the black dragon. Even though she knew who it was, he seemed a little different. "Acnologia."

"Acnologia? Are you sure?" Rufus guessed.

"I'm positive, too." Minerva agreed. "However, something about him seems awfully different."

"What do you mean?"

Yukino looked up worriedly. "Yeah, I see it, too. All that blue on his body, it's red. And his underside is all gray. What could this mean?"

Evergreen put a hand to her hip. "What _my_ question is how exactly this all happened. If Nic really dragged Acnologia to his world, then how come we're seeing it?"

"Something went wrong somewhere. If we can see it, then that means time and space between our worlds must be intersecting somewhere." Gray figured.

"Time and space?" Sophie inquired. "Then maybe something happened to Dialga and Palkia. Maybe that explains what happened to Acnologia."

"You think that it's the otherworldly abundant energy Nic's world has that empowered him?" Bellona asked.

"Possible." Jellal responded.

Erza stayed silent as she looked on. She knew deep down in the pits of her stomach that something went wrong somewhere, and even if she couldn't describe it in words, she understood that Nic got caught in the crossfire. She glared up with the deepest eyes, burrowing daggers into the spatial distortion that bordered Earth Land and Nic's home. Acnologia was against four Legendary Pokémon and a massive army of humans and Pokémon banding together. She could feel it, the Magic Power even through the distorted realm. This was the power Acnologia possessed, his true demonic strength. And just like before, everyone could only stand by and watch as the battle was out of their hands.

Even if she couldn't do anything, she had to do the _one_ thing she knew would at least sedate her: Believe. As cliché as it was, she had to keep hoping. Hope Nic would make it out alive. She balled her fists tight, looking towards the sky with her heart beating and one man set on her mind.

* * *

Acnologia continued his maniacal laughter within the void-like rift, his hour of conquer at hand. His fags protruded unevenly, and he was so lost in his own relishing that he almost forgot his biggest obstacle was right in front of him.

Nic and his six Pokémon kept their distances away, looking at the space Acnologia filled. He looked past the dragon, staring at his collection of bodies stacked in tall pillar-like crystal.

"Dialga. Palkia…" His fists clutched, his teeth beginning to grit in frustration. _'How could this happen?'_

Acnologia finally craned his head down, showing a malicious smirk as wide as could get. "You feel that? I can hear it even from here. I can hear your heart beating, every single syllable it pounds with grates my ears. It makes my core tense every time. I'm going to rip that heart out and crush it to soothe my pain. And do you know why I will?"

Nic's didn't answer, instead giving a cold stare with the others.

"Because of all this power I have! Thanks to the power your foolish Dragon Slayers and Pokémon alike have, I have been able to reach a height that no other dragon could have! This power, it shall indeed destroy and bathe the worlds I grow bore with in red. This is my…"

* * *

"… **DRAGON FORCE!** " The black dragon roared heinously, shaking the land and skies with every syllable unleashed. The immense waves released were enough to even make dust waves and winds force the humans and Legendary Pokémon to falter back several feet, if not meters.

As his colossal roar diminished away, the helicopters from the far reaches maintained stability enough for the lenses on them to correct themselves. From all over the world, those who were not seeing the sky saw Acnologia and his new appearance.

" **Ladies and gentlemen! I-I'm not sure what happened, but it looks like that dragon – who we just learned is called Acnologia – somehow morphed the energy that was taking him elsewhere. As odd as it looked, it seemed Dialga and Palkia were somehow warped away. Where and what happened to them?!** "

"Dialga and Palkia?!" Cynthia gasped.

" **Our sources are saying that this creature is from the same world that the events of July 7** **th** **took place. On that day, it was what many could describe as the unfolding apocalypse. What could this mean now? Is the apocalypse going to unfold here now?** "

Acnologia craned his head around, roaring in vivid might. As he did, all the humans and Pokémon around him grew unsound as the situation grew more than just dire.

"Aw snap, what now?" Jake asked.

"I don't know, but this is getting bad!" Will added.

Diantha swiped her arm forward. "Don't give up, anyone! We'll have to attack it, even if it takes more times than we can count! We can't let this vile creature run wild! Let's pick up where Nic left off!"

"Right!" Everyone yelled.

The Legendary Pokémon were all close to one another, practically bordering Acnologia from the group. They all glared at the enraged and adept dragon, trying to figure out how to beat him.

"( **What do we do now?** )" Xerneas asked.

"( **We can't let him keep on offense. We'll have to force him into defense and hope we tire him out.** )" Yveltal said.

"( **Our attacks should still have an effect on him. But to be sure, let's find out.** )" Zygarde insisted.

"( **I couldn't agree more. I'll get his attention.** )" Mega Rayquaza began to swerve skyward, heading into the air above at an alarming rate. In no time, he ended up higher than Acnologia, and fortunately for him, he got him to look up.

Draconic multicolored energy manifested in his mouth, which he opened up and unleashed. "( **Dragon Pulse!** )" The pulse wave went blitzing downwards towards Acnologia, the attack roaring with vivid intensity.

However, things weren't the same. Acnologia's red eyes dilated once, and he flapped his wings, ascending into the air to avoid the draconic explosion below. The shockwaves faded out with the flash, revealing a crater where Acnologia once was.

"( **He dodged it?** )" Mega Rayquaza exclaimed.

"( **He's learning our attacks are doing harm to him. He's using instincts to know which attacks to take and which to avoid now it seems.** )" Zygarde evaluated.

Korrina swiped her arm again. "Even if it's gotten stronger, nobody back down! We can't let our world fall! Mega Lucario, **Dragon Pulse!** " At her command, Mega Lucario jumped in front of her and sprung high above, opening his mouth to surge multicolored energy.

"Heliolisk, **Thunder!** " Clemont ordered.

Together, Heliolisk jumped up equally as high, frill collar unfolding and unleashing a beam of lightning into the sky, while Mega Lucario sent yet another Dragon Pulse at Acnologia.

As the Dragon Pulse went racing, Acnologia snarled and dodged by flying around the incoming beam. Maneuvering, he circled around to his original position, where he backed away as well to evade a straight shock of earth-shaking Thunder that went downwards.

"We need to make him stay still." Diantha evaluated.

Will narrowed his eyes. "Leave that to us. Dragonite, **Fire Punch!** "

"Then we shall follow! **Aerial Ace!** " Wikstrom ordered.

Both Dragonite and Aegislash went ahead, the dragon cloaking his fist in fire while Aegislash maintained Blade Form and went head-first as a blur.

"Talonflame, **Steel Wing!** " Malva followed. With a caw, her Talonflame followed behind, quickly catching up with wings sailing in a metallic gray color. All three Pokémon went at Acnologia, closing in swiftly.

Acnologia bellowed out, and this time he flapped his wings, a massive pulse wave that went straight through any and all defenses. All the Legendary Pokémon and humans were enveloped in Acnologia's single wing flapping, and they all were unable to advance. The shockwave from that single flap immediately sent Dragonite, Aegislash, and Talonflame spiraling in the maelstrom, crying out as they were forced away.

"Everyone, hold on…!" Despite Diantha's plea, she, too, was unable to resist. She and everyone were shoved back with their Pokémon from the shockwave, falling onto their backs and screaming.

Zygarde and Xerneas were skidding back several meters within the winds, while Mega Rayquaza and Yveltal barely held their positions in the sky. Though hard to follow, they held on, and the tempest ended. But that left Yveltal to uncover and get a look at a stinger tail lashing at him.

The Destruction Pokémon was struck in the face, sending him downwards. He crashed head on into Xerneas, both enveloped in a dust wave.

Zygarde craned his neck up and screeched in bitter retort at the Dragon King. His cries went unanswered as Acnologia snarled ahead like nothing could faze him. Unwilling to allow the calamity to unfold, Zygarde again glowed a bright green around his body and went flying skyward via Extreme Speed. In a high-speed green rocket, the impact reached Acnologia's chin. A green explosion enveloped the atmosphere and around the air that Acnologia took in. His cries were heard from even the ground, where everyone was still recovering.

"Did that work?" Jake strained.

From the fading green explosion, Acnologia was found jutting upwards, his chin looking bruised from the impact. His teeth gritting in anger, the physical body of the bitter-grudge creature reached down into the dissipating smoke, grabbing and clutching Zygarde's neck.

Zygarde cried out as he was held tight, Acnologia's one arm bracing him with no room to move or act.

"Zygarde?!" Grant exclaimed.

Jake grunted and acted. "Rhyperior, use **Rock Wrecker!** "

"(Right!)" Rhyperior's body glowed a deep red aura as he brought his bulky arms together. In the center, a rock made out of thin air began to enlarge and glowed a thick red aura. It expanded, until it reached the same size as Rhyperior himself. With Rock Wrecker set, he brought his arms back and thrust with all his might towards the sky.

The bulky rock went at Acnologia, catching his attention. As the rock drew closer, he moved his arm to position Zygarde in its path. The rock met its mark right into Zygarde's back, creating a massive burst of rock and dust that clouded up Zygarde's back.

"( **Gaaaah~!** )" Zygarde cried in pain, his back seething in agony.

Rhyperior and Jake gasped, horrified with what happened.

"Did he really just use Zygarde as a shield?" Drasna questioned.

"He's finding ways to turn our attacks against each other. This beast…his instincts, they are growing more complex." Olympia evaluated.

With a gruff, Acnologia swiped his arm, hurling Zygarde downwards. He watched with satisfaction as Zygarde cried as he fell, smashing into Xerneas and Yveltal – who were starting to get up. All three Legendary Pokémon went flying from the leader's impact. The shock rendered them in agony as they went backwards through the air, flying into everyone. As their massive bodies sprawled and slid along the ground, ground and dust turned, and the Gym Leaders and their Pokémon were pushed in various directions in panicking disarray.

Acnologia again roared in his leisure. Mega Rayquaza countered with his own roar of distaste. The Mega-Evolved legend was beginning to lose his patience with his arch nemesis. _'(_ _ **So this is how it feels to have a rivalry. This is how Kyogre and Groudon feel, huh?**_ _)'_ As ironic as it was, now was not the time to be dawdling.

Acnologia's black wings with the now red scales over his body glowing. He reeled his head back as he began to draw energy into his mouth once more.

Barely mustering the strength to stand, Siebold held onto his knee and glared up. "He's charging up again." He warned. "If this hits, we're done for."

"We can't give up." Ramos encouraged. "Everyone, unleash all your attacks again!"

Unfortunately, the call was a little too late. Acnologia lurched forward, unleashing his supercharged roar. A red laser beam of massive volume expelled from his mouth, racing across the ground and went at the group ahead. In a hurried rush, the Life Trio went wide-eyed and saw the high-speed attack. In desperation, they got on their footing and readied their respective attacks; Xerneas with Moonblast forming on his horns, Zygarde with an orb of multiple colors compressed via Dragon Pulse, and Yveltal with his body's red underside shimmering a multitude of lights that rippled into his center, gathering into a violet sphere with his giant hand-like wings centering it, via Oblivion Wings.

All at once, the Life Trio cried out as they used their respective attacks. They were unleashed just as the beam was mere meters away, and a violet beam, a pink sphere, and another Dragon Pulse was unleashed and met the massive roar.

In a bright flash, the land again morphed as a shockwave erupted. The bright flash illuminated everything, and helicopters high above were in a panic as the atmosphere roared and air shook intensely. Everything beneath them spilled dust and eruptions. Chaos reigned as the shockwaves picked up many humans and their Pokémon, all of them blown away and screaming as the dust and dissipated earth revealed the Life Trio falling backwards, their bodies streaming smoke as they still ascertained some impact.

Like everyone else as the eruption pulsed out the Pokémon and trio skid and tumbled against the ground, again finding themselves on the defensive against the mighty beast.

Acnologia huffed open his mouth, exerting a hot breath that made molecules steam away.

Mega Rayquaza glared with a vicious snarl in his breath. It was clear his turn was next by the look in his eyes.

* * *

"You're not going to jump the gun on this one. Not while we're still standing against you." Nic retorted.

Acnologia raised a brow as he smirked at his nemesis. "'Jump the gun' you say? You imbecile, I've already gotten away with it. As we speak, my physical body and my Dragon Force is destroying the very force that aligned with you. What better way to savor your enemy's destruction…than to destroy it twice over?"

"(That's just twisted.)" Charizard said.

"To you, dragon. To me, it makes no difference. I will make sure that you all suffer the consequences for ever meeting me." Acnologia spread his legs, smirking wily at his prey. "And now, I'll cast my judgement on you, and show you why I am called the Dragon King!"

Realizing there was no room for anymore talk, Nic clutched his fists and started to glow. This time, he transformed into his Draco Form, yet the outer edging, Heal Ball in place of a Poke Ball, V-neck, and lastly socks made it clear it was a Pixie Form hybrid. As the lights faded, he glared at his mortal enemy. "Even if magic has no effect on you, the same can't be said about Pokémon moves. Everyone, let's go!"

Acnologia's dark eyes shrunk for a moment as he pulled his fist back and up. With a surge of power embedding into his fist, he rammed it into the ground beneath. In an instance similar to the past, the pebbles aboveground defied gravity as a massively large pulse wave of Magic Power went at Nic and his six. The wave was compressed, but housed great power as the earth beneath shred to smoldering bits.

Nic opened his mouth, gathering multicolored energy within the atmosphere. " **Dragon Pulse!** " His attack was unleashed towards the ground in front, creating a large wave of multicolored energy exploding skywards as the beam snaked ahead.

With the two conflicting forces converging, they met in the center, glimmering several beams in all directions, dazzling like a disco before a multicolored shockwave raced about frantically. The ground shot up in a blast-like pillar that blew everything to smithereens. The shockwave's greater impact was more towards Nic and the Pokémon, making them cover up as beams of residual energy and dust clouded them up.

With a swipe of his one arm, Acnologia blew away the dust to show his smirk. While Charizard and Staraptor flapped their wings once, blowing away the smoke and energy to show Nic's side.

Acnologia reached out just one finger from his hand – just one. He unleashed an equally massive beam of his Dragon Slayer might that blitzed towards them.

"Kecleon, **Protect!** " Nic commanded.

Kecleon slipped in front, putting one arm forward and made a translucent turquoise shield. The shield was struck by Acnologia's raw beam, but it was absorbed by Protect. The beam kept running into Protect until it dissipated, allowing the defensive move to lift as well, letting Kecleon swipe her arm away.

Acnologia only served to smirk as he pressed forward, shooting ahead at an alarming rate.

His hands glowing in Dragon Claw, and unleashing a gust that rattled the land beneath, Nic flapped his wings and went blazing ahead at sonic speeds. Both he and Acnologia passed the other, creating green sparks. They turned around, passing the other yet again. And again. They parried the other's blows, arms crossing and the two twisting and turning, until Nic pulled back behind Acnologia as he turned to strike him and instead hammered the ground. His hearing picking up, Acnologia turned around and saw Charizard flying in with Dragon Claw as well, but like Nic, he, too, parried. When it came down to it, Acnologia found himself between Nic and Charizard as they both had Dragon Claw reeled back. Smirking wider, Nic and Charizard alike picked up and immediately withdrew their barrage; the action leaving Acnologia with space, startling the Dragon Slayer.

' _They pulled away?'_ He evaluated. _'They don't waste time knowing-!'_ He was struck by an invisible force; a kick in the face. He slid backwards in a harsh skid, making dust trail along the ground beneath to a halt.

By the time he glared back, the invisible force was gone. _'That damn chameleon.'_

Suddenly, Staraptor dove through the dissipating dust with red eyes fixed on the intrigued Acnologia. With Aerial Ace, she charged head on into his gut, creating a powerful rippling force that made the ground beneath be relieved of any nearby pebbles, but Acnologia only lurched forward with his smirk still fixed on his face.

Still in front, Staraptor flapped and went for a talon strike. "( **Close Combat!** )" She kicked and unleashed furious wing jabs at an unbelievable pace. It was faster than when she used it back in the real world, her will driving her to make every strike like machine gun bullets, with force to match. With one last backwing, she swatted Acnologia's face, making him fly backwards at high-speed.

His feet anchored against the ground after sailing back so far, making rock churn and his skid stopping eventually. Upon stopping, he was lurched forward, his dark eyes shimmering blistering dark orbs. He glared at Staraptor, a demanding one that showed his brutal figments. All the bruises Staraptor dealt in that instant only seemed to have enlightened him. "Not bad. But I know you can do better."

Reappearing far on his side, Nic swung his arm with a Moonblast, and as it was fired, Greninja reappeared behind it, his foot glowing purple in Return. He kicked with great fury into Moonblast, giving it greater power and momentum. However, Acnologia nonchalantly leaned his head back, dodging the massively seedy attack as it instead went onwards, disappearing into the unknown hills. There, seconds later, the hills were enveloped in a pink shockwave that obliterated them.

"Damn." Nic cursed, Greninja grunting as well.

"C'mon. In my Dragon Force, all of my senses are enhanced." Acnologia said. "My speed, my power, my durability; you should know you can't dent me that easily…"

Acnologia was cut off yet again as his gaze suddenly went towards the ground. Mere seconds later, he slipped backwards, dodging a sudden eruption of rock and shattering earth. Dust erupted as Mega Garchomp flashed out of the ground at a velocity that made his Dig seemed like it was done by an invisible force; appearing above the hole in split milliseconds as the land beneath continued to rumble. He roared down at Acnologia, who looked at him ever so casually.

"I heard that just in the nick of time. I'm impressed." He said.

The dust around the hole lingered just a few more seconds before something sharp and hissing went lunging out. From the cloud and hole, Arbok went arching out towards Acnologia with Ice Fang, catching the Dragon Slayer off guard.

At the last second, Acnologia pivoted and had Arbok fall forward, his Ice Fang chomping on air instead. "Clever." With that praise, Acnologia used Arbok's momentum and he went to chop down, yet Arbok's reflexes kicked in and he pulled back not a second too late. Though managing to evade the chop, the draconic explosion that erupted from the ground expanded, roaring with a force that shot Arbok backwards.

"(Gah~!)" The Poison-type flipped through the air, getting his body to tuck and slipped back onto the ground with damage reduced. Once gripping the earth, he lowered his head and hissed.

The Pokémon and Nic surrounded Acnologia, all of them cornering him either from the side or the air. No blind spot was left unchecked as Acnologia found himself on the defense, but through his lack of numbers, he smirked with pride.

"Now this, this is getting very interesting." He sniped.

Nic didn't dawdle on conversing. He went straight to attack. "Greninja, **Water Shuriken!** "

Greninja jumped into the air, twisting his body about and swung his arms out, firing dazzling, fast incoming blue shuriken at Acnologia. As they drew forward at such speeds, they did not escape Acnologia's own precision. With one swipe of his right arm, Acnologia slashed into the two shuriken, which became blobs of water behind him, suspended until they burst with misty explosive results. As the air behind Acnologia was shrouded in mist, he looked back up, snarling in delight.

Nic's eyes narrowed at the speculation. _'He's adapting to the attacks thrown at him. He's seen a majority of them before. If we're going to throw him off guard, an all-out attack will only backfire. We have to coordinate thoroughly if we're to get a critical shot onto him.'_ He glanced towards Greninja, who looked at him in understanding. With one nod, he knew they got it.

"Let's throw this tyrant off." Nic glowed once more, his draconic stature within his clothing morphing. As he changed form, a sparkling pink frost enveloped the ground around him, freezing the ground over. The air temperature within the rift began to decline as cold winds picked up.

The change in pressure made Acnologia raise a brow. "What shall it be now?"

As the glow faded, a burst of frost appeared where Nic was, and in a split second a set of blue eyes reappeared in front of Acnologia, surprising the Dragon Slayer. His attire was a cross of the Pixie and Icicle Form, the Draco Form's coating completely switched for the Icicle Form qualities.

"You think this fate that you hold is interesting? Think again… **Ice Punch!** " His fist embedded in frost and glowing ice, Nic shot an uppercut straight into his chin, making Acnologia recoil from the trailing, frosting impact.

As he fell back, Nic took immediately action. "Kecleon, Arbok, get ready!"

"(Asss you wish.)" Arbok hunched over, set as Kecleon readied beside him.

Recovering almost instantly, Acnologia ignored the frost that was on his chin and opened his mouth. Right in front of Nic;s face, he unleashed a beaming roar, one that swallowed Nic up completely. The blast wave went through him, shooting towards the Pokémon, in which they all moved out of the way as his beaming roar was like a compressed laser, one that went on towards nearby hills and enveloped them in large-scale shockwaves from afar. However, the blue dome in the distance was ignored.

As he unleashed his roar, Acnologia was smiling in glee with his attack meeting its mark. As the air shook, he smiled with pride. Eventually, though, he let up, letting his sizzling mouth shut as his smirk to cascade once more. However, a second sooner, his frown took over in his bewilderment. "What's this?"

In front was Nic still, and without a single scratch. His eyes opened, revealing his blue passion again. No damage at all, much to Acnologia's dismay.

With a word, Nic grunted and swiped both arms in opposite directions. At such a close range, a tempest of whirling pink dust blazed, via Fairy Wind. The attack engraved into Acnologia as he was feeling his feet slip with every inch in every passing second. The winds didn't cease, and yet Acnologia found no traction as the Fairy0-type attack was making it harder for him to hold on.

The winds eventually subsided, but only to reveal Nic jutting his arm ahead, the palm misting up and icicles firing like missiles, via Icicle Spear. Once again, the attack forced Acnologia to react, but when he tried to move, something cold, and something slimy as well, kept him in place. He glanced down, seeing that his ankles were anchored by a purple tail and a tongue.

' _They blindsided me by using the winds as cover?'_ Acnologia found himself turning back towards the incoming Icicle Spear, his frenzy-like reflexes kicking in as he swiped his arm in a desperate manner. With a vicious shockwave following, the icicles shattered like glass, and Nic was again enveloped in the explosive energy that encompassed him and the land behind him.

As the momentum Acnologia had was lost, he found his balance thrown off with Kecleon and Arbok still anchoring his feet. He found himself thrown into the air by Arbok and Kecleon lashing their tail and tongue alike skywards, making him soar high and wayward to where he was an easy picking. Literally.

While in the air, a projectile came from Acnologia's left. When he turned his head to look at who was coming his way, his shoulders were already embedded in claws from Staraptor. He was whisked away without trouble, the Predator Pokémon twisting and flapping through the air while carrying the great dragon-killer himself.

His eyes wide, Acnologia glared up. "Hey! Just are you…" Before he could finish, his head went back down, his expression fixated for a second before his skin began to pale. He started to feel sick, his stomach starting to churn.

Charizard looked up at the circling bird's cargo. "(There we go!)"

"(Motion sickness.)" Mega Garchomp sneered. "(Now we got that prick.)"

Nic's glared hardened. "Alright, now Staraptor!"

At his command, Staraptor twisted her body, throwing Acnologia uncontrollably through the air. The sick dragon was but a cloaked mess, unable to respond as Nic announced attacks.

" **Blizzard!** " With one swipe of his arm, which unleashed a far stronger wind compared to before, this one being a Blizzard that expanded towards Acnologia.

Greninja took in a deep breath, puffing his cheeks and unleashing a massive volume of scalding water. "( **Scald!** )"

Arbok made a black garbage bag out f a silver light once more, this one enveloped in a purple aura. "( **Gunk Shot!** )" With a twist of his body, the garbage bag was slapped by his tail, batted like a baseball and shot like a meteorite.

"( **Slash!** )" Kecleon's claws glowed into sharp glowing extensions and she crossed them in an X formation. Swiping her arms, the shockwave that went as an X-shaped white crescent went following.

All the attacks closed in, which converged into bolting multicolored energy of various elements. Acnologia was rendered paralyzed as the attacks swallowed him up, and in midair, everything turned to a bright flash in less than a second. An elemental ripple went blazing in all directions, the ground beneath Nic and everyone breaking apart, and yet they stood undeterred as the shockwaves meant nothing to them. Even when footholds were lost, they didn't move as the explosive flash high in the sky dissipated, yet the roaring went in all directions.

From the blast, Acnologia went shooting backwards, eyes wide and body enveloped from garbage to frost to even cuts in his cloak and cheeks. His eyes still wide from the shock, he was a subconscious mess as Nic and the Pokémon drew farther away in not even a second's time.

"…"

Unable to register it, Charizard and Mega Garchomp reappeared in front of him, their legs brought back.

"(And here's an extra kicker!)" Charizard shouted.

"(Say goodnight!)" Mega Garchomp followed.

Both Pokémon swung a roundhouse kick; right and left legs respectively. A ripple again shot in all directions, the ground not too far downwards depressing from the sheer force that kicked Acnologia's speed into overdrive. The Dragon King flung into the nearly massive stone pillar, one whose size rivaled that of a mountain. He crashed into it like there was no tomorrow, breaking it into pieces unimaginable. The land shuddered as Acnologia soared straight through, smashing into the next deep pillar, of which shattered like glass as well.

It was like two mountains breaking down at once, and the very air and land vibrated with such force and such magnitude that everything but the crystals embodying the Dragon Slayers and Pokémon cracked and trembled.

As the land rustled, Nic and his six Pokémon converged, all seven staring with frowns of dead seriousness as they saw rock crumbling to bits. The land overturned completely in distance as nothing just leveled debris laid afar, and they all stared ahead like.

"(You think that did it?)" Charizard questioned.

"(I wouldn't bet on it.)" Staraptor said. "(He's too stubborn to be put down as such.)"

Arbok hunched forward with a frightening hiss. "(Heh, that ssstinking old carpet jussst made me ussse my lassst Gunk Shot on him. If that doesssn't ssslow him down, what will then?)"

"(Laxatives.)" Kecleon tilted her head.

Mega Garchomp growled. "(That punk…)"

Greninja turned towards Nic. "(Nic.)"

Nic stared ahead, silently understanding what Greninja meant. With Acnologia in questions unanswered, he turned towards the large crystals in the ground a ways away. He silently walked over, taking one small step after another. He glared up at the nine figures who had their eyes closed. They were all suspended like they were for display. Trophies sounded like a better word, no matter how crude it felt to think.

As Nic stared up at the nine figures, he was approached from behind by his six Pokémon; Greninja leading the pack.

"This has to be some sort of Organic Link." Nic said. "If we beat Acnologia, maybe we can save them." He caught himself. "No. We _will_ save them. That's what has to be done."

"(But they're not even cracked. I wouldn't think breaking them with sheer force would do any good, not with their bodies inside.)" Greninja said.

"(Should we try to free them anyway?)" Kecleon asked.

"(I don't see why not…)" Charizard advised, but even when he was starting to have thoughts of other priorities, his mind drifted to another force away. "(Huh?)"

Feeling a strong sensation, everyone turned back to where the energy was coming from. It felt like another pulse, yet it was more silent, like the air grew cold. The ground couldn't even shake because of how silent it was.

"(Is that what I think it is?)" Garchomp questioned.

Getting a bad feeling, Nic turned towards the debris fields far away. He didn't like what was being felt, and he knew he had to hurry. "Everyone get behind me!"

Not a second sooner, the debris fields far away erupted in glistening beams in all directions. A massive pillar shot straight into the rift skies, exploding outwards and creating a large atomic explosion that rattled with intensity that leveled the hills, mountains, everything that was within its reach. It was all reduced to oblivion, lost in a void.

As the dome expanded, the shockwaves shot through the earth, making beams explode beneath. That closed in, dicing up the ground beneath everyone. In a hurry, Nic glowed and shifting into his Stone Form alone.

" **Wide Guard!** "

A pink hexagonal net-like barrier formed around everyone, and encased in a damage-resistant veil, the shockwaves and the explosion itself finally reached them. It continued outwards, roaring with deafening results. It sounded very much like a dragon crying in full wrath, all debris and all the rage unleashed, it just kept pouring through the land.

After many minutes, the energy subsided, and the flashing stopped. They all uncovered as the shockwaves and energy dissipated, and light breezes went everywhere, shifting Nic's clothing, which had accumulated a massive amount of wear on the sleeves and upper body; the skirt-like structure he had was also partially torn like a bag, revealing his dark navy blue baggy pants. He looked ahead, the shield lifting to show everything leveled. _**Everything.**_ There were no mountains. No hills. No cliffs. It was all a barren flat streak of rock, and standing not too far away with his head down was Acnologia.

Nic and everyone looked startled at the rising dragon yet again, but they didn't deny it.

"(Looks like he's up for more.)" Charizard said.

"(Will thisss freak ever ssstay down?)" Arbok exasperated.

Nic frowned and kept his calm as he glared at his nemesis' rise.

Acnologia huffed and panted like he was a worn-out dog. His body had the scars all over where he was respectively struck by every fatal blow the Pokémon gave in the past. They were all visibly clear, if not for them cut over or scraped by the attacks he was pelted with. He lurched, gagging a small bit of blood. Even so, he was still smiling.

"Now this…this really is fun." He raised his head, smiling maliciously. "Now you're making it worth my time!"

Nic furrowed his brow. "What was that?"

"I've been waiting so long for a fight like this. I've been crawling up and down the means of earth and wind, searching for something that has meaning, a meaning that I must destroy! The very fabrication of that meaning, I have but one goal in mind, and that is to eradicate it!"

"(How twisted can this guy be?)" Charizard grunted.

"(Enough to make your head spin.)" Mega Garchomp said.

"(All of our attacks dealt that much damage? Just how much power multiplies in that Dragon Force?)" Kecleon asked.

A magical steam surged out of Acnologia, looking like his body was about to burst into flames. He snarled at Nic, but he looked so…happy. "I've never been driven into a corner like this before. It's ecstatic. This is the thrill I've been searching for, and now, I can finally unleash my full power. The power that I have ascertained thanks to the might dragons and Pokémon possess!"

"You're mad!" Nic taunted.

"Not so! I'm thanking you! Because of you, I now have another purpose! I now have the goal of destroying both worlds! What better way to use your power after you bathe in your enemy's blood, other than destroy everything they're related too?" Raising his head, Acnologia's streaming energy transformed into a pillar of raw, pure compressed force, which radiated shockwaves strong enough to make all seven cover up. "You Pokémon and humans! Dragons! This shall be your end!"

Nic's face contorted in rage. He spread his legs apart and looked set to strike. His Pokémon followed suite as the pillar of Dragon Slayer might made Acnologia look like a black silhouette inside. They could all see red outlining all the intricate markings on the sides of his face and on his arm. His long hair was glistening with a red outline, even the glowing red eyes looked like he was a demon fit for the destruction title.

"And I will use every fiber in my being to kill you. It's that simple."

As gusts o wind and rock passed Nic, he stared ahead, showing no other emotion than rushing adrenaline. "Is that all you want? Just destruction?" A loop of green began to envelope him from below, his own power beginning to rise. "If you were a Dragon Slayer before, that meant you fought alongside dragons and humans before, haven't you? Were you so consumed by your own power that you forgot the reason as to how you got it?" A green streaming force began to outline Nic, the ground beneath him rippling green waves. "It was because the dragons wanted to be alongside humans! Just like what Pokémon did for me, they put their lives and faith into me. That's the same going for Natsu and the other Dragon Slayers. You all got power from who were once those committed to unifying a broken world!"

Two pillars of energy shook the ground. One of blue, and one of green, rippling energy raced through the ground and they battled ferociously to get dominance. Hell broke out as the silhouettes of Acnologia and Nic glaring daggers at the other shimmered with red and green; one smirking and one growling.

Eventually, the two pillars of light faded, roaring into the atmosphere to fade into the sound barrier once more. As dust cleared, it revealed the ground diced up once more from the pressure unleashed. What was being seen on Nic's body was a familiar coat from another battle, one far longer, and had a tail-like end. Plane wings with red edging was evident, and all the familiar coloring and headpiece made the resemblance all too clear. The draconic snarl he gave off was clear as day.

However, Acnologia opposed with a malicious smirk, snickering as his markings and eyes were outlined in deep red. His hair got a notably darker blue shade to it.

" **Legendary Force – Rayquaza!** " Nic screeched out, shockwaves rattling the atmosphere violently. The land shimmered and the ripples that came from his mouth spilled dust past Acnologia, yet he was still undeterred.

Acnologia looked at him with a raging fire in his eyes as the shaking subsided. "I think that's enough warmup for me. Time to crush you pathetic dragon wannabe! This time, there will be no one walking away until the either is dead. This isn't like before. There will be no more distractions. No more games. No more running away over confused agendas. This is where we decide it once and for all! This time, I will be victorious!"

Nic levitated off the diced ground, his tail end and coat stationed in a semi-coil. "Just try!"

* * *

The two heads of Mega Rayquaza and Acnologia collided, two scale-faced dragons bent on destroying each other, regardless of whatever else happens in the proves. Hell broke out as another shake in the airspace flowed from their heads butting into one another. They roared viciously, yet their hot breaths mixed into their rampage, making the air all the more unbearable. Some could've sworn the air increased by a few degrees when they roared.

Watching from below, those who were still able-bodied got to their feet. Some were more of a hassle, namely Ramos and Clemont, but those who still had Pokémon to back them up knew they couldn't stay down for long.

Able to get to a knee, Drasna looked up at the horrific carnage in the sky. "Whatever happened to Dialga and Palkia, we must try and bring them back. Noivern!" At her call, the Sound Wave Pokémon stood beside her, glaring up at the proverbial carnage. "Use **Air Slash!** "

"We can't let this attempt at saving Kalos go unanswered." Siebold strained. "Barbaracle, **Stone Edge!** "

Noivern flapped her wings and bolted back into the sky. Several feet above, the wings glowed bright blue while Barbaracle made a different variation of Stone Edge, this one making white rings with jagged edging that quickly diverged into many circulating jagged stones. Both Pokémon shot white saucers and jagged stones skyward, aiming at Acnologia while he was distracted in the stalemate.

His eyes fixed on Mega Rayquaza, the two pushed into the other with greater force, but neither gave in, forcing the other to jolt away. It was a saving grace for Acnologia as Air Slash and Stone Edge kept on going, breaking concentration for a split second to make the Dragon King adjust his position.

"It's no good. It's fast." Ramos grunted, mere moments before he winced and had to support himself on Gogoat's side.

Olympia stared up at the menacing dragon, fixated on it's terrifying maw. As she saw the many rows of teeth, she felt a quiver of fear go down her spine. "Whatever monstrosity this is, whatever it may be called, this 'Acnologia'. We cannot let it end here! Everyone, contain it!" She announced.

Diantha stepped up. "We'll have to lower it to the ground." She suggested.

"Which means that we'll have to aim attacks right over its head again." Wulfric said with crossed arms. "Very well then, you set, Avalugg?"

"(Evermore!)" The half-ton Ice-type nodded.

Grant grinned as his Tyrantrum stood beside him. "Alright then, we'll supply aid to that as well." He reached out with a serious frown taking over. "Tyrantrum! Once more, **Rock Slide!** "

"Right! Now Avalugg, use **Avalanche!** "

Both Pokémon were outlined in the respective blue and white shimmer around their bodies. They raised their heads, roaring out to Acnologia. The Dragon King again took notice of the intervention as ripples of distorted air appeared over his head. Rocks began to descend downwards, but he recoiled his body backwards and flapped his wings to get farther away, the Rock Slide instead repulsed towards Mega Rayquaza. The Sky High Pokémon saw the trajectory and swerved around each stone cast to him, taking no hits whatsoever, nor chances for that matter. What came next was a cloud that formed over Acnologia's head, but as ice and snow rained down towards him, he raised his head, opening his mouth wide to unleash a violent roar. Heated soundwaves pulsed in an omnidirectional manner. Waves were so strong that all ice and snow coming down like rain went around him and his forcing roar; the cloud that made Avalanche evaporated almost instantly.

Everyone looked up, startled by Acnologia countering without any trouble. Suffice to say that their strategy was blown away.

"This can't be…" Viola gasped.

"He's countering our strategy by using our attacks against the other again." Korrina exclaimed.

Jake began to grow nervous. "Great. So what now?"

Will gave Acnologia a serious look, one that showed he meant business. "I say we keep attacking. We can't let him release another beam like that. We need to distract him long enough for the Legendary guys to get a shot at him!" His plan wasn't by any means a terrible one; things could be worse. He was right of course, they couldn't afford another of those blasts.

"Alright then…" Clemont adjusted his glasses, in which he reached out to command his Heliolisk. "Heliolisk, **Thunder!** "

"Sylveon, **Moonblast!** " Valerie commanded.

"Vivillon, **Hurricane!** " Viola yelled.

"Noivern, **Dragon Pulse!** " Drasna followed.

"Mega Gardevoir, **Thunderbolt!** " Diantha announced.

All the Pokémon did their respective attacks in the order that was given. Acnologia didn't waste a breath with his movements that followed. He sensed a yellow static-like glint above his head, and nonchalantly leaned off towards his right, evading a blast of pillar-like lightning that dissipated as quickly as it was launched. Sylveon's Moonblast fired up towards him, yet he raised a talon and literally kicked the Moonblast away, sending it off towards the horizon with a pink flash. Following through with his pivot in the air, he turned about and saw a tornado wiggling its way towards him, big enough to encase him. Flapping his wings again, a powerful forceful wind of its own right again expanded, rattling and making the air shutter in fright. The Hurricane easily dissipated within Acnologia's own shockwaves reaching far out. His winds were so powerful that everyone on the ground was again forced to cover up as it was like a hurricane of its own right. Jake and Will were forced to even hide behind Rhyperior and Dragonite as they were heavy and bulky enough for barriers.

Noivern did her best as she opened her mouth and Mega Gardevoir was enveloped in static, both unleashing Dragon Pulse and Thunderbolt as they streamed through the winds. However, they didn't get far before the winds dissipated them into nothing.

Spreading his wings again, Acnologia adjusted his position. " **Pathetic humans and Pokémon. You shall not beat me this time.** "

Mega Rayquaza, however, had other plans in mind. With a swift shout, his slithery dragon-like body glowed green and he dashed at Acnologia with Extreme Speed. With a green ripple pulsing behind, a green streak sped across the sky, diving into the beseecher.

Prepared this time, Acnologia used his right wing as a guard that took the blow. Green shockwaves went everywhere, making gusts that were strong enough to again reach earth and heaven alike. The attack was able to make Acnologia repulse backwards again losing aerial momentum. But he refused to give in. He swatted his wing, instantly brushing off his stubborn opponent. Mega Rayquaza recoiled away, but not even to escape Acnologia grabbing his head and holding it tight. Before he knew it, Mega Rayquaza was harshly hurled straight down into the ground, screeching out before making impact head first. Again, the land shook as a cloud of dust went everywhere.

As the dust finally settled, the struggling party looked ahead, seeing Mega Rayquaza lying on his side and groaning. Struggling to get up, Acnologia landed on the ground not far away, overlooking everyone.

" **Pathetic.** " He bellowed.

Up once more, Xerneas screeched out and went for the offensive play. Once more, lowering his head, he charged towards Acnologia, his horns turning into Megahorn. He leaped right into Acnologia's stomach, making a blow so forceful that it made the dragon slide back with a pained grunt from the gut blow.

" **Grah!** " In strain, he did not relent as he swung his tail around. " **You nuisance!** "

His tail slammed viciously into Xerneas' face, causing a tremendous shock to flow through the being of life. The Fairy-type went flying backwards, crying out as he felt a menacing throbbing sensation. He slammed into the earth, sliding on his side meters away in pained grunts.

Yveltal spread his wings and ascended into the air with another vivid shriek of terror. The dark avian took to the atmosphere above Acnologia, getting high to where he had a good shot. He brought his hands together and made a violet transparent sphere that gathered glowing energy from his body. Static-like electricity flared constantly and when charged, he unleashed it in a full-scale beam.

"( **Oblivion Wing!** )"

The violet laser went blitzing down on Acnologia, but rather than having it taken head-on, a frequency surged into his mouth and he released another supercharged red laser of his own. Both red laser beams bolted into one another, meeting in the dead middle. An immense, flashy explosion bellowed, red pulse waves surging everywhere. Everyone covered up and screamed as they were struck by powerful winds for the umpteenth time.

Dust went everywhere, and the shockwaves did not recede; in fact, they were so strong that Yveltal was overpowered, and he was blown backwards from his attack failing to strike.

As the flash dissipated, Acnologia was seen standing in the same spot, looking more annoyed than ever. He looked bent on destruction, unwavering from his goal. This was it, his ultimate desire quickly unfolding. Once more, he spread his wings, flapping them to take flight into the skies. He bolted skywards with a roar, leaving everyone beneath him.

"Gngh!" Jake covered up again as a wave of air brushed past him. "What now?!"

They all watched as Acnologia spread his wings high in the air, craning his head towards the open blue skies. Rather than a roar, something else was happening. Instead, starry lights began to glimmer red and twinkle all around him. The number arose, staggering to hundreds, if not thousands. They all twinkled brightly as a creepy feeling went around everyone.

"I don't like the way those things are shining." Will said.

"Hurry, we must defend!" Valerie insisted. "Sylveon, **Light Screen!** " Hurrying to their aid, Sylveon rushed in front of the humans and Pokémon. Standing near the legends themselves, she cried out as she released a rainbow-pink veil around herself that expanded and shaded not only the Legendary Pokémon, but the entire force.

Acnologia roared louder than before, shrieking with so much power built up. With what he had to offer, he gave one last call.

" **Fall before the power of my Dragon Force!** " He flapped his wings. " **Eternal Flare!** "

At that instant, it was like a meteorite's impact spread throughout the land. The starry lights all around rained down, shooting not only down on the Light Screen, but farther than that. The starry flares went high overhead, shooting miles far and wide. The sight was more than just caught on camera as helicopters were in a panic, but more than that, the damage was catastrophic.

Eternal Flare, a Dragon Slayer spell that went far and wide. Comets went everywhere in a large radius, making impact everywhere. In the mountains, to the rivers of southeast Kalos, to the forests where all the Pokmon off the official routes resided. They all panicked and ran around uncontrollably as flared rained down in their homes, causing burst of energy. It was like rain that made massive dynamic backfire to them. Destruction rained in an area that could've been seen from space even. Blue fireworks went off, and many Pokémon went for cover.

It went so far away that the few meteors that strayed were within sight of Kiloude City, Pokémon Village, and Vaniville Town. They weren't too far off, but everyone outside could see red explosions on high balconies.

The door to Tan's house opened, and Joanna and Michael bolted on out to stare south. In the far distance, they saw red flares, but even though they didn't get near Vaniville Town, Joanna clutched a fist to her chest, her fears skyrocketing as Michael held her tight. The worst, to what they knew, was yet to come.

As the explosions at last subsided, all throughout southeast Kalos, there were intents in the earth and ravaged territory. Some forests were hurt bad, and mountains and hills were nothing more than pelted, misshaped mounds. Yet back at the site where the battle was still happening, the dust cleared out, and Acnologia snarled down with a hot breath.

As the results were in, Light Screen faded, and everyone – man and Pokémon – were all sprawled about on the battlefield. Clothing was torn, and many of the Pokémon groaned as they had scrapes and bruises. Some like Tyrantrum and Noivern were piled onto the other, groaning and unable to hold themselves up.

Diantha groaned as she tried getting up, her teeth gritting as her patience wore thin. Her eyes showed wear as she and Mega Gardevoir looked up with worry. She was feeling waning dismay as she stared at Acnologia. The way he snarled; the way he was belittling them; the wave of destruction he just unleashed…it was pure terror. "What…has he done?" She gasped beneath her breath.

"You okay, Heliolisk?" Clemont asked.

"(I…think so.)" Heliolisk rolled over, straining to get up.

Zygarde and the Life Trio were all groaning as they did not stand immediately. Zygarde craned his head weakly, alongside Mega Rayquaza. Both were side-by-side, glaring up at the empowered Acnologia.

"( **What power…** )" Zygarde grunted.

Mega Rayquaza snarled in contempt as he knew this day would come. The day Acnologia would finally be a challenge. Unfortunately, it wasn't going as he would think. "( **Curse you.** )"

Acnologia roared down, sending a rippling shock that sent a terrifying chill down everyone's spines.

* * *

Nic roared as he flew right into Acnologia with his elongated fangs glowing, via Crunch. He closed in as fast as lightning, but instead his fangs met Acnologia's foot. The kick and biting fangs created a vicious white discharge between, one that went in a very wide radius with their energies flowing in respective directions.

Though in midair, Nic could feel Acnologia's foot continuing to resist Crunch.

"Can you feel that? My physical body is destroying the world you fought for." Acnologia mocked. He embedded Dragon Slayer Magic into his feet, causing a blue and red burst of energy that forced Nic to withdraw. He slithered up in the nick of time, as the soles of the foot unleashed a shockwave that beamed diagonally upwards. Nic glared down with a disdaining grunt as his attack didn't leave bite marks on him.

"Why bother any longer, fool? I said it before. I will enact destruction on these wretched worlds. They don't deserve to hold these creatures that hold destruction. Such an ability only belongs to me!"

"Charizard, **Fly!** " Nic commanded.

Not far behind, his Charizard spread his wings and flapped, taking off as an orange blur with a flaming tail end up. Acnologia watched Charizard ascend, smirking like it was nothing.

Nic opened his mouth and began to glow. With a shout, he unleashed blue shockwaves that pulsed as expanding rings. The rings went far down, shredding up the ground around Acnologia as he was hit head on. The Dragon Slayer hunched over in pain, ears ringing.

Nic kept up Hyper Voice, shrieking fiercely without remorse. _'His Dragon Slayer hearing is also enhanced by his Dragon Force. This means my Hyper Voice is sensitive to maximum levels. We gotta make this work!'_ As he kept on using Hyper Voice, he opened his mouth wider. Releasing much wider pulse rings that began to sunder the ground around Acnologia. The Dragon Slayer sunk deeper into the ground, and as the Normal-type moved kept going, Nic's glance went towards Kecleon, the chameleon knew to strike.

With a nod, she went charging with blitzing speed. Sprinting onwards, her claws spread apart, creating Slash. At the same time she zigzagged about closer, Charizard went heel-first downwards onto Acnologia. Both Pokémon closed in with equal spacing.

Acnologia's eyes winced as his hearing ached. Even with his ears ultra-sensitive, he knew he was being attacked, and that's when his eyes once again opened.

As Kecleon and Charizard closed in, Acnologia released another explosion of raw power from his body. The dome expanded, and the shock from his release made Kecleon and Charizard shoot back in the directions they came from, quite uncontrollably at that. Charizard spiraled upwards, barely straightening, out, while Kecleon tumbled to a stop, anchoring herself using her claws and on a knee directed to the shockwaves that pulsed wind. The blast was so strong that Hyper Voice completely dissipated.

With the blinding flash that was made down below, Nic had to stay cautious. He ascended higher into the air, looking down at the fading explosion. When he saw a small burst within the flare, the next thing he saw was a rushing Acnologia springing up, driving his knee into Nic's stomach.

The shock went straight through Nic towards the other end. His mouth opened, gagging blood from that attack. Acnologia added insult to injury as he twisted and axe kicked straight down on the back of Nic's neck, making a red purple bellow through the sky as Nic went soaring straight down into the ground, causing another booming quake to spout rock.

As the dust went on, Acnologia landed on the ground. "Is that all?"

Through the dust, the air suddenly ripped open a hole that Staraptor dove through. With her body folded, she spiraled in, spinning like a drill as her wings became Steel Wing. Becoming a spinning metallic tornado, he ripped through the ground beneath, making rock and earth pulsate as she rammed into him like a missile.

Acnologia took notice of Staraptor and embedded his hand in a red glow. He yelled out as his attack met the empowered spinning Steel Wing, metallic, streaming winds following. Two colliding forces of red and white streams blazed, and the ground beneath ripped to shreds as the two energies fused within the center, creating a compressed cyclone that erupted steel-like winds in all directions. The roaring energy was so vast and powerful that everyone covered up from.

As white smoke and bright flashes went on, Staraptor cried out as her feathers were ruffled by that impact. As she cawed, Acnologia reached for through the flash. "How's about I blow your head off first?!" He yelled.

His heart skipping a beat, Nic opened his eyes wide and yelled out. "Staraptor, watch out! **Double Team!** "

Barely opening a red eye, she saw a hand so close to touching her bang. Before contacted, her body flashed, and blurry copies of herself diffused all around the returning atmosphere.

"What?" Acnologia grabbed Staraptor, but it turned out to be an illusion at the very last second. Regaining footing, he looked up to see many Staraptor surrounding him, though bruises and ruffled as they seemed to be.

The Double Team copies began to flap around him like a crazed flock. The fact that he could smell Staraptor was a problem, so what better way to draw him away from that fact than move around with lookalikes.

" **Twister!** " With one whip of his tail, Nic created a tornado, one that twisted and turned all the way down towards Acnologia.

The incoming tornado of expanding quantity made the Dragon Slayer's hair shift about. He remained unchecked and glared at the Twister trying to tear at him. He slashed his arm outwards, expelling yet another draconic pulse wave that twisted and churned all around him. The energy expanded, rapidly dissipating Twister and the Double Team. Both Nic and Staraptor were instantly blown back into the skies, each screeching out from the draconic winds tearing into their skins.

Charizard recovered quickly from the previous shock, but was instantly thwarted when Nic and Staraptor slammed into him, causing him to falter back.

While the aerial force was subdued, Arbok got his body to tighten and coil up. "( **Coil!** )" A red aura flashed around his body, his Attack, Defense, and Accuracy sharpening alike. He undid the coils as he bolted in a high-speed slip that barely left dust behind with each serpentine twist. In no time, he closed the gap between him and Acnologia.

He swung his tail upwards, giving it all the momentum he possibly good. Unfortunately, Acnologia used his arm to block Arbok's tail swing, and with no trouble at all as the shockwaves from his attack instead went past him, blazing dust on Acnologia's left.

"(Huh?!)"

Smirking, Acnologia took advantage and turned his wrist, grabbing Arbok's tail end and whipping him up. The snake hissed in shock before he was hammered into the ground viciously, creating a deeper depression within the earth from the slam. The serpent gagged from shock, and Acnologia let go and glared down.

"Hmph!" Reeling his hand back, the Dragon Slayer set to implode magic.

A snaky tongue shot from out of the blue, quickly getting itself stuck to Arbok's back. Like a yoyo, the tongue dragged Arbok away sheer seconds before a small compressed pillar erupted in the spot Arbok was.

The last-second save caught Acnologia by surprise as the pillar faded, revealing an endless hole that would've obliterated Arbok. Instead, Arbok was yanked into midair towards Kecleon. With them recoiling, back, Mega Garchomp swooped in and embedded his body with searing draconic force.

"(My turn to bring the hurt!)" His body exploded in a vicious draconic energy with searing wings that spread wide. He went down at a harsh slant towards his foe. "( **Dragon Rush!** )"

The attacked went shooting like a fighter jet, closing in at breakneck speeds down towards Acnologia. The defending king didn't take much of a chance as he opened his mouth wide, surging beaming energy within a fabricated core. In one jolt, all that energy was released within a roar, a solid red beam blazing into Mega Garchomp. Both Dragon Rush and Acnologia's roar collided in the center, and yet Mega Garchomp pushed with such might. With a booming roar, he ploughed on, maniacally pulsating another ring of energy that acted as a jump gate. With one push, he split the red beam into many streaming energy rays flowing into the sky while Dragon Rush smashed into Acnologia, causing a massive, bulbous array of explosions that tore through the ground.

When the dust and shockwaves vanished, rock shuddered and fell like rain as Mega Garchomp was standing on the ground, his head colliding with Acnlogia's. The roar – despite what a fluke it seemed – did weaken the impact enough for Acnologia to hold up. He smiled maniacally, despite the massive head clash giving him a semi-concussion.

Mega Garchomp pushed harder, forcing Acnologia to dig his heels into the ground. "(Get some of this!)" He knee-struck Acnologia square in the stomach, his many spikes running on his knee digging and piercing his skin. The impact was so strong that it chipped off rock behind as Acnologia flew out of the crater.

The Dragon King, despite all odds, used his arm and gripped the ground, anchoring his skid across the leveled battlefield. Dust cleared away, revealing his head down and bangs covering his eyes. Yet what was visible was his smirk.

Mega Garchomp glared at him, his snarl heard loud and clear. "(Something tells me he's just asking for more pain.)"

Acnologia crouched, making the ground beneath depress once again as he unleashed a pulse from his body. With a loud grunt, the land pulsed and rattled like the sea, powerful draconic waves as heavy as metal ripping into all directions. The rocks and boulders nearby were instantly obliterated by the omnidirectional force, and Mega Garchomp didn't miss a beat as he disappeared and reappeared in the air, dodging the ripples beneath. Not just him, but the land based Pokémon as well.

With all of them in the air, the ground was but an already-forgotten land. When they all looked ahead, Acnologia had himself positioned in the air in a flash like them.

"(What a bastard you are!)" Mega Garchomp sniped.

In midair, Acnologia's body flared a deep red aura, no doubt from his superb Dragon Force. The air around him vibrated at such an intensity it was almost suffocating. "I'll make more than those wounds scream!" From his body, another omnidirectional pulse wave went about, this time ripping through fabrications like no tomorrow. The pulsar was like a red sun that glistened, beams shooting down like a thousand shards that pierced the already flattened earth.

As the pulse wave went for Mega Garchomp, he raised his right blade and unleashed a blood-curdling roar. He slashed ahead, the shockwave of his slash alone tearing through Acnologia's attack. All the energy that was supposed to engulf him and the other Pokémon went in a wide V around them. The roaring of the blast wave encompassed the skies entirely, making the sun-like projectile shimmer within the depths of the dimension.

As Mega Garchomp held off the force, al the energy eventually dissipated, leaving Acnologia to reappear mere feet in front with a devilish grin still plastered. He gave Mega Garchomp no room as he went for another Dragon Slayer-filled kick. In an attempt to block, Mega Garchomp crossed his blades, and Acnologia kicked right into them, once again making a large explosion that became another explosive force.

The shockwaves from the attack rampaged dramatically, causing everyone to fly back to the ground. All losing balance, Mega Garchomp followed, his defenses broken as Acnologia sent him downwards. They all hit the ground hard, with Mega Garchomp thudding the hardest.

As they all were getting to knees and getting up, Acnologia slammed into the ground ahead, causing another quake to rush. They all looked at the empowered beast of vengeance, all seven sharing a look of distaste.

As dust cleared, Acnologia's smirk was visible. "Say, that wasn't a bad defense there." He complimented. "You actually cut my foot, how vulgar, yet impressive." Through to what he said, Mega Garchomp's blades did in fact block, and because of the recoil, his blades were swiped as he descended earlier, thud explaining Acnologia sole giving a bleeding footprint.

"(He just won't stay down.)" Charizard scorned.

Acnologia raised his head, his attitude turning to a maniacal laugh. He laughed on, unable to contain it all. His blood-curdling laugh rattled everyone's spines, yet they held their ground.

"(We need to hit him harder this time!)" Staraptor encouraged.

Swerving over everyone's head, Nic bellowed out another rippling shriek. "Drive him back! **"**

Acnologia wasn't moved. "Oh?"

" **Air Slash!** " All the plane-like wings on Nic's body glowed, and he spun his body around, unleashing a cyclone of spinning saucers that ripped through the air and space. They tore towards Acnologia, and yet the Dragon King raised a fist and extended his fingers outwards. A massive shockwave of draconic might rippled into the air, dissipating all the saucers and reached Nic. The shockwave smacked Nic and sent him skywards, yelling out.

"(Nic!)" Greninja jumped for his Trainer.

"Where are you going?" Acnologia's taunt was met with him, too, lunging ahead. Greninja looked back ahead, seeing the great nemesis close in. He covered up as Acnologia unleashed a powerful kick, one that sent a shock through Greninja's arms. The block backfired, and the Ninja Pokémon felt time momentarily slow down as his arms went limp as he fell back towards the ground.

"(Greninja!)" Charizard flapped his wings and turned his body, catching the falling Greninja in time and twisting into proper flying.

"TO HELL WITH YOU ALL!" Acnologia again bellowed out, his eyes devoid of pupils in that very moment. The red outlines around his respective body marks shined brighter than before, once again enveloping his body in a great mass of Magic Power. Without any warning, the worn-out six were caught in another shockwave of erupting flares, hundreds of little beams that were similar to Dazzling Gleam that were like needles sticking all over their bodies as they were blown away. They all screamed as the shockwave's force was too much for them to hold ground on.

"GUYS!" Nic screamed as he watched from the blown distance. He was still soaring back, but he straightened out, though the momentum was harsh to achieve. He managed to get his feet on the ground, sliding backwards. He looked ahead with deep shock as the blue and red explosion shimmered with glistening fury. The beams continued to pulsate, and yet as they did, his eyes again dilated.

Charging from within the explosion's blinding mass, Acnologia soared head first into Nic. He was nothing less than a blue comet with a burning red outline that smashed straight into Nic's abdomen with speeds rivaling his Extreme Speed.

The impact itself was staggering enough, but the fact that it happened so fast left Nic's lips parted as Acnologia was head-first. His dilating irises fluctuated as time slowed down within the lapse, pain barely catching up. Inside, it was like hammers and prickly spikes were crushing everything, from stomach acids to the organs. It all was one big blow that made his world black for that instant.

An explosion of energy followed, this one bursting with power as rocks and air spouted like a geyser. As it cleared, it revealed Acnologia standing in a crater, looking over Nic's sizzling body. He frowned heavily as he saw Nic struggling.

Nic's body twitched profusely, trying to follow his brain. Eyes still dilating, he was barely registering. _'My body…he crushed it…'_

"Now we're even." Acnologia sniped.

Nic glanced up.

"Now you know how I feel. Look at you stuck beneath me like this. It's just sad. You act all tough, despite knowing how inferior you are to me now. Let's be real here, Nic Pularis. We dragons and Dragon Slayers; we took a prideful blow with you and those _things_ you carry in those capsules. I for one wouldn't like to fathom such circumstances…it's but a fallacy. Not even that. It's a joke!" He stomped on Nic's left shoulder in his anger spout. The shock and Nic's teeth gritting was making him twist his face again. "Why bother acting tough like that?! C'mon! I want you to scream! Make the sounds that I've made when I was hurt!" He stomped harder than before, embedding Dragon Slayer Magic into the sole. As ironic as it was, it was the sole that was cut by Garchomp. The blow crushed and grinded into Nic's left shoulder, a beam of draconic power, going straight through the shoulder into the earth beneath. It was a beaming projectile that dug deep, deep enough for a well to be made.

With that added impact, Nic's eyes widened further, and this time his parted lips separated completely, a hitch in his raspy breath loud and clear.

Acnologia's smile returned. "That's more like it! But with more sound! Make my ears relish!" Once more, he stomped on Nic's left shoulder, the blood on the sole staining the green, black, and red all over. Acnologia didn't stop. He couldn't. This was his lust. This was his ambition. This was his destiny. He wanted to make Nic feel the torment; make him feel the suffering he had to deal with against all the Pokémon who gained up on him. This was the ultimate vendetta that he sought, and succeeded in getting.

Acnologia kicked Nic in the face as he was still in shock, shattering the side of his headpiece as he fell on his back. All Nic's Pokémon struggled to stand, grunting as their bodies suffered a great deal.

One way or another, they all were sprawled like helpless hatchlings as Acnologia hysterically laughed in triumph.

* * *

Barbaracle disappeared and reappeared in a flash, his claws glowing and shimmering with Razor Shell. Alongside Tyrantrum using Crunch, the Rock-types jumped for Acnologia, only to be swatted away by his hand like they were petty flies.

"No, Tyrantrum!" Grant screamed.

"This…can't be…" Siebold grunted as he felt his strength fade.

Acnologia craned his head around, roaring as he prevailed over the Gym Leader and Pokémon League Pokémon. They all laid helpless on the ground, their bodies unable to subdue the pain and inflammation that held them back.

He planted his claw on top of Mega Rayquaza's head, pressing him into the ground. Not even a grunt came out as Acnologia roared to the abnormal skies, Zygarde barely standing back up in his wake.

* * *

Watching from Earth Land, everyone looked up at the skies with despair and horror. They saw the wrath of Acnologia pushing Mega Rayquaza and the Legendary Life Trio to their knees, all the humans and Pokémon fighting unable to pull themselves together before his incinerating might.

"Crap!" Gray snapped.

"They're getting hammered up there!" Elfman exclaimed.

"That ugly lizard, he isn't playing around anymore." Orga said. "He's actually overpowering the Pokémon that were holding him back."

"I can't remember such a situation where Acnologia was so bent on victory that bad." Sophie said. "But…something else seems wrong."

Vanessa nodded. "It's Nic…"

"You feel that, too?" Jet asked.

"Mhm, something's messed up. More than just the sky." Droy spoke.

"Call me crazy, but doesn't it feel col all of a sudden?" Lisanna felt shivering, and she was actually. It was like her body was so nervous that everything was shutting down.

Erza's fists balled tight. Her own body was getting cold, and she could hear something else. Anguish. Her ehad was ringing with faint images, but they only flashed for split seconds. With every blow that Nic was struck with, she flinched. She not only felt…she saw. Acnologis was having Nic on the run.

After one vicious blow sensed, Erza stepped back, gasping.

"Erza?" Lucy gasped.

"What's wrong?" Juvia inquired.

Her breath rasping, Erza looked down at the ground, staring in question and remorse for what she saw and felt. "This feeling…it's like…" She craned her head up, looking more worried than ever. "Something's wrong. Nic's getting hurt."

With this set of news, many gasped in shock.

"You're saying that Nic's on the defensive?" Ultear wondered.

"But how?! Is he actually losing?" Meredy didn't want to believe it, nor could she.

"Well this ain't good." Sawyer said.

Jellal's eyes narrowed. "Everyone stay calm! This fight isn't over yet, not while we have magic to use." He stared up at the distorted ripples separating the worlds, hearing Acnologia's cries loud and clear. "Now, if only we found a way up there."

Gray clutched a fist. "Yeah, that way we'll put that overgrown lizard on ice!"

Juvia nodded. "I'm with you, darling."

"Don't bother." Vanessa said. The way she said it, the way in which it was spoken, it was like there was no solid tune of hope in it. It was more of a matter-of-fact tone. It only served to questioned everyone.

Mirajane looked towards her. "What is it?"

Vanessa looked up towards the sky, staring at the gaping maw of the dragon in her home world. Her mind trailed back to her battle, the way Acnologia ate her magic, and Erza's swords. "He's immune to all magic. None of our spells will work on him."

"Wait, what?" Elman asked.

"She's right." Erza added. "We saw. Acnologia devours all forms of magic. We'll only be feeding him power."

Sophie's eyes widened with her head whipping back towards the battle lying on the other side of the sea of time and space. "Wait, so you're saying…?"

"We can't do squat?" Bickslow deadpanned.

"It would appear that our magic seems most likely. Now that I think about it…" Freed thought back to Tenrou Island, the incident where all their attacks went for him. "Now it makes sense. That's why the Pokémon did harm and not us. It's clear now."

"So then that means the only thing that can hurt Acnologia…" Evergreen trailed off.

"Are the Pokémon." Minerva finished.

"Woah, that's some scary stakes there!" Lector shivered.

Frosch quivered in fright. "Are we really gonna die?"

Yukino stepped in. "We can't give up yet? Those Pokémon are still fighting. As long as there are still some Pokémon who can still harm Acnologia, then we may have a chance yet. We just need to hope for the best. That's what Sting would want."

The name mentioned made Lector stop shaking. "Sting."

Frosch froze. "Rogue…"

Kinana looked towards the sky. "Erik."

"Gajeel." Levy murmured.

"Laxus." Freed prayed.

"Wendy." Carla said.

Lucy's eyes glistened as she stared up without fear. She had to be sure the man who brought her own change was still around. "Natsu…"

Erza had fists balled and dared not waver. She didn't stray from the direction the battle was held. Her heart and shoulder ached, and yet that was a good feeling. That meant Nic was still alive, and that also meant there was hope yet for all of them. She needed to see him again. As she remained silent, she pictured Nic once more, his warm smile making her feel hopeful, yet at the same time, scared of what might become later on.

' _Nic. Keep fighting…'_

* * *

If anyone could see what made for the perfect punching bags, they would probably expect actual punching bags. But this was the complete contrary, for Pokémon and human alike were punching bags. What once were the mightiest Pokémon to have been witnessed by both worlds were brought to their knees – not even! They were struggling to stand, and when they did, another shockwave would flip them over like pancakes.

"(GAH!)" Charizard flipped from another shockwave from a brushing kick Acnologia did from afar, slamming him on his stomach.

"(GWOH!)" Greninja narrowly evaded a vertical blade of Dragon Slayer Magic that again split the ground into an eternal abyss. Though still falling backwards, it was better than forward into the never-ending ground.

"(GRAH!)" Mega Garchomp went flying backwards from a kick to the face, his backfin slicing a straight line into the ground that followed him meters away and into a boulder, which shattered to explosive pieces.

"(MY SPLEE~N!)" Acnologia's force sent Kecleon spiraling through the air, slamming onto her side with a powerful thud.

All the Pokémon were barely able to stand, and Nic was no exception. With all the Pokémon around sprawled like helpless children, Nic cursed himself as they were accumulating scrapes and blood marks everywhere. It was bad enough he had to suffer like this, but Acnologia was making it far more personal than it should've been. And he had every right to do so.

Acnologia spread his feet, his body encompassed in a red pillar of pulsating energy. The energy expanded, again enveloping the area around in a booming eruption of sheer, bloodthirsty force. The dome of great power reached great lengths, making force strong and wide enough to have decimated a mountain again.

As the shocking blast faded, Nic and his six Pokémon smashed into the ground hard once more. They all plopped like used ragdolls, and yet their bodies were still intact. But the question was if they were even functionable to begin with. They all had scrapes and small drips and streams of blood, no doubt from the impacts that shook them about. Their organs felt like mush from every blow sustained; it was shocking how durable they were. If they weren't so instinctive from Nic's will cast onto them, they'd been dead by now.

They all continued to strain as they labored for air. They tried to stand once more.

Acnologia's patience was beginning to grate again. "Tch, you're stubborn." He raised his hand once more. "Why don't you seven just die?!" He angrily slammed his hand into the ground, causing the place to depress yet again.

Though barely able to move, they all at the very least were able to turn their bodies. With pained grunts, they all turned one way or another as seven explosions went up right beneath. Though not direct, the blast waves enveloped parts of their bodies. They all screamed aloud as they were flung away, their bodies sliding and tumbling. Their sides – whichever sides they may be – had near raw parts showing, scrapes and heavy bruising evident. They all flopped on the ground close to the other, their eyes nothing short of dizziness. Nic was amongst them, his headpiece and plane-like wings damaged and cracked. He was barely recognizable the way he was now.

Acnologia's glare hardened as he began to approach Nic. "You're at the end of your rope, and yet you still resist. How utterly disgusting and stubborn your species of creatures are."

Nic struggled to move, but he couldn't so easily. He could barely feel anything other than numbing and pain in parts of his tail, arms, and legs. His blood stained the ground, and his hands were getting scraped skin, but the grim reality was that Acnologia's earlier beatdown resulted in his shoulder completely crushed by his relentless stomping. _'I can't move my arm. My legs, they won't stop struggling. I can't even feel my palms. Damnit. Damnit! Move!'_ That last blow did him in unfortunately. His heart stopped cold when he saw a foot in front of his face. Glancing up, he saw the hazy, dark figure that was Acnologia, outlined in red.

"Now, do you finally see, Nic Pularis? Do you finally realize that I am finally better than any of those Pokémon you dare throw my way? Legendary or not, Dragon Slayer, it matters not. You finally see that _I_ am the superior here." He looked up behind Nic. "And they do as well."

Nic glanced behind, weakly turning his head to see the nine crystals towering behind him. The unconscious and suspended bodies of all the Dragon Slayers and Dialga and Palkia. They were looking down, like despair had been cast over them.

"How does it feel to fail before the dragons? To fall to your knees with what dignity before it's ripped out with your heart?" Acnologia's taunting demeanor did not settle. He couldn't feel any more proud for himself as he saw the condition Nic was in. "Even my physical body is over that putrid dragon who dared to challenge me before. I shall not let either you nor a single Pokémon in existence live. Even if it takes 400 more years, I will have all your heads roll…starting with your own."

Nic continued to glance up behind him. He was still fixated on Natsu and the legendary Dialga and Palkia all suspended. All seven Dragon Slayers, they were looking down on the seven who were taking their place, and yet all six Pokémon and Nic just glanced up at them, silently questioning what they had to do.

All of them closed their eyes, wincing hard to try and muster up their strength to stand. As hard as it felt, they were trying.

' _We can't give up. We have to keep going. C'mon, move!'_ Nic's silent urging wasn't going well, unfortunately. _'Greninja. Charizard. Kecleon. Staraptor. Garchomp. Arbok…guys…'_

" _Hey, what are you just lying around for!"_ Nic and everyone's eyes snapped open at the same time, hearing a very bizarre voice that went in their heads.

' _What was that?'_ Nic questioned.

' _That voice…'_ Greninja thought.

' _Wait, is that voice familiar?'_ Charizard strained in thought. The reality made him nearly lurch. _'Wait, Greninja?'_

' _I can hear your thoughts, too.'_ Kecleon's own thoughts were heard.

The shock just never ended. _'Guys.'_ Nic labored.

" _Pull yourself together, Luminous, why don't ya."_ Another voice entered, but this one wasn't from his Pokémon, nor was it the voice that started it all.

" _Yeah, you guys can do it!_ "

' _Those voices…'_ I didn't take long for Nic to process whom they belonged to. _'Gajeel? Wendy?'_

" _Hey, you're giving us a bad show out there. What's the matter?"_

The voice made Mega Garchomp's eyes widen as he laid on his back. _'Huh? That lightbulb…'_

" _C'mon guys, I know you were a lot better than this."_

" _Please don't forget who you're representing here."_

Alike, Nic and Greninja thought the same things. _'Sting…and Rogue…'_

" _Hey, quit acting all shocked, my hearing is all fuzzy in here."_

Arbok's head range from that familiar yet annoying voice. _'That guy…'_

' _Hey. Nic! C'mon, don't just lay there!'_ There was the last voice, the one who broke into their thoughts.

The realization left Nic completely speechless as what looked like Acnologia above him faded. _'Natsu…'_

A bright flash clouded up their vision. Altogether, Nic and his Pokémon found themselves in what looked like a void, but with a lot of white. It was radiant and had no foothold. Their limp bodies afloat, they all looked around, their mental states in unison and swayed by the mixed emotions of shock and all they possessed. The white radiance gave way to seven shadows that overlooked the seven down below. They all looked up, seeing the seven Dragon Slayers' silhouettes looking down at them like they were angels.

Nic's eyes again widened, seeing the grinning faces of his friends. "Natsu. Wendy. Gajeel. Laxus. Erik. Sting. Rogue…"

Erik smirked at him with a hand to his hip. "Why so shocked? You look like you're gonna fall over."

Nic rolled his eyes, dismissing the unsound joke.

Laxus crossed his arms. "Sorry to crash your party."

"(Man, you guys sure are treating this joke rather poorly.)" Charizard exasperated.

"We didn't mean to intrude, but this was the only way we could get through to you." Rogue explained. "We understand that you are in peril, but that's why we ask you to stand."

"What he said." Sting insisted. "You guys kicked a lot of asses out there as far as we know. This should be a cakewalk for you."

Kecleon blinked. "(Chocolate cake is not dirty cake to be thrown out.)"

Nic frowned at all his Dragon Slayer friends, looking at them more diligently than before. "You guys…"

"Don't say anything." Gajeel interrupted. "Save that mouth for Acnologia, would ya?"

"Yeah, you're gonna need every bit of strength." Wendy said. "So we're cheering you on!"

Natsu meekly frowned at Nic, him and the Trainer alike looking at one another with expressions of unfamiliarity, yet at the same time silent compensation. They still have yet to face each other directly after the events of E.N.D and such, and all Natsu did was frown.

Nic knew this wouldn't be easy. In a way, he could sympathize with what Natsu and the other Dragon Slayers felt. Legendary and his own Pokémon slayed dragons, while Dragon Slayers themselves didn't do anything. He knew their prides were hurt bad, but realizing it didn't make it any less okay. It only made Nic more guilty. He lowered his head, unable to face Natsu knowing he'd be shaming their kind.

"…well, are you gonna make us Dragon Slayers proud or not?"

Nic's head snapped up, eyes wide at Natsu. To his shock, the Dragon Slayer was actually smiling, but not his trademark. More of comfort.

"You can handle Acnologia, Nic. You seven are really the only ones who can stop that disgrace of a Dragon Slayer by force. We're putting our faith in you."

"Natsu…" Nic was surprised by Natsu's words to say the least. It was one thing to see Natsu genuinely mean what he said about entrusting a fight towards Nic, but of all the fights, he's allowing his pride to be put to rest for the greater good of their friendship Nic tried so hard to fix.

"Salamander's right. If Dragon Slayers can't work against him, then you guys better kick his ass in our place." Gajeel said.

Laxus nodded, his smirk widening.

Sting put his hands up carefree. "Okay, so our powers aren't cut out this time." He sounded so admitting and carefree about it.

"But that doesn't mean we're still depending on you to finishing him." Rogue enforced. "You all need to start fighting harder, for both our worlds."

"Yeah, we have friends waiting for us to get home." Erik reminding him.

Wendy nodded. "Yeah! Carla and the others are waiting back home, too!"

Natsu crossed his arms and cheekily smiled. "I know I sure wouldn't wanna keep Fairy Tail waiting. Lucy and Happy would kill me if I didn't come back. And I can sure as hell say Erza would feel the same way."

"Erza…" Nic's eyes widened at the same. He had almost forgotten about her, his sheer motivation through the peril he had to put up with all this time. It was thanks to her that he found more than just the need to fight to fight for. One by one, he could see more of his friends through his own mental picture. "Vanessa…Sophie…Cana…Gray…Lucy…Happy…Carla…" He began to think of his foster family and those fighting on his planet. "Michael…Joanna…Tan…Jake…Will…Diantha…everyone."

"Now you get it." Laxus snapped Nic to see him again. "You got friends like us, and they're probably sucking up this mess all for you. You owe them a lot, so don't think passing on is gonna fix this mistake."

Nic stared at them all, his serious look beyond those who could fathom. He was beginning to see the big picture once more. He saw Natsu pump a fist.

"Win. But not just for us Dragon Slayers. Do it for Erza. For the friends who are risking themselves for you. You can do it…I know you can!"

"Natsu…" A smiled returning, Nic glared with passion. "I got it all down."

Rogue turned towards Greninja, a bitter core shaking inside of him. "I'm…I'm…counting on you as well. Make sure that Frosch knows I'm alright." As painful as it was to talk to Greninja, Rogue was doing his best to tell Greninja to do great in his stead.

Understanding, Greninja nodded with his red eyes burning with fury. "(I will.)"

"Show them what we can do in the air!" Wendy cheered.

Staraptor smiled at the Sky Maiden.

Gajeel smirked at Kecleon. "Make sure you put a dent in my place, 'kay?"

Kecleon slowly tilted her head, her eyes blinking. "(…Power button: On.)"

Erik faced Arbok, the serpent and himself interlocking gazes. As much as he hated to say, or rather admit, he didn't dislike nor like Arbok. He did recall the serpent pulverizing competition back during the July 7th, and that sure brought him to shame. But even so, he knew he could count on him, even if he will never say it aloud.

"…knock 'em for a loop already, got it?" He looked away, almost pouting.

Arbok, too, turned away snobbishly, but he kept his head high. "(…fine.)" He accepted.

"Be sure to pound him in the ground." Laxus enforced.

Mega Garchomp sneered in understanding.

Natsu's fist balled tighter than before, giving Charizard a vicious smile. "Alright then, burn him to ashes for all of us! For us Dragon Slayers and you guys alike!"

With that sentence, and Charizard's roar of confirmation affirmed, the light flashed again, and the psyche plane dissipated.

Acnologia stood over Nic's body, glaring down at the human who is unable to respond. He seemed dead, much to his joy. Still, the sight of his corpse left him utterly annoyed. "You disappoint me, Nic Pularis. You and your creatures. You all deserve nothing less than to have yourselves erased from existence." His smirk returned, raising his arm high in the air. Slowly, streaming energy gathered in his hand, which compressed quickly into a furious blue hemisphere with a red outline around the hand. "Now, begone!"

Though his face was unable to be seen from the cracked headpiece, there was a small smile on Nic's hips.

"Hm?" Acnologia was hearing something very soft, kind of like a snicker.

Slowly, Nic's smile moved up and down, muttering meekly. "You know…you sure love to run that mouth of yours."

"What?!" Acnologia was caught off guard when Nic fell upwards, using his elbow to strike Acnologia's gut. The surprise attack from up close sent a shock through his body, making the magic in his hand dissipate. Acnologia slid backwards, gritting his teeth as he slid to a stop.

Upon stopping, he again saw Nic on a knee, slowly getting himself to stand up. He struggled, but despite waning left and right, he and the other Pokémon were starting to slump up, like zombies. They all had grins, ones that made Acnologia nervous.

"I don't understand…" He muttered. "How are you even moving with those torn figures?"

Nic swayed about, standing hunched over with a smile as wide as Natsu's. "We got some sense knocked into us just now."

"Huh?"

"You're forgetting something, Acnologia. This isn't just between us. This isn't just between Pokémon and your own damn pride." He raised his head, showing his hazy eyes, and yet he looked so instinctive. "This is more than just those matters. This is for my friends. This is a fight where it's not just us seven, but the enemies you've made through my guild! Through my world! I don't care how many blessings I have to count, because even if I am not blessed, even if I lose an arm, **we** won't stop until you're slain!"

Greninja stood beside Nic, his scraped body up and about. Charizard and Mega Garchomp slammed their heels into the ground, both raising their heads high to shout out to the dimensional skies. Staraptor felt pain with every flap in her wings, but she didn't care. She was going to fight even if she got a disease. Arbok slithered up, and Kecleon slouched up with head straightened out.

Acnologia stepped back, overwhelmed by his own shock. His teeth gritted in anger. "Damnit…"

Nic continued to glare down Acnologia. "I have things that I want to do when this is all over. Things that I **must** do!" He thought about Erza for a moment. "We've left a lot of people waiting for a very long time, but we're going home even if it tears us apart! It's time to move forward, right after we deal with you!"

In Acnologia's eyes, he saw something most shocking. He was petrified in place as he stared at not just Nic and his Pokémon, but the Dragon Slayers inside their crystals high up. In front of Wendy's crystal was Staraptor, and in front of Gajeel's was Kecleon. Mega Garchomp in front of Laxus; Arbok in front of Erik; Charizard in front of Natsu; Greninja in front of Rogue, and Nic representing the light the universe held; in front of Sting. He could even see the respective auras of the Dragon Slayers surrounding the respective Pokémon, it rendered him startled. _'What's going on? What are the Dragon Slayers doing in there? Did they seriously get them to get up in their own wills or something?!'_

"This is for the Dragon Slayers and everyone who picked us back up!" Nic clutched his scraped, bleeding palm. "Everyone!"

The six Pokémon grunted in their own spirits, facing Acnologia one last time.

* * *

Acnologia towered over the fallen Mega Rayquaza, snarling in his face as he emerged victorious. He finally did it, and now it was time to end it. He opened his mouth, gathering a surge of red in the center of his mouth.

"No…" Diantha grunted.

"This sucks!" Will winced.

Mega Rayquaza struggled beneath the claw that embedded in his face, but he refused to give up. He wouldn't lose that easily, even if it was against the dragon who wanted to beat him so badly. As Acnologia charged up, the Mega-Evolved beast knew there were still ways to fight.

The tail was still there, and that meant he had a chance. He wrapped his tail end around Acnologia's right ankle, and with what strength he had, he pulled as hard as he could, yanking Acnologia's ankle forward and Acnologia's head flung back, the beam losing focus and the blazing red beam went shooting into the sky. The red beam went shooting skywards, heading towards the distorted sky. However, the beam thankfully dissipated before it reached the borderline.

Acnologia fell on his back with a loud thud, yelping as he lost momentum. As the earth shuddered, Mega Rayquaza swerved back into the air, snarling maliciously.

Still up, albeit barely, Zygarde stood before everyone else, his body glowing a bright green shade as pure energy began to fill into his being. Raising his head and screeching outwards, green beams of light went everywhere, cracking and breaking the ground all the way towards Acnologia.

" **What?!** " In a hurry, Acnologia gathered himself and managed to take a leap upwards, going skywards and gliding thanks to his wings. The ground beamed green straight beneath and the ground unleashed shockwaves that went on in the area behind him, reforming and breaking apart earth.

As the sea of dust settled, Acnologia saw shards of earth and uneven land far behind him. He looked back, snarling in deep shock as Mega Rayquaza and Zygarde continued opposing him, both showing no signs of giving up.

"( **This isn't over yet. Not while Kalos is still in danger.** )" Zygarde declared.

"( **Acnologia, we're just getting started!** )" Mega Rayquaza craned his head around, shrieking so harshly that the air and land alike were hit by shockwaves that made high gusts disperse the residual dust. It was so strong that it made Acnologia's physical body lose momentum for a moment. Once finished roaring, the red eyes of the dragon in the sky and the white eyes of the green beast on land growled in unison.

"( **Time to put this overgrown creep to rest!** )"

* * *

 **Chapter 82! Didn't take too long I hope, but I also hope that it sufficed! How was it, guys? Did I live up to your expectations still with this fight prolonging? Is it as grand as the conclusion fight in the prequel? Let me know what you guys think so far.**

 **I'm hoping to get the next one up in only a few more days, but even so, only 2 chapters left, so I'm going to make them count! Hope you all continue to enjoy!**


	83. The End of Monarchy

Standing against the odds stack against his might, Acnologia found himself baffled by the seven figures who took it upon themselves to fill the obligation set. It was befuddling at best, and yet he didn't find it funny. Interested as he was. Far from amused.

"What's the meaning of this nonsense?" He belittled.

Nic smiled at the confused Dragon Slayer. "It's funny considering how you of all people should know that."

"Know what?" His patience was wearing thin.

"You act like Dragon Slayers are nothing more than actual dragons. It's like how you treat me as some Pokémon, when I, too, am nothing more than human. If that _were_ the case, then wouldn't that make you a dragon as well?"

Acnologia's eyes widened at the realization Nic was worming into his psyche. His logic was flipped like Topsy-Turvy.

"Just because we got powers of Pokémon and dragon, doesn't make us them directly. Not like you either." Nic's fists began to ball once more. He ignored the bleeding scrapes on the palms and continued to speak up. "There is one thing that does link us to those two species, and that's our desires; our ambitions; our emotions themselves." Beside him, all six Pokémon smiled in confidence. Not just in what Nic said, but for themselves, the ambitions to carry out for everyone. "I think I have a good idea on what a certain friend of mine would say at a time like this…"

Acnologia raised a brow.

Nic stepped up, standing his own ground. As hideously disfigured as he was, he was still looking remarkably strong. A chill went down Acnologia's spine. "Dragons and Pokémon – the ones we look up to, the ones we care for – they're strong. They're brave. They're true to themselves. And…they're gentle."

Acnologia's eyes widened as he processed Nic's speech. "Gentle…Dragons…Pokémon…" His teeth began to grit in anger. "Gentle? **Gentle?** What is so **gentle** about two species that took away everything I had?!" His fist balled tight, a surge of red power flowing like a flare inside the palm. It was searing with intense power. "Those dragons that you call gentle, they ate my family. They reduced everything and everyone in my city to ash! And they went as far as harm innocent children!"

Despite knowing at that instant of Acnologia's grudge, Nic frowned in seriousness alongside his Pokémon still.

The power Acnologia was giving off began to make the ground shake. Earth began to defy ground as he gave Nic a very cold look. "You say those dragons are gentle, but what about Pokémon?! What's so **gentle** about those filthy creatures who robbed everything and everyone of the innocence of the world?! The ones who took my dignity! The very ones who damned me as a Dragon King and gave me these scars on my body! You Dragon Slayers…you especially, Nic…those creatures who you embody, BRING NOTHING BUT DESTRUCTION AND PAIN!" In a massive fury, Acnologia expelled an enormous swell of Magic Power from his body. The ground twisted and reformed as Acnologia exploded with enormous power flaring with his anger. As the explosive rage bellowed in all directions, Nic and his Pokémon stood their ground as it closed in.

As Acnologia continued to bellow his searing anger and wrath, everything was enveloped in a disaster field of blue and red. Hell broke loose as the sound barrier ripped to shreds. The Dragon Slayer glared with anger ahead at the energy he exerted, teeth gritting at Nic in frustration.

Within the energy unleashed, however, there was a small glint of purple next to a green flash. The two lights caught Acnologia by surprise as his attack suddenly got blown back by shockwaves mixed with water. He covered up as the typhoon expelled an equally vibrant force that interlocked with the explosion created. The two energies fused together, ultimately collapsing upon themselves.

As shockwaves flared, Acnologia's cloak shifted in the winds. As they simmered down, he uncovered, not only was dust and rock falling about, but drips and droplets of light water sprinkled his hair. He looked up at the sky, seeing the small amounts of water expelled momentarily pouring.

"I understand how you feel." A voice rang through the dissipating cloud of dust, making Acnologia whip his head back ahead. As he stared ahead in shock, his body was feeling a great change in pressure, like the air itself has been vacuumed and replaced by a cool, yet vibrant force.

A new and more elaborate headpiece was seen glistening from the dissipating drizzle. "I, too, was damned by a Pokémon before I was even born. For thousands of generations, everything that happened stemmed from the anger and bloodlust he entrusted down my bloodline. It was cruel and manipulative, the desire to destroy humanity from the inside." As more dust cleared, they revealed refined jet-like protrusions with sharper, jagged edging. "But even so, I don't hold anything against the likes of Pokémon."

Acnologia gasped in surprise. "My attack…"

"It was thanks to Giratina that even in strife, we humans can continue living even as decrepit beings. Just because wrong happened many years ago doesn't mean I can't learn from it. Pokémon manipulate humans; humans manipulate Pokémon; humans manipulate other humans; Pokémon manipulate themselves; there's no change in the dynamics. It's the same with dragons and everything and everyone else." Dust dissipated fully, revealing a refined Nic's claws clutching tight alongside a blue fist. Both were side-by-side, glaring without doubt. The shape he took up was no different from a certain Pokémon who Acnologia despised the most.

"It's all the same no matter who you discriminate. There are good Pokémon, and there are bad ones. There are brave ones, and those who cower. Those who love, and those who hate. Those who you trust, and ones who you fight. Good Pokémon under the control of bad people, do bad things. But the same can be in reverse. Bad Pokémon under good people, can learn good things, and about their errors."

The dust cleared, revealing Nic in the Mega Rayquaza Legendary Force, and beside him was Nic-Greninja, the water compressed into his back in a medium-sized shuriken. Everyone stood without worry as they were set on their frail figures set to break if it meant taking down the one who broke their bones to begin with. It only served to startle Acnologia further.

"You…you were holding out on me?!" He yelled in disbelief. "How are you even able to hold this power in those broken figures?!"

Nic said nothing as he gave a serious frown. Instead, Nic-Greninja spoke up. "(Because we fight together, that is where the strength in all Pokémon lies. A human and his Pokémon only reach their peak when they reach harmony and understanding with one another. As one, we seven will not abandon the other or the sake of bride and vengeance. That is where you are at fault, Acnologia.)"

Acnologia gritted his teeth and swiped his arm. "Quit croaking like a frog!"

"It's that attitude that makes you blind to where the real power is held." Nic said.

Acnologia's annoyance only spiked. "Shut up! What would you know about what happened to me anyway?!"

Kecleon tilted her head. "(Because you told us.)"

"You're mistaken."

"Huh?!" Acnologia fumed.

"You had a tragic past filled with despair. I know that much, and I reciprocate with the upmost sympathy. But the biggest tragedy here is that you used your power in all the wrong ways, nor did you even consider its true nature. The power that you **want** is something you don't **need**. What you need…is to understand. Look into your enemy's eyes and see what they see. If you only think about your own perspective, you won't have a full understanding of others. You won't connect in a synergistic way like humans and Pokémon do."

Acnologia was beginning to stir. The red outlining around his body began to vibrate, his anger fuming almost uncontrollably. "Who says I want to connect with my enemy?! Don't tell me what I already know! All I need to understand…" He crouched forward, lunging at Nic with high speed as before. The ground where he stood completely broke to sunder. "Is to destroy those before they destroy me!"

They all went silent as Acnologia closed the gap. As time slowed down, Acnologia's hand cloaked in his mighty power, reflecting in Nic's eyes.

" **Protect!** " Nic called out. At the last second, Kecleon reappeared in front of everyone, having one arm out and anchoring her foothold as a translucent shield appeared before her. Acnologia crashed into the shield, his hand expelling a blinding, shattering force that repulsed backwards like a beam. The heinous blaze seared the ground and annihilated the airspace drastically, roaring with intensity.

After the energy dissipated, Acnologia still found his attack blocked by Protect, again startling him. "That attack, why didn't it work?!"

Nic's eyes narrowed, and instantly Kecleon moved out of the way. With one swipe of his right arm, Nic enveloped Acnologia in a much larger Twister than before. This Twister – fused with power from the Mega Evolution – was like a massive tornado. The raging tempest embodied Acnologia, surrounding him.

With the great winds generated, Acnologia could barely hold his ground. The sides brushed around him, and the winds eventually picked him up, carrying him uncontrollably skywards to the top. While dragged in the tempest, he could feel winds tearing into him, pounding his face with fury and precision. When at the near top, Acnologia opened an eye, his teeth gritting.

High above them, they all saw a red sphere embodying the upper half of Twister. The sphere expanded until it evolved into a forcefield that expelled all the winds, breaking Twister apart to show Acnologia suspended high in midair.

"Heh." With a scoff, Acnologia had the perfect viewpoint to attack, however, a shadow lurked in his face, forcing him to look up to find Nic-Greninja already high above and set with Night Slash. _'What speed…!'_

Nic-Greninja crossed his purple kunai. "( **Night Slash!** )" He slashed in an X formation, long purple streaks slicing into Acnologia. A massive purple explosion flared in the air. The impact of the empowered move shot Acnologia down like a fly. He went soaring and slammed into the ground on his side, making a powerful thud. He fumbled backwards once in a skid and used his arm to anchor himself against the earth, trailing to a stop.

Gritting his teeth, Acnologia winced in pain. On his arm, a streak of blood was shed, and on the side of his cheeks was a deep gash, save for many other wounds he's accumulated. "Damn you."

Nic-Greninja fell beside Nic, all seven following him as he began to levitate against the ground. Against Acnologia of all people. As Nic stood with his Pokémon, Nic-Greninja and Charizard began to flare with their two aquatic and red auras enveloping their bodies. Without having any say, their Torrent and Blaze Abilities kicked in. The shuriken and tail flame enlarged, searing with heat, density, and raw force.

"I'll show you…" Acnologia got back up. "I'll show you **all**!"

* * *

Acnologia's physical body raised its head, shouting out in hideous retort against the two green Pokémon who dared to oppose him even after their crushing humiliation.

"( **He's riled up for certain.** )" Mega Rayquaza stated.

"( **If this keeps up, who knows how much longer Kalos shall last.** )" Zygarde said.

Mega Rayquaza didn't seem too keen on just Kalos. "( **The world is the big picture.** )"

"( **I know.** )" Zygarde took a pause, retaining a silence as the Dragon Slayer snarled louder than before. Nerves crawled on everyone's spines as they were wondering how to beat him, and yet the answer came so bluntly to Zygarde. "( **…that is why we shall use our full power. It's time to bring our ecosystem back to balance!** )"

Slowly, a calm washed over the battlefield as Acnologia levitated off the ground, baring fangs at Zygarde. He seemed intrigued as the air pressure once again began to fluctuate.

Zygarde remained still as his body gave off a bright green aura. "( **This shall be the full power entrusted to our combined efforts!** )" Constantly, green ripples expelled from beneath, traveling far and wide beneath everyone, over mountains and through the land. "( **We shall not let this world down!** )"

All over the world, Zygarde Cells spread about near rivers, in volcanoes, caves, cities, and forests began to glow. They all glowed bright green before they heard the shrilled cry that called them to Zygarde. They all became streaming green beams that raced from their respective points and flew overhead, flying beneath the sea of distorted air and traveled at the speed of light.

All over the world, everyone looked over their heads as they witnessed streaming green lights brightening the skies. If seen from outer space, the entire globe – while in an odd hemisphere of distorted colors – had hundreds of thousands of streaming green energy arches converging onto one point.

The hundreds of thousands of Zygarde Cells beamed onto Zygarde. The land literally shook as a green hemisphere enveloped him. All the cells entered his body, making the hemisphere light up like it was fireworks.

Acnologia reeled back in shock of the green flash of raw power. " **What?!** "

Jake and Will both gasped in shock. Everyone else arose to their feet and looked up with wide eyes as green enveloped the land. The camera people now on the ground close by were catching it all on live footage for the entire planet to see.

In Earth Land, Magnolia was witnessing the Zygarde Cells gathering, their disbelief surmounting beyond comprehension as a green pillar of light enveloped the Kalos sky.

All the energy in the hemisphere formed into a pillar of pure green light. Zygarde's body became a glow orb that climbed the pillar all the way to the top. Inside the light, Zygarde Cells began to form green energy limbs. They made arms and legs, and a head. The energy made even the tail grow, and sprout what seemed to be four other wings of sort. The arms moved around, adjusting and flexing about until finally the green cells flashed into a gargantuan creature who rivaled Mega Rayquaza's size. Around the humanoid head, it looked like flat black spikes that resembled a crown, with a green hexagon resembling the crown jewel. Though no neck, the entire chest and abdomen was like a huge head; having green conjoint hexagons for eyes and colorful zigzags for closed lips to the mouth. The broad shoulders had slim arms but widened to bulbous green edging to the clawed hands. The lower half had green hexagons lining the stomach, and two white ovals on either side. The legs were all black, yet the lower half looked like giant boots with white hexagons as knee guards. Tail aside like Zygarde, four flat other similarities of red on the right and blue on the left were apparent.

As the green pillar faded, Zygarde's 100% Form was in full view for all to see as he was in the skies. On Earth Land and the Pokémon planet alike, all were completely speechless.

"What…is that?" Jake gasped.

"Zygarde just…" Will was unable to finish.

Olympia stared up with disbelief. "This great power…" She never felt anything like it before. It was making her spine tingle. The shock was almost too much for her psychic powers to take. "This is Zygarde's true power. When the world is at stake, the power to surpass Xerneas and Yveltal shall be realized."

Xerneas and Yveltal both looked up, staring at Zygarde in sheer awe as they were too exhausted to continue forth.

"Zygarde's ultimate power." Malva said.

As Zygarde stared down at Acnologia, Mega Rayquaza joined his side, screeching out to shake the airspace.

The actual power sensed was leaving Acnologia's physical body in deep shock. What he was seeing before him was something he never thought was possible. He was completely speechless. All his body did in the face of Zygarde and Mega Rayquaza…was just stay still. As much as it was registering, it was only beginning to grate him.

Finally reacting, his eyes twitched and he roared heinously aloud, making ripples flare everywhere. " **FUTILE!** " He snapped. He eventually quelled himself, craning his head and body to stare at eye-level with the two opposing beasts that only served to defy his great authority. " **What makes you possibly believe that you have even a remote chance because of something like that? Why bother saving something that is pointless, when all that it'll be is ash in the end? No matter what you do…** " He spread his wings, craning upwards in anger. " **It won't ever be enough to destroy the Dragon King!** "

Zygarde's white eyes glowed, flashing brightly. " **We shall not believe such foolhardy words!** " His voice, as shocking as it was, everyone could hear the telepathy. " **I've seen it all throughout the world. I have seen the strife humans and Pokémon brought and stopped on their own. Why do I protect them? It's because as long as we depend on the other, the humans and Pokémon who fought alongside us till now…they deserve nothing less than to strive for a world where those like you do not belong!** "

" **Shut UP!** " Acnologia craned his head about, mouth wide open as energy poured inside.

" **Shall we?** " Zygarde asked Rayquaza.

"( **Evermore!** )"

Acnologia unleashed a supercharged red pulsar that ripped through the air all the way towards Zygarde and Mega Rayquaza. Zygarde's four appendages pointed down at the incoming roar, the bottoms opening like mouths. There, orbs of Dragon Pulse were created. Alongside Mega Rayquaza's Dragon Pulse, all the mouths unleashed Dragon Pulse beams. The five blasts met Acnologia's roar in the dead center, creating a bright flash and a horrendous shockwave. Explosions went off constantly and the ground beneath tore into oblivion. The winds were so powerful that nearby mountain tip chunked off. Everyone on the ground got down low to avoid rocks and blast waves beaming over their heads.

As the bulbous explosion subsided, the bright flash that was still the residual energy suddenly ripped open a hole, in which both Mega Rayquaza and Zygarde crated when they beamed after Acnologia using Extreme Speed. Both Legendary Pokémon smashed into Acnologia's chest in two green streams. The powerful connection made green shockwaves exert in all directions. The recoil was so powerful that the remaining energy vaporized and Acnologia went flying backwards and screaming in pain. He barely caught himself just in the nick of time, looking back up to Zygarde and Mega Rayquaza once more.

"( **There's plenty more where that came from!** )" Mega Rayquaza warned.

In outrage, Acnologia roared once more.

* * *

With a strong cry that made rocks defy gravity all around, Acnologia unleashed another red beam from his wide mouth. It volumized to a great extent, tearing apart more earth that ran beneath.

Nic didn't deter. "Charizard, **Heat Wave!** "

Enriched by his Blaze Ability, Charizard lurched his head down and reeled it back, along with his wings. His heated tail flame was searing almost twice its original size as the lingering embers coming off it streamed in front of the wings. In one blow, Charizard flapped his wings, summoning what was a hurricane of blasting fire streams and heated winds, so strong that the ground it raced across literally melted and reshaped. Heat Wave's expansive power reached Acnologia's roar, the two attacks meeting in the center with a fierce collision. The two boisterous attacks swayed left and right, making an array of red winds and swirling red fuse before erupting in a massive pillar skywards. The area all around was completely distorted by the searing temperatures that made the ground as hot as a furnace between them and Acnologia.

Not wanting to waste a move, Acnologia dove right through the dissipating pillar, using the flash to close in at high speeds.

"Gotcha!" He closed in on Charizard to swipe with Dragon Slayer infused claws, but instead he was met with blades shimmering bright green, and large at that. Acnologia's shock surmounted as shockwaves and strong winds blew all about as it was Mega Garchomp's Dual Chop that stopped him cold.

"You…!"

Mega Garchomp's eyes narrowed. "(Too slow!)" Crossing his blades, his Dual Chop forced Acnologia backwards, his hand's Magic Power dissipating from the shearing winds Mega Garchomp's swipe made that cut into his magic.

His feet trailed backwards, anchoring as he withstood his ground to a slide that stopped a long ways away. Once settled, Acnologia plunged his hand into the ground, making the earth beneath him stir and flash before a seismic, large wave of Dragon Slayer might went pulsing at the seven. The ground again ripped apart into an abyss, one that they had to be sure to counter.

" **Dual Chop!** " Nic shouted.

Once more, Mega Garchomp used Dual Chop and made powerful winds upon unleashing his Dragon-type move. The ground beneath ripped up pebbles and debris upon the summoning of the move, and Mega Garchomp made much more rip apart as he swung one of his blades forward into the incoming attack. Just like before, the beaming blaze that went for them split once more into a V that instead tore never-ending ditches. Acnologia looked shocked once more as his attack was thwarted, and Mega Garchomp smiled with vulgar excitement in retort.

As Acnologia was glaring daggers as his hand was pressed in the ground, a blur reappeared behind him, revealing Kecleon.

Smelling Kecleon, Acnologia's attack dissipated ad he turned around. As he did, Kecleon's pink, sticky tongue wrapped around his neck, holding him on tight. With a swift pivot and a spin, Kecleon, cried out as she whipped Acnologia skywards.

"Staraptor, **Steel Wing!** " Nic commanded Staraptor as she flapped her wings once, moving from her position above the group to reappear in front of Acnologia in midair. Her wings her spread and shimmering, set to attack with all her might.

Acnologia grunted as he straightened out. In a hurry, he began to parry blow after blow with precision using only his bare arm and legs. His Dragon Force was still going on strong, and he wasn't going to let it waste as such.

Finding an opening, Acnologia reached his arm out, expelling another blast of magic from his palm that went pulsing outwards. Staraptor shot up at the second's notice, dodging Acnologia's blast that went vanishing in the distance. Staraptor reappeared behind, raising her wing over Acnologia's head and chopped her metallic feathers onto him, making a silver ripple flare and Acnologia went shooting and slamming down into the ground, creating a large explosion of dust that rattled the ground for the umpteenth time.

Within the dust, Acnologia was already starting to stir, opening an eye. However, Kecleon's Thief in the form of a knee strike. The attack shot Acnologia out of the dust cloud, sending him flying backwards. In a flip, he again tried to anchor his sliding feet on the trailing ground, teeth gritting.

Nic swerved into the skies overhead, crying out as he gave the almighty word to annihilate Acnologia. Within in his airspace, white and silver energy began to align. As his body flashed, the ancient energy stirred and compressed into a swirling sphere of energy. Via Ancient Power, Nic craned his head around and shot the attack with many energy rings expelling in all directions. The sphere launched with great intensity, closing in on Acnologia saw only a bright white sun brightening him. It only made him that much more determined.

"You think that's gonna hold me down?!" Reaching his hand out, Acnologia swiped with fury, completely swatting away Ancient Power. The Rock-type attack went blazing in another direction, exploding on Acnologia's side in a white maelstrom that eventually faded.

Nic glared down as Acnologia's cool was long gone.

"I don't know what your game is messing with me with all these silly moves and attacks you play out, but I won't stand for it! I'm not losing this, even if it means I have to rip you up individually, even if hell and back, I'll go to the ends of this realm to destroy you a hundred times over!"

"You're wasting your breath!" Nic snapped.

"What did you just say?"

"None of that power you used to power Dragon Force isn't your own. It's all been hijacked and uncontrollable for you so it's going to fail."

"Silence, you fool! You're no longer the most powerful dragon nor Pokémon out there, Nic Pularis! Stop spilling nonsense that itself has no meaning!" Acnologia's retort was met with his eyes nearly losing their pupils. "You're all done for!"

Nic, however, showed no means of backing down. "You and I both know who the better man here is."

Acnologia's temper flared as his Magic Power went skyrocketing, literally. His teeth gritted and his temper exploded with the volatile magic he exerted. "You're right…AND IT'S ME!" He exerted a monstrous array of magic everywhere, exploding skywards in a horrendous pillar that rattled all ears. If one was normal, they could've gone deaf; if not let alone have their skins burned.

The Pokémon in the area all returned to the ground, all of them gathered around as Nic floated above with Acnologia's attack closing n in all directions. The ground completely tore apart, cracking all around them, but they all knew without nodding that they had to hurry. Kecleon got on Mega Garchomp, and Charizard had Arbok snaked around and hanging on. Nic-Greninja shot straight up and Staraptor went solo, with Nic soaring up in blinding speeds.

All high in the air and away from the destroyed ground, the dome-like energy continued expanding. Nic's eyes narrowed, as well as Nic-Greninja's. Together, both widened their eyes and flashed purple.

"NOW!" Nic roared.

Gathering the enlarged shuriken on his back, Nic-Greninja cried out as he raised it high over his head. Water expelled from his Torrent Ability began to twist and turn, gathering into spinning shuriken and making it an even larger saucer. A helix-like wall of water began to form. One so powerful that it reached up and down like a tower. Purple and blue raged within its tornado-like quality, managing to meet the dome's radius of destructive energy. It was so shocking that its very strength pulsated with ripples everywhere, holding off Acnologia's wake for a short while before all the water dissipated, streaming into the shuriken with a searing mist sucked in as well like a vacuum. All the vapor created absorbed into the space above Nic-Greninja, who glared down with all the purple on his body glowing brightly.

Above his head was an enormous purple saucer, one big enough to hold as a place mate for Primal Groudon one might say. With high density, Nic-Greninja cried out as he threw the Water Shuriken with all his might, tearing apart the atmosphere with purple aqua streams spiraling around the shuriken.

Nic opened his mouth, his left shoulder still heavily wounded from Acnologia's earlier assault. Though not as physical, he knew how to support still. Swirling dark energy pulsed into his mouth, a pressure field materializing. Once charged, Nic unleashed it with all his might in the form of an explosive Hyper Beam. Many rings of air shimmered and ripped apart the atmosphere as a destructive dark and purple beam in massive size went chasing Water Shuriken.

Soon enough, both attacks met up, and the Hyper Beam combined with Water Shuriken to create a bright purple flare, which dissipated to reveal The Hyper Beam having a radiant purple flow, like its destructive energy turned more liquid. Purple streams spiraled around it, and at its very end was a bright large light that was the water Shuriken.

The Hyper Beam/Water Shuriken attack met Acnologia's dome-like energy. It did the most bewildering thing, however – it vanished. The beam dissipated as the shuriken itself was lost in the ongoing dome of destructive force. A moment passed, nothing apparently happening, until at long last everything about the dome-like force beamed purple. It glinted many times before it literally sliced into pieces like Gildarts' Crash Magic, becoming purple entirely and a mile-wide pillar of Hyper Beam and Water Shuriken liquified energy pulsated skyward.

Inside the energy, everything in Acnologia's mind went blank. His Dragon Slayer ears backfired as everything went deaf. He screamed in vivid anguish as his attack was completely overpowered, much to his own vivid horror. His mouth gaped as the shuriken's properties ripped through his pants, showing his bleeding legs. His cloak was completely torn to pieces, blown off and reduced to tattered scrapes, revealing the stub that was once his left arm. His hair lost chunks and pieces as more of his power was cut open.

The energy dissipated, and Acnologia backfired and spiraled into the earth like a comet. The crevices he once created were completely ripped apart and leveled to solid ground, yet his landing made a massive crater in which the dust and rock broke beneath. Levels of destruction flared nonstop.

Once it all dissipated and vanished completely, all seven shot down like comets, making more dust flare upon their descent. They all stood in front of Acnologia, his weakened and reshaped stature looking up at Nic with upmost awe.

"You managed to do my shoulder in, but there's still the rest of my bones you need to break." Nic warned. "Break as many bones as you want, but what you will not do again, is break our spirits."

Acnologia struggled to a knee, his mouth seeping with blood that dripped constantly. His glare was hazy, and he had it rough trying to stand.

"My world and yours has people depending on us. We share a link, a bond that joins us all together. No matter how far, they're all coming together to support us, and in turn, it's time to give back! And we shall repay that debt by finishing this monarchy…Dragon King!"

Acnologia's body swayed left and right, his figure barely holding on. With all the cuts and blood lost, he huffed and puffed, a deep snarl exerting. "With what force my Dragon Force has…I will make sure that none of my blood spills from you again! I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL!"

Nic raised his right fist, balling the claws. "Then show us!"

"(Come get some!)" Mega Garchomp challenged. Right beside him, Nic-Greninja stepped up, with all the other Pokémon lining up one after the other to frown. Even with their own bones broken, even with all the blood they had; scratches; scrapes; it mattered not. They all stood, ignoring the pain they had to bare if it meant repaying the debt they owe to both worlds, and that was going to come at the cost of Acnologia.

Acnologia found himself startled, baffled as his previous attack was overpowered. He could barely move at the moment, and Charizard and Nic-Greninja's Blaze and Torrent auras radiated the group. Orange and blue; fire and water. Both growled at Acnologia and he only stepped back. _'I…I don't understand. Why am I shaking? Is this sensation…is this…fear? Is this the power that human and Pokémon possess?! No…no, no! I can't…I won't!'_ His body, however, said other things. _'GNGH! What's this pain?! What is…'_ He gasped in deep shock, his eyes almost losing all form of color. _'My physical body.'_

* * *

The physical Acnologia was in midair, lashing his tail insidiously. The whipping, however, was dodged when Acnologia swerved towards the side, finding an opening to spiral up the tail. He screeched out as he snaked all the way up the tail and over the stomach, slinging himself into Acnologia's chin head-on. The impact knocked the enhanced dragon backwards.

Mega Rayquaza slithered back into the sky, craning down at Acnologia with a growl.

Regaining himself, Acnologia shook his head and glared up at his two opponents, his anger uncontrollable. With a deep snarl, he spread his wings apart, craning his head high and roaring with all the volume he could muster. As he radiated power, flashy star-like glitter began to radiate around him.

"( **Here we go!** )" Mega Rayquaza told Zygarde.

"( **I shall clear the path!** )"

" **ETERNAL FLARE!** " Acnologia unleashed all his furry, unleashing all the hundreds of thousands of comets he could at the two legendary beasts.

Zygarde's large body gradually repulsed backwards in split second's time. At once, all the mouths on the four wings opened, and Zygarde began to spin clockwise rapidly. The Dragon Pulse beams launched went in all various directions. The spun with Zygarde, making the beams travel in every corner and reaching every star. All the stars that were launched was enveloped on the spinning blitz of the Dragon-type move, enveloping themselves in a multicolored flash that exploding like firebombs in the sky. Explosion after explosion went off, the air shimmering in bright flashes.

Acnologia's red eyes were distraught by the bright flashes and close-range bombs going off. He was caught off guard by the flash that he didn't see the whip and the clutched fist expanding until it was too late. Looking back as the flashes faded, he was socked in the face while a tail slammed into his stomach. Taking pain from Zygarde and Mega Rayquaza's punch and tail whack combo, he went flying backwards again, screaming as the back of his head slammed into the ground. His entire body went sliding into the wasteland, stirring rock and dirt all around. With one last skip, Acnologia's entire body flipped over, slamming on his stomach into the ground.

Almost instantly, his struggling body started to arouse. " **This…isn't over…** "

Mega Rayquaza and Zygarde looked towards the other. The two mature beasts nodded as they knew how to play this part. Mega Rayquaza swerved upwards, while Zygarde looked down at Acnologia.

" **You're not going anywhere!** " Acnologia opened his mouth, beginning to charge up another beam. On his feet, wings spread, he was set to fire.

Zygarde's chest mouth opened, his body spinning and gathering energy fields into the core. " **This land…is ours to protect!** " An orb of energy compressed, making an equally high frequency.

Acnologia unleashed the explosive and destructive red beam. " **DIE!** "

" **CORE ENFORCER!** "

Zygarde unleashed a multicolored beam that radiated with immense volume. The horrendous blitz beam into Acnologia's roar, though aimed behind. The roar's supercharged rays were completely deflected by the many colors and energy, dissipating as the beam hit the ground and trailed behind Acnologia in a high-speed zigzag. It came up from behind, and the beam finally struck his stomach. Acnologia screamed as the beam had massive force, compressed and beaming into his body. The pain it was going through was tremendous, and he couldn't move even with the weight set on him.

Still, it wasn't budging him. Zygarde had Core Enforcer still set on his stomach, not willing to finish the Z-pattern until was burst through. No matter what, he won't stop. This attack had to stop him – for good!

* * *

"GRAH!" His hand swirling in Dragon Slayer Magic, Acnologia charged for Nic. Nic did not move as the man closed in, and at the last second, the swirling magic embedded in the fist was dodged at the last second. Nic moved towards the side, narrowly evading his thrust, much to his shock.

"HNGH!" Nic dealt a knee strike with the close proximity. The impact was so powerful that a ripple was made and Acnologia gagged. Within his shock, the impatient Dragon Slayer again slid backwards to stop, however, getting to a knee.

"Arbok, **Coil!** " Nic shouted. Arbok did as told and coiled up beneath him. A red aura enveloped him, enhancing his respective stats.

Trying to stand once more, Acnologia grunted and looked towards the seven. "You irritating…!" He reached out, unleashing another destructive beam from his palm. It ripped the air and went across the earth, heading for Arbok.

" **Ice Fang!** " Nic called out. Empowered by the Coil he did, and the one previously, Arbok opened his mouth and his fangs all became solid icicles with prominent sharp edging. Icy blue fang-like aura enveloped the space ahead, and he went slithering towards the incoming beam.

Nic reeled his head back, gathering energy into another orb. " **Dragon Pulse!** " He unleashed Dragon Pulse, same as before. The attack went blitzing onwards, its head racing alongside Arbok. As the two attacks raced beside the other, they combined, making the "fangs" of the Dragon Pulse Arbok's aura of his Ice Fang. The fangs streamed icy energy that flowed like rivers beside the Dragon Pulse, with Arbok's mouth wide open and embodying the head itself.

The combination move again rendered Acnologia in shock. His eyes shot wide open, horror spilling as Arbok's attack tore the blast beam into streams that diverged into the skies. Bisecting all the way through, Arbok's Ice Fang/Dragon Pulse attack had a trail of icy energy and multicolored arrays flowing, making its own wake as it passed Acnologia's right side.

Time slowed down gradually as Acnologia was completely paralyzed. He didn't anything at first, but as the energy around Arbok vanished, she slunk to a stop and hissed behind, while Acnologia was enveloped in a swirling explosion of icy energy and multicolored draconic energy. The earth trembled beneath and frost went everywhere.

As the frost and mist cleared, Acnologia was again on a knee, his right arm completely frozen and bleeding inside. The side of his ribs had massive, deep gashes, catered by the lower fangs that wedged into him. Unable to move or process anything, he was wide open to attack.

"Kecleon, **Brick Break**! Staraptor, **Aerial Ace**!" Nic followed up.

Kecleon and Staraptor went lunging ahead at blinding speed, both side-by side on the ground as blurs and unseen even by perceptive glances. Staraptor blurred while Kecleon's fist glowed.

"(Take this!)"

"(Smell our power!)"

Together, Kecleon's blinding fist and Staraptor's talon struck Acnologia square in the chest in the same spot. A glint was seen coming from out of his back, which appeared to be the shock from their attacks. Inside, Acnologia gaged as he felt his lungs gasp, his organs inside crushing from the pulsing through his body. He went shooting backwards again, his feet anchoring and making a deep ditch as he went meters upon meters away. He gagged louder as more blood spilled.

"Charizard, **Flamethrower**! Mega Garchomp, **Stone Edge**!"

"(Time to settle the score we have with this freak!)" Mega Garchomp voiced.

"(Let's do it!)" Charizard enforced.

Mega Garchomp drew his blades up and Charizard's mouth lurched with a broiling temperature. At the same time, the two draconic Pokémon unleashed their respective attacks, shooting with heavy fire power as jagged, sharp stones split beneath the beam-like Flamethrower empowered by Blaze. It was like a roar of its own that was compressed yet gradually widened as it went out. Stone Edge stabilized it beneath as the jagged stones cornered it, and yet seared with sides melting as they traveled alike. Acnologia, once again, found himself incapable of dodging while in midair. Horrified, he was struck by the blast wave of the combined attacks. A compressed energy field of stone-like mounds and pillars of fire spread all around him, making exploding crags that burst into an eruption of dome-like blaze with pointed stones. It all ripped to sunder as the blaze incinerated everything within its wake.

As the explosion went off, Acnologia's cloak and necklace were completely incinerated. His bare arm and the stub that was his left were becoming raw. The ice had melted almost instantly, but in return the skin was burning, and he gaped his mouth in agony. As the explosion finally dissipated, he was seen in a rather spacious crater with steam and pointed protrusions within the earth. Within the center of it all was Acnologia himself, grunting and hunching over. His charred skin with a multitude of scrapes was evident, and yet he was using every ounce of willpower to stay on his heels.

Nic's glare hardened. "Greninja, it's all you."

"(Let's make this shot count.)" Nic-Greninja brought his left foot back and brought his right fist back. As he closed his eyes, he began to feel a warm calm envelop him.

"(Screw him up bad!)" Mega Garchomp roared.

"(All the way!)" Charizard roared.

"(Down the bridge we cross!)" Kecleon squealed.

"(Make him pay!)" Arbok hissed.

"(This battle is ours!)" Staraptor declared.

"(RIGHT!)" Nic-Greninja's fist clutched tight, and he began to grunt as a purple massive aura enveloped not just his fist, but his whole right arm. It was almost like a flare, and it wasn't receding in the slightest.

"Come on, Greninja! **RETURN!** " Nic's roaring signaled the end, and his and Nic-Greninja's eyes dilated.

With a massive cry, Nic-Greninja crouched, and the ground beneath turned to sunder as the pressure he gave off diced apart solid land. With blinding fury, he became a purple, streaming blitz that went beaming after Acnologia, splitting apart ground beneath.

As Nic-Greninja closed in, Acnologia couldn't do anything. All his energy was in his legs, barely keeping him from standing. Everything felt numb; he was frozen over, then pierced and enflamed at the same time. He had deep gashes, scars that were once again opening, and his cloak was gone, showing his lost arm. He couldn't process much, but what he was aware of – much to his horror – was Nic-Greninja crying out and reeling his punch back.

"(This is for all the bonds we share that you tried to destroy!)" Nic-Greninja pulled back one last time, and his fist unleashed all its flaming purple fury. The look on Acnologia's face spelled fear, and that by no means was going to justify the blow that he would sustain.

The punch connected the same time Core Enforcer did in the real world. Both attacks did the same thing at the same time. They pierced straight through the stomach area, making a multicolored beam continue into the ground behind and follow through with the zigzag, and a purple, explosive shockwave erupting behind Acnologia's spiritual body, evolving from the hole the size of a fist going straight through.

The physical Acnologia was incapable of moving as the beam faded away, the ground in the shape of a green Z. It began glinting, and all he did was gag and everything was starting to go black.

The spiritual body was wobbling back and forth as Nic-Greninja pulled his fist back, flipping backwards out of the way. He and the other six Pokémon cleared way for Nic as he roared out towards the sky. He shot straight up, just like the real Mega Rayquaza did. One could say it was a perfect mirror synchronization.

With open holes in both the Acnologia, shimmering, multicolored beams of light were expelling in all directions as the physical one was on the ropes.

Everyone on Earth Land was witnessing the event of the physical body about to blow, and all throughout both worlds, everyone looked up with desperation and fire. " **GO~!** "

Mega Rayquaza stayed high as his body was in a green line. "( **Your reign…** )"

"…IS OVER!" Nic's body glared in a green aura. At the same exact time as the other, their roars became crescendos that exploded the green aura around their bodies into larger green energy. The air around both distorted as the energy unleashed began ripping through particles. Together, with everyone watching and shouting out, both slung their bodies back, shooting straight into both Acnologia.

As Nic closed in, his reflection was in Acnologia's horrified gaze. He couldn't believe what he saw. _'No…this…this can't be! Not_ _ **my**_ _blood! Not my own tears! Pokémon…DAMN YOU!'_

Nic passed Acnologia with numerous green ripples following behind. The wake was so immense that he looked nothing less than a green arrow that pierced straight pass Acnologia. In the real world, Mega Rayquaza was no different, being a green arrow that went through Acnologia's open abdomen, enlarging the hole that Core Enforcer created. Both had streams of bolting green flowing behind, which almost instantly dissipated as they both slipped past and through their respective targets. Both remained stationary behind their targets as their green aura dissipated.

Moments passed before the green glints shimmering around either Acnologia receded. In a matter of seconds, a green ripple flared, and the two were enveloped in large-scale, green explosions that flared with horrendous fire power; it was even more destructive for the physical body when the entire ground erupted from Core Enforcer. Dome-like green shockwaves pulsated everywhere.

The physical body was swallowed completely in the explosion, his claw reaching out as his body began to lose itself in the combination of both horrendous attacks. " **No! Not yet! This…this isn't over…! Destruction…DESTRUCTION~!** " His body was lost in the explosion, the very black figment with red scales disintegrating into oblivion. The wings, tail, everything was lost, reduced to nothing remaining.

As the explosions raged, Jake and Will stared with gasps.

"Such power…" Olympia was at a loss for words.

Everyone on Earth Land watching the explosion couldn't believe it, even if they tried. They saw the green explosion take Acnologia's physical body, and that left the whole threat neutralized.

The explosion of green faded, the rippling energy at last dissipating into nothing. Nothing but leveled ground was evident, and Acnologia's physical form was gone for good.

* * *

The huge cloud of dust that faded revealed completely leveled land. No crater, no debris; once again, it was all reduced to leveled remnants. The roaring that once reached the dimension's outer regions were gone, leaving Nic to gently float back down to the ground behind a fallen Acnologia. His body gave off a rainbow flare, one that quickly dissipated and reverted him back to himself.

He turned around, frowning as his Pokémon also gave emotionless faces. They frowned, and Mega Garchomp and Nic-Greninja were encompassed in swift flares before they too reverted back to normal. Greninja and Charizard's Torrent and Blaze auras faded, signaling the long battle's end. They all silently looked from each other down towards their fallen enemy.

Together, the seven gathered about. They all stood before the Dragon King as he laid battered, bruised, and had an open hole the size of a dinner plate in his stomach. All his limbs were torn and raw, his body steamed and laid with wide eyes towards the dimensional sky.

"There…wasn't blood…no destruction…" He muttered without much of a conscience. His fixation was still distraught, but as his power was gone, he seemed to be pondering. "I wanted it all…all the blood…all the destruction…e-everything…my hands wanted to reach…I…wanted everything…"

Nic frowned down at his enemy's revelation. He watched Acnologia befuddle himself over his words. Whether or not he was speaking out of logic in mind or sedate desires to give him a purpose was something Nic, too, had to ponder. He almost felt sorry for the Dragon Slayer.

"You can't have everything. That's impossible."

Acnologia's eyes widened at the realization.

"You never get everything you want, nor what you need. Some people are just born unlucky, but just because they're unfortunate, it doesn't mean they shouldn't enjoy life while it lasts. That's why you have to treasure and hold dear what you already have. What you wanted to grasp was something that's far more precious than any level of power anyone could possess, even I alone can't contain…" A soft smile began to tug at the corner of his lips. "As long as I have my Pokemon – my friends – I don't have to harbor pain and despair on my own. Our greatest strength, is within each other."

Behind him, all his Pokémon smiled.

Acnologia's looked at the sky, his shocked gaze still plastered in his face. The Dragon Slayer was pondering deeply about what happened, and what Nic meant. After several seconds, he began to understand. All his life, Acnologia had been alone. He lost everything, and he abandoned the world and his draconic comrades. He had it all then, but with what he sought as retribution, he took from himself. He robbed himself. He took power and matters into his own hands. And to make matters more despairing, he did it all alone.

He stood at the top as a king of anarchy, but what good was being a king if he didn't have knights or allies to share glory with. He was nothing but a tyrant this whole time, whereas he thought Nic and Pokémon were the tyrants. He was defeated because humans and Pokémon worked together for a cause. Their undivided fight brought them all together, and formed a bond that they used to conquer him. A king leads and has many who looks up to him, unifying everything. When he looked towards Nic, he saw that very thing. It was all there, the one who everyone unified with and for. It was because of him that human and Pokémon could share the strength that could surpass time and space, even himself.

As he looked at Nic, a smile began to creep at the corners of his lips. Starting from the feet, his body began to crumble away, slowly piecing itself into oblivion. Nobody said anything as Acnologia's body slowly crumbled apart. As his body crumbled away, his face was beginning to vanish as well. His eyes softened, finally after a very long time. The darkness and intensity his eyes held was lifted.

"I see…" The last of his face disappeared, crumbling to bits. His crumbling particles faded into the air, for everyone to watch. "You really are…the one true king…"

His particles faded, all his power and everything that he held, it was finally let go. Nic and everyone looked on as Acnologia's essence disappeared, passing on for good. As he looked at the air, Nic's smile widened.

"Now what good is being a king, if I can't share that throne with my Pokémon?"

Nearby, the crystals housing the Dragon Slayers and the Legendary Pokémon cracked apart. The cracks began to trace every corner of the crystals, shimmering until they at last shattered. Nic and his Pokémon turned around, hearts skipping beats as they saw their comrades free.

The crystals all shattered to bits, and the nine bodies were at last free to fall. Slowly, as they all fell, the eyes of the seven Dragon Slayers winced and opened as time slowed down.

"(Everyone…)" Kecleon trailed off.

"(They're all free at lassst.)" Arbok hissed.

"(It worked!)" Staraptor exclaimed.

Nic looked on with shock, even if he felt like crap. He saw the looks that the Dragon Slayers gave him as they all fell. They were smiling.

' _You've done good, Luminous.'_ Gajeel thought.

' _Not bad there, snake.'_ Erik pondered.

' _You've done us proud. Thank you.'_ Rogue thanked.

Natsu's smile widened as his eyes were still half-open. "Yeah…now that's how it's done."

Nic's smile once again returned.

* * *

Mega Rayquaza and Zygarde raised their heads high, announcing loud battle cries that spread far and wide. Their rippling victory spread throughout the atmosphere, and all around the world – both worlds – they all saw it, but they had trouble processing it. Down below, Yveltal and Xerneas weakly stood up once more, raising their heads to join in on the roars of victory.

"Acnologia…he was…" Max trailed off.

"He was…beaten." Alzack gasped.

Mirajane was beyond the point of comprehension. "Those Legendary Pokémon…they actually beat him."

"No, there's gotta be more to it than that." Gray pondered.

Sophie stared up with wide eyes at Mega Rayquaza and Zygarde's roar. "You think…"

Vanessa lowered her head, sighing with relief. "Yes…they did it."

Lucy put her hands to her mouth. "They won! Nic and the Pokémon won!"

Erza looked towards the sky, her smile wide and her joys skipping beyond her heartbeats. The corners of her eyes were watering and tearing up profusely, but thankfully they were out of joy. She smiled wide, her prayers answered with the greatest of relief. Her love did it, and she couldn't be any prouder.

In both worlds, everyone cheered and roared with great relief. They all screamed at the top of their lungs, many of which cried out in great joy as the arduous hell was over. Family members hugged and rejoiced with each other, and many sighed breaths of relief. The Exceeds and the Pokémon smiled and showed emotion just like the other humans. For the second time now, they all rejoiced in their lives saved.

In Earth Land, everyone congratulated one another and many shouted out in joy. They were all s happy the greatest threat – at this point in time – was finally defeated.

Above Magnolia, within the sea of distortion in the sky, another portal opened, swirling energy inside.

"Look!" Rufus pointed out.

Everyone looked towards the flashy vortex. From it, several figures were seen falling from it. It was all the Dragon Slayers, and they were all screaming as they fell from the Space-Time Rift back into their respective world.

Everyone looked up and saw them falling from the sky. They all gasped and stared wide-eyed as they fell downwards into Magnolia, all of which came down onto their friends.

As Lucy and Happy looked up at the falling Natsu, they looked beyond thrilled. They were overjoyed, However, Natsu was falling straight towards them, turning their joyful reunion to shock as Natsu fell on top of Lucy, hitting the other hard on the end.

Thanks to Minerva using her Territory, the other Dragon Slayers were encased in orbs, and they reappeared on the ground, There, they were all reunited with their friends, who congratulated them and welcomed them back with open arms. Gajeel was hugged by Levy and Lily, Wendy was hugged by Carla, Erik was praised and welcome by his friends in Crime Sorciere once more, Laxus was greeted once more by the Thunder God Tribe, and Sting and Rogue were pounced on by their Exceeds and rejoined with their guildmates.

With Natsu on top of Lucy, he looked down at her with his trademark smile. "Hey, I'm home!"

Both Lucy and Happy looked up to him, their eyes watering with bright smiles. They were too happy and joyful for words alone. "Welcome home!" They replied.

In both worlds, the celebrating continued, cheering too great for words to be surmising it all.

Zygarde turned towards Mega Rayquaza. " **Congratulations.** " He reached out.

Mega Rayquaza turned towards him, his tail snaking into the handshake. "( **The honor is all mine. Thank you.** )" Finally, at long last, Mega Rayquaza's nemesis was thwarted, for good this time.

Diantha turned towards her comrades in arms. "Thank you."

"The honor is all mine." Olympia said.

"HELL YEAH!" Jake and Will high-fived one another, as did Dragonite and Rhyperior.

Mega Gardevoir sighed in relief. "(It's finally over.)"

Tyrantrum slouched forward, sighing in relief. Grant pet his side, praising him with joy. Viola cheerfully smiled with Vivillon. All the Gym Leaders and Elite Four members praised and congratulated one another, some silently nodding in their respect for one another.

Clemont toppled backwards with a sigh with Heliolisk. "That was truly gratifying."

Ramos nodded. "You can say that again."

"(True.)" Gogoat nodded.

"A feast we finished with such dedication." Siebold exaggerated. "A appetite that had our stomachs in knots, and yet with each bite posed a different time when we thought we'd choke, but swallowed and savored the flavors we've endured. A hardy meal worth it in the end."

All at once the four Legendary Pokémon screeched up, cheering in their own praise and glory.

Drasna smiled with glee as well, but then her thoughts came rushing in. "Hold on, something's not wrong."

"What?" Malva questioned.

"What is it?" Wikstrom asked.

"Look up."

Everyone followed her gaze towards the sky, looking at the distorted arrays of colors still dividing their worlds. It didn't click immediately until Grant's eyes widened in realization. "Wait, hold on!"

"If that Acnologia monster was defeated, then why can we still see that other place?" Jake asked.

"Forget about that, the damn sky is still broken!" Will snapped.

"Does this mean time and space are still warped?" Diantha gasped.

Drasna's eyes squinted with hefty amounts of wonder. "Did something happen to Dialga and Palkia to make it all not fixed?"

"Where did they go, exactly?" Viola wondered.

Wulfric stood with his Avalugg, arms crossed. "There's one more miscalculation…"

* * *

Everyone rejoiced as the Dragon Slayers were finally home. They were safe and sound, and their friends held them tight. In their joy, Erza looked around with wonder and worry.

Natsu stood up with pride. "Alright, guys! What do you say we head back to the…" When he turned around, he noticed that Vanessa and Erza alike were looking for something as they went about. It began to unnerve him. "Uh, Erza?"

Erza's head whipped towards her friends.

"You feeling alright?" Happy asked.

"You look worried." Lucy pointed out.

Vanessa looked towards them, a deep frown solid as a rock on her face. "Something's wrong."

"Have any of you seen Nic?" Erza inquired. From the way it came out, it sounded more of a plea.

Their collective celebration came to a close when they realized the one responsible for their friends returning home wasn't present himself. Screams of cheer and joy turned to gasps and turning of heads. They all looked about, and yet all they got was anything that looked like him.

"He's not here?" Sophie inquired.

"He must still be inside that dimension." Gray said, looking up towards the dimensional hole.

A flash of lightning came from the portal that the Dragon Slayers fell from. The flashing and rumbling caught everyone's attention and they, too, looked up with profound wonder. They saw the hole dilating exponentially, its outer edging beginning to make the dimensional sea in the sky alter its shape and color. The multiple colors eroded into a more darkened spiral, all the distortions beginning to flow in and out of the hole like a faucet sink.

"Aw crap, what the hell is that?!" Gajeel exclaimed.

"That dimensional sea separating our worlds, something is making its matter distort completely!" Pantherlily pointed out.

"Wha~t?!" Happy shrieked.

Orga looked up with heavy questioning in mind. "I don't know. Wasn't Acnologia just beaten?!"

"He should have, but I fear that the space-time distortion between our worlds now lost their sense of balance." Rufus evaluated. "At this rate, our two worlds could very well unite…"

"And if that happens, the dimensions separating us will collapse entirely. We'll all be reduced to nothing within a black hole." Minerva said.

"In other words, if time and space aren't properly fixed between these two worlds, we're done for." Ultear surmised.

Hearing this, Gray's teeth gritted, "Crap! What the hell is Nic doing in there?!"

Erza and Vanessa looked up at the dimensional hole, their anxiety growing. It looked like a dark whirlpool of many dark and violet hues spinning out of control. The sky reminded them of perpetual end, yet all they could do now was wonder what was taking Nic so long. The longer they stood, the more they paled.

* * *

Nic turned around to look at his Pokémon, all of them sharing serious looks of determination that paid off in the end. Their jovial praise for each other, however, ran short as the ground beneath them started to shudder.

"(Woah, hey!)" Charizard spread his feet across to stay standing.

"(What's going on?)" Garchomp inquired, looking down at the ground.

"(The ground is shaking up bad.)" Kecleon said. A flash of light made her gasp and turn towards the dimensional sky of black and gray.

Arbok and Staraptor took vivid notice of the dimensional space that stretched on infinitely began to distort profusely. Ripple of energy were going everywhere from points unknown. The ground they stood on was beginning to crack apart, slowly thinning away to blank space.

"(The dimension is collapsing!)" Greninja grunted in warning.

Nic's weakened eyes turned about, catching a glimpse of everything distorting and collapsing around them. The reality was starting to sink in, and no one was safe at this time. Even though Acnologia was defeated, time and space were still falling apart. His heart was skipping beats as he knew time was running out fast for them to act.

"This is bad…" He looked over his shoulder. "Dialga! Palkia!"

The two Legendary Pokémon were lying down on the ground, both their diamonds and pearls as dim as aged light bulbs. They struggled to stand, pushing back up to only fall on their chins with thuds.

Nic gasped at their conditions. _'This isn't good. They're drained of their powers from what Acnologia did. I have to heal them as much as I can, and quick as-!'_ Nic went to step forward, but when he took that first step towards the weakened legends, a choking feeling went up his throat. He lurched as a spur of blood went out of his mouth. Coughing, red slipped from the corners of his lips and splattered over the ground.

"(Nic…)" Greninja gasped in shock of his Trainer faltering. Soon enough, he tried moving, but his broken bones and scraped body wouldn't listen. He fumbled over with a thud.

Nic fell to a knee, covering his mouth with his right hand. He desperately coughed in pain as his body wasn't listening. _'My…body…'_ His shins were broken for one things, and his entire left shoulder down towards his arm were drenched in deep red. There was still an open hole that went through the shoulder, which had all the tissue torn and vaporized from Acnologia's earlier ambitious stamping.

Garchomp and the other Pokémon were finally catching up on the recoil damage they sustained in their fight. All the damage and broken bones they tried to endure the entire battle had finally caught up to them. All their stamina, all the pain they were saving up, it finally weighed them down. The scrapes and blood lost was enough, but the deep wounds inflicted in their organs and bones anchored them down. Slowly, and eventually, they all began to fall over, their individua; bodies failing.

With a grunt, Greninja was the last to fall, thudding in agony.

Soon enough, Nic's vision began to go hazy. Everything from the organs and stomach lining he endured all the way to his open shoulder blasted through rendered him as useful as torn ribbons. He fell on his bleeding stomach, everything started to shut down. His hearing. His taste of blood. His very pain. It was all fading. His eyes were barely seeing Dialga and Palkia as they laid helpless in their weakened state.

As of now, everything they worked for to get time and space restored was for naught. The seven did manage to stop their greatest nemesis, but at a price far too heavy to pay.

* * *

Mega Rayquaza and the other Legendary Pokémon perked their heads up, roaring as the distorting swirling mess above their heads. A flash of what felt like lightning caught many eyes. They all looked up, seeing the spiraling whirl that was the sea of rifts.

"What's happening?" Viola anxiously asked.

"Time and space, they're falling apart!" Wulfric answered.

"What do we do now?" Will asked Jake, but the fact both were bewildered didn't help the other's confidence.

Diantha looked up with deep shock, eyes wide with realization that left her speechless. "If Dialga and Palkia do not fix this distortion soon…there is a chance that what we see above us and where we stand might…"

Clemont looked up with heavy wonder, his brow furrowing. "The sea of distortions are flowing into both our worlds. Wherever Nic and the others went, I fear we might have both our worlds collapsing if we don't act."

Lightning bolts enveloped the distorting sky, sparking up massive shock as they went randomly across the sky. In some places amongst the wasteland, bolts made dust flare, and spots touching where they struck had craters. The energy and strength possessed made even the craters topple into one another, almost like they were collapsing themselves.

Seeing this, Olympia stepped back. Her attention averted towards the destructive sky, seeing it spiral and distort immeasurably.

* * *

Lightning from the portal in the sky above Magnolia came crashing down. Buildings that weren't already tarnished were struck. The blast reduced pointed tops to chunks that went everywhere. Everyone covered up as everything above them rained with tiling and chunks.

Still covered up, Jellal opened his eyes. "This is bad! We need to find safety, and fast!"

"But where is a safe place? Our whole world will be collapsing inside a void!" Meredy exclaimed.

"Man, just when things were starting to look up again." Sawyer said.

"Don't say that! There's still gotta be something we can do!" Sorano insisted, but she almost lost her balance as the ground was shaking.

With everything falling apart, Happy stepped back in fright alongside Carla, and the other Fairy Tail members and other allies were trying to find ways to help, but once again they were met with nothing short of a stalemate. Gajeel held onto Levy and Pantherlily, while Jet and Droy clung to each other for dear life. Lucy held herself close to Natsu as he looked up at the spiraling terror that threatened the lives of both worlds. They all held onto hope, even though it all seemed to be going downhill. The Thunder God Tribe held their ground over Laxus, and Juvia held onto Gray as he held her tightly.

More lightning spiraled and flared, destroying building tops that were already unstable to begin with.

"Cana, stay close to me!" Gildarts hovered his daughter, shielding her from debris that rained down close by.

Sophie and Wendy looked around over their heads to see the lightning flash everywhere, and even as it traveled, the distorted darkness flowed within them. Everything they touched, from the buildings and the grass, the craters they created distorting, making the surroundings collapse into them.

Kagura narrowed her eyes at the wreckage above, silently cursing in her inability. "Damnit. What now?"

Sting, Rogue, and the remainder of Sabertooth gathered stayed close to one another. They knew either something good or bad was going to happen, but whatever happens they had to hold their ground. No more running, even if they ended up reduced to nothing. At least it'd be together.

"What the heck is Nic doing in there?!" Lisanna exclaimed.

"Is he even okay?" Elfman hoped.

Mirajane held a hand close to her chest. "I sure hope so…"

Vanessa didn't say anything. She just stayed quiet as many were beginning to question what was going on. How to fix it, and what could they even do. It was many questions that none had answers to, yet they all only looked up as both worlds were collapsing. The younger Pularis sibling stared up in awe silence, silently praying for Nic to be alright.

A glow shimmered from beside her, catching her and everyone else's attention. By the time she turned to look beside her, a pair of feet already shot off the ground. Her head whipped up, watching the glow fade into the sky. To her and everyone's horror, they saw that it was Erza in her Armadura Pidgeot Armor, and she was heading in the one direction all prayed to never go.

"Erza!" Lucy shrieked.

"What the hell are you doing?! Get back here!" Gildarts yelled.

Erza didn't listen. She was through waiting. She desperately went flying upwards, her body maneuvering around an incoming bolt and twisting. She dodged another, and flapped her wings to continue her climb.

"Erza, stop! It's too dangerous!" Meredy panicked.

"Don't, that's just suicide!" Ultear turned towards Jellal. "Jellal, do something!"

"Right!" Jellal crouched his body, empowering himself in his Heavenly Body Magic. Shooting up with Meteor, he went after Erza, gradually tailing behind her. The gold comet was catching up to the red-haired knight as she glared at the spiraling vortex, unwavering.

"Erza!" He called.

Hearing the familiar voice, Erza looked down, seeing that she was chased. "Jellal!"

"What are you doing? You have to get away from there!"

Her eyes narrowing towards him, Erza whipped back up and continued her course. "Don't try to stop me!" She increased her speed to gain higher altitude.

Jellal shot higher and faster, managing to close in behind. "You don't understand! That distortion is going to tear both worlds apart, and that means getting too close will harm you as well!"

"I don't care!" She desperately escalated higher, turning left and right as she fought the pulsing distorting waves. "I can't give up on the two worlds that I call home now! We can't give up on Nic! I'm bringing him back, no matter what! I won't let him go!"

"Erza, wait-!"

Jellal went to move for her, but when he was mere feet from her ankle, another bolt of lightning shot straight out of the portal. Erza's eyes widened and she hurriedly moved out of the way. The bolt went on, and Jellal gasped as he was within its way, barely dodging at the last second, his momentum was lost and he began to fall back to earth. He watched with wide eyes filled with shock as Erza went on with no regards to her own health.

"Jellal!" Meredy shouted.

"I got this!" Minerva swiped her arm to the side, using her powers to alter the space in which Jellal fell into. In a rush, a green orb enveloped him. Moments later, another green orb appeared in front of Crime Sorciere, slowly dissolving to reveal Jellal stumbling backwards for Ultear to catch.

Meredy knelt down to the gasping Jellal in a panic. "Are you alright?!"

"Man, that didn't work at all." Erik said.

"Great, so now what?! Erza's gonna get killed if she goes in there to get him!" Sting exclaimed.

Vanessa's teeth gritted in frustration. "Erza…" The woman who was very much like a sister to her was risking her life to save her brother. She was devastated and hopeful at the same time. It was a scary feeling to say the least. If this didn't work, then they'd all be reduced to nothing. In her hope, she knew there would be some way her, Erza, and Nic could reunite. It's been so long. They all needed to hold onto some string of faith while they still had the chance.

As she watched Erza fly into the portal, the 17-year-old cried out. "Bring him back to us!"

Soaring higher and more agile than she could've, Erza flapped and went straight into the perpetual world that divided everything. No matter what, she refused to lose Nic. She couldn't. This was it, and no means was she letting him go like this. Much to everyone's shock, she disappeared into the expanding vortex.

* * *

Everything was flashing before their eyes. They all were immobile and pretty much half-dead. Nic hadn't felt like this since his torture at the hands of Vermilius during the Impure Underworld incident. This felt as grievous, if not more. He couldn't feel anything, and he barely was able to hold himself together. It was a scary thought. What was happening right now? That's what went through his conscience. Even though knew the answer, it was already too late. He couldn't process. Using Recover would heal him and organs, basically everything, but he didn't have the strength.

The ground beneath everyone crumbled away, all the leveled ground created and the debris reducing to nothing more than dirt that gave in beneath them. Like the land that wasn't meant to be there, they, too, slumped and fell limply.

It was another world of eternal distortion. Lightning and spiraling chaos swirled around them, yet it felt like a bad dream under half-conscience. Nic's expression was emotionless and tired as he hazily went head-first deeper into the eternal world that was losing all its luster; his Pokémon no different as their shabby figures fell behind him.

This was the moment of silence. This was eternal silence. It was nothing but the voices ringing inside their head. They've done it, and they accomplished so much, but at the price too great. They did their best, but was it really enough? Could he have healed Dialga and Palkia and save time and space in the end? The questions that questioned his logic were also deaf to him. He was a silent mess, nothing more, nothing less. The only sounds available to his ears was his sleeves and attire flapping with the great descent.

His eyes began to shit, even though fought as hard as he could to stay conscious. It was like gravity was taking him away. It was only when a pair of arms went around him that his breath hitched and surprised him.

Shocked for words alone, his wide blue eyes were fixated on the endless distortion below, yet he was wondrous to who the pair of slender arms belonged to. Using what muscles in his neck, he turned ever so slightly, his vision supposedly playing tricks on him as he saw red hair flowing with brown eyes locked on him.

"Er…za…?"

In response, the knight holding onto him as he fell had her hold from behind his bloodied and scraped back. His attire was completely destroyed, and that included holes in his upper half and shirt. Erza hugged his neck tight as she, too, fell, finally having Nic again in her embrace.

Seeing him like this, Erza's brown eyes locked with his own. The look she gave meant this wasn't a dream. However she got here, it wasn't important to him anymore. After a long struggle and a possible end, he was glad to see her just once more. Her smile widened as her eyes misted. "Nic." She tilted her head into his neck, a warm and very fuzzy feeling flowing through Nic's left side.

As Nic fell onwards, his eyes began to mist. As he looked at her, he didn't give a second thought as he tilted his own head into hers. As he misted hard, the left side of his head and cheek rested on her red head. Together, the lovers fell downwards, enjoying the descent as long as it was with the other.

A brush of webbed fingertips grazed Nic's fingertips. Nic's misty eyes slowly opened, glancing over to see Greninja falling right beside him. The Ninja Pokémon looked in no better condition than he was, but he didn't seem to mind. The look he gave was of the deepest sincerity, his own eyes showing joy.

' _Greninja.'_

Greninja silently nodded at him, understanding what he meant. Nic's misty eyes widened, and he craned his head slightly, seeing that on the other side – his left side – was Charizard descending. But it wasn't just him. Beside Charizard was Staraptor and Arbok, and beside the falling Greninja was Kecleon and Garchomp. All six did the same thing: Smile with pride and joy.

' _Everyone.'_

"We all truly love you, Nic." Erza's voice made Nic looked back towards her. She was misting hard, her smile sincere and full of passion as she held onto him, following him. "You brought us all here because we would follow you. But really, you didn't want us to follow, but stand by your side. You loved us back with every fiber of your being. We never would've made better of ourselves if it wasn't for your heart." Erza held onto him tight, her smile wide as her eyes shut, tears starting the shed. "We're all facing this together."

Nic was silently breaking down inside. As he looked around, Greninja, Charizard, and the other descending Pokémon were misting in the eyes and looking towards Nic with thanks. Finally seeing that this was truly the pinnacle of their bonds, Nic smiled wide with earnest. His eyes closed, tears shedding in gratitude for everyone here to the bitter end.

Nic and Greninja interlocked their hands, holding on tight and not daring to let go. On his left side, even though everything was numb, Nic felt Charizard's claws hold onto him. Hand-in-hand, Kecleon held onto Greninja's other hand, and with her right claw, Garchomp held on. Staraptor's wings slipped into Charizard's left claw, and Arbok's bruised tail looped around Staraptor's other wing.

Together, everyone closed their eyes, all senses of the world and everything falling out of place, yet they all shed tears in thanks for supporting the other. Their lives truly did mean something – everything – to them. If this was the end, then so be it, but at least it was with each other. All of them couldn't begin to thank the other, their only ways being of holding the other's hand, wing, and tail, and having quiet tears float over them all they all descended.

With Erza hanging onto Nic, she held onto her promise of being there for him, forever. Nic and her smiled and dared not let go, as all eight plummeted into the distorting chaos below.

In a straight line, their holds tightened. Suddenly, in their bliss, Nic began to glow a golden light. The light radiated not only onto him, but Erza, and traveled down towards Greninja and Charizard, which enveloped the others. They were all radiating gold that brightened up the distorting worlds, and that's when Nic heard a voice that was all too familiar.

' _ **You truly are something.**_ _'_

Recognizing the voice in their heads, all eight opened their eyes. They all suddenly found themselves floating in a white space of pure light. Beneath them, they were sitting on a bed of cosmic clouds, soft as pillow fluff. They all held onto the other still, yet they were standing up.

No one could say anything. They were all baffled as they stood before a golden entity that was in the shape of a familiar Pokémon. They all looked on with wide eyes. Even Erza was incapable of saying anything as the golden light radiated them.

" **Nic and beloved friends. Do you wish to save the worlds you sought a deep connection to?** " The voice asked.

It wasn't that obvious of a question, but Nic did respond with a nod. His frown shut, he gave the light an affirmative nod. "…we do."

The light shimmered for vibrantly than before. " **Very well. Just this once, I shall give to you what you have earned. Use this power with the time you have to use it.** " The radiant light shined brighter than ever. The light enveloped them all, and the prime concentration enveloped Nic in a golden light. Everything at that moment made everyone skip a beat as the light faded, and all that was left was an expanding white glow coming from Nic.

The glow from Nic faded, and everyone found themselves floating in the Space-Time Rift once more. They all were separated, but close at the same time. All around, they looked, seeing the falling, crumbling rocks were suspended in place.

"(What…?)" Greninja was at a loss for words.

Charizard looked around. "(Did time and space stop?)" He looked towards Greninja, his eyes widening. "(Greninja, your body!)"

Greninja took notice of what Charizard referred to and raised his forearm. Not a single scratch was on it. It was like it was miraculously healed. All the blood, all the broken bones even were fixed. He looked back towards Charizard, seeing the same result. "(Your body, it's also healed!)"

"(I can move again.)" Staraptor raised her wings and looked down at her curved, feathery abdomen, seeing as how she was able to feel her organs beating.

Kecleon and Garchomp moved their bodies and turned towards the other, feeling their blood circulating once more without delay. It was like a massive Full Restore was used on all of them and they didn't even know it. Arbok was amazed at the damage dealt was gone, but he was still a little thankful that his battle scar from August still remained.

"(We're all healed.)" Greninja said. "(And not just our internal organs.)"

Everyone fixated in their own worlds were brought back by the shimmering golden light in front of them. Their attention averting towards the light before them all, Erza looked behind the golden flare with eyes as wide as Nic's Pokémon.

As the golden light simmered down, Nic looked down at his hand, seeing it completely healed. With a gasp of surprise, he felt a familiar yet omnipotent force that surged through his body. Though in shock still, he knew this sensation belonged to someone else. His eyes were once again red with green outlining. He was almost completely white, save for the gray on his t-shirt and the buckle having a golden cross on it. What he felt behind was the fact a cross-like golden wheel hung behind him.

His shock passing by, he realized what has finally happened. Retaining calm, he looked back at Erza and the other. They all shared blank expressions as they looked at Nic. Nic looked at the rest, seeing them all have the same expression. They, too, got over their shock and showed calm.

Greninja and Erza both nodded weakly, making Nic see that he had what it takes just this once more.

Slowly turning back, he calmed, his eyes closed. When his eyes opened, the gold around his body flashed bright for that instant.

" **Alpha Legendary Force – Arceus.** "

His six Pokémon and Erza all floated behind him, behind him all the way.

Nic's eyes closed once more, golden radiating light continuing to envelop him. _'I've made it this far because of you guys. I have you all to thanks, and in return, I shall use this chance, and fix what was broken.'_ His eyes opened once more, completely golden. _'We'll use_ _ **our**_ _power, and show both these worlds what can be accomplished!'_

As his radiant light began to glisten brighter, everyone behind him reached out and held onto his shoulders. With all their appendages attached to the holy light he unleashed, they held him up all the way, and because of that, their bodies also began to emit a golden light of sheer power and astronomical belief. They felt what he felt – the power to change everything.

The glow they all had brightened, expanding until it radiated the Space-Time Rift, as well as the suspended Dialga and Palkia above.

* * *

With everyone in a panic, they all hung onto each other as lightning flashed constantly. Everything was distorting around them, including the buildings struck by the lightning. Everything was twisting and turning, and that left almost no room for them to get anywhere.

Natsu grunted as he held Lucy as close as possible. Bisca and Alzack were clinging to a scared Asuka. Elfman was holding his sisters like they were going to disappear. Nobody was safe as hell broke loose, lightning itself beginning to distort and the twisting buildings beginning to pull and morph into the skies.

"The buildings!" Happy shrieked.

"Are we next?!" Lucy panicked.

Natsu and everyone looked towards the sky, their radiant hope of living dwindling. All they saw was darkness and twisting colors that began to suck and morph the ground beneath them. Dimensions were contorting, and they closed their eyes, praying for this all to end.

Suddenly, the twisting and distorting froze, like it was all frozen within time itself. Natsu slowly uncovered, his eyes widening as he saw stalagmites of twisted rock all around him and everyone. "What the…?"

Gray looked around, seeing everything frozen within space. "It stopped moving."

"What happened…?" Wendy blinked. She turned towards Carla, but all she did was show shock.

"Did time and space freeze up?"

"Maybe this is a setback." Kagura figured.

Vanessa looked towards the twisting sky. It was still distorted, but it was frozen. She knew something was up, her aura felt it. "…no, something's not right."

"She's right." Minerva said. "At this point, we should've been sucked into oblivion. Did something stop this?"

A snicker was heard from next to Levy. She looked up, seeing the grin of Gajeel.

"Betcha I know what's stopping all this." The Iron Dragon Slayer figured.

Slowly, Erik grinned, as he also snickered. "About damn time."

A small but powerful golden glint was seen in the distortion in the darkened sky – in both worlds for that matter. All the humans and the Pokémon looking up and those who were about to be reduced to nothing was that small golden glint, like some radiant star. The star unleashed an omnidirectional golden ripple that traveled through the distorted sea that separated the worlds.

"( **What's that?** )" Yveltal wondered.

As the ripple faded, the twisted sky and land began to twinkle with golden sparkles. At everyone's feet, the twisted pillars began to disintegrate into golden matter, slowly receding back to a fixed state in the earth.

"Look!" Happy pointed out.

Lucy turned towards a direction, seeing golden sparkles shimmer upwards to restore a building. "It's all being fixed!"

All around Magnolia, all around both worlds, golden, twinkling lights that once had twisted voids and lost allies began to return. Places began to fabricate back into place, and many were in awe as the golden tranquility brought all the twisted dimensions to twinkling oblivion instead of themselves.

Many who were still in hefty wonder looked up, seeing the twisted skies that joined their worlds began to twist once more, this time in a clockwise manner and gathering all the darkness and dimensional distortions. It was all gathering into the skies above the battlefield and where Magnolia was. In both locations, the swirling matter rapidly receded, slowly, and finally to all relief, the yellow skies that were the sunset in both planets showing.

Smiles began to return, and as the sky was returning, Zygarde's body glowed green, and all the cells that were gathered around the world once again shot into hundreds of thousands of beams, returning to their original points on the planet. As Zygarde returned to being his 50% Form, Mega Rayquaza shimmered in a rainbow flare briefly before returning to being Rayquaza. Zygarde landed on the ground, but still looked up with Rayquaza and everyone else in awe as the orange skies returned, and the twisting dimensions got sucked into the twinkling light.

All the dimensional darkness swirled into the golden glint like a sink faucet, until the last of it was gone completely. Once gone, the golden light flashed and vanished, leaving the sky to be free, and the worlds to finally be separated.

Uncovering, Laxus blinked and stepped forward. He looked up at the sky with the rest of Fairy Tail, fixated on what just happened. He and the others were completely silent with that they just witnessed.

While others looked around seeing that Magnolia was restored – at least the buildings and spots struck by the distorted lightning – others looked up with winder. Among the few looking up, Vanessa showed a face full of wonder.

"Nic? Erza…?"

* * *

The Space-Time Rift, a void of black and gray; that was all it was now. No rocks, and no land. Instead, everyone was floating right beside one another. The glow coming from all of them was still faint, even after all the power they shared to fix their broken worlds. When they opened their eyes, they found themselves once again in the spacious white void, their glows fading at last, with the exception of Nic.

Separating, they all looked ahead, staring at the golden light that had given them the power and healing.

Erza looked up at the radiant light, her surprise mounting. A gasp escaped from her lips.

The seven others looked up once more, seeing the golden light taking the shape of a familiar entity as he looked down at them. As he looked down, the glow around Nic stayed the same, consistent even.

" **My young friends, it has been a short while since the last time I have seen those faces.** "

Nic didn't have to answer right away. He knew who it was, and all he did was grin. "Hello, Arceus."

The golden light faded, revealing Arceus once more. The Alpha Pokémon was in a shimmering rainbow shine, space all around him glistening with the multiple colors he gave off around his mighty aura. Right beside him, on both sides, two spheres began to morph. They began to glow and expand, taking pink and blue colors and shaping into stardust figures they all knew very well. Dialga and Palkia faded into view, respectively. Their bodies radiated with punk and blue auras full of restored life.

"Dialga. Palkia as well." Nic said.

"(They're both okay.)" Greninja evaluated.

" **It is thanks to you, we are once again gaining control of time and space again.** " Dialga said.

" **You have saved us from the end once again. Thank you all.** " Palkia thanked. " **This never would've been possible if not for the dedication you've exemplified.** "

Nic shook his head. "No, it was my fault to start with. I- _we_ are to blame." Nic insisted.

Arceus raised his head. " **Don't be so modest. This incident has nothing to do with fault. No one here is to blame. Rather, let us be rejoicing in the commitment that these warriors have entrusted into each other.** "

Nic looked back towards Erza, who looked at him in return.

" **Nic and friends, this is the second time now that you have truly amazed me.** " Arceus continued. " **All the more reason why I gave you this solemn chance to restore the worlds yourselves.** "

Nic was moderately surprised. "So it really w _as_ you who gave us this power?"

Arceus shook his head. " **That isn't wrong, but really, there is something else to it.** "

"Hm?"

" **Young Nic. Listen, all of you. This power that you all shared, this very bond that brought you all together. This very love that you feel. It all came from the real reason you all are here today…** " Arceus lowered his head, exemplifying Nic in reference. The other Arceus-like entity showed no difference in his wonder. " **You've all been through so much, and I am humbly envious. You six Pokémon: Greninja. Charizard. Kecleon. Staraptor. Garchomp. Arbok. You all have made it to the pinnacle of success, but this very feeling you have, it wasn't yours alone. And that you knew. You all knew that it was Nic who helped you along the way, as you did to him. I have created the universe itself, and what I saw in that battle, it is what tales of bonds, and what a real family is all about. The seven who unite human and Pokémon; the truest of unison. That is why you all were given this power this one time.** "

They didn't know what to say. What could they say? Were they supposed to be humbled by Arceus' praise? Were they supposed to bow? They didn't know what to feel other than joy. They all smiled and looked at each other individually. They all smiled and nodded at the other, and once exchanged, they all looked at Arceus once more.

" **A power that even I cannot change. The strength that held you together to the end. Of the many Pokémon out there, you all have found your home. Shall the rest of your lives and to the heavens in which you venture someday, be of fortune.** "

Nic smirked at the god praising him. "For a god, you're milking it a lot on us."

Arceus chuckled at Nic's retort. " **Am I? You make it sound like it's not acceptable.** "

"Who said that?"

Arceus once again chuckled and looked down at them all. " **So, Nic. Because of you and your friends, you have restored the Space-Time Rift and the worlds that you linked. What shall you do now?** "

Nic looked up at him with a smile. He casually looked towards his left, staring at a certain someone who he shared this moment with. The certain redhead looked towards him with a smile of her own. The battle was finally over, and because of their love and undying trust, they were given power this once to do as they saw fit. Sure, infinite power was nice, but infinite meant just that. No possibilities for improvement. To Nic and the six around him, they knew that full well. Perfection was a dead end, and no one should be that perfect.

With that in mind, the longer he stared at Erza, the more he knew what he wanted to do. _'There are still more things we want to do. There's still more I want to do with her.'_ Slowly, he raised his left sleeve, carefully holding Erza's waist and pulled her in. Like him, she, too, had an arm around his side.

Their heads touched as they looked up at Arceus. Nic felt happy around Erza, and he felt warm and trustworthy. Hell and back, good and bad, even in the end, he wasn't alone as he fell. There was that one person who still held him close, and that person was someone who felt his pain wanted to be there to the end. _'Yes. I know what I want to do now. What I must do.'_

With his omnipotent powers, Arceus heard Nic's thoughts for himself. He couldn't help but smile, if he had a mouth at all.

"I think it's time we all finally go home." Nic answered. Beside him, Erza nodded.

Dialga floated with his tail whipping. " **You choose to go home over the omnipotent force.** "

" **And as such, you choose to keep going your way.** " Palkia added.

Arceus raised his head higher, the rainbow light around him brightening. " **Well said.** "

The glow around Nic at last faded, and his Arceus Form began to glow once more, slowly encompassing him in a veil of gold that shattered like Shell Smash used. The shards became glistening energy streams that reverted to Arceus, his Legendary Force again returned to the god that bestowed the single gift to him. All things considered, while most would keep the power, Arceus knew this was Nic and everyone's choice. Ultimate power or not, they chose to use the strength they held onto that helped them defeat Acnologia. And that was more than enough power he could ever give.

His eyes closed, the radiant rainbow lights shimmering brightly. " **I thus return to my watchful slumber. To you all, I bid you my greatest respects.** " Raising his head to reach the space above, the rainbow light swallowed everything. Arceus distorted everything in a rainbow spiral beneath, making a portal underneath Nic and the others. Dialga and Palkia raised their heads as Arceus vanished skywards, roaring at their creator returning to the cosmos.

Meanwhile, Nic and the others looked up with smiles as the swirling rainbow portal spun faster, enveloping them in a bright light.

* * *

In front of the confused group that was Fairy Tail and the allies, a shift in the winds caught their attention. Gradually, rainbow particles enveloped a space in front of everyone. In a bright flash, many covered up as a wind passed them. When they all looked back, they blinked, staring at the dying rainbow, spiraling portal on the ground in front.

Mirajane had hands in front of her. "It can't be…"

"It's…" Cana trailed off.

As the winds receded, Vanessa was at a loss for words. She stared ahead with deep shock as the rainbow particles receded, revealing eight figures gathered around the other. The longer she stared, the more her eyes began to mist.

Before everyone, standing on the ground was Nic, holding onto Erza with his Pokémon behind. He smiled as he raised his hand. "Hi, guys."

"We're sorry to keep you waiting." Erza apologized rhetorically.

Almost instantly, everyone smiled wide and they cheered. They all hurried on over, rushing towards Nic and Erza with great worry and joy. The many faces of Wendy and Sophie teared up as everyone group hugged the two humans, barely keeping them up.

"You're back!" Levy cheered.

"You had us worried sick, you idiots!" Cana berated with a cheeky smile.

"Don't ever do anything crazy like that again, Erza!" Lucy cried.

"You're all manly for making it back!" Elfman cheered.

"Shut up, you oaf!" Evergreen exclaimed, but she was tearing up just as much as he was.

In sheer joy, Meredy was hugging Ultear, and Sorano was hugging Sawyer and Erik cheekily, much to their embarrassment. Richard was tearing up with a peace sign, and Jellal softly smiled with relief on his face. All of Fairy Tail and the allies were being far above ecstatic, and no one could help it. The worlds were salvaged once more, and Nic was finally home.

"ALRIGHT!" Natsu screamed.

"Hooray!" Happy cheered.

Everyone was overjoyed and slowly getting away from Nic and Erza, finally giving them their space. Once enough space was made, the two breathed heavily and looked all around, seeing the many expectant faces. They knew so many questions were to come, but before that, someone stepped up from the crowd.

Nic and Erza turned towards the incoming figure with long black hair, straight as can be. Stepping up, staring at them was Vanessa. Her head was tilted a little, and she had the joyous of smiles on her crying face. Tears were on the sides of her eyes as she greeted her brother and Erza.

"You're home." She went up and hugged Nic and Erza. As the three held their embraced, Vanessa's hold was tight, as if they were to vanish the next moment. Over her shoulders, Nic and Erza looked at each other, their eyes softening onto one another; brown meeting blue. They truly were home.

"Glad to be home." Nic replied.

Greninja and the other Pokémon cheered into the skies, rejoicing after a long and hard-fought battle. Finally, at long last, the immense struggles that both worlds endured had paid off.

* * *

 **Here we are, guys! The second to last chapter of the story! I'm for certain that this last stretch of the long fight was worth the wait. I know Nic VS Lysandre was a very high bar to reach for, but I think I managed with Nic VS Acnologia. Between Lysandre and Acnologia, which final fight did you like more? Comment if this fight itself made you squeal in delight or made your heart stop.**

 **I was having a lot of trouble on how to make this final stretch of the fight, given that I had to make it as interesting as possible. I was looking for inspiration on attacks and how to make them more powerful, I stumbled across the Pokémon Diamond/Pearl series. I was looking through all the episodes, and I realized that I had to improvise a lot more. So really, the inspiration for all the combination attacks resonated from the Pokémon Contest episodes I watched.**

 **So to add a little more appeal towards the end, I had Arceus bestow Nic his powers of becoming Alpha Legendary Force just once more, kind of like a reward for making it this far with only his six Pokémon and Erza relying on the other. You don't get prize money until you win after all.**

 **So, as heartbreaking as it is to admit, next chapter will in fact be the final chapter of this story. I'll wrap it up as smoothly as I can, but at the same time try to be quick about it. I know you are anxious for what is to come and what's expected, so I'll make it as crisp as I can. Hope you all can be content with this chapter until then!**

 **Hope this was the most insane battle you've seen concluded, and hope you stick around for the conclusion coming shortly! Favorite and comment, and thanks again for all your support!**


	84. Our Lives Here On

The bustling Lumiose City had many qualities to it, where some in fact have many of memories made by many people. Some in the parks, some in shops – such instances leading to a certain shop still open and as busy as ever, especially since a certain someone happened to be inside. The Lumiose Stone Emporium may not be so extravagant and cheap as other stores, but it's easier to find a Water Stone or Fire Stone here better than anywhere else. Of course for a certain someone, evolution stones were far from his mind.

The jeweler inside presented Nic with something in a black box. He calmly handed him the object with a smile. "I'm sorry for the wait." He said.

After hiding the box away underneath a black cloak he was wearing at the time, Nic gave the jeweler a smile of his own. "It's no trouble, really. How much was it again?"

"About 500,000."

For top quality material Nic wanted, it sure as hell wasn't cheap either. Asking Gajeel to help make it would be liable, and Jura perhaps would know a thing or two, but Fiore at the moment was still recovering from the war. He was better off tying his own laces rather than look to them to help tie them in his stead.

He paid the amount necessary, though it did leave him short some afterwards. It was worth it in the end as the jeweler accepted and blessed Nic with his way as he exited the Stone Emporium.

Standing outside the building, Nic took a deep breath, and then sighed outwards. He looked up towards the sky, seeing that the sun was still up in the west. Though waning some, it was easy for Nic to tell he had somewhere to be.

He felt his pocket beneath his black cloak. With that there, he lowered his head and looked down at the ground in a mournful manner. He had one objective accomplished on his to-do list. Now he had just one more. "Okay, time to bite this bullet…" He walked down the sidewalk, ignoring all the commentary and the nearby folk with phones taking snapshots and giving him bewildered looks. He made a sharp turn into and alley and made sure no one followed him. Once secluded, he lethargically kept walking on, opening another spatial portal without any means of effort.

With one footstep, he ventured inside, the portal spinning to a close behind him almost instantly.

* * *

Church bells rang, the sign that many in Magnolia took notice of. Those who knew the tune were looking towards the Cathedral, having many wondrous looks plastered on their faces. Those who weren't aware looked oblivious to the direction were bells rang. From the noise made, the usually merry sound it made was hollow. This day was far from joyful.

A few days had passed since the final conclusions of the war and the many battles waged, and while Magnolia was still in much needed repair, fellow citizens and members of other guilds felt obligated to take a break from their recovery and take part in the time of mourning. Many people wearing black walked into the now-repaired Kardia Cathedral, which took a whole day thanks to everyone pooling together and their magic helping repair. Many people walked into the doors, taking their seats as the soft organ music played by a paid musician. Everyone who was dear entered and took their seats, many of whom were Nic.

Nic walked past the many frowning faces, some who were having tissues already set out. He had his head down as he kept on walking. As he walked on, he still peeked every now and again to see who came and who didn't. For the most part, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Quatro Cerberus' Guild Master Goldmine, even Sabertooth attended. All frowned, and Master Bob was sniffling. Sting and Goldmine weren't in such high spirits either. As Nic kept walking, he took notice that some fellow Wizard Saints had come, like Cruzer, and Hyberion. Even Mr. Yajima attended, and he was frowning in mourn. It wasn't something he expected, but he just soldiered on through the cathedral until he made it to his fellow guildmates. Every single Fairy Tail member was present, and all of them adorned black and looked beyond morbid. He went down the row past Lucy and Team Natsu, making sure to not look them in the eye as he passed them.

Once sliding past Lucy, he took his spot between his sister and Erza. Erza had her hair down and kempt as always. The two women looked up at Nic as he sat down, settling into the bench and looking at them. As they all exchanged looks, they were set. No words were needed as they all had black cloaks and watched as the organ stopped.

They all looked forward, seeing many candles lit up around two frames of fallen members who gave their lives for the sake of the guild. The frames were painted in honor of Mavis Vermilion, and Makarov Dreyar, both crafted by Reedus respectively. The two frames sat right next to the other; two masters who overlooked their saddened children and comrades.

A pair of hands gripped the sides of the podium, the hands belonging to Laxus as he stood in a tux in respects for the others. If he was honest, he didn't want to be there due to it being so rough on him, but when he looked towards everyone else, he saw the saddened looks. The Thunder God Tribe was barely keeping themselves together. Whether he liked it or not, he won't let family be in vain.

Clearing his throat, he finally began to speak. "Thanks for coming, everyone. I know it's a much difficult time, but I think we can all nod and agree that even though we're suffering a few hiccups…it's best we remember why we're here before pressing on."

Many silently nodded, especially those in Fairy Tail.

Taking a deep sigh, he leaned on the podium. "The…old geezer, my old man…he did what nobody else could've. He was there when we needed him, and he was there when we didn't have a mediator. He sure was rowdy in his own way, I'll say that." He sourly chuckled at himself, but chose to go on. "He was a master to us. We were a bunch of brats who didn't have a home, and he took it upon the kindness in his heart to take us all in. He gave each of us a place to come home to. He showed us what a real family was meant to be about, not just by blood, but with what we've been through." He took a moment to collect himself and looked down at the podium, thinking about his choice of words. "I don't think any of us…would probably be who we are now if it wasn't for my Grandpa. He was…I guess a lot of things. But what I think he's more of than anything else, I guess…a real father."

Wendy sniffled as tears were shedding. Carla put a hand to her shoulder to comfort her.

"He set us straight, no matter how big of a pain in the ass we all were. We all made a couple mistakes, and he punished us like a father would. I can't begin to tell you the few ways he punished us." He silently thought back to the time he tried to forcefully take Fairy Tail for himself, and how he was expelled. Many understood what went inside his head, while others thought of the other "punishments" that Makarov dealt – some of which mortified them. "Even if we weren't the brightest in the beginning, we all eventually had ourselves settled in. We came together. We got our act together. We were divided, but he picked us up and taught us to stand up for what we believed in. We were selfish perhaps, and some of us didn't know what we had…until it was gone."

Many Fairy Tail members began to grow misty in the eyes from Laxus speaking. They lost their two masters that held them up, and yet what could they do at the time?

Once more, Laxus sighed. "The geezer made our worlds together. But what I think bound us together, I think it was really more than our sense of past doings. I think we all can thank our First Master for that: Mavis. She sure was…a very interesting character. Even so, she was the start of what was the biggest revelation in magic history. It's because of her we have something now that bounds us together. It's what she created – the very guild we all now represent – that we all call a home. She didn't just create some silly guild where we just go and mess with the council. It was our place. We had our guild hall reaffirmed nearly a thousand times now, but as much wood as we replace, as many pillars as we stand…" He quietly nodded to himself. "I think we all learned that material isn't the point to a home."

Levy was close to tearing up. With her head down, she silently whimpered as Gajeel draped an arm around her and held her close. Jet and Droy would've said something, but they let it slide due to much needed respect elsewhere.

Laxus softly smiled as he looked at the podium. "These two that we looked to for guidance, they guided us up to where they knew we could stand on our own. We're not silly kids anymore. We know forwards and back that what changes were made are the things we're going to stomach for the rest of our lives. We're sad, we were when the old man gave himself to saving us. We knew that, and Mavis did too. The First did her best to honor him, and though there is a fine line between soldiers and guildmates…we're not any of those." His eyes began to mist, his composure beginning to break. "We're family."

Mirajane wiped a tear from her eye, sniffling as she was feeling like she was about to cry. She didn't feel this bad since the time Lisanna "died". Elfman did his best to be a man and frowned on. Beside him, Evergreen knew he wanted to cry, too.

"These two…they were like a mother and father to us. We wouldn't trade the other for all the jewel in the world, because as much cash as you have, you can't earn love that way. We loved them, and they loved us. They were parents who took care of their children. They…" He closed his eyes, lowering his head to think of what to say next. It was hard, especially since he felt like choking. With what power he had inside of himself, he looked up, giving everyone a hollow half-grin. "…we can thank them for all we've been through. I wouldn't trade this experience with anyone but for those who came. You all, we all have a legacy, and even if it isn't reaching the heights and wisdom once shared, we all persevere in some way. Even if you mess up, as long as you find out you're wrong and have the power to change…do it…" Tears began to shed, droplets making small puddles on the podium. "Because even the smallest change can change the coldest of hearts." He lowered his head, quickly nodding. "Thank you First…thank you Grandpa…thank you…"

Porlyusica had tears running down her face, nodding as she accepted Makarov's grandson's words of wisdom.

The funeral in respect for Makarov and Mavis droned on. Many of the Fairy Tail members went up and spoke fondly of the two who brought them all together. Mirajane and the Strauss siblings spoke of Makarov and Mavis like they were beacons, and Gajeel looked like he was about to cry. The Iron Dragon Slayer was thanking Makarov for taking him in, even though he was nothing more than a punk like Laxus pointed out. He felt shame, but Levy accepted him with a guiding hand. Sophie took her time using her treasure trove of memories made and recalled events – some funny, some serious – but she outlined the best in what Makarov and Mavis had. Every now and again, someone from the back or another person from another guild would come up and speak of him. Master Bob would talk fondly of him, and Goldmine paid his respects. It took a lot of willpower and convincing from Lamia Scale and Jura to get Obaba to get up to the podium. Mest spoke in great honor of Makarov, and he also spoke dearly of Mavis, doing his best to keep his cool and not break down in regret.

After what felt like an eternity, finally it came down to Erza finishing her paid respects. Her head was down, and she had tears in her eyes as she was wrapping up on what she had to say.

"…the very people we looked up to, they were the purest of hearts. They brought us together. They gave us our independence and our dependence on one another. Our hearts are as one, and our lives are for the better…because they gave us a guiding hand to do our best." Clearing her throat, she looked up towards Nic, who deeply frowned at her. "We never would've met and had an impact with one another, if it wasn't for their kindness. They showed us what love can be, and we'll treasure that fact, for as long as we live on."

With her turn over, the redhead walked back to her seat, sliding past everyone and making her way to her spot next to Nic. Once down, she turned and looked towards him. It was now his turn.

Looking around, he saw many faces still crying. He knew he had to speak up. If Laxus and Gildarts had the guts to speak up about them, then what man would he be I he didn't? Finally, he got up and started making way towards the podium. As he slid past Lucy and the others of Team Natsu, Nic took notice of something as he went on, something that he caught note of with Natsu and Gray. Throughout the entire funeral, they said not one word. They only kept their heads down. He looked closer, seeing their fists balling in their laps. He could see it. He could feel it. Their frustration. Their regret. All he did was power on and walk up the isle and assert himself in front of the podium.

With his own sigh, he looked at the many faces looking up towards him. He could see that many were already breaking down, and some were ready to leave because the pain was too much to take. He will make it fast, so that they all could move on.

Quickly breathing out, he calmed and cleared his throat. "I…I'm not a fan of these kinds of events." He admitted. "Usually…people will do whatever it takes to avoid the pain, and the heartache. But, if you don't face it head on at some point, you won't ever have that pain go away. It'll sit there like poison. And to cure poison, you need a helping hand. Where I come from, you can heal poison in many ways, even through berries. But…when I ask myself that, how is a certain berry grown? Well…" He cleared his throat once more. "Turns out, the best berries are cared for by the caring of hands. People and these berries, they're all the same. We can be bitter. We can be sour. Dry sense of humor if we ever got it. But with what hands help us, it's got to have a solid hold on us, and care for us. That's how we end up being sweet. Those hands I speak of, they're Mavis and Makarov. They were the helping hands that rid of the poison we all carried. We may have been bitter at times, and we weren't the ripest bunch, but…they still cared for us. They loved us." He slowly shook his own head. "It's never too late to make yourself sweet for the hands that pluck you from the darkness."

Natsu and Gray looked up, their hands still balled. They gazed at Nic like he was some kid of psychic. What he spoke of, they felt it. They recalled when he extended himself and plucked them out of the darkness that was their own hearts.

"We all made mistakes, and we all hurt one another in some way. But that's family. We have our ups and downs, and we have our moments where we questioned the other's loyalty and trust. That's humanity, and it's okay. Everyone has secrets, and everyone reacts in their own way. Makarov taught us to accept the other, even if it wasn't at first. He gave each of us hope. He…showed us the way to turn our darkness into a quality we can appreciate and move on with. We all have something impure about us at some point in our lives, but what we have, is something we can use. Casting it aside like trash, it's like denying a part of you that refuses to change. If you don't embrace your facts, or if you don't accept reality…" He looked up once more, his attention averting towards Erza. The two locked eyes, brown and blue meeting with misty hearts. "…then you won't move forward." He swallowed, doing his best to hold himself together in humble humility. "Mavis had a darkness, and it contorted her. Was it evil? Was it love? Was it both that she couldn't seem to comprehend? I think that by the time she reached her final moments…she knew the answer. She knew then that her darkness all along, was really the very light that made her happy in the end. She didn't leave us knowing that she didn't had regrets. She loved a certain someone, and she trusted him; love is…a very complicated feeling. It's not something even I can really explain. You just…feel it. Words don't express how much you love someone. Even if you can't say it directly, you know from being around someone just how you feel."

At his words, Erza's gaze softened. She, too, felt the same way. Lucy looked towards Natsu with a saddened expression, as she saw how he was so in shock. Juvia put a hand on Gray's fist, looking away from him in fear he might try and shrug her off. To her shock, she felt Gray hold her hand, like he was trying to find comfort.

Nic pressed on with his head high and keeping himself secured. "The moments they left us, they gave us – they showed us – their own way of expressing love. They loved us with every fiber of their beings. They loved us like children, and we loved them for how much they've done for us. They…" He swallowed once more, nodding to himself. "They knew in the end how to express their love and thanks. They may have not been the mother and father of our blood…but the hands and the care they gave us, that's what brought us to recognize and see the other in this cathedral as someone who isn't a monster, not an enemy, not a rival, but someone who we've made a connection to on this very day. Fairy Tail; Mavis; Makarov; they wanted a guild that reached its heart out, and poured out to everyone else around. We did that in their stead. To you all, in what respects we can pay to this day…" He nodded with a half-grin. "With all the light in our hearts that was cracked from the darkness of what shells are…you've made an extended family that we can savor forever. Thank you."

With that said, Nic walked away from the podium, finally having done speaking. As he looked up towards his seat, he saw Vanessa and Erza looking at him with nods. He smiled back.

Even then, Natsu and Gray didn't make eye contact, but the fists they made softened.

As Nic sat back down, he took a deep breath through his nose and out through his mouth. With his head forward, a warm hand intertwined its fingers with his own. He looked over, seeing that it was Erza, keeping him together, as if he was going to break apart. They both held onto the other tight, both grinning mournfully for what they said with silent appeal.

* * *

The gathering then after was at least a much livelier process compared to the funeral. With many flowers before two grand gravestones in the Kardia Cathedral cemetery, everyone bid their final farewells to the two before they all made back to a sanctioned domain where catering was offered, for those who cared to bring any for that matter.

Even though many still didn't have the stomach to eat much, they had to at least try. Some people got the nerve to speak up and reconnect at the reception. Crestfallen many were, they were beginning to cheer up and put smiles on their own faces after some conversation.

Laxus took a sip of fine wine and sighed. After a stressful day, he thought it felt deserving. Then again, he wasn't gonna have booze downing him like Cana. He was mellow that way.

A pat on the back came from Bickslow, who half-grinned in deep respect. "Hey bud, you did a great job up there."

"Thanks." Laxus answered, even if the answer was half-hearted, it was still meant from his heart.

"I say you did your very best." Evergreen said.

Freed stood in front of Laxus with a nod of approval. "I'm sure the master would've been very proud of the man that you've become."

Laxus meekly grinned as he rolled his eyes away. "Alright, I get it. You guys are making it sound like I lost a contest and you're playing kiss-ups on me."

The Thunder God Tribe shared a laugh with each other, much to Laxus' chagrin. The Lightning Dragon Slayer couldn't help but snicker as well. In retrospect, it was good that he had his friends. They were the world to him after all.

Jura approached from close by, holding a glass of wine in his hand. "Ah, Laxus. I was wondering where I might find you." He stood before him, getting his attention.

"You're Jura, been a while." He responded.

He nodded. "Indeed it has. You have my deepest regards and gratitude."

"Thanks."

"I must say, you have a very fine group gathered around you. I think we truly do have you to thank for bringing us into light of this union." The Wizard Saint turned around, smiling at the many faces of the many people of the guilds who attended. "We've all shared something today, but it wasn't possible without you opening our eyes for us. Wise words were never truly spoken before." He reached his glass of wine out to Laxus. "Let us toast."

A smile crossed Laxus' face as he held up his wine. The Thunder God Tribe held up their wine and all tapped their glasses in the center.

In another part of the reception hall, Erza and Vanessa were sitting next to each other on a round table. They didn't have much on their dinner plates, and that was the way they liked it. They weren't sad anymore, but perhaps discomforted would be a better word to describe them. The two girls fiddled with their mashed potatoes before they chose to make yet another conversation.

"I'm still surprised this many would come." Erza said, wearing a black dress that had a massive slit to show off much of her ample chest. "I was amazed Kardia Cathedral could house that much."

"Well the outside does seem limited, once you get inside, you'd be surprised." Vanessa exaggerated. "I know I was."

Erza turned towards her, oddly curious in her choice of words. "And what do you mean by that, exactly?"

Vanessa smiled again. "Well, it's just like you. You seem secluded and all that on the outside, but once we all get a peek into you, you have a lot of wonder and your own sense of grace. Kind of like a castle; a fortress who only allows a certain few to see it's drapery and rightful queen."

Erza pondered about her words, but not very long. She smiled once more as she turned down towards her food. "I never thought of it that way. You're not wrong."

"Speaking of abode, how's the repairs going?"

Erza took a deep sigh of exasperation. "As well as you can imagine. Getting all that debris sorted out was a lot on our plate. We were fortunate Nic used Psychic to help lift it all off the establishment. I keep telling him to take it easy, but does he ever listen?" She pinched the bridge of her nose as she recalled how stubborn Nic was against her better judgement.

Vanessa snickered at her fiddling. Under normal circumstances, Erza would've questioned why, but she just ended up chuckling in retrospect.

"Well, Nic's stubborn ways aside, have you guys thought of what you were going to do next?" Vanessa asked.

"You mean for our house?" Erza cleared up. "Well, in truth, Nic and I haven't talked too much about it. Honestly we were so caught up in our clearing the other day that we haven't talked in depth about it. I think I heard Nic wanting to go smaller, like a cottage."

"And what do you think about that?"

"Well…" A soft smile crossed Erza's lips as she looked away. "A cottage does sound cozy. Though smaller, in truth I think the former house was a little too spacious."

"You could fit the entire guild inside even." Vanessa mused. "By the way, did you manage to save anything?"

Erza looked back to her. "The entire first floor was in shambles, but we managed to salvage some silverware and frames. Of course everything else has to be replaced. But the good news is that the basement is still in one piece, so whatever we had saved we moved down to storage."

The two went on about what was going and how the other was doing. It was nice to catch up since they've been apart for a few days. Vanessa was busy with Sophie trying to repair Magnolia from all the collateral damage of the battles waged. Of course the biggest collateral damage was in fact spread all over from Arbok and August's battle. Those Earthquake attacks did a massive number on everything. It was a miracle some buildings were still in one piece. It was going to take a while, but with everyone pooling their resources, another few months should do the trick. Vanessa even asked if Nic and Erza needed a place to stay, but the redhead declined, saying that Nic's transporting them to Vaniville Town to stay at their foster family, at least until they got the bedroom and bathroom fixed up.

Vanessa looked around, noticing their familiar topic being absent. "Huh, where did Nic go?"

"How strange. He hasn't been here since the reception began." Erza put a hand to her chin, thinking aloud. "I hope nothing's happened to him."

"I guess we shouldn't worry too much." Vanessa smiled. "Even though Nic may not be in his best condition right now, he's tough. Besides, you know him as well as I do. He doesn't stick around these sort of events too often." She did have a point. Nic was far from the festive type, as given when he skipped out completely on the grand banquet back in Mercurius.

Realizing Nic was off doing his own thing, Erza softly smiled. "I know…"

Elsewhere, Cana was sighing as she hiccupped. "Alright~." She slurred, slouching in the back of her seat, dangling a flask in her fingertips.

Sophie crossed her arms as she sat at the same table as Cana. "Tsme-a much (Thirsty much)?"

Cana harshly placed the glass on the tabletop, letting out a brief sigh. "It's been a rough day, alright."

"I get that. But must you really make such a-hmph!" Sophie was cut off when a bottle's open top was forcefully shoved into her mouth, the alcoholic beverage belonging to Cana as she still hiccupped.

"Come on, little Miss Hebrew Speller, why not just unwind?"

From nearby, seeing Sophie nearly choke on the beverage, Gildarts sweat-dropped. "Is that really necessary?"

"I still can't believe how many people showed." Lucy looked around, seeing many of people conversing and talking about subjects beyond her limited hearing.

"Aye. That's because this is important to those guys as it was to us." Happy pointed out.

"Right."

"Magnolia still needs a lot of work done, though. But I'm sure we can get it done in no time." Wendy stayed positive, showing a smile on her face.

"I'm sure it'll all be fine. We have the other and supplies incoming." Carla said.

Juvia nodded. "Yes, I'm sure we'll rebuild the guild hall once more as well." She looked over towards Gray, hoping he would have some input. However, he didn't over a single word. He was silent the entire time; funeral, reception; it was like he refused to speak. He frowned as he looked at his dinner plate, having barely touched his peas. "Gray?"

"Hm?" Snapping back to reality, Gray looked towards her. "Sorry, Juvia, did you say something?"

"You're acting strange. Are you really that upset?"

"What? No, this is just how I look." Gray feigned surprise to hope she would be diverted. It didn't given the look she gave him.

"Gray…"

Relenting, Gray looked back down at his dinner plate. "Sorry. I'm just not all that well."

He wasn't the only one who was feeling a little discouraged. At the same table, Happy looked up to Natsu. Normally, he'd be eating his face off with delight, but looking at his dinner plate, he hardly touched anything. He looked almost as contemplative as Gray, if not more.

"Hey, Natsu?" He called to him.

Natsu looked down towards him. "Yeah, Happy?"

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, yeah! Sorry, pal. Just a little thinking is all." He also tried to give Happy a fake smile, but Happy was no fool, nobody was. They could see he was playing a lie, but a white lie was far from it.

The gathered at the table looked towards the other, having a pretty good idea on what was bugging them both. The few incidents in the war involving a certain time they almost murdered someone dear still clung to them like an infection. Even after the words Nic spoke at the funeral, it didn't do much to lift the pain from their hearts. The most anyone could do in respects for how they feel was just stay quiet.

"Has anybody seen Nic?" Wendy asked Lucy.

The blonde looked around, seeing how the slayer of Acnologia was absent. "Good question. Where is he?"

"I would imagine he's somewhere nearby." Juvia suggested. "If I had an idea, maybe he's off doing his own thing."

"That's a good point. He wasn't there at the grand banquet. I know he isn't a party or event kind of person, but he still comprised to help clean up later." Wendy reminded the group.

"He'll be back. I'm sure." Lucy hoped.

As they talked on, Natsu and Gray looked at one another, giving the other blank faces.

* * *

The cool air made the atmosphere as placid as any other night, but on this night, the cool air blew with anticipation, or carrying various resemblance to what may be a passing of thoughts. The breeze went through the repairing Magnolia. The one blissful town was nothing more than shabby wooden beams and material possessions being fixed up, but everyone found solace in some way to sleep.

Within the distance, over the forest and hills over yonder, the evening became a dusk. The sky was a very dark navy blue starting east, waning to fading shades of light blue and yellow in the western horizon. Only one person was looking at it with such enamor, and he was leaning against the balcony of the reception hall, getting a good view of the waning day.

Nic frowned as he stared at the day's end. He didn't look sad, but he wasn't thrilled either. Each passing day meant the beginning of something else, but something still bugged him, and it was making his heart beat faster than ever.

A pair of heels tapped behind, showing a hand sitting on a wide hip. "I thought you'd somewhere in the open outside."

Hearing the voice, Nic snapped out of his thoughts and turned around. His heart nearly skipped a beat as he saw the object of his – many – thoughts having arms folded and leaning against the side of the entrance to the balcony. "You've always been the kind of guy to step out for open air rather than stay festive with everyone else."

"Erza." Nic said with slight surprise.

She began to walk towards him. "What's wrong? Did you need some more time?" She asked innocently.

Nic blinked before looking back at the dusk sunset. "No, you're fine. I could use a little company."

"And by 'little, I guess that just means me?" She clarified.

A smirk came across Nic's lips. "I'd be a bold-faced liar if I said I wasn't picky." Comical statements aside, her timing couldn't be any more perfect to him. He was glad that it was Erza who came to see him. She was always there, even if he couldn't admit it. But she knew that, too.

Taking her spot right beside Nic on the balcony, the two watched the dusk sunset fade. They stood in silence for what felt like the longest time, but they didn't exactly talk about anything at the time. They just took solace in the beautiful enigmatic rays of the last bit of sun fading from the sky, soon to be black.

"Were you watching this the whole reception?" Erza inquired.

Nic continued to look at the waning colors. "Daybreak and dusk; in all honesty, they're my favorite times of day."

Erza grinned as she looked at him. "I can feel the same way. The sun isn't there, but you know it'll come by soon or again. Those few colors in the distance do make for a nice horizon."

"It's a natural spectacle. I just appreciate that I could see this time once more."

Erza's smile widened towards him. "Me too." She moved her hand over the balcony to reach for Nic's. "And it's always nice to share these moments with someone."

Nic again smiled at her. As he looked into her eyes, he could feel that embrace. It was a bumpy road the both endured up until now, and it was a lot to take in. _'Yeah, it really is nice to have these moments with someone. Usually back in Kalos, my Pokémon and I, we'd just watch the waning moments before falling asleep. We wake up at daybreak and get training. It wasn't too often we appreciated these times of day until recently. All that training brought us to beating Acnologia. Now what?'_

Taking notice of Nic's face wondering away, Erza grew curious. "Nic?"

"Huh?"

"Are you feeling alright?"

Nic shook his head and smiled. "Sorry, was I spacing out there. I guess I was lost in what happened."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…" He looked back at the navy-blue sky turning black. "We beat Acnologia, didn't we? My Pokémon and I came a very long way from when we took down Lysandre back then. I'm still in shock, but…I can understand that it's happened. All these years we've spent training, it paid off in the end. Now, we can actually enjoy a sunrise and sunset without thinking of cons."

Erza's frown was matched with her confused look. The more she processed, the more she began to understand. A smile again appeared on her face. "You're right. You've had to endure all these hardships, and you only got stronger for others up until now. So what do you and your Pokémon think you're going to do?"

Nic closed his eyes and snickered. "As if I'd let you think we'd lose purpose." He looked at her like she was playing with him. "It's obvious what we're going to do. We're gonna continue to live, and get even stronger. We'll battle to our content until the day we all go up there."

Erza's hand pressed harder on his. "Living life dedicated to the thrill that you love. Of course. That's the motive of a true Pokémon Trainer I take it?"

"You know it."

Pokémon, Erza, family; all the same. They lived for each other, and depended on one another. Nic and Greninja and the others fighting Acnologia had the deepest connection, and that's how undying loyalty and trust erupted. Even back when they were still training in Kalos all those years ago, they were a little inexperienced still, and though some hiccups were created, it didn't stop Nic from making them turn into a family. A very weird family, but because of the choices Nic made, they were the seven who saved the universe _twice_. Not to mention gained Arceus' immeasurable respect.

When all that's said and done, silence came over and dusk finally receded into a full night. Nic's heart began to beat faster as he was thinking about the person who stood beside him. Her strawberry scent never wavered, and luscious, bountiful assets aside, Erza had her trademark long, red hair. It flowed the way he liked it. He prayed it stayed like that, even if they grew older.

He remained quiet as she began to turn away.

"It's getting a little nippy. I'll head inside, okay? Be sure to come inside when it's time to clean up."

"Actually…" He said it quite forcibly, much to Erza's shock. She turned around to see anxiousness on his face. "Actually, can we talk?"

"Sure, about what?"

"Not here. Some place less…open?"

Erza was interested in Nic's motives, but she chose to follow along. "Of course. You know I'd go anywhere with you." She deadpanned.

Nic flashed another smirk as he reached his hand out. "Then let's go on a little adventure then."

Erza smirked as she accepted his hand. "Fine, but let's be sure to be back by cleanup."

Time aside, Nic wasn't too concerned about it. He was really more concerned about what his own intentions were. He did his best to keep himself together as he took Erza and walked beside her, guiding her out of Magnolia and into the woods. There was an open path where there was a lush green grassy trail heading deeper into the woods. As they went ahead, they came to what was a lush clearing with thin trees, where one could see sunbeams from a possible sunrise if they wanted to.

Walking into the clearing, Erza took notice of the may flowers everywhere. Fireflies ignited the air as crickets chirped. It only made the scene all the more majestic.

"Nic, what is this place?"

Nic looked up at the sky, seeing the stars twinkle with the few fireflies over his head. "Does this place feel…familiar to you?"

Erza blinked as she looked left and right. "Familiar?" She tried to look at it in perspective, and yet al she did was walk around, slowly pacing and looking at many flowers. _'A clearing outside of Magnolia. Where you can have sun ray just at the edge of the-!'_ An epiphany began to awash her mind. "Wait, Nic. Is this…?"

Nic sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "So I guess you caught on then. Yeah, this is the same exact spot…the spot where we spent our first night together; the day we met."

Erza couldn't believe what a fool she was. She would've mentally cursed herself if she wasn't so in shock. She recognized by the small circumference it took up. It wasn't too big, but enough for a view of the sky. There was also the small flowers everywhere, not to mention what looked like trees shaped all around. She even recognized a few logs sitting around a small dirt spot in the distance.

"We didn't exactly keep it clean. The guys and I were training and I remembered this very place. We messed it up a little, but with the Meadow Form, I got it fixed in no time. Sorry if it's different from what you remember."

Erza snapped out of her shock and looked at Nic with surprise. "N-no, no worries at all." She felt guilty for not recalling the geography much sooner. "So Nic, why did you bring me out to this spot?"

Nic rubbed the back of his head as a slight blush came across his face. He looked down at the grass, making Erza more confused than she was before. _'What's with him? He's been acting very weird lately.'_ She approached him. "Nic, is something the matter?"

"…well…how should I put this?" He contemplated. "This place, even if it wasn't special, you can't deny that it started something, right?"

"Well…" Erza felt a light blush of embarrassment cross her own face. When she and Nic looked back at it, the way they met and that night they spent was rather "cheeky". She could scarcely bare the fact how silly she was and how easy it was for Nic to not be afraid of her. Maybe that's the connection back started. "You're…not wrong."

"Well, when I looked back at it, thinking about everything that's happened, we've been to so many places and shared many different memories, haven't we? Magnolia. Our house. Crocus. Edolas. Kalos. The isles. All those places we've been too, we've shared a lot of strife back then, didn't we? It's almost a shock to know how many of those memories started just from this spot."

Erza raised a brow in her own wonder. A smile crept into her face. "Yes. We really did hit it off in a way here."

Nic turned to look at her, his face still looking a little nervous. "That's why I chose here of all places. A journey for a Trainer means a lot, but what makes it worth it in the end, is how far they came from their point of beginning. When Trainers battle against the Kalos League, usually they go home, but unlike their beginning, they see their surroundings in a whole new perspective. It's like they were memories." He cleared his throat. "That's why…I want to make another memory here."

"Nic? What's going on? Why are you acting so weird? I know being here is memorable, but what is it really?"

Nic's face began to blush a little harder. His body was running cold as he felt like he was going to pass out. He stayed strong as he had to follow through. He began to reach into his pocket. "Do you remember when I told you and Vanessa about the errand I had to run before the funeral?"

"Yes, you said you had to pick up something important. I thought it was something for Makarov and Mavis, was it not?"

"Well, actually…" Nic mustered the strength to look up at Erza and into her eyes as he at last held up the little black box he got recently. The black box presented was small, and when Erza looked at it, she was feeling her heart stop.

Nic opened the box, and Erza's eyes widened. Gasping, her hands were up to her mouth. Inside the box, sitting on a soft cushion, was a ring. But the ring was very intricate, with a flowing band that had intricate, majestic and royal carvings flowing into the other like water. In the center of the band was the most bewildering feature of them all – a red diamond. The diamond wasn't clear – unlike most diamonds are supposed to be – in fact, it matched her hair color completely. She could even see her own reflection in the shiny ring. She could've sworn her heart gave out. "Nic…?"

"I really wanted to wait for a more appropriate time to do this. I wanted to wait until things settled down after Mavis and Makarov's passing, but looking at it now, we've been through too much to have time turn against us. Who knows if we have until tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow. Mavis and Makarov, they both taught us to live life to the fullest, and that's what I want to do. But I want to live it with you. It took me forever to arrange everything for the jeweler at the Stone Emporium to piece together."

"So that's why you were disappearing a shirt while all this time." Erza should've known better. She mentally kicked herself for not seeing it sooner. It was no wonder why Nic was always eyeing the Stone Emporium back in Kalos whenever they passed it over their "vacation".

"Yes. So…" He used what calm he could and took a very deep breath. Without any help nor hindrance, he slowly got to a knee. He stared up into Erza's shaking eyes. She looked like she was seeing a ghost. Nic took took one last breath, breathing in deeply.

The fireflies around them flickered, and the crickets stopped chirping for a moment to allow Erza to take in the moment. Her eyes began to mist as the moment she didn't think would come finally arrived.

"Erza…will you marry me?"

He was frozen in place, unable to move. His heart was beating so fast that he was afraid he might even pass out. He didn't even have the strength to get up from his knee. Thankfully he didn't have to. Erza feel to her knees, her eyes misting up so bad as she gazed at the ring Nic presented her. She sniffled a few times, before she pounced on him.

"Oof!" With a huff, Nic found himself on the ground. His head was spinning just from the proposal, but now he was barely processing anything. His vision blinked in and out, looking up to find Erza mounting him with her eyes watering. Thankfully, they were tears of sheer joy.

She bent down, catching Nic's lips in a passionate kiss. The kiss was warm and prolonged. For the umpteenth time, Nic was lost in his own world. Was he dreaming? He doubted it.

Erza parted from him, her face still very close to his. Her smile was of joy as she cupped his face. Her red hair glistened as fireflies flickered. "Yes, a thousand more times over, yes."

 **Weeks Later**

Erza breathed in and out, being sure to get her heart rate to lower. Several deep breaths were taken, but none helped the adrenaline she was getting pumped into her blood circuit. Nic felt no different. Both sides reached for their legs and bent the other, making sure to stretch the muscles in the backs of their legs. After thirty seconds, they switched to the other leg, and repeated. They moved their arms side to side; over their heads and flexing their waists.

Once both were set with their stretches, they stood a fine distance apart on the battlefield that was repaved in the front of their yard and the sun rising over the trees on the east had rays of sunshine glimmering through the dew-colored leaves. Once set, Nic pulled out a Poke Ball. "All set?"

Erza pulled out a Dive Ball. "Yes."

At the same time, both shouted "Go!". At the same time, Cloyster and Staraptor appeared on the battlefield, ready to start their morning battle practice. Staraptor wasted no time in flapping aboveground, covering Cloyster in a blue aura, via her Intimidate Ability lowering his Attack.

It's been a few rough weeks since Nic proposed, but such trivial matters aside, today was the first day in a long while that Nic and the others finally decided to get back into shape. They knew battling against Acnologia had to pour every bit of them into defeating him, but even when Arceus restored their bodies, they were still tired out. After long weeks of well-deserved time and relaxation, Nic and Erza at last chose to pick up and do some practice. They didn't want to get rusty after all. But that was all they did, Pokémon battles. The only powers Nic ever used within the many weeks was just Psychic, even then he didn't do much. He also knew to take it easy if he didn't want to strain his body again. There's only so much a body can take, and Nic and his team learned the hard way.

At the time, Nic was just wearing a simple gray V-neck over baggy jeans, so he wasn't in his trademark attire. Erza was also in a black shirt and white pants of her own. Both wasted no time getting their training started.

"Staraptor, **Aerial Ace!** " Nic's Staraptor flapped her wings and jolted backwards into the sky before folding her wings, diving at high speeds in a blur.

"Cloyster, **Protect!** " Erza countered. Her Cloyster stayed stationary and created a translucent turquoise shield, which rippled as Staraptor collided with it. With Protect still active, Staraptor made use and tapped her talon on it, back-flipping until she landed on her talons on the ground.

" **Aerial Ace!** " Nic followed.

Staraptor pressed her talons on the ground and went lunging at high-speeds. As Protect faded, Cloyster was wide open as Staraptor struck him, causing the heavy bivalve to slide backwards with a loud grunt. Once he stopped, he leered back at the versatile avian.

Erza swiped her arm to the side. "Let's see how you handle this! **Razor Shell!** "

Cloyster's inner shell layer glowed, jutting out into blue jagged razor-like energy knives. His shell closed, and he flipped off the ground and sent spinning sideways like a top towards Staraptor.

Both Nic and Staraptor stayed completely still as Cloyster came closer. When he was close enough, both of them spread their arms and wings apart.

"Use **Steel Wing!** "

Staraptor's wings shimmered in a metal-gray color and she raised it high over the incoming saucer that was Cloyster. With one fell chop of the wing, she deflected the Razor Shell by hitting the edge of the purple shell, making a harsh impact that bent the shell towards the ground, Razor Shell instead grinding into the battlefield.

Staraptor flapped her wings and used the opportunity to get back into the air, getting distance between her and Cloyster.

They both needed to be in condition. They weren't at their peaks, even though it was complicated to say. They had just finished a war and was getting back into the swing of things. Although, in Fairy Tail, new changes were still getting used to.

* * *

" _Are you sure, Nic?" Gildarts questioned. "This guild needs someone to look up to. You sure you don't want to take the stand again?"_

 _Nic rolled his eyes away. "Believe me, once is more than enough for me."_

 _Cana put her hands to her hips. "How's about Miss Fiancée over here?"_

 _Erza beamed with embarrassment. "While I can't deny you candor, Cana, I take my stand with Nic."_

" _Yeah! Besides, if they got the job, that'd be boring because they wouldn't go on any adventures with us!" Happy whined while floating._

 _The entire guild hall was again in shambles, primarily thanks to the raging battle Natsu had with Zeref. The battle of brothers at last over, that just left the guild to rebuild. This time around, they were using the same schematics, so no primary changes were going to be made. All around them, everyone was working hard in rebuilding their home. With a home meant someone to take charge, and since the guild was without a master, someone had to step up. Unfortunately, the poll was not so favorable._

 _Wakaba crossed his arms, a cigar in his mouth. "Well this bites, who's gonna lead this bunch then."_

 _Macao adjusted his collar, clearing his throat. "Well, I'd be honored."_

" _Dad, you're pushing your luck again." Romeo groaned._

" _Well we need someone." Nab pointed out as he passed by with a wooden pillar on his shoulders._

 _Sophie put a hand to her chin as she looked towards the distance. "We need someone who has patience with us, or could somehow corral us if we must." She shot a look at Gildarts. "Someone who's around all the time would really benefit."_

 _Gildarts put his hands up in innocence. "Hey, c'mon! Don't be like that!"_

 _Vanessa giggled as she passed by with a crate of bottled water. "Well, our lack of luster aside, I think if we narrow down the options, it's reasonable to know who's the best suited."_

 _Gray raised a brow. "And who's that?"_

 _Vanessa averted her eyes towards the other end of the guildhall. At the now-fixed bar, sitting the stool with his stature overlooking everyone, they all turned their heads and caught his attention. Laxus' head perked up from his fist as he was the object of attention._

 _When it caught onto him, he gasped._

" _Wait…" Gray whipped towards Vanessa. "You serious?!"_

" _You want him to be our boss?!" Natsu berated._

 _Wendy clasped her hands together. "Wow, such a big step!" She smiled._

" _Wait, what?!"_

" _I think it's an honor." Freed insisted. "I really do believe that Laxus is best fit for the position ahead of him."_

 _Laxus went wide-eyed at the many who wanted him to be the next master of Fairy Tail. He couldn't possibly believe it. He knew he wanted to be the next master a long time ago, but back then he didn't know netter, and used brute force to seize the guild. Looking back at it, he was a real jerk. He still had dreams about it. It only made him frown. "I think you guys are jumping the gun on this one."_

" _Well you can't overlook what you did before, you made amends. That's what matters." Carla pointed out._

 _Lucy nodded in agreement._

" _I say it's worth a shot at least. The big guy did get his act together." Gildarts mused._

 _Laxus only sighed in refusal. "Are you guys even listening? I can't just be the master like that."_

 _Bickslow shrugged. "Well no one's stopping you this time."_

" _That's the point. I messed up before, and now you're saying I can just take my Grandpa's spot just like that?"_

" _Laxus." The Lightning Dragon Slayer turned his attention towards Nic. He stepped forward, looking him with a serious yet polite manner. Weakly, he shook his own head. "No one's forcing you to do anything. Yes, we all know what you did before was against principle, but look how far you've come? Look how far we've all come since then. We're not the same as we were before. This isn't the past. Yes, maybe Makarov would still be rolling in his grave knowing his grandson succeeded the throne, but in truth, since you've seen all the changes and experienced them, isn't here anything wrong with taking a chance?"_

 _Laxus pondered about Nic's words as he looked down at the bar stool._

" _I don't got a problem with it when I think about it." Max shrugged._

 _Warren smiled. "Yeah, after all, he's the one who rallied Mavis and all of us back that one time, right?"_

" _That's true." Kinana said._

 _Erza nodded in approval. "If you can stand before all of us, then there's no questioning this responsibility. Consider it a badge of pride."_

 _Laxus wasn't exactly certain on what to say, but just by looking at their faces, he knew he was beat. He wanted to deny it, and frankly, no one blamed him. But at the same time, they all knew what he went through, so it was also with humility and understanding that he understood what true responsibility was._

 _Seeing even his subordinates grinning, he could see the act of desperation. "You guys really want this, don't you?"_

" _Don't worry one bit. We'll be at your side all the way." Freed assured._

" _Hell yeah! We'll be the most rockin'est advisors ever!" Bickslow exclaimed._

" _Advisors! Advisors!"_

 _Evergreen adjusted her glasses. "Well, it wouldn't be a bad change of pace, I suppose." She smiled. "Still, we'll see you through with what you want, all the way."_

 _Seeing his closest friends wanting him to be standing up, he saw how much he needed to stand for them as well. If we was down, they would feel down, so he knew what he had to do. With a snicker, he leaned back against the bar. "Hey, Mira."_

 _Mirajane walked idly by behind the bar, with a fresh load of mugs on a platter. "Yes?"_

" _Can you get me your biggest mug? I'm gonna need it." He smirked. "Consider it your first official order as the Ninth Master."_

 _Mirajane kept her perky smile. "Sure!"_

 _Many people clapped for Laxus finally taking the stand. They all shared ceremonial applause as he sat in the barstool and looked at the many happy faces of the guildmates that held onto him even after he almost destroyed them. He owed them. He owed his grandfather._

" _Now that's being a man!" Elfman flexed massively._

" _Take it easy." Lisanna tried to calm her brother down._

" _Yeah~!" Cana raised a mug into the air. "Now there's you putting on your big shoes!"_

 _Laxus snickered once more. He was gonna have it rough, but he was humbled by it._

" _I bet I can guess how the master would've reacted to this." Wendy said._

 _Natsu jumped onto a table. "Yeah! He'd be something like 'OH NO YOU DON'T! I'D SOONER DIVE IN A POOL OF WORM DUNG THAN SEE THAT DAY COME!'…or something like that."_

 _Everyone laughed at Natsu's impression of Makarov. It may have been true, but recalling him was a little over a stretch per se. Laxus knew how high strung he was about him taking over, and he did as he promised and died while in term. As everyone made merry for themselves as the guild was repairing that day, Nic took notice of Natsu and Gray. When he looked at them, they seemed alright. However, after their laugh ended, their smiles once again faded. It made him most distressed._

* * *

" **Hydro Pump!** " Erza commanded thoroughly as Cloyster's Razor Shell receded. He twisted back up and faced Staraptor in the sky and made a mirror of water, which unleashed a large torrent that went beaming up towards her.

"Dodge it!" Nic commanded quite brash. Staraptor ascended, quickly maneuvering away from Hydro Pump. The Predator Pokémon kept climbing as Hydro Pump followed her around. She curved outwards as the blast of pressurized water climbed and went about.

Nic applied the next counter. " **Double Team!** "

Staraptor flashed briefly and multiple illusionary copies of herself appeared around her. They all cawed as they moved through the air, making Cloyster stop his Hydro Pump and looked all around. He couldn't find the right one.

Erza's eyes narrowed as she glared at the many birds above. "Don't think we're not prepared. Use **Icicle Crash!** "

Cloyster took a deep breath and opened his mouth, where blue sparkled inside. An icy blue breeze shot and expanded towards the sky. The wind made the temperature drop, and the sparkles and crystals solidified, becoming prolonged icicles. All around, icicles fell, spreading through the battlefield and shattering when meeting earth. Some struck the illusions, and some maneuvered around, still dodging. When it came down to a few left, an icicle came down from above, and Staraptor pivoted and barrel rolled out of its way, dodging it just by the skin of her teeth.

When she saw the swift reflex, Erza knew she found her. "1 o' clock! **Hydro Pump!** "

Target locked on, Cloyster unleashed another mirror of water that erupted into a pressurized blast of water. The Water-type move went zooming into Staraptor as she finished her barrel roll, her wings tucking forward as she leaned back. She was struck by Hydro Pump, sent flying skywards while teeth gritting.

As Nic looked on, he could tell he was getting rusty. He was on the defensive now, and he had to act now or never. But like before, his own mind was trailing off once more.

* * *

" _Alright! Finally!" Macao shot up from his seat and hollered into the air._

 _Gajeel snickered. "I was wondering when this would happen."_

" _Alright, Erza!" Levy cheered loudly._

 _It was the day after the funeral, and while everyone was still recovering and beginning to push and pull supplies around like dogs, many stopped as Nic and Erza announced their engagement. It was finally happening, and everyone present had many different reactions to it. For most part, everyone was overjoyed, while others were crying tears of joy. This was the most shocking time to announce such a thing, but as far as that went, Cana did get a betting pool set up beforehand to see if Nic and Erza would in fact tie the know. With the money she won, it was no wonder the next morning she had the biggest hangover of her life._

" _Congratulations!" Mirajane squealed with her sister._

 _Elfman wiped tears away with his burly arms. "That's a real man right there!" He cried out._

 _Gildarts smirked as he leaned back in his seat. "So those two are finally hitting it off, huh? Looks like they got a lot ahead of them."_

 _As Nic and Erza looked around with sheepish blushes on their faces from announcing their union, the former couldn't help but interlock certain pairs of eyes. Once he passed the teary and joyful eyes of Lucy and Juvia, he drew towards Natsu and Gray. They both smirked, but that was all. Nothing else. Once again, Nic was met with crestfallen friends. Even though he kept a string smile, it was still making him feel prickly inside._

* * *

Nic swiped his arms in opposite swatting motions. " **Steel Wing!** "

Staraptor heard Nic, and she grunted as her wings before her were glistening with metal-gray once more. Using them, she let out a powerful cry as she swatted them in opposite direction, whipping up enough force to dissipate Hydro Pump.

"You're getting a little rusty." Erza teased.

Nic kept a confident grin on his face. "It's gonna take a lot more than that to pin us down." He reached out. " **Steel Wing!** " Staraptor once again swatted in opposite directions and used her fixed wings to glide down towards Cloyster.

Erza put a hand to her hip. "Cloyster, **Protect!** "

At her command, Cloyster created another turquoise shield before her. The shield stopped Staraptor as she twisted on in and slammed her wing downwards, making a shockwave that went towards the ground instead. Harsh winds and dust went everywhere, but neither Nic nor Erza were shaken as the battlefield was.

As Protect faded, Cloyster was seen popping out of his shell with a grin. However, Staraptor – though dead serious – had a hint of smirking as well. It caught Cloyster and Erza's attention.

Nic clutched a fist and held it up. " **Close Combat!** "

Erza gasped in deep shock. _'He used Steel Wing just to draw Staraptor into Cloyster when his defenses would be vulnerable!'_

With Protect fading and his shell open, Cloyster was in deep revelation as Staraptor raised a talon and struck the black face. That one kick sent a shock so great that the ground depressed and Cloyster was suspended in midair. With him motionless, Staraptor with a merciless unleash of wing jabs, talon strikes, and many other combative strikes edging into Cloyster's shell. She chopped and kicked upwards, only to flip and axe kick and dive her wings downwards above his cast-iron horn.

With Cloyster in shock, Staraptor gave one last wing uppercut that sent Cloyster flying. The impact was so grand that the Water and Ice-type went twenty-feet into the air. He crashed down hard, smashing in front of Erza with a thud that made gusts go everywhere. When they faded, Erza uncovered, seeing her Cloyster with swirling eyes and groaning on his side.

Nic breathed heavily as he relaxed. "That was stressful."

Staraptor flapped towards the ground, looking ahead. "I agree. We're getting a little rough around the edges again."

Erza approached her defeated Cloyster and knelt to him. She held up a Revive that she had in her pocket and had it tap Cloyster's horn. His whole body was aligned in green ripples, and as the Revive faded, so did the green waves.

Cloyster came around, his eyes blinking. "Uuuh…I-!" He winced as something sprayed him on his shell. It stung quite a bit, but as the stinging proceeded, the pain he was feeling was fading away.

Uisng the last of her Hyper Potion, Erza stood up and smile. "Cloyster, are you well now?"

Getting back up, Cloyster turned towards his Trainer. "I let my guard down there."

"I know." She smiled. "Don't worry. We'll try again later. For now, let's give you a break." Erza held up his Dive Ball and Cloyster went back inside.

"Staraptor, get some rest." Nic pointed the Poke Ball towards his bird, to which she looked at him and understood. She went back inside, leaving both to walk closer and meet up in the middle of the battlefield.

"You want to call it in so soon?" Erza questioned.

Nic sighed in exhaustion. "Believe me, I'd want to battle more, but I have errands to run."

"Right, I remember now." Erza tilted her head, looking at her fiancé enigmatically. "If memory serves, you have to go to Kalos again."

"And you have your dress fitting today, right?"

Erza sighed. "Honestly, must we do all this so…traditionally?"

Nic raised a brow at her. "What's wrong with a wedding dress?"

"It's nothing. Nothing's wrong with the dress. It's just…I can basically requip, but Lucy and Mirajane insist we do this 'traditionally'." She huffed in exhaustion. "If you ask me, it's a big waste of time."

Nic snickered at his fiancée's huffing puffing. It was rare, but he was liking how it was so her to be making a big fuss over a dress. It was cute, her expression that is.

He turned away and smirked. "Well, while you go and throw a hissy fit, I'll be having my hands full getting all these invitations and notices to everyone." That was another thing Nic had to do. He had to be in charge of getting invitations to the wedding, while Erza handled her dress. It was going to be a lot of work, and honestly, it annoyed him as much as a dress fitting irritated Erza. Sadly, not everyone can transport between two worlds.

Erza crossed her arms and smirked at him back. "Now look who's irritated." She teased. "Are you going to be back for dinner?"

Nic looked off in the distance, thinking somewhat. It took a few seconds, but he knew what else he had to do. "…yeah, I should be back. That'll give me enough time to look into something else that's been on my mind."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, but I'm sure it'll blow over."

"If you're certain, I trust you."

Nic smiled at her. "Thank you. I mean it."

Erza smiled as she walked back towards their new house. Unlike before, it was a little smaller, but it fit like a glove. It was a large cottage of wood, but premium and lamented wood that took Nic nearly a week to find back in his home world. The lumber yard said it was resistant to attacks and elements. They made sure it had the same number of rooms and the same overall design, so nothing was really out of place, and that was just how they liked it.

As she walked towards the porch, she spoke. "Just be sure to be back by dinner. And then afterwards, we can train some more."

He followed behind, a soft smile on his face. "That's speaking my language right there."

The two went inside and closed their solid premium door, back inside their warm, cozy home.

* * *

The tailor clapped his hands together, smiling wide. "And that looks like a wrap! You looked astounding, Ms. Erza." He praised.

"See? That wasn't so bad." Mirajane smiled.

"Yeah, you look great in that dress." Lucy complimented.

Vanessa nodded with a smile of her own.

A pair of bare feet were seen beneath a changing closet. Inside, the three companions could hear coat hangers clinging and clanging as Erza was changing. "Thank you." From inside, she sounded very confident in her friends' compliments. "But is it really necessary to do this?"

Mirajane giggled. "Aw~, someone's getting shy?"

"No, I meant to not requip."

"Why not? Erza, this is a very important day." Lucy reminded. "Do you just want to go and requip while you're on the alter with Nic rather than awash him from the runway?"

"Well…no, but-"

"Well then there you go. You shouldn't stress about it, besides, we're here for you."

The door unlocked and Erza exited in her Heart Kreuz Armor, leaving her wedding dress hanging on the rack. She looked back with a contemplative look on her face. "Are you sure that I can't just-"

"Nope. Erza~, no requipping." Mirajane insisted in a motherly tone.

The redhead gave a small huff, muttering irritably like some pouty little kid as she looked at Mirajane like she really was being scolded for something she didn't regret. Out of her own conscience, she knew they were right. "…fine." She grunted.

Mirajane clapped. "There's a good girl."

Erza pouted once more, making Lucy and Vanessa giggle at her antics. _'Who knew Erza could be making such a big fuss over this. She's so self-conscious, it's almost unlike her.'_ Lucy thought.

"Nic won't mind. Besides, I think it'd be best for everyone if we all just leave things as they are." Vanessa implied. "Do those armors and clothes even get washed in that space where your requips go?"

"Alright you three, I get it. Enough sugarcoating it." Erza exasperated. "By the way, Vanessa, shouldn't you be going on a job with Sophie sometime soon?"

"She said she needed to finish sending letters and invitations to Sabertooth. Her cousin promised to decode them for the guild and send to others like a pass-on." She explained.

"I see." Erza looked towards Mirajane and Lucy next, the barmaid becoming the main attraction. "Is Lisanna taking care of things at the guild today then?"

Mirajane smiled. "Things should be okay now, but I think she'll use a helping hand. It's gonna get busy since it's almost the lunch hour."

Erza nodded. "If that's the case, go on ahead. We'll catch up."

"Sure." Mirajane went for the doorway and opened it, but not before turning back and smiling to everyone. "We'll see you soon!" She waved as she exited the domain.

Erza turned towards Lucy. "So Lucy, have you decided to go on a job as well?" Her question fell short of inquiry as she saw something wrong with Lucy. It was like looking at her made her feel a little unnerved. "Lucy?"

Vanessa turned towards the blonde, her inquiry met with a surprising twist of fate. Lucy was looking down at the ground, looking sad. She looked like she was about to go sour or throw up. It wasn't a good sign.

She tried to speak up. "The thing is…there's something up with Natsu."

Erza and Vanessa looked at one another for a moment before turning back towards their discomforted friend.

"Ever since Nic came back from saving our worlds again, he's been spacing out. He hasn't been his loud self as usual. When we go out on jobs, he's hasn't been too active. He's been looking spacious, like he's more fixed on himself than the mission. I was sure it was nothing but him thinking, but he gets especially quiet when Gray and Nic are around. Ever since that time, Natsu and Gray haven't gotten into a single fight. Not one. It's so unlike them."

When the two other girls thought about it, it did pique them quite a bit. There wasn't any wrong with what happened over the past month, but it was also no wonder Fairy Tail was so quiet. Normally Natsu and Gray's rivalry would wreck quite a bit, but it's been tamed. And frankly, everyone's taken notice, but never said anything about it.

"Juvia has been worried about Gray, too." Lucy confessed. "Gray's just like Natsu. They can't meet the others eye, and neither can even look at Nic truthfully. I…I want to help, but I just don't know anymore. He won't let any of us in." Her fists began to ball, her boiling anguish beginning to grate her dearly. "If only I knew what went inside their heads."

Vanessa and Erza looked at her with upmost sympathy. They had a good idea of what was going on in their heads. They've been through it. It wasn't something they can speak of, but they just felt it. Guilt. Depression. Sadness. It's pain that only goes so far into the psyche.

"I think I might have an idea." Vanessa quietly said, making Lucy's eyes widen.

"You do?"

Vanessa nodded and looked towards her. She looked dead serious. "All this time, Natsu and Gray…I believe they're still uncomfortable with what they did to Nic back then."

Lucy's heart stopped when her mind flashed back to that battle Nic-Greninja translated. She didn't want to believe any of it back then, and she had immense hopes for Natsu, even when he was still sleeping afterwards. Still, what she saw afterwards still confirmed her fears were true. The fact Natsu and Gray's darkness were overshadowing them in the end and they almost killed Nic would leave bleeding scorn in her own heart if she did such a thing. She could never kill a friend, and Natsu wouldn't either.

Erza followed up. "We all know what Gray and Natsu did was wrong, but this isn't just something you can fix, Lucy. In truth, these wounds can't heal. They need to be mended by themselves."

"So what are you saying?" Lucy asked.

"This matter can only be solved by Nic and those two themselves. Nic's been trying to fix this, but even he has trouble getting Natsu and Gray in one place now. You're not the only one who's hurt in this matter." Vanessa explained. She looked at the blonde with a small but dear smile forming. "But you know, I think Nic knows that, and I think he'll do what he can to at least amend them. Just give them a little more time, okay?"

Lucy wiped a small tear from the corner of her eye, giving Vanessa a smile. Some of her confidence was restored, but she had to be sure. She knew what she had to do now. "Yeah, okay. Thanks, you guys."

"So what is it that you will do now?" Erza asked.

Lucy gave a confident grin as she had a fist pumped. "I'm gonna find Juvia. We'll make sure we see them both well again." Without any worries left, set to fix Natsu's confidence, she set out the same way Mirajane left. "Thank again!" She called out of earshot.

With Lucy having a new goal in mind, that just left Erza and Vanessa to themselves. The two women looked towards the other with half-grins.

"Do you think it was alright to relieve her like that?" Erza questioned.

"This isn't the time to be doubting yourself anymore." Vanessa countered. "We've all had a goal in life, and some of us still do. We can't just give up when something or someone stands in our way, but we can't just let them stand in our way forever. I think Natsu and Gray are at that stalemate where they don't know what to do. This is something personal, and it's up to Nic to fix this before the wedding."

Erza pondered about Vanessa's words, her soon-to-be sister-in-law making her doubts and questions vanish. "You're right. We'll keep believing in him. As we always have."

Vanessa smiled. "There's the Erza we all know."

Erza pulled Vanessa into an embrace, holding her dear with the upmost care. "Thank you, for being there for both of us. You truly are what family we have left to us both."

While surprised, the shock Vanessa felt faded. She smiled wide as she draped her arms around Erza. "Thank you, for giving my brother a sister-in-law as great as you."

* * *

The guild hall doors were wide open, but Nic came in with a dead serious expression. The outdoor lightning illuminated him, giving him a regal disposition.

"Yo! There's the man himself!" Warren cheered.

"Hey, Nic!" Max shouted. "Where's the lady?!"

Nic ignored his fellow friends as they continued to give catcalls and tease him. He was far from that mood, and eventually many caught on. The look he had meant business, and the teasing soon stopped as Nic passed them, heading towards a certain someone in mind. He was on a mission for people, and ti do that, he needed the information.

Sophie sat up in her seat, hunched forward with a loud grunt. "Phew. Well that took forever."

Cana sat on the tabletop with a barrel of booze right beside her. "Finally finished having sent all that mail?" She smirked.

"That took me hours. I'm just glad Rufus was able to get the date and time down for everyone to come." The blonde was more than a little exhausted with how many letters she had to send. She had very little breakfast because of how far long the job dragged on. At this point she could eat anything. "Maybe I'll ask Lisanna for a salad."

Cana, however, showed her a mug full of booze. "C'mon. A girl who's stressed as you needs to relish. Have a drink." She offered.

Sophie only served to shoot her close friend a look. "I value my brain cells, thank you very much."

A person stood before them, revealing it to be Nic himself. He had a frown as he stared down at them.

"Nic?" Cana blinked. "Say, you ready to get hitched?"

"What's with the long face?" Sophie questioned.

Nic, once again, ignored the commentary. "Cana, I need a favor from you."

The brunette raised a brow, surprised by Nic's arbitrary request. "Uh…sure, whatcha need?"

"Tell me…can you still use your fortunetelling?"

* * *

The door to the bathroom closed, and limping towards his bed was Nic. In just black baggy pants, he fell onto his mattress, the light bouncing causing Erza to look from the book she read towards him.

"Somebody looks tired." She said.

Facing the ceiling, Nic let out a hefty sigh as his body relaxed. His mind was facing so fast that he was ready to pass out. It was a hell of a day, and with everything that happened, he was ready to just use Rest, if not for the fact he was too drained to even use that.

Erza turned on her side, overlooking Nic with her chest brushed against his ribs. "What's wrong? Did training wear you out?"

"No. Not that." Nic's answer wasn't wrong, though battle training did push him to think like himself again. In fact, his Pokémon and his commands were in better sync than this morning. He and Erza even went as far as use Mega Houndoom against Mega Charizard. Their training and experience back in shape was one factor, but something more pressing was what wore Nic out. It was like lead fell off his chest.

Erza gave him a look of wonder. "Was your day stressful?"

Nic stayed quiet as he thought back to the prior hours.

" _Hurry, Natsu! This way!" Lucy ran ahead._

" _Yes, it was this way!" Juvia followed alongside her. "Gray, hurry!"_

" _Yeah, we're coming!" Natsu hurried as fast as he could, with a shirtless Gray right beside him._

" _Geez, what's the big emergency all of a sudden anyway!" He exclaimed._

 _Lucy looked over her shoulder to look back at them. "Sorry, there's no time to explain! You'll just have to see when we get there, okay?"_

 _While skeptical of the sudden blurt, Gray and Natsu went on with their heads held high, following their lovers into the woods just outside Magnolia. It wasn't too far from home, but at the same time it was getting a little deep within the afternoon forest sun rays shimmering down onto them. They had no idea what got into Lucy and Juvia. All they knew was that once they came around, they came to them about a sudden "emergency" that the two could handle. It was so important that they were almost dragged along._

 _The group went on for a few minutes before reaching a clearing up ahead. The four saw Happy in the center of the clearing, seeing him turn to face them._

" _Happy?" Natsu said._

" _Natsu! You're here!" Happy smiled. "Gray, too!"_

" _Yeah, yeah, where's the emergency already?" Natsu looked left and right, seeing nothing but trees and grass everywhere. "IS it hiding? Is it some wild animal threatening you?"_

 _Happy shook his head innocently. "Nope…"_

 _Gray crossed his arms and raised a brow. "Okay then, what's the big emerg-!" Gray fell short of his sentence when something was seen in the tress up ahead. Some figure that he recognized was overlooking them, and he didn't seem too pleased._

" _Huh?" Natsu took notice of Gray's shocked face and looked where he was looking. "What's wro-!" His head turned upwards, his smell kicking in. His own eyes widened when he saw Nic sitting on a branch, overlooking them. "Nic?!"_

" _Nice job, Lucy. Thank you, Juvia." Nic jumped down from the tree branch, landing in a crouch and straightening back up._

 _Lucy nodded with a smile, as did Juvia. Happy glided right between them, giving a look of anticipation. Slowly, the other girls did the same._

 _Natsu and Gray looked at Nic with surprise. He stood only a few meters away, and yet he looked so calm. He frowned at them, yet to Natsu and Gray, it was like being stared at by a teacher or parent. They didn't like it. They tried to look away._

" _So…what's the emergency?" Natsu asked hesitantly._

 _Gray gasped. "Wait a minute. Did you…!"_

" _I'm sorry for the circumstances, I really am. But I knew you wouldn't come if it wasn't for anything that wasn't an 'emergency'." Nic apologized._

 _Gray's eyes narrowed. "You sure got that right."_

 _Natsu raised a fist. "What's the big idea tricking us?!"_

" _Uh, Natsu?" Happy said. "No offense, but your pranks actually are something else."_

" _My pranks got nothing to do with this! It's about this guy over here, who's making us look him in the face when we just can't!"_

 _Nic stayed silent. He knew it was a little cruel to trick his own friends, but then again, keeping them in the loop wasn't his style. He keeps people on their toes, that's his good quality nonetheless._

 _Gray grunted. "Sorry, but if it isn't an emergency then I'm-!" Once more, he was cut off by a tarot card glistening in the sunlight behind him. A figure was seen, to Gray and Natsu's surprise, it was Cana._

" _Cana?" They both said._

 _Cana held the tarot card up. "You boys really wanna just walk away?" She insinuated. "If you do, I'll just trap you in these cards and we can repeat this all day long."_

 _Natsu and Gray found themselves cornered good. They didn't want to face Nic like this, but their friends were saying otherwise. A little rough to their liking, but they just couldn't do it. It was calculated and planned out, sort of speak._

" _Natsu, Gray, please listen to what we have to say." Lucy implored._

 _The duo could only look away from them._

" _You must overcome this. We know what you did was wrong, and perhaps it could've been resolved another way, but this isn't just hurting you. It's hurting all of us." Juvia added on. She looked at Gray like she was about to give up on a precious family memento. "Darling, look at me, please."_

 _Gray relented, but he did as told soon enough. Shooting a small peek at Juvia, he showed a stone-cold face full of guilt. Whenever he looked at Juvia, he only saw the woman that he thought died, and that very thought fueled his anguish to kill the darkness for himself._

" _How did Nic talk you guys into this?" He asked._

" _That's a question for me to answer." Nic said. Everyone turned towards him, allowing him to have full attention. "This wasn't something on a whim you know. I didn't think this could be solved personally, so I had Cana use her fortunetelling and foretell when Juvia and Lucy would be at the guild. Once I explained it all, we had to find you, another one of Cana's fortunetelling skills were enacted. And that left Lucy and Juvia to get you here so we can settle this."_

 _Natsu gave Nic what could have been the most serious look he's ever given. "What's the big idea?"_

" _Natsu." Lucy pleaded._

 _Natsu looked at her, but then looked back at the ground, his fists balling. "Damnit…of all the times."_

" _This has gone on long enough. Just talk it out so we can get on with our lives already." Cana snorted. "Believe me, I should know. How did you think I felt when I had to wait all these years to tell Gildarts he was my Dad? Let me tell you, it wasn't a good feeling." Her frown was heavy, and she looked rather empathetic. "And I'd rather not see anymore of my friends suffer like that."_

" _But…"_

" _No buts." Lucy snapped. "C'mon you guys. Just hear the other out. Okay?" In spite of her plea, she knew their position and had to respect it. She's be at a crossroad as well if she was in the predicament as them._

 _Natsu and Gray looked at the three girls and cat who urged them desperately. They looked back at Nic, seeing his own frown of mourn. He knew of his fault, and he wanted to make it right. He wanted to have a slate cleaned before moving on. Should they think this was the way to do it?_

 _Both turned towards him and gave exasperated huffs. They looked tired, but no one could blame them. Still, some words were better said than none._

 _Nic put his hands in his pockets, looking sad. "You guys still have some hate for me, do you?" He sounded like he already knew the answer, but he let Gray and Natsu have their say in the matter._

 _Gray looked down. "It's…it's complicated."_

 _Natsu stayed quiet. That was all Nic needed to hear to confirm his worries._

" _I see…so then you guys wouldn't be okay if I ended up marrying Erza then because of your spite?"_

 _Gray shook his head. "No. Not really. I wouldn't let something like that stop Erza from making her own choices. She wants to marry you, and we don't got a problem with it. But I guess…" He stopped for a moment, trying to contemplate about his own feelings. "But why does she have to get with someone who fell to darkness?"_

 _Nic narrowed his eyes. "So then you're still stuck on what happened back then? Gray, it's okay. Really."_

 _Gray looked at him with shock. "Really?...Really?" He began to show irritation. "You call what we did okay?!"_

" _Nic." All attention this time went to Natsu. "Show us."_

 _Nic showed confusion. "Show what?"_

" _C'mon. Just show us already."_

" _Natsu, what do you want?"_

" _Show us what we did to you, damnit!" He snapped. This was completely unlike Natsu. It was the anguish he had kept inside, his anger building up partially released. The group could've sworn his breath had some steam to it._

 _A long silence fell as everyone looked ahead with anticipation. They didn't want to think or say anything. They allowed actions to befall instead. Even Happy was silent as he watched Natsu blurt out his demand._

 _Seeing how he didn't have a choice, Nic closed his eyes and didn't hesitate. Slowly, he lifted his shirt, the gray once shielding his toned upper body being stripped. Slowly, everyone went wide-eyed as they gazed at Nic's bare upper body. They saw not just the scar Lysandre left on his right side, but they also saw the several other massive scars on his body: The one on his back that he and Greninja shared back in the Council War, the one his corrupted Uncle Vince left on his left waist, as large as Lysandre's, and then there were the two fresh wounds that healed. Where Gray sliced into his shoulder, there was a scar, and a hole-like scar was where Natsu punctured him at that same point in time._

 _Happy quivered in place. "W-whoa…"_

" _All those marks…" Lucy hushed._

 _Juvia had hands to her mouth. "He really suffered that much?"_

 _Cana narrowed her eyes. She offered no input as she looked at the many deep scars Nic had on his body; the one on his left waist made her hold onto her guild mark._

 _Seeing the damage that was done, Natsu and Gray looked away in shame._

 _Nic looked at them bluntly. "You guys…"_

" _Is it too late?" Natsu asked._

 _Nic stayed quiet._

" _Is it too late? Can't those fade by Wendy's magic or something? She could've healed you."_

" _Well then if that's the case, why didn't you get rid of that scar on your right cheek?" Nic countered. His statement made Natsu look at his own cheek, seeing scar his deceased brother gave to him. "It's nothing I'm ashamed of. Are you asking because you don't want me to bear any pain or guilt? Or is it to lift your own doubts?"_

 _Gray looked down at his own scar, the fresh one he got from when he stabbed himself to save Juvia. Unconsciously, Juvia held her scar beneath her clothing as well._

" _Just…why are you acting so calm when those marks were made by us?" Natsu continued. "We were your friends, and yet we almost killed you! And you're brushing off our anger because it was nothing to you?! You can't be serious, Nic! How could you possibly try to reach out for us, when we both don't even deserve such a place in your heart?!"_

" _Natsu." Lucy wanted to say something, but had no place in the conversation._

 _As Natsu and Gray shuddered, both were looking in deep anguish. It was Gray's turn to feel his own words sting his heart. "How could I have been so weak? I didn't understand. I still don't! How could you live through that kind of darkness? How did you keep your sanity? Just…"_

" _How are you that stronger than us? Than all of us?" Natsu blurted out. His eyes began to mist as he looked down in deep shame. "Even when my Dad talked to me after E.N.D was killed, even after I beat my brother, even after I knew Acnologia wasn't my fight. Why do I feel so…guilty?"_

 _Nic knew what they were going through. Such pain. Such grief. Such despair. It was heartbreaking. He knew the answer, and he had to put it in simple words for all of them to understand._

 _Nic put his shirt on and walked closer until he stood in front of their heads. They were both crestfallen, and yet they couldn't bear to look at him still. It was this guilt that made them regret not saying anything at Makarov and Mavis' funeral. Jealousy and guilt were powerful forces, but only a few remedies were strong enough to clear them away._

 _In a sudden move, Nic reached past them. His hands went to the backs of their heads and he pulled them into a group hug. A loud wind blew as Natsu and Gray were dead silent as Nic held his friends close._

" _I'm sorry for what had to be done. I'm not really sure what I can do to make it so that you guys can move forward without regret. But all I can say is just depend on the other. That's how I made it this far."_

 _Natsu and Gray looked over Nic's shoulders, staring at the other in surprise._

" _Yes, I know you guys were consumed in your hate for one another. Believe of it was you or not. You guys still knew what happened, but why let it hold you back? I may have gotten your darkness destroyed, but it was so I could see the friends that always scuffled and kept pushing for the guild, not to see them drowning in their insecurities. Besides, I didn't stop Acnologia alone. This wasn't just my score to settle. All this hate and despair, I've dealt with it all my life. You can hate me for as long as you want, but you mustn't forget that we all came this far and got stronger because of the faith and bonds we had, just like myself and my Pokémon had with each other. We're all alike in this hell. We've made mistakes. We've hurt others close to us. We've seen perils, but taking all of that alone won't prove anything. You'd only burden those around you more than yourself. How did you think I feel when I kept reaching out to you guys and you only pushed away?"_

 _Gray and Natsu frowned heavily as they thought back to the adventures they had as they were still resting their chins on Nic's shoulders – the very ones they hurt. It was warm rather than cold. They allowed the person who was stronger and more willing to embrace darkness._

" _Do you remember what I said back in Makarov and Mavis' funeral? Yes, I know you can be sour, but that's okay. You can love and hate, and accepting what you did and making the best out of it would be what Makarov would want. We're all a family, so even if you distance yourselves from me, even if you think I'm someone you can never measure up to, that's all up to you. But to me…you're my friends to the bitter end. All of you. So don't second guess that again."_

 _At last, Nic pulled away, allowing Natsu and Gray to process what he said and step back. They both blinked, looking rather distraught for a few moments before the reality sunk in. Gray managed to meekly grin. "So you really like scars, huh?" He mused coldly._

 _Nic smirked as he shrugged. "Call me a scar magnet if you'd like."_

" _So then…even if we hate ourselves for what we did, you still think we're friends?" Natsu clarified._

 _Nic looked towards him and smiled. "Not think, we are."_

 _The duo that used to fight had been biting their own necks constantly. They were guilty and hated themselves for the pain they went through. In Natsu's case, it was not only his recklessness and the fact he allowed his hate and jealousy of strength to get the best of him; he once thought it was his destiny to beat Acnologia, but realized then thanks to his father's words that it was best to allow not just Nic to handle, but for Pokémon in general to handle. For Gray, it was a long road of demons that damned his family, and he got clouded thinking Nic was a monster for being shrouded in darkness and being okay with it. They got the best of their darkness, but from this experience they learned that even darkness can be good._

 _Though concepts of light and dark were a debate these days, they knew their hearts were in the wrong all this time. Finally, the two were able to feel better about themselves. They looked at Nic with sincere smiles._

 _Gray reached his hand out to Nic, surprising him. "Hm?"_

" _Thanks Nic, for opening our eyes." He thanked._

 _He blinked, but Nic recovered and smiled. At last, Gray saw the light. He took his hand and shook it, the slate cleaning._

" _Just one thing…" Gray added. "Just, maybe sometime…could you show us what happened when you took on the Impure Underworld? I wanna learn more about this darkness that you overcame, so that it won't take me in again."_

 _Nic nodded at Gray's condition. "Sure." He looked towards Natsu next. "Natsu?"_

 _Natsu had hands to his hips as he smiled, though not with his usual enthusiasm. "…alright. I admit it. Pokmon are better than dragons. You're stronger and the better man than me." He laughed uproariously, even though it was fake. Everyone should tell it was, but it felt like a weight fell off of Natsu's chest finally admitting what he thought and denied for so long. "But yeah, I know I messed up bad, but thanks for setting me straight. I may not be stronger than you, but I sure as hell was strong enough to handle my own bro!"_

 _Nic smirked. "There's the Natsu we all know."_

" _Just one more thing." He added._

" _Okay, what is it?"_

" _How do you feel about Erza?"_

 _Nic went wide-eyed and nearly floored. The question threw him for a loop. "B-beg your pardon?"_

" _Erza. What do you feel about her? I wanna know what you think about our friend we look up to."_

 _Nic blushed as he sheepishly looked away. "Well…i-it's kind of complicated to say."_

" _Come on, lover boy. Don't be shy." Cana insisted. "I'm curious how deep you think of our Titania."_

 _Lucy leaned in, smiling. "Don't be shy, we wanna know."_

" _Aye!" Happy insisted._

 _Nic groaned as he the one know who was to confess how he felt about someone dear to him. "Well…" He looked back at his friends, his face growing serious once more. It was like his split-second nervousness was gone. "Erza…she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She has this…quality and strength that I wanted to get to know more of. At first when we met, I wasn't sure exactly how I was supposed to feel about her. I honestly thought she was some damsel in armor that gave off some serious demeanor. I was honestly challenged by it, but I wasn't afraid. I guess that's where we began to see through the other. I was honestly scared and surprised with how quickly we connected, but I think all relationships have ups and downs like that."_

 _Lucy and Juvia giggled at Nic's knowing. They knew that all too well, especially with the rejuvenated men in their lives right before their eyes._

" _She usually means one thing, but says another. She can be a little awkward, but I think we all have some quirks we can live with. Her red hair grew with her personality. It was a lot to her, and to me, it was like a burning blaze that I kept going. We love to battle, and we love to battle each other whenever we can. We connect as deeply in the battlefield as we do outside of it. I guess that's kind of how we respected and turned our love into strength. It's…kind of tough to explain, but I'm able to tell what she thinks most of the time, but when she doesn't, she keeps me wondering what she wants. I think I learned that was to keep me for herself. I…felt the same way. The only thing we can do now after what we went through is stick by the other to survive."_

 _Everyone looked at him and smiled in sincerity. They never heard anyone sound so confident about Erza before. They knew he really did love her._

 _He had his hand gestured over his heart. "I really do love her. I can't imagine anything without her now. She's that important to me. When I'm around her, I get fuzzy, and I get empty in the head sometimes. When I hear her voice, my ears tickle a little."_

 _Gray snickered. He went on over and gave Nic a pat on the back. "Well bud, guess you've found yourself a very lucky girl."_

 _Nic smiled sheepishly towards the ground. "Honestly, I think I'm the lucky one here."_

" _Well I sure can't wait to see a wedding like that!" Natsu beamed. "This'll be a blast!"_

 _Cana held up a fist and gave a bashful smirk. "Alright! Who's up for a bachelor party then?!" She exclaimed._

" _Eh~?!" Happy, Juvia, and Lucy exclaimed._

 _Nic, Gray, and Natsu all sweat-dropped at Cana's insistence. 'She just wants to alcohol us all, doesn't she?' They thought in unison._

" _You're not even a guy." Lucy pointed out._

" _True." She winked. "But bachelors need some entertainment before hitching, right?"_

" _NO!" Everyone denied, much to Cana's amusement._

Nic rolled over and looked at Erza. He saw her frowning and smile in comfort. When he looked at her, he got fuzzy in the stomach, but he didn't mind. He put his hand out towards her. "Actually, I think we all had a very good day." He smiled.

Erza smiled back. She accepted Nic's hand, their fingers interlocking as they laid on connected pillows in their wooden bedroom.

 **1 Week Later**

"Man, just look at him."

"I know, he looks like he's gonna pass out."

"Can you blame him? Have you even seen his fiancée? I'd throw up if I married someone that hot, too."

"What a lucky man."

"More like a dead man. He's paling!"

It was the morning of the big day. It was a cool yet still pleasant autumn morning. The leaves started to change color, giving hues of auburn and red to the tips of green leaves. The trees were changing, and so was the time for Nic and Erza's to get wed.

Nic stood at the altar, standing in a relaxed posture – though he was anything but. He was in a black tuxedo with matching black pants and clean shoes. Beneath was a midnight purple vest with a matching tie tucked in. He never was a fan of wearing these things, and he probably never will be, but for the sake of such a day he was in it to win it. He was known for being relaxed and calm, but he looked like he was going to pass out. He was a nervous wreck, but he stayed strong…more or less.

His attention went to the audience, and honestly, it was far more than expected. Compared to Makarova and Mavis' funeral, the same people attended, as well as other guilds in full like Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, and Mermaid Heel. The same people that included Yajima and Porlyusica had also attended. There were even a few citizens and random people that attended, but Nic didn't mind too much. What shocked him more was the many others who he brought with him from Kalos. What he had to do was get back to Kalos just yesterday and get all the people that were invited and round them up in Lumiose City in front of the tower. There, the gathered were directed by Nic into the portal. It nearly took him half an hour to get nearly two-hundred accounted for. So many from his world partook in the wedding. That included Jake and Will, Professor Sycamore, and all of Kalos' Elite Four and Gym Leaders attended. Even Diantha made it on time. When he looked closer, sitting not too far away was Joanna and Michael with their son Tan sitting patiently and with smiles. Joanna was looking anxious, almost as much as Nic was. When he looked around, he saw that all his Pokémon stood beside him, as well as his Groomsmen: Comprised of Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, Elfman, Alzack, Laxus, and Gildarts; the last barely on schedule. When Nic looked to the other front rows, Erza's Pokémon were present on the side, waiting with her Bridesmaids: Lucy, Juvia, Levy, Bisca, Wendy, Kagura, and Mirajane. Vanessa's Pokémon were out as well beside Erza's. Vanessa made double sure Krookodile stayed quiet, judging from the look like he was about to get muzzled.

"Are you ready?"

The question came from Greninja, the supposed "Best Man." Nic looked towards him, seeing his blank eyes showing calm. "As ready as I'll ever be." He lied.

Greninja chuckled meekly and stood with arms crossed. "Should you really have eaten breakfast."

"Thank you for being so helpful." Nic groaned with a straight face.

Charizard chuckled aloud. "Man, this is going to be something."

Kecleon tilted her head. "Hopping Bunnelby and flying Pidgey all around."

Aegislash adjusted her arms behind her. "Erza's really doing it today."

"About time of ya ask me." Houndoom barked.

"Everyone, quiet, it looks like it's about to start." Scizor instructed.

"Here we go." Mawile rolled her eyes and smiled.

Greninja stepped down as a priest came forth. He was relatively elderly man of average height. He had a large hat with a cross on it. His glasses were on his nose as his white cloak had golden embroidery on the sleeves. He stepped up, and many fell silent as he stepped at the altar.

He cleared his throat and presented his book. "Will all please rise for the bride." Instantly, everyone did as told and stood up, turning around to face the long red carpet present.

Nic turned towards the doorway as the piano piece started. To everyone's shock, it was Sophie who was playing the piano. Apparently acrobatic talent wasn't the only thing she practiced while her time in Sabertooth. She looked over her shoulder, giving everyone a fashionable smirk, while Nic swallowed a lump as the doors to the cathedral opened, revealing his soon-to-be-bride.

At the mere sight of Erza, Nic's heart literally stopped.

Erza was breathtaking in her gown. It was a white ball gown type with matching white gloves that covered her sleeves. It was all plain, without much of any embroidery or doilies anywhere. It also showed her ample bust and hugged her upper body quite well. She stood with eyes closed, grinning nervously as she held her bouquet tightly. Even from behind the veil, many could see her grace and uneasiness.

Standing behind her was the maid of honor, Vanessa. The soon-to-be sister-in-law smiled as she was adorned in a teal dress that hugged her body and curves. The slit was open to her left leg and left much room for her own buxom to blossom. Unlike Erza, she was very much relaxed. "Are you ready?" She asked.

Erza opened her eyes, seeing the long carpet ahead of her. "I am…I hope."

Vanessa chuckled at her expense.

The music went on, and coming from behind the seats was Asuka atop of Venusaur's head. Venusaur made way slowly down the red carpet as Asuka tossed red rose petals into the air, while Venusaur kept puffing out bursts of pink petals from his own flower. Both child and Pokémon acting as the flower girl and…actual flower strolled along as the pink and red petals were stepped on by Erza as she slowly made way down the road that led her to the altar.

' _This really is happening.'_ Erza still couldn't pull herself together, but she was awash with nervousness and sheer joy. Nic was right up ahead, and she was in so much joy that she was scared. Never in a million years did she think she would get married. If somebody told her before that she was going to overcome her trauma and have magical creatures aiding her with another person from another world believing in her all the way, she would've called that superstition. But even as she pressed on, she looked at her Pokémon as they all saw Erza make way towards Nic.

She did her very best to hide her blushing from beneath her veil, but she was doing a poor job. Happy as she was, her nervousness still existed as compliments came from whispers of many. Jason and Viola constantly taking quality snapshots certainly did not help. She looked at Nic, and just like her – though joyful – he was also nervous.

Nic couldn't take her eyes off her. She was breathtaking in her dress, and the way her hair flowed straight as it always has was just as he imagined. It was just his own vision inside his head came to life. He breathed calmly, but he was gripping his own wrist so tight that it was starting to hurt.

After what felt like a thousand years, Erza had finally reached her point of destination. She stopped and looked up towards him with an endearing smile. She had her hand reached towards him, and Nic accepted. He helped her up the steps, where at last they stood before the other, turning towards the priest.

The priest bowed. "You may all be seated."

Everyone did as instructed and sat down. The piano wrapped up and Sophie took her seat next to Vanessa.

He looked towards Nic and Erza, ready to begin. "Dearly beloved. We are all gathered here today…" As he went on with holy matrimony, Nic and Erza stayed quiet as they began to sink into their own little worlds. Their own memories began to flash before their eyes.

For Erza, it was like being stuck in place by Lock-On and a Guillotine coming at her. She thought about the child hunts, and how she was tortured and suffered in the Tower of Heaven. Rob's death, Jellal's corruption, her eye lost; it was terrible. However, within darkness was light, and that light was Fairy Tail. As she aged, she recalled meeting all her friends and going on many jobs and experiencing so much. Then came the point where she didn't think it was even going to matter: Meeting Nic.

For Nic, it was perhaps its own chaos. He was abused and mercilessly treated like a slave and dog by his mother and father, while his younger sister was pampered, yet he endured it all for her. He recalled the anger, the rage, and those bloodthirsty looks at times, especially when the police finally came and fought them. He left his new home for years, but still hoped for his sister to be okay while he met all his friends and Pokémon. He recalled each individual meeting and capture he had with them. After training for years and being all around Kalos, then came the shocking twist of fate of Arceus bestowing a mission to him. That brought him to the beginning of what was a most intriguing story that changed his life forever.

From that point on, both recounted the first day they met. Looking back at it now, it wasn't so much romantic as it was a cheap damsel in distress turned knight. They recalled the missions they went on, Nic's sacrifice at the tower, his first date with her, his heartache after the Nirvana incident. Their reconnection, up to where they had a bumpy road until their confessions on the beach. The night Nic had the funeral for the future fallen and when Arceus was saved. To when they chose to be together forever. To the life-changing hell that was Impure Underworld.

Taking that moment into consideration, the revelations then made Nic nearly frown, as did Erza. Both recounted Nic's family history and how they had to suffer more damnation until they were at last freed. It was then they reconciled with Mark and Laura. Knowing them, they were smiling down from above, as well as Makarov, Rob, and to a slight extent, Erza's mother, Irene.

The vacation they took leading up to the war; it was the longest hell of demons and humans and dragons that could've killed them. After all of that consideration, the two were swallowing lump after lump.

' _Do I honestly deserve all this? After what we've been through?'_ Nic thought.

' _Do I truly deserve this much happiness, after everything that's happened?'_ Erza's thoughts were as gone as his.

Both took one more glance at each other, seeing the anxiousness in their eyes. However, they could also see their own insecurities; even deeper than that. They were seeing what the other was thinking. They saw the terror they went through, the loved ones they lost, the anguish, despair, and yet…they survived. They found love.

They glanced around, seeing many faces that were still alive to this day. Nic looked over and saw his younger sister smiling just a few feet away. Even she was caught in the hell that was their lives and yet she didn't trade it for anything. Even looking about, they saw their friends who stuck up for them; who they stuck up for. They even looked at Greninja, and Aegislash, and all the other Pokémon. When they got a deeper look at the cathedral, their eyes widening when they saw the many more people.

What Nic did – what Erza's been through – this wasn't just a union between them. It was a union between two worlds. People from Nic's world that were invited sat next to the eccentric Earth Land's population.

They looked back at each other once more, seeing the changes that they made were for the better. They lost their parent and parent figures, but they held onto each other to the end. Together, they smiled.

' _Yes, we deserve this. We all do.'_

' _This is what I want. I deserve this, and this is how I can prove it.'_

After what felt like an eternity, the priest wrapped up and raised his head. "Does thou have the rings?"

On cue, Romeo stood up and presented the two rings that were on a purple pillow with gold edging. He approached and presented them with their rings. Nic graciously took Erza's hand and slid the ring he gave her inwards. As for Erza, she gave Nic his ring, which was a small diamond, but the branding and silver it was on was from the most exquisite craftsman in Fiore. For the amount of jewel she had to fork up, she hoped for the jeweler's sake that it was.

As they drew closer, a few guests were beginning to mist in the eyes. Joanna and Michael especially were starting to tear up. Vanessa included. Those who were full-out bawling was Ichiya, although he was distraught his so-called 'Honey' was lost to his love rival. But he had nothing to fear, for the Tri-Mens patted his back in comfort.

Krookodile narrowed his eyes, keeping the tears shut. Mawile looked up and snickered, but for once, Krookodile overlooked her.

"If anyone objects to this union, speak now, or forever hold your peace."

There were no words said, it looked like many agreed to this occasion. Unbeknownst the everyone, edged in the cathedral's veiling, there was a small orb with a glint in it. Shrouded in another location, looking through another orb halfway on the other side of Fiore, Crime Sorciere stopped for a break on their continuing journey of repent, but even they needed a break to enjoy such an occasion.

"What a ceremony." Sorano rolled her eyes in a not so subtle tone. Clearly she didn't have an opinion.

Richard sniffled with tears running down his face. "This is what bountiful love is all about! Oh yeah!"

"I must say, Erza does look good in that dress." Ultear smirked.

"Yeah, she's so pretty." Meredy smiled.

Erik crossed his arms and smirked at the crystal ball. "Well all said and done."

Macbeth nodded. Sawyer offered no input.

Watching the two, Jellal and Bellona stared in slight envy, but they did nothing to intrude. They looked down at the people they admired, but when they looked at the other, they didn't see any aching. They clearly moved on, and as they smiled, they looked at the crystal ball once more to see the ceremony concluded.

The priest smiled with pride. "Then by the power vested in me, I hereby announce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

The moment had finally come. Nic smiled as he faced Erza, lifting his hands without any shaking nor twitching. They were smooth and steady as Erza tilted her head down to allow him to lift her white veil to the back of her head. She lifted and opened her eyes to see Nic's blue ones interlock with her brown ones. With hands together, fingers interlocking, the two leaned in, turning ever so slightly as their lips locked. The kiss was passionate, and very deep. Not light, but deep. Their bodies radiated with a tingly feeling of warmth as they parted.

Together, guests clapped happily, and some whistled loudly as Nic and Erza turned towards them with bright smiles.

* * *

The nighttime air flourished in all of Magnolia. Lights of various colors were everywhere as the reception was as lively as it possibly could've gotten. There was music, dancing, food, and merry all around. Many guests gathered clapped happily as Nic and Erza cut their wedding cake, and Jason and Viola were taking hundreds of pics; though Viola was calmer of the two-man camera crew. With thanks and more whistling, the first two to the dance floor were none other than the newly weds.

To Erza's shock, Nic was very light on his feet. It was no doubt from all that battling he does and shifting his feet up and about. They took their dance nice and slow, a soothing melody played as Nic held Erza close to him, both taking comfort in the embrace of the other as music went on. He had Joanna, Michael, and Vanessa to thank for the few dance lessons.

Eventually, more couple got onto the dance floor. Lucy dragged Natsu, even if he did end up stepping on her a couple times. She didn't mind. She was just glad she and her could spend this time together. To Juvia's immense shock, Gray – though still embarrassed – looked away as he asked for Juvia's hand to dance. She nearly had a heart attack but took it, allowing Gray to whisk her into dreamland. Other parties entered the dance floor, such as Professor Sycamore with Diantha, and Ramos and Porlyusica. Siebold supplied the catering and the five-star meals, all prepped beforehand; with Yajima and him exchanging some recipes at that. Wendy and Mest shared a dance before having one with Romeo. Carla was surprisingly acquiescent to sharing just one dance to an ecstatic Happy. Gajeel was dragged and forced by Levy, much to Jet and Droy's dismay. Asuka and Tan danced and played like children while their parents talked and danced on the floor. Vanessa got to dance with her brother before she and Erza had Nic in a triad dance. Yukino got a nervous Sting to get on the dance floor thanks to a little push from Lector. Rogue asked Minerva, and she obliged like a queen. Even the Pokémon had dances of their own. Greninja got a dance in with Diantha's Gardevoir, Goodra – though slimy – got a dance with Grant's Tyrantrum, even Kecleon frolicked and danced with Vanessa's Krookodile. It was a festive ball all around.

Jake and Will were hovering over the massive buffet, their faces stuffed with various mush that was stuck in their mouths from previous filling. "Oh man, dude. Have you tried this quiche?" Will asked his best pal, who was trying another dish.

"No, how's it taste?" He asked, looking up from his plate.

"Mmm…" He rolled his eyes around to get a feeling of the taste. "It's a little cheesy, but jut the right pitch."

"Man, this world sure has it going. And not just the food either." Jake leered over his shoulder, seeing a random lady walk by. He took notice in the curvy stature Earth Land has for its feminine inhabitants.

Will cocked his brow. "Eye candy's everywhere."

Professor Sycamore came walking up behind them, waving them. "Ah, good evening you two." His sudden greet nearly made Jake and Will choke on the food they were eating; and not just from the fact they were looking at people who were hanging back like Cana nearby. Swallowing and barely missing choking, the two whipped to face the calm man in his 40's.

"Oh, Professor Sycamore!" They snapped in unison.

"I see you're both enjoying yourselves. Are you finding everything okay?" He smiled.

"Yeah! Yeah, we're just having a blast." Will said, though it came out rather hastily.

Professor Sycamore laughed off the humor. "Ah, youth. What days."

"I…guess…?" Jake raised a brow and rubbed the back of his head. "So, enjoying this yourself?"

"Ah, oui! Best reception yet! It's a festival of merry!" He enthused. "The many of people here who I talked to are very interested in us, as well as Pokémon. Nic and Vanessa really did open their eyes to what we have to offer." An epiphany came to his mind as he looked back at them. "Say, I have something to say as well."

"You do?" Will asked in deep confusion.

"Of course."

Coming from nearby was Diantha. She grinned as she stood beside Professor Sycamore as they looked down at the two. "We were very pleased that it was you who made that live video. If it wasn't for you two, we may not have made it in time. We thank you for being there when we couldn't to warn the world."

Will blushed at the deep attention he was getting. "Oh stop. You're gonna make me blush…but go on."

Diantha and Professor Sycamore laughed at his behavior, finding him amusing.

"But since that is but the past, I want to talk about a potential future for you two specifically." The professor proposed.

Jake and Will's praise was put on hold as they were intrigued by what Augustine had to offer. "A job only we can do?" Jake repeated.

Professor Sycamore nodded. "Of course. Ever since the battle with Acnologia, many people have taken a great liking and wonder to the confines of time and space. After we go home to Kalos, I want to offer you two a very important task."

Jake raised a brow. "I'm listening."

"With time and space the subject, a lot of researchers are heading to Sinnoh, since that's where the roots of time and space are that can link anything space and time-related. If you can spare any time in your 'busy' schedules as Trainers, would you like to take the offer and head to Sinnoh to collect data for that purpose? I'm willing to have everything including the voyage itself paid for."

It was a deep shock to them, but to Jake and Will, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. Both of their eyes widened and they looked at each other like they haven't seen the other in forever.

"Dude, you hear that just now?!" Will exclaimed.

"I know. A trip to Sinnoh, and it's all expense paid!"

"All right!" Both high-fived.

"Marvelous!" Professor Sycamore smiled. "We'll discuss this more when we get back home. For now, let's enjoy the festive air, shall we?"

"You don't have to tell us twice!" Will instantly turn away. "C'mon bud! Let's get your swing on with a few chicks before we hit the big time!" He strolled along, with his pal in tow. Of course both knew as well that where there was Sinnoh, there was Sinnoh's Champion, Cynthia. To them, it was a paradise.

Vanessa and Sophie were talking to each other as they stood nearby the food table with cups of lemonade, the sweet and sour making Vanessa relish in the night. As the two best friends were going on with a conversation about the job they took last week, they glanced over to see two faces walk on over.

Jake and Will stood before the two, their smiles wide, but Will was more hesitant of the two just from looking at them.

Vanessa smiled upon seeing her friends once more. "Jake. Will. It's so good to see you."

Sophie raised a brow and smirked. "Oh~? So you're the friends we saw from before. How've you both been?"

Will rolled his eyes modestly. "Oh, you know, saving the world. Enjoying meals. All that taxing stuff."

The two girls giggled at his antics. It only made him blush more at his foolishness.

"Anyway, we would like to know something." Jake asked.

"Shoot." Sophie insisted.

"So, before we head off to Sinnoh, would you care for just a dance?" Jake graciously held his hand out to the busty blonde. "Would it be okay if we, well…" He struggled a bit, trying to look cool but was quickly cracking under pressure. "I-if we…maybe just once…or a couple…"

Will narrowed his eyes at his pal hesitating. Apparently he felt challenged. "Not so fast, pal! I can do better than that!" He turned towards Vanessa and took a deep breath. But when he got the nerve, he almost snapped, his nervousness flaring. "So, uh, Vanessa. I, eh…know you may have a busy schedule and maybe have a hundred guys already asking to dance with you…but…" He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, looking away as he couldn't look at her. "Would it be swell enough, i-if we just…y'know…maybe once…b-but I know you have others to dance with, so it's cool if-"

A dainty hand grabbed his wrist, making Will stop and freeze up. His hand and arm lowered, and holding his hand was a gracious Vanessa. He looked back at her, seeing her smile. "Sure. Let's make sure your time here before you go to Sinnoh a memorable one, shall we?" Without delay, Vanessa followed a startled but still able-bodied Will as he guided his friend to the dance floor.

As he looked back at Jake, he gave a cheeky smile. It only made him pout.

"That doesn't count! We know her!" He pointed out.

"Still counts!" Will yelled out of earshot with a mocking laughter.

Jake growled beneath his breath before a sudden slip of a dainty hand tickled his own. His senses crawling, he looked back and saw Sophie giving him a look like no one gave him before. A nonchalant smirk. Fitted in a red dress which outlined her curves, as well as her assets, she began to make Jake's eyes twitch.

"Well, I prefer to not lose this little competition of who dances more with whom." She looked back at Jake, shooting him a wink. "Come on, be a good boy and follow along." She dragged Jake, giving him almost no room to rethink what he was doing. He just had a perplexed look on his face as he was still overlooking Sophie's body. His nervousness only served to make him paralyzed.

"Help me." He wheezed.

"HAHA!" Will pointed and laughed at him, before he was swung around by a nonchalant Vanessa. He, too, was unfortunately in for a world of havoc. So much for studs.

As the night went on, it eventually led to the many couples getting exhausted, and yet still on the dance floor alone after a few hours, Nic and Erza were at last holding the other, the music slowing down at last into a slow song that had a gentle guitar to it with some deep, soothing, melodic whistle.

Slender arms around a neck and sleeves and hands behind a supple waist, holding onto long, silky red threads, Nic and Erza shifted left and right, resting their chins on the other's shoulders, smiling as they held the other like they were the world to them.

As they continued, they leaned into the other more closely. "We really did it." Erza whispered.

"Yeah. We did."

"I didn't know this was even possible."

Nic smirked on her shoulder. "You know anything's possible."

Now it was Erza's turn to flash a smirk. "You're too cheesy there."

Nic smiled wider, but all Erza did was chuckle as they kept shifting.

Sitting at a table, Michael was watching the two dance, smiling with merry. "Look at them. They grow up so fast."

Joanna put her hand on his, smiling with misty eyes at the couple. "Yeah." She looked towards Tan, who was sitting behind them and half-asleep. "Our little man's gonna have a lot to talk about when he gets older."

Greninja looked on from afar, smiling at Nic and nodding. He was too proud for words. Everyone was. While they were still fatigued, the party was on its last dance, and the couple was having floor to themselves. All that partying and they were still holding the other with smiles. It was too good to be true.

Charizard leaned against a cement wall, crossing arms and looking pleased with the full stomach he had. Nearby, Delphox came along, getting his attention. She leaned in, getting him to listen to something in a whisper. When it was spoken, the two looked at the other and nodded.

Charizard craned his head up and roared loudly, catching everyone's eyes and ears. The tired guests looked as he opened his mouth, shooting a Flamethrower into the sky. Delphox's eyes glowed blue and she pointed her wand at the Flamethrower. With enough flames in the sky for all to see, she used her Psychic to sculp the words _**JUST MARRIED**_ in the nighttime air. Many were in awe as they saw the vibrant fire, it even made Natsu smirk.

Erza's Houndoom smirked as he stepped up. Opening his mouth, he created a Shadow Ball. He fired it skywards, meeting the flaming words and creating flashy fireworks of purple and red that ignited the sky above the lovebirds. As purple and red sparkles rained down like snow, Nic and Erza pulled apart, looking at the other one more time.

Around them, red and purple sparkled. It was like a dream. If it was, they sure didn't want to wake up, but they knew it was real, and they had everyone to thank for that.

"I really love you, Nic." Erza smiled truthfully.

"I love you, too."

Once more, the two pulled into another kiss, the many people clapping and smiling as red and purple rained; some of which continued to twinkle in the sky like stars. Two colors of which became one this very night. From now and forevermore.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap folks! I hereby conclude the sequel! Wooooooh! Once again, I can't thank you all enough for your immeasurable support along this massive road I paved. It wasn't easy, and I know some hiccups flourished about, but I stuck through to the end, just like I did with** _ **The Fairy Contender**_ **. And now I molded it all to this very point. At last, I made Nic and Erza's relationship peak at marriage. I hope it worked out to your liking!**

 **So since I promised this chapter would be the finale to the sequel, I had to make the funeral for Makarov and Mavis and the marriage of Nic and Erza in the same one, with a little bit of friendship drama sandwiched in between. As you can imagine, I made Laxus the new master, and I finally made Natsu and Gray move on, and had Lucy, Juvia, Happy, and Cana contribute to some degree. At least now their friendship has been restored, and everyone finally moved on from their pasts and into the future.**

 **Final Fun Fact: This sequel has a higher word count than the prequel, and short by not even 1 chapter! And was done in less time at that!**

 **Now I know MANY of you would be emotionally shattered if I stopped here, but before you go and cry out of joy or shock, I'll alleviate your emotions by this announcement: I am making a 3** **rd** **/final installment to NicxErza! That's right, it's going to be one more story of Nic and Erza after they get married, but it's still in the thought stages. Now I've heard rumors that Hiro Mashima is making a new generation of Fairy Tail children, but since Fairy Tail just ended a few months ago and this rumor may or not be confirmed, I have no material to go off of. So I've have this idea for a very long time, and it's not going to be about their children…at least not yet of course. It's all ideas, but because of that, I am going to take about 4-6 months before I can finally get the final installment set up. I still have my goal to finish** _ **One's Road to Remembrance**_ **and** _ **Kalos Vacation Training**_ **, and I will at least finish one of those before moving forward any further. And plus, after one of those stories are complete, I also want to do a Bakugan fanfic, so expect that once** _ **One's Road to Remembrance**_ **is finished!**

 **It's going to take A LOT of innovation, but I hope you guys really and truly enjoyed this story from start to finish! I want to thank all my fans and reviewers for helping me and getting me through the manga and supporting to the end! I'll pay you back with what I said above. I will need a lot of time and months to think of a lot of original ideas since I will be going beyond the manga now, I'm going to think out of the box. That means dig into stuff that Hiro Mashima didn't go deep with, like Yukino and Sorano, Richard and Wally, what happened to Alvarez afterwards, etc.**

 **Once more, I can't thank you guys enough, and I hope to hear what you have to say of Nic and Erza and everything that I have given you! You guys rock!**

 **Insane Dominator, out! :)**


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